The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • The harm in federal character, zoning and regionalism

    Section 14(3) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution says: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a  manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to  promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.”

    In full acknowledgement of the good intentions of the framers of the 1999 Constitution, as necessary to address the need for balancing the interests of the multiplicity of ethnicities in our country and the disparate levels of literacy and economic progression, I believe that with the increasing ethnic-based disturbances, continued balkanisation of the country by non-sustainable ethnicity-driven state creation, the acrimonious political discourse that is fuelled not by substance but ethnic or regional considerations, the citadel of incompetence and mediocrity that, for the most part, is the civil and public service today, given the related diminished standards, the time has come for re-consideration of the Federal Character requirements.

    The concept and practice of allocation of federal and state government positions, issues advocacy by zones or regions, political aspiration by zoning, undermine the principle of fair-play and unity that is, seemingly, the objectives of the requirement.  Specifically, mediocrity, continued ethnic rivalry and balkanisation, gerrymandering of political aspirations, regional factionalism, a system that seeks to put geo-political affiliation ahead of performance and qualifications, a polity that is perpetually heated up, are all products of the “fair-play” arrangements of the Federal Character, quota and zoning mechanisms.

    Federal Character requirements may superficially convey the impression that there is a balancing of geo-political representation at the federal Ievel and ethnic or tribal at the state level, but viewed unemotionally, it is a practice that is deleterious to a nation that seeks to be among the first twenty economically developed countries by the year 2020.  How does an allocation of federal government positions ensure that we have the best and the brightest in those positions?  What happens if a particular region lacks persons with the requisite skills, proficiency and expertise to fill its allocation?

    What about the subordinate personnel, from a different region, who has superior qualifications?  How does such allocation foster the competition amongst the regions and states that is necessary to boost literacy and economic levels which, ultimately, should result in the production of personnel who are able to compete with their peers on a national level, or on international level against those countries such as Belgium, that have to be pushed out of the top 20 economies by Nigeria’s economic ascendency.  Do we really want to continue to teach our children that you can study hard (or not) and then leave it to prayers, that when you seek to perform your civic duty, as a federal or state employee, that you have the luck of having geo-political zone balance in favour of your state of origin?

    If our mechanism for recruiting and promoting our current and future policy makers and implementers is already flawed, how can we expect the organs of government to function at a performance level that results in the delivery of the “benefits of democracy?”

    It is frightening when we realise that these individuals make and implement policies that impact all aspects of our daily lives. As Nigerians, we have never shied away from competition.  It is this need to be the best that we can be that is manifested by the professional, academic and entrepreneurial excellence of our citizens in more organised societies. It is also this pursuit of one-upmanship that also fuels the chaos that is our daily lives. Alas, this chaos cannot be constructively channeled, because we are depriving the brilliant performers of the opportunity to contribute to our nation’s socio-economic growth, thanks to Federal Character requirements.

    Contemporary times reflect a nation that has not learned from the horror of its 1966 civil war and is ever more divided along tribal, ethnic, regional and religious lines.  As a nation, we are seeing more events of loss of life caused by tribal or ethnic affiliation. We are subjected to daily bombardment by the news media of political events, activities and shenanigans with underpinnings of tribal, zonal and regional affiliations.  The run-up to the presidential election of 2010 was full of the strife associated with whether or not the presidential slot was zoned to the North and the reverberations of that period continues until now, with ramifications for the upcoming 2015 elections.  Similarly, the various state-level political party structures are caught up in fights as to where succession has been zoned to or the number of times a particular tribe has assumed an office. Has the relatively recent instance of the deportation of economically disadvantaged Anambra citizens from Lagos or the eviction of non-indigene civil service workers from some South Eastern states (supposedly based on the challenge of meeting the minimum wage increase) indicated that we are anywhere close to the promotion of national unity that is specified in Section 14(3) of the constitution?

    I am a firm believer that the tapestry of the Nigerian nation is stronger and prettier because of the diversity of our people. Together, we are better than we are apart.  However, we may never achieve the togetherness if we continue to institutionalize measures that divide us.

    The use of the Federal Character, zoning and quota mechanisms are artificial constructs that remove the fairness principle from how we live and work.  These are heinous mechanisms that put deserving people at a disadvantage to the detriment of our governance structure.  In our constant cry for visionary leaders, we must acknowledge that we will never find those stellar leaders if we continue to utilise a quota system that gives precedent to tribal, state or zonal affiliation, instead of personal attributes of excellence.

    It is my hope that in the forthcoming national discussions, that there is a robust and consequent review of the Federal Character or any such requirements that do not truly foster unity, fairness, meritocracy and nationalism. The iconic American civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King said, in his “I have a Dream” speech (March on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963), that he dreamt of a nation where his children “will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”  Our aspiration as a nation should be similarly so, with judgment not on the basis of tribe, ethnicity, zone, but on character and the ability to contribute to nation building.

     

    • Azu Obiaya writes from Abuja

    onweazuka@gmail.com

     

  • Before the national confab begins

    Since President Goodluck Jonathan announced the plan to convene a national dialogue in his last Independence Anniversary address, many Nigerians have been apprehensive about the likely outcome of the exercise that has been greeted with so much controversy due to leadership crisis and distrust.

    While receiving the 4,000-page report of the Senator Femi Okurounmu-led Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC), President Jonathan had promised that the conference would actually hold early this year. Most people were, however, taken aback when the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim announced modalities for the 492-delegate conference, which fuelled the people’s fears that its outcome might not really reflect the yearnings of Nigerians because of the disparity between the committee’s recommendations and the approved guidelines.

    The committee’s 38-item agenda had recommended that the conference should have no ‘no-go’ area; it is to be managed by 13-member secretariat under an Executive Secretary with two members from each geo-political zone; majority of delegates to be elected directly on the principles of universal adult suffrage; each senatorial zone is to send four elected delegates; each state government to nominate one delegate; the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to nominate one delegate; the President to nominate delegates for key interest groups; the nominated delegates not to exceed one-thirds of total number of delegates, and the conference to hold for at least three months and not more than six months. The committee also proposed that the conference should hold between February and July, 2014, while President should send a bill to the National Assembly for an enabling law, or alternatively, convene the conference via provisions of Section 5 of 1999 Constitution, while the emergence of delegates is to be based on any of four options.

    In the final template released, the Federal Government will now nominate 20 delegates of at least six women, while state governors and the FCT administration will nominate 109 delegates – three from each state and one from FCT. Bodies like the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, Nigerian Bar Association, the Judiciary, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian Environmental Society, National Youth Council of Nigeria and National Association of Nigerian Students will nominate members.

    Also to have representatives are: National Council of Women Societies, Market Women Associations, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, the National Association of Women Journalists, the Academies of Science, Engineering, Education, Letters and Social Sciences, Civil Society Organisations, religious leaders, Nigerians in the Diaspora, political parties that have representation in the National Assembly and the People Living with Disabilities. The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, political/cultural and ethnic groups, among others, will also have representatives at the confab.

    Other nominations include 37 elder statesmen – one per state and the FCT – by the president. These nominees will also include retired military officers, the police and the state security service from each of the nation’s six geopolitical zones. Other delegates will be traditional rulers (two per zone and one from the FCT), retired civil servants (one from each of the zones and the FCT), and the representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and Organised Private Sector.

    Certainly, the primary purpose of a National Conference is to address and find lasting solutions to the problems that have been plaguing Nigeria since 1914. These problems border on the quest for the attainment of economic, social, cultural, religious and political justice and equity. Nigerians have tended to live with so much suspicion that having a national collective aspiration seems more Herculean than ethnic and tribal affinity of the over 300 ethnic groups. The nation’s albatross has worsened with the failure of the constitutions, which had never been people-oriented, to redress the fundamental defects. No wonder, Sir Hugh Clifford, Governor-General of Nigeria between 1920 and 1931, once described the nation as a mere ”collection of independent native states separated from one another by great distances, by differences of history and traditions and by ethnological, racial, tribal, political, social and religious barriers.”

    This fragmentation has continued till date. Even on the conference, a lot of agitations from many quarters continue to trail representations on primordial lines and if these are not addressed, the expectations of the conference may be compromised. The way out is for the various interest groups that feel marginalised to team up to present a common cause. It should be realised that there is no way that the all the delegates can be representative enough to reflect all shades of opinions in a heterogeneous state like Nigeria. What should top the agenda at the conference are burning issues like the devolution of powers, fiscal federalism, local government autonomy, state police, and ensuring appropriate status for the FCT, institutional corruption and so on. To ensure transparency and participation, the government should ensure that proceedings of the conference are transmitted live at every stage!

    On the outcome of the conference, Anyim had said that it would be by consensus but in the case where a consensus is not achieved, it would be by a 75 per cent majority after which, the conference is to advise the government on the legal framework, procedures and options for integrating its decisions and outcomes into the 1999 Constitution and other laws of the country.

    The onus lies on the government to ensure that the delegates discuss under an atmosphere that allows for genuine brainstorming and undue influence. And more importantly, the outcome should be subjected to a referendum, otherwise the whole exercise would amount to a jamboree, a waste of time and resources, as many pessimists believe, based on past experiences. Nigerians cannot forget so easily, President Jonathan’s pre-emptive stance that the report of the proposed conference would be submitted to the National Assembly for ratification. This ought not to be. We should never fail to recognise that the 1999 Constitution confers sovereignty on the people and, therefore, the best that could happen is for Nigerians to merely cede part of their sovereignty to the members of the National Assembly and not for the legislature to subsume the peoples’ authority.

    The duty of the Sovereign National Conference is to address and find solutions to the key problems afflicting the country. It is for this single reason of legitimacy that the people have unrepentantly called for a Sovereign National Conference. The late human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Gani Fawehinmi once said: “The primary concern of Nigeria since 1914 to date is to remove all obstacles which have prevented the country from establishing political justice, economic justice, social justice, cultural justice, religious justice and to construct a new constitutional frame-work in terms of the system of government-structurally, politically economically, socially, culturally and religiously”. This should be the thrust of the confab lest it becomes a missed opportunity. Anything short of this may be useless as many skeptics have been telling us. And who knows whether they will be vindicated at the end of the day or not?

    . Kupoluyi writes from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, vide,adewalekupoluyi@yahoo.co.uk.

     

  • Kwankwaso: A gale of garlands

    That Kano State is changing is no longer news. It’s a trite. That Gov. Kwankwaso is working is not only a statement of fact but an understatement. Gov. Kwankwaso is the present day mythical King Midas, who turns around waste to wealth, transforms rubbles to bubbles, theft to thrift, and dysfunctional to functional.

    Determination, patriotism and prudence are the linchpins that underpin Kwankwaso’s success, and then draw him accolades from far and near. Predictably, the awards come, day in day out, in torrents, rings of garlands file everyday his neck and a deluge of trophies dotted every space of his office.

    The selection of Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State as the co-winner of the Man of the Year award by the Sun newspapers did not come to most of us as surprise. In view of his unprecedented achievements in the urban and rural renewal, education, healthcare delivery and sports development, one cannot but agree with the editors of the Sun that the award is being given to whom honor is due. In fact if there is a rating agency or a magazine that measures achievements of governors across the globe, I won’t be surprised to see Gov. Kwankwaso winning.

    Gov. Kwankwaso started his second tenure with stopping theft of public funds by canceling the infamous security vote, purging bogus overheads and wedging frivolous expenditures by MDAs. When compared with the monthly recurrent expenditures of the immediate past administration, Kwankwaso saves up to N500 million every month. It was in recognition to his “sound achievements in public financial management, transparency, accountability and respect for the rule of law” that he received an award from MIS Training Institute of Nigeria in May last year.

    Kwankwaso then initiated measures that jerked up the Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N400 million to about N2 Billion monthly. In ensuring fiscal discipline, Gov. Kwankwaso was able to make capital expenditure higher than recurrent votes (2012: 63% capital, 37% recurrent; 2013 75% capital, 25% recurrent) and achieved up to 85% budget implementation in 2012 and 2013. He is the first governor to achieve 2:1 ratio in favour of capital vote. This and many other indicators therefore prompted the Transparency In Nigeria to select him as Best Governor of the Year in terms of budget discipline.

    Education being the focal area of his administration, Kwankwaso ensured that all primary and post-primary schools are rejuvenated, fenced and equipped. He constructed more than 1,600 classrooms and 800 offices. As a measure to hop up the enrollment level and motivate the pupils, Kwankwaso reintroduced the free feeding and distribution of free sets of uniform for all primary school pupils. The workaholic governor also introduced the establishment of boarding primary schools in each of the the Senatorial Zones of the state, converted some abandoned public buildings into standard secondary schools (Governor’s College, GGSS Janbaki and First Lady’s College). No wonder, the National Union of Teachers crowned him Governor of the Year at its 82nd Founders Day in July 2013.

    On tertiary education, he established the first and second state owned universities; that is the Kano University of Technology, Wudil (in his first tenure) and the North West University in his second tenure. On foreign scholarship, he has so far sponsored over 2000 students to universities across the world to study Medicine, Nursing, Piloting, Aeronautical Engineering, Pharmacy, and Marine Engineering, etc. Additionally, Gov. Kwankwaso established 23 new training institutes for vocational training and professional development. They include Film Academy, Sports Institute, Institute of Horticulture, Corporate Security Training Institute, Driving Institute, Farm Mechanization Institute, Horticulture Institute, Fisheries Institute, Irrigation Institute, Journalism Institute, Entrepreneurship Institute, Reformatory Institutes Institute, among others. The foregoing achievements obviously captured the attention of Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria to give him a Merit Award in August 2013 in recognition to his sterling achievements and support to education.

    On infrastructural development, three new cities of Kwankwasiyya, Amana and Bandirawo were established with the aim of decongesting the metropolis and providing planned layouts to meet the housing need of the people. The government is also constructing five kilometre dualised roads with drainages and street lights in each of the 44 Local Government Areas of the state. Kano’s superimposing flyover built by Kwankwaso at the city centre is captivating sight. The flyover, which is at about 85 percent completion stage, is the first of a kind in Northern Nigeria. The second flyover, covering more than one kilometer, is already taking shape as construction work takes place day and night.

    As obtained in developed climes, pedestrians in Kano walk smoothly by the road as neatly laid interlocking tiles adorn the sidewalk of the roads. Street lights were installed and rehabilitated, ditto the traffic lights on all the major roads to reduce accidents and enhance security of lives and property. Perhaps the foregoing effectuation prompted the Project Light-Up Nigeria to award him as “Governor with Highest Number of Streetlight” in its Annual Light-Up Awards in 2012.

    The Jakara-Kwarin Gogau river, which hitherto served as breeding grounds for vectors and haven for criminals, will no longer bear its features as standard gauge road with accompanying infrastructure is being constructed atop. Kwankwaso also initiated a 35 Megawatts Independent Power project at Challawa and Tiga Dams and initiated the construction of a metro-line (light train) across the city. Both projects will commence in earnest. These and many more perhaps captured the attention of the National Conference of American Black Mayors to award him at its 39th sitting in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

    Under the present administration, over 620,000 indigenes of Kano were either trained and empowered or sourced employment for. This will positively impact on the lives of estimated three million people. As part of his effort to create jobs and boost economic prosperity, Kwankwaso established 44 Garment Industries, one in each of the 44 LGA of the State. They are currently being constructed alongside 44 Micro Finance Banks in the 44 LGAs of the state to support small and medium scale industries with loans. Gov. Kwankwaso also provided a N1 billion commercial Agriculture facility to support commercial farmers and also provide N2 billion loan facility in collaboration with Bank of Industry to support Small Scale Enterprises with soft loans. Therefore the Award of Excellence in Recognition of his contribution to poverty alleviation and youth empowerment initiative by the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2012 was as deserving as the “Most Outstanding Life Time Achievement Award” for contributions to agriculture, youth & women empowerment, education and socio-economic development by the Nigerian Youth Consultative Forum in June 2013.

    Both lists of the wards and projects are seemingly infinite. Kwankwaso achieves his goals with finesse and governs with passion, stamina and discipline. I believe if the art of good governance would be co-opted into Ballon d’Or or Grammy Awards, Christiano Ronaldo or Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Bruno Mars and the like may hardly realize their dreams.

    • Jaafar is the Special Assistant to Kano State Governor on Media & Public Relations

  • Tackling menace of human trafficking

    Every year, the world faces the scourge of human trafficking which traumatizes the existence of man and threatens global development. A 2004 US State Department’s data reveals that more than 800,000 women and children are trafficked yearly across the world. Similarly, United Nations (UN) statistics indicates that 4million human beings are trafficked globally and domestically on a yearly basis.

    Women and children account for 80% of cases of human trafficking. It has reached such a widespread level that the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime was adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution 55/25 of 15th November, 2000, as the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime. Nigeria and other nations are signatories to this UN Conventions and other Protocols such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). These Conventions guarantee right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose one`s residence, right to a decent work, right to freedom from slavery, right against torture and /or submission to other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

    The UN depicts human trafficking as the conscription, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercive methods, of abduction, of fraud of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. This universal boom of forced labour, human trafficking and violation of women and children’s rights is quite disturbing. It is a contemporary form of slavery, which regrettably, is being aided by technology, communication and transportation as well as high global demand for cheap labour and commercial sex workers. Consequently, tackling such a growing illicit industry demands better strategies because of its well organized structure.

    In-spite of available domestic and global legal instruments, human trafficking has remained a profitable venture which conventionally rakes in huge earnings of about $10 billion annually. Like it is with drug trafficking, our nation is highly ranked in the business of human trafficking, serving as origination, transition and destination points. At the moment, many Nigerian women and girls are being ferried abroad under various pretexts only to end up as prostitutes, domestic servants, slaves and destitute. Not only is Nigeria a major base for human trafficking to Europe, America and Asia, it is also an intermediary point for some West Africa countries such as Benin Republic, Togo, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Mali among others. Within the country, the bulk of household servants are under aged children recruited from such States as of Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi, Kano and Kaduna.

    Concerned by the rising drift of human trafficking in the country, the Federal Government established the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related Matters (NAPTIP) in 2003. The Agency, a creation of Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003, is the Federal Government’s official response to tackling the blight of human trafficking. It also fulfils the country’s international obligation under the trafficking in persons protocol supplementing the Transnational Organized Crime Convention (TOC) of which Nigeria is a signatory. In 2010, NAPTIP recorded 5000 victims, provided care for 1,109 human trafficking victims and prosecuted over a hundred cases. Sadly, this act really undervalues the scale of human trafficking issue in Nigeria.

    To truly deal with the scourge in Nigeria, Federal Government needs to put up a data base that provides universal details and methodical examination of human trafficking cases in the country. It is only in doing this that we can really evolve a structure for the precise breakdown that is required in limiting the current trend of human trafficking in the country. Likewise, government ought to wield sufficient political will to execute human trafficking laws in such a way that discourages the usual custom of sacred cows in the country. Equally, there is a serious need for the law to be strengthened in order to avoid being unduly exploited by the high and the mighty.

    Governments across the country need to execute policies that will ensure that the vulnerable in the society are not in any way manipulated by the powerful people. This is why it is vital that all levels of government in the country evolve programmes that would economically empower different categories of Nigerians, especially those that are more likely to be victims of human trafficking.

    Aside this, every agency involved in policing the nation’s international and local borders need to be re-oriented and efficiently empowered to perform this onerous and sacred duty. It has been claimed, in some quarters, that the porous nature of our borders is partly responsible for the current state of insecurity in the country. This must be addressed. Considering its nature as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, Lagos, without doubt, has its own experience of this inhuman business. However, in its characteristic systematic approach to issues, the State Government has evolved an holistic strategy to tackle this menace headlong. For one, it has put in place several empowerment schemes for different categories of Lagosians in order to forestall the idle hands syndrome. There are several skill acquisition centres across the state where women and children could acquire useful skills that would make them become economically independent and therefore, less susceptible to exploitation.

    Additionally, the State has on ground a structure for the rehabilitation of casualties of human trafficking, rape, child abuse, domestic violence and other related evils. This, it has done with the establishment of the Home for Victims of Domestic violence and Human Trafficking in Ayobo, Ipaja area of the state. At the home, victims of several inhuman treatments are provided with conducive environment that serves as ‘home away from home. The home offers them free medical services, food, clothing and, perhaps, more significantly, an opportunity to surmount their ordeal. To stem the tide of human trafficking and other such dastardly acts, the State is currently implementing a well planned public education drive across the state, making use of various media.

    To say human trafficking is criminal is begging the issue because it is dehumanizing, it is evil. It is man’s inhumanity against man and thus, requires a louder voice against it and a more concerted effort to stop it. It is utterly confounding and shows an absolute lack of conscience that anyone could consider trading in fellow human beings as a means of livelihood. We must, therefore, not subject our world to a second form of slavery as a famous American actor, D’Andre Lampkin once said, because to look away and pretend that it is a small problem, is to encourage the perpetrators to be more vicious in this heinous act. God bless Nigeria.

    • Ibirogba is the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

  • Osun: Putting education thrust in proper perspective

    Osun: Putting education thrust in proper perspective

    Against the needless controversies and sabre-rattling over peripheral issues in Osun’s bourgeoning education policy, there is now an urgent need for a summit of all stakeholders to address the spate of misrepresentations and tension being created around the Osun public school policy. Hopefully, all stakeholders would be availed of the opportunity to dissect all the components of the policy and scrupulously prevent a situation in which an otherwise excellent public policy document will be compromised by a miasma of scurilious political intrigues and parochial religious predilections.

    It is sad and unfortunate that a unique and rich policy that could have translated into a national strategy for bail-out of the shambolic public school sector, has suddenly assumed religious and political colourations, fuelled largely by mischief and partisanship.

    The current trend of discussion relating to the Osun school system in circles expected to churn out informed opinions continues to focus solely on the reclassification of schools and aggressively attempt to rubbish the wider public spirit and mission of the policy. It is strange that the vocal minority raising hell over fringe issues in the policy conveniently forgets the holistic beneficial impact of the various components of the policy such as the OUniform, OMeal and Opon Imo, O School etc which have been adjudged as revolutionary concepts in public school management approach in the country.

    The on-going rejuvenation of the public school sector in Osun is at once a strong rebranding project that has begun to impact positively on the state’s overall education management profile as well as the state’s economy in key areas like job creation, empowerment and agricultural development. It is providing a much-needed fillip and boost for children to inculcate, ab initio, a frenetic and unflagging desire to excel in life through a prism that provides easy elbow room for initiatives and exemplary conduct and scholastic aptitude.

    It is against this backdrop that all well-meaning Osun indigenes must shun base sentiments and support the effort to create a new public school order in the state for the future of Osun children.

    The proposed symposium must seek to dissect the various components of the much maligned Osun policy on public school management with a view to enhancing public understanding and appreciation of its desirability. The symposium will also serve as a platform for constructive engagement of critical stakeholders to ensure the non-derailment of the noble vision behind the policy formulation.

    It would be recalled that while counting the modest gains recorded by the state’s new education policy in less than two years of its implementation, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had posited that the need for the policy as a comprehensive and holistic response to a scandalous educational rot, which had threatened the socio-economic growth of the state, was non-negotiable.

    “Our education policy is tailored towards making the Osun public schools system produce the complete child, to become the complete youth and grow up to become the complete citizen, empowered in learning and in character, in the best tradition of the Yoruba Omoluabi.  That way, they would be equipped, culturally and academically, anywhere they find themselves in the world, aside from becoming patriots, to take care of their state and country that had earlier taken care of them,” he explained.

    He equally noted then that the reforms have had tremendous multi-level impacts on the Osun educational competitiveness. For instance, in the area of funding, the reforms have led to a radical increase in grants and subventions for the administration of public primary and secondary schools as total grant for the 1378 pubic primary schools in Osun jumped from N7.4 million a year to N424 million a year.

    Additionally, Osun, from a 34th placing among Nigeria’s 36 states in 2010, moved to 18th position in 2011 and 8th position in 2012, in performance rankings in the West African School Certificate Examinations (WASCE).  Pupils from the state have also chalked up improved performances in national and international competitions, according to compilations by the Osun Ministry of Education. In addition, the reforms have earned a partnership with UNESCO to build a regional teacher training institute in the state, and a fresh programme in the area of adult education.

    And since the critical success factor for any reform is sound management and welfare, at the heart of the new education reforms is a restructured Education Administration Modality which involves creating specialised agencies to address key components in public schools management. According to Aregbesola, one such special agency created by the new education policy is the Teachers Establishment and Pension Office (TEPO).

    “As the name clearly implies, aside from teacher recruitment, TEPO takes charge of human capacity development in Osun public schools: teachers’ career advancement, training and retraining, teaching incentives, promotion, prompt payment of salaries and allowances. TEPO not only tackles teachers’ welfare while they are in active service; it also looks after their pension after retirement,” governor Aregbesola further explained.

    Let it be also resoundingly noted that the role of the Opon Imo initiative is an integrative approach to providing qualitative learning aids by the instrumentality of ICT. Unquestionably, the initiative has been hailed as a masterstroke by many education pundits within and outside Nigeria. It has also received the commendation of the United Nations as a revolutionary learning innovation to help Africa and the rest of the Third World improve its educational capacity.

    A word on the standardised school uniform is most pertinent here. The concept of standard uniforms for Osun public schools, branded O’Uniform, was conceived with an eye to rebrand public schools in the state as well as reflate the Osun economy to employ as many designers, tailors, local textile workers and allied artisans as possible, in the production of school uniforms. This culture-fired indigenous and standardised uniform for 750, 000 public school pupils, which the Omoluabi Garments Factory is currently implementing, has received international commendations from UNESCO, just as the first sets of the uniforms produced under the scheme were distributed free to the pupils. It is difficult to imagine that a peculiar school uniform will prevent indiscipline in each respective school as some interests laughably pontificated. Uniform or no uniform, a child with impaired impulses will always turn out a miscreant; contrariwise, a child well nourished, properly husbanded and deliberately cultured through a full-orbed school policy can always be trusted to excel. The issue at stake is not about a parochial attachment to a uniform or to a school; it is about an egalitarian approach, all-embracing, that must provide the generality of students with the boost to excel in life. This cannot and must not be left to chance.

    On the school feeding scheme, branded O’Meal and currently being implemented in the elementary schools with nearly 255, 000 pupils served highly nutritive daily lunch on school days, the idea was founded on the principle of good nutrition as incentive for learning readiness. The scheme has helped to boost public school enrolment figures in the state, in addition to serving as a catalyst of backward integration for a renewed Osun agricultural programme. It is on account of its eminent and laudable underpinnings that Aregbesola was invited to Westminster, London about a month ago, to share the Osun concept with other like-minded interests.

    Let us dissect the issues as dispassionately as it is required, especially for the sake of our children. If there are contentious issues that truly need a review, no one can reasonably oppose that. But we must be careful never to allow the chicanery of petty politicians or the folly of religious bigots to derail a policy that is sure to stand out the crop of present students as truly distinguished and accomplished citizens a decade from now.

     

    Oke is a public policy analyst based in Osogbo.

     

  • Still on President Jonathan’s cabinet shake-up

    There is no denying the fact that the country is not exactly where she should be as a nation in terms of meaningful development. It is also an undeniable fact that so much genuine efforts must be injected if only to show seriousness about putting the nation on the right path of progressive movement. Analysts and development experts have at various times blamed an appreciable percentage of our problems on awkward and faulty leadership recruitment system which has led to the emergence of incompetent leaders across different levels of government. This is just the ideal observation that the current administration of President Goodluck Jonathan must strive to address.

    To a very large extent, the latest rounds of shake-up in the President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet should ordinarily serve a direct pointer to the fact that the old way of doing things are perhaps, gradually giving way to new ideas and innovations. The old order of not daring to tamper with certain public officials with questionable records or fingered in corrupt practices may possibly be a thing of the past. What we are currently witnessing, though after a lot of public hullabaloo, is all about doing the right thing for the good of all and the country as a whole.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led Federal government appears to be taking landmark steps in its bid to redeem its name and image. The party, owing to the lackluster performance of its representatives across different levels of government appears more determined and prepared to fix things right in other for it to maintain its pride of place among top rated political parties across the globe. Meaningfully leading this well thought-out campaign of ensuring the emergence of a performance-driven, people-oriented and issued-based PDP is President Goodluck Jonathan. He has demonstrated these new thinking through his latest appointments into boards, ministries, departments and agencies. This time around, merit, competence, capability, interest and track records are largely the criteria adopted in selecting people for various positions. Aside ensuring that all political appointees under the party’s platform are people of exceptional quality and sound character, they are also expected to display rare commitment and readiness to serve the people unreservedly.

    Could recent changes in the federal cabinet part of efforts to inject life, seriousness and professionalism into the way and manner government businesses are handled by functionaries. Is it a sign that it will no longer be business as usual? With this development, can we take it that no serving government official found to have soiled his or her hands in corruption would be shown the exit door? The recent changes except for obvious political undertone may indeed be good and healthy for the already existing systemic rot in the country as a whole. Those who think they can get into public office and indulge in primitive accumulation of our collective patrimony are no doubt still living in the past. The message is simple and direct. This government unlike ever before should be ready to name, shame and prosecute any public official caught abusing his or her office.

    The President Jonathan’s administration should have realized that time is of essence and that the era of allowing unwilling hands and minds to be part of his government are far over. Nigerians are no doubt desirous of witnessing landmark changes in all spheres of their national lives. For the doubting Thomases and cynics in our midst, these changes should no doubt change their impressions about this government. The government is showing a bit of direction in what it is doing. We will have no reason whatsoever to doubt it on whatever plans it intends to carryout or execute.

    Many, including this writer doubted the sincerity of President Goodluck Jonathan in the handling of the controversial bullet-proof armored car scandal that rocked former Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah. I had personally written off the possibility of the President having the guts to show Princess Stella Oduah the red card, though now belatedly done. This is no doubt a legendary and commendable step by Mr President. He indeed earns my respect and those of other Nigerians on this particular issue and others. This is the time to rally round Mr President and give him the necessary support and encourage his avowed determination to roll out realizable programmes and policies capable of putting Nigeria on the path of economic prosperity, political stability and above all as one of the peaceful and united nations across the globe. The challenges confronting us today are all surmountable. This particular horrific phase shall pass and Nigerians shall all smile at the end of the day. I see bright light at the end of the tunnel. Where others see disaster, I see peace and tranquility. Where others see failure, I see success.

    The President, like never before should by now have had a good understanding of what Nigerians seriously expect of his government. He ought to have realized that good and enviable legacies are far much better than promoting narrow interests. His administration’s resolve to improve our current power generation capacity is yet to be seen. The agricultural sector is doing commendably well, especially as it pertains to ensuring that we produce enough food to meet local consumption demands before thinking of exportation.

    To other cabinet members, this is the time to redouble their efforts to make the President’s Transformation Agenda a reality. This is not the time to allow distractions by bystanders and onlookers. This is the time to walk the talk. Those whose pastime is to make more enemies for the system through careless and unrefined comments should have a rethink. The challenges before the system are so enormous that it shouldn’t be dragged into unnecessary face-off or altercation with anyone or group of persons. You guys should focus more on your jobs.

    Finally, I wish to call on Mr President to think more of the verdict of history. He should be more interested in the legacies he plans to bequeath to generations yet unborn and give deaf ears to those beating the drums of war and disunity. Sir, you were duly elected as Nigeria’s President and not a sectional President. Destiny has placed in your hands the unique opportunity of etching your name on the sands of time. Sir, you have the yam and knife, kindly slice a piece for yourself.

    • Labaran Saleh

    Salelabaran@yahoo.com

  • Chinese Language: Nigeria’s new mother tongue?

    English is becoming a mother tongue in Nigeria as Nigerians prefer the use of English, in communication, to the 646 Nigerian original mother tongues spoken by 250 ethnic nationalities.  Mandarin – a language of the Chinese – is another foreign language Nigerians currently have their eyes on, and it might be one of the new Nigeria’s mother tongues in the future.  And one thing explains this new love for Mandarin – the economic prosperity of China. This was alluded to by Mr Raji Fashola, the governor of Lagos State, during the celebration of his 2,000 days in office, “Whether we admit it or not the Chinese are taking over the global economy and we are only preparing our pupils for the opportunities that the use of Chinese language as the possible language of the future might provide.” The learning of the language is yet to kick off in Lagos public schools as it is being debated; but Confucius Institute – the centre for the learning Mandarin – has been established in some universities in Nigeria. Lately, University of Lagos admitted 25 students to study the language at degree level.

    This move – the study of the language – has been widely criticized by Nigerian languages protagonists especially because of the recent Federal Ministry of Education’s policy which made the three major Nigerian languages – Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa – optional in senior secondary school. As painful as the latter may be, the global economy status of China, and Mandarin as the possible language of the future, remains a food for thought.

    For the Nigerian languages protagonists, let us follow the America example. America is a multi-language society with at least 15 Commonly Taught Languages, and 244 Less Commonly Taught Languages in higher institutions as reported by The Modern Language Association of America. These languages are accommodated in the American society by the American native languages which include: Navajo, Cree, Ojibwa, Cherokee, Dakota, Apache, Blackfoot, Choctaw, etc.

    No doubt, our institutions have accepted Mandarin; nonetheless, I enjoin China and her language community to take a cue from the Occident by investing in the development of the Nigerian languages, and Nigerian language industry. The contributions of the Occident are quite many and enormous, but for reference, a few will do. Roy Clive Abraham, an Australian, was the author of The Grammar of Tiv, The Principles of Idoma, Dictionary of Modern Yoruba (the most comprehensive Yoruba dictionary till date), The Principles of Hausa (which clearly identified Hausa tonal system as three) etc. Wycliffe – a US-based organization – has translated the Bible into majority and minority Nigerian languages. United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs through its programme – Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) – yearly, takes Yoruba and Hausa native speakers who are language arts oriented to US to teach Americans learning the languages for a period of one year. Similar investments and developments are required of the Chinese.

    2012 Report on China’s Language Services Industry and 2012 Report on China’s Cultural Translation and Publishing Development – reports by the Institute of China Translation Development and Translators Association of China – put the value of China’s language service industry at US$ 20 billion in 2011. According to the reports, the number of employees in the industry which stood at 1.19 million in 2011 would hit 2 million by 2015. By 2015, the turnover of companies in the industry is set to exceed 260 billion Yuan. Nigeria needs this kind of vibrant language industry. Language Service Providers (LSPs) who constitute the translation and language industry in Nigeria require the technical know-how on the structure and management of LSPs for effectiveness and profitability. Knowledge transfer and certification in Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools like Trados and SDLX, Word Fast, DejaVu etc. are part of the needs of Nigerian LSPs. This kind of intervention will not be effective if it is done through government’s academic institutions, rather, the LSPs should be directly engaged.

    To Nigerian government and its institutions, our partnership with China on the study of Mandarin and the spread of the language is a noble one. Novelty demands that we make this relationship mutual – following the Occident example. The development and investment of China in the Nigerian language sector should not be compromised. It remains a demand!

    It is February 21, a day commemorated worldwide as International Mother Language Day.  On this day, I take a stand not to allow my mother tongue go into extinction. Take a stand as well!

     

    • Olugboyega Adebanjo, Lead Translator at XML Language Services Limited Phone: 08028958497 Email: adebajoolu@gmail.com

  • Of mis-interpretations and mischief-making

    During the colonial period, the white overloads held certain wrong notions and assumptions about the African continent. Assumptions that had no proof for its basis. For instance, it was the whiteman’s general assumption  the native people of Africa had no history. This they arrived at because they did not find any written documentations on the lives and activities of the people. However, theYoruba people, for example, excelled in the oral documentation of the people’s history cum social and cultural heritage and passed these down from generation to generation.

    Thus, from this basis of wrong assumption flowed other historical gaffe of the colonial masters. This was how the colonialist wrote our history for us in the early period of our life. Even after the exit of the colonial masters, this bias record of history still continue. The media has not helped matters in this regard because of its faus pax or social blunder in relation to reportage over the re-classification of schools in the State of Osun.

    Since this issue came to the public domain, the seeming apparent lack of total understanding of the issues involved by the public is apparent. Many were hypocritical in their criticism, leaving the substances of their argument – that is if there is even any substance in what the say – and resulted to ad hominem (attacking personality) in philosophical critical thinking and reasoning. Some arguments of columnists including Bisi Lawrence, Bishop Mike Bamidele and Bola Bolawole smacked of hypocrisy and manifest hollowness. Their unfortunate critique signposted a people somehow confused ab initio. Hence their lack of understanding of issues they write about.

    Mr. Lawrence, writing in the Vanguard of Saturday, February 15 on page 14, reproved Governor Rauf Aregbesola for “his (Aregbesola) fervour for the promotion of his religious preferences as a devoted Muslim.” He also said the governor has inclination towards favouring his religion openly. Bishop Mike Bamidele has a different grouse against the governor- And that is regarding the purported recognition accorded traditional religion by Aregbesola in the state. He said: “Aregbesola should tread softly on religious issues in the state and should be cautioned against promoting traditional religion above other religions in the state.” According to the bishop, the introduction of traditional religion is ‘Biblically evil’.

    For Bola Bolawole, the issue of ijab came up because some Muslims wanted to profit from the fact that a Muslim is now the governor. He wrote in his piece in Sunday Tribune of February 16, thus “My suspicion is that it is the recognition by some Muslims of their political ascendancy in the south-west and their resolve to take advantage of it.”

    Taken one by one, Does Bisi Lawrence want the governor to hide his religion because he is a governor?  Does being a governor condemn one to practise his religion in secret corners of his office or home? Is Mr Lawrence saying that the deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, a firebrand Christian (of Mountain of Fire Ministry hue) should stop parading herself in the public as a Christian?

    And by extension, is he suggesting that over two-third members of Osun state executive members stop answering to being Christians in the public? I do not think so. Even Section 38(1)of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria expressly provided an individual’s freedom to practice his religion in public. The subsection states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.’’

    Public or private underlined by this writer as enshrined in the constitution. Thus, Mr Lawrence has no argument other than the fact that he just raised a pure resentment as everyone is free to manifest his religion in public. Coming to Bishop Bamidele’s grouse, one does not know how to respond because of the slipshod manner he presented his case. He started by accusing the governor of recognising traditional religion which he described as evil. Mid way he veered off, accusing the governor of promoting traditional religion over and above other religions. Where do we place his argument: against the traditional religion or Aregbesola, who he alleged of promoting the traditional religion over other religions? We have had this repeated for the umpteenth time.

    It all started with the erroneous news that Aregbesola wanted to Islamise the state. Now the allegation has changed. Going by his argument, people like Bishop Bamidele are saying that Aregbesola, a Muslim, is now attempting to convert people of the state into traditional religion worshippers instead of Islamising it. How absurd this sounds! Bolawole’s own line of argument is the most outlandish, absurd and laughable of them all for it carries no seed of truth within it however small. A habitual fault-finder anyway, Bolawole simply whipped up sentiments and predicted chaos if nothing is quickly done to arrest a burning situation. What better role could he play than a doomsday prophet!

    The critical question begging for an answer is: How and in what manner does the governor dabble into or promote a (not necessarily his own alone now) religion over another? Is it in spoken words, deeds or policies? Indeed, by extension, Aregbesola’s appearance, he portrays a conscious Muslim. Particularly by his beard. Does this pose any threat to anyone? Or has he invited others or sought to convert others by wearing his beard? One, the conflict over the use of Ijab in schools in the state predates the present government. Two, the matter started in 2004 during the tenure of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Three, why there was no noise between the two principal religions over the ijab was because the matter was dragged to court. Up till now, the matter is before the court and yet to be decided. Three, since he came to power in 2010, Aregbesola has not made a single policy statement on the use or non-use of ijab. The reason is not far fetched. The governor recognises the fact that the matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction and could not be commented upon by anybody. Making statement on matter before the honourable court amounts to subjudice.

    What transpired in Baptist Boys high School Iwo is purely the handiwork of some disgruntled politicians who are hell bent on creating crisis so as to pave way for a state of emergency to be declared in the state before election. The crisis is all about August 6, 2014 election in the state. Pure and simple. It suffices therefore to say that those cry over school re-classification are doing so because of the success of the reform and one which has negative impact on their political ambitions.

    One will apparently stand logic on its head to judge a policy as failure if one out of over 1, 900 schools in the state ostensibly chose to be erring. Besides, of over 2, 800 students in Baptist High School, Iwo, not more than 250 out of over 1, 700 Muslim girls wear ijab. Those stoking the ember of anarchy have their own ulterior motives. Having tried and failed to gain foothold in the political space of Osun, they resorted to playing religious card so as to divide the united people of the state.

     

    • Owolabi wrote from Osogbo, Osun state.

     

  • Gay marriages: Won’t they leave Africa alone?

    The wave of condemnations, veiled insults and intimidating projections coming from the United States of America and her European allies concerning Africa’s position on homosexuality and same sex unions is one thorny issue that should be settled at an international jaw-jaw. Each nation could pass laws that uphold their respective positions but any law that makes a demand for men to carry pregnancies for an equal number of months with women would be a trespass.

    It was our communal harmony and family ties that helped us to survive the brutal effects of the trans-Saharan slave era when the Arabs came calling and it was the same resource that helped to repair the devastating after-effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The export of 20 million slaves aged between 14 and 45 in that era was a deadly blow to our family structure and communal harmony in West Africa and the ripple effects of the loss is incalculable. Slave trade eventually gave way to Apartheid and colonialism that were perfumed forms of the same evils in disguise. These re-branded forms of cruelty simply resumed the corrosion of Africa’s family and community assets in the attempt to destroy the man of colour.

    Africa need not be diplomatic to remind the United States of America that she played prominent roles in most of these events and the records still show that USA was present at the Berlin Conference in 1884 flanked by 13 European nations at the table of wickedness where Africa was carved up into digestible colonial portions. Not one single African was present when families, communities and tribal nations were shredded into unstable territories. That table of injustice manufactured unstable, mongrel African nations that could produce nothing else but colonial service. It would not take a genius to see that the consistent thread that runs through the history of Africa’s relationship with the western world has been a one-sided string of exploitation, condescension and abusive denigration.

    The studied concern of the United States for the global propagation of gay marriages could be processed as a well-thought-out policy to further its age-old agenda in the continent of Africa and the nation of Nigeria in particular. Africa is still smarting from so called reports that HIV started from African jungles where men supposedly mated with apes when we all know that the true origin of the incurable HIV disease is obvious. In the absence of basic medical healthcare, the HIV scourge is decimating African nations while American and European communities are managing to contain the spread with superior scientific prowess and administration. Anyone can do the math! If it were indeed true that Africa was the home of the HIV virus our oral history records would have been full of massive death reports across our communities yet the patterns we have seen since the HIV virus was injected into Africa are unprecedented.

    We truly need an old-fashioned palaver to let the United States and their Europeans collaborators know that we are not ignorant of the disdain with which we are regarded. Africa has hoped in vain that days when we were hounded, sold and dehumanized were over. It’s obvious that the impressions formed in the days when we were caged in zoological exhibitions alongside monkeys and orangutans to provide entertainment for the white world have never gone away. Why on earth would anyone attempt to chastise Africa for protecting the core of its existence? Why would we throw away the ancient definition of family that worked for us even before we ever set eyes on the first European? No sensible (African) farmer would ever pen male goats in isolation of the females in the pursuit of pleasure. Homosexuality and same sex unions are an aberration that our cultural filters never accepted in ancient times because of the evil it portrayed to our values. The African farmer that gave up his all to recover his young son in the film “Blood Diamonds” is a good demonstration of how attached we are to the safety of children. When stripped of all its drapery, the United States campaign for homosexual and same sex marriages is nothing but the promotion of pleasure seekers above human responsibility. We stand to be corrected but the major difference between the proposed unions and established gender based fraternities is primarily the denial of permission for the male penis to be inserted into another males’ rectum or anus! Africa wants to know why the so-called love between same sex partners has to stray into aberrant expressions. We do not have to graduate as medical doctors to observe that the human body was not designed to function that way.

    The USA may have discovered ways to reconstruct the anal passage after brutalization but Africa cannot afford such violations. Africa cannot afford to put pleasure above communal responsibility and the initiation of gullible children into counter-productive aberrations is not something our continent can survive. We have not seen ample proof that homosexuality is a norm it seems to be more of a product of spiritual engineering and emotional indoctrination. At the jaw-jaw, we could work out a solution where those who vote for this new dream should be given the opportunity to aggregate in the USA and Europe till they form a majority! Time would do the rest.

    Africa too has a few things it can teach the rest of the world. Is it possible that the West spends millions of dollars searching for extra terrestrial life forms not observing that there are invisible life forms around us here in the Earth? Some of the things that Africa observes in the western world are consistent with the activities of demonic beings!

    No matter how efficient science has been it has not even scratched the surface in answering the basic questions of life and death! Perhaps the USA is unaware that homosexual acts made their advent in Africa as part of demonic rituals. Africa has learnt her lessons and nothing will ever take us back into human sacrifices, cannibalism or any form of devil worship disguised as pleasure. The only world power that lasted as long as 3,000 years was housed in Africa and we will tell you that its greatest secret was the copious human blood shed that was offered to malevolent deities in exchange for power. Satanic rituals usually demand acts that demean the human form and assault our dignity. We really need this palaver to find out whether America has found a way to impregnate men so that we can relax our vigilance. Who knows what might come next? Perhaps men should be given permission to marry donkeys? It is part of a money-making ritual in Africa! One thing is however certain – Africa will not stand by and surrender to the destruction of her children.

     

    • Pastor Ladi Peter Thompson,

    Conflict Resolution Consultant

  • Civil Service at the threshold of the future

    Nigeria, undoubtedly, is in the threshold of history. There are commendable developments strides in the governance space which, if deepened and accelerated, will soon redefine Nigeria’s global reckoning. But the key words are ‘deepening and acceleration’ which entail balancing ‘doing the right thing’ and ‘doing it right’. Deepening means doing things differently, doing some magic of a sort and here disciplined execution is key. My concern in this attempt to extend discourse on political leadership into the realm of institutional re-engineering in resolving the whole issue of ‘execution trap’ through getting the government implementation machinery, the civil service, capability ready in the assumption that sufficient transformational leadership commitment and passion drives the development process.

    The global world today only recognises those states which are distinguished by their economic competitiveness as well as their democratic governance profile. This explains the many global instruments that track economic growth and development worldwide. For instance, the Global Competitiveness Report, published by the World Economic Forum, assesses the competitive strength of over 150 states, spanning the MINT and the BRICS, the Arab world, Latin America and the Caribbean, the European Union, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of the report is to benchmark those factors that hinder or aid national economic competitiveness. Competitiveness is defined as ‘the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country.’ And so, in mapping competitiveness, the report outlines 12 pillars that are crucial for any state which wants to achieve sustainable growth: institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation from technological and non-technological knowledge.

    In the ranking for 2013-2014, Nigeria is ranked 120 out of 148 on the index, with a score of 3.57 out of 7. The 120 ranking is a drop from 117 in the 2012-2013 ranking. South Africa is the first African country that made a strong appearance at number 53 with a score of 4.37. In terms of the strength of institutions, Nigeria is ranked a dismal 129 out of 148. The emphasis of the World Economic Forum on institutions as a critical component of the basic requirements for growth and development brings home cogently the nexus between leadership effectiveness and the crisis of institutions in Nigeria. It is submitted that it is the strength of the institutions that determine the quality of leadership, and leadership itself sets the template for the evolution of such strong institutions in the first place. It is therefore the synergy between the strong leader and the strong institutions that guarantees competitiveness and growth.

    A nation’s productivity profile becomes the first point at which the development process begins to hurt a state’s governance template. However, increasing the productivity level involves rethinking a country’s institutional capacity to address multifarious issues arising from internal and external dynamics. Institutional capacity speaks to the urgent need for a capable developmental state that would serve as the focal framework for enacting and implementing good governance policies. States that overcome their developmental problems are usually developmental states. And developmental state automatically also assumes the existence of a leadership arrowhead that gives direction to a common national agenda and processes.

    However, no state can ever hope to become developmental except it can rely on an efficient and effective civil service system that would facilitate the smooth transformation of government policies into a fast and democratic service delivery that will impact positively on the lives of the citizens. Thus, a developmental state is itself made capable by a development oriented civil service that channels inputs into deliverable outputs. The last centenary of the evolution of the Nigerian civil service demonstrates that this institution requires a huge dose of rejuvenation that would not only redeem it from its amalgamated logic, but, much more significant, would also strengthen it as the solid institutional link between the past and the future. When the Nigerian civil service began its evolutionary journey in 1954, it came into a host of problems which are the consequences of attempting to adapt a foreign structure on local realities. The evolving institution therefore had to undergo series of reform, mediated by several commissions and committees, to panel-beat the civil service system into shape for the task of post-independence reconstruction in Nigeria.

    In my recent series on the centenary of the Nigerian civil service, I highlighted the most significant of these reforms starting with the fact that the civil service was given birth to with the tentative hope that it would, through the many reforms, acquire the capacities and competences needed to drive the engine of socio-economic growth in postcolonial Nigeria. However, the conclusion was that in spite of the valiant, century-long efforts made on behalf of the civil service system, the institution is still some steps away from delivering capacities, competences and public goods; it is still struggling to attain the status of a world class institution. The reason, essentially, is that within a century, we missed two transformatory moments which the historical dynamics of our evolvement compelled us to confront and utilise.

    The first is the historic lesson, within the context of the development of the regional civil services, which points at the benefits of a synergy between the political and the administrative leadership as the foundation of a thriving civil service. The successes of the Awolowo-Adebo model of administration, however, have not been translated into the core of our reform efforts. The second transformation moment that was lost was the failure by the military leadership to heed the warning of the Udoji Commission Report on the need for a managerial transformation of the civil service system. If that warning had been heeded, the Nigerian civil service would have successfully installed a performance management system that would bring the institution to a delivery mode required to transform policies to demonstrable developmental outcomes.

    The Nigerian civil service is now confronted with the prospect of another century, and therefore the urgent need to rethink its historical dynamics, institutional readiness and transformatory potentials. More than ever before, the Nigerian civil service must prepare for its own future. And that future, according to Walter Mosley, is what we make of it. It would consist of the optimism with which we prepare, the alacrity with which we redouble our efforts, the foresight we bring into our prognosis, the determination with which we rethink our administrative and historical dynamics, and the boldness of our decisions. These issues, landmines and detours constitute the core of the administrative arsenal by which we can take informed steps and decisions into a future already mapped by the lessons of where the rain began to beat us.

    • Dr. Olaopa is Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, Abuja