The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

Cholera: Water safety threatened by improper disposal, open defeacation, says NCDC

Kwara moves to prevent outbreak •Ogun urges residents to coninnerise waste

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has expressed concern over the growing threat to water safety, which triggers outbreak of water-borne diseases, including cholera.

Its Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, expressed the worry in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja, stressing that improper refuse disposal and open defeacation are endangering the quality of water sources used for drinking and for personal use.

As of June 24, this year, there were 1,528 suspected cholera cases, 65 confirmed cases and 53 deaths across 107 local government areas in 31 states, reflecting a case fatality rate of 3.5 per cent since the beginning of the year, the centre had said.

The NCDC boss urged Nigerians to adopt safe sanitation practices and called on state governments to enforce stricter waste management regulations.

He said: “Unsafe practices lead to contamination of water bodies.

Read Also: National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)

“We must take responsibility to ensure the safety of our water. Proper waste disposal and elimination of open defecation are crucial in this direction.

“There is also the need for public education and awareness about the importance of hygiene and proper sanitation practices amid rising concerns about the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid, which thrive in unsanitary conditions.’’

In Lagos State, some residents have decried the poor access to public water by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC), amid the cholera outbreak.

They told NAN that they had been relying on boreholes for so many years given that the state’s public water had not been working, thereby exposing them to water-borne diseases.

Also, the Kwara State Government has put measures in place to forestall outbreak of diseases, especially cholera.

Although there is no reported case of cholera outbreak in the state, its Environment Commissioner, Dr Abubakar Ayinla, said: ‘’We are killing many birds with one stone, just as the National Environmental Sanitation Day, is marked on June 28 annually, we also need to be weary and proactive.

July 1, 2024
CBN and IMTOs

•The apex bank’s directive ought to have come a long time ago

If anything, the directive by the apex bank allowing eligible International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to sell foreign exchange (forex) on official window with immediate effect, has been long overdue. The measure, principally, seeks to widen access by the IMTOs to local currency liquidity for the timely settlement of diaspora remittances.

Under the guidelines, eligible IMTO operators could access the CBN window directly or through their banks, to execute their forex transactions and on such prices to be based on prevailing Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) rates, to ensure transparency and adherence to a market benchmark.

The new measure, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is expected to enhance the supply of foreign exchange in the official market, reduce pressure on the parallel market and, in the course of time, help stabilise exchange rates.

To ensure smooth and seamless operations, the IMTOs are expected to confirm their partner banks and to advise on settlement instructions.

The measure, to be sure, goes beyond a mere signalling of the CBN’s resolve to leave no stone unturned in its ongoing efforts to boost diaspora remittances and stabilise the naira. What it does is address a major lacuna that has remained a recurring feature of the forex management system – the problem of foreign remittances – a problem so destructive and malignant that Nigerians cannot but wonder is

why those players have literally been handed free licence to commit murder.

Read Also: ‘Restructure Nigeria along US, UAE lines’

Although the problem has been with us for a while, it took a reminder in January by the chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, to see the rape for what it is.

Here is how he put it: “The World Bank said for 2023, our diaspora remittance was about $20 billion. We estimate that more than 90 percent of that did not get to Nigeria, they are being externalised. We have spoken to loads of Nigerians almost everywhere, in the US, UK, etc. They told us how they send remittance. They use Apps, and we have tried some of those Apps, they use parallel market rates. So, you take $1,000 in New York, and tap on your phone that you are sending $1,000 to someone, a Fintech, they pay the Naira equivalent in Nigeria without bringing the dollars, unless of course if the source of the money is illicit.”

Yes, the process was that seamless and easy: all that is required for a Diaspora Nigerian to transfer funds is a mere touch of buttons on an App, for the recipient to receive instant credit in the specified account. And, with the CBN at a time routinely printing notes like one would do as in office stationery, there was more than sufficient naira to keep the inequitable system running!

Howbeit; if it seems tragic that the quantum of hard currency that could have helped to boost our foreign reserves and perhaps stabilise the economy never left the source; perhaps the only thing worse is that the past CBN leadership either saw nothing wrong with the arrangement or pretended that the problem did not exist. Little wonder that it soon became a case of the savvy Fintech carts dragging the CBN horse, while the rest of the world gaped in wonder.

The directive by the CBN is only the starting point. Next is to see that every operator is made to comply as directed by the apex bank. As much as we expect its capacity as regulator will be sorely tested on this; Nigerians expect nothing short of performance in the onerous task.

July 1, 2024
Re: Exit, Finidi George

Sir: Your robust editorial of Thursday June 27 about the quagmire the Nigerian male national football team has found itself as a result of the ‘utter confusion and seeming anarchy’ arising from the resignation of Finidi George refers. However, it is pertinent to review the list of the indigenous coaches that had little success with the national team.

For the records, the late Shuaibu Amodu has no business in that list for the under mentioned reasons.

As a nation, we have qualified for six world cup appearances and Amodu was involved in three out of the six successful qualification campaigns. He started the race for the 1998 World Cup before he was replaced by Frenchman Philipe Troussier who was later replaced by the ‘World Class’ Bora Milutinovic. The 2002 qualification was salvaged under his leadership together with the late Joe Erico and Stephen Keshi by pulling the ticket from the jaws of the disaster created by the Jo Bonfrere’s led technical crew. Amodu started and completed the 2010 qualification campaign before he was sacked as it happened in 2002 when he was replaced by Chief Adegboyega Onigbinde and Lars Largeback (who could not qualify Sweden for the 2010 World Cup) and of course those two World Cup appearances in 2002 and 2010 without the sacked Amodu remained our joint worst outings at the Mundial till date.

Read Also: Climate Action: SPEC collaborates on NDC 3.0 framework to boost Nigeria’s green economy

The late Shuaibu Amodu remains the only manager in world football that participated in three World Cup qualifications UNBEATEN and in addition to this unblemished record are the two podium finishes at AFCON in Mali 2002 and Angola 2010 with Bronze medals.

Amodu remains one of the heroes past, the old national anthem was referring to, and it is expedient that his labour (though unpaid as the NFF still owes him till date) should not be in vain which was the focus of the enlightening editorial.

•Opeyemi Ajala FCA,Lagos.

July 1, 2024
ASUU’s strike threat

•All parties must work towards avoiding it

The threat to shut down public universities by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the Joint Action Committee of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and

Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), is a multiple

whammy that all stakeholders must take necessary steps to avoid. We therefore urge the Labour unions to withdraw their threats, and the federal and state governments to dialogue with each union over its demands, to avoid another strike in our public tertiary institutions.

We note that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration had promised to do all that is necessary to avoid the rampant strike in our universities, and so far the government has substantially kept to its promise. The most recent action was the quick response of the Federal Government to the controversies surrounding the constitution of the universities’ governing councils. But, for state universities, ASUU alleges that they have ignored their demand to reconstitute their governing councils, and that forms one of the grievances of the union, for which they have threatened strike.

Read Also: ASUU urges FG to implement Briggs report, reposition universities for global recognition

According to the Zonal Coordinator, ASUU, Benin Zone, Prof Monday Igbafen, “while the Federal Government has hastily reconstituted controversial governing councils of federal universities after 11 months of their illegal dissolution, some state governments have remained adamant to the contrary. The absence of governing councils in the universities has led to unthinkable aberrations, with the introduction of obnoxious policies that are antithetical to university culture.”

We urge the state governments to reconstitute the governing councils where they don’t exist.

On their own part, the NASU and SSANU, in a letter to the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, also threatened industrial action. The unions said: “The deafening silence of government and failure to pay the withheld salaries is creating a high level of agitation and contentions among our members in the universities and inter-university centres such that we can no longer guarantee industrial peace and harmony on university campuses”.

While we cannot hold court for the federal and state governments or the ASUU, NASU and SSANU over the threat to industrial peace, we appeal to the Labour unions, on behalf of the Nigerian

students, to sheath their swords. We note that the minister has met with the leadership of ASUU, led by Prof Emmanuel Osodoke, over the pending issues. The ASUU President confirmed that “we had discussions on all the issues that we previously presented to the government, and we have received some responses from the government officials”.

The minister should also dialogue with NASU and SSANU, to find solutions to the issues they have raised. But the unions in our universities must also understand that the answers to the many problems confronting the universities cannot be solved by resort to incessant strike. Strike should only be the last resort. The penchant to resort to strike to force the government to accept conditions it cannot fulfil in the long run, does not help any party in the dispute.

We urge all stakeholders to isolate the universities from incessant industrial actions, as they affect the quality of the graduates they produce. In a highly competitive global environment, our university products must be able to compete with their peers across the world. We cannot be producing mediocre graduates and hope to compete with the best across the world.

The university stakeholders know that it is ‘garbage in, garbage out’. If the students and teachers are at home instead of in the classes and at their research tables, they can only produce mediocre products. And this is not good for the country.

July 1, 2024
Ajayi Crowther in the spotlight

It was a striking weekend: the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the consecration of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther; the celebration, on June 29, of the 160th anniversary of the birth of Diocese on the Niger (Anglican Communion); and the announcement of release dates of a new novel by Biyi Bandele, about Crowther’s rise to celebrity, published posthumously.

The Bishop of Diocese on the Niger, Bishop Owen Chiedozie Nwokolo, noted that its anniversary celebration was unprecedented, and would henceforth be done yearly. According to him, Diocese on the Niger “is the first diocese in Nigeria, and Crowther was our first bishop.” He said Crowther, “the first ever African bishop in the world… brought the gospel of Christ to this part of the world in 1857, and through his ministry we became a diocese”; and he was consecrated Bishop, Niger Territories on June 29, 1864.

A life-size statue of Crowther, he said, would be unveiled by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, adding, “It will be a significant landmark in Anambra State and in Onitsha.” He described Crowther as “the one that brought light here, that brought education, that brought development… there is no way we can put him aside.”

It was in Osoogun, in present-day Iseyin Local Government Area, Oyo State, that his life began as well as the story of his life. It was in his home town that Fulani slave raiders seized him in 1821. He was eventually sold to Portuguese slave traders at the age of 12. The young Ajayi of Yoruba ancestry was rescued by the British navy and taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Read Also: ‘Restructure Nigeria along US, UAE lines’

Crowther had described his enslavement as “the unhappy, but which I am now taught in other respects to call blessed day, which I shall never forget in my life.” In his progression to priestly prominence, he took an unlikely path carved by unlikely destiny helpers. For him, slavery turned out to be a springboard to celebrity.

Crowther’s achievements were remarkable, considering his unremarkable beginnings. Following his conversion to Christianity and his baptism in 1825, he adopted the name of a prominent British clergyman of the Anglican Church Missionary Society (CMS). He studied in England and attended the Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, where he advanced his exceptional interest in languages, which became of immense use in evangelism.

He made history when he was ordained as the first African bishop of the Anglican Church at a ceremony in England, in 1864. In the same year, he was given a Doctorate of Divinity by the prestigious University of Oxford.

His language skills produced the first Yoruba translation of the Bible, which was completed in the 1880s, and a Yoruba version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. These projects demonstrated how seriously he took his Christianity and his evangelism. He also produced primers for the Igbo language and the Nupe language.

However, Bishop Nwokolo observed, “something went wrong.” White missionaries who did not like Crowther because he was black, ironically, accused him of “encouraging idolatry.” “All his efforts, his work was played down,” he said, and for a long time after him no other black man was allowed to be bishop. He observed that the Church of Nigeria talked about Crowther, “but in written record, episcopally there is no record of the ministry of Crowther in the Church of Nigeria record.”

In 2015, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, publicly expressed remorse for the sin against Crowther at a ‘thanksgiving and repentance service’ in England. Welby is the leader of the Church of England and the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. His apology on behalf of the Anglican Church spoke volumes about Crowther’s place in history.

Welby said: “We in the Church of England need to say sorry that someone was properly and rightly consecrated Bishop and then betrayed and let down and undermined. It was wrong.” He also said in his sermon that Crowther, a victim of racism, had “evangelised so effectively,” and “led his missionary diocese brilliantly,” but “was in the end falsely accused and had to resign, not long before his death.” Crowther died of a stroke in Lagos in 1891, which was possibly connected with his desolation. “We are sorry for his suffering at the hands of Anglicans in this country,” Welby said.

There is no doubt about his extraordinary evangelistic role in the early years of Christianity in Nigeria. Not for nothing is he regarded as the father of Anglicanism in Nigeria. “Today, well over 70 million Christians in Nigeria are his spiritual heirs,” Welby said in tribute to his pioneering efforts.

It is commendable that Bishop Nwokolo, who is Igbo, displayed objectivity by noting that Crowther deserved to be celebrated, and the celebration should not be affected by his Yoruba roots. He said: “Yes, he was a Yoruba man, but what he did for us cannot be counted. So, we are going to show the world that something happened here many years ago.”

His life captured the imagination of Nigerian writer and filmmaker Biyi Bandele, who completed his novel Yorùbá Boy Running, which charts Crowther’s “miraculous journey” to prominence, just before he died in August 2022, aged 54.

The novel is described as “a many-voiced, kaleidoscopic portrait of an extraordinary man,” According to the blurb, “From the heart-stopping drama of Àjàyí’s last day of freedom to the farcical intrigue of the Òsogùn court; from a meeting with Queen Victoria; to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, his journey, like all great odysseys, circles back to where he began.” The book has an introduction from Nobelist Wole Soyinka, who calls Bandele “a unique, all-responsive talent.” It will be released in the UK in July; and in the US in September.

However, the great man’s home town, Osoogun, needs to be developed, and should be an important tourist site. Interestingly, the so-called Crowther monument site in the town was listed by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) as one of the country’s 100 most important monuments during the centenary celebration of Nigeria’s amalgamation in 2014. The site includes the spot he and other captives were kept tied to a giant tree before they were sold into slavery, and ruins of a place said to have been his home.

The town continues to show signs of extreme neglect. It is a place of history, and deserves to be given attention by the authorities. Ultimately, it is a dishonour to Crowther that Osoogun remains unreflective of his greatness.

July 1, 2024
WikiFree…

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his native Australia last week a free man, 12 years after he last breathed the air of freedom. He had spent the past five years in a London maximum security prison, and for seven years before that he was holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in the English capital trying to avoid arrest.

Now he is free after fighting a protracted battle against extradition to the United States for trial. His freedom followed a plea bargain with the American government by which he pleaded guilty to one count felony charge of conspiracy to violate the country’s Espionage Act, which under its laws interprets to “receiving and obtaining” secret documents and “willfully communicating” such “to persons not entitled to receive them” (in Assange’s specific case, the public). US prosecutors in turn sought his sentencing to 62 months in jail, but he was not to serve the term post-verdict because it equated to the time he had been held in London’s Belmarsh prison while fighting extradition and had thus already been served. The plea deal capped Assange’s long-running legal battle with American authorities, enabled him to avoid prison in the US and to return to Australia a free man, though not before he made a court appearance in a remote US territory in the Pacific.

It was apparently a deal Assange, 52, found to be a better option because he had faced 18 counts of Espionage Act violation and up to 175 years in prison if found guilty. Indeed, British authorities had to seek reassurances from the US he would not receive the death penalty when he was fighting extradition from their soil.

Read Also: Subsidy removal: Tinubu has good intentions for Nigerians – Osun Cleric

Under the terms of the agreement, Assange’s plea deal was subject to being formally heard and approved by a US court in Northern Mariana Islands – a Pacific island chain that is an American territory some 6,000 kilometers west of Hawaii with a US federal district court based in its capital, Saipan. The islands are closer to Australia where Assange was billed to return immediately after the court hearing. Prosecutors said he resisted setting foot on continental US to enter his guilty plea.

The WikiLeaks founder’s journey to freedom began on Monday in London where he boarded a private flight from Stansted airport after being released on bail from prison en route to the Pacific island. His wife, Stella Assange, was reported saying she was “elated” and it was “incredible” that her husband was set to be freed. “He will be a free man once it has been signed off by the judge and that will happen sometime tomorrow,” she said on Tuesday from Australia. “We will be seeking a pardon, obviously, but the fact that there is a guilty plea, under the Espionage Act, in relation to obtaining and disclosing national defence information is obviously a very serious concern for journalists,” she told Reuters news agency.

Reports also cited Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese saying Assange was accompanied on the flight from London by Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Stephen Smith. The plane landed in Bangkok on Tuesday to refuel before flying its controversial passenger to the remote US territory. Assange made a brief court appearance on the Pacific island Wednesday morning, in line with the agreement with US prosecutors that the plea hearing and sentencing be conducted in one short stretch. Immediately after, he headed to his native Australia a free man.

Assange’s troubles began some years after he started his WikiLeaks whistleblowing site in 2006 on a quest for “radical transparency and truth” – a mission that turned his polarizing personality into a notorious character and earned him crusaders and critics in equal measure. He designed WikiLeaks as an online dump for anonymously submitted documents, videos and other sensitive materials after vetting them. The website ran for some years, uploading material ranging from the US military’s operating manual for its detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to internal documents from the Church of Scientology and some of 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s stolen emails. But it was in 2010 it was catapulted to global attention with a footage of a deadly 2007 US helicopter attack in Baghdad, Iraq that became known as “Collateral Murder” because a dozen civilians including two journalists were killed in the attack, sparking condemnation from human rights activists and earning the US military widespread censure. By the year’s end, the website had gone on to publish nearly half a million classified documents relating to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, thereby cementing its reputation. As WikiLeaks continued its disclosures, Assange found himself the latest cause célèbre – his every movement was intensely watched and with each headline, his infamy grew among those at the receiving end of his exposes.

Between 2010 and 2011, WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of sensitive and classified military and government documents leaked by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was apprehended in 2010 and jailed. She got freed after seven years when ex-President Barack Obama commuted her sentence. Assange himself became hunted by American authorities. Speaking at some point on CNN, he described the published documents as “compelling evidence of war crimes” committed by US-led coalition in the Iraqi and Afghan wars.

While evading America’s reach, Assange visited Sweden in August 2010, during which time he got accused of sexual assault by two women and faced an international arrest warrant issued by Swedish prosecutors. He dismissed the charges as a smear campaign orchestrated to pave the way for his extradition to the US and refused to go to Stockholm for questioning, but rather turned himself in to United Kingdom authorities who released him on bail. Early in 2011, a British judge ruled in support of the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to Sweden, upon which he opted for a nuclear option and fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London to request political asylum. He was to spend the next seven years trapped in that diplomatic bolthole.

In 2017 while in the shelter of Ecuador’s embassy, Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation of rape charges against Assange. But he acknowledged he wasn’t likely to walk out of the embassy any time soon because he was wanted by UK police on charges of breaching his bail conditions. Meanwhile, he had sustained his fierce activism and WikiLeaks kept up its data dumps, including releasing in 2016 on the eve of US elections thousands of emails apparently hacked from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and other mails stolen from the private email account of then presidential contender Hillary Clinton. His activities rankled then Ecuadorian leader, Lenín Moreno, who complained that Assange’s behaviour did not align with diplomatic ethics and had himself come under intense US pressure to withdraw the WikiLeaker’s asylum, which he did in April 2019.

Upon Ecuador’s withdrawal of his asylum, Assange was promptly pulled kicking and screaming from the embassy by London’s Metropolitan Police on an extradition warrant from the US Justice Department that he fought tooth and nail. He spent the next five years living mostly isolated in a three-by-two-meter cell at Belmarsh prison, a high-security facility in southeast London known for once housing infamous terror suspects like radical Egyptian cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri.

WikiLeaks published materials about many countries, but it was the US during ex-President Donald Trump’s administration that decided to charge Assange with 18 criminal counts of breaching the Espionage Act and endangering lives with his website’s dissemination of classified military documents and diplomatic cables. But his prolonged legal ordeal plied pressure on the US for a resolution of the WikiLeaks founder’s case and turned even his erstwhile critics into canvassers of his freedom, such that when he secured his freedom last week, Ecuador’s Moreno said he was glad Assange wasn’t handed over to the US. Speaking recently in parliament, Australia’s Albanese said: “Regardless of the views that people have about Mr. Assange’s activities, the case has dragged on for too long. There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia.” It was against that backdrop US President Joe Biden, in April, offered a glimmer of hope by saying his administration was considering a request from Australia to drop its charges against Assange. Biden’s remarks were described as an encouraging signal by Albanese, who added that Assange had “already paid a significant price” and “enough is enough.”

Assange’s life trajectory has been that of a “teen hacker who became insurgent in information war,” as The Guardian of London once described him. Now that he is free again, the world must await what becomes of WikiLeaks and unfettered freedom of information.

•Please join me on kayodeidowu.blogspot.be for conversation.

July 1, 2024
Cautious optimism as inflation rate slows

Sir: According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate stood at 33.95% in May 2024, the highest level recorded in 28 years. However, there is a glimmer of hope as the month-on-month inflation rate has decelerated since March. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, attributed this decline to the effectiveness of the bank’s monetary policy measures; which includes an increase in the benchmark interest rate. The World Bank, however, has expressed scepticism about the hike in the baseline interest rate taming the inflation. The private sector also raised concerns that it would lead to a hike in business costs in an already hostile environment.

One of the significant factors contributing to the deceleration of inflation is the drop in the exchange rate from nearly N2000 to about N1500. Also, the country is gradually feeling the impact of the reduction in diesel costs, thanks to the production and sales of diesel by the Dangote refinery. Diesel cost is a significant expense for businesses due to inadequate power supply by the government. The decline in the purchasing power of individuals and the increase in the benchmark interest rate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (which is aimed at slowing demand, has reduced household consumption. Consequently, businesses are cautious about passing on costs to consumers, with some reducing their prices of goods and services to maintain sales.

When the new minimum wage is finalized and implemented, the CBN may need to raise the benchmark interest rate further to minimize the demand-pull inflation it could cause. It should be noted that the benchmark interest rate has its downsides, as it increases government domestic borrowing costs. Therefore, it should be a carefully considered process, especially in a country like Nigeria with very high debt servicing costs to revenue ratio

Read Also: ‘Restructure Nigeria along US, UAE lines’

It is important to note that the impact of the new electricity charges is gradually coming to bear on the prices of goods and services. For example, many hotels have increased their bills, citing the new electricity tariff. Additionally, the recent depreciation in the naira in the last few days, signals that the battle against inflation may not yet be won. The government should ensure further decline is not experienced.

Nigeria’s inflationary woes cannot be solved through the central bank’s monetary policies alone if Nigeria aims to achieve sustainable long-term results. The country needs to increase its revenue and improve its trade balance by aggressively diversifying the economy. Agriculture, solid minerals, and tourism are some sectors that have not been fully harnessed. Nigeria should boost its oil and gas production, get its refineries functioning, and deal with its insecurity woes as soon as possible. The role of the political will of those at the helm of affairs cannot be over-emphasised

An improved balance of trade will result in a stronger and more stable naira; thereby reducing inflationary pressures. An increase in agricultural activities will also result in a drop in food inflation. The prices of diesel and premium motor spirit will drop significantly, if the local refineries are operational, and crude oil is supplied to them domestically. This has a far-reaching effect on the price of goods and services.

While the headline inflation rate in May 2024 is concerning, the month-on-month decline since March 2024 provides some encouragement. In order to tame inflation in the long term, a comprehensive approach is required. This includes further monetary policy adjustments, economic diversification, ramping up oil production, and addressing insecurity. The political will of people at the helm of affairs is a critical success factor.

•Kenechukwu Aguolu FCA, Abuja.

July 1, 2024
Safeguarding academic freedom in Nigeria

Sir: Academic freedom is a fundamental pillar of higher education, ensuring lecturers can teach, research, and publish without undue interference. However, this freedom faces significant challenges. Despite being theoretically supported by the National Policy on Education, which grants universities the autonomy to select students, appoint staff, determine course content, and conduct research, academic freedom is often curtailed by government interference and the political climate.

The history of academic freedom in Nigeria is marked by tension and conflict, particularly between the government and academic unions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The ASUU has frequently clashed with the government over issues related to academic freedom, working conditions, and funding for higher education. Strikes and protests have been common as academics fight for their rights and the independence of their institutions.

A comparative perspective reveals that while the context differs, the United States faces challenges regarding academic freedom, primarily from political and legislative attempts to control university curricula and limit discussions on controversial topics such as Critical Race Theory. Despite these challenges, faculty members and university senates in the United States have been vocal in defending their academic freedom, passing resolutions, and publicly opposing restrictive legislation. This global struggle to protect academic freedom underscores Nigeria’s need for unwavering vigilance and relentless advocacy. Just as U.S. professors actively defend their rights, Nigerian lecturers must continue to advocate for their freedom and the autonomy of their institutions.

Read Also: Nigerians aren’t people to share good news with, says Erica Nlewedim

To safeguard academic freedom in Nigeria, several dynamic and proactive steps can be taken. Firstly, supporting academic unions and advocacy groups is essential. Strengthening the role of organizations like ASUU in defending academic freedom is crucial. Solidarity and collective bargaining can be powerful tools in negotiating with the government. Promoting policy reforms is also necessary to protect educational institutions’ autonomy and educators’ rights to teach and research freely. Ensuring that educational policies align with the principles of academic freedom is critical.

Moreover, raising public awareness about the importance of academic freedom through media campaigns, public discussions, and educational programs can be instrumental. Public support can significantly influence policy changes. Fostering international collaboration between Nigerian universities and their counterparts globally is beneficial. Sharing best practices and supporting each other in defending academic freedom through international partnerships can provide Nigerian institutions with additional resources and visibility. Engaging policymakers to create environments that support academic freedom and resist efforts to control or influence academic content unduly is vital. Building relationships with supportive policymakers can help advance the cause of academic freedom.

The importance of academic freedom for advancing knowledge and developing societies cannot be overstated. Nigeria can ensure that its educational institutions remain vibrant centers of learning and innovation when this freedom is safeguarded. The challenges faced in Nigeria and the United States highlight the universal need for continued vigilance and advocacy. If these steps are taken, Nigeria can uphold the principles of academic freedom and create a more just and equitable educational system.

Imagine a Nigeria where universities thrive, unfettered by restrictive policies, and educators can engage students with a diverse and challenging curriculum. Picture a future encouraging academic inquiry, fostering innovation and critical thinking. This vision is within reach if we champion the cause of academic freedom. By uniting to protect the rights of lecturers and ensuring the autonomy of our academic institutions, we can cultivate a generation of thinkers, innovators, and leaders equipped to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

•Olukayode Apata, Texas A&M University, United States.

July 1, 2024
Of Southern Governors’ Forum

After three years of inactivity, the Southern Governors Forum, SGF met last week in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. Its highlight was the election of host governor, Dapo Abiodun as chairman of the forum with his Anambra State counterpart, Chukwuma Soludo as deputy.

No communiqué was issued at the end. But, its new chairman was to explain that the meeting had consensus on a five-point agenda. These were in the areas of security, infrastructure, food security and agriculture, transportation and devolution of powers.

Critical details of the agenda will entail socio-economic development of the southern zone under the aegis of the ‘Southern States Development Agenda’. Abiodun said the governors are in full support of state policing and that the zone is resolute in establishing a regional security outfit. They also want more powers for the exploitation and exploration of resources within their domain including Value Added Tax, VAT.

Read Also: Lagos applauds iLeadproject’s impact on children

The governors are also keen in regional integration through infrastructure-a multi-modal transport infrastructure to connect the region by road, air, rail and water to ease movement. Some of these goals align substantially with the objectives of the first meeting of the Southern Governors’ Summit in 2000.

Then, the forum had emerged to coordinate the fight for resource control especially, the fight against the onshore/offshore dichotomy. The frontiers of their initial campaign equally extended to devolution of powers, fiscal federalism and state police. But opposition from northern governors seemed to have put a wedge on the activities of the forum as the governors could not meet between 2005-2017.

What appeared a renewed and more serious engagement of southern governors thereafter was the meeting in Asaba, Delta State in May 2021 during which far-reaching decisions were taken. Dubbed the Asaba Accord, the meeting which held in the wake of heightened insecurity across the country, came up with a 12-point agenda.

These included, a resolution banning open grazing by cattle and movement of cattle by foot in southern Nigeria while urging the federal government to support willing states to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems.

They also agreed that the progress of the nation required bold steps to restructure the Nigerian federation; devolution of powers leading to the evolution of state police. Review of revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national units and deepening of federalism were equally part of the agenda.

The then president was urged to convoke a national conference as a matter of urgency, address the nation on the challenges of insecurity and restore the confidence of the people in government. The desideratum of fostering cooperation among southern states, commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the basis of justice, fairness, equity and peaceful co-existence were also prominently highlighted.

Given the allure of the Asaba Accord, the governors had a follow-up meeting in Lagos in July, 2021, reaffirming their Asaba decisions with a timeline of September 1, 2021 for the promulgation of anti-open grazing law in all member states.

The forum unanimously agreed that the presidency of Nigeria should be rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria and that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the southern region. They were apparently responding to the dynamics of the politics of the time given altercations over the region to produce the next president of the country.

Perhaps, the resolution on power rotation to southern Nigeria in the last general elections was one crucial issue that exposed lack of unanimity of purpose and cooperation among forum members. Though the forum had fought for power shift to the south in line with the rotation principle, some of the governors openly worked against that principle when the chips were down.

While former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa settled for the vice presidential slot in the Peoples Democratic Party that flouted the zoning principle, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State bought presidential nomination forms for a northern candidate of his choice. This did not speak well of the forum. It led to suspicion and mistrust that nearly incapacitated the forum thereafter.

The Abeokuta meeting is symbolic for retrieving the forum from the abyss into which it was headed on account of political differences and sabotage from forum members. It strikes as admission of the critical roles members can play polling ideas and resources together for the common good of their peoples.

But even with the sentiments expressed by Abiodun, extreme caution must be exercised to avoid the mistakes of the past. It is good a thing the governors have again raised hopes on southern cooperation and the economy of scale it entails.

Their resolution to collectively get some of the contentious issues of our federal order addressed so that even development and the progress of the country can progress unhindered is in order. The road to achieving all this is not going to be smooth but the task is not entirely insurmountable.

It requires immense sacrifice, trust, cooperation, honesty and hard work from southern governors to eliminate all obstacles that stultify efforts to give this country a pride of place within the comity of nations.

But it is not just enough to come up with copious resolutions that are not worth more than the paper in which they were written. Much of the previous resolutions especially on southern cooperation and development have remained within the realm of resolutions as no practical measures appear to have been taken to bring them to fruition.

The ban on open grazing and movement of cattle by foot in the southern region, though popular with the people in view of the insecurity that is associated with that endeavour, has not progressed in the required direction.

Though governors of such states as Edo, Delta, Abia and Cross River among others have signed the anti-open grazing law, its enforcement has left much to be desired. Not only have some states shown curious reluctance to promulgate that law, open grazing including the movement of cattle by foot have been going on unhindered.

It is not surprising that kidnapping for ransom and associated criminalities have festered even as the current food shortages resulting in high prices are in part, outcomes of the inability of farmers to cultivate due to insecure farm lands.

Perhaps, the inability of members of the forum to enforce the ban on open grazing and movement of cattle by foot is due to lack of capacity to police the zone. Though the Southwest and Southeast governors floated the Amotekun and Ebubeagu security outfits respectively, nothing is known of the response of the South-south to that challenge.

Even then, whereas Amotekun has been operating credibly and accountable for their actions; Ebubeagu has remained largely amorphous, plagued by accusations of being behind some of the killings in the Southeast. Nobody seems to know how their members were recruited and trained.

These are issues to contend with as the forum considers the establishment of a regional security outfit. The road to it is not going to be that smooth. It is also good a thing the forum seeks regional integration through transport infrastructure to connect the region by road, air rail and waterways. The economy of scale these will engender will boost development in the region.

All these lofty ideas may come to naught in the face of the gravely lopsided federal structure and schedule of functions. Without devolution with greater powers assigned to the sub-national units, regional integration through infrastructure such that the forum envisages will be hard to achieve.

But as the governors seek cooperation for the benefit of their constituents, those for whom these benefits are meant, must be made to key into the process. There is so much mistrust and ill-feelings among the peoples of southern Nigeria accentuated by the rhetoric of the last elections that the governors must work hard to diffuse.

It will serve no useful purpose living in denial of it because the cooperation and bonding together of potential beneficiaries is a sine qua non for reasonable success. One key issue that will continue to divide the south which has to be decisively and realistically addressed is the rotation of the presidency of the country among the three zones of the south.

Just as there is agreement for rotation between the north and the south, southern governors must work out the modality for effectuating this among the three zones of the south. With orderly rotation, the acrimony, ill-feelings and sabotage fuelled by domination and inequity will be obviated. The forum stands better for it.

July 1, 2024
Ukraine ‘Peace Conference’ and its travails

By Charles Onunaiju

Before his travel to the United States of America for the start of what became known as the Oslo Accord or process, the then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin famously said that “peace is only made with enemies and not with friends”. When on September 13, 1993 the Israeli leader stretched out his hands to shake his long-time adversary, former Palestinian leader and chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat at the White House lawn, it was both defining and stunning moment. For the two men long engaged in the mortal battles of cracking each other people’s skulls, the moment of their ice-cold handshake, signalling a new chapter in the relations of their two peoples were significant and momentous. At least, it momentarily cracked the ice of one of the world’s longest dispute then. Never mind that Yitzhak Rabin was to be assassinated two years later on November 4, 1995 by one Yigal Amir, an ultra-nationalist Jewish peace rejectionist who opposed the Oslo accords and the process of negotiation that it triggered. The death of Rabin at a peace rally, he organized to drum up support for the Oslo process paved the way for the rise of Benjamin Netanyahu and his ultra-nationalist hard-right that returned the Israeli-Palestinian relations to the trenches of blood-letting, misery and sorrow for which they are currently engrossed.

At the end of the long drawn Iran-Iraq war in 1988, the Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomeini agonized that it was worse than swallowing a poison to make peace with former adversary but also noted that peace and reconciliation is only possible with a former bitter foe.

South Africa’s iconic black founding president, Nelson Mandela who jointly won the noble peace prize with the last white minority rule leader, F.W De Klerk in 1993 not because they were friends but they were former bitter adversaries, who overcame deep rooted and even structural hate between their two respective peoples to seek peace and reconciliation, paving the way for a multiracial society or what was colourfully dubbed the rainbow nation.

Read Also: Fanfare as two Nigerian doctors wed in Houston

Against the trend of established histories and even common sense, the embattled Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy whose term of office elapsed May 20, gathered along with his western patrons, friends and few neutrals at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock from June 15-16 in what was curiously dubbed “peace conference” supposedly aimed to find a solution to the conflict with her bigger neighbour, the Russian Federation. Participants consisting Ukraine’s patrons and few neutrals, the Swiss “peace conference” lived up to expectations, as its final communique piled up litanies of blame at Russia and added that “the United Nations Charter, including the principles of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, can and will serve as a basis in achieving a comprehensive just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. This is without any due regards that no state in the exercise of her right to territorial integrity and sovereignty should constitute and / or wilfully be an accessory to the breach of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of another state.

The Swiss peace conference of Ukraine and her patrons and friends did not invite the main adversary, the Russian Federation prompting some major powers like China and regional leaders like Nigeria to stay away because the jamboree at the Swiss resort has no peace implication for the Ukraine-Russian conflict, let alone, any peace dividend. Russia has earlier dismissed it as of no consequence, leading the Russian leader to outline his maximalist peace offer, which urged Ukraine to withdraw her forces from her former four regions that voted to become part of the Russian federation last year.

While any genuine peace conference, with the two sides effectively participating would moderate the maximalist positions of the two sides and set the stage for compromises and moderations, the Swiss resort conference of Ukraine and her patrons with neutrals will only induce more fratricidal fighting between the two sides as they struggle to gain battlefield advantage that would be consequential in the future substantive negotiations for peace.

The American-led NATO, the key promoter of the Swiss conference are active party to the conflict and their roles which have largely consisted in supplying military hardware including its accessories cannot be anything except to invite Russia to surrender, the least of options that is on Moscow’s table. In its major military conflict and confrontation since it was founded in 1949, Ukraine’s near certain battlefield defeat will unravel the western military alliance, (NATO) as overrated and a mere political bubble.

Should desperation push the western military alliance into direct confrontation with Russia, it will bring to an end the civilizations of the belligerents and imperil the rest of humanity.

The Swiss meeting did practically nothing to advance settlement of the conflict let alone establishing the framework for peace. Russia dismissed it as a waste of time and some countries that attended including India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others refused to sign the final communique. Zelensky has earlier shot himself in the feet when he decreed that Ukraine would never negotiate with the current leadership of the Russian Federation and therefore, any path to meaningful peace negotiations will start with Zelensky overturning his decree which he passed at the initial stage of the conflict, when he thought that a western military might, backing him would secure a quick victory against Moscow.

Thoughtful Western analysts have been cautioning Ukraine to seek negotiation and end the war, when it can secure some useful concessions. The Western military alliance has a long history of cut and run, which was on display in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq and Ukraine would not be an exception. Meanwhile voters across the European Union, weary and also wary of the humongous sums of money that are handed to Zelensky and Co, have called the bluff to mainstream ruling parties in Germany, Netherlands and even France, in the just concluded Europe’s wide parliamentary elections, prompting the French President, Emmanuel Macron to call for early parliamentary election.

Peace between Russia and Ukraine is possible but must address the core concerns of the two parties in conflict. The conflict is beyond the simplistic narrative, that one country invaded the other, as if states are irrational to undertake costly military operations for the fun of it. Russia already has the largest territory of any country in the world and it would be outright nonsense simply to suggest that Russia launched her special military operation for territorial hunger. Russia makes up 13% of the planet earth. Moscow has clearly outlined her security concerns which was on full display and was generously shared with her western partners before the conflict with Ukraine erupted into military confrontation.

The US-led Western Alliance, the key patron of Ukraine largely ignored these concerns believing that a combination of economic sanction, international campaign of diplomatic isolation and military pressure will force Russia to surrender. With all the arsenals in their kit-economic, diplomatic and military almost exhausted without any result of Russia stumbling let alone falling, common sense dictate that it is time to care about Moscow security concerns and other issues, it raised.

A genuine peace plan, including the China proposed 10 steps which include building a consensus on what Ukraine and Russia really want would, among other things, constitute the genuine framework for peace and reconciliation between the two brotherly neighbours who sprang from the same fountain of the Kievan Rus of Prince Vladmir about a thousand years ago.

•Onunaiju is an Abuja based public affairs analyst.

July 1, 2024