The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Delta State government should pay contractors

    SIR: It is very unfortunate that an administration that aspires to finish its tenure very strongly has not been giving consideration to the men and women that are making it to happen. It is on record that most of the contractors and suppliers to Delta State government that have been listed for payments in the last 12 months have not been paid.

    Meanwhile, ministries and parastatals are still advertising and awarding contracts to unsuspecting citizens to lure them into the same trap as their predecessors. Most of the contractors have lost their properties due to the non payment of the money they borrowed from banks and other financial institutions to execute these projects. Some of them are lying critically ill in hospitals and other families are on the edge because of the same problem.

    It had been one promise after another, on a monthly basis. It is worthwhile to note that the Delta State government has been collecting its monthly allocation throughout this period, without giving consideration to these contractors, that have sacrificed their sweat and blood to execute these projects.

    The government should at least show some compassion and consideration to these contractors who have contributed to the uplifting of the state.

    Deltans are looking forward to government addressing this matter immediately so as to ameliorate the sufferings of the contractors and also for the continuation of the abandoned and suspended contracts and projects.

    • Adje Samuel,

    Warri, Delta State

     

  • Lessons from Osun governorship election

    SIR: The hype, frenzy and hullabaloo of the Osun governorship election have come and gone, it has left some echoes of lamentation of lost travellers on a maze of paths with no compass to chart the right course.   The election brought to the fore issues and principles around which political parties canvas for votes.  On focus also was the integrity of the political process, especially the neutrality of the electoral umpire, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).  Equally conspicuous were the roles of security operatives, observers and election monitoring, reports, comments and analysis of the members of the fourth estate of the realm and the entire gamut of the election.

    Without a doubt, the election was a dress rehearsal to the forthcoming 2015 elections.    Elections in Nigeria are neither issue based nor ideological in outlook.   Qualifications and acceptance are on the narrow prism of religion, ethnicity, and other sectarian considerations.   This is the reason why the money bags purchase ballots and support by giving handouts to Nigerians whom they have impoverished through looting of our commonwealth.

    Crowds are hired for rallies to give semblance of popularity and acceptance and rigging machines oiled.

    Preparation for elections ordinarily was for candidates to introduce their manifestoes and programmes to the electorate but instead the candidates carry and distribute customized rice, salt and pepper with little cash for the D-Day.

    In the build-up to the Osun election, there was so much hues and cries about the presence of security in the entire states.  The APC accused the PDP led federal government of militarizing the state with the aim of intimidating the opposition and create avenues for manipulating the electoral result. The question then, is how does the presence of security forces translate to intimidation?  Yes, the roadblocks may be quite inconveniencing.   It is unfortunately our fate that we have to contend with for now.  However, it is my view that security agencies should be thinking beyond the “roadblock” intelligence which only visit hardship on the people and expose them to greater harm in event of “unlikely” incident of attack at those road blocks.

    The DSS operatives now operate like Rambo wearing hood and bearing arms offensively to the chagrin of any person with pretensions to intelligence gathering.    This to me has manifestly exposed our inability to get intelligence to arrest the mindless violence and insurgency in the North-east and other criminality in Nigeria.   Always, there ought to be synergy by the different security agencies each complementing the other in fine harmony not like the Nollywood pageant exhibitionism.

    The activities of the DSS also exposed the deep rooted partisanship of the service and perhaps other security agencies.  I was worried at the statement credited to the spokesperson of the Directorate of the State Security (SSS), Marilyn Ogar where she alleged that men of the department were bribed with the sum of N14 million.  To a rational person, it was obvious she was not only playing a script but wearing the garb of partisanship.   After all, it is common knowledge that all the political parties arrange financial package for the security men through some facilitators. Therefore she was not saying anything new or extra-ordinary about our elections; that may not be best global practice but a Nigerian political norm.  In all these murky water of political storm, the lesson is that the people, the masses, and electorate have the ace to change our political culture and fortune.

     

    • Mike Kebonkwu Esq

    Wuse 2, Abuja

     

  • The problem with Rivers’ politics

    SIR: The recent clashes between the cliques of the PDP and APC in Rivers State during a slated ward-visit by the governor to Rumuoprikom (later cancelled), home-zone of the supervising minister of education are inexcusable and condemnable.

    That some youths in the state decided to uncritically support public figures instead of their respective party’s beliefs is distressing. It is easy to see why it might be difficult for youths of today to wrestle power from the ageing in governance.

    How else can you interpret youngsters’ disposition to work with a “group philosophy” that leads to destruction, and anarchy? That a fracas on the go elsewhere snowballed as far as Rumuokuta and Rumuigbo is beyond understanding.

    And, that the two principal leviathans (the governor and education minister) have not bothered to douse the tension overtly and covertly is alarming. Unwholesome are the role of party chieftains who for all time have been fanning the malevolence with fiery speeches.

    States chief executives should learn to follow General Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd)’s apothegm, when upon retirement, certain retired army officers joined disputes with him in the press: “I do not join issues with people who in God’s infinite mercy I am higher than.”

    If the governor assumes rightly that the minister is beneath him, then he should follow the rule and urge his supporters to do same so that Rivers State will be peaceful.

    It is also imperative for the minister of state for education, Nyesom Wike, who always elects to castigate the governor at the slightest impulse to act ministerial if that office is to be respected and, if he truly means well for the people of Rivers State. Politics after all is not a gladiatorial contest.

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi is worthy of respect. He is one amongst a few governors in Nigeria who tolerates the opposition, and has not used his power to muscle them to oblivion. There are states in Nigeria where the opposition do not have a voice; not by choice but because the machinery of state are used to pursue them out of relevance.

    In Rivers State, the opposition have access to the states media which they have used to run announcements against the governor. He has refused to be intimidated by many, and has called off the missteps of others. Almost akin to governor George Corley Wallace Jnr of Alabama who even as a member of the same party (Democratic party) stood up to President J.F.Kennedy during the segregationist crisis at the University of Alabama (though he apologised to blacks later in his twilight years). That is the beauty of democracy: members of the same party do not have to agree all of the time and disagreements should not be misread as subversive criminal act. Will politicians ever act right?

     

    • Simon Abah

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State

     

  • Of Ebola and bush meat

    SIR: Up to the first week of August when I left Ghana, that country did not have any Ebola victim, while one or two cases had been established in Nigeria. Yet, too many Ghanaians stopped buying bush meat, because of the claim that Ebola derived from bush animals, with specific reference to bats and monkeys. People who specialized in bush meat trade complained of terribly low patronage and losses. The same outcry was witnessed about three days ago in Ilorin, Kwara State where I reside.

    Even if it were true that Ebola derived from bush animals, we still need to know how that came about. Did it happen through eating killed and roasted/cooked bush animals? I eat monkeys and bats killed in forest, and many other bush animals, including certain species of snakes. As I write this article, some people are hunting, killing and eating bush animals in many Ghanaian and Nigerian villages and farm settlements, without any Ebola crisis in their midst.

    Let’s ask some searching questions, following the premise that people were eating bush meat before the Ebola outbreak. Why is it that none of such persons in Ghana, Togo, Republic de Benin, and many parts of Nigeria, is suffering from Ebola, except as spread by people from Liberia, etc?

    Why should we entertain fear about bush meat when eating it has not been found to be the cause of Ebola, and very many West Africans live on bush meat in our villages, farm settlements, and hunters’ camps up till date? Yes, the rumour will preserve wild animal life, but impoverish those who depend on bush meat as hunters, traders, and consumers alike.

    In Ghana, Nigeria, and other African (or West African) countries, cows are not different from bush animals, because they are reared in the bush.  Beyond that, given the conditions under which the Ebola organism survives, it is impossible to contract it through a well cooked or roasted bush meat. And so, bush meat is safe, yesterday and today. Why do too many Africans live by emotion, rather than scientific evidence and/or philosophical analysis? They would condemn homosexuals because a holy book says this or that, rather than finding out what is true according to nature and actual reality. They would carry religious sentiments to the academic arena and confuse facts and figures with monumental historical prejudices.

    Who spread the falsehood that African traditional medicine has no measurement? Why do Africans demonize their precious ancestral heritages? A competent African traditional medical doctor knows the effect of every ingredient in a traditional medicine. Eschew prejudice. Critically examine every claim. Those who claim to be African “leaders” are mostly African destroyers. Isn’t it?

    • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, PhD,

    University of Ilorin.

     

     

  • Understanding the OOU crisis

    SIR: One does not need a star-gazer to know that it is the elements within the political opposition that are responsible for the violent protests by some students of  the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), which have now resulted in the closure of the institution by the state government.

    It is on record that the students of OOU were having their normal classes before the announcement of reduction of school fees by about 60% penultimate Tuesday by the state government.

    Rationally and expectedly, all the students of tertiary institutions in Ogun state reportedly erupted into spontaneous jubilation. Twenty-four hours later, news filtered to the public that the students of the tertiary schools in Ogun state under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students were organising a “Thank You” rally at the Governor’s Office penultimate Thursday.

    Sensing that the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has scored a major political point, having not only abolished his predecessor’s template of yearly increase in school fees of tertiary students but now reducing school fees payable by 60%, the opposition moved fast.

    So, they reasoned thus: “If we allow Amosun to savour another moment of glory, having introduced free primary and secondary education, which we could not do during our tenure, then we are done for.”

    They mobilised a handful of students of OOU, led by one former ex-officio of the school’s Students’ Union Government (who is no longer a student of the school), to counter the solidarity rally of the overwhelming majority of the students in support of the current administration by demanding further reduction of the school fees and their retroactive implementation.

    Of course, they were no match for the majority in terms of the success of the rally. Then they did the unexpected the next day – violence. They destroyed property and valuables worth millions of naira.

    The government has the paramount responsibility of maintaining law and order. In particular, it needs to protect the majority of OOU students, who, like their counterparts in other higher institutions of learning in the state, saw the 60% reduction as a huge and unprecedented gesture on the part of Amosun, for which they are very grateful and knew the politics behind the current agitation by a few of their colleagues.

    I urge the law enforcement agents to fish out this political and violent few among the OOU students and make them face the wrath of the law so that normal academic activities can resume without much delay.

    • Vincent Adeleke

    Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State

     

  • No plan to review Lagos Road Traffic Law

    Sir: Our attention has been drawn to sponsored insinuations, most especially in the social media, stating that the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola,  SAN has concluded plans to review the  Road Traffic Law 2012, especially the aspect concerning the restriction of commercial motorcyclists from plying major highways and bridges in the Centre of Excellence.

    This is far from the truth. This administration does not have the intention to reverse itself on this important issue now or in the immediate future. The reason is simple. By enacting the Law of 2012, we have made considerable gains in discharging the primary responsibility of government to our people in the area of protection for life and property.

    We would like to further state for the records that the decision to regulate the use of commercial motorcycles on our highways was not a unilateral decision but a response to popular demands by members of the public who have been at the receiving end in their daily interactions with the okada operators.

    Altogether, there are 9,100 roads in Lagos State. Motorcycles below 200cc are restricted on only 475 of these roads, which represents 5.6% of roads in Lagos. The result and impact of this decision have been tremendous. Prior to the enactment of the law, we were recording an average of 16 motorcycle-related deaths across the State every month and an average of 646 injured patients from motorcycle related serious accidents at states secondary and tertiary hospitals. As at March this year, our statistics show only 1 to 2 motorcycle-related deaths and less than 100 motorcycle accident related injuries in a month. No doubt, we have all thereasons to thump our chest that we have been responsive and responsible in the discharge of our duty to the people of Lagos.

    We know where this misinformation is coming from, and the objective it is meant to achieve. We will say it for the umpteenth time, contrary to what they say, ours is the only government that has given recognition to the use of motorcycle as a means of commercial transportation through the instrument of the law and regulations meant to protect the riders and the generality of the citizenry. We are very much aware that in some jurisdictions controlled by the sponsors of this malicious propaganda, they have, through the instrumentality of raw power, banned outright the use of motorcycles.

    The reason and motive of the sponsors of this unpopular agenda is obviously to set the stage for roguish conduct in the 2015 election. Their action is not altruistic but sinister. Their subtle and malicious campaign is to aid their sinister plots of fomenting trouble and snatching ballot boxes with the use of Okadas during the forthcoming General Election. Such evil plans will have no place in Lagos.

    We wish to thank the general public for their concern over this issue, most especially the law-abiding Okada riders who appreciate that we are more concerned with their safety and well-being than those who are trying to incite them against the law. We will continue to strive alongside all our citizens to always ensure the safety of our people – Okada riders and other members of the general public, and we are confident of collectively building a safe, secured and prosperous society.

    We encourage our Okada riders to go about their lawful duty by obeying all the provisions of the traffic law, especially those that restrict them from certain roads, those that compel them to always wear crash elements, not ride with more than one passenger, not carry a child below the age of 12, not carry a pregnant woman or a passenger who is also bearing a load on his head while riding, etc. All these are obviously for the safety of all. They should also not ride against the traffic (one way) or run red light for the overall safety of all road users.

    All incidents of wrongful arrest or oppression by law enforcement agencies should be promptly reported, individually or through Union Executives, to the Attorney General’s Office or Office of the Public Defender for prompt action.

    The duty of a responsible government is to protect life and property, and this we shall continue to do through the Road Traffic Law 2012.

     

    • Lateef Raji, 

    Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Alausa Lagos

     

     

  • Rescuing our girls from Boko Haram

    SIR: It will be grand delusion on the part of President Jonathan and his advisers to imagine that after leaving (I almost wrote abandoned) these young girls in the custody of their captors for over four whole months, they can be rescued by any means other than by negotiating with the insurgents. One is not suggesting a swap of the girls for insurgents,

    as some are mooting. No.

    However,the only way we can rescue all the girls alive is by engaging the insurgents in dialogue.

    The government will insist that they lay down their arms and return all the girls safely and in return they will be be granted an amnesty the way the late President Yar’Adua did to  the Niger Delta militants.

    We also need to consider whatever other conditions they might come up with. This is the only safe thing to do in my own view.

    It will be foolhardy to imagine the girls can be safely rescued by the use of force. We have left matters till too late.

    • Abiodun Sopitan

    Oregun, Ikeja-Lagos

  • Mobile healthcare services is the way to go

    SIR: With the launch of mobile healthcare service delivery in Lagos last month by MTN and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which was facilitated by Salt & Einstein MTS, I knew that something massive and good was coming the way of Nigerians in the area of healthcare delivery system via the mobile phone.  Nigerians have enjoyed the luxury and the basic needs of mobile phones since the inception of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) in 2001, but they have not enjoyed using the mobile phones to access healthcare services from qualified hospitals and doctors.  This is what Salt & Einstein MTS intends to achieve when it created a single platform that brought together, MTN and NHIS to provide healthcare services to millions of Nigerians connected to telecoms network.

    Health is wealth and most times people die with their ill-health either as a result of ignorance or poverty. The initiative brings service providers in the health sector, especially the HMOs and the telecoms service providers, on a single online platform that is accessible to all Nigerians. With their mobile phones, Nigerians could communicate with any HMO of their choice and get the best medical service at affordable cost. This initiative is new in Nigeria and it is not limited to telecoms operators and NHIS.

    It is open to all service providers from different sectors of the economy, using a single platform to provide services to Nigerians. Apart from healthcare service delivery, the platform could also be used to provide other social services like the cashless initiative.

    In an economy like Nigeria, where over 70 per cent of cash flow is in the informal sector, there is need to develop a business model that will address the issue.

    If we truly want to be successful as a nation, and integrate the informal sector with the formal sector, then we need to create models that will positively touch the lives of people.

    Having realized the need for a single platform that will accommodate several service providers, Salt & Einstein MTS decided to come up with a business model that can accommodate industry multiple solutions that should connect the common man. What they did was to look at the entire value chain to come up with business solutions model that will address every sector, comprising the regulator, the players and the various ecosystems. The initiative, no doubt, will give Nigerians access to affordable and innovative healthcare programmes, via the mobile phone, and at the same time place the country on the same pedestal with countries adjudged to have universal healthcare delivery system.

    • Jude Okafor,

    Ojodu, Lagos.

  • Letter of appeal to Governor Amosun

    Sir,

    We are constrained to resort to this medium to ventilate our views and passionately appeal to your Excellency based on the issue regarding government’s decision and action on our lands in Lupele Village, Oke-Mosan. The issue is already threatening our livelihood for which we need your Excellency’s passionate intervention, as our leader and in whose power Allah has today providentially placed the destinies of many in the state.

    We like to place on record that prior to year 2011, we bought parcels of land at Lupele Village, based strictly on the understanding that the land was in no way under government acquisition.

    In order to put paid to any doubt, the then Bureau of Lands and Survey in a letter dated May 9th, 2011, vide No-LM10/794/55 and signed by the Director General, Surveyor Gbenga Ogunnoiki clarified that the land had been ceded to Lupele Community as part of the renewal policy of the then administration to allow for peaceful coexistence and heritage preservation.

    Believing the credibility of the government, our minds were at rest that the matter had been laid to rest permanently. Further to our delight, the issue came up for deliberation under the judicial panel of enquiry into land matters at the inception of this administration. At the end of deliberation, it was noted that the land, alongside other communities in Oke Mosan, has been excised to the villages, on the strength of the letters to them earlier.

    Surprisingly, on the 6th August 2012, we received a letter from Bureau of Lands and Survey, signed by Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, Special Adviser/Director General (Lands), advising that all actions and activities on the land should cease pending the outcome of a review exercise by government. Naturally, prior to this, some measure of structural development had started to take place based on assurance from government vide the previous letters. On the basis of the latest letter from the Bureau, we complied with government’s directives and we’re waiting for government action in form of a constructive dialogue between both parties on the matter. However, to our amazement, we woke up to discover that bulldozers from the Bureau of Lands and Survey/Housing Coorporation had moved in and started mowing down all semblances of structures on the land.

    On the strength of the above, we hereby passionately appeal that your Excellency should please temper justice with mercy and take another view of the matter.

    May the Almighty Allah create a space for our pity in your Excellency’s heart to handle this matter.

     

    Bolaji Akinpelu

    Lupele Village community

    Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.

  • Can we begin to have confidence on INEC?

    The two elections conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in two states of Ekiti and Osun have shown to all Nigerians and the world over that maybe we should start having confidence on our electoral umpire.

    In the past, Nigerians have lost confidence on the activities of most of the agencies responsibility of conducted any election in our country.

    But of recent, the present INEC has started on good note with the way it has conducted the two elections in those states without any form of malpractice from any of the staff of INEC and the transparency the elections was conducted.

    The assurance by the chairman of INEC Prof. Attaihru Jega of his Commission’s preparedness of conducting credible elections between now and 2015 should be commended and should be applauded by all Nigerians.

    The two elections in the two states known as flash point areas in the country should be seen as launch pad towards getting free, fair and credible election that would be accepted by the entire country and the world in particular.

    We should conduct our elections into various elective posts without any form of intimidation or any harassment for Nigerian to elect people of proven integrity that would represent them in the elective position.

    Nigerians would be proud if our electoral umpire would put the interest of country and good image of its people at heart, then Nigerian say we have arrived in conducting credible election without any form acrimony and unnecessary bickering.

    With election of 2015 in few months’ time and all Nigerian would start to have confidence on our electoral system, and conducting election to the admiration of all and sundry, we shall say our promised land is insight.

    Bala Nayashi, Yashi Area

    Lokoja, Kogi State.