Category: Opinion

Usman Issa

 

SIR: Last week, the social media was awash with tales and memes about Big Brother Naija’s eviction and disqualification of some of the housemates. Erica’s eviction was major hit that set the media on fire; she was disqualified for her sullen temper against Laycon. Minutes after she left the house, her fans took it upon themselves to raise funds for her and in couple of hours, she grossed millions of naira.

A day before Erica’s disqualification, Nigerian youths were calling for President Buhari’s head for the obnoxious hike in the price of petroleum and electricity tariff. Immediately the reality television show announced Erica’s disqualification, Nigeria’s ‘leaders of tomorrow’ swiftly forgot about petroleum and tariff, instead they chose to light-up their social media statuses hyping Big Brothers and sisters locked in the house.

What baffles me most is the prophecy of Reverend Father Mbaka about the Big Brother show. In a video posted on Facebook, Mbaka was heard saying: “Look at what she was calling the other young man, ‘idiot’ and the whole world was watching. And the person she was calling idiot gets more votes than all of them, the boy did not even respond to her. Look at Erica with all her beauty and all her beautiful dances, then look at her in the next 10minutes, she becomes cantankerous and pugnacious…she will lose that 85 million”.

So, our Reverend Father enjoys beautiful dances and other salacious moments on Big Brother show!

I could not but wonder about what has the show got to do with the ‘prophetic office’. Out of many woes betiding the country which require prophetic attention, imagine our prophet having time for the brawl, kerfuffle and misunderstanding going on in the nonsensical ‘lockdown house’!

Just as terrible are the celebrities also out dashing out money on twitter to canvass for their favourite housemates. Of course, many would say it is not a big deal, but they abandon the things that matter to the masses. Many actors are known to have died of severe illness they could have survived if they had money. They got no helping hands from their so-called colleagues who are now busy raising funds for housemates and doing giveaway for people to vote their favourites.

Many young minds have succumbed to poverty, hunger, and other ailments because raising funds for their survival is a big challenge.

At times, I try to figure out what really is our problem in Nigeria. We are much more relieved watching reality shows while adorning the gowns of our nightmare.

As for Nigerian celebrities, they have no equal. Instead of giving back to the society, they prefer giving to the Big Brothers and sisters, who to the best of my knowledge are well to do already before joining the house.

It is obvious that the youths are a part of the problems bedevilling the country. If the government is not doing it right, the youths and the so-called celebrities are also getting it wrong. I hope someday, we will all get it right. I mean both the government and the governed.

• Usman Issa, Offa, Kwara State.

Kene Obiezu

 

SIR: Nigeria is at a banquet: the table at the centre is gold. Problem is that so few find seat and even fewer tastes the ambrosia served. In a country of bountiful blessings, every sharing formula till date has come up short. There is a constitution which emphasizes federal character but suffers the handicap of a doctor prescribing a drug not in his pharmacy.

Nepotism rages like a wild fire, consuming all in its path. In burning away the last vestiges of meritocracy, it leaves only dust and ashes.

For Ndi Igbo, Biafra is still very much live. The good people of the Niger Delta continue to lament their environment. The southwest is suspicious of Nigeria‘s federalism and the north faces multiple terrors from rampaging marauders.

Nigeria is a big loaf torn between many jostling for a piece of it. Yet, obscurity is the lot of those for whom the loaf should be a lifeline.

Insecurity remains grave. Life and property are at the mercy of ruthless killers. The future has never been bleaker. The past lies naked beneath the gaze of those who want to change it.

In these days of   rampant unemployment, 774, 000 jobs are up for grabs between the National Assembly and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. True to form, the squabble has been atrocious.

The National Assembly, exhibiting its entitlement syndrome, has laid claims to a larger number than the ministry is willing to give.

No a few of the slot should end up with the thugs who service their electoral violence.

Nigeria is a banquet many have been invited to but so few are seated. The majority are caught in the mazes of the margins, macerated by the maces of those whose mascot is the ravening beast that injustice is.

In Nigeria, it is not ironical that the jobs meant to placate the plight of people hardest hit by the pandemic would become a problem to them.

Many Nigerians are wondering aloud about what is even in the jobs for them. In the current economic climate, N60,000 does not even begin to scratch the surface of what the average Nigerian needs in a month to survive, and not curse his citizenship of Nigeria. That it has become a source of so much controversy tells a noisy story.

In Nigeria, inequity is a rabid dog that barks and bites to spread its rabies. It is seen in the castration of the federal character principle in the constitution. It is seen in the allocation of resources, especially as it relates to the oil wealth flowing   from the Niger Delta. It is seen in appointments into public offices. It is seen in the citing of national infrastructure. It is even sighted in the distribution of the basics that Nigerians need to live and thrive.

So, iniquitously, the country is diseased by the terminal ailment that inequity is. The disease has spread fast, afflicting many, like a pandemic, yet hubris has precluded many from subjecting themselves to curative   procedures. Perhaps, they fear the cynicism of the judiciary – that once hallowed temple of justice that has now become a  venue where justice is subjected to the humiliating condescension of commerce.

Those who form poverty‘s long queues of privations see their begging bowls spat into and their status re-empasised while the do-nothings feed fat and curse those who have nothing.

Nigeria, long sat on the gunpowder of those turned away, is at the brink with the ticking thickening.

Things must change immediately. The alternative is to risk an actionable anger, one so bloated by many years of epic inequality.

The building of another Nigeria must immediately begin: a different Nigeria; a Nigeria where every Nigerian is invited to the banquet and given a seat of honour fitting for all citizens. There must no longer be those who are treated as second-class citizens; everyone must be allowed a bite of the national bread. Until this is done, failure will continue to dog our every step as a country.

What is obtainable is no longer sustainable. What we have is a butchery where the butcher‘s block is surrounded by  pot-bellied gluttons, eyes gleaming with greed and avarice, hands full of gleaming knives, all digging, into the carcass of a country abominably preyed upon by all those who should be praying for it.

Things must change lest we risk the extinction of a great country.

• Kene Obiezu,

Abuja.

Sulaiman Maijama’a

 

SIR: If Nigerians had been disenchanted by the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan because of corruption, insecurity, poverty among other issues, they must by now have been depressed and flabbergasted by what is happening under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari, no doubt, is among the few, honest-hearted people Nigeria has ever produced. However, leadership is beyond that; honesty per se is insufficient in dealing with barrage of challenges that leadership comes with. Compassion and proactive response to issues that are directly germane to the existence of the poor masses is also a requirement in government business. When the two are combined with honesty, success is assured!

I remember vividly before 2015, Buhari had identified himself with the masses and gave them the impression that when elected president, his policies would be purely in their favour.

Was it not the then candidate Buhari that blamed the hardships due to inflation and high cost of essentials that Nigerians were going through during the PDP regime to poor leadership?  And was it not he who pledged to bring change when elected president?

Let’s assume people were suffocating under the PDP; how much were Nigerians purchasing a bag of maize and locally produced rice then and how much are they buying it now? How much was the price of fuel per litre then and how much is it now? Was it not Buhari that led a protest when President Jonathan increased fuel price?

How can any unbiased observer who heard the utterances of the president before he got into power and sees all that is happening now not express disappointment with how things are turning out?

We complained about the ineffectiveness of the Jonathan presidency; of his lackluster leadership in the face of the Boko Haram onslaught in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states – the epicenters of the terrorists. But now that the same Boko Haram is still unrelenting just as armed banditry is pervasive and herders-farmer clashes daily claim the lives  of innocent people in the Northwestern states; yet some cadres of conspiracy theorists want Nigerians to keep suppressing their disappointment. Is it because the president is from our part of the country?

Even on corruption, not few Nigerians must have been shocked by the twist in the anti-corruption fight; now the story is that the person who has been hunting the looters of public fund in the last five years is himself now being hunted for the same crime.

We shouldn’t give up though. As they say, “when there is life, there is hope”. The president still has three years ahead and Nigerians want to see him renew his strength to tackle the problems with full vigour. We are still optimistic.

• Sulaiman Maijama’a

Bayero University Kano.

Victor Emejuiwe

 

SIR: Asset declaration is a tool used all over the world to prevent corruption and to promote a culture of accountability and transparency. In Nigeria, the constitution provides for declaration of assets by public officers with the Code of Conduct Bureau but gave the National Assembly the powers to set up guidelines for such declarations to be made available to the public.

The lack of established guidelines by the National Assembly has a created a lacuna in the constitution which has been exploited by most public officers to deny public access to the declaration of their assets and liabilities. In line with the open government partnership which Nigeria is a signatory to, government is expected to conduct all its activities in an open and transparent manner. This implies that officers working under the government must also subject themselves to openness, transparency and accountability by giving room for probity and accountability. Therefore, the excuse of protection of privacy used by public servants to deny the public access to the assets and liabilities they declared before the Code of Conduct Bureau is not tenable.  The shielding of assets declared is against the norm in other jurisdiction.

In the light of the above, it is time to enact a law that would allow for public access to asset declaration, in line with the provisions of the Third Schedule Part 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

The law should have objectives that accord citizens of Nigeria the right to inspect declaration of assets and liabilities of public officers. It should also promote a culture of accountability, openness and transparency in public administration. It should promote public confidence in the integrity of public office holders and the decision-making process in government; and promote efficient public administration and good governance.

If the law sees the light of the day, it should contain provisions that would compel the Code of Conduct Bureau to publish the assets of all public officers in a dedicated website and made available for public inspection. The information should be searchable by name, position, agency and other criteria that facilitate identification of specific public officers. It should be downloadable and printable from a personal computer or mobile device.

The law should also compel the bureau to upon expiry of the date due for declarations, prepare and display on the website, on an agency by agency basis, a comprehensive list of public officers who have declared their assets and liabilities and a list of those who have not complied.  This information should remain on the website throughout the time the public officer holds public office and three years afterwards; thereafter the declaration can be archived. On the matter of personal privacy, which is of grave concern to most public officers, the law should exempt the declarant from uploading certain information; such as bank account numbers and bank verification numbers, national identity card numbers, passport numbers, street address and number of plot where the declarant currently resides, the declarant can only state the geographical location of the resident, and the type and value of the property.

The law should mandate the bureau to verify the assets declared and indicate the status of verification against each asset, either as verified, ongoing verification or not yet verified.

Under the law, the protection of citizens who have proof of false declaration of assets and submits such verifiable evidence to law enforcement agencies should be protected. The public officers with authentic declarations should also be protected from spurious allegations and malicious damage to their reputation for trying to fulfil of the law.

If we must enthrone a more transparent public service and win the fight against corruption, the National Assembly and the executive should give this proposition adequate consideration.

• Victor Emejuiwe

Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

Mohammed Bello Yunusa

 

SIR: The northern Nigeria governors, except a few, must have appropriated the powers of the Almighty, the transient nature of their stay in Government Houses notwithstanding. This appropriation is a reflection of how public affairs are conducted in the states. In the states, the governors are the law so much that everything revolves around the ‘Alpha and Omega’ without whom nothing is possible.

The absolute powers of the governors apparently blinded them to their responsibilities and respect for ordinary rights and dignity of citizens. Those at the receiving end this time are the minors and teenagers who need and deserve utmost state protection. These are the Almajirai, Tsangaya students, i.e. young children and youth studying Islam and Islamic books under a teacher.

The outbreak of COVID 19 made this year a tough one for children and youth in our communities, towns and cities.  At the outbreak of the pandemic in Nigeria, the Almajirai were literally smoked out of the Tsangaya schools and deported to various states or communities of origin as if they are not citizens of Nigeria. Apparently, the Tsangaya pupils lost freedom of movement, association and conscience. Personal dignity and respect were certainly violated. The state simply declared them personae non gratae   and furthered the pupils’ hunger, poverty and deprivation boundaries.

Yes, begging is a social menace. However, it is better to leave the beggars alone if you have nothing to offer them. Other than approaching the Tsangaya school teacher for medicinal and spiritual assistance, the politicians and development policy makers have for years without number, remained oblivious of the schools. I dare say education is education and your citizens are your citizens. The northern governors’ forum must come to terms with these. Children and youth of the North are in more serious circumstances that need state attention. The closed livelihoods, employment opportunities including inabilities to set up homes are major frustrations that have propelled the youth and children to drug addiction and other social vices. Begging is not an issue; in fact it is an official business.

All federal, state and local government projects are dependent on begging the World Bank, IMF, other lending and donor agencies not to mention the overdrawn facilities of domestic banks by agencies of governments. No meaningful research activities are going on in the universities without proposal writing and begging international agencies for funding. Ask the professors. In the ministries the best funded projects are products of begging. The burden of executive begging that puts heavy debt burden on and impoverish citizens are perpetual menace and embarrassment to poor citizens. Their Excellencies must talk to this.

Yet the state and local governments have displayed incapacity to own and manage ordinary public primary school functioning. The poor people have lost access to elite education. Those that, regardless the demands of the situation, insist the children must go to school, ended in a closed opportunity system. The have certificates without jobs. The political elites have their children in choice employments yet, survival jobs in public service are openly on sale. With closed access, the poor have really lost interest in your schools and they should be let be. As it is, the governors are embarrassing the citizens.

To let the people and their type of education be, the governors ought to have seen the opportunity offered by COVID 19. Tsangaya, the cradle of Islamic intellectual development dots all villages, towns and cities in the north. But the modern day policy makers know next to nothing about them and could not have done a thing to sustain them. So it is easy for the governors to blow the opportunity.

What could have been done? The Covid 19 and the associated lockdown offered opportunity for locating and enumeration of Tsangaya schools, their capacities and pupils. The lockdown would have been used to establish the number of Tsangaya schools, number of Almajirai in each school, learning conditions covering learning materials, sleeping places and sanitary facilities, feeding among others. The profile could have served as basis for sound policies for state inventions. The interventions would have been used to dignify the Almajirai and put them on constitutional equity with their mates in primary and secondary schools. With the data, it is possible to feed them and gradually make begging less lucrative for them.

Most importantly, it was an opportunity to monitor and control of COVID 19 spread among this vulnerable population. These are ways and how not to have embarrassed the Tsangaya pupils by treating them like refugees in their home country, their father land.

Whenever policies and actions are outcomes of emotions, stereotypes and sentiments, positive opportunities are missed or lost. This is what has happened to policies and actions on Tsangaya schools under Covid 19 situation.

• Mohammed Bello Yunusa,

Socioeconomic and Environment Advocacy Centre, Zaria

Labaran Yusuf

 

SIR: Many people didn’t believe he was the one killed by troops on the evening of September 8. While some in their characteristic pessimistic tone tagged it an audio killing, others were dumbfounded on how a man seen a few days earlier in the company of traditional and community leaders would be neutralized by authorities. To heighten the suspense, the Nigerian Army kept mum, until the gory image of his bullet-riddled body emerged. Terwase Akwaza, alias Gana, Benue state’s most notorious terror kingpin who made life unbearable for residents of his native Sankera and travellers who ply the federal highways along the Benue-Taraba-Nassarawa axis had been killed. He was shot dead by troops of Operation Whirl Stroke as he travelled in a convoy of government officials, traditional rulers and clergymen headed for Makurdi, the Benue State capital, where he was supposed to be granted amnesty for the second time in five years.

Immediately after the confirmation of his death, politicians began fuming and started bashing the military. With such an open sympathy for the criminal, many Nigerians began asking the following questions: Why are these politicians mourning the death of a notorious criminal when a few years back they were the ones begging the Federal Government to help bring an end to insecurity in Benue state?

Was Gana a political pawn and why was he offered amnesty twice despite reneging on the first and returning back to crime? Was this second amnesty offer a ploy for him to escape at a time the military is closing in on him and his men?

How many of the atrocities committed in Benue under the guise of herdsmen were actually carried out by Gana and his gang of menacing marauders? And most importantly, was Gana one of the many undeclared ethnic militia leaders in central Nigeria sponsored by politicians and backed by traditional leaders to defend certain interests and fight perceived enemies?

Although killed in a controversial manner like the controversial he lived, the vigorous attempts to vilify the army and whitewash Gana’s unforgivable crimes and paint him as a hero of some sort at the expense of his victims is problematic.

Gana was no Robin Hood. Neither was he “the defender of the Benue Valley” nor the much-touted repentant gang leader who wanted to become a man of God. He was a vicious criminal who terrorized communities and paralyzed socio-economic activities in the Sankera region, comprising the three LGAs of Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo.

Gana lived by the sword and died by it. His killing by the Nigeria Army Special Forces has brought some respite to the people who couldn’t go to their markets in peace; to those whose relatives were either killed or kidnapped on his orders and the many widows and orphans, his reign of terror produced.

So now, contrary to the whitewashing, Gana the monster is gone. And he’s gone for good.

• Labaran Yusuf,

Jos, Plateau State.

 

 

Ayodele Okunfolami

 

 

SIR: Illegal structures numbering over a hundred within the National Stadium complex Lagos are being brought down following the expiration of an ultimatum to quit the premises by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, in order to give the multisport facility a facelift. A similar measure was taken earlier to identify for flushing, illegal occupants and structures at the Moshood Abiola Stadium Abuja currently undergoing a re-grassing in its main bowl by a private consortium.

Dare has since coming to office visited those complexes more than once and has shown enthusiasm on restoring them to their former glories. On the Abuja stadium, the minister stated that a contractor was already on hand for renovation whiles the committee he had set up to see to the modalities for the concession of the Lagos stadium has since submitted its report.

Instead of rendering stadium squatters without a source of livelihood in the name of refurbishing edifices that would return to their dilapidated conditions shortly after due to disuse or poor maintenance by poorly-paid incapable civil servants, the task before the sports minister should be to look for ways of directing sporting traffic towards these facilities. Because rehabilitating these stadia out of sentiments of “national pride” would only end up having another endless turn around maintenance like our refineries, National Theatre or Ajaokuta Steel Company in our hands.

The National stadia in Surulere and Abuja are both shadows of their original selves at the moment and fixing them for less than half a dozen events a year that won’t bring return on investment doesn’t make economic sense. Selling them now may alter the sporting purpose of these venues as the classic rent-seeking buyer, would for sake of profits, use the precious piece of real estate for more profiting ventures that may be more frequent like political rallies, musical concerts or religious crusades.

I’ll prefer the sports minister crafts a policy or act of parliament in similitude to the Petroleum Industry Bill that is meant to deregulate the petroleum industry, that will free administration and funding of professional sports in Nigeria from the hands of government at all levels. Entertainment has risen ahead of sports to be fiscally independent of any tier of government. With this, sports would not be taken as a social good tainted with politics but as a commercial good that improves the overall economy, creates employment and lifts people out of poverty.

Today, entertainment in Nigeria is a multibillion-naira industry operated entirely by private hands. The minister, like other Nigerians, should have noticed that the weekly comedy, music and reality shows hardly take place in those bureaucratically run government arenas. The same is likely to happen after millions have been spent on our stadiums in the name of “restoring past glory”. They would remain idle.

Financiers would be attracted when they are confident the running of sports is not coloured with politics of who administers it, where an event should take place or which particular player should make the team. When they are sure combat sports, athletic meets, table tennis prix and the like can hold as regularly as those entertainment shows and attract as much crowds and participants, investors would create franchises out of our sports.

When the sports industry as a whole is money-spinning, sporting actions will become recurrent and then there would be competitions for host venues. Investors would not only be eager to take over the existing facilities and build the malls and hotels of Dare’s dreams, they would be willing to build more state-of-the-art centres that will serve sporting and tourism purposes. It is then our stadiums can be self-sustaining. Thereafter the sports ministry can be saddled primarily with the development and funding of amateur sports and creating a level playing field for structurally lesser sports.

Moving forward, the government or anybody thinking of establishing sports facilities should reconsider putting all the different sports in one perimeter. Even Olympic hosts spread venues across the city. It is the multi-sport nature of those facilities being in one place that is making maintenance, and would eventually make the concession or sale, of our stadiums difficult.

 

• Ayodele Okunfolami, Festac, Lagos.

 

Danjuma NdaMokwa

 

SIR: Mokwa is the fifth largest town in Niger State. It is the headquarters of Mokwa Local Government area and is situated on the Kaduna – Lagos highway. Mokwa used to be the toast of travellers – whether by road or by rail. It is a hub of economic activities even in pre-colonial days.

However, recent neglect by the government is hampering the fortunes and treasures of the town which is still contributing to the economic prosperity of the nation as evident in the varieties of both food and cash crops grown in the town and its environs. Today, it is the highest producer of melon (egusi) even though the production is left in the hands of peasant farmers with no support from government at all levels (sometimes one begins to wonder where lies the priorities of our government). For emphasis, Mokwa used to be described as the “the home of grains’. That was when federal government established the famous National Grains Production Company in the 70s. Mokwa is one of the Research Stations of the Institute for Agricultural Research of A.B.U and that of the Institute for Tropical agriculture (IITA). It is also pertinent to note that one of Africa’s premier abattoirs was established at Mokwa by the then northern regional government in 1964. Mokwa Cattle Ranch (MCR) was established in 1964 specifically for fattening purposes, under a bilateral agreement between the German and Nigerian governments. It had full compliments of infrastructures, facilities and machineries of European Union standards and was handed over to Nigeria in 1974. It was established to make full use of the molasses that is produced at the nearby Sugar Company at Bacita. Its total land area is 6,885 out of which 2,780 hectares have been prepared for grazing and cropping while 4,108 hectare remains as rangeland. The Abattoir and Cattle Ranch is a subject of litigation at the moment.

Mokwa in my view is not only neglected, it is has been abandoned by the authorities. Let’s take a cursory look at the following: Mokwa General Hospital was established in 1986. It is one of the biggest hospitals in Niger State. Unfortunately, the hospital is in a deplorable state, with insufficient medical personnel. All the structures are in bad shape; most of the roofs are leaking.

What the government and patriotic Nigerians are to note is that the hospital is very strategic and caters for more Nigerians than envisaged. After Mokwa, the only place to get any help in case of accident is either Ilorin – that is some 140 Kilometres away or to Bida  – that is 130 kilometers away! The hospital needs quick intervention from the Niger State government. Help is also needed from health donors to rescue lives that are being lost on a daily basis due to the deplorable state of the hospital.

The location of Mokwa makes it vulnerable to security challenges. In 2009, suspected Boko Haram members established a camp – few kilometres to Mokwa which they called Darul Salam. It took the quick intervention of Niger State government under the leadership of Dr. Mu’azu Babangida to dislodge the terrorists.

Mokwa has been suffering from erosion that covers the distance of about 1609.344m. The erosion dug a deep pit that runs through the middle of the town. Efforts have been made to access ecological fund at the inception the Buhari Administration in 2016 and 2017 but it has not been successful, There is the need for the federal government to intervene to save lives and livelihoods threatened by the erosion.

Mokwa Local Government houses Jebba Hydro Electric Power Dam. But ironically, electricity supply in Mokwa has declined significantly. This is affecting the cottage industries in the area; hence, the need for serious improvement of electricity supply to the town and its environs.

Mokwa being a gateway to the Southern and Northern part of Nigeria has one of the busiest roads in Nigeria, the road passes the heart of Mokwa, and this has been precipitating many accidents killing scores of people apart from the destruction of properties. The people now clamour for a bye pa to reduce heavy traffic in the town and put an end to the needless loss of lives and destruction of properties.

• Danjuma NdaMokwa, Minna, Niger State.

Ifeanyi Maduako

 

SIR: Benjamin  Sinclair  Johnson  (popularly  known as  Ben Johnson), the Jamaican born  Canadian  former  sprinter came  into  limelight  in  the 1984  Olympic  championship where  he won  two  bronze  medals  in the  men’s  100 meters  and  200 meters  dash. He came to  the  apogee  of his  athletic  career  when  he won two  gold  medals  in  1987 and 1988 consecutively. Even  though  he was  later  stripped  off the  gold  medals on the  allegation  of  testing  positive  to  steroid, his  name  remained a  recurring decimal and synonymous  with  exceeding  speed for overtaking  competitors.

In  Ben Johnson’s  competitive days, his  famous style  was  always  a surprising  overtaking  or  out-pacing  his  competitors  from behind  to win  all the  medals  he won. The common  parlance  in the  streets of the  world then was using  the name of  Ben  Johnson  to  illustrate  either speedy  running  away from  danger  or  overtaking  opponents   in any  race in whatever  form.

Therefore,  when Governor Hope Uzodimma  used the metaphor  of  Ben  Johnson to illustrate  how he  became  the  All Progressives  Congress (APC) gubernatorial  candidate  in Imo State  and subsequently  won the election  in less than a year after  he joined  APC, he was  trying  to demonstrate  or illustrate  the grace of God  in his life to  his audience. Yes,  it’s only  the  mighty hand of  God  which would  have  made  it possible  for a  then  new  entrant into  APC to  displace  all the  formidable  structures and  tendencies  to become  its  governorship candidate. Before  his  entrance  into  APC , there  were  the  Rochas Okorocha’s structure, the Ifeanyi  Araraume  structure, the Eze Madumere structure, etc. All these structures were at daggers-drawn to one another. There was no meeting point for all of them. The centre could never hold.

Against this background, when Governor Uzodimma told Okorocha’s  appointees who recently  paid  him a solidarity  visit  at  the  Government  House pledging  their  unalloyed  loyalty  to his  government , that he became  the  governor  of  Imo State through the “Ben Johnson way”, he was merely  explaining  to them that he became  the  governor  through  the grace of  God . His “Ben Johnson way” connotation or context doesn’t mean that he became governor through a fraudulent means. He couldn’t have said that he became a governor through fraud. In any case, no “Ben Johnson way” succeeds in any endeavor if God doesn’t sanction it.

Uzodimma  came  from behind  and overtook  the several structures  and  tendencies  in the then  APC, and  became  its candidate. He went ahead to win the general election. Uzodimma has abundant grace in his political   life because  he  became  the governor  of Imo State in just  two attempts  whereas many  couldn’t  achieve  it after many  attempts. In politics and life  generally, “Overtaking is allowed” and that was exactly  what he did in  2019 gubernatorial election  through  the  “Ben Johnson  way” which  means  the grace of  God.

 

• Ifeanyi Maduako,  Owerri.

Oluwatosin Ojebisi

SIR: Many teachers have had to grapple with the impact of the unprecedented Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which made schools all over the world shutdown activities and adopt the online form of learning. But, having realised that online learning comes with its challenges and may not be sustainable especially in communities that lack adequate infrastructure to support it, in addition to the short attention span of students/pupils during online learning, returning to the classroom now could be the only way to secure the future and salvage the education sector from total collapse.

After six-month of shutdown, the federal Government recently approved a phased reopening of schools. The National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu had said, “For educational institutions, which include day-care, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, educational institutions should begin the process of working towards potentially reopening within this phase.

“However, we strongly recommend that states conduct a risk assessment to ensure all schools are at a level of compliance and create a monitoring mechanism to assess, create and monitor this level of preparedness. Meanwhile, all day-cares and educational institutions are to remain closed to in-classes until this level of risk is assessed. And if there will be opening of schools, it must be staged and preferably carried out in phases to ensure that this does not pose a risk to the general public and in particular to vulnerable groups that might end up getting infected by students going back home.”

Of course, states have the prerogative to fix a suitable date for resumption. For instance, Lagos State government announced recently that tertiary institutions are to reopen September 14 while primary and secondary schools may reopen tentatively on September 21. Still, we are faced with a myriad of questions and concerns on the safety measures in place ahead of resumption. What are the plans to decongest populated schools? What testing protocols are in place for schools? How will cases of students with underlying health challenges be handled?

Amid these, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have urged governments in Africa to promote safe reopening of schools. They contend that prolonged closure may lead to poor nutrition, stress, increased exposure to violence and exploitation, childhood pregnancies, and overall challenges in mental development of the children. Both organisations also emphasized the need to provide quick solutions to handwashing in schools, such as a tap, bucket and soap because only 47% of schools have access to basic sanitation services.

Even though the Federal Ministry of Education has declared that it is mulling the transfer of students from some of its over-populated unity colleges to others with lesser students, there is only so much it can achieve if COVID-19 guidelines, safety protocols, necessary arrangements had not been made in schools ahead of resumption. These and more are the concerns of not only parents but also academic unions and associations.

Ultimately, as schools reopen, there is a need to create and ensure a safe and secure learning environment for both the teachers and students. It is also pertinent to develop a strategic health protocol within the school system to monitor and minimise the transmission rate of the virus as well as setting up a platform where students who may be experiencing trauma, anxiety or any mental health issue could seek and get help.

• Oluwatosin Ojebisi, Lagos.