The Nation Newspaper

Category: Tony Marinho

  • Character; Death; Olympics; N-Bridge-2022?

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 4,237,000 among 199,000,000 diagnosed cases and 3.65b vaccines, 4.1b vaccines given worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 174,500 and 2,200 deaths with 3.4+m vaccine doses with 1.4m fully vaccinated.

    New Zealand’s Prime Minister apologises to the Pacific Islanders for tribalism/racism against them characterised by the infamous Dawn Raids. Nigeria, note how to repair damage to traumatised and marginalised communities and tribes. The ‘Immediate Action’ reactivation of the suspended/ignored Federal Character Commission codes and full implementation of federal character is an essential good start to heal wounds deliberately created and perpetrated by government even ignoring to implement the existing poor constitution.

    Strangely, Minister Rauf Aregbesola calls for 3008 condemned prisoners to be executed in the time of ‘Abolition of Death Penalty’.  He also suggests reduction in ‘Awaiting Trial’ inmates. We practice 18th century court procedures in 2021 with so many SANs. Who is sabotaging the modernisation of Nigerian courts with computerisation and court stenographers to reduce trial times? Who rejects the stenographers and fingerprint experts for police – job creation!

    US gymnast Simone Biles’ withdrawal from most events due to mental stress should be a lesson to everyone as permanent damage can result. Mental health issues are widespread and need identification and compassion. The over five million IDPs and millions who have been impacted by kidnapping, terrorism and killer bandits and raiding herders live constantly in a state of PTSD -Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, Nigeria hardly sleeps at night and travels in terror and prayer. The kidnap of a Benue commissioner’s wife, the children kidnapped from Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri where two children have escaped/were rescued, the children kidnapped in schools, attacks on hospitals perhaps to service terrorist camps make for fearful stories. It does not include the crimes of okada-riding criminals nationwide.

    Second Nigeria Bridge to be completed in 2022. Hurray! Lagos-Ibadan Road to be completed 2022? Why does government infrastructure rot before fixing it? There must be billons of lost hours and billions of naira buried on that road-all government incompetence since 1999. It is a simple road for goodness sake, not a rocket to the Moon, though others are going to the Sun, or a complex machine or a nuclear power plant. Why do we, educated since forever, still shame ourselves publicly disregarding citizens’ welfare. This 2022 is now supposed to be magic ‘Finish Projects’ year, before the election year 2023, abi no be so??

    Why are projects just political and not for the population? The federal government will presumably insert the money to finish the two projects and others in railways etc. in the 2022 Budget to end the 10+ year delayed and the insultingly long 40+ year delayed 2nd Niger Bridge. Hurray, better late than never. But we have been here before. Will we suddenly get a re-run of the 2019/2020 ‘NASS Budgetary Diversion’ when NASS railroaded the N150b specifically allocated in the budget by this government to quickly finish the Lagos-Ibadan Road and instead diverted ?N130b+ of it to constituency projects leaving, was it N15b, for the road, not fit for purpose? Just wait and see.

    The same NASS is still around. Can a devious leopard change its spots? Will NASS again divert the Niger Bridge and the Lagos Ibadan Road funds to Constituency Projects – self before service? Will government fail again and announce the REVISED’ OR ‘Finally Final’ completion of the Lagos Ibadan Road and the 2nd Niger Bridge to be ‘No 1 New Promise’ of the government during  the 2023 election to be completed by 2027?

    Add this to the ‘Wanton Project Negligence’ in which citizens’ money is misused or used well and then abused by the next government by neglect. Successive governors must take good and even the bad projects make them better than the previous government did. Standards are usually so low that ‘better than previous government’ is never difficult. All that is needed is a forensic audit of the past project and then move forward from there. Nigeria is still rebuilding roads first built 50-100 years ago. Other countries build new roads in new directions every few years, even to the moon!

    Nigerian youth should be asked to watch many of the 339 events across 33 different sports and the different styles and techniques and personal and team strategies in the 2020 Olympics and observe especially the youth and age of some of the participants and winners. They are people like themselves. Governments at LGA, state and federal must open many other sports to our youth. Youth cannot take a sport they have never seen or heard of or if your country refused to provide facilities for youth training, coaching or inspiration for youth the put in the time and energy. Nigerian officials should note the Olympic field was not crowded by officials or cameramen obstructing the view. Sadly, expectedly from our youth sports program failures, Nigeria is too busy boasting of 160+m (question the inflated 210m-it is political) and is shamefully underperforming and underrepresented for our size at the Tokyo Olympics.

    The suspension of Okagbare at 2020 OLYMPICS is a painful, embarrassing disgrace to Nigeria and its sports and athletics authorities all of whom should be investigated for systemic failure in athletes and authorities. The eligibility code is standard with mandatory dope tests in and out of competition. As a successful athlete witness to drug failures, it must be a particular tragedy for Okagbare. Sabotage? Accident? Deliberate?

  • Tucano; Electrification; Ogunmola’s Statue

    By Tony Marinho

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 4,150,000 among 192,500,000 diagnosed cases and 3.65b vaccines, one billion fully vaccinated worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 172,000 and 2,135 deaths with 3.94+m vaccine doses with 1.4m fully vaccinated.

    We pray that that the long range six A29 Tucano propeller planes will soon become 12, and will improve our military successes against Boko Haram/ISIS West Africa and the terrorists, wrongly called bandits, who bring down an Alpha jet and kidnap 130 children, 28 of whom have just been released/not rescued, 87 sadly left in captivity!

    Thank God the pilot of the downed jet survived.  The Tucano planes are a vital cog in the multi-faceted war effort which includes a 1,000,000 strong security force with social, political and intelligence requirements if we are to win this war forced on a peaceful Nigeria.

    At last, a Rural Electrification Agency that has overcome the usual ‘loud political noise but poor action’ and is using the Rural Electrification Fund has attracted funding from the World Bank and the African Development Bank for over 1,100 projects nationwide. It uses renewables complying with the SDGs and is targeting five million homes. This past week or so, I have had electricity almost ‘constantly’ without a break. Wow!! So, Buhari’s federal government is moving forward. The vice president opened a REA Project recently.  I warm my generator for a few minutes every day to prevent the battery running down. Yes, it has happened in the past 20 years but perhaps this will really last. Imagine the cost of lost power of nationwide 24/7 electric power on poisonous air and sound and ground pollution, out of pocket fuel and generator cost and security and students and night users of light at night. The methods used to generate electricity off-grid are mostly solar, wind and water ‘Renewable’ sources. The power is ‘Off Grid’ without bringing it from traditional power plants and power-lines.

    I also found last week that and major roads in Ibadan are powerfully electrified as bright as daylight showing the huge and visible positive contribution of the Seyi Makinde government to brightening the lives and lifting the spirits of the citizens. Visions made visible!

    Nigerians suffer from poor transfer of project-responsibility from one government to the next. Governments miss the opportunity to grow existing projects to cover larger ground but keep repeating the same projects. Too few new roads but resurfacing of the same roads! No growth; just new contracts. So the city and towns do not improve, just the same road resurfaced for 50 years. Romans built 2000-year lasting roads adding new ones every year. Citizens nationwide have seen many electrification projects come, burn semi-brightly and then dim quickly with change of government. Streetlight electricity poles go up, are lit, last months, struggle for a year or so, are neglected, die from ‘end of contract’ and ‘No Maintenance Contract’. In particular solar lights are quickly abandoned when all they need to survive any change of government is for ‘Government-Next’ to responsibly continue governance and insert new light bulbs, batteries or more solar panel surface cleaning. Instead, too often, the lamp posts are vandalised or actually stolen or removed by the old contractor or criminals stealing to unfortunately ‘convert the state’s and citizens’ wealth to waste/scrap’ with the next government ignoring what has already been done and instead pretend there was no government before. Ditto for all handed over government infrastructure.

    The next government then prefers starting from scratch instead of maintaining and repairing and using existing infrastructure, the people’s property, as a springboard to the widening of the coverage of the project. Building on, not ignoring, previous efforts are important.

    One successor government out of political, personal, ideological or religious differences or whatever refused to build on the then ground-breaking Tinapa Project now the best examples of ‘Wanton Project Negligence’.  Citizens’ money used and then abused by the next government by neglect. Successive governors must take all that is good and even the bad and make better use of it than the previous government.

    At Orita Mefa Ibadan junction, one thinking government commissioned a historic statue of the famous Ibadan warrior, Basorun Ogunmola on horse monument in bronze or other metal. Was it paid for or a donation? Along came a government and the beautiful action riding statue was removed from the re-modelled roundabout and the beautiful monument disappeared. I protested in this column at the time. It was not re-erected at the very adequate space to one side. It did not appear in any Museum. Where is it? Did it  disappear? It was removed. Where is it now?

    In a contractor’s back yard or melted into spoons? Perhaps the artist knows?? Who knows? This is how we throw away or ignore our history which suffers from good and bad governments. How much did that monument cost? Who paid the bill? Very expensive. Very wasteful. Very myopic politically. Thankfully, Governor Makinde is building on the past.  Remember Buhari in 1983 cancelled Jakande Rail, putting Lagos and Nigeria back 30+years.

    The local government elections have shown how many actually participate in local government politics. This long-engendered disinterest is almost insoluble because of the close association between thuggery, the LGAs and the NURTW which strikes fear with the ‘I know where you live’ silent threat by neighbourhood stalwarts of different parties. This forces many citizens to refuse to participate.

  • Ban voice vote; Olympics; B-Bronzes

    By Tony Marinho

     

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 4,100,3000 among 191,100,000 diagnosed cases and 3.64b vaccines, one billion fully vaccinated worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 170,000 and 2,130 deaths with 3.94+m vaccine doses with 1.3 fully vaccinated.

    Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, third reading stepped down again by National Assembly, NASS. The refusal of NASS to accept the 5% for host communities and instead give 3% after first offering 2.5% is insulting to ravaged communities. There are still questions around the Bill including the meaning of host communities. Is this 3% additional or replacing the 13% derivation? The current PIB is a disappointing shadow of a previously robust document.

    The Electoral Act Amendment Bill could easily have ‘APPROVED MANUAL AND/OR ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION AS DIRECTED BY INEC IN EACH CASE’. NASS called INEC only AFTER the travesty. You cannot take medicine after death! The experts, INEC disagree! After questionable manual transmission for over 70 years of elections, it is time for NASS to lead Nigeria’s political process from the calculated and careless mistakes of childhood into political voter adulthood with ‘Electronic Transmission of Results (ETR)’ and ‘Diaspora Voting’ (DV)?

    A responsible NASS must fight for this adulthood and ensure governments equip and challenge INEC to guarantee ETR and DV by 2023. Strangely, Nigeria can suddenly allocate over N4b to investigate social media. But NASS in July 2021 sneeringly took a ‘Voice Vote’ on a serious national matter to the disgust of Nigerians viewers who heard the opposite result. But then voice vote manipulation or political partial deafness is a historic disgraceful regular occurrence in NASS! Nigerians must ban A NASS VOICE VOTE in controversial clauses. Besides NASS members must be held accountable for how they vote and represent or misrepresent the people. DIASPORA VOTING should be a right after contributing economically sometimes $23b/annum. Of course, there is a danger that a wayward government may register non-Nigerians as Nigerians abroad. In Nigeria most good-intentioned projects are polluted by self-interest.

    Tokyo Olympics kicks offender the Covid Cloud with cases reported among the Olympic community. Spectators are banned and perhaps previously recorded crowd sounds from past Olympics may be used to imitate a lively spectator atmosphere. It may not be necessary as many sportspersons have trained in silence and with no spectators witnessing their endurance. Apart from the team games, athletics and sprints, the crowd may not be missed much as crowds cheering their favourite may negatively impact the remaining participants.

    The International Olympic Committee requires to consider the economic and opportunity advantage of creating in future a programme for accepting video verified and authenticated submissions for a ‘live’ Global Olympic Ladder for each event and each sex updated every month throughout the years between the Olympics. So, shot putters, sprinters, shooters, archers can submit their records and be included on the Olympic Ladder during the three years between Olympic Games and even during the Olympic Games. This will be easier now Zoom etc. have shown what is possible.

    Sadly, the federal government wants to take custody of the Benin Bronzes, to be repatriated to Nigeria. They were looted from the ancient Benin City citizenry, the court of ancestral Oba Ovonramwen in 1897 and the ancestral Igun-Igbesamwan-Owina shrines. A visit to Nigeria’s museums and public buildings will show a lack of ability, or interest, of the federal/state government machinery to even maintain a light bulb or paint a wall, let alone create a top-class museum. Good staff need good facilities.

    The new planned Edo Museum of West African Art, EMOWAA, being built in Benin was architecturally designed by Sir David Adjaye in a partnership between the British Museum, the Legacy Restoration Trust [pls Google] and others in federal, state government and the private sector. This repatriation gives hope for proper preservation and display in a secure tourism-centred environment, barring massive robbery! Some believe that artifact copies will be displayed while the originals will be looted again!

    Unfortunately, the historical descendants of the bronze metalworkers called Igun-Igbesamwan-Owina Descendants have publicly objected to the bronzes being returned through or to the Oba of Benin. The descendants urge federal government temporary ‘custody’. With the FG, temporary can become permanent. Give it an inch and it may take a mile with an arrogant smile. If so, this request will result in hurt for all involved. No one denies diverse sources of the looted artifacts. The Oba is a focus, a known institution, a key weapon in the ‘Battle for the Benin Bronzes’.  Washing this linen in Nigerian public will have consequences.

    Original plan only had the ceremonial custody of the Oba for a ‘Benin Commonwealth’, belonging to all people of the Benin Kingdom in Edo State and administered by the organisation which fought for so many years to get the artifacts back. Now the bronzes may never be returned to Benin, new museum or no museum. This dissent by I-I-O Descendants is an uncomfortable last 2021 gun shot in the 1897 ‘Battle for Benin Bronzes’. It is a shot in the foot, an own goal, cracking the united front and crippling the entire effort. Will Benin recover? Who will be the next Benin Bronze looter?

    Zamfara loses 45 persons to killer kidnappers amidst a resurgence of the Taliban as the US and UK withdrew from Afghanistan and a likely surge as France withdraws from Chad and Niger.

    Nigeria needs a 1,000,000 man and woman recruitment, intense training and quality increase in personnel across the security services for 24-hour security presence.

  • Killer bandits; Wanted :1,000,000-man military

    Tony Marinho

     

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,990,000 among 184,400,000 diagnosed cases and 3.4b vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 170,000 and 2,130 deaths with 3.9+m vaccine doses with 1.3 fully vaccinated. Delta Covid, third phase is spreading.

    More killings in Kaduna and 43 migrants drowning off Lampedusa Island in the Mediterranean.

    Disgracefully, another 35 defenceless Nigerians murdered by home-invading killers we pretend are just ‘bandits’. Imagine the terror to mother and children as murderous high-powered and explosive machine gun-shooting killers break down the gate, jump over or blow-up the walls, smash the doors, shatter the windows and destroy domestic furniture as the family drowned in terrified fear as complete strangers, perhaps with an informer – domestic or neighbours- search and scatter belongings searching out your hidden children in cupboards, under beds, squeezed behind the fridge but all discovered and dragged away. Nobody to the rescue? And so also for the Emir of Kajuru and 13 family members in Kaduna, and now the provost, College of Animal Science in Zamfara. Security forces thwarted the kidnapping of more people. Thank God. The Presidency must get busy writing yet more condolence letters and reveal to Nigerians how many condolence letters/messages have been vomited by Aso Rock -a new macabre record?

    We are depressed by huge numbers of kidnapped children and youth and murdered fellow Nigerian citizens and five million Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. Too many remain captives of the killer bandits demanding and apparently receiving rice and food items for themselves and their terror-ridden victims especially the over 120 innocents just seeking knowledge, kidnapped wickedly from the Baptist school. If government can deliver food to an enemy, it must have an address to send food to or a tracking device in the food to get the address. So government can send them rice but cannot free them? A tragedy to every family involved. Can anyone believe that the government is acting with upmost urgency, no matter the statements that dribble from Aso Rocks? Can anyone say we have put enough men, women and modern machinery into the field of battle? More than six years into this administration, we have not seen the increased manpower recruitment into all forces including the Police to adequately protect all the vulnerable Nigerians, nationwide.

    We have lost a lot of time and opportunity for arms and manpower build-up to fight the current wars and coming wars with people bent on mass destruction of life and education and modernity. These people, villains, hate modernity but strangely fully embrace a dangerous product of extreme education and modernity – deadly weaponry- which they embrace with a death-wish for innocents in countries from across the Sahel in Chad and Niger. These imported and sometimes home-grown killer-bandits will gain strength and numbers when the French and perhaps the British leave those countries. The growing forces from those leaving a newly peaceful Libya are anticipated but no national countermeasures, reinforcement of borders and points of easy illegal penetration appear to be in preparation. Let us hope secret war games are being carried out but the first fruit would be an elimination of bandit gangs because Nigeria cannot fight an external force at the border and internal fight, back and front war which will engulf the army surrounded by enemies without the country and in country.

    More football!! Some call it ‘Foolball’. Nigerians miss out through years deprived of coaching, equipment and sport funding with ‘Accidental Hero Sportspersons’.

    Messi score to beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America. The Argentinian side including staff is completely white? Why? Google ‘Argentina’s slavery question’. Teach your children the answer. Many countries shouting ‘freedom’ today have cruel and deadly racial human rights records. Racists’ statues removed in the US after a 5-7 year battle in a 200-year antislavery war. Hurray!!  Meanwhile in basketball, Nigeria [US trained stars] beat USA in a friendly pre-Olympic2020/1. Scoreboard  90:87. Hurray! In football’s World Cup, Italy beat England on penalties and Sir Richard Branson and his crew are ‘Astronauts’ having crossed 50miles or 80kilometre to outer space. Hurray!!

    Most complete education includes sport but media pictures of schools of the victim children in Nigeria show the dilapidated classrooms and schools, ill-equipped to deliver the quality deserved by children despite billions from the Universal Basic Education Commission and State UBE Boards and a shamefully negligent national failure to equip Nigeria’s youth for a self-reliant, rewarding future.

    There is a book on Leah Sharibu, kidnapped by Boko haram during the Chibok debacle. The agony is still raw but Nigeria fails to rescue her even though Shekau is dead.

    Why is the cost of freedom from government’s moral failures and inadequacies often death?

    ‘May we be invisible to the enemy’. No dwelling is safe from attack. Endless government commiserations and daylight inspection parades cannot save anyone. Nigeria needs no 1,000,000-man marches. We need a 1,000,000-man military recruitment, quick intense training and quality increase in personnel in all aspects of security services for 24-hour massive security presence. We need to recall our retired reserve officers to help train generation next. We are dragged into a war we never wanted to fight. We will soon also be at war with rebels, mercenaries, fortune hunters from Libya/Sahara, Chad/Niger and ISIS-WA. Is Nigeria being prepared too late to fight an on-going war? Or are we, by complacency or conspiracy and connivance being set for a fall? I have heard Nigeria described as a juice prize.

     

  • Sport; Justice/Equity; Adesina/Okonjo-Iweala

    By Tony Marinho

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,990,000 among 184,400,000 diagnosed cases and 3.17b vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 168,000 and 2,125 deaths with 3.4+m vaccine doses with 1.170,000+ fully vaccinated.

    Nigeria ‘footfalls’, at football! We lose 4-0 to Mexico (population 130m or so). Yes, sports persons may have mesmerising overnight skills but sports stamina, body building, technique and selfless teamwork take years of coaching and funded support. Sadly in 2021, Nigeria is still a country of ‘Accidental Hero Sportspersons’ individually great, hardworking. Politicians, reaping where they deliberately refused to sow, jump on them like blood-thirsty leaches or pariah, sucking press adoration due solely to the few champions among thousands. Look at our 1985 Under-17 winners in football receiving promised bonuses in 2015, 31 years late due to the irresponsibility of governance caused by the political disease of ‘Personalisation of Political Office’.

    That 31-year delay is a metaphor for Nigeria’s collective failure to support youth development – mental, sport, material and entrepreneurial. One consequence is the current widespread youth anger and helplessness. We did not nurture enough talented young star footballers. Which governors support education and high-class sports access as development strategies -an ‘Ogbemudian Achievement’? A complete education includes sport and a national future in world sport? The test is ‘How many home-grown Nigerian sportspersons will be in the Tokyo Olympics 2020-1 while the USA, EU, UK ad nauseum train potential 2024, 2028, 2032 Olympian hopefuls already?

    Oduduwa nation protests and suppression-July 2021. Easier solution than watercannon -let government and National Assembly, NASS, OBEY Nigeria’s OATH & ANTHEM[S] and make Nigeria a land where TRUTH and JUSTICE [EQUITY] truly REIGN with FAITH, LOYALTY and HONESTY of the political and ethnic classes at all tiers of governance. Period! Not nuclear physics, just LOVE of neighbour, NOT LUST for his property!!!!

    MUST WE DIE, in order to LIVE?

    This coming holiday who is safe. SSS-Safety, Safety and Safety are every Nigerian parent’s terror. All levels from family members, domestics, drivers and travel have all been indicted. The roads are frightening. The village, back home, is often unreachable even after a mountain of prayers invoking ’May we be invisible to the enemy’. No dwelling is safe from marauders and fraudsters. The Kaduna attacks, unchallenged, claim more, murdered for being alive! Endless government commiserations and daylight parades without day and night massive security presence cannot save anyone.

    I saw Akinwunmi Adesina, president, African Development Bank in a French interview on TV. Find his videos for ideas and content for your children. He is a fine role model of a multi-lingual highly diversely knowledgeable global leader. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, DG, WTO has equally inspiring motivational idea-driven interviews and she also is trilingual including French. African supermodels on the world’s stage/runway and great role models for your children.  Adesina’s perfect French and English should be a lesson to Nigerian youth. Our indigenous languages are important and Babandede of Immigration emphasised French and local languages at borders where Customs and Immigration staff are posted. English and French are diplomatic and business languages and more children should be guided to learn them in school, during holidays and using social media. At home start a ‘Let us learn a New Language’ home project. This summer holiday, challenge children to learn a language or deepen knowledge of languages they speak, local or international. The internet has tools for every language. Foreign students in most advanced countries must have language proficiency first usually a 3-6 months immersion language course.

    Often Nigerians ‘twanging’ German, Spanish, Russian and of course French learnt compulsorily while training abroad. Do not be jealous of them. Now it is Chinese-Mandarin. Emulate them. Let your children learn a language as a strategic broad education action to broaden future prospects. Multilingual role models worked doubly hard learning ‘a foreign language’. Kudos to their tenacity and language skills.

    Suggest to your children to think of any language they would like to learn to broaden their career options to fill the ‘boredom gap’. Many children are unknowingly gifted and can take up a useful language as a fun hobby. Talent and tenacity go hand in hand. Most are high on one and low on the other. If you are lucky to have a quadrilingual family, two traditional and two foreign languages deliberately transmit that quadraphonic skill to the children in a fun way by having ‘Language Day’ every week to get the children making home videos in different languages. A Nigerian who has studied Japanese pleasantly shocked a Japanese couple needing some help in London. We have all listened to rude passengers talking about someone else or even you in a ‘secret’ language you also understand. Indeed, any language of limited distribution can become a secret language. The US military used indigenous Indian languages as code. ‘Secret’ can be good and bad. Advanced countries teach all languages and use smaller languages in spy work and listen to conversations to monitor criminals. It is never too early to introduce a new language to a child. Try choosing a language this long holiday. Make it fun. For older youth, prioritise a language for future professional plans. Achieving polished and perfection in any language is hard work, Soyinka read the unabridged English Dictionary not as a reference book but as a study book repeatedly. All our ethnic ancestral languages are full of unlearnt and some lost innuendo and multi-meaning twisted proverbs. Sadly, many teachers were taught badly, unable to grow students.

  • Gas: Emergency cross-over points

    By Tony Marinho

     

     

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,930,000 among 182,000,000 diagnosed cases and 2.89billion vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 168,000 and 2,125 deaths with 1.98+m vaccine doses with 680,000+ fully vaccinated.

    The traumatic dust has not abated on the OPIC Plaza explosion when another multiple gas explosion took place involving five gas tankers in convoy! Where is the promised gas by pipeline and train! A huge insurance cover cost and loss of life and livelihood. Then there is the cost and consequence of burnt vehicles and goods – collateral damage. Another lesson in the gas business.

    Again, we will ignore it. Cost this explosion. Lecturers should task their students to calculate a figure. The road area is newly constructed and may need replacement? The hold-up – perhaps a million passengers, in thousands of vehicles, all fearful and with no information. They had their appointments lost, deadlines missed, goals unachieved, market produce destroyed, unsellable. Musicians, caterers, support staff lost contracts. Add to this the passenger vehicles unable to complete one trip. The total cost is in billions.

    Can there be a class action case against those responsible? Court dignitaries will play ‘judicial ludo’ and ‘cat and mouse’ with ‘jurisdiction’, ‘competence of the court to hear the case’ and sudden mostly ‘fake illnesses like court appearance paralysis and the Oscar Performance of court accused ‘fake fainting’ brought on in any CEO before them. The CEOs would have been taught by Human Resources or lazy lawyers and even doctors those court avoidance tricks!

    Let us also remember that as veterans of Lagos-Ibadan travel via and Sagamu, Abeokuta, Ogere and the old Western Region road network since 1956/7 and especially since 1968, 53 years ago, when I came to the University of Ibadan, many have campaigned for ‘Emergency-Cross-Over-Points’ (ECOP) built into the construction of expressways in Nigeria to manage safety and security issues during total blockage of one side. These ECOPs must have solid but movable barriers/gates, openable by authorities in emergencies to allow supervised two-way traffic for a short 2-5 kilometres to the next ECOP. It must also open for a return to the normal side. This need is shown on the frequently postponed and sometimes abandoned construction of the road now and during the last 15 years. We always knew the contract delay was not the contractor’s, but government’s fault. Not the government in power but the NASS in power which unfortunately has the unfathomably strange power to change budgets. A strange power which, I believe, should be withdrawn.

    Remember in 2019 or 2020, the NASS arrogantly cancelled the budgeted N150b for a speedy finishing of the overdue Lagos-Ibadan contract, shamefully diverting the money to morally and monetarily questionable ‘constituency projects’, CPs. Will the same ‘NASS ‘NASS of The Leaky Roof Infamy’, still hinder the overdue Lagos-Ibadan road? Maybe NASS will designate the funds allocated for the Lagos-Ibadan road for this year’s budget to a special Constitutional Project – a CP to fix ‘The Pothole on the NASS Roof’? No doubt it will be a very expensive hole to fill; NASS has a very big roof. Millions stuck in expressway traffic – ‘suffa on’!!!!

    Because there are no ECOPs timely action to reduce the trauma to travellers was not taken. Do the authorities even have long range communication? Even if such an ECOP existed and vehicles were diverted, how do you inform the authorities further down not to arrest for ‘driving on the wrong side without permission’?  Because there are no Emergency Cross Over Points, many citizens risked their lives, driving off the jammed expressway to find the old Western Region road remnants to escape the horrendous delay.

    George Floyd’s murderer is guilty, denied a retrial and jailed 22.5 years and out in 15 for good behaviour. George Floyd was sentenced to death by the racist immunity and arrogant impunity of police. GF will never be released from his 6+foot cell-coffin in the grave. As Rotary asks- Is it fair to all concerned? Will GF’s murdering policeman be pampered in executive prison by racists guarding their own?

    Lawan, another one of the ‘Lawmaker, Lawbreaker Gang’ in his ‘too many $s in the fila’ and the recipient of billionaire Femi Otedola’s sting operation gets seven years. How many of the ‘Lawmaker-Lawbreaker Gang’ are desperately claiming immunity in NASS having stained Nigeria. Is the Hallowed Chamber a ‘Heaven’ and ‘Haven’ or just a ‘highfaluting’, ‘Hall-For-Looting’ like taking money for untaken trips and shop assistant beatings and questionable democracy behaviour and immoral Constitutional Projects? Telenovela questions: Will the case close or go to the Supreme Court ad nauseum, ad infinitum? Does Otedola get his exhibit A – $500,000 – back or will it be awarded ‘in Federal Character’ to government’s hungry railways to Africa? Watch the next episode.

    Lagos State government congratulates Julius Berger on finishing roads in Ikoyi in 11 instead of 12-months and promptly gives another 12-month contract. Congratulations to both parties. In stark contrast, the same JB is trapped by federal government contract summersaulting confusion on the Lagos end of the unending Lagos-Ibadan road, struggling back to expressway status. The JB success in Lagos says it all. When government keeps to its word and pays, delivery dates are kept and the project is not poor quality, does not overrun in time or money, honey! And with minimum negative impact on the suffering citizenry forced to a 10 year extra ‘suffering for development’.

  • COVID: Governors reports, OPIC

    By Tony Marinho

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,880,000 among 188,000,000 diagnosed cases and 2.2b vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 168,000 and 2,120 deaths with 2.0m+ vaccine doses. Get your second dose! I just got mine this last Saturday. Get your first dose through your LGA Health division when the next round of first vaccinations starts. Recently Brazil sadly passed the 500,000 deaths mark from Covid. We have no idea what effect or form the third wave will take but we know with certainty that it will come especially with the planned upsurge in travel from and too Nigeria.

    The success of the hot pursuit policy in saving over 100 students recently taken from their school is an attestation to the efficiency of our gallant troops when they are properly equipped and motivated. We only hope that the successful troops will be adequately rewarded and taken care of to encourage others among their ranks to undertake similar enthusiastic pursuits against other groups of terrorists and bandits. Our children are precious gifts from Almighty and not to be used a cannon fodder or pawns in the life-threatening and deadly life-taking activities of a dangerous politics and worse security situation. Children and youth should be untouchable, but they are now a prime target. With such deterioration in the country, most Nigerians have only offered love and service to ensure its growth as a country trying to manoeuvre the minefield with is the transform from a fragmented country into a viable nation. This vision is under serious threat from almost all directions. Increasingly the survival of the state seems under threat.

    It bears repeating that many of the decisions and actions of governments at all levels especially federal level do not lend themselves to the truth tests of ‘truth and peace’ and being ‘faithful, honest’ and especially ‘justice’- the last one encompasses all of the others.

    Governors are producing their Two-Year Reports and some of them are quite impressive. The reports out in the media do not appear to be touched up and photo-shopped to mislead the gullible state citizens and the country in general. They appear to be genuine efforts by hardworking governors to service the needs of their citizens. A cautious bravo if so. If not, the citizens and the opposition parties will soon identify the flaws and broadcast them worldwide. Without naming names, because I have not done full research, let us say that many of them can still do far more. It is common knowledge that over the years, every state had more than enough to ‘Make their state Greater than ever before’. Only each and every governor will know how much they personally diverted, and how much they allowed their henchmen to divert, from the coffers of the states they ‘governed’ and meant for the MDGS and now SDGs since 1999.  Those funds would have changed millions of lives for the better, lifted millions out of poverty, built and strengthened health service capable of keeping the nation’s women alive during delivery, provided a massive off the federal road parallel road system for transport of people and food, and of course provided a strong base of moderately educated youth in properly provided for secondary schools. This would have built a solid small and medium scale business community in every state reducing the number of unemployable youths, neglected young persons, falling through the social safety net of unemployed parents. Ex-governors have lot to answer for, morally if not legally then in their conscience if they have any or ever had any, even as we face the federal government for its own massive and unapologetic lapses, deliberate, tele-guided and malicious policies to emasculate selected citizenry to the advantage for others. We certainly are in a dangerous quagmire of a quandary. Nigerian governors have never been under so much pressure to perform as now as the poor citizens accumulated neglect is being manifest as an increasingly short fuse when confronted with the slightest disagreement or confrontation. The accumulated clouds of past state and almost total LGA maladministration will require a brilliant application of the available resources with little room for error and misappropriation. The governors must make every kobo count not just in their minds but more importantly count in the minds of their people, all the people of the state for every political, ethnic and social persuasion. Any failure will be used against them not only politically but socially! There is no room for fraud in states even by state officials at this time.

    The OPIC Plaza explosion is a terrible lesson to all involved in the dangerous business of transport and installation of the next big thing in power supply in Nigeria – gas, the most dangerous explosive chemical state when not controlled and managed properly. Once again, we have had a deadly result claiming the lives of at least five people who merely planned to do a normal day’s work. An explosion also does tremendous damage to all those children and adults within sight and hearing of the ground zero. No one reported on the collateral damage to hundreds within earshot and concentrated on the tremendous damage to property-buildings and vehicles. With gas appliances spreading around the country and falling grid power, we must increase of consciousness of ’Gas Safety’. We cannot live in the terrifying situation in which ‘if the terrorists don’t get you the gasman’s incompetence will’.

  • Covid denial: June 12 amendments

    By Tony Marinho

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,800,000 among 176,000,000 diagnosed cases and 2.2b vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 167,200 and 2,120 deaths with 2.0m+ vaccine doses. Get your second dose!

    Many ask – Is Covid dead? The masks are off. Citizens are following the protocols of hygiene less and less. Citizens have largely jettisoned social distancing in most places. Only two million have been vaccinated out of a population estimated at 160m+, though the actual population is unlikely to be anywhere near the currently boasted figure which I refuse to endorse or reproduce. Perhaps we have parallel epidemics of ‘Covid Denial’, ‘Covid Complacency or Fatigue’, and ‘Covid Resistance’ variously triggered by personal, family, traditional circumstances and biases re-enforced and modified or amplified by the tsunami of contradictory sensationally misapplied and misquoted social media news points and medicine acceptance levels, opposite interpretations of  data and hyped or suppressed aspects of  real and imagined stereotypes all freely correctly or mislabelled as fake or real news.

    There is a great confusion in the land. Many patients try, but fail to enter my clinic without wearing masks, are often very belligerent with my medical staff, all seasoned nursing sisters. The patients attempt to take off their mask when they want to answer my questions, as if I will not hear them when they are wearing them. Of course, we stop such dangerous behaviour in its tracks but know that such patients are not wearing the mask for their own or our good but just because we insist on it before they get what they came for. Many threaten to go elsewhere. I bid them farewell, but none actually leave. They grudgingly comply but refuse to accept any medical educational enlightenment we provide and boldly and boastfully often discard the masks on their exit from the premises, scoffing triumphantly on leaving. To them it is an irritant, cosmetic and covid is other people’s disease.

    No doubt we do have a particular level of resistance or immunity to the virus but that should not lead to bravado or unnecessarily exposure to others as we or the others we meet and interact with, may actually be victims or carriers of the virus. Even if we say it has a very low occurrence and death rate in the country, we must remember that each death to date, both recorded and wrongly recorded, was a fatal blow to a family bringing misery and terror and the pain of sudden loss to the families and friends.

    With the opening up of the air routes and people desperate to travel both ways, in and out of the country for summer, the next three months will be testing times for the country, its citizens and its traveling contacts. It is no secret that there is a third Covid-19 wave abroad. Whether it will reach here in force or be truncated by the wall of vaccination will be determined only by time and careful monitoring and effective Covid protocols. The G7 has offered one billion vaccines or 500-750 million citizens in poorer countries being vaccinated depending on the proportions of single vaccine and double vaccine doses.

    As Nigeria passes the 28th milestone of June 12, the same old complaints are still burning a hole in the heart of the country and citizens. The political class has Nigeria by the jugular. Every year since 1999, we have had time-wasting repetitions of expensive town hall meetings, public hearing jamborees around exactly the same things- eternally unpassed Petroleum Industry Bill, eternally inadequate Constitutional Amendments, escalating insecurity and expected Electoral Bill Amendments. Specifically, because no deterrent has been put in place and the politically- motivated criminally fraudulent and violent misdeeds are so successful, we still face threats. These threats include massive blatant electoral manipulation and anti-voter violence. Thugs, but never the politicians’ own children, are unleashed openly and without remorse and are seen in the service of every political party and political office group from incumbents and aspirants creating recurring nightmares for the public with the citizens hopes, forced to rise and fall hourly, hanging on the media reports as slogans like ‘Change in our time’ is dashed repeatedly.

    The needed constitutional amendments are ‘hiding in obvious view’ and penned by real Nigerians. Every newspaper daily spews out enough citizen driven constitutional amendments to fill a new constitution. The writers are Nigerian citizens so why can politicians not just sift through the suggestions, make a few calls and add the good ideas to their own supposedly non-personal agendas about the needed amendments and move forward?

    The constitutional review is a photo trick and a recurring expense jamboree joke. Nigerians demand long overdue answers to Nigeria’s complicated questions. But the repeated exercises signified nothing as they are constantly rubbished in an unjust misapplication of federal character and a federation only in name.

    Nigeria needs: A 75% reduction in governance costs by cutting political ‘Salaries And Perks’, SAPing us dry. States should pay for their representatives sent to NASS. We require a ‘Referendum Clause’. We require a single house preferably Representatives and cancellation of most of immunity clause. We require E-voting for diaspora and local citizens alike. We require decentralisation of the federal system with more powerful states and a weaker centre with marked move from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List. Nigeria needs ‘Justice’ and ‘Truth’ in fact. The greedy must share Nigeria by being ‘Faithful, Loyal and Honest’.

  • Reserves, recruitment, ‘just’ constitution

    By Tony Marinho

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,740,000 among 17,400,000 diagnosed cases and 1.6+b vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 167,200 and 2,120 deaths with 2.0m+ vaccine doses. Get your second dose!

    Over 81 Nigerians drown needlessly in Kebbi out of 160+. Overcrowding? No compulsory life jackets worn? Shameful negligence by captain and authorities!

    It is difficult pretending to our children that in the avalanche of warlike violence, murder and mayhem, kidnappings, road robberies etc. there is a bright immediate and distant future for Nigeria’s 80-50m youth inhabitants even if the elders are cannon fodder. Getting children to and from school or NYSC callup or for a job interview is dangerous. In our own Nigeria?

    Certainly, we had a sweet 1960’s dream turned sour by political machination and now a Breaking News running nightmare film with graves of thousands upon thousands of needless, unrequited dead.

    With an estimated 75-100,000 deaths and 5+million Internally Displaced Persons, more recently. About 120+ killed in Burkina Faso impact Nigeria’s future from regional instability. Nigeria’s armed forces are still recruiting too few Nigerians to fight and garrison the attacked communities and roads on our fluid front line. Nigeria needs to recall our seasoned Armed Forces Reserves.

    Nigeria requires a million personnel, even with drone technology to impact the enemy. They can easily be paid for by senate either suspending or sacrificing itself or Community Development Projects in the national interest. Nigeria needs soldiers not senators.

    The Americans have come to train as we sack over 30 Major Generals??? Their job appears to emphasise water training. I thought our main enemies were land-based ISIS-WA and Boko Haram, some herders and ‘bandits’ who, lacking ideology, cannot be dialogued with as they always exterminate their chosen ‘enemy’ – even unborn babies, school and tertiary students. The Niger Delta militants and IPOB, land and water based, can be dialogued with by achieving the inclusive good governance practicing ‘Justice and Equity’ to get ‘Peace’ and ‘Constitutional Changes’ refused since 1999.

    We need a ‘General Call Up and Mobilisation’ and commandos to defend our roads and communities. Will every city become Maiduguri? Nigeria faces too many one-sided firefights, most recently in Kebbi where 88-100 were murdered and a vicious attack in Igangan, Oyo State. Fire and brimstone everywhere.

    Nigeria also lost a widely known Christian evangelist TB Joshua, suddenly at age 57. May he RIPP, Amen.

    Nigeria would have been better placed if the constitution had been written and signed by ‘Peace and Justice Reign’ and ‘Faithful, Loyal and Honest’ people glorifying unjust selfish sectional interests.  We were given it at gunpoint without demanding a clause for referendum. ‘We the people’ exited dictatorship with a constitution that perpetuated injustice and one ethnic agenda over all others.

    Since before the civil war, Nigeria and the citizens of Nigeria have been annexed by the powerful military class and then milito-politicians and their proxies. But the miracle of the country’s survival is solely because the rest of us were left alone to struggle against all the demons of an underperforming government at all levels. Hence each family became its own LGA and excelled in a survival strategy called ‘I de manage’ i.e., coping with adversity and disaster and lack of expectation of good governance. Not satisfied with our survival our farms mysteriously became targets for a massive cow invasion with crops for lunch and slash and burn techniques, taught not incidental.

    But as with almost every anti-humanity ambition it need never have happened. There is still enough in Nigeria for all and more. It is the distribution, the greed and the corruption and selfish ethnic agendas that are problematic. History tells us that all human dynasties arose and fell on arrogance and greed where peace would have been gain and a long reign and no reactionary rebellion. Is this why they abolished history? Greedy unjust leaders die in the rubble of their once great cities. Imagine the wealth and the millions of houses torched by wars since forever. Imagine if they had never been destroyed but allowed to grow in peaceful commerce. Imagine if no one had ever been legally murdered in war. The world has had 110-117b humans of whom estimated 1-2% died from war, but some cities and countries lost 100% of their citizenry. Would ‘Peace and Justice’ not have been better?

    The constitutional review, amendment or whatever is a recurring expense jamboree joke on Nigerians, full of sound and fury, with serious Fellow Nigerian citizens, not greedy but wanting justice and equity, providing easy answers to Nigeria’s complicated questions. But the repeated exercises signified nothing as the glaringly just solutions have been rubbished by entrenched powers wrongly benefiting from an unjust federal character and a federation only in name.

    Since 1999 we call for: A 75% reduction in governance costs by cutting ‘Salaries and Perks’, SAPing us dry with politicians taking service far more sacrificially. States should pay for their representatives sent to NASS. We recommend a ‘Referendum Clause’. We recommend a single house preferably representatives and cancellation of most of immunity clause. We recommend respect for the Diaspora funds inflow by approval of e-voting for diaspora and locally. We recommend a looser just federal system with more powerful states and a weaker centre with marked move from the Exclusive List reserved for the federal government to the concurrent list with more funds for states. Nigeria needs ‘Justice’.

     

  • Greenfield; RIP Nathaniel Oyelola

    Tony Marinho

     

    COVID-19 deaths approaching 3,520,000 among 169,200,000 diagnosed cases and 1.6+b vaccines worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 167,000 and 2,075 deaths with 2.0m+ vaccine doses. The second dose begins. Get yours!

    Greenfield students freed for N180m! But Greenfield youth blood was viciously shed and some are dead. By what right do murderers commit this wrong? Is this ‘murderous musical chairs’ as two killed, 200 students taken in Tegina, Niger State. The taking of life is not taking a husband or wife? Many have died for being in the right place, their homes, farms, schools, and communities, but at the wrong time – the invasion of farms and communities to destroy hard work and human food crops in a vicious ‘slash and burn’ strategy.

    Where is the peace? Where is this destruction pushing us? Are we not being cornered and baited to react to give credibility to counter overreaction? The dead shout deafeningly in the silence of their unmarked graves – each one with an unsung, heart-written name never to be forgotten even if not written. America celebrates Memorial Day replicated worldwide. We have our, often unkempt, war memorials and too few ‘honour monuments’ to exploding civilian murderous casualties. In the past, one was likely to die violently on our terrifying roads from reckless driving, treacherous – secretly dug- or maintenance-abandoned potholes, fallen/exploding petrol tankers and high-handed ‘accidental discharge’ police checkpoints. Recently, we died in violence, murdered while defending our farms and homes rather than quietly of ‘natural causes’ in our beds at 70+. No timespan or quantity of bloodshed will make ‘Violence’ acceptable as a ‘Natural Cause’ of death.

    It is becoming rare to see Nigerians transit in peaceful great old age. Such role models need studying. One such highly respected person to achieve this personal milestone was Pa Nathaniel Olufemi Oyelola buried last week. To achieve the age of 92 years sings a beautiful song of a life very well spent, in reasonably good health and a wonderful family support system to provide healthcare and personal mental needs to survive the roller-coaster years of surprises -often unpleasant. What has he not seen? Such surprises include political surprises with all forms of governance and mis-governance imaginable and unimaginable, and economic surprises with the decimation of the country’s currency from pre-independence holed West African penny coins strung together with string to an honoured naira, negligently pauperises over a lifetime from $1.5:N1 to today’s $1:N495. Complete the surprises with recalling the peculiarly malicious and governmentally irresponsible non-payment of pension shattering old age financial stability plans and damaging personal integrity and position in the home falling from the pedestal of breadwinner.

    Add the collapse of infrastructure particularly water and light, specialties of Papa, a distinguished engineer in the Western Region government who also became Director of Works providing such infrastructure to his constituency -the University College, Ibadan turned University of Ibadan where I studied in the 67-71s. We must add having to endure and become inured to the variable TLC-Tender Loving Care regimens.

    Beware, sometimes the elderly fall foul of ‘Tender Loathing Carelessness’ from cunningly deceptive carers. Care is a game of human roulette, Nigerian or Russian. For the older pensioners among us, to have to parade walking and then, as health fails, with walking stick, in wheelchair and worse, sometimes twice yearly for pension verification punishment-for-being-alive exercises is the most insultingly demeaning infliction on the aged. To be verified repeatedly by not-always careful, respectful infant civil servants with variable respect for elders is a bitter pill to swallow after a life of genuine old school service at any level.

    Having distinguished himself in Government College and the University College, Ibadan, Pa Nathaniel Oyelola trained abroad as an engineer. He worked most of his life where he had studied. He formed with ‘The Magnificent Seven’ a University College, Ibadan student club called the Pyrates Confraternity, aka National Association of Seadogs standing against the decadence prevailing at the time and requiring academic brilliance from its members, integrity, and a stand against discrimination on grounds of ethnicity or financial standing. This was reiterated by his widow Dr Pat Oyelola when she thanked the Pyrates Confraternity for its grand and solemn participation of in obsequies for Pa Nathaniel Oyelola. The Pyrates were led to the funeral by Professor Wole Soyinka who with Ralph Opara, Pius Oleghe, Ikpehare Aig-Imoukhuede, Nathaniel Oyelola- yes, Olumuyiwa Awe and Sylvanus Egbuche, established the Pyrates in 1952 in UCI.

    Imagine the exhilaration of the formative years of those great men and women in Nigeria’s chequered history. This was before the Machiavellian poisoning of the motives and modus operandi of such groups which led to cancellation of the Pyrate Confraternity’s undergraduate clubs and concentration on charity and graduate clubs.

    Appreciate the family led by Dr Mrs. Pat Oyelola, past vice and acting principal, International School, UI and attentive children, HPSM, a combined credit to their parents and established medical, aviation, architecture and educational professionals in the image and likeness of their genetic origins. Commiserations on your loss and Congratulations on your lineage and legacy!  May he Rest in Perfect Peace. Amen.

    Nigeria raises the bad and diminishes the good. No one can diminish the role model Pa Engineer Nathaniel Oyelola.

    How do we stop this rampage across Nigeria so we can all leave life’s unpredictable stage dying simply respected and loved ‘Grandpa and Grandma’ in great old age- the birth prayer for every baby?