The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Can republicans adapt?

    Can republicans adapt?

    His was one that the Republicans really should have won. Given the weak economy, American voters were open to firing President Obama. In Europe, in similar circumstances, one government after another lost re-election. And, at the beginning of this year, it looked as if the Republicans might win control of the United States Senate as well.

    Yet it wasn’t the Democrats who won so much as the Republicans who lost — at a most basic level, because of demography. A coalition of aging white men is a recipe for failure in a nation that increasingly looks like a rainbow.

    Schadenfreude may excuse Democrats’ smiles for a few days, but these trends portend a potential disaster not just for the Republican Party but for the health of our political system. America needs a plausible center-right opposition party to hold Obama’s feet to the fire, not just a collection of Tea Party cranks.

    So liberals as well as conservatives should be rooting for the Republican Party to feel sufficiently shaken that it shifts to the center. One hopeful sign is that political parties usually care more about winning than about purism. Thus the Democratic Party embraced the pragmatic center-left Bill Clinton in 1992 after three consecutive losses in presidential elections.

    That was painful for many liberals, who cringed when Clinton interrupted campaigning in the 1992 primary to burnish his law-and-order credentials by overseeing the execution of a mentally impaired murderer. But it was, on balance, less painful than losing again.

    You would expect the Republican Party to make a similar lurch to the center. But many Republican leaders still inhabit a bubble. It was stunning how many, from Karl Rove to Newt Gingrich, seemed to expect a Mitt Romney victory. And some of the right-wing postmortems are suggesting that Romney lost because he was too liberal — which constitutes a definition of delusional.

    Imagine what would have happened if the Republican nominee had been Gingrich or Rick Santorum. We surely would have seen a Democratic landslide.

    On the other hand, if the Republicans had nominated Jon Huntsman Jr., they might have been the ones celebrating right now. But he had no chance in Republican primaries because primary voters are their party’s worst enemy.

    Part of the problem, I think, is the profusion of right-wing radio and television programs. Democrats complain furiously that Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity smear the left, but I wonder if the bigger loser isn’t the Republican Party itself. Those shows whip up a frenzy in their audience, torpedoing Republican moderates and instilling paranoia on issues like immigration.

    All this sound and fury enmeshes the Republican Party in an ideological cocoon and impedes it from reaching out to swing-state centrists, or even understanding them. The vortex spins ever faster and risks becoming an ideological black hole.

    In 2002, a book was published called “The Emerging Democratic Majority.” It argued that Democrats would gain because of their strength in expanding demographics such as Hispanics, Asian-Americans and working women. It seemed persuasive until Republicans clobbered Democrats in the next couple of elections.

    But perhaps that book was ahead of its time. This was the first election in which Hispanic voters made up a double-digit share of the electorate, according to CNN exit polls — 10 percent, doubledfrom 1996 — and more than 7 out of 10 Hispanic voters supported Obama.

    That wasn’t inevitable. In 2004, exit polls suggested that President George W. Bush received 44 percent of the Hispanic vote. But Republicans became obstructionist on immigration and then veered into offensive demagogy in opposing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. The Hispanic vote tumbled by increasing numbers into the Democrats’ laps.

    Then there are women. The paternalistic comments about rape by a few male Republican candidates resonated so broadly because they reflected the perception of the G.O.P. as a conclave of out-of-touch men. As Representative Todd Akin of Missouri might put it, when a candidate emerges with offensive views about rape, “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Namely, they vote Democratic.

    America is changing. After this election, a record 20 senators will be women, almost all of them Democrats. Opposition to same-sex marriage used to be a way for Republicans to trumpet their morality; now it’s seen as highlighting their bigotry.

    By the time President Obama had waded through a convoluted answer about health care — “He’s not mentioning voucher-care?”someone called out — a pall had fallen over the room. When the president closed by declaring, “This was a terrific debate,” his re-election team grimaced. There was the obligatory huddle to discuss how to explain his performance to the nation, and then a moment of paralysis: No one wanted to go to the spin room and speak with reporters.

    Mr. Romney’s advisers monitored the debate up the hall from the Obama team, as well as at campaign headquarters in Boston. Giddy smiles flashed across their faces as their focus groups showed the same results.

    “Boy, the president is off tonight,” said Stuart Stevens, the senior Romney strategist, sounding mystified, according to aides in the room. Russ Schriefer, a senior adviser, immediately began planning television spots based entirely on clips from the debate. As it drew to a close, Gail Gitcho, Mr. Romney’s communications director in Boston, warned surrogates heading out to television studios: “No chest thumping.”

    An astonishing 45 percent of Obama voters were members of minority groups, according to The Times’s Nate Silver. Many others were women or young people. That’s the future of America, and if the Republican Party remains a purist cohort built around grumpy old white men, it is committing suicide. That’s bad not just for conservatives, but for our entire country.

    – New York Times

     

  • Healthcare: Letter to President Jonathan

    Healthcare: Letter to President Jonathan

    Your Excellency, you will recall I wrote you sometime in September of this year expressing my dismay over the sorry state of Nigeria’s education system. I did promise to write you shortly to express the disenchantment of Nigerians on a variety of issues and this time I have elected to start with health care.

    Time and again we have witnessed unnecessary deaths as a result of insufficient and very poor medical services offered all over Nigeria. The most painful scenarios are when the victims of these poor healthcare systems in place and their families know they could have pulled through with better services

    It beats my imagination that 21st century Nigeria, a country that is one of the largest producers of crude oil in the world cannot offer free medical care to her citizens or even when not free, a quality and well subsidized medical care. There is nothing more shameful than this situation and one would have thought that it should be your first priority to increase the live span of the average Nigerian through quality healthcare. Every year we lose thousands of people from the increasing occurrences of kidney, heart and cancer ailments and yet we think it is normal. Nigerians raise monies to take their own to India but a responsible government should have taken a bold step to intervene in these sufferings by inviting the Indians health professionals to perform the surgical operations in Nigeria at the expense of the government.

    Just recently, the governor of Taraba State Mr. Suntai was involved in a plane crash and I learned he has been flown to Germany for “better medical attention” and my question remains why do we not have a solid system in place to take care of such emergencies? After all these years, it is a crying shame that we still have to rely on the West for medical emergencies such as Mr. Suntai’s crash. I do not know of Mr. Suntai’s personal finances and I am not sure who would pick up the bill for his treatment in Germany but I strongly doubt whether this government would assist any “less important” Nigerian that finds himself in Mr. Suntai’s shoes. This is another glaring example of placing a premium on the life of a few Nigerians over the rest of the people even when in fact these people (the former) have not paid any amount of money for health insurance coverage to this government to warrant any special treatment. My own points of view are simple and they are as follows;

    1) Comprehensive healthcare for all irrespective of status- Nigeria must adopt a system that resembles the NHS trust in the United Kingdom but without placing undue burden on the salaries of the working class people. We must take care of our own by investing heavily in the health sector through providing up to date medical training and upgrading available facilities, using those hospitals which “you” people visit in Europe and America as models.

    2) It is time to truly perform turnaround maintenance of our health institutions. We need specialist doctors all over Nigeria. We need quality training of medical staff and we need a stable system that does not close because of strikes. I was reliably informed in 2009, that the teaching hospital at Enugu did not have functional indoor plumbing. Patients and their families had to rely on buying water in order to meet their needs. Imagine a teaching hospital of that nature without water, what kind of medicine were people practicing there in the first place? There should be a special task force on revamping these comatose institutions for better efficiency. Re-training of our healthcare workers to respond to emergencies is so imperative.

    Ugoo Anieto

    United States

  • Obama’s re-election implication for Nigeria

    Obama’s re-election implication for Nigeria

    President Barack Obama won against his hard fighting Republican opponent, former Governor Mitt Romney in the November 6th 2012 presidential election. Obama, the first ever black President of the most powerful nation in the World in history, was born to a white American mother and a black Kenyan father.

    Obama incidentally emerged as the youngest person to emerge President of the United States of America in 2008 at the age of 48 and as the 44th President of that country. Obama’s phenomenal spell in politics began when he was elected to the Illinois state Senate. Little wonder then that Obama is seen as the friend of the poor especially when during the campaigns, his rich rival Governor Romney was caught on tape castigating poor Americans for dodging payment of tax and even stated that almost 47 percent of Americans don’t pay income taxes.

    Obama’s re-election could be considered a tough victory considered to be one of America’s most expensive electoral contests in history with over six billion United States Dollars going down in the estimation of a commentator on the Cable News Network (CNN).

    America’s campaign funding mechanisms are however water tight and transparent. Substantially, the just concluded election was focused on the thematic issue of the declining economy of the United States even as the eventual winner and the incumbent President came under considerable pressure for failing to keep to virtually all of his noble electoral promises which he rode on to defeat senator John McCain of the Republican party in the 2008 presidential poll which became a landmark/watershed event for producing the first ever African- American president for the united States of America.

    Few months before the November 6th 2012 poll, the influential The Economist magazine of theUnited States ruled out the possibility of President Obama’s re-election on merit considering what the editorial team saw as Obama’s colossal failure to deliver on any of his lofty electoral pledges since four years of becoming President.

    For instance, theSeptember 1st-7th 2012 edition of The Economist magazine reduced the reasons why Obama may lose his re-election bid into one major issue- for importantly failing to create new Jobs and save the United States economy from a free fall.

    According to The Economist; “Three million more Americans are out of work than four years ago, and the national debt is $5trillion bigger. Partisan gridlock is worse than ever: healthcare reform, a genuinely impressive achievement, has become a prime source of rancour. Business folk are split over whether he dislikes capitalism or is merely indifferent to it. His global-warming efforts have evaporated. America’s standing in the Muslim world is no higher than it was under George W. Bush, Iran remains dangerous, Russia and China are still prickly despite the promised resets, and the prison in Guatanamo remains open.”

    The Economist wrote further; “The defense of Mr. Obama’s record comes down to one phrase: it could all have been a lot worse. He inherited an economy in free fall thanks to the banking crash and the fiscal profligacy that occurred under his predecessor; his stimulus measures and his saving of Detroit carmakers helped avert a second Depression; overall, he deserves decent if patchy grades on the economy. Confronted by obstructionist Republicans in Congress, he did well to get anything through at all. Abroad he has sensibly recalibrated American foreign policy. And there have been individual triumphs, such as the killing of Osama bin Laden.”

    For us in Africa, Obama’s emergence as the first ever black American President was interpreted to mean that our continent and our largely impoverished citizens may witness advancement and development given that the United States apart from being the world’s richest economy also ranks as the largest trade partner of much of Africa.

    Obama’s last four years has however been anything but good for Africa just as most analysts say Africa under Obama suffered the worst neglect in the framing and implementation of the United States foreign policy.

    Andrew Beatty, an analyst who contributed a well researched work to the Africans review online was of the considered opinion that Africans never benefited much from the last four years of the Obama administration.

    Mr. Beatty recollected that when President Obama paid his first post election visit to Africa beginning with a stop in the West African country of Ghana, the United States President told Africans in very lucid terms that as a man with African blood running in his veins, his administration would work to better the situation of the citizenry of Africa who are facing widespread poverty; corruption; terrorism; lack of proper democracy and totalitarianism. But did he fulfil these solemn pledges? This writer replied in the negative.

    Andrew Beatty however offered possible raison‘d’être for why Obama’s Africa’s dream are largely still unrealistic.

    He wrote thus;”But as America’s Great Recession deepened, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan trundled on and the Arab Spring exploded, sub-Sahara Africa found itself in a familiar spot; on the back-burner.”

    With his re-election, President Obama in his victory speech also indicated in very subtle way that Africa may indeed not benefit from his second term just as crude oil rich nations like Nigeria, Angola that currently rank as trading partners of the United States may lose out given that Obama has showed clear determination to free America from excessive dependency on foreign crude oil resources.

    His second term may be used to developed alternative sources of energy such as the green energy and if this scientific aspiration is achieved, Africa’s and Nigeria’s prized asset-crude oil will inevitably witness a decline in international price. Already, political elite of Nigeria have reportedly stolen over $400 billion from crude oil revenue since the last three decades.

    Addressing his supporters after his re-election, President Obama said;

    “Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together – reducing our deficit, reforming our tax code, fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.”

    Writing under the catchy title of “The rich and the rest of us” The Economist edition of October 13th-19th 2012 also indicated that Obama’s second term would be devoted to solving the rising inequality in America and this disclosure is another indication that Africa may not witness much assistance from the Barack Obama’s second term because he has shown remarkable readiness to practice the wise saying that “Charity begins at home”.

    The Economist magazine had written thus; “Over the past 30 years incomes have soared both among the wealthy and the ultra-wealthy. The higher up the income ladder, the bigger the rise has been. The result has been a huge, and widening, gap-financially, socially and geographically-between America’s elite and the rest of the country”.

    What Barack Obama’s re-election should truly mean for Africa is that Africans must work hard to bring the needed changes in our collective fortunes by fighting corruption, mounting pressure on the political elite to abide by the tenets of accountability and transparency before looking up to the United States of America for the big brother assistance.

    • Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria

  • Gbenga Omokhunu ‘Okada’ menace

    Many people living in Lagos would agree that in a manner that can largely be found as consistent, the Lagos State government has displayed that it is prepared to shoulder its responsibilities to the people, the environment, and of course the future of the city. The challenges and the threats confronting a city composed in the way that Lagos is, needs to be handled with great sense of duty and responsibility. Lagos has the potential of suddenly becoming unmanageable, and things can indeed spiral out of control. This possibility remain a constant headache and must occupy the attention of those who are in charge of managing the city.

    Functional and well-run cities across the world are managed within the ambit of visible and accountable leadership, strong laws, strong institutions, as well as a disciplined and committed citizenry. Today, the challenge of managing a thriving, livable and sustainable city has become even more arduous. Cities continue to draw and command serious attention. Countries are rated and taken more seriously on the strength of their cities. Cities are now major drivers of investment decisions. Investments that would end up driving the local economy on the path of development are contingent upon the quality and visible tracks of progressive and result-oriented city management. Cities have also become centres of national socialisations, as other city and town managers begin to benchmark, copy and emulate successful practices and models. Cities have not just local, but international attractions, and indeed define and bouy perceptions. When people come into your city, they can quite easily judge what kind of people you are.

    In Lagos, as in most parts of Nigeria, motorcycles are popularly referred to as Okada. The Okada phenomenon, also sometimes referred to as the Okada menace, has over time become one of the delicate touchpoints in Lagos. Depending on your side of the divide, arguments for and against it can be unassailable. It is within this prism that one can conclude that the hues and cries generated by the restriction of Okada to some routes in Lagos are not unexpected. And admittedly, this is not just by the practitioners, but of course users, also activists, political opponents and opportunistic critics and cynics.

    But it was not always like this! Until just a few years ago, Okada was virtually a non-existent feature in the consciousness of the average Lagosian. Though existed elsewhere, it was never considered as fit for this environment. Rather, we had the molues, the kabukabus, the danfos, and a few and far in-between taxis or cabs. And unlike what is beginning to emerge, the transportation system was badly structured, badly organised, largely informal, and could be described as a knocked-down engine. Government intervention in terms of the enabling environment and provision of physical infrastructure was minimal and not based on any sustainable strategy. However, with astronomical increase in population, unchecked urban expansion, sundry economic pressures and other city-related challenges, the okada trade jumped on Lagos and grew to become an invidious phenomenon.

    The most common argument against the okada trade from many quarters is the unacceptable rate of accident fatalities that have maimed and also claimed many lives. This argument cannot be overstressed.

    It does not matter the sentiments, we as a people need to stop succumbing lamely to dehumanising conditions in order to justify a living. What may be considered expedient, in most cases, is not necessarily dignifying. Part of the reasons we have come to this sorry pass as a people is that we have become people of very little sense of personal and collective dignity.

    A few years back, it was possible to get good barbers, tailors, mechanics, panel beaters, welders, vulcanisers, masons, builders and the likes. Today, the story is different. Pay a visit to any of such workshops these days, you would find only the sole proprietor doing all the work. In many instances, he is old and therefore declining in capacity and productivity. Ask why he is the only one in his workshop, he would tell you that all the young ones in the neighbourhood have taken up Okada as a trade. Therefore, we have stopped producing artisans and workmen! It is not an unfounded or far-fetched fact that we now rely on workmen from Ghana, Guinea, Togo, Benin Republic, etc.

    Even school children are riding okada! What kind of future are we envisaging?

    Anyone who has fallen victim of the rage of the okada riders would support any move to contain this menace. In their typical unruly manners, they do not obey traffic rules. They ignore traffic lights, ride on kerbs and flowers, meander through tight angles and columns, ane end up damaging anything in sight. They damage urban infrastructure and run away. They would break your vehicle lamps, tear down your bumper and damage your side mirror, and quickly bolt from the scene.

    Many of them also rob. They follow people as soon as they step out of the bank carrying anything that looks like cash. They rob them of the cash and leave them stunned, if they’re lucky not to have been shot. There are countless stories to tell.

    To change the face of Lagos, courageous leadership is a prerequsite. A few attempts to deliver on strong reforms have always been met with very stiff resistance from diverse quarters and many times with ulterior designs. One would recall a few years ago when the Ministry of Transportation came up with the idea of MOT testing for vehicles in Lagos. The idea was so badly received, lampooned, condemned and derided until the government abandoned it, the merits of it notwithstanding. The Bus Rapid System also suffered the same elite cynicism. All manner of complaints raged against it. Now BRT is working in Lagos. Of course many people would remember the days of na flower we go chop? Similarly, the Oshodi transformation process was not without its fair share of cynicism. Fortunately, government managed to successfully push it through. Today, we all point to it as one of the wonders of government performance.

    Government must set clear terms and limits of residency and behaviour for people within its borders. That necessity must not be allowed to be impinged. The alternative is chaos and lawlessness. Many of the people complaining today will simply fold up their activities in Lagos and return to their towns and villages. In a recent Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranking of the world’s best cities to live in, Lagos was ranked in the bottom top ten on liveability index. Of the top 20 cities that McKinsey has identified as growth hot spots for companies targeting young, entry level consumers, the list includes urban centres such as Lagos, Dar es Salaam, Ouagadougou, Kampala, Lusaka and Ibadan. However, according to MasterCard’s Index of Global Destination Cities, Cairo, Johannesburg, Casablanca, Nairobi and Tunis have been ranked as the top five destination cities in Africa. Lagos did not feature. These are grim statistics that should worry any serious government, and it underscores the fact that, in fact, Lagos needs much stronger actions, and urgently too.

    Lagos, no doubt, requires a modern, integrated and well-managed transportation system. Okada has no role to play. It is a misnomer and must not be allowed to become a permanent feature.

  • Ribadu-led petroleum task force

    Ribadu-led petroleum task force

    As it has once again turned out, the PDP administration from 2001-2011, according to Ribadu draft report, presided over the theft of N10 trillion worth of crude oil. In all, the entire nation lost about N16 trillion through all sorts of shady deals by PDP and its associates.

    Other findings include the loss of $29b from 2001- 2011, the theft of 250,000 barrels of crude oil daily within the same period and also the loss of a total of $183m in signature bonuses paid by oil companies to the federation.

    There were also reports of indebtedness of foreign oil firms to the nation such as Addax, now a unit of China’s state-owned Sinopec, which owes Nigeria $1.5 billion in unpaid royalties, part of a $3 billion black hole of unpaid bonuses and royalties owed by oil bonuses. Shell, the report also says, owes Nigeria’s government N137.57 billion ($874 million) for gas sold from its Bonga deep offshore field while oil majors owed $58 million between them for gas flaring penalties. They were also not adhering to newer higher fines.

    Among other recommendations, the Ribadu committee want the NNPC re-organised or be scrapped.

    Alison Madueke who sat on the KPMG report for months has also acknowledged receiving the draft of Ribadu’s report over a month ago without any action. She has however now disclosed that a committee had been set up by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to look into the “differences in perspective on the Ribadu committee report” and make an “input”.

    Dr Doyin Okupe’s heartache on the report however was that the report was illegally and prematurely released. According to him “what was irregularly released prematurely to the media is a draft copy which still requires full assent of all members of the committee and clarifications and due process from the originating ministry before the official handing over to the Presidency”. Like Dr Reuben Abati, who also found it strange that the report found its way to the pages of newspapers even before it was officially presented, he has once more reassured us of the president commitment to fighting corruption. There is however a curious parallel of views between the minister, the two government spokesmen, and the duo of Oronsaye and Otti who have tried to discredit Ribadu’s report.

    While no one can begrudge the president’s men for their views on their principal’s commitment to fighting corruption, Doyin Okupe’s attempt to distant the Jonathan administration from the monumental stealing going in government is an assault on Nigerians. Was it not under this government that the number of fuel importers jumped from about two dozen to over 140 out of which 25 are currently facing legal actions for swindling the nation of about N3 trillion? Even if Okupe thinks Nigerians suffer from collective amnesia, Nigerians could not have forgotten so soon the revelations from Lawan Farouk report which the government tried to discredit, or the findings from Aig Imokhuede-led technical committee set up by the government itself.

    On the current Ribadu findings which those who have just secured plum government jobs are trying to discredit, Ledun Mitte, chairman of National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) said would not have been necessary if the successive findings of the NEITI had been implemented. In fact in his opinion, the Ribadu’s committee report only reiterated the revelations that had come out of the successive NEITI reports that had shown that the nation was losing about $9.8 billion or N1.373 trillion in outstanding recoverable funds due to the federation account from oil companies.

    NEITI has so far conducted three different cycles of industry audits spanning the period 1999-2004, 2005 and 2006-2008. The statement stressed that each of the past NEITI audit reports clearly identified financial, physical and process lapses, and revealed a loss of some $2.6 billion due to underpayments, under-assessments, poor judgment in the computations of volume of crude sales and other leakages. Another round of comprehensive audit of the oil and gas sector for 2009- 20011 which began early in the year is expected to be concluded next month, December. In the light of the above, it is perhaps only government functionaries like Okupe and Alison-Madueke that have faith in government commitment to fighting corruption.

    Instead of addressing the cynicism of the governed, PDP that has proved over the years that it doesn’t just give a damn about the governed is busy attacking the opposition for performing its constitutional role of holding the ruling party accountable. What in a democracy is disrespectful in ACN’s argument that “both Orasanye and Otti should have resigned their membership of the committee the moment they were given the plum jobs to avoid the apparent conflict of interest. The fact that they stayed on, only to disparage the report of the task force so openly and ferociously at the end, is the clearest indication yet that they were meant to play that exact role of spoilers’’.

    In fact, that was the argument of Ribadu who was pained by the turn of events. According to him, most of the members saw their appointment as a call to duty when appointed in February, and therefore worked round the clock during the first three months. Steve (Orosanye), according to him, “never participated in any of the meetings for this work. And during the course of the committee work, Steve became a member of the board of the NNPC. And Mr. Otti became a director in NNPC. They chose to remain as members of the committee instead of resigning”.

    But as usual, government has an ally in Tribune that has always been too quick to help it identify its enemies. As part of effort to discredit the report, Tribune alleged that some politicians have hijacked the report. Quoting sources close to security, the paper claimed ‘A report in the custody of government indicates that a former presidential aspirant, who is still hopeful of contesting the 2015 election met on Saturday with a chieftain of one of the leading opposition parties in Abuja where the plot to hijack the Ribadu report as a launch-pad for the 2015 election was said to have been hatched.’

    PDP on its part, instead of showing remorse for the greed of its members is diverting attention from the issue at hand to pillory the opposition which is doing its job of keeping the government on its toes. As if the party forgets we are running a democracy, it is accusing the opposition of disrespect for the presidency.

    The Ribadu Draft Report is destined for the same fate as the KPMG report whose non-implementation, Olisa Agbakoba had described as a national embarrassment; like Lawan Farouk fuel subsidy scandal, about which Okonjo Iweala said “we are going to be very aggressive in recovering money owed government and block all revenue leakages”; and like Imokhuede’s technical report being half heartedly implemented.

  • FROM THE CELL PHONE

    FROM THE CELL PHONE

    For Gbenga Omotoso

     

    Nice write-up on Suntai and his hobby -flying. Please, is piloting an hobby? Anonymous.

    Re: A governor and his hobby: President Jonathan should realise that Governor Suntai’s life is not more precious than other victims’ lives. They all deserve to be well treated. From Kola

    Do you really think that if the others could not be treated here, they would not be flown abroad? The State can afford it. But I believe they were lucky to receive lesser injuries than the governor. Let us pray for their quick recovery instead of causing more pain to their families. From Barr. Bisi Idaomi, Abuja

    The ultimate measure of any man or woman is where he or she stands in times of conflict and controversy, not in times of comfort. Get well, come out and tell us where you stand, Suntai. From Alison, Nyanya Abuja.

    All are the children of God. All should be treated equally by the State. All of them made their allegiance to the State; and it is the duty of the State to protect life, property and ensure the fundamental rights of its citizens. In this, there is no difference between the leader and the led; and the rich and the poor. Let us not say they are equal but should be treated separately. Treat them all equally, without segregation because they are all the children of God. From DrYahaya Abubakar Muhammad, Abuja

    The government should listen to the distress call from well meaning Nigerians. I wish Governor Suntai quick recovery. From Ogwuegbu Augustine, Umuahia

    The Northerners who criticise and villify Niger Delta governors for being fiscally irresponsible are the same who maintain luxury aircraft to the detriment of their ailing state economies. It is a pity! From Ebiotu Samuel, Warri

    I enjoyed your article A governor and his hobby. Kudos, sir. From Alex Bolaji Omorodion

    As I sympathise with the Suntai over his health, I also wonder what he thought about his former deputy. Permit me to ask, can this be a reward? From Comrade Raphael O.

    It is only a jobless man that will abandon his duty post as governor in a near-moribund Taraba State to engage in flying. Our leaders live in a cave cocooned from the debilitating problems of the citizenry – hunger, disease, unemployment because they buy votes to win election. It is a pity for Nigeria! Anonymous

    I wish Suntai quick recovery, in Jesus name. From Obe Okafor, Port Harcourt

    Thanks for your article of November 1, 2012. It was too pungent as it is a clear case of man’s inhumanity to man. It is only in Nigeria that you have two types of grave yards – one for the rich and the other for the poor, forgeting that whether you are rich or poor we are all going to die and become manure. Since it is public funds that is going to be used for their treatment abroad, the authorities should not hesitate to fly Suntai’s aides abroad, for what is ‘good for the goose is also good for the gender.’ From Shehu Audu

    What is good for Governor Suntai is good for his five passengers. They should be flown overseas too because no life is more or less important than another. From Adoks .G. Akams. Abonnema.

    I wish him quick recovery but he was not elected to be a pilot. Let our leaders be more serious. A busy governor could not have cherished flying in the air. From Tayo Ogunremi, Emure, Ekiti State

     

    For Olatunji Dare

     

    Thank you for your write-up on Cardinal Onaiyekan. I am from Kabba, too. Tunji Cole is my name. It always gladdens my heart when people like you are from my home town. Thanks. Anonymous.

    Dear Dr Dare, your column today is vintage as usual. But I am texting you on some ‘biographical’ points. First, you mentioned the two secondary schools, Keffi and Okene, that I happened to have attended. When I was in Okene for Higher School Certificate (HSC), there was a junior boy who was Oniayekan, and who also happened to have been a goalkeeper! The boy, of course, is not the Cardinal, but here is my problem: I always thought our papers got the spelling of the Cardinal’s name wrong, for ‘Onaiyekan’ makes no meaning to me in Yoruba whereas ‘Oniayekan’ does, the name by which we knew that boy. Please, enlighten me. From Wole Ogundele.

    Your write up on Cardinal Onaiyekan was great. It was clear; no one can contest it. Do take care, sir. From Dr Megbelayin.

    Politicians who failed to become governors in their states are the ones agitating for more states and not the people. From Funsho Lagos.

    Good and beautiful write up on Cardinal Onaiyekan. He is, indeed, Eniti aiyekan. From Kunle James Dukiya

    I loved reading your write up on Cardinal Onaiyekan. From Ajiro Diden, Portharcourt

    Prof, thanks for the beautiful piece you did on one of my few Nigerian heroes, Dr. John Onaiyekan. Though, I dare say, i should thank the Cardinal for giving you a subject on which you could honestly write a positive comment. Dr Onaiyekan is a biographer’s delight anyday. Do have a blessed day, Sir. Best regards. From Femi Ajayi.

    Dear Dr Dare, I have just read your splendid tribute to my Catholic brother-in-Christ Cardinal Onaiyekan. I know him slightly – he expressed readiness a few years ago to write the Foreword to my book, but I did not press him knowing how busy he was. I may have written to you before now to say that you are one of the greatest journalists whose writings I have read since I first came to Nigeria in 1963. As Nigerian English says, more grease to your elbow! And best wishes. From Prof David Jowitt, UNIJOS.

    Your writ-up on Cardinal Onaiyekun is the most beautiful piece you have ever written. Uncle, God bless you. Better still, you should come for inaugural blessing by the Cardinal. Anonymous.

    Thank you for that excellent, illuminating piece on Archbishop John Onaiyekan, our Cardinal. Anonymous.

    Indeed, he is a man of God. Dear Dr Dare, neither you nor His Lordship Dr Onaiyekan knows me. I first met the Cardinal when he was invited to NIPSS to deliver a lecture by the late General Garba. Since then, I have been admiring this Man of God. The first time I met him, I saw humility and decency. After the lecture, I concluded that he is not only a Nigerian per excellent but, indeed, a patriotic one. Please, convey my best wishes to him. From Hon Takori mni.

    Cardinal Onaiyekan was predicted by TIME Magazine in 2002 to join the College of Cardinals. The publication cost him the elevation. You’ve vindicated him. Thanks for the concise expose on him. Anonymous.

    Thank you for your captivating treatise on Cardinal Onaiyekan. Indeed, he is a man of God and a peace maker. I pray the Almighty God to elevate him to the top echelon of the Catholic Church. He has endeared himself to both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. From Shuaibu Ibrahim.

    Your write up on Cardinal Onaiyekan is indepth yet brilliantly brief. Kudos, sir! He’s a rare gem in the clerical circle; a gift not only to the Catholic Church but the entire Black race. He’s my type of a gentleman, a scholar and a saint. AVE IOHANNES. From Emmanuel Ekundayo, a product of Oro Grammar Schoool

    Your treatise on Cardinal Onaiyekun is super. I enjoyed your prose. The Cardinal – he belongs to the lost tribe of sane men that left this nation long time ago. What we have left are demons! May he end up a Pope. From Olanegan Taiwo Akure.

    Sir, Isanlu is now in Kogi State, Yagba East Local Government, some people may confuse it with Isanlu-Isin of Kwara Sstate. St Kizito is in Isanlu, Kogi State. From Dr Ekundayo

    I loved your on Cardinal Onaiyekun and I not only agree with him but corroborate his succinct description of the man, the new Cardinal. ‘Like father like son’ would aptly apply to this amiable genius. His father was a God-fearing man of impeccable character. He raised his children in the fear of God and dedicated each one to serve God in whatever human endeavour they chose. I congratulate the new Cardinal and pray that he will continue to faithfully serve the sovereign God until his life’s end. From Yetunde, Kabba

    Here in Nigeria, we have many archbishops of outstanding vocation and brilliance who would have made very good Cardinals. However, for reasons best known to the Papacy, they are not recognised until age disqualifies them. Nigeria deserves more Cardinals. I congratulate Cardinal Onaiyeikan for passing through the eyes of the needle. AD MULTOS ANNOS. From Dr Charles Uka.Owerri.

    Why not do a biography on Cardinal Onaiyekan? It will be vintage,’At Home Abroad’. Thank you, for Ave Iohannes, Cardinal Onaiyekan. From lchie Emma Ezeh,FCE,Eha-Amufu,Enugu State

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

     

    Your write-up of November 4 titled ‘The teacher in Governor Wamakko’ refers: Frankly, Tunji, I have no stomach for your argument against the flogging of some PHCN staff in Sokoto State. Believe me, the Sokoto State PHCN staff can hold the state to ransom only because those in power today are themselves clueless. The level of corruption and wastage in public office now requires much more than the 1984 tactics of Buhari/Idiagbon to whip Nigerians back into line. Anonymous.

    Tunji your piece on the flogging of Mr Osigwe of the PHCN by His Excellency, Governor Wamakko is to me a drama of the century which looks like a fiction in movies. Honestly, two wrongs do not make a right. Many people will attest to it that he deserves the punishment meted to him. I was a victim of PHCN ineptitude; I lost so much money without anything to show for it. Other sanctions would have been preferably applied. I sympathise with Mr Osigwe. This may make him sit up next time … Anonymous.

    Haba, Governor Wamakko! A little patience would have solved the problem than flogging a mature man like that. Wamakko should know that there could be a role reversal tomorrow. His action has opened the doors to the public to do anything to PHCN officials, who then protects them? From Junaid K. Kreni.

    Tunji, I love your style, you are always hilarious the way you say the truth. His Excellency should have spared the rod and allowed the already spoilt child to get rotten. God will help us. Anonymous.

    As I am talking to you, I have not had light for three days, yet I pay a fixed amount of N4,500 every month as electricity bill. I sometimes go without light for one week; I do not support your view that Gov Wamakko should apologise to PHCN. If I had the opportunity, I would flog PHCN staff, they are very wicked people who will collect money from you and still keep you in darkness. Is that not robbery? From Charles, Abuja.

    Thanks for a thorough piece in your column of October 28. Indeed, ‘Okada’ is a menace to any civil society. The Japanese and Chinese manufacturers do not abuse them as some people do in our land where there is no rule. For me, ‘Okada’ should be banned at all levels. And politicians should stop such evil gifts as youth empowerment or death programme. Thank you. From Gift, Port Harcourt.

    Thanks for your write-up on the ‘Okada’ issue, you’ve fully aired the point I have been making to my southern brothers. From Eias.

    The ‘Okada’ wahala affects all Nigerians and that is evidence of failure of leadership/governance. May God help us. From Oduah, Ibadan.

  • Orji Kalu and the burden of history

    Orji Kalu and the burden of history

    I must have to say it that former governor of Abia State Orji Uzo Kalu is wasting his talent. My strong belief is that since he has exhausted all his bags of tricks and deceit in the political arena, the only option available to him, since he is bent on circulating public mischief is to pick a role in the entertainment industry and give Mr. Ibu (John Okafor) and Osuofia (Nkem Owoh) of the Nollywood fame, a run for their money in acting as clowns.

    Always dabbling into political gamble on the deluded impression that every body is capable of being hoodwinked, Kalu appears to be a very poor student of history. In the past weeks, he has embarked on the Nicodemus mission to launch himself into relevance within the political firmament. And what other topic could have presented him a platform than the burning issue of 2015 Presidency. What an irony or tragic comedy that of all the serious-minded leaders of Igbo extraction, it is Orji Uzor Kalu that is now shouting hoax that an Igbo should be president in 2015. Good talk and possible mission, one will say. But the truth will in future hunt those who to bury it yesterday for today’s vainglorious acquisition, which is what Orji Kalu has done with the Igbo conscience.

    While the intention of this piece is not the dwell on his latest contrived mischief, it is pertinent to remind all Igbo including those who had not come of age then, that the only time an Igbo man had assiduously worked to clinch Nigeria’s Presidency for real, was at the February 27 1999 Jos Convention of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, where an when the untainted and authentic Igbo son, Alex Ekwueme ran a powerful campaign for the ticket of the PDP then, but saw the god-father of betrayal from his own brother Kalu who in alliance with his masters, played out his spoiler-nature, and as a good errand boy, made sure Ekwueme did not succeed. This also due to the personal ambition he had which he felt then will clash with overall interest of Ndigbo.

    That was how he sold out his brother and mortgaged the future of his kinsmen. The truth is that there are situations that arise in life when in the face of hydra-headed calamities one is forced to throw away the baby alongside the bath water, which is the stage Ndigbo should deal with Orji Uzo Kalu now in reaction to his latest ranting.

    The recent outpour of emotions and respect to the former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme whom Kalu hates to love is a loud attestation that Ndigbo truly know their destination despite what secret and evil plots the mischievous elements among them are hatching. How can a race of intellectually endowed and superb mortals settle for less in their search for a leader? God forbid.

     

    Who says it rains? No, it pours. As if that is not enough, feelers indicate that Abia State government has concluded plans to probe the era Kalu called the shots in the state, even as the authorities and the judiciary are yet to conclude his criminal trial for embezzlement of funds belonging to the state.

    From the reports from Umuahia, the present administration believes that the former governor should be made to explain and untie knots behind Infrastructure Development Funds during his time. This is money alleged to have been diverted by the former governor while in office. The move by the state seems to be the joker that has started giving Uzor Kalu the pimples. He has immediately fired back at the authorities in Umuahia.

    But rather than address the issues raised by his accusers, he chose to engage in argument against the man, by hauling unfounded allegations against the governor and his family. In a recent statement, Kalu alleged that the governor has used up resources of the state to buy up estates abroad while servicing the wallet of his sponsors. This is quite interesting. A monkey now catches monkeys.

    It is also s sign of Armageddon to hear a character like Kalu pontificate about what he did in Abia as governor when it is common knowledge to those born even after he left office that the infrastructure and economy of a once budding state was brought prostrate and comatose owing to the greed of this one-chance politician and his rapacious family.

    Kalu also spoke of roads he did as well as obligatory payment of salaries. Yet, he lacked the honour which is even a virtue among thieves to admit that he bequeathed unimaginable network of dilapidated roads and infrastructure as well as years of arrears of pension and severance allowance of public officers who served under him, including legislators to the incumbent governor. To further show his moral bankruptcy, an Orji Kalu dared to talk about development of the state capital under his administration. What a shameful claim coming from a man who presided over Abia as if fighting an ancestral war with the people of Umuahia, a reason many thought made him relegate the capital city to the status of a global village, while channelling resources and attention to his native Igbere.

    Posterity will always be the judge. Thank God that today the governor who is on the saddle is conscious of history. Thank God he has put down monumental structures and edifices that will save him the stress of unfounded claim. His works will surely speak for him. And if only Kalu had remembered that his day of reckoning will come, he would have spared a thought to serve the people of Abia with all his heart. He would have spared the resources of the state. He would have saved the people of Abiriba from the manipulated crisis that took toil on the economy of the state until the incumbent came and restored the years lost to the locust. He would have thought of creating a better welfare and working conditions for the state Civil Service which he bastardized. He would have uplifted the infrastructure in the Judiciary. He would have left his footsteps on the sands of time. And there would have been no need for this heavy burden on him which he will continue to rue for a long time to come.

    But for now that he is caught in the web, whether as a repented apostle of Igbo emancipation or a “gamji” man who took more that the owners (Ndi-Abia) actually noticed, Orji Kalu being the architect of his current travails remains the very person to purge himself his mess.

     

    • Amanwandi writes from Awka.

  • Guilty as charged!

    LAST month, October 1, our country marked its 52nd Independence Anniversary. Less than one week after, many horrible, deplorable and awful things happened to fellow Nigerians in various parts of the nation – from the floods in Adamawa, Kogi, Anambra etc, to the killing of students in Mubi, to the barbaric jungle justice meted to four undergraduates of University of Port Harcourt. Some of these problems were caused by natural disasters and the others were man-made disasters!

    Now, the question I would like to ask is, “who is responsible?” Who is responsible for all this mayhem, lawlessness and anarchy in our country? Who is responsible for where we have found ourselves as a people? Who is responsible for the flood of corruption, depravity and decadence in the land? Who is responsible for the quicksand of violence, evil and wickedness that we have found ourselves neck deep in? How the heck did we get into this black hole of helplessness, fear, uncertainty and despair? How? Are we not all guilty as charged?

    Some of us may be quick to say, “Well, I am not one of those who have contributed to Nigeria’s problems and challenges, neither have I given her a bad name by any of my actions. Some of us may also add “Well I am not the one killing, maiming and murdering fellow Nigerians. How in the world can you say I am guilty of where we are as a nation? How can you? “

    These excuses are not tenable! These excuses are not justifiable! These excuses do not solve any problem or change anything for the better. These excuses do not proffer solutions! These excuses cannot create the positive social change we desire in our nation! These excuses are only convenient for those who do not want to exercise leadership and take up responsibility. From what I can see in Nigeria, it seems to me that we are definitely all guilty as charged!

    However, if you are still saying that you are not guilty of causing any of Nigeria’s problems or tarnishing her image, what have you done to change the status quo? What have you done to show that you are a patriot? What have you done to encourage and empower fellow Nigerians? What have you done asides from grumble, gripe, complain and bellyache about the way things are going in Nigeria? What have you done? Be honest with yourself, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

    How have you challenged the situation in order to change it? What have you done to give Nigeria a positive image? What have you done to take responsibility for our nation and the destiny of our children? What little changes are you making that will cause the bigger change in Nigeria? What little thing can you do now that will have a rippling effect and create positive change in other areas of our national development? What have you done in your own sphere of influence to change things for good? It is a well known fact that evil is contagious but did you also know that GOOD is also contagious?

    It’s interesting to note that, societies fall into a state of decadence not as a result of the strength of evil but as a direct result of the weakness of GOOD! Men of ill-will seem to be more passionate in the vile ways and the way they perpetuate their evil deeds in the society (e.g. Adolf Hitler of Germany and Idi Amin of Uganda) when compared with the way men of goodwill go about sowing seeds of GOOD DEEDS, TRUTH and JUSTICE in the society. Adolf Hitler once said “It is not the neutrals or the lukewarm who make history.” And that is so true! The men and women of goodwill in Nigeria need to develop a sense of urgency.

    As a Nigerian citizen what have you done to help create a NEW NIGERIA? If you have not done anything, then you are definitely part of the problem. You are just as much the problem as the people who caused it in the first place because you kept quiet, watched and did nothing to stop the decadence. You are guilty as charged!

    It is all too easy to pass the buck and blame others; it seemingly relieves us of any sense of responsibility towards the destiny of our nation. It also helps to reduce the probability of any significant change and growth in Nigeria. It also shuts down our brains, preventing us from thinking and coming up with solutions and answers to our nation’s numerous problems and challenges.

    We keep blaming the colonialist, the West, the military, the elite, past and present governments, the ruling class, politicians, our leaders, etc., but the truth of the matter is that we are all guilty of where we are; we are all guilty of where we find ourselves as a country – either by commission or omission. We are all guilty as charged!

    If we want better leaders, we must become better citizens! If we want good leaders, we must become good citizens! If we want great leaders, we must become great citizens! Everything produces after its own kind. This is a natural and spiritual law. Can we sow pepper and expect to reap tomatoes? Can we? Can we plant beans and expect to harvest rice? Can we? Can we place orange seeds in the ground and expect that at harvest time the orange tree will produce lemons? Can we? Certainly not! Over the years we have sown pepper and we are reaping pepper and we are wondering why. Isn’t that absurd, bizarre and ridiculous? Can we now see that we are all guilty as charged!

    John Stuart Mill once said, “The worth of a state is the worth of the individuals composing it.” We can see that in our society the Nigerian government is a reflection of the Nigerian people, so we are all responsible for the way Nigeria is. We are all responsible for the destiny of our nation.

    My position on the business of taking responsibility is somewhat peculiar. First of all, I believe that if you have done nothing to change the status quo in Nigeria, you definitely share the guilt of where we are as a nation.

    Secondly, if you are doing something to change the status quo (no matter how small or how big it may be), despite that, you are still, unfortunately, also guilty for our present state.

    Thirdly, if you are doing something to change the status quo and you are empowering others to do something, that is really great and I have a high regard and respect for those of you that fall into this category. However, you too, are still guilty of the decadence in the society. It is unfortunately the hard truth!

    You may ask: How can I come to that kind of conclusion?

    You see, whichever way you look at it, we are all guilty for where we are as a nation.

    We will continue to be guilty until enough of us do enough in enough places – and empower enough people – thereby creating a critical mass for positive social change.

    You may ask, “What is enough, numerically speaking?” I honestly don’t know but until Nigeria is obviously a GREAT and POWERFUL nation, we will all remain guilty as charged!

     

    • Simoyan is a patriot, author and leadership architect

  • FROM THE CELL PHONE

    FROM THE CELL PHONE

    For Dare Olatunji

     

    The call for Sovereign National Conference, weak centre and state police are all centred on imbibing true belief in the entity called Nigeria with the hope to proffer solution to our age-long ethnic rivalry. Postponement, procrastination for the fear of unseen, not to allow Nigeria to break into parts is not comensurate with honest search for Nigeria lasting solution. Consultations needed be made to review our amalgamation if going our separate ways, which some people may not like to hear, is the solution, so be it, or better still option, Sovereign National Conference should honestly be considered for a wise avoidance of the adjourment of the evil days. From Mr. Abey

    Unlike the position in the US, UK and Europe, politics and governance in Nigeria are not about the people but about the ego of those who had or have their hands on the levers of authority. Mechanisms aimed at finding out the will of the people like referendums and free, fair and credible elections will only tamper with their free access to what they believe is theirs for the taking. Whatever will restrict their unhindered access to the treasury must be prevented or presented in bad light to ensure they remain in control. We only pray that it will not degenerate to what happened in France or Russia before things change in favour of the people. Anonymous

    The clamour for state police by state governors is to enable them collect more revenue and amass more security votes with which to marry more wives and revel in stupendous affluence afterall, those who got oil derivation cannot justify it. From Kenn Okonkwo

    Thanks for your write-up on “The news from Scotland”, and as much as I agree with your submission sir, I disagree on breaking of that 1914 mistake but strongly believe in giving more power to the present six regions and if possible self government and weak central that is to say that government at the centre will be in control of foreign policy, armed forces and currency. Then we go back to palimentary system of government. The present crop of leaders are politicians not statemen. A politician thinks of next elections while a stateman thinks of next generations. Thanks. From Dare Bello.

    Dear Dare, your discussion on the topic, “The news from scotland”, is nothing but a succint summary of our problems in Nigeria. Misfits and people who knew little or nothing about governance and how to formulate governance policies are at the head of affairs.The public lecture by Philip Asiodu is just one in the list of such valuable documents/reports (e.g.Oputa report) that are dusting away in our National Archives. I make bold to say that until we come together, discuss and agree that we actually still want to continue to live together as one indivisible country, we will continue to decieve ourselves. Even the Holy Bible asked a very pertinent question, ‘can two walk together unless they agree?’ From Mmayienwata, Anambra

    Thanks for the article “The news from Scotland”. Those insisting that they can die for the unity of Nigeria with the present fraudulent federal constitution, are not sincere. What they want to die for is the oil money from Niger Delta. Selfish interest has blinded some people’s eyes. They do not see but that it is right to believe good of all evil; and as the inevitable result, they will finally believe evil of all good. All eyes are on you sir, Mr President. From Adegoke O. O., Ikhin, Edo State.

    Before Abuja people can listen, we need fuel subsidy kind of protests. From Uche Lawson, Aba

    This is a country that the selected leaders keep runing away from reality. Something serious will/must happen to correct the present situation. Things will not remain like this forevever. From Dogara Jimgba, Kwali-Abuja

    Dear Sir, please note. The analysis of the Ondo election on Pg 7 of today’s The Nation by Segun Ayobolu is clearly meant for the cover page but not Page 7. Thanks! Anonymous

    Whether the President forfeits his free meal ticket to the freebies in Aso rock or not, he would still be entitled to the welfare rain from the flood… He has already announced that his “personal house is under water” in Bayelsa. Whichever way, the public official always wins. That is the normal thing’ in Nigeria, emergency or not…! From Momoh Suleiman, Abuja

    Our politicians prefer to doctor our ‘unity’ than allowing Nigerians choose their destiny and constitution. Our constitution is a skewered document. One day we will wake up to truth and know that we are delaying our own progress. From Eronini Chyke.

    Yours today clearly demonstrated that Nigeria still has true men of conscience. Majority of those who find themselves into leadership positions seem not to know that only God, (time) Himself does not change. This is an opportunity for Mr. President to right the wrong of colonialism and neocolonialists who, instead of accepting their failures while in office, continued to persuade and mislead present day leaders to adopt their chicanery. God and posterity are watching Mr. President, National Assembly and the governors and states Assemblies. I wish they love themselves so as to give Nigeria and Nigerians love, which we lack as a country. From Owhor Kinika Friday, PortHarcourt

    Re: The news from Scotland. The State Police and Sovereign Conference are not solutions to our problems in Nigeria. Killing ethnicism, tribalism, adopting merit rather than sharing positions and killing corruption are solutions, through our State and National Assemblies, period. Scottish case differs from Nigeria’s. From Lanre Oseni

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

     

    Segun I disagree with your summary statement in fact if Christians were intolerant, especially in Nigeria this country would have been history. Anonymous

    If we all emphasize Godliness and truth instead of religion, the society would focus on the right virtues and true worship. But God will judge everyone. Happy day! Anonymous

    Re: Making religion work for peace. In achieving religion-for-peace, the Preachers evangelising in both camps should desist, talking and announcing of one’s superiority over others. Who had gone and returned from Heaven? None. There must be a law, banning preaching by all faiths in public vehicles. Finally, governments must determine the location and sites of both mosques and churches. Above all, governments must be imapartial in penalizing the side/faith, breaching the laid-down rules and laws. From Lanre Oseni.

    Please note that Christ is the son of God and not a prophet as wrongly mentioned in your article in The Nation Newspaper on 26th Oct, 2012. From Ubon Usoro

    Listen again to your statement in The Nation of yesterday ‘Both Prophets Muhammed and Christ could not have intended their injunctions to evangelise to result in conflict and violence’ Point of correction,Jesus Christ is the name of the Son of God, he is not, and would never be a prophet. He is the messiah. Anonymous

    I read your comment and the debate in The Nation Newspaper of yesterday and I am well pleased with it. The observation I made is that you have made some Biblical and Quranic refrences to butress your write-ups. Keep it up. Anonymous

    The piece is thought-provoking. The truth is that religion is a criterion for sharing public offices at all levels. What I think will defoliate weird religion is to change the existing economic structure of Nigeria. From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna

    For over 14 years, David Mark has deceived his improverished Idoma people. As Senate President, for about five years he has presided over the most corrupt senate in the history of this nation. One wonders why in spite of his much publicised competence, controversies continue to dodge his every move. For us his native Idoma people we leave him to God. But we can assure him that his vision to a super Mark family in Idoma land where the rest of us will gather every morning at his gate, bowl in hand, for our daily ration will never come to pass. The resilient spirit of the Idoma man, God willing, will prevail. Anonymous

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

     

    Re: ‘These irritants called Okada riders’. The way Lagos State is going about it is not the way to make people comply; neither is it the way to return to the village. Lagos State government should cooperate and collaborate with the Federal Government to check insecurity if that is it’s fear about the ‘Okada’ riders. If it is the route-plying issue, let the state government provide more roads, water transport means and rail transport to ease out ‘Okada’ riders. Lagos State government should provide jobs through industries rather than beautification projects. From Lanre Oseni.

    Ha, Mr Adegboyega, I have just read your column on ‘Okada’ riders. God bless you. I hold the same opinion as you and I had an exchange with one of your colleagues on this issue, requesting him to please encourage us by his writing to think and act right. I said the ‘Okada’ that were destroyed were plying illegal routes and that instead of vilifying government for enacting laws for the common good, we should admonish ‘Okada’ riders to be disciplined and obey the laws. I added that the side effect of unemployment should be a temporary problem whilst they think of other means of livelihood or migrate just as they did coming to Lagos. I concluded that taking to crime should not be the fallout of a government policy. We should not encourage such thinking as if it is an option. No wonder this has led most criminal suspects to claim unemployment as the reason for committing crime. Anonymous.

    This kind of comment is not humanitarian. I can’t be surprised; you are part of the bourgeoisie in this nation, because you are privileged to have a car, that gives you the guts to be saying such a thing. You don’t have any reason to blame the ‘Okada’ riders because it is not their fault. You advised them to go back to the village, I think for farming? How easy do you think it is to be a farmer? Please in all your endeavours, try to have feelings for your fellow countrymen. From Samson, Abuja.

    I read your column and concluded that you don’t have the fear of God. The governments you are backing, what have they done? Graduates are riding ‘Okada’. Anonymous.

    Sometimes, I laugh my heart out when some of us expect to put something on nothing and expect it to stand. While you have hope of eating and surviving tomorrow, many ‘Okada’ riders do not have such expectation. ‘Okada’ economy is a by-product of irresponsible, corrupt and insensitive leadership that has always thought that what goes round certainly does not come around. Do you think that those of us who need a decent, clean and orderly environment can have it if the government decides and forcefully muscles all ‘Okada’ riders to their respective villages and towns? It is dangerous to fight a man whose one and only hope of keeping his breath is in serious jeopardy. While the government would be fighting for survival, the hopeless ones of the society would be fighting to destroy everyone alongside themselves. This mindset is what propels the Boko Haram onslaught. From O. Ifeanyichukwu, Abuja.

    Your article on ‘Okada’ riders refers. Try the Iyana-Iba to Abule Ado Road (both going and coming) at whatever time, even those who choose to trek will get to their destinations before those in a car/bus. What’s the cause? Bad roads, large craters, etc. So, is the ‘Okada’ not necessary? Tomorrow, take a ride about town and see how many people are stranded. You are supporting a bad government; you want to be the only one driving on our roads. Anonymous.

    Why is it that you people that call yourselves journalists have nothing to write but only on ‘Okada’ instead of writing on governments that cannot construct a single good road in the last six years. If we have good roads, the citizens will have no need to patronise’ Okada’ . You even wrote that they should go back to the village; this is Fashola’s slogan since he became the chief tenant at Alausa. Anonymous.

    Mr Adegboyega, your brilliant write-up captured my view. God bless you. Let us all support the Lagos State government to ensure a successful regulation of ‘Okada’. They are a plague that must be dealt with. From Tunde Adio, Lagos.

    Your write-up on’ Okada’ riders in Lagos is a very good one. I pray that many people will read it. Well, I am a soldier serving in Warri; I can tell you from security view that out of 10 ‘Okada’ riders, seven are criminals. You sound very pained; it’s like they have broken your side mirror before. Good day. Anonymous.

  • Uduaghan – moving Deltans forward

    Uduaghan – moving Deltans forward

    There is no point reiterating that transportation is an important aspect of everyday human life. However, good, comfortable and affordable transportation has eluded many Nigerians. But, it seems with the coming of the Delta City Bus initiative, things are beginning to change in Delta State. And it is for the better.

    On a recent visit to the Sapele, one of Delta’s major towns, on official duties, I could not help but notice a transformation, as blue and white painted Toyota buses sped across the different roads in the state. Upon enquiry, I was told by my cousin who also lives in Sapele that those buses are actually called ‘Uduaghan’ buses, named after the Delta State governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. My cousin also told me that rides on those buses are affordable and also comfortable. I would later learn that the buses plied all the major routes to different destinations in the state. I was impressed and that was all the push I needed to ride on one of them.

    Immediately after my business dealings in Sapele, and with sufficient time on my schedule, I decided to visit friends and relatives in other parts of the state. Hitherto, I would have boarded cabs with drivers who thrived in over-loading, over-speeding, and also overcharging. Eventually, I ended up travelling to Warri, Abraka, Ughelli and Oleh during my one-week stay in the state. All on the ‘Uduaghan’ buses.

    What I found out is that at the designated parks for the buses, everything is done orderly. Passengers queue to get tickets, the staff are polite and the passenger lounges I visited were not only neat, the chairs were adequate and the arrangement cool. The only shock I experienced was an occasion when I had to wait for about 45 minutes to board the bus. But, the alternative – joining the rickety buses or cabs which, in anyway were overpriced fares and thrived in sandwiching passengers, was something I didn’t look forward to. I dreaded having cramps after a journey, hence, ever since I had started earning a reasonable salary, each time I visited Delta, to combat the stress, I always paid double the fare so as to have a good legroom. But, I found out that with the ‘Uduaghan’ buses, this isn’t the case. I didn’t have to pay any extra for the sake of my legs.

    It seems that within its short existence, the Uduaghan intervention in intra-city transport service within the state has generated huge patronage. Commuters within the state now troop to these parks in droves. The down-side I saw to the whole arrangement was that I had to wait for about 45 minutes once to board a vehicle from Warri to Oleh. However, just back from a tight and dangerously over speeding journey between Abraka and Warri, I was not sad or much in any haste waiting for the bus to fill up.

    Waiting for ‘Uduaghan’ bus, I had time to ruminate on how it is the little things that make a huge difference. Before the advent of the Delta City Bus in its present state, moving around the different parts of the state could have best been described as a tortuous experience. One was literally at the mercy of selfish drivers and also motor-park touts. They could inflate prices at a second’s notice. The drivers drove recklessly and they had little qualms about cramming passengers like sardines in tins. It was just about profit and more profits for them. Not much thought was spared for the comfort and safety of their passengers.

    With the Delta City Bus offering the right price, comfort, as well as safety for its passengers, I guess it is little wonder the huge patronage the buses have been getting. While the Uduaghan administration is yet to perform all the necessary magic to transform Delta, I could not help but commend the good work he is doing in the area of transportation. Especially, as regards intra-city routes in the state. The whole episode reminded me just how the introduction of BRT buses in Lagos changed the way Lagosians used public transport.

    No doubt, the coming of the bus transport service has also created employment. Drivers, clerks, ticketing officers, cleaners, and provider of other ancillary services now have jobs. And, given that the bus service, which is not new, has decided to go into a public private partnership with a major and renowned transporter in the state, this is very commendable. This inclusion with the private sector, I am sure is one major factor responsible for the good service being provided by the Delta City Bus service.

    As it is, while governor Uduaghan deserves kudos for a job well done, the truth is that more work can still be done to really make the bus service more sterling.

     

    • Egbedi writes from Lagos