The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • Critical notes for NLC President

    Critical notes for NLC President

    “”Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.” … A Chinese Military General, Strategist, Philosopher, and writer

    I wish to speak with you as a fellow citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as I consider it my civic responsibility to reach out to you. I am also speaking directly with you because I believe that the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and its umbrella bodies are critical stakeholders and veritable levers that should keep the Government in check, hold the Government to account, and provide constructive engagements and counter-balance in ensuring the delivery of good governance in Nigeria. 

     However, I believe that organized Labor should be the voice of Nigerian workers in line with the principles of collective bargaining and the overall welfare of the entire Nigerian workforce while supporting the Government to deliver its mandate. Therefore, I am of the view that the NLC is not an opposition to the Government but a critical stakeholder in delivering the dividends of democracy, because indeed we do not have any other Country but Nigeria. I also am speaking with you as a friend on the NLC, because my antecedents will confirm to you that I was instrumental in ensuring the protection of welfare and well-being of workers in one of the most robust sectors in Nigeria – the Aviation sector. About 6 years ago, I was instrumental in influencing and facilitating the biggest single staff promotion exercise, across all cadres in the history of aviation in Nigeria, where almost 900 staff were promoted at the same time in one Company in the sector; with no rancor, outcry, or dissent. I was able to achieve this feat by working with the two main Staff Unions of the Sector, because consider Comrades as positive contributors and not antagonists.  

    Like every other Nigerian, I have said that, I have been keenly watching the developments in the Country, especially in this particular instance the sad incident of Friday, 1st November, 2023 (16 days ago) in Imo State where you were manhandled and assaulted. This is indeed unfortunate.  I am glad that the NSA stated the suspects have been arrested and an investigation will ensue if found wanting, I urge the Federal Government to deal decisively with whoever committed that irresponsible act. 

     It is based on this sad episode and other matters arising that I find it necessary to make some contributions to what I believe will give traction and keep the NLC struggle on a more progressive and impactful trajectory, going forward.

     Accordingly, in my opinion, the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), under you is perhaps beginning to overplay its hands. And The drawback of over-playing an advantage is that it is highly likely that you could lose focus, advantage, supporters and ultimately you miss your key strategic objectives and fail to make the desired impacts. If you, as the NLC President, lose focus and become highly political or distracted, you could inadvertently personalize the struggle. If so, some of the NLC adherents, the generality of Nigerians, and critical stakeholders will start questioning your objectivity, rationale, and actual objective. When you allow those things to happen, you could most likely lose your strategic positioning in the state of play. It may seem far-fetched, but the highly operational activism methodology you have adopted most recently will ultimately make the NLC lose its footing, lose guard, relevance, and respect – slowly initially, and if not contained, could lead to internal conflict of objectives and principles with negative consequences on the NLC leadership structure. 

     The above-mentioned situational assessment is based on the fact that it is beginning to appear that I am reluctant to subscribe to the insinuations that you are highly partisan and you are playing a political script to undermine governance, my view is that your tactical timing of the Imo conference gave room to that rumor. With all due respect, you shouldn’t have undertaken that journey during such a very toxic and sensitive election period in Imo State, whereby even your detractors and any other person could misread your objectives, which could actually be noble, albeit ill-timed. This is because, with tempers and the state of insecurity running high, you basically played into the hands of those who allegedly did what they did to you. Wisdom should have prevailed, such that you live “to conquer another day.

     At this juncture, let me categorically state that I am not downplaying the unfortunate incident that happened to you on 1st November, It is totally unacceptable and the culprits should be brought to book. This type of assault should not happen to any labor leader, activist, or Nigerians who are fighting for a better Nigeria. But with the benefit of hindsight, the question is, “Could this incident have been averted”, and the answer is, “Yes”. In any case, I am sure that we have all learned some lessons so that we can move forward with the struggle constructively and sure-footedly.

     Comrade President, I am one of those who commended you in the mass media and your team when you led the organized labor along with Comrade Festus Osifo, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), during the negation of minimum wages and palliatives with the Federal Government last month. You performed wonderfully well because you, Comrade Osifo, and your team were able to effectively negotiate with the Federal Government which led to very good outcomes. My counsel to the NLC at that time was that they should remain focused and consistent in ensuring that the Federal and State Governments deliver the commitments that were made, in line with the action plan agreed upon. There should have been more of the focus on those critical issues, while the Imo conference could have been planned for another better time.

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     Based on the foregoing, Comrade President, I urge you to be more circumspect and strategic, going forward. There is no doubt that the NLC is a critical stakeholder in Nigeria, and therefore, strategic thinking, planning, and execution are key to the successful delivery of your mandate for the workers of Nigeria and indeed for the general good of all Nigerians. I do not envy your position, the circumstances of your work, and the situation we have found ourselves in Nigeria, and that is why it is important that you remain focused on the big picture objective and not be distracted by mundane issues that may come up, or those that you could inadvertently create by yourself. 

     That is why there is a need for the NLC and organized labor under your leadership to re-strategize and re-position, otherwise you may push your luck too far which may derail the train of the struggle and leave Nigerian workers at the losing end. I honestly hope that this will not happen under your watch because we really need a vibrant, strategic, and forward-thinking NLC at this critical time in the history of our Country. The NLC is a veritable counterbalance that we need to ensure good governance in Nigeria – only if the NLC thinks, plans, and executes properly. 

     Furthermore, I urge you not to get preoccupied by tactical engagements that could distract you from focusing on the very important issues. Consider the Imo incident and the injury inflicted on you as one of those sacrifices and prizes that you are paying for leadership – part of your scars of war sets you apart as a leader. You must have a thick skin from distraction and attempts to frustrate you, but you should also avoid unnecessarily gaslighting issues and inadvertently getting entangled in cacophonies that will slow you down from achieving the noble and laudable ideals of the NLC.

     Importantly, with the call-off of a strike by organized labor, it is time to review the situation that led to the imbroglio with the intent to fashion a proactive way forward rather than being reactive.

     The focus should not be only on the short-term impacts but also on the mid-to-long-term impacts.

     With the over 130 millions of about 200 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians who are already cringing under the vagaries of socio-economic malaise so much so that some of our actions/ inactions will not only further push them further into the abyss of hopelessness (after all they are already neck deep in abject poverty), but our actions/ inactions could push other Nigerians into that category of multi-dimensionally poor.  I am very sure that it is never your intention and that is why you should be less emotional and more introspective while considering your line of actions along with your comrades, to ensure that you avoid, as much as possible, “unintended consequences “. Otherwise, the potential ramifications of such actions on the innocent well-meaning Nigerians and their Allies include the family of the workers whose interests you promised to protect amongst whom

     Comrade president, there is a lot of tough work of constructive engagements for a better Nigeria ahead of all of us, particularly for you and your comrades. Be assured of our continued support and advice to keep on track only for the betterment of Nigeria – nothing more, nothing less.

    Solidarity Forever! Aluta Continua, Victoria Acerta!

    May Almighty God Continue to Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

  • Muslims funeral

    Muslims funeral

    Preamble

    Mother earth can be described as man‘s inseparable companion. She accompanies man day and night, in life and in death. She surpasses biological mothers in playing her role in the life of man. She serves as a farm for man. From a chip of her natural being, man is said to have been created. The Qur‘an tells us that ‘From her (the earth) We created you and into her We shall return you…’ Qur’an 20:55.

    The Role of A Mother

    In playing the role of a mother, the earth carries man on her back while the latter remains alive and in death, she incubates him in her belly in readiness for the resurrection that will see him through the inevitable Day of Judgment. In that process, there is a similarity between the duties of a primary mother (the earth) and that of a secondary mother otherwise known as biological mother. While the biological mother cares for man only when she and man are alive, the mother earth cares for him both in life and in death. Unlike that of the biological mother, the life span of the mother earth is indefinite.

    Age of The Earth

    Some scientists have given us different ages of the earth using all sorts of technological instruments. But the only authentic knowledge of that can come from the Almighty Allah Who created the earth. If scientists have the means of telling us the age of the earth, do they also have the means of determining her life span? The earth is not just a carrier of unlimited weight; she is also a scale of unlimited measure. She weighs the load on her head as well as the one in her belly and balances them up for natural equanimity.

    Without the earth, mountains and oceans would have no habitat to call their own and the long term fossils which turn into what we call minerals would have had nowhere to hibernate. Before all these and millions of other unidentified matters came into existence, the earth had been. And when all of them might have vanished into permanent oblivion, according to their scheduled time, the earth will continue to be until Allah‘s scheduled time for her termination.

    Creation of Man

    We know that man was created from the earth. We know that the earth harbours all living and non-living things on and in her. What we do not know is the source of the earth in creation. From what was the earth created? In luring us to reasoning, Allah has severally called the attention of man to the nature of certain creatures like the mountains, the valleys, the oceans and the seas, the minerals and the human and animal fossils buried in the earth as well as the varieties of plants and insects which dot the earth like a galaxy of stars on the Milky Way. He has also challenged man to observe the very nature of the wonderful carpet called the earth.

    All these are to enable man know that all things except the grace of Allah will perish. And Allah confirms severally that a record is being kept for everything which will eventually be opened as a means of reassessing the existence and otherwise of all things on earth.

    Consciousness of Hajj

    Any Muslim who has performed Hajj with full consciousness of piety will understand the gravity of this mysterious scenario. We came into the world naked. We brought nothing into it except the placenta. And, as soon as we settle down as babies on the laps of our biological mothers, we forget about the sojourn that brought us into this ephemeral transit called the world. No one remembers again how he or she travels down to the world. No one can describe features of the womb through which he or she came into the world. Even the real purpose of our mission in the world becomes lost on us until we are taken through a new earthly tutorial that makes us what we grow up to be. At least, no book or document has shown the role of anybody‘s placenta in the journey of life. And could that natural luggage have been in vain?

    Placenta

    Placenta in the life of man is just a symbol of vanity which life represents. A sincere pilgrim prepares for Hajj as if he is preparing for death. His journey for that mission is unpredictable. No one knows for sure who will return from the journey and who will not. That is why an intending Muslim pilgrim makes all necessary provisions for his family and leaves vital instructions or advice behind. It is a way of saying ‘in case I do not return from this journey, these are the steps to follow in my absence as a way of keeping life going.

    At the end of every Salat in both Sanctuaries of Makkah and Madinah, especially during Hajj, there is a funeral prayer (Janazah) which confirms that people die in virtually every minute of life. Those who die between Dhuhr and Asr prayers might not necessarily be patients in the hospitals. Some die while observing Salat. Some die while eating. Some die in toilets. Some die while talking. Some die in the market with their purchases in their hands even as the wristwatches on their hands keep working. Death in such circumstances is a matter of destiny rather than ill health. It is only in our own part of the world that death is expected to be caused by ill health lamented endlessly. That is why an Arab poet crafted a stanza to remind man that death could strike at any time by any means. This is how he puts it: ‘Whoever does not die of sword may die of anything else; There are many ways of dying but death itself is only one..’

    Just as no man can remember to ask about his placenta after settling down in life so can no dead person remember to ask about his luggage or his money after death. As a matter of fact, no dead person knows that he or she has left the shores of this world. Death is like a dream. You move from one spot to another as if you are alive. You interact with people, at times dining and wining with them and at other times rejoicing or grieving with them without knowing that you are already dead.

    First Duty

    After death has struck down a Muslim, the first duty of other Muslims is to clean his body and wrap it up for burial. Then, the funeral service (Salatul Janazah) is performed congregationally and this is followed by burial. Men are to wash the body of a deceased male. Women are to wash the body of a deceased female. In Islam, the closest people are expected to wash the body of the deceased. But where such deceased had indicated who should carry out that function, no other person should do it.

    A husband may wash the body of his wife if there are no qualified women around to do it. Same can be done by a wife for her deceased husband for the same reason. Mature children can wash the body of their parents but the rule is that of male to male and female to female. It is only in the absence of close relatives that outsiders are allowed to carry out this duty or where his will indicates so. There are no professional undertakers in Islam.

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    The burial of a Muslim body within hours of death is in accordance with the Prophetic tradition (Sunnah). Muslim bodies are quickly buried for three important reasons: One is to prevent it from decomposing. Another is to minimize the grief which it may bring to its relatives and the third is to let people know that life continues despite the death of anybody. After all, death is as normal in the life of a Muslim as birth of a new baby.

    It is for the same reasons mentioned above that Muslims are advised to create their own cemeteries and not bury their deceased fellows inside houses or in cemeteries meant for adherents of other religions or around the compound.

    The dead is not expected to take over the abode of the living just as the living is prohibited from seeking an abode in a cemetery. Both the living and the dead have their pattern of space occupation which cannot be interchanged.

    Cemetery in Islam

    Cemetery in Islam is as important as community settlement. Physically, the deceased cannot act in congregation as the living. But within the colony of their cemetery, spiritual interaction is quite possible. This does not however, have any statutory basis in Islam. Once a soul has departed from the body reunion of souls and body is only possible on two occasions. One is the period of transit (Barzakh), when the deceased is interrogated by two designated Angels (Munkar and Nakir). The other is the Day of Judgement when all souls will rejoin their bodies for the purpose of rendering account.

    Another important role of the living Muslims is to take care of the cemeteries in which their departed fellows are buried. No cemetery should be allowed to grow bushy or be left un-kept.

    The environments of those buried in the cemeteries deserve as much care as when they were alive. And the living should always remember that sooner or later, they will join those in the belly of the earth.

    Equal Beings

    Muslim cemetery should be like a settlement of equal beings where no traces of segregation can be found. Such a cemetery should be kept tidy by the living and protected against any possible invasion or destruction. A non-Muslim should not be assigned or employed to watch over a Muslim cemetery. The cemetery should be weeded and even swept from time to time if possible.

    Every Muslim community or group should have a cemetery. And the maintenance of a Muslim cemetery should be the responsibility of every member of the community. No funeral ritual bath or funeral service (Janazah) should be performed at the cemetery. It is desirable to plant trees in the cemetery either for the purpose of protecting it against erosion and sand storm or for making it cool and serene.

    It is preferred that a Muslim be buried where he or she died, and not be transported to another location or country which may cause delay or require an embalmment for the body. The deceased is laid in the grave without a coffin (if permitted by local law) on his or her right side, facing the Ka’bah in Makkah. At the gravesite, erection of tombstones as well as elaborate markers or flowers or other decorative is discouraged. Rather, one should humbly remember Allah and His mercy, and pray for the deceased.

    Men of the Community

    While all members of the community attend the funeral prayers, only the men of the community accompany the body to the gravesite. The relatives of the deceased may observe a 3-day mourning period. Mourning is observed in Islam by increased devotion, receiving visitors and condolences, and avoiding decorative clothing and jewellery. Widows observe an extended mourning period (iddah) of 4 months and 10 days in accordance with Qur’an 2:234.

    During this period, she is neither to remarry nor move out of her home, nor wear decorative clothing and jewellery until the iddah period is over. Iddah is for women alone.

    Observing the eighth day or 40th day after burying the deceased is an act of extravagancy which Allah prohibits.

    When one dies, everything in this earthly life is left behind, and there are no more opportunities to perform any acts of righteousness and faith. Prophet Muhammad once said that there are three things, however, which may continue to benefit a person after death: charity given during life which continues to help others, knowledge from which people continue to benefit, and a righteous child who prays for his or her deceased parents regularly.

    Grave

    Grave is the final abode of man. All the mansions and castles built in cities and towns are a mere vanity which will eventually crumble into dust. Thus, whoever expects death should know that grave is inevitable. In there, there are neither kings nor Presidents. And there is no difference between masters and servants. Everybody lies helplessly in anticipation of resurrection and judgment.

    Transit

    Life is a transit. There is a time to be conceived in the mother‘s womb. There is a time to be born into the world. There is a time to grow up and become a man or a woman. There is a time to work and earn a living. There is a time to marry and bear children. There is a time to rejoice over the pleasantries of life. There is a time to grieve over certain calamities or tribulations. There is a time to be strong. There is a time to be weak. And finally, there is a time to die. No time can be substituted for another. In all these, the earth has a role to play. Her role cannot be denied. And when the time comes, we shall all be assembled in the presence of the Almighty Allah and give the account of our sojourn on earth. And, based on such account, each person shall take his final abode in paradise or hell. Thus, death is like visa which authorises the right of entrance into Paradise or of preventing it. You can choose the one you want. The criteria are there.

  • Rebellion of Nature

    Rebellion of Nature

    Arabs, in spite of what may be their misdemeanor today, are highly gifted in prose and poetry. Their literary prowess is unsurpassable as they combine the heritage of the Hellenes with that of Islamic treasures. In what has become an axiom, one poet among them once succinctly but philosophically put across the following couplet for the benefit of mankind: Human sense channelizes the course of destiny: whoever misapplies his sense and blocks that course should not blame destiny for his or her misfortune..

    Restiveness of The World

    The world is restive today not just for its bereavement of peace but also for the hopelessness which that bereavement entails. From Wellington in Australia to Helsinki in Finland; from Anchorage in America to Hiroshima in Japan; from Beijing in China to El Salado in Argentina and from Casablanca in Morocco to Antananarivo in Madagascar there is no peace and there is no hope for it. Nigeria’s share of this calamity is as enormous as that of the United States of America. Bomb blasts or massacre today, flood or hurricane tomorrow. Yet, both countries are comrades in arms.

    When and Where Did We Start Taking Wrong Steps?

    A Yoruba adage poses a relevant challenge when it states thus: when a kid falls down he looks forward for rescue but when an adult falls down he looks backwards to assess the cause of his fall.. That adage is worth studying by the right-thinking men who are capable of asking the right question at the right time: when and where did we start taking wrong steps?

    Venturing a little back into the recent past, one will discover that the world was not anything near the current prevailing barbarism even about 50 years ago. The occurrences which piloted the world to this stage can be best described as, REBELLION OF NATURE against man. And that rebellion could only have emanated from man’s own invention. People who are more than 60 years of age will testify to the fact that this same world of ours had once been in perfect serenity with harmony and concord even as peace was generally taken for granted.

    Problem of Man

    The main problem of man is to assume that the world is meant for him alone. He hardly believes that all other creatures like soil; animals, birds, insects, vegetations, waters, air and others known and unknown also have a right to claim a space in the tapestry of the wonderful web called the world. Yes, man is made the captain of this web but that does not give him the absolute right to re-write the constitution of the world by tampering with the nature of other creatures.

    Audacity of Man

    In an audacious attempt to affirm his supremacy over all other creatures man has gone deep into the firmament of transgression. He does not only change the courses of rivers and distort the nature of vegetations he also tampers with the flow of air just as he rebrands the nature of certain animals and trees in his so-called scientific experiments adopted to further the course of his capitalist project. Thus, for many years, other creatures have tolerated the dominance of man for as long as that dominance remained positively tolerable. But when it became too negative to bear, they collaborated to rebel against the oppression of man by fighting back in a way that beat the imagination of the oppressor. Today, whether through the tsunami in Japan or the wild fire in Australia, or earthquake in Haiti and Iran or hurricane in America and Canada, or flood in Africa the ecosystem is angrily revolting not only against the transgression of man over it but also against man’s inhumanity to fellow man.

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    Greed

    With his glorification of greed, man has relegated justice to the background by rendering truth irrelevant and by deifying an agent of trade called money. This has led to crowning money as the global ‘god’ which virtually everybody on earth is now worshipping directly or indirectly. Capitalism as a major weapon of Satan has become the finger of destiny with which the success or failure of everything is measured.

    The world is restive today not because some people have gone berserk by choosing the satanic course of barbarism, vandalism and terrorism but because such people were created by injustice through capitalism. If the truth must be told, manipulation of world serenity for the purpose of capitalism is the root cause of restiveness in the world today. And anybody who wants to change the status quo must be ready to return to the old order by restoring justice and shedding the toga of satanic supremacy. At the inception of the world, the Almighty Allah had called it a divine trust and he had called for volunteers among His creatures to keep its custody in trust. This is contained in Qur’an chapter 33, verse 172 thus: ‘we offered the trust to the heavens, to the earth and to the mountains but they all refused to bear it as they were afraid of it. However, man, out of arrogance and ignorance undertook to keep custody of it but he has since proved to be foolishly unjust’.

    Injustice

    The injustice in the world today is not only that of man to man but also of man to nature. The search for the wealth in the belly of the soil by all means and without any consideration for the pain which the soil itself can suffer in the process is a major cause of nature’s rebellion against man. Excavation of minerals, fossils and antiquities as well as seeking for more space through the expansion of the earth by reclamation of swampy areas around oceans and seas continues to bring untold hardship to man and the ecosystem even as man persists on these activities. Earthquakes, cyclone, hurricane, flood  and tsunami which are now called natural disasters are some of the results of those activities. If the ecosystem had done to man only one percent of what man has been doing to it the world would have for long forgotten any existence of man on earth.

    Yet, without minding the consequences, man continues to invent elements of destruction in form of human and material forces by ventilating the avenue for bringing the world to an abrupt end only to turn round and blame nature or human terrorism for it. This world was quite orderly and virtuous until the capitalists introduced into it the obstructions that turned it upside down and brought restiveness to the fore. For instance from time immemorial, mothers had been breastfeeding their infants and this natural upbringing had spoken in understandable language to those who can reason. It took the capitalists to introduce processed animal milk to the world which was rebranded baby formula. This was backed up with unprecedented adverts and commercial campaigns that tricked mothers into accepting it. For about two generations of almost 50 years human infants were forced to take animal milk. And by the time they all grew up to be men and women the die had been cast.

    The world We Are Living Today

    Kindness had disappeared from the surface of the earth, dignity had vamoosed and man’s humanity for man had become flakes of history.

    Children of yesterday began to behave like animals of today. Now, there are men but no husbands. There are women but no wives. There are children bearers but no parents. Couples began to live like co-tenants. There are certificates but no knowledge. Responsibility has taken flight even as children began to treat their aged parents like outcasts thereby reducing the once highly valued cultures into unnecessary luxury. Genuine workers are not adequately remunerated. Governance has become a trade that must yield profit for the rulers even as governments are trading officially in lottery and other forms of usury thereby giving the impression that in making money, only the end is capable of justifying the means.

    Nigeria for Instance

    Here in Nigeria about 97% of the oil wealth is shared among only three percent of the population while 97% of the entire populace wallow in abject poverty in their struggle for a share of the 3% wealth left for them by the governing cabal who propound obnoxious policies to create monster for themselves with which to hound perceived enemies. And as a result of such policies they have become prisoners in their own houses and environments even as they now run away from their own shadows.

    All these were compounded by the introduction of yet some other terribly devastating elements like cocaine, marijuana, heroin and others of the like used by the new human species to charge themselves into untameable wildness. Thus, today, the world is at war with itself as ubiquity of drug barons, drug addicts, hired killers, bandits, armed robbers, political thugs, economic vandals and suicide bombers come to the prowl. Even religion, the once exclusive niche is not spared. More than 90% of today’s clerics across faiths are shams merely hiding under the cloak of religion to extort money from their sheepish followers and exploit them to marrow. Where are we going from here?

    Vices to Avoid

    Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had admonished Muslims against all these vices some of which he described as signs of the last days. That prophesy is vividly reflected in the poem of another Arab poet who said: ‘This is the time against which we had been warned through the transmission of Ubayy Bn Ka’b and Abdullah Bn Mas’ud; a time in which the truth would be consigned to the refuse bin while falsehood and treachery would be held aloft; Were this time to linger for long, humanity would have zoomed into a situation whereby no one would cry over the death of a dear one and no joy would be expressed over the birth of a new baby”.

    Now, in Nigeria, we have boxed ourselves into one corner of a ring where the ruled can no longer believe the rulers because governance is based on falsehood and rulers are perceived as sheer liars.

    We are in a period where betrayal rather than trust is the order of the day and those in charge of the treasury are the real thieves stealing people’s money kept in that treasury and giving a part of the loot to religious sanctuaries. Those charged with the nation’s security are the greatest threat to the same security. Or how else can we classify our so called police?

    Colonialist Infrastructure

    Ours is a nation where the infrastructure provided by the colonialists over 70 years ago cannot be maintained despite the enormous wealth at our disposal. Billions of naira is budgeted every year for electricity, road network, railway, aviation, agriculture, and other vital projects. Yet there are no such projects in place and the budgeted money is never returned to the treasury. Over 70% of what is supposed to constitute the workforce for the nation is idle. Those who had spent their vital youthful years serving the nation are left to die of hunger and wretchedness in their old age as their pension is being pocketed by some fictitious official fingers. We are in an era where the lesson to be taught to the youth is public mutual abuse by certain shameless former rulers of this country who call each other a fool. The situation in the Southwest is the worst. Here is a region where language and culture have been lost in the name of civilization. Majority of those who went through schools can no longer speak their mother tongue. Yet they are embarrassingly backward in English language to which they lost their natural language. No moral lessons on radio and television stations, no cultural values in private homes and public places. All that matters is the money that can be made and not how such money is made.

    In this, what legacy can the present generation leave behind? And what heritage can the future generations expect from criminal prisoners who are met on their return from prisons by co party stalwarts with songs and dances? Whenever we hear of bomb blasts and suicide bombings nowadays we get alarmed and terribly agitated forgetting that these are the fruits of the seed which some leaders of yesteryears had planted in the soil of Nigeria. Or have we all forgotten that the very first bomb blast that killed a Nigerian (Dele Giwa) was linked to government quarters? What else is expected of the experts who carried out that dastardly act? Besides utilizing that skill for their own purpose having served their employers meritoriously, can’t they pass their expertise to some other Nigerians who might need such skill? The lamentations by some people today on the hearing of bomb blasts, is an indication that Nigerians are either forgetful or mischievous. By and large it should not be expected that prayers for which many people have called will solve any crime or negligent problem. Who are those to pray? What is their record before Allah? The panacea for criminal acts is to desist from criminal acts. Thousands of years of prayers against crimes by criminals can never bring succour to this world. Most of those perceived as men of God who will want to champion prayers to God are more covertly criminal than those actually perceived as criminals. They are rather men of Satan than men of God. Allah has strongly warned thus: Surely Allah will not change the situation of a nation or a community until they themselves have reneged from evil acts and if Allah intends punishment for a nation or a community no one can repel it except a change for the better by the nation or community in question…. Q. 13: 11.

  • Notes on climate change, great green wall initiative

    Notes on climate change, great green wall initiative

    Climate change and desertification have been making devastating impacts on our Agriculture, Environment, and Social well-being. Climate change and desertification management should be key elements of the Agriculture and environmental sectoral reform strategy especially in the e risk assessment and mitigation as well as the sustainability modules of the stratagem. Climate change and desertification management from the point of view of early warning systems, disaster/crisis mitigation management, proactive countermeasures, and processes that should cover dependencies and counter-dependencies are critical to the existence and sustainability of our entire agriculture value chains, amongst others

     The Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) is set to bring back the glory days of what I call the “green economy”, which will reverse/ contain/ stop impacts of climate change and desertification, boost and sustain our food security, and contain environmental degradation. This laudable initiative will protect the world and, in this context, Nigeria and Africa from the vagaries of desertification and other critical elements of climate change, which actually have potentially adverse consequences for Nigeria in particular and the continental as well as the world at large. 

     The impact of desertification is so important that the United Nations gave it a focal point under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) strategic objectives and targets; for which impacts have been continuously measured for success. 

     As an instance of progress made so far, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations; by 2021, Senegal was standing tall ahead of its peers in the Sahel region of Africa, having restored 27,000 hectares of degraded land by planting over 11million trees. Interestingly part of the re-greened area is being converted into a community-based reserve for eco-tourism. So far, the various African Government’s dispositions and actions with regard to the green economy are very clear and unambiguous

     The ongoing GGWI Conference which is taking place at the African Union Commission Conference Centre running from 6th to 10th November, 2023, underscores the importance of the GGWI in combating climate change and desertification in Africa, as part of a global initiative. The core objective of the African initiative is to build; “a Pan African approach to combat desertification, climate change and the dryland of the continent”.  

     ”The goal of the Great Green Wall for the Sahel and Sahara Initiative (GGWSI) by 2030 is to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs. It is envisaged that this ambition when it becomes reality will transform the drylands of Africa from threat to livelihoods to provider of livelihood. It will transform the lives of millions of people living in poverty and suffering the effects of the climate crisis. It will also help to break the cycle of migration and conflict prevalent in the Sahelian areas of Africa among other positive effects and impacts.”

    This ambitious project is being implemented across 22 African countries and will revitalize thousands of communities across the continent. It brings together African countries and international partners under the leadership of the African Union Commission and the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green. More than USD 8 billion has been raised and pledged to support this game-changing initiative. ”

    The project actually kick-started in 2013 In Nigeria with a focus on the efforts to combat land degradation, drought desertification, and other menace orchestrated by impacts of climate change and a strive in the implementation process to improve the livelihoods of the affected communities and reduce the apparent manifestation of poverty and building the resilience of the people on the phenomena of climate change.  

    Read Also: Agora Policy: climate change poses grave risks to Nigeria

    Some Key Points to Note for Nigeria

    As part of his critical initial steps to revamp Nigeria’s economy, President Bola Tinubu has initiated a plan to resolve the country’s food crisis by declaring a state of emergency on food insecurity.

    •To contextualize the topic of today, so that we can appreciate where we are coming from, where we are, and my perspectives on the way forward, I share some statistics:

    •According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2016; In the 1960s, the Agriculture sector contributed 85% of foreign exchange earnings to Nigeria, 80% to employment, and 90% to the GDP.

    •According to the Oxford Business Group (OBG), a global publishing, research, and consultancy firm; the Agriculture sector in Nigeria is currently contributing 25% to GDP and 70% to employment.

    •Recently, the President of the Africa Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, stated that Africa currently imports about $ 70 billion worth of food that we can produce. 

    •In the case of food insecurity: According to Dr. Adesina, currently over 280 million Africans go to bed hungry. 

    •According to 2022 UN-funded statistics on food and nutrition projection; by August this year, over 25 million Nigerians will be food insecure. 

     In Nigeria, over the past few years, the awareness and consciousness of having a focal point to curb desertification has increased with the legislation by the National Assembly, subsequent presidential accession into Law in 2015, and activation of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW). The activation of the NAGGW is also in adoption with the vision and resolutions of the African Union and its Heads of State and Governments to launch the Great Green Wall in the Sahel and Sahara Initiative (GGWSSI). The GGWSSI spanned from Djibouti to Senegal and involved eleven (11) countries (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mauritania).

     The scope of the implementation process of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) covers the northern frontline States (Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Yobe).

    •To achieve the mandate of the Agency, the following components are pertinent:

    •Degraded land restoration and rehabilitation through Afforestation and reforestation.

    •Farmers’ Managed Natural Regeneration to restore and improve agricultural, forested, and pasture lands by encouraging the systemic re-growth of existing trees or self-sown seeds.

    • Promotion of alternative livelihood activities to reduce dependency on scarce natural resources, enhance the rural economy, and generate employment.

    •Promotion of alternative sources of energy to reduce deforestation and enhance carbon sequestration.

    •Promotion of dryland agriculture to strengthen food security and rural economy.

    •Establishment of fodder farms to reduce overgrazing, enhance livestock production, increase rural income, and reduce farmers – herders’ conflicts.

    •Sand dune fixation to protect agricultural lands and infrastructure.

    •Oasis rehabilitation to enhance      livelihood activities and food security.

    •Water resources management to ameliorate the impacts of drought and promote irrigation practices.

    •Sensitisation and awareness campaign to mobilise the rural communities towards the implementation of the program.

     At this juncture, I wish to commend the achievements of the NAGGW under the leadership of Dr. Yusuf Maina-Bukar for their efforts thus far. I also encourage them to do more, because to whom much is given, much is expected. In my opinion, the progress made so far by the Agency is good. Are there things that can be done better? My answer is “Yes”, considering the fact that any organization that strives to grow should continue to improve.  Therefore, as we get closer to the end of the year 2023, the focus should be to take stock of achievements made so far, and position for greater achievements going forward. 

     In addition, I also use this opportunity to humbly appeal to all critical stakeholders, that we should allow Mr. President and his team to focus on the delivery of his mandate. This is especially so, given the fact that just last week, Mr. President, re-iterated to the members of the Federal Executive Council that his cabinet (and by extension all the Heads of MDAs) will be performance-driven. I believe that as Mr. President settles down with fewer distractions, he will see through critical issues and deal with them in the overall interest of Nigeria. Therefore, it is only proper that we allow Mr. President to objectively review the performance and integrity of all institutions and make decisions that will decisively move the Country forward. 

     Meanwhile, let us all give this critical agency all the support it deserves because time is not on our side with the clear and present dangers of climate change and desertification. Please, let us allow the Agency to thrive and grow to be able to deliver its mandate, timely and effectively. It will be very unfortunate if we politicize a young institution (that is less than 10 years old) in a way that will seriously distract the Agency and make managing very important ongoing projects difficult, thereby creating slippages that will ultimately undermine the overall initiative while other African Countries that should be learning from us make progress without such distractions. 

     In conclusion, I note with profound respect the constitutional role that the House of Representatives of the National Assembly (NASS)- the hallowed green chamber, is playing through its relevant Committees with regard to oversight. I commend your efforts and urge you to continue working in line with the principles of fairness, equity, and justice. We also need the NASS to support new legislation that will further strengthen the Agency to deliver and sustain the enshrined mandate. I hope and pray that you will make efforts to further support and sustain the agency. 

  • Re: treatment of gunshot victims without police report

    Re: treatment of gunshot victims without police report

    “A hero is judged by his or her performance and by the positive impacts achieved” …Professor Ali Mazrui.

    he call made last week by the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force (IGP) Mr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun that all accident and gunshot victims should be provided with prompt compassionate treatment at hospitals without a Police report is commendable. This is especially given the fact that the IGP’s directive is in line with the enforcement of the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017 which stipulates that all healthcare practitioners should prioritize the immediate care and stabilization of such patients based on the criticality of the timeliness of medical intervention in saving lives.

     Enforcement of existing Law

    However, it is worthy of note that the above-mentioned Act does not cover accident victims. In addition, despite the existence of the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshot Act, which was signed into law in 2017; hospitals and medical practitioners still turn their backs not just on gunshot victims but also on accident victims that need urgent medical attention. Interestingly, so far there have not been any consequences of refusal of hospitals or medical practitioners to comply with the provisions of that law, which would have sent the signals that compliance is key. Importantly also, is the fact that the majority of Nigerians are not even aware that such laws exist so that they can take legal action against hospitals or medical practitioners that refuse to comply with the law. This is so because the Act is succinct with regards to non-compliance, for example:

    Section 9 of the Act stipulates that “A person who commits an offense under this act, which leads to or causes substantial physical, mental and emotional damage to the victim, commits an offense and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not more than 15 years and not less than 5 years without the option of fine”.

    Section 11 of the Act also stipulates that “Any person or authority, including any police officer, other security agent or hospital who stands by and fails to perform his duty under this act which results in the unnecessary death of any person with gunshot wounds, commits an offense and is liable to a fine of N500,000.00 or imprisonment of a term of 5 years, or both”

     The above sections are germane with regard to the importance of the law, when and if not applied. Therefore, the IGP’s directive requires follow-up actions that will ensure the sensitization of the public about the existence of this law on one hand and the enforcement of the law on the other hand, otherwise the IGP’s directive will only be rhetoric.

     Essentially, therefore, I urge the IGP, Minister of Information and National Orientation, the Ministers of Health, other relevant agencies of Government, Civil Society Organisations, other critical stakeholders, and also importantly the mass media – the 4th Estate of the Realm for embark of massive sensitization of the public all over the Country to know about the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017, its provisions and action process of ensuring that the law works for the people.

     Urgent need for legislation on protection of accident victims

    The gap in the Act, of non-inclusion of Accident victims or the non-enactment of a law to cover accident victims also needs to be addressed as a matter of national priority. I am of the option that the gap can be catered for in the interim by a Presidential intervention using an Executive Order. This very important and lingering matter can be laid to rest if it is taken seriously (as it should be) by immediately giving it legal backing, pending full legislation. This kind of intervention is practiced in other Countries where a high premium importance is placed on human lives (and even those of animals).  Therefore, they give full attention and care to their citizenry and other nationalities resident in those Countries. Mr. President, I advocate that there should be legislation and laws enacted that will bridge the gap in our medical practice

     As it is today in Nigeria, there are no prudential guidelines or laws that guide the action of medical practitioners and hospitals with regard to the treatment of accident victims without a Police report. Even when the Police report is presented (mostly after long and difficult processes), the hospitals either rightly or wrongly reluctantly treat such emergencies with the dispatch and respect they deserve. In some pathetic cases, the hospitals refuse to provide such interventions to Nigerians and indeed any other person who requires urgent medical attention which is against their professional oath and code of conduct. 

    Read Also: Imo/Bayelsa/Kogi polls: Tinubu appeals for free, fair process

    There are currently no laws that assist medical practitioners to treat such critical accident emergencies without fear of negative consequences or in the case of the bad/ wicked medical practitioners, there should be consequences for refusing to act in such accident emergencies.

    To the Doctors. nurses and other medical practitioners., I urge you to show compassion and empathy. The attitude of some of you should change. The majority of our medical practitioners have a high sense of empathy, compassion, duty, and professionalism.  I have come across great Doctors, Nurses, and medical practitioners who practice with a high sense of professionalism, humanity, and fear of God. Sadly, there are also some horrible Doctors, Nurses, and medical practitioners, and what is worrisome is that the number of these wicked practitioners is increasing daily. I hope that the Nigerian Medical Association and other professional organizations in the health sector will deal decisively with the bad ones amongst them in order to fully restore the respect of this noble profession.

     Full immunity and protection should be given to first responders, Hospitals, Doctors, and all medical practitioners who provide any form of intervention to save the lives of accident and gunshot victims. In other Countries, such people and/ or establishments are heroes, but in Nigeria, in many cases, kind and honorable people mostly end up being treated as criminals, or aiders and abettors of criminals, fugitives/ suspects and may even face prosecution simply because they followed their basic instincts of attempting to help and save lives. The situation is so bad that people simply drive by or walk by victims of accidents or gunshot wounds because of the fear of dire consequences. Those people who want to help but cannot out of fear of negative repercussions are also impacted because most of them become permanently psychologically scarred by the horror of the flashes of the bodies and faces of the victims they abandoned while in need of urgent help. Most of them live the rest of their lives struggling with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), which manifests in so many horrible mental and physical ways. We should not allow this sordid situation to continue and therefore we should all act swiftly and properly. After all, nobody knows the situation he/ she or their loved ones may someday find themselves in.

     Therefore, all of us; Mr. President, The Honorable Ministers of Health, Police, Justice, Youth and Social Development, Humanitarian Affairs and other relevant agencies in the Executive Arm of Government at Federal and State; The Senate and House of Representatives of the National Assembly and the State houses of Assembly, the Judiciary, political parties, Civil Society Organizations and all well-meaning citizens that as a matter of national priority we should play our roles from sponsorship of relevant bills, supporting the bills, attending public hearing and making contributions, passing laws and ultimately signing into law the laws that will give more legal backing and effect to this critical need to save lives of accident victims to avoid avoidable loss of lives and livelihoods. 

      A humble request and advocacy for an Executive Order 

    Your Excellency, Mr. President, succor can come by way of an Executive Order, as a critical interim measure, pending a full process of legislation. Provisions could be embedded in the Executive Order, such that criminals, fugitives, or suspects will be provided for while ensuring that relevant agencies of Government move swiftly to ensure that justice is still done after the provision of the intervention. For example, in the case of accident victims who are not covered by the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims of Gunshot Act of 2017; as soon as victims are received, a prudential guideline should be activated to inform all the relevant law enforcement agencies, for example, the Nigerian Police Force secure the suspect or convict while medical intervention is being provided and they care over the person after discharge from the hospital or facility and continue with case of persecution. Other risk management mechanisms will be in the guidelines to ensure that criminals or terrorists are not given cover to go back into society. But if we allow the matter to continue without attention, in a Country of over 200million citizens and millions of other nationalities resident in the Country, with serious health challenges and other socio-economic dynamics; the physical, mental, emotional, and psychological impacts will have a ripple effect on the nation. Your Excellency, there is a need for quick action on the Executive Order and importantly to ensure that all agencies of Government that are concerned do the needful, especially the enforcement and sanctions for non-compliance.

    Mr. Your citizens and indeed any other person that needs such intervention within the boundaries of this Country.

  • Now that election litigations are over

    Now that election litigations are over

    With the judgment delivered yesterday by the learned judges of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with regard to the appeals filed by the Presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); Alhaji Atiku Abubakar GCON and that of the Labor Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi CON, challenging the judgment of the PEPC which was in favor of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR; the matter of litigation has finally come to an end in line with the provisions of section 24(2a) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which stipulates 3 months from the day of the judgment of the PEPC for an appeal to be heard and decided at the Supreme Court. This milestone effectively closes the Presidential election cycle calendar for 2023. The judgment also finally gives complete focus to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to continue sure-footedly with governance.

     Therefore, I congratulate, his Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this feat, may your tenure be successful and fruitful for Nigeria and Nigerians. Ameen. 

     Accordingly, there must be an end to litigation. Therefore, going forward, the focus should be on the President to deliver his mandate and deliver good governance within the realm of his manifestos, the promises he made, and the mandate Nigerians gave him by the Grace of Almighty God.

     To the ruling party APC

    For Mr. President, you have your job cut out for you. You have been up and about from day-1, during your inauguration. You built critical momentum, trying to salvage a very bad socio-economic situation that we have been mired into over the past 8 years. The critical decisions you have taken have disrupted both positively and, in some cases, negatively on our polity. As a student of strategy and policy, I know that turning around an ailing economy at this stage of disrepair does not happen with a snap of a finger, nor does it happen with knee-jerk activities. Indeed, some of the key decisions you have taken are so as to achieve quick wins, take full control of the economy, and turn it around. This is also to assure the citizens that you have good intentions for the Country and the political will to turn around the socio-economic situation of the Country for the better, that you will lead in a different better way; to be performance-driven as you promised us, to be a listening President and to abide by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That being said Mr. President, some decisions you have taken have come with serious pains to Nigerians, and understandably so.

     However, may I remind Mr. President that the pillars for success like empathy, situation awareness, and consistent testing of the pulse of Nigerians cannot be over-emphasized as you chart the way forward for Nigeria. With profound respect, I will elaborate on some of the pillars for success in my subsequent episodes. Ours, as citizens, is to support you as a leader to deliver dividends of democracy, which I believe is you intent and which I believe you will deliver. 

     To the opposition political parties 

    During the build to the 4th Republic, as a founding member of the All People’s Party (APP), I was privileged to be selected to be part of a seminar organized by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, as part of the events preparatory return to democracy and the 1999 general elections. Some incumbent Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom at that time gave us some high-level lectures on tenets of democracy and party politics. It was an honor to have attended that seminar with the likes of some of Nigeria’s finest and foremost political leaders like the late Solomon Lar, Chief Bola Ige, Late Senator Mahmud Waziri (the Interim Chairman of the APP), late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, late Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf, late Chief Olusola Saraki, etc. One of the topics of discussion during that seminar was “How to be an effective opposition party”. A key takeaway for me from that seminar is the value that opposition parties add to democratic ideals, practices, and evolution by keeping the government in power on their toes to ensure good government, providing constructive engagements, while acting as potential alternatives should the ruling party fail to deliver its mandates. I believe that going forward I hope to see that kind of valuable opposition– constructive, mature, and forward-thinking. 

     Furthermore, let us not forget that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in the opposition for 16 years. Mr. President was also in trenches with other vanguards of democracy, fighting for the return of Nigeria to democracy with some of them paying the ultimate price with their lives, some were detained and tortured, while some had to go into exile including President Tinubu. So, to be in opposition is to be bold, resolute, determined, resilient and value-adding.

    Read Also: No apologies for supporting Tinubu in 2023 election – Wike

     To His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar GCON

    Your Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, I respect you, and I appreciate your contributions to the political evolution of Nigeria. You will remain a star in the Nigerian political landscape. You have made immense contributions to the return to democracy and to sustaining the 4th republic by keeping it vibrant. You remain a political colossus, always available to contribute in one way or the other as an active participant. Your excellency, having gone this far I believe time is not for you to hang your political boots, but to re-focus on how you can contribute to continuous nation-building. I urge you to encourage your teeming supporters by reminding them that it is only when we have a peaceful Country that we call Nigeria, that we can have the opportunity to aspire for political office in another election. I look forward to your active participation by making valuable contributions to the journey of our polity. You are a true democrat and I hope that you will stay true to those words to the end.  I know for a fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, your very good friend and political ally for many years, totally understands that. I hope that you will speak to your supporters on how effectively opposition will be run, going forward.

     I implore you, Wazirin Adamawa not to falter on this and to continue to contribute to the Nigeria project. For about 30 years you aspired to be the President of Nigeria, but we know that it is only Almighty God that Gives power to whomsoever he wills, and takes it from whomsoever he wills, whenever he wills.  Our political sagacity has never been in doubt, but Waziri as you know in this journey of life we follow the path of destiny that Almighty God charts for us to follow. I wish you a better future ahead as it pleases Almighty Allah, and I will continue to look at you as one of the pillars of democracy in Nigeria beyond party divides.

     To His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi CON

    Your excellency, Mr. Peter Obi – the phenomenon, the disrupter that changed the political landscape in Nigeria in the last 1 year, raising more political awareness and consciousness in a lot of our citizens who hitherto were nonchalant to our political evolution and those that sought alternative platforms for their political aspirations. 

     Whether we like it or not you have done it, within 6 months you changed the political narrative of Nigeria and upscaled the political consciousness of Nigerians. You have added value to our political process and evolution. Your Excellency, I also believe that you still have a role to play in Nigeria’s polity through constructive engagements, leading the people who believe in you. To lead them in a way and manner that we can have a better political process, polity, and a better Nigeria. Your Excellency, your integrity is not in doubt, and your political dexterity has been affirmed in the scheme of Nigerian politics since you entered the presidential race – no doubt. I respect you. I appreciate your valuable contributions over time. 

     One man has to emerge as President at a time. Your excellency, it is only when we have a Nigeria shall we have a Country to aspire to lead. As a true democrat, I urge you to speak to your teeming supporters and let us put our heads together to work for a better Nigeria. There must be an end to a contest and litigation in a democratic system. 

     To fellow Nigerians

    The Nigerian political evolution, just like other advanced democracies is a journey and not a one-time, short dash event. Rome was not built in a day. But it is also important that we take note of the mistakes that were made for corrections to be made, going forward.

    May Almighty God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

  • Who owns the Schools? (2)

    Who owns the Schools? (2)

    Elderly Advice

    “Government should not exert any serious effort to take on the trivial exercise of changing the names of schools for the mere fun of it. There must however be rhyme and rhythm in naming schools. Changing the name of an institution will always generate some heat. University of Ife alumni protested to the heavens but UNIFE is today OAU and the heavens have not fallen. It should be possible to reconcile all views with no ulterior motives through dialogue.”

    False Claim

    According to Pa Fagbulu, “the claim that the federal government enforced the takeover is false. Those who are old enough will remember that the exercise was not uniformly executed across the country. The Catholics put up a very tenacious resistance in the East and that slowed implementation. Some states only half-heartedly carried it out simply because Education has always been on the concurrent list and no central government could successfully enforce such a complex maneuver at a swoop even under the military. Decrees merely backed the intention of governments and the people who had spoken through Asabia.”

    He went further thus: “One lingering and unfortunate consequence of the takeover of schools is the undeniable fact that standards of education have fallen over the years since the takeover. It is in no way a direct consequence of the proposal but one of implementation by government. In fact the takeover was to be a new beginning whereby the following would take place in the spirit of Adefarasin and Asabia (recommendations): “

    All existing and new schools would be registered: that implied that the basic minimum requirements for providing good education would be provided in all schools irrespective of who was the proprietor. That would satisfy the demand of the NUT that all educational institutions should provide equal facilities for the children to learn and the teachers to teach

    All schools would be bound by the same rules and treated equally when being assessed in respect of management, number and quality of staffing, and other areas that deal with the evaluation of the outcome of learning. I had the unpleasant duty of writing to the government of the Western State to give notice of closure in respect of the famous Government College, Ibadan of which I was by law the stand-in proprietor on behalf of the government, due to poor accommodation and general neglect. That decadence as it developed had shown that governments could default in providing fully for their schools and that any measure to avoid that unfortunate situation must be a corner-stone of any changes.

    All schools would have properly constituted Boards of Governor to oversee the management of the schools as outlined in law. That body would be independent and good enough to get governments to act appropriately in funding schools.”

    Read Also; Row over impeachment call on Akeredolu

    Naked Truth

    “At the primary school level in particular, the Local Education Authorities have been greatly handicapped to the extent that it is difficult to believe that they exist at all. The (naked) truth is that governments have increasingly been unable to fund education adequately and though the rates might have been perhaps slower, the rot would have set in anyway if even schools had not been taken over.”

    Undeniable Fact

    Commenting on the recent hullaballoo over hijab and ownership of schools in Osun State, the sage observed as follows: “It is regrettable that a respected body like CAN can display so much ignorance in respect of education in Nigeria. To start with, the State of Osun like the rest of Nigeria cannot discriminate in the provision of educational facilities on the basis of gender or religion. Secondly CAN is operating from a false premise that some schools are Christian schools. All public schools belong to all the people irrespective of their religious beliefs.

    “If we Christians want to have schools over which we will have full control, the constitution provides for that. Finally the history of the take-over of schools credited to Gowon is also false. The take-over of schools was a direct consequence of the Asabia Commission and I was the originator of the idea with my colleagues who served after me as advisers to that body.”

    Reason for the Brouhaha

    “A main reason for that action was that the proprietors who received grants from government and fleeced parents through high fees made education very expensive. In spite of not investing their own money in education they failed to pay teachers on time if at all; they tyrannised teachers; they even went as far as not promoting teachers on merit especially if those teachers belonged to other denominations. CAN should please do its research and acknowledge that Adefarasin emancipated teachers and Asabia, its sub-committee recommended the procedures for achieving that end, If CAN needs being educated on this issue, I will oblige. In the meantime, it should stop spreading falsehood.  Aregbesola may or may not be guilty of wanting to Islamise Osun; that is not my concern here. Accusing him of using education is however not true.”

    Conclusion

    Concluding, Dr. Fagbulu said: “it should be reiterated that public schools belong to the people and that government as the representative of the people has the responsibility to determine the future of education and the direction and shape schools take. There is no problem of education that cannot be solved through dialogue if those involved are sincere and have no hidden agenda. And for the sake of our children, let us take interest in education and make constructive inputs. Government should take the lead and we should walk and work with it all the way.”

    Yet another Embryologist, Professor Keith Moore of the Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto, Canada, after carefully examining the translation of the Qur‘anic verses presented to him admitted thus: ‘most of the information concerning embryology mentioned in the Qur‘an is in perfect conformity with modern discoveries in the field of embryology and does not conflict with them in any way..

    Professor Moore had no prior knowledge of anything leechlike about embryo until he read chapter 96 of the Qur‘an where Allah says ‘Read! In the name of your Lord who created. He created man out of a leechlike clot…. He then went to verify this fact in an embryo under a powerful microscope and compared his observation with a diagram of a leech. He was astonished at the resemblance of the two. That prompted him to go fully into studying the Qur‘an and Hadith to acquire more knowledge until he was able to answer about 80 hitherto unanswered questions in that field.

    That prompted him to correct the contents of his book ‘The Developing Human‘ which he published earlier and he re-published it in 1982. It was with that revised edition that he became the recipient of an award for the best medical book written by a single author in the 20th century. That book has been translated into many major languages of the world and is mostly used as textbook of embryology today in the first year of medical studies in various Universities in the world.

    Sciences and Signs

    Yet, despite talking about all sciences, the Qur‘an is not a book of Sciences but that of ‘Signs‘. Those ‘Signs‘ invite man to realise the purpose of his existence on earth and live in harmony with nature.

    Judging the above verses of the Qur‘an revealed close to 1500 years ago with the wonderful reality of scientific civilisation of today what further proof does anybody need of the genuineness of the Qur‘an? And who else can give better guidance than the Supreme Creator Himself? And who else can be better called the ‘PATH FINDER‘ than Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who showed humanity the way to that all time guidance?

    Perhaps, this was why Michael Hart, a Jewish American Astrophysicist, named Prophet Muhammad the greatest man that ever lived in his famous book entitled ‘The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History‘.

    Further Testimonies

    If all the descriptions given above about Prophet Muhammad (SAW) sound exaggerated because they are given by Femi Abbas, a Muslim and an ardent follower of that Prophet, and if Michael Hart is seen as crazy in his judgment let us read the views and impressions of some other non-Muslims about this great Prophet. One of them (Alphonse de Lamartine of France) had the following to say in his book ‘Histoire de la Torque‘:

    ‘Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim since this aim was superhuman; to subvert superstitions which had been interposed between man and his Creator; to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing.

    Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he (Muhammad) had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other, except a handful of men living in a corner of a desert…. If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled before their very eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. On the basis of a book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race…..As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured we may well ask, is there any man in human history greater than Muhammad?.

    On his own, Napoleon Bonaparte, the great 18th century French conqueror of Europe was so much amazed by the traits of Islam which he saw in Egypt during his military expeditions that he made the following historic statement about that divine religion and its great Prophet:

    ‘Muhammad, in reality, was a great leader of mankind. He preached UNITY among Arabs who were, till then, torn asunder due to internecine quarrels, sometimes resulting in bloody war fares. He brought them out of the obscure world in a short time and the discipline which they maintained under his leadership was simply marvellous, and so was their bravery, courage and devotion to the cause which they loved and cherished. This, coupled with the contempt for death, as taught by their leader, made them great soldiers and fighters like of whom history rarely produces. I simply marvel at the achievements of this great ‘Son of the Desert’ within a mere period of less than 15 years; a thing which Moses and Christ could not do in 15 centuries. I salute this great man; I salute his qualities of Head and Heart…..

    George Bernard Shaw

    And, in corroboration of the above statements, variously made by renowned men of letters and intellect, another foremost Orientalist, playwright and dramatist, George Bernard Shaw, had the following to say about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in his book ‘The genuine Islam’ (vol. 1 No 8 of 1936):

    ‘The Christians and their missionaries have presented a horrible picture of Islam. Not only that, they also carried out an organised and planned propaganda against the personality of Prophet Mohammad and the religion he preached. I have carefully studied Islam and the life of its Prophet. I have done so both as a student of history and as a critic. And I have come to the conclusion that Mohammad was indeed a great man and a deliverer and benefactor of mankind which was till then writhing under a most agonizing pain. I have always held Islam in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing face of existence which can make it appealing to every age. I have studied him-the wonderful man and in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the saviour of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.

    I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today. For confirmation of Bernard Shaw‘s remark quoted above, see ‘The Genuine Islam, vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.

    Conclusion

    These are just some of the facts that make an orphan, unlettered Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), the greatest human being that ever lived on earth. None of the attestations above made any reference to his birth or birthday because they knew that his birth had nothing to do with his achievements. If non-Muslims could go as far as shown above to benefit from the greatness of Prophet Muhammad‘s mission on earth what is expected of Muslims for whom that mission is primarily meant?

  • Time to review the NYSC Scheme

    Time to review the NYSC Scheme

    To much has been said in the past years with regard to the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in terms of its significance in our polity, and its impacts. Over the years the NYSC has also become a national development tool. It has also become a political tool to either support or disparage political opponents.   Therefore, I find it necessary to x-ray the NYSC scheme from a historical and current situation perspective, and also recommend how the NYSC could be in a better position for national development.

     The NYSC was created on 22 May 1973 during General Yakubu Gowon’s regime with the vision and objective of national reconciliation, reconstruction, and rebuilding and unity 4 years after the civil war. It was established based on decree No. 24 which stated that the scheme was created “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity. 

     In the past 50 years, the NYSC has been very impactful from its inception. We have witnessed inter-tribal, inter-religious, and inter-regional marriages during and after the scheme. Lifelong friendships and bonds have been established, and national awareness has increased. 

     But about 20 years ago, the quality and impacts of the NYSC started to decline. Even though, in my opinion, the NYSC is still relevant, the scheme is losing its momentum and inertia has set in. Consequently, I urge the Mr. President to initiate a process with the support of the national assembly to redefine the Purpose of NYSC, and reset the objectives by making it voluntary, for a better impact for the youths, their family, and the country:

    Read Also: Alternative routes as Third Mainland Bridge shuts down for 24hrs

     Accordingly, if we undertake an assessment of the NYSC in the last 25 years, the outcome will show that the downsides of the NYSC are increasing. Subconsciously, inadvertently corruption has crept into the Corps, the reason why I am of the opinion that we should look at the NYSC scheme in order to correct all the wrongs and put the scheme fully on a progressive trajectory in line with our current national socio-economic realities while taking into cognizance the future outlook and aspirations for the teeming youth of Nigeria alive and yet unborn.

     While it is understandable that it was mandatory in 1973; with less population of youth at the stage of the evolution of Nigeria just coming out of the Civil war, and Nigeria at the prime of its economic boom. But the NYSC should not continue to be compulsory, 50 years after its inception and beyond, with over 60 million youths with dwindling resources and more cosmopolitan and different mindsets and dispositions in a fully democratized Nigeria. The national unity imperatives of today are not exactly the same as those of 50 years ago.

     The NYSC scheme will continue to suffer financial, budgetary, and other challenges due to increasing population and demographic challenges with the attendant socio-economic impacts on the resources of the nation that continue to stifle the NYSC of resources (which will continue to increase) needed to build more capacity to deliver the mandate. 

     It is worthy of note that a 50-year national initiative without structural and system reviews and reforms; in terms of relevance and impact is certainly becoming outdated. We must realize that there is an immediate need to review the scheme in terms of vision, strategy, legislation, operations, etc. 

     A need for review of nysc legislation

     In my opinion, Section 2 of the NYSC Act stipulates that every Nigerian citizen who graduated from any tertiary institution in and outside Nigeria and was not 30 years old shall be mobilized for the one-year compulsory national youth service, while any person above 30 was not eligible to participate in the service.

     The above provision of the NYSC Act that makes NYSC compulsory has outlived its time and should be reviewed to make the scheme voluntary. The development will free up more resources for the NYSC to do a better job focusing only on those youth who voluntarily join and will be committed to the service. Those who do not wish to undertake the NYSC scheme should also be allowed to utilize their time how they deem fit so as not to waste our dwindling natural resources. The legislation should also recognize those who decide to undertake the 1-year NYSC as a national service and should be considered an added advantage for them for employment opportunities and national service endeavors. In addition, making it a voluntary national service will be in line with the constitutional provision that guarantees every Nigerian fundamental human right.

     In terms of the deliverables of the scheme, the upscaling of the skill acquisition programme to make them robust and more far-reaching and impactful  in terms of facilities, other resources, and capacities would be priorities. Eventful deliverables with marginal impacts refer to situations whereby the NYSC scheme has become an event after the fact, i.e. after graduation from tertiary institutions, for people to go through that process by hook or by crook with majorly no real commitment of nationalism and patriotism. People basically undergo the program without a true commitment to the fundamental objectives but just in order to “fulfill” a requirement. 

    Some key points to note

    Over the past 20 years, evidence and witnesses have shown that the majority of the NYSC schemes are not undertaken by most Corp members in line with the tenets and provisions of the NYSC Act. The majority of the graduates who collect the NYSC certificates were actually not qualified to be awarded the certificates rightly or wrongly, due to some of the following reasons:

    •With rising insecurity, parents, guardians, and benefactors try to find a way for their children not to serve in “hotspot” areas that are facing the vagaries of insecurity. Therefore, they find a way to change the postings of their wards to what they consider a safer state or locations that are close to home or that are more convenient for their wards. In some cases, the move is to enable their wards to post the Places of Primary Assignment (PPAs) where they could be retained with lucrative employment. That in itself is a defeat of the initial objective of the scheme of entrenching national unity and cohesion.

    •Privileged/ rich parents, guardians, wards, or even the graduates themselves, influence the re-routing of the PPA for their children to their areas of comfort so that they will not “suffer”, while the children of the poor are left with no option but to take whatever they see and suffer the vagaries.

    •The fact that most of the graduates who are privileged or who can “pay their way” through the process, do not end up actually serving. They actually pay their way out and do what is called “ghosting’, so that they don’t even go through the process. What they do is that the graduates abscond from the PPAs while they pay for all the processes, forfeit all/ part of the monthly allowances to the operatives at their PPAs, only to appear once in 3 months or not at all, and in the end, the end they get all the necessary documentations signed, undergo passing out parade and get certificates of service. This is clearly corruption and not qualification.

    •While some of the graduates enjoy the above-mentioned shortcuts, a lot of their fellow-graduates struggle for months to even get PPAs sometimes without success. I have personally heard the case of a lady who encountered so much difficulty because, since February this year, she has not been receiving their monthly allowance due to some technical issues, and because she does not have “godfathers/ godmothers” she has been struggling, living from hand to mouth. This shouldn’t be happening to anyone undergoing such a compulsory national assignment. It’s unfair to put our youths in such difficult situations year on year in the name of national service. This will erode the feeling and mindset of patriotism from the minds of the youths.

    •The NYSC scheme is facing process and system issues whereby sometimes Corp members struggle to do something as simple as locating their PPAs on the portal without stress. This reflects the need for more investment to scale up the ICT capabilities and manning levels of the NYSC systems, etc. 

     Therefore, due to the complicated situations that put some people in different complex situations; I  advocate for the re-direction and restructure of the vision and operations of the NYSC scheme in such ways and manners that it abuse of the scheme will be eradicated/ scaled down and made more impactful, so that our youth will not be inadvertently be initiated into a system of corruption thereby upscaling a perennial corrupt corporate and national culture that we have been struggling to cure albeit by mantra and rhetoric, as a people and as a nation. Ethical and attitudinal corrupt practices are worse than transactional corrupt practices because it is the former that leads to the latter. Because attitudinal corrupt practices attack the very foundation of our core values as a nation.

  • Who owns the Schools? (1)

    Who owns the Schools? (1)

    This is one of the very rare occasions when this column, ‘The Message’, is compelled to serialise an article. The last time that such occurred was about seven years ago.  That this article is being serialised now is a child of necessity. Ordinarily, professional Journalists who know their onions often strive to avoid serialisation of articles except if it becomes a necessity like on this occasion. Generally, serialisation of articles which often enables good readers to distinguish between professional journalists and mere writers has the tendency of leaving a sour taste in the mouth.

    However, the seriousness of this article and the referential importance of its contents are the factors that necessitate its inevitable serialisation. Surely, some serious-minded readers of this column who are intellectually inclined will appreciate the assertion here especially when the implications of the Appeal court in Lagos on the related case vis a vis the provisions of Nigerian constitution is taken into consideration. The delicate case of hijab wearing by Muslim female pupils in public schools, whether in Lagos State or elsewhere, cannot be separated from the big but unnecessary question of who owns Nigerian public schools in the 21st century.

    Problem of Diversity

     One good thing about life generally is the ability of the phenomenon called environment to conveniently accommodate the positive angle of life along with the negative angle despite their seeming incompatibility. This means that diversity may not be an oddity after all. It may serve a more purposeful end than humanly perceived. Perhaps that is why the Almighty Allah created all living things in twins of males and females as well as in couples of colours and hues. Yet, despite their natural differences they manage to cohabit without any visible rancour.

    Of all the creatures on earth, only human beings believe and emphasise the problem of incompatibility. At least we know that on a single farm land, all sorts of plants ranging from sugarcane to bitter leaf trees grow and cohabit without any visible rancour. And in the ecosystem, (forests or oceans) both the herbivours and carnivours coexist without threatening their habitats. It is only among human beings that the well fed rejoice in preventing the hungry ones from feeding even on remnants. With regard to this manifest situation, what is true of human beings in temporal life is equally true of them in spiritual life. Otherwise, how can some people who are claiming to be of faith insist on preventing others from covering their heads according to the tenets of their faith in a co-financed commonwealth affair when those of others do not prevent the half-naked ones from walking about in nudity despite the natural eyesore that the latter constitutes?

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    Genesis of Schools Takeover

    According to Dr. Amiel M. Fagbulu (quoted copiously in the first leg of this article last Friday), “the take-over of schools has not been reported upon sufficiently for most people to understand the nefariousness and Machiavellian dimensions attached to it. To start with, it meant loss of income to some proprietors who were actually milking the people while pretending that they were magnanimously making sacrifices for them. Next is the falsehood that the governments did not pay compensation to proprietors. Another was that it was the federal government’s decree that made takeover final and legal. Last but not the least is that by retaining their names government had conceded that take-over was just in name alone. There are other false assumptions that will be dealt with as they are made”.

    Fagbulu continues thus: “the takeover of schools was a final act of dissociation of former proprietors from ownership of their schools. The schools no longer belong to them. To talk of Muslim or Christian schools that are run with public funds is absolute nonsense. Any school that is run with public money is a public school. All others are private institutions at whatever level and by whatever name.”

    The Question of Compensation

    Also as a continuation of his expert treatise on education in Nigeria, Fagbulu further elucidated on the question of compensation for proprietors of old missionary and privately owned schools in Nigeria as follows: “the question of compensation was raised by the proprietors of most of the Christian- and Muslim-based schools. In the West (of Nigeria), the only bodies I clearly remember as handing over schools voluntarily and with no conditions attached were the Seventh Day Adventist group and Adeola Odutola who owned a fairly good secondary school at Ijebu-Ode. The noisiest ones were sole proprietors who individually owned schools. The discussions were preliminary and informal exchanges to advise both sides before the final decision was taken. The government of the Western State was glad to oblige but what silenced the demand were the conditions put to the proprietors based on government’s sense of fairness to the taxpayers whose funds had been utilised”. They were as follows:

    “Proprietors would calculate their investment on all structures in the school including the land (x) which by the education laws of the time must be registered in perpetuity in the name of the school (at least in the West)

    Proprietors would compute the total amount they had incurred in running the school from inception to date of takeover (y)

    Proprietors would compile a list of the value of all gifts and donations the school had received (p)

    Government would compile the value of all grants (general and special) that it had paid to the school up to the time of takeover (q).

    Compensation to proprietors would be C = [(x + y) – (p + q)]”

    Fagbulu’s Personal Comment

    When the discerning proprietors among them did the Arithmetic and found out that they would be seriously indebted to government at the end of the exercise, they blinked and went silent. A funny footnote to the exercise was the demand of one or two proprietors who wanted to be paid for their ‘brand’ name. Government had no use for their names anyway and when they eventually lost, they pleaded with government to kindly retain those names, a demand which was graciously granted.”

    His Further Comments

    “Heritage has at least two dimensions. Your child can only make claims to what belongs to you. That is one form of heritage. The other like UNESCO’s heritage, relates to values. The pleasure derived from listening to Sonny Ade’s music or reading Achebe’s books are golden gems they have bequeathed to the world. Achebe collects his royalty forever, which means that it is a heritage of his children. We who acclaim and cherish the books are not beneficiaries of the pecuniary offerings. Similarly UNESCO helps preserve those monuments in Egypt say, but it is the Egyptian government and people that own the monuments. The government, when it took over schools took over the land, the structures on them, and the responsibility to continue to run schools. Those who are capitalising on Heritage can be assured that it is their’s to cherish and share with the world. They are free to do so.”

    Analytical Deduction

    In his analytical deduction on the unwarranted controversy over the ownership of public schools in Nigeria, the Octogenarian education expert revealed an eye witness account as follows: “A few students imported the Dancing Club from the Higher College, Yaba to the University College, Ibadan. We started the Bug and later others started the original Cult that was not malevolent. They are part of the history of that institution. The good things keep going from generation to generation and those who cherish them regard them as part of things to be retained forever. Heritage in the sense people who are talking about it will survive on its own if the generations want them. There is no law that new influences cannot add their own quota before they pass away. There is nothing stopping those being locked out today from leaving their imprints that will be cherished behind”.

    He continued: “The form for the annual census of schools provides for three categories of ‘girls only’, ‘boys only’ and mixed schools. It is the responsibility of government to determine which of its public schools will be designated in any of the three categories. As a part of the process of development if it becomes necessary to alter the gender status of any school especially from a mixed to a single gender and vice-versa, it may be necessary to do some juggling of names. For instance a St. Agnes Girls’ School cannot become mixed and still retain its name. However it could become St. Agnes High School or something equally appropriate without much loss of identity. While the use of adjectives like Junior, Senior, Middle, High, and Primary are helpful indicators of level, those of gender like boy’s, girl’s, and mixed are pointless tautologies as names go. A St, Agnes should have no trouble ministering to both girls and boys, or doing whatever saints are supposed to do for both genders.”

    Elderly Advice

    “Government should not exert any serious effort to take on the trivial exercise of changing the names of schools for the mere fun of it. There must however be rhyme and rhythm in naming schools. Changing the name of an institution will always generate some heat. University of Ife alumni protested to the heavens but UNIFE is today OAU and the heavens have not fallen. It should be possible to reconcile all views with no ulterior motives through dialogue.”

    False Claim

    According to Pa Fagbulu, “the claim that the federal government enforced the takeover is false. Those who are old enough will remember that the exercise was not uniformly executed across the country. The Catholics put up a very tenacious resistance in the East and that slowed implementation. Some states only half-heartedly carried it out simply because Education has always been on the concurrent list and no central government could successfully enforce such a complex maneuver at a swoop even under the military. Decrees merely backed the intention of governments and the people who had spoken through Asabia.”

    He went further thus: “One lingering and unfortunate consequence of the takeover of schools is the undeniable fact that standards of education have fallen over the years since the takeover. It is in no way a direct consequence of the proposal but one of implementation by government. In fact the takeover was to be a new beginning whereby the following would take place in the spirit of Adefarasin and Asabia (recommendations): “

    All existing and new schools would be registered: that implied that the basic minimum requirements for providing good education would be provided in all schools irrespective of who was the proprietor. That would satisfy the demand of the NUT that all educational institutions should provide equal facilities for the children to learn and the teachers to teach

    All schools would be bound by the same rules and treated equally when being assessed in respect of management, number and quality of staffing, and other areas that deal with the evaluation of the outcome of learning. I had the unpleasant duty of writing to the government of the Western State to give notice of closure in respect of the famous Government College, Ibadan of which I was by law the stand-in proprietor on behalf of the government, due to poor accommodation and general neglect. That decadence as it developed had shown that governments could default in providing fully for their schools and that any measure to avoid that unfortunate situation must be a corner-stone of any changes.

    All schools would have properly constituted Boards of Governor to oversee the management of the schools as outlined in law. That body would be independent and good enough to get governments to act appropriately in funding schools.”

    Naked Truth

    “At the primary school level in particular, the Local Education Authorities have been greatly handicapped to the extent that it is difficult to believe that they exist at all. The (naked) truth is that governments have increasingly been unable to fund education adequately and though the rates might have been perhaps slower, the rot would have set in anyway if even schools had not been taken over.”

    Undeniable Fact

    Commenting on the recent hullaballoo over hijab and ownership of schools in Osun State, the sage observed as follows: “It is regrettable that a respected body like CAN can display so much ignorance in respect of education in Nigeria. To start with, the State of Osun like the rest of Nigeria cannot discriminate in the provision of educational facilities on the basis of gender or religion. Secondly CAN is operating from a false premise that some schools are Christian schools. All public schools belong to all the people irrespective of their religious beliefs.

    “If we Christians want to have schools over which we will have full control, the constitution provides for that. Finally the history of the take-over of schools credited to Gowon is also false. The take-over of schools was a direct consequence of the Asabia Commission and I was the originator of the idea with my colleagues who served after me as advisers to that body.”

    Reason for the Brouhaha

    “A main reason for that action was that the proprietors who received grants from government and fleeced parents through high fees made education very expensive. In spite of not investing their own money in education they failed to pay teachers on time if at all; they tyrannised teachers; they even went as far as not promoting teachers on merit especially if those teachers belonged to other denominations. CAN should please do its research and acknowledge that Adefarasin emancipated teachers and Asabia, its sub-committee recommended the procedures for achieving that end, If CAN needs being educated on this issue, I will oblige. In the meantime, it should stop spreading falsehood.  Aregbesola may or may not be guilty of wanting to Islamise Osun; that is not my concern here. Accusing him of using education is however not true.”

    Conclusion

    Concluding, Dr. Fagbulu said: “it should be reiterated that public schools belong to the people and that government as the representative of the people has the responsibility to determine the future of education and the direction and shape schools take. There is no problem of education that cannot be solved through dialogue if those involved are sincere and have no hidden agenda. And for the sake of our children, let us take interest in education and make constructive inputs. Government should take the lead and we should walk and work with it all the way.”

    Yet another Embryologist, Professor Keith Moore of the Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto, Canada, after carefully examining the translation of the Qur‘anic verses presented to him admitted thus: ‘most of the information concerning embryology mentioned in the Qur‘an is in perfect conformity with modern discoveries in the field of embryology and does not conflict with them in any way..

    Professor Moore had no prior knowledge of anything leechlike about embryo until he read chapter 96 of the Qur‘an where Allah says ‘Read! In the name of your Lord who created. He created man out of a leechlike clot…. He then went to verify this fact in an embryo under a powerful microscope and compared his observation with a diagram of a leech. He was astonished at the resemblance of the two. That prompted him to go fully into studying the Qur‘an and Hadith to acquire more knowledge until he was able to answer about 80 hitherto unanswered questions in that field.

    That prompted him to correct the contents of his book ‘The Developing Human‘ which he published earlier and he re-published it in 1982. It was with that revised edition that he became the recipient of an award for the best medical book written by a single author in the 20th century. That book has been translated into many major languages of the world and is mostly used as textbook of embryology today in the first year of medical studies in various Universities in the world.

    Sciences and Signs

    Yet, despite talking about all sciences, the Qur‘an is not a book of Sciences but that of ‘Signs‘. Those ‘Signs‘ invite man to realise the purpose of his existence on earth and live in harmony with nature.

    Judging the above verses of the Qur‘an revealed close to 1500 years ago with the wonderful reality of scientific civilisation of today what further proof does anybody need of the genuineness of the Qur‘an? And who else can give better guidance than the Supreme Creator Himself? And who else can be better called the ‘PATH FINDER‘ than Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who showed humanity the way to that all time guidance?

    Perhaps, this was why Michael Hart, a Jewish American Astrophysicist, named Prophet Muhammad the greatest man that ever lived in his famous book entitled ‘The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History‘.

    Further Testimonies

    If all the descriptions given above about Prophet Muhammad (SAW) sound exaggerated because they are given by Femi Abbas, a Muslim and an ardent follower of that Prophet, and if Michael Hart is seen as crazy in his judgment let us read the views and impressions of some other non-Muslims about this great Prophet. One of them (Alphonse de Lamartine of France) had the following to say in his book ‘Histoire de la Torque‘:

    ‘Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim since this aim was superhuman; to subvert superstitions which had been interposed between man and his Creator; to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing.

    Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he (Muhammad) had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other, except a handful of men living in a corner of a desert…. If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled before their very eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. On the basis of a book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race…..As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured we may well ask, is there any man in human history greater than Muhammad?.

    On his own, Napoleon Bonaparte, the great 18th century French conqueror of Europe was so much amazed by the traits of Islam which he saw in Egypt during his military expeditions that he made the following historic statement about that divine religion and its great Prophet:

    ‘Muhammad, in reality, was a great leader of mankind. He preached UNITY among Arabs who were, till then, torn asunder due to internecine quarrels, sometimes resulting in bloody war fares. He brought them out of the obscure world in a short time and the discipline which they maintained under his leadership was simply marvellous, and so was their bravery, courage and devotion to the cause which they loved and cherished. This, coupled with the contempt for death, as taught by their leader, made them great soldiers and fighters like of whom history rarely produces. I simply marvel at the achievements of this great ‘Son of the Desert’ within a mere period of less than 15 years; a thing which Moses and Christ could not do in 15 centuries. I salute this great man; I salute his qualities of Head and Heart…..

    George Bernard Shaw

    And, in corroboration of the above statements, variously made by renowned men of letters and intellect, another foremost Orientalist, playwright and dramatist, George Bernard Shaw, had the following to say about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in his book ‘The genuine Islam’ (vol. 1 No 8 of 1936):

    ‘The Christians and their missionaries have presented a horrible picture of Islam. Not only that, they also carried out an organised and planned propaganda against the personality of Prophet Mohammad and the religion he preached. I have carefully studied Islam and the life of its Prophet. I have done so both as a student of history and as a critic. And I have come to the conclusion that Mohammad was indeed a great man and a deliverer and benefactor of mankind which was till then writhing under a most agonizing pain. I have always held Islam in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing face of existence which can make it appealing to every age. I have studied him-the wonderful man and in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the saviour of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.

    I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today. For confirmation of Bernard Shaw‘s remark quoted above, see ‘The Genuine Islam, vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.

    Conclusion

    These are just some of the facts that make an orphan, unlettered Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), the greatest human being that ever lived on earth. None of the attestations above made any reference to his birth or birthday because they knew that his birth had nothing to do with his achievements. If non-Muslims could go as far as shown above to benefit from the greatness of Prophet Muhammad‘s mission on earth what is expected of Muslims for whom that mission is primarily meant?

  • More perspectives on the agriculture sector (2)

    More perspectives on the agriculture sector (2)

    Due to the importance of Agriculture in the turnaround, sustenance, diversification, and consequently the growth and development of Nigeria’s social justice and economy; this week’s episode of this Column is a continuation of last week’s episode in which I started sharing some of my insights and perspectives on Agriculture, particularly in areas of fundamental issues including Security, Climate Change, etc. 

     To refresh our memories, I mentioned that one of the key initial steps taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the beginning of his administration was to revamp Nigeria’s economy, Mr. President initiated a plan to resolve the country’s food crisis by declaring a state of emergency on food insecurity.

     To contextualise the topic of today, so that we can appreciate where we are coming from, where we are, and my perspectives on the way forward, I hereby represent the following statistics:

    •According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2016; In the 1960s, the Agriculture sector contributed 85% of foreign exchange earnings to Nigeria, 80% to employment, and 90% to the GDP.

    •According to the Oxford Business Group (OBG), a global publishing, research, and consultancy firm; the Agriculture sector in Nigeria is currently contributing 25% to GDP and 70% to employment.

    •Recently, the President of the Africa Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, stated that Africa currently imports about $ 70 billion worth of food that we can produce. 

    •In the case of food insecurity: According to Dr. Adesina, currently over 280 million Africans go to bed hungry. 

    •According to 2022 UN-funded statistics on food and nutrition projection; by August this year, over 25 million Nigerians will be food insecure. These projections were made before the policy missteps of 1st quarter this year by the erstwhile Mr. Godwin Emefiele-led CCBN with regards to the brutal monetary policy and the cashless policy, the Agric anchor-borrowers scheme missteps, the increase in climate change, etc. Therefore, the current number of Nigerians who are suffering from food insecurity is certainly more than 25 million.

    Youth empowerment in agriculture

    The youths of any society or nation are key to the development and substance of that nation.  A very worrisome situation in Nigeria is the lack of deepening commitments and impacts with regard to the support for Nigerian youths to seriously take Agriculture as a profession or business. Part of the issue is that Agriculture has been nationally unattractive and more of a campaign tool than a national and state economic development tool. Over time, successive administrations have not sustained agriculture initiatives and interventions that would have made agriculture the “go-to” industry, for people to be encouraged to join farming.

     The youths should be encouraged to go into Agriculture as a value-addition to the existing Agricultural value chain. They will bring in innovation and technology, most of which require key investment support, and enablement which is either lacking or not properly directed to the right people. Therefore, I advocate for moving from majorly dispensing cash only as we have seen with the anchor borrower scheme of the immediate past administration. Cash backing should not only be the key incentive, but enablement should be the key incentive in terms of training, skills acquisition, awareness and sensitisation, operational, and entrepreneur capacity building, etc.

     The financial institutions, especially the Banks have not really been supporting the Agric sector with tangible impacts, rather they have been operating like shylocks. I do not see creativity from the Finance sector in the case of support for Agriculture in Nigeria. The Banks basically apply interest rates as they follow inflationary trends, focusing on developing their Agric loan offerings, rather than building entrepreneur support partnerships with the farmers. 

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     Apart from a few, most of the Agric desks in the Banks have been underperforming because of a lack of broad Agric business strategy and investment-friendly policies. The Banks need to be creative from a business continuity and growth perspective because Banks are not insulated from the global and national socio-economic challenges we are facing in Nigeria. So, if they craft their strategy for the Agric sector from a value innovation to support perspective; they will support our teeming youths who have very innovative mindsets, capacities, and potentials. They could support them with the right investment offerings in the entire Agric value-chain; production, quality control,  storage, value-addition, packaging, logistics and supply-chain, inland trading and export, i.e. id and downstream subsets of the sector; the Agric sector has the potential capacity to provide more opportunities for the youth than even the digital technologies sector in terms of deep and wide multidimensional socioeconomic impacts in Nigeria down to our hinterlands; based on which he Banks can make more income and profits.

     In the case of sensitization; I look forward to the current administration, particularly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with key industry stakeholders to open up conversations and vistas of attractive value offerings for the youths, to know that apart from the huge opportunities in production – plants and animals (aquatic and non-aquatic); Agriculture also has other huge golden opportunities in its mid and downstream sub-sectors to create wealth, make wealth and make impact on the socio-economic well-being of Nigeria and its populace. 

     Agriculture provides critical inputs and support in areas of food security, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology, and provides raw materials for the productive sectors, e.g. Textile, Plastic, Construction, etc. Therefore, from both the Government and the financial institutions; there is a need for a lot of education, sensitization, capacity building, and other support in areas of; trade facilitation, policy coherence and consistency, etc. Of course, the Government will have to trigger the support of the Financial sector through the correct policies (formulation, implementation, and regulation) to catalyze the financial institutions to provide the requisite support. These can be achieved by making policies that will ensure that as part of our national development policy, the financial sector must support our youths or any other Nigerian that is/or will be interested in operating in the Agriculture sector. Let us encourage Nigerians to go into Agriculture not by marginal transactional events whereby most times politicians hijack the events and in the end people that should benefit are left out and the objectives not met.

     Why interventions failed in the past 8 years

    The current investigation that was initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with regard to the goings-on at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the past 8 years under the leadership of Mr. Godwin Emefiele the former Governor of the CBN has started yielding some worrisome information which have vindicated Mr. President with regards to his decision to suspend the erstwhile Governor of the CBN, the investigation of his administration and his subsequent resignation; and the appointment of Dr. Yemi Cordoso as the New Governor.

     Over 1 Trillion was disbursed as interventions, with no clear accountability. we have not seen critical tangible impacts commensurate with the huge amount of money disbursed. 

     In the case of the recovery of the money given as loans, we hear that only about 40% of the N1 Trillion is what has been recovered by the erstwhile CBN leadership. However, the outcome of the investigation of CBN is what will tell us how much of the N1 Trillion was truly recovered. We hear information about the former MD/ CEO of The Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) is also under investigation, etc. 

    Those developments are all pointers to the fact that the Agriculture intervention scheme of the immediate past administration, even though well-thought-out and noble, was not properly structured and executed. That is why the key objectives of the intervention were not achieved, because the small and medium-scale farmers, that were supposed to be impacted were largely left out 

     By allowing the CBN to meddle in the Agric intervention programs, the CBN lost focus on its core mandate, and became less professional and more political, resulting in the CBN becoming the “jack of all trades and master of none” of President Buhari’s administration. Consequently, the erstwhile headship of the CBN totally went off the rails and went into policy and political misadventures that further brought Nigeria to its knees. May we not experience such an avoidable terrible debacle again in Nigeria. Ameen,

     Moving forward, in my opinion, I advocate that the Agric intervention programs should be immediately removed from the focal point of the CBN. This is so that the CBN will fulfill its core mandate of dealing with the hitherto monetary policy and fiscal policy experiments that resulted in the current brutal consequences on Nigerians. I urge Mr. President to domicile the invention initiatives to the relevant MDAs for proper structuring, alignment, performance, and impacts.

     Role of states and Local Governments

    The importance of the roles of the States and Local Governments to improve our Agricultural value chain and its socio-economic contributions cannot be over-emphasized. Apart from the national agriculture sectoral reform strategy, which I suggested in last week’s episode of this Column, that we should have at the Federal level, the State Governors, the National Assembly, and state assemblies need to do more in crafting their various Agriculture reform strategies that will key into the overarching national development plan while taking into cognizance their peculiarities with a view to harnessing all their agricultural resources in the states for better socio-economic impacts -short to long term.