The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Ending the baby factory menace

    SIR: What has now become a public issue is the sale of babies – menace which may have been going on for some time – as teenage girls become victims of unwanted pregnancies and the children produced are sold out for adoption to needy couples who badly want.

    At the baby making factory, young girls are encouraged or forced to become pregnant and after they have given birth, the newborn babies are be sold out, usually between N500,000 or more, depending  on the sex of the child.

    Who are patrons of these factories? The answer is simple – it is either those parents who badly need children, which they do not ordinarily have or the mischievous people that may require human parts for inhuman reasons.

    In many African countries, a couple’s inability to give birth to children few years after marriage is often frowned at by family members and even the extended family members, culminating into family members trading blames and pointing accusing fingers to the wives for the inability to bear children. This social problem will continue to fester unless drastic steps are taken to address the contending issues surrounding the spread of baby factories. To begin with, our adoption laws should be reviewed without further delay as this will give those who seek to have children – when they cannot produce biologically – the clean option.

    Apart from that, married people still have to contend with the challenge of covering up the tracks of the origin of the children who should necessarily be integrated into the family. Also, some of these establishments and government institutions reel-out age limits for the needy couples and for those that are more than 50 years, their applications may not be treated at all.

    Another factor that still encourages the booming trade, is the huge cost required in seeking medical assistance to have children. The In Vitro Fertilization  process is usually out of reach of the average couple. Going by the prevailing economic situation, it is a bitter truth that only a few could afford the cost, which is not less than N1million per attempt.  Government should provide the leeway by comimg in to seek ways of helping couples.

    Another point of concern is the need for effective monitoring of several organizations that engage in nefarious activities that are largely unknown to the government. The surprise is that virtually all the organizations involved in the baby factory saga claimed to be duly registered. These ‘factories’ were found to have registered as non-governmental organizations, which allows them to carry out their unofficial activities through the back door. The government should tighten its registration and monitoring of NGOs.

    Finally, more access should be accorded the females to get sound education; baby factories would be starved of willing girls who readily donate their wombs at ridiculous fees. It is lack of self-worth, esteem and value for life caused by poor education that would want to make a girl to donate her womb to carry pregnancy and then sell the baby!

    • Adewale Kupoluyi

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

     

  • Ogun APC Ward Congress: Beacon of hope

    Ogun APC Ward Congress: Beacon of hope

    SIR: Permit me to use this medium to congratulate the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for holding a successful Ward Congress on Saturday, April 5. That exercise, by all accounts, ranks among the best in the annals of party politics in Nigeria. It was not only peaceful but inclusive and the turn-out impressive.

    Both the leader of the party, Chief Olusegun Osoba and the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, jointly monitored the exercise, thus giving the lie to the rumour of division within the state APC. Of course, no one expected a 100 per cent success in any election – without one or two hitches. And I believe the governor underscored the essence of sincerity after last Saturday’s Local Government Congress in explaining this human phenomenon.

    Amosun was reported in the papers to have said thus: “Whatever minor hitches witnessed in the conduct of the poll could only be “because we are human, not angels. The good thing is that there was no deliberate action on the part of the officials to disenfranchise anyone. All tendencies in the party were fully represented. Either as winners or losers in the Congress of today, we are all one in APC.  Our goal is one, so is our aspiration in Ogun APC.”

    It is however sad to read of deliberate distortion of  the Ward Congress in one or two papers. It is one thing to understate or exaggerate an event that happened but when some writers manufacture an event that never took place, then they act against public interest. Such amounts to gross misconduct and the public should be wary of accepting hook, line and sinker reports they themselves know could be improbable or fly in the face of realities and accounts of other sources.

    Just like the governor, I was shocked to read in two papers “that parallel congresses were held in all the 236 wards in Ogun State.” This is comprehensive falsehood. It never happened. Not one parallel ward congress was held throughout Ogun on that fateful day.

    Let me quote the reaction of Amosun to this lie:  “How can this be true? We are all witnesses to what happened last Saturday. Except in a few wards where unavoidable change of venue led to some justifiable complaints, which were immediately redressed by our party leader, Chief Osoba, after which the exercise went on smoothly, where on earth did we witness parallel congresses, as reported in some papers?” the governor had asked rhetorically.

    I declare that the APC Ward Congress held on Saturday, April 5, remains a landmark in the annals of Nigeria and is therefore a beacon of hope for all lovers of democracy. The ward congress is the foundation of all other congresses. It is like the foundation of a house. Once the foundation is strong, the house will be strong.

    Congratulations to Ogun APC, its leaders at the state and national levels and all lovers of democracy in Nigeria.

    • Soyombo Opeyemi

    Abeokuta

     

  • So there’s no division in PDP?

    SIR: Wonders shall never end; the news is more than incredible. Despite the hullabaloo in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from August to December, 2013, someone is saying there is no division in PDP.

    Is it the walkout staged by some warring governors/formation of New PDP or the season of letters created by a former President or the mass defection of some PDP members to APC?

    From acts of impunity to suspension, no one can count the number of court cases which involved PDP during this period. Did all these not portray division? The issue is obvious, it is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf. Only the dead will claim there is no division in PDP last year because as we were reading it in newspapers, we watched on TV and listen to it on radio.

    So, if with all the series of events that follows the party’s National Conference at Abuja, a judge now gives a verdict that “there is no division in PDP”, then we can proclaim loud and clear that God help Nigeria! May be, those who believe that Nigeria’s judiciary is corrupt is right after all.

    The truth of the matter is that, PDP is just resuscitating itself after it witnessed a season of war. So, the court judgement that declared the defection of some legislators to the APC is very funny. I can’t even stop laughing about it.

    Jamiu Idowu Esho,

    Eruwa, Oyo State.

  • How Kwankwaso is changing face of Kano

    Sir: University of Ibadan (UI) management team was recently in Kano State to pay homage to the Institution’s Chancellor, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.  The team led by the University of Ibadan Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole was also strategizing towards building a lecture theatre in honour of the Emir to be known as “Ado Bayero Lecture Theatre of UI School of Business”.  This mission, as well as other matters of interest compelled the team to spend four days in the ancient city of Kano.

    From the testimonies of the commercial cab operators to the visible evidence of modernity as well as on-going projects dotting the landscape, visitors to the state begin to savor  the flavor of rich dividends of democracy.  For instance, all major streets are well lit and illuminated by various gigantic power generating sets installed in conspicuous place for public monitoring.  The traffic lights on all the major roads as well, are spectacles to behold.  Among the amazing legacies of Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso is the superimposing flyover at Kofa Nasarawa which is still under construction.

    Indeed, it was astonishment all the way when we visited Kwankwasiyya – one of the three new cities the governor is building.  It is a virgin land turned to modern city with captivating structures of various sizes commanding attention.  The road network is strikingly exciting.  Amazing duplexes, built in a large variety of configurations as well as bungalows and block of flats with spectacular colour and class in a well laid out fashion characterize the new city.  At the permanent site of the second state university called North-West University, which the governor is building,  we were told that he built the first state University called Kano University of Technology, Wudil during his first term in office (1999-2014) and he is now building the second university again.

    As a demonstration of his passion for education, Kwankwaso has sponsored over 2,000 students to universities across the world to study Medicine, Nursing, Piloting, Aeronautical Engineering, Pharmacy and Marine Engineering among others.  He has also rejuvenated all primary and secondary schools just as he has constructed more than 1,600 classrooms and 800 offices.

    But apart from federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue, does he get money elsewhere? Investigation revealed that prudence ,transparency and proper application of available resources to key priorities are the secrets behind the phenomenal performance of Kano State governor.

    He reportedly cancelled the infamous security vote,through which substantial fund is being siphoned thus, drastically reducing overheads.  He then initiated measures that jerked up the Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N400 million to about N2 billion monthly.

    There are many inherent lessons that could be gleaned from the Kwankwaso story. Fiscal discipline is a requirement for meaningful performance.  Development will continue to elude any country that frivolously wastes resources.  There is  a need to curtail financial recklessness in government circles.

    Again, any government or public office holder who performs well in office will be generally applauded and appreciated. A good name is better than riches, so says an adage. Kwankwaso’s reputation is fast soaring away positively.  He is winning laurels and awards here and there.

    It is pertinent for all the governors to move round and compare note.  Many governors will feed challenged if only they can visit Kano to see what Kwankwaso is doing particularly his housing project.  Although, there are still challenges in Kano, Kwankwaso has certainly taken the state to a better pedestal.  For instance, there is still much more work to be done in the area of environmental sanitation.  Some of the places are still dirty.  Some market places visited were so untidy.  Destitute are still on the streets despite the governor’s determination to rehabilitate them and clean the streets.

    Sunday Saanu,

    University of Ibadan

  • Plea on LAUTECH Teaching Hospital strike

    The diverse and multiple sufferings and hardships that many citizens of our beloved country, Nigeria are experiencing nowadays are better imagined than described. The unemployment palaver, non-payment of senior citizens or retirees allowances and stipends, inadequate social amenities, psychological and physical trauma from activities of armed robbers, kidnappers and terrorists are issues that make life almost unbearable for the masses.

    However, the indefinite strike embarked upon by health workers at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, which has entered its third week, and its consequences necessitates a clarion call on the sensitive government of Oyo State to find immediate solution.

    Among the grievances of the workers is the non- payment of the January-March salaries. The workers are also protesting the payment of their salaries and allowances to Osogbo, Osun State, more so, when Ogbomoso Teaching Hospital is an autonomous institution that should not be tied to the apron strings of its Osogbo counterpart. It is a truism that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that inevitably and unjustly bears the suffering. We therefore implore the amiable and genial Oyo State governor; Senator Abiola Ajimobi to do everything possible to end the strike immediately as anything that can be done to alleviate and ameliorate the suffering of Nigeria citizens is not only necessary, but imperative at such a critical time as this. A stitch in time goes the adage, saves nine.

    •Pastor Adegbite A Sunday Ogbomoso.

  • Killing internal democracy in Labour Party

    Following the cancellation of Labor Party Ward Congress in the FCT recently tongues started wagging as regarding the rationale for such act of betrayal of peoples trust in democratic process. The ward congress which held on 22nd March 2014 had comrade Baba Aye the Deputy National Secretary of labor party as retuning officer.

    Investigation revealed that the reason given for the cancellation was that the congress did not hold in many wards. Therefore the exercise was termed inconclusive. Further investigation revealed that three members of labor party in Kubwa ward of Bwari Area Council, Karu ward of Abuja Municipal Area Council and Quarters ward of Gwagwalada Area Council respectively had petitioned the National Chairman of labor party. They petitioned against the activities of Mr. Peter Adejobi which was termed worrisome, a threat to the growth of the party and internal social democratic norm.

    They further alleged that Mr. Peter Adejobi is defrauding the party by refusing to allow aspirants purchase nomination forms for the FCT congresses. They equally had it on good authority and called on the National Chairman to investigate Mr. Peter Adejoji for giving out nomination forms free of charge to the following Comrade members of the party; Baba Yakini FCT Treasurer, Ben Anyanwu FCT Auditor, Isa Likita FCT secretary, Honest Emetola Admin staff of labour party and all incumbent six Area Councils Labor Party’s Chairmen. They concluded that this act has robbed the party of thousands of naira that could have been used to build the party. That,

    this flagrant abuse of the guideline for ward, local government and state congresses 2014 is calculated by Mr. Peter Adejobi to curry favor from these men to enable him manipulate the election process ahead of the state congress; an act that runs against the avowed provision of labor party’s constitution and the cardinal philosophy of equal opportunity and social Justice.

    One of the FCT labor party chairmanship aspirants, Comrade Ashimole Felix said that, the cancellation is painfully regrettable, but a welcome development as it shows that the national leadership of the party is instilling internal democracy in labor party. It is better late and well done than a hurriedly half baked preparation that ends up inconclusive, he concluded.

    Comrade Ogbu A. Ameh;

    onwaters2011@gmail com

  • Disband Police, Customs

    The candid and plausible advice given by ex-Georgian President, Mr. Mikhail Saakashvil, to Nigeria on the way forward in surmounting the myriad of problems being faced by the country such as corruption, poor power supply, terrorism, just to mention a few is for Nigeria to be prepared to toe the example of the Republic of Georgia which had to disband its police and customs before gaining economic and political stability. The advice coming at a time when the National Conference is ongoing in Nigeria is indeed timely.

    According to him, for three months that Georgia did not have police force following the sacking of all police personnel, crime rate came down drastically and that this was an evidence that the police were part of the security problems which faced Georgia. In addition to disbanding of the police force personnel who were replaced through new recruitment of patriotic Georgians, he also said the entire customs service was sacked owing to corruption coupled with the scrapping of many agencies and that many agencies owing to idleness. In conclusion, the ex-Georgian president attributed the step taken to make the percentage of people below the poverty line to less than 18 percent and that “Today, Georgia is almost without corruption.”

    The million dollar question is: Will Nigerians be prepared to take the plausible advice as given by the ex-president at the backdrop of resistance that the powerful bourgeoisie class, power recyclers, the corrupt elite, beneficiaries of the spoils of office and corrupt public officials (both past and present) will put up against the seeing the light of the day of this advice which can aptly be described as long overdue? Your guess is as good as mine!

    It would be recalled that when the plausible idea of denomination of our Naira currency was mooted by ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo in 2007, the idea, laudable as it was, was never allowed to come to fruition for selfish reasons.

    There is no doubt that the oldest problem in Nigeria is corruption. Going down memory lane, I did mention in my write up titled “Bravo to Niki Tobi and Abubakar Tanko on their views on corruption” published on page 4 in the P.M. News edition of Monday, April 5, 2005 and in other major Nigerian dailies that “If I have my way as a Nigerian and should I be saddled with the responsibility of drawing up an agenda for the National Political Reform Conference, I will list corruption as the only topic for discussion during the 3-month duration of the conference.” It would be recalled that during the NPRC that was midwived by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2005, the conference chairman, Justice Niki Tobi (rtd.) in agreeing with the view of Alhaji Abubakar Tanko said “I support you. Most people who spoke said the problem with the country has to do with its structure but you are saying it has to do with corruption. You are right. The problem is that there are too many rogues in this country.”

    One thing is certain, with God, nothing is impossible. If the steps taken to check corruption and societal ills worked for the Republic of Georgia nobody can stop it from working in Nigeria if that will pave the way for the emergence of an egalitarian society where life will be made more meaningful for helpless teeming impoverished masses. Long Live Nigeria.

    Odunayo Joseph

    Mopa

    Kogi State

  • Mimiko, save us from perpetual darkness in Igbodigbo

    SIR: I wish to appeal to the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to urgently intervene to ameliorate the power supply problems confronting the people of Igbodigbo, in Okitipupa Local Government Area.

    If I many use the word perpetual to describe the protracted darkness being experienced by the people of Igbodigbo; suffice it to say, it is a heart-rending experience which has lingered for too long. The last time the people had a feel of power supply was in December 2013, and that was after some months of darkness as usual. It is definitely not an understatement that power-electricity is a luxury in this part of the state. If power supply were erratic in Igbodigbo, it probably would have been a thing to be thankful for; but on the contrary, it is nothing close to it; it virtually does not exist.

    The irony of the matter is that, just a few metres away from Igbodigbo, power supply is seen around the metropolis; areas stretching from Okitipupa market to Broad Street, through to Estate and its environs what people at Igbodigbo scarcely see. Day in, day out, household and other institutional operations run on generators for those who are able to afford its cost. This is certainly not good enough for the state’s economy and well-being of her indigenes at this location. The situation without mincing words, has further eroded the economic power of the people, as they have to depend on alternative sources of power for daily operations; and this of course, has impacted negatively on economic activities along this axis.

    At some point, one could not stop to wonder how the state’s High Court and the magnificent Mega School Complex located in this area cope with the situation; when power-electricity is needed for court operations and academic activities during school hours.

    Unfortunately, from enquiries made so far, no one seems to have an answer to the question of that could be wrong with the power supply at Igbodigbo! No one can tell point blank why those in charge have not come up with a solution to this depressing situation.

    Sir, it would be heart-warming to the people at Igbodigbo, if a detailed enquiry is carried out on this matter and solution proffered, so we could also enjoy the relative (not yet stable) power supply being enjoyed by other people within and around Okitipupa Local Government of the state.

    I may not know like some other persons out there, what is responsible for the perpetual darkness which has engulfed Igbodigbo up until now, however, I do know for certain that your timely response and intervention will put smiles on the faces of the people, and economic activities will boom better for the prosperity of the people in particular and the state in general.

     

    • Adm. Irinyemi T. Stephen

    Okitipupa, Ondo State

  • Orhii’s ‘NAFDAC’ donation

    SIR: It now seems a decade since the suspended Governor of Nigeria’s apex bank, the buzzing Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was mauled black and blue for taking the funds of the central bank to procure donations for the victims of January 20 attack in his home state of Kano. It was prominently concluded by pundits then, that Sanusi’s gesture was a marginal failure in fairness, in that a similar charity was never replicated during the aftermath of prior incidents in other parts of the country. However, one thing was eventually conceded by the same pundits: it was licit for CBN as a moneyed public institution to partake in corporate social responsibility.

    Then there came the news recently, that Dr Paul Orhii, Director General of NAFDAC was in Makurdi to donate relief materials worth N20 million, to the internally-displaced victims of the Fulani-Tiv crisis in the state. What readily comes to mind reading this is ‘when did NAFDAC become a disaster management agency?’ Or besides, ‘when last did we witness the grieving face of Orhii extending similar gesture to crisis victims in Konduga, Borno State or flood victims in Lagos State?

    In the law of compassion, victims everywhere deserve the common care of all and sundry, regardless of positions and capacities. But charity is not done with a flagrantly borrowed hand. Most appropriately, we would expect to soon see the good Samaritan NAFDAC DG in Lafia, Nassarawa State delivering more donations to another sets of displaced persons from the same crisis. Recall that the compass of NAFDAC’s constituency captures the wide country of Nigeria, not only the boundary of its Food Basket.

    Perhaps this may not have been the first time ‘NAFDAC’ would be found to be overreaching its professional duty of ‘safeguarding the health of the nation’, through preventive vigilance against health-related disasters (as against the passive offer of relief items that was the official preserve of the likes of NEMA). Yet we have every reason to doubt if any stakeholder could categorize the sad crisis in dear Benue as a purely health crisis, for which an agency like NAFDAC may be required to render assistance.

    Two years ago, Thisday had reported another N20million worth of relief materials were donated by the same NAFDAC DG to the same constituency of Makurdi. To quote the newspaper, “The NAFDAC Director General’s estimable donation to the flood victims in Makurdi was said to be the single largest by any organisation, individual or group apart from the state and federal government donations.”

    If all had promptly contested the legality and probity of NAFDAC DG’s donation to Makurdi flood victims alone back in 2012, another N20million in ‘NAFDAC’ relief materials would have been spared from the brunt of unsavory executive diversion.

    Our able NAFDAC DG might have been in Makurdi for his perceivable long-started personality promotion and publicity stunt that seems to be geared toward a possible political ambition in the near future. But is the DG wrong to flaunt political ambitions according to any law and convention in the land? Not at all and never in any way, except that Orhii is currently not a political office holder at least with strict regard to his technical line of duties. If Orhii must be found ‘guilty’ of any shrouded political campaign, let him be in his personal capacity as Benue indigene not in the professional name of NAFDAC and its regulatory activities.

    Until we stop seeing corruption through the screened Google Glass of financial thievery alone, rampant administrative misconducts will continue to wreck havoc upon leadership standards in our country, where there is already a general consensus in the over-existence of its deficits.

     

    • Mazhun Idris

    mazhun.idris@facebook.com

  • LASU: Open letter to Fashola

    SIR: The Lagos State University (LASU) fee hike is the greatest challenge we have been faced with in the last decade. Calling for superior arguments and proposals for the reduction is a testament to the fact that the government of Lagos State is not inflexible to change.

    Following the seemingly endless crisis in LASU in 2011, the Lagos State House of Assembly had passed a resolution subsequent to which Governor Babatunde Fashola set-up a visitation panel to look into all the issues that nearly tore LASU apart. In the report of the visitation panel, recommendations were made to the government on the way forward. Unfortunately, government was selective on those that favoured her alone. A classical example is in Section 4.0, Term of Reference (iii), particularly at Section 4.0.2 paragraph (g) where the panel recommended “increase in the budgetary allocation to the university using the UNESCO benchmark of a minimum of 25% of annual budget on education”.

    In the law establishing LASU, Section 3 sets out the objectives thus: (f) “To provide ready access for citizens of the state in particular to higher education regardless of social origin or income”.  In other words, LASU is meant for the people of the state without prejudice to their socio-economic status.

    Thirty years ago, the Lagos State government under Chief Lateef Jakande established LASU. The party in government then was the Unity Party Nigeria (UPN). This was a party whose linear ideological ancestor was Action Group led by late Obafemi Awolowo. By the time of the Second Republic, the idea of the free education was no longer restricted to primary education, but also to secondary and tertiary education.

    In a state where the per capita income of an average Lagosian is around $100 per month (approximately N16,700), how do we expect the wards of poor people to access tertiary education, when in reality, a degree is not nearly enough to earn good livelihood?

    I will want to quickly digress a little to consider some of the items that were summed up in the fee of N193,750, N223,750, N248,750 and N348,750 for Arts/Education, Social and Management sciences, Law and College of Medicine respectively to show why the fees, going by the breakdown, cannot be justified. For instance in Faculty of Education, Teaching Practice is N15,000. You may wish to know that teaching practice is a service rendered by students to public secondary schools in Lagos. Like Housemanship by medical students, we are meant to be paid for rendering these services and not pay for rendering it.

    We make bold to aver that there is no correlation between price and quality of education. The University of Helsinki, Finland is first in Finland and 76th in the world and it is tuition free. In any case, if a private university can charge N 450,000 to include feeding and accommodation for a year, then LASU is costly compared to private schools for charging N350, 000 without accommodation and feeding.

    We must constantly bear at the back of our minds that LASU is not a private university. It is a public entity meant to serve the people and not for profit making. Therefore, the fee hike is unjust for the reason that LASU was created to bridge the gaps between all classes in society.

    Harvard is a private institution; let us stop comparing LASU with Harvard.

    •Nurudeen, Yusuf Temilola President-Elect, LASU Students’ Union.