The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Give us credible election in Osun

    SIR: I will like to to air my views on the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Osun State.

    The August 9, election must be free, fair and credible and must be seen to be so. Failure to ensure an enabling environment that will nurture this democratic experiment will be suicidal to the survival of Nigeria. Prof. Attahiru Jega must take responsibility for any untoward consequences to this democracy. The undue militarization of the Ekiti State cannot work in Osun State. The selective arrests of APC unit, ward and other leaders that took place in Ekiti will spell doom for them in Osun State. The people of Osun State know who their real leaders are. The president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan must caution his ministers of police affairs, Jelili Adesiyan and that of Defence,. Musiliu Obanikoro on the abuse of their offices because it will backfire.

    The use of fake soldiers and police officials to harrass and arrest APC members must not be contemplated. Compromised Returning Officers will regret their actions if they make attempt to perpetrate electoral fraud in Osun State. Prof Jega must shore up the sagging integrity and credibility of INEC by putting in place fraud-proof measures in the Osun governorship election on Saturday.

    • Hon. Akinrolabu Babatunde Omonitan,

    Ikeji-Ile Ijesha, Osun State

     

  • Arochukwu–Ohafia road – Memo to Minister of Works

    SIR: This letter is also informed by the spirit of open government which democracy seeks to promote in any society including Nigeria where it is our choice for governance.  It is a statement on the confidence that I and our community have in your ability to intervene and address problems like ours in the road sector.

    Honourable Minister, may I painfully inform you that Arochukwu, an ancient kingdom in Abia State is presently cut-off from the rest of the country. The only major federal road that connects Aro with the rest of the country is in a deplorable state. The 27 kilometre road from the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Military Barracks Ohafia toArocukwu in Abia State has been neglected for over 30 years. It has no major obstacles like bridges or difficult terrain.The only problem of the road over these years can easily be traced to promises made and promises broken!

    It is  sad commentary that a well-known community like Arochukwu reputed as the cradle of Igbo civilization has found itself in such a sorry state in terms of bad roads.  Under its present terrible state, a journey from Ohafia to Arochukwu that should not last more than 20 minutes now drags for over three hours. There is no doubt that Arochukwu –Ohafia road in its current condition is perhaps the worst federal road in Nigeria. And this is not an exaggeration. A trip on this road is a terrible experience that no one is prepared to recommend even to one’s worst enemy. This is why for some time now, many of us from Arochukwu neither travel home nor risk the shame of inviting friends and well-wishers to visit our community.

    In November 2012, our joy knew no bounds when the Jonathan administration awarded a contract for reconstruction of the road to one indigenous company BeksKimse Nigeria Ltd at the cost of  aboutN4.8 billion.The project was expected to be completed within a period of 24 months from the date the contract was signed.

    We thought that our pains, frustration anguish on the road were over. While publicly appreciating the federal government’s gesture, Arochukwu in particular offered to provide any required assistance and support to the contractor to avoid stories and excuses in getting the important job done.

    Unfortunately, it is sad, a big shame and disappointment that this company, BeksKimse Nigeria Ltd have failed themselves, Arochukwu community and the Federal Government that gave them an opportunity to make an important contribution to national development in that part of the country.

    We are utterly disappointed on the performance of BeksKimse Nigeria Ltd. The firmhas shown no sensitivity to our plight. Apart from two archaic caterpillars, a few shovels, some wheel barrows and diggers which the company abandoned near the Arochukwu local government headquarters since the past 18 months, less than a quarter of  a kilometre of the job has been accomplished after nearly two years.

    While we have no information on what their specific problem may be, we have also seen no signs, equipment, skilled human manpower or any form of passionate commitment on the part of this company to embark on this project. We are deeply concerned that this contract that we all hoped on has been rendered a failed project.

    In the light of this unfortunate situation, I wish to appeal for urgent intervention of the Minister of Works, Arch Mike Onolenmemen, to institute a full investigation into circumstances that has led to this failed project. I also request the ministerr to do us a rare honour of visiting Arochukwu, inspect  the project site to see things for himself because seeing is believing.

    As a major   support base for the administration in the South-east, Arochukwu as a community is ready and willing to offer assistance that may be required. We trust that this passionate request   for your kind urgent intervention will attract your mercy and desired attention in the service of man and country.

     

    • Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji,

     

  • Remembering Ironsi and Fajuyi

    SIR: Where will Nigeria’s saviour come from? Politics which is meant to solve our perplexing troubles is now a tool to separate people. Decent and strong guidance is elusive; yet it is desired to change the mind-set of the average man on the street as well as the elite for national goals.

    Have we ever had a golden era? Yes! We have. General Aguiyi Ironsi and Col. Adekunle Fajuyi may not have been ideal democratic leaders but they both were committed to helping Nigeria move away from the nationalist sentimentalities of the numerous tribes that was and is still today tearing the country apart.

    Activists have asked if this country can ever produce great leaders of the same kind to the types they have read about in other climes who liberated their countries from anguishes. They reason that such leaders succeeded in their quest for development because they were altruistic, loved their country, and treated all and sundry with consideration, both by edict and example impressed upon on citizens.

    It is 47 years now since General Aguiyi Ironsi and Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, passed on to the other world. They lived a short life but left a mark that is hard to get rid of from our national landscape – together, they were blessed with the gift of loyalty.

    Thanks to Fajuyi’s sacrifice, for, in this country today, we have people who are grooming responsible citizens for the future. Fajuyi’s loss calls and bid us to fight biases with determination. If Nigerians stand up to fight against discrimination of women then it would be possible to have many more like Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Gambo Sawaba, Laila Dogonyaro,etc.

    Ironsi barnstormed the country in quest of peace and spoke about the need for it up until the day he died in Ibadan. He was not given to rhetoric; otherwise he would have remained in Lagos making announcements full of pseudo-patriotism. He went to the field uniting his troops to restore stability and sanity in the country.

    And even though his grip lay in the military, he was meek enough to consult widely in other areas. He was a skilled general, gentleman-officer, fluent in the English language, of unsullied character, and valued reason above narrow-minded interest and the unity of the country above personal self-seeking interest.

    The political class and army looked up to Ironsi for leadership and guidance against the background of riots, election-rigging, minority-people agitation and many more social problems in the land.

    May be his ‘oneness’ policy might have created a Nigeria where ingenuity, intelligence, a high sense of industry was the norm in all regions of the country and not the exception?

    Aguiyi Ironsi and Adekunle Fajuyi went into alignment with their true pristine self and saw life from an all-inclusive, rather than a fragmented perspective. They realized that as a people we shine more as ‘full moon’.

    `Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi and Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi practiced the religion of love to take Nigeria to loftiness unimagined and should have a memorial day, like Martin Luther King Junior, in their memory.

    • Simon Abah

    Port Harcourt

     

  • INEC, where is my PCV?

    SIR: I tried to collect my PVC at Oriade Local Government Osun State and I was told it was not ready.

    I believe that INEC and PDP are probably trying to discourage people from voting. INEC’s inefficient way of producing Permanent Voters Card (PVC) may disenfranchise so many people.

    Many people have been told that their voter’s card and which should be the basis for collecting PVC so as to be to vote, would not be acceptable despite the fact that their PVC is not ready.

    Does that mean despite having a voter’s card they would be denied the right to vote?

    I want you to informe INEC, that people without PVC, but Voter’s Card should be allowed to vote.

    • Ayo Ajayi,

    Oriade Local Govt, Osun State.

     

  • We are living in troubled times

    SIR: Aren’t we living in troubled times in the geographical space called Nigeria? The Boko Haram insurgents are killing innocent people in the north-east of Nigeria in order to create an Islamic State there. Kidnappers and armed robbers are having a field’s day in some cities of Nigeria. Daily, millions of unemployed youths throng companies and government establishments searching for jobs. Truly, this is not the best of times for Nigeria and Nigerians. It is not the best time to be a Nigerian.

    But, our leaders are telling us that we have never had it so good like now, that today’s Nigeria is better than Nigeria of yester-years. So, the minister of finance does read out statistical gobblegook to prove that our economy has improved tremendously. But, millions of Nigerians are living below the poverty. And, about 10 million children of school ages are out of school because their parents cannot afford to keep them in schools.

    Besides, yearly, our universities churn out graduates who are pushed into the already saturated labour market. For all our economic prosperity, as espoused by our leaders, the government has not tackled the issue of unemployment effectively. An adage says that an idle hand is a devil’s workshop. The unemployed people constitute a ready pool from which Boko Haran recruits its foot soldiers and suicide bombers. And, most discontents in Nigeria who have taken to crime are unemployed people. There is always a connection between the high rate of criminal activities in Nigeria and our issue of unemployment.

    Now, Nigeria is racked with crimes.  Kidnappers are having a field day in some states in the south-east and south-south. Rich people are seized and they would not regain their freedoms until and unless they’ve paid ransom. There are incidences of armed robbery operations in the country. The rich live behind fortresses, and drive in bullet-proof cars. It is that bad.

    Now, the north is a hot-bed of terrorist activities. The Boko Haram insurgents control a large swathe of the north-east; and they’ve hoisted their flag in the Damboa town. They carry out their bloody and murderous operations in Abuja and other northern towns, too. Aren’t the people of the north under siege?  Until now, the federal government has not secured the release of the Chibok school girls who were abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    But, the government’s responses to issues affecting us are tardy, uninspiring, and ineffective. It takes ages for the president to take a decision on an issue. The spectre of the outbreak of the dreaded Ebola disease looms over us. Given our porous borders, an infected foreigner can find his or her way into our country, and inadvertently infect our people with the Ebola virus.

    So, what is our country’s level of preparedness regarding how to tackle and contain the Ebola disease if we witness an outbreak of it in Nigeria?  The dysfunctionality of our health sector is obvious and disheartening. Well-heeled Nigerians travel to South Africa and India to receive treatment for minor ailments. Doctors in the government employ are always embarking on industrial action to press home their demands. In the past, our hospitals were referred to as consulting clinics; today, they’ve morphed to mortuaries where people go to die. Against this background, the outbreak of the Ebola disease will lead to the decimation of our population.

    So, we are really living in troubled times. But, our country’s future is a cause of anxiety and worry among Nigerians. The country is split along ethnic and religious lines. As the 2015 draws nearer, tension is mounting in the country.

    The Boko Haram insurgency, the issue of unemployment, our egregious variant of politics, and government’s ineptitude are factors that can trigger off conflict in the country. Indeed, we are living in troubled times.

    • Chiedu Uche Okoye

    Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State.

     

  • Ekiti new LCDAs and development

    SIR: The creation of new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) by the Ekiti State Government represents a bold step to stimulate grassroots development and bring government nearer to the people. With the signing of a bill creating new 19 LCDAs into law by Governor Kayode Fayemi on July 30, the dreams of many people living in the grassroots were fulfilled as they have now been offered opportunities to feel the impact of the government more than ever before.

    The issue of creation of new council areas was one of the major requests of various communities in Ekiti State during Governor Fayemi’s village square meetings with the people for their inputs into the budgets that had so far been implemented during his administration.

    The exercise which commenced in January this year with the inauguration of a committee which received memoranda from various communities and interest groups also passed through the stages of referendum, consideration and passage by the House of Assembly and assent of the governor of the enabling bill.

    Nobody can fault the fact that due process was followed in the steps leading to the creation of the LCDAs as the communities which presented memoranda were visited by the committee to verify their claims while their representatives also defended their memoranda.

    Ekiti had been operating 16 local government councils since its creation on October 1, 1996 which are made up of 12 LGAs inherited from the old Ondo State and four new ones created by the military administration which decreed the state into existence.

    Almost 18 years down the line, it is very obvious that the 16 councils are insufficient to cater to the needs of the people of the state as the population has increased and the available facilities and amenities already overstretched.

    For example, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital which used to exist as a single LGA now has additional three LCDAs as one local council can no longer cope with the demands of an ever expanding city.

    Ikole LGA before the latest LCDA creation exercise had 24 communities and a large land mass extending to the boundaries with Kwara and Kogi states.

    Creation of two more LCDAs from the old Ikole local council is expected to make administration of the communities easier and bring dividends of democracy closer to the people.

    The case of the people of the old Irepodun/Ifelodun was very pathetic as people in Igbemo, Afao, Are and Iworoko axis used to pass through either Ado, the state capital Ifaki/Esure before reaching Igede which hitherto served as their council headquarters.

    Although the last stage of the exercise now rests with the National Assembly which is expected to give the LCDAs the seal of LGAs, the benefits of their creation are enormous.

    Some of the expected benefits include provision of more social amenities, boosting grassroots economy, provision of more employment opportunities, avenues to generate more revenue and provision of more services to the people at the grassroots.

    All hands must be on deck to nurture the new LCDAs into maturity and make them fulfil the purpose for which they are created.

    This is not the time to play politics with the creation of the LCDAs as the people of the grassroots remain the ultimate beneficiaries of the new councils.

    • Odunayo Ogunmola,

    Ado-Ekiti,

    Ekiti State.

     

  • N220 billion MSME fund: Open letter CBN Governor

    SIR: I want to commend the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, for the bold step he has taken to mastermind the proposed N220 billion loan to revive some moribund small scale enterprises and thereby creating employment opportunities for the unemployed in the country.

    According to the report, the N220 billion to be released shall constitute a first phase which shall be distributed to 10 states on pilot basis. Having examined the whole arrangement, there is a lacuna.

    There is no provision for clear-cut monitoring and evaluation of the loan after disbursement. And more importantly, since this intervention is to revive ailing medium scale businesses, the period of moratorium of between six and 12 months should be spelt out. So also, the duration of payment after moratorium should be indicated.

    Many Nigerians welcome this noble step and idea but the fear remains that it should not go the way the past government programmers went. The introduction and demise of some past government programmers such as Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), Family Support Programme, People’s Bank of Nigeria (PBN), Urban Mass Transit Programme, River Basin Development Authority (RBDA) are still fresh in our memories.

    In order for this incoming programme to achieve its desired objective and for it not to die at birth, all hands must be on deck. Nigeria cannot afford to miss it again at this critical point. The country has just been categorized by the 2013 World Bank Report as one of the world’s five “extremely poor” countries.

    But in reaction to that report, President Good Luck Jonathan debunked the report. He was of the opinion that the nation’s major problem was that of redistribution of wealth. So, if people have access to soft loan, it is obvious that the situation will change for the better.

    As a concerned Nigerian with background information on how to put in place an enduring poverty alleviation programme in Nigeria, I want to put the record straight with the following suggestions before the CBN governor. I served as secretary, Poverty Alleviation Programme Development Committee (PAPDC) during the then Federal Military Government of Nigeria through the National Planning Commission and International Donor Agencies. The programme design lasted for almost five years and the committee later submitted the blue print on poverty alleviation to the then Federal Military Government. The blue print was later incorporated into the country’s rolling plan.

    I therefore want to state that as a custodian of that information, I owe the country a duty to advise the Governor of CBN to revisit that blue print for the purpose of full implementation so that the issue of distribution of wealth canvassed by the President can be realized.

    The PAPDC then identified a number of constraints which militated against the effectiveness of the aforementioned past programmes. They include lack of targeting mechanism, policy instability, adequate coordination mechanism, inappropriate approach to programme design and of course, absence of sustainability mechanisms.

    If the loan is released based on the current arrangements, the powers-that-be in each state will convert the loan to party affairs. Only the loyalists to the government in power will benefit. On that note, the principle of lack of targeting mechanism will come to play. Consequently, the purpose of the loan will be defeated.

    The blue print under reference has provided for how such loan should be administered. The federal government will have to set up a board of poverty alleviation at the top, similar board at the state and local government levels. Details are contained in the blue print being referred to here.

    • Gabriel E. Ayimoro,

    Adekunle Ajasin University, 

    Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.

  • Re: Doctors and health sector crisis

    SIR: The article that has prompted this rejoinder appeared in The Nation of Friday 18 July, page 21. Written by one Odedeyi Adekunle, a pharmacist, it made an interesting reading.

    Commendably, he started off admitting the truth, in paragraph 4 of the article, which a lot of other health workers often deny. Hear him: “While it is true in ages past, that physicians were a Jack of all trades as far as treatment of the patient was concerned, the practice in the wisdom of practitioners (medical doctors) was later broken down into different disciplines for better efficiency and specialization”. The historical perspective of the evolution of surgical practice in the medical profession, for instance supports this fact. In ages past, the medical doctors who were trained in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and the pathology etc, of the human being had to invite the barbers to the operating theatre where and when the need arose for an operation (surgery). These barbers were carefully guided by the medical doctors on where and how to cut through (do the surgery), until completion. Later, these barbers as it were, were incorporated into the medical training and this led to the beautiful art and science of surgery as we know today. In a similar manner, the wisdom of the ages past medical doctors informed the broken down into different disciplines of medical profession to other health workers-pharmacists, nurses, laboratory scientists, radiographers and physiotherapists etc, for better efficiency and specialization. But today in Nigeria, the invitees to the profession have not only risen against him that invited them all but have actually ganged up against him. How sad! In contemporary times, a medical doctor goes further after his/her initial medical certification, to specialize in such areas as pharmacy, laboratory sciences, radiology, physiotherapy, health administration/economics etc just as much as in other areas such as surgery, internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology among several others; with a bona fide right to practice in those areas and be appointed to fill any relevant position(s).

    Besides, professional leadership position is not just about personality, communication skills, human relations, resourcefulness and tactfulness etc, it is importantly also about the expert knowledge in training of the said leader. For instance, the training of an infantry soldier puts him ahead of other soldiers in expertise and thus he provides leadership in military as brigade commander, service chief and the like. Again, the training of a lawyer endows him/her with the requisite knowledge to be a leader in the justice and judiciary system: magistrates, judges, permanent secretaries, commissioners/ministers etc. Similarly, a non academic staff of a university can hardly be appointed a Vice-Chancellor of a university or a head of an academic department, no matter how highly educated. And so on. Thus with all due respect to other health workers, I keep wondering what quantum of expert knowledge would be available to the other health workers in the health sector to give directive(s) to the medical doctor(s) in health establishments.

    Where there is unhealthy competition or rivalry between the various groups of health workers, there is bound to be crisis. And where the government undertakes to set one group of health workers against another, there is no way peace can reign in the Nigerian health sector and more. Painfully in all these, it is the patients and indeed the nation that suffer. So the debate should shift from the blame game to the way forward in the overall interest of the patients and the nation.

    It is important that medical doctors that find themselves in positions of professional leadership need to imbibe an inclusive management style; recognize the rights of other health workers and carry most groups of health workers along, to minimize the frictions in such institutions. Doing otherwise certainly would not augur well either for the institution(s) or the medical profession.

    All said, the wind of crisis currently blowing through the health sector in Nigeria is certainly not doing any good to anyone. The various groups of health workers must have to close ranks, shun unhealthy rivalry and work together as a team (which is the hallmark of medical practice) in the overall interest of the patients and the nation.

    • Dr. Ufot Ekere

    Abuja

  • Katsina LG: Bring back the drainages

    SIR: Town planning is one of the common features missing in most Nigerian towns and cities. Almost in every state of the federation, one finds state urban and regional planning commissions. But unfortunately, many cities and towns are increasingly becoming slums and refugee camps. A lot of indigenous families are ousted from their homes into cabbages and under the bridges due to poor governmental planning and policies.  Some of the major cities in Nigeria like Lagos and Kano have already turned to slums.

    In Katsina town, most areas lack proper planning and features of a state capital. There is only one local government in the state capital. Just of recent, in Kofar Kaura layout, sewer and drainages are being turned into shops. What is most surprising is that some of the people that our old sewer and drainages were sold to, told us that the local government council sold it to them. Now we are left with no other sewer. Now that it is raining, water is overflowing into our houses and closing our roads.

    We don’t know what the state urban and regional planning commission is up to; maybe they don’t know of that or they are simply part of the deal. The most surprising thing is that a pharmacy has been built in our erstwhile sewer. Also a one storey residential building has been erected there. Construction materials are still there, half-way blocking our road.

    I want to call on the state urban and regional planning commission, local government council, and ministry of housing to please look into this issue and redress the matter before the occurrence of disease outbreak and humanitarian crisis in the area.

    • Comrade Abdulbaqi Aliyu Jari Katsina,

    Katsina LG, Katsina State.

  • Expanding the frontiers of educational advancement in Nigeria

    Annually, well over 1.6million Nigerian applicants vie for limited admission slots in the nation’s tertiary institutions. At the time President Goodluck Jonathan took over the reins of governance, the carrying capacity of the tertiary institutions was below 500,000. This has been increased to about one million slots.

    Despite the improvement, Nigeria still has the challenge of access to quality tertiary education for her qualified candidates. The federal government has been working hard to resolve this challenge through expansion of learning facilities in schools and training of academic and non academic staff.

    To further ensure that Nigerians who seek tertiary education abroad are not short-changed, the federal government has opened up direct linkages with key new foreign destinations of Nigerian students to ensure they are of standard and meet the security requirements.

    One of such destinations is Hungary where the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike on July 21 and 22 concluded negotiations for the award of 50 post graduate and undergraduate scholarships to deserving Nigerian students under the sponsorship of the Hungarian government. The process which was initiated by the minister, and Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary, Chief Eddy Onuoha, started months ago.

    The highpoint of the process was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Nigerian and Hungarian governments on the promotion of educational cooperation between both nations.

    Wike signed the memorandum of understanding (M.O.U.) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, while Dr Lazlo Palkovics, Hungarian Minister of State for Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resources, signed on behalf of the Hungarian Government.

    The Memorandum of Understanding is between the Nigerian Federal of Education and the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources on Educational Cooperation for 2014, 2015 and 2016.

    Speaking at the M.O.U. signing ceremony, Wike declared that the bilateral relationship on the sponsorship of 50 Nigerian students in Hungarian universities is an indication of the progress the Jonathan administration has attained as regards the sustained development of education, which foreign governments are now appreciating.

    He said that the Jonathan administration is happy with the new scholarship window provided by the Hungarian government for Nigerian students, stressing that the administration would ensure that only students who are academically sound are short listed for the Hungarian Scholarship Scheme.

    The Minister informed the Hungarian government that President Jonathan has made access to quality education from basic to the tertiary education level as the cornerstone of his educational development policy, hence the new scholarship from Hungary is a welcome development.

    Wike expressed satisfaction that the new relationship between Hungary and Nigeria has led to the reopening of the Hungarian Embassy in Nigeria, which will benefit Nigerian students seeking visa to further their education.

    He said: “The Federal Ministry of Education is happy for the scholarship which your government has extended to Nigeria and we commend you. For us as Nigerians, we pledge our commitment to the implementation of this M.O.U”.

    The Hungarian Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr Lazlo Palkovics, declared that the Hungarian government extended the scholarships to Nigeria as a platform for the promotion for positive educational bilateral relations.

    He said that with the signing of the MOU, both countries would advance their educational cooperation to higher levels that would benefit their citizens.

    Dr Palkovics urged more Nigerians to take advantage of the high quality Hungarian educational programme to empower themselves professionally.

    With more Nigerian students expected to train in different professional areas in Hungary, the minister of state for education held a bilateral meeting with officials of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to facilitate the security of Nigerian students and get concessionary fees for students on private sponsorship.

    The Hungarian team was led by the Hungarian State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Laszlo Szabo. The deliberations were fruitful and touched on key areas of access to quality education.

    The minister at the meeting requested for the protection of Nigerian students who reside off campus in view of the fact that over 800 Nigerian students are already studying in Hungary, most of them on private sponsorship and residing off their respective campuses.

    He also called on the Hungarian government to formally consider promoting concessionary fees for prospective Nigerian students who intend to seek higher education in Hungary.

    He said: “Because of the number of Nigerian students already studying in Hungary and those who intend to study in the country, we are asking that you implement concessionary fees for our students. We are also reiterate our commitment to fully implementing all the aspects of the memorandum of understanding signed with your Ministry of Human Resources on the award of free scholarship to our students.

    “We are pleased with the re-opening of the Hungarian Embassy in Abuja to ensure that prospective students get their visas in Abuja rather than moving over to Kenya or Egypt. This relationship will develop on all fronts and our Ambassador has assured that all applicants for business visa from your country will get favourable response. We believe this bilateral relationship will lead to investments in other key areas of the Nigerian economy.”

    Speaking at the meeting, Mr Laszlo Szabo, State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, declared that the country was desirous of furthering the cooperation with the Nigeria in the areas of higher education and economic development.

    Advancing the frontiers of quality education has been one of the cornerstones of the Jonathan administration. This is another clear example that no stakeholder of the nation’s education sector would be left without due attention.

    The administration has incrementally achieved the goal of access to quality basic and tertiary education on all fronts. The fundamental objective being to use education as a tool for the empowerment of less privileged Nigerians.

     

    By Simeon Nwakaudu

    Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education