The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • That negative business report on Nigeria

    I am a fan of your newspaper particularly because of your style of writing and the in depth analysis of issues. However, I observed a conflict on page 58 of your publication of Sunday Feb. 8, 2015 with the above subject.

    Whereas the content of the report suggested a falling “cost of doing business in Nigeria”, the title of the report says “Rising…”.

    I love Nigeria and I get worried when many of the times the media tend to present the country in a bad light. Agreed, “bad news is the news” but if we have to report a good development, the least I think we could do is to say it as it is.

    My grouse is not whether the cost of doing business in Nigeria is actually rising or falling, (because I didn’t know and wanted to get that information from your report), but the wrong representation as if everything had to be negative.

    Perhaps it was an error or maybe I’m the one who is wrong, else I think the fourth estate of the realm should be concerned about the image of a country because together we share in the gains and losses.

    Thank you.

    •Chris Ogbimi

  • INEC CHAIRMAN No PVCs distribution in Ijoko-Ota

    INEC CHAIRMAN No PVCs distribution in Ijoko-Ota

    I AM writing this to complain that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not distributing the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Ijoko-Ota, Ogun State.

    People daily trooping to an office at Reverend Gabriel Onifade Street in the town to collect their PVCs are always disappointed. They go to the office with enthusiasm, thinking they will collect their PVCs, but return to their homes in sorrow for not getting them.

    The INEC must swing into action by starting to distribute the PVCs in Ijoko-Ota.

    We need the cards to vote. We should not be disenfranchised. The INEC must handle this case with care.

     

    Akin Idowu,

    Ijoko-Ota,

    Ogun State.

  • Re: NECO Registrar flouts Shekarau’s directive

    Reading the article captioned NECO Registrar Flouts Shekarau’s Directive on Disengagement from Service, I became more worried than ever before about the fate of the Nigerian child and education in the hand of leaders who willfully disrespect and disobey constituted authority. My findings revealed that the type of arrogance and disobedience being demonstrated by Prof. Promise Okpala is only possible if he has secured his appointment or re-appointment through the back door instead of following due process. And this was exactly what happened.

    The former NECO Registrar, Prof. Promise Okpala, hinged his refusal to comply with the Minister’s directive to hand over on the fact that his current (second) term expires on 08 April, 2015. He considered the Minister’s directive “surprising and misleading” in view of the fact that he was a political appointee and not a career civil servant. He was supported and emboldened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, who in a letter to the Minister, maintained that Prof. Promise Okpala is not subject to removal from office on any account prior to 08 April, 2015 except by Mr President at whose discretion the Registrar holds office.

    This statement by the SGF is quite unfortunate. According to Part III 9- (3) (a) and (b) of the National Examinations Council (NECO) Establishment) Act, 2002, recommendation for appointment and, by implication, re-appointment as Registrar is the prerogative of the Minister. Conditions of service are also as may from time to time be approved by the Minister and definitely NOT according to the discretion of Mr. President or any other person. So it is obvious that Chief Anyim Pius Anyim’s stance from which Prof. Okpala derived confidence is a negation or contradiction of the relevant provision in the Act.

    But then it was the same SGF that communicated news of Prof. Okpala’ re-appointment to him. In a letter referenced SGF.6/S.14/210 dated 03 February, 2012, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim wrote:

    ” I am pleased to inform you that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, has approved your re-appointment as the Registrar of the National Examinations Council for a second and final term of three years in accordance with the provision of section 9 (3) (a) of the National Examinations Council (NECO) , Establishment Act. CAP. N37, LFN 2002″. The (b) of the same provision clarifies that the re-appointment shall be ” on such terms as  to emoluments and conditions of service (italics mine) as may be specified in his letter of appointment, and as may, from time to time, be approved by the Minister”.

    From the foregoing, it is clear that the Registrar’s conditions of service are as approved by the Minister. This certainly gives the Minister authority and control over the Chief Executive of any parastatal under his ministry and any directive given by the Minister must be complied with by the Chief Executive.

    Again Mr. President’s approval of appointment or re-appointment as Registrar should be on the recommendation of the Minister. Now that the then Minister, Prof. Ruqayyat Rufa’i, declined to endorse Prof. Promise Okpala, on whose recommendation was approval of his re-appointment based? Obviously none. He simply by-passed the Minister and sought Chief Anyim’s help and support which he got and is still enjoying.

    Certainly NECO is not among the parastatals directly under the presidency or Office of the SGF, so why this SGF’s interference in its affairs? This was not so in pre- Okpala era. And did we witness this type of interference in the affairs of other parastatals like NECO either by Chief Anyim or any of his predecessors? If not, why is the interference peculiar to NECO?

    The truth is that Prof. Promise Okpala’s re-appointment as NECO Registrar in April, 2012 did not follow due process and therefore was a fraud and illegality. Although the then Minister kept mum over this usurpation of her power, the fraud did not go unnoticed by some NECO staff. It was in the corporate interest of the Council that the sleeping dogs were allowed to lie.

    Prof. Okpala exercised absolute power and authority since he had the impression that he was accountable to only Chief Anyim. In outright violation of provision section 11 of the Act, he administered the Council like his personal property. Appointment, promotion and posting for assignment were on political consideration favouring in most cases staff from his geo-political area.  Many qualified, experienced and hard-working staff were removed from their posts and replaced with less experienced and in some cases newly-employed ones. Transfer became a weapon of victimisation, persecution and intimidation. While no attempt is made to settle outstanding 28 night allowance of many transferred officers, the activity is on-going. All these were done with impunity.

    Prof. Okpala’s ability to perform in two months what he was unable to deliver in ninety-four months is in great doubt. He should hand over as directed so that staff will concentrate more on the gigantic task of re-defining the future of the Nigerian child.

     

    •Okey Nwachukwu, NECO Office, Enugu

  • PRESIDENT JONATHAN Repair Kabba-Obajana Road

    I AM appealing to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Senator Smart Adeyemi to do something about the Kabba-Obajana Road.

    The road is not good at all. It is full of potholes and craters. Many Nigerians have lost their lives in the course of travelling on it.

    Why am I appealing to both the president and the senator, representing the area at the same time? This is a busy time for the president, and he will not have time for us. But the senator is less busy. He will still have time to put pressure on the president to do our wish.

    I am expecting work on the road soon.

     

    Emmanuel Rotimi,

    Kabba, Kogi State.

  • GOVERNOR UDUAGHAN Complete this library

    I AM not a happy man. And the source of my sorrow is the uncompleted library in my town.

    This library has been in this condition for the past 16 years. It is overgrown with weeds.

    As I am going about in grief, others in my town, Ogwashi-Ukwu, in the Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State are equally sad. They see good libraries in other towns and feel bad.

    This is why I am appealing to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to help us complete the library before he leaves office in May.

    We need a good library, and it is my hope that my good governor will give us one.

    Feyi Akeeb Kareem,

    Ogwashi-Ukwu,

    Delta State

  • Counting the cost of poll shift

    SIR: Before now, many have been relishing the prospect of having the much anticipated presidential election on a Valentine Day. The possibility of mixing politics with love simply aroused the interest of not a few Nigerians. The recent announcement by INEC of the rescheduling of the general elections has, however, put paid to all that. The rumpus caused by the sudden decision of INEC to postpone has continued to echo across the land.

    To begin with, the abrupt postponement of the election has, without a doubt, done much havoc to the not too admirable global image of our country. Nigeria has now become an object of ridicule across the world. What is particularly puzzling to the world is why a nation of over 170 million people cannot successfully plan an election that has been on the card for over four years.

    The shift in poll also has deep implications for the image of the Nigerian military as well as other security agencies. In citing reasons for the shift in poll date, INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, clearly made it clear that the shift became necessary mainly for security factors. His words: “There are quite a number of issues in the conduct of elections, the most critical of which is security matter which is not under the control of INEC.”

    Professor Jega further confirmed that INEC was ready with all election matters under its control but was compelled to take the security advisory from the National Security Adviser and the service chiefs into consideration in adjusting the timetable for the polls. The issue being raised by pundits is how the military which has not been able to successfully dislodge Boko Haram for six years could do same under six weeks.

    Another vital concern is what happens if the military is unable to put the security situation in the country under check before the new date. Would that lead to another shift in poll? Whichever way one looks at things, the image of the military has been badly deflated by the poll shift imbroglio and it would take sometimes before it could really come clean.

    INEC itself has come out of the poll controversy more battered than before.  Despite Professor Jega’s clever maneuver to shift attention away from INEC’s near sloppy management of the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Card, PVC, it is difficult to completely shield the electoral umpire from culpability in respect of the poll shift. It will be recalled that the 2011 presidential poll was equally shifted by a week because of hiccups experienced across the country right on poll day. This shows that INEC has a rich history of ineptitude and this does not in any way do its image any good. It is left to be seen how the electoral body hopes to wriggle itself out of the negative  lame duck tag it has been dubbed in certain quarters.

    The postponement also has far reaching implications for political parties in respect of electioneering campaigns, planning, logistics and financing. Previously, most of the candidates aspiring for various political offices have zeroed their budgeting and other associated matters on the initial election dates as earlier announced by INEC. The poll shift would, therefore, bring about additional strains on the aspirants and their political parties. With the reality of the current economic situation in the country, having to extend campaign programmes and plans for another six weeks would, undoubtedly, be a serious financial burden on the political parties and their aspirants.      It is, however, hoped that the poll shift would help to diffuse the already tense political atmosphere in the country; and that all stakeholders in the Nigerian project would see the need to embrace peace.  According to Martin Luther King, “peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

     

    • Tayo Ogunbiyi,

    Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • Power situation in Lokoja

    IR: The availability of both Geregu Power Plant phase one and two and Ajaokuta steel industry power plants have not been a blessing to Lokoja the Kogi State capital. When the Geregu 1 and  plant was to be installed, the government promised to ensure the availability of constant power to the entire

    state and the federal capital territory of Abuja.

    It was made clear to the people of Lokoja that a step-down transformer would be installed at Zango town near Lokoja to serve Lokoja and its environs, but this has not been the case. Rather, the plant has been serving the Abuja while the Lokoja was neglected although the power lines passes through

    and is located near the ancient town.

    The entire town currently enjoys barely four hours of electricity at this time of excessive heat..

    I call on the Ministry of Power to consider the installation of another transformer that would give power from that of Geregu Power Plant to enable the state capital enjoy uninterrupted power supply.

    The daily rationing of electricity for a maximum four hours has affected the well-being and the business activities of the people of Lokoja.

    The availability of this power at this time of excessive heat and the need to promote business activities would go long way to bring development of small scale industries to the area.

     

    •  Bala Nayashi

    Lokoja, Kogi State

  • Emulate South Africa

    SIR: When the South Africans knew that Nelson Mandela could fix South Africa for them, they did not say that he was too old, or that he had been in prison for 27 years and had, therefore, lost touch with what was going on outside the prison walls, or that he was an ex-convict. They made him their President, and they were not disappointed. He did more than what they had anticipated he would do. He fixed South Africa within the four years’ tenure, and left the Presidency, and watched the fruits of his performance before he died.

    Nigerians should emulate South Africa and vote General Muhammadu Buhari as President, come March 28, in the presidential elections. Goodluck E. Jonathan has had six years and has not improved Nigeria, instead Nigeria is in ruins – even infants know that.

    Even in his campaigns for re-election, he has not been able to defend his inability to handle cases of corruption and insecurity; his failure to honour agreements with the organised workers’ unions has resulted in many strikes. Apart from General Buhari, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has several other presidential materials who are each better than Goodluck Jonathan. Things get better not by chance but by change.

    Nigerians are assured of true change, when they give the APC the anticipated mandate. It will not be transformation from bad to worse. General Buhari will fix Nigeria in record time.

    It is obvious that the Electoral Act’s provision for minimum educational qualification is to ensure that people who are involved in governance have some education to do the needful. I am sure that the educational qualifications of General Buhari are more than the equivalence of the WASC. Only nincompoops would say that General Buhari be disqualified on account of paper qualifications. Some of those who say so are even being cantankerous.

     

    • Kpamor Dr. J.T. Orkar,

    Makurdi, Benue State

  • Preserving the NYSC scheme

    SIR: In view of ethnic and tribal diversity of the Nigerian federation, lack of unity has always been a major impediment to nation building. From independence till date, successive governments have devised various policies and programmes with the primary goal of surmounting the various complications posed by the country’s mixed population.

    One of such is the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Brainchild of the General Yakubu Gowon’s (rtd.) military administration, it was conceived in 1973 as a way to address the major fallouts of the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970). Having fought a bitter civil war that further exposed the precarious nature of the county’s federation, the NYSC programme was put in place as a policy that could enhance the unity of the country. The core aspect of the programme involves the posting of fresh graduates to various parts of the country for a mandatory one-year national service programme.

    Among the major core values of the NYSC are dedication and loyalty to the service of one’s fatherland. In adherence to this, many corps members have remained true to this cause by giving out their best in their various places of primary assignment. There is, however, urgent need to tidy up certain loose ends in respect of the NYSC programme in order to preserve its values. A recent survey shows that corps members meet with various challenges in the process of carrying out their assignments. Prominent among these challenges are security, low allowance and rejection by some organisations. Also, the working environment in certain locations in the country is not actually conducive for members to give out their best. Equally, members are sometimes overburdened with so much work and still get very little remuneration.

    Inadequate accommodation is also a serious challenge for members across the country. This is particularly frustrating, especially for corps members posted to places where they are complete strangers. Closely related to this is the issue of transportation. In major cities in Nigeria, it is usually difficult and very expensive navigating through one’s way because of the huge cost of transportation. The result is that corps members serving in most of the cities often end up spending fortunes on transportation. Ironically, the meager monthly allowance is usually expended on transportation thereby compounding the frustrations of the corpers. At the end of the month, there is little or nothing left to feed and use on other essential expenses.

    Added to this is the fact that many employers don’t really treat members fairly as they are often used as beasts of burden that should do all the dirty works and yet without being duly compensated. This is particularly the case with members who serve with the private sector where they are expected to face the same task as given to permanent staff.

    Compared to insecurity, all the aforementioned challenges are however child-plays. If the security operatives, with all the human and material resources at their disposal, could not guarantee us of a safe election, definitely corps members who are posted to troubled spots in the country are, undoubtedly, endangered species.

    Besides our peculiar security plight, the poor state of roads across the country equally jeopardizes the safety of corps members. There have been countless instances of corps members losing their lives through tragic motor accidents.

    Despite these challenges, corps members have continued to heed and obey the clarion call of service to their fatherland by diligently carrying out their various tasks in whatever capacity they are given. Hence they have continued to exhibit the core values that anchor the NYSC scheme. Like all government’s policies and programmes, despite its various shortcomings, the NYSC scheme has over the years succeeded, in its own little way, in fostering unity in the country. There is, however, an urgent need to look into the various challenges bedeviling the scheme with a view to preserving its major values.

     

    •Susan Olije

    Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • As GEJ continues to re-define graft

    SIR: For those who had been following the ongoing presidential campaigns of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, something must have come very clear by now. The President will not do anything tangible, now or in the immediate future, to curb the mindless corruption that is almost choking the nation to death under his watch.

    Public outcry on pervasive official corruption under the present administration, became accentuated after the mass anti-government protests that followed the fuel price hike of 2012, which shut the nation down for 10 days and the subsequent outcome of the various probe reports, which revealed a massive plunder of the nation’s resources, especially by friends of government.

    The people had anxiously waited for the prosecution and recovery of the humongous amounts allegedly pillaged by those involved, but nothing concrete has happened two years after. Instead, those indicted has arrogantly continued to trot the corridors of power, wining and dining with the powers that be.

    Nigerians might have unwittingly had an inkling of the President’s mindset in May last year, when he said in answer to a question during a session of his quarterly media chat, that: ‘over 70% of what is called corruption, even by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-corruption agencies, is not corruption but common stealing’. Reactions to this was mixed at the time as some people believed it was probably his usual laconic way of reacting to issues he considered over exaggerated.

    That the President meant every word of what he said on that occasion is now no longer in doubt, as it has become a major plank of his electioneering campaign. He had re-stated this position at every stop on his campaign trail and he does not appear apologetic about it, even in the face of harsh public criticisms. Added to this is what looks like his bizarre template for curbing corruption which tends to emphasize persuasion rather than punishment.

    First, he believed that the average Nigerian’s perception of corruption and how it should be curbed, were totally wrong, archaic and not in sync with what, in his view, obtains in civilized environments. He did not believe in arresting people and putting them in jail, because, according to him, that will not stop them from stealing again.

    Although, he agreed that corruption should be fought, he had his own template that has kept his countrymen dazed. No arrests, no lock-ups, no imprisonments. Just restructure the system using ICT in a way that people holding public offices will no longer have direct access to funds, he said. Reactions to this had been rather cynical especially from anti-corruption crusade groups who had little trust for a government notorious for shielding its corrupt officials.

    Public perception of his recent thoughts and utterances on corruption more than give credence to fears that the President lacks the guts to confront endemic graft in the system frontally. This is because, always  by his side on the podium and cheering ecstatically whenever he speaks, are top members of his party, especially his  re-election campaign team, which is populated by those who, or their children, are still answering corruption charges in the courts.

    For those who believe that the President may have squandered his goodwill and even his good luck, redemption may be farfetched especially in an election year. Any effort towards this will depend on if he rolls back his mindset and begin to listen to wise counsel from those who mean well for the nation and the coveted office of the President.

    It’s been said that a President who openly defends his corrupt officials as Jonathan has been doing, loses self respect both at home and in the international community. But then, it is the nation that suffers such indignity the most.

     

    • Olu Adebayo,

    Lagos.