The Nation Newspaper

Category: Lekan Otufodunrin

  • Overdue ban on sachet alcohol

    Overdue ban on sachet alcohol

    The recent announcement of the commencement of the enforcement of the ban on the importation, manufacturing, distribution, sale and use of alcoholic beverages in sachets, as well as pet and glass bottles of 200ml and below by the  National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) is long overdue.

    Typical of how every opportunity is abused, the sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small bottles is now so common that anyone, irrespective of age limit can buy and consume them at various outlets. The sale of sachets alcoholic beverages has become one of the most thriving retail businesses that they are openly displayed at even points like motor parks, shops near schools and others where they should not.

    Indiscriminate drinking of alcohol beverages has become a daily ritual nowadays that many are seen, including those below the age of 18 who are not supposed to take alcohol, with the drinks early in the morning and other times of the day.

    As the Director General of NAFDAC Professor Mojisola Adeyeye rightly stated, the agency should be more concerned about the implementation of the regulations and regulatory measures towards safeguarding the health of Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable youth, against the dangers of reckless consumption of alcohol instead of allowing the companies to continue to produce the drinks because of whatever amount they claim they would lose.

    It’s unfortunate that the producers of the drinks and their sympatisers are giving the impression that the NAFDAC decision was sudden which they didn’t foresee.

    If as far back as January 2022, as NAFDAC stated, it stopped the registration of alcoholic beverages in sachet and small volume, while should the producers and sellers still have the large quantities they claim still want to continue selling.

    Following the decision said to have been based on the recommendation of a committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and the Industry represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers, Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, in December 2018, the producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume reportedly agreed to reduce the production by fifty per cent with effect from January 31, 2022, while ensuring the product is completely phased out in the country by January 31, 2024.

    Apparently, the producers of the drinks must have thought that the agreement would not be enforced and have now resorted to playing the victim card with all the noise of how much they will lose and how many jobs would be lost. The ban is not total as they can still produce other sizes other than the sachets and 200ml bottle size.

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    More than the profits to be made from selling the alcohol sachets and bottles, the health implications and dangers outlined by Professor Adeyeye during her press conference should bother all stakeholders on the matter, including the House of Representatives that is probing the decision.

    “The World Health Organisation has established that children who drink alcohol are more likely to use drugs, get bad grades, suffer injury or death, engage in risky sexual activity, make bad decisions, and have health problems.

    “The WHO also stated that harmful consumption of alcohol is linked to more than 200 health conditions including infectious diseases – Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS; and non-communicable conditions- liver cirrhosis and different types of cancer. It is also associated with social problems, such as alcohol addiction and gender-based violence.

    “To curb the menace of abuse of alcohol, WHO recommended some actions and strategies to policymakers that have shown to be effective and cost-effective, which includes regulating the marketing of alcoholic beverages, and regulating and restricting the availability of alcohol.”

  • Checking disinformation

    Checking disinformation

    Last week, a member of a WhatsApp group I belong to shared what was supposed to be the Anti-Kidnapping emergency numbers of the Directorate of State Service, (DSS) because he felt someone might find it useful considering the high rate of kidnapping across the country to call for help quickly.

     He meant well, but the numbers were not on any of the official lines of the DSS when another member contacted the agency to confirm if they sent out the announcement.

     When the member who shared the information on the group was told to stop spreading falsehood, he felt offended and said it was not his business to know if they were false or not. Whoever wants to use it according to him should verify it.

     I had to respond that it is wrong for anyone to share unverified information which may mislead others. If anyone must share any information, he or she must be sure it is true.

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     There are too many false information being shared on various platforms these days which makes it necessary to be cautious of what to believe is true or reshare. While some share information they don’t know is wrong, some people engage in deliberately sharing false information for various reasons.

     To avoid falling victim to misinformation or disinformation it’s better not to be eager to share any information unless it is necessary to do so. The source of any information has to be confirmed as the right one before anything online. If people want some important information, they know where to look for them and no one should feel compelled to be in a hurry to share any information to give the impression that they have access to information.

     Even when some information is credited to some sources, there may be a need to double-check as there are those who manipulate various content and attribute them to those who didn’t originate them. With the present rate of infodemic, seeing is no longer believing. There used to be a saying in the Yoruba language which states that there is no cheating in how one looks in a photo. It’s how you sit that you will appear. That is no longer the case with the manipulation of photos and even videos.

    A member of the same group once shared a supposed video of Bill Gates being interviewed by a United States broadcaster who accused him of some wide allegations and added that if the interviewer were to be a Nigerian, he would have been accused of harassing his guest. The line of questioning was unprofessional for me; all I did was search online for the same interview, which turned out not to be the manipulated version.

     To maintain the sanctity of the various platforms where people share information, it is no longer enough not to share false information, it is necessary to mark them as such when they are shared. Those who engage in indiscriminate sharing of unverified should be warned to desist or be penalised as some social media platforms do. They should also know that their integrity is at stake when they don’t exercise necessary discretion.

     There are several fact-checking organisations available in the country that can be contacted to verify information people want to be sure of instead of spreading falsehoods that have negative consequences.

  • Immortalising journalists

    Immortalising journalists

    God bless Abisola Itua, daughter of the Late Mr. Tayo Awotunsin of Champion Newspaper who was killed during the Liberia war in 1990 along with his Guardian colleague, Krees Imodibe, for bringing back the memories of the two journalists with her poem titled Heroes Without Garlands published on Saturday.

    Explaining the reason for writing the poem, Abisola who was six years old when the incident happened lamented that her father and Imodibe deserved to be better acknowledged and celebrated for the ultimate price they paid in the course of their official assignment.

    According to Abisola “they deserve to be immortalised. Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) should have a building or research centre in their names and they should start a foundation that caters for the well-being of children/wives of journalists who die in line of duty in their names.”

    “I can hear your cry, my nobles

    Your quest for acknowledgement

    I can feel your disappointment

    And your dissatisfaction

    At the triviality with which your great sacrifice

    And commitment is handled,” she wrote in a paragraph of the poem.

    Abisola is right. Her father, Imodibe and other journalists who have died on duty over the years should not be forgotten by the organisations they worked for, media professional associations, their colleagues and society generally.

    Their memories should be kept alive through programmes in their honour or places named after them and not be forgotten by those who should keep celebrating their exploits to inspire especially the younger generation of journalists.

    A lot has been done in memory of the late Editor-In-Chief of the defunct Newswatch Magazine who was killed with a letter bomb in 1986  which should be replicated for Awotunsin, Imodibe and others like them.

    The Chairman of the Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State, Solomon Obomighie, where Giwa hails from recently instituted an essay competition in honour of the late renowned investigative journalist.

    The council chairman explained that the essay competition for secondary schools was aimed at celebrating and promoting the values that Giwa embodied throughout his career.

    Read Also: Capacity building training for journalists

    The place of outstanding journalists in the history of journalism in the country should be fully documented in books and other publications which should be part of studies by journalism students.

    I’m aware that The Guardian, Champion and media groups supported the families of the deceased and organized some programmes to honour them back when they were officially pronounced dead, but deliberate efforts should be made to sustain such initiatives. Over the years, the initial sympathy that usually follows the death of journalists doesn’t last long and proper structures are not put in place to ensure that plans and promises are followed through. 

    An annual event and awards to remember journalists who die on duty are not too much for the sacrifice they made. Foundations set up in memory of journalists should be properly managed to ensure their sustainability as we have in some other climes.

    Apart from insuring the lives of journalists, there should be adequate provisions to support the families of journalists who die on duty.

    How deceased journalists are supported and honoured will go a long way in encouraging those still practising to be as committed as they should be.

    The issue of security of journalists should also be prioritised by their employers and individuals. Risk assessment of every major assessment should be done to avoid exposing Journalists to unnecessary risks.

    As much journalists should be daring in going about their getting stories, it should be clear to all concerned that no story is worth dying for.  

  • The evil that men do

    The evil that men do

    For those wondering why the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released its documentary report on the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, the Late Pastor T.B Joshua more than two years after his death, the answer is in one of the famous quotes by Mark Anthony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.  “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.”

    The simple meaning of this quotation is that while the good that people do can literally be buried with them and quickly forgotten, their evil and unpleasant acts will always be remembered for long.

    It’s up to people or organisations to choose to speak about, remember or focus on what they want to of the dead. If only many people cared what they would be remembered for, they would be more careful about the things they do in their lifetimes.

     Unfortunately not many do. They carry on as if they would live forever and their actions and inactions would not someday be subjected to review and criticisms which they would not be in a position to respond to. They forget that some of those they took advantage of because of the vantage position they occupy would live to tell what they suffered from them.

     Even while alive, much was reported about the questionable actions of Joshua and whatever revelations are contained in the BBC report are just further confirmation of the kind of the kind of person he was.

     I have read more damming reports and watched videos about what many claim Joshua did to them and other allegations than those contained in the BBC report and there is no point for anyone to claim he is being spoken ill of when he is not alive to defend himself. Even when he could, he never did, just as the Church refused to state their side of the story when the BBC asked for their reaction to its findings and only waited to fault it after it was released.

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     No one is contesting that some people did not have negative experiences with him. Still, those who experienced his other side should be free to tell their stories whenever they choose to even if the late pastor cannot be held accountable.

     The good thing about the BBC report even long after Joshua is no more is to enable people to learn from it and let those who may be engaged in such atrocities know there would be a day of reckoning.

     There are still many so-called spiritual leaders who are subjecting their followers to all kinds of inhuman treatment and should be called out for what they are. While many of those who easily get brainwashed by their spiritual leaders may not take the warnings seriously, like many didn’t while Joshua was alive, let it be known that they ignored the truth about the danger they are exposing themselves to.

    While the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, there should be a way to ensure that people are not misled by false prophets who exploit people’s ignorance and needs. It should not be impossible to investigate accusations against faith leaders and anyone who engages in any act that abuses the rights of others.

     If only some past accusations against Joshua and others like him had been thoroughly investigated, we would not have to wait until they are dead before exposing their misdeeds.

  • Kudos to Nigerian journalists

    Kudos to Nigerian journalists

    I am always amused each time I hear many Nigerians, including those who should know better complain about the Nigeria media not producing investigative reports like in the past as it was in the days of especially Late Dele Giwa, former Editor in Chief of the defunct Newswatch Magazine who was letter-bombed during the Babangida military regime.

    Even those who have never read the supposed investigative reports of the period they speak of usually lament how most of the present corps of journalists have supposedly become lapdogs instead of watchdogs.

    They are quick to claim that Nigerian journalists have sold out to politicians and government officials who they should hold accountable by the provisions of the constitution.

    Many accuse journalists of collecting ‘brown envelopes’ as if every journalist indulges in the unethical practice. They hail people who claim to be investigative journalists based on unethical reports they amplify on social media as the best thing to have happened to journalism in Nigeria.

    When international media organizations publish or broadcast investigative reports about Nigeria, critics of the media wonder why our media organizations cannot do the same or better ones since the issues in focus are local ones.

    Read Also: Seeking better remuneration for Nigerian journalists 

    While the media, like any other sector in the country, has been weakened by various factors considering the state of the economy and other factors, the performance of the media in the country is not as bad as many critics claim.

    Contrary to the impression that Nigerian journalists are not living up to expectations regarding investigative journalism, many investigative reports are published regularly across our print, broadcast and online platforms.

    Despite limited resources, legacy media organizations are still churning out investigative reports as often as they can along with many Online platforms.

    More than ever before, we now have several media Non-Governmental Organizations devoted to training and funding investigative reports, including the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), the International Center for Investigative Reporting, (ICIR),  the Center for Journalism Development and  Innovation,(CJID ) formerly known as Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism and Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ)

    Unfortunately, many critics claim they are not aware of the various investigative reports by the Nigerian media. What’s apparent is that even those who know of such reports are no longer moved by whatever level of shocking revelations about corruption in government, abuse of office, mismanagement of public funds and any other.

    Many outstanding investigative reports by Nigerian journalists have won local and international reports which should be acknowledged instead of the sweeping claim that Investigative reporting belongs to the years past in the profession.

    The job of the journalists is to investigate and report with the hope that anyone guilty of any infraction will be held accountable by the necessary authorities. While there have been instances where the government at various levels have been forced to action regarding some investigative reports, many have been ignored by not only the government or even the public who should use them to demand good governance.

    Beyond investigative journalism, Nigerian journalists have keyed into new forms of practice including Solutions Journalism, Data Journalism and Fact checking.

    While I agree that more investigative reporting can still be done considering the rot in the country, it’s necessary to acknowledge what exists and support media organisations that are also battling to survive due to the economic situation of the country that has affected their revenue base.

  • What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

    What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

    The first time I heard the song, Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson, I couldn’t help but shake my head in agreement and reflect on how true the song lyrics are about my experience some months earlier.

    This time last year I was recovering from a major illness that I could have died from.

    At a stage, I couldn’t stand on my feet. I had to be carried from my bed to go to the toilet.

    I was hospitalised and had to go through rounds of a major medical procedure.

    By God’s grace, I survived and one year after I am stronger in many ways with testimonies of what God has enabled me to accomplish.

    On my sick bed, I responded to an application for a one-week Journalism Bootcamp training in Washington and was selected. I was in Washington in June with some colleagues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies for the programme sponsored by Bloomberg.

    I was also in Kenya for the  World Association for Christian Communication, Africa Region Consultation in  August.

    On my sick bed, I accepted to be a mentor on a media support programme for three months. The contract will be a year-long in December.

    Before my sickness, I was teaching part-time at only Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos. Now I also teach at the Mass Communication department of Yaba College of Technology.

    I was working on a book about my unforgettable media training experience at Thomson Foundation, Cardiff in 1998 before I fell sick. The book has now been published.

    Another book titled Our Punch Years by 38 former staff of The Punch newspaper which I edited will also be launched in December.

    To God be the glory, two of my children got married this year and my daughter who married earlier made me a grandfather with a baby girl who has a very testimonial name, Arireoluwa ( We received God’s blessings).

    I thank my family members, friends, colleagues and associates who rallied around and supported me to pull through.

    I appreciate all the prayers, best wishes and financial support.

     God has indeed been faithful.

    Whatever one is going through, as long as one is alive, it’s better to think more of what God can enable one to do instead of thinking of dying. Once there is life as the popular saying goes, there is hope.

    There will be moments when it will seem it is all over, but the will to live is crucial instead of lapsing into depression.

    It takes God’s grace to survive being critically sick. I know people who were not sick when I was and have died. When I remember my days in the hospital I shudder about the state of health care in the country. I remember people who could not afford the drugs recommended for them or pay the discharge fees.

    I recall how there were not enough medical personnel to attend to patients and just thank God for his grace.

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    The quote What doesn’t kill you19th-century makes you stronger is said to have come from an aphorism of the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche which is generally used as an affirmation of resilience. It’s indeed apt for the various trying times we may have to go through once in a while.

    I can’t but agree more with Kelly Clarkson’s song:

    What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

    Stand a little taller

    Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone

    What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter

    Footsteps even lighter

    Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone

    What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger

    Just me, myself, and I

  • Our Punch years

    Forty-seven years ago on November 1, 1976, the first edition of The Punch Daily rolled off the press and since then the paper has not ceased publishing except on those days and months when the military administration banned the publication. The Sunday edition of the paper was launched three years earlier.

    That the paper has continued to publish and remain the most widely read newspaper in the country, while others launched after it are no longer in circulation is a tribute to the vision and commitment of the founding fathers and staff through the years.

    When I joined the newspaper in May 1987, the company was recovering from some crisis and was battling to pay the few staff that had survived being sacked like some others.

    The situation however improved and I ended up working for about 13 years without being owned any salary or entitlements.

    From being a young graduate I served in various capacities and acquired various experiences that have shaped my fulfilling media career to date. Being assigned to be a Ogun state correspondent as my first posting seemed initially daunting but the years I spent in Abeokuta turned out to be a great learning experience that sharpened my reporting skills.

    While I was covering politics I had the opportunity of travelling around the country and appreciating the diversity of our culture and people. The Punch was also where I had the first opportunity to travel abroad for a three-month training in the United Kingdom.

    My Punch years remain memorable and I am grateful for the opportunity to work in the company along with many colleagues who have become accomplished in various endeavours.

    Our various experiences have been documented in a soon-to-be-published book titled Our Punch Years: Reminiscences and Insider Accounts of former editors and Staff of Nigeria’s Most Widely Read Newspaper at 50.

    Considering the rich history of the newspaper, which other journalists and organizations can learn from, it occurred to me that it would be nice to read what the experience of the former staff. In my call for contributions I asked about: What company was back in their days. What they learned and benefited from, The good times and not too pleasant ones, Lessons that have helped former staff in their career after exiting, The intrigues, politics and fun and Secrets of the success of The Punch.

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    The contributions by 37 other colleagues are very insightful and revealing for anyone curious about knowing what makes The Punch what it is.

    Veteran journalist CEO/Editor -In- Chief of Diamond Publication Limited, Mr Lanre Idowu who wrote the foreword gave an insight into what to read in the book. 

    “In various essays, they tell the story of The Punch with pride, regret, and a tinge of anger, but overall, with a generosity of spirit that The Punch occupies a hallowed place in their media journey and development as human beings.

    “From their accounts, the reader gleans nuggets of useful information on the recruitment processes at The Punch, the culture of the newsroom and the news management process, the joy and pain of journalism, the evolution of media technology, management obsession with excellence and its zero tolerance for mistakes in the quest to build a brand identity, and the attendant worrisome concerns about commensurate reward and punishment.”

    Recalling his Punch years, Chief Innocent Adikwu who was the third editor of The Punch and former Editor of the Sunday Punch wrote: “My days in Punch were fulfilling. When I joined the newspaper as a sub-editor in 1976 I didn’t expect to get the topmost positions in the midst of the Southerners who have a rich history of excellence and dominance in journalism.  At the Punch there was unflinching pursuit of excellence and any performance that enhanced the quality of the newspaper was rewarded regardless of tribe, religion and political leaning of the journalist.”

  • Better use of civil servants

    Better use of civil servants

    Appointments of political office holders and other aides are usually the much-anticipated follow-up of the inauguration of a new administration at various levels.

     Among party members and others who played one role or the other in the election of the officeholders, expectations are high that they will get compensated with appointments commensurate with their contributions.

     Like past administrations, President Bola Tinubu and new and re-elected governors and legislators have made various appointments, including ministers,  commissioners, special advisers and assistants. Many of the appointees are eminent personalities and qualified professionals who will no doubt ensure that their principals fulfil their electoral promises and live up to the expectations of the electorates.

     However, while the appointments are necessary, there is the worrisome dimension of too many advisers and assistants being appointed at the federal and state levels. Roles that can be played by one or two persons now have a crowd of appointees assigned for various bits.

    The governors especially seem to be competing for who can appoint more assistants than the other.

    Governor Umo Eno has as many as 372 Personal Assistants from each ward of the state apart from other appointees.

    Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State also has 138 media aides, while Ahamadu Fintiri of Adamawa appointed 47 media aides.

     Instead of cutting down on the number of persons the government needs to pay salaries and other entitlements considering the economic situation of the country, the governors and other office holders are adding some many.

     It’s necessary to note that for most of the jobs, special advisers and assistants are appointed, and there are enough qualified persons in the various government ministries, establishments and institutions who can effectively perform them if properly deployed.

     Some years ago, some state government information officers participated in training during which I challenged them to justify their high qualifications and experience by utilizing their skills better to serve the government.

     I told them that one of the reasons politicians appoint their aides who are not sometimes not as qualified as they are is because they are not doing enough and I urged them to utilise lessons learnt from the training to prove their capabilities.

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     One of them accepted the challenge and started contributing reports and opinions about government activities to national newspapers. Within a short period, his articles were being published by many papers to the extent that the then-governor took note of his outstanding performance and sought to meet him.

    Instead of indiscriminately appointing advisers and assistants, it’s necessary to utilise as much as possible available staff who may end up being rendered redundant despite their salaries. It’s economically not wise to have a pool of civil servants who are not utilized while political office holders prefer to create no jobs for their supporters.

    I’m aware of the lackadaisical attitude of many civil servants to work which may be too slow for elected officials who may want to make a quick impact, but there should be a way of getting them to perform optimally to avoid duplicating their positions high cost to the government.

     If civil servants who make up a large chunk of the labour union membership can be quick to demand increased payment and allowances they should not be allowed to remain idle when there are important tasks to be performed.

     More than ever before there is a need to reduce the bloated workforce of the government to minimize how much is spent on paying salaries instead of capital projects that are in high demand given the dilapidated infrastructure across the country.

     A few special advisers and assistants, yes, but not the bazaar of appointments we are presently witnessing.

  • Waiting for the real award

    Waiting for the real award

    By every standard, they should have been awarded the national honours for contributing to the lyrics of the country’s national anthem.

    Unfortunately, the names of five of the contributors,  P. O. Aderibigbe, John A. Ilechukwu, Dr. Sota Omoigui, Dame Eme tim Akpan and Professor B.A. Ogunnaike have always been missing from the list to date, while the composer of the music, Late Benedict P. Odiase, who was director of the police band was awarded in his lifetime. Professor Ogunnaike who I had interviewed years ago on the lines he contributed to the national anthem and Mr Illechukwu have since passed died.

    Not only have the composers not been honoured, but they did not even get the prizes they were promised for responding to the call for entries into a competition organized by the Federal Ministry of Information to replace the Nigerian national anthem in 1978 according to Dr Omoigui.

    While those who should have recommended the composers of the lyrics for their well-deserved national awards might not have known the full details of how the anthem was composed, one would have expected that the error of their not being properly acknowledged would have been corrected when the necessary clarification was made.

    It’s bad enough that an essential historical fact like the names of the composers of the national anthem was not known by the relevant authorities, but to continue not to  honour them properly is unpardonable.

    While hoping that the composers will someday be honoured before those of them still alive pass on, it is commendable that the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has announced plans to honour them with the Citizenship and Patriots Award along with some other national heroes, including the late designer of the Nigerian national flag, the late Pa Taiwo Micheal Akinkunmi as part efforts to promote civic education in the country.

    Read Also:Independence Day: Fed Govt to honour Akinkunmi, 10 others

    For whatever it is worth, the award by the NOA is a better late than never acknowledgement of the composers of the lyrics by the government. It should be a prelude to the real national award for those still alive.

    For Nigerians who play any significant historical role, like composing the national anthem, the least the government can do is to honour them as patriots to encourage others to continue to contribute their quota to the development of the country in whichever way they can do when called upon to do so.

    I thank Dr Omoigui for acknowledging journalists whose publications have kept alive the history and story of our national anthem including Alex Marshall, a reporter with The Independent, a newspaper in the U.K, C’tiana Bibish Elad of Afrifamu, Los Angeles, California, myself and Dr ‘Deyemi Akande, an Art and Architectural History Lecturer at the University of Lagos.

    Nigerians and the world deserve to know the true history and story of the national anthem. We would continue to call on the government to do the right thing by honouring the composers, whether alive or dead.

    Beyond the honour for the composers, the message of the anthem should lost on the citizens and our leaders as Omoigui stated in the response to the award by NOA and whatever we can do to salvage the situation in the country should be done urgently so that the labours of our heroes past shall not be in vain.

    “When I wrote my words for the anthem, it was my dream for the country to move forward and take its place among the world’s great nations.  Our leaders have failed us. They have failed to serve the fatherland with love and strength and faith. They have failed to create one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity. They have failed to be guided by God, and are unable to teach our youth in love and honesty to grow as they neither have love nor do they have honesty. They live corruptly and have failed to live just and true.”

  • Idle servants

    Idle servants

    The drama that played out last Thursday at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in Abuja between the Minister, David Umahi and the workers over the locking of the gates against latecomers is unfortunate.

    Umahi who arrived at the office at 9:30 am had reportedly ordered the gates to be locked because most of the staff, including directors had not resumed contrary to the agreed 9:am resumption time.

    The normal 8 a.m. resumption time had been moved to 9 a.m. after a meeting by the Minister and Directors of the ministry due to the distance from where many staff live to Abuja and the high cost of transportation.

    Notwithstanding the one hour extra time, not more than five per cent of the workers were in the office according to the Minister when he arrived at the office.

    In response to being locked out, the workers resorted to protest and also confined the minister to his office, demanding an apology even when the gates were later opened.

    It was reported that the protesting workers prevented entry and exit into the building thereby preventing the minister from leaving the office to receive the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who came to the headquarters on a courtesy visit.

    The matter was not resolved until the minister apologised while addressing the workers after a leader of the union expressed the displeasure of the workers arguing that the procedure adopted by the Minister was not in line with the civil service rule.

    While the minister could have acted contrary to the civil service regulations for punishing late coming as the union leader claimed, the workers should blame themselves for forcing him to resort to locking them out to gain their attention as the Minister said to justify the decision of the Human Resources department.

    Having complained to the directors about the late resumption of the workers and agreed on the 9 a.m. resumption time, the Minister needed to call the workers to order in any way that was possible since there was no indication that the workers were ready to take their jobs seriously.

    Read Also: David Umahi: From frying pan to fire?

    The directors should have communicated the agreed resumption time to the workers and the union leaders instead of expecting the Minister to reach out to the union executive as the labour leader demanded.

    Sadly, the workers had allowed the situation in the ministry to degenerate to the extent that they would come to work at noon and by 3 p.m. when the Minister asked for some files, those in charge would have left.

    How is the minister expected to perform his duties when the workers are indisciplined and would want to hide under the civil service rule to get away with idleness?

    The lazy attitude of many civil servants to work is well known and there is no justification for those locked out last Thursday to behave as if they did nothing wrong. Resorting to any form of protest as they did amounted to behaving as if they were above the law and could not be called to order.

    There is a way that many civil servants generally go about their work as if they don’t have to justify their pay. It doesn’t matter to many civil servants if they do the work they are supposed to do or not since they will usually get paid. Their pay doesn’t depend on their productivity or profit, so they feel free to take as much time as they can off duty without fear of easily getting sacked as in the private sector.

    While it is commendable of the Minister to apologise to the workers, the point about being disciplined and punctual for duties should not be lost on the workers and their leaders.

    The workers should appreciate the motive of the minister to get their attention to having a better attitude to work and contribute their quota to having a more efficient civil service for the country’s overall development.

    If civil servants want more pay as they usually demand, they must show more commitment to discharging their duties and be more business like in the work they do.