Category: Letters

Sir: In the next one month (July 20 to August 20), world attention will be focused on the amazing footballing skills of young women from 32 countries as they battle each other in a physically bruising and nerve-racking contest for the highest and most prestigious prize in women football, the FIFA Women World Cup Championship trophy in faraway Australia and New Zealand. It promises to be an emotional rollercoaster of joy, sadness, tears of defeat, wild and crazy celebrations of victory, requiring everyone to tighten the seat belt before we take the plunge into the razzmatazz of football extravaganza in the Down Under.   

Women football has indeed come of age as a professional sporting activity boasting a good measure of technical quality comparable to their male editions in every department of the game which has spawned huge followership of soccer faithfuls round the world and making it one of the fastest growing football fan base in the history of the game. Women football is no longer an appendage of the male version of the global sport but has arrived the world stage as her own brand having   grown into a major global tournament with iconic players and elite teams. The viewing audience said to be in the region of millions of adoring fans across the globe are all fired up with ecstatic support for their respective national teams.

FIFA, ever willing to indulge the global appetite for the beautiful game has steadily expanded the female football sport to the level where it is rapidly chasing the flagship of FIFA tournaments ,”The World Cup” played by men as a major source of revenue for the federation through the issuance of broadcast rights, commercial advertising, sponsorships and branding.

The tournament is a welcome respite and relief for a global community racked by a myriad of crisis ranging from the tragic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the economic meltdown arising from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the world economy which has seen most countries suffer the economic hardship of unprecedented increase in the cost of living.

As we look forward to the exciting days of the games, those national teams like the Super Falcons of Nigeria that are among the final 32 teams that made it to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand must count themselves worthy ambassadors of their respective nations and strive to give their best in the competition given the high hopes and expectations of the home country.

In spite of the fact that our preparations for the tournament has been dogged by controversy with allegations of patchiness in key areas of funding, training, belated call ups and selection of the final team, we are good to go. These pre- tournament crises which are almost becoming a regular feature in our football management must not be allowed to overshadow the fact that our women have not let us down like our men folk did when they  failed to qualify for their own male edition in Qatar last year by losing to Ghana in their last match in Abuja.

Across other sporting events, our women have shown incredible ability in endurance, winning mentality, physical exertion and technical skill able to match the best in other climes and stand a good chance of coming out tops in any contest. The Super Falcons must know they have all it takes to win the big prize and remain unflustered by the hyped quality of any opposition as they start their campaign against Canada July 21.

Though we have our share of the enormous challenges, the nation needs to rally support for our women in Australia and New Zealand in the hope that we can provide the country something to cheer in the midst of the apparent gloom beclouding the country today.

Though the difference in time zones makes it a tough choice to follow the game live as the matches will be played in the wee hours of Nigerian time, the nation need to find some way to connect with our women in their quest for glory in female football. Come On Super Falcons!

• Ejimofor Boni Agbachi, Abuja.

Sir: The digital space in Nigeria is facing numerous challenges that negatively impact the digital rights of citizens. The increasing use of digital technologies in the country has exposed people to risks, making them vulnerable to cyber threats and attacks.

While recognizing the potential benefits of data and technology, it is crucial to acknowledge that individuals lack control over the data generated about them. Urgent measures are needed to protect rights when using technology and empower individuals to have a say in the policies governing the digital space. Additionally, those responsible for designing and implementing laws for these technologies and platforms must be held accountable for their decisions.

A comprehensive law is necessary to protect the digital rights of Nigerians. The swift passage of the revised Digital Rights and Freedoms Bill is essential to establish a safe and thriving digital space in Nigeria. It is crucial to adapt and integrate these rights into the country’s specific context. Existing laws like the Cybercrime Act and Nigerian Communications Act fall short in addressing the current realities of privacy breaches, clampdowns, harassment, and online rights violations faced by Nigerian users.

One significant challenge is government censorship and the arbitrary clampdown on people expressing their views on government related issues on popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, without proper justification or court orders. These actions undermine citizens’ freedom of expression and association, silencing their voices and limiting their online presence. Nigeria has also experienced internet shutdowns, which disrupt citizens’ lives, businesses, and their ability to freely express themselves and engage on these platforms.

Signing and implementing the Digital Rights and Freedoms Bill will create a more open, free, and secure digital space in Nigeria. This, in turn, will attract more investment from both domestic and foreign entities. By prioritizing the bill, President Tinubu will strengthen cyber security measures to ensure the safety and security of citizens’ online activities and effectively combat cybercrime.

To achieve these objectives, the Digital Rights and Freedoms Bill should encompass several key aspects. It should establish robust data protection regulations, granting individuals control over their personal information and outlining the responsibilities of data handlers. Strengthening privacy measures will foster trust among users, encouraging active engagement in the digital space. The bill must also protect freedom of expression and association online, safeguarding citizens’ ability to voice opinions and participate in democratic discussions without fear of censorship or persecution.

The bill should incorporate mechanisms for judicial oversight and due process to ensure that content takedowns or censorship are justified and subject to legal scrutiny. Involving competent courts in decisions regarding content removal will reduce the risk of arbitrary actions by authorities. Furthermore, the bill should explicitly prohibit internet shutdowns, except in exceptional cases where national security is genuinely at stake, ensuring citizens’ uninterrupted access to the digital realm.

To complement these efforts, the bill should prioritize digital literacy initiatives and public awareness campaigns. Educating citizens about their digital rights and responsibilities will empower them to protect their privacy, navigate online platforms securely, and make informed decisions regarding their digital footprint.

President Tinubu must recognize the urgency of prioritizing the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedoms Bill in Nigeria. By enacting comprehensive legislation that safeguards citizens’ digital rights, Nigeria’s digital space will become more open, free, and secure, fostering greater investment and innovation.

• Wale Bakare,wale@webfalainitiative.org

Sir: Many freaks, upheavals and misfortunes of history were by the fashioning of hunger. Hunger is a maximum ruler. It sets in motion inexorable forces of chaos and anarchy.

The French Revolution had the spurring of hunger. In 1788, France was scourged by deleterious winter resulting in widespread famine. Citizens were seized by hunger. They starved as the famine ratcheted up its grip. The price of bread became unaffordable. Soon, riots broke out in some cities, including Paris, the country was broke, and by 1789, the revolution conjured by hunger, with the alliance of some concomitants, began.

In Africa, food riots have led to the spiralling of violence, chaos, and anarchy. In 2018, “the bread revolution” in Sudan upended the country. The consequence of that revolution today is Sudan in the throes of a civil war. The Arab Spring and the Tunisia bread riots were also some of the fashioning of hunger. Why always bread?

We must appreciate the power of hunger to deal delicately with matters of food security. Food security is national security. In policymaking, addressing hunger is pivotal — because food is at the nucleus of existence. Hunger is a mad man.

It is within this context that the federal government’s expeditious declaration of state of emergency on food security is most judicious. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s annual inflation rate rose to 22.79% in June relative to May headline inflation rate of 22.41%. Food inflation rose to 25.25% on a year-on-year basis in June, higher than the rate recorded in June 2022 – 20.60%. Evidently, this is a national emergency.

The federal government says all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, will now be within the purview of the National Security Council. It also says it will deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the agricultural sector focusing on revamping the sector.

According to Dele Alake, spokesman of the government, the immediate intervention strategies are – release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal; urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is produced all-year round; creation of a National Commodity Board that will review and continuously assess food prices as well as maintain a strategic food reserve that will be used as a price stabilisation mechanism for critical grains and other food items; and engage the security architecture to protect the farms and the farmers so that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks.

Alake says through the National Commodity Board the government will moderate spikes and dips in food prices.

Other measures he says the government is initiating to arrest the current drift are: ‘’Activation of land banks. There is currently 500,000 hectares of already mapped land that will be used to increase availability of arable land for farming which will immediately impact food output; Mechanization and land clearing – The government will also collaborate with mechanization companies to clear more forests and make them available for farming; River basins – there are currently 11 rivers basins that will ensure planting of crops during the dry season with irrigation schemes that will guarantee continuous farming production all year round, to stem the seasonal glut and scarcity that we usually experience.

Deploying concessionary capital/funding to the sector especially towards fertilizer, processing, mechanization, seeds, chemicals, equipment, feed, labour, etc. The concessionary funds will ensure food is always available and affordable thereby having a direct impact on Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI).

He also spoke of the administration as “focused on ensuring the HCI numbers, which currently ranks as the 3rd lowest in the world, are improved for increased productivity” and bringing down the cost of transporting agricultural products which has been a major challenge (due to permits, toll gates, and other associated costs).

These remedial measures are timely and show that the government is attuned to the prevailing hardship. Addressing hunger is critical to deploying and sustaining other government plans and programmes. Nigerians have got to feed.

Food security is national security. No nation can secure itself if its citizens are hungry. Insecurity, itself, is a manifestation of the corollaries of hunger. So, addressing food security with deliverable targets and a Marshall Plan is a must, and a commendable effort.

A bulk of household cash is spent on food. According to the 2023 Minimum Wage report, the cost of basic food items required for survival by an average Nigerian family rose by 17.5 percent to N48,130 in January from N40,980 in 2022. So, if food prices are effectively tempered through incentivised agriculture, much of the quotidian stress many Nigerians are going through will be alleviated.

It is important that these plans are followed timeously – as the government is already doing. Nigerians have got to eat.

• Fredrick Nwabufo, fredricknwabufo@yahoo.com>

SIR: Aside the N8,000 cash palliatives to 12 million households as proposed by the government, there is need for distribution of asset-based palliatives to all the local government areas in the country.  This will be in the form of establishment of Industrial Development Areas (IDAs) in all the 774 local government areas throughout the country.  Such development will create long-term values that are far more beneficial to the people as it will assist existing and aspiring entrepreneurs within the Mini/Micro/Small/Medium space. Distribution of cash, in as much as is necessary and important for certain categories of people, particularly the aged and the physically challenged, may do little to reduce the level of pains associated with the removal of subsidies for many households. 

The cash palliatives will disappear few days after each slot albeit the difficulties in recognizing the needy and the most vulnerable within the society. Whereas asset-based palliatives will continue to add wealth by increasing productive activities in a sustainable manner.

Industrial Development Areas (IDAs) are areas mapped out and dedicated for joint use of resources particularly power, water, equipment, machines and tools for production of goods and services. They are used as shared facilities by those who have been trained but who cannot afford funding to purchase the equipment and machines for production. IDA come in in different forms and can be adapted to each local government in accordance with their skill set or raw materials availability associated with a particular location. 

Read Also: NLC knocks FG on new pump price, palliatives plan

For instance, in each IDA you could have a hub for any of kitchen businesses, cottage industrial park, business incubation centre and production centre etc. Component of IDA will also include facilities for skill acquisition where people are trained to be masters of their vocation.

A palliative of N800b when divided 774 gives N1.03b and to each local government. From this amount each local government can set up a minimum of two functional production centres with installed equipment, machines and tools. Each centre can accommodate a minimum of 500 budding entrepreneurs who in turn will employ a minimum of two assistance who may be any of production staff/keepers/transporters/marketers/salesmen etc. Thus, you have 3,000 jobs created from a single local government which comes to 2,322,000 direct jobs created from all the local government when put together.  Projection of additional jobs can be made when the entrepreneurs rotate the use of the facilities for a minimum of four times in a year giving a total of 9.2m jobs.

There are examples of incubation centre in Agege as a federal government hub and pilot project production centres in both Alimosho and Surulere owned by the Lagos State government through the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.

•Akintunde Maberu,

abusiventures2013@gmail.com

SIR: Recently, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned that at least 31 communities across 14 states of Nigeria would experience heavy downpours that may lead to devastating floods. It urged stakeholders to take precautionary measures to forestall its impact.

This looks like a repeat of last years’ experience when floods ravaged many communities across different regions of Nigeria. The floods were described as the worst in decades. According to the federal government, it claimed over 600 lives, displaced over 1.3 million people and more than 200,000 houses damaged.

While there are many other causes of flood, especially in Nigeria, it is important to understand the critical role that climate change plays in the entire flooding episode. There is no doubt that climate change has contributed immensely to incessant precipitation. This is basically caused by unusual warmth around the planet leading to warmer ocean waters and more moisture in the atmosphere thereby producing rains that could lead to flooding. Thus, don’t be surprised when the same drainage system that contained penultimate year’s rain is unable to contain this year’s downpour.

With the unpredictable nature of climate change across the world and the fact that the phenomenon has come to stay, there is no better time to educate young people, communities, schools, and community-based organizations on how to mitigate the potentially devastating impact of climate change, especially how it affects developing countries like Nigeria.

Read Also: Flooding: Ondo Assembly tasks stakeholders on proactive measures

While there are general geography subjects in secondary schools, this is an opportunity to review the curriculum to include practical courses related to climate change and how it impacts even the school and surrounding environments. This can be achieved via laboratory sessions, showing how climate change can lead to flooding and how it can be mitigated.

While schools are used to excursions to fancy and historical locations, an empirical experience of locations that have been or are vulnerable to flooding due to climate change will also go a long way in improving understanding of the process. Beyond experience-sharing sessions in schools, educating students on climate change could also trigger service projects supported by educational trust funds amongst others.

Community-based organizations also have a responsibility to educate members of their communities on actions to take in order to mitigate the negative impact of climate change. There is a need to integrate Social and Behavioural Change Communications (SBCC) into strategic programming on climate change to ensure beneficiaries take necessary actions that can help mitigate impacts like flooding. For instance, training on action points can be stepped down to traditional, religious rulers and other community influencers in a bid to promote more compliance among citizens of vulnerable communities.

Beyond just flooding as an important effect of climate change, there are immense opportunities to develop a comprehensive tool kit on every other aspect of human endeavours that climate change can potentially influence. A climate change education repertoire will not just decentralise knowledge about the potential impact but will prompt the right actions to prevent the escalation of any negative impact.

Governments at all levels must take intentional steps by investing in both human and financial resources to decentralize climate change education ensuring climate change effects are cushioned. Thus, ministries, agencies and departments must develop a strategic framework and put the right structures in place to enable individuals, groups and communities to take effective action to mitigate the effects of climate change.

•Olasupo Abideen,

abideenolasupo@gmail.com

Sir: One critical issue that bothers majority of Nigerians is the palliative measure for the fuel subsidy removal.

Mr. President, history they say is the best teacher. From the immediate past administration, we saw the outcome of the Trader Money, the N-Power and the School Feeding Programme. As nice as the programmes might have seemed, they were not made to sustain livelihoods nor the economy; they were designed to make a few people rich and some richer which was hitherto achieved. It is hoped that in your time, we can witness a prosperous Nigeria condensed in a pool of sustainable economic growth. However, the current decision to distribute N8,000 to assumed poor Nigerians, amounting to the sum of N500 billion, seems to be in error.

Permit me to make a few suggestions on how that sum of money, the N500 billion, can be put to better use:

First, provide at least 100 commuter buses to every state, mandating them to charge 50% of the current fare to every destination. This 50% charge will enable the managers to pay the staff, run the operations and also save some money for future expansion. This will also create job opportunities for a minimum of 2,000 persons in the upstream and over 10,000 persons in the downstream.

With an average of 12,000 new jobs created by this administration in every state of the federation, it will amount to a total of 440,000 employed directly and indirectly within six months with an annual multiplier effect. For me Mr. President, with 50% savings in transportation for members of the public, alongside job creation, then we can say that we are receiving the real palliative. May I quickly add that this palliative will spread round every class, the rich, the poor and the assumed poor?

Second, fix failed and failing portions of the highways. Our highways have eventually become death traps; motorists practically spend 24hours for a journey of six hours thus contributing to the failure of their business. Part of this money can be committed to fixing the failed and failing portions of the roads to ease the pains of motorists. This again will have positive effect on every category of persons who ply our roads. You cannot compare this palliative dividends to the N8,000 that will be given to the very few who would be unable to purchase even an half bag of rice with the said money.

Third, train the youths and set up enterprise centres. There is a saying that any government that fails to skill the nation, has planned to kill the nation, as most nations with sustainable economy, planned their economies on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME). It is pertinent to mention that SMEs exist on the basis of available skills. If we can set some money aside from this fund to kick-start a robust skills and enterprise development programme, we would have created a prosperity path for the youths, grow our manufacturing and production sectors across value chains and firmly establish a wealth creation formula.

Mr. President, skill is the only single global currency any one can have and the only tool that can create opportunity for self-sustainability, legal migration, thus opening the channel for more foreign exchange into the country. This programme can create 10 million jobs within two years. This is the kind of palliative the people need.

I am aware that there are plans to see how the prices of food items can be controlled; however, controlling the cost of commodities might just mean ensuring it does not go up. The citizens of Nigeria will want to see a drastic reduction in the prices of staple foods, like rice, beans, wheat, millet, tubers, maize etcetera. We know that if the cost of production does not reduce, sales cost cannot come down. This is where I appeal to Mr. President to focus on. Let us invest some money into researching how food production cost can be reduced drastically so that our purchase cost can also be reduced by close to 50%, if not lower.

Mr. President, nothing can be more reassuring than an action that seems to reduce the pains of the people that put their trust in you, provide an assured future for them and thus bring everyone to a very relaxed mood. If we can do this, Mr. President, you would have repositioned your administration into an auto-pilot mode. Please provide us with a palliative that will lead to sustainable livelihood and national economic growth.

• Solomon Edebiri, PhD, JP, MON Benin City.