The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • On the Rivers PDP congress

    SIR: To describe what happened at the Rivers PDP Ward Congress as totally shameful may be an understatement. This is happening in a state where PDP is now in opposition. It shows that the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP may have been seriously compromised. What could have been the pay from Nyesom Wike to the members of the NWC that made them go so low in morals and honesty? There is no way they would exonerate themselves from this mess. Also, there is no way the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan can be absolved from the shame. The President should consider his defeat in Rivers State, come 2015 elections as a reality waiting to happen.

    Nyesom Wike is the immediate past Minister of State for Education. Check out the five-man electoral committee chosen by the NWC of the party for Rivers State. The membership is geared towards returning Wike as the PDP governorship candidate during the primaries slated for the later part of this month: Dr. Yakubu Gambo, the committee chairman, is the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); Dr. Olu Ayewoh served as Wike’s Special Assistant (Technical) in the Ministry of Education; Mrs. Uzo Nwandu was appointee of Wike on the board of Federal College of Education, Gombe; Suleiman Lawal Kaura was Wike’s appointee on the governing board of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and finally Mr. Chuks Akwiti, Special Assistant to PDP’s Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, is a known apologist of Wike.

    One readily remembers how Wike, as Minister of Education, appointed Dr. Gambo as the Deputy Secretary (UBEC) and made him more powerful, in flagrant contempt for administrative practice, and related directly with him (Gambo) to the extent that he undermined his boss, the Executive Secretary who is the Chief Executive of UBEC, Dr. Suleiman Dikko to the chagrin of other UBEC top management staff.

    PDP is just digging its own grave in Rivers State. Only time shall tell, especially if the party upholds what transpired at the so-called PDP Ward Congress in Rivers State last week.

     

    • Cyril Madueke,

    Borokiri, Port Harcourt,

    Rivers State.

     

  • FG’s war on Lagos roads

    FG’s war on Lagos roads

    SIR: We wish to alert Lagosians and indeed all Nigerians to the sinister plan by the PDP-led federal government to engineer massive breakdown of law and order in Lagos through the deployment of hoodlums and thugs under the guise of SURE-P Federal Task Force. On Monday, we witnessed the complete breakdown of law and order and breakdown of traffic in Lagos when these individuals went on rampage, fighting Lagos Stae Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials with cudgels and inflicting harms on them, all in their bid to take over control of federal roads in Lagos.

    We note that these political thugs who are dressed in black uniform and addressed as SURE-P Federal Task Force have recently come up with what they term their duties viz; Protection of federal properties in Lagos; Right of Way; Setback; Traffic Control, and Enforcement.

    Even as Lagosians wonder what legal right these individuals are operating with, we ask what properties are they protecting in Lagos and against whom? What regulations are they enforcing? Is the federal government now vested with the control of city and street traffic when there are so many areas needing the attention of the federal government?

    What are the duties of the police, Federal Road Safety Commission and LASTMA that we must create an emergency agency of political thugs and hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons to launch brigandage on Lagos roads?

    Is Lagos the only state where there are federal roads in Nigeria? We wonder how control of traffic on Lagos roads should be the function and responsibility of the federal government even when it is obvious that this same government has done nothing either to repair the worsening state of federal roads or adding even one kilometre to the existing roads. Nothing adds up here except the burning desire ravaging the rank and file of the members of the PDP to set fire to Lagos for its unprecedented progress and peace in the face of the gross failure of the federal government in nearly every sector of governance.

    Lagos APC is calling on all Lagosians, traditional rulers, stakeholders and leaders of thought to stand up to this act of political desperation. Lagos should not be turned to a theatre of blood by desperate political wayfarers in their bid to realize their selfish ambitions.

     

    • Joe Igbokwe.

    Publicity Secretary,

    Lagos APC

     

  • Nigeria’s next presidential election

    SIR: Can Nigeria get it right in the next presidential election? Good political leadership translates to development in any country. And, politics is a component of democracy through which our leaders emerge. Periodic election is central to the sustenance of democratic governance and culture in any country. It offers the hoi polloi and other people in a country the opportunity to elect leaders of their choice. In countries where the votes of the electorate count, bad leaders are voted out, and good ones voted in, during elections.

    The development of a country is a function of the leadership obtainable in that country. No country can grow above the visions and abilities of its leaders. African countries are underdeveloped because visionless and selfish leaders are controlling political powers, there. And, they will push for constitutional amendments, which will guarantee them limitless terms in office. Africa is teeming with this species of political despots. Think about Paul Biya of Cameroun; Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe; and the deposed Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso.

    President Good Jonathan has declared his interest to run for the President after keeping us in suspense for a long time as to his next political move. The months leading to his declaration of interest were filled with intense and frenzied political activities orchestrated by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria. Their sycophantic expression and demonstration of support for Jonathan’s candidature bears striking resemblance to Daniel Kanu’s Youths Earnestly Ask for Abacha.

    President Jonathan is the favourite to win the 2015 presidential election irrespective of his unimpressive and unflattering leadership score-card and go-slow attitude to issues of leadership. Although his rhetoric and anecdotes of personal privation will not sway our support to him, he will use the incumbency power to tilt the odds into his favour. He will most probably  sweep the votes in the South-east and South-south. In the South-west, he will keenly battle for the votes with APC. And, there is no monolithic north anymore. So, given this scenario, Jonathan’s foot soldiers and campaigners can make inroads into the core-north.

    But, the absence of a strong political opposition in Nigeria will aid the re-emergence of Jonathan as president.

    APC’s presidential candidate in the 2015 presidential election will determine how far the party will go in the next presidential poll. Rtd General Buhari as well as Atiku Abubakar has picked the APC forms for the presidential election. Rabiu Kwakwanso is battling to become the APC’s standard bearer in the 2015 presidential election, too. Buhari, an old political war horse, seems to be ahead of other politicians fighting for the APC presidential ticket.

    The fact is, Nigeria is without a formidable, credible, and vibrant opposition party. The opposition parties should present pragmatic economic and educational polices as alternatives to the government’s ones. And, they should field candidates for elective posts who are with proven probity, integrity, patriotism, vision, and leadership qualities. Nigeria is practising multi-party system only in name. Some smaller parties may have been collapsed into PDP.  Is APGA an appendage of PDP? Nigeria is tending towards a one party state. The boast by a PDP chieftain that PDP will rule Nigeria for 60 years is gradually becoming a reality. To contest a presidential election in Nigeria on the ticket of PDP has become a guarantee of success. Where are the opposition parties?

     

    • Chiedu Uche Okoye

    Uruowulu – Obosi,

    Anambra State

  • SOS to Rivers State government

    SIR: It is of utmost necessity I express our concern over the non-payment of monthly upkeep and accommodation allowances to students sent on scholarship by the Rivers State government through the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to study in various universities around the globe, especially to those of us currently studying in the United Kingdom. It has been five months since we last received our allowances. The last time we received bank alert was June 2014 which was eventually paid in September 2014.

    Ever since then (July – November), students have been living under hardship with little or no support from our poor parents back home who are now passing through the hurdles of sending money to us abroad when the reverse is supposed to be the case. All calls to the office have proved abortive as they keep making promises, hence the need for the peoples’ voice as our last resort.

    In consequence to our unremitted funds, students have been stranded, disorganised and some are evicted from their flat (s) because they are unable to honour the contract signed with their respective landlords and if not for the help of other students (who also are at risk of being evicted from their homes if their rents are not paid in anytime soon) they would have been homeless and forced to live in refugee camps.

    I am writing this open letter to all those that matter in government in Rivers State to please come to our aid especially now that the 2015 general election is fast approaching.

     

    • Danny J.

    United Kingdom.

     

  • Fayose, it’s time to work

    SIR: In the last few weeks, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has dissipated so much energy trading words with his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi, over how Ekiti State, has been badly run and why things are bound to go from bad to worse. Almost on a daily basis, the media is awash with how state resources have been wasted on white elephant projects, mismanaged and channeled into wrong use thus portraying the last administration as being wasteful, insensitive, ‘after self comfort’ and terribly corrupt.

    Ordinarily, one should not be too surprised by such actions as politicians are used to raising false alarms, discrediting their opponents and showcasing what they perceive as the dark side of their political rivals and hopefully, garner public sympathy.

    While it is completely not out of place for a new government to appraise the situation on ground with a view to working towards effective service delivery and good governance, the way Fayose is going about his seems to be completely different.

    The governor should turn a new leaf in the interest of his people, avoid unnecessary distractions, jettison primordial sentiments and face the enormous task of governance. This is not what Ekiti needs now.

    He should reconsider his approach, leave rhetoric and settle down for work. Time is fast running out. He could investigate the affairs of the last administration if Fayemi truly has any case to answer. Afterall, the former governor has offered to defend himself when the need arises.

    Lastly, the governor should show more decorum in his public engagements. Or, how do we explain what played out a few days ago when the governor reportedly wept after prostrating for primary and secondary school teachers for not abandoning him since his impeachment in 2006 ?

    This is simply unbecoming, Mr. Governor!

     

    • Adewale Kupoluyi

     Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,

     

  • ICT and the dying art of letter-writing

    ICT and the dying art of letter-writing

    SIR: With the advent of the Internet and the diversification of communication technology, letter-writing appears to be teetering on the edge of extinction. Unarguably, the current revolution in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), through electronic mail and telephony, has eroded the relevance of letter-writing and postage stamps from our globe. Nowadays, more and more people are becoming accustomed to instant messaging as communication technology advances. Consequently, the conveyance of thoughts and feelings via the Internet has become the current trend in the communication world. The emergence of the Internet and the improvements in ICT are, no doubt, meritorious technological feats. For instance, email is a much quicker means of written communication. Also, email can be sent from anywhere, and it allows one the benefit of sending the same message to different people at the same time, provided there is an Internet connection.

    It is indisputable, and somewhat regrettable, that many teenagers are not knowledgeable about postage stamps and their uses. Accustomed to sending messages and emails with their mobile phones via the Web, a great many Nigerians hardly visit post offices to send letters anymore. Thus, this has belittled the relevance and importance of postage stamps and letter-writing in Nigeria. This, in turn, has become a source of worry to the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), which is responsible for the designing and printing of postage stamps in Nigeria.

    In addition, the dying art of letter-writing has made inroads into the writing skills of the youth. Having to send messages via social networking sites, many Nigerian youth have thrown the ethics of writing letters to the wind. They can hardly write good constructions nor can they spell correctly because of the meaningless abbreviations they employ when exchanging online messages. Hence, the actual meaning of the message is distorted owing to the hieroglyphic abbreviations.

    In the modern world, a prerequisite for employment in any firm is a letter of employment, which encapsulates an applicant’s educational background, reason(s) for seeking employment, among others. Lamentably, many a Nigerian graduate has not mastered and internalized the rudiments of letter-writing. This invariably results in the submission of poorly written articles, riddled with grammatical solecisms, during job-hunting. It is no wonder that some job-seekers even copy sample employment letters from English-language textbooks.

    Since antiquity, letter-writing has been a dignified art. It was—and still remains—one of the strongest weapons with which greats and legends used in effecting positive changes in history. Letters have been the most suitable form of communication that reveals man’s innermost beauty, and help to express his thoughts and ideas clearly and explicitly. However, the beautiful art of letter-writing has been completely eclipsed by the leviathan of computing, the Internet.

    Therefore, as part of the measures taken to revive this moribund art, I suggest that the public be enlightened about the importance and benefits of postage stamps and letters. The revolution in ICT is great, no doubt. But must we watch helplessly as it erodes our culture and deprave the minds of our younger generation? Also, the Nigerian Postal Service, whilst ensuring a quick and efficient delivery of parcels, should work in conjunction with secondary schools and youth development centres in getting Nigerian youth interested in letter-writing. Creating writing competitions and granting scholarships to successful competitors will also help to revitalize and promote the culture of letter-writing.

     

    • Kingsley Charles,

    University of Calabar. 

     

  • Measuring standards in universities

    SIR: Naturally, most university administrators want to be called “the best”. The Yoruba say even when a mouth is stench-ridden, the owner licks it. Without humility and openness of mind, human beings cannot acknowledge and accept their limitations and corrections.  In many instances, dictators don’t want to be corrected, and they don’t look kindly on complainants. Consequently, they can hardly be among the best, since only God is omniscient and infallible. The Catholic Church has redefined her doctrine of papal infallibility; but it remains difficult to accept the concept of human infallibility. Dictators can, of course, use propaganda and clever means to paint themselves as the best. They become a good looking apple that is rotten within. Many Nigerian universities are beautifully decorated, even when facilities may be scanty.

    What are the indices of a standard university? Above all, there must be facilities and facilitators, including being well-staffed with both academic and non-academic personnel, offices, and of course, adequate classrooms. When there are shortages in those respects, there are bound to be crises. How many university administrators pay attention to that fact? We see situations in which student populations are growing and new departments are established without corresponding number and sizes of classrooms. There are crises also when a worker cannot go on leave, because s/he is the only person employed to do the job. S/he must, therefore, never fall sick or have any emergency. There are crises when adequate transportation arrangement is lacking for students and staff of universities that are distant from town.

    Some years ago, someone came back from Malaysia and said “Wow! Over there, you could lie on your bed and use your gadget to read all the books in the library. And if you order any book, it comes within two or three days.” Are Nigerian university administrators concerned with facilities and facilitators, or they are busy with expansionism with which facilities and facilitators don’t catch-up? I heard someone saying somewhere that with expansionism, you get to engage contractors!  What are the priorities of the Nigerian university administrators, if facilities (including transportation of staff and students, classrooms and computer software for result computation) and facilitators (including non-academic staff) are secondary in their scale of priority?

     

    • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, PhD,

    University of Ilorin.

  • When police assumes judiciary’s role

    SIR: Ridiculous, isn’t it? In fact, it is more than condemnable. Our democracy is now being raped by the Nigerian Police. Those who are saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order are the ones breaking it. What a slap on our face! Nigerians need to wake up because these so called enforcers of law are on the verge of rubbishing the image of our dear country.

    Why is the Nigerian Police making nonsense of this case? Can we say that they have now been pocketed? If a lawmaker defects from one party to another, how does that concern the police?

    Can the Police withdraw the security details of speaker of the House of Representatives? Of course, yes, but there have to be a reasonable reason for doing such.

    That the police withdrew the speaker’s security aides because he has defected to another party citing the section 68(1)(g) of 1999 constitution as a reason is in fact the height of impunity. The section of the constitution says that “a lawmaker who defects when there is no division in his party shall vacate his seat”. Of course, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal has defected but how and when did the police confirm that there is no

    division in his party more so that there are diverse court judgments on the division in PDP?

    An Abuja high court declared that there was no division in PDP while two federal high courts, one sitting in Sokoto and another in Ilorin declared that there was division in PDP. In this kind of situation, the police are not supposed to take sides. They should have left the

    case for the court to decide instead of usurping judicial powers.

    Police action means that they are partisans and this portends a grave danger for our democracy. There have been various situations where lawmakers defect from one political party to another but the police were nowhere to be found then. Those who say that Nigerian Police is corrupt may have gotten it right.

    The police should stop arrogating the powers of the judiciary to itself. Or, are they saying that the Nigerian judiciary is useless?

    Police’s work is not to judge; it is the court that pronounce judgment; police work is to ensure that court judgments are respected and implemented.

    So, Nigerian Police should cut their excesses. Enough is enough!

     

    •Jamiu Idowu Esho (IDJ)

    Eruwa, Oyo State.

     

  • For peace to reign among Kano health workers

    SIR: Harmony between health workers is of great importance among health practitioners for the optimum healthcare services delivery. That is why efforts are being made by the federal government to find lasting solution to reduce rivalries and disharmony among health workers. But Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board [KSPHCMB] seems to be interested in brewing disharmony among its staff.

    At the 169th meeting of Kano state executive council of October 8, a memo to recruit 4701 staff for the state primary health centres across 44 local government areas came up, of which a committee was constituted comprising commissioners of special duties, health, women affairs and social development, representative of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, [ALGON] for monitoring and smooth recruitment exercise.

    The personnel listed to be recruited include medical officers [if available], Community Health Officers, Nurses/midwives, community health extension workers, environmental health officers, medical records officers, food hygienist/nutritionist, health education officers, laboratory technician/assistants, supporting staff, health attendants/assistants, security personnel, general maintainance staff and dental technicians/assistants. Unfortunately, KSPHCMB seems to have different interest in the recruitment exercise contrary to the above recommendations.

    In a paper sent across 44 local government areas with neither statement nor signature, but only a table titled ‘PHCMB minimum staff requirement per health facilities’, it only recommended certain categories of health workers, like community health workers, nurses, etc. but intentionally removed environmental health officers, food hygienists/nutritionists, health education officers and some others that are equally very relevant in primary health care settings. This action is fast brewing crisis and gathering storms among health workers as to the sidelining of some and preferential treatment to some, contrary to the main objectives of the recruitment. Some local government chairmen went ahead without proper consultation to interview applicants on their own without the presence of representatives stated in the memo.

    For peace to reign and to avoid industrial crisis and disharmony, rivalries and bickering among Kano health workers, the contents of the memo should be strictly adhered to, for primary health care settings does not belong to the chosen ones of KSPHCMB, but other health practitioners sidelined are equally of importance as no single profession has exclusive preserve of primary health care services. It is a joint and collaborative work.

    If KSPHCMB is really for better health services delivery, it should treat all staff equally by being impartial and stop the bias to some cadres, particularly to community health workers.

    • M. S.  Aliyu,

  • Jeyifo, religion and science

    Dear Sir,

    I write in response to Biodun Jeyifo’s three-part article on “Religion and science, faith and reason”, published in your issues of the October 5th, 12th and 19th October, 2014.

    I have always enjoyed reading his articles in The Nation on Sunday, as they seem to address issues of national importance from the “common man’s” point of view. There are several points raised in his article under consideration, but space will not permit me to deal with them adequately here.

    Although there are several inaccuracies in the article which he himself and Olabode Lucas have tried to remedy in different issues of your newspaper, I would like to comment on his claim that religion and science are not at variance with each other. He writes: “… religion and science are not incompatible, not mutually antithetical. … I mean religious expressions that are not opposed to the rational processes of the human mind … see the hand of God in these processes.” This is a curious statement, for somewhere in his article Jeyifo has told his audience that religion has historically fought a losing battle with science! How can two spheres of life that are supposedly compatible fight wars with each other? We can only resolve this contradiction by saying that religion and science are completely different spheres of human experience. Freethinkers from Anaxagoras through Bertrand Russell to Richard Dawkins have shown religion not only to be evil but also incompatible with the rational, scientific temper of the human mind. Religion thrives on fear, superstition and blind trust. Science is based on facts, on evidence, and on rigorous logic.  There is no common ground on which they can communicate, except at the private level of the individual.

    Jeyifo also claims that “All the Nobel Laureates in the sciences … also believe in God.” This is a blatant lie. In fact, the reverse seems to be true: most scientists in the developed world are atheists. According to statistics quoted by Richard Dawkins in his book, The God Delusion, nearly 79% of the Fellows of the UK’s prestigious Royal Society are nonbelievers, and 93% of the USA’s Members of the National Academy of Sciences are atheists. Their proportions are almost certainly higher in France, Sweden and Japan.

    Richard Feynman, a famous American Nobel Laureate in physics, even said: “God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand.” Most European Enlightenment intellectuals of the 18th century were freethinkers. Einstein was an atheist, as is Stephen Hawking today.

    Individual scientists may, for different reasons, have religious conviction, but this is often independent of their scientific pursuit. The Rev. John Polkinghorne, for example, is an Anglican parson who also won the Nobel Prize in physics, but he has never argued that religion and science are compatible. Georges E. Lemaitre was a Belgian Catholic priest and cosmologist, one of the originators of the big bang theory, who never brought God into how the Universe began, to the consternation of the Pope. Examples such as these abound, today as in the past.

    In Nigeria, the picture is doubly confusing. It seems to me that most Nigerian scientists who turn to God do so for purely pecuniary reasons, perhaps as a reflection of Max Weber’s Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Superstition and fear of the unknown undoubtedly also play a part in pushing many professors to religion. The country seems to produce an abundance of academics (smart guys who can score high marks at exams) rather than intellectuals (those with broad-based education who can engage in genuine critical thinking). It is perhaps not surprising that our national IQ is abysmally low. In a study to examine the relationship between religious belief and national IQ covering 137 countries, the correlation was generally found to be negative: those countries with the highest percentages of believers also scored relatively poorly in their national IQ. On the other hand, Japan had an IQ of 102 with only 35% of its people believing in God.

    While we bemoan the woeful performance of our children at WASC and NECO exams, we should also be concerned that religiously inclined professors of science are contributing to our low national IQ.

    By Gilbert Alabi Diche

    Rayfield, Jos.x