The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

Professor Iwu and Imo Charter of Equity
SIR: Professor Maurice Iwu, a former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman and a prominent member of the Imo State Council of Elders, came under a barrage of attacks recently by certain groups and individuals over his position on the vexed issue of rotation of the governorship position among the three senatorial districts or zones in Imo State.

The attacks and the invectives on the professor would have been unnecessary and uncalled for had the attackers viewed his position or stand on the controversial issue of rotation of power with altruism.

Certain groups particularly, the Orlu Political Consultative Assembly (OPOCA) had in their recent statement given some conditions for power shift from Orlu zone to other zones. One of the conditions that OPOCA gave was that the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party and that of the Labour Party who are from Owerri zone and Okigwe zone respectively, must withdraw their petitions against the election of Governor Hope Uzodimma which are currently pending at the election petition tribunal.

By OPOCA’s strange condition, it means that if the candidates don’t comply with the condition given to them, Orlu zone will field another candidate for the position of governor in 2027 even when the zone has taken a dominant share of a whopping 24 years after the tenure of the incumbent since the birth of the fourth republic democratic dispensation in 1999.

Professor Iwu was reported to have referred to those giving such conditionalities as rascals who do not mean well for the peace, equity and justice in the state.

Those attacking Iwu should know that the erudite professor made more contribution to Uzodimma emerging as governor in 2020 than all of them put together if at all they made any contribution.

Iwu stands for equity, justice and fairness. That was why he was one of the few prominent individuals from Okigwe zone who ensured that the Senate seat was moved to Otanchara/Otanzu axis of Okigwe zone which had never produced a senator prior to 2023. He ensured that Okigwe LGA was allowed to produce a senator and that happened in the last general election.

In Nigeria, the Ndigbo have been clamouring and agitating for the position of the presidency of the country and rightly so. However, Ndigbo have no moral justification to preach equity, justice and fairness if we cannot practice or imbibe them within ourselves and our component units on the issue of the rotation of the governorship position within senatorial districts in the states. The governorship seat must shift in 2028 in Imo State regardless of the tantrums of the few individuals in the state who seem to be opposed to it for their selfish reasons.

Read Also: We have no fake professors here, say UNN, Covenant University, UNILORIN

Those attacking Professor Iwu judging by his stint as INEC are missing the point. They are misguided. Professor Iwu had about one year or so when he was appointed as INEC chairman to prepare for the 2007 general election. Besides that, the disposition of the then sitting president who publicly declared the 2007 general election particularly the presidential election as a “ do-or-die” affair should not be overlooked. When a sitting president who appointed the INEC chairman declares an election as a do-or-die affair, what does anyone expect the umpire to do?

Was Professor Iwu in control of the security personnel across the country to ensure that the election results were credible? Was he the one who presided as polling officer in all the electoral units in the country? Were the results not supplied to him by states returning officers who were mainly professors just like himself?

Granted that the buck stopped at his table as the INEC chairman but the disposition of the then president played the major role over the credibility or otherwise of the general election under the supervision of Iwu.

Iwu, as member of the Imo State Council of Elders constituted by the governor primarily for the rotation of power among the zones in the state, has done fidelity to the spirit and letters of the charter of equity by maintaining his position on the vexed issue. In any case, the success or failure of power rotation in 2028 lies with the governor who constituted the council of elders and not in the hands of the vuvuzelas who are giving conditions for its implementation.
- Ifeanyi Maduako, Owerri, Imo State.
February 15, 2024
On the death of Herbert Wigwe and others
- By Zayd Ibn Isah
Sir: The news of Herbert Wigwe’s death, alongside his wife, son, and another prominent Nigerian, Abimbola Ogunbajo, in a tragic helicopter crash in the USA, hit Nigeria like a bolt from the blue, leaving the nation reeling in shock and sorrow.

Wigwe was one of the great Nigerians who rose to the top by sheer dint of hard work and determination, a man with an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Until his demise, he was the co-founder of Access Bank and the Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Ltd.

In an emotional video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Herbert Wigwe was captured addressing his people, offering reassurance of delivering top-tier education through his envisioned institution, the Herbert Wigwe University. His demeanour and words painted a vivid picture of a man who had achieved significant success in life yet remained deeply rooted in his community. Tragically, his death has dashed his aspirations of realizing this noble dream.

Herbert’s death is no doubt, a national tragedy of immense proportion. It came at a moment when Nigeria required every hand on deck to navigate its course towards progress and prosperity. As the saying goes, “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity,” but his departure leaves us bereft of one of our brightest beacons, extinguishing a flame that once illuminated our path forward.

The death of a philanthropist like him can be described as a loss that leaves a deep void in the fabric of society, similar to the falling of a mighty baobab tree, whose shade provided shelter and sustenance to all who sought refuge beneath it. In times of need, such individuals are like pillars that uphold the community, their absence leaving a gaping hole in the communal support system, akin to removing a vital cog from a well-oiled machine.

Read Also: FG tongue lashes PDP Govs, demands impact of increased revenue

Their departure also serves as a timely reminder of the transient nature of life, urging us to cherish and appreciate the contributions of those who dedicate themselves to the betterment of others.

Just as he said in a tweet posted on his official X handle three weeks before the tragic accident: “Today and always, let us remember that life is a precious gift – a chance to breathe, feel, love, experience and connect.

“Let’s honour this gift by living with purpose, kindness, and gratitude, making every moment count. Let us number our days.”

I agree with everything he said. Life is truly a precious gift. Let’s appreciate it because it has an expiry date. And we can truly appreciate it by being a source of joy and blessing to others.

•Zayd Ibn Isah,

lawcadet1@gmail.com
February 14, 2024
Akin Rotimi’s tears for Nigeria
- By Ike Willie-Nwobu
Sir: Some weeks ago, Akin Rotimi, member representing Ekiti North in the House of Representatives, broke down while moving his Motion for increased security for his people. His tears provided another poignant moment for Nigeria’s telling insecurity.

The surging insecurity in the state has hit at the very heart of the traditional institution. Two monarchs were killed last month in what was suspected to be an attempted kidnap.

Insecurity is a menace that contradicts tradition as well as convention. It spares no one. It takes no prisoners. If it was sparing, it would have refrained from taking the lives of the two Ekiti traditional rulers.

From Abuja to Kaduna to Imo, insecurity is ravaging Nigeria. It is tearing lives and livelihoods to pieces.

Owo, Ondo State, still remembers that dark when worshipers were mauled down in church. Plus Olu Falae would still remember his encounter with kidnappers. The entire Southwest remembers the skirmishes different rural villages have had with kidnappers.

There is also a distinct recollection that the chaos in Nigeria’s northwest and northeast did not flare up in a single day. It started little by little.

When a community’s security is breached, more than tangible things are lost. A breach of security leaves very deep wounds. It shatters any sense of serenity and even defiles the sanctity of such a community. In fact, it trivializes what they hold sacred.

It is what the good people of Ekiti North experienced recently. It is what Akin Rotimi, their representative, brought to the floor of the House of Representatives.

The loss of traditional rulers who the Yoruba hold in divine esteem is a cruel blow to the people. It invariably means that more people are questioning their place in Nigeria.

Amotekun operates in the Southwest. The group was formed for a time like this. It indicts the Nigerian state that in the face of such an iniquitous assault on the sensibilities of the people of Ekiti North, the people would rather place their confidence in a vigilante group than the agents of state.

It is just the second month of the year, but the insecurity troubling Nigeria is indeed a very vicious one. The new government is a few months from reaching a year in office, but already its hands are full with Nigeria’s security concerns.

It would appear that efforts are in full flow to discredit the new government so early in the day. And it has gone beyond optics. Every effort channelled towards discrediting a government that is still trying to find its feet is in itself incredibly dangerous to the Nigerian people. Every effort directed at sabotaging Nigeria’s security and sowing fear highlights the many dangers facing Nigerians as citizens of a country where insecurity is rife.

Read Also: Food inflation: FG to form commodity board to fight price volatility

The two monarchs were killed in rural areas. That in itself serves as a pointer to a problem that won’t just go away. The entire country may be insecure, but it is the rural areas that have borne the brunt of this insecurity. Deadly attacks have concentrated there, displacing thousands and destroying countless means of livelihood. Crucially, the attacks also sow fear by showing that Nigeria’s rural areas which used to be an oasis of serenity and security have since become unrecognizable.

The students kidnapped have since been released, but not before their terrified families shelled out millions in money, plates of fried rice, energy drinks and whatever else their abductors demanded. It is a grand irony. If those who perpetrate these heinous crimes against Nigeria still know what the good life looks like, why do they choose to live in the forests like wild animals and bring other Nigerians to come and live with them?

It is clear that the government’s security model is failing, with deadly consequences. Whatever the present administration is doing to secure the country is clearly not working, and it is time things changed. Securing the country requires a holistic approach that would integrate the aggregate of voices ready to contribute to Nigeria’s pursuit of peace and security.

• Ike Willie-Nwobu,

Ikewilly9@gmail.com
February 14, 2024
Cyber bullying law and urgent need for enforcement
- By Dr. Shafi’i Hamidu
Sir: Cyber bullying has become a persistent issue in Nigeria, especially in the aftermath of significant events like the Nigerian Super Eagles’ defeat in the AFCON 2023 finals. The recent incident involving Nigerian footballer Alex Iwobi highlights the alarming extent of cyber bullying in the country’s cyberspace. Former goalkeeper Maduka Okoye also received similar harsh treatments from fans after Nigeria’s exit from the same competition in 2021.

The rise of social media platforms has provided individuals with unprecedented connectivity, but it has also facilitated the proliferation of cyber bullying. In Nigeria, instances of cyber bullying often escalate during high-profile events like sporting competitions, where emotions run high, and individuals become targets of online harassment based on their performance.

The case of Alex Iwobi, a Nigerian footballer who faced severe cyber bullying on Instagram following the Super Eagles’ defeat, underscores the detrimental impact of online harassment. Misguided individuals took to social media to target Iwobi, unfairly blaming him for the team’s loss and subjecting him to derogatory comments and insults. The situation escalated to the extent that Iwobi felt compelled to delete all his posts on Instagram, highlighting the distressing consequences of cyber bullying on victims’ mental health and well-being.

In response to the growing threat of cyber bullying, Nigeria has enacted laws and provisions aimed at addressing online harassment and protecting individuals from digital abuse. The Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015 represents a significant legislative effort to combat cybercrimes, including cyber bullying. This provision is already under review at the National Assembly. The Act defines cyber bullying as the use of electronic communication to harass, intimidate, or threaten individuals, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment for offenders.

Furthermore, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has developed guidelines and frameworks to promote cybersecurity and address cyber bullying in Nigeria. These initiatives include awareness campaigns, capacity building programs, and collaboration with law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cyber bullies.

Read Also: FG tongue lashes PDP Govs, demands impact of increased revenue

Despite the existence of laws and provisions, the enforcement of cyber bullying regulations remains a challenge in Nigeria. The lack of robust implementation mechanisms, inadequate resources, and limited public awareness contribute to the impunity enjoyed by cyber bullies. Additionally, the anonymity afforded by online platforms makes it difficult to identify and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.

To effectively combat cyber bullying, there is an urgent need to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws and provisions. Law enforcement agencies must receive adequate training and resources to investigate cyber bullying cases promptly. Additionally, public awareness campaigns should educate individuals about the consequences of cyber bullying and encourage reporting of online harassment.

Moreover, social media platforms play a crucial role in addressing cyber bullying by implementing robust policies and mechanisms to prevent and mitigate online harassment. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook must prioritize the safety and well-being of their users by swiftly responding to reports of cyber bullying and taking appropriate action against perpetrators.

By strengthening law enforcement efforts, raising public awareness, and fostering collaboration with social media platforms, Nigeria can effectively combat cyber bullying and create a safer online environment for all.

•Dr. Shafi’i Hamidu,

Doha.
February 14, 2024
LAUTECH fee regime: Matters arising

By Adewuyi Adegbite

SIR: Few days ago, the management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, released a new fee regime for the school. The new fee regime ranges from N221,000 to N553,000 depending on course of study and state of origin.

LAUTECH is owned solely by Oyo State unlike in the past when it was jointly owned with Osun State. Among all the state universities, her fee regime is about the most affordable. Before the expiration of the Abiola Ajimobi government in Oyo State, the fee was increased – a development that caused disaffection between the students/parents and the university. During his campaign for the 2019 gubernatorial election, the current governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, promised to look into the issue and do the needful. In fulfilment of the promise, he did not only reduce the fee but ended joint ownership with Osun State. Makinde was applauded by all for the feats.

My concern now is the killer fee regime introduced by the school management at a time people could hardly feed their families due to high prices of goods and services.

Does the political leadership in Oyo State and those in the management of the school want our children to acquire education at all? LAUTECH was established for the benefit of the children of the hoi polloi in the society. It is saddening that many of the people at the management cadre in the university and even in government who introduced the fee and those who sanctioned the evil fee, enjoyed free education in their time. Shall we say these people have short memory? Is it a case of climbing the ladder to the top only to remove same for others as our people used to say?

Read Also: How Herbert Wigwe helped in building RCCG City of David, by Iluyomade

There is no doubt that running an institution like LAUTECH requires lots of money. However, if the fee would be increased, this is not the time to do so. Most discerning people will see this as insensitivity to the plight of the common man particularly at this time.

Can a people who do not know for sure where the next meal would come afford these fees imposed on the students? It appears the government want to reduce the number of intake in our institutions. Already, many of our youths have lost interest in education due to the number of graduates roaming around the streets after graduation without jobs. Is fee hike a way to arouse interest of our youths in education?

Education is the sure way to develop any nation in all ramifications. A nation that does not take the education of her youths seriously will not only remain underdeveloped, it will witness the type of crisis our nation is facing today. A Yoruba adage says that “A child that is not brought up properly will sell the house we built”. Is this adage not being manifested in vices like kidnaping for ransom, banditry, armed robbery, ritual killings, and insurgency facing our nation? Is it not ironic that the government that cannot educate her youths free would spend billions to combat crime by the same neglected youths?

There is no doubt that Oyo State, like other over ambitious states, has bitten more than she can chew as regards the number of university established or upgraded. Oyo State has about three universities aside other tertiary institutions. Many of these institutions are established for political exigencies rather than the quest for educational development.

My advice for Makinde is to walk his talk by looking into the fee regime introduced by LAUTECH management to make it affordable. There are other ways the institution could generate revenues aside the increment in school fees. Prudent management of the revenue and blocking the loopholes where the revenue of the school is being mismanaged is the way to go. Any planned increment should be delayed until Nigeria gets out of economic quagmire.

• Adewuyi Adegbite, ayekooto05@gmail.com.

February 13, 2024
On Nigeria’s poultry sector crisis

By Elvis Eromosele

SIR: The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) recently expressed deep concern over the closure of more than 50 per cent of poultry farms in 2023. This means for every two poultry farms in Nigeria in 2023, one closed shop. This figure, 50 per cent represents half of all poultry farms. It also paints a figure that sheds light on the severe challenges gripping the sector.

The real unfortunate part is that this alarming development has significant repercussions both on the economy and public health.

The poultry industry is crucial for the country’s economy, contributing to job creation and food security. The closures, therefore, cast a shadow over Nigeria’s economy with revenue losses, mass unemployment and the ripple effects on ancillary sectors.

Experts point out that a key factor contributing to this crisis is the surge in production costs, primarily driven by the astronomical rise in maize prices, a crucial ingredient in poultry feed. The price of maize skyrocketed by 79.23 per cent year-on-year, amplifying the challenges faced by poultry farmers who are grappling with increased operational costs.

Poultry producers in Nigeria are grappling with a host of challenges that threaten the viability of their operations. These challenges include soaring production costs driven by the reliance on expensive (and sometimes) imported feed ingredients, insecurity and high energy expenses.

Read Also; Food inflation a global phenomenon – Bwala

Insecurity is a big problem. It is pervasive across the Middle Belt region, which is the food basket of the nation, with the burning of whole villages, bandits taxing farmers and widespread kidnapping for ransom. The security forces appear hapless.

Additionally, outbreaks of diseases such as avian influenza and Newcastle disease pose significant risks, aggravated by inadequate biosecurity measures. Furthermore, the industry is hindered by deficient infrastructure, low levels of technology adoption, and insufficient government support.

To address these multifaceted issues, comprehensive far-reaching solutions are needed.

For one, there must be concerted efforts to bring down production costs. Of course, to mitigate the burden of high production costs, efforts should focus on promoting local production of feed ingredients and exploring alternative, cost-effective energy sources such as renewable energy. Government incentives and subsidies can encourage the domestic production of feed inputs, thereby reducing reliance on imports.

Two, improve disease management. Here we should look at implementing robust biosecurity measures crucial to prevent and control disease outbreaks. This includes enhancing surveillance systems, promoting vaccination programs, and providing training to poultry farmers on disease prevention and control practices. Equally, strengthening veterinary services and establishing disease-free zones can help contain the spread of infectious diseases.

In addition, enhancing investments in infrastructure, such as modernized processing facilities and cold chain logistics, can improve efficiency and product quality. Furthermore, promoting the adoption of technology, such as automated feeding systems and data analytics for monitoring health and productivity, can enhance productivity and competitiveness within the industry.

Moreover, consistent and targeted government policies are essential to provide a conducive environment for poultry producers. This includes ensuring access to affordable credit, facilitating market access through trade agreements and tariff policies, and implementing measures to curb unfair competition from cheap imports. Additionally, capacity-building initiatives and extension services can support small-scale poultry farmers in adopting best practices and improving productivity. The government must also prioritize security. It must be willing to do what it must to get farmers back to the farms.

The crisis opens up an opportunity to explore the importation of maize for feed production. The thinking from experts is that diversifying the sources of maize could provide a buffer against local supply chain disruptions. While this may not be a panacea, strategically importing maize can be a short-term solution to stabilize production costs and mitigate the impact on the poultry industry.

Besides, experts contend that investment in research and development is crucial to finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing the poultry industry. This includes research into alternative feed ingredients, breeding programs for disease-resistant poultry breeds, and the development of sustainable production practices.

Nigeria, undoubtedly, can achieve sustainable growth and resilience within its poultry industry, by ensuring food security, economic development, and livelihood opportunities for millions of people involved in the sector. But haphazard methods will not cut it. It must actively pursue implementing comprehensive and holistic solutions.

• Elvis Eromosele, elviseroms@gmail.com

February 13, 2024
Whither Nigeria’s opposition parties?

By Mustapha Baba

SIR: Opposition political parties play critical roles in strengthening democracies in all advanced democratic nations around the world. They expose the pitfalls of the ruling party, fulminating against its injudicious policies, short-sighted decisions and grave delinquency through either constructive or destructive criticisms with the aim of safeguarding public interest.

In the same way, true democracy will never be actualised when thunderous voices of opposition parties are not being heard. Political scientists view vocal and vibrant opposition voices as a guiding lantern that help illuminate the path of the ruling government to recognise its lapses and dereliction of duty. So, opposition voices are regarded as a vital nutrition to the healthy growth and survival of democracy. They prevent the ruling government from becoming authoritarian.

It is objectionable that Nigeria’s toddling democracy is now getting itself into a very tight spot and sliding into a one-party state owing to lack of very strong opposition voices. Nigerians are going through hardship on account of escalating insecurity, ill-advised policies which have led to hyperinflation, devaluation of the country’s currency and bad governance without the constant fear-provoking thunders of constructive criticisms from opposition parties.

Read Also: How Herbert Wigwe helped in building RCCG City of David, by Iluyomade

Their mysterious silence is raising so many questions such as: Are they afraid of intimidation from the ruling party?

Nigeria’s democracy is now whining and looking forward to having patriotic leaders that are analogous to those of the first and second republics whose spirits were imbued with very strong sense of patriotism, political ideology and issue-based politics, not like those politicians whose hearts are riddled with parochialism.

Nigeria’s major opposition parties should be reminded that in a full-fledged and functional democracy, they are indeed considered as watchdogs for monitoring ruling government’s movements, protecting the constitutional rights of underprivileged citizens, and ensuring well-being for penurious Nigerians. They are expected to provide a check on the ruling government’s ill-advised policies that have bred poverty, starvation, socio-economic decline, unemployment, food insecurity and fiscal deficit. Nigerians are currently pinning their hopes on the opposition parties to do their damnedest to wipe their tears and relieve their pains and sufferings through their constructive criticisms.

• Mustapha Baba, Azare, Bauchi State.

February 13, 2024
Bazoum: Passionate appeal to President Tinubu
SIR: “We will take democracy seriously. Democracy is very tough, but it is the best form of government”. That was President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his acceptance speech as the head of the highest organ of ECOWAS- the Authority of Heads of States and Government in Bissau, capital city of Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023.

The above quote is not an empty remark looking at the calibre of the person who made it. We believe President Bola Tinubu because he has unblemished democratic credentials. He was once in the trenches fighting military oligarchies. He fought an attempt to perpetuate sit-tight leadership in Nigeria, which was why Obasanjo endorsed Peter Gregory Obi during the 2023 presidential election.

The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, too has a track record of safeguarding democracy in Sierra Leone, Gambia. It opposed Muhammad Tanja’s tenure elongation, Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast, etc.

Unfortunately, just 17 days after President Tinubu delivered the Guinea-Bissau speech, some confused soldiers in Niger struck! They abducted the democratically elected president, Mohammed Bazoum, his wife and son. They arrested several stalwarts of PNDS Tarayya, the ruling party, and put them in jail.

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To find excuse to legitimatize their treason, they manipulated the poor citizens, through the fanning of deep-seated anti-French sentiment that has been prevalent in many Sahel countries. Already, a Russian organization called WAGNER, that specializes in espionage and providing combat service, mainly to protect authoritarian regimes in Africa, through its Internet Research Agency has been busy spreading misinformation and disinformation through a technique called “Informational Dominance”. This strengthens the junta.

My passionate appeal to President Tinubu is to put more pressure on Niger junta until they release President Bazoum and come up with acceptable transition program. We must not submit to blackmail of the illegitimate rulers and their apologists.

President Tinubu should not forget what he said in Guinea-Bissau during the 63rd Ordinary Session of the authority:” We need to be an example to the rest of Africa and the world that we will not allow coup after coup in West Africa”.
- Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar, Unguwa Katsina.
February 12, 2024
President Tinubu and task of reforming Nigeria
- By Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar
Sir: It was the former coordinating minister of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that authored a memoir titled: “Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria”. In page 18, for instance, she wrote:”…We had inherited an unstable macro-economic environment characterized by volatile exchange rates, double-digit inflation, a high fiscal deficit (3.5 per cent GDP in 2003), low foreign reserves ($US7.5 billion in 2003), and low GDP growth (2.3 per cent on average for the past decade, including negative GDP growth per capita in those years because of the increase in population)”.

Talk of reforming Nigeria being not an easy task. Okonjo-Iweala in 2003 met issues such as volatile exchange rates, double-digit inflation, etc. Now President Bola Tinubu is grappling with the same double-digit inflation, volatile exchange rates, etc., why?

Among the lessons, Okonjo-Iweala wrote that “No matter how strong the credentials, one person alone cannot implement reforms. Comprehensive economic reforms are by their nature multifaceted and difficult”.

She further maintained that: “Even if a first -rate team is assembled, reform will not occur without the political will and support of the head of state. Other key suggestions she made include – that “Key and positive results are useful for convincing the public that the reforms are worthwhile; that quick wins can be actions that improve transparency and provide the public with access to information not hitherto available, such as the monthly publication of revenues to all tiers of government. Publication of the budget in easily accessible format…”

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She warned reformers as follows: “Don’t open up too many fronts; this opens the reform efforts up to attack on multiple fronts, creates unnecessary noise and can divert attention from logical pursuit of these reforms as the reformers go on the defensive”.

My questions to state governors:

What are they doing to compliment federal government’s efforts in cushioning the harsh effects of the reforms being implemented?

How transparent are our governors in the management of public resources at their disposal.

How many of the governors will be willing to publish their expenditure? What measures have they put in place to curb wasteful expenditure, cost of governance, ostentatious lifestyle and extravagance?

•Comrade Bishir Dauda Sabuwar,

Unguwa Katsina.
February 8, 2024
As Northern Nigeria continues to bleed

Sir: In a recent Interview one time CEO of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Professor Usman Yusuf clearly stated that the North was experiencing an ongoing civil strife, and in my words, (civil war). Ethnic groups like the Hausas, Fulanis, Tivs, Beroms, etc are at war. Elders, religious, and traditional leaders have failed, and political leaders are concerned with the movement of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to Lagos.

The armed banditry in the north-west and other parts of Northern Nigeria transcends pastoralist insurgency, as evident in the dominant narratives, considering the multiplicity of complexly connected causal factors, actors, manifestations, and dimensions that are present in the threats posed by this development. We are losing Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger to almost daily attacks.

Arewa is not ready for a honest conversation.

Weeks back, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Gubio town, Borno, resulting in the tragic deaths of six Quranic school pupils, the Almajirai. The incident happened when a metal scavenger unknowingly collected and stored various metallic items in a building in close proximity to a tsangaya school.

In 2022 alone, the Borno police reported that about 55 scrap collectors were killed by insurgents within a period of three weeks.

On August 14, 2023, some 36 military personnel were reported dead in a series of attacks in Kundu and Chukuba communities in Niger State. This generated public outrage; however, the reactions barely covered the plight of the residents of these communities. In these communities between then and now according to reports, there have been no less than 18 raids and attacks by armed bandits, leaving these communities on their own.

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Some of these communities like many in Plateau, in Zamfara, battle extinction, leaving their ancestral homes, after days on end, sleeping and scavenging in the bush when they escape such raids and they finally move elsewhere.

We are the same people that were hosts to gory story of Deborah in Sokoto.

Our farmers are suffering, farmlands are ravished, lie wasted, while the deserts are deserted. Our women and daughters are raped and killed and we just move on and forget.

It’s essential to recognize that each community may have unique challenges, and tailored solutions considering local contexts are crucial. Sustainable peace requires the collaborative efforts of governments, communities, civil society, and the international community.

We are losing it and cannot continue to chill, vibe and, In Shaa Allah think that things will get better if we do not act and act quick.

•Prince Charles Dickson, PhD

pcdbooks@yahoo.com

February 8, 2024