The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • PDP’s Greek gift

    PDP’s Greek gift

    SIR: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Edo State has cashed in on a law enforcement situation which relates to a widow in the new Benin axis of the city to haul underserved diatribes on Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

    For months running, Edo State government had, through all known media gone out to inform citizens, particularly petty traders not to display their wares on the roads and the walk ways. It wasn’t even a case of ignorance of the law. Even in civilised climes,  ignorance of the law is not an excuse to breach the law.The matter was even made worse when even War Against Indiscipline and Neighbourhood Watch officials engaged to enforce government order on the ban on display of wares on the road and walkways abdicated their responsibility, necessitating in the Governor having to take the bull by the horns. If developed societies were left to run on the fringes of charity, pity and compromise, no country of the world would have been developed.

    Displaying wares on the roads, apart from exposing such items to unhygienic conditions, exposes the traders to greater danger as a fast-moving vehicle could ram into them and lead to more unpleasant situations. Edo PDP and those who toe their line of argument should not shy away from this truth. It is therefore of the essence to make Edo people understand why the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

    Politicising the governor’s encounter with the widow by offering her N250,000, therefore is incomprehensible and condemnable. It smacks of holding on to any available straw to escape drowning. To say the least, they  are wicked, garrulous, weird, and satanic to have included such an encounter of the widow in their political calculations.

    If Edo PDP was as caring and loving as they want unsuspecting members of the public to begin to believe, they should start with restitution. All they looted from Edo people in over 10 locust years they governed the state should be returned to citizens. That is when Edo people would begin to take them seriously. But if they cannot, Edo citizens should see their politics with the widow as a flash in the pan.

    Look at what is happening at the federal level today-the Oduagate, massive corruption in the oil and gas sector, unending ASUU strike as a result of broken promises. That is why Edo people should not be carried away with PDP’s Greek Gift to the widow. It is a gift with all potentials to purge the receiver.

     

    • Dan Owegie

    Benin City

  • ASUU should resist FG’s threat

    ASUU should resist FG’s threat

    SIR: It is heart-rending that President Jonathan’s regime has thrown all caution to the winds in its unabated offensive against the mass of working people in the latest round of attacks on democratic rights. The most bizarre is the ultimatum issued to the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to resume on or before December 9.It would be recalled that ASUU has embarked on indefinite strike to press home the demands for the full implementation of the 2009 Agreement reached with the Federal Government on improved funding of the universities to enhance better learning and working conditions in the universities.

    The Jonathan regime has equally demonstrated its deep disregard for democratic rights by deploying the officers of the Nigerian Police in an aberrant militarization of the campuses. To this has been added the cash-and-carry mobilization of rotten renegades in the students’ movement to undermine the struggle of the university lecturers.

    It would be necessary to attempt to remedy the grave ignorance of the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, who possibly need to be reminded of the fundamentals of labour laws in Nigeria. It is trite law that the legal right of ASUU as a trade union to strike on the conditions of service of its members has statutory flavour. Therefore a mass sack threat amount to a legal nullity. The Federal Government is in breach of the principle of collective bargaining.

    While the members of ASUU need to be commended, they must remain steadfast as their struggle is genuine and pro-labour/students. However, the struggle has exceeded ASUU alone as the Jonathan regime has had the day with its rough-shod on democratic rights which have seen a wave of repression of peaceful assemblies and exercise of freedom of association.

    What is urgently needed is a concerted mass mobilization strategy involving all genuine pro-labour organizations in the workers’ and students’ movement as well as the trade unions to embark on a series of street protests and demonstrations to resist the planned mass retrenchment of university lecturers, militarization of university campuses and attacks on democratic rights.

    • Ayo’ Ademiluyi

    Agege, Lagos

  • Zuma, whither South Africa?

    Zuma, whither South Africa?

    Sir: When Nelson Mandela died on December 5, at the age of 95, diverse encomiums were poured on him. Comment/lamentation by the first Black President of USA, Barak Obama: “he left legacy of freedom and peace; a profoundly good person; sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of others; reconciled himself with those who jailed him”- for 27 years. My question to the current President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma is: What happens to Mandela’s legacies, with particular reference to reconciliation, equity, and freedom in South Africa?

    I found it distasteful when Zuma said of Pa Mandela’s demise: “South Africa lost its greatest son”. At 95, whose son was Mandela for God’s sake? And then, “Our people have lost a father” – must he exclude himself because he is President? He calls him “The first President of a free South Africa.” Yes, but much more than that. As someone said, Mandela was and he is still the father of a democratic South Africa. Yes, if only because he was the acknowledged leader of all those who were imprisoned for South Africa’s sake. Pa Mandela shares the honour with those with whom he was imprisoned, and with P.W. de Klerk, who was used by God to facilitate end of apartheid.

    David Cameron of England described Pa Mandela as “the hero of our time”; is he not? As a dignified nonagenarian, Mandela was a living African ancestor.

    The only reservation I have on Obama’s comment, and he is much more pardonable than Zuma, is what he added that Mandela “no longer belongs to us but to the ages.” Ancestrally speaking, that is not correct. All the encomiums that people are pouring on the faithful departed indicate that he joins African ancestors, and together with God, they will continue to watch and judge what we do with their legacies, with particular reference to being our brothers’ keepers or otherwise. The ancestors are spiritual beings; like Martin Luther King, Jr., Mandela is alive.

    The last White President of South Africa, who handed-over to Mandela in 1994 as President, Frederik Willem de Klerk, said something challenging to President Zuma in my understanding. He described Mandela as a “unifier”. With what adjective will people describe Zuma as South Africa’s President? I was impressed by another commentator who said on BBC International that Mandela could have made himself a life President, but handed-over after five years, saying it was time to retire. People are apprehensive what becomes of South Africa after the magnanimous Mandela. He must have been playing a stabilization role!

    Pa Mandela was a “unifier”; a stabilizer. Nigerian rulers, what are you? Indiscipline is making you shun rotational presidency. You are destabilizers!

    • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, Ph. D,

    University of Ilorin.

  • Okotie destroying Christian unity

    Okotie destroying Christian unity

    SIR: I read my must-read, Hardball of Thursday December 5, and found Rev Okotie’s outbursts on Catholics interesting.  The hardball reported that during his – I would not like to call it preaching of last Sunday, he said Catholics will go to hell, that the Catholic Church is a counterfeit church set up by satan, that Catholics bow to idols and crucify Jesus every Sunday  when they eat bread claiming they are eating Jesus’ body.

    It is amazing that the so-called pastor, who even read law has no sense of history and he has to be educated. Catholicism is the primary christian religious denomination founded by Jesus himself. Before his death he instituted the celebration of what is called the ‘Eucharist’.

    Chris should read the last supper account and appreciate the Eucharist that perpetuates Christ’s mysterious presence with us when it is celebrated. He can read the Lucan version of the last supper account found in Luke 22:7-20.

    The Catholic Church at a certain time, been a human as well as a divine institution, erred along the line and that has brought about Protestantism. Fortunately, many of the orthodox christian denominations are doing all they can to foster christian unity. But it seems some cultist groups that have been using the word ‘church’ wrongly in reference to their church, to conceal their intention of destroying Christendom, are bent on posing a hurdle to this unity. The utterances of the so called man of God, Chris, may be a pointer to this direction.

    In many countries around the globe, the issue of denomination does not surface among religious people. As God is love, Christians of all denominations try to foster that spirit of love to address the problems of the world.

    It is said that when people are throwing stones at a particular orange tree in an orange orchard, it is sweet. The sweetness of Catholicism makes counterfeit Christians to throw stones at it. However, even at the time that Catholics were persecuted and killed, Catholicism continued to grow and it is still growing from strength to strength. He may rather be digging a grave for his gathering mistakenly called church.

     

    • Rev. Fr. Kuha INDYER, CSSp

    Sankera, Benue State.

  • Weep for Africa, not Mandela

    Weep for Africa, not Mandela

    SIR: Last week’s death of one of Africa’s greatest legend, the man who led the struggle against and eventual elimination of South African white domination in government, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, is painful and, indeed a great loss to the family, the people of South Africa, Africa and all men of truth, who stand on the side of justice.

    As it is customary among Africa leaders, they have once again cashed in on the passing of Madiba to make very well crafted statements identifying themselves with the painful exit. No doubt, Madiba was leader’s leader, an icon, a teacher, but how many African leaders learnt anything from the man’s school of thought. Madiba was a selfless leader, who preferring to die for his people if need be, slept in prison for 27 years. He did not amass wealth but laid good example by choosing to do one term when he was favoured to do two terms or could even attempt to stay put.

    African leaders should rather make amends of their leadership and governance style. When the nations in Africa have Mandelas in authority, certainly, Africa will become a great, proud, developed and united continent. It is because we do not have people like Madiba that Africa is host to poverty, illiteracy, disease, underdevelopment, corruption and mismanagement.

    In the abundance of natural wealth, African leaders have failed and continue to fail in advancing their countries and its peoples. They should stop this hypocrisy and have a rethink, a change of heart, emulate that which made Mandela tick. A man died and the world stood still? Because of his good deeds, selfless service, considering his people and country far and above his self desires, building a country for all irrespective of colour, tongue.

    The death of this great African son reminds one of a former late Captain Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, who lived for his people until he was assassinated by his comrade. African leaders must begin to build Africa, for there is no other great respect that is due Mandela than to build Africa, to transform it to a first world. We can build Africa by developing our health facilities to discourage the practice of flying officials abroad for medical attention; our educational sector to produce well tested graduates and our economy by looking inwards because we have the human and natural resources here. African leaders should please save us the eulogy and go to work.

     

    • Uzodinma Nwaogbe

    Lagos, Nigeria.

  • Oduahgate and democratisation of graft

    SIR: Those who took it upon themselves to defend President Goodluck Jonathan and Ms Stella Oduah, and still doing so should have by now realised that they have been waisting productive energy on morally wretched lots. If Ms Stella Oduah didn’t resign, it is because we, the electorate have condoled, indulge and endured her gratuitous insult and primitive impunity. It is must be incumbent on our social conscience that to tolerate her continues stay at that post is an open invitation for corruption that have been militating against the nation to swallow it intact.

    The Prime Minister of Latvia, without protests or media onslaught, resigned his position after taking responsibility for the November 21 collapse of a Maxima supermarket in Riga, which killed 54 people, and Maxima’s head of operations for Latvia was fired. “May those who feel real responsibility resign,” he said. “I can look people in the eye.” President Jonathan and his angelic minister are less likely to emulate the nobler leaders of the Baltic region of Northern Europe.

    Here in Nigeria, we are talking about a proven graft empress, one brimming with presidential confidence and cheap varieties of ethnic and political blackmail. Aside the financial sleaze, the number of air crashes and human carnage that have occurred under her watch is enough for any serious minded Presidency to show her the way out. She has becomes a literal advocate of the Invisible, Supreme Arbiter by lulling gullible Nigerians to submission and acceptance, that it’s an act of God, what is a human lapse; gross incompetence, criminal neglect and indiscretion.

    The trajectory of aviation industry is such that it is dead to the axiom that says “each death diminishes us Now, a presidential blatant surrogates, of corrupt power that extinguishes the lives of innocents citizens, while procuring bullet-proof armoured cars at criminally induced price to shield herself didn’t think anything of such. This is a phenomenon that has become rampant with President Jonathan in an unprecedented scale since he took office.

    Their intensive defence is expected since it’s a country of anti-hero where little or no attention is pained to nobility of mind and spirit; a life or attitude marked by action or purposeful leadership. As a result, mediocrity and all that is negative is largely pursued as the best for the country. It’s also a country of predatory politicking where the elite who are irrevocably committed to corruption and corruptive engagement continued to rent praise-singers in order to either divert attention from their graft or present falsehood as the ultimate truth.

    The scam has opened another chapter of Mr Jonathan’s Administration which is as remotely known by Nigerians as the presidency itself. It is called intellectual fraud. Reminded that the National Assembly rejected armoured cars in the budget that she was defending, the Minister intoned, “NCAA will answer that.” NCAA will answer that? No graft is ever so undisguised in the open cesspit of corruption for which the nation is currently famed!

    Now this is where conscious citizenship comes to the fore. Nigerians need to remind the jaded political reprobates at the Presidency who have enacted corruptive governance that they cannot do so with the peace of mind, knowing fully well that impunity is an insatiable monster that can hardly be reined back once completely let loose on society.

    Now, we are urged to surrender to feministic blackmail and intimidation, and the beneficiary of that nation-maiming is the monster still parading herself as minister of aviation to date.

    President Jonathan has defeated his purpose in governance and made himself and the nation laughing stocks. He has failed the three global test of leadership quality: competence, integrity and acceptability. Even outright dictatorships make pretences of acknowledging and acceding to the wishes of their citizenry, either entirely or piecemeal, subtly or brutally, furtively or frontally, just to make the point of governmentality. It will be to our own destruction if criminals of this cast are permanently enthroned as guarantors of present or future leadership of the nation.

     

    • Erasmus Ikhide

    Lagos.

  • Whither Oke-Ogun Polytechnic?

    SIR: May 14, was the day that the news filtered in that the Oyo State House of Assembly (OYHA) passed into law, two executive bills, seeking for the establishment of both The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, and Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa. The announcement was greeted with applause from the concerned region. The news that The Polytechnic Ibadan, Saki satellite Campus has been granted autonomy as a full-fledged Polytechnic is now becoming stale and the hope of the people of Oke-Ogun having an autonomous higher institution of their own is becoming forlorn.

    The realities on ground as regards Oke-Ogun Polytechnic  demands that some sort of progress reports should be known. Going by the period of passage of the bill and happenings to this present moment, it seem as if the establishment has been shoved aside. There are considerable  reasons behind this assertion. First is that the current crop of students admitted into The Polytechnic Ibadan, Saki Campus, were admitted under the name of The Polytechnic Ibadan. Another reason is the recently constituted Board for the Technical University of Oyo State. The hope of announcing a similar Board or Committee  for the newly established Polytechnics is not forthcoming and thus further raise doubt about their take-off.

    However, the veracity of establishment of Oke-Ogun Polytechnic is not supposed to be doubtful based on the  broadcast by Governor Abiola Ajimobi, on May29, where he said: “We have upgraded the satellite campuses of the Polytechnic, Ibadan in Saki and Eruwa into full-fledged Polytechnics, so as to open more opportunities of tertiary education to our children…”. Two weeks after, the Oyo State House of Assembly announced its own version of the establishment. Six months after the announcement, there seem to be no corresponding follow up.

    The desire of the state government to “open more opportunities of tertiary education” to the entire state could be achieved by being true to promises made. A simple way to achieve this is to include in the budgetary allocation for the 2014, the needed funds that will cater for listed but yet to be implemented plans – the take-off of the upgraded and full-fledged institutions inclusive. Doing this will clear any form of misgivings that might have been nursed in the minds of those doubtful of government’s sincerity.

    The expectation of the Oke-Ogun region is high on the upgrading of the current Saki satellite campus of The Polytechnic Ibadan. A prompt and rightful action on making the Polytechnic a reality coupled with more dispensing of dividends of democracy to the region will be assuaging the hitherto neglect of Oke-Ogun.

     

    • Adesina Adeyemi

    Saki,Oyo state.

  • Mandela: We can eulogise our own

    SIR: So, I just read US President, Barack Obama’s tribute to Mandela and seriously? I have to laugh. The same capitalism that jailed Mandela? The same imperialism brought by Rhodes that Mandela spent half of his productive life fighting?

    The same America that called Mandela a terrorist for taking up arms against the apartheid regime and inciting young South-Africans to do so?

    The same America that put Mandela’s name on US’s terror list until 2008? The same America that continued to harass him for saying he’s a socialist?

    Enough already!

    Tired of all the hypocrisy. The same President Obama has refused all calls from the international community to apologise to Africans for the crimes committed against them. Twenty-seven wasted years of Mandela’s life and there’s no apology and you just waltz in after death to eulogise him?

    I say save your eulogies, we can eulogise our own. Until America apologises to Africa for all the crimes committed from the days of slavery to the days of murdering our leaders in the name of ‘installing democracy’, we say save your eulogies, we can eulogise our own.

     

    • Ogunjimi James Taiwo,

    Lagos

     

  • Can we trust INEC in 2015?

    The election that took place in Anambra State on the 16th of November 2013 has given Nigerians some concern as regards the capability of INEC to conduct credible elections in Nigeria, come 2015.

    The whole exercise looks as if INEC has not learnt any lesson from previous elections conducted in this country, hence the whole exercise took a new twist as confusion ruled the exercise.

    rians on the coming election schedule to take place in 2015,whether what took place

    When President Goodluck Jonathan was looking for a credible candidate to head the current INEC, he assured Nigerians that the person he would place in the saddle of election in Nigeria would be a person of proven integrity and would deliver the best election that would be acceptable to all Nigerians, but the whole promise has been a disappointment and made Nigerians to lose confidence in the electoral system in the country, which sometimes lead to apathy on the part of Nigerians in taking part in any election.

    The Anambra charade would be a carryover of what we shall see in 2015, because most Nigerians will never believe in anything INEC comes out with in future as regards election in this country. If it’s in another clime, the entire INEC would have resigned their appointment for a credible person to head the commission to the admiration of all Nigerian.

    By Bala Nayashi

    Lokoja

    Kogi State.

  • The task before Epe local government chairman

    Since the election that ushered in local government council executives in Lagos State two years ago, the council managers are expected to perform optimally to the satisfaction of those who elected them into office, but their hopes were dashed because the reverse has been the case, no thanks to bad governance and insensitive leaders.

    The case of Epe Local Government Area of the state is very crucial, unique, pathetic and funnyand backward, when compared with other states created since 1976

    This local government has not seen much development in terms of infrastructural facilities, road network and thus presents the chairman an uphill task of bringing his wealth of experience to bear in the administration of the council.

    The chairman, Mr. Segun Agbaje, needs to embark on massive infrastructural development to make the people of the area very happy and as a result do the council proud in the committee of developed councils in the state.

    Mr. Agbaje should not allow sycophancy; hypocrisy and other anti-progressive issues prevent him from making history and appreciable impact on the lives of the people in the local government area.

    Good a thing, the council is blessed with human, natural and mineral resources that can transform the local government into an enviable height in the development index in the state of the federation.

    What Epe Local Government Council needs, therefore, is a visionary, focused and determined leader that would galvanise the hidden prospect of the local government council for development by providing good road network, functional street light and banish poverty.

    Ademola Orunbon

    17, Ajanosi Street,

    Oke-Posun, Epe