The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • PDP’s mission to ‘capture’ Lagos

    PDP’s mission to ‘capture’ Lagos

    The militarization of the nation’s politics has once again found expression in the statement credited to the latest chairman of the Lagos state PDP, retired Captain Tunji Shelle that the party will capture Lagos State come 2015 elections. He was reported to have said this during the visit of the leadership of his party to their godfather, retired General Olusegun Obasanjo.

    We had truly thought that this unfortunate statement may have been the product of the typical journalistic zeal in which the man may have been quoted out of context or a case of misrepresenting what the man said. We have waited for a recant and nothing was forthcoming hence our conclusion that he actually made that statement.

    We do not have any grouse with the well-known hunger and salivation for Lagos State by the PDP which has remained a hunger that will never be fulfilled given the very deep political consciousness of the residents. What we do have issues with is the use of language which we consider unethical and careless, capable of creating tension not only within the state but also within the nation. This shows that the PDP may not be prepared to appeal to the people’s conscience for their votes not only in Lagos State but perhaps throughout the federation since they know that they lack the requisite credentials for such exercise but are preparing to capture the ballot in a military style in which they have shown that they have great expertise in deploying its worst forms.

    The implications and power of speech in any society is immense especially when wielded by men and women that call themselves leaders. The holy books have urged us all to be careful how we deploy our tongues which is capable of setting fire on nations, dethroning rulers and wreaking havoc in an otherwise peaceful environment.

    We are concerned that Shelle would find it convenient to use the military word capture in a democratic milieu where politics is about the free will of all the citizens who are willing participants in the political space. This concern stems from the fact that the last time this particular word was used in our polity by the host of that meeting – General Olusegun Obasanjo. The contest for political power through elections during that period was more violent with pervasive impunity holding sway.

    Responsible leaders we believe ought to carefully choose their words especially when they are in public space. Their conduct is expected to be exemplary and worthy of emulation and that is why we are at a loss why the PDP chairman was comfortable with words attributed to him.

    Perhaps, he may be sending a message to other parties about the intentions of the PDP in the forthcoming elections in 2015. This may be a signal for others to prepare for war as the PDP is already preparing for war or it may be just bravado which a child depicts in the presence of his father to show that he is truly a chip off the old block. That may explain the choice of time and place for the making of such speech.

    We see that speech as a sign for Lagosians to guard their loins to defend their votes come 2015 as the PDP may be planning to annex the state either by hook or by crook. It is also a sign of how desperate the party has become and how frustrating they must be feeling seeing all their efforts to steal the state rebuffed by the people of Lagos State.

    They are frustrated because Lagosians will not settle for less. ACN’s good work in the state beginning with former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu and current Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola has become so monumental that the challenge to surpass it will be too difficult as PDP itself has failed to perform at the federal level and in many states where they hold sway as the party in power.

    It is only through service which makes discernible impact in the lives of the people that we can hope to make any impression on the minds of Lagos people. It is only by investing in them that we can hope to build their trust and earn their confidence. This is what the ACN governments have done and will continue to do and we urge the PDP to do the same with the opportunities given to them to serve at the federal level. Until they do so which has unfortunately proven to be too difficult for them, they cannot win but will continue hoping to “capture”

    We are not surprised however at this turn of events as the PDP is peopled heavily by ex – military men who participated actively in the ruination of our fatherland via the former military regimes. Their psyche has therefore been influenced by crass military language and behaviour since they are yet to learn the language of the civil populace whom they hope to lead. We wonder how they hope to lead a people who they cannot even speak their language and understand, a people who they are complete strangers to and are far removed from both in essence and in traditions.

    In Lagos PDP, Olabode George, a retired military officer and an ex-convict leads the party in the state. The chairman, Shelle is also a retired military officer. No wonder military language which is the opposite of democratic language is prevalent.

    Some rather unguarded statements credited to certain individuals just before and immediately after the 2011 general elections are still very fresh in our minds. The resultant crisis that trailed the announcement of the results in many parts of the Northern region was largely attributed to the unfortunate statements. The wounds of that crisis are still very fresh in the minds of many Nigerians and such occurrences must be avoided by all means.

    That is why we urge the PDP and in fact every other politician to be cautious of the kind of statements they make, avoiding by all means words that will send negative signal to the polity. Free speech, being one of the basic pillars of democracy demands responsibility on the part of the persons exercising this right. It also demands self-restraint and constant observance of democratic rules of engagements which the word capture negates.

    Lagos deserves greater service and commitment from all and sundry so that we can make it one of the best cities in the world to live in. A city that is capable of providing basic infrastructure for its residents and with increased capability for self – renewal that will ensure its place in the future. That is what we think governance is all about and that is what Lagos people demand so that we can continue having their trust and confidence thus winning their votes and not capturing it.

     

    •Hon Jimoh is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly

  • Osun: Recovering from the darkest moment

    Osun: Recovering from the darkest moment

    Recovery,” former Prime Minister of Britain, John Major once said, “begins from the darkest moment.” The circumstances of the State of Osun would readily fit this looking at the dramatic turnaround with the dawn of a new governance era in the state.

    Raising a state that had gone down totally deflated must provide keen economists some good case studies. The lessons to be learnt derives from how the Rauf Aregbesola administration led a recovery job from the state’s “darkest moment”, to use the ex-British Prime Minister’s words, to a stage where all the indices are pointing to sharp departure from the recent depressing past on all the globally acknowledged human development indices.

    The recent assessment of the impact of the local content policy initiative on employment generation in Osun through a survey pointedly explains how ingenious best practices in public finance, accountability, transparency, and a determined objective to turn around a state have moved Osun from an unenviable rating as the state with the highest unemployment rate in the South-west geo-political zone in 2011 to the state with the best rating in the region and the second best employment rating in the country.

    Indeed, there is a less than one per cent margin between the state with the best rating in the country and Osun which has emerged second best throughout the country. Needless to state here, the 2011 survey is a reflection of the scenario that existed in Osun in 2010 before the current administration took over on November 27, 2010.

    And what was the stage like before the new actors emerged? Poor implementation of policies and programmes, heavy reliance on allocations from the Federation Account, preference for recurrent expenditure rather than capital expenditure and poor attention to local content policy in the implementation and execution of projects in the state.

    The combined effect of all these had resulted in what was no less an insolvent state where not only had capital projects become a tall order, recurrent expenditures such as overheads were taken care of through monthly loans.

    Two years after, the Aregbesola administration has been able to halt the trend through policies aimed at injecting life back into the economy.

    In what has directly affected the employment generation rating, the engagement of 20,000 youth for the purpose of community and social works, under the scheme, Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) has made massive social impact. Through the huge number of hitherto unemployed and frustrated youths, the government injects a whooping sum of N200 million into the economy monthly. The ripple effect of this is mostly felt in the informal sector of the state’s economy where those without any purchasing power now have the muscle to enrich the markets with their purchase of daily needs.

    The scheme has, in no small measure, also created avenues for the beneficiaries to, within the two years of their service to home state, look for other more profitable means of engagement which helps them quit the rank of the jobless for good.

    For instance, various lucrative self-employment schemes and channels have been opened up such that an OYES cadet has the option of choosing his area of interest based on his academic trainings and qualifications.

    Some of these include beef production through modern cattle ranch established in Oloba Cattle Ranch in Iwo; bee farming project, red brick scheme, and many other vocations which have the capacity to further create employment opportunities across the state.

    Of course, many of the services rendered by the cadets have enhanced the quality of life of the citizenry as issues such environmental upgrade through the activities of the cadets, control of traffic, rescue duties in cases of emergencies, and other community and social works have assisted the people to move from the deplorable standard of living to more rewarding and proud lifestyles.

    Another high social impact scheme of the state which has halted the poverty rating is the scheme, Agba Osun, a programme based on care for the elderly who are vulnerable throughout the state. After an enumeration, a total 1,602 senior citizens were identified as very vulnerable and in constant need of financial support. Every month, each of these elderly persons collect a sum of N10,000 as upkeep allowances.

    Of course, closely related to the above is the attention paid to the issue of pension by the current administration.

    For indigenes of the state, who had spent the better parts of their productive years working, unpaid pensions remained another source of poverty with the concomitant socio-economic complications.

    It was this ugly trend that the Rauf Aregbesola-led government halted by ensuring prompt payment of backlogs. By August 2012, a total of N7.7bn had been paid in pension and gratuities.

    Directly or indirectly, many of the policies have chain effects on the dramatic and unprecedented reduction in poverty rating of the state, giving the result of the best managed economy in the country in the face of worsening economic scenarios across Nigeria.

    For instance, not many minds have reasoned that the decision of the state government to instil a culture of saving, no matter how meagre the resources of the state are, have brought some fortunes to the people.

    Under the Omoluabi Conservation Funds, which is accurately backed by law, the Aregbesola administration has ensured that the state is not left vulnerable in the face of dwindling revenues from the Federation Account. This accounts for why Osun, despite the now well-known delay in the release of federal allocations, pays its workers on or before 26th day of every month. Apart from being a radical departure from the painful past of delayed salaries, pensions and gratuities, Osun has set the pace on how, even from the most meagre of resources, a culture of saving can be instituted to foster development.

    Through the same strategy, the government has ensured that funds from the Excess Crude Oil Account are saved for the purpose of development. It is through this that the on-going 10 kilometres roads per local government scheme was made possible, having successfully saved over N10 billion which has served as an attraction to the financial institutions to partner with the state on behalf of the council areas to embark on the ambitious project of constructing the roads.

    With those projects on going, analysts are of the conviction that the state is on the path to unprecedented growth with motorable network of roads.

    In formulating policies to halt the ugly tide, Governor Aregbesola has demonstrated a parallel with Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Bangladesh pro-poor thinker and author of Creating a World Without Poverty.

    Yunus, who also authored the book, Banker to the Poor, had written in his book, “If the poor are to get the chance to lift themselves out of poverty, it’s up to us to remove the institutional barriers we have created around them. We must remove the absurd rules and laws we have made that treat the poor as nonenties. And we must come up with new ways to recognize a person by his or her worth, not by artificial measuring sticks imposed by a biased system”.

    The above aptly illustrates the rationale behind the policies of the administration which aim to remove poverty totally and set the people on a path to prosperity.

    • Alabi, a Media Assistant to the governor, wrote from Osogbo, State of Osun

  • El-Rufai: In defence of public discourse

    El-Rufai: In defence of public discourse

    At the beginning, a caveat: this is not a defence of Malam Nasir El-Rufai. I believe he is not intellectually deformed to defend himself. I am no supporter of his many elitist policies while in the helms at the Federal Capital Territory. This, rather, is a defence of commonsense and a defence of the culture of public discourse which, unfortunately, has dived below the mark of decent coition of ideas and cocktail of facts. I find myself agreeing with the Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka who wrote in a 2007 essay; “We have gone below the Ground Zero of public debate”.

    Just as 2012 was folding off, Nigerians got engrossed in a heated debate following the release of There Was a Country, Chinua Achebe’s Civil War memoirs. The hell, to use the cliché, was literally let loose as Nigerians took each other by the throat. You could say this was a healthy engagement in ironing out some key national questions and revisiting our haunting history. It was not. This was because most of the loudest voices, especially in the early days of the quasi-debate, were of the people that had not actually read the book. Opinions were developed based on second-hand information that in most cases were subjugated to subjective interpretations or selective revisionism. The only knowledge to the book held by most commentators then was in form of some early reviews published in foreign titles and, in some cases, snippets of the book published as excerpts by the media. I had wanted to do a meta-review of There Was a Country especially after reading the reviews of the book penned by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chika Uniagwe and Noo Saro-Wiwa. In particular, I was angered by some careless lines of fiction in Adichie’s review that I had intended to take up. However, I restrained myself to wait and read the primary text first; which I had ordered by then. Alas, I never got around to writing the piece.

    Recently, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili delivered a pre-convocation lecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she alleged that our foreign reserve has been deflated by $67 billion since the 2007 election. A cheer group of semi-intellectuals, who, thanks to Dr Reuben Abati, we now come to know as “today’s men” viciously launched a character-assassination attack on her, and anything she was thought to be representing. That also served as launch pad to take all her co-travellers, the “yesterday’s men”, to the cleaners.

    Enter Nasir El-Rufai’s The Accidental Public Servant. Since the commencement of some media reviews of this book, some people began hauling stones, even if aimless. Typical of the age-old orientation, the media went for the more explosive parts; some areas in which some leading dramatis personae of our politics space are ‘negatively’portrayed. And there come the most banal, even grotesque campaign to rubbish the author and, ultimately, throw the bath water with the baby. The book has now become a spring post from which the personality of the author is attacked. Of course his adversaries have been waiting for it thus the spontaneous firing of verbal missiles and the hysteria. However, as with the case with Ezekwesili’s UNN lecture, those who disagreed with El-Rufai’s assertions have not shown readiness to present us with superior arguments. What we have been dished all these days is a confetti of hate-words with an unruly tincture of half-truths. This is the level to which public debate has been reduced. Sad.

    I am writing this not with the mind that El-Rufai wrote the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In any case, as a student of deconstruction, I know truth itself is contestable and often subjective. However, we must give it to the former minister for not only writing the book but also putting names to faces even when he knows that these people are largely alive and can go any length to defend themselves or fight back. The Atiku Media Office has gone public with invectives while sponsoring adverts in print and broadcast media to point “inconsistencies” between what El-Rufai claimed in the book and what he told the Senate during his clearance for ministerial post. Their undoing is that none of them, it seems, cared to verify what is actually in the book vis-à-vis what was said by El-Rufai at the Senate.

    Some of the more civil critics of the book thought that El-Rufai, in writing the memoir, had thrown ethics of “statecraft” (whatever that means!) and confidentiality to the dogs, thereby baring it all. This is another sad story of our country’s descent into paucity of public discourse. Memoirs should be explosive, political memoirs especially. The advance democracies that we are wont to copy use memoirs to deepen democratic culture and foster transparency. Government business is not a cultic venture. People have the right to know and memoirs are written to reveal what was not in the public knowledge. If all that is written in a memoir is a mishmash of jejune facts that are already known, what is the essence?

    We will do this country and indeed future generation a whole lot of good if we begin to water the culture of a more fertile public debate. This unhealthy reductionism of bringing down serious issues that require intense intellectual reflection and honest introspection is a great disservice for the country. Many a problem bedeviling the very existence of Nigeria as a country is attributed to our lack of sincerity to look at the problems objectively and call a spade by its name, no matter whose ox is gored. Let there be more memoirs, let there be more sincere engagement of the memoirs.

     

    •Abdulaziz is a journalist in Abuja.

  • Open letter to education minister

    Open letter to education minister

    Some months ago, a cousin of mine, who lives and works in Minnesota, United States of America, shared a terrifying testimony of his wife’s experience on his Facebook timeline. It was titled, “Why FUTA (by extension, Nigeria) needs a change: The Story of my Wife”.

    He wrote: Last week I promised to tell more of the story of how my wife was forced out of her graduate studies at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA). Please if you attended, FUTA, take time to read this piece. I must also say from the onset that it is nothing against the university but a desire to see a change…

    Yes, it is true that my wife – (name supplied) graduated with a first class honours from FUTA. She was honoured as the best graduating student in her department and the best graduating female student of the Faculty of Sciences. So she immediately returned to FUTA for Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree with the hope that she would eventually obtain the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. As God would have it, the Redeemer’s University (RUN) was just opening their doors for students at the time, so she picked up an appointment as one of the pioneer lecturers. She would travel every week from the Redemption Camp to FUTA for classes and return to give her lectures.

    Just as she did during her undergraduate, she worked so hard that she scored A’s in almost all the classes she took and completed class works in three semesters. After completing the required classes for M.Sc. degree at FUTA, it was time for her to begin her research. That was when the trouble started.

    A particular lecturer –the graduate coordinator of the department during that session – assigned herself to be my wife’s adviser (or supervisor as they are called in Nigeria). Six months after she took that decision, it became clear she should not even be employed at FUTA and only God knows why FUTA was not only keeping her but the department head dreaded her like Almighty.

    This woman did not have a contact phone –and this was 2006; she did not have a car and she comes to the school whenever she wanted. The problem with someone like that working with any student was that such student(s) cannot make any plan outside being in school for 24 hours. And considering the fact that my wife was coming from the redemption camp every week, it became extremely difficult for her to move forward with this woman as her adviser.

    We later found out that a student already had a misfortune of working with this woman. This student had completed her classes one year before my wife did and she hasn’t even had a project topic because she could barely set her eyes on her supposed adviser.

    So after six months of doing nothing since completing her classes and with her job on the line (because she must complete the M.Sc. at a certain time if she wanted to keep her employment with RUN), my wife went to the department head and requested to be reassigned to another lecturer in the department. There were lecturers willing to take my wife as their student, in fact the oldest and the only professor in the department was so enraged about the state of things with my wife’s study that he volunteered to be her adviser. But the Head of Department (HOD) turned down her request. His reason was that he was not prepared to get into a fight with the woman. All efforts to get the HOD to see what potentially could happen to the careers of my wife and that of the other student already in this woman trap ended in futility.

    After more than nine months of doing nothing, after series of tearful nights and at least a car accident, we were forced to give up everything she has worked for at FUTA. She had to give it up because it became clear that the woman was only interested in punishing (her word) my wife.

    My wife applied and got admission into the graduate programme of the University of Ibadan (UI). The school was ready to waive some classes for her but almighty FUTA refused to release her official transcript – crazy, right? Their reason was that she did not graduate but the fact is that schools all the world issue transcripts even for one year of study.

    My wife had to start all over at UI. But it was not even six months after she got into UI that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville USA offered her an admission with full tuition waiver and stipend. And now she has graduated with a Ph.D. degree.

    My wife’s experience was actually not my first with FUTA lecturers basically ruining the careers of students they are supposed to build. There was this professor in the Computer Science Department while I was at FUTA that will not show up for classes until two weeks to the end of semester.

    Like I said, I am speaking out because I want the management of FUTA to know the impact of the behaviours of some of their lecturers on the careers of students that were entrusted into their hands. My wife spent exactly 11 semesters at the University of Tennessee but she would have spent less had the transcripts of the classes she took at FUTA been released but some people used their powers and added almost two years to someone’s time at school and they never felt bad about it.

    I don’t know how many students in Nigeria are still going through what my wife and others that I met during our unnecessary trying times at FUTA went through. But what I do know is that some students are still paying dearly with their careers for the actions and the inactions of some employees of the universities in Nigeria. One of such people is a friend who graduated from the Federal University of Technology Minna. After trying his luck in the labour market and with no luck, he attempted to apply for admission into a foreign school for graduate studies. However, when the time came for him to get his transcript from FUT Minna, his records were nowhere to be found. They told him because they have relocated, some records have missed and his own might have been part of the missing records.

    If FUTA and by extension, Nigeria are going to continue to treat human beings the way my wife was treated without repercussions, then I will not hesitate to say that it would be hard to keep hardworking people from going away from Nigeria whenever such opportunities present themselves”.

    Many have written so extensively about the state of education in Nigeria. I believe that the National Assembly committees on education and the Honourable Ministers for Education should at least take a closer look at the unjust action actions by university lecturers. It’s high time our democracy take its rule on its dissidents.

    Of course, the FUTA story is in every institution.

     

    • Olupona is Assistant Secretary General Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Kogi State Chapter.

  • Child abuse: A societal problem?

    Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child or children.

    Child maltreatment could also be described as an act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.

    Child abuse can occur in a child’s home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with.

    There are four major categories of child abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.

    Physical abuse involves physical aggression directed at a child by an adult. Most nations with child-abuse laws consider the deliberate infliction of serious injuries, or actions that place the child at obvious risk of serious injury or death, to be illegal. Physical abuse is the intentional or non-accidental production of a physical injury.

    Child sexual abuse on the other hand is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation.

    While emotional abuse is defined as the production of psychological and social deficits in the growth of a child as a result of behavior such as loud yelling, coarse and rude attitude, inattention, harsh criticism, and denigration of the child’s personality.

    In many parts of the world, particularly in the developing countries, innocent children are subjected to hardship all in because of poverty.

    Some parents or caregivers are in the habit of beating, biting, blaming and yelling at their children all because they want to correct them of their wrong deeds.

    Children are often punished for behavior they are too young to control. Abusive parent has failed to understand the need to imbibe in the children the desired qualities and ways of life.

    It shouldn’t hurt to be a child. Many children who should be in school or with their parent to receive parental care, love and protection are on the street, on the highways hawking to earn a living or to help their parent.

    Many children had been exposed to sexual act and other anti-social behaviour through this.

    Abused children believe they don’t have values; they cannot affect the world around them hence they angry, dejected and depressed.

    Abused children are likely to experience generalized anxiety, depression, truancy, shame, suicidal and homicidal thought or to engage in criminal activity and promiscuity.

     

  • From the cell phone

    For Dare Olatunji

     

    I read your write-up. If the head is rotten what else. On the stolen police pension, none of them will see peace again in life. They suffered old people who served their nation well. The government should address how to pay the pensioners. If the Finance Minister’s father or Police Minister’s is one of them, the money would have been paid to the pensioners by now. God will judge everybody in this country. Anonymous

    Going through the last paragraph of your column, it was clear you have not been updated with the bizzare judgment passed on one of those involved in the police pension fund fraud. A travesty of justice! Anonymous

    The most important lesson from any incident that caused you mental torture is not to allow that kind of incident to occur again. The government should have begun the repairs of the Police College before looking for scape goats. Sadly, the government and its officials often find themselves trying to dilute bitter truths with sweet talks and illogical points. But, whenever they are through with deceiving themselves, they find the stubborn truth, still staring them in the face. From Adegoke O O, Ikhin, Edo State

    I sympathise with officers and men of the Nigeria Police. The other day, a neighbour called me on phone at about 9pm to say a police patrol team had arrested him for being in possession of a toy gun. But, if he could contribute 10 litres of fuel he would be released. I rushed there with fuel and secured his release. The story is again told of how the officers in the salary section deduct handsome amounts upfront to settle electricity bills of those living in the barracks but, PHCN does not receive a single kobo. Anonymous

    You talked only about solicitation. The sorry state of the Police College and the barracks may also be the reason many of them persecute instead of protecting the populace. Government should please provide accomodation fit for human beings. Anonymous

    Well, I have never failed to buy any copy of The Nation I see your write-up in.You mentored me, unknowingly, taking time to polish and publish my pieces in The Guardian since 1991 while a corper. My sixth sense told me then that you were publishing me to encourage me. One day, I came calling, you were so humble and amiable. You made me feel great. Then, you informed that some honoraria were available for some eight pieces. It was the greatest honour of my life then. Those pieces have fetched me two university jobs. The first drew the attention of Prof. Fola Lasisi, who gave me my first major job as the PRO, University of Uyo. Then I followed Bola Ige into politics. By the time the bubble burst, Eghosa Osaghae, enamoured of my affiliation with your OpEd page, lured me into the academia. Today, I answer Dr.Femi Meyungbe-Olufunmilade, HOD, International Rels.& Strategic Studies, Igbinedion Univ/Prof, EastCarolina Univ. Dare is great!

    The mess in the NPF is not an isolated case; corruption has become a part of our nation. I am sure it is a ‘core course’ in police academy. God save us. From Onyilo, Abuja.

    Dear Dare, it is difficult to beleive that those that stole police pension fund are being covered by our judiciary. Yusuf was merely given two years jail with an option of fine. God save this country! From Fatukasi Tuyi. Akure.

    Dear Dare, if it was in my part of the country, we would have started your name with ‘I’ and replaced the ‘E’ with ‘A’. That would have been IDARA, meaning joy or jubilation. It was a well-articulated rendition in The Nation of 29/01/13. Please, also ask them to explain why police contractors and consultants are never paid on time, sometimes, for two years and more. What happens to the funds allocated for such projects? Do they develop wings and fly? Is it that Mr. President is not aware that these contractors and consultants are going through pains of unimaginable proportions? From Etokowo Owoh, uyo

    We do buy the uniform ourselves even salary is not equal; they do not promote according to the law of this country. Please, why? Anonymous

    Re: The shame of our police barracks. It is quite unfortunate that Mr. President misunderstood the exposure of the rot in the Police College. If I were the President, I would make Channels Television get the first Corporate Merit award in Nigeria in 2013 for helping institute good governance. The police should be well welfared by the Federal Governmet in the overall interest of security of Nigeria and its citizens. Same for our properties! From Lanre Oseni.

    I agree that the police cannot do better than the neo-colonial social system that created it. The truth is the police will never be the same in a people-oriented order which is a far cry from the existing system based on self-interest. Thanks. From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna

    Please, continue to hit hard on the IGP, Police Service Commission and the Minister of Police Affairs for them to sit up. From Festus, Lagos

    To me, all these fraudulent practices are guaranteed by the present administration. So, it is our luck. From Abayomi O. E.

    Sir, on ‘Jonathan’s CNN interview’, your views represent those of the majority! God bless Nigeria! Anonymous

    Sir, with due respect to his office, the present occupier of the presidency is incompetent. From Nemodat

    My worry is even people we thought should know how to present matters with wisdom end up with careless and disrespectful criticisms. Must you criticise the government or Mr. Presidnt in everything. Pray for this man, Jonathan, he needs time and patience for age-long problems he has come to face. Long live Mr. Presidnt, same the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anonymous

    Jonathan needs help; I felt sad watching our President in an interview with Amanpour on CNN on January 23, 2013. As a lecturer at the University of Ilorin, in the early eightie,s I used to tell my students that a good leader must have what I call the three Cs: Character, Charisma and Capacity or Capability. Jonathan urgently needs fresh hands. From Olu Omoba, Ikeja

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Sir, I read your column From the summit. Jonathan’s response to Amanpour is no surprise. A man Channels TV gave an opportunity to write his name in gold for posterity and he blew it. Instead, he asked how on earth Channels got into Police College undetected. Why has Abati and Okupe not come out to defend the blunder? Anonymous

    All you said concerning Jonathan’s CNN interview are true, if not, a judge will not slam on a thief that stole over N27b, two years or N750,000 fine. From Tayo

    My heart skips each time a Nigerian has the microphone on for a white journalist. The white skinned to us are gods that must be adulated with our excessive talks and unrestrained expressions. Next time, CNN comes to town for GEJ, Lord, let me miss the episode! From Olanegan Taiwo, Akure

    On your article From the summit, this country is in trouble because there is no crime that our government is not mentioned as being part of. We the masses should forget about our leaders and fight for our freedom. Thank you, for saying the truth. Anonymous

    The need for innovation in various aspects of teacher education in this country is critical and it is the government that has to lead, not only through policies but by ensuring their implementation. As we speak, the core provisions of the National Policy on Education on teacher education are yet to be implemented. And the rot deepens in that critical sector but, write on! From Prof. Kanu

    With all due respect, I love the way you emphasise teachers, students and government issues. But, you should not stop there; continue hitting the nail on the head so that we can produce good leaders of tomorrow. From Matthew.

    The Nigerian teacher is not so far from the brink of illiteracy as the pupils they wish to impart knowledge on. Teaching in primary and secondary schools cannot be better; it is not competitive. The teachers are parboiled from their different colleges and universities of education meant for all comers. In short, faculties of education in universities admit the worst students. What about the NTI and the Sandwich ‘nonsense’ to raise money by most of the universities? They are not to add to knowledge. They subtract from it. These are the harbingers of the poverty of teacher education. You only need to see them on the field. From Ola Akinduro, Idanre, Ondo State.

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re:’ Justice Talba and the pension thief;’(The Nation, February 3). The judgment by Talba against Yusuf attests to the local and conservative belief that Law as a course or field rests on lies, or how else do we marry a penalty of N750,000 on an individual theft of five percent of people’s pension or/and collective theft of 71 percent of people’s pension of N38 billion? If the law did not provide for the N750,000, why did the judge not consider the reasonableness and measure-for-measure penalty? That judgment was bad. It does not encourage reading Law. From Lanre Oseni.

    Plea bargaining is another way of encouraging corruption in governance. The recent judgment of John Yusuf’s pension funds fraud is an insult on the intelligence of Nigerians; it is a wicked one from the judiciary. The judiciary is an arm of government that encourages corruption; it should desist from this so that Nigeria can move forward. If we don’t fight corruption seriously, Nigeria is going nowhere. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

    A Chinese proverb: ‘a man who steals a melon is a thief; a man who steals a kingdom is a king’. And the paradox that Nigeria is; steal billions, get an accolade. Anonymous.

    There are three major ingredients that make any country great. 1. Functioning police system that arrests, investigates, and prosecutes, 2. A credible judicial system with integrity and honesty that dispenses justice accordingly. 3. The energy (e.g. electricity and gas) to power the industry and productivity base. Now, tell me, which area of the three mentioned is working in Nigeria? Why? Corruption ! How can we change it? Certainly not through churches and night vigils; and not by being docile, and not by continually making wrong choices at the polls, either. We have to take our destiny in our hands. For a start, after 16 years of incompetence, it is time for the PDP to go. Time to try something else. Anonymous.

    The truth is always bitter. Let me tell you this, Nigeria is a nation of ignorant people and thieves. Less than five percent are righteous. That is why everything we do is determined first by personal gains, before we consider the collective well-being. That is why we sell our votes regardless of what the vote buyers have to offer … That we are not massively protesting is an indication that we are comfortable with all the ‘manure’ that we are fed with everyday. Tell me, which aspect of Nigerian life isn’t rotten? We cheat in everything, including sports, where we falsify age. Simply put, Nigeria is a nation of cheats where falsehood reigns and money and materialism are gods; we have no consideration for ethics and morals. Therefore, we are getting what we deserve and it will be so until we change our ways. For now, keep moaning. Anonymous.

    Thank you, Tunji, for your write-up as usual. I am one of your fans; I am a pensioner with the Federal Ministry of Education. My question is: do we still hope to retrieve Nigeria from thieves and their collaborators? Only God can see us through. Anonymous.

    There has been a general understatement or lack of appreciation of the true import of the gravity of what Mr John Yakubu Yusuf did. He did not just steal , he stole the pension! This lack of appreciation of the true gravity of the offence probably influenced the EFCC in charging him under the Penal Code and not the EFCC or ICPC Act, and definitely influenced the way the judge exercised his option in granting Mr Yusuf an option of fine rather than sentence him to two years’ imprisonment . In social and advanced economic policy and practice of modern states, pension occupies a fundamental and very basic and sacred place. Find out the rigours that a Nigerian newspaper owner went through in South Africa and the role that provision for pension for prospective (not even actual and employed workers) plays in that country. See civilised societies and understand what Yusuf did. Anonymous.

     

  • Osun: Building an enduring legacy

    If you want to be rich, you must first build roads.” This is a time-honoured and well-known Chinese proverb which truism has been tested by nations that desire progress and development. China not only knows the truth of this aphorism but she believes and practices it conscientiously. Today, like most developed European countries and America, China’s emergence on the world stage as a giant economic nation is indubitable – very visible to deaf and audible to the blind.

    And what did Asian Leviathan do to climb the ladder like other great nations? What has been an essential element in this communist nation’s success story is nothing other than a colossal investment in road construction. That is the magic wand that opened the way to riches as the Chinese proverbs recommends.

    Interestingly, China did not put a stop to its riches within the four corners of its ancient Great Wall. It carried it beyond the shores of China, seeking much more riches this time on the African continent. With the benefit of its own fruitful and prosperous experiences, China has made heavy investments in Africa’s infrastructure.

    This is against the backdrop of the realization that infrastructure is the foundation for economic development and a sign to judge the level and potential of a country’s economic development. Conversely, deficient infrastructure poses an enormous obstacle on the path of a nation’s development, growth and progress. This exactly is what inhibits frustrates Africa’s economic development. The unfledged transportation system and bungling traffic conditions not only hamper quick and easy movement man and materials but also raise the cost of trade and domestic trade and hinder foreign investments to Africa.

    Since its foray into the continent, China has assisted Africa in building more than 2,000 kilometres of railways, 3,000 kilometres of road, more than 100 schools and 60 hospitals. China has also relieved them of more than 20 billion Yuan of debt.

    In a World Bank survey entitled: “Building Bridges: China’s Growing Role as Infrastructure Financier for Sub-Saharan Africa,” published in July 2008, it was reported that China had invested a lot of money and built a lot of bridges, railways and highways in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the natural conditions are extremely harsh, with a total investment jumping from less than $1 billion per year before 2004 to more than $7 billion U.S. dollar in 2006.

    It is instructive to know – albeit sadly too – these African leaders know and are well aware that these colossal Chinese investments will lay a solid foundation for the continent’s economic development in the future. What they did not want to say is: At what cost? After all, it is the English man that says ‘waste not want not.’ The Chinese may speak Mandarin as his official language: he is well acquainted with this English idiom.

    Has Nigeria any lesson to learn from this? The answer is resoundingly in the affirmative. As to the question whether she has learnt or is learning, the answer is, pitiably, negative.

    In November 2012, an assessment by Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) revealed that over 80% of Nigerian roads are in deplorable conditions, leading to rising wave of motor accident across the country.

    The survey also showed that another major reason for the terrible shapes of Nigerian roads is because the roads have outlived their usefulness, many of them constructed more than four decades ago.

    The report said inter alia: “Some roads were constructed many years ago and they have outlived their life span. Most roads are designed for 25 years but many roads are far older than that. Bad roads do cause accidents, so drivers must apply caution when driving on bad roads. However, you maintain what is good, not bad, and the deplorable condition of our roads is now beyond the scope of FERMA.”

    Yes, as the name suggests, the agency is not established to repair roads but to maintain them. Back to square one!

    The twin tragedy of bad road network and acute if not near total absence of power supply have remained intractable for the federal government. The nation’s economy is largely generator-driven and n nothing could be more nightmarish than travelling on Nigerian roads. Yet the nation is blessed with human and material resources. What a country (apology to the late human rights crusader, Beko Ransome-Kuti)!

    Despite this national despondency, a state chose to have a break with this traditional miscarriage of vision that has for long characterised the centre. The government in the State of Osun not only shares the Chinese vision and notion of the nexus between ‘road and riches,’ it is also walking the Chinese footpaths in building roads so as to pave way for riches and abundance of life for the people.

    What is this State of the Virtuous doing differently? And how? For a leader to be outstanding among his peers, he must have vision; he must be foresighted, practically peering into the womb of future and bringing it to bear on the immediate. This is what sets the State of Osun apart and makes its government an unusual one.

    For the past two years, the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola saw road construction as a condition precedent for growth, development and investment, both domestic and foreign.

    Those who were familiar with the terrain of the state then will today appreciate the colossal transformation of its social infrastructure, particularly road construction, rehabilitation and networking of both rural and urban areas.

    Before 2010 when he assumed office, the story about the state’s infrastructure was nothing to write home about. To put it mildly is to say that roads across the state had become death-traps.

    There were numerous abandoned road projects than completed ones. Some major gateway roads to the state signposted a state of affair where neither government nor governance was in existence. The atmosphere at that period was better exemplified by the Hobbesian state of nature, where, habitually, life is nasty, brutish and short.

    Today – two years on – the situation of the roads; intra and inter-state, have changed considerably. Few can only be mentioned here. From Osogbo, the state capital to Ikirun, from Iree to Ila-Orangun, Ilesa to Ile-Ife, Iwo to Ikire, Esa-Oke to Ijebu-jesha and Orile-Owu to Gbongan, road construction and rehabilitation are going on with specific deadline for the contractors handling the various projects. Osogbo alone has over 20 intra-city roads at various stages of construction and completions. And this is what goes on across the 31 local government areas.

    Few months ago, government signed a N17.8 billion contract for the dualisation of the 45 kilometres Osogbo-Ikirun- Kwara State Boundary Road. Though a federal road, which was constructed in the 70s, the expressway had become a minefield to road users.

    The dualisation was segmented into three phases of Osogbo-Dagbolu (International Market) to Alamisi Market in Ikirun (9.52 kilometers); Osogbo (Old-garage) to Ikirun junction road (20.5 kilometers) and Ikirun-Ila-Odo- Kwara State Boundary road (16.5 kilometers).

    Besides, government awarded N3.3 billion contract for the construction and rehabilitation of selected roads in four communities, which included the Iwo-Ejigbo Road (35.20kilometres), Ede-Ara Ejigbo Road (30.7 kilometres), and Ejigbo-Aye-Oguro Road (Alaase village), which shares boundary with Oyo State.

    Also under construction or nearing completion include eight roads inherited from past administration totalling 144.29 kilometres, dualisation of Osogbo-Kwara boundary road totalling 43.37 kilometres and dualisation of Gbongan-Orile-Owu-Ijebu Igbo Road.

    Others under rehabilitation are 15 Ilesa township roads, 14 Ede township roads, 20 intercity roads totalling 319 kilometres, 13 intra-city roads totalling 79.46 kilometres and rehabilitation of select roads in six zones totalling 74.1 kilometres.

    The state introduced another innovation only peculiar to Osun. The governor flagged off a 218 km with minimum of 10-kilometre road per local government project on December 31, 2012 with a whopping sum of N16 billion.

    And by January 8, he paid N5.5 billion to major contractors handling the 218 kilometres in all the local government. Similar amount would be released to the contractors when the projects, which has maximum of nine-month completion period, are 40 percent completed. This kind of project is first of its kind in Nigeria no doubt!

    The state government had since 2010 been saving the Excess Crude funds of all the local governments in the state towards this 10-kilometre road per local government project to the tune of N10 billion, out of which N6 billion was drawn for the project. To be certain, the 281km roads are local government projects which is being supervised by the state government.

    • Owolabi is of the Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the governor of the State of Osun.

  • Witch-killing and Africans

    There is a growing incident of lynching and murder of suspected witches in different parts of Africa. This wave of witch hunting targets elderly people particularly women. In Nigeria, a court has rejected the bail application of three persons accused of killing a 70-year old woman, Mrs Rebecca Adewumi, for witchcraft. Mrs Adewumi was accused of being responsible for the sickness of a local evangelist. She was dragged to the palace of the monarch, where she was forced to drink local concoctions. The concoctions were given to her to make her confess or die within seven days. But after seven days she did not confess or die. Subsequently local thugs stormed her house. They dragged her under the rain and flogged her. According to a family member, her attackers scrapped her hair with broken bottles and used a big scissors to cut her fingers, then placed her on a tyre and set her ablaze.

    And in Benue state in Central Nigeria, a middle aged man, Vincent Igwe of Enyikpe Ulayi community in Ado local government area was mudered by his siblings for witchcraft. He was reportedly hacked to death by his brothers who accused him of being responsible for ‘unusual happenings and strange deaths in the family and community’.

    In Kenya, a 79 -year old man was killed for practicing witchcraft. Thomas Barawa was hacked to death by his attackers who stormed his house around midnight. Last summer, more than seven people including Barawa’s wife were murdered in Kilifi district for practicig witchcraft.

    In November, a 70-year old woman alleged to be a witch was battered to death by two men in Lesotho in Southern Africa. The woman was said to be mentally ill. She lost her mind and was roaming the streets when he encountered these two men who were returning from a bar. The two men pounced on her, after she allegedly waved a stick at them, and beat her to death. The waving of a stick was reportedly taken by her attackers to be a kind of muti- a practice which many people in Southern Africa associate with magic and witchcraft.

    And in Malawi, a 29 year old man, Wadson Zalimba is in police custody for killing the grandmother, Estere Minduwe for practicing witchcraft. According to the report, Minduwe often quarrelled with the grandchildren and they accused her of being a witch and of being responsible for the misery in their lives. On this fateful day, some quarrel ensued while Zalimba and his siblings were making mockery of their grandmother. Zalimba threw a big stone on the grandmother which landed on her head and caused a deep cut. She was later pronounced dead in a local hospital.

    Tracking cases of attack, torture, killing, lynching of people suspected to be witches across the region has become a daunting task. Most of the killings take place in rural poor communities and the victims are often vulnerable members of the population. So just a few of the cases are reported to the police or by the media. The cases that are reported are actually a tip of the iceberg of the savage treatment being meted out against suspected witches and wizard in the region.

    Poverty, misery, frustration, desperation and hopelessness have driven many Africans to look for scape goats or somebody to hold responsible or blame for the ills of the society. Many Africans consult and rely on spiritual healers and diviners, prophets, imams and pastors who often attribute social problems to malevolent magic and witchcraft. Witches are generally percieved to be enemies of the society. So suspicion of witchcraft evokes feelings of hatred, anger and vengance. People react violently towards anyone identified as a witch in a family or community. People believe a witch deserves no mercy or compassion. They believe a witch should be tortured and suffered to die as written in the christian scripture.

    Efforts by state authorities to combat this cultural scourge has so far proved ineffective. The reason is that sometimes authorities do not want to take action that would go against local tradition or offend the cultural sensibilities of the people. And in some countries like Cameroun, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe the law recognizes witchcraft as an offence.

    There is no evidence that witches exist outside human imagination or that witches cause death misery and accidents as most Africans believe. Unfortunately, people are traditionally brought up to associate evil acts and misfortune with the occult. This mentality is reinforced by the dogmas and doctrines of the dominant religions of Christianity and Islam. In many parts of Africa, diviners, magicians and soothsayers, pastors, imams and prophets exist, operate and market their paranormal wares. Churches, shrines and faith clinics proliferate. Their growing business of divination and exorcism has made it difficult to combat this mistaken belief and the suffering and death it is causing in the region. African governments and peoples must rise to the occasion and help define a new era in the history of the continent. Africans -in Africa and in Diaspora- must join hands and bring an end to the wave of witch hunting ravaging the region. Witch killing must stop. Witch killers must be stopped.

     

    Igwe writes from University of Bayreuth, Germany

  • Issues in NTA-StarTimes agreement

    I was elated and surprised recently when I read in the newspapers that StarTimes, the Chinese-owned and operated pay television company was launching DVB-T 2 decoders in the Nigerian market. Elated because I am aware that T2 decoder is the latest technology has to offer in that area; and surprised that the Chinese company had been selling something less to Nigerians before now.

    The decoders StarTimes’ was selling before now use the first generation Digital Video Broadcast Terrestrial technology, which has been phased out in a number of African countries like Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. These countries, in readiness for the digital migration deadline, have adopted Digital Video Broadcast Terrestrial (DVB-T2), the second generation decoders, as the standard for digital broadcasting. The sale of first generation decoders by StarTimes implies that subscribers may be faced with unpleasant consequences at the expiration of the digital migration deadline. Though an upgrade from DVB-T to DVB-T2 technology is a possibility, attempting to upgrade after the digital switchover may cost subscribers more. DVB-T is not compliant with DVB-T2. This may necessitate a recall of the first generation decoders and a need by subscribers to buy new decoders not long after buying the ones they currently use.

    The authorities in Kenya and Uganda have banned the importation of DVB-T, the first generation decoders.

    In Uganda, the deadline for a halt to the use of DVB-T expired on 21 December 2012. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda’s ICT minister, was quoted as warning Ugandans against further purchase of DVB-T (T1) decoders. “Before, you purchase any decoder, inquire which technology it is. If it is DVB-T1, don’t buy or else you stand to lose as the decoder will expire at the end of the year. The adoption of DVB-T2 technology means that we must ban the importation and sale of the old technology (DVB-T1). It will affect many people but it is the right thing to do,” Rugunda told Uganda’s Daily Monitor last year. Last July, Kenya, also announced a ban on the importation of the analogue broadcast technology.

    As far back as 2008, Nigeria, according to Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, NBC Director-General, had committed to the DVB-T2 technology. Yet, when StarTimes kicked off in the country in 2010, it treated the commitment with indifference by selling T-1 decoders.

    But why, despite the country’s commitment to T-2 since 2008, did the regulator allow StarTimes to sell first generation decoders to Nigerians? For some obscure reasons, the Joint Venture, JV, agreement between the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, and Star TV Network Limited has escaped the headlights of public scrutiny. This, inevitably, has granted a free rein to StarTV Network Limited, promoters of StarTimes, to provide Digital Terrestrial Television, DTT, in Nigeria. The JV agreement produced NTA/StarTV Network, in which the NTA has 30 per cent shareholding. This cost the Federal Government N750million, paid on behalf of the NTA to the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, in form of operating licence fee.

    The agreement started running on March 1, 2010, initially as a trial, before being fully launched on July 29, 2010, four months after. But there are issues which are festering because of public disinterest in scrutiny. Closely examined, the NTA is involved in something akin to a master-serf relationship. For one, the purpose of the agreement, according to the website of NTAStarTV Network Limited, is “to provide digital pay television services to Nigerians”. But this is contrary to what the Federal Government prescribed as mandate of the agreement.

    Specifically, the Federal Government mandated NTAStarTV Network Limited to assist the country in its bid to realise the aims of digital migration, the deadline of which is January 1, 2015.

    Though the agreement allows the parties involved to provide part pay-TV and part free-to-air services on their DTT platform, NTAStarTV Network only provides pay TV service. A clasping evidence of this is provided by the expiry of subscription. When subscription expires, viewers are immediately disconnected from the pay-TV platform as well as the free-to-air channels. This way, subscribers’ freedom to information is effectively abridged.

    Another issue is the promotion of unfair competition. The absence of a local legislation on competition has engendered an anti-competitive spirit. According to the terms of the JV agreement, the NTA is forbidden from entering into any relationship with another broadcaster, satellite or terrestrial, and was compelled to annul those entered into prior to the agreement. The NTA was thus a victim of its own agreement!

    On account of its relationship with such broadcasters, it had a steady income stream from monies paid for the shared sites. The annulment of the relationship, naturally, turned off the income tap.

    The potential for further erosion of Nigeria’s interest is also contained in the Digital Migration Whitepaper, which many knowledgeable people in the industry say recommends that the government will licence a minimum of two or a maximum of three signal distributors when the transition analogue to digital terrestrial technology begins.

    The government has constituted a Digital Implementation Team, which is made up of industry experts and stakeholders in both the private and public sectors. On account of its 157 transmission sites across the country, the NTA has been recommended as the public broadcasting signal distributor. One of the team’s first steps may be the ratification of the NTA as the signal distributor. This will make NTA the custodian of all distribution frequencies in the country and operators will have no other option other than to go to the NBC for licensing and the NTA for their respective lashings of frequencies.

    Ordinarily, this does not appear inimical. But with the NTA/StarTimes combo in place, the implication may be that the responsibility for a matter as sensitive as broadcasting is effectively in the hands of a Chinese firm. NTA, for instance, is performing no technological role in relation to the Direct Terrestrial Television roll-out, having conceded this to StarTimes.

    Also, the NTA, as the public signal distributor, will have almost unlimited control over broadcasters, who will be dependent on it for frequencies. Any operator that shows signs of irritation with the arrangement may have to face grotesque consequences. The dice, as it is, is heavily loaded against other players in the industry.

    • Adigun, journalist and public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

  • Why farmers need phones

    The widespread diffusion of ICT, particularly mobile phones is known to have the potential of bridging the digital divide as well as alleviating poverty through the direct and indirect job creation. Mobile money has now become an imperative factor for financial inclusion and the key driver of funds from the informal sector to the formal/banking sector.

    The lack of access to a broader set of financial options in rural areas represents a potential constraint to entrepreneurship and the ability to undertake socially and privately profitable investment projects. Participants are geographically scattered, financial transactions are small and rural incomes tend to be unstable.

    Narrowing the digital divide is not a subject of debate. It is fundamental to the nation’s goal of becoming one of the top 20 largest economies in the world by the year 2020. Nigeria presently has an estimated population of 160 million people with the number of unbanked populations placed at about 70 per cent. Because it is upon this category of people that Nigeria depends for local supply of food, the agricultural sector has a huge transformational prospect in this case. It is critical and important for financial inclusion.

    The cell phone is a portable, revolutionary tool. More people in the world have access to mobile phones than they have to running water, electricity, or even toilets. It comes across as a tool for bringing the rural dwellers into the mainstream economies. As of May 2012, Nigeria’s mobile telecommunications subscribers’ base hit 101.1 million. According to the African Journal of Business Management, published on 15 February, 2012, majority, about 70 per cent of the population in developing countries, particularly in Africa, live in rural areas and have no access to financial services.

    In Nigerian agriculture, the women occupy a significant position numerically and in terms of volume of activities. Nigerian women farmers constitute 70 per cent of the country’s agricultural workforce and produce 80 per cent of the country’s food, yet most of them lack access to almost everything that could make farming worthwhile and gainful. They are not only susceptible to the whims and caprices of weather; they also face challenges such as lack of funds, inadequate agricultural information, inability to preserve farm produce, and poor access to the market. Others are lack of information about crop production, pest control, treatment of animals, economic and health information.

    The time has come for Nigeria, a developing country, to enhance the contribution of women entrepreneurs to the creation of meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities and poverty alleviation. Improving access to financial services, including savings accounts, can make all the difference. Women are considered good savers, and research has demonstrated that they are more likely to reinvest their savings in their families and communities.

    The World Bank notes that gender equality is smart economics as it can raise productivity, improve other development outcomes, including prospects for the next generation, and contribute to more representative decision making in societies. However, various researches have shown that one of the easiest ways to enhance financial inclusion is by enhancing women’s welfare and participation in the nation’s economy.

    Recognising that ICT holds great potential for rural dwellers, particularly female farmers, President Goodluck Jonathan, in his widely reported 2013 budget presentation to a joint session of the National Assembly, said his administration will give millions of mobile phones to women farmers. The president had explained that “these ministries are signing MOUs with the Ministry of Women Affairs to deliver on specific services for women.” According to him: “The Ministry of Agriculture, for example, will work with its ICT counterpart to ensure that five million women farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs receive mobile phones to be able to access information on agro-inputs through an e-wallet scheme,” and announced that “N3bn has been set aside to be disbursed to participating MDAs as incentives for them to deliver on these targets.”

    Prior to that time, however, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, had announced government’s plan to distribute 10 million mobile phones to smallholder male and female farmers, beginning from 2013, in equal proportion for both genders. The minister had said that the phones would carry features such as information on climatic conditions, market prices of farm produce, extension workers and how farmers can access agricultural funds. He explained that the initiative was aimed at subsidising the cost of major agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser and seeds. “By that the farmers can get information on planting seasons. We cannot do that by newspapers, we need to have something they can relate with in local languages,” he had said.

    Experts have observed that five million mobile phones in the hands of women farmers will create a platform for multiple services with the overall aim of improving the economic standing of the poor farmers. It is interesting to note that the mobile money initiative that began in Africa is being exported to other continents, including the developed countries. Other countries in the Americas and Asia are preparing to launch their own mobile money services as well.

    Around the world, millions of smallholders are facing effects of climate change. Extreme or erratic rains, flood and drought threaten their livelihoods. Most of the farmers work five hectares or less, often in remote areas. With a population estimated at 167 million people, 25.4 million bank accounts and over 90 million phone subscribers subscribing to mobile payment, Nigeria promises to become Africa’s biggest mobile money market. The compelling needs of millions of unbanked Nigerians are expected to drive the country’s mobile money volume to surpass Kenya’s celebrated 9.5 million M-PESA subscribers among its 39 million people. Massive use of cell phones by rural farmers can create thousands of rural jobs for some local service providers. Feedback from a group of farmers in Ondo State has shown that “they want extension to be strengthened.” By what means could that be done most easily, especially given their recognition of the fact that they need inputs and that rural road conditions need to be addressed? They have indirectly substantiated why they need phones but were not able to establish firmly the rationale because of concerns for charging their batteries. Their problem actually presents an opportunity in the sense that a business can be spawned from this gap they have identified.

    If road access is a problem and farmers see their need for inputs, it means they are better off with phones that save them time, reduce their trouble and uncertainty and remove the risks of making needless trips. Some extension services can be personalised and delivered on phones. This will make it easier to reach more beneficiaries, especially as there is a prevailing problem of low ratio of extension officers to farmers. A few will be able to serve more farmers, overcoming the logistic barriers and making a better use of time and other key resources, yet achieving more in agricultural productivity.

    • Dr. Oyeleye is media aide to the Honourable Minister of Agriculture