The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Ending inter-agency rivalry among security agencies

    Ending inter-agency rivalry among security agencies

    SIR: Finally, President Goodluck Jonathan has clarified that the reason behind the replacement of service is not connected to seeming inter-service rivalry among security agencies. The media reported his remarks while commissioning the Air Force Comprehensive School in Yola, Adamawa State. He nevertheless urged a synergy among the nation’s security agencies, given that Nigeria is exposed to “cancer” of insurgency.

    Few days before the President’s visit to Yola, suspected Boko Haram members were reported to have attacked churches and mosques and killing innocent citizens in Borno and Adamawa states. The recent attacks might have been triggered to dissuade the President from visiting the home-state of his new Chief of Defence, Air Marshal Alex Badeh who is from Adamawa.

    It should also be recalled that immediately after the announcement of the new Chief of Defence Staff, the Nigerian air-force were reported to have attacked and killed a number of suspected insurgents at the Cameroonian border with Nigeria. Badeh who was former Chief of Air Staff, had promised to crush terrorists by April 2014.

    We should not lose sight of the fact that the military has so far succeeded in restricting and cornering Boko haram insurgency to few states in the North-East. Few years ago, terrorists were having field days in other parts of the country including, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto and few incursions in other states including the Federal Capital Abuja.

    The Nigerian military has recorded tremendous success in its war against insurgency. The relative peace so far recorded in the troubled states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe before the recent unfortunate development even in worship centres, is attributed to the gallantry, determination, sacrifice and relentless struggles of the Nigerian security agencies. Even though it has continued to lose its finest personnel in several coordinated attacks against terrorists, it has remained undaunted and more committed to ending acts of terrorism across the country.

    Without doubt, we still have a long way to go in banishing terrorism from our dear land. More re-organization, strategy reviews, policy alteration, shake-up, alignments and re-alignments are part and parcel of what to expect in positioning the Nigerian military for optimum performance.

    It is the wish and prayer of all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religious, ethnic or political aspiration for Nigeria to overcome its security challenges as soon as possible. The human and material loses so far recorded are too massive to be quiet about. We cannot continue to act as though those precious lives we keep losing in separate attacks are not precious to us. We have every reason to be worried about this sad occurrence. Every soul lost in any of these attacks should be a source of concern to any Nigerian. All the government requires of us is full time cooperation and understanding as it goes about making necessary changes in the nation’s security make-up to overcome challenges posed by insurgent groups.

    We all desire to see that peace and normalcy returns to all trouble spots across the country.

    The successes so far recorded in the war against insurgency must be sustained. We need not allow unnecessary primordial and clannish issues distract us from consolidating on the gains so far recorded. Even members of the international community are happy with Nigeria’s modest achievements in its efforts to end terrorism in the country. As Nigerian too, we should cooperate with the security agencies in providing necessary supports and information for the protection of lives and property.

    The new heads of these security establishments should seek to breakdown the wall of mutual suspicions and inter-agency rivalry among their chiefs and their personnel. They should make effort to share intelligence. They should all realize that they have common goal of ensuring that Nigeria is safe for both Nigerians and her visitors. The government should not tolerate any unnecessary competition that will bring retrogression to this country. They should work collectively in harmony to ensure that the nation overcomes her security challenges.

    • Fatima Goni

    Kofar Dukawuya, Kano

     

  • Understanding APC’s strategy

    Understanding APC’s strategy

    SIR: For many who do not understand political arithmetic, it would be easy to dismiss the APC’s poaching style as impolitic or wrong political calculation especially against the background of the kind of recognition it has given to the governors that defected from the PDP. Some commentators seem to be taken in by the argument that the APC’s decision to make the defecting governors leaders of the party in their states amounted to political suicide.

    That reasoning exposes a sheer lack of proper understanding of the workings of politics in Nigeria especially against the pervasive impact of power of incumbency in public mobilisation.

    The behemoth which PDP represents demands unleashing war generals that enjoy present day following and good will in other to dismantle it. The mere fact that the leaders of the former legacy parties that merged to form APC are not presently accommodated as leaders of the party in those states does not remove from the fact that they are respectable stakeholders in APC.

    If these defecting governors were not honourably accommodated, the mass defection of members of the National Assembly to the APC would not have been possible. Politics is all about numbers.

    APC leadership understands the operating environment and where the real power and influence resides and could not have for any reason denied the defecting governors control of the structure in their respective states.

    What these leaders would have done, in the spirit of compromise to make APC and its members electable, is to humbly subordinate themselves to the leadership of these defecting governors. After the elections, the issue of restructuring can then be placed on the table.

    Nobody changes a winning team, if the structures the governors are bringing to the political table have the fire and bite to deliver, why should the APC begin to pander to emotions and make costly political mistakes? Discussing who controls the structures now based on the spirit of the merger would create unmanageable distractions and the party might implode.

    The revolutionary train that would reshape the politics of Nigeria has taken off; these sulking leaders that have refused to accept the political realities on the ground should better shape up or ship out. Pontificating over the morality of the decision to hand over the party structure to the defected governors amounts to shadow boxing.

    Real politics demands ingenuity, being practical and ability to rise above emotions to take the hard decisions that engender success. No one needs doubt the fact that the governors hold the aces in this march to dislodge PDP across the country.

    • Alhaji Garba Umar

    Kano

  • Calling on Ikeja DISCO

    SIR: I live in Hilltop Estate Close, not far from Aboru community at Agbado-Oke

    Local Government Development Area. We are connected to the Ikeja Distribution Company (DISCO).

    Power supply in my estate has been very abysmal. We have not had power for up five hours in the last five days. The unpleasant and unfortunate

    consequence is that things stored in refrigerators get ruined, we go out without our cloths ironed; the whole environment is pitch black at night.

    Ikeja DISCO should do something to improve power supply to our estate.

    • Adesuyi Mike,

    Lagos

     

  • Nigeria’s leadership headache

    Nigeria’s leadership headache

    SIR: Is President Goodluck Jonathan aware of the enormity of our national problems? Has he lived up to our expectations, and performed his duties to the best of his abilities?

    Our President hasn’t shown the political will to tackle our multifarious national problems. He seems to be overwhelmed by them. And, based on any indices for assessing national leaders, he has scored an abysmal low mark.

    Nothing works in our country. The privatization of PHCN hasn’t translated to our enjoying uninterrupted power supply in Nigeria. The noise from generators assails our ears every night. And, our rutted roads are death-traps on which people die daily. Good road network and regular supply of electricity are incentives and forces for the rapid industrialization of any country.

    Nigeria has failed almost on all fronts, ranging from insecurity of lives and property characterized by kidnapping, armed robbery and Boko Haram insurgency, to the issue of corruption, which is the cancer asphyxiating Nigeria. like Emperor Nero, our leaders are fiddling around while Nigeria is burning. The twin evils of corruption and insecurity of lives and property are creating anarchic situation in Nigeria.

    Sadly, the national issues troubling us are subsumed under President Jonathan subterranean politicking for retention of power beyond 2015.

    • Chiedu Uche Okoye

    Uruowulu – Obosi, Anambra State

     

     

  • UNIBEN vice chancellor must hear this!

    UNIBEN vice chancellor must hear this!

    SIR: It is utterly inconceivable that a university teacher can create unrealistic terms about a compulsory examination that ultimately demonstrate oppression and inevitably cause psychological pain as well as risk of property loss on the side of students diligently working to fulfill the conditions required for them to obtain a Bachelors degree.

    On Friday  January 24, a lecturer in the department of mechanical engineering, University of Benin (UNIBEN), rolled, to his class of eager students, a set of draconian standards that have to be met for anybody taking the course to be admitted into the examination hall.

    The examination is expected to hold on Wednesday February 5, and the conditions listed by the lecturer are not included in the examination rules and ethics of exams as written in the university’s

    code of conduct.

    The course, MEE 372 is software based (Autodesk’s AutoCAD 2007 ); students are expected to use a computer system for it. Since not all students have the financial ability to procure a laptop, many of them made arrangements to borrow laptops to participate in the exam.

    The lecturer however told the students that any student who wishes to write the examination must submit his/her laptop on or before 2:00pm a day prior to the examination date. Additionally, that all passwords must be removed from the system to enable him access and “scan” all laptops before the exam. Most disturbing is that he insisted that he would not be liable for any loss or damage to any laptop while under his custody.

    He claims that he needs to have access to every student’s laptop a day to the exam so that he can input the examination questions into them before the exam. He further explained that he may need to still retain the laptop for some time after the examinations to enable him mark the answers.

    How can a lecturer ask students to submit their laptops a day to the exam, knowing fully well that the students need it at such time for revision? How does he expect the students who have to

    borrow laptops to hand them over to him? How can he disregard the student’s right to privacy by asking them to remove their password thereby putting their personal information at risk of exposure?

    How can a lecturer say he will not be held liable in the event a laptop gets missing under his custody?  What if a laptop screen gets damaged in his care, or an entire unit gets stolen, how will the owner of such a system write the examination?

    One would expect that in a community of intellectuals, innovative solutions would be provided to situations that slightly deviate from traditional practices. It cannot be argued that the examination poses a challenge to the organizing lecturer. We expect that such challenges should be dealt with properly and in a way that ensures students’ convenience, adherence to examination standards and ethics of fairness.

    If the university could comfortably organize computer based tests for thousands of  students in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME JAMB), why can’t it organize it for about 100 students in just one department? Why ask students to bring their laptops for an examination when UNIBEN has a robust ICT centre equipped with many computer systems. In fact, the faculty of engineering recently built an ICT centre which could also be used to conduct such examination.

    Relevant authorities to look into this matter that could cause a lot of pain for 300 Level mechanical engineering students and those carrying over the course.

    • Edison Osaige

    University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus

  • On the defection of Shekarau to PDP

    On the defection of Shekarau to PDP

    SIR: The defection of a former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, though very unfortunate, is nothing to worry about. Shekarau, just like President Jonathan, is a lucky politician whose relevance is overstated. While Jonathan rode to power through luck and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Shekarau rode to political stardom through the back of Muhamadu Buhari.

    In 2003, the people of Kano, just like during the 2011 presidential election, overwhelmingly voted for Buhari. During the electioneering campaign, Buhari categorically told his lieutenants in Kano to vote for Shekarau, a relatively unknown politician in the ancient city as governor. Fortunately for Shekarau, Presidential and Governorship elections took place the same day.

    Buhari, as one may recall, won Kano for his All Nigerian People’s Party, ANPP. He also delivered the Government House, Kano to ANPP, sending Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso out of office.

    As preparation for the 2007 elections gathered momentum, Kwakwaso signified his intention to return to power. Skekarau, knowing the gargantum structure of Kwankwaso, spawned an intricate web of high wire intrigues against him by hurriedly setting up a Judicial Commission of Enquiry to probe his administration. The commission, within a month, came out with a controversial report banning Kwankwaso from holding public office for 10 years.  The report, without being thoroughly debated upon by the members of the state House of Assembly, was gazetted.

    Dissatisfied with the report, Kwankwaso dragged the state government, commission members and Kano Assembly members to court. Kwakwaso was then in Abuja, serving as Minister of Defence. His purported indictment made the re-election of Shekerau as Governor in 2007 a walkover. With Buhari as presidential flag bearer of the defunct ANPP, Shekarau was re-elected with a wide margin.

    In 2011, having had his integrity cleared by a court of competent jurisdiction, Kwankwaso declared his intention to return to Kano Government House. By this time, Shekarau, because of his presidential ambition, had used the instruments of state to hijack the ANPP structure from Buhari. The angry Buhari left ANPP with his teeming supporters for Shekarau to form the defunct Congress of Progressives Change, CPC.

    In 2011, Buhari, just like Shekarau, contested for the Presidency, scoring about two million votes in the ancient city of Kano. Shekarau, as the then incumbent governor of Kano, scored less than 500, 000 votes for his ANPP. Kwankwaso, then as the PDP governorship candidate, mobilised more votes for President Jonathan, the presidential candidate of the PDP in Kano than Shekarau did for himself and his party. When the presidential results were released, Buhari of the CPC came first; Jonathan of the PDP came second while Shekarau, the incumbent governor, came third. Shekarau also failed to retain Kano governorship seat for his party, the ANPP.  The ANPP of Shekarau also lost 75% of the National and State Assembly seats in Kano to the PDP.

    Now that Shekarau has left the APC he helped nurtured to the PDP, all one canwish him is good luck.

    Interestingly, Shekarau did not say that he left APC because Kwankwaso is not performing; rather his wish is to be placed above Kwankwaso, the man he succeeded as governor and the incumbent governor in the party. That is impossible. The general public might wish to note that Shekarau defected to PDP without most of his defunct ANPP members. Alhaji Gwarzo, the only Senator elected on the platform of the ANPP in 2011 has pledged his loyalty to Kwankwaso.  The few ANPP House of Representatives members in Kano have endorsed Kwankwaso as their leader.

     

    • Maxwell Adeyem Adeleye,

    Magodo, Lagos.

     

  • The real task before Kwarans

    SIR: The political class in Kwara State, has been agog with what has been termed ‘the struggle to upstage the Saraki political dynasty’ with its major proponents claiming that it had been an unduly overwhelming determinant of the political process for over four decades. The major players in the struggle are certain members of the political class believed to be aiming at the centre, come 2015.

    They are of the opinion that even with the present disposition, the acclaimed dynasty still dictates the direction of the state’s political affairs.

    With due respect, the present political process in the state does not call for any upstaging of a dynasty but an array of well-meaning and conscientious citizens under their various political platforms, individually aiming at the centre. Even if there had been an overbearing dynasty as purported, the emergence of the present governor definitely has put an end to that.

    The explanation is simple! The purported Saraki dynasty would have been further entrenched in the state’s polity had the former Governor Bukola Saraki bowed to the will of his late father, Dr Olusola Saraki during the primaries leading to the emergence of the PDP governorship candidate in the state in 2011. It would be recalled that Dr Saraki’s sibling was a major candidate in that process.

    On the defection of the G-5 governors to the APC, I wish to make it categorically clear that none of the those governors single-handedly took decisions without recourse to their representative constituencies and major players in their domain and also that the intentions of any of the governors, whether genuine or not, could only be assessed after they are presented candidates under their new platform and genuinely win elections, come 2015.

    Undoubtedly, the drivers of the present dispensation in Kwara State need to be encouraged to further get the resource-poor indigenes of the state fully convinced that theirs is an authority that is unshaken in a bid to ensure equitable distribution of the state’s accruable dividends of democracy.

     

    • ‘Segun ‘Bambo Ojomo,

    Lagos.

     

  • Help save Nigeria!

    SIR: There are two contentious issues threatening a possible drift to anarchy or catastrophic collapse of our great country Nigeria; the two must be promptly and transparently decided before holding the 2015 general elections.

    First, if we must live together as Nigerians, should it be as presently constituted? Perhaps we should convert existing six geopolitical zones into autonomous, self-governing regions or provinces under the leadership of a non-executive premier.

    They should control their own resources and contribute 13-15 per cent of their earned resource-revenue to sustain the federal government with drastic ally reduced membership of House of Representative. The President, at the federal level should be non-executive.

    Second, should Nigerians continue to fund our over-paid, under-performing and corruption-invested legislature or should members revert to being part-time and allowance receiving legislators, as earlier was.

    Truthfully, commencing the country’s restructuring with the conveyance of a national conference, grossly manipulated constitution amendment or the holding of an open debate between Dr. Oby Ezekwesili and legislators will only postpone the country’s doomsday. Every Nigerian 18 years old and above, should be allowed to directly participate in the determination of the two issues raised here-above, through the conduct of a simultaneous, countrywide, “queue & count national referendum”.

    Presently, this is where patriotic Nigerians should focus their combined demand.

    God save Nigeria!

    • Oshin Ayoade,

    Epe, Lagos State.

     

  • Plight of retired teachers in Lagos

    SIR: I wish to call the attention of Lagos State Governor, Mr.Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to the plight of retired Primary School Teachers under the purview of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). These categories of teachers were those not covered by the new contributory Pension Scheme because they had less than three years to retire when the scheme took effect in Lagos State.

    These teachers retired between 2008 and 2010 but have up till now not been paid their gratuities and accumulated arrears of monthly pensions. In the Civil Service that I know (I served for 28 years), retired Civil servants under the defunct pay as you go scheme are first paid their gratuities calculation on the number of years spent in service, thereafter, monthly pensions commence. This, unfortunately, has not been the case with retired primary school teachers under Lagos State SUBEB.

    In September 2011, however, these teachers were directed to report at the PWD, Ikeja office of SUBEB with all necessary documents which had earlier been verified. They reported amidst great expectations that smiles would be put on their faces by the payment of all outstanding entitlements. It was a great disappointment, to put it mildly, when these teachers discovered, from the Notice Board, that only September 2011 monthly pensions were remitted to an account with Sterling Bank.

    There were directed to approach any of the branches of the bank to collect the one month pension. Although these teachers, have continue to receive their monthly pension since then, nothing has so far been said about their gratuities and accumulated arrears of monthly pensions up till today.

    Another verification of these and other retired teachers took place in December 2013 without a word about their unpaid entitlements. A curious aspect of last year’s verification was the directives to submit two passport photographs of their next-of-kin. In SUBEB waiting until the demise of these pensioners before throwing their next-of-kin into another round of vertification every year?

    My appeal to Governor Fashola is to use his good offices to intervene and ensure that this category of retired primary school teachers are paid all their outstanding gratuities and accumulated areas of monthly pensions while they are still alive. No next-of-kin derives joy in collecting other people’s entitlements.

     

    • Barrister Ayo Olalere,

    Apete, Ibadan.

     

  • Is Governor Jang serious?

    Is Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State a serious leader?

    How reasonable is it for a king whose domain is at war to be preparing for an installation ceremony? This is exactly what the governor is doing by fighting for the chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), it is like leaving leprosy to cure eczema.

    Plateau State is burning every week with killing and maiming of innocent souls unabated but what bothers Governor Jang is to be the chairman of NGF at all cost.

    I feel he should be deeply touched by the plight of the people who witness this unending calamity during his tenure. A thoughtful person who finds himself in a situation that he finds himself in his state will reject the NGF position even if it’s entrusted to him.

    What should be top on his priority list is how to rescue his people from this mortal storm that decreases them in numbers daily and weekly. Will he be fighting for the position if any of his siblings was affected in the incessant bloody crisis?

    He should realise that the king that rules and his people enjoy peace and stability, his name will be written in gold and he that rules and the people suffer untold hardship and ruin will be remembered for his failure to find solution to the problem afflicting his people. Jang is wining and dining with the powers that be in Abuja while Plateau State burns. It is absurd; he is a replica of the biblical Jonah who sleeps when there was trouble in the sea

    Israel Oyegbile

    Sabo Tasha, Kaduna.