The Nation Newspaper

Category: Tony Marinho

  • The Lagos siege? NSNC: ‘Honest Census’; Solar Revolution; Protest NASS N45m

    The Lagos siege? NSNC: ‘Honest Census’; Solar Revolution; Protest NASS N45m

    Who authorised that soldiers be unleashed on Lagos State to enforce an exclusively politically orchestrated difference of opinion about land use in several areas? Even in a demented democracy as unforgiving, bizarre, viciously violent, ritualistic and murderous as our own in Nigeria, is this ‘Siege of Lagos’ display of soldiers not a flagrant abuse of ‘all we are trying to hold dear’ and also the National Security Act? It reminds Lagosians of the negative milito-ethnic federal might in 1983/4 under Buhari and Babangida that stopped the Jakande Monorail in Lagos at a penalty for contract cancellation of $184,000,000 rather than allow Lagosians modern transport. Shame on them and still no apology yet from them. Instead, only, new political federal capital wahala. Was national security ever threatened by Lagos State? Is national security the preserve of ‘federal Lagosians’, hirelings of power in Abuja? Is this misuse of soldiers approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the National Security Adviser (NSA) or the Minister of Defence? Neither police nor the armed forces should be used to enforce obviously partisan political decisions. What is most painful is that the developments being shut down are for the benefit of all Lagosians, including the Lagos-living relations of the federal Lagosians. Why have these federal Lagosians shed their ‘state-ship’ for a ‘mess of federal party pottage’? Is it the price to be paid to get a CV that will allow one to be chosen as the state governorship candidate of the federal party? The price is too high! Lagosians will retaliate at the polls. Nigeria’s soldiers have enough to do facing and dying in the Boko Haram insurgency and guarding schools from Fulani herdsmen and do not require to be brought into disrepute or have their intelligence insulted and their persons disrespected by federal Lagosians misusing their specialised training just to inflict political pain on a political enemy without weapons.

    At last government provides figures for Nigerians power deficit. For years we have reported that Nigeria has a 100,000Mw deficit when government was working on providing a still unattainable 10,000Mw. We have a disgraceful 4,000Mw. Now at last government admits to a 170,000Mw need at 1,000Mw per one million if you believe we are 170 million. I think we have 20-25% inflation of census figures for dishonest financial interstate ethno-religious and political reasons, cutting the projected population to 136m. Interestingly this will improve further the reworked GDP figures as the same $510b is divided by a lower population pushing Nigeria to number 23 or so in the world. So the Non Sovereign National Conference (NSNC) should clearly address the importance of getting our next census right. The NSNC must stand against the sack of honest whistle-blowers like Festus Odimegwu of the National Population Commission. The NSNC must discover how to defuse the ‘politically explosive sensitive and probably corrupt census scam. NIGERIA MUST BE ACCURATELY COUNTED. The NSNC must get a commitment from all delegates and stakeholders for ‘A HONEST CENSUS’ as one of the most important and indispensable keys to the future political and financial prosperity.

    Well, now it is official everywhere except in Nigeria’s political circle. United Nations scientists recommend a dramatic increase in renewable energy and especially solar energy to fight climate change. It is one of the irresponsible marvels of our time that giant solar farms are found in the cold low sun UK and power entire solar cities in Spain while here in Nigeria and Africa, with our burning God-given sun, we have only a few token solar projects. What Africa and Nigeria need is a ‘Continental and Country by Country Solar Power Plan’ to provide 10 or 50% of all energy ASAP. For this, massive funding as grants and loans by the World Bank, IMF and Bank of Industry and all central banks will quickly provide access to the newest solar technology at discounted 0-5% interest rates with long repayment schedules. Nigeria needs all political parties and politicians in the National Assembly (NASS) and state assemblies to be educated on and commit to delivering a 2014-2019 Nigerian Solar Revolution before God gives our sun to some country more deserving. Indeed the urgent need for Solar Power should be on the agenda of the NSNC, all Economic Summits especially ‘State Summits’ as solar will set states free from the politics and failures and workers of the national grid.

    We hope that the NSNC delegates ‘North/South Exchange Visits’ take place to enlighten each other about floods, erosion, gas flares and pollution, petroleum and mining hazards. Some have suggested that the tours include the dams in the North and crossing the First Niger Bridge. Having done this each member should choose any three days to have a wheelchair day, a blind day and a deaf day in the National Conference, just to feel what the physically challenged have needlessly suffered. Delegates should face reality and not be spoilt by Abuja’s glamour. NSNC must represent Nigerians and protest the N45,000,000/quarter NASS Salaries and Perks, SAP, which are ‘SAPing’ Nigeria dry and unsustainable! The political system must be changed to part-time with sitting allowances and cancellation of most perks. The delegates should choose a ‘Nigeria week’ to work without electric power, water in the toilets and positive leadership. Finally, if at the end of the NSNC Nigerians feel genuinely aggrieved or cheated as most Nigerians have felt these 50 years, then the NSNC would have failed and Nigeria would be closer to the ‘disunity’ not to be discussed. Work to stay together!

  • Death; NLC Housing; UK harmattan; Delegates local travel; State vs federal party

    Death; NLC Housing; UK harmattan; Delegates local travel; State vs federal party

    Too many deaths and kidnapping, more than 80 this week: ethnic, mindless violence, road and boat accidents, robbery, Fulani cattle related, for body parts!

    In response to ‘Nigeria needs 17million homes’, the NLC/TUC building project in Abuja is fantastic and should be replicated. Lagos is also working in this direction if the federal government will hands-off interfering. Too many associations waste money on expensive AGMs, dinners and five star hotels mimicking wasteful National Assembly (NASS) politicians. All states and associations should build as well, because the federal government may never build enough housing quickly enough!

    We have had zero allocation of power for one month+ but Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and states joyfully tax and levy citizens and business while banks charge 25% for loans. But no rebate for patrol purchases during no power! Maximum suffering and no smiling on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway under construction companies not interested in adequate two lane alternative routing for impatient drivers too willing to ‘face me-I face you’ at a moment’s inconvenience. Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is too busy gathering N10-16billion in number plate money, particulars check and TV appearances for simple traffic control. And now there is hamattan in London caused by local smog and dust from the Sahara. Wow!

    As part of ‘The National Learning And Healing Process’, National Conference Nigerians can learn to bridge ethnic and religious differences by travelling locally. Young delegates from the North should visit the South including gas flares at night and oil spill dead farms and fishing villages of the Niger Delta, erosion in the East and the Lagos-Ibadan and East-West roads. All South delegates should visit the North including the huge farms, a night on the caked dry shore of Lake Chad, the borders of the Sahel to witness the desertification and decay in family life. Mingle with both herdsmen and farmers! Such a trip meeting locals, not Emirs and chiefs, will improve inter-ethnic, religious and mutual respect.

    The Non Sovereign National Conference (NSNC) must counter negative development strategies of federal ministry officials and ministers occurring because the central federal party is not the state party. Federal employees are sometimes teleguided against the state’s progress instead of creating symbiosis for development creating abandoned federal projects and neglect. The federal government is not supposed to be a party government for the benefit of only ruling party states. Federal punishment for states having a different party has been around forever. President Shagari promised the Third Mainland Bridge to Lagos living Nigerians, only if he was re-elected. PDP Obasanjo depriving AC Lagos of N10b. A presidential legacy president should develop all citizens. Look at the East-West Road, Second Niger Bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan and Ore-Benin roads problems.  Indigenes of states sit at ministerial meetings where their state is brought up for ‘dirty tactics’. Did someone actually say ‘Hey guys, how can we destabilise Lagos State? Any ideas, you Lagosians?’or maybe ‘I have an idea to destabilise my State Lagos’. And did someone “phone a friend” in Lagos and reply ‘Let us seize some land and tie them up in court so they cannot build those 1000+ flats. Let’s stop that Lekki bridge, Ha ha!’ Would a united northerner do that? Using Federal soldiers in your own state in a civilian era speaks of desperation, poor democratic credentials and zero respect for the rule of law. Are federal Lagosians no longer Lagosians when even the NSNC is wrestling to decentralise power, no matter what party is federal -North, South, Muslim, Christian? Look at the Rivers State imbroglio. Federal ministers should not be at war with the ‘other party’ state party officials. Admit good done by opponents and suggest you will do better. Do not rubbish progress. The people will not take bribes instead of services for ever.

    Nigeria and its states, even Lagos State with all its Fashola progress and struggle to be glamorous, are far behind their expected position in 2014. Lagos State is larger than 50 countries in population and income and should be allowed to act like a country. So why should a Lagosian in politics get to the NASS or Federal Executive Council (FEC), using his birth certificate as a Lagosian, and conspire to retard Lagos? Is it just for cheap federal political points in the political game? That is how the some SDP states foolishly forced good NRC Shagari federal housing schemes to be built in the inaccessible bush. The political game is killing and depriving people of housing, food, power, water, education, health, jobs, railways and roads. Do those in the United North countenance such self-destruction? No. Only the South destroys its home states. Yet it is that state wherein their own relations suffer power failures. It is not just Lagos. Ekiti and Osun are hotting up, murderously. How many lives will be lost for political power, this 2014-15?

    No one should single out his state for devilish destruction. We Lagos State citizens call on all Lagosians in federal power not to execute- with or without soldiers- negative plans. This ‘State Pledge’ is common to other states. No official in the federal government, originating from Kano, Plateau etc would ever do anything against their state. Of course they could refuse to educate or provide health and infrastructure for citizens but they would not block funds or progress getting to the state. State development must not be sacrificed by federally based state citizens because of party affiliations.

  • Agodi Museum; CBN cheap loans; ‘Masterminds of Mass Murder’: Soka/ Sambisa Forest Terrorists

    Agodi Museum; CBN cheap loans; ‘Masterminds of Mass Murder’: Soka/ Sambisa Forest Terrorists

    Welcome to the New Agodi Gardens compliments of Ajimobi Oyo government –Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Government could make this different from Gardens and Parks, GAP, in Nigeria which are empty of intellectual stimulation. Government should put money into and encourage the developer to put a new, big, different ‘Agodi Inspirational Exhibition/ Museum’ with ‘shock and awe’ material from major research institutions. To challenge Ibadan visitors and residents, the developers and government especially the Ministry of Science and Technology could invite for display projects from students, creative artists, the 80 departments in University of Ibadan, the 30 in UCH, Polytechnic, IITA, CRIN, FRIN, NISER, NIG-Sat and Corporate Ibadan like Procter and Gamble, Coca Cola, Zartec, etc in education, health, photography, sculpture, technology, history, culture fisheries etc.

    So Odein Ajimogobia, has reiterated this column on March 12 ‘Too many geriatrics and too few 30-50 year olds’ at the 2014 Non Sovereign ‘snooze’ National Conference. Students should calculate how many delegates are over 80, 70, and 60. Are we cursed, mumu or just blessed with good humour in the face of a permanent failure to succeed inflicted by our now geriatric leadership? Have they no shame, still seeking the spotlight in the economic and electricity darkness they caused?

    Since 1966, years of religio-ethnic aggression rammed through by military fiat has been met by an increasing religio-ethnic defence, sometimes suicidal, just like in any lethal football game. Jonathan is not a geriatric and did not choose over 380 of the delegates. So he is not guilty of religious bias if indeed there is any. Let the Sultan ‘send forth emissaries’ to examine the states and other ‘biased’ constituent bodies. Complaints at the religious bias in many pre-Obasanjo past government appointments and in several including Lagos State for 40 years have always fallen on deaf ears. Token posts to the few ‘outsiders’ without power were the ‘keep quiet and shut up’ lot of most Nigerians while religious/ethnic zealots, under the protection of the religious/ethnicised military and prostituted political classes, warped the federalism to suit themselves. They now seek to preserve that criminally warped state of the distorted nation. They thus created the very reason why a National Conference is so essential now- to right the wrong federation imposed upon so many Nigerians ruining their future for years. Interestingly many traditional rulers have major military affiliations and are centrist, or unitary-federalist, false federalist, in nature as they benefit from federal and even CBN handouts if they are in the favoured religio-ethnic class.

    So are we beyond the redemption of even a geriatric dominated Non Sovereign National Conference, the old brigade from all corners of Nigeria, all with religious, traditional, political, baggage? As younger citizens, they led us blindly to the perdition of maximum corruption, a 17,500% fall in naira, maximum power darkness and maximum high interest rates in the world and worst education scores and even maximum Boko Haram? But rich from eating Nigeria, their families all have mansions and billions! As snoozing old men are they threatening to donate a piece of Nigeria to Cameroon? This, even though history lessons in school taught us Adamawa’s Emir is from a three percent minority which invaded Adamawa. Is that correct? Hardly an example of democracy 100+ years down the line.  Why should such people want change in ‘status quo’ in spite of glaring failures?

    The events at CBN show us how CBN was run under the military and even under Sanusi with largess being distributed largely to the favoured with a few drops to others as camouflage. Today’s Nigeria is founded on, and flounders on and sufferers from, yesterday’s fraudulent ethnic politics and policies. If we had decentralised electric power or railways 30 years ago, where would power be now? How can we be ruled by people who say ‘No, you states cannot have rights to power, roads, railways, phones or waterways’? Are we slaves in our own country? Yes, there are very bad and greedy people in every state stealing the local budget. But even that does not negate federal evil and ‘secret agendas’ perpetrated with local collaborators in every state.

    Are we cursed by no or low power since 1978, high interest rate forever, lower value of the naira from $1:N1 in 1980s to $1:N173+ on parallel market, high unemployment plus the worst statistics in the world? New CBN governor: ‘Whose side are you on?’ CBN celebrates stable inflation rate but at murderous cost to the people. The banks miraculously declare 20-75% increase in profits as poverty bites. The ‘false stability’ is like ‘false federalism’ and kills business and people through high MPR, interest rates 25%, high sterilised funds in CBN and falling naira with more dying Nigerians- dying for jobs at NIS and from ‘No cheap loans’. CBN has killed more people and businesses than Boko Haram. Surprisingly, CBN knows the value of ‘cheaper’ loans which it gives to selectively ‘stimulate’ textile, aviation, Agric and Nollywood industries. The market trader and everyone also need cheap loans. When will interest rates come down? When all Nigerians are dead?

    The Soka Forest terrorism is similar to the Boko Haram terrorist camp in the Sambisa Forest for ‘Masterminds of Mass Murder’. We need routine mass police and local DPO surveillance and counter-measures. Elsewhere a man carrying 18 heads was picked up. Do police investigate or coordinate the investigation of the hundreds of ‘common man’ kidnappings yearly in each state? What forensics exist in Nigeria?

  • NESG : Primary School Old Students Ass & Dev Board, Library Box, ‘CATFLE’, Enquiring Mind

    NESG : Primary School Old Students Ass & Dev Board, Library Box, ‘CATFLE’, Enquiring Mind

    Letter for a noose… and you be thrown into a river than to harm’.. steal or misappropriate children’s education funds’. The 2014 Nigerian Economic Summit on education is over. Congratulations, particularly for children’s views. It covered all education bases from pre-school, post-graduate, policies, many regulatory bodies, corruption, cost, envelopes, five year curriculum change delays, strategies, teacher quality and qualifications, teacher/student motivation and public private partnerships. Were co-curricular activites discussed -volunteering, debating and athletics – moulding character, relationships, and teaching winning and losing coping skills?

    It was brilliant of NESG to have Channels TV. While we welcome policy/financial intervention of international bodies, such funds must not replace funds stolen or unapplied by Abacha etc. Nigerian states are well-funded but traditionally accord education low priority or a greedy leadership steals education money. This is a political crime against education rights of children. States must be honest, have bigger education budgets, not by throwing more DFID, Ford or Bill Gates Funds at the corrupt states to replace the stolen funds, soon to be stolen again.

    The summit also highlighted the private sector which is the smaller Old Students Associations, OSA, and Parent Teachers Associations, PTAs and the larger real private sector. Often old students help direct Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, funds to schools. Without Old Students Associations many schools would have collapsed. Imagine the state of Nigeria’s secondary/tertiary education without Old Students Associations and corporate bodies. Strangely, OSAs/Alumni and even PTAs are absent in primary schools except when an old student dies and the playground becomes a funeral ground. Yet pre-school and primary school are the most important foundation layers in education. This fault has cost Nigeria a generation of education success. Almost every Nigerian went to a primary school, a 100+million huge database for billions in funds, ideas, motivation and role models for development.

    Government policy must encourage OLD PRIMARY SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS, OPSA, or Primary Old School Associations, POSA, now! Imagine starting in 2014 over 80,000 new OPSA education bodies gathering funds for individual schools. WOW! Start one in your primary school!

    Each Nigerian school must distribute ‘A SCHOOL NEEDS LIST’ and set up a ‘LOCAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT BOARD’ to raise needed funds. Paradoxically, schools still suffer from government political policies that discouraged local fundraising/donations as they could be misused by the political opposition. Wrong! This policy has caused stagnation of education and turned teachers into zombies. Requesting donations by parents and neighbourhood businesses of newspapers/magazines/books are the cornerstone of foreign schools, filling an empty library box weekly and items should be requested for and accepted. Worldwide even private institutions like Oxbridge, Harvard ‘beg’ for funds and donations, so why not public schools? Nigeria must stop politics ruining education. Let children ask parents to send them to school with something -a book, ball, scissors, paper, pictures, marker-pens etc.. Also, you send a book to your old school. Our children are ignorant because they attend unfriendly empty schools-no library book/sport culture – a deliberate backward policy of governments which introduced the ‘theory of’ chemistry and other sciences so that the budget of chemicals/laboratories could be misappropriated for 40 years! No wonder Nigerian graduates know no practical steps- na so-so-theory. Even technical schools have little technical equipment!

    Shamefully there is a 6-10,000,000 ‘LIBRARY BOOK DEFICIT’ in Nigeria’s schools. The State of Osun uses computers to substitute for 100 books. Is this visionary high-tech project nationally practical or will ethnic rivalries refuse to fund progressive policies? Were strategies to eliminate this ‘Library Book Deficit’ discussed? Are library books even in Nigeria’s budgets? Librarians rightly want buildings or rooms but governments must immediately install a national/state/LGA emergency strategy of ‘ANNUAL LIBRARY BOXES’ of 100-200books/school-one per year cumulatively creating a library of 1000 books over five years. Parents can equip schools immediately under a ‘BRING A LIBRARY BOOK TO SCHOOL, PLEASE’ asking students to come with a novel for the class or school library at the beginning of each term or year. Each student can take the book back at term-end or lend it in a ‘HOLIDAY BOOK EXCHANGE PROGRAMME’. The following term they each bring another book.

    Introduce this ‘IRISH LITERATURE TRICK’ used in St Gregory’s College in the 1960s. Instead of purchasing 30 copies of one literature book X for a class of 30/term or year, we got six copies of five different books, A,D,C,D,E,F a title for each row of six students. At term-end all five books would have been enjoyably read for two weeks each by all students for the price of one. In three years, Classes 1-3, we read five books x three terms x three years = 45 books. Reading problems today are cheaply and easily solvable –variety and enjoyment –not just one literature title for which a bribe may have been paid.

    Education is not nuclear physics but simply ‘ABCDEFT’- ‘About Books, Chairs, Desks Equipment, Friendly and Toilets’, and a ‘Child And Teacher-Friendly Learning Environment’- CATFLE. Why are public schools lacking these in 2014? Political and civil service greed – stealing from our children! Will we eat our children next? We have two education problems, creating and filling ‘Enquiring Minds’ in Nigeria’s students! These are hallmarks of civilised society achievable only with astute political leadership and personal sacrifice, the type our parents made for us! No Nigerian official or education policy should discriminate against any Nigerian child. Regular readers will see that these education solutions outlined above have been in this column for years. Any takers this time?

     

  • Death daily! NESG Summit- Books,& ‘WOW’ factors: Dangote Aquarium, Glo Science Museum!

    Death daily! NESG Summit- Books,& ‘WOW’ factors: Dangote Aquarium, Glo Science Museum!

    Why is there such a high and lethal cost to being a Nigerian? Amidst deaths of seven applicants to the immigration service, 114 murdered by ‘suspected’ Fulani herdsmen in Kaduna State and the Lagos boat mishaps, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group has soul-searching questions. The NESG Summit on education which means ‘eliminating ignorance’ may not know that an NESG member MTN has an ‘MTN Science Centre’ in South Africa. Please Google it. There is no MTN Science Centre in Nigeria. What is advertising, what is CSR? Why do NESG members neglect long-term internationally accepted permanent educational thematic structures either as advert strategies or CSR education policies? MUSON, built by NESG members, serves arts education but the sciences are in a deadly vacuum. NESG members prefer short-term use- abuse-and-throw-away bonanza, ‘T-shirt and face cap reality TV/music/sports’. Billions are wasted on promotional pamphlets thrown away as programmes end. Foreign ‘Weapons of Mass Development’ created permanent Exhibitions/Museums supported by corporates sometimes on land donated by intelligent ‘legacy governments’. Where is Lagos Aquarium or Abuja or Port Harcourt Science Museum?

    MUSON is a template for NESG to reproduce 500 MUSONs for different themes nationwide on government/private land, bringing the contents of every tertiary institution, department, industry and idea into education, generating new employment and tourism sectors. Abroad, Smithsonian, Welcome, Louvre, Natural History, Science/Tech or Space Exhibitions inspire and educate youth. But ‘Nothing For You’ Nigeria’s youth, Lagbaja says.

    We waste education opportunities. Even our Gardens and Parks, GAP, are empty of intellectual profit and should have a corporate-supported permanent unique exhibition or museum to fill the ‘GAP’ in the youth brain. Is there a Cadbury or Milo Chocolate or Indomie Food Museum, a Dangote Cement or Lafarge Building Technology Museum? No!

    Where do Nigerian students go for the ‘WOW’ factor? Dangote or Glo Aquarium, Glo Technology Museum, UCH Medical Museum? Not yet built! Why does corporate Nigeria refuse the challenge of grand education designs in iconic buildings? Nigeria deserve better than fine bank buildings. We have 700 km of ocean but no aquarium-the simplest ‘wow’ factor. Have you seen a giant octopus swim? Where are Nigeria’s Dangote, Otedola, Conoil, Glo, MTN, PZ, UAC, Lever Brothers Natural History Museum, First Bank Aquarium, Zenith Zoo,etc? Na so so Event Centre! Greed go kill us!  Unfortunately the NESG members and politicians know the value of pictures as they litter Nigeria with millions of posters and the biggest advert posters and structures in the world but paradoxically allow our youth to die in ignorance with no classroom posters. NESG members need education on better use of CSR powerful pocket money!

    Education is four quarters – primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary- making a circle of intelligence. Quaternary education is out-of-school, co-curricular. Education remains mainly under-funding and corruption. Yes, NESG members support many educational infrastructural, scholarships, academic, sports and cultural and now entrepreneurship activities, under CSR and continuing education programmes including co-curricular sports and targeted ‘Subject Excellence Projects’ like in mathematics, chemistry etc. But more is spent on corporate adverts than on education in Nigeria. NESG members need CSR coordination.

    Education is not rocket science. Little cheap/per student things make a difference like desks, chairs, books, posters, IT, learning aids, toilets, water, electricity, library, laboratories, good learning environment, black or white board, chalk-white and coloured- and marker pens, Braille stylus for the blind. Tick these to assess schools. Teachers are not always included in solutions. No public school can buy a book or scissors due to over-centralisation. The disaster that is education can be summarised as ‘A picture is worth a 1000 words except in Nigeria where there are no posters, libraries, museums, exhibitions or aids’. Tony Blair’s ‘Education, Education, Education’ was UK’s key to the future. In Nigeria, ‘books, books, books’ are essential! A school without books is not a school. I offer this outline Manifesto/ Communiqué.

    To accelerate quality education, NESG will:

    Encourage Federal/state/LGAs to spend 26% on education- UNESCO.

    Encourage access to counterpart N102billion in UBEC/ TET Funds with no diversion of education budgets

    Warn that funding of political parties must not come from government or education budgets

    Encourage CSR funding of books -text and novels to improve the reading culture, not empty exercise books.

    Sign up for ‘A CSR 200 book BOX Library Project/school’ and

    Support ‘A PICTURE IS WORTH 1000 WORDS’ 10 SCHOOL POSTERS/class on different subjects. Some Corporate Calendars are educational but never reach classrooms

    Encourage one percent of Pre Tax profits as ‘The CSR Gold Standard’ with a higher percent for education

    Encourage NESG members CSR Awards after ‘CSR Monitoring, Voluntary Registration, Evaluation’

    Encourage a wide CSR sign-on to include service companies, legal, accounts, property and advertising firms.

    Empower teachers with ‘Teacher Packs’ and re-training course content

    Every student contributes to NESG corporate wealth by eating, drinking, washing, phoning, taking transport so encourage decentralised CSR and Foundations to branches/bank outlet/distributors to reach every school.

    Girls deserve extra educational support from cosmetic/sanitary companies like PZ, Procter and Gamble etc.

    NESG should fund first generation youth volunteer NGOs – Boy Scouts, Girl Guides. Red Cross as role models.

    Encourage CSR in Education PPPs Public Private Partnerships with Recognitions, Rewards and Awards.

    Commit members to some CSR for permanent Exhibitions/Museums especially if government donates land.

    Every corporate advert should morally include a small add-on educational/health message to keep citizens alive.

     

  • Too many geriatrics, too few 30-50s; Don’t be silent about true Federalism

    Too many geriatrics, too few 30-50s; Don’t be silent about true Federalism

    He come to the crunch with the 2014 Non-Sovereign National Conference. It may have national spread. However the conference delegations from state and federal are uncomfortably and disproportionately filled to overflowing with geriatrics, 70-80 year olds veterans of too many political and military battles. Many were participants and perpetrators of Nigeria’s ‘unity’ problems when they were 30-50years old. Nobody called them youth then.  Now, as ‘elders’, they fill the seats of Nigeria’s current 30-45 years olds who have been demoted from often grey haired ‘adults’ to ‘Youth Leaders’- dancing in Abuja Stadium-mumu. The old should have stepped aside.

    Why, 100 years on, are we still talking about the need not to talk about unity or worry about domination? I am doctor and when patients complain one makes a diagnosis of disease. Nigerians complain of ‘Unhappiness’ at Nigeria’s political, administrative and fiscal systems without equity, justice and the non-recognition and welfare their family and ethnic group. The diagnosis is ‘Malicious False Fiscal and Administrative Federalism’. The international not local prescribed cure is ‘True Federalism’. When and where did the meetings take place that institutionalised these aberrations? Not in Lagos or Enugu. Certainly the widely known ethnic military decisions of yesterday to ruin the South for 40 years are still in the mind-set of politicians yearning to recreate the wicked past after Jonathan leaves. Many have military background and seem still to take orders from military dinosaurs with ethnic agendas. Hence the unhappiness of the people with Nigeria.

    In all sincerity Nigeria’s political and retired military classes must understand that Nigerians are very easy to make happy but no one has tried. No one can force Nigerian to be happy. Happiness comes from love, equity and justice. Nigerians demand those from this conference.

    Pray, what are the issues that unite us and why threaten murder and stoning for those who loudly proclaim that they are unsatisfied by that unity. Perhaps Nigerians are not mere robots but have sensitivities, like human beings and have feelings of oppression, discrimination, truncated achievement, being uncomfortable and uncared for, feel neglected, question the wicked implementation and mal-practice and mis-practice of our ‘unity’ causing disaffection and also administrative and fiscal rape of many different groups? If such boasted ‘unity’ is achieved by a master-servant relationship, who will be happy with such forced unity? If it appears to be a shackling with the iron chains of a militarist constitution questioned by the citizenry what is that unity? Nigeria did not invent unity or federalism.

    It is time to listen carefully to ‘the other’, unhappy citizens crying for simple rules and rights in a normal society and country and nation -equity and justice. What really unites us? Shamefully most will answer ‘football’ If we have to stoop as low as football in our search for uniting factors and the mere fact of amalgamarriage, then we have a clearly recognisable problem –political, administrative, fiscal and social, and not just sports. Amalgamarriage conferred responsibilities to care and share, not rights to overlord-ship of one over the other as has happened. Over the last 50 years who is first at the table of governance? This is the test of unity. Surely ‘True Federalism’ would unite not divide us. ‘Allowing’ a Southerner to head the Federal Capital Territory is symbolic unity but the person should have power. Returning the LGA system to the states to create, administer and fund would unite us. Regionalisation, reducing central power would unite us. A fairer revenue sharing formula would unite us, though some say it is a ‘no go’ area. Why? Nigerians would love to love Nigeria but Nigeria through malicious secret policies slaps Nigerians in return.

    The clamour for ‘True Federalism’ urgently requires your immediate full and personal ‘shout out’ attention. If this opportunity is abandoned on the altar of compromise or slips by, our children will curse us as we cursed our parents for allowing ‘false federalism’ to spread like a cankerworm. Tell the Nigerian world your opinion. Do you feel cheated as a Nigerian by the Nigerian state? Does Abuja belong to all Nigerians? Is Abuja ‘ruled’ in rotation by Nigerians from all ethnic and religious groups in the spirit of ‘True Federalism or a fiefdom? On your expressed opinion depends the future suffering as a slave or the feeling of belonging of your family within Nigeria. Be fully aware that ‘True Federalism’ is life and ‘False Federalism’ is death for the 2014 Non-Sovereign National Conference outcome. Those who strangle us must relinquish their hold now or it will be death for all of us by government ‘False Federalism’ strangulation. Do you hear ‘The Silence’ coming from some quarters of power on the question of ‘True Federalism’? Put the areas that are silent of the clamour for ‘True Federalism’ on a map of Nigeria to see at a glance those ‘False Federalism’ has benefited. The silence is a sign of unfair benefit at the expense of others. We only want to be equal, not better. The permanent practitioners of ‘False Federalism, Fiscal and Administrative have for 50 years enjoyed ‘stolen goods’, eating other peoples share, and leaving them deprived. This conference must address these issues so that all may leave ‘Happy’ with the rights and responsibilities of being a Nigerian in Nigeria!

  • NSNC 2014 Delegates – We Beg think ‘ A Renewed Nigeria or Ruin’ : Leaders or ‘Greeders’

    NSNC 2014 Delegates – We Beg think ‘ A Renewed Nigeria or Ruin’ : Leaders or ‘Greeders’

    Yet another evil attack on school children in Bama and a market in Maiduguri by Boko Haram. The international community’s multiple satellite surveillance may help locate Boko Haram before they strike.

    Arising from the greedy politics of 50 years, Nigerians are victims of an ‘unjust peace’. Criminal political mathematics involving census figures, 12 2/3, inability to count votes, mal-distribution of LGAs and minority-led governors’ forum are Nigerian fraudulent fiscal federalism.

    Be in no doubt that the great drawbacks to development and entrepreneurship are discriminatory policies of governments since 1967 resulting in a two-tier fraudulent feudal federalism and failed electricity supply. If those two are corrected every Nigerian will feel ‘equal’ and have a high Happiness Factor.

    These drawbacks also point to a generation of past heads of states issuing ‘secret orders’ deliberately setting a ‘Hold Nigeria Back’ agenda – ‘How do we achieve failed federalism and failed centralised grid power while looking as if we are developing?’ This led to the fuel-thirsty generator generation precipitating the 40 year fuel armada enriching the few and pauperising business profits by 10-30%. Because of this, my son grew up in darkness in 1978 which still remains to this day and I operated on a patient with a torch in Lafia. Similarly the ‘How Do We Kill Railways?’ policy implemented by Buhari et al first against Jakande Rail guaranteed northern haulage monopoly especially from the lucrative multibillion naira bridging of fuel prices across the country. Unfortunately roads were ‘Killed’ by contract corruption. Now we die on the roads. This ‘Kill Railway’ policy forced selfish ethnic strategies into government agendas against economic and public good. Our heroes past offered Nigeria little ‘leadership’ and a lot of ‘greediship’ and ethnic domination. We have few ‘leaders’ but many ‘greeders’.

    I am a beggar. I beg for my NGO Educare Trust and people in need and friends dodge me. Every month we must raise N2-300,000 for salaries and services.  People promise but ‘Nothing for you’ as Lagbaja would say. But past beneficiaries of the NGO also do not donate. If they sent Educare N10-100/month each we would have no monthly money pains paying salaries.

    However today I want to ‘Be A Beggar’ with disenfranchised Nigerians begging for a ‘Renewed Nigeria’- the federal Nigeria of our dreams in 1960, ruined by ‘greeders’. To get Nigeria back on track we beg the delegates and secret handlers of the 2014 Non-Sovereign National Conference, 2014 NSNC as follows:

    • We beg for a truthful understanding of why we need a NSNC. Patriotism demands the bitter truth that Nigeria and most Nigerians have been disenfranchised in an unhappy unequal amalgamarriage with a political master-servant society, serial criminal looting, ethnic favouritism, underfunding of infrastructure and political banditry all preventing full potential except in football.

    • We beg you to address the three power failures killing Nigeria –  Over-centralised federal power, electric power  and the power to curb corruption.

    • We beg you to see that Nigerians are not happy with Nigeria-as-is – geographic, political, fiscal, federal. For years biased political machinations have discriminated and poured funds, uneven irrigation strategies, positions, political and civil service power to particular groups which succeeded in their ethnic directives but failed in the national responsibility to move Nigeria forward. The result is widespread dissatisfaction.  For every rich person there are thousands of underachieving undeserving neglected poor.

    • We beg for ‘The Right to 24hour Power’, 100,000Mw within 6-12 months as a right, not a dividend of democracy.

    • We beg for ‘Federal And Fiscal Equity’.

    • We beg for better, stronger anti-corruption measures independent of politics with adequate pursuit and diligent speedy prosecution. If none of us can be corrupt, moral and monetary, without being caught, Nigeria will be a giant.

    • We beg for reduced legal proceedings time, to combat those courts breeding corruption through adjournments and jurisdiction applications.

    • We beg to point out that the country that ‘Cannot Count’ its population, its petroleum barrels production, its money in the CBN is a corruption incubator! Already the federation, its states and LGAs are founded on a census falsehood perpetrated by the military. Nigeria must be counted correctly, perhaps by foreign satellites which can also be used to track the heat signals of Boko Haram convoys and gunmen if we ask them.

    • We beg for a stop to funding of political parties, compulsory deductions of 30-70% for politics, and bigwigs through bogus inflated contracts.

    • We beg to point out that the items under ‘negotiation’ were criminally stolen by past governments from some  Nigerians and given as stolen goods to other Nigerians–Over-centralisation, warped federalism, skewed  LGA creation and ‘Reserved ministries’ included.

    • We beg and demand for the return of said stolen items and a return to status quo ante military rule.

     

    The N-S-NC must choose ‘Renewed Nigeria or RUIN’

    It will take real Nigerian nationalists to know ‘What To Give’ and ‘When To give’ to create this renewed Nigeria. The centralist/feudalists must return that which was seized and approve decentralisation. If not, the expectant country will sink into renewed resentment and ethnic tension. Some delegates are old enough to have caused or witnessed Nigeria’s problems sitting beside patriots struggling to right wrongful political decisions like wickedly biased LGAs and state creation, the long exclusive list and the unsustainable cost of the presidential system. We Nigerians beg and demand that the Conference agrees to the people’s will for a just, better life.

     

     

  • NESG: N102b in TETFUND/UBEC; Sanusi and ‘kerocalamity’; Whistleblowers;

    NESG: N102b in TETFUND/UBEC; Sanusi and ‘kerocalamity’; Whistleblowers;

    As the Nigerian Economic Summit Group focuses yet another spotlight on Education, sadly, while some children have no desks, chairs, books and lab equipment, there is N69 billion in TETFUND and N33b in UBEC, totalling N102billion, un-accessed by potential beneficiary institutions. Is this an administrative, political will, red tape or corruption problem? NESG 2014 should insist that this be solved and some institution and state ministry of education officials should be investigated and perhaps removed for incompetence.

    Whistleblowing is dangerous to your employment health. But we, the honest, must improve efforts to clean up the growing cesspool. Remember the fertiliser, NITEL answering machine, NEPA guesstimeter, multiple pension, petrol, bunkering and kerosene scams, the funding of political parties from government coffers, and the questionable census figures from the 1956s? -All corruption.

    And now shamefully and perhaps illegally governments punish us for government failures by billing citizens to assess emissions from very expensive private generators bought for business survival and to replace government power failures. Is this not double punishment over-charging, illegality and government corruption? This must be challenged in court. In this cesspool, Nigeria needs many whistleblowers, websites, exhibitions and Museums.

    The exit of CBN GovernorSanusi, who is no saint, appears a vindictive step to shut him up, so close to the end of his term. Was it an attempt to prevent him using CB documents as backup when talking to NASS on the N10b kerosene scam? Sadly there are always others immediately available to take the place of fallen stars. We are all animals and the human is a very nasty animal. While one expects government agencies to cooperate we do not expect them to cooperate in corruption. No doubt he will ‘resurrect’ as the Emir of Kano and future Presidents will pay homage. Yes, he was excessively flamboyant and loud for a CB Governor. That asset will probably help him on speaking tours worldwide with the Wikileaks and the US security whistleblowers. He should be joined by Odumegwu whose successor at the Census Commission was warned against commenting on past rubbished Census figures which favour the North. It seems the politicians are the only ones who do not know that the census figures are a corrupt, malicious, malignant mathematical creation. Ostriches! Some people, and government insider Mafiosi or cabals, do not want the truth because it will question Nigeria’s foundation for unity.

    I disagreed with Sanusi’s policies like high base lending rate, the N5000 note, high interest rates, undisclosed bank bonuses and policy not to appreciate the naira to pre-Abacha levels $1:N88. His giving of billions in funds to ‘needy’ causes is not within the remit of CBN. The CBN’s job is to keep and improve the value of, and not spend, our money and to handle, hold and manage and invest our money wisely. He did not even pay CBN pensioners without a costly fight to the Supreme Court.

    However, Sanusi’s exposure of the ‘kerocalamity’ is redemptive and worthy of national honours. We need a WHISTLEBLOWERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, WAN, and a website. We should all get whistles and on a particular ‘WAN’ day, blow them at officials committing crimes. We should call carry ‘WHISTLEBLOWER WHISTLES’ and blow them whenever we see a checkpoint, or other crime being perpetrated. There is corruption everywhere, from petrol station pump supervision, to hospital admissions, to exam success, to police stations, to the electricity we generate and the water we drink or the air we are allowed to inhale. There is real war by the Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen with many deaths and injuries and homeless. Nigeria must stand firm for Nigeria to survive. We must stop corruption at every level. Nigeria must fight but can it fight two battles on two separate fronts- corruption and the Boko Haram. Around the world, Venezuela, Ukraine, Thailand, we see the suffering and struggle for political purification. Bad politicians of every party must be forced out. Nigeria’s goose laying golden eggs days may be over. As our gallant soldiers defend Nigeria with their blood, from the internal and external war of Boko Harem, we must clean up the rest of the country. We must clean up the polity, which must not be allowed to fund itself from the treasury. We must clean up the civil service, stopping bribe-taking before every service is given or even appointing consultants as middlemen. We must clean up the bar and the judiciary. We must clean up our homes, offices and communities. Are you corrupt? Stop today before you kill Nigeria.

    One addition, can we not call on political parties not to fund, equip, use or be seen with thugs, other people’s children, for political war? Demand a ‘thug ban’? Let us have poster and advert wars but no physical violence. Sponsoring violent bodies or having them in one’s entourage should lead to expulsion from the party. The Ejigbo extortion and murder of women and girls is an opportunity to stop irregular behaviour by irregular ethnic or political militia/armies and police. To force them into visibility and responsibility there should be compulsory 1] Registration of members, 2] Name tags, large size, 3] Duty Rosters, 4] Mug shots, 5] Closer Supervision, 6] Prosecution and Punishment for breaches of the code and 7] Accessible Membership Lists. What manner of man would murder, beat and treat women this way unless he is in a criminal organisation? Go on ‘Blow a whistle!’.

     

     

  • Party transparent  funding – anti-corruption strategy;  ‘The Pre-Election Year of ‘Phantom Governance’

    Wanted: Party Transparent Funding, PTF –an election issue! Parties must fund themselves and politicians independently of the government treasury. Political hangers-on tell politicians to stop developmental projects during the pre-election year and divert all the budgeted public money to party people for distribution to the party faithful and hangers-on as ‘dividends of democracy’ to boast about to other party faithful and cause maximum disaffection and envy among ‘hungry’ non-party members. They say that only this undemocratic injection of stolen funds and abandonment of development projects will guarantee election victory. Shame. What wrong thinking is this especially as the absence of that money leads to project abandonment, a fall in social services, more potholes, less medical care, inconsistent salaries and pensions and a grinding of governance to a halt for the election year?

    Of course, the salaries and perks of politicians and certain ‘key’ fictional and untraceable projects will be fully ‘funded’ during this ‘Year of Phantom Governance’ but pensions and civil servant salaries may suffer due to ‘shortage of funds’. All this creates opportunity for the party officials to gather huge ‘Political War Chests’ collectively estimated in the hundreds of billions of naira nationwide for political publicity, politicians’ posters, billboards, advert time, rallies, uniforms, clothes, party insignia like umbrellas and brooms, vehicles, security and cash handouts and violent ‘covert ops’ – all at the expense of public treasury, development and electoral credibility.

    It is calculated that less than 30% of money given out to a second person or group for a political activity is ever spent on that activity. Again it is ‘The Mobutu Law of Multiplied Corruption’. If Mobutu wanted $1m, he would ask the Finance Minister who would ask the Central Bank of Zaire for $2m. The CBZ Governor would sign out $3m, steal $1 and send $2m to the Finance Minister who would steal 1$m and send $1m to Mobutu. The CBZ officials may have a ‘self-service administration charge’ of 20% i.e. $600,000. So when one big person like a First Lady or minister chooses to steal, the effect on the moral system is devastating and crippling to the economy. Similarly when a party chairman or governor or council chairman  allocates funds to a ’party rally’ or campaign, he will have a first line charge as oga at the top, even if it is his ‘own’ money acquired fraudulently. Everyone in line will take 10-50% of whatever passes by under the principle of ‘who is a fool? Not me O!’ So an initial mobilisation of N10,000,000 passing through five or 20 greedy party hands will quickly become only N500,000 or at most N1m available for the actual political rally or project. And everyone gets rich drinking from the gravy trail, the money stream passing by down to the trickle reaching the ground or grassroots.

    Of course it has been this way for years under the slogan ‘Government Money is Nobody’s Money’ or ‘Government money is Party Money’ or ‘Government has more money than I can steal –but I will try my best’,  especially with military and political government money. It is exactly this way for thousands of government projects written in the mists of the harmattan dust and executed only in foreign bank accounts where mobilisation funds and loans have been deposited with no intention of execution of developmental activities. The beneficiaries are scattered across the political and military landscape as ‘respectable’ citizens while we suffer the indignities caused by their leadership skill failures and corruption –no power, railways, second Niger Bridge, water, books and libraries in schools –all budgeted for annually. Party and military patronage, first lady accounts, import licences, Form M and ‘Military indent’, security votes, the unauditable accounts of political and military office all add up. Of course there are many honest contractors denied their money and owing banks for money used to execute projects. Such non-payment and compulsory kickbacks are corruption making them ‘underperform’ or be owed the N1.7trillion domestic dept.

    This is a true but very sad indictment of the political system which trivialises the voter in the political scheme and equated the voter to a N200-500 commodity instead of that voter needing to be converted by the ‘wonderful’ productivity, projects and performance of the party. The politician seems to ignore the voters completely or have the voters on a string. Voters are not part of politicians’ toys to be brought out of storage to ‘perform’ at the four-yearly election event. Voters must seize back the central political ground and not be peripheral to the political battles to come. Disgraced, nonperforming and corrupt politicians must be relegated and kept out. There are enough new Nigerians without going to geriatric homes to bring back the nearly dead. We want a new wind to blow the political chaff away from the wheat. Remember it is not every idle person who seeks to be a politician who is capable of service, not self-service. Worldwide politics takes up 1-10% of governance, but in Nigeria politics takes up 90-99% of governance. This must change.

    However the current situation is no different from the corruption common under all misguided and teleguided ‘corrective military coupist’ adventures. We must insist on PTF: Party Transparent Funding and get a maximum performance year instead of a ‘The Pre-Election Year of ‘Phantom Governance’. Spend the money on performance and there will be no need to bribe anyone.

  • Valentine’s Day; No Indian visa on arrival; ‘Operation Record Uniform and Official Corruption’

    Valentine’s Day; No Indian visa on arrival; ‘Operation Record Uniform and Official Corruption’

    Two days to Valentine’s Day. Be nice to everybody and not just your lover. Do things right. Stop taking bribes. Stop using your uniform or position to intimidate or deprive others and then say a deceitful ‘Happy Valentine’s Day to your poor wife or girlfriend when you have fraudulently deprived so many of happiness by abusing the trust of your position, your uniform and your connections? How many Nigerians would genuinely send a Happy Valentine’s Day card to anyone you have ever encountered in uniform?

    Commiserations to Nigeria for being one of only eight countries not to be granted ‘an Indian visas on arrival’ in India, a privilege given by India to 180 other countries. Nigeria, your reputation is in tatters.

    The long overdue change of Mbu, the questionable, biased Commissioner of Police (CP) offers Jonathan the chance to extricate himself from the quagmire of Rivers State which threated to drag him into the unpresidential mud. What Rivers State needs, and what all states deserve, is an unbiased police service protecting all life and all property and not interfering in the primacy of the political organs except where they break the law. In Oyo State we also had such huge problems and various supporting CPs and party strongmen. It took a natural death and a change of police and political leadership to usher in a welcome avalanche of ‘Ajimobi peace’. We pray this will be the lot of Rivers State. Nigeria does not deserve violence. Someone should study Oyo State and Ajimobi’s methodology and spread it around the country.

    Across the country, why is that the ‘uniform in Nigeria’ continues to disgrace itself even as so many police and military lay down their lives fighting crime and terrorism and making orphans of their children, widows of their wives and paupers of their families?

    What is it in Nigeria and indeed in most of Africa and even developed countries that mutates a uniform wearer into a monster terrorising the very people the uniform is to service? But we must face our own malignant demons and not bother with the uniform demons of other countries until we have to visit them when crossing the border. Nigeria and Nigeria’s NGOS and professional bodies and indeed every Nigerian must never remain mute about this ‘uniform terrorism’. We must stand against this deeply ingrained ‘Nigerian Uniform Terrorism’ which has unfortunately received the full support of the organisations that those uniforms are acting on behalf of. Where are the police and supervisors? Tell every Nigerian you know, old and young, sitting at windows above the road, sitting in shops, sitting in public and private transport or walking down the road that they can and must record anything and everything that involves officialdom. The mobile phone can be the ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction Of Corruption’ WMDC? We must record on mobile phone every encounter with every official from secretariat to road until a change, a movement against uniform corruption, comes over Nigeria. ‘Operation Record Uniform and Official Corruption’. The sooner we start on this course the better. Be assured that it will happen as frustration at the brazenness of uniformed corrupt practices on the streets, in traffic, on the highways and in government offices where the ‘uniform’ is a title from Director General down to the filing clerk and gateman and is embarrassing the children and the nation.

    Nigeria must discuss, dissect and deal with the massive and apparently insurmountable corruption of the Nigerian uniform of any and every colour –black, grey, camouflage, yellow, white, maroon, light brown, navy blue, army green, airforce blue or whatever. Who smiles at a uniform? It is corruption to kill a citizen without cause, but the list of needless killings gets longer by the day. Road uniforms known for entrapping drivers and demanding needless items like fire-extinguishers and stupid unrealistic particulars. You may be the best and brightest professional in Nigeria dispensing life with each handshake and nod. But you are still subject to the myopia of governance, administration and the all-pervasive power of mediocrity and the Nigerian ‘Uniform’ police, FRSC, on your way home. Once a uniform is worn, even the uniform of political or government office –the agbada and babanriga and the civil servant, Tax consultant- its wearer mutates into a ‘legally illegally’ extortion monster, automatically and irreversibly.

    Continuous voters registration is the norm, as a person becomes 18 years old that person goes and registered as a right and responsibility. Such a voters card can be used for transactions and ID purposes.

    Surely ‘performance, planned and executed’, are supposedly key elements in the reason for the establishment and existence and desire of all politicians and political parties. If not they were fraudulently set up, fraudulently run and fraudulently in power. Unfortunately it seems that political parties are ‘strategizing’ to recover ‘lost’ states and ‘win’ more in the coming election perhaps ‘by any means necessary’. However some parties are strategizing even as they haemorrhage governors, senators, representatives, council chairmen and thousands of their personal faithful political cohorts.

    Unfortunately the political parties always forget that the first rule of successful politics as judged by the people, the citizens, the voting majority is ‘performance’. PDP and other parties must commit to maximum developmental performance as a ‘political strategy’. They must also be willing to subject that performance to public, not publicity, critical scrutiny. They will lose all honest elections unless they resort to rigging and cheating.