The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Inter-Generational Dialogue on Nigeria’s future

    My hypothesis is that most successful nations in history are those who have consciously engaged their elite formation and have tapped into what those elites have been able to offer the nation. Those which have negatively engaged their elites, and driven them into the Diasporas or into exile, have paid very heavy prices in terms of human capital underutilisation.

    Nigeria has a generational capital problem that feeds into her incapacity to facilitate a steady infusion of human capital development into her development process. Generational capital efficiency or deficiency derives from the accumulated utilisation or underutilisation of human capital over decades of a nation’s historical existence. In Nigeria, I have been concerned with three generations. The first consist of those who were present at the moments before and immediately after Nigeria’s independence. These were the “founding fathers” that negotiated Nigeria’s liberation from the colonial yoke. The second generation are those who confronted Nigeria’s postcolonial predicament arising from the booby-traps of colonialism, the volatility of the dynamics of post-colonial state formation and perhaps, the failings of the first generation that degenerated into civil war. That generation did not spare itself. It pronounced itself as a “wasted generation”.  The third generation in line is my generation (those in their late 40s up unto the 60s) which is far removed from trauma, euphoria and disillusion of Nigeria’s independence but which is nonetheless confronted with Nigeria’s protracted inability to build a nation out of its diversity. And we must not dare forget the next generations in line that are barely even managing to connect with the idea of “Nigeria”.

    The proposed inter-generational dialogue I am advocating takes its cue from several points of departure. One, there are the issues having to do with the unconnected historical dots relating one generation to the other in Nigeria’s development trajectory. Two, there are issues resulting from why each generation has failed to impact Nigeria beyond discrete achievements and engagement. Three, there are also issues concerning the relevance of the lessons from the successes and failures of these generations for Nigeria’s future. How are all these to be cumulated into a solid reform dynamics and framework deployed towards Nigeria’s development? An inter-generational dialogue is founded on the need to facilitate an elite alliance and network across and beyond ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious lines. It feeds into the professional but patriotic engagement with the Nigerian state in a manner that emphasises the relevance of an uncontaminated elite factor in national development. It has the singular potential, outside of the constraints of politics and political economy, to not only undermine the centrifugal factors that have kept elite apart and at each other’s throat over the obstacles the state places on their path. There is also the advantage of facilitating a genuine discourse across generations and historical contexts with the solid benefit of an accumulated understanding of what ails Nigeria and how her generational capital can be unleashed. Dialogue, says Jim Maclachlan, “is the oxygen of change.” That is, a dialogue that is motivated by a genuine love for country.

    At the core of this dialogue will be a major inter-generational conference that will unpack and unravel several issues relating to Nigeria’s development from past to present. And the agenda for this major conference will constitute one of the focuses of the dialogue. The least issue in such an agenda is who should facilitate. The answer would be anyone with the right patriotic and organisational wherewithal that cannot be subordinated to the whims and objective of government. I am willing to loan the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP) to this historic conversation around the future of Nigeria. Indeed, the objectives of the School revolve around making Nigeria work better than it is presently doing for the sake of democracy and development. But the choice should really be left to the decision of the critical mass of stakeholders involved in the dialogue. On methodology, the Dialogue will essentially be constituted around a multidisciplinary professional framework made up of scholars, thinkers, politicians, statesmen, entrepreneurs, young people, writers, professionals in various fields, professional organisations, NGOs, etc.

    One arbitrary process that will creep into the methodology of the dialogue would be the decision on those to deliberate on the event, its agenda, and terms of reference. This will require certain critical set of people whose engagement with the Nigerian state is beyond reproach. I have names at various levels— an Obasanjo/Anyaoku/Joda/Danjuma/Asiodu/Mabogunje/Bolanle Awe as statesmen, Osinbajo in politics, an Utomi in public intellection, Dangote/Elumelu/Atedo Peterside in industry, Chimamanda Adichie in literature, a Jibrin Ibrahim in civil society, a Toyin Falola in academia, a Matthew Kukah, in religion, Soludo in economics, Adamolekun in public administration, Imobighe/Sam Momah/Adekanye in military/defence, Chude Jidenwo in youth, Nkoyo Toyo in gender, Bolaji Aluko/Festus Odimegwu in S&T, Godwin Sogolo in philosophy, Ray Ekpu in media, Odia Ofeimum in poetry, Alex Gboyega in local government, Yemi Kale in statistics, Said Adejumobi in discourse, Osaghae in ethnicity, Suberu on federalism. The list can go on. Once this initial core group is determined, then an agenda can be outlined underpinned by core objectives, significant comparative and historical lessons, expected outcomes, and methodological frameworks around multi-pronged initiatives and programmes that will move the Dialogue forward beyond rhetoric and advocacy to policy imperatives and praxis. The specific outcomes that will be generated by the Dialogue would be sufficiently compelling to snap the government out of any doldrums.

    The initial agenda for the Dialogue and the initial preparatory discourse on the conceptualisation, design and implementation of the Dialogue would be underpinned by several critical items. First, there will be an ongoing population of a database of relevant personalities and organisations that will be relevant to the inter-generational dialogue. The database will be domiciled in a functional and dynamic website dedicated to the idea. Second, there will also be a massive national and diasporic enlightenment and public education programme aimed at different segments of the Nigerian society. The objective of the enlightenment programmes will be to facilitate a significant buy-in from the Nigerian population, as well as from critical policy actors at various levels of governance. Third, there must be a strenuous effort at integrating the Dialogue idea into existing administrative, sociopolitical and cultural institutional platform in a way that facilitate the leveraging of these institutions as critical success factors. Fourth, there must also be a serious research component that allows the Dialogue to connect with significant insights in scholarship and history. Nigeria is due for a radical reconsideration of her development options.

     

    • Dr. Olaopa is Executive Vice-Chairman,

    Ibadan School of Government & Public Policy (ISGPP)

  • Akeredolu and the burden of moral leadership in Ondo State

    Akeredolu and the burden of moral leadership in Ondo State

    “Tell the Senator he is not a member of the APC. Everyone involved in anti-party activities can’t come back through the back door, they would have to go back to their various wards to reapply for APC membership cards. They should also do the needful”.

    The statement above is credited to Akeredolu during a dinner after his inauguration as Governor of Ondo State. (See Punch, February 27, 2017 p. 12, titled Akeredolu accuses Ondo Senator of disloyalty). Coming from a supposed political leader, the statement is both misguided and unfortunate. It is also an arrogant display of immaturity by a self styled SAN. Anyone familiar with the flawed processes that saw his emergence both as a candidate and later as a Governor would have advised Akeredolu to be more mature and careful especially on issues he is less morally qualified to talk about.

    Benefiting from being imposed with impunity on more qualified candidates in the 2012 election and being the principal actor, beneficiary and a product of a controversial, flawed and heavily monetised primaries with deep moral scars on APC, Akeredolu should have been advised to face the challenge of reconciling aggrieved members of the APC who showed their moral conviction and anger against the criminal manipulation of the election processes in his favour.

    Hence, rather than face the reality of the deep division within the Ondo State APC which he caused, he is casting aspersion on a Senator who almost single handedly resuscitated the party (ACN) in 2012 after Akeredolu’s woeful and disgraceful public exhibition of gross incompetence and inability to articulate his campaign programmes convincingly in a televised debate which illuminated his intellectual bankruptcy and legal emptiness.

    The platform, the APC,  of which Akeredolu now benefited as Governor through a fraudulent process was built and sustained by the Senator he arrogantly accused of working against the party.

    The Senator he is accusing or threatening with anti-party activities has contributed much more than Akeredolu in building the APC in the state. Until very recently, Akeredolu is seen as a “stranger” in APC. In a comment in The Nation  (July 3, 2016 p.45) an analyst described Akeredolu as “a tragic manifestation of a man’s self-centeredness and egomania. Here was a “stranger” who was imposed with impunity on more qualified candidates (in 2012)”.

    Akeredolu should be reminded even at the risk of possible metacognitive aberrations and dysfunctions, that the senator in question represents and symbolises, more than him (Akeredolu), the hard core values of honour, humility, honesty, integrity and the rule of law which since inception had defined the operational ideology of APC in Ondo State until the basterdization and premature obituary of these values in the electoral processes which saw the emergence of Akeredolu as Governor.

    Akeredolu’s “success” at the gubernatorial primaries and his “victory” in the governorship election have left a deep moral scar on APC in addition to making Ondo State a shameful reference point for the most monetised gubernatorial election in Nigerian history.

    In just one stroke and all alone, Akeredolu’s misguided political misadventure in Ondo State has caused disaffection among leaders of the party both at state and national levels. It has also left a legacy of mega mess as regards the electoral process which he and his sponsors must contend with in the party. Akeredolu has in addition left the party deeply divided on ideological and moral grounds.

    Given his narrow political base in the Ondo State chapter of APC, evidenced by his controversial victory in the primaries election and the fact that he pulled only 244,000 votes out of 1.6m votes in the gubernatorial election, Akeredolu should have been humbled by the results. Because of this factor and in addition to the disaffection he has caused among the national leadership of the party, rational Nigerians expect Akeredolu to seek peace and reconciliation. He needs to widen the political base of the APC and reposition it to face forth coming elections in a process which must involve all the leaders of the party. I hope the illusion and euphoria of transient power and arrogance will not becloud his assessment of the magnitude of the challenges that stare at him as Governor of a State which traditionally has been a reference point for progressive, honest and credible politics.

    Hence, the health of the party must first be restored by an ideological mechanism that must include an unreserved apology to all members of the party at all levels by Akeredolu and his foreign sponsors. They have polluted both the party and the State. The aggrieved members who showed their moral uprightness and commitment to core values of honour, honesty and integrity should be persuaded back to the party unconditionally.

    Akeredolu has neither the moral authority nor the political legitimacy to dictate terms and conditions to APC members who are manifestations of the core values of APC. We hope the Governor knows the difference between victory and success in electoral political processes even as Albert Einstein reminds us that in times like this, individuals with great ideas and spirits have always encountered mischievous and morally bankrupt oppositions from docile and mediocre minds. Our state still yearns for a moral political leadership which embodies and exemplifies APC’s core values of honour, decency, honesty integrity, the rule of law and ideological uprightness all of which are captured by the Yoruba concept of Omoluabi.

    Dr. Musa Kosemani

    Coordinator of Progressives Unite Against Imposition (PUAI), Ondo State chapter of APC.

  • Agriculture beyond lip service

    A buzzword is a word or expression that is fashionable to use at a certain time or place after which its usage diminishes. Buzzwords can be used to simplify concepts and ease understanding. But many people use buzzwords without knowing their meaning. For instance, many public officials use buzzwords not to convey factual meaning but to show-off their new knowledge, make their audiences feel on the same page and attract attention. If used in appropriate context and with knowledge of their meaning, buzzwords enrich presentations and help users connect with their audience.

    Buzzwords are relished by the media and politicians. Michael Loughlin in his 2002 article ”On the buzzword approach to policy formation”, argues that buzzwords are used in contexts which “privileges rhetoric over reality, producing policies that are ‘operationalized’ first and only ‘conceptualized’ later” and the resulting political speech is always “eschewing reasoned debate and instead employing language exclusively for the purposes of control and manipulation”.Now how buzzwords are related to value chains?

    Value chains refer to activities that bring a product from conception through the phases of production, delivery to final consumers and, disposal after use. Agrofood value chain development (VCD) engages stakeholders in promoting chain improvement. Successful VCD requires positive mindsets of stakeholders, creates a platform for activities’ co-ordination with a goal to create shared benefit. VCD is presently a trending buzzword because evidence suggests VCD alleviates poverty and improves food security. VCD is spearheaded by governments, private sector and non-profits. But, how is VCD connected to lip service?

    Lip service is the verbal expression of agreement to something unsupported by real conviction or action. It is hypocritical, insincere support expressed for something without action. Since Nigeria realised that one day oil will stop being the backbone of her economy, politicians became fond of verbally expressing their support for agriculture as the route to avoiding impending financial Armageddon. However, this insincere support has never been backed by conviction or action. Now that the trending issue in agriculture is value chains, in their usual manner, politicians have started perfunctory use of value chains with intention to impress, not improve agriculture.

    Some instances may help to buttress this point. In August 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari, while receiving the President of IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) who was on a visit, urged Nigerians to stop paying lip service to agriculture and invest in the sector. He admitted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigned heavily with agriculture and promised to use agriculture as alternative to dwindling oil revenue.

    The question is:  Is it the first time such a statement would be made and no action taken? Certainly not! In November 2016, the House of Representatives in plenary warned the Federal Government of Nigeria to stop paying lip service to agriculture by theorising that agriculture is the way to diversify the nation’s economy. This happened as Rep Emmanuel Akpan of Akwa Ibom moved a motion for the revival of large-scale production of oil palm in the country. Other members hailed the motion as a wake-up call to the executive to implement aspects of the motion.

    Celebrating the World Food Day in Port Harcourt in October 2016, the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs.Onimim Jack, a law graduate, said the event was aimed at bringing together stakeholders in agriculture value chain to showcase and educate farmers and the public on agricultural procedures, technologies and best practices. I began to wonder what best practices can be taught to farmers in a single day’s event. Situations where politicians in the executive and the legislature advise the public to stop paying lip service to value chain development or just passing the buck are alarming. It means they are showing off a trending buzzword or lack ideas on what to do. The cost of their ignorance is huge to the economy.

    In November 2016, Dr Sanginga, the DG of International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, while addressing the IITA Board said Africa should stop paying lip service to agriculture because it will cost Africa $110 billion in food imports by 2025. Nigeria has the largest population in Africa and is the continent’s top food importer. So, the warning applies to Nigeria more than any other African country.

    Agriculture Minister, Mr. AuduOgbe, a French graduate, in July 2016 lamented Nigeria’s expenditure (I would say ‘waste’) of $20 billion USD annually on importing food items like rice, wheat, sugar, fish and others. At the present exchange rate of N500 to a USD, it means Nigeria wastes TEN TRILLION NAIRA. Besides high food import bills,  other effects of  lip service across the agriculture chain include poor consumer protection, poor support for agriculture research and uptake; no loans or loans with difficult hurdles for farmers; inconsistent agriculture sector policies; poor electricity supply, transportation system, storage facilities; weak market access and the like. We need solutions to problems.

    The solution is multidimensional. First, we need agricultural professionals to oversee agriculture ministries. The good work of Dr Akinwumi Adesina an Agricultural Economics graduate, as the Minister of Agriculture under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is self-evident. Ministerial advisers can only advise; but when the Minister is clueless, the wrong advice will be used.

    We need a functional agrologistics system. Netherlands, one of the top countries in agrofood value chains development is also the top in agrologistics in the world. Nigeria needs serious upgrade of roads, rail, water, air transport and internet infrastructure, the backbone of logistics. Agricultural value chains cannot develop with underdeveloped agrologistics.

    Private sector contribution to agrofood chains development cannot be ignored. In serious countries, agrofood chains are powered by private sector encouraged by government-enabled business environment like strong security; functional public infrastructure; strong legal system, currency and favourable ease of doing business.

    The mentality that agrofood development means exposing unemployed youth and women to one-week training and providing them with double- digit thousands of naira to start agro-allied businesses in the name of empowering them for value chain development must change. To create high impact, big and tested entrepreneurs must be encouraged to invest in agriculture.

    The rush for primary agricultural products’ export when local food demand is not yet satisfied is not in our best interest. A case in point is the recently celebrated demand by the Chinese for Nigeria’s yam. Nigeria should first develop value chains to provide food and income for Nigerians before going global. What is happening in the oil sector where crude oil is cheaply sold and value-added petroleum products are imported exorbitantly must be avoided in agriculture. Applying these solutions in sincerity and commitment would develop our agrofood value chains sector.

     

    • Dr. Ingweye, an Agrofood Value Chains Development consultant, is a lecturer in the Department of Animal Science, University of Port Harcourt.

  • Tribute to K1@ 60       

    One man that has remained a constant face of Fuji music for close to forty years is the widely acclaimed King of Fuji, K1, an Ijebu-Ode prince, born at Idumagbo area of Lagos Island as Wasiu Adewale Omogbolahan Olasunkanmi Ayinde  Anifowoshe  on the 3rd of March, 1957,  to the Fidipote  Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode.

    K1 could not complete his secondary education as a result of the untimely demise of his father.  Providence, however, took him to the musical group of the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister where he became an instrument ‘packer’; but in fulfillment of destiny, an event that happened in 1974 permanently altered the course of his life, when, Barrister, the band leader, went on a trip to England and the entire band members had to wait for his return before they could start playing music again.

    This experience made the young Wasiu Ayinde resolve to become a professional Fuji musician, leading to the birth of his own musical group. Though he debuted with his first album titled Iba (Tribute) in 1980 on the label of Adetunji  Omo Aje records, owned by the incumbent Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba(Dr) Saliu Akanmu Adetunji,  K1 released his landmark hit album, TALAZO’84 in 1984 and has never looked back since, with a string of successful hit albums in quick succession likeTala’86, Dance For Me, American Tips, Fuji Collections, The Ultimate, Consolidation, History, Statement, among others.

    Some common features of K1’s professional life over the years are the core values of hard work, consistency, focus, loyalty to people, and above all, his constant self- improvement.  As a musical brand, he has repackaged himself over the years, starting with Wasiu Ayinde Barrister, later changed to Marshal The Ultmate, KWAM 1, and later K1.

    K1 was about the first indigenous musician of Yoruba extraction to employ a trained Management expert to oversee the affairs of his organisation when he hired a UK-trained, London-based Management consultant, Dayo Adekunle Olomu of D.O & Associates as his Manager. This paid off with his increased “acceptability across different strata of the Nigerian social establishment.”

    Also, it is to K1’s credit that Fuji music was rescued from the effect of Juju music with the sterling performances of the likes of King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Shina Peters who introduced Afro Juju through his hit record  ‘ACE’ in 1989 which made modernisation and re-launching of Fuji music an imperative if it was not to go into extinction.

    K1 responded to fill that gap by releasing the first real fast-track Fuji album titled ‘American Tips’ in 1990 which marked a significant turning point for Fuji music as Fuji from then on expanded its frontiers to become the toast of many more educated Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora who practically abandoned Disco to identify more with K1’s new brand of modern Fuji.

    Many younger artistes were inspired to take Fuji music as way of earning a livelihood and fame, and this is one of the greatest achievements of K1, the architect of modern Fuji.  It will be a disservice to talent and vision to attempt to rob K1 of the credit for revolutionising Fuji into a classical brand with millions of followers and fans.

    One important lesson Nigerian youths can pick from the life of this iconic Nigerian entertainer and Fuji King is the power of vision and the tenacity to pursue it.

    At the time he began his Fuji career, that brand of music was perceived (rightly or wrongly) as an exclusive preserve of uneducated  and low-class Nigerians, compared with other genres of music in the land; but the story changed with the persistent  and consistent rebranding which K1  spearheaded, thus pushing Fuji to the top chart of the Nigerian entertainment industry.

    The pioneering effort of K1 endeared him to the corporate world, earning him a consistent place at corporate events like the famous Benson & Hedges Golden Tones and the prestigious  Havannah Carnival gigs, organised by the Sigma Club of the University of Ibadan where he remains one of its longest performing artistes after the likes of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the King of World Beats, Sunny Ade.

    Considering the long chain of individuals and organisations making their living from Fuji as singers, producers, promoters, record distributors, marketers, artiste managers and other value- added service providers, this is no mean achievement for Alhaji Wasiu Adewale Anifowoshe and I believe strongly that he deserves a National Merit Award for working hard to create direct and indirect jobs for many others with his God-given talent.

    In addition, K1 is an opinion-molder who has employed his music to ventilate his political ideas and political thoughts in a way he believes he can contribute to the enthronement of  good governance in Nigeria by associating with the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its previous incarnations, right from the  Bola Tinubu years as Governor of Lagos State up till the build up to the 2015 General Elections  when he played a major role,  singing to the delight and admiration of people at all the campaign rallies of the APC, including that of then presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

    One thing K1, however, does well is to refrain from politics with bitterness as he never allows his  leanings towards the APC to have negative impact on his long-standing relationships with some of his friends and acquaintances in other political parties, just like he has been able to sustain for nearly 40 years now, his business and father -to-son relationship with the present Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba  Saliu Adetunji, who was said to have nurtured him as a young artiste, tutoring him on the business aspect of Fuji, following him all the way to stardom; and the relationship is still intact till today as evident in K1’s visible  involvement in the coronation activities of the Olubadan  a year ago.

    This is vintage K1, who cherishes friendships and relationships with people in every part of the country, his friends of over 40 years ago are still his friends today. In addition to having a glowing and enviable music career, he also recorded a huge success as a father raising lawyers, accountants, economists and other professionals as children who graduated from top universities across the globe.

    I commend the life of this great Nigerian to our youths for inspiration to see hope in despair, to see possibility in impossibility and to always see far beyond their discouraging circumstances.

    K1 was able to define a future for himself, traveling through that rough and thorny road to fame, stardom and wealth. On this occasion of his 60th birthday, I join his numerous fans, well- wishers and other Nigerians from all walks of life to felicitate with this rare gem and distinguished Nigerian.

     

    • Adegoke is an Ibadan-based legal practitioner.

  • LASPOTECH retirees need Ambode’s help  

    As the Lagos State Governor, Mr. AkinwumiAmbode, prepares to grace the next convocation of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) coming up in a few days, it is pertinent to bring to his notice, the suffering of some retirees of the polytechnic whose pensions and gratuities have been unjustly withheld by the management of the polytechnic and some government officials for the past 10 months.

    This set of retirees, numbering about 150, both academic and non-academic staff, was last paid their pensions in May 2016, about 10 months ago, and part of their gratuities have been withheld since they retired from the polytechnic in 2010.

    Because of this act on the part of the current Lagos State Polytechnic management, the retirees have been going through indescribable agony in the last 10 months. Some have had their children withdrawn from schools on account of their inability to pay their children’s school fees, while some, who were suffering from one ailment or the other, have been unable to cater for their health needs. In fact, about five of the retirees have been reported dead on account of their inability to take care of their health.

    The current polytechnic management headed by the Rector, Mr. YinkaSogunro, in collusion with the Auditor-General of the State who wrote a spurious letter, at the instance of the School management, without notice, suddenly stopped the payment of pensions to the retirees who left the polytechnic en masse in 2010 and who had been paid regularly since December 2010 up till May 2016 when they were yanked off the payroll.

    The excuse of the Auditor-General of the State in writing a letter to the School management to stop the payment of pensions to the 2010 set of retirees was that she had discovered, after six years that the pensioners’ retirement was allegedly irregular. But this excuse is not only spurious, it is fallacious.

    The genesis of the mass retirement of both the academic and non-academic staff from the polytechnic began in 2007 when the Lagos State Government, under Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, passed a new pension law, the Pension Reform Act/Contributory Pension Scheme of 2007 in the state. The law stipulates that workers should enroll with private pension providers whereby a monthly deduction would be made from their salaries with equal contribution from the State Government into each individual employee’s account with the private pension providers.

    There was, however, a caveat to the law which states that civil servants who were eligible to pensions under the old scheme, but who did not wish to participate in the new pension scheme, have the option of exiting from the service in three years after the promulgation of the Act i.e. 2010. All such employees who wished to continue with the old pension scheme were expected to leave the service of the polytechnic by June 2010. All those who wanted to go with the old pension scheme with the State Government wrote letters of retirement to the then polytechnic management which were duly acknowledged by the management.

    However, because of the usual unstable academic calendar in the polytechnic, as in other higher institutions in Nigeria, the then polytechnic management wrote the retirees that since academic engagement rules stipulated that lecturers could not leave before the end of a session, all academic staffers were mandated to defer their exit till November 30, 2010 when the academic calendar for that year would end. It is on account of their exit in November 2010 that the retirees are now being victimised and unjustly denied their pensions and part of their gratuities.

    When the academic staff were retiring in 2010, their gratuities were paid and calculated based on an old salary scale for polytechnic workers while the State Government had already approved that the polytechnic management should start paying a new salary scale to its staff since January 2009, but as at the time of the exit of this set of retirees, the polytechnic had not started paying its staff, until 2012 when the staff, including the 2010 retirees were duly paid arrears of salaries from February 2009 to sometime in 2012. Those who had retired in 2010 were paid their salary arrears up till the time of their exit on November 30, 2010.

    The pension payment of this set of retirees was also adjusted upward by the last management of the polytechnic since they were supposed to have earned the money from February 2009 up till the point of their exit on November 30, 2010. But since their gratuities were based on the old scale, the 2010 retirees logically asked for the balance of their gratuities based on the new scale, which successive managements of the polytechnic have refused to pay on account of non-availability of funds.

    Constant reminders to the current polytechnic management to pay these arrears, plus pension arrears, became a thorn in their flesh and led them to engineer the complete stoppage of the pensions of both academic and non-academic staff numbering about 150 persons.

    The retirees have exhausted all peaceful means to get back their rights all to no avail. The Governing Council appears to be helpless in this case as it has also been held captive by the school management which wants to continue claiming the money from the Government without paying those who ought to be paid.  They see the retirees as weak, vulnerable and helpless and want to cheat them out of their rights after serving the State with all their energy in their youthful years.

    Already, the Office of the Head of Service had set up a panel to look into the issue comprising the Lagos State Pension Commission, the State Ministry of Justice, the Polytechnic Management, representatives of the retirees etc, and the panel had submitted its report, but the Office of the Head of Service has been sitting on the report for more than three months now while the retirees continue to languish.

    It is the prayer of these suffering retirees that Governor Ambode should, as a matter of urgency, wade into this case and order the release of the pensions and gratuities of these innocent souls who have been put through unnecessary agony in the past 10 months.

     

    • Owolabi, a public commentator, lives in Ikorodu

  • Journalism and open governance

    During the past week, I had the privilege of playing host to a German journalist. Some years back, I was in their country on scholarship on journalism training and something of the German effect began to rub off on me in many of the things I say and do today. But because this piece is not about this journalist, I’d rather we focus on the issues that the visit threw up instead of his nationality, his name or the organisation he represents. I may be able to describe the sort of organisation he works for as the piece progresses, and that is only because that kind of material is just necessary.

    So, why was he here? He was here because he wanted to get first hand, how journalism is practiced here in theory and practice so that he could try to establish some sort of connection here, get the real Nigerian stories apart from the Boko Haram, the corruption, to a global audience. We thought that this was not going to be a difficult thing to do but because we wanted other journalists to get the full benefit of that interaction as well, we got representatives of some of the key media houses on board for the participation and benefit that may likely accrue. Journalism in Nigeria is at a crossroads. The centrifugal and centripetal forces at play between media ownership, the extant laws of the country which guarantee freedom of speech and expression but have politicians easily pick up and arrest journalists for ‘defamation and sedition’, and carry out regular arrests of bloggers, the disparities in the work ethos and welfare of government and privately run media are some of the issues I had put up for discussion with our German guest.

    But by far one of the greatest issues we wanted to discuss, and exploit for mutual benefit is the rise of the omnipresent behemoth, the internet aka social media: what influence does social media have in getting the message right across? Will social media drive mainstream media into extinction soon? It shouldn’t take being a Ben Carson to know that there’s crisis in Nigerian journalism.  Let me give a little example from my own interaction from visits to German media houses including Deutsche-Welle. I found out that most of the newsrooms there were virtual newsrooms – empty of journalists. Why was this so, I asked. Well, I was told that if you have up to thirty or so journalists working for a medium, that medium would be expected to take care of accommodation, transport, welfare, medication and supplementary needs of those journalists. But the turnover in terms of sales and marketing inconsistencies for most of these media organisations cannot dispense with these expectations. So why not keep the key ones and outsource your stories to freelancers? They told me that German media houses were more interested in employing professionals – doctors, lawyers, architects, businessmen etc, who bring the full weight of their expertise to bear on the profession rather than those who have studied journalism, English or the like. To buttress the argument, the publishers of the German equivalent of National Geographic said that they hired a marine biologist to stay underwater for three days. His job was to capture the reefs and their diminishing corals. They also said that if a good stringer has a scoop, he sells to as many media houses as possible. You cannot do that here.

    Our German colleague who works in the communications department with a development organisation in Germany made two presentations which were eye-openers.  During the first one,Actual Changes in the Media, Especially role of Social Media, he said they began to consider switching from classical media to reporting exclusively from social media outlets. That was about three years ago. Reason: social media in Germany is quicker, reliable, more timely, accurate and based on the tenets which are taught in journalism classes. One more reason was the reach of social media and the interactions which they instantly generate. To transform from classical to social media, two members of staff of their organisation came up with the idea of making small film/documentaries about the projects and programmes of the organisation. Then they would upload to YouTube and on their homepage. Staff began to get support from news agencies to tell the long stories through short stories in 3-5mins videos; they also podcast them for use on Radio and TV.

    During his second presentation, Media in Germany: traditional roles, our audience of local journalists was shocked to learn that nearly all media houses in Germany are privately owned, that journalists are mostly on their own and control of the medium often comes from politicians and the Church. Most of this contrasted with my earlier presentation, Media in Nigeria: prospects and challenges for ANEEJ, wherein I stated, inter alia, that even though there is an increase in the number of media associations in Nigeria, the lot of the Nigerian journalist diminishes every single day. Daily I find myself constantly pushing the boundaries and trying to cope with the challenges besetting the Nigerian journalist. Because if all is well with him, I would have little or no trouble building the kind of relationships and support that we need, to push forward in matters of poverty alleviation, capacity building, environment, anti-corruption and institutional capacity building.

    It is the same thing in government. If media houses in the country, privately or publicly owned, have the kind of philosophy with which media houses in Germany and other parts of the world are run, real openness, real transparency, real accountability and real governance would begin to take place in Nigeria.

     

    • Etemikuis manager, communications,

    Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Abuja @bobaneej.

  • Agriculture: Osun’s example

    With recession ravaging the country after petro-dollar dipped last year, not a few analysts believe that the way out of the crisis is agriculture.

    Thus, the Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, believes that now is the time to turn to massive agricultural practices or else millions of Nigerians would be at risk.

    Against this backdrop, between the 17th and 29th of January 2017, Aregbesola led a high-level delegation that included the Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, Director General Office of Economic Development and Partnerships, Dr. Charles Diji Akinola, and the Director Livestock Services, Mrs. Ajibike  Fagbemi, to the  State of Saxon Anhalt, Germany.

    This was in furtherance of the established cooperation in the area of agricultural development and in support of the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O-REAP).

    The expected gains of the trip include engagement of relevant investors and partners with interest in agricultural investment and partnership opportunities in the State of Osun, and expansion of the scope of existing Development Cooperation between the governments of Osun and Saxon Anhalt.

    Besides, the trip was also to design the next phase of collaborative partnerships between Osun and Saxon Anhalt.

    This trip allowed the delegation to discuss agricultural potential, investments and partnership opportunities in the State of Osun with German farmers.

    This is to build on the previous partnership, which was activated in 2012 and involved the training of 40 young farmers from Osun over a period of four years. The beneficiaries of the training were   exposed to knowledge, skills and technologies in practical modern agriculture.

    The Osun delegation also met with the umbrella Farmers Association of the State of Saxon Anhalt. At the meeting, a number of farmers in Germany expressed their interest in the proposed farmer-technology transfer programme that is being planned in collaboration with the State Government of Saxon Anhalt.

    One of the key highlights of the visit concerned the planned cooperation between the governments of Osun and Saxon Anhalt in setting up ‘Best Practices Demonstration, Training and Production Farm’ in the State of Osun.

    The Farm is to target the youth and other farmers and will provide the platform for the acquisition of knowledge, skills and techniques in modern agriculture with a focus on land development and management, new technologies in crops, livestock, fisheries, post-harvest handling, processing and packaging.

    In view of the above, the government of Osun has established a Land Bank in the state where those who have fallow land can entrust it to the government.

    Government will reach an agreement with these land owners on the terms and duration of usage, and when the parcel of land will revert to the owner.

    With this innovative land bank system, land would be available for farming on a commercial scale. In addition, there won’t be shortage of land once government has information on the quantity of land available in its land bank.

    This is one of the strategies by the Aregbesola administration to make farming in the state easy for whoever wants to practise agriculture.

    Expectedly as well, the establishment of the Best Practice Demonstration, Training and Production Farm in the State of Osun will build on these initial efforts and create an even more cost-effective and sustainable model of cooperation that will achieve broader impact.

    State of Osun stands the opportunity to extend benefits to many hundreds of equally motivated and needy young farmers who would not have the opportunity of being attached to host farmers or institutions in Germany.

    Accordingly, it is expected that the Best Practice Demonstration, Training and Production Farm will equally serve as a veritable platform to anchor a well-designed farmer exchange programme that will provide the opportunity for German agricultural experts and farmers to provide technological transfer and capacity building to farmers in Osun.

    The latest collaborative efforts will involve building on the initial outcomes of the cooperation with the State of Saxon Anhalt under which 40 budding young farmers from Osun had been hosted in Germany for advanced practical training in different aspects of agriculture over the past four years.

    This training no doubt resulted in greater opportunities for the young farmers in Osun as they launched promising careers in modern and productive agriculture practices such as piggery, fishery and animal feed production.

    They are also involved in different aspects of agriculture including cattle and small ruminants’ production, horticulture and greenhouse farming in different parts of the State.

    Other highlights of the trip included planning meetings with the top officials of the Ministry of Agriculture of the State of Saxon Anhalt and members of the State of Saxon-Anhalt Parliament

    This meeting was hinged on consolidating as well as expanding the current cooperation between Osun and Saxon Anhalt.

    Considering the successes recorded from the cooperation with the State of Saxon Anhalt in the last four years in the area of agriculture, the cooperation is now being expanded to the area of healthcare delivery.

    On healthcare delivery, it is important to note  the recent  visit of a team of seasoned German oncologists from the Institute for Operative Medicine of the Otto-yon, Magdeburg, Germany.

    They were in the state for three days to train some health workers on detection, control, treatment and management of various classes of cancer in the State.

    To make the state self-sufficient in food production, over 17, 000 farmers in the state had benefitted from the QUIIP I and II loan programmes.

    Under the Osun State Agricultural Development Corporation (OSSADEC) in 2010, the government had also given out N250 million loans to farmers and N500 million in 2012.

    For Rural Accessibility Mobility Programme (RAMP), the state constructed 662km rural roads for easy access to farm settlements. This is to make mobility easy between rural and urban areas, as well as facilitate smooth and fluid movement of farm produce from the farms to the final markets.

    According to Aregbesola, agricultural development is the direction to go in order to get out of the economic crisis. As the Yoruba saying goes, when food is available, the pang of poverty is less felt. Massive production of food locally is the answer to the nation’s economic downturn.

     

    • Owolabi wrote in from Osogbo, Osun State

    kunleowolabi17@gmail.com

  • Leadership tussle S/East APC can’t afford

    Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, declared at a stakeholders’ meeting held by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) in Owerri recently that respected former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, had become the South-east leader of the party. The declaration appeared not to have gone down well with a good number of political leaders in the zone, thus polarising the region’s political class into two camps of those that are in support of Nnamani’s leadership of the party and those that are against it.

    In making the declaration at the meeting attended by Nnamani and other political heavyweights like Emeka Offor, Ifeanyi Ararume, Tony Eze, Ebuka Onunkwo, Jombo Offor and the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Eze Madumere, among others, Governor Okorocha made it clear that he himself had resisted the pressure mounted on him by concerned people in the zone to occupy the position. If the governor had wanted to be selfish, he would have seized the opportunity with both hands and justify same by claiming in the manner of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State that he is the only governor of the ruling party in the region.

    Okorocha, however, placed regional interest above self, opting for Nnamani because of the latter’s enviable record in public service. He saw in the recent defection of Nnamani from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC an opportunity of quality leadership for the APC in the South-east. Okorocha said: “Now that Igbo leaders are together in APC, Nigerians will hear us. There is a vacuum of leadership in the South-east APC. I am a governor. My brothers, Chris Ngige and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, are ministers. Hence the importance of Senator Ken Nnamani coming at this time.

    “I decline the leadership of Ndigbo in APC. With Senator Ken Nnamani now with us in the party, the question of who is the leader of the APC in the South-east has been answered. Ken Nnamani is the leader of the APC in the South-east. Senator Nnamani should then work with other leaders like Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, Jim Nwobodo and a host of others to give Ndigbo political direction.”

    Okorocha’s pronouncement however sparked outrage in the circle of aggrieved politicians who felt it was all a bid by the governor to score a cheap political point. The aggrieved politicians argued that the forum Okorocha chose to announce the all-important political decision was not a political one. They were also of the view that compared to other APC henchmen in the region, like Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Senator Chris Ngige and others, Nnamani was too new in the party to become its zonal leader. But those who support the choice of Nnamani believe it is not about how long he has been in the APC but what he is capable of doing as the zonal leader of the party.

    As the Senate President between 2005 and 2007, Nnamani is reputed for presiding over the Senate session that frustrated the infamous third term ambition of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. This he did by making the debate on the subject as transparent as possible by granting live coverage of it to local and foreign television stations. That singular feat has endeared him to many, not just in the South-east but across the nation’s six geo-political zones, as a forthright leader whose opinion on crucial national issues would be widely respected.

    Considering the marginalisation the Igbo has suffered in terms of national leadership, Nnamani is the kind of personality the region should throw up at any given opportunity and subtly market to the larger Nigerian population in readiness for future elections. And if Okorocha, arguably the biggest fish in South-east APC at the moment, deems it necessary to concede the leadership of the party to him (Nnamani), the opportunity ought to be embraced by well-meaning Igbo sons rather than the unnecessary bickering that has trailed it. That much was echoed by a chieftain and founding Vice Chairman of the APC in Enugu State, Chief Anike Nwoga, who in throwing his weight behind Okorocha’s choice of Nnamani, said Okorocha’s move was perfectly in the interest of Ndigbo.

    Nwoga said: “Some people have been saying why Ken Nnamani? But my response to that is that he is 100 per cent qualified to be the leader of the APC in the South-east. Okorocha saw leadership qualities in Ken Nnamani, and that is why he conceded the South-east zonal leadership to him. You should not forget that he was the number three man in Nigeria, having served as the Senate President.

    “Considering that position, there is nobody in APC today who is more qualified than Nnamani as the South-east leader of the party. Governor Okorocha is a wise person. He did the most intelligent thing. He has done a great thing for the growth of the APC in the South-east because Nnamani is a great son of Igbo land; a decent man for that matter.

    “Let us not also forget that since the news of his defection to the APC spread in Nigeria, many people have also been joining the party, not just in the South-east but across the country. This is because of Ken Nnamani’s name. That is why we see other senators, other top politicians also trooping into the party.”

    The vacuum in the leadership of the South-east has led to a situation where people from outside the zone now arrogate to themselves the task of determining the future direction of the region. Like a bolt from the blue, Obasanjo recently declared that the South-east should have a shot at the presidency in 2019. Some Igbo leaders were quick to see it as a bait the region should not swallow because it is capable of worsening the confusion among the politicians in the region and pit it against the North which is still smarting from the hijacking of its second term by the Jonathan presidency in 2011.

    The earlier the party’s chieftains close their ranks, the better for the Ndigbo. Otherwise, the openings in their wall will be infested by all manner of reptiles. The consequences are better imagined than experienced.

     

    • Patrick is an Abuja-based public affairs analyst.
  • Six reasons to close Abuja airport now

    Six reasons to close Abuja airport now

    1. We commend the Federal Government for finally submitting the name of the Justice Walter Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation as the Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
    2. This step, taken in furtherance of the provisions of Section 231 of the Constitution, finally puts paid to several months of speculation and conspiracy theories relating to the appointment of a substantive Chief Justice of the Federation.
    3. We hereby call on the Senate to confirm Justice Onnoghen as quickly as possible upon resumption from their recess on February 22, 2017. This will enable him to quickly implement an agenda to reposition the judiciary.
    4. We also commend the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Aviation to repair the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. While fears as to the extent of potential economic losses to the nation remain valid and must be assuaged, the resolve to permanently repair the runway and in so doing potentially save lives must be wholeheartedly commended.
    5. For a while, we have entertained fears that only an aviation mishap which may affect lots of lives will convince Nigerians of the necessity of this policy. These fears are exacerbated by reports that an aircraft belonging to Qatar Airways was almost involved in a crash as it attempted to take off.

    In fact, we are afraid that there are unscrupulous elements in Nigeria who might instigate such a mishap to emphasise the need to carry out the repairs of the runway.

    1. We hope that the Ministry of Aviation and other government agencies will put in their best efforts to ensure the speedy completion of this project and the reopening of the NAIA.

    God bless Nigeria.

    By Deji Adeyanju from Abuja

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  • Constituted without authority

    How can we help a dog without teeth to crush bone, which is one of its favorite delicacies? What can we make out of an “ADEGOKE” who cannot even climb a common staircase? What pride does an Eagle have if it cannot have a chick freely for its meal? The worst of all, a CONSTITUTED AUTHORITY WITHOUT AN AUTHORITY?

    The present state of the Educational system in Nigeria makes me question her future. The country Nigeria is fast becoming a ground to enable young ones to channel their strength unguardedly – without guidance.

    Young Nigerians, on the verge of becoming the next Inventors, Scientist, Academia, world celebrated Engineers and Technologists, gave themselves up to be tutored in order to sharpen their blunt edges and refine their crudeness. Alas! They have fallen into the hands of a constituted-constituted Authority.

    Yes, UNCONSTITUTED. If the so called constituted authority was indeed constituted as it claimed to be, I believe a day will not have gone by after the affected “Grass” (The Greatest of the Great Ladokites) to show the two Elephants the impact of their tussle on them. Instead of using the constitutional privilege that has brought him under the platform of being regarded as the “Constituted Authority here”, the opposite was what we received.

    I have heard many talked about statements like – “This is not the first time schools are getting shut”, “Am I the one that closed down your school”, “Is this the first time a school is being shut” as uncoordinated, and uncalled for from a so called constituted authority that should be held in high esteem as a father. But, far from that I heard what made my heart bleed for my great country, The Great Nigeria. Hmm! Ta lo fe le mo, se emi ni? (If things were to be tough, will it ever be tough at me?), that’s deep, very deep you know…….

    You need not tell us that you will not be affected if things get tough, we know. We don’t need a prophet to tell us that, since we have chosen to constitute you with power and wealth without checking your love for us. I can’t say we were rash in our decision in making you the constituted authority that you now only manifest in speech but not in action.

    The students should have been the ones chanting, “Constituted Authority! Constituted Authority!! Constituted Authority!!!”, at the top of their voices, if just a word from you and your counterpart was able to open the shut doors of the institution. If salt needed to introduce itself, then it has indeed lost its saltiness. If after rubbing hot pepper on your eyes, you still need someone to tell you, oh! You just rubbed hot pepper, then what you rubbed was never hot red pepper, it must have been a MARY KAY powder.

    Enough of this announcement, ACTION speaks louder. Show YOUR Authority by reopening the school for Scholars to be back on Campus.

     

     

    Lawal John Oluwasegun

    Writes from Lagos State