The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • The misplaced jubilation in OAU

    The misplaced jubilation in OAU

    Dr. Wole Adediran

    It gives me great shock to read that the Federal Government of Nigeria under the respected leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the disbandment of the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolwo University.

    Clearly, this action is illegal and evidently inconsistent with the extant laws governing Federal universities, the constitution and dissolution of their Governing Councils and their responsibilities and functions.

    For example, the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, otherwise called the Universities Autonomy Act No. 1, 2007 and the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2012 spell out clearly the point at which the Visitor to the federal universities can dissolve a Governing Council. Precisely, Section 2A of the Principal Act as amended provides that, ‘The Council so constituted shall have a tenure of four years from the date of its inauguration provided that where a Council is found to be incompetent and corrupt it shall be dissolved by the Visitor and a new Council shall be immediately constituted for the effective functioning of the University’.

    The Governing Council of OAU under the leadership of Prof. Rowland Ndoma Egba was constituted in March 2013. Its tenure has not expired. Two, there has not been any confirmed case of incompetence or corruption against the Prof. Egba-led Council. So, how could the Federal Government say it has dissolved it? Doubtlessly, this is a clear case of misinformation. The Federal Government was wrongly advised. And since it acted in error, the fact is that the Governing Council of OAU remains intact and valid until its tenure expires.

    Moreover, the statement credited to the Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union, OAU Branch, Mr. Wole Odewum, that the appointment of Prof. Ayobami Salami as the Vice-Chancellor has been nullified is false. The Governing Council in following the procedure established for the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor had on June 6 announced the appointment of Prof. Salami as the Vice-Chancellor to take over from Prof. Bamitale Omole whose tenure expired on June 23. The process that produced Prof. Salami was flawless and consistent with the provisions of extant laws.

    Therefore, neither the Visitor nor the Federal Ministry of Education can nullify the appointment. It is a misinformation to tell the public that Prof. Salami is not the substantive Vice-Chancellor of OAU. He is the validly substantive Vice-Chancellor and his five-year tenure started on the June 24, 2016. The Federal Government has no power to appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor when a duly appointed one is in place. To do so is to breach the law and cause chaos.

    The jubilation of the workers who have no patience to allow the court to decide the case they took to it is misplaced and unwarranted, for the Federal Government’s decision is illegal and unconstitutional.

    Dr. Adediran writes from OAU, Ile-Ife.

  • Journey so far: Buhari’s successes, failures, challenges, projections

    Journey so far: Buhari’s successes, failures, challenges, projections

    • Keynote address at the First Year Branch Anniversary – Commemoration with Symposium of APC UK BEDFORDSHIRE BRANCH, Luton.

    On behalf of all members of party in APC UK chapter, I bring you fraternal greetings and congratulate you on this occasion of your branch first year anniversary.
    When we came here last year on 9th May 2015 for the inauguration of your branch, I commended your very well organised programme as the best we had seen since branches started opening up across the UK. Well done for keeping up with your tradition of excellence in your branch activities.
    The APC led Federal government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, came into office with the message of “CHANGE” campaign. And the three cardinal points of President Buahri’s campaign promises were hinged on:
    Buhari promised to fight corruption
    Buhari promised to tackle insecurity
    Buhari promised to create jobs.
    The President took a pragmatic and distilled view of the APC manifesto of “A new party for a New Nigeria”. He decided to take a focussed approach on those issues he considered the main stumbling block to Nigeria’s liberation and/or emergence into a peaceful, prosperous and stable country. This shows that he had given great thoughts to his Presidential ambition and what he would like to be remembered for as President of Nigeria.

    The fight against corruption:
    “Corruption is a disease, a cancer that eats into the cultural, political and economic fabric of society, and destroys the functioning of vital organ” (Inge Amundsen, 1999). I am going to review this subject along two broad lines, namely financial and political corruption.

    Financial Corruption
    No doubt, tremendous progress has been made in re-energizing and repositioning the national anti-corruption organisations, such as the EFCC and ICPC, such that, not just newspaper stories, but rather numerous convictions and asset recovery is taking place regularly. Indeed cash recovered in all currencies within the last one year as declared by President Buhari, is well over half the national budget for this year. This is commendable and should give us hope that at last Nigeria is beginning to set out on a journey of creating an environment that is conducive for business – because wherever financial corruption thrives, businesses cannot thrive because of the stifling nature of activities such as bribe taking which inevitably slows down the processing of payments and reduced profit margins for business people.
    The successes so far recorded in the area of the anti-corruption war in financial dealings seems limited to the national government agencies at the moment. It is now time for systems to be devised to tackle this scourge at the state and local government levels where it appears the stink of financial sleaze is suspected to be even more prevalent with state governors literally behaving like overlords and the local government leadership only appearing in offices to collect and share monthly allocations. It means therefore, that the anti-corruption bodies need new thinking in spreading its intelligence gathering tentacles across all sections of government.
    It is time to move beyond waiting for petitions to be sent before investigation commences. There has to be a proactive mechanism independently driven by organisations such as the EFCC through the deployment of both technology as well as specially trained “invisible” Marshals who live their lives doing other things but who work as financial intelligence officers to snoop around and help with information gathering on the financial behaviors at all levels of government across the country; all year round. This is the innovation I suggest is needed to fully ensure that the present anti-corruption programme not only succeeds but outlive the Buhari Presidency and become a way of life in Nigeria.

    Political Corruption
    “Political corruption takes place at the high levels of the political system. Political corruption is when political decision-makers use the political power they are armed with, to sustain their power, status and wealth. Thus, political corruption can be distinguished from bureaucratic corruption, which is corruption in the public administration, at the implementation end of politics” ((Inge Amundsen, 1999).
    You will immediately realise that political corruption is actually the foundation for financial corruption and indeed maybe worse than financial corruption. In my mind this behemoth encompasses such behaviours as nepotism, ethnic and religious exclusivity and elevation of members of a particular group over and beyond all others in the belief that they are the only ones that can be trusted. This is an area, that I am uncertain the government of President Buhari has  come to grips with; what with the reported cases of secret employment of children, relatives and connected individuals in several government parastatals without reference to laid down guidelines and moreover at a time when a large army of unemployed Nigerians roam the streets.
    It is my view that the government cannot afford to keep quiet or turn a blind eye on such behaviours with all the attendant potential it carries for continued institutional decay/degeneration.
    The priority of government should be about how to actively promote those behaviours that will encourage state institutional regeneration and renewal, and there is an element of urgency in this regard to win public trust and support for the war against corruption.

    The fight against insecurity:
    Prior to President Buhari being sworn in May 2015, Nigeria faced the grave danger of being overrun by Boko Haram. Boko Haram was gaining territory on a daily basis in the North east of Nigeria.
    The Nigerian armed forces did not seem to have an answer to the rampaging advance of the terrorist.
    Now we know why! We now know that the military was grossly under resourced.  Although some of the soldiers were crying out at the time that they were being sent to the battle front with bare hands to fight against an enemy that was well armed; and in addition with an enemy that seems to know the Nigerian military’s every tactical plan and movement.
    We now know that at the highest level of the military, monies meant for the purchase of military hardware and for the welfare of the soldiers were systematically pillaged by the military and security leadership. Perhaps, if no other event manifests, the utter heartlessness of the last government, this did. Some of the soldiers who complained were assembled, court marshalled and some sentenced to death, whilst others were given jail sentences. How could this have happened to our proud armed forces who have in time past demonstrated leadership in numerous conflict zones in Africa and beyond.
    Now the story has changed. True to his campaign promise, President Buhari has mobilised national and international resources to take the battle to the door steps of Boko Haram and the terrorist group has been broken, degraded and peace is gradually returning to the North East of Nigeria.
    On this score I will award the President and his government a pass with distinction!
    A new threat has however returned to the country, with restiveness and armed militancy returning to the Niger Delta! A new militant organisation – Niger Delta Avenger (NDA), that seem to be only interested in; and indeed determined to maintain the now apparent old order of “let me just chop oil money – because na we get am” mentality has emerged. They are blowing up pipelines and oil production facilities, leading to massive drop in oil production as well as power generation.
    The NDA seems to not care that for six years a son of soil occupied Aso Rock and all he achieved was to open the national coffers and  poured our commonwealth into the banks of a few – No development came to the communities of the Niger Delta, even already approved federal projects in the region were not executed, a new form of internal colonisation rose within the region, with one ethnic group seeming to take on the new role of regional overlords and in the midst of all the poverty, a new cream of super-rich emerged at the expense of the Niger Delta communities.
    The reason for the emergence of the NDA, whilst claiming that their mission is resource control and the continuation of the amnesty programme for militants from the Niger Delta, appears however from recent news report to be that they want all corruption investigations and/or possible charges against their principals dropped! What does this tell of the real purpose of the NDA?
    Successes of the APC led government of President Buhari in the N-D.
    Since coming into office, the APC government of President Buhari has set out a clear agenda for the Niger Delta; namely the construction of the already approved rail project and road networks linking the Niger Delta to Lagos and other parts of the country – the East West coast road and the coastal Port Harcourt – Calabar Rail Project. And very recently the Federal government launched the most ambitious clean-up project in oil polluted communities of the Niger Delta in line with the UN environmental study and recommendations for the region. This is the first time any government in Nigeria is taking such a gigantic step to restore life back to the destroyed and degraded Niger Delta ecosystem. So again in terms of taking steps to ensure that finally the people of the Niger delta at the community level enjoy the benefits of Oil production in their communities, I give APC government of President Buhari a pass with distinction!

    Missing factor in resolving Nigeria security challenges?
    To tackle and finally ensure long term sustainable security in Nigeria, not just in the North East or Niger Delta, a more fundamental approach need to be adopted. Here it appears to me, our party and government is failing. For us in the UK we have in the last two years witnessed or are witnessing two referendums
    First the Scottish referendum and on 23 June 2016, the EU referendum. What is the significance of these and what lessons do they project to the security challenges Nigeria faces? There is a direct correlation between citizens’ feeling that they have a stake in the governance of their country, thus creating that feeling of ownership and internal security. The Nigerian leadership at both the executive and legislative arms cannot and should not continue to alienate the people they are working so hard to serve.  I am sure there is a justifiable reason why President Buhari does not want to hear anything about the restructuring of the Nigerian state. Justifiably, he seems not pleased with the amount of money that was expended in organising the last National Conference by former President Goodluck Jonathan. And yes, our party, the APC was clear they were not in support of that conference. Yet, it is time for both our party leadership and President Buhari to take a fresh look at the challenging question of Nigeria national restructuring, for the purpose of national security, national reconstruction and the elevation of a sense of new national culture of ownership, devotion and acceptance of our “Nigerianess”.
    The nearly three hundred ethnic nationalities that constitute the Nigerian state should be given a chance to actively participate in making a decision on the core issues that involve their commonwealth.
    Our party, the APC and President Buhari need to step back and review the present situation. We as a Party in government have a real chance of creating the Nigeria of our dream – a country that values its citizens, not just the rulers; a country that is futuristic in planning, yet delivering maximum benefits of governance to its citizens in the now; a country determined to contribute to world peace and prosperity and a country that is fully running in the steam of truly participatory democracy.
    How can this be done? My thoughts:
    As a government, I suggest that we do not need another Sovereign national conference. Let there be a distillation of the core issues namely:
    a) Form of government – Parliamentary or Presidential.
    b) Resource control and true federalism – central ownership and sharing of resources as is presently the case vs devolved system that sets percentage contribution to the centre from each state.
    c) Relationship between the states and local government etc.
    The federal government should set a timeline to conduct a referendum during which she will sensitise, educate and mobilise the people on the issues outlined above or more. And at the chosen date the Nigerian people should be called out to vote in a referendum on these issues. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) is already in existence and can lead on this campaign and sensitisation programme whilst INEC conducts the voting aspect.
    The outcome becomes binding on all and the Nigerian constitution amended by the national assembly to reflect the new status. I believe that with this approach, the unending cry of marginalisation, resource control and question of the form of government will be settled by the people and therefore become the new order.

    The fight against unemployment:
    Nigeria like all other countries classed either as poor or developing economies have a relatively young population demographic. This by itself should be a huge advantage, except that it also means that millions of young people are out of work
    The APC federal government under the leadership of President Buhari took off very slowly, with operators of government levers not installed months after the President took office and indeed many still not in place into the second year in the life of this government.
    This scenario coupled with the revelations of Budget padding has meant that whatever promise was made in regard of this subject is only just beginning to take off. The new national initiative on job creation; the Npower project, has now been launched – 500,000 graduate and non-graduate jobs will be created across several sectors. This is a massive step in dealing finally with backlog of millions of young people who have been in the unemployment market for years. Other sectors, for example the Police force is also in the process of recruiting.
    What now needs to be done is stepping up the drive to encourage private sector growth for job creation. I am confident that APC government of President Buhari will surpass expectation in this regard, now that the process has finally started and lessons must have been learnt from the botched and delayed implementation of this year’s budget.
    I believe that the Diaspora Nigerian population have real opportunity to contribute to national development through job creation. We in the UK in partnership with other national bodies and associations in Europe and elsewhere are already actively engaged in the process of mobilising towards Diaspora group participation in project development.
    We are confident that this government will not fail, though the present situation appears absolutely depressing because of the numerous challenges being faced in the effort to recover the national drive and focus for development.
    Like all Nigerians we are anxious that the process moves faster especially knowing that ours is a government that is driven by the party’s ideology of Social democracy and welfarism. We align ourselves with the people of Nigeria and call on our party’s leadership and government to continue to strive hard to ensure that the problems of poor or lack of electricity and food provision be urgently tackled.
    Perhaps a short term solution to the increased cost of agricultural produce is a consideration of allowing for private imports of essential products such as tomatoes etc.
    To the leadership and all members of APC UK Bedfordshire branch, I say a big congratulation on your one year anniversary. And thank you for inviting me and my team to this celebratory event.

    Written by Dr Philip Idaewor
    Chairman APC UK

  • MTN, NCC: At the end of the tunnel…

    MTN, NCC: At the end of the tunnel…

    When the Federal Communications Commission announced its intent to fine multinational telecommunication giant AT&T $100 for violating a provision of the agency’s Net neutrality regulations in 2015, many subscribers threw their weight behind the move describing it as a people-friendly action.

    However, observers from around the world expressed eagerness to see the end game of that huge sanction especially as the FCC’s fine was the largest the agency has ever proposed at the time.

    Similarly, Nigeria became the focus of Africa and indeed the world when a gargantuan fine of N780 billion was imposed on MTN Nigeria by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), leaving the company in an uncertain state of what seemed to be its worst regulatory encounter in Nigeria. Like the fine on AT&T, local and international observers followed every related detail through the varying phases, the twists and turns surrounding the MTN/NCC regulatory debacle.

    It will be recalled that for about a period of six months intense consultations, negotiations, and renegotiations were ongoing. The historic visit made by South African President Jacob Zuma, MTN’s acquisition of a foreign lawyer, the withdrawal of the case from court and even the N50billion good faith payment were all significant scenes in the protracted debacle.

    None of these attempts seemed to proffer an amicable solution. As time wore on many interested and sometimes active observers eventually resigned to enjoy the back and forth concluding that the players neither understood or appreciated the long-term effect of the prolonged process of reacing an amicable settlement, thus we all waited.

    When the NCC announced its decision to review the fine to N300billion, the news did more than provide an amicable solution, but also created an all round way forward for virtually all involved. Indeed, it marked a fruitful end of that enduring regulatory crisis.

    Commenting on the decision the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta said: “Our decision was taken based on professionalism and global best practices and in line with the NCC values to be fair, firm and forthright”.

    According to the EVC, the Commission has always carried industry and stakeholders along in taking transparent regulatory actions, adding that at no point will the regulator do anything to jeopardise the business health of the entire sector.

    Although not many would have predicted a conclusion this orderly, following earlier failed attempts in a development that saw  top executive officers Sifiso Dabengwa, the Group CEO; Mike Ikpoki, CEO of MTN Nigeria; and Akinwale Goodluck, Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs MTN Nigeria take a bow, despite this  the disposition of Nigerian lawmakers did little to convince observers that the debacle was headed for a conclusion this calm.

    The reduction meant more than just a passive compromise to an obvious entanglement, it carried implications that cushioned the effect of the protracted debacle for those involved.  Apart from the reduction, the flexible payment plan also gives MTN enough payment span and breathing space, as it provides that the balance of N280 billion would be made in six tranches within a period of three years.

    Interestingly and in spite of the odd, significant strides were made by the company within the period under consideration some of which includes the acquisition of the Visafone CDMA technology platform, securing a license to stream TV contents and the launch of digital TV channels, and  being granted the operating licence to continue its extensive provision of service as an opportunity to demonstrate the company’s commitment to sustaining a beneficial relationship and increase it contribution to the development of the Nation’s economy through ICT.

    Analysts believe that the most fruitful aspect of the agreement between MTN and NCC is the news that MTN Nigeria would be listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) as soon as it is commercially and legally possible to do so. Nigerians are already anticipating it, with many analysts predicting that the listing will help balance the Nigerian bourse, giving investors’ options for sector rotation while reducing volatility associated with monotony of few names in the market.

    The statement of the MTN Group Executive Chairman, Phutuma Nhleko is perhaps the truest reflection of the implication of the reduced fine  “this is the best outcome for the company, its stakeholders, the Federal Government and the Nigerian people and the relationship between MTN”, the Federal Government and the NCC has been restored and strengthened,” Nhleko Said.

  • Edo: Recovering old glory

    Edo State has come such a long way that it must not be allowed to lose its pace-setter status. Thus those who handle the affairs of the state must be those who are themselves forward-looking managers. I say this with all sense of responsibility and seriousness. If we examine the history of the state, we will not fail to discover that what stood out the state all along from the crowd was that it had leaders who were able to combine both human and material resources of the land to evolve a great state.

    That returns us to what the celebrated author of Things Fall Apart late Chinua Achebe said about the critical role of leadership in nation building. In a slim book titled The Trouble with Nigeria, Achebe correctly proposed that deficient leadership was the challenge of the Nigerian nation. By his reckoning if Nigeria got it right at the leadership level, everything else in the country would fall into place.

    In other words, our poverty, political crisis, underdevelopment, social malaise and other upheavals that have befallen Nigeria would recede once we had a leadership that could correctly interpret these challenges and wield them for national development and growth. Many criticized the renowned author for bringing up such a simplistic solution, as they described it to resolve the complex problems Nigeria had been experiencing.

    But if we look at the history of Edo State in particular we can prove the validity of Achebe’s well thought-out theory. For instance at the time Samuel Ogbemudia was the governor of Edo State, the people enjoyed economic and social empowerment. The state also enjoyed unprecedented nationwide acclaim. Yet when other leaders succeeded him, Edo State dipped in fame and fortune. And when the current governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole took the baton of governance, the land and its people again began to move into the realm of prosperity.

    We must discern some pattern at play here: it is the quality of a leader which determines the rise or fall of a society. So, no matter how richly endowed a society is, how it utilizes such resources would be determined by the vision, or lack of it, of its leaders.

    Therefore as Edo State prepares to bid goodbye to Governor Oshiomhole who has succeeded in returning Edo State to the old path of greatness, the electorate must seriously work on getting an equally progressive and development-minded person to succeed him. We must be careful not to drop the momentum of progressive governance started by Oshiomhole.

    Now many calculating observers point to only one man who they believe can not only succeed Oshiomhole but also can raise the state to a far higher level. They believe that the people can tap from the vast experience and pedigree of Engineer Christopher Aigbovbiosa Ogiemwonyi. Now it is difficult to fault their conclusion. Why do I say so? At this stage of our development in Edo State, we need someone who can combine the past of an accomplished professional and a proven integrity in politics to deliver respectable governance. Ogiemwonyi best illustrates these qualities with a stint as a former Minister of State for Works. That is as far as politics goes. And as a professional he was Group Executive Director (Exploration and Production) at Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, where he posted 30 years of what has been described as unblemished work in the oil and gas industry.

    Ogiemwonyi is a graduate of the University of Benin. He bagged B.Sc (Hons) in applied physics in 1974 and obtained a post graduate diploma (PGD) in petroleum engineering in 1976 from the University of Ibadan. He was also at Harvard Business School for a top management course. He is a fine gentleman, a man of integrity.

    If Edo State has such a man standing on the tripod of personal integrity, sound educational credentials and unspotted record in public office, the state will be assured of a steward who can be trusted to deliver not only the dividends of democracy but also the benefits of the great resources of Edo state. He can’t be expected to be deficient intellectually, managerially, and politically. For a leader to be successful he must possess these qualities. They are the tools he would need to grasp with the challenges of running a complex and highly mobile state like Edo. Otherwise he would be at a loss when critical challenges emerge as Edo state strives not only to recover lost grounds but also to surpass what the previous leaders achieved.

    There is no society which wants leaders whose goal would be to maintain the status quo of development and not to improve on what they inherit. If for instance the whole world hailed Edo(Bendel) in the 70s under Ogbemudia for being at the forefront in sports, an accomplished person in the person of Ogiemwonyi would strive to put Edo on the world map in all spheres of life.

    Given therefore his accomplishments in politics, community service, the academia and public service, the man Ogiemwonyi should be the choice of Edolites in the September 2016 governorship ballot. It is in the interest of the state that we choose a man certified as a high performer capable of exploiting the vast human and natural resources of Edo state not only to regain its old honours but also to bring us prosperity and more accolades as a prosperous state.

    • Ikharo is a public commentator

  • In Ondo APC, Boroffice holds the ace

    In Ondo APC, Boroffice holds the ace

    Reminiscence of the days preceding the April 14, 2007 governorship contest in Ondo State, when the coinage – Iroko ravaged the length and breath of the state like an organism infested by staphylococcal contagio, active actors and meticulous observers of political happenstances and developments will concur with the assertion, that barely few months to the November 26 governorship election, the name – Boroffice has become an household name in Ondo State.

    Beyond the seeming uniqueness of the name as not many families can claim ownership to such rare identity, the name has been subject of political discourse in the nooks and crannies of the state, on radio programmes, beer parlor arguments, conversations in homes and even unprovoked attacks from the state government and its agents.

    While now sounds Portuguese, it is an anglicised yoruba that belongs to the descendants of the prominent Omololu family from the Oka-Akoko part of the state. Interesting, many persons have chosen to codify the name to various versions that suit them. While many people in the state now pronounce Boro-fix-it, some other persons especially, the aged and illiterates, prefer the Yoruba version; Boro fix eee.

    Therefore,  when a visitor hears Boro-fix-it on visiting any part of Ondo State,  it is a reference to the senator representing Ondo North senatorial district, Professor Roberts Ajayi Boroffice. A quick read on this personality will show a man with humble background. He started career as a university lecturer and rose to become acting Vice Chancellor; the highest level any lecturer can attain within the university system. He became Director-General of many federal agencies, which is the apogee attainable by civil servants, where he recorded landmark achievements of global attestations.

    And a man presently serving in the highest legislative body in the country, the Nigerian Senate. While this piece isn’t designed to look at his antecedents as only volumes of books can address that,  I will be restricted to writing about few instances that portray him as the most influential politician in the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, the platform upon which he has launched ambition to govern Ondo State.

    Though, Boroffice claims not to be a professional politician, he has a political machinery in the state through which thousands of people have been empowered and gainfully employed. The political machinery has made it quite possible for a lot of people to articulate and accomplish their political ambitions. It is a viable vehicle that has transported people to executive destinations and aided the election of a number of persons who have been sworn in as parliamentarians at both the state and federal legislatures. With the strength and intimidating successes of the structure, only a naive politician will disagree that the structure holds the ace in the Ondo State chapter of the APC.

    Some months ago, Boroffice was rumoured to have imposed the incumbent Minister of State for Niger Delta,  Prof.  Omoyele Daramola, as the minister representing Ondo State in the Federal Executive Council (FEC). At that time, it was clear the sponsors of the rumour were some leaders who crashed out from the ministerial race. Perhaps, they were deeply pained and decided to get at a perceived enemy. They must have forgotten that the President has prerogative powers to appoint whoever he likes to serve in ministerial capacity.

    When the rumour hit town, I held and still hold the view that these guys might have appropriated more powers to the senator than he actually has. By the way,  whether he indeed influenced the appointment of the minister or not is not what I can confirm. However, it is evidently clear that the senator and the minister belong to same political family and the duo share a cordial relationship that dates back many decades ago.

    One will recall that after the failure of the defunct ACN in the 2012 Ondo State governorship contest,  many party leaders including the party’s candidate deserted the state. In fact, some of the aspirants had fled before the day fixed for the poll. At about this time, the PDP-led state government, aided by security agencies, launched what appeared to be widespread attacks against members of the ACN. Party members were arrested on flimsy reasons, prominent party members were bullied, intimidated and attacked in their homes, and some persons were shot. Boroffice became the rallying point for venerable members of the party. He organised a summit for party members and encouraged them not to despair. At the summit,  he preached hope and spoke glowingly about the future like a prophet. I believe party members are joyous that the same progressive coalition has formed the federal government barely 2 years after those trying period but he who stood by the party in those trying period, he who offered hope and support to despondent party members also deserves applause.

    The crises which rocked the National Assembly after its inauguration on the 9th of June, 2015, offered another chance to mirror a senator who has unconditional loyalty to his party,  the APC.  He had options. Some were quite lucrative. But the actions of Senator Boroffice showed a reliable personality that the APC can trust through thick and thin. His actions have shown a firm believer in party supremacy in no small measures.

    One must not fail to allude to the reality of his achievements as a senator. His interventions can be felt from the home front by his primary constituents and by extension, across Ondo State. In the areas of rural electrification, agriculture, education, health, industrial establishments and financial empowerments, his interventions are noble, impactful, people-oriented and landmarks. It is on record that the senator has sponsored the building of blocks of classrooms and toilet facilities in schools in his senatorial district and a gigantic school complex at Christ Pry School, Oka Akoko. He has built Skill Acquisition Centres in Ifon and Ikaram – Akoko. There is an ICT building at Iwaro – Oka, courtesy of the senator. He built an emergency Obstetrics care unit, Iboje – Oka. The hospital is christened emergency care unit, yet massive and magnificent. He has sponsored solar powered borehole at Arigidi and many others communities. He facilitated solar powered streetlights in Ido – Ani, Idogun, Oka – Akoko and other communities. He built Gari processing industry at Iboropa – Akoko and established Cashew nut processing factory in the zone. He has sponsored rural electrification and distributed transformers in many communities in Ose and Owo axis. He also supported farmers in Owo local government with seedlings and gave them financial empowerment.  Artisans, hairdressers, vulcanisers and petty traders are not left out. They are beneficiaries of generators, grinding machines and financial supports from the senator. He has distributed scores of tricycles to constituents and empowered APC leaders, drivers and other beneficiaries with over 40 vehicles.

    With this flawless,  though incomplete, testimony on the impacts of a senator on his constituents, why many groups from Ondo South and Central are working for his election as governor should surprise nobody. It is simply decisions informed by the quest for development. Many people from other zones have confessed. They said if this man can make all these interventions without executive powers, he would make a good governor. I do not disagree. The multitude of delegates and groups that have endorsed his guber ambition are therefore on point.

    His portray into politics has not been without controversies and challenges. After he joined the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in 2012, Governor Olusegun Mimiko deployed all his powers and political arsenal in a bid to declare the seat of the senator vacant.  The rubber-stamp state legislature was manipulated to pass a motion to recall him from the Senate. As expected, it held no water beyond the fact that it made headlines in the newspapers. Still on same plot, principal lawmakers were offered bribes in hard currency but the purpose for which bribe was offered was frustrated by the highly-intelligent strategies and political networks of the senator. Lo and behold,  he completely his term as a member of the 7th Senate.

    One will also recall that when the senator had to dump his governorship ambition to support the governorship candidate of his party in 2012 due to the political exigencies of those times, Governor Mimiko, who was facing re-election campaign, reportedly gloated at his perceived misfortune and celebrated it at Government House.

    In the 2015 general election, the machinery of the state government was practically relocated to Ondo North senatorial district. The agenda was simple and straightforward, the re-election bid of Senator Boroffice must be stopped.  In the days preceding March 28, the easiest way to make money in Ondo State is to visit the goverment house and parade yourself as aggrieved supporter of the senator,  you will not only be offered cash and sovernirs, you will also be honoured with gubernatorial handshakes and sometimes hugs. Not a few known persons exploitated the desperation of the government to make cool money in those days.  At the end,  the senator floored the governor and the candidate of the PDP at the poll because the governor actually contested the election.

    While a fair and transparent primary election is non-negotiable, the party leaders and elders alike must be forthright. They are expected to guide the delegates of the party from repeating the mistakes of the past and also prevent graver mistake.

    Without prejudice to politicians who defected to the APC after their party lost the presidential election, they cannot be trusted to implement the party manifestoes on education and industrial revolution. They cannot be trusted to adhere with party’s standards on probity and transparency because they might have only defected to the APC in the body while the soul belongs to the former party. With a history of unconditional loyalty to the party and unchanging commitment to the development of Ondo State and her people, Boroffice has the capacity to implement the agenda of change and progress in Ondo State.

    In 2015, the man, Boroffice, severally hit airwaves and headlines as being considered for the position of vice presidential candidate of the APC. At the end of the process, a professor and devoted Christian like him, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was chosen. I believe Boroffice has paid his dues, it is time for the party to compensate a loyal party man. I agree with those groups that have been speaking out and telling whoever cares to listen that the APC can only win the forthcoming election if its best aspirant is presented as its flagbearer. As a threat to the status quo in Ondo State, I believe the senator is well positioned to lead the onslaught against PDP in Ondo State.

    Kayode Adeniyi, a political analyst, wrote from Akure, Ondo State. 

  • One year of education under change agenda

    According to the great Nelson Mandela “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I cannot agree less with Madiba. If Nigeria must witness change in the real sense the most potent weapon to be deployed is education.

    There is no doubt that the current government was bequeathed with a decayed education sector. Graduates from our universities are considered not employable by many multinational companies in the country, not their fault though. I have been privileged to sit in an interview session once and I was shocked at the quality of graduates produced by our universities. I saw graduates who could hardly write or speak a complete sentence correctly in English.

    We should not be surprised that we are here already, several years of neglect, nepotism, and corruption couldn’t have produced a different result. Today, we have many certified uneducated graduates roaming the country. Nigerians not only send their children to Europe and America to study, they are sending them to Ghana and Togo as well. This is happening in a country whose once upon a time, our premier universities were great citadels of learning that could compare with any in the world. Foreign students trooped into our universities because of the quality of learning they offered.

    All of that became history; our citadels of learning became the den for all sorts of vices, such as cultism, hooliganism, prostitution, exam malpractices, plagiarism, sexual harassment etc.

    Lectures no longer serve as the eggheads of society, many now engage in sex for grades and selling of handouts to students. I cannot recall lately any research innovation from our Ivory towers that helped solve a national problem the nation was faced with. Rather than research, lecturers are now more of businessmen. The secondary and primary levels are not any better save that the private sector is heavily involved at those levels. Government over the years has simply adopted a very mediocre approach to the provision of quality education at all levels.

    The Buhari administration has promised to fix the decay in the education sector. The government in its first budget sent in a N403.16 billion for the education sector. This amount is only lesser than that of three ministries namely the ministries of Interior, Power, Works and Housing and the Ministry of Defense. The government through the Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has promised to ensure that all funds allocated to the Ministry of Education will be judiciously used unlike what obtained in the past. This is quite reassuring.

    Those who know will tell you that some of the biggest frauds carried out in the last government was carried out in the ministry of education and agencies under it. Many funds that could have gone into providing infrastructure in our various institutions were simply diverted to private pockets. Fortunately, the close watch Mallam Adamu has kept on the ministry has given effect to President Buhari’s zero tolerance for corruption as the ministry is now a trailblazer on how to make government transparent.

    Nonetheless, the government must further intensify efforts at stamping out corruption in our education sector. Quality educational standards can never be achieved in a corrupt environment. The government must act to sanitize the processes of appointing heads of agencies of parastatals and agencies under the ministry of education. Since the minister is already on the right track in this regards, I can only urge him to do more.

    The government has promised to build six new universities of technology in the six geo-political zones of the country. This is in furtherance of its commitment to promote the growth of science and technology in the country. This is a welcome development and it is quite commendable. I am however amazed when some people criticize the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) in its efforts to introduce computer based examination systems.

    Adamu must see to it that this progress is not rolled back and it is commendable that he has already thrown his weight behind the innovation. Government cannot be seen as claiming to encourage science and technology on the one hand and then on the other hand withholding support for innovative technological processes within its agencies. The government should support JAMB in its effort to improve the quality and processes of its exam. Anyone who chooses to study at the tertiary level in the year 2016 must at the least be able to operate a computer to take a test.

    I am constantly impressed by the rate of computerization of the processes at JAMB. From the purchase of forms, to registration, the unification of admission processes, to checking of results – all these processes are computer based. For this reason I believe the government should back the recently introduced computer based examination system. The computer based system will reduce exam malpractices drastically and further improve the quality of students being admitted into our higher institutions.

    I want to commend the Dibu Ojerinde-led JAMB for being innovative and leading in deploying technology appropriately to solve our educational challenges. Prof Ojerinde, will definitely be leaving behind a visible mark of excellence and innovation like no other in this organization that he has led for close to a decade now. If other agencies of government are as pragmatic and as innovative as JAMB has been in the last decade, I am sure our education sector will not be where it is today. I singled out JAMB to prove that transforming our education sector is not impossible; it however requires men of vision and character to lead such transformations.

    Also now that the budget has been passed the government should begin work on its plans to recruit 500,000 graduates to help with teaching at the primary school level. This will go a long way in improving the quality of education at the foundation level, which is the most important part of any building.

    Training and remunerations of teachers is also key. If teachers are not happy with their working conditions they may teach but just halfheartedly. If any job requires full dedication it is that of teachers.

    Agbese is a civil rights activist. He contributed this piece from the United Kingdom.

  • Nigeria’s energy supply dilemma

    Nigeria’s energy supply dilemma

    When Vice President Yemi Osinbajo promised that power generation would hit 7000 MW in the next 18 months, he was consciously acknowledging how critical energy is to national growth and development. As the backbone of industrialization, inadequacy of energy poses a serious constraint to the attainment of national development objectives. If the promise did not resonate well with the citizens, it was because the promise was just scratching the surface.

    The national goal should therefore be the enhancement of energy supply until it sustainably outstrips the national demand. Given the current energy production of 3,000MW with billions of dollars spent or looted, even if consideration is given to the Energy Commission of Nigeria’s (ECN) projected supply of 12,500 MW at an estimated cost of US $150 billion (N18 trillion) by the year 2020.

    Against the backdrops of the competing demand for the available scarce financial resources, the mind is being agitated by how Nigeria will be able to mobilise internally that huge fund required to generate just 12,500 MW. There is also the doubt about the country’s financial ability to access modern technology to enhance her existing capacity, exploit renewable and clean energies and attain energy efficiency, for the purpose of augmenting her current supply capacity to meet the ever increasing demand. What steps can Nigeria take or where can she turn for assistance?

    To increase our energy supply capacity, it is necessary that Nigeria adopt the International Energy Charter’s (ECN) suggestions regarding energy-mix that combines renewable with fossil fuels, and the development of energy infrastructure, including off-grid solar projects for remote areas as key investment priorities in years and decades to come.

    In view of Nigeria’s energy supply cum financial conundrum, it is imperative that ECN and the International Cooperation Department of National Planning Commission through our embassy in Brussels, contact the IEC Secretariat in Brussels on the signing of membership  agreement to enable Nigeria access the many benefits of membership, which many African countries are already accessing.

     

    By Mr. Olabisi Showole

    Oke Panu, Omi Adio,

    Ibadan,  Oyo State.

  • As housing sector reforms begin with FMBN

    NEVER since the advent of the Nigerian Building Society in 1956 or its re-christening as the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria in 1977 or the promulgation of the Mortgage Institutions Act (1989) and the FMBN Act 82 (1993), in 1994, when the FMBN was accorded the status of the apex mortgage institution in the country, has the housing deficit in the country more daunting than now. Unlike many other countries with similar challenges, an estimated 80 per cent or over 130 million Nigerians live in indecent, informal housing structures with no basic amenities and in deplorable conditions. Only a few own the houses they live in. The housing deficit of Nigeria, according to the World Bank, is estimated at a whopping 17 million units. In densely populated commercial and urban centres such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, squatters outnumber those decently accommodated. The same World Bank values the cost of the 17 million housing deficit at about N59.5 trillion. Yet another informed stakeholder, a two-time member of the House of Representatives, who was also Minister of Sports and now President of the Association of Professional Bodies in Nigeria, Bala Ka’oje only last Monday, tasked the Muhammadu Buhari administration to make available to the FMBN a bailout fund of N100 billion as well as “overhaul and restructure the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for effective housing delivery.” Already the restructuring of FMBN is ongoing and the new team headed by its Managing Director, Mr. Richard Esin, is not leaving any stone unturned. If snippets from the team’s activities are anything to go by, it seems the burden on the supervising Minister for Housing, Babatunde Fashola, would be less in the way they are strategically addressing the challenges of housing deficit inherited by this administration. While it cannot be denied that funding is a major challenge of the housing sector, it requires leadership, the right policy and its effective implementation, as well and sincere and efficient deployment of resources to bridge the housing deficit in the country. There is no gainsaying the fact that the provision of housing transcends the mere provision of shelter. It facilitates urban development and at the same time promotes the socio-economic wellbeing of a people, especially when tailored towards the attainment of home ownership. Shelter is not only a basic need of life, housing is the right of every woman, man, youth and child to acquire and a desideratum for sustaining a secure home, family life and community and to live in peace and dignity. The right to housing is codified as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” (Article 25(1)) Affordable housing is housing for which the associated financial costs are at a level that does not threaten other basic needs. States should take steps to ensure that housing costs are proportionate to overall income levels, establish subsidies for those unable to acquire affordable housing, and protect tenants against unreasonable rent levels or increases. Nigeria is a peculiar country where mortgage finance (as a share of GDP) is extremely low. At a paltry 0.5 per cent, compared with 80 per cent (UK), 77 per cent (USA), 31 per cent (South Africa) and two per cent (Ghana), it is a huge joke. The housing and construction sector account for only 3.1 per cent of Nigeria’s rebased GDP. Housing production is at approximately 100,000 units per year while 800,000 units are needed yearly. As a result of this lack of a robust mortgage financing system, Nigeria’s rate of home ownership is one of the lowest in Africa at 25 per cent. Statistics show that Nigeria’s homeownership rate is much lower than countries like Singapore (90 per cent), Indonesia (84 per cent), Kenya (73 per cent), USA (70 per cent), Benin Republic (63 per cent) and South Africa (56 per cent). In addition to these obstacles to home ownership, Nigerians face daily battles with poverty, unemployment, low human development index (HDI), low access to clean water and improved sanitation and incessant power outages. A large percentage of Nigerians are unbanked as only about 40 per cent of the adult population is financially included. One is therefore gratified about the current restructuring of the FMBN embarked upon by President Muhammadu Buhari when he brought in Richard Esin. A man of few words, he has accepted the responsibility to deliver on the mandate of the bank and carry forward the modest achievements of his predecessors. A snapshot into his four months’ stewardship can be gleaned from his account at the ongoing 15th Lagos Housing Fair. Speaking through Mr. Yusuf Yinusa, the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of the bank, he reported how the National Housing Fund (NHF) has hit N191.9 billion in March from 4.14 million registered contributors under scheme. Esin also said that N5.9 billion had been refunded to 118,284 individuals who met conditions for refund, while over 70 per cent of the cumulative collection was recorded in the last five years. Section 14(2) of the NHF Act of 1992 stipulates that a contributor to the NHF can access a loan from the fund for the purpose of building, purchasing or renovation of existing homes /houses. If this is made truly compassionate, with security and opportunity at its heart, the nation will be inching towards affordable shelter. As Nigerians look forward to the concessionary loan windows promised by Esin to enable them access mortgages for home ownership at affordable interest rates, it is laudable that the NHF managed by the bank has financed the construction of about 25,606 housing units and advanced 16,506 mortgage loans. While disbursements are pending, according to the Acting MD, for the delivery of additional 15,085 housing units and 10,726 mortgage loans, the bank has already entered into partnership with the Federal Housing Authority (FHA); Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) and state governments to ensure that the challenges of lack of access to land, inadequate funding for the housing sector, inaccessibility of mortgage loans due to lack of proper title to properties, low income of prospective borrowers which affects affordability, cumbersome procedures for obtaining governors’ consent to land transactions which is also costly, are addressed. Laudable as Esin’s prognosis have been, I hasten to say that conceptualisation of some quick wins that would allow a greater number of Nigerians access to the bank’s FMBN Home Renovation Loan (FHRL), to renovate or improve existing properties which are personally owned by them or through family ownership, will become visible with continued efforts of the repositioned FMBN and stakeholders. In all these, however, a greater challenge has been identified: communicating the NHF to both its contributors and other stakeholders in the housing sector for greater participation and increased success in delivering affordable mass housing to the Nigerian populace. Esin must therefore design and implement a sincere communication strategy that we can hold him accountable to. •Ms Johnson is the editor of The Whistler newspaper

  • Trump, Diezani and Voter Power

    When billionaire Donald Trump took the plunge to contest for United States presidency in June, last year, few people gave him an iceberg’s chance in hell to secure the Republican Party nomination. Today, he is the presumptive nominee of that party for the presidential poll holding in November, and well within a striking chance of the world’s most powerful office. The real estate mogul and TV reality star has in effect metamorphosed from a seeming comical act to a potential President-in-Waiting, and he owes the feat to American voters who propelled his aspiration and batted down hurdles within the Republican Party establishment on his path to victory.

    Trump’s example shows how unassailable voter power can be in electoral aspiration. It was on that power the brash billionaire rode to edge out all rivals in a crowded field of 16 contenders for the Republican ticket. And he did that despite his fiercely divisive rhetoric and a deliberate persona of political incorrectness that scandalised even the most radical of the American political class. Knowing where to locate his support base, Trump positioned himself as a brutally frank outsider taking on the establishment brand of politics, which not a few Americans perceived as gridlocked and short-ended on candour anyway. He made a virtue of being a non-politician in politics. Expectedly, he captured the fancy of voters who disliked the establishment and were angry at Washington’s way of doing things. So fiercely loyal were Trump’s supporters that his tantrums and relentlessly controversial rhetoric did nothing to diminish his following. The man once boasted that he could stand on New York’s Fifth Avenue and blind-shoot at someone, and it would not dent his poll rating in the least.

    Captains of the Republican Party had not hidden their aversion for Mr. Trump, but that was at their peril, and it was not sufficient to arrest his political momentum. Fellow contenders for the party’s ticket railed at his divisive rhetoric, only to end up buckling out of the race in turns and clearing the field for his candidature. The mogul’s most serious challenger, Ted Cruz, threw in the towel after the Indiana primary where he said he had laid all out on the field, without success in convincing voters not to go with Trump. Notable leaders like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney stood up to be counted in open opposition to Trump, to no effect because Trump’s candidature had assumed such a momentum with voters that could not be stopped. Even after he emerged the presumptive nominee, Congress Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out that he was not yet up to endorsing ‘The Trump’ for the ticket; but the billionaire brandished voter support to threaten unseating Ryan as chairman of the Republican National Convention in July. Apparently conscious of the limitation of their individual relevance against voter power, the Republican chiefs by late last week had locked down in rapprochement with Trump, towards rallying the party behind him. After truce parleys in Washington, they announced that there were yet more grounds to cover, but did not dare foreclose a deal to support the nominee.

    Trump’s playbook on voter power is actually a universal rule. Politicians seeking electoral office should best devote their energy to rallying voters after their cause and cultivate those voters’ steadfast support, even against the run of establishment forces – including fraudulent election managers – that may be arrayed in opposition to them. But it would seem that many politicians here in Nigeria operate by a different rule. That is what could explain the alleged N23billion poll bribery plot in which former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has been named. Besides the allegation of sharing slush funds among political chieftains and party centres ahead of the 2015 presidential election, the former minister is said to have issued huge sums as bribery for officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to falsify the election results. I do not intend to raise a mob jury here against the former minister and others that have been named in the scandal, ahead of what the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is able to prove in court. When proved, anyone found guilty as alleged should be made to pay the price for malfeasance. Meanwhile, even the mere narrative evidences the mindset of the average Nigerian politician in the contest for political power.

    The common practice code among our political elite suggests that they count voters least in their calculations for winning political offices. That must be why electioneering campaigns are not driven by well thought-out manifestoes or clearly defined programmes, but by vacuous sloganeering and parades of rented crowds and unruly mobs. Political parties and candidates demonstrate strength, not by superiority of ideas, but by the quantum of brute force they could muster and deploy in intimidation of opponents. In many cases, you hardly knew what a political office seeker offered different from other contenders for the same office, which should be left to voters to make an intelligent choice from. Rather, politicians often deploy violence to coerce voters to either vote or stay away from voting – towards achieving a determined end. Surely, these can’t be legitimate building blocks of true democracy!

    The pending allegation against the former Petroleum Minister indicate another dimension of the ills of our electoral system: politicians seek to suborn poll officials against the very ethic of their constitutional duty. Officials who give in, of course, do so at their own peril, and must be made to face the law; but they certainly can be helped if they were not subjected to needless pressure with such offers. Former Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, had occasion to berate the tendency in a presentation he made at a Roundtable Conference organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies of the National Assembly in November 2012. Among the many variables he listed as characterising political parties and elections in Nigeria, Professor Jega said: “There is the exhibition of corrupt and corrupting tendencies, deliberately promoted or instigated by the political parties…It is incredible the amount of money that is budgeted. Political parties budget funds in terms of how much money is to be given to security agencies, how much is to be given to INEC or electoral officials and so on. Really, this is a very serious challenge for deepening democracy in our country. Of course, people should resist being induced; and when people resist, all sorts of other tendencies come up. It is very important through legislation, through behavioural changes and through the activities of civil society organizations, that we curb this exhibition of corrupt and corrupting tendencies in the electoral process.”

    Perhaps here is a good opportunity to recall that nearly the most challenging experience of the conduct of the 2015 elections was a fierce campaign by some faceless political support group to discredit the former INEC Chairman ahead of the polls. Full-page adverts were serially placed in national and regional dailies – sometimes more than a dozen newspapers daily, and for days on end – caricaturing the electoral chief and aggressively impugning his credibility. It was suspected that this was a preemptive plot to disable him from presiding over the conduct of the elections, given his reputation for uncompromising integrity. Well, political adverts aren’t cheap – not the least so at the height of an election season. Enormous funds must have been committed to prosecuting that campaign by its sponsors, who apparently preferred such a strategy to courting the support of voters. It would really be enlightening to know where the money came from, and who was doing the spending, just in case that might expose another slush funding scheme.

  • Case for study of History in schools

    Let me bore us a little with a personal story. As a young secondary school student in the North, I questioned the wisdom of my teachers when told I had to choose between one of History and Government as a subject of study for my senior school examination. Not content with the answers provided, I defied their subtle pressure and wrote the two subjects in my final exams.

    Mr. James Ahua, one of the most inspiring teachers to have shaped my young mind, was our history teacher. The disdain for the subject from the school management and education authorities played a part in ensuring that only six of us, out of over 100 students, studied History in that school that year.

    But then, the passion for history was already molded. My exposure to our history at that early stage has no doubt shaped my world view today. But the question remains, will my children, and my children’s children, be lucky enough to meet a persistent teacher in the mold of Ahua who will insist on teaching them a living subject even when no one will encourage him to do so?

    So hearing the news that the Ministry of Education and the National Council on Education have agreed to restore the subject back into our curriculum is worthy of commendation.

    Every human endeavour is accompanied by events, which are recorded, stored and retrieved when needed. These advance preservation of knowledge through research, references and securing of information, lead to sustenance of cultures through generations. These, in turn, facilitate discovery of fresh facts, interpretation of old facts, reconstruction of events, resolution of conflicts through emergence of facts, advancing the process of negotiations between individuals, groups and nations. History helps us to preserve our culture and civilisation.

    The history of History as a subject of study in Nigeria is a checkered one. Historians tell us that at independence, History was a favorite subject on the school curriculum in Nigeria. The Department of History, first of the University College, Ibadan and later of the University of Ibadan, working with the West African Examinations Council, introduced Nigerian and African history to students and it proved to be a hit. Then, the status of history as a school subject was not called into question because it featured prominently at the Higher School Certificate (HSC) programme which sought to prepare students for admission to the universities.

    “By 1966, History was among the most favored subjects at the HSC examinations, and in which the candidates excelled. While the ‘Principal Passes’ in English was 244, Latin 3, Geography 269, Mathematics 88 and French 19, History recorded 414 Principal passes, next only to Chemistry which had 601 Principal Passes. But even then while Chemistry had 307 failures, History and only 22 Failures while Mathematics had 57 Failure. Curriculum review was also done at the University level as the University of Ibadan developed a unique curriculum with emphasis on Nigerian and African history,” revealed Professor Michael Omolewa.

    However the course of the teaching of history was adversely affected by the events which followed the convening of the 1969 National Curriculum Conference, followed by the adoption of  a National Policy of Education, and the subsequent arrival of the 6-3-3-4 Education system in the country.

    “The 1969 Conference, which was expected to bring hope to the Nigerian educational system turned out to be the beginning of the decline of history teaching in Nigerian schools. In the end the curriculum reform which grew from that conference led to the reduction of the status of history. Eventually, history was expunged first from the primary and the junior school curriculum, and later at the senior school level. The new curriculum saw the introduction of the social studies and gradual elimination of history at the primary schools and the junior secondary schools. It eventually led to what Adeyinka describes as the cramming into the second-tier Senior Secondary School of a history curriculum that ought to take six years to teach. Eventually the senior secondary schools were also affected,” he added.

    Since then, despite spirited efforts of respected historians like Professor JF Ade-Ajayi and Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman, we have allowed our children grow without a sense of their own history. Ade-Ajayi who once observed that society “looked up to history for knowledge of the accumulated wisdom of the ancestors, the sense of values, the morality and the norms upon which society was founded. Thus history occupied a unique position in traditional African society and that history was prominent as a subject in the preparation and training of the citizen”.

    The question keeps coming back at us, how does a country proceed without a knowledge of its heroes and heroines? History is not just a study of events and dates; it provides analytical insights into social formations, anthropological developments, inventions and innovations that shape humanity. The roles of history in governance, conflict resolutions, diplomacy and international relations, science and medical studies, technological developments, advancement of civilisations and human relations are vital.

    The failure to teach this important subject in our classrooms has led to the failure to apply historical understanding to national policy. The new policy announced by Adamu Adamu should end the anomaly. As someone who has written much on this very subject in the past, the Minister should bring his ideas to bear on policies. We cannot afford to continue as if we are a people who care little about our past. A people who do not know where they are coming from, how can they truly know where they are headed?

    • Imam, is a Sokoto-based journalist.