The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

UNIPORT unveils two testing facilities, treatment centre

Mike ODIEGWU, Port Harcourt

The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has inaugurated two Covid-19 testing centres to serve the school community ahead of resumption of academic activities scheduled for February 1st.

The management also unveiled a world class treatment facility provided for the school by the Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Stephen Okodudu, who showcased the facilities, said the provisions were made to safeguard the health of students and members of staff amidst academic activities.

Okodudu said the university put in place adequate measures, including online lectures for large classes to ensure the safety of the students.

Okodudu said: “We can sustain it. We did not build from block up. We suspended them on ceramics. The treatment centre we got is a donation from a company and those who gave it to us are committed to supporting us.

“The testing centres too; we have come a long way. We have been on it since November. On the whole, I think it is sustainable if we have come this far. It is to begin that is the difficult aspect of it, sustaining it is easier.”

Okodudu said the university would ensure strict compliance to COVID-19 protocols by the students.

He said: “The thing is that we have put up advisories to the staff members and students to maintain all COVID-19 protocol. At least, use a face mask. If you cannot afford a surgical face mask, you can use the ones made with clothes.

“We have also said that globally, everybody is encouraged to carry a hand sanitizer and it is within the reach of every student. We have also trained responders to ensure that nobody enters the campus without obeying COVID-19 protocol.

Read Also: New trends as UNIPORT commits to sports digitalisation

“For large classes, we have facilities that they (students) can stay in the comfort of their homes and take their lectures. There will be no reason for them to come around for lectures.”

He insisted that the university would not permit sale of hostel rooms or crowded spaces, adding that only those the institution allocated spaces to would be allowed to reside in the hostels.

He said: “What we have to deal with now is the issue of room occupancy ratio. We have had before a situation where six students stay in one room, including squatters and we will not allow that this time. What we have decided now is no squatter in the hostels. It has been outlawed; we will enforce it this time.

“We have allocated bed spaces to known students, known matriculation numbers with known departments and facilities. But somehow, we find a situation from the report of the Dean of Students Affairs where some students sell off their bed spaces to their fellow students and probably go out and get an apartment. It is not going to be healthy for us in the circumstance of this pandemic.

“Especially, to engage in contact tracing because the name we have on the register is the name of the person who the space was allocated to. The person who bought will not have his name there. The Dean and his team are under some kind of obligation to ensure that anybody who comes there is the person that is supposed to be there”.

He also warned that university would not allow students without nose masks to take lectures.

He said: “Those who do not have a nose mask will not enter the classroom. One year down the line, I think the lesson is there. It is not a punishment on the students. The pandemic is not a joke. So, no lecturer will allow any student without a nose mask to come into the classroom.”

January 30, 2021
Dutch court to Shell: pay compensation to four Bayelsa farmers over spills

Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Dutch Court of Appeal on Friday ordered the Nigerian subsidiary of Shell to pay compensation to four Bayelsa State farmers over oil spills in the state.

The appellate court in The Hague ruled that the Nigerian arm of the British-Dutch company should compensate the four farmers and clean up pollution from the leaking oil pipelines.

Four farmers from Oruma in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa had dragged Shell to a Dutch court over a 2008 oil spill that adversely impacted their farms.

In a reaction to the judgment, the Environmental Right Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) applauded the decision of the court in favour of the four farmers.

Executive Director at ERA/FoEN, Mr Chima Williams, said the verdict was a relief to the environmental rights movement.

He stated: “Today’s decisions will determine whether or not transnational companies will be obliged to respond in a swift and positive way when environmental complaints are made from their host country.

“This case has taken so long that two claimants are no longer alive. But the problems caused by the immense oil spill from Shell’s pipelines have still not been resolved after 13 years. It hurts that this can happen.

Read Also: Elumelu buys Shell’s stake in oil block for $533m

“The court has set a new standard that will give hope to ordinary citizens that no matter how powerful a company is, there will always be a day of reckoning.”

But Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said it was disappointed by the verdict, insisting that the incident in question was caused by sabotage.

Media Relations Manager of SPDC, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, said in a statement on Friday that most leaks from its operations were caused by suspected vandals.

He said: “We continue to believe that the spills in Oruma and Goi were the result of sabotage. We are therefore disappointed that this court has made a different finding on the cause of these spills and in its finding that SPDC is liable.

“Sabotage, crude oil theft and illegal refining are a major challenge in the Niger Delta. Indeed in 2019, around 95 per cent of spill incidents from our operations there were due to such criminal acts.

“Regardless of cause, we clean up and remediate, as we have done with the spills in this case.

“SPDC also works with a range of stakeholders to find solutions to these complex issues. Like all Shell-operated ventures globally, we are committed to operating safely and protecting the local environment.”

January 30, 2021
Highest bidder’s league

Ade Ojeikere

I’M calling my friend (Azeez Tade) out since the body he heads has been the safety valve of what we have been forced to watch – the domestic league riddled with several inadequacies. Tade has been quite cooperative as a major stakeholder of the game in Nigeria. He is the President of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) whose members are being owed their entitlements running into years, with the organisers pulling the wool over our faces by celebrating a certain television coverage, forgetting that the players, officials, and referees must be present at the match venues for such games to be televised.

How best can anyone capture the tomfoolery called television coverage than with the undiplomatic manner in which supposed host broadcaster NTA cut off the live transmission of the league game at half-time to allow for the Covid-19 press conference? It underscores the reason corporate firms won’t touch any venture owned by the government. Imagine if firms had paid for several of the marketing openings in the stadium for the Monday game, only for NTA to obey orders from the top which ended the live coverage unceremoniously. Viewers at home waited in vain for the commencement of the second half which didn’t come on the stream. Isn’t this an international disgrace? How do we expect any business-minded local or international firm to identify the goods or services with such a shameful setting?

An incident happened in one of the fixtures in the six-week-old league where the match referees who handled the home game which Ifeanyi Ubah FC lost were locked out of their hotel. From this scenario, can any set of referees be able to officiate fairly games involving Ifeanyi Ubah FC at home without ensuring that they win at dusk? No way, since they know the implication – sleeping outside in the open field except they have the cash to pay for one room to rest their heads until the wee hours of such unfortunate nights before heading home. Isn’t it a shame that clubs are being made to accommodate referees of their matches? Would the organisers refund such expenses when their so-called sponsors remit their contributions? No prize for guessing right that nothing has been given to the club by the organisers.

We are being deluded by fake news reports listing the Nigeria league that hasn’t produced a winner on the pitch as the 77th best in the world among the 211 football federations and 10th in Africa. Which firm would consider a league without known kick-off dates? How would a league whose players and coaches are being owed their entitlements with the organisers unable to apply the rules on such issues to the letter berated? Who rates a league without title sponsors? How do you evaluate a league that isn’t beamed live on television? Who reckons with a league whose workers are being owed salaries running into millions for close to nine months? Who is fooling who?

A league whose organisers beg clubs to foot the bills of the games shouldn’t be listed at all. A league where people are forced to burn their data watching games that ought to be on terrestrial television among others is deviant and should be stopped. The organisers should tell us what is holding back the sponsors’ packages, especially the cash now that the referees’ body is threatening to boycott the league soon? The referees’ body is right if they make good their threat because their members are family people who shouldn’t be risking their lives on Nigerian roads only to be told that what is due them isn’t available. Or are the organisers expecting the referees to fund their trips to match venues? Don’t they know that refereeing is a hobby? Who does that? Shouldn’t the organisers prioritise the referees’ entitlements knowing their importance in the game?

What do you expect any referee or referees if they get alerts or cash gifts paying for their flight tickets, names of the hotels booked for them and other pecks front-loaded to any account of their choice to do when they get to the match venue(s)? Any team that provides for referees in this kind of untoward manner expects victory in return. Anything short of the three points would attract the kind of punishment the referees who handled Ifenayi Ubah’s home loss got – bundled out of the hotel and possibly a refund of what they were paid – those that are verifiable.

This writer isn’t in support of open attacks on the organisers or referees after games. But where the hosts are made to do everything for referees, one won’t but align with these critics, especially for those matches shown live as the game between Heartland FC and Akwa United. Some of the referee’s calls left much to be desired of. Unfortunately, the so-called television coverage didn’t have relays or the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) machines for a proper review as we see weekly in European leagues. Nobody would watch his efforts destroyed by the incompetence or otherwise of an arbiter without expressing his reservations. It is only human to do so. Now that the coaches and officials have been punished, the organiser should critically study the match videos for further sanctions on the match officials’ conduct, especially this Heartland/Akwa United game.

What stands out clearly is that the domestic league’s problems would forever be swept under the carpet. Those who should support a paradigm shift have soiled their hands in the till and have no moral justification to demand a change in the way the game is administered here.

Yearly, these state-owned teams get budgets allocated to them. But the players and coaches get a mere pittance. They dare not grumble; otherwise, they get fired. Club chairmen operated like monsters, preferring to exploit the inefficiencies of the organisers to do what they like with the clubs’ funds. Today, nobody can say how much our clubs are worth. Nobody dares ask how much players earn since many cannot remember when they were last paid.

With this setting, the organisers had no product to sell to investors beyond trying to use their friends in high places to broker a deal. Simply put, no arm of the league is functional, culminating in the easy exit of most of our continental representative, beaten by clubs from less prominent football nations. Since the league was always in abeyance, the home-based players couldn’t compete with their foreign-based counterparts whenever they are invited to fight for shirts in our national teams. They are used as training materials. Ironically, the few lucky ones that get to Europe return as kings to get shirts – just because of their change of residence.

In the absence of a soccer calendar, domestic league players resort to heading out of the country to all manner of leagues in name of being foreign-based to attract an invitation to the national team. Such moves are shady, as shylock agents trade them into slavery. Many of such moves have also seen our young stars lose their form or go into oblivion.

The list of such lost stars is legendary. Where do I start? Who will I ask why such destructive moves still persist? Of course, when good players leave the country, those left are those still eager to bolt away to Europe or the Diaspora, knowing that they have no future remaining here. And with a system that worships discovered stars, attention to developing a nursery remains a conjecture. Without a nursery, no development. Players are left to copy what their idols exhibit on television, leaving the basics of the game to the period when they will get a foreign side to teach them.

It is sad that the organisers are celebrating away victories in the game in this covid-19 era, forgetting that the fans are not watching the matches live. Who doesn’t know that clubs and their leaders persuade the fans to vent their spleen on match officials if the result doesn’t favour the home teams? No away team can abandon a game if the results are in the favour. When you criticise a system here, those who should effect the changes resort to cheap talk of the writer doing the bidding of his paymaster. But like a sore thumb, the problems keep hitting our all-knowing officials on the face. The sports administrators’ saving grace so far is that nobody has been killed at league venues by those beasts who take the laws into their hands to cause mayhem and maim people. The saddening part of these urchins’ bestial acts is that nobody gets punished, no one gets caught and the teams get a slap on the wrists.

To avert deaths, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) should immediately prioritise manning of match venues before, during and after matches, through special squads. The IGP can place temporary police stations inside the stadium with Black Marias stationed to house hooligans when they are caught.

January 30, 2021
School bus driver defiles four-year-old pupil on her way home

Ernest NWOKOLO, Abeokuta

Police have arrested a 36-year old school bus driver, Humble Michael, for allegedly defiling a four-year-old pupil of the school where he was employed.

Michael allegedly raped the minor on the way home after he had dropped her colleagues off at their various homes.

The father of the victim was said to have discovered the sexual assault on his daughter while bathing her.

He was said to have found that blood was coming out of her private part while bathing her, and upon inquiry, she disclosed that the driver of her school bus had sex with her on January 21, 2021 on their way back from the school.

The little girl, it was learnt, also told her parents that after the driver had dropped all the other school children at their various homes, she was the only one left in the bus. This gave the driver opportunity to park somewhere along the road and defiled her.

Read Also: Kwara: Don’t distract the driver, please!

The victim’s mother reported the incident at the Ogijo Divisional Police Headquarters, where the Divisional Police Officer, Ogijo Division, Muhammed Sulaiman Baba, mobilised operatives and arrested the suspect.

The girl has since been taken to the General Hospital for treatment where doctor’s report also confirmed that she was sexually abused.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the story in a release yesterday, said the suspect had admitted committing the crime.

He said the suspect would be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution as directed by the Commissioner of police, Edward Ajogun.

January 30, 2021
Ayade, others pay tribute to late ADA Bekwarra

Agency Reporter

Glowing tributes continue to pour in from prominent citizens of Cross River State as well as the Northern Senatorial District of the state including the governor, Sir Ben Ayade, Senator Stephen Odey, Rt Hon Legor amongst others as the remains of Chief Linus Okom, ADA Bekwarra, was laid to rest today at his country home in Nyanya, Bekwarra Local Government of Cross River State.

The late Ada Bakwarra, who died after a brief illness on January 9, 2021 at a Calabar medical facility was aged 80.

Governor Ayade, while reacting to his death described the late Ada Bakwarra as father to all and that his death was monumental loss to the Bekwarra nation, the Northern Senatorial District, as well as the entire state.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Christian Ita, Ayade described late Okom as “an Iroko, an avatar, a unique hen who gathered her brood under her wings. As an Iroko that he was, he offered a canopy to other shrubs.”

He regretted that “the void left with the painful death of the inimitable elder statesman would be difficult to fill.

“Indeed, as Northern Senatorial Caucus Chairman, Ada Bekwarra was an exemplary politician and political manure who nourished us through his promotion of public good and enduring probity, sterling and cohesive leadership necessary for the unity of the zone.”

The governor said Ada Bekwarra “was an epitome of humility, a devout Christian who lived his life in the service of God and mankind, noting that “as we mourn the passage of this great statesman and role model, we are, however, consoled by the fact that he lived to a ripened age.

“We pray Almighty God to grant his soul eternal rest and comfort his family as they mourn his painful loss.”

The senator representing Cross River North in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Dr Stephen Odey, who mourned the death of the late elder statesman, noted that he was a man of witty character, an elder statesman per excellence and an accomplished public servant of repute.

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He added that he was a notable politician and a sound leader who distinguished himself as an exceptional leader in Cross River State, and assured that the ideals and notable legacies of the late Adah Bekwarra will continue to live on.

In his tribute to the late Chief Okom, the House of Representatives member representing Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku Federal Constituency, Rt Hon Legor Idagbo described him as “a colossus, a legend, a father of the region and the nation at large. A man whose word was his bond, and who says it as he sees it. To me, you were simply a father through and through.”

The emotional tribute further reads, “Uncle I never envisaged that a day would come when I would be asked to write your tribute.

We had become so used to your being around taking for granted that you would always be with us, forgetting that one day you will be no more.

I remember like yesterday when I came to you and you encouraged me to venture into politics. With your support I dared to contest for a seat in the Cross River State House of Assembly representing Bekwarra State Counstituency even when I was relatively unknown politically. You stood by me till the end. We may have lost that battle but that outing launched me politically, culminating in my eventual emergence in 2007 as Chairman of Bekwarra Loca Government Council inspite of my young age.

You built a political brand in Cross River State from whose stable emerged Chairmen of Council, Members of the State House of Assembly, National Assembly Members and even Governors.

You have left a vacuum very difficult to fill.

Uncle we will miss you deeply but we are consoled by the knowledge that you have departed to be in the bosom of the Lord owing to the kind of life that you led here on earth.

Outside of politics you lived an exemplary life, both as a public servant and a Christian. In public service you assisted numerous people with gainful employment thereby touching several families; and as a knight you inspired spiritual rebirth in many because of your exemplary Christian life.

In the words of Ray Bradbury “It doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away”

Say me well to my Dad, your friend, Justice Ochikry Idagbo and reassure him that the ‘OKOMITIE” scions will continue in your legacies as you both live on. Adieu!!!”

The Director-General Cross River State Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau, Alphonsus Ogar Eba Esq, on his part described him as “an upstanding Royal Father whose shining virtues should be emulated and put into practice by other Nigerians.”

He stated that “I have lost a passionate, committed and sincere royal Father in my political journey and struggles.

“Ada Bekwarra was a man of great intelligence, humour, deep thoughts, rich vocabulary, great patriot, a rallying point of socio – political interaction in Cross River State and was undoubtedly one of the most respected and dedicated believer in politics of establishment / regards for constituted authority”.

The late Royal Father had demonstrated such virtues in his reign and men of his kind are rare in a society like ours where money is valued more than principles.”

The funeral arrangements announced by the wife of the late Ada Bekwarra, Dr Mrs Monica Okom on behalf of the family outlined activities leading to his final interment, which started on Sunday, January 24 with a service of songs and night of tributes at SPC Hall Calabar.

On Thursday, January 28, was a vigil Mass at St Bernard Catholic Church Marian Hills in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital.

On Friday, January 29, 2021, the body of the late Chief Linus Okom will departs Calabar for his Home town, Nyanya, Bekwarra LGA, for a vigil mass at RCM Parish Nyanya, Bekwarra LGA.

And on Saturday, January 30, 2021, there will be a Funeral Mass at RCM Parish, which will be followed by interment in his country home in Nyanya, Bekwarra.

The late Chief Okom was a former Governing Board Chairman of the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC); Federal College of Education, Obudu and Federal College of Education Technical, Omoku, Rivers State. He was indeed a great patriot, a selfless and detribalized leader, who brought a lot of stability to Bekwarra, the entire northern Cross River and the state at large.

He was a worthy Christian leader in the church, who served the Lord in His vineyard and rose to the rank of the Grand Knight of the Order of St. Mulumba.

The late Chief Okom was survived by his wife Dr Mrs Monica, sons, daughters, grandchildren, host of relatives, mentees and friends.

January 30, 2021
We won’t allow Seriki’s return – Igangan residents

Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan

Indigenes and residents of Igangan town in Ibarapa North Local Government have vowed never to allow the return Seriki of Fulani, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir.

Abdulkadir, they said, created a crime empire in the axis, which fuelled kidnapping, rape and killings.

They told Governor Seyi Makinde to keep him in the Government House if he is so much in love with the Seriki, who was chased out of the town last Friday by Yoruba rights activists Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho and his supporters.

The Convener, Igangan Development Advocates, Mr Oladokun Oladiran, stated these in a conversation with The Nation.

He also dispelled the notion that Abdulkadir had earned the right to stay in Igangan having lived in the town for over 50 years.

Those years, he said, were tantamount to building a crime empire that made living hellish for residents and indigenes.

Read Also: Arewa council installs Seriki

According to him: “The Governor mentioned that the Seriki had been in Igangan for 50 years or thereabouts, that is 50years of being a strong cabal, 50years of building a strong empire of crime, of becoming so entrenched in crime.

“Staying in a location for 50 years is not a reason to exonerate such a person from criminal activities. In fact, if someone is building a crime institution, after 50 years, you can expect that the person must have perfected the act and established a big kingdom of crime.

“So, what the governor said I don’t think he got it right. What the Governor said as regards the longevity of Seriki upon our land is also tantamount to the longevity of terror upon the land.

“So, the people of Ibarapa rejects and denounce the return of Seriki and will not accept it. As Ibarapa is uniting as one voice, we will not accept that.

“So, if the governor wants to choose a criminal above loyal citizens, his own loyal people who are open minded and who love him, then, he is saying that we do not matter on his table.

“If he cares so much about Seriki, let him settle Seriki in the Government House, we don’t mind.”

January 29, 2021
My plan for job creation, by Abiodun

In this piece, Yekini Alli highlights how Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun is generating employment and boosting food security through agricultural revolution

IN December last year, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun breezed into the Conference Room of Sheraton Hotels, Abuja, in a blaze of glory. And local and international stakeholders in agriculture stood still as he was decorated with the Best Governor of the year award in Agriculture, a fitting tribute to months of endless toils and triumphs in a pandemic year. The innovations in farming, farming techniques and technologies and agribusiness deriving from Governor Abiodun’s (ISEYA) mantra of infrastructure, social welfare and wellbeing, youth empowerment, culture and religion had not gone unnoticed. The year had been rough but as the old saying goes, a golden fish has no hiding place…

As is well known, the state is very competitive in arable crops like cassava, yam, maize, sweet potato, and cash crops like cocoa, oil palm, timbre, kolanut, cashew and rubber. In actualizing its objective, the government embraced an integrated approach to production, processing and marketing through land provisions/inputs distribution, processing and marketing with individuals and corporate organizations. There is of course the African Development Bank, World Bank/Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) for 40,000 farmers in nine priority value chains cassava, maize, rice, soybean, tomatoes and pepper, sesame, fishery and poultry), among many others.

During the 2020 planting season, 40,000 smallholder farmers were supported with inputs such as seeds, cassava cutting, insecticide and herbicide, just as 10,000 farmers were given fertilizers palliatives and continued support across the state. The administration supported young farmers with over 900 hectares of land preparations in 17 locations, with some 2,500 unemployed youths and farmers engaging in cassava production. In addition, it set up strategic partnerships with international development partners and farmers in large-scale cultivation of rice and cassava in 36 locations in 11 local government areas.

It cannot be a moot point that the broiler scheme of the state empowered 54 pilot youths who had successfully completed three cycles of broiler production with each making profit of N150.000 per cycle for three cycles. If the administration achieved success with the linkage of 4,462 participants to inputs and credit to the tune of N700 million in the cassava value chain, and 1,065 participants to inputs and credit to the tune of N300 million in the rice value chain through the CBN/Ogun State Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), the linkage of 800 participants to inputs and credit to the tune of N360 million under the Ogun State Government/Federal Government/IFAD Assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) took things to another level entirely. But that was not all: 394 maize farmers, 54 rice farmers and 21 poultry farmers benefitted from the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) through the CBN.

To be sure, the construction of 20km access roads in Obafemi-Owode, Yewa North and Ijebu North East, 14 solar-powered water schemes in Ijebu North East, Obafemi-Owode, Yewa North, Ifo, Ijebu East, Odeda and Odogbolu LGAs, four cassava processing centres at Baara, Alapako-Oni, OkeIyemi and Ayetoro, not to mention the rice processing centre in Eggua, is all part of the scheme to make farming great again in Ogun State. What is more, innovations such as the CBN Cassava 5-Star Programme, Cocoa Development Initiative and Oil Palm Expansion Programme) and the Federal Government/Ogun State Government/IFAD Assisted Value Chain Development Programme for over 3,000 farmers in 11 local government areas in the state are gradually turning the fortunes of farmers and farming around in the state. This, of course, is in addition to the World Bank COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Project; World Bank-Assisted Agro-Processing, Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement (APPEALS) Project; EU/GIZ/Federal Government/Lagos State/Ogun State Nigeria Competitiveness Project (NICOP) for 3,000 farmers including youths, in tomato and chilli pepper value chains; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)’s technological innovations and support to farming and related activities, including technical backstopping, demonstration farms and enterprise development in Ogun State. The list is virtually endless.

But, here’s the real deal: the glory season is in fact only just beginning. For one, irrigation farming and weather-smart agricultural practices are in the pipeline. The Ogun State Economic Transformation Programme (OGSTEP) targeted at empowering over 40,000 farmers is scheduled to take off even as the administration has concluded plans to link farmers with tractors, planting material palliatives and help them reduce the cost of production. An Ogun-Kebbi Joint Commision on Rice Production is set to be unfolded to meet the increasing demand for the staple food across the country. That is not all: rice farmers in the state are set to experience a marvel as the government deploys drone technology to scare away predatory birds, and will be linked with mechanical rice harvesters at the mere payment of a pay a token.

Given the foregoing, it did not come as a surprise that a delegation from the Federal Capital Territory Agricultural Development Programme (FCT-ADP) and the Agric and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) recently visited Ogun State on a share-learning mission. According to the leader of the delegation who doubles as the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, ARDS, Yahaya Hussaini, the seamless land acquisition process, land management, farm settlement and farm estate operations of the state informed the choice of Ogun. His words: “We are here because of the various success stories of Ogun State in terms of agriculture. It was indeed a fruitful visit, we have been to other states but what we saw in Ogun State is a wide margin, and we came to the conclusion that agriculture is the way out of our challenges.” Yahaya added that the Ogun Broiler Project and fisheries production would be replicated in the FCT-ADP. The Ogun State government is in fact working with the Federal Government and the private sector to promote the consumption of the Vitamin A and bio-fortified food. As noted by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina, “We are privileged to be in charge of food security, industrial linkage and land administration, among others, accounting for the influx of investors into our dear state.”

Given the innovations highlighted above, you would be forgiven for thinking that nothing further is in the offing. But, you would be wrong: this month, Prince Dapo Abiodun disclosed plans by his administration to have an agro-allied based airport—yes, airport– to aid the development of the state as a destination of choice for agriculture in Nigeria. Speaking during the inauguration of Agbeloba Aquaculture Hub in Owiwi, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state, Abiodun said the agricultural sector remained a sure way out of poverty and the unemployment ravaging the country. As he pointed out, this year, at least 5,000 young people in the state would receive mentoring, support, and linkage to profitable agro-investment firms, as a prelude to setting them up in their respective businesses. In his view, “We now need another Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) more than ever before. This time, it has to be urgent and with home-grown initiatives.” Nothing could be more apt at this time when the nation faces threats to food security in form of bandits and terrorists exterminating farming communities in the North-East and cutting down farmers in cold blood across the country.

January 29, 2021
More anger over crazy electricity bills

Electricity consumers are angry over the hike in electricity tariff without a concomitant improvement in power supply. Rather than giving its nod to tariff hike, the government ought to have compelled the power firms to improve power generation, distribution and relative stability in supply, LUCAS AJANAKU reports.

FOR electricity consumers across the country, these are certainly not the best of times. Battered by the ravages of COVID-19, which had destroyed lives and livelihoods, they have to pay about 50 per cent increase in tariff through their noses for electricity not supplied.

A retired civil servant in Abesan Estate, Lagos, expressed shock at the electricity bill that was slammed on him last November. The octogenarian who identified himself as Pa Isiaka, said he receives N5000 monthly as pension but now had to pay N27,000 monthly bill for his two-bedroom apartment in the estate.

He said: “I am an 85-year-old retiree. I get only N5000 monthly as my pension. I pay my bill regularly because it was N5000. My children used to help me, but unfortunately, the one that had the strength was affected by job loss occasioned by COVID-19. I was owing only N500 as at October 2020. Now they brought N27,000 for November. Because of my condition, I paid N3000 out of the bill. Now they brought another N27,700 for December 2020. Where do they expect me to get this kind of crazy bill?”

Two of the bills sited by our correspondent read: “Your Bill for DECEMBER 2020: Tarrif: C – Non MD; Rate: 37.95; Read Code: D; LAR: PAR: Consumption: 679; Curr. Charges: N 27,700.65; Previous Balance: N28,500.68; Payment: N 3,000.00; Adjustment: 0.00; Amt Due: N 53,201.33; Due Date: 18/01/2021; For enquires, call 017000250; Detail: eservices.ikejaelectric.com/billing.

Another read: Your Bill for DEC 2020: Tariff: C – Non MD; Rate: 37.95; Read Code: D; LAR: PAR: Consumption: 677.00; Curr.Charges: N27,619.06; Previous Balance: N205,575.57; Payment: N0.00; Adjustment: N0.00; Amt Due: N233,194.63; Due Date: 18 Jan 2021. For enquires call 017000250; Detail: eservices.ikejaelectric.com/billing.

The owner of the second bill who identified herself as Mama Chibike, said before the recent hike, she had been battling the menace of crazy bill. “I don’t run a factory in my house. I am a retired civil servant being supported by my children. I don’t know why they were sending between N20,000 and N30,000 bill to me monthly. I went to complain to them, but they just kept promising that they will do something. Nothing was done until the recent hike,” she lamented.

Another customer, Lizzy Chioma, said the officials of Ikeja Electricity (IE) stopped coming to read the analogue meters installed at her apartment. She alleged that each time the field workers of the power firm came around with their ladder threatening to disconnect, residents would start running helter-skelter to avert being disconnected.

She said: “I challenged one of them why the electricity tariff was suddenly hiked from N5000 to N27,000, the young man said he was helpless and expressed sympathy with the consumers. He told me the order came from their boss in the office. He advised me to pay N45,000 to get pre-paid meter. I thanked him.”

These are few of what the average electricity consumer in the country passes through. Electricity tariff and fuel price have been increased. While the Federal Government has legislated a minimum wage of N30,000, it is not clear if five, out of the 36 states, have started paying.

The era of crazy billing under the guise of estimated billing has been replaced by an uncompassionate billing system backed by state actors.

Pa Isiaka and Mama Chibike represent the poor the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Chairman, Prof. James Momoh, assured that the tariff hike would not affect.

Momoh said a strategy had been put in place to ensure that whatever happened, the poor would no longer subsidise the rich.

Hear him: “It is not going to affect the poor; we will make sure that the downtrodden and the people you feel for at the moment will not be affected by any increase we will be bringing forth.

“It will be based on the hours of service and the quality of power available there. We don’t want the poor to subsidise the payment of the rich. In other words, we must make sure that the poor are not sacrificed in the process of tariff increase.”

Cap on estimated billing

Woried by mass outrage over estimated billings, NERC made an order capping estimated billing in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), which took effect from February 20, 2020.

By Order No/NERC/197/2020, dated February 20, 2020 (the ‘Order’), NERC repealed the NERC (Methodology for Estimated Billing) Regulations 2012 (the ‘2012 Regulation’), and made an order capping estimated bill to unmetered customers by DisCos in NESI.

The main objective of the Order is to protect unmetered R2 (Residential-single and three-phase meters, who consume more than 50kWh per month) and C1(Commercial-single and three-phase meters, small businesses) customers from arbitrary billing and expedite their metering process.

The Order, among other things, stated that DisCos are to ensure tariff class A1 customers (customers using grid-connected premises for agriculture, schools, water boards, religious houses, government and teaching hospitals, etc, that require single or three-phase meters) are properly identified and metered by April 30, 2020; All unmetered R2 and C1 customers shall not be invoiced for consumption of energy beyond the price capped in schedule 1 of the Order, (by illustration, N1, 872 for R2, where consumption is capped at 78kWhr per month at a tariff of N24/kWh); All residential customers who consume not more than 50kWhr (R1 Customers) per month shall be billed N4/kWh at a total maximum of N200 per month; All other customers on higher tariffs shall be metered by April 30, 2020 otherwise they shall remain connected to supply but without further payment to the DisCos until a meter is installed.

It was also directed in the Order any customer whose estimated bill is below the capped price shall remain so without upward review until the installation of a meter; and any customer who rejects the installation of a meter must be disconnected by the DisCo.

The purport of the Order as stated in its objective and as succinctly captured above is quite apposite in the pursuit of customer satisfaction, however, there is need to point out that the energy cap on estimated bills for R2 and C1 customers is on a case by case basis and not a uniform base tariff of N1,800 popularly held.

Schedule 1 of the Order makes clear provisions for Area/Business unit-specific billings per kWh for R1 and C1 customers. For example, in Abuja, whereas Kubwa is billed 114kWh for R2 and 120kWh for C1, Maitama is billed 432kWh for R2 and 548kWh for C1. In Lagos, whereas Apapa is billed 376kWh for R2T and 300kWh for C1S, Island is billed 774kWh for R2T and 648kWh for C1T. Whereas, Jigawa North is billed 61kWh for R2A and 60kWh for C1A, Kano Central is billed 83kWh for R2A and 86kWh for C1A.

DisCos kick

The DisCos, however, screamed blue murder to the capping initiative, saying it was causing them huge monthly revenue loss.

Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) said it lost more than N1.8 billion to capping of estimated billing, describing it as a disservice to the energy industry.

The power firm’s chief, Mr John Ayodele, said: “As a result of capping, IBEDC is losing more than N1.8 billion every month for the energy delivered because those on capping do tell us that they don’t need meters because the capping is cheaper for them.

“With this, they can use electricity as much as they want. It is not in our interests to do capping, based on what has been delivered to them,” he said.

Mass metering to rescue

The Federal Government had unveiled a National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), designed to bridge the metering gap estimated at about five million.

Last November, under the first phase of the NMMP, one million meters were given to electricity consumers free in Kaduna and Kano, Lagos states with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disbursed N14.35 billion to DisCos to cover the procurement of 263,860 meters under the NMMP.

Reacting, the spokesman for IE, Felix Ofolue, said the customers were being billed according to their bands. He said there was an increase in tariff in November, last year for customers in bands A, B and C in line with Service Reflective Tariff (SRT) approved by NERC.

NERC had okayed tariff hike but said the DisCos must consult with customers first.

“Following consultations and directions on tariff policy, the Commission (NERC) hereby approves a deferment of the applicable tariffs for customers in service bands D and E (that is customers with a service commitment of less than an average of 12 hours of supply per day over one month) for September 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021,” it had said.

Momoh said under Service Based Tariff (SBT) model, DisCos were expected to consult with the customers before any arbitrary hike.

“Under these service-based principles, DisCos will only be able to review tariff rates for customers when they consult with customers, commit to increasing the number of hours of supply per day and quality of service.”

According to a public notice entitled: Implementation of Revised Service Reflective Tariff by Ikeja Electric, the power firm said the hike in tariff was sequel to a consultative meeting among the Federal Government, labour unions and other stakeholders following concerns raised about the basis of the MYTO 2020 SRT, which were earlier planned to be implemented from September 1, 2020.

On why the firm stopped reading meters, Ofolue said: “The integrity of most of the old meters have been compromised, so they don’t capture the actual consumption. The extortion claim is an allegation so we need proof to be able to investigate appropriately. We have always had a whistle-blowing channel where customers can report ilegalities.

“Yes, prepaid meters are a means to capturing the actual consumption, so we always advise customers to apply for meters. However, we have commenced the National Mass Metering programme, so installation is free. Roll out is based on our scheduled plan.”

The tariff hike has been described as ill-timed by stakeholders. They say it will not alleviate poverty but further aggravate it.

They may be right. According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), unemployment rate in the country jumped to 27.1 per cent in Q2 2020 from 23.1per cent in Q3 2018.

Highlights of the statistics showed that the number of persons in the economically active or working age population (15 – 64 years of age) during the reference period of the survey, Q2, 2020 was 116,871,186. This is 1.2 per cent higher than the figure recorded in Q3, 2018, which was 115,492,969.

The unemployment rate among young people (15-34 years) was 34.9per cent, up from 29.7per cent, while the rate of underemployment for the same age group rose to 28.2per cent from 25.7per cent in Q3, 2018. These rates were the highest when compared to other age groupings.

The damage the hike in electricity tariff could cause for the people is captured in a World Bank report. “Nigeria is highly vulnerable to the global economic disruption caused by COVID-19, particularly due to the pronounced decline in oil prices and spikes in risk aversion in global capital markets. Nationally, 40 per cent of Nigerians (83 million people) live below the poverty line, while another 25 per cent (53 million) are vulnerable. With COVID-19, many of these 53 million vulnerable people could fall into poverty. The magnitude of the health impact depends on the duration and the domestic spread of the outbreak, while the economic impact hinges on oil prices. Oil accounts for over 80 percent of exports, a third of banking sector credit, and half of government revenue. Oil prices also affect growth in non-oil industries and services, with additional pressures arising from foreign portfolio investors’reassessment of risks and domestic liquidity management,” the global lender said.

The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, said for investments to thrive in the power sector, cost-reflective tariff was inevitable.

He said the alternative was for government subsidy. “Cost reflective tariff is a difficult option, especially given the prevailing economic conditions. But it is the most sustainable option that would salvage the power sector and attract investment. It is important to fix the numerous inefficiencies that characterise the entire power sector value chain,” he said.

Analysts say fixing the numerous inefficiencies that have become the hallmark of the power sector post-privatisation should have come before overkilling tariff hike.

“It’s like putting the cart before the horse. Increase in power generation and attainment of relative stability in power supply should have come before a hike in tariff. To me, it’s just adding to the burdens of the ordinary man like me,” Bankole Joseph, a barber said.

January 29, 2021
The price of peace

Femi Abass

Monologue

Peace is a unique virtue in the life of man. Its value cannot be measured on the scale of gold or that of silver. Any life without peace is a life without worth.

Peace, in any religiously tempestuous society like Nigeria, is often not by chance. It can only be by a well-planned sphere of life with formidable but abstract pillars such as endurance, tolerance and mutual respect based on mutual understanding. The usual template of peace in any disciplined society is based on experience gained from history.

Preamble

This article is not new. It was first published in this column in 2012, when a satanically disastrous group of bandits called Boko Haram in Nigeria was just three years old. But the same article is being repeated here today because of demands for its re-publication by many readers who passionately believe in its relevance to the current Nigerian situation in which religion has become the biggest commercial venture that vigorously constitutes a tug of war at the instance of some charlatans who are claiming to be religious leaders.

Such charlatans are mostly known, not only by their audacious preaching of prosperity alone, but also by the hate speeches which they provocatively dish out in torrents from their pulpits, as a form of advertisement with which to entice certain ignorant people to their commercial dragnets.

The Wings of History

History is an invisible object with two invisible wings flying across generations in time and in space. One of those wings is positive while the other is negative. It is only with history that the present becomes the heritage of the past while the future awaits the baton of continuity or otherwise from the present. No living nation or tribe or even individuals can dream of a realizable future without a veritable present based on a memorable experience of the past. The web of life is like a magnet which no iron element can bypass on its way to ornamental glory.

A Fabric of Uncertainty

Today, against what ought to be a valuable heritage, Nigeria is, sadly passing through a fabric of uncertainty as she rolls back the fibres of the future into those of the present and weaves both together into the vestiges of the past. Such is a sign of a dead nation waiting to be interned. What kind of war is not ravaging Nigeria today, in spite of Allah’s abundant bounties? The forces of the present seem to have connived with those of the past to jointly engage in wrestling down the future with a determination to deprive the generations yet unborn of any hope of decent existence.

For decades, Nigeria has been forced by the so-called leaders to engage in political, economic and social warfare without winning any. Now, a religious dimension is being desperately and demonically added to those wars for pecuniary purpose.

Thus, like a billow vigorously storming around at the instance of an invisible tempest, a melee of religious hullabaloo engendered by a vicious political Pandora has virtually turned Nigeria into a land of curses. God! Where are we going from here?

Purpose of Religion

By its design and intents, religion is supposed to be, not only a panacea for all human psychological ailments, but also a soothing balm for any spiritual ache. Ironically, however, religion, in Nigeria, today, has been turned into a poison   without any provision for an antidote. And through our usual   attitude tagged Nigerian factor, we seem to be bent on swallowing the pill of that poison without minding its dangerous repercussion.

The Factors of Ignorance

The factors that culminated in what we now variously call religious commerce, religious   militancy or extremism or fanaticism or terrorism, emanated only from the yoke of ignorance which bad governance has perennially incubated in readiness for hatching. And, could anything have influenced bad governance as much as ignorance? Yet, ignorance would not have had a role to play in our religious or political lives if we had demonstrated the will to genuinely follow the tenets of our religions and learned from the lessons of history without banking on sentimental assumptions and fallacious rumours.

History as a Teacher

History as a teacher always has a lesson in its kitty to teach those who are ready to learn from time to time. But, unfortunately, most human beings, especially Nigerians, refuse to learn any lesson from history and the price is what we are paying today.

Reminiscence

In 1962, Nigeria’s Governor General, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (who later became Nigeria’s first President in 1963), paid a three day official courtesy visit to the then Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in Kaduna. Dr Azikiwe was accompanied by his wife, Flora. The host Premier mobilized all the paraphernalia of office in honour of his guests whom he accorded an unprecedentedly flamboyant hospitality. The three days visit enabled those leaders’ wives to become so familiar with each other that Flora also invited the Bellos to the East on a similar visit. By the time the visit ended, Dr. Azikiwe had become so much impressed that at the point of departure he held Ahmadu Bello’s hands and gently pleaded with him to “please let us forget our differences”.

In response to that emotional but infatuating gesture, Sir Ahmadu Bello said in an equally gentle, baritone voice: “No sir! Rather than forgetting our differences, let us understand them. I am a Muslim from the North. You are a Christian from the South. It is only by identifying and understanding those differences meaningfully that our friendliness can truly blossom and endure”. There and then, Dr. Azikiwe nodded in agreement with his host’s logic and accepted the fact that one could not forget what has not been identified and understood. The lesson to learn from this experience is that of mutual understanding without pretentiously sweeping anything under the carpet. That is the principle upon which the marriage of political strange fellows who find themselves in a joint government is often based in Nigeria. It is also the principle upon which partnership of many Nigerian businessmen and women is based despite their cultural incompatibility. But that principle is not applied to Religion in Nigeria despite the existence of a body called Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC). And, this is because of easy but dubious access to cheap wealth by certain fraudulent charlatans who are greedily masquerading in the cassock of religion and parading themselves as   religious leaders.

Stages of Ignorance

For thousands of years, peoples of all races and tribes across the world thrived vaingloriously on cultural ignorance while attributing their calamities to mysterious forces and blaming such mysteries on what they called witchcraft. In the past, here in Africa, millions of children were forced to die in infancy, by their own parents, out of sheer ignorance, while the same parents turned round to blame what they called ‘ABIKU’ or ‘OGBANJE’ for the mass infanticide which they ignorantly engendered. With time, however, education and knowledge of science brought about the invention of various vaccines with which children were immunized against different diseases thereby giving those infants the   opportunity to survive. And, this has enabled us to know, today, that the mystery which we once called ‘ABIKU’ or ‘OGBANJE’ was a euphemism for ignorance in African mythology of those days.

Now that the days of cultural ignorance seem to be over, Nigerians have devised another means of restiveness by shifting to religious ignorance which enables them to replace the infanticide of the yore with modern day genocide through terrorism and banditry. It is hoped that one day, real education and not mere literacy will also help us to overcome the spectre of religious ignorance and propel our country to the progressive pedestal on which she ought to have been dwelling for long.

Qur’anic Testimony

If it had pleased the Almighty Allah to make all human beings one single race with one colour, one tongue and one religion, He would have done so without receiving any query from any quarters. But as the undisputable Omnipresent and Omnipotent entity, His decision to diversify His creatures cannot be faulted because it is from that diversity that all creatures have consistently derived unfettered benefits. In the world today, there are different races and tribes of human beings with different colours, languages and cultures each functioning as predestined and, yet they all interact positively with one another to the benefit of all and sundry. This is in accordance with the words of Allah in Chapter 49 verse 13 of the Qur’an thus: “Oh mankind! We have created you from a male and a female and classified you into races and tribes that you may interact positively with one another (and thereby draw from the advantages therein). Verily, the most honourable among you before Allah are the most pious ones. Allah is All-knowing and most acquainted with all things”. Q. 49:13

Other Creatures

What is true of human beings in the above quoted Qur’anic verse is equally true of other creatures. For instance we can all see that on a single   plot of arable land on which a variety of plants may grow to form an orchard but each plant will stand out with different foliages and fruits. Some of those fruits may be sweet, some may be bitter and some may be sour. Some may be fruitful and some may be fruitless. Some may be trees of gargantuan posture while others may be ordinary legumes. Yet they are all fed by the same soil, watered by the same rain and photosynthesized by the same sun. Their different foliages, sizes, heights and tastes notwithstanding, they all function effectively and advantageously according to the purpose for which they are created. In the ecosystem, no tree in an orchard will ever accuse another of bearing fruits different from its own and no animal will blame another for carrying a feature or for wearing a colour different from its own. No whale will ever denigrate even a fingerling in the ocean for sharing the same water with it. Ditto the world of birds, reptiles, and that of insects. Even as plants, animals, aquatics, reptiles, birds and insects, those creatures know that for everything Allah does there is a reason which may not be instantly known but will become known later. It is only among human beings that discrimination and segregation exist, based on ignorance.

Parable of Religion

We can also compare the above analogy to a situation inside a football stadium where there is a variety of sections such as State Box for the upper class, State Box Extension for the Middle Class and popular side for the lower class. At the entrance of the stadium, each person obtains a ticket according to his or her financial ability which determines his status. And that qualifies him for a seat in any of the sections in the stadium, according to the status of the ticket obtained. Without prejudice to the categories of the tickets they obtain, all the spectators in the stadium are authorised to watch the match for which they have paid. If at the end of the match however, a spectator, who was privileged to sit in the State Box, turns round to say that another spectator, who sat at the popular side of the stadium, did not watch the match, others around them will sarcastically conclude that something might have gone wrong with the psyche of the accuser. The positions from which those spectators watched the match might be different but the fact remains that they all watched the same match. That is the parable of religion in the lives of individual human beings.

The Mission of Religion

In Islam, all revealed religions are like an embassy established by a nation in another nation to strengthen her diplomatic relation with the host nation. The Ambassadors appointed to manage such embassy may be changed from time to time just like the foreign policy which guides those ambassadors, but the embassy remains intact, barring any unforeseen circumstances. So is the case with the Prophets of Allah. They might have come at different times and from different lands with different tongues. They might have brought different books revealed in different languages but their mission was one and the same because their Creator who appointed them as Ambassadors is only one and He cannot be pluralized. Muslims believe that all the Prophets and Messengers who have come into the world to guide mankind were from one and the same God who created the universe. Thus, Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael) Ishaq (Isaac), Musa (Moses), Daud (David), Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad (SAW) as well as others who preceded them or came in-between them brought the same message of monotheism through which mankind was counselled to worship one God and be upright in conduct.

In Qur’an Chapter 2 verse 285, Allah admonishes Muslims against discriminating among His Apostles thus: “The Apostle of Allah, Muhammad, (SAW) believes in what has been revealed to him by his Lord, and so do all the (Muslim) faithful. They all believe in Allah and His Angels, His Books as well as His Apostles. We do not discriminate against any of His Apostles. They say ‘We hear and obey. Grant us your forgiveness oh Lord! To you we shall all return”.

Religious Rivalry

As a Muslim, you cannot believe in one of those Apostles and disbelieve in others. And you cannot believe in one of the revealed Books while disbelieving in others. That is why no true adherent of Islamwill ever express foul language against the person of Jesus or blame the misdemeanour of a Christian on Christianity as some Nigerian Christians do against the person of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Islam as a religion when they accidentally have an unpleasant encounter with a misbehaving Muslim as if there are no misbehaving Christians in Nigeria. Were Nigerian Muslims also to bring such a disgruntled rivalry into religion especially in their propagations, the country called Nigeria would have probably been long forgotten.

Unity of God

Although the modalities for worshipping God may differ from faith to faith and from sanctuary to sanctuary, this does not change the course of their faith in only one God. Thus, the rivalry between Muslims and Christians, especially, in Nigeria, over who is spiritually right or wrong is a product of ignorance.

Similarities

As taught by Christianity and Islam through their revealed Books, respectively, the areas of life that need our cooperation are by far more comprehensive than those in which we differ. For instance, both the Bible and the Qur’an counsel humanity to worship one God. They preach good deeds to neighbours and other fellow human beings, publicly and privately, irrespective of religious lineage. They advocate good care for our parents, our children, the aged ones amongst us and the handicapped. They urge kindness to our spouses, forgiveness for our offenders, leniency with our adversaries and magnanimity in victory to the vanquished. They admonish us against cheating and any form of corruption. They forbid theft, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism and above all the killing of fellow human beings, extra-judicially, for whatever reason. They also warn us against provocation, aggression, oppression, exploitation and transgression even as they emphasize the ephemerality of this world and the eventuality of the hereafter. In all these, we have a common affinity to jointly guard us.

Dissimilarities

The few areas in which we differ are abstract and quite personal. They are not areas on which human beings are given the power to pass judgement. Only the Almighty God can judge on them. Such are the areas which we believe will pave our ways into the Paradise. But since paradise is for individuals and not for religious blocks why are we fighting each other as religious bodies on the basis of belief or disbelief? After all, the journey to Paradise or Hell is a matter of choice for every individual. And no one can tell with precision who will go to Paradise or go to Hell. Such is the prerogative of God which He has not assigned to any human being and which no human being can and should arrogate to himself or herself except one who wants to play God.

Perception of God

As an adherent of a religion, you can only perceive your God according to your faith and that should not cause any rancour between you and adherents of any other religion. As Nigerians, we dwell in the same country, eat the same foods, drink the same water, wear similar dresses, trade in the same markets, share the same offices and spend the same money. Our children attend the same schools, write the same examinations and obtain the same certificates. We intermarry across tribes and ethnicities as well as religions. All these form a stronger bond that ought to unite us much more than the abstract ones which often threaten to tear us apart. In a situation where the factors of life that unite us grossly surpass those that divide us will it not be stupid to relinquishunity and cooperation for the adoption of satanic animosity and ruinous antagonism?

Observation

With the official formation of an interfaith group called NIREC, it had been thought that religion in Nigeria would be the last bastion of hope that could pave way for a future of harmony, not only in the sphere of religion but also in the social and political spheres of life as well. But unfortunately that noble thought is now rapidly being turned into an unwarranted despair as the agents of Satan are becoming more aggressively combative   against peaceful coexistence just to gain personal ephemeral life in which they would ride in executive jets and regale in exclusive mansions to the detriments of the ignorant congregations which they exploit to the marrows. If we could settle any rift with an external country like Cameroon, we should be to settle any internal rift among ourselvesfor the purpose of peace and posterity.

Bless Nigeria!

January 29, 2021
Southwest PDP leaders shelve meeting

Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan

THE hope of an amicable resolution of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest on Thursday suffered a setback, as a stakeholders’ meeting slated for the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan was stalled.

Although many of the party leaders, who were identified as the arrowhead of the crisis, were absent, those present said the meeting was shelved due to logistic reason.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who has been involved to broker peace between the key figures, was on hand to address leaders and elders at the meeting.

Fielding questions from reporters after a brief meeting with the leaders present, Wike said he was in the state to visit his friend and in-law, Governor Seyi Makinde, and also to inspect ongoing projects in the state.

He said the leaders and stakeholders had agreed since Wednesday night to shelve the meeting due to the absence of other leaders due to logistic reasons.

Wike said he was in the state because he had already promised Makinde to visit him, but he merely decided to respect some leaders from the region who were also in the state initially for a meeting.

He said the leaders decided to postpone the meeting to a later date so as not to do a job that would require another urgent meeting thereafter.

Read Also: Oyo PDP, APC face rebuilding exercise

When asked how soon peace should be expected back in the region, Wike said it would be presumptuous to give a definite time frame due to the fact that all interests must be carried along.

“We should not be in a hurry. Peace takes a lot of talking to people and you know in politics, you need to talk to people for people to understand. It is not something you say that because you met today, and because you are meeting tomorrow, everything must be resolved on that particular thing.

“Politics is of interest, so you need to make sure that everybody is fully involved. So, let us not be in a hurry. But, what is important is that the Southwest PDP is our belief and our hope that the way they have been is the way they will continue to be.

”The other time we met with Imo stakeholders, today they are almost concluding, so there is nothing like time frame. I am not going to tell you that, oh, I give you one day or I give you two weeks, no.

“What is important is that whether it is one week, one month, what I know is that Southwest is very important and key for PDP as far as Nigeria is concerned,” he added.

Makinde vowed to continue his pursuit of peace in the party in the region, noting that Southwest played a pivotal role in the scheme of things in the country.

When asked why Governor Wike was involved in brokering peace between the warring factions, the Chairman of the Southwest PDP Reconciliation Committee, ex-Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said the Rivers State governor was involved because of his relationship with Governor Makinde and former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Some of the party leaders present at the meeting included a former governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, Ondo State PDP governorship candidate Eyitayo Jegede and Senator Abiodun Olujimi, among others.

January 29, 2021