Author: The Nation

• Twelve aboriginal leaders write the king but Nigeria is not counted

Chief Moshood Abiola of blessed memory would be sad that Nigeria did not make the list. Some leaders of countries in the Commonwealth came together to write a letter to King Charles III of Great Britain   and Ireland to pay reparations to countries that they plundered in the age of colonialism and slavery. They also asked the king to return all artefacts and other remains.

The letter, titled “Apology, Reparation, and Repatriation of Artefacts and Remains,” was issued a few days before the monarch’s coronation on May 6 and brought together indigenous leaders of 12 Commonwealth countries.

The countries include Antigua and Barbuda, New Zealand, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Immediately commit to starting discussions about reparations for the oppression of our peoples, the plundering of our resources, denigration of our culture and to redistribute the wealth that underpins the Crown back to the peoples from whom it was stolen,” the letter read.

This is curious because Abiola, who was denied to be president after winning the election in 1993, shed the world’s spotlight on this subject. Since his death, no one has championed the cause and this country has acted as though there was no such fervor in this land.

Also intriguing is the inclusion of New Zealand, Australia and Canada, countries where aboriginal agitation is strong and have been oppressed by a Caucasian race that has, at best, reacted with a sense of guilt dispensed through cynical acts of tokenism.

The letter asked for a formal apology. This is what the west has failed to do over the years. They are afraid to admit their guilt. Without admission of guilt, there is no apology. Without apology, reparations are a dream.

The coronation of Charles as king was colourful and solemn, and it sought to modernise its features by including blacks, jews, Arabs and portray a universal embrace. But the carriage that bore king and queen after the event was gold-laden, a testament to its loot in the days of slavery.

Pope Francis forced the Vatican to rebuff the doctrine of discovery, which the papacy set in motion in the 15th century when a pontiff directed the explorers and adventurers to conquer all territories around the world, including in West Africa, inhabited and owned by non-believers. They used the word infidels.

That was the justification for slavery, an era that coincided with the Westphalian principle that forbade any country to invade or conquer another country. African kingdoms were not treated as sovereign. They were disdained as sub-human, and that explained why they raided kingdom after kingdom, and they put our ancestors in manacles. They destroyed our politics, culture and stole artefacts, some of them are still on display in their museums.

As apologies go, there have been some half-hearted efforts from the European Union and even President Macron of France, who apologised for the plunder of Algeria.

The Commonwealth has been a meretricious display of love between former colonial master and subjects. It is indeed a way of salving their conscience for slavery. They are saying, in essence, that their former slaves are at peace with them.

The letter blew up that illusion and should begin a process of holding the west accountable for centuries of iniquities.

Nigeria ought to revive the Abiola project and, as the biggest concentration of blacks on earth, should lead the struggle. In every part of West Africa are relics of that shameful era, and they remain a Scarlet Letter for the west and also our leaders who have failed to wake up to a historic duty.

• How could someone in detention be accused of murder?

It’s laughable that the Imo State Police Command accused a detained man of physical involvement in the killing of four police officers, even though he was in detention when the killers struck. A couple was also killed in the incident.

A human rights group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), publicised the absurd accusation. The group said: “Mr. Thaddeus Ikechukwu Ojokoh, a 53-year-old professional tailor and father of five, was arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Tiger Base, Owerri, Imo State on April 15, 2023 and has been detained incommunicado since that date.

“On April 30, Imo State Police Command issued a statement that Ojokoh was among the men that murdered the policemen on national duty.

“He was eventually paraded by the Imo State Police Command along with others who were later arrested following the killing of the police officers on April 21 and said to be among the assailants who attacked and killed the police officers in Ngor-Okpala, Imo State on April 21, 2023.”

The question is: If Ojokoh was in detention at the time the incident happened, could he have participated in it?

The police initially arrested him, alleging that he is a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed separatist group linked with terroristic activities.  This was six days before the police officers were killed, and he was still in police custody when it happened.  

The police have a lot of explaining to do concerning his inclusion, following the arrest of nine alleged killers in connection with the incident, who were said to be IPOB members.

It is unclear how the police arrived at the conclusion that he took part in the killing. The absurdity of the accusation against him calls into question the integrity of the investigation as well as the investigators.  

The killing of the law enforcement agents, and the couple, is condemnable, and the actual killers deserve the maximum punishment.  But the police should investigate the case thoroughly, and ensure that an innocent person is not punished.

The allegation that Ojokoh physically participated in the killing when he was in detention, and nowhere near the crime scene, just does not make sense. This is why the investigation of the case must be reviewed by the police authorities.

It is disturbing that the human rights group that drew attention to the case also said: “His family members have not had access to him since the day he was arrested. They seriously fear for his life because most people arrested by the police in Imo State and labeled IPOB members have usually been executed extrajudicially or disappeared. There have been instances of people arrested on the claim that they were IPOB members and killed or disappeared and evidence later emerged to disprove the claim.”

Are these claims true? Police authorities should ensure that police personnel carry out their duties with a high sense of professionalism. It is a violation of rights when accused persons are not only considered guilty without trial but denied due process.

Ojokoh’s detention, first for his alleged membership of IPOB, and then for his alleged participation in the said killing, is questionable. “He should be released or charged to court if he has any case to answer. His family and legal representatives should also be allowed access to him,” RULAAC said in a petition to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba.

That is the lawful thing to do. Justice should be just. It is sad that police officers, and a couple, were killed in the incident. But it would be a travesty of justice to punish an innocent man for the crime.

 The police should make no mistake about the identities of the criminals, and arrest and prosecute them. That is what justice demands.

• Let’s teach practical agriculture in schools

Sir: According to the timetable for the ongoing 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), school candidates will be writing their Essay and Objective examinations in Agricultural Science on Thursday, May 18, 2023, between the hours of 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Then, on Friday, May 26, 2023, between the hours of 9:30 am and 1:00 pm, these school candidates are expected to be examined in Practical Agriculture in the ongoing WASSCE. 

With regard to these examinations, especially in the area of practical agriculture, one begins to wonder how adequately prepared these school candidates are, or will be, for the ongoing WASSCE in the area of Practical Agriculture, especially with the absence of school farms in majority of our private and public schools in Nigeria.

It is pertinent to note that despite the important role that agriculture plays in our economy, many present-day students lack the knowledge of basic agriculture, agriculture business, and indeed the entire agriculture value chain – the process through which food gets from the farms to dining tables. It is indeed a sorry situation when school children in Nigeria – a country widely acclaimed for its rich agricultural heritage – do not have the privilege of experiencing practical agriculture during their schooling. To curb this problem, the practical aspect of agriculture in the curriculum should be given equal attention as the theory. This is where School Farms play a big role!

School farms are not just spaces for growing food items. They are complete learning zones, which largely succeed in taking learning to new heights. School farms come in handy when it comes to teaching a variety of topics in agriculture, be it Crop Rotation, Mixed Cropping, Inter-Cropping, etc. For a successful school farm, implements and practical equipment should be purchased and distributed. And, whenever the school records bumper harvest, the students can be fed from the produce, while proceeds from the ones sold can be used to develop the school.

The knowledge obtained from practical sessions on the school farm helps not only to reinforce what is taught in the classrooms. It also teaches students about eating healthy, about how food arrives in our homes from the farms, etc. It also equips the students with first-hand knowledge of how to run agribusinesses. This is especially important in cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit in the students. 

In the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, school farming was a major component of the curriculum, and there were no exemptions as to who participated in practical agriculture and who did not. All students trooped to the farms at the designated time. The idea behind this was to make agriculture an integral part of the school culture, so the students are well positioned to appreciate farming, and make it a lifestyle, even when they do not intend to specialise in it.

It is important that schools be provided with necessary logistics for the successful implementation of the whole agricultural science curriculum, while the school farms serve as fields or laboratories for the training of the students, with the basic focus being on skills development and self-reliance. 

Today, agriculture in schools should be handled in such a way that from a very young age, pupils begin to take interest in farming. Efforts should be made to popularise farming as an honourable occupation. This will help to reduce apathy toward the practice of farming. Agric-school clubs such as the ‘Young Farmers Club’ can also be encouraged, where pupils and students will be taught about farming practice and encouraged to own farms. These steps could help ‘catch them young’ and inculcate the love of farming in young ones. Participation in agriculture competitions could also challenge the pupils/students to perform better.

Also, qualified and competent Agricultural Science teachers should be employed, to help make their students appreciate the benefits of the study of Agriculture in practicality. Apart from being qualified, these teachers should be aware of interesting areas of agriculture that will attract and sustain young minds. These teachers should also undergo further training, as this will enhance their teaching skills. The knowledge thus acquired by the pupils/students can stick with them for many years to come. 

In view of the foregoing, it is important that both private and public schools at all levels establish viable school farms. Indeed, school farms are critical to meaningful engagement of students in practical agriculture!

•Daniel Ighakpe,

danny.ighakpe@gmail.com

Sir: The most important function of the intelligentsia/intellectuals of a nation is to provide the knowledge for guiding the growth and development of their nation. When the intelligentsia/intellectuals of a nation are unable to provide the needed knowledge for guiding the development of the nation, it drifts and stagnates.

Nigeria has been drifting and stagnating since independence. Our nation started with 5-year national plans, 1962-1986. Then the World Bank and IMF introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) to Nigeria and over 30 other African nations in the early 1980s.

 Nigeria implemented SAP 1986-2021. Nigeria returned to the 5-year national planning in 2021. Nigeria is facing serious problems, unemployment and poverty, indebtedness and insecurity.

 Our historical research revealed that all the technologically-advanced nations of today were poor artisan/agricultural nations for many centuries. They became rich after they achieved industrialisation.

 From historical and scientific evidence, it is industrialisation that Nigeria needs to solve its main problem. History demonstrates that rapid economic growth and industrialisation are the solutions to mass unemployment, poverty and insecurity.

The United States, for example, was a special case which demonstrated that learning (education, training, employment and research, integrated) is the primary basis for achieving sustainable economic growth, industrialisation and development (SEGID). The belief that the future of America rests on sound public education was common among early American leaders, though they themselves did not have opportunities for good education

Industrialisation is a scientific process. That is the reason economists and other social scientists and their friends, accountants, bankers, lawyers, administrators, etc., do not understand it and cannot manage it.

How is industrialisation achieved? Our curiosity-driven research revealed that industrialisation is achieved through learning (education, training, employment and research). The industrialised society is one that has developed many millions of knowledgeable, skilled and competent people. In the learning process, the higher the learning rate, the higher is the rate of progress.

European and Asian kingdoms and monarchies did not encourage learning. They learnt very slowly and achieved modern industrialisation in 2000-3000 years.

The learning people appreciate in intrinsic values with time and intensity of learning, So, the learning process can be modelled by a growing function.

 Doing that and scaling, we developed a mobilisation equation (MOBE). MOBE suggested that a nation may mobilise all her citizens for intensive learning and achieve a very rapid industrialisation. True! After existing in the period 300 BC-1885, Japan mobilised all her citizens 1886-1905 for learning and achieved modern industrialisation. Similarly, after existing in poverty in the period 1000 BC-1948, China mobilised all her citizens for learning in 1949. China achieved modern industrialisation in the early 1980s. Nigeria will achieve modern industrialisation speedily if the nation mobilises all their citizens for learning.

•F.E Ogbimi,

fogbimi@yahoo.com

• By Dan Abubakar

Daily, we are faced with sundry manifestations of the gross impunity that rule the land in nearly every facet of governance and in the interaction of citizens with their institutions and even with one another. 

The deterioration has long been coming to a head such that the more brazen the flouting of basic rules and abuse of common decency, the greater the likelihood of getting away with it.

Indeed, so far have we descended the slippery slope of condoning – and being ruled by – criminality that it takes a very brave soul indeed to insist on things being done properly.

Like Mrs Maimuna Chionuma. After a quarter century of service at Union Homes Savings and Loans, she had her appointment as company secretary summarily terminated on March 20.  There was no board to approve this step as is required in her case being the Company Secretary duly appointed by a board. Even after having her appointment terminated precipitately, she was given a written warning not to divulge or disclose information pertaining to the company, not because she was bound by an oath (non-existent) to keep company secrets.  She was “threatened” with both civil and criminal actions against her, including reporting her to the Nigerian Bar Association, and that she could be summoned at any time to answer queries. All of which in its true sense is tantamount to a ‘gagging order.’

 For good measure, her persecutors – operatives of Aso Savings and Loans who had failed to consummate their takeover of Union Homes but had somehow browbeaten the regulatory authorities into believing otherwise – petitioned the police hierarchy and the DSS in Abuja that the lone Mrs Chionuma was planning to kill them!

 But in reality, she and her family were being trailed, with strange movements around her home, and she persistently received strange calls from unknown numbers even at odd hours of the day or night. As has become the case in Nigeria, money is at the root of the evil. 

What is the story? The Lagos State government, after a protracted legal case involving the demolition of shops and other facilities, agreed to pay N2.5 billion compensation to Union Homes and two other parties for the said demolition of their properties. The money rather than go to Union Homes through the agreed Trust Account provided in the consent judgement, was intercepted and illegally diverted by the operatives of Aso Savings and Loans who had failed to consummate their takeover of Union Homes and was never a party to the legal action that resulted in the compensation being awarded.

Why did the Lagos State government dole out such money to a body that was not party to the settlement? The Handling Solicitor, upon getting information that the compensation sum had been paid out, sent a petition to the Lagos State government demanding the reason for their paying the compensation to a third party. The Lagos State government quickly reached out to Aso requesting them to officially acknowledge receipt of the said compensation.

Realising the grave implications of their action, the Aso operatives insisted that Union Homes acknowledge receipt of the money and directed the Company Secretary of Union Homes to do so, a request which the Company secretary demurred since no such funds ever came to the coffers of the distressed institution. 

Rather than pay down depositors who are being owed about N23 billion, and serving and retired staffers eking out a miserable existence, 50% of the compensation in the sum of N1.250 billion, was said to have been paid to “political people” (presumably politicians who it was claimed facilitated the payment of the compensation by the Lagos State government). Another N75 million was said to have been paid as fees to consultants for supervising the sharing of the money to the “political people.” 

It gets curiouser and curiouser. From what was left, the powers that be at Aso decided to sequester N126 million as “reimbursement to Aso for legal fees.”  Magically, names of lawyers who were not in any court record as having participated in the legal process that culminated in the compensation being paid, suddenly appeared as beneficiaries.

No wonder the gag order on Mrs Chionuma. No wonder the perpetrators of what appears to be a brazen heist took the further step of petitioning the Police hierarchy in Abuja and the DSS alleging that Mrs Chionuma was planning to blackmail and kill them! 

She honoured their invitation to Abuja where she stated her case in detail to the consternation of the interlocutors at the two institutions who were evidently shocked at the chutzpah of the petitioners and therefore refused to act on the expectation to have her detained.

Earlier in the year – in what is now obviously a calculated move to intimidate – one of the principal figures in this episode tried to warn off Mrs Chionuma thus: “You can get away with anything in Nigeria. It depends on the language you speak, who you know and your sex.” And of course, on disposable cash to spread around the press, crooked cops and other enforcers.

One major question leaps out in this sordid saga. Where were the regulatory authorities, notably the CBN, SEC and NDIC? 

When Aso made a bid for Union Homes in 2015, the whole transaction (Transaction Implementation Agreement – TIA) was supposed to have been consummated within 90 days. To date that has not been done and which meant Union Homes and Aso remain two separate legal entities. But somehow Aso continued to successfully browbeat the regulatory authorities into believing that Union Homes had been subsumed under Aso.

Many of the ingredients that have brought Nigeria prostrate are present in this tale: corruption, abuse of office, flagrant flouting of rules, intimidation.

When the few abusers of our commonwealth engage in such impunity, the society suffers. Institutions are eroded, values are debased, systems fail and banditry results. In the case of Union Homes, many retired staffers who could not claim any benefits have suffered untold hardships, some have died. So have depositors to whom Mrs Chionuma and her colleagues were paying whatever little came in, thus bringing down the exposure from N29 billion in 2015/16 to about N23 billion as at 2022.

The devastated state of Nigeria today, with bandits in the bush and bandits in the corporate world, is a result of the moral failing of people in a position to say no. And unless there is a critical mass ready to do so, we will continue to have failed institutions and hucksters as leaders.