The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Open letter to Governor Jang

    Open letter to Governor Jang

    SIR: Since your assumption of office, Plateau State has witnessed a lot of infrastructural development; you have changed the face of Jos town with the road networks and have brought back the cleanness it has always been known with.

    However, I am highly disappointed the way things are presently happening around you.

    My main concern is the controversy surrounding the leadership of Nigeria Governors Forum which you are deeply involved; the forum’s election was done openly and witnessed by every Nigerian where you scored 16 votes against the 19 by your colleague and Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Ameachi. As someone who once proclaimed publicly that he is a born again Christian and Pastor, how do you justify your claim of being the authentic chairman of the forum? How are 16 votes above 19 in your own arithmetic?

    I am writing these words to you as someone I have always held in high esteem. What shall it profit you if some people who by all standard, are even supposed to be your children use you to cause confusion in Nigeria? Will you be happy to be penciled down by history as someone that was used by his younger ones to subvert democracy in Nigeria?

    You are supposed to be a role model amongst the governors and doing the contrary will tarnish the reputation you have built for yourself for the past years.

    You are not ignorant of the security threats election rigging poses in Nigeria; you suffered it in 2003 in your first attempt to rule Plateau State. We all believed you were rigged in favour of the then incumbent Governor Joshua Dariye, but to the glory of God, you came back in 2007. Such characters you and some of your colleagues are exhibiting will make Nigerians believe that credible election in Nigeria is not possible and therefore, loose hope in the system.

    The truth is that some of your colleagues who do not have the integrity that you have are just using you to gain themselves the status of “Good Boys” in the villa. The earlier you realize this, the better for you and democracy.

    • Comrade Richard Tersoo Mnenga

    University of Basel

    Switzerland.

  • Govt should end ASUU, ASUP strike

    Govt should end ASUU, ASUP strike

    SIR: The essence of education to the growth and development of any nation cannot be over emphasized. Education is so crucial to economic growth that any nation that genuinely hopes to develop must vehemently andconsistently appropriate a large chunk of its budget to developing its educational sector. Without education, no nation would attain meaningful economic and socio-political development.

    Two months into the nationwide strike embarked upon by the Academic Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) has now embarked on an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on ‘‘EARN’’ allowance of N12,500 per month.

    The issue here is why would government enter into agreements and renege on such agreements? It beats one’s imagination that matters regarding education are handled with utmost levity by the government. There is no equality in a system where a local government councilor earns three or four times the salary of a university lecturer. Any system that relegates teachers’ welfare to the background will definitely produce half-baked graduates and graduates who cannot prove their mettle in the labour market. Why would government wait until lecturers embark on strike before taking action? Does it mean that strike action is the only language the Nigerian government understands? When are we going to get to a time when lecturers will no longer embark on strikes in Nigeria?

    With the current insecurity in Nigeria, why would government allow our tertiary institution students to waste their talents at home or roam the streets when they can be meaningfully engaged in the classrooms? Some of these students who are now idle hands could be tempted to engage in nefarious activities or join criminal gangs to perpetrate crimes. An idle mind is definitely the devil’s workshop so the government must as a matter of urgency act to ensure it resolves the issues with the polytechnic and university lecturers so that these students can go back to school. The strike actions will not do anyone any good; it will only end up crippling an already ailing education sector.

    We were recently told by the Federal Ministry of Education that only about 500,000 applicants will eventually get admission into our tertiary institutions in 2013 out of about 1.7 million that sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in April. Many eligible applicants are denied admission placement due to shortage of space in our institutions due to the fact that these institutions lack the requisite facilities to accommodate them.

    One of the reasons why the education sector has degenerated to this sorry state is that the government keeps paying lip service to issues concerning education without taking proactive steps to forestall crises. I think declaring a state of emergency in the education sector is long overdue and this should be done to forestall total collapse of the sector. A lot of reforms are urgently required in the educational sector and I believe that the government can do this if it is serious about addressing the problems in the sector. We are a country where so many talented people abound. But one sure way to discover and tap these talents for the benefit of the nation is through sound education for the people.

    The Federal Government should urgently call ASUP and ASUU to a roundtable to iron out the issues with them so that they can call off the strike as soon as possible.It is high time we discouraged strike action as the only tool that can coerce government into action on matters of public concern.

    • Tayo Demola

    Lagos.

  • In support of Judicial Reform Bill 2012

    In support of Judicial Reform Bill 2012

    SIR: I read the commentary by Mr Femi Falana, SAN in The Nation of Friday June 28, in which, in his usual manner, he enunciated important features of the Judicial Reform Bill 2012 and strategies to be adopted in ensuring speedy passage of the Bill. That commentary ignited this piece.

    The learned silk rightly harped on the need for the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to embark on a powerful enlightenment and mobilisation of judges and lawyers on the essence of the Bill and to support its speedy passage into law. The view of Mr. Falana on this point cannot be faulted at all; the NBA leadership is therefore urged to do all it legitimately can to ensure that the Bill is passed into law by the National Assembly.

    The provision in that Bill seeking to abolish the need to apply for the leave of the Court of Appeal before an appeal could be filed against its decision to the Supreme Court is commendable and should be extended to other courts. In other words, the practice by which the leave of a court is to be sought before an appeal could lie against its decision is most laughable and should be abolished. I have tried to find a justification for the practice and have been unable to find one. The only conclusion that I have been able to reach is that it is superfluous and time-wasting.

    The situation becomes more ludicrous in that where such leave is refused by the trial court, the applicant has more time to approach the Court of Appeal with the same application- see Order 7 Rule 3 of the Court of Appeal Rules 2011.This is a most unproductive practice which may unnecessarily delay and hinder the dispensation of justice especially where the appeal is a frivolous one aimed only at depriving the winning party from enjoying the fruits of his judgment.

    The question is, if an appellate court can grant leave to an aggrieved party to file an appeal against the decision of a lower court, why on earth then is the leave of the lower court necessary? Why not file the application for leave directly to the higher court? If truly a court becomes functous officio when it delivers judgment on a matter, I think such a court should not even have the power to grant a party leave to appeal against the decision.

    Where there is need to seek leave to appeal against a decision, it is proposed that such leave should be sought from only the court to which the appeal is to lie. This is more time-compliant and cost effective on the part of the litigant who would have to bear the financial brunt in case the application for leave is refused by the lower court.

    It is also important to cater comprehensively for the financial welfare of the judiciary in this Bill. There should be expressly indicated therein a certain percentage of the annual budget that should be allocated to the judiciary. The current practice where the executive arm allocates a paltry percent of the annual budget to the NJC while allocating even a greater percent to some of its parastatals is unacceptable and inimical to the sustenance of our democracy. The much desired judicial reforms can only yield fruits when the judiciary is financially independent and would not have to go cap in hand to politicians for funds.

    Finally, the Bill should make a provision clothing every legal practitioner with locus standi to challenge its violation by any individual or group of persons or government. It is only by this that any serious headway could be made in the quest for judicial reforms.

     

    • Vincent Adodo, Esq.

    Ilorin, Kwara State.

     

  • Re: Obi’s presumptuous search for successor

    Re: Obi’s presumptuous search for successor

    SIR: Hard ball, an opinion column of The Nation of Friday May 17, took a swipe on Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State over alleged comments on succession to the office of the governor of the state. The governor was said to have communicated his aversion to being succeeded by a professional politician to a group of religious leaders when they paid him a visit at the Governor’s Lodge at Amawbia. His words: “He (the next governor) must not be a professional politician that sees politics not as a vocation to advance the progress of civilization, but as an avenue to steal the people’s money”.

    The piece was prefaced with a review of past presumptuous talk on succession and its negative impacts on the practice of democracy. It expressed concern over the fate of democracy should voters cede the right of king-making to an individual. But more than that, the paper seemed scandalized by the governor’s unpretentious acknowledgement of a search for his successor. It wrote inter alia “…he still owed his state and the country as a whole the obligation to talk diplomatically, disguise his intentions, or pretend he thought it objectionable for the electorate to have such unpalatable view of the Nigerian electoral process”.

    The fear expressed over Governor Obi’s alleged choice of a successor is understandable given that his choice may turn out to be wrong. But again he should have a choice. Obi’s choice and or its expression should not be caused to assume the toga of imposition. As the chief executive of the state for two terms, he is in a position to understand first-hand the varied shades of interest of those eager to succeed him. Lest we forget, he is still answerable to the people of Anambra, whichever way the cookie crumbles. It will be wrong to impute imposition over a mere expression of an opinion. Except perhaps Hardball is saying, because of his status, he should flinch from expressing a choice, or become deaf mute.

    By its own account, the paper admitted that only about three or four out of more than 20 of such impositions in Nigeria turned out right. It is common knowledge that five governors out of the six Yoruba states were aided to power by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Today Tinubu is celebrated as an icon of democracy even by the paper. He may have been spared the Hardball treatment because, unlike Obi, he was discreet about those impositions.

    The paper was right to observe that it took the effort of Ngige to free the state from the claws of Chris Ubah, and that of Obi to prise her loose from the jaws of Andy, whom it erroneously referred to as the younger of the Ubah brothers. Beyond this, Obi has successfully tucked the state away from further despoliation. To suggest he will be returning the state whence he labored hard alongside Ngige to extricate from the jaws of profiteers is hard to believe. Worst scenario, he will only attempt the Tinubu magic in just one state – four still short of Asiwaju’s feat.

    Hardball should spare itself the splitting of hair on the issue of succession to the governorship of the state. At the appointed time the flock will search out the shepherd.

    • Louis Ejikeme

    Lagos.

     

  • Appeal to Uduaghan on Olota/Alagbabri road

    Appeal to Uduaghan on Olota/Alagbabri road

    SIR: I wish to appeal to the Delta State government and other stake holders like NDDC DESOPADEC and SPDC to help fix the Olota/Alagbabri Road.

    I have written several letters of appeal to the government and the various agencies named above to no avail.

    These are two oil-rich communities have passed through hell over the years, under the PDP controlled government in Delta State.

    They are both in Ughelli South Local Government Area.

    The only government presence in these two communities are the two primary schools constructed and furnished by NNPC/SPDC joint venture years ago and which were badly damaged as a result of communal fighting between Olota community in Ughelli South LGA and Oboro Community in Burutu LGA which also affected Alagbabri community.

    I am pleading with the state government to come to our aid by constructing this 11km road, that links Bomadi.

    We are sure Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan will give us a listening ear this time around so as to alleviate our plight.

    • Denis Tuedor

    Ughelli Delta State.

     

  • From the cell phone

    For Olatunji Dare

    Labaran Maku is displaying the inefficiency of his boss and his party. If Maku is blind, I believe he can hear. He is not in a position to tell Lagosians that Fashola is not working. He should seek people’s opinion first before the assessment. Maku should realise that there is no need to destroy others to make him popular. I believe Labaran is learning because a learner is a novice wherever he goes. He is not in the position to assess Fashola because he has indicted himself by saying the media is not showing Federal Governments projects. If what he said about the Federal Government is true, there is no need for the media to be compelled to show it. Labaran, stop jetting around if you want to know the truth. Next time, board a bus. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Lagos

    “Haba Labaran” is quite interesting. I salute the courage of governors Oshiomole and Fashola in refusing Maku’s road show cum circus. His NGGT circus will not serve any useful purpose, and it cannot improve the lives of the people. In all the states he toured, what is the level of completion of projects there? To me, the NGGT is a waste of time and the tax payers money. From Ojo A. Ayodele, Emure Ekiti

    Re: “Haba, Labaran.” This is a masterpiece, I have been expecting something on the so-called NGGT by Aso Rock megaphone. From Saheed Ottun

    I like your piece “Haba, Labaran.” It is only in Nigeria that people like him are made to represent the goverment. In China, he would have been in the gaol. Anonymous .

    It is not so upsetting for the blind to lead the blind, more jarring is the blind trying to lead the sighted. Labaran Maku should have limited his trivial tours to states controlled by his political party. Are we not operating a federal constitution? The most disturbing feature about today’s politicians, particularly those in the PDP, is not the issues they raise nor even some of the things they do, but the spirit in which it is done – the mood of uncritical self-righteousness and unbriddled anger towards those who oppose them or who do not share their point of views. Will they ever change for the better? From Adegoke O. O., Ikhin, Edo State

    Thanks for the PDP’s new mathematical fomular “19 is less than 16”. It is only but the beginning of their calamity. Men of honour are very scarce. From Peter, Enugu State

    “Haba, Labaran”. NGGT/Maku, all the controversies or whatever are between monopoly of power and sentiment. However, Maku’s statement remains partisan prone, baseless, absurd, flacid and obnoxious. From Comrade Johnson Kotin, Ajara Vetho, Badagry Lagos State

    It was not the spokesperson of Maku that said Fashola did not do anything in Lagos as claimed in your article of today but Maku himself. I watched him live saying it. I am not proud as a Nigerian that Maku is our Minister of Information. Thanks for the beautiful article. Anonymous

    The man Labaran Maku is a full-time PDP man, who goes about giving false information to the public about their Transformation Agenda! Haba, Labaran, indeed! Anonymous

    Maku came to Aba, noted it as the dirtiest city with the worst road network in Nigeria and went back to score Orji very high in development. From Jones

    Why waste your time on Labaran. Ask my 13- year-old son to tell you who Labaran Maku is and he will simply tell you “Minister for noise making”. Empty barrels make the loudest noise. From Comrade O. O. Ezekiel, Ilorin

    Mr Labaran Maku is an unserious character. Anybody who claims that “At the moment there is an average of about 18 hours per day of constant power supply to different parts of the country……” is a liar. Having touted this nonsense for such a long time in the newspapers, it takes an idiot to take his view on Lagos State seriously. He is like Wamba in Ivanhoe. Anonymous

    Maku is working hard to save his job. l did not see why he should criticize the government of Fashola. From Gordon Chika Nnorom

    Labaran Maku tells lies like the wind. He is just another aberation in this country. From Hon. Bankole Alex

    What a good piece on Abuja propaganda! If the media failed to report projects did the eyes of the users fail to see them, also. Anonymous

    Maku is an opportunist who misinforms to satisfy the whims and caprices of his Abuja paymasters. The Federal Government should learn the art of good governance from Fashola instead of dancing naked in the market square. From Comrade Daniel Sati Tanko, Jos

    “Haba, Labaran!” is a story of a man gullibly named ‘Maku’, which means ‘do not die’ in Yoruba language. Who will not die? Why are Nigerian ministers loyal to the president but disloyal to Nigeria and Nigerians? Problem of what to eat? May God save us. From Alhaji Hon. ADEYCorsim, Oshodi, Lagos

    Labaran is another federal appointee. Nigerians are watching the melodrama of the information minister. Anonymous

    I thank you for observing well the deceit in that NGGT by Maku. We were rejoicing in Abia State, particularly Aba, that that tour will expose the lies of the governor on environmental sanitation and the condition of the roads and other infrastructure, but to our greatest disappointment, Maku never set his foot inside Aba Township let alone driving through the roads to see things himsel. He ended up dinning and winning with the Governor and their collaborators. Enough of this infrastructural propaganda. We are not fools. From Joseph, Aba

    “Haba, Labaran” is a nice piece. I passed through Lokoja-Abuja Road the other day. I was ashamed with the level of work. Enugu-Awka Road is the worst; in fact, the expressway is now less than one lane. To continue calling that road expressway is the biggest lie of the century. I feel insulted as a Nigerian whenever I see people like Labaran deceiving fellow Nigerians. Anonymous

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    Having read “Let’s watch the amber lights,, I am reminded of how our leaders play the ostrich.The other day, the governor of the Central Bank justified the increment in petrol pump price without knowing the cost of a litre. This insulation from reality is what makes being in government juicy. It is unfortunate that the president allows himself to be decieved by the lot. Having been without shoes before, all he needs to do is go back to his root, check the feet of children and count how many have shoes on. That explains reality.

    I am beginning to realise that one does not have to be a rocket scientist to understand the dynamics of poverty and how to solve the problem. Too much learning is making our egg head administartors deny reality. From Aiyanyo S.

    It is very unfortunate that our leaders see the truth but refuse to tell the truth. When Abacha was alive, somebody went to his office and complained to him about power outage in Nigeria and he made the man understand that, there was light in Aso Rock. Adesina presented an award to the president for reducing hunger in Nigeria and he was happy doing that. How many homes has he visited since he was appointed a minister? I will rather call the award given to the president a sycophant award because, it is Nigerians that should say, yes, our president has done well; let us give him an award notthe minister appointed by the president. The president and the minister should not play politics with the lives of Nigerians because of selfish interest. The minister should walk from street to street, interview people, and see how they live. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Lagos

    Who will save us from the hands of our leaders who want to suck our blood to live? A minister gave an award to the president for reducing poverty in Nigeria and the so-called reducer of poverty collected it and said ‘yes, I have done well.’ What a leader! If the president pretends not to know the level of poverty in the country, I will call him an incompassionate president. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Lagos

    Please, tell our shouting ministers that Nigerians are neither deaf nor blind. However, what we hear do not describe what we see. From Dr. C. Y. Nwanodi, Port Harcourt

    Is it only now that you know how Nigerians live in self-deception or what you call clash of figures and reality? What about the Yoruba calling themselves majority with only 20 per cent of the population in the 1963 census? Why not write to condemn that? From A. E. O., Uyo

    “Let’s watch the amber lights”. Whenever I read your column, I wonder if I can meet you. Anyway, I cannot wait to lay my hands on any of your compilation. Thanks! Anonymous

    Due to insecurity in some parts of the North, the price of beans has soared. This is an indication that all parts of Nigeria are indispensable – a big lesson for pro-secession. From Esan Ayegbaju, Ekiti

    Indeed, the amber lights are on. Lifting the people urgently out of poverty is essential. The clock is ticking. From Ayodele A. Ojo

    The judicial reform bill is a mere kangaroo bill to deceive Nigerians which will not see the light of the day. The government in power will never allow it unless, it suits its interest. The institution has been monetised by the class, a problem which will be very difficult to reform. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Lagos

    If not for people like you who know the truth and are able to say it, where would we have been? Your exposition is faultless. From Idongesit Inyang

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: “Visa bond: before casting the first stone” There is no first stone for anyone to cast. Thank you for your verdict. I do not see how the UK-proposed 3,000 pounds visa bond should bother any non-corrupt Nigerian. Fix your own country and get pounds sterling, dollars, yen Lira, Deutsche mark and others. from visits and tourism. Perhaps if we fail to revolutionise and develop at all cost, let UK’s drastic measure of restriction of wastage develop us by blocking our wastage of foreign exchange and leakages. Haba, what is our headache? Consumption always, no baking! UK, thanks. From Lanre Oseni.

    The boxed quote in your column is apt. We should fix our country instead of thinking about 2015, 2019, 2023 and the voodoo mathematics that makes 16 greater than 19. Long live, Britain and its national interest-inspired immigration law. From Amanze.

    Whatever the British does with their migration laws would not be our headache if we put our house in order. If we utilise our resources well and half as well as Malaysia or Singapore, the Brits will be angling for patronage in their tourism industry; in which case the visa will be free. But, right now, they know most of us will give an arm and a leg to escape the hell hole that Nigeria has become. They have their own challenges and have identified Nigerian immigrants as part of their problems that should be solved. At the height of petrol dollars/oil boom in Nigeria, the Nigerian immigration staff were busy collecting bribes at the land borders and letting illegal immigrants have unfettered access into the country. We all saw the results. Nigeria is nothing but a nation of ignorant fools where people think with their stomachs and of personal gains before anything else. Anonymous.

    The piece is interesting. The problem is that many Nigerians know not that Nigeria is a pariah state and that only the disinherited can change the situation. What it means is that whores become members of the workforce when the time for change is ripe. Thanks. From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna.

    David Cameron has done the best thing for his country as a good leader. Nigeria’s government is fighting a lost battle. I believe the British government is trying to protect its citizens and the country just as the Nigerian president is protecting the interest of 16 instead of 19. The government should cover its face in shame rather than crying like a hungry lion. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

    The proposed visa bond of 3,000 pounds is another avenue through which the UK wants to tell Nigerians and other nationals that their services are no longer needed in the UK. They want everybody to stay in their country. I believe that the bond is targeted at stopping Nigerians from going to the UK. It is now left to our leaders to sit up and deliver good governance to make Nigerians stop travelling; after all, we have what it takes to make Nigeria a better place to live in if not for bad governance and bad and self-centred leaders who think only of enriching themselves. What is in London that we cannot develop in Nigeria if we have sincere leaders at the three tiers of government? Now that the UK has introduced visa bond to checkmate Nigerians, our government should also bring out a policy against the British government too. After all, no nation is an island unto itself. Britain must need something from Nigeria or those other nations. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

    It is good to tell it to our leaders the way it is. What a country! We ought to cover our faces in shame at the level of degeneration. Britain has the right to say no to those who want to pollute the way we have polluted our own country. Anonymous.

    Your article on the British visa bond is another masterpiece; a message to them to keep quiet and start doing the right thing. May God open their ears to listen to wise sayings. From Festus.

    Your article “Doing it gay or straight” in The Nation on Sunday of June 23 refers: Please while you took on a very serious topical issue with catalystic effects on humanity generally, you, however, handled it with such levity! The Holy Scripture is very clear on what they claim is a fundamental human right; or, have you forgotten Sodom and Gomorrah? Cameron and Obama and their cohorts are running out of time. When Third World countries are literally struggling to feed their growing populations, Mr Cameron is idly mouthing gay rights! The world, as we know it today, is headed to eternal destruction. From Gagara Nehemiah, Kwablang, Jos.

     

  • Well done gallant Eagles

    Well done gallant Eagles

    If  there was any doubt that football is fast taking over from religion as the new opium of the masses, the just ended Confederation Cup in Brazil should dispel such. It was as if glorious World Cup football tournament was here again but with fewer countries participating. Just eight countries, the best from each continent; call it mini world cup if you would but it was only a dress rehearsal for the main show coming up also in Brazil next year. The world has just reveled in a fiesta of enthralling football nonetheless.

    On display was the best of Europe as represented by Spain and Italy, the best of the Americas with Uruguay and Brazil, the best of Asia, Japan; the best of North America, Mexico; Tahiti stood in for the Oceania while Nigeria, the African champion hoisted the continent’s flag. It was boon for lovers of the round leather game with Tahiti seeming to provide the comic relief having been suffused with goals – garnering 24 in only three matches. But the tiny island country of 178,000 people was too happy to be at the world stage under global klieg lights for the first time to give a damn. The team made up of physical education teachers and artisans was obviously having a good time, hearty and happy even as it amassed baskets full of goals. Such was the spectacle that when they got the goal against the Super Eagles, their only goal of the tournament, they jubilated as if they won the cup. It could well have been a trophy for running around with giants and putting one behind the mighty Super Eagles which paraded illustrious football superstars is a feat by itself.

    But of course, not Tahiti, but Brazil that staged the show also lifted the cup in a grand style. In an anticlimax of a finale Brazil switched on a beautiful performance against European and world champions, Spain to snatch the diadem. Brazil’s young team completely subdued and exposed the seemingly indomitable Spanish armada, exponents of the exotic tiki-taka brand of football. This must be a foretaste of what to expect next year when the world converge once again in that football grove known as Brazil for the real thing: the World Cup. You must have noticed especially, a new star in the galaxy called Neymar!

    But our gallant Super Eagles was there, played three matches, won one and lost two. Though we did not scale the first round, it was a good outing for the national team with the added advantage of encountering quality teams like Uruguay and Spain. While the team drubbed Tahiti six to one after a troubled transit to the tournament (no thanks to the shoddy ways of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF), they lost to Uruguay and Spain but to keen-eyed footballers, they played good football, they played like African champions. As Coach Stephen Keshi said, they were defeated but not disgraced.

    They were plagued by poor administrative support and injury: key players like Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike, Ogenyi Onazi and Kenneth Omeruo (in the last match). Had we these regulars, so much would have been different. What Nigerians must take away from the Confederation Cup is that Keshi’s team is taking shape quite well. Positions are beginning to solidify. Not in the last few years could Nigerians see a clear picture of their national team. The ‘technocrats’ at the Glass House must allow Keshi to complete the work he has started. Talk of vetting his selection now would amount to throwing spanner in the works; they want to impose players on the coach. Have you ever heard that a bunch of people sit somewhere and vet the team list of a Scolari, Del Bosque, etc? It is unthinkable. Coaches are employed to swim or sink. This Eagles will fly yet.

     

  • Nigeria and same-sex marriage

    SIR: It was soothing news on Tuesday June 4, that Nigerian House of Representatives had finally criminalized the same-sex marriage in Nigeria, with punishment of 14 years behind the bar without option of fine for the offender.

    It takes patriotism, courage and integrity on the part of the legislators to stand up and be counted in this crucial and dawning challenges; to be noted among those that stood to protect our core values and tell the depraved western world that we still have our own culture, norms societal ethnics and values as a leading light on the African continent, and that we can decide what we think is best for us as a people.

    It is a giant stride on the part of our democracy, it will send strong signals to the international community that we are maturing and coming up by taking our destinies into our hands.

    It is the time for the President to tell the world that he also is a man that fears God and place premium on our core value and esteemed culture.

    Why were America and Britain so particular that the bill should not be passed and signed into law? If they have failed morally, is it binding on us to fail also? Let them go with their aids as Senate President, David Mark had brilliantly responded to their threat in the past.

    It is high time we started taking legitimate and bold decisions to tell them that without their meddling in our internal affairs we can sort things out maturely by ourselves. It is obvious that the same white people are major players in our economic woes. Let us stop taking loans from them and frontally reject their domineering spirit and superiority complex over us as a people.

    Let us provide a conductive environment for our children to develop their potentials and reach their inimitable heights on our soil, instead of wasting away in white-man’s land. Let’s encourage the farmers to go back to the farm and produce more food to feed the nation, instead of importing food from them. If the manufacturing sector is genuinely focused, it will create mass employment for the army of jobless youths and stabilize our national security.

    Let make living and working in Nigeria more pleasant and attractive and less stressful, protecting the rights of everybody. Our leaders can domesticate what good things they can learn about western democracy and throw away their illicit culture, as in the case of legislation against same marriage, Like the word of Barrack Obama on Jan 12, at his second inaugural speech that ‘’we do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few”. We can make Justice accessible and available to the people. The government should walk the talk by fulfilling their electoral promises and make politics a level playing field for everybody to participate without intimidation from anybody in authority.

    • Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo [JP],

    Ogbomoso

     

  • While Jang was away

    Plateau State has no doubt become Nigeria’s killing field. Hardly any day passes without news of bloodbath in one part of the state or the other. The way they have kept at it relentlessly for about ten years, you would think that the place is populated by savages. But no matter how blood-drenched the once-beautiful table land has become, every single life cut down needs to be accounted for and accorded a proper rite of passage. But not anymore in Plateau State; they have become blood weary. Mass slaughter and counter slaughter have become something of a way of life and nobody seems to care anymore.

    Last Thursday, when Governor Jonah Jang was busy in Abuja leading his renegade team of governors to some worthless, politically-motivated dinner in Aso Rock, his enclave was burning. Some blood-thirsty marauders suspected to be Fulani cattle herdsmen invaded Langtang South Local Government Area of the state and wreaked havoc on the land to their heart’s content. For hours, they operated unhindered and unchallenged as if Nigeria was an ungoverned jungle; killing, maiming and razing houses. The savages had come on bikes and were said to have chased down even escapees dealing them gruesome death blows as if they were wild animals. About 32 dead bodies were counted when the dust settled.

    According to report, chairman of the Provincial Church Council of COCIN, Rev. Nandip Miri, lost his aged father and brother in the attack. While the chairman, Management Committee for Langtang LGA, Mr. Narman Darko was said to have confirmed the death of 32 people and the torching of about 100 houses in three villages. Some of those killed were said to be students writing the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.

    It is true that carnages of this magnitude have become commonplace in Plateau State but it still does not exonerate the chief security officer’s dereliction of duty in carousing in Abuja and pretending to be chairman of the inconsequential Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF) while his state is bedeviled by one of the worst fratricidal crises to happen in Nigeria since the end of the civil war. The pattern of violence has been long defined to the point of predictability. In a few days’ time, there is bound to be a reprisal attack of mind-numbing magnitude – on and on, the orgy of bloodletting has continued. How could a large gang of armed bandits move into a community and attack for hours on end without the state’s security agencies rousing from slumber?

    Governor Jang has failed hopelessly in dealing with the problem. In fact, after six years in the saddle, he seems to now live in denial if not abeyance, hoping the killings would stop or that the press would get tired of reporting them just the way he has deadened his conscience over them. It is a shame that people seek positions for which they have no clue about the inherent responsibilities. As far as Jang is concerned, there is no solution to the ‘complex’ problem scourging his domain; or on the other hand, he has escaped into the nether regions of effete helplessness.

    This column wonders how a man who is assailed by such soul-searing problem as we have in Plateau State would have the time or resource to engage in the banality known as NGF. What is Mr. Jang thinking of? It is either he is extremely soulless, heartless or both. And as for the Federal Government’s attitude to the blood count on the plateau, we say hmmn!

     

  • Power supply: Not yet uhuru

    SIR: Let me start by accepting that the level of power supply in Nigeria by the present administration is better than what obtained in previous administrations. Nonetheless, one cannot say it is yet uhuru in the sector given the level of power supply in the country.

    Right from Nigeria’s independence, power supply has been a major problem. It has been tales of woes in the sector. All the  past and present leaders keep promising Nigerians  stable power supply but the more they talk, the less  Nigerians enjoy power supply.

    In his inaugural speech President Goodluck Jonathan noted that “the era of lamentation in the power sector is over”. This was widely reported in the print and electronic media. Since then however, it has been lamentation upon lamentation in the sector. If all  the talk about the  amount of megawatts being put into the national grid  is matched  with action, epileptic power supply in the country  would have been a  thing of the past by now. One is not saying that the president is not keeping his promise, but simply put, there is too much talking without corresponding results and that is not what Nigerians want.

    Nigerians are paying for electricity not consumed as PHCN officials these days have adopted the estimated billing system for consumers. It is no longer news that for a whole month one pays for light, the consumer enjoys power supply for only one or two days.

    Recently, it was reported in most newspapers that there was going to be power outage  in Abuja  on a particular Saturday as  PHCN officials were to work on one of  the  transmission stations in Katampe.

    The question that readily came to mind was: what of other days that residents of the Federal Capital Territory don’t enjoy power supply? Do the PHCN officials work on the transmission station on such days?  On that particular Saturday, there was no light in most parts of Abuja.  Was it to imply that work was still on-going or what has PHCN got to offer? In Abuja, most   residents use alternative sources to powers their homes because of epileptic power supply.

    My humble appeal is that the present administration should talk less and ensure steady power supply to citizenry because power is the bedrock of national development. The time for action is now.

    • Awunah Pius Terwase

    Abuja.