The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • The Princess’ armoured pearls

    Hardball abhors banalities but he is here condemned to pen one now which is: everyday for the thief, one day for the owner. Or if you prefer this: one day the monkey will go to the market and will not return. You will have to pardon me, dear readers, but since governance has been reduced to a new level of ornamented pedestrianism, to imponderable rapacity and a numbing impunity, Hardball has obviously been infected. You can think so much elevated thought when you are trapped in the bog of mediocrity; it is indeed a soul-troubling time to be a Nigerian.

    Hardball of course ponders the fresh round of malfeasance that has broken out on the polity like an epidemic and this time, in the Aviation Ministry. To bring you up to speed with this sizzling drama, last Tuesday the social media was abuzz with the story that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), had purchased two armoured cars valued at N255 million ($1.6m) for the use of the Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah. The cars delivered to her in August are two black BMW 760 Li HSS; top of the range, no doubt.

    But to our new men and women of power (especially the women), what really is all the noise about one quarter of a billion? For dowagers like our dear Princess Oduah and some of her counterparts in the Federal Executive Council, it just might be infra dignitatem to associate them with finagling with such pittance as we all are raising hell about in the past one week. How can a man (or woman) who can afford to own a private jet or buy up substantial shares in BMW (the automakers) be yoked with the untoward affair of coveting salon cars? Which is why Hardball referred above to the monkey and his marketplace nemesis: everyday he snatches stuff from stalls and sallies up the tree but one day, for just a small nut, he is circumscribed and bedraggled. Is our Princess getting her monkey nemesis now?

    But a new twist to the tale is that impunity has laid a big egg, so to speak: by last weekend, the Federal Government, through the NCAA, had embarked on a manhunt for the whistle-blower who spilled the beans on this token car gift to our Princess, the honourable minister. In a press briefing to explain what seems like a small irritation blown beyond reason, the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, noted that a manhunt had begun for the rascal who leaked information about the illicit cars. He said that the Federal Government was concerned about how the information got leaked to the public, noting that whoever leaked the information committed a criminal offence.

    This is new degeneracy; isn’t it? Recall the other day when a television station scooped the sodden rot that is our prime police college. The Presidency’s first reaction was to take umbrage at how the TV station could find its way into a police facility; it was not about who allowed the rot to fester for decades. Today, it does not matter that NCAA/Aviation Ministry splurged public funds on armoured cars, broke procurement rules and grossly inflated prices of an official purchase. What is illegal and criminal is the leakage of the so-called confidential information.

    It’s our new norm: Not long ago an activist group petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about how the Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, had totted up about N2 billion in the last two years flying the world in private jets. Neither the EFCC nor the Presidency uttered as much as a word. Perhaps emboldened by that, today, both the D-G of NCAA and the Aviation Minister, who ought to be kept in a dark lonely place, are gunning after whistle-blowers, who allegedly exposed their sleaze. Is this the new Nigeria?

     

     

    HARDBALL WED OCT 23, 2013

    Gov. Aliyu’s gondolas

    Last Wednesday Hardball cottoned on to Governor Babangida Aliyu’s boast that his mother is his guardian angel and avatar; warning his (political enemies) to beware. “My mother is still escorting me,” he had said, “So go and do whatever you want to do against me,” he warned detractors. However, Hardball returns to Niger State today not to troubleshoot or test the might of Mama Aliyu, far from it. On the contrary, Hardball is an ardent worshipper at the altar of motherhood. This return to Governor Aliyu’s empire was triggered by the picture of an armada of long, open boats – you may call them gondolas – used for ferry services on the River Niger near the Kainji Reservoir area where Kebbi and Niger States meet.

    The bold, colourful picture captures a row of about a dozen of these large, wooden open gondolas all moored at what is obviously a ferry station. The picture also shows that some of the boats are already full to tipping point with men, women and children their colourful attires defying the murky water and perilous environment. If it were the scene of a traditional boat regatta it would have been awesome as the boats bear so much beauty and aesthetics even in their obsolescence.

    It isn’t a regatta but a mass transit ferry service which probably moves thousands of people daily at a point across the great River Niger between Zamare and Yauri in Kebbi State and Kokoli to Ulakami in Borgu, Niger State. It is this oddly beautiful picture of mass transit in Nigeria in 2013 that caught our eyes. It is the picture of forbearing and long-suffering Nigerians, deprived, abandoned and exposed to the perils of the elements that stopped Hardball in his track.

    Hardball had of course read about the incessant carnage on this ferry route. Recall that in September and early October two major boat mishaps happened on this route which could have claimed over a hundred lives. On the September 3rd , one of the gondolas cramped with about 70 passengers (imagine a large wooden boat bearing this number of people) heading to Ulakami village from Kokoli market capsized and no fewer than 30 people died mainly women and their children.

    An eyewitness account said that most of the victims were from Ujiji, Tugan Liman, Kanshi Bawa, Dunga Sarkawa remote settlements around Ulakami village. Another survivor said that the boat split into two about half way into the journey and drowned all the passengers on board.

    Curiously, while some of the indigenes thought the frequent accidents on this side of the River Niger is because the gods are angry over their annual sacrifice; others point out that the boats are often overloaded therefore cannot withstand the strong current occasioned by heavy rainfall of the season. Government on its part reacted differently: Governor Babangida Aliyu immediately banned the use of old boats for ferrying passengers across the Niger River. “The action,” according to an official statement, “is intended to ensure that old and rickety boats do not continue to kill valuable lives in the riverine communities.” The state’s Ministry of Transportation was mandated to ensure full compliance with safety standards.

    It is nice to note that Niger State has such thing as Ministry of Transportation; Hardball would be interested to know its functions. There is no doubt that a large population of people live in the riverine communities of Borgu and Yauri both in Niger and Kebbi States. Over the years they have developed giant local boat to ferry themselves. The onus is now on the governments of these states especially the Chief Servant of Niger State to provide this teeming mass of people with modern water mass transit system; if not to completely change but to supplement this dangerous and obsolete mode mass movement including the supply of life jackets. Governor Aliyu can do better than banning old boats.

     

     

     

  • Anambra 2013: You have not been fair to us

    SIR: I want to register my objection right away that your titles’ have shut out 20-odd INEC-approved candidates for the November 16, gubernatorial election in Anambra State (my good self-included). Like in the Olympic Games, candidacy in electoral contests is not a guarantee for victory, and needn’t be. Also considering the several extraneous factors that bridle fair electoral contests and the many inauspicious environmental factors honest men rather than being so coldly ruled out should be encouraged for braving the odds.

    Speaking for myself, I was primarily driven to compete in order to have a chance to raise the intellectual bar in the race; to offer something different from the pedestrian presentations candidates are wont to make in staking a claim for the Anambra State Government House. If you have been following political events in the state you will have realized the intonation of exclusivity that is often brought to bear on the race for political offices on account of cronyism aka ‘god-fatherism’; or the normal process monetization that consigns the core issues of governance to the rear.

    People like me are out to challenge any and every candidate to a programme-driven debate; to show a developmental blueprint for the high office they aspire to; to canvass for support with a convincing grasp of society’s needs; or even to make a thought-provoking analysis of the failings of past administrations. To deny us the chance to express enlightened opinions on how to move our dear state forward is unfair, almost tending towards incriminating negligence. Besides, it is not in your place to play Nostradamus; or impersonate Professor Jega of INEC. I thought there was no objectivity about news!

    For the avoidance of doubt, the due diligence process preceding successful gubernatorial candidature is no stroll in the park. Anyone who has scaled the many hurdles en route: packaging oneself; surviving intraparty intrigues, funding self-projection with so much to dust up; winning primaries; passing fastidious INEC and security scrutiny, deserves respect and should be accorded recognition. Every candidate, therefore, should have his day with the public, with unfettered journalistic access.

    I am appealing to you not to trivialize the efforts of respected and respectable citizens who have weighed in with so much self-sacrifice to deepen democracy. Should you continue to ignore me and the 19 others, then you will have a lot to explain to our teeming supporters, nay posterity. Nigeria will not improve when even journalists have a jaundiced view of fair competition or disregard for competitiveness.

    • Mazi Austin Nwangwu.

    Governorship candidate,

    Citizens Popular Party (CPP)

     

  • Nigeria’s ‘Wicked Problem’

    SIR: In 2007, the Australian Public Service Commission published a report titled, “Tackling Wicked Problems: A Public Policy Perspective”. The report delineated problems that are complex and tasking to solve. Such high demanding problems was what they referred to as ‘Wicked Problems’. They enumerated climate change, obesity, indigenous disadvantage and land degradation. These problems are opinion-dividing and do not have absolute answers and thus they are called wicked problems.

    The concept of wicked problems was formulated by Horst Rittel in the 1960s. According to Rittel, Wicked Problems are “class of social system problems which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values, and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly confusing”.

    The term ‘wicked’ in this context is used, not in the sense of evil, but rather as an issue highly resistant to resolution.

    Wicked problems are difficult to clearly define-we know that we are dealing with a wicked problem when an issue is twisted and incredibly complex; wicked problems have many interdependencies and are often multi-causal; attempts to solve wicked problems often lead to unforeseen consequences-the result may come good or it may well be deleterious. Furthermore, wicked problems hardly sit conveniently within the responsibility of anyone organization and wicked problems involve changing of behavior. So, how is Nigeria’s under-development a wicked problem?

    A developed Nigeria will have constant power supply, good road network, safe living and safe business environment for her citizens and their properties. It also entails having peace, good education system, social security for her citizenry and will be corruption free or at least have a system of punishment for offenders. The movement from an under-developed country to a developed Nigeria is one nightmare that is bothering the rich and the poor, the leaders and the lead, and the knowledgeable and the not so knowledgeable. We have more problems than the available solutions.

    The lack of development in Nigeria is difficult to define. A country that is blessed with human and material resources is still wallowing in under-development. How can we define a situation whereby Nigeria export crude oil and import gas (fuel) and other by-products of crude oil? How can we comprehend the epileptic education system that we have? How can we define a system where teachers are on strike and all we hear is where power should go in 2015? This point to the fact that we have a wicked problem before us

    Wicked problems have many interdependencies and are often multi-causal. There are other stems to our under-development. Insecurity is one of them. Poverty has raised street urchins to become deadly armed gangs. Armed robbers together with kidnappers have made life a living hell for the citizens. There seems to be a causal relationship between poverty and Boko Haram just as there was a causal relationship between Militancy and poverty.

    The under-development of Nigeria has seen the military and the civilian add to it. It does not also lie with any individual. We might have one President, but those who under-develop Nigeria are far too many. Directors, Permanent Secretaries, Ministers, Senators, House of Representative Members, CBN Officials, Governors, House of Assembly Members, Local Government Chairmen and Councilors, The Private Sector, Traditional Rulers just mention them. Even the ‘common man’ is not left out!

    Solving Wicked Problems involve changing of behavior. For a change in fortune in Nigeria, there must be change of attitude and behaviour from both the leadership and the lead. A lot has to change in Nigeria for us to overcome this problem

    • Uwalaka, Temple

    University of Canberra, Australia

  • Nigeria’s rice crisis

    Crisis, crisis everywhere, not a sector is spared. They have become so pervasive that even an aspect of our life that is as innocuous as our major staple food, rice has been afflicted. Have you ever stopped to ponder what would become of Nigeria without rice? Do you know that rice is eaten daily in nearly every home in every corner of Nigeria? Do you know that rice is almost as crucial to the Nigerian household today as petrol and like petrol, it is something that we have the capacity to produce in abundance and export to other countries but instead, we import it?

    To extend the comparison with petrol further, in the 70s to mid-80s, Nigeria was producing enough petrol for her use. It was the same with rice; Nigeria’s production actually peaked at about one million tons per annum when there was a ban on importation. This was up from about 450,000 tons of local production in the 70s. But with oil boom, by the mid 80s local production dwindled giving was to massive importation. Then, Nigeria had large rice belts sprawling from Sokoto, Benue, Abakaliki and Ogun axis. It was a major industry that comprised production, milling and distribution; providing food, jobs, livelihood and wealth to millions in the rice zones. It was an industry that over time, created well-knit enterprising communities, organic, prideful in their self-sufficiency and tradition of productivity.

    Now why is Hardball lapsing into a reverie of a long-lost utopia, you might be wondering? What is the point of all this if we all are well aware that in the past three decades or so, Nigeria’s rice economy has become almost a tragic situation with a quantum of importation that is not surpassed by any other country today. In fact our importation ramifies nearly all major staple foods like maize, beans and even palm oil. But rice is the one that has reached crisis level now.

    First, the federal government at the beginning of this year, arbitrarily jerked up duty and tariff on rice importation bringing them to a total of 110 percent in Nigeria while in neighbouring countries like Benin Republic and Togo, import duties on rice remain at about 30 percent. Why would any sane businessman ship through our ports if there is a slight chance that he can smuggle it through the borders. The profit is so tempting that those who are ordinarily law-abiding would think twice or risk extinction. Here lies the rice crisis: about 80 percent of rice consumed in Nigeria today is smuggled into the country by a cabal.

    The negative imports of government’s thoughtlessness are numerous and far-reaching. First, Nigeria loses revenues in hundreds of million dollars to her neighbours. Two, genuine importers are put out of business and some may be forced into the illegality of smuggling. Three the Customs is put under immense pressure; compromised and overwhelmed. Four, the backward integration investments of genuine importers in local rice production and processing plants will go to waste in another year if this frenzy of smuggling is not checked immediately. The reason is that the price of a bag of the local rice is twice the price of the imported one. The modest efforts being made by some stakeholders to grow rice at home will soon be rubbished.

    Federal government had increased the levy paid on imported rice ostensibly to curb importations with a view to outright ban in a few years. But no effort is being made to encourage or develop local production. The rice development fund is not being deployed anywhere. All these going on and government seems so inured to it all. This will never happen in any other country; orchestrated crises like this in every sector of our national life cannot be any way to run a country

  • Abati’s albatross

    In a rare and revealing interview dripping with circumstantial logic, Dr. Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, illuminated his official philosophy and guiding principle in the face of perhaps well-founded accusation of changeability in his practice. Not surprisingly, he spoke defensively, but unwittingly betrayed his self-serving thinking and superficiality.

    “An invitation to serve your country is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon anybody,” he stressed with a hint of vainglory, grossly playing down the implication of the nature of the administration. There is sufficient evidence that political progressivism is alien to his boss, President Goodluck Jonathan; and his inclusion in the team of old ideas not only contradicts his professional antecedents as a presumably forward-looking high-profile newspaper columnist, it also questions the perception.

    Abati’s apparent explanation of the incongruity was an exercise in sophisticated sophistry, leaving him open to even worse delineation, for he then presented the image of a hitherto uninformed commentator, which is absurd, given his status. According to him, “And having spent some time in government, I have seen that public officials are there also to make a difference.” Could this admission of education mean that his days as a notable government critic were informed by ignorance, which he now regrets? What does this picture say of his past glory? Even more, what is the public supposed to believe, now that an analyst and event-interpreter of his standing has, by implication, disclaimed his history?

    It is fascinating that he chose two uncomplimentary metaphors as self-description, saying, “I do my best as the President’s parrot and town crier.” Within the framework of this understanding of his work, it was strikingly incongruous when he claimed, “I don’t lie to the public. I explain things to the public. I put things in context…” Clearly, there is some confusion here because, by definition, a parrot is a quintessential mimic, meaning that if Jonathan is lying, then his mouth-piece must be lying as well. Also, the town crier is well defined by his slavish labour, meaning that whatever explanation or contextualisation he does is controlled by the authorities he represents. It is interesting and rather unflattering that the import of his self-qualification was apparently lost on Abati who, incidentally, has a doctorate in Literature, a subject that is concerned with diction.

    One aspect of the interview was a perfect example of that logical fallacy called Argumentum ad hominem, which involves an assault on a critic in order to discredit an argument or opinion. It is noteworthy that such method is generally regarded as the weapon of the immature or unintelligent who are unable to counter the other party using sound logic or superior intelligence. In short, it is the refuge of the dodger. Abati’s words : “From what I have seen , people who criticise me and say he is no longer critical, he has joined them, he is now eating, can’t you see he has added weight from too much eating, are just being mischievous or hypocritical.” His defence, presumptuous and suggestive of blackmail, was: “The same people will wish to be on this side, they will wish to be in government, and I see many of these same critical persons, perpetually hanging around government looking for this and that, practically begging, soliciting, hustling, but they go out there and pretend to be otherwise. But that is a story for another day. And their story will be told someday.”

    When will Abati be generous with such tantalising and damning exposé? Given that he demonstrated an overwhelming sense of outrage, it would have been more like human nature if he had revealed identities. Why should the public applaud his dramatic mud-slinging at no one in particular, but at nebulous ghosts? On specificity, which is at the heart of journalism, his first love, and communication in general, he scored an abysmal zero.

    In a display of wrong-headed satisfaction with his performance in allegedly taming the opposition, Abati’s crowing was a sad commentary on civility. Referring to his verbal battles, he gloated, saying, “ Fashakin has learnt to conduct himself like a gentleman. Even Lai Mohammed has since become a fine gentleman. They all seem to understand the ground rules now.” This was his conceited way of saying that he had employed sewer language to answer critics of the administration, and was unapologetic about it. According to him, “If you try to ridicule the President, I am not likely to be nice to you at all. If you throw a punch, I will connect you with an upper cut and maybe a kick to the groin.” Certainly, Abati is entitled to his pugilistic imagery and karate fantasy, but he might be mistaken in supposing that he could make gentlemen of others through thuggish means.

    Perhaps the greatest indication of Establishment mentality was Abati’s promotion of a simplistic interpretation of the government’s failings. He reduced the alarming and fundamental reality of a visionless government to a far-fetched argument about petty political rivalry. It was a moment of ironic vacuity when he offered what should pass for embarrassing thoughtlessness. According to Jonathan’s spokesman, “What we have seen is that immediately President Jonathan won the election, the bad losers in the other political parties just resolved that they would not allow his government to function. That is not statesmanship or sportsmanship and it is cruel.”

    It is unclear whether Abati himself believed his own words, which would be not only absolutely pathetic, but also utterly amusing, if he did. It was a glaring demonstration of how not to think, and a large discredit to his learning. It is even more disturbing that he claimed to be unchanged, saying, “It is still the same head, the same personality.”

    In the end, it would appear that the attraction of public office has become an albatross around Abati’s neck, which is a cause for concern. Sadly, he seems too engrossed to recognise that he needs contemplative sobriety. “Exciting!” he responded to a question about his experience in office. “In fact, I am enjoying the work. It provides me an opportunity not just to serve but also to learn,” he added. The big question is: what has he learned?

    • Macaulay is on the editorial board of The Nation

  • National Conference, Tinubu and Presidency’s diatribe

    This Presidency will perhaps go down in Nigeria’s history as the most averse to its people asking questions of it. Yet again I read with amusement, its response to legitimate questions posed by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on its proposed cryptic “constitutional conference or dialogue”. All the mainstream dailies carried screaming headlines such as “ Presidency, Tinubu in slugfest over conference “,  “Presidency attacks Tinubu”, “Presidency, Tinubu clash over National Conference” etc and I thought to myself, what manner of Presidency is this ?

    For me where a whole institution of the presidency takes on a single individual (Tinubu), who made it clear he was merely stating his opinion (though his opinion was in line with that of many discerning Nigerians), apart from reducing its stature, it unwittingly was paying Tinubu a back hand compliment. It is even worse when its response to legitimate questions is a non sequitur in form of diatribes. One would have thought it was an opportunity for the presidency to further explain issues concerning the controversial “conference” but no.

    So let’s try again.  It is often said that the devil is in the detail. Unfortunately it appears in this case there are no details and so it’s even more difficult to search for the devil even though you know he or it is in there somewhere, but search we must.  Yes it appears the presidency has perfected the more you look the less you see format but we will continue to ask questions no matter whose ox is gored.

    Perhaps the most important question Tinubu asked which was never answered was the auspiciousness and timing of the conference.  Why now?  Common sense, logic and intellect do not agree with the planning and execution of two major, delicate and difficult projects in any country within one year.  A national election and a national dialogue? How feasible are these?  Even with the best of intentions, will the planning and execution of one not take away from the other? Or is this a mere smokescreen or subterfuge? Why is this coming at the time the President’s party is disintegrating and his chances of winning re-election are dimming by the day? At what point after years of playing the ostrich did the President change his mind about the desirability of a conference? Why is the outcome of the conference going back to the National Assembly for legislative imprimatur as the President has now told us, suggesting that the exercise could be a waste of time if the National Assembly disagrees with its output.  How then is it different from the constitutional amendment exercise we have just gone through which gulped several millions of naira? Pertinent questions that require answers.

    In looking at the history of several countries including the 13 colonies of the United States that have sat together to fashion how to live together, such conferences have been done at auspicious times and not during the pendency or imminence of an election.  The best time for the conveying of such a conference that could have far reaching implications for the country would be the very first year after an election in this case between 2015 and 2016 and definitely not 2014 a year to elections and few months before party primaries, especially when you have an interested party in the outcome of the elections.  There is a rat somewhere and it stinks to high heavens.  Hear Mr President: “those who continue to say that the initiative is diversionary or aimed at promoting certain political ambitions are in error. Our sincere objective is to create an acceptable and workable platform for a national dialogue or conference that will help us to resolve the issues that still cause tension and friction in the polity, reinforce the ties that bind the countries many ethnic nationalities and ensure that Nigeria’s immense diversity continues to be a source of strength and greatness”

    Mr President, good talk but a year to a major election?

    Whilst the President’s statement sounded presidential and conciliatory, hear the other one of his aides: “We wish to state categorically that President Goodluck Jonathan has shown convincingly that he is a credible, reliable and capable leader by his unprecedented achievements in such a short space of time. He most certainly does not flip flop as the opposition politician insinuates blah blah blah” Oh really?

    Now the closest attempt to address issues was made by Kingsley Kuku, the amnesty guy. He detailed accomplishments of the amnesty programme.  I do not know Kuku and I have nothing against him but on this one he missed the point. Simply put; a drain pipe is a metaphor used in ferrying money out of the treasury or if one is to be more charitable a way to suck money from the system unnecessarily.  The point he missed is that even where you are able to show that certain things have been done in the name of amnesty, such does not negate the “drain pipe” fact. To put it in ordinary language easy to understand, if I am able to show as a governor that I have bought syringes for all government hospitals in my state at the cost of 500 naira when the actual cost was 10 naira per syringe, does the fact that all hospital now boast of syringes negate the fact that the programme of syringe purchase is a drain pipe? Ditto Sure P.

    If our President is desirous of having a national dialogue, I can give him some suggestions on major critical areas demanding dialogue which will be less impetuous and which can be started and finished within three months with no implication on the coming elections. He can start by convening a national dialogue on education (ASUU strike), Power, non implementation of budgets, oil theft and a national dialogue on our true finances as a country and whether or not the country which has been unable to pay its bills or allocate states their revenue for three months is broke.

    Hon Gbajabiamila is the leader of opposition, House of Representatives

  • ASUU strike and FG’s transformation agenda

    SIR: In 2011, When President Goodluck Jonathan contested for the presidency, the bait he brandished was the transformation agenda- a delusional promise to transform all sectors in the country. Close to three years after, Jonathan has not been able to transform Nigeria as it continues to wallow in socio-economic backwardness, with the spate of degeneration in the country reaching an alarming rate.

    The latest casualty of Jonathan’s regressive leadership is the close-to-four months strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over unpaid allowances and unfulfilled agreement the federal government reached with it in 2009.

    A perusal of the treatment of the strike by the federal government shows that the Jonathan administration does not see education as priority. While the president is busy with his ambition and party business, the educational sector is in shambles. He has planned personal meetings with the so-called aggrieved governors but has not deemed it fit to show commitment to the future of the country by having a meeting with ASUU leadership. This underscores the level of recognition accorded education by our President.

    ASUU’s demands are not selfish or are they political as insinuated by some mischief makers in the presidency. ASUU is campaigning against the high level infrastructural decadence of Nigerian universities. This stance is the reality as most universities in our country are not better than prison yards.

    What of the 87 billion naira unpaid allowances owed ASUU? Is it not a show of inhumanity and irresponsibility for a government to owe its workers such amount of money? It is noteworthy that amidst these and other reasonable demands by ASUU, the federal government tends to be unmoved. Rather than display maturity which is a requisite virtue of competent leaders, the presidency adopted childish approach making outrageous statements. One of such is the platitudinous statement credited to the Minister of Finance and the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that the federal government cannot meet ASUU’s unpaid allowances demands. It is understood that she may want to please her boss; however, doing that at the detriment of the future of the country is grossly unfortunate.

    The latest stoppage of lecturers’ salary attests to the notion that the President has not gotten it right. That is a demonstration of immaturity in handling avoidable crisis.

    It is worthy of note that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) is also on strike while the National Union of Teachers (NUT) is ready to join ASUU as a means of solidarity. Yet, the presidency has not done enough to convince Nigerians of its concern.

    A president who is not alarmed at the suspension of academic activities in virtually all tertiary institutions in his country cannot be said to be transformational. I fear if the articulated but passive transformation agenda is not deformation agenda in disguise. It is pathetic that this situation tends to replicate in virtually all sectors- not education only. The status quo in the country is a celebration of beautified deformation with no transformation history to tell.

    The government should address ASUU’s demands soonest and wake up from its slumber concerning other sectors. Personal ambitions should be shelved and the future of the country prioritised. A country cannot attain the height of glory in a garment of shame and indirection. Else, a massive alignment with the emerged viable progressives won’t be a bad idea.

    • Simon Godwin

    University of Lagos

  • Africa’s trauma epidemic

    LAGOS — It was dusk and I was on my way home from Abeokuta, a vibrant city in southwest Nigeria. My driver had switched off the car’s air-conditioning so I could open the windows and feel the breeze. He was weaving between potholes in the road when suddenly, the scene ahead changed.

    A large truck had pulled out carelessly onto the road, knocking a car straight into the median.

    That stretch of road is notoriously dangerous, not just because of traffic accidents but also because of armed robbers. It’s for that reason that I suppressed my natural instinct to stop and help.

    I was filled with guilt as we passed the wrecked car, because I knew that if the young man at the wheel had been badly injured, there was only a small chance that he would get the emergency treatment he needed.

    I knew this because I am a trauma doctor and the founder of West Africa’s first indigenous air ambulance service. Nigeria, a country of more than 170 million people, has no organized trauma response system and no formal training for paramedics. Injured people are often taken to the hospital in a car or minibus or draped across the motorcycle of a good Samaritan, sometimes several hours after the accident has occurred.

    Even if the patient does reach a local hospital, it may not have the skilled staff or equipment needed. (There are only a few that do, and there are huge distances between them.) Most of those who are seriously injured probably bleed to death.

    So I couldn’t help it when, a few moments later, I said “Stop the car, please.”

    I grabbed one of our emergency response bags from my trunk and walked back. I tried to concentrate on the types of injuries the driver might have rather than how unsafe it was walking on that stretch of road, particularly in the evening. Was he bleeding? Was he conscious?

    The crash scene had quickly attracted some of the people who typically gather around accidents in Nigeria. Bystanders were pulling the driver out of the car. Before long they were joined by a barefoot “prophet” in a white robe. No Nigerian accident scene is complete without a prophet who commands everyone to stand by while he loudly predicts that the patient will stop bleeding. The patient is often drained of blood by the time the prophecy is complete.

    Sadly, these prophets are the best hope that many Nigerians have. Trauma has become a silent epidemic in Africa, an epidemic that will only spread as the economy grows. More and more Africans are buying cars and working in heavy and dangerous industries. At the same time, infrastructure is poor, safety laws lax, and cars badly maintained.

    Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s smallest number of motorized vehicles but the highest rate of road traffic fatalities, with Nigeria and South Africa leading the pack.

    The World Bank predicts that in the next two years, road accidents could be the biggest killer of African children between 5 and 15. By 2030, according to the Global Burden of Disease study, road accidents will be the fifth leading cause of death in the developing world, ahead of malaria, tuberculosis and H.I.V.

    If you add to these numbers the injuries caused by violent crime and communal conflict, then you have all the ingredients for a public health emergency.

    And yet, trauma receives only a tiny fraction of the attention and money given to these three infectious diseases. Every health care conference I attend focuses on vaccines, treatment and training to combat the infamous “triple epidemic.”

    Over the last decade, billions of dollars have poured into Africa with the laudable aim of defeating these killer diseases. But that most basic killer, injury, remains neglected.

    Part of the problem is that the solutions are so complex. It’s easy to quantify interventions like the number of AIDS-fighting anti-retrovirals or mosquito nets distributed. Pills can be counted, flown in on cargo planes and delivered to large numbers of people in a short time period. But a pill would do very little for someone on a rural road in Nigeria with a head injury and a collapsed lung.

    We need to put in place systems to provide lifesaving care for accident victims. They need to be moved to a fully equipped hospital — one with X-ray machines, CT scanners, a burn unit — within the space of 45 minutes. We need at least 10 of these proper hospitals. We need to improve our roads, and we need a high-quality ambulance system to drive on them. And we need paramedic schools — like the one my company is helping to open, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

    Some countries in other parts of the world have come up with proactive solutions. In Israel, a group called United Hatzalah helps volunteer emergency workers get quickly to accident sites, by “ambucycle” or on foot, if necessary. But Africa’s challenge will require an African response — and international support.

    On the road that night, I quickly assessed that the young man needed urgent medical attention. I gave him oxygen and inserted a makeshift airway. I noted that he probably had internal bleeding and did my best to stem whatever external bleeding I could detect.

    A passing taxi then transported him to the nearest hospital. He had a fighting chance. But too many injured Nigerians, forgotten on the side of the road, do not. It’s time the global public-health community paid attention to Africa’s urgent need for emergency medical care.

     

    • Orekunrin a trauma doctor and managing director of Flying Doctors Nigeria, contributed this piece for International New York Times

  • President Jonathan and corruption

    SIR recently, President Goodluck Jonathan remarked that corruption is not Nigeria’s worst problem. But Nigerians know better. Corruption is the reason why the refineries in Nigeria are not working and Nigeria imports fuel and inadvertently exports jobs. It is the reason why Nigeria spent so much money on power supply yet Nigerians are in darkness, with every family that can afford it owning one or more generators. Even Aso Rock has a monumental budget for generators, its maintenance and fuel.

    It is unbelievable that the history of electricity in Nigeria is over 100 years! Corruption is the reason why planes crash in Nigeria frequently. There was one last year, another this year. Aren’t Nigerians silently asking themselves when the next one will occur?

    Corruption is the reason why the roads in Nigeria are death traps. Corruption is the reason why the banks failed in Nigeria, the thieves walk free and government paid over N5 trillion to recapitalize the banks. Corruption is the reason why the government doled out over N1 trillion to its friends for fuel not imported –sabotaging the Nigerian people and the economy!

    Corruption is the reason why about 70% of the population live on less than $2 a day. It is the reason why water is not running in our taps and we are forced to sink wells or boreholes. Corruption is the reason why billions of naira in pensions fund was stolen and the thieves walk free. It is at the heart of Nigeria’s security challenges –Boko Haram, kidnapping, armed robbery, militancy etc -with trillions of naira paid to warlords that have been engaged as security consultants (militancy pays in Nigeria!). Corruption is manufactured in the National Assembly where lawmakers use oversight functions to demand for bribe (they are all rich and majority of Nigerians are poor!). Corruption is the reason why pupils do not have good classrooms. Corruption is the reason why the universities in Nigeria have been shut for the fourth month running (and the government has not been sacked).

    Now, this is how. Every naira stolen has an opportunity cost – the best schools we should have had, water running in our taps, uninterrupted electricity supply, universities that rank among the best in the world, safe country, smooth roads, safe skies, high per capita income, good hospitals, industrial growth, employment for the populace etc.

    Corruption is the reason why Nigeria is what it is today –the shame of the black race. President Jonathan knows why he has chosen to make light the issue of corruption in Nigeria. Yes, the president and his finance minister were right that corruption in Nigeria is across the value chain. But they were so very wrong to advance that as reason for the government’s helplessness. The anti-corruption agencies have become hopelessly inefficient and as compromised as the people who run Nigeria. Only a clean government can square up to corruption. The government remains our problem on corruption. Next time when Nigerians go to the polls, we must not be swayed by rhetoric, religion or tribe. We must elect a president that has the moral authority to fight corruption.

     

    •Olami Akanni

    Abuja

  • Victor Moses and team spirit in Super Eagles

    SIR: With the recent display by Victor Moses especially at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, many Nigerian including this writer have come to love Victor Moses and his style of play. But the pre-match comment by the player in the match against the Antelope of Ethiopia where Moses was quoted to have said “I will score against Ethiopia” showed clearly that he is gradually forgetting that football is a team game unlike table tennis.

    My advice to Moses is that he should learn from the likes of Emmanuel Emenike who after delivering a brace at the match returned all the glory to God. No doubt Moses is a good player; with team wor,; the sky is the limit for him.

     

    • Adewumi ‘Tope Humble

    Federal University, Oye Ekiti