The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Nigeria should avoid road to Sudan

    Nigeria should avoid road to Sudan

    Sir: “Governance, let alone democracy, faces grievous, structural challenges in Nigeria,” says Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Senior Fellow and former Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell in his book ‘Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink.’

     ”Popular alienation and a fragmented establishment have contributed to Nigeria becoming one of the most religious and, at the same time, one of the most violent countries in the world.”

    Considering the recent happenings in our beloved country Nigeria and how they affect and relate to the wholesomeness and development of Nigeria as a nation, before and after the election results of 2023. it is expedient to ask:  Should we be afraid for Nigeria?

    The unfolding tragedy in Sudan is a strong message and a wakeup call to a country like Nigeria. With its peoples deeply divided along ethno-geographic and religious fault lines, under a tense socio-political atmosphere heightened by the 2023 general elections, the situation in Nigeria today reads like a tragic plot from the Sudanese playbook.

    Like Nigeria, Sudan was a British colonial creation, in which the colonials lumped racially, ethnically and religiously diverse peoples together in a self-serving scheme of nation-building experimentation. 

    Nigeria, like Sudan, is almost evenly split into a predominantly Muslim North and a Christian South. Our situation is delicate and made worse by the recently concluded general elections.

    This is exemplified by some disgruntled elements hiding behind religion to create dissatisfaction with the intent to profit from such a crisis that may ultimately send us as a nation towards the road to Sudan. What is more, the news coming from Sudan is a sad reality of leadership failure.

    To prevent a slide back to violence, the incoming Tinubu administration must deploy whatever it takes to reunite the three major tribes, that is, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, leading to union with the other smaller tribes. The road to Sudan must be avoided at all costs.

    The incoming Tinubu government should pursue fair play, equity and justice, which are harbingers of unity in any country, particularly a nation like Nigeria, given the feeling of marginalisation in certain quarters.  To be clear, the issue of perceived marginalisation of the Southeast region should be properly addressed.  

    Finally, the Tinubu presidency signposts the beginning of a new era, and should heal the wounds and bring every part of this country together.

    •Richard Odusanya,

    odusanyagold@gmail.com

  • Fighting depression

    Fighting depression

    Sir: Depression is a state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of life enjoyment or inability to visualise/focus on a happy future.

    Also, depression is a mental health disorder which can affect a person’s mood, thoughts, and behaviour. The physical anomaly is a common mental health condition that can be caused by different factors which vary from one person to another, such as predisposition, environmental factors, life events, and chemical imbalances in the brain.

    Depression is a universal mental health malfunction affecting an estimated 350 million people globally. Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that depression is the leading cause of disability in the world, with more than 264 million people suffering from moderate to severe depression.

    Also, research conducted proved that women are twice as likely to suffer from depression compared with men.  

    Some likely symptoms of depression include persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable, changes in appetite, sleeping patterns, decreased energy and fatigue, difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, thoughts of self-harm, agitation and physical symptoms such as headache and stomachache with no apparent medical cause.

    Anybody experiencing any of these symptoms should urgently seek quick medical assistance from mental health professionals.  

    To take good care of your physical and mental health, there is a need for a healthy, balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise, adequate sleeping to manage stress and personal hygiene. Other protective measures are strengthening cordial relationships with family and friends as well as avoiding keeping problems in mind without opening up to a trusted person who can proffer solutions.

    •Garba Adamu Gwangwangwan,

     Bauchi 

  • Fani-Kayode’s inconsequential endorsement

    Fani-Kayode’s inconsequential endorsement

    Sir: Femi Fani-Kayode might be many things, but he is not a political heavyweight. He commands zero followership both within his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and within the populace. That is why I was bemused when I saw a post on his official Facebook page in which he endorsed Senators Orji Uzor Kalu and Sani Musa for the offices of Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively. 

     His words: “Senators Orji Kalu and Sani Musa are both close to me and I am proud to call them my brothers. I believe that the Nigerian Senate would be safe in their hands as Senate President and Deputy Senate President. Their loyalty to our great party, the APC, and to our leader and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is unambiguous, total and second to none, and they are seasoned, brilliant, courageous, tough, wise, and experienced public officers. What an extraordinary combination they would make as Senate President and Deputy Senate President. This would be innovative and refreshing. Under their leadership, the opposition parties would have sleepless nights, the Senate would be strong, bold and reliable, the APC would flourish and go from strength to strength and the Nigerian people would be the better for it. I wish them well in this race and they have not only my support, but that of millions of other party leaders and supporters.”

    A critical examination of his words would reveal that his chief reason for endorsing both men to occupy such high offices is because they are close to him and he considers them as brothers. Not because of their contributions to the senate or effective representation of their people. Also, what metrics did Fani-Kayode use to arrive at the conclusion that both men have the support of millions of party leaders and supporters? Knowing the character of Fani-Kayode, with his penchant for crisscrossing from one political party to another, and as a master of doublespeak, only the naive would take his words to heart. 

    I am not suggesting by any stretch that Senators Orji Uzor Kalu and Sani Musa are unqualified to occupy the offices they are vying for. What I am saying is that an endorsement from a temperamental fellow, who is unafraid to dance naked, misusing the gift of the gab that his creator has blessed him with, is inconsequential and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

    •Peter Ovie Akus,

    akuspeter@gmail.com

    .

  • Tiv people in Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba deserve first-class traditional rulers

    Tiv people in Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba deserve first-class traditional rulers

    Sir: The Tiv people in Nigeria did not have a traditional ruler until 1946 when some of their sons came back home after a successful battle on the British side during the Second World War, which ended in 1945, and saw the need. Tiv people coined a name, the “TOR TIV” for their traditional ruler. The idea of having many traditional rulers under the “TOR TIV” did not arise immediately but as time went on, it came up.

    This is the Tor Tiv list: Orchivirigh Makir Zakpe, Tor Tiv I (1946 to 1956); Orchivirigh Gondo Aluor, Tor Tiv II (1956 to 1978); Orchivirigh Akperan Orshi, Tor Tiv III (1979 to 1990); Ochivirigh Dr. Alfred Torkula, Tor Tiv IV (1991 to 2015) and the present Tor Tiv, His Majesty, Prof. James Ayatse, Tor Tiv V (2016 to date).

    The approval by the Tiv Area Traditional Council Supreme Assembly, “IjirTamen”, which was presided over by His Majesty, the late Ochivirigh Dr. Alfred Torkula, for the creation of six first-class chief thrones, introduction of third-class chiefs, the creation of 60 more districts and the re-naming of some second-class chief thrones in Tiv part of Benue State, was in order.

    The first-class chief thrones are Tor Sankera, Tor Kwande, Tor Jechira, Tor Jemgbagh, Tor Lobi and Tor Gwer. The third-class chiefs, which complement the second-class chiefs, are referred to as “Imue Ter.” The status quo of fourth and fifth class chiefs, that is, district heads and kindred heads, have been maintained. This is highly commendable, but there is a little unfinished business in the sense that the Tiv people in Taraba, Nasarawa and Plateau states are left out. Those in the Republic of Cameroon have their own traditional hierarchy, so I will not include them in this case.

    Tor Tiv is the supreme ruler of Tiv people in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau as well as other parts of Nigeria and the entire world; so, those in Taraba, Nasarawa and Plateau states should not be excluded. All the traditional leadership changes effected in Tiv part of Benue State should be similarly carried out in Tiv part of Taraba, Nasarawa and Plateau states.

    I suggest Taraba Tivs should have three first-class chiefs while those in Nasarawa and Plateau should have two each. Again, the Tiv traditional rulers in Taraba, Nasarawa and Plateau states should be attending the Tiv traditional council meetings along with their Benue colleagues in Gboko, the traditional headquarters of the entire Tiv people, aside from attending their respective states council of chiefs’ meetings because both are different meetings. While the Tiv Area Traditional Council meeting is for the entire Tiv traditional rulers irrespective of their states of origin, the state council of chiefs meeting is for the traditional rulers of a particular state.

    I urge the Tiv Area Traditional Council to devise a mechanism that will bring about interaction among these states on traditional leadership level, and forward the matter to the respective state houses of assembly through their governors for legislative actions and executive implementations.

    •Donald Gaadi,

    Abuja

  • On fuel subsidy removal  

    On fuel subsidy removal  

    By Peter Ovie Akus

    SIR: The president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while on the hustings, promised to remove fuel subsidies if elected to power. If the removal of fuel subsidy can be done in such a way that it wouldn’t lead to inflation, Nigerians would heave a sigh of relief.

    Before the removal of fuel subsidy, there is the need to enlighten key stakeholders in the petroleum sector, the labour unions, and the general public on the immediate and transient effects, as well as the future benefits of the policy.

    The reason most Nigerians have vigorously opposed subsidy removal over the years is due to ignorance of the long-term benefits that it would bring. With proper enlightenment through the appropriate media channels, they would develop the fortitude to bear whatever temporary pains that would result from the process of its implementation.

    Palliatives are the answer. The incoming administration needs to fashion out an effective framework for palliative implementation and management that would be devoid of corruption. The PDP government came up with SURE-P, but it was bogged down by corruption and nepotism. The APC government needs to do better by coming up with a programme that would be beneficial to all and sundry.

    The genesis of the problem in the oil sector which led to the importation of refined petroleum products and the institutionalisation of the subsidy regime, was the collapse of the nation’s four major refineries. Efforts to revive them have proved abortive, with billions of dollars spent on turnaround maintenance gone down the drain.

    It is a shame that we produce crude oil, export it overseas for refining, and import refined petrol for consumption. Our failure to refine crude oil means that we lose out on the benefits of by-products like gas, asphalt, and other petrochemicals.

    The N60 trillion annual subsidy budget is bogus and inexplicable. It is a drain on scarce resources. Do we really consume 80 million litres of fuel daily? How much crude is lifted daily? How much is diverted to neighbouring countries? There is a need for forensic investigation on this matter.

    Subsidy benefits a few and not the majority. Aside from a few big cities, most parts of Nigeria have never bought fuel at the government approved pump price. Even the towns and villages which have petroleum deposits, do not buy fuel at subsidised rate.

    Private investors in the petroleum sector are reluctant to invest in building refineries because of the subsidy regime which is a negation of the capitalist principle of laissez-faire. We need to revive our refineries and also create a conducive environment for private investors to set up refineries through the removal of subsidies.

    The resort to borrowing to keep the subsidy regime afloat is economic nonsense. We would soon owe so much that it would be impossible to pay or service our debt. This would destroy our credit-worthiness in the international financial community.

    There are two major gains that would be realised from the removal of fuel subsidy. One is the elimination of fraudsters who profit maximally from the current subsidy regime. Two is trillions of naira that would be saved and channelled to productive and developmental projects that would be beneficial to the citizenry.

    • Peter Ovie Akus, akuspeter@gmail.com

  • Enforcing national minimum wage in Nigeria

    Enforcing national minimum wage in Nigeria

    By Adedoyin Adebayo

    The global adoption of the national minimum wage by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has emerged as one of the strategies for safeguarding the dignity of labour.  Regarded as a ‘living wage, governments of the world are setting a minimum standard for acceptable remuneration for the works of men. According to the ILO, minimum wage is “the lowest wage that an employer is allowed to pay the employee, the price floor below which workers may not be willing to sell their labour.” Whether or not this aim is achieved depends on diverse variables within the country. These variables include the prevailing cost of living, relative economic strength, per capita income, and productivity at a point in time.

    Workers’ welfare is the responsibility of governments across the world through the fixing and regulation of the national minimum wage. About 90 percent of members of the International Labour Organisation have adopted the minimum wage to varying degrees; this highlights the importance of workers’ welfare and its relative effect on national economic growth and productivity.

    Fixing minimum wage in most climes is coated with political flavour and the mere upward review of minimum wage will not mean a thing without the requisite enforcement and compliance to the new standard. The effect of non-compliance by employers both in the formal and informal sectors is not only prejudicial to the employees but also to employers that are in compliance by giving defaulting employers an unfair cost advantage.

    The trend of minimum wage in Nigeria is not without its politics and challenges. From its inception in 1981, the minimum wage in Nigeria was fixed at N120 per month, reviewed upwards to N5,500 in 2001, and later in 2010 to N18, 000. The hyperinflation and the pressure from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other stakeholders within the sector resulted in the passage of the National Minimum Wage Act 2019. The act made an upward review of the national minimum wage from N18, 000 to N30, 000 to meet the demands of the time. At the moment, the National Minimum Wage in Nigeria stands at N30, 000.

    Nigeria boasts diverse policies and laws, but these have been made ineffective by weak institutional capacity to ensure implementation and enforcement. The National Minimum Wage Act 2019 is not an exception. The law kicked off under an unfavorable circumstance, as the outbreak of COVID19 pandemic ushered in regressive economic consequences with a negative impact on labour, employment, and the implementation of the new national minimum wage in Nigeria.

    The compliance question:

    The posture of the government and its institutions plays a vital role in implementation and enforcement of laws or policies; the fate of the new Act rests on this fact. The Federal Government of Nigeria has implemented the Act to the extent of partial consequential adjustment for workers at some levels in the civil service. The extent of implementation at the state and local government levels is another factor that will influence the scorecard of compliance with the new minimum wage in Nigeria. There is no doubt that states in Nigeria have different financial strengths, but the responsibility for workers’ welfare rests on the government, and the posture of their respective state governments will set the pace for the due implementation in the private sector and informal sector of the economy.

    The implementation burden lingers and the National Minimum Wage Act will be up for review in 2025. The politics preceding the Act should not succeed it and all hands must be on deck to ensure that all Nigerian workers covered by this Act enjoy the rights created thereunder.

    Nigeria operates a simple minimum wage system whereby the operative minimum wage is fixed by the federal government after consultation and bargaining with the stakeholders including federating states who will bear the burden at the state level.

    Section 12 of the Act provides that the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIW) shall collaborate to ensure the implementation of this law. They are required to act swiftly on a report of non-compliance within 30 days of the receipt of such report.

    The implementation and enforcement are to be done through the officers of the ministry in line with the extant rules of the NSIW Act and must commence within 6 months of enactment of the Act. We have witnessed paucity of implementation activities by these bodies and the politics that preceded the Act lingers as the echoes of ultimatums, strikes and boycotts by the National Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and allied bodies to ensure the implementation of this Act is the order of the day. The hyperinflation experienced in Nigeria over the years has a negative effect on the welfare of the Nigerian workers, and the least the government can do is to ensure that the new national minimum wage is duly implemented and enforced.

    There are indications that some state governments in Nigeria pay workers below the national minimum wage while others have suspended payment at some point. State governments of Taraba, Zamfara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo are not meeting the standard, and many other states are yet to make the consequential adjustments to all levels of workers.

    The failure of the public sector to fully comply with this law will make the enforcement of the law in the private and informal sectors a herculean task. This situation leaves the workers and their trade unions helpless and with little resources to apply to enforce their rights. The usual strategy is to give ultimatums of planned strikes, strike actions and boycotts with little or no result at all.

    Time is running out on the Minimum Wage Act and the bodies tasked with implementation responsibility must go beyond seeking the cooperation of employers of labour to open their books for inspection. An efficient intelligence gathering machinery must be put in place to track defaulting employers of labour in every sector and ensure compliance with the Act.

    The public sector must prioritise the welfare of workers and investment in human capital development. This will provide leverage for putting the private sector in check. Moving labour and employment matters from the exclusive legislative list to concurrent legislative list will empower state governments to play a crucial role in matters concerning fixing and implementation of the national minimum wage. We have state governments that are capable of paying above the current minimum wage. States can be empowered to set their various standards that must not fall below the national minimum wage fixed by the Federal Government.

    Other potent ways to ensuring overall compliance include:

    • Enforcement of sanctions and penalties for non-compliance,

    • Empowering Nigerian workers and trade unions on the procedure for lodging complaints and enforcement of their claims rather than regressive alternatives of strikes and boycotts.

    • Coordinated and targeted inspection based on credible intelligence reports.

    • Formalising the informal economy will expand the scope of the Act to workers like domestic staff who fall within the definition of an employee in the employee compensation Act.

    • Public sensitisation and awareness campaigns will raise social consciousness about the national minimum wage.

    Minimum wage cannot be an effective instrument of social protection without aggressive implementation and enforcement in the face of rising cost of living in Nigeria. There is no doubt that fixing an acceptable national minimum wage is not without a political twist but upon the enactment of the Act, the government must deliver on its primary function, of which the welfare of the people is an integral part. The public sector sets the pace and others follow.

    The Ministry of Labour and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission must strategically carry out monitoring and compliance responsibilities as required by the Act. Until the foregoing is done, a new review of the Act will amount to a showroom exercise devoid of positive impact on the lives of Nigerian workers.

    • Adebayo, adedoyinsamuel11@gmail.com

  • Ogbomoso/Osogbo Road needs attention of FERMA

    Ogbomoso/Osogbo Road needs attention of FERMA

    By Adelani Olawuyi

    SIR: Ogbomoso/Osogbo road is one of the oldest roads in Nigeria. It is about 55 kilometres. The road is of great economic and commercial importance to the nation. Foodstuffs from OkeOgun area of Oyo State get to Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states through that route. Besides, there are many towns and villages in the area.

    There were speculations that the contract for the reconstruction/rehabilitation of the road was awarded long before 2015 when the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, took office. However, the people heaved a sigh of relief when work began on the road shortly after the 2015 presidential election.

     But just about eight years later, the road has become damaged, especially the Ogbomoso/IfonOsun portion, to such a level that the journey that would normally take less than forty minutes now takes about one and a half hours.

    This has security and economic implications. We, therefore, call on the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to instruct its agency, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), to rehabilitate the 35km Ogbomoso/Ilajue portion of Ogbomoso/Osogbo Federal highway.

    • Adelani Olawuyi, Oyo State

  • NBTE’s move against illegal health colleges commendable  

    NBTE’s move against illegal health colleges commendable  

    By Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim

    SIR: Nigeria is seriously battling with fake medical practitioners here and there, causing more harm than good for the country. Currently, there are thousands of illegal health institutions in Nigeria and fake medical professionalism is another tsunami for the country.  Taking a decisive major decision for a better healthcare system in Nigeria at this crucial time is most welcome and important.

    In 2022, Kano State shutdown 26 illegal health institutions in the state.  This problem is not peculiar to Kano State alone; it is a problem that disturbs the nation. The move by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to arrest illegal operators of health colleges has come to save Nigerians’ lives.

    The health sector in Nigeria is characterised not only by illegal institutions but also fake medical practitioners, and the NBTE’s vow to hunt violators is a progressive step to sanitise the health system in the country. 

    The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, on 27th of April, 2023, in a meeting with proprietors of health colleges in Nigeria, said the Board had partnered with the Department of State Services (DSS) to expose and arrest violators.  

    Research in 2006 showed that more than 400,000 people die every year in Nigeria and the maternal mortality figure in Nigeria in the last year stood at 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, and these casualties are connected with the number of quack nurses produced by illegal health colleges in the country.

    The statement of Professor Idris M. Bugaje is true that most of the illegal colleges don’t have formal methods of teaching, they extort and swindle their students. ”The board is determined to rid Nigeria of illegal health institutions, as some of them are currently under the DSS investigation,” he said.

    The commitment of NBTE will invigorate the Vision 2050 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) towards a better healthcare system in Nigeria, and sanitise the Nigerian healthcare sector. 

    The effort to sanitise health colleges in Nigeria is a good move by the NBTE but that is not enough because there are many unregistered hospitals in Nigeria which connive with illegal and fake medical practitioners, killing people.

     The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board (MRTB) and other relevant unions and agencies should be up and doing to augment the effort of NBTE. 

    Another very important thing is, those illegal health colleges and hospitals exist in the rural and remote areas, hiding away from people but journalists can help in exposing them.

    For NBTE, it has partnered with DSS to arrest operators of illegal health colleges; but the government and other relevant agencies can partner with journalists and communities’ leaders to address the issue, and having a hotline or mailbox can help in tackling and exposing the rot in the Nigerian health sector.  

    NBTE has taken a bold and positive step to improve Nigeria’s health sector, and this demands commendations.  

    • Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, auwalahmed@kadunapolytechnic.edu.ng

  • Fighting corruption in Nigeria needs new approach

    Fighting corruption in Nigeria needs new approach

    By Bishir Dauda

    SIR: Grand corruption in Nigeria has become a hydra-headed monster in spite of the pretensions and rhetoric of the government.

    The bane of the fight against corruption in Nigeria is the index experts use to measure it. For instance, the number of corrupt people convicted by courts, assets recovery, implementation of policies that are meant to promote accountability such as FOI Act, whistleblower, procurement law etc.

    These measures have failed to even make a dent on corruption because they are superficial and scratch the cancer at the periphery.

    I am of the view that any attempt at fighting corruption must address the issue of wealth accumulation, inequality and exploitation.

    Nigeria operates a system that pays a legislator much more than a university professor. A lecture or teacher is more important and useful to the society than a busybody politician who does nothing but manipulation. Many political appointees don’t even go to their offices.

    There is corruption in Nigeria because the pension and benefits of a retired political parasite is much more than that of a police officer. Our security agencies such as the Police, Army, Civil Defence, etc face an uphill challenge to claim their retirement benefits, but a manipulator will be paid instantly for swindling his people.

    How can you succeed in fighting corruption when the majority of the youth go to bed on empty stomachs? Only a madman will think that when the majority of the people are hungry and starve, there will be any peace.

    Any leader who is sincere about fighting corruption must not only abstain from it but also ensure that all his staff and lieutenants are clean. He can easily find out by checking their wealth status. Listen to what the public are saying about each of them. Get their assets declaration form, etc.

    In Nigeria, President Buhari used his power to pardon politicians who were found guilty of corruption and embezzlement, namely Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame.

    But people like Professor Yusuf Usman of NHIS and Hadiza Bala Usman of NPA were sacked for stepping on the toes of untouchables.

    With this lopsided structure of Nigeria where the leaders and their collaborators are appropriating public funds to themselves through many ways, corruption has come to stay.

    • Bishir Dauda, Sabuwar Unguwa, Katsina

  • Cross River’s unpaid street sweepers

    Cross River’s unpaid street sweepers

    Sir: It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in our nation that women employed as street sweepers in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South Local Government Areas of Cross River State, recently protested the non-payment of their wages for 4 months.

    The women, who protested at the entrance of the Governor’s Office in Calabar, had placards with inscriptions such as “pay us our money,” “we are tired of working without pay.” Their action has further exposed the greed and wickedness inherent in the heart of public office holders in Nigeria.

    For the record, this isn’t the first time this has happened in Cross River. It happened in 2015 when the outgoing government exited from office without paying these low skilled workers their wages for 6 months. And it is about to become a norm with every outgoing government in the state, but for the protest.

    There is no denying the fact that street sweepers in most parts of Nigeria are poorly paid. However, the situation in Cross River is appalling. Some of these women are paid N5,000, others are paid N10,000, while the highest paid get N15,000.

    This pay doesn’t take into account the economic situation of the country or the hazards of the job. These women, mostly in their 50s and 60s, often suffer various indignities in the process of carrying out their duties. Some have been hit by reckless drivers, robbed by men of the underworld, or raped by men with zero morality. Yet it is their meagre pay that they use to take care of themselves when these unfortunate realities occur.

    We cannot rule out the likelihood that the job of keeping the state clean has been outsourced to a company whose owner is either a member of the government or connected to it. That has become the norm in Nigeria. The company that has the contract is the one reaping the bulk of the profit while paying the street sweepers slave wages.

    Now that Governor Ben Ayade is aware of the plight of the street sweepers, it is incumbent on him to not only do the needful, but also to see to it that their welfare is adequately taken care of.

    •Peter Ovie Akus,

    akuspeter@gmail.com