Nnedinso Ogaziechi

 

FIFTY years after the Nigerian-Biafran war ended in 1970, the covid-19 pandemic has presented almost the same scenario of dire socio-economic needs as the war times. Economic activities are almost as restricted as they are almost fraught with extreme dangers. In the average African society, women are often the real economic engines of their communities. They are the ones that putting foods on the table falls into their core responsibilities as the act of nurture involves providing nutrition and other socio-cultural needs of families.

During the Nigeria-Biafran civil war as in all war situations, the normal socio-economic routines were disrupted as opposing camps tried to inflict as much human and material damages to the enemy camp as possible. However, human needs do not seize during wars. The demand for basic needs for survival is always as potent during wars as they are at peace times. Basic food items like flour, grains, toiletries, proteins etc., were all very scarce and children and adults were dying of diseases and malnutrition.

On the Biafran side, the needs were dire and so the women organized themselves to brave the odds and begin many economic activities with the Nigerian side of the war at the time despite all the risks even of death, rape and abductions. They organized themselves for the arduous task that entailed travelling for hours and even days to the enemy side to get essential commodities like salt, fish and flour which they took back to their refugee camps to feed both their children and men.

The very famous ‘Afia Attack’ literally translates to ‘trading behind enemy lines’ and was expectedly fraught with grim dangers but as they say, the battle for survival eschews any form of fear. The hallmarks of the Afia Attack were the exposition of the leadership skills of the women, their courage, sense of duty and commitment to group good and survival on one hand and the tales of lost hopes, pains, deaths, rapes (by both sides) and abductions. But the diamond in the rubble was the brave women who in a way fought the worst battles. Going to war as a soldier means going to kill enemies and trying to survive. The Afia Attack women had battles on all fronts, they faced the multiple risks of being killed, raped, abducted, losing families, miscarriages and other physical loses.

The Round Table had a conversation with Ujuaku Akukwe Nwakalor, the award-winning Producer/Director whose ‘Afia Attack’ film won the best documentary at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival and was screened in many cities across the world. The Roundtable was curious to find out why she delved into such a controversial part of Nigerian history.

Why Afia Attack? It’s my opinion that Nigerian Civil War should not be swept under the carpet rather we should learn from it and find ways to come together, accept our differences, find solutions, play on our strengths and build a nation. The reason for Afia Attack is to let everyone one know, especially the younger generation that war can and must be avoided. I believe that dialogue rules. The reason being that women and children bear the brunt of war more than any other party therefore they should be protected at all cost by shunning war or rumours of it.

Beyond the lessons of the war, there is a need to awaken women about the undeniable need to rein in on their men who are often the initiators of conflicts and wars. At the end, it’s the women who are left to cater for the dead, the wounded and the children. The need to sustain life drove the women to Affia Attack. On a good day, you run away from your enemies but these brave women ran towards the enemies with deft strategies to survive and sustain other lives.

What were their tools of trade? The women chose service over the vanity of material possessions. They sold their clothes, jewelries, cooking utensils and everything they had just do they could access the Nigerian legal tender with which to buy life’s necessities. They gave up all their valuable items to sustain lives. Their core intention was to nurture and sustain lives. They walked long distances from six to twenty four hours to and from the venues of transactions.

They encountered untold hardships along the line, some died of exhaustion because they walked a lot given that there were no organized transportation systems in place, some were raped by both sides by the warring soldiers, some were abducted totally and dislocated. But the living continued to fight for survival not only for themselves but for the larger communities. Their bravery is a lesson in service and the example of the leadership they had.

They had women leaders who strategized the best way to operate under the very dire circumstances presented by the devastation of war. They were as selfless as they were courageous in the face of war crimes against them. Afia Attack (trading behind enemy lines) was a catalyst for survival during the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War. A story of lost hopes, pains, betrayals, sufferings, resilience and bravery. The battle for survival that is usually borne silently by women in wartime.

The RoundTable has tabled the Affia Attack model of service side by side the attitude of modern Nigerian women in politics and found a sharp departure and a somewhat neutral sense of service and commitment for the womenfolk and the challenges of fellow girls and women by most of them in the Nigerian socio-political space. There is a benumbing aloofishness by most female politicians that pervades the landscape from East to West, North to South that has not really added value to women and their plight in Nigeria. Only a handful are truly committed to sacrificial leadership.

The Affia Attack was an idea rooted in leadership and service by women leaders in the refugee camps in the South East at the time of war. Their bravery and marketing strategies are today subjects of academic studies globally. The choices they made – giving up their prized material possessions in exchange for more valuable everyday needs stands on a direct parallel with the attitude of most modern women in politics in the country.

Nigeria might seem at peace today but there are wars women are still fighting, child-bride is keeping women from fully developing their potentials especially in the North. Rape, incest and a cocktail of domestic abuses are still burdens on the women. Maternal and child mortality is one of the global highest. For the Northern women in politics, what are they doing for the IDPs and we don’t mean the occasional tokens given in-front- of camera handouts? What are they doing about child-brides? What are they saying about Almajiriai?

For all women in the political space, beyond tagging along male politicians whose wrong policies often endanger women and other groups, what has been their vision? What is the value of the ‘woman leader’ and other token posts from the male politicians?

How many of the female politicians can selflessly serve their communities amidst the dangers of existence? It is a choice.

The Affia Attack women have become a metaphor for the capacity of women to defy the socio-religious cliché of ‘weaker sex’ because their documented exploits during the war evidently shows that besides carrying guns, the women fought many wars and triumphed despite the hardships. The charge from The RoundTable is for the emergence of more women with the fiery and determined spirit of the Affia Attack Amazons. The war had ended but the story of their bravery and leadership reverberates across the globe. As we celebrate Fifty years of the end of the war that pushed women into prominence even against all odds, we urge women to rise up and prove that they are made of sterner stuff and take the political leadership roles that can add value to humanity.

A salute to all the women across Nigeria that defied the odds, the dead, the raped, the maimed, the abducted, those who died with their babies in search of sustenance. May their courage be a pillar for any woman in a position to lead.

Our dialogue continues…

Abiodun Akomolafe

 

NOT too long ago, the president of the Yoruba World Congress (YWC), Banji Akintoye, announced the acceptance of the Yoruba nation into The Hague, Netherlands-based Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) as its 45th member. While one cannot but congratulate Akintoye and his colleagues for their efforts, Nigerians have since the announcement been asking what the Yoruba nation stands to gain from such a venture.

Well, let me begin by confessing that one of the antics of politics is to make personal interests seemingly look like those of the masses. Even, in a democracy, where people are actually elected democratically, beyond the hollow formality of public administration, and farcical antics of politics, decisions of public office holders are seldom democratic. Policy-decisions are made with the least consideration for the objective interest of the masses. Yet, those decisions are deemed to have been made on behalf of the masses. At that level, the outcome of decisions is no longer in the pursuit of democracy and it is neither in the interest of the masses per se. At that stage, the political actors pretend as if the policy being pushed is actually in the objective interest of the masses; whereas, these political office holders are the greatest beneficiaries of the anticipated outcome. It’s therefore a question of what Max Weber said when he was talking about the limitations of democracy. Weber’s position is that,‘mutatis mutandis’, an ideal, or, pure democracy, is an adorable illusion!

The above obviously paints a vivid picture of YWC’s mission to The Hague. But, in other to appreciate this episodic drama, some questions may suffice. First and foremost, how couldYWC, whose existence my parents in the village were not even aware of, say it has taken their ethnic nationality somewhere for registration as a member? Was a referendum, mandating YWC, or any socio-cultural organization for that matter, to take it to any international organization, conducted by the Yoruba nation? If it didn’t have the people’s mandate, on what basis then did YWC undertake that project? What really is the Congress looking for and how does the UNPO membership turn into benefits for everybody? Yes! Yoruba is a nation searching for national identity! But, what’s the YWC’s angle? Does it mean that, if we form Yoruba nation as a country, all our problems will be solved in one day? Who among Yoruba leaders has ever asked of the contents of my interests and has as such taken it upon himself or herself to fight for my interest as a Yorubaman on the basis of being my Yoruba leader?

From the look of things, YWC’s voyage to The Hague was nothing but fraud and an abuse of privilege because the Congress, whose population is infinitesimal compared to that of the Yoruba nation, was never given any mandate to do that. One will even be shocked if the group is up to 100 in population! So, on whose authority was YWC surrendering the destiny of the Yoruba nation? It was also unwise for UNPO to have taken some documents and, based on their face value, assume them to be sacrosanct without verifying same from those whose future was at stake.

That said, one bigger issue is that Yorubas are not one; and the fact that they are not one has not been a virtue. Yes! It is possible for one to disagree without being disagreeable. While this gives room for consensus on issues that all agree to, the problem with being disagreeable is that it confronts the anomaly of development. Take for instance, the late Ladoke Akintola was not all that a bad man; and Obafemi Awolowo was not without his human frailty and failings. But, had the Yoruba nation been able to make the best of their apparent irreconcilable differences, it most probably would have resulted in one strong, indivisible Yoruba family. A little from Awolowo, plus a little from Akintola would have been better for the Yoruba nation. Sad that the bitter politics of the First Republic ruined everything for everybody: Awolowo lost the day while Akintola did not have it either! At the end of the day, Yoruba nation didn’t have anything! It was that bad! It is this ‘boo ba, o pa, boo ba, koo buu lese’ inordinate ambitions of the past that have brought us to this pitiable pass and our generation has been worse for it. So, it is time these no-clear-cut-definition, no-defined-ideology and no-specified-direction stuffs were discontinued in the interest of the Yoruba nation.

It’s time YWC desisted from misleading the Yorubas into thinking that it has initiated them into a cult or a foreign organization. Of course, that’s how seeds of discord are sown. With the way YWC is currently conducting its business, nobody needs a seer to know that Emeka Ojukwu can be said to be a lot better than its promoters. Unlike the Yoruba leaders who claim to be fighting on behalf of the masses whose impact the masses have never felt, the Biafran warlord truly planned to secede from the rest of Nigeria. Not that it was good, but, at least, his mission was clear and he never hid behind a finger.

Again, this is a warning to other leaders who will want to tread YWC’s path. If they can’t be part of the solution to Yoruba’s problem, in the name of God, they shouldn’t be part of the problem. No! The struggle for the emancipation of the Yorubas needn’t be about ‘buying and selling’, a situation that has always bestowed on them a calligraphy of agony and a mosaic of misery. If the Yorubas are that troubled or overwhelmed, let them meet and discuss the matter. Legally, it is possible for us to begin to do that! But this one is out of the blue. Therefore, let those who went to register Yoruba nation with some spurious foreign organizations go and deregister it without delay. After all, nobody asked them to register us in the first place. If YWC wants to be known for the act, then, let YWC earn it! Indeed, the processes leading to that are clear. If, thereafter, YWC wants to take the Yoruba nation, even, to the United Nations, Nigerians will support it. For now, enough of messianic propositions that are only worthy of utopian solutions!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Yorubaland!

 

By Tunde Oladunjoye

When Prince Dapo Abiodun was, on the occasion of his 59th birthday, sworn-in as the Governor of Ogun State on May 29, 2019, he made some solemn pledges in his inauguration speech.

In the seventh paragraph of the speech delivered before a mammoth crowd at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, the new governor said: “You will always find in me, the conduct of Omoluabi expected of Omo Teacher! I will govern with character. I will serve you diligently and sincerely. I will make your interests the core of governance. I will neither personalise nor abuse the mandate. I will not betray your trust”.

The above pledge has been repeatedly and consistently demonstrated and fulfilled by  the governor in the course of his 365 days at the helms of affairs in the “Gateway State.” In fact, it should be taken for granted that anyone who aspires to occupy public office at any level in Ogun State should come aboard with such characteristics of nobility.

Ogun State is not only the “Gateway State” of Nigeria in terms of maps and geography, it is actually and undeniably the pathfinder to Nigeria in many areas too numerous to recap. Journalism berthed in Nigeria with the publication of Iwe Iroyin in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Founded on December 3, 1859, by a missionary, Henry Townsend. It was published bi-weekly, in Yoruba and English language and ran for about eight years, specifically from 1859 to 1867.

Furthermore, Ogun State has led the nation in almost every facets of human endavours, producing the only Nobel Laureate in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka. The greatest music legend to have come out of Africa, Abami Eda, Anikulapo-Kuti; Fela’s mother, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria; Dr. Tai Solarin, Prince Bola Ajibola, Sir  Mike Adenuga, Chief Adeola Odutola, Hubert Ogunde, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Basorun MKO Abiola, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Ernest Sonekan, and many more, are all from Ogun State. Therefore, it is expected that the person in the exalted office of the state will be a personification of Omoluabi, as pledged by Dapo Abiodun,  the Royal Prince from Iperu.

On assumption of office, people expected the new governor to follow the ‘established precedent’ of a new governor immediately preoccupying himself with overturning what his immediate predecessor did. Rather, Prince Dapo Abiodun decided to set up committees to look into gray areas. These contentious areas include last minutes employment and award of contracts by the immediate past administration, appointments of permanent secretaries and general managers of statutory bodies, last minutes loans and incurred financial obligations, abandoned and ongoing projects, crisis in tertiary institutions, and so on and further on. In fact those who were very agitated and expectant of drastic, it not vindictive actions, described the Governor as “slow”, and his government as a “government of committees”.

Yet, Dapo Abiodun trudged on with the royalty and nobility in him taking the lead.  About seven months in the saddle, the “Omo Teacher”decided to regularize and accommodate into the civil service, the over 1,000 workers hurriedly employed by the immediate past administration in its twilight.

The Guardian newspaper in a report filed by Bukky Olajide from Abeokuta on January 23, 2020 reported that: “speaking at the swearing-in of eight newly-appointed permanent secretaries in Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun noted that despite some flaws noted in the appointments and recruitments, his government has decided to be magnanimous as a people-centred administration and not to be vindictive.”

He speaks further: “Let me state that we appreciate the recommendations of the Review Committee, comprising eminent retired public servants, that the appointments and recruitments were fraught with non-adherence to the principles and laid-down traditions of the public service. But in line with our administration’s commitment to equity, fairness, justice and inclusiveness, we will not engage in any action or policy that may be viewed as vendetta, rather, we will call on all to continue to put in their best for the service delivery to the people of Ogun State.”

“Despite some flaws, we have upheld all the appointments of the permanent secretaries made in the twilight of the last administration.”Abiodun however cautioned against lobbying by civil servants to attain unmerited position, saying all the new permanent secretaries got their appointments on merit. “I never met any of these new permanent secretaries before. I had no private discussion over who to choose. If you merit it under my watch, you will surely get your promotion as and when due,” he said.

There was palpable tension among the workers last year, when in August Governor Abiodun set up a committee led by a former Head of Service, Dipo Odulate, to look into the appointments and promotions approved by Amosun between February 1st and May 28th, 2019.

Amosun had in April appointed 18 Permanent Secretaries, barely a month to the end of his administration and also approved the recruitment of over 1,000 workers into the state’s civil service, while he promoted about 5,000 others.

Walking his talk further, Abiodun in February, 2020 ordered the payment of seven-month salaries of the said  workers recruited. The lucky officers who had been unsure of their fate, rushed out of their offices singing and dancing to express their joy on the good news.

The the State Head of Service, Amope Chokor, said “the development would further affirm  that workers’ welfare was a priority and of utmost importance to the governor.” In fact, the workers way-laid the convoy of the governor on his way to the office the following day after the government decision was announced. They swarmed and sang the praises of the governor to high heavens and did not budge until the governor came down from his vehicle to address them.

His policy of “inclusiveness” was also unique. It was a clear,  rare and deliberate policy position by the Governor that the politics of winner-takes-all cannot augur well for the political space of Ogun State. Of course, the “inclusiveness”, naturally, did not go well with some politicians. That has not been the practice.

But also, it is on record that the outpouring of congratulatory messages by opponents of the Governor at the March 9, 2019 governorship election. Governorship candidates like Prince Buruji Kashamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Rotimi Paseda of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and former Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel, were among the early callers at the Iperu country home of the then governor-elect to felicitate him.

The first committee to be set up by  Abiodun even before his inauguration was the Economic Transition Committee headed by the former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Tunde Lemo, who is not even a politicians. Not less than three gubernatorial candidates of different parties along with notable opposition politicians like former Deputy Governor, Alhaja Salmat Badru, accepted and served in the committee.

Few months into his administration, the Governor received into the fold of his party, top-rated politicians from other major opposition parties. They include Alhaja Salmat Badru, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, Olootu Dipo Sofowora, Kunle Ishiaq Salako, Reverend Iyabode Apampa and many others.

The comportment and disposition of the Governor has in no small way, has engendered peace within the political space of Ogun State. The attitude of the Governor has also won him love, adoration and cooperation from the workers in the civil service.

It is expected that the Omoluabi posture and disposition of the Governor,  Prince Dapo Abiodun, would be reciprocated by all and sundry. After all, one good turn deserves the other.

On the Diamond anniversary of the noiseless Omoluwabi, we can only wish him the very best in his devotion to make Ogun State peaceful and better than he met it. Like his known slogan, “Ajose Ipinle Ogun, Ajose gbogbo wa ni”.

By R. Deremi Abubakre

An afterthought indeed it is for any official to feign ignorance of the location of the Federal College of Education at Iwo when all the six letters were signed on the same date for each of the six geopolitical zones. How can it go to Ila Orangun where the Federal Police College is sited and where Osun State College of Education is located? Is the new College of Education meant to occupy the structures God enabled me to put in place while serving there as Chairman of its Governing Council 1986-1989?

Would it be just and equitable to rob the most populous town in the State of the first higher education centre from either the Federal or State government simply because the town has not produced a governor? No doubt that a disinterested response to each of the foregoing questions will affirm that the President who approves and Minister who recommends as well as the sitting Governor who will want equitable distribution of organs of development in his state made no mistake at all in making Iwo a metropolis from the nineteenth century to be the proper location of the College.

The conspiracy theory of afterthought mentioned above is manifest in the fact that some members of the party who hold key political positions nationwide from the State and who are not known to be well wishers for the success of Oyetola have been canvassing for the location of the College at Ila-Orangun to honour Chief Bisi Akande and undermine the political strategy of the Governor. Such lawmakers should have learnt something from their colleague Wole Oke representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency who had secured approval for the location of the College in Ibokun in 2010 and the project was captured in the Appropriation Act of 2011 but because he was not in the House in the 8th National Assembly, the matter got dropped and forgotten. Now that he is back in the House, he also fought for it to still be located at Ibokun but acted like a good sportsman by congratulating Iwo and appreciating Chief Bisi Akande for acting a statesman and doffing his hat for Governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola for his political wisdom. However, those who want to embarrass the State masterminded the people of Ila to go and muscle up Chief Bisi Akande.

The letter mentioning Iwo as the location could not have been fake. It is any other one claiming Ila-Orangun as its location that should be seen as being framed. In Osun Central, there is the Teaching Hospital for the Ladoke Akintola University, aside from being the State capital, there is also the main campus of the Osun State University, all in Osogbo where the Senator representing Osun Central comes from. There is Federal Government College, Ikirun also at the Osun Central as well as the Federal Police College in Ila Orangun. It is noteworthy that both the Nigeria Police College and the Osun State College of Education can be upgraded to a University status when the economy of the proprietors of both institutions improve. An illustration of this from the Federal Government practice is the upgrading of the Nigerian Police College Wudil to a University while an example for this at the State level is the elevation of the Tai Solarin College of Education to a University by the Ogun State government.

The intention here is not to diminish my esteem for Ila Orangun where I have left a legacy of the construction of the School of Science and taking the administrative structure beyond the Damp Proof Course level as well as completing the external work of the School of Arts. All these were achieved through total commitment to probity and accountability as this is documented in the records of the College. It is a town I cherish especially for the goodness of the then Orangun of Ila, Oba William Adeyeni, Ariwajoye, who stood in loco parentis for me throughout my tenure and who along with the Foundation Chairman of the Governing Council, Hon. Justice Bola Babalakin (rtd), both were honoured with the highest accolade of the College during its Convocation. There should be no tussle between Ila and Iwo because history tells us that both Oluwo and Orangun were full brothers and that is why when an Orangun had difficulty on the throne, it was Iwo he took as asylum and for which there is Ile-Orangun in Iwo from time immemorial till date.

The letter conveying the approval of the location of the Federal College of Education in Iwo contains a ring of truth and it explains the raison d’être behind the approval of a set of six Colleges of Education to cater for the zones that do not have such Institution and is hereby quoted:

I write to inform your Excellency that Mr President has graciously approved the establishment of six (6) new Colleges of Education across the six geopolitical zones to address the emergency education needs of the country particularly in the states where such federal institutions do not exist.

What is applicable in the spirit and letter of the approval to the geopolitical zones is no less applicable to equitable location of institutions among the senatorial districts and Federal constituencies. The claim that Iwo has been a metropolis for centuries is corroborated by the fact that a 17th century student of Al-Maghili, a native scholar of Katsina, Abu Abdullah Muhammad bn Masanih (Hausa: Dan Masinah) in his book, azharu ’ruba fi ’akhbari biladi yuruba where he made reference to conversations on Islamic law between him and the scholars of Yorubaland. This account was corroborated by the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Belo in his book infaqu’l-maysur where he referred to where parrots were many which, up till today, serves as a cognomen for Iwo as ile Odidere (home for parrots).  Clarke (1854-1858) mentioned his enjoyment of palatable and well-cooked dishes served to him by staunch Muslims during Ileya in Iwo. Muhammad Lamuye, a staunch Muslim reigned in Iwo 1858 to 1906 succeeded by generations of Muslim natural rulers. Samuel Johnson, writing towards the end of the 19th century in his History of the Yorubas, mentioned how an Alaafin who fell out of favour with his people went on exile to Iwo and he refers to the town as a metropolis in the district. Iwo is not a one-time wonder as the most populous city in the present state of Osun. Indeed, going by the Nigerian population census of 1952 and that of 1963, Iwo was ranked as third behind Ibadan and Ogbomoso in the old Western Region including the present Edo and Delta States.

As a progressive group of people, all progressive rulers of the state always say Iwo is their second home beginning with Chief Obafemi Awolowo to Chief Bola Ige, to Chief Bisi Akande, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and of course, Governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola who does not hide his love for the town and the people. One concluding remark is that in the spirit of justice, equity and impartiality, the Federal College of Education sited at Iwo should be left to remain there.

 

• Prof. Abubakre writes from Medway, Kent, United Kingdom and he is immediate Past Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission in charge of Osun.

By Emmanuel Umohinyang

For those who know former Lagos State Governor and current Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, they cannot but agree that so much has changed about him considering his looks then and now.

When he succeeded his boss the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Fashola came into the office of governor with hairs as black as charcoal.

However, a few years down the line, you cannot but notice that the hairs on the head of a man regarded as one of the best to govern the State of excellence has suddenly become grey.

This is not unexpected. After a sterling performance, President Muhammadu Buhari decided to appoint Fashola as Minister for Power, Works and Housing during his first term.

But if you ask Fashola today what his greatest regrets are, he will surely say that it is his inability to achieve set goals in the power sector, which is a major albatross to our growth and development.

Several initiatives to change the fortunes of that sector failed as vested interests determined to ensure that the sector remains stagnant reared their ugly heads, to ensure that they continue to hold the country down, while they continue to feed fat on the nation’s resources.

For the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the story remains the same as the same people who have always seen the agency as their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) continue to jostle for its soul.

These are the elephants in the room, they exhibit symptom ranging from over-invoicing to little or non-performance of the said contract even with full payment of the contract sum, they operate like parasites with inherent right to the treasury,  who are ready to frustrate any move to fulfill its core mandate of providing basic infrastructure to the people of the Niger Delta region.

Recall that it was a major battle to ensure that the NDDC was created to assuage the anger of a people who produce the golden egg, but are only given the crumbs. When therefore this administration decided to change the NDDC story, with the appointment of Senator Godswill Akpabio as Minister of Niger Delta, vested interests again swung into action.

Curiously, these are people spread across varied background, but are united by a goal-to continue feasting on the NDDC like they have always done. Every attempt was made to stop the former governor.

Even on the floor of the Senate, some who saw him as too hot to handle voiced their resentment against him, but he was cleared. These people have allies in the House of Representatives who have also made life difficult for Apkabio in the discharge of his duties. Even some governors of the Niger Delta Region, made up mostly of governors elected on the platform of the opposition PDP would not allow him breathe. They believe they are supposed to control the affairs of the NDDC despite its being a federal agency.

But luckily for Akpabio, he enjoys tremendous support from President Buhari in his task to reposition the NDDC and has reciprocated this with commendable performance thus far.

Therefore, when the controversy over who manages the NDDC between the Interim Management Committee (IMC) and the hurriedly screened Board by the senate came up much later, President Buhari sided with Akpabio, to the chagrin of his adversaries.

What this means is not just a clinical vote of confidence, but an attestation that the Presidency is in sync with Akpabio in his drive to reposition the NDDC to cover lost grounds.

Knowing our politics fully well, it will not be out of place to link the barrage of attacks the Minister has been receiving to the Presidential directive for a forensic audit of the NDDC.

Ordinarily, this should have been applauded by all, but those who have always dipped their hands into the NDDC cookie jar over the years are miffed and rightly so.

That is why the alleged misuse of N40 billion by the IMC should not come to anybody as a surprise especially at this time.

A curious look at where the allegation is coming from surely provides an insight about where the missiles are coming from.

For those who know politics too well, it would not be surprising if more of such resonates in the next few days.

The truth is that the timing of this coup is more than suspicious as it is targeted at achieving a curious and dubious objective.

Recall that only a few days ago, the IMC-led NDDC asked some highly placed officials to proceed on leave pending the outcome of the forensic audit ordered by the President.

These are officials who occupy high and sensitive offices and whose continued stay in office may jeopardize investigation of the humongous fraud in the NDDC.

Though some Nigerians, including Senators opposed the probe into the alleged squandering of N40 billion by the IMC, the move would definitely turn out to be a good one eventually.

This is because Nigerians and the whole world would know who is actually lying between the IMC and those behind this fake news.

Even Senators Bala Ibn Na’Allah and Ajibola Bashiru through a point of order tried to stop the motion from sailing through.

Both kicked against the motion on the ground that it was driven by mere allegation and without any shred of fact.

Thankfully, the Minister of Niger Delta has refuted the allegation with the urgency it deserves, describing it as a lie from the pit of hell.

The Minister has applauded the probe and assured Nigerians that it was more than ready to open NDDC’s books for scrutiny. One thing that has become almost incontrovertible about the psychology of political leadership is the overriding desire to secure a place in history. Every leader should have an eye on the verdict of history and that is why a good leader must push forward the frontier of possibilities well beyond that which he met in office.

It is gratifying that Akpabio has charted a new course that will transform the NDDC into a catalyst for change. This is evident in the on-going construction of an headquarters, for the agency as NDDC has all these years, operated from a rented apartment for almost twenty years. This is aside untiring commitment to the completion of the East-West Road which is very crucial to the region.

That Akpabio, the NDDC and the   IMC are on course is no fluke. They need to keep the flag flying as they cannot afford to fail the Niger Delta and indeed President Buhari.

Umohinyang wrote in from Abuja

By Emmanuel Oladesu

It boils down to two core issues-child upbringing and schooling. These factors will also determine whether the targets-the children-will transform into societal assets or become liabilities in the future. Thus, the two should go in pari passu.

It is not surprising that these two critical issues now tend to moderate the differential responses of the Northern and Southern Nigeria to the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.

From time immemorial, northern children from Muslim backgrounds were separated from home and ‘deposited’ with a religious scholar for mentoring in Islsmic way of life. Their fathers would pay for their feeding and accommodation. However  they kept the girls indoors.

With the passage of time, poor parents could not fulfil these obligations. Therefore, their guardians started encouraging them to fend for themselves by begging for alms and foods. As the population of the kids grew geometrically, they moved in large groups. There is social identification and camaraderie.

Unfortunately, they grew up from childhood to adolescence without a taste of western education.

The pattern is not peculiar to all households in the North. Thd tragedy is only restricted to indigent families. Educated northerners have their ways and methods of exposing their children and wards to Islamic training under their roof. They also enrol them in private and public nursery, primary and secondary schools.

Child upbringing is essentially a cultural practice. Schooling is an imported idea, a product of western civilisation. But, schooling, with the passage of time, has been influential on tradditional, native or indigenous education due to its reform content.

A school becomes an agent of change, not only on the basis of exposure to the imported culture of the western world, but because of its implications for cultural renewal.

Overtime, schooling has become a sub-set of general and wider education. While schooling which has a duration and institutionalised curriculum, may be restricted to the four walls of the citadel of learning, education is a life long affair; from womb to tomb, and from birth to death.

There is evidence to show that African society stands to continually benefit from that mixture of schooling and traditional education in its search for socio-economic, political and technological development.

Under the integrative approach, schooling or formal education is bound to influence child rearing practices. An educated man is expected to be sensitive to the import of birth control, based on the criterion of socio-economic status.

This may be the bedrock of family planning. When a family is not planned, the children may be raised in poverty, squalor, and decay. The children my become destitute.

For decades, the North has been confronted by its self-inflicted cultural practice, while hiding under religious inclination.

The undoing of many parents in the region may not only be their preference for large families which accounts for the population explosion, but poor planning and lack of foresight. Of what importance is the quantity of population without quality?

Also, while the North’s Almajirai system of education was meant to instil religious morality, its defective implementation became a regional albatross. The awful picture and menace of wandering children has become a regional embarrassment that should be corrected.

The North has failed to learn some useful lessons from its supposedly political and economic rival, the South. The West had  embraced western education during the colonial days. In fact, education was clearly perceived as a mark of class and distinction.

In the fifties, the Premier of the West, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, institutionalised free education programme, despite the financial constraints.

Children from the West who could not go to school were enlisted for training in handwork. That was in tandem with a Yoruba proverb: an idle hand is a devil’s workshop. Vocational or technical colleges were also established.

The East also embraced education at a huge cost. Those children from the old East who could not make it to school were steered into trading apprenticeships. That became the foundation of region’s commercial advantage and economic power.

But, the children of the North outside nobility were abandoned to wander. They faced a perilous future. With plates in their hands; bare footed, and dirty clothes, they were recruited into the natural association of beggars, moving from one house to the other, soliciting for meals; breakfast, lunch and super.

They grew up on the streets and became travellers without predetermined destinations, moving from one state to the other in the North. During elections, these under-aged were recruited as bonafide voters and thugs.

After polls, they joined available lorries and trailers going to the South; to Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Port-Harcourt; being paired with cows and rams.

Since they can barely raise the transport fare, they were usually sponsored by some unknown elements. Also, they were on their way to a fixed address. Their solace, usually, is Sabo, mostly populated by Hausa-Fulani sojourners.

Many of them see the South as greener pastures. They become “maiguard,” wells diggers, labourers and cart pushers.

They are usually armed with knives and transistor radios. But, generally, they were peaceful, until recently where there were worries over the invasion of herdsmen.

It is worrisome that when they become teenagers, the next thing is marriage. Few among them even preside over young polygamous families.

They embrace early marriage and polygamous system because they are cherished traditions. Although the girl-child may not be among the wanderers, some of them are forced into marriage before the age of 12 back home.

The scenario is different in the South. Southern kids are never allowed to roam the streets. Across the three Southern regions of West, East and Southsouth, children cannot be permitted to travel out of town without a destination.

They are monitored by parents, uncles, cousins and other relations under the extended family system. Even, if they would not go to school, they accompany their parents to the farms, shops and markets.

Awo had called the attention of the feudal lords of his time to the  implications of the large number of young illiterates being churned out by the North.

He feared that, since  the North and the South had been forcefully lumped together into one country, a section may continue to drawn the other section backward.

In particular, Awo feared that as the South would always send its lawyers, engineers, doctors, and teachers to the Federal Parliament, the North, on the basis of proportional representation,  will also send it’s barely literate elements-carpenters, shoe “repairers” and semi-literate, local champions.

Therefore, the gap in education would breed acrimony, misunderstanding and rancor on the floor of the House. In fact, in the House of Representatives of 50s, Northern members who were university graduates were few. In contrast, 95 per cent of legislators from the South were university graduates.

That the Northern legislators were assailed by inferiority complex was debatable. But, the activities of some more educated members from the South were misinterpreted as arrogance by their northern colleagues.

It was one of the reasons Sardauna said he would not come to the federal parliament, despite the prospect of becoming the prime minister.

Awo also warned about the consequence of neglecting the homeless children. The late sage  said the neglected children of the poor will not allow the protected children of the rich to have a respite in the future.

Awo believed that the children that were not properly brought up will become criminals who will terrorise society. Now, they are more than that. Fears are rife that they have become vectors of pestilence.

As suspected virus carriers, they now constitute danger to their region of birth. But, as they also migrate to other zones, they are set to wreck havoc on their next point of call.

It is strange that some rabble-rousers and self-acclaimed Lagos-based northern youth leaders see nothing wrong in their orchestrated migration to the South. They even threaten fire and brimstone, saying that there will be war, if the Almajirai are not allowed to entry into the South.

As the South continued to strive for more education, the neglected Almajirai continued to grow in leaps and bounds in the North, even under the military regimes dominated by Northerners.

In the Second Republic, the West built on the achievements of the Action Group (AG) government by implementing freedom education programme at all levels.

The move resulted in increased public literacy, broadened the region’s horizon of political consciousness and paved the way for more economic opportunities.

In 1998, Bola Ige, former governor of Oyo State, who lived in Kaduna in his childhood, observed that for the North to be at the same level of development with the South, development must be at standstill in the South for 20 years.

The North cannot afford to be rigid and static in matters of elementary education. The region must return to the basics. The age-long Almajirai system of education is due for critical examination and review in the light of modern realities.

The North must return to the pre-1955 West and learn from the wonders and long term benefits of Universal Primary Education, which made compulsory school attendance compelling. The population of uneducated kids is a recipe for chaos in the future. It is a time bomb.

The population of Northern children of school age is huge and the existing school facilities may not be able to accommodate them.

The proposed Northern Governors’ intervention may be late in coming. But, it is a welcome development. Almajirai deserve to go to school, although Boko Haram does not want to hear this. The North must increase its investment in education.

But, beyond that, the governors should speed up the sensitisation and enlightenment on birth control, family planning, child spacing and general population control. It is in their own interest. It is also in national interest.