The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • That outbreak of cholera

    SIR: Apart from the recent outbreak of cholera in Nigeria that killed three in Lagos and some others in Zamfara, at least 352 people have been killed by this infection in a space of three months. More than 6,400 cases have also been reported, mostly in the North. Doctors are currently monitoring outbreaks in 12 of the 36 states.

    Nigeria had the first series of cholera outbreak between 1970- 1990. Despite this long experience with cholera, an understanding of the epidemiology of the disease and the reason for its persistence is still lacking.

    Developed countries have almost zero incidence of cholera because they have widespread water treatment plants, food-preparation facilities and they observe strict sanitation protocols. Most people have access to toilets and hand-washing facilities. A lot of responsibilities in curbing this epidemic lie with the government although the citizens have a great role to play in battling and subduing cholera.

    Individuals can prevent or reduce their chances of contacting cholera by thorough hand-washing, drinking treated water and eating clean and well prepared food.

    Cholera is an acute infectious disease caused by a bacterium, Vibrio cholerae which results in painless diarrhea (the main symptoms are watery stool and vomiting). Most people who contact this disease get it primarily from drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by the faeces (waste product) of an infected person, including one with no apparent symptoms.

    To prevent cholera requires washing the hands frequently with soap and water especially before handling food and after using the toilet. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used when soap and water are not readily available.

    Intervention measures that address the root problems of poor sanitation and unsafe water supplies are required to fully solve the problem of cholera. U.N. figures indicate that half of Nigeria’s population of 160 million do not have access to safe water and a third, to proper sanitation.

    • Tolulope Ojo,

    Lagos

  • 2014: Why Fayemi is Ekiti APC’s choice

    From Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and, recently, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there seems to be as many ways to lead people as there are leaders. Yet the single fatal flaw in choosing candidates to represent a party in an election is the belief that we can permute into the future rather than looking for a leader who can quickly adapt to whatever the unpredictable future holds. Do the people want the ideal leader or rather the right kind of leader that fits their needs?

    When we think about how best to choose leaders, we assess the challenges and opportunities confronting our society, and then look for the one person who has the best array of skills to address those challenges and opportunities. But what if we are not that good at figuring out the most critical challenges and opportunities that we may want our future leader to solve? What if the issues of the day are eclipsed by new events? With the pace of change as intense as it is across the world, how can we even believe that we are able to identify the precise bundle of experiences, capabilities and personality needed to take on what tomorrow brings?

    If we cannot predict the future, then how can we figure out who has got the right stuff to lead us into that future? First, there is a body of knowledge and experience that is relevant for any top job. It is like an entry ticket to the game; you cannot be considered if you have not at least paid some dues. Second, you need a demonstrated track record of accomplishment. Playing is not enough; you should have some wins under your belt too.

    Great leaders must be adaptable. Consider the military’s Special Forces, those highly trained personnel assigned to the most dangerous and unconventional missions. These elite units, which date back to Roman times, select and train warriors for strength, maturity, motivation, and intelligence. Candidates who make it through to the end are incredibly capable, yet there is one characteristic that is make-or-break in the final analysis: the ability to adapt and adjust and think fresh, in real-time.

    In all of these considerations therefore, we keep some maxims at the back of our mind. Foremost is that nothing succeeds like success. Another saying which buttresses this is that you cannot change a winning team or winning pattern. We will only measure what will come with what we have seen. As the ruling party in Ekiti State, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has chosen to live by these maxims. The party, which suffered stolen mandate for four harrowing years between 2006 and 2010 before eventually claiming legitimacy to it, is not in a hurry to gamble. We cannot risk any change for the fun of it because we do not want to stray from our path of success and as such cannot start toying with our winning streak. It will therefore be too risky for APC, both in Ekiti and at the national level, to attempt permutations when our winning streak is based on promises kept.

    To start listing all the achievements of the John Kayode Fayemi-led administration in Ekiti State in the last three years since he assumed office is to start sounding like a bad vinyl. Yet we must challenge all oppositions to debate that Fayemi, who we proudly named “o wi bee, se bee,” -that is, someone who keeps his words- indeed came up with an eight-point agenda on assumption of office and has fulfilled all that were encapsulated therein in record time.

    In the light of these, Ekiti APC remains unequivocal in the choice of who flies its flags in the 2014 gubernatorial election. The ticket is willingly retained with the incumbent, Dr. Fayemi, and he has willingly accepted to continue with his good work. He has not only kept all his promises for the people of the state, but has raised the bar of governance in the state beyond the level of any intending aspirant. Why then must we, the ruling party in the state, now run the risk of presenting an untested candidate?

    May we also mention that as of today, Ekiti APC has neither been approached by any other person who may want to slug it out with the incumbent governor at the party level, nor has the party embarked on any search for a replacement? The case would have been different, however, if the incumbent had fallen out of favour either with the state chapter of APC or with those at the national level. It would have been worse if the people of the state had been shortchanged. And the cul-de-sac would have been that the incumbent was statute-barred or his health could no longer carry the load. But none of these scenarios has presented itself. Not only has Fayemi lived up to billing, he has even surpassed it. He has given the ruling party a positive identity and a strong voice in the state. He has shown an uncommon discipline and courage in lifting the standard of the state to a world standard despite the relatively paltry income. He has walked his talk.

    Fayemi is a comet that doesn’t appear often. Even among the comets, he is a meteor that is not easy to come by. He was saddled with a daunting task of lifting up the state from a pummeled position made possible by the seven harrowing years under seven PDP regimes, and he carried it out dutifully and successfully. His character is sublime, his personality is arresting. He is well-trained and well respected both locally and internationally. He is more of an administrator than a politician. He shows a rare passion to serve. He is humble, yet cosmopolitan and calculative with eyes on the goal. He does not lose his cool even in the face of extreme provocation. He is well-focused, project-oriented, peace-loving and not easily distracted. We have our winning candidate in Fayemi come 2014 and it is not diffident for us to say speak up on this now.

     

    • Dipe is Director of Publicity and Media APC, Ekiti State

  • Revisiting the Ilorin Sallah tragedy

    There is no doubt that the recent Sallah stampede in Charity House, Ilorin, Kwara State, is an unfortunate and sad incident by all parameters. While not ruling out the truism that lives belong to God, who alone decides where and how everyone departs, there are minimum best practices for safety of lives and property which may have been inadvertently neglected by somebody. It is hoped that lessons have been learnt following this incident, which should never be allowed to reoccur.

    Ordinarily, it would have sufficed not to continue to constantly refresh the memories of the families and friends of the dead by bringing the issue persistently to the front burner, but reading Comrade Issa Aremu and Kawu Modibbo (both indigenes of Ilorin), particularly their jaundiced comments on the unfortunate incident, my mind quickly raced to Labour Party MP, Gerald Kaufman’s famous description of his party’s 1983 manifesto as the longest suicide note in history. Indeed, Aremu and Modibbo’s comments, in my thinking, could yet turn out to be one of the shortest suicide notes in media history.

    Tendentiously, both made very spurious allegations that Senator Bukola Saraki was using government funds to oil his philanthropy. What could be so below-the-line for pundits, who are supposed to know that to make unsubstantiated allegations, reduces one’s integrity? Rather than question the propriety of gathering such a crowd in such a place without making adequate provisions for their exit in case of emergency, or query why they could not understudy how the late Saraki did it for almost 40 years without a single incident or suggesting how such should be done in the future or maybe, agitating for compensation for the dead, Modibbo, pugnaciously embarked on his new devotion of calling his quondam boss names. Come to think of it, how else could a man operating at such a high level of politics in Nigeria be a leader? If leadership is not about influencing others to accomplish an objective and directing in a cohesive and coherent way, what then is leadership?

    Only the likes of Modibbo question the destiny of such a young, resourceful, detribalized and philanthropic man, forgetting that only God installs who He wills as leader, regardless of age or tribe. Modibbo shockingly took his handshake beyond the elbow by accusing the Emir of Ilorin of misdemeanor for sending the Vice Chairman of Traditional Council of Chiefs to commiserate with the state government on the sad event. What a freedom carried too far?

    In his case, Aremu, who only recently declared Governor Ahmed the Best Teacher-friendly Governor, described the same government as insensitive. What a paradox!

    Indeed, as a principle, I ignore such grotesque and ungainly write-ups, knowing it would not connect with the thoughts and feelings of those who know, but for the gullible few at the risk of being taken in by these obvious clever by half embellishment of lies.

    Here was an unfortunate incident that shook the entire state and the Saraki family to its foundations; and which many would rather leave in the past than make politics out of, knowing that only God, the creator and all knowing, can explain how and why such had to happen.

    Curiously, while the buzz continued, Aremu and his co-traveller in mischief, forgot that for more than four decades, the Sarakis, who have also paid the way for a number of persons through school at home and abroad, rehabilitated a number of schools across the state, provided jobs and empowerment to quite a number of persons, have been hosting the people during Sallah celebrations. This is unlikely to be the last having become a tradition of the Sarakis to appreciate the people, who have shown them love and sustained their support through the years.

    Needless repeating the fact that Allah commanded those who have to share with those who do not have. But more than anything else, as a devout Moslem, the Sallah season for Saraki as with many other Moslems, provides an opportunity to meet and share Allah’s provision with the people, knowing of a truth that no one ever advances when many people are left behind.

    Interestingly, no matter how cynical anyone might be, truth remains that the Sarakis know that the people are everything. They know that nothing is too small to appreciate a people, who also appreciate their positive contributions to their lives and the development of Kwara State, with or without Sallah. This, perhaps, is the simple philosophy that has defined the yearly Sallah celebration by the Sarakis and underscores the bond between the family and the people.

    Unfortunate, as it were, one would have thought that it was high time the dead had a deserved rest than become the subject of mischievous ogling through warped and highly jaundiced media commentaries. This, for the right thinking, particularly, where there are obvious political tan to the whole incident, is tantamount to killing and burying the dead the second time. And, only the conscienceless can do this. Even if Comrade Aremu is not a Moslem, he would still have known that as common in Islam, such handouts form part of Sallah celebrations, except he has a new find to the contrary.

    Still, while this seeming grisly smear campaigns against the person of Saraki, a former governor of the state, have been sustained in very ridiculous manners without regard that the state and the affected families are still in mourning, those fuelling this unspeakable filth have since assumed a watchdog role over what the current administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has done or is doing or not even done since assumption of office.

    How would the likes of Comrade Aremu have known that so far the Governor Ahmed’s administration has provided no fewer than 5,000 jobs through KWABES and another 10,000 through the SURE-P programme? Or, how would they know without asking, about 5000 youths were recently trained on ICT use and opportunities, not withstanding that the Kwara State government has disbursed more than N350 million to entrepreneurs in line with the state’s Small Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) projects?  Talking about a road map out of poverty to prosperity, has anyone taken a trip to Ajase-Ipo International Vocational Centre, intended to undertake training of Kwara youths in fields such as automobile engineering, carpentry, metal works, hair-dressing, tailoring and so on and provided soft loans to prospective graduates of the centre to establish and manage own businesses across the state?

    Also in line with government’s shared prosperity programme, the administration has approved a N3 billion car loan for civil servants despite its meagre resources. Only recently, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City & Guild of London (C&G), to design a curriculum for a training programme that would turn Kwara youths into job creators than job seekers. Already, there are youth empowerment coordinators in all the 16 local government councils of the state, to ensure beneficiaries spread across the councils, just as the state has equally started creating a data base for the youths whether or not they are Kwarans. The exercise has already attracted a number of youths. Rather than query destiny by their sustained attack on the Sarakis, let the Aremus and the Modibbos contribute their quota to the new move to transform our state to commercial nerve centre of the middle belt.

    • Adebayo writes from Ilorin.

  • When leaders abuse the place of worship

    SIR: The stampede at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, in Idemili North local government area of Anambra State is one incident that should not be allowed to fizzle out just like others. Trust our leaders, already, politicians and security agencies have all come out threatening fire and brimstone to fish out those behind the ‘dastardly and inhuman act’. Our leaders, just like most Nigerians are very reactionary in nature. We derive unquantifiable pleasure in exhausting energy, time and resources on issues we all know we cannot record any success. Innocent worshippers have been made to die for no justifiable reasons. Dreams shattered, hopes dashed and potential leaders had their journey to stardom truncated. All these happened in just a night, under the watchful eyes of the clergy, politicians and helpless ordinary worshippers.

    The organizer of the crusade, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma, where thousands from across Nigeria throng to for prayers, healing and spiritual retreat obviously had no slightest knowledge of the fact that politicians had plans to hijack the gathering for that day. I am very sure, if he had known, the crusade would have been called off at the 11th hour. But like human that he is, he couldn’t have known everything. Regrettably, instead of harvesting souls for God, dead bodies were harvested while several other worshippers sustained varying degree of injuries.

    Expectedly, politicians across different party platforms in the state have since pointed accusing fingers at Governor Obi and his team for being responsible for the attacks and subsequent deaths recorded. Report in some section of the media quoted eye witnesses as saying the stampede occurred when Obi started campaigning for his party candidate and there were shouts of disapproval, causing his security aides to fire tear gas into the crowd. According to the governor, this allegation is a product of mischief and vain attempt to calumnise him and his party, APGA.

    I personally see some sense in the allegation that Governor Obi seized the opportunity of speaking at the programme to canvass support for the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Chief Willie Obiano ahead of the November 16 governorship election. Trust our politicians; they know how best to kill 20 birds with just a stone. A Nigerian politician is not an opportunity waster. They know when and how to use every opportunity that presents itself to floor their opponents and possibly sell themselves.

    Our clergymen are notoriously becoming insensitive to growing concern about the fact that undeserving personalities are given front rows in our Mosques and Churches. Aside giving them the regular opportunity to brazenly flaunt their ill-gotten wealth, religious leaders often present them as good examples for our teeming youth population. We desire to see men and women of God who could summon the courage to look straight into the eyes of a thief and ask him to take his ill-gotten wealth elsewhere!

    Would the organizers of the Uke Adoration Ground crusade have also allowed candidates of other parties to mount their rostrum and address their congregation? It is high time our clergymen are told in clear terms that people of questionable character shouldn’t be celebrated or given special recognition in our places of worship.

     

    • Abdullahi Yunusa

    Imane, Kogi State

  • Rape convicts deserve death penalty

    SIR: I have followed stories of several incidences of rape, a crime against humanity, committed in numbers across Nigeria. This wicked practice has risen sporadically to an all-time high and now poses a threat to our very existence. Rape isn’t just an offence; it is a crime against humanity with sore consequences on its unfortunate victims. It derobes its victims of their human dignity, body sanctity and innocence with its transcendent consequences of exposure to self-absorption, acute depression, resort to prostitution and or outright death.

    Our society is no more a safe haven for our women and female children. Demons, in human flesh, now prowl our streets, abducting women and ripping them of their self-pride.

    For the umpteenth time, I ask that we cease attributing the rise in acts of sexual acts and rape to poor fashion culture of our female folks. As much as I concur that our women ‘show too much flesh’ in the name of fashion, an evil in itself, it will take a demented man to let loose his libidinous urges because of a woman’s sense of dress. This craziness has to stop and this evil monster, tagged rape, quickly brought to a halt. I propose a capital punishment for convicts of rape crime as it would serve as deterrent to those contemplating it. This, I believe, will help, in no small way, to drastically reduce the high incidences of rape of different dimensions – and no more will the act be seen as a cheap means of sexual gratification while desecrating the bodies of its victims. It is high time the legislative arm of government enact a capital punishment against rape as quickly as they want their bogus salaries paid. Otherwise, apart from losing our sisters and female friends to harsh deaths, decent men, like me, may never get a virgin for wife.

    • Joshua Oyeniyi,

    University of Lagos

     

  • From the cell phone

    For Gbenga Omotoso

     

    Jonathan’s government is government of deceit. From Ifedayo Akinyandenu, Ibadan

    Jonathan went for pilgrimage to seek the face of God but he has forgotten that God does not answer those whose hands are not clean. His government is full of atrocities and corruption. He is deceiving himself going to pray. What kind of prayer is that one? Blood is flowing in the country and the president is not giving it attention. Whatever he does now will be written in the book of history. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos

    I was down with fever before I read your “Jonathan and other VIPs”. I swear my stress and fever miraculously vanished thereafter.The week was ‘droughtful’ but you manufactured reality for me and others. Is Nigeria truly broke after those prayers by VIPs at the Wailing Wall? From Tunde Opada No. 2 Iye Road, Eruku, Kwara State.

    Re: Jonathan and other VIPs. What a gospel truth. Coming back home, we expect Mr. Presiìdent to call Wike to order; and to Amaechi, to tell him ‘go and sin no more, I want peace at my back-yard. I am now truly born again. Anonymous

    Re: Jonathan and other VIPs. There is nothing wrong in undertaking pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia or Jerusalem or both. The essence was always to atone for the sins. However, we need to be faithful to our God first at Home before showing to our people that we portray some holy activities. Rather than spitting Jonathan the president, terrible ministers, governors and godfathers in all the political parties should be chastised when they claim to be Godly. From Lanre Oseni

    God bless you sir for your piece: Jonathan and other VIPs. You made my day. From Comrade Afiyo

    Gbenga, you are too much. I appreciate you a lot for the backpage write-up of October 31st on “Presidnt Jonathan’s visit to Israel. The scene at St Peter Church was an enactment of the denial of Nigerians by their leaders who swore with the bible, oh sorry, “Ijaw soul” to transform (TRANSFIX) us; reminiscent of d biblical denial. Whatever it is moment of truth is staring us in the face: irrepressible revolution that will level the grade for the milk and honey to flow to every doorstep as ordained by God. From Priye, Akure, Ondo State.

    Jonathan sees himself as an opportunist and would make use of it before he leaves. He went to Jerusalem with his entourage for pilgrimage and he knows that there is no such in his religion. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos

     

    Good sir, when I read your editorial notebook at the back of The Nation Newspaper, I was so happy over your write-up. The type of leaders we have in this country called Nigeria is pathetic, they do not reason at all, because they are in position lacking nothing. Our president is always laughing that is why people see him like a baby, they call him all type of names. People are killed in our country like rams. Anonymous

     

    For Olakunle Abimbola

     

    Your article is sensible. The Oba is a disgrace to the rich Yoruba culture. Anonymous

    “The Oba, his libido and the law” is nothing short of a masterpiece, well thought out, well written, well edited. Even though the court declared him free, his conscience does not. He should seek God’s forgiveness, apologise to that girl and compensate her. It is a crying shame, he lowered the prestige of Obaship. From the Venerable Olufemi Oyawale

    Abimbola, I beg to disagree with your lamentation “how callous can a judicial system be!” in “The Oba, his libido and the law”. Much as I condemn the immoral display by the Oba, his acquittal on rape which requires, under legal demands a concrete evidence, as stated by the Judge, which was missing obliterated his culpability. The court could not have allowed morality but criminality to prevail in the case. What I suspect is possibly a renege on agreed understanding between the two parties because the lady had all the chance on earth to cause mayhem when the Oba was at his disgraceful act. Apart from that, she confirmed the Oba had been making passes at her and yet she could not avoid a one on one meeting with him. However, for sanctity of royalty, the traditional council and government should impose a serious sanction on the Oba in whatever way they deem appropriate to his dehumanising act. From Lai Ashadele

    Shame to the amorous Oba Alli of IIowa-Ijesa, shame to the police officer who slept over the near death of citizen, shame to the people of llowa-ljesa and to the teachers and school children who demonstrated in support of a don juan. From Chinaka Caleb

    Olakunle, your defence of Salami in his case with the judiciary and the indictment of President Jonathan is no doubt your perception of the issue which is an inalienable right. My worry however is on your ignorance nay refusal to appreciate the fact that it would be prejudicial of President Jonathan to use his office to take a stand in a contentious judicial issue against either side of the divide. I thought that a journalist of your status would be awash with constitutional provision on the independence of the three tiers of government; with their inalienable autonomies. It would have been embarrassing of Jonathan to fall foul of the constitution he swore to protect by reinstating Justice Salami. It was rather overbearing of Salami to have refused a truce by the judicial intercessors asking withdral of all pending cases in Court. That alone cleaned your imaginary blood stain on Jonathan. From Lai Ashadele

    Thanks for this incisive write-up about Justice Salami. God bless you. Anonymous

    Re: His blood on his hands. This is a wonderful valedictory send-off speech for eminent Justice A .Salami. But you should know better that Jonathan does not ‘give a damn’ whose blood is on his hands. Anonymous

    Excellent headline brilliant body. God bless you. From Tunde Akingbade

    My reliable Olakunle, I am thrilled by your write-up today in The Nation newspaper. Thank you. But why is MOB the cynosure of all eyes now? Why is Fayemi not bold enough to right the wrong he did to Opeyemi? From Falola Michael, Irepodun-Ifelodun Local Government, Ekiti

    Re: Ekiti ronu. You make a sound point here, but who between the two, who is the candidate of APC? We must be ready to call a spade by its name. From Akinlayo. A., State of Osun

    Ola, ‘Ekiti ronu’ is really an appeal for the combantants of Ekiti to have a rethink. Whether anybody will listen, nobody knows. How I wish somebody listens. If possible, can the pugilists be restrained from the contest? May God save progressives from the machinations of progressives. From Alhaj Hon. ADEYCorsim, Oshodi, Lagos

     

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

     

    In Islamic perspective, followers would have leaders base on the characters they exhibit, then we should ask ourselves why the sudden change of things in our country Nigeria? I believe it is due to our basic neccesities that we neglect that bore out trouble for us. From Ibrahim Tijjani, Yola-south, Adamawa State

    Can the encomiums that are heralding the fearless and courageous retired Jurist, Justice Ayo Salami challenge the likes of the ex-CJN and the NJC to leave their honours intact and that nature abhores vacuum? The search for just governance continues. From Elder Dan E., Amalaha, Aba, Abia State

    I just read your article “Pilgrim’s purpose”. Why did you sound like a religious bigot? If Jonathan sought partnership with Israel on security; has it got anything to do with the ‘Christian God?’ From Chidi N.

    Re: “Pilgrim’s purpose. Our elders say that the hen does not use its two legs to scratch the ground for its daily meal; it uses them naturally one after the other, otherwise, it will fall if it uses the two legs all at the same time. So, the law of nature enjoins all humans to be careful of what we do. A reasonable leader will weigh all options open to him before taking action if he does not want to receive ridicule and disgrace from the followerships. But, for the president to have embarked on such a frivolious jamboree to Jerusalem with a large entourage of indicted characters in the name of pilgrimage while we have chaos at home does not depict a good leader who can think and understand the thinking of others. Thomas Jafferson, one of America’s founding fathers, said. “The will of the people is more powerful than a standing army”. From Prince Adewumi Agunloye

    You did your best to analyze the President’s pilgrimage to Israel with respect to past Christian leaders but said nothing of past Muslim leaders that is not a balanced reportage. Does it mean no past Muslim leaders ever went to Mecca or you just wanted to castigate Mr.President? You have to be fair to him and balance it. Thanks! Anonymous

    A leader who politicizes whatever he or she does will never succeed. The president is playing politics in every action he takes even religion which everybody believes is sacred to us he has politicized it. He has forgotten that, he who abandons his responsibilities for selfish means will pay for it dearly. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos

    For Tunji Adegboyega

     

    Your comment on “That pro-Oduah rally” (The Nation on Sunday of October 3) was captivating, arresting and all the same thought-provoking. Illiteracy and poverty are powerful weapons the government of Nigeria is using to fight its citizens. And, where laws are broken with impunity, there can’t be growth and development. It’s not yet uhuru in Nigeria. Anonymous

    People will always come out to protest if they will get paid for it, in spite of the fact that the issue is about corruption. But how can the nation move forward with this attitude of glorifying corruption? Those who protested in favour of Stella Oduah’s BMW cars scam were not wishing Nigeria well. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

    ‘That pro-Oduah rally’. Those who carried out the pro-Oduah rally did it because we have politicised, ethnicised and ‘religionised’ everything. Do not be pained because there is hunger in the land. The journalists also did not help matters. For example, most write-ups in the last three weeks wanted punishment for Stella before investigation. Have you heard Oduah’s defence of allegations before the panel then on October 31? Learning in pain would make analyses of issues become irrelevant in most cases, hence the Enugu youth rally. From Lanre Oseni.

    I do not agree with you that there can be a revolution in Nigeria. The truth is that the bourgeois class will do all it can to remain in power. When the progressive intellectuals grab state power, the bourgeois class will find it difficult to mobilise the wealth at its disposal now to befog the minds of the toiling masses against change. No mountain can conquer the people when state power is at their disposal. Thanks. From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna.

    Pro-Oduah rallyin Enugu was a pointer to the level of ignorance and illiteracy among the youths. Education is more than the walls of a tertiary institution. Our dear minister saw nothing wrong in the scandal as long as her poverty-minded supporters are behind her; her senseless defence at the House of Representatives committee probe panel shows how deep corruption has sunk among most public officials in our sinking nation. From Oluwafemi, A.

    Re: Youths fighting for negative values. Unfortunately the youths have nothing to learn from the corrupt elite masquerading as leaders. Rally, ignorance, poverty, tribal sentiment have really put our leaders of tomorrow on a collision course with their tomorrow. Therefore, they need reorientation, rebirth and ideological values to change their base of anything goes. From Comrade Rufus Olusesan, Lagos.

    Which values are you talking about inculcating in our youths? Bias, and mob justice without hearing the ‘accused’ in an orchestrated media trial of an innocent public official? Search yourself, look at yourself in the mirror and examine your conscience. Anonymous.

  • ASUU strike: Much talk about morality

    SIR: As the strike embarked upon by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enters its fifth month, different groups, observers, individuals and stakeholders in Nigerian Universities have continued to react differently to it. While some have called on ASUU to call off the strike on the ground of morality, others have simply pleaded with her to return to class in the interest of Nigerian students.

    It is worthy to note that the current strike is the result of the failure by Federal Government to honour the agreement it entered with ASUU in 2009. Recall that the 2009 agreement was as result of cumulative efforts of ASUU between the successive military regimes of Babangida, Abdulsalami, and Obasanjo. More worrisome is the recent statement credited to the Senate President, David Mark that: “the current agreement was signed by ignorant government officials”. This remarks from such a highly place personality leaves more to be desired. If the agreement is in error, then the 26% budgetary allocation annually to National Assembly with just 8% to education is definitely an error.

    What is actually the moral thing to do now by all stakeholders of Nigerian University system?

    Will it be morally right to do nothing and have our public universities decay like what is currently happening in Nigerian primary and secondary schools today and allow people to insult ASUU in future for not letting the world know the state of public universities?

    Is it morally right to continue to see our children sitting on the floor receiving lectures and taking examinations; to allow students crowded in the hostel up to 15 to 20 students per room; to continue to use old facilities, outdated textbooks stocked in our libraries?

    Is it morally right to allow private schools built in most cases with stolen funds to thrive at the expense of public schools; for government to continue to deceive itself and Nigerians while enriching the pockets of private individuals; to continue to allow the government to be insincere in its dealings and agreement?

    Probably it is morally right to leave unworthy legacies for our unborn children.

    What is more, is it morally right for government to sponsor a group of students under the umbrella of NANS and market women to protest against a legitimate struggle embarked upon by ASUU that is actually for the betterment of all?

    Government says it has released N100 billion for infrastructural development and N30 Billion for earned allowances. The pertinent question is where is the N100 Billion?

    It is morally right for government to spend over N3 trillion to bailout commercial banks in the wake of the financial crisis in 2007, and N500 billion to the aviation sector; billions of naira to the creative media industry, but no money to fund education?

    I think it is morally justifiable for all well meaning Nigerians to identify with a just cause to secure our collective future- regaining the lost glory of Nigeria’s public universities once and for all.

    Education remains the bed rock of development without which neither peace nor justice can be permanently maintained. Qualitative education means the youths will no longer be used as thugs by some politicians. This is why so many countries invest heavily on education. For instance, Ghana allocates 8.2% of GDP to education, South Africa, 6%, Jamaica, 6.2%, Niger, 4.3% and so on while Nigeria allocated less that 1 % of her GDP to education in 2012. We may never get it right if we jettison our pursuit of quality education. So the earlier this imbroglio is resolved, the better for all.

     

    • Ochalibe Ibu Alexander

    Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi

  • Where Is Tolu Ayoola?

    SIR: It’s more than three weeks that our colleague, Toluwalagbara Ayoola disappeared without any clue of where he could be. On Sunday, October 13, three days to the Sallah holiday, Tolu drove his official vehicle, a white Toyota Hilux with registration Number EK 618 A01 with inscription, Bureau of Special Projects, Governor’s Office, Ado Ekiti out of his residence in New Oko Oba Area, Agege at about 7 p.m. On his way back home, he was said to have been waylaid by some armed men, bundled into another vehicle that took him away. As at the time of writing this letter, there has not been a clue as to where Tolu is or what could have happened to the father of two.

    Since the sad occurrence, staff members of the Bureau of Special Projects where Tolu works as a Civil Engineer have been praying and anticipating his safe return to his family and office.

    The sudden disappearance of a man on the street of Agege in Lagos, again, lends credence to how unsafe one is in Nigeria, how porous the security system has gone and how cheap the lives of the citizens have become.

    Because it’s a case of abduction, according to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, when the story was reported, it was difficult to release information. Painfully, up until now, no single information has filtered into the corridors of Tolu’s family or colleagues in the office.

    Our thoughts and feelings, daily remain with Tolu; a Christian and easy going guy. Sure the families have been thrown into pains, anguish and perpetual anticipation of his return. We, his colleagues have been in limbo, but also praying earnestly every minute, every hour, every day to God to bring (Engineer Tolu) back to his family and to the ‘house.’

    In recent times, there have been reports of abduction, kidnapping and armed robbery incidents at the New Oko Oba Area in Agege, Lagos. Much as the Lagos State government has tried in the area of curbing these menaces, the perpetrators are still out there amongst the people.

    It is apt to say that New Oko Oba is not an outskirt of Lagos. Whatever extra security measures expected to be put in place by the Lagos State government to ensure the safety of lives of the people in this area and several other places that seems to be ‘outskirt’ should be a priority at the moment. The Police and other security apparatus of the state should further ensure that the protection of lives and property of residents in all the nooks and crannies of the city remains uppermost as they carry out their duties.

    At the moment, the waiting game continues. And we are, however not relenting in our prayers to God to bring Toluwalagbara Ayoola back to us. May God grant answers to our prayers, in Jesus name!

    • Dare Daramola

    Ado –Ekiti.

     

  • As Guinness pours libation

    Before Christianity gained ground in Nigeria, libation was one of such ways our fathers communed with their gods. During family or communal gatherings, elders ensured that wines (especially palm wine) were not drunk to the last drop – the dreg, that thick, rich remains, the condensate from the gourd is often poured out and handed to the oldest man who prays for the community or family as the case may be. Let the land drink, that we may harvest aplenty… let our fathers drink, that it may be well with us…he who wishes his brother dead, let him die first. The maker of heaven and earth, we call upon you seeking atonement, drink that it may be well with us… At each call, a bit of the wine is spilled and the rite of libation is completed when the last dreg is poured forth.

    Though our forefathers may well be worshipping the same deity as Christians, the art of libation has almost vanished today. But Guinness stout seems to cast our mind back to it a few days back when the good old alcoholic beverage brand launched its new colour and bottle fineries. Guinness, perhaps the number one stout drink in the world, has brightened its colours and introduced an all-new gold foiling at the bottle tip. This great, new improvement cannot go unheralded and uncelebrated thus Guinness took to the front pages of front-line newspapers (you may also call them national newspapers if you prefer). Apart from being a huge pay day for oft cash-strapped dailies, the front page bold adverts or (sometimes wrapped around cover and back pages) has grown from the unconventional about ten years ago to the norm today.

    Hitherto, a splash of advert on the front page of a respectable newspaper was something akin to a taboo. Not because it necessarily diminishes or harms the content but more in deference to the sensibilities of the reader. A blast of advert on the front page of your favourite newspaper is bound to piss you off dear reader (to put it in today’s parlance); but because the invoice is huge and business has to be taken care of, we have in recent years, allowed our newspapers to be wrapped around and even wrapped up by advertiser. In fact not getting wrapped-around along with others may suggest something unsavoury for a big newspaper these days.

    But Guinness, Hardball must not fail to note, took the front-page advert splash one notch too banal last Monday when readers woke up to find giant-sized bottle of Guinness stout distorting the front pages of most papers. As if that doesn’t tell the story enough, some papers have the giant bottle suspended at the top of the cover right under the masthead with the dark drink cascading into a glass at the bottom of the paper. Some newspapers were so unwary they had the dark alcoholic beverage cutting through matter on front page like an evil libation.

    What on earth is the purpose of pouring a drink across newspaper stories on the front page of a paper? Why would Guinness create such cheap, garish copy and why would a newspaper allow itself to be so cheaply used? What poor, poor copy. Did you have to pour the drink to showcase a new bottle neck foil? No thought is spared for the reader by both the paper and advertiser. These papers are read in homes, churches, mosques, schools and libraries, no thought for the under-aged?

    Make no mistake, there is nothing sacrosanct about the positioning of advert in the newspaper anymore, no page is sacred anymore if the price is right; that is the new universal practice. But we still need to look out for our readers and make sure we do not overly squash there sensibilities. A copy must not be designed in a way that it damages the persona of our papers or cheapen the front page; needless to add that a copy for the front page must be cute and smart.

     

  • Leadership’s one-way patriotism

    SIR: Over the years, citizens have been subdued and blackmailed into submission by terms like patriotism and sacrifice. The government is always quick to ask citizens to sacrific’ for the sake of the nation, while they make no sacrifices at all. Recall that during the OccupyNigeria protests in January 2012, the government asked Nigerians to endure and make sacrifices to enjoy in the future. The same government went on to budget two billion naira for feeding the President and his vice.

    As in the current ASUU/FG imbroglio, ASUU has been told to give the government the benefit of the doubt. We ask; for how long? This government has shown itself to be one of the most deceitful in the history of this nation. Recall that in 2011, when they first raised the issue of subsidy removal, when the government met with labour groups, it was agreed that the removal issue will not be raised until sometime around June/July after due sensitisation has been carried out and palliative measures put in place. On New Year’s Day, Nigerians were greeted with the news that shook the tiny frame of the nation and cut short whatever celebrations people had planned: government had jerked up fuel price. We then ask, a government that has engaged itself in such brazen acts of deceit, can it be trusted?

    The government keeps claiming that there’s no money to develop the nation’s educational sector, health sector, etc, yet the President’s foreign trips, which he promised to reduce, has rather increased as he seems to have found solace in other people’s countries as against the one he was elected to run.

    It is irresponsible of a government that has shown itself to lack the political will to tackle corruption and mismanagement to keep demanding patriotism and sacrifices from citizens. Under this government, we’ve had Lawangate, Oduahgate, pension scams (twice), including the petroleum ministry’s regular and consistent scams.

    What has the government done to checkmate all these? Should sacrifices only be made by the led and not the leaders?

    Nigerians have made enough sacrifices. Nigerians have endured for long enough. Nigerians have watched impunity take the driver’s seat in the affairs of our nation. Nigerians have watched as undemocratic acts reign supreme in a so-called democratic setting. If there’s going to be sacrifice, it should now be made by the leaders, not the led. Let them begin by sacrificing the sacred cows that are in government. Let them show patriotism by bringing their kids back to this nation to study rather than send them off to foreign lands while our schools rot down here. Let them begin by receiving treatment for their ailments here rather than flying off to other lands in search of good health. Let them sacrifice the unconstitutional roles of the first lady and stop using our money to finance her excesses. We are done with making sacrifices; there’s nothing left to sacrifice.

     

    • Ogunjimi James Taiwo

    Ikeja, Lagos