The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Demolition of Mokola flyover barrier

    SIR: My heart bled recently when I heard the news of the demolishing of the barrier on the flyover constructed by the government of Oyo State in Ibadan. I worked in Ibadan as a federal civil servant for 35 years, retiring in 2010 and leaving the state for Ekiti State, my home state.

    The Oyo State that we knew between 2003 and 2011 was a state of fear and anguish, where you needed ‘intelligence report’ about the different areas of the state capital before you set out in the morning. Gangsters and violent people took over virtually everywhere, with governments said to be supporting some of the miscreants. The state capital was unusually dirty throughout this period and the state secretariat, built by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was a shadow of itself.

    I was in Ibadan a few months ago and saw the wonders of transformation. I am not a politician but I think we should be man enough to commend whoever is transforming the environment. Not only is the state capital very clean and beautiful now, I was impressed by the infrastructural renewal going on. I could, for example, hardly recognize Magazine Road, Agbarigo Road, Eleyele Road and even the Challenge Interchange!

    Of all these wonders in the new Oyo State, the one that was the most magnificent to behold is the new Mokola Bridge. The bridge is an architectural masterpiece that has indeed transformed the state capital. When I now read in the newspapers that some miscreants were commissioned to demolish the barrier of the bridge, I was afraid that the enemies of progress who had been responsible for the comatose nature of the state are at work. If Oyo State returns to that era of filth and bloodshed, Yorubaland is done for, for Ibadan is the political capital of the Yoruba people.

    I call on President Goodluck Jonathan to summon security agencies to Oyo State and apprehend the culprits responsible for the demolition of the barrier. If care is not taken, one day, they will bring diggers and caterpillars to demolish what, for now, is the advertisement of the arrival of Oyo State on the development scene.

    • Ademola Kumapayi,

    Igosun Road, Ado-Ekiti.

     

  • Rains and the upsurge in malaria cases

    SIR: One of the many disadvantages of the rainy season is the upsurge in Malaria cases. It is like a time of the year when dead mosquitoes arise to take revenge on the humans that killed them.

    Malaria in Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Ministry of Health (MoH), is responsible for 60 percent of out-patient visits to health facilities; 30 percent of childhood deaths; 25 percent of deaths in children under one year; and 11 percent of maternal deaths. The disease is directly contributing to poverty, low productivity, and reduced school attendance in Nigeria.

    For a country with a population of about 120 million, results show that Nigeria loses about N880,801 million per annum representing about 12 percent of our Gross Domestic Product. Hence, malaria burden in Nigeria is enormous and has a devastating impact on economic growth.

    Methods used to prevent malaria include medications, mosquito elimination and the prevention of bites.

    Here’s where mosquito nets come to play. Mosquito nets create a protective barrier against malaria-carrying mosquitoes that bite at night, they help keep mosquitoes away from people and significantly reduce infection rates and transmission of malaria. Nets are often treated with an insecticide designed to kill the mosquito before it has time to find a way past the net. Insecticide-treated nets are estimated to be twice as effective as untreated nets and offer greater than 70% protection compared with no net but when purchasing a mosquito net, you should still ask for the treated one as some are not treated.

    Anti-malaria drugs have been known to work effectively in malaria prevention, so go to the doctor for medications even if you are well and feeling healthy, complete your dosage so as not to give malaria a chance. When temporarily visiting malaria-endemic areas, it is adviced to begin taking anti-malaria medication prescribed by your doctor one to two weeks before arriving.

    Before you to go to sleep, apply insecticides in your home, do not be in the room when the insecticide is still strong and close your doors and windows early in the evening to prevent mosquitoes from coming in. Remember to fumigate your house at least once in a year. In the home, cover areas of stagnant, still water, such as water tanks that are ideal breeding grounds for the parasite and mosquito.

    Every pregnant woman should take the prevention of malaria seriously as it is the major cause of stillbirths so when feeling any sign of malaria, go to the doctor immediately for treatment and avoid areas where malaria and mosquitoes are present if you are at higher risk; and remember, flu and malaria have almost the same symptoms so don’t confuse the symptoms with the flu and neglect the doctor’s visitation.

    The prevention of diseases should be a major focus of any country seeking development. A friend in the United Kingdom was diagnosed with malaria and had to be quarantined for a week, she was in a confined space and visitors had to wear masks before coming in to see her, which goes to highlight how important the disease is been treated in the UK.

    The rainy season is good but we all have to work around the disadvantages it brings with it like malaria.

     

    • Adetola Ojo

    National Emergency Management Agency, Abuja.

     

  • Oyo-Ogbomoso road deserves attention

    SIR: Incessant loss of lives at the Oyo-Ogbomoso section of the Old Ibadan- Ilorin highway with no end insight necessitated this outcry to the government to rescue innocent Nigerians from brutal death. The gory sight of mangled bodies of 18 passengers whose vehicle was involved in an auto accident at Agric Area, towards Ogbomoso in the night of Thursday, August 15, showed how brutish Nigerians lives are.

    It has come to a situation when passengers plying this road have to pray fervently before embarking on their journey. Over speeding and lackadaisical attitude of drivers of articulated lorries popularly called trailers to the plights of other vehicles on that road is a cause of the incessant carnage on this busy road. Another cause of accident on this road is the rate at which these articulated lorries break down on the road due to their age and over-loading. Once these trailers develop fault, they are usually abandoned on the road thereby causing accident because most of the oncoming vehicles would not know that abandoned vehicles are on the road until they get to that spot and collide with such abandoned vehicle. That was what caused August 15, accident mentioned above. Men of the Federal Road Safety Commission could not be blamed because they are trying their best but lack of towing vehicles is hindering their effectiveness in this wise.

    Obviously, the hope that the new expressway from Oyo to Ogbomoso may bring succour to the travellers when completed is becoming forlorn. This is because the contractors handling the road have abandoned it due to lack of fund. The way out of this situation in my own opinion is that Oyo State government under the able leadership of Senator Abiola Ajimobi has to come to the aid of the travellers on this road.

    As a matter of fact, Ajimobi is on rescue mission in Oyo State. This is what his intervention policies thus far show. Therefore, his intervention is needed in this wise. I think if he can provide towing vehicles on this road, the carnage would reduce and that would be credited to him. As a matter of fact, it would be an innovation and government could generate fund, and provide employment for some people through that exercise.

     

    • Adewuyi Adegbite

    Apake, Ogbomoso.

     

  • Confront issues, not Odimegwu

    SIR: The increasing vituperative reactions emanating mostly from northern leaders against the person of Festus Odimegwu, chairman of National Population Commission, over the statement credited to him to the effect that all the census exercises held in Nigeria so far were basically riddled with irregularities of immense proportion that ultimately undermined their credibility, appear to be not only misdirected but apparently risible. This is considering the sheer emptiness of some of these criticisms that clearly underscore the sole intent of those behind them to be merely spiteful and nothing more.

    One had thought that by the prevailing circumstance of Odimegwu’s revelation and his well registered unwillingness to embrace the typically Nigerian administrative culture of window dressing inherent in our public service life (which the likes of Rabiu Kwankwaso would have preferred and in fact had confessed their predilection for), these cavilers would have done well in picking holes on the actual issues raised by Odimegwu rather than going personal about the whole thing. They would have done well to find solace in plucking the streaks of grey in Odimegwu’s bristle rather than going the whole hog of recommending his head for the guillotine.

    Surely the truth is bitter, but we all must not allow ourselves to be amenable to amnesia as it concerns the actual comment made in respect of past census in Nigeria. To be specific, I strongly believe, Odimegwu’s statement was not only meant for the consumption of all Nigerians but aimed at unearthing for our collective reflection, the fundamental malaise associated with demographics in Nigeria from the colonial era to 2006, when the last census exercise was conducted. It therefore boggles one’s mind why our compatriots from the far North are yelling out as if they were the only people that heard and/or understood the statement credited Odimegwu.

    It is high time we – Nigerians – learnt to confront issues and not individuals. Indeed the chairman of the National Population Commission, has passed his message, willy-nilly, and the onus is now on those who disagree with him to rebut his message by dint of issue-based arguments and cogent reasons and not by attacking his person.

    • Onyiorah Chiduluemije

    Abuja

     

  • A plea for local languages

    SIR: I watched some children conversing in English, and how they ‘butchered’ that language. Worse still they could not even speak Igbo, their native tongue. The emergence of a generation of children especially in the East who either cannot speak the Igbo language well or at all spells doom for the language. It calls for urgent attention if the Igbo language is not to become extinct in the near future.

    It has unfortunately become fashionable especially among young parents to speak only the English language to their children. Yea, they desire them to be fluent in the Queen’s language, to be seen as polished. These parents may not be aware and may even deny it but the truth is that their action is mostly informed by a subconscious feeling that the native language is too ‘local’, primitive, and inferior. Some of these deluded folks even proudly advertise the fact that their children cannot or have difficulty in comprehending their native tongue. By implication, only ‘local’ children are expected to be fluent in their native tongue. How unfortunate!

    I find it tragic seeing parents who can hardly navigate their way through the English language sweating to teach same to their children. I once chanced upon a rather bizarre scene of a woman selling akara balls by the roadside communicating with her little boy in what could best be described as tattered English. How ridiculous!

    These parents end up not only teaching their children horrible English but also denying them of opportunity to learn their native tongue. We thus have children that can neither speak good English nor their native tongue; that are neither here nor there. Such children with little or no knowledge of their roots will grow into adults who may likely feel inferior around more culturally grounded adults from other parts of the world thus giving credence to the unfortunate misconception that we are people without culture and history. This must not be allowed.

    Government and our schools must redouble effort to promote our indigenous languages. The declining number of people who major in our indigenous languages at higher level is indeed worrisome. A secondary school once advertised vacancy for Igbo language teacher and for weeks and got no application. Measures and incentives should be evolved to encourage undergraduates to major in our indigenous languages. Indigenous language literatures should be encouraged. Perhaps a credit in an indigenous language should also be one of the criteria for admission into higher institution. It is indeed of great importance that government and conscious citizens brainstorm and devise means to preserve our languages and cultures.

    And to the parents, especially the young ones, I say, please, help save our languages. It is no shame for a child to be fluent in his or her native tongue. Speak and teach the children their native language, they’ll definitely learn English at school.

     

    • Nnoli Chidiebere

    Aba, Abia State.

  • APC should consider rotational presidency

    SIR: I congratulate the All Progressives Congress (APC) on its highly laudable manifesto. If faithfully implemented, and I have no doubt, it will make Nigeria a real republic- i.e. what belongs to the people, and not what has been shared among some privileged individuals as we have it now.

    A prominent member of the APC and former Senate Majority Whip, Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello, is quoted as saying that zoning, which I understand to mean rotational presidency in particular, is not in the APC constitution. He said “It is part of PDP’s previous constitution, because President Jonathan kicked against it, and he is the leader of the party, and that is one of the reasons why I disagreed with him”. I am making a passionate case for zoning, generally, and for rotational presidency, particularly, as good for order, equity, and stability.

    The APC’s constitution, according to Bello, provides for “something we call fairness”, in place of zoning, “but most importantly, there must be capability, credibility and somebody who can do the job.”

    I make bold to say that each of our six zones is bigger than some countries around the world, and so, we only need to insist on the quality of persons we want, but there is no doubt each zone has it. If you leave the issue of zoning hanging on “we will be fair”, the chances are that one Goodluck Jonathan or another will emerge one day and say, “It is not in our constitution”, and crisis begins all over again!

    Even such positions as the Governor of the Central Bank can be zoned, unless it is subject to seniority succession. To safeguard the possibility that a zone at a particular point in time may lack such an expert, which I doubt, the constitution can provide for position swapping. But the issue of order and equity are fundamental to the well-being of a society. APC should help stabilize Nigeria beyond 2015, to leave an enduring legacy. To make zoning juridical, it has to be in the constitution; a rigorous and detailed constitution is important for guidance and judicial purposes.

    The former Governor of Kaduna State and current chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, is quoted as urging ”old politicians to quit the political stage for the younger generation”. We don’t ask our elders to quit the stage when they can still dance; we dance together and learn more from them.

    Does Makarfi have personal oil wells to protect, or the same chop-I-chop syndrome?

    • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, Ph. D,

    University of Ilorin.

  • The Suntai dance of shame

    SIR: The Suntai dance of shame has since thrown up a host of commentaries, a congregation of views, and a line-up of various legal and political combatants, all arrayed on either side of the conversational divide. The people of Taraba, who ordinarily should be the main issue, are shut out of the conversation, condemned to the sideline, where they have always been.

    It is needless excavating how Governor Danbaba Suntai came to find himself in this mess. Our concern therefore would be restricted to the events since Sunday, August 25, when Gov. Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State arrived aboard a chartered aircraft, after 10 months of medical treatment abroad following his October 25, 2012 plane crash.

    Then the governor appeared from the aircraft and the whole story was told. A certain hand appeared to have been raised by the ailing governor, who from close observation looked like a man staring absentmindedly, and then the said hand came down. That was all, and the man was whisked away, perhaps to rescue whatever was left of the whole arrangement from collapsing totally into tiny irretrievable pieces. Since then, its been one shenanigan after the other. A strange letter was later followed by a strange video, while Taraba State remained in the vice-like grip of desperate power merchants, who would do anything to survive.

    Having noted the solidarity of the Governor’s supporters, and the energy with which they have pursued their cause, the constitutionality or otherwise of Gov. Danbaba Suntai’s purported return to office via a letter, has been the biggest issue in the entire drama. Again the Constitutional Jurisprudence of our democracy is being invoked, as the Daniel that must necessarily and with alacrity come to judge, if we are to make some sense of out of something that should be a matter of simple commonsense.

    Section 190 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) As Amended, provides that, “Whenever the Governor transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Deputy Governor as Acting Governor.”

    Suntai fulfilled the first part of this provision, when he was about to leave for medical treatment abroad about 10 months ago. To this extent, the reasonable expectation would have been for the other part to follow, the moment the encumbrance which occasioned his sending-in the first letter to the House of Assembly is discharged. The big question is, has that encumbrance being discharged?

    Proponents of the ailing Governor and legal minds alike have argued that since the Governor has fulfilled the second part of Section 190, which simply requests him to transmit a letter to the Speaker, that is all that is required of him, and the Constitution simply asks for no more.

    It is my submission that Section 190 of the Constitution, is not created to simply be an avenue of exchange of letters, or differently put, as a sort of letter-writing exercise. Every provision of the Constitution, by way of interpretation, has both the connotative import and the denotative intention. Under Section 190, it is the phrase, “Unable to discharge the functions of his office”, that necessarily precedes the transmitting of a letter, without which; there would have been no need to transmit a letter in the first place. Flowing from this, the necessary wisdom that cascades to the end of this provision is that another letter cannot be transmitted to the Speaker by the Governor, stating his intention to return to office, if the encumbrance that made him unable to discharge the functions of his office at the time he transmitted the first letter still subsists.

    Simply put, the letters of the provision of Section 190 is that which deals with the procedure for transmitting of the letter signifying the Governor’s request to return to office, however, the spirit of that provision, which is more potent than its letters, and which captures the whole essence of the provision, is one that runs with a deeper expectation that such a letter is ONLY transmitted when the Governor is not only seen, but is manifestly seen to be able to discharge the functions of his office.

    • Olusola Adegbite, Esq. Faculty of Law,

    Obafemi Awolowo University,

    Ile-Ife.

  • Unfair allotment of stalls at Rivers’ Eke Oyigbo market

    SIR: Traders in Oyigbo market in Oyigbo local government area of Rivers State have been relocated to a new two-storey building plaza built by the local government. Before the relocation exercise, traders were jubilating that their age-long dream of leaving their old haphazardly built dwarf stalls that did not give enough room for display of their wares for a more spacious accommodation has come true.

    Unfortunately their joy may have been short lived as most of the traders, especially the not too buoyant ones that had earlier paid for the new stalls were skipped in the exercise. These unlucky traders are now in a fix as they cannot go back to their old stalls nor take up the new ones they had already paid for.

    Indeed, most of the stalls were relocated to other individuals who are neither traders nor have any business to do with trading as they are mostly civil servants.

    The question now is, was there no proper documentation by the local government as regards return of ownership to the bona fide traders? Under normal circumstances, names, passport sized photographs and other requirements of the traders ought to have been taken by the department in charge of the exercise in order to make sure that the allotment did not shift to wrong hands.

    This unfair treatment to these traders, if not reversed would definitely render their lives hopeless as their only means of livelihood has been completely halted. Against this backdrop, I earnestly call on the Oyigbo local government chairman, Honorable Uche Nweke to intervene in this crucial matter by reviewing the allotment process in order to give the displaced traders value for their money and a sense of belonging.

    Allotting stalls to civil servants who are non-traders is very unfair and not in consonance with justice, equity and good conscience. Please come to their rescue for the Almighty God will never hold those responsible for this heinous act guiltless

     

    • Nkemakolam Gabriel

    Port Harcourt

  • What the youths can do about corruption

    Just like ingenuity is required for any socio-economic transformation of a society, disingenuity is also responsible for corruption embellishment. One can then opine that the latter has been more predominant than the former. Schism between the rich and the poor and the astronomical rise of poverty are great attestation to prove that corruption has thriven high in this morally decadent world.

    Within the last decade and still counting, convention against corruption has greatly increased and yet the increase in corruption has remained undoused. It then becomes logical to deduce that recommendations or treaty signed by the international bodies are to talk the talk, not to walk the talk. The ‘get rich quick’ syndrome is the rationale for corruption. The writer doesn’t condemn the proclivity for wealth; he only calls to question its propensity without any index (competence, hard work).

    Before the world went into recession, executive corruption was reported and was predicted would cause corruption. Banks and mortgage houses disregarded professional ethics and instead concentrated on illegal/inordinate gains. The net result was catastrophic. As a youth passionate about changing my world and anticipating a volte face from corruption to the principles of fairness, equity and justice, youths should launch aggressive, unsparing and non-violent campaign.

    Accounts have it that a huge chunk of African wealth is trapped and stored in western banks notwithstanding their prior knowledge. The western banks cum financial institutions would rather disregard banking ethics and give illegal wealth a safe haven. The perpetrator of a crime is not the only guilty person; accomplices are equally guilty and must be punished accordingly. Therefore, the west having proved to be confederates in corrupt practices in the area of money laundering and other subversion of banking ethics should equally be tarred with the same brush. This should be greeted with their demotion from the rank of the very clean countries from the transparency international perception index (I mean the United States and the European continent).By doing this, the façade would be removed and unsparing analysis /criticism be done to every partners of corruption.

    And also the establishment of strong anti-graft institution would go a long way in dousing corruption.

    By Olaniyi Kolawole

    Akute Odo, Ogun State

  • Falling standard of education: Who is to blame?

    The problem of education emerged from the neglect which the sector suffered from the 1980s leading to the gradual erosion of the system. Inadequacy of funding, lack of teaching tools and modern classrooms, poor numerations and the acute shortage of qualified teachers, have all contributed to the fall in the standard of education in Nigeria.

    Westernised Nigerian society which is a high source or way of distribution to students instead of studying, students (pupils) spend their time watching television, playing video games, listening to music channels (Channel O) and the present calamity face book, hi5, on line media etc. which prevent them from reading that’s necessary for knowledge acquisition.

    Lack of dedication and punctuality to duty by the teachers has contributed to the fall in the standard of education. The teachers show divided loyalty to the teaching job; most teachers pay lip-service to their job, spending more time and energy in other businesses and less time in the classroom.

    Parents also share in the blame; most of them simply do not care about their children’s education. They put all their attention towards money-making, leaving the children’s guidance and motivation to the house maids and drivers, as a result, the children’s projects, home work will not be done, neither will they be reminded to study at home. Some children derail and drop out.

    Government is largely responsible for the falling standard of education; they change policies concerning education so frequently, leaving both teachers and students confused. They also do not equip classroom and laboratories appropriately to make for effective learning. Corrupt officers who misuse institutions’ money/funds go unpunished. Exam malpractice which is one of the major causes of falling standard of education has not been tackled by the government. Look at the TSS issue, frequent strikes and the present universities’ school fees increase. Haba!!!

    To gauge the seriousness of a society, especially its seriousness about attaining national development goals, we need to appraise the nation’s educational system.

    Can we harvest the critical/creative minds necessary to manage the democratic process if we do not invest in human capital development? Or compete in the globalised world of the twenty fifth century; if a nation does not face its education development seriously, then there is a lot that is wrong with such society.

    To revive the educational sector in order to help in building the individuals to be able to assist the process of developing the society, government should make sure our schools are equipped with functional libraries and laboratories, with classrooms having modern instructional technologies; computers connected to the internet, projectors audio-visual and video conferencing equipment etc.

    Teachers cannot perform miracles without the necessary teaching aids (tools). Primary and secondary schools, which are the foundation of education should be properly built, funded and adequately staffed. It is also the duty of the healthy learning environment which also aids the teaching and learning interaction. That is why the united nations benchmark is that countries must put 26% of their budgets into education.

    If the government provides or educates its citizens through functional education then the people will take their right places in the social, political, economic and even religious life endeavours so we can reach great heights and be among the first twenty countries by 2020.

    By Adamu Muhd Usman.

    Kafin Hausa Jigawa State