The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Between a Vice Chancellor and agitating parents

    The Vice Chancellor of the Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, Prof. Dapo Asaju was in the news recently in what could be described as an altercation between the university and some parents over some rules and regulations introduced by the institution to ensure discipline and smooth running of the academic engagements of its students.

    Ordinarily, the VC should not have been in the direct line of fire from the agitating parents over an action duly approved by the University authorities if he had stuck to the usual practice of mandating the Public Relations Unit or the Office of the Dean, Student Affairs, to engage the reactions. But he chose to take responsibility, perhaps in the belief that his explanation of the rationale behind the action taken by management would convince the parents that it was in the interest of all stakeholders, namely the students, their parents and the University.

    Unfortunately, he was viciously misunderstood by some parents who seemed unimpressed by any intervention that will involve strict control of the lifestyle of their wards even if such was designed to improve their character and academic training. However, the parents did not dispute the observations and findings of the University which led to the introduction of the said regulations. They only quarrelled with the solutions prescribed by the institution. Ironically, they have not proffered alternative measures that could help address the issues.

    For those reading this piece who may not have been following the trending story, let’s have a quick look at the major issues. The University observed that most students were missing classes, yet they were in school preferring to stay indoors in the hostels or loitering around engaging their mobile phones. Students hardly used the library which was fully equipped with a hefty investment. And some students were caught engaging in immoral activities such as having sex in class. Now, which reputable institution worth its name would discover all these then keep quiet and carry on as usual?

    These revelations ought to have alarmed the parents and guardians. And one would expect them to have resolved to support the institution to correct the anomalies because it is the future of their children or wards that is at stake. Sadly, some of them rejected the measures introduced by the University such as keeping hostels under lock for certain hours of the day when students were expected to be in class and the compulsory observation of reading hours in the evening/night especially when the power generators were running to bridge the usually epileptic public power supply experienced all over the country.

    The reaction of the parents to these measures, which they reportedly described as too strict and akin to treating their wards as secondary school students, is shocking and unbelievable. It also must have been so shocking to the VC as to make him indicate that he would stop further personal interaction with parents. He also advised those who were not in agreement with the institution’s decision to withdraw their wards if they so wished.

    As the VC rightly pointed out, there are many private universities in the country which operate more stringent rules and regulations. It only makes their students turn out better groomed and we can see them flying higher than their contemporaries in various spheres of life. Some of these universities topped the list of institutions with the most employable graduates in vital sectors of the economy in a credible national ranking done some time ago. Therefore, I would like to advise the VC and ACU not to compromise the new rules and regulations until the purpose of promulgating them is achieved and there is a satisfactory change of attitude and orientation.

    I have read a few public commentaries on the issue and I am surprised by their views. They took the matter too lightly, almost blaming the VC for being too worried and concerned about the moral and academic well being of the students in a country where moral decadence and indiscipline is widespread across several higher institutions. But they missed the point. If something is bad, it does not have to be accepted or tolerated because it is common place or happening everywhere. It is the responsibility of right thinking people to stand up and effect a change for the overall good of the society. The educational system will continue to decay if we cannot stand for change because we are afraid of what some people will say.

    One of the commentators even went as far as criticising ACU for spending its resources to make rented hostels befitting and comfortable for its students. There is nothing wrong in the University setting a standard of living environment conducive for learning for its students just as it sets academic and character standards. Perhaps the commentator is not aware that most hostel accommodation across the country built by private developers have poor finishing. The developers are concerned only with the structure so that it does not collapse and put them in trouble. The basic fittings and amenities such as water supply are treated with levity because they know that there will always be a scramble for the few hostels available.

    As for the parents, I have some questions for them. Do they understand the purpose of sending their children and wards to the University to be trained by competent professional educationists? Are they just interested in passing their children through the University simply to acquire paper qualification needed to gain employment in future? Do they want the University to pass through their children and mould them into great men and women of integrity who will also be outstanding professionals in their various fields? Food for thought.

    My advice to the VC is not to terminate personal communication with parents and guardians as he threatened or indicated.  But there is need for the University to streamline this and other modes of communication with them noting that social media platforms of communication are always open to abuse.

    Finally, if my guess is right, majority of the students may be from families who belong to the Anglican Communion and other denominations of the Christian faith. In view of this, it is good for the Anglican Church, proprietors of the University to speak out on this matter and educate parents on what it takes to raise great leaders of tomorrow from our younger generation of today. In these end times, we should not submit our children to the world because we want to be trendy.

     

    • Olamiti is a Fellow of the Nigeria Guild of Editors

  • On this year’s football awards

    Different industries have a way of celebrating their own or those that have contributed to that particular trade. And so came April 1, the Nigerian Football Federation under the title sponsorship of one of its partners staged the Aiteo NFF Awards 2018 at the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. Awards such as this areusually nights of glitz and glamour for footballwhich the Aiteo NFF Awards were, but truly it could have been better.

    To begin with, not promoting the event weeks or months ahead to create viral awareness was a big minus to the ceremony. Yes, everybody will not be in the venue as occasions like this are usually by invitation and for industry biased guests, however,media hype would have brought the event to the consciousness of the public. What we were served instead was a sudden live programme on our screens.

    Then the dating of the awards was faulty. What makes awards thick is the presence of all the nominees for each category. What happened at this year’s awards was that a lot of the nominees were absent resulting in winners making recorded remarks. This could have been avoided had the awards held a week earlier, during the international window when there was a full complement of the Super Eagles when they played two matches in Asaba. Holding the awards after they had all returned for the homestretch of the European season dimmed the lights on the event.

    However you slice it, for a nation of our size, resources and history of hosting similar and bigger shows in pageantry, music, movies, entertainment, business etc., had no excuse starting the event behind schedule.Keeping the guests and viewers waiting for over two hours is a shame. Giving them a co-host that speaks their language doesn’t soothe the sore.

    The sights and sounds of the show were defective. For the lighting, its excessiveness made it look more like a night club than a corporate setting while the sound system was epileptic. It was so irritating that we couldn’t hear a word of what RashidiYekini’s daughter, Omoyemi, said on behalf of her late father despite having to repeat herself.

    Stage management could have been better as there were modicums of disarray of where to ascend or descend the podium from, whether the presenters of the awards were to watch the big screen or just announce the nominees and the winner, and other petty stuffs.

    All wasn’t bad though. As a matter of fact, if we ignore Sunday Oliseh’s Ted Talk-long response, the highlight of the occasion was the well-deserved recognition of the set of 1994 Super Eagles. It was interesting to see those guys come together again after the consummation of their heroics in the World Cup 25 years ago. That squad not only redefined the national team but also placed Nigeria on the football map. Besides those that are dead and gone, it is impracticable to have all of them in attendance under the same roof ever again. However, the rumours that some of them did not receive invites for the event are not good enough.

    Now, awards worldwide come with their controversies. There will always be debates of recipients that are undeserving and the deserving that are overlooked. So getting into whether any of the awardees earns it or will be unending. Nevertheless, may I react to the unduerazzmatazz attached to the Order of Merit Award given worthily to FIFA Secretary General, FatmaSamoura. Such glitziness is usually reserved for the winner of the blue ribbon award which is the Footballer of the Year. But AmajuPinnick thought otherwise.

    Having the most powerful woman in world sports on our shores is no mean feat and so she deserves the honour. However, the masked tempo and tenor of the organizers exposed the unhealthy bootlicking custom of Nigerians. A culture where guests of honour, elite alumni, administrators or political office holders are given the limelight and photo-ops more than the practitioners, athletes or pupils the events are meant for.It was as if the night wascentredon Madam Secretary General. Even when Kaffyand her dance crew performed, they paid tribute to Samoura in the name of eulogizing womanhood. There was no reference to the Falcons that sweat it out on the field of play.

    Talking about performances and female footballers, when D’Banj came up for his own act, the backdrop multimedia beamed only highlights of the national team’s USA ’94 heroics and Dream Team’s Atlanta ’96 gallantries. Here, not only a patriarchal optic is being presented of Nigerian football but it also sells a misconception that Nigerian football is only about the Super Eagles. Nigerian football is not only about the golden 90s, Nigerian football is about all the age grade teams, women football, club sides, grassroots and a lot more and events like this was an opportunity to show case them even in passing.

    An award night must not be bilingual to reach foreigners. It is the entertainment appeal that does.

    It is also at occasions like this that progress report is rendered and future plans revealed and an avenue to address the ills of the game. If it were Europe, racism would be it but for us, it is violence in our league matches.

    Good thing is that improvements can always be made. Another positive is that following a back to back staging of the awards, it should be an annual event which would help its brand. What is most important is that the awards should have a fixed time in the football calendar that fans, practitioners and partners would look forward to.

    Finally, I want to suggest that an award for the Home-Based Player of the Year be included in future ceremonies. This would encourage the players in the domestic league.

     

    • Okunfolami writes fromFestac, Lagos.

  • Let’s rid Lagos schools of quiet corruption

    The rot in the educational sector will remain for a long time if efforts are not targeted at eliminating quiet corruption in public institutions. Quiet corruption is a pervasive practice in public institutions in Lagos and across Nigeria. These malpractices range from extortion by teachers/lecturers to sexual harassment, absenteeism, demanding sex for higher grades, inflating cost of study materials and a host others.

    A study embarked on by Human Development Initiative, (HDI), a non-governmental organisation, and Trust Africa in Lagos, showed that various forms of quiet corruption have eaten deep into the educational system with a need for urgent reforms.

    From the study, Lagos State has the highest number of public schools, students and teachers in both primary and secondary schools in Nigeria and despite this, it only allocated the sum of 92.4million naira, which amounts to 11.37% of the total budget to educational sector in 2017, according to Lagos Bureau of Statistics.

    Aside the poor funding, there are institutional and structural factors still on the part of government which include lack of monitoring, inadequate reporting mechanism, sanctions, weak social control systems and lack of adequate financial incentives, as well as poor remunerations.

    Part of the recommendations of the research are public awareness, development of a framework for quiet corruption, mechanism for the assessment of teachers/social accountability, initiate and strengthen inter-agency collaboration, adequate budgetary allocation and proper funding reposition of the PTA and a reporting and feedback mechanism.

    The Research and Project Manager of HDI, Samuel Ajayi, who coordinated the research on public cooperation, noted that quiet corruption arose from sharp practices which people don’t really see as big deal and has fully grown to an everyday phenomenon, saying that the government needs to show a deep concern as far as education is concerned.

    I feel so concerned about what our educational sector has been reduced to in Nigeria and therefore call on all and sundry to help rid Lagos public institutions of quiet corruption.

    • From Tosin Adesile

    Lagos State.

     

  • On Idowu Akinlotan’s pedantic partisan tirades

    Mr Idowu Akinlotan, back-page columnist with the The Nation on Sunday, is without doubt a very fine writer of prose in the league of Herbert Unegbu, Allah-Dey, Gbolahan Ogunsanwo, Professor Alaba Williams, Dan Agbese, Ray Ekpu, Dele Giwa, Tola Adeniyi (Aba Saheed), Henry Onyedike (Henry Waters), Olatunji Dare, Stanley Macebuh, Gbenga Omotosho, Pini Jason, Sam Omatseye and Dan Agbese, just to name a few. I can readily confess that I hardly miss his weekly ‘sermons’ unless forced by circumstances beyond my control to act otherwise.

    But I must confess that for some time now his essays have tended to elicit loud guffaws of pitiable laughter from me rather than coaxing me into any deep introspection and retrospection. The reason isn’t far-fetched: Mr. Akinlotan uses his “Palladium” column to regularly vent petulant bias and prejudice against the person of President Muhammadu Buhari and his ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The Scottish-born English prose writer Thomas Carlyle had posited that “…for all right judgement of any man or thing, it is useful, nay essential, to see his good qualities before pronouncing on his bad.” But Mr. Akinlotan’s turned this maxim on his head, and his relentless weekly dosage of clichéd argumentum ad hominem aimed at Buhari and the APC is, to say the least, in bad taste, unconscionable and utterly reprehensible.

    “Criticism,” warned American poet, essayist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, “should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and root-puller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring, a south wind, not an east wind.” Bereft of its overt querulousness and rabid hatred, there is, alas, nothing guiding, instructive and inspiring in Mr. Akinlotan’s vituperations.

    There was a time in the past that I wondered if the publisher of the newspaper, who is known to be one of the leading lights of APC, and his senior editors, was savouring any kind of secret morbid joy from allowing Mr. Akinlotan not only to hibernate, but in fact luxuriate, as a mole or fifth columnist within the media and political family!

    It was not until the aftermath of the “O to ge!” (Enough is enough!) tsunami in Kwara State that demystified Senate President Bukola Saraki and upended his erstwhile granitic grip on the politics of the state that I finally realised that patience and perseverance do indeed have huge pay-offs. Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and Saraki were two most notable metaphoric tse-tse flies that chose to perch on the scrotum of President Buhari. And while many of his supporters were clamouring for him to unleash the full weight of the federal might to give both politicians their well-deserved comeuppance, the president chose to walk the talk of one-time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who had intoned, “I do not resent criticism, even when, for the sake of emphasis, it parts for the time with reality.”

    And with the benefit of hindsight, it is now crystal-clear that Buhari was spot-on with his strategy of ignoring the antics of both men, no matter how discomfiting or destructive. If the Presidency had orchestrated the impeachment of either Fayose or Saraki or both men – as an Olusegun Obasanjo would have imperially done – he would have inadvertently turned them into heroes and martyrs whose political influence and reach would have extended from Calabar to Sokoto and from Maiduguri to Ibadan for all time. But see how a patient and persevering steering of the ship – as opposed to any adversarial manoeuvrings by the Presidency – has totally dissipated the electoral value of both men in their erstwhile fiefdoms in a most effortless manner!

    A Yiddish proverb posits that if one is out to beat a dog, one is sure to find a stick. It is obviously referring to the class of critics with a tar-and-rubbish mentality – one to which Mr. Akinlotan obviously belongs – that French Jesuit preacher Louis Bourdaloue had in mind when he said: “If a man is devout, (they will) accuse him of hypocrisy; if he is not, of impiety; if he is humble, (they will) look on his humility as a weakness; (and) if he is generous, (they will) call his courage pride.”

    Mr. Akinlotan and like-minded traducers of Buhari known to relentlessly see only his character and leadership defects lament over why he still won re-election. They keep pouring scorn on the voting majority that facilitated his victory until it has gotten to the point where one can logically ask just who is fooling who? Between Buhari who his implacable critics dub authoritarian and dictatorial and those who pour scorn and vilify law-abiding citizens who freely spoke with their votes, who poses the greater danger to our nascent and forever fledgling democracy?

    It was at such a time as this, and with such hate-blinded writers hell-bent on passing votes of censure in their newspaper columns, that one-time British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan blurted out: “I have never found, in a long experience of politics, that criticism is ever inhibited by ignorance.” It would therefore amount to an exercise in futility to expect Mr. Akinlotan to mull over his one-way criticisms of Buhari and the APC, regardless of the feeble and cosmetic attempts he infrequently makes to ‘critique’ the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates, ostensibly to portray a balanced perspective.

    In concluding, here is free advice for Mr. Akinlotan: Look, you’ve been sounding like a broken record on the same issue ad nauseam – it is time to move on to other topical issues. “If you hate a person,” averred German novelist Hermann Hesse, “you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of us doesn’t disturb us.” One can only wonder what Mr. Akinlotan feels and sees in himself but refuses to avow whenever he stares back at the image in a mirror, that he equally hates so much in Buhari. The answer, as that evergreen Negro spiritual states, is most assuredly blowing in the wind.

     

    • Okoye is an Abuja-based financial inclusion expert

  • Fasinro and the death of Lagos encyclopedia

    On September 13, 1919 was born a great man of letters, a consummate and dedicated Administrator, a dye in the wood progressive, a versatile Islamic Scholar and an encyclopedia of Lagos history and one of the founding fathers of modern Lagos.  His name is Hassan Adisa Babatunde Fasinro, popularly called HAB.

    To many, it was like a part of the sky above the city of Lagos had collapsed when on the evening of Sunday, 31st of March, 2019, it was announced that like all mortals, HAB had answered the supreme call in deference to his Creator.

    Though the physical demise was expected, the passing away of Pa Fasinro was shocking. Senator Fasinro was one of the few men this nation has produced who are giants, men who stand tall and magnificent, above pettiness, self-centeredness and bigotry of the elite in today’s Nigeria.

    The late Alhaji Fasinro attended Methodist Boys High School Lagos before proceeding to study Law in London in 1942. He was called to the Bar and admitted into the Lincoln Inn in 1951. He returned to Nigeria and became a Crown Counsel in the old Western Region where he became a Queens Counsel ( the equivalent of the present day Senior Advocate of Nigeria) from where he was appointed as the Town Clerk of the then Lagos City Council, succeeding late Barrister Mayaki.

    His tenure as Town Clerk was very remarkable and eventful. With him as Town Clerk under the Chairmanship of late Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu and other notable Lagosians including late Raufu Williams, Taorid Lawal-Akapo, T.B.Lawal, Ojekunle Pereira, Prince Tajudeen Olusi as Councillors, he ensured the laying of the foundation Stone of the Lagos City Hall in 1965 and interestingly, HAB supervised its completion and commissioning in 1968.

    It is worthy of note that Alhaji Fasinro received the new administration of then Major Mobolaji Johnson following the creation of Lagos State in 1967. His nine year tenure as the Lagos Town Clerk of the then Lagos City Council not only raised the bar of Local Government Administration in the country, but also elevated the status of Lagos to an enviable level.

    At the most concrete level, late HAB had an ineradicable impact on politics in Nigeria. He was elected as the Second Assistant General Secretary of the Action Group in 1953 under the leadership of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Well loved and respected by the party hierarchy, Fasinro contested the 1954 bye-election to the Lagos City Council. Other Councilors also elected at the time were M. Animashaun, K.B. Shomade, N.A. Taiwo, Mrs. E. Femi Pearse and S.I. Martin. Of the lot, H.A.B. Fashinro was the only University graduate. He served as an elected Councilor in 1954 as well as in 1976-1979. It is remarkable that Alhaji Fasinro donated all his allowances as Councilor to charitable organisations.

    The Lagos Town Council was first and foremost distinguished by the caliber of men that ran it. They were mostly highly trained lawyers, engineers, medical doctors, accountant, town planners, and environmental officers. Apart from training its own staff locally, it was training sanitary inspectors for Ghana, Sierra-Leone, Liberia, Gambia, among others. The famous Health Personnel Training Institute at Harvey Road, Yaba, which today trains Sanitary Inspectors Nurses for the nation was established and owned by the Council before it was taken

    He contested for the Senate in 1983 under the banner of the UPN under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and defeated the late Dr. Wahab Dosunmu of the NPN. He was in the Senate with other prominent Nigerians such as the late Dr. Olushola Saraki, Senators Jonathan Odebiyi, Abraham Adesanya and a host of others.

    HAB was no less distinguished in religion, sports, writing and other pursuits. He led the secular and spiritual segments of the society simultaneously and creditably. Alhaji Fasinro was a front line member and leader of the Anwar-Ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria. He was elected President of the movement in 1988. It is instructive to note that he was in the forefront of the establishment of the foremost Ahmadiya now Anwar- Ul- Islam group of Primary and Secondary Schools. Alhaji Fasinro was also elected President of the Nigerian Muslim Council in 1992 in recognition of his contributions to the development of Islam in the country and was also an Executive member of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.

    Although born during the reign of Eshugbayi Eleko, H.A.B Fasinro lived to witness the reigns of Oba Ibikunle Akintoye (1925-1928) and Oba Sanusi Olusi (1928 – 1931) and the second tenure of Eshugbayi Eleko (1931-1932). It is also on record that he knew Oba Falolu (1932-1949) clearly as a young charming Prince when he was resident at Eletu Iwashe Street, a place where Akobo House now stands. His recollection of him was that of a man of style, character, and of good and princely disposition. And by the time, Prince Musendiku Buraimoh Adeniji Adele was formally installed as the Oba of Lagos on October 1, 1949; he was then 30 years old, already pursuing a degree in Law.

    And when Oba Adeyinka Oyekan was installed on February 15, 1965, H.A.B Fasinro was serving as the Town Clerk of the Lagos City Council. On May 24, 2003 when Oba Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu I was installed as the 20th Oba of Lagos, H.A.B Fasinro had joined the rank of Octogenarian Lagosians. From Eshugbayi Eleko to Akiolu I, H.A.B Fasinro was quite knowledgeable about the politics and intrigues of the Lagos monarchy and had, in fact, become a philosopher and historian of sorts. His works, Ahmadiyya (as I See It); Achievements and Conflicts (1994); and Political and Cultural Perspectives of Lagos (2004), are major contributions to historical knowledge. Pa S.L. Edu described H.A.B Fasinro as a “highly knowledgeable and historically minded man.”

    Although, it was not clear whether elaborate plans are in place to mark his 100 years in September, there are, however, insinuations that Lagos State Government would ordinarily have honoured him and also recognised his contributions to the development of the state, if he had lived up to 100 years.

    While Pa Fasinro lived a life of humility, commitment and unparalleled public service example for the generation behind to emulate, unfortunately death pulled him out of the race among those Nigerians that are currently edging towards 100 years. It would be recalled that late Chief Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, wife of the founder of Action Group (AG), Chief Obafemi Awolowo, died few days away from attaining 100 years.

    HAB paid his dues and has left his footprints on the sands of time. He received several national and international awards including the National Award of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) in 2001. Lagos will always remember and honour him for all he did for the State.

    May his soul Rest in Peace.

     

    • Musbau is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

     

  • Viability of Nigerian oil and gas sector

    The road-map to a sustainable and accelerated Nigerian economy lies in the country’s ability to utilise the rich human and natural resources that abound in the country. With a fully utilised economy, Nigeria deserves to be among the league of developed countries in the world such as China, Japan, Britain and even the United States of America.

    Nigeria occupies a very important position in Africa in particular, and in the world in general. Whatever affects Nigeria certainly affects the international community. Being among the top seven largest producers of crude oil in the world, and as the revered giant of Africa, Nigeria is indeed in the eyes of the storm.

    Nigeria has got all it needs to be well developed; surplus human and natural resources, large production of both food and cash crops and subsequent exports of agricultural products, huge deposit of raw materials, technocrats, the world’s best swimmers in the riverine creeks, world’s athletes that train continuously on Nigeria roads hawking their wares and out-running fast moving vehicles, Nigeria indeed has it all. Nigeria is a country on whom nature had smiled with arable land, temperate climate condition, fertile soil and abundant rainfall.

    With the discovery of “black gold” in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State, in 1956, a new phase was opened in the natural resources sector. Various natural resources abound in Nigeria such as limestone, granite, zinc, tin, clay, magnetite, kaolin, as well as deciduous grassland for animal rearing and farming, just to mention a few. In all these, the importance or viability of the Nigerian oil and gas sector cannot be overemphasised. Oil and gas is the solid ground for the production of energy, it is the easiest and most available source of energy in Nigeria, and most important source of energy without which civilisation ceases to exist. Crude oil keeps the wheels of industries running. Brent oil, also known as sweet light oil, is the best type of crude oil. It is the Nigerian type of oil and the cost of processing is cheaper than the other types of oil found in other countries. It also has a high demand worldwide.

    But despite all these numerous blessings and excess reservoir of oil and gas, what is hindering Nigeria from being a world giant? According to recent world ranking, Nigeria ranks among the top 25 poorest nations in the world. With a huge deposit of crude oil, a product that is said to be the largest traded commodity and the most versatile in usage, why are the beneficial effects not substantive?

    The issue of under-utilisation of resources is one that needs to be tackled. Both human and natural resources are under-utilised, or how else would one explain a situation whereby the country has to export crude oil out of the country to be refined and import such refined products at very exorbitant rate. Corruption is one monster that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the Nigerian economy. Corruption is visible in every field of human endeavour as nothing goes for nothing. Nigeria has got all it needs to boast of a very rich and self-sustaining economy, but yet struggling simply because its resources are not fully utilised and wrongly used due to corruption. This is an obstacle militating against Nigeria’s development. A situation where thousands of engineers abound in the country but Nigeria’s projects are handled by foreign firms is quite ridiculous. Nigeria’s political evolution has suffered so many idiosyncrasies.

    The oil and gas industry in Nigeria is very viable. Crude oil is a product that is important to almost everyone in the world. The oil and gas sector alone is enough to continuously sustain the Nigerian economy.

    To this end, the Nigerian government, as well as oil and gas experts, should look inward and formulate laws to utilise the prospects and opportunities made available by the oil and gas sector. Nigeria’s various refineries should be up and running optimally. Gas flaring is a huge economic loss and an environmental degrading activity. Oil spillage, pipeline vandalism and crude oil sabotage that lead to economic losses should be curbed. Technocrats should be fully employed in this sector so that the oil and gas industry can be totally harnessed and utilised for the common good of the populace. Nigeria is indeed too rich to be poor, there are great prospects in the oil and gas industry.

    • From Erekose Peter,

    University of Benin, Edo State,

    erekosepeter@yahoo.com

     

  • The senate Nigeria deserves

    Former US Senator, Gaylord Kent Conrad aka the ‘Statistician’ and one of Time Magazine’s top 10 American senators in 2006 is known for using more charts than all other senators combined. He is occasionally called “Mr. Chart Man”. His budget expertise came in handy when former President George Bush Jnr. was pushing a plan for partially privatizing social security and put the hard sell on him. Bush first tried by flying with Conrad to Fargo then, after they returned, kept the pressure on by inviting him to the White House where he dropped hints about election-year vulnerability for red-state Democrats. But Conrad, whose honorary Sioux name translates as “Never Turns Back,” stood firm in his opposition to the plan.

    “I could never support something that added dramatically to the debt,” Conrad says. “I told him, “Count me out.”

    Taking a gaze at the American senate, one would observe that it parades men of integrity, intellectuals, policy makers, professionals, strategists, philanthropies, right activists and those who won unquestionable elections.

    In our upper chamber, one wonders if we will have senators in the 9th Senate like late Senator John McCain (Republican) who was known as the Mainstreamer by his colleagues. Love or loathe him, once a Vietnam prisoner of war is always a man of authority. Sometimes it’s often said that the “power of a law depends on the lawmaker”. Late McCain earned that moral authority over the years by being patient, brave, bold, plain and making the big play. He spent his entire senate career exposing wasteful pork-barrel projects. Nigerians will not quickly forget the shocker he gave to the government during a debate on the kidnap of Chibok girls at the floor of US Senate chambers… “that America should utilize every asset that we have, satellite, drones, any capabilities that we had to go after them. We didn’t have to wait until a practically non-existent government of Nigerian gave us the go ahead before mounting a humanitarian effort to rescue those 276 abducted girls.”

    In the 9th Senate, Nigerians will be expecting to see a replica of late Senator Arlen Specter (R) aka ‘The Contrarian’, who spent almost 30 years in American Senate as an arrow head and popular voice. Arlen was a talented guy whom allies called “abrasive,” “brutal” and “prosecutorial” for being blunt, not sparing even his party members and colleagues who try to compromise during debates on national and important issues. Or senators like late Senator Carl Milton Levin (D) ‘the Bird-Dogger’ who was a senator from 1979-2015 and gained respect from both parties for his attention to detail and deep knowledge of policy, especially in his role as a vigilant monitor of business and federal agencies. He was once quoted that he considers congressional hearings a critical part of his job, spending as much as 20 hours prepping for each one so an evasive witness won’t outwit him.

    We want to have 9th Senate full of people like late Senator Ted Kennedy (D) ‘the dealmaker’ who was a Senator from 1962-2009 and was reputed to have fought for defending working class, health care and penalizing discrimination or former Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R) known as the ‘Provider’ who is a major player on national issues and known as one of the most effective advocates of her constituents. She travels back to Maine from Washington DC nearly every weekend, often stopping in a small town and villages for what she calls a “Main Street tour” walking the streets and visiting shops to ask people what they are thinking about the government.

    In Nigeria, few senators have exhibited commitment to the national interest in the past. Nigerians will always remember and appreciate the spirited stand of those senators that aborted tenure elongation plan of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Late Idris Ibrahim Kuta (Niger), Badamasi Maccido (Sokoto), Uche Chukwumerije (Abia), Usman Al-Bashir (Yobe), Isaiah Balat (Kaduna), Muktar Aruwa (Kaduna) and Mamman Ali (Yobe) were in the categories of those that fought the third term aspiration of Chief Obasanjo. Kudos must be given to the young, charismatic, intelligent and vibrant Senator Sule Yari Gandi (Sokoto) of blessed memory whose motion on ‘point of order’ created the opportunity for the debate that finally nailed the coffin of the tenure elongation.

    In the heat of Obasanjo’s aborted third-term debate, the then PDP national chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali on a BBC Hausa anchored programme poured tantrums on the senators describing them as rascals and fools for their inability to support the agenda. While most of them chose to be silent and swallow the insult in fear of being persecuted or losing their seats, it was late Senator Idris Ibrahim Kuta that called the attention of the senate and insisted that Ali be summoned to the upper chamber to apologise to them; that being a party chairman doesn’t warrant him to insult them in the cause of discharging their duties to the country.

    For close two decades, the senate has wasted its time and the resources of the nation on myriad of probe committees and oversight functions that have been swept under the carpet without the culprits brought to justice. It’s an open secret that many offenders of probe panels are today moving unreservedly in the country without being sanctioned or indicted for prosecution.

    The only way to make the 9th Senate relevant is when our senators stop asking Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) to pay for their flight ticket, estacodes and accommodation to attend conferences; when they stop writing notes to ministers and heads of MDAs asking for contracts, favours, kick-backs or securing jobs for their family members, mistresses and cronies. We want our senators in the 9th Senate to stop the practice of leaving their seats and running after executive nominees in the chamber for photographs after confirmation. The insulting idea of “take a bow and go” by nominees must be stopped in the chamber. The 9th Senate must make every executive nominee irrespective of his or her experience, status or qualities subject to scrutiny.

    Our senators must stop playing the ethnic, regional, tribal and religious card when discharging their responsibilities. We want to have a 9th Senate that will not be a rubber-stamp or whipping boy of any arm of government, political party, individual or any interest group. We want a 9th Senate that will be loyal to the people and the constitution of federal republic of Nigeria and a senate that will not be a chamber of absentees, bench warmers and yes-me types. As one of the highest paid legislators in the globe, they should try to employ professors, PhD holders, retired career civil servants, speech coaches, speech writers and professionals as their special advisers/legislative assistants who are up to date with the current global challenges and expectations. This will afford them the opportunity to understand the workings of the committees they belong and to be acquainted with the kind of questions to pose and information required during public hearings and oversight functions.

    Nigerians have been disappointed with the unpatriotic outing of the previous senate and the question on the lips of many is will the 9th Senate make a difference?

     

    • Yahaya sent this piece from Muye, Niger State.

  • Issues on policy implementation

    The Buhari-Osinbajo administration has been criticized on a lot of issues, ranging from the handling of security, to lack of direction and insensitivity to the plight of citizens.  However, whether the administration’s good trumps its bad is left for posterity to judge. What is more important now is that the All Progressives Congress (APC), has won another ticket to steer the rudder of the country for another four years.

    On March 19, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he has set up a committee to assess the level of implementation of all his administration’s policies, programmes and projects. Buhari also appointed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has spearheaded the administration’s economic policies, to head the policy audit committee.

    No doubt, this is a laudable move by the administration. It indicates a deliberate attempt to make sure policies are followed through and have an impact on the lives of average Nigerians.

    Now that an audit committee is in place, it is the responsibility of Nigerians to begin to point the government’s attention to policies that are failing and programmes that have not served any purpose.

    The government also needs to know that it is acting as an albatross against the successful implementation of some of its most profound policies. One of such is the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which has been described as the singular most successful policy of the Buhari regime.

    The TSA centralizes government revenue and accounting in a way that opens it up for scrutiny. This is one of the greatest threats to the old system of handling public funds in Nigeria. TSA plugged leakages and made it more difficult to steal from the treasury. In November last year, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that the TSA saves the government over N24 billion monthly. With the implementation of TSA, government revenue has also cushioned the effect of unstable oil prices. Likewise, government agencies like the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration Agency (NIMASA) have tripled their revenue.

    That said, the government needs to deliberately review the entire TSA policy and address encumbrances that have prevented the initiative from reaching its full potential.

    One of these is that some government owned enterprises and MDAs are still not remitting a sizable chunk of their revenue into the TSA. Prominent among these agencies are the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which operate several accounts outside the purview of the TSA in a shady, non-transparent manner.

    Also, In February this year, prominent Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), threatened to file a suit against the federal government over alleged corruption in the award of a contract for the production of the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card (CERPAC) by the NIS, alleging that the proceeds from the process are deposited in a bank account instead of the TSA.

    Another shortcoming of the government on the TSA project is its failure to sensitize the public enough. This lapse has become really obvious following the recent change in TSA transaction pricing regime. The government had pushed the cost of processing payment into the TSA to the payer without notice. The administration needs to embark on a sensitization programme for the public to avoid a serious backlash on such moves.

    Finally, the fact that the TSA is being powered by an indigenous software called Remita should be a source of pride to the government and a reference point for home grown technology. The government should use this as an opportunity to market Nigeria’s ingenuity and drive investment into the country’s ICT industry. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government has been silent on this.

    As the Osinbajo-led committee begins work, it is pertinent that it beams its searchlight on these issues among others and be willing to solve problems to ensure a better four years of governance ahead.

    • By Nkechi Ihekire

    Enugu.

     

  • Shall we help the President?

    Nigerians are a complex and complicated people; corruption is the norm of the day. It is not only in government circles but in the private and even in our family units. It’s so embedded in the fabric of our psyche.

    In order to eradicate it or bring it to the barest minimum level, it needs a total turn round in the way we see, do and perceive things. Imagine this scenario: A house wife goes to the market to purchase foodstuffs and she makes something for herself. Have you ever imagined why our roads are in a sorry state? Because the contractors cut corners, by using sub-standard materials and also settling those awarding the contracts.

    Why are trailers and tankers still parked on the Apapa axis of Lagos state, despite the control measures put in place by the government?

    What all these boil down to is that President, Muhammadu Buhari in all his wisdom cannot do it alone. Don’t get me wrong; I am neither an APC nor a PDP member.

    In fact, I am apolitical. However, as a bonafide Nigerian, I have a constitutional right to air my views on the abnormalities of our lives.

    My humble submission is that the President of our beloved country, Nigeria, needs help and that help must come now.

    The Abadingo Abadango Family an NGO, whose members are resident all over the country would henceforth proffer solutions to the myriad of problems bedevilling the country and her people at no extra cost to the government but as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    For starters, the number of unemployed youths especially graduates is so alarming. These youths need to be positively engaged, no wonder some of them have taken to vices as a result of hardship and unemployment. This is in conformity with the adage that says, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”

    Furthermore, a life without dreams and decision is a playground for the devil. But strong dreams and desires, coupled with determination and strong detestation for poverty and mediocrity, should motivate one very early to set deadlines in order to attain a certain level of financial freedom and excellence.

    More so, a life vacant of dreams and deadlines is a life void of drive.

    The said Abadingo Family shall preach the gospel of love and must allow it to sink into the minds of all irrespective of religion especially the youths, the so called future leaders of tomorrow. No matter what damage has been done in the name of love, we are incomplete without it because ultimately LOVE comes from GOD.

    The Family shall introduce some empowerment initiatives to cushion the hardship resulting from unemployment. These could be in the form of skill acquisition, soft loan/capital/workshops.

    It might interest you to observe that the present Trader Moni initiative of this present administration is quite commendable and a genuine step in the right direction.

    Ours is to add colour and spices to it most especially as it is coming from the private sector and an NGO for that matter.

    This laudable initiative of ours will seriously address and bridge the gap of unemployment as they in turn shall eventually become employers of labour. So let’s begin by loving others as much as we love ourselves. This is because the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step.

    One area the present administration must urgently focus on is the power sector. Needless, to talk about the painful wastages of yesteryears as regards to power generation and distribution and the building of new power plants. Let’s talk about now and the future and that’s where this administration must come in because they are in the driver’s seat.

    Nigerians are generally a happy people despite the associated problems in the country. However, they will become happier if the present administration implements some of these projects that inadvertently touch everybody.

    • By Kenny Okotie

    Founder/Chairman,

    Abadingo Abadango Foundation

  • Attention Fayemi: Nomination of commissioners in Ekiti

    Reverentially, I wish to commend your renewed commitment to making Ekiti State better in this your second coming. Having been following and flowing along with your government since 16th October 2018 till date, I could attest to the enhanced level of interactions and interface with the people across the length and breadth of Ekiti. As a researcher, I can say there is no gainsaying the fact that your leadership approach is more inclusive this time around.

    However, there is the need to point out this vital issue; the heart of the matter. As one of your iconoclastic followers, I discovered that despite the huge support, Ido Ekiti electorate/followers gave you and the APC in the elections of 2018 and 2019, the town has been seemingly short changed! This is the general feeling among the people of the ancient town presently. Mr Governor, as a follower and valued stakeholder in the project of Ido Ekiti, I am taking up the gauntlet to speak TRUTH to power as one exemplary courageous follower. Many may not be able to speak out on a core and critical issue as this! For me, a matter not expressed can turn to depression.

    The question on the lips of many: Why should we, in Ido Ekiti, be always playing the second fiddle despite being the local government headquarter of Ido Osi? Moreover, the ancient town has a First Class Oba, the Olojudo (I was in his palace on the 17th of October, 2018 when you came to say thank you to the people after you were sworn in as the Governor). In addition, Ido Ekiti is the Senatorial District headquarters of Ekiti North Constituency.

    Mr Governor, please be informed that no son/daughter of Ido Ekiti has been in the cabinet of Ekiti State Government since the commencement of the present democratic dispensation in 1999! All we have been placated with is membership of the House of Assembly – as we even have now in your second coming!! Anything tangible to show for the ancient town’s unalloyed support all along for the ruling party? There is seemingly rumpus and rambling pointing to this among the people of Ido Ekiti.

    I am appealing through this medium for you in subsequent appointment, possibly at the Federal level, to please make up for this seeming lapse or omission. It is not too late.

    In conclusion, I will be elated as you read and respond even though you have not dignified a response to any of my earlier email/letter. However, on this matter, I will await your positive response as a peoples’ Governor.

    Esteemed regards, Sir.

    • Dr Ekundayo, JMO,

    Inisaloro Street, Odo Ido,

    Ido Ward 2, Ido Ekiti.