The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Time to revive Abia’s moribund industries

    SIR: Before the creation of Abia State in 1991, outfits like Modern Ceramics Industry Umuahia, Golden Guinea Breweries Umuahia, Aba Textile Mill, Aba Metallurgical Complex, Aba Glass Industry and many others were waxing strong with thousands of workers in their employ. The progressive pace continued even many years after the creation, but unfortunately, this fleet of industries that were the pride of the state and the envy of the neighbouring states started fizzling out in turn as the years progressed

    However, with the exception of Modern Ceramics that received the blessings of the state governor, Theodore Ahamefula Orji with the collaboration of the Roman Catholic Mission, others are still dormant and any hope of their being resuscitated in the near future appears bleak

    The urgent need to revive these outfits cannot be over emphasized as doing so would augment the state source of revenue and at the same time provide employment to the teeming youths as well as reinstating their former workers that are now left to their fate.

    More importantly, it may not go down well in history for the present dispensation if the successive government happens to achieve the feat and possibly take the attendant glory. I therefore appeal to the chief executive of the state to do all within his strides to resuscitate these industries to serve as a lasting legacy to the future generation

    • Nkemakolam Gabriel

    Port Harcourt.

  • Taming the menace of kidnapping

    Taming the menace of kidnapping

    SIR: The growing level of insecurity in the country should be tamed without delay. Cases of robberies, terror attacks, rape, kidnappings and other wild crimes have become a daily occurrence.

    Just a few days ago, a gang of gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect kidnapped a 92-year-old elder statesman, Alhaji Shettima Monguno, at the Mafoni Jumaat Mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State, shortly after performing the jumat prayers.

    Before he regained his freedom, the kidnappers were said to have contacted the family of the former Federal Minister of Petroleum and demanded the release of some terror suspects being detained by security agents, as bargain.

    In a story, “Kidnapping: Nigeria’s Fastest Growing Industry!”, The Street Journal noted that the rate of kidnapping in Nigeria has risen considerably in the last 10 years as not less than 1,500 people were kidnapped on an annual basis thus making kidnapping more or less a new “cottage industry” in which the nation is fast catching up as the sixth worst country.

    Recent trends revealed that high profile cases usually generate media attention, as many remain resolved without attracting any publicity because the affected people prefer to quietly pay the demanded ransom quietly and just move on, as soon as the release of the victim is secured, leaving many victims to cope with post-kidnap trauma.

    We should be bothered that kidnapping is not only a criminal offence but a direct threat to national security going by its wide internal security implications and negative effects on public image.

    It is time we began realistic youth empowerment policies that will give direct benefits to targeted youths in the forms of Micro-Credit Scheme, Skills Acquisition Programme and Youth Empowerment through Agriculture, among others.

    Secondly, there is urgent need for security agencies to review the existing strategies in handling kidnap cases. The emphasis should be more of intelligence gathering. By so doing, it will be easier to nip such in the bud at an early stage of hatching. It is worrisome that many cities do not have Closed Circuit Television systems to monitor the movement of people in curbing criminality.

    There should also be a better engagement of telecommunication companies in the prevention and apprehension of culprits. With the just-concluded registration of Subscribers’ Identity Module cards, it should be easier to obtain the databases of the people – both the victims and their captors – for useful information.

    More than ever before, the people must be regularly sensitized on the antics of kidnappers and ways to evade such. The apparent cases of increased kidnapping further lend credence to the call for the establishment of state police. If we are serious about fighting crime, the federating units should be encouraged to run their own police within the existing law, to enable them protect the lives and property of their people.

    It is saddening that the cold war between the Federal Government and Lagos State Government has been attributed to the stoppage of the Lagos Safe City Project meant to provide 10,000 solar-powered closed circuit cameras in the metropolis.The laudable project was to be funded by the Lagos Security Trust Fund while the cameras were supposed to be managed remotely through a central security command unit.

    • Adewale Kupoluyi

    Abeokuta

     

  • It is not yet the End of History in Rivers (2)

    It is not yet the End of History in Rivers (2)

    Yesterday, Hardball suggested that the events of the past few days in the Rivers State legislature had prompted fear of impending impeachment of both the Speaker and the governor. He also argued that going by history, the fear of impeachment was not unfounded. Today, he continues the argument with references to similar situations in other states: In October 2006, eight out of 24 members of the Plateau State House of Assembly served impeachment notice on Governor Joshua Dariye. Many Nigerians laughed it off as a despicable and unrealistic plot that would misfire or implode. But a month later, Dariye was out of office. Though the Supreme Court reinstated him on April 27, 2007, less than two weeks to the expiration of his second term, the damage was done, and a horrible impression of the polity was created. It also became clear there was absolutely no altruism left in President Olusegun Obasanjo, notwithstanding his vaunted claim of maturity, balance and patriotism.

    A not-so-different crazy political mathematics was also employed in Oyo State in 2005 when 18 Lamidi Adedibu-inspired members of the House of Assembly out of a 32-strong legislature decided to impeach Governor Rashidi Ladoja. Since the 18 did not have the required two-thirds to impeach the governor, they devised the brazen formula of first arbitrarily suspending five of the 14 members still loyal to the governor, and then deriving the required two-thirds based on the remaining 27. If Oyo simplified mathematics beyond limits to impeach their governor in January 2006 (the courts reinstated Ladoja in December of the same year), Bayelsa State, which actually began the crude application of impeachment weapon, used a novel method in 2005. Like Rivers today, Bayelsa House of Assembly was first coerced to suspend Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha from the PDP, then an impeachment notice drafted in Lagos inside the EFCC pressure cooker was served on him, and by December 2005, 17 of 24 members had endorsed his impeachment.

    The auguries are not good at all for Rivers. The country must therefore brace up for very perilous times in the near future, not only in that beleaguered state, but all over the country, as the presidency embraces self-help in dealing with its enemies. Yet, no matter what the PDP does, the party will find it difficult to muster the number necessary to impeach the governor, except of course it opts for the Dariye method. In addition, as a direct consequence of the heavy-handedness of the president, the mutual suspicion between his home state of Bayelsa and Amaechi’s Rivers States over boundary adjustment and oil wells dispute will continue to foul the well of trust and engender more bitterness between the two neighbouring states. Moreover, that Obasanjo got away with murder during his tenure, when many Nigerians were willing to sacrifice anything to consolidate democracy, does not mean Jonathan can get away with the same provocations. And at a time when the country is convulsing with unrest, kidnappings and sectarian rebellions, it amounts to sailing near the wind for the president to stoke more rebellion close to home.

    Mr Amaechi has his faults, and has perhaps not shown enough restraint and prudence in some of his speeches and policies, but at least he was not elected to preside over the country. The PDP can misuse its powers and oppress its members as much as it wants, but it must not be allowed to flout the constitution by attempting to subordinate a state legislature to party whims or to destabilise the polity in order to advance narrow-minded party goals. The president, his party and Mr Amaechi can still pull back from the brink if they recognise that the country is greater than winning the next set of elections, and if they are smart enough to know that they are making, not ending, history. But perhaps, to them, this advice is unacceptable idealism.

     

    •Concluded

     

  • Nigeria does not need foreign coach

    Nigeria does not need foreign coach

    SIR: Stephen Keshi helped save the Super Eagles with his recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) championship win. Yet, news reportsrecently announced that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) was planning to repay Keshi by cutting his salary in half. The NFF has since clarified that it has not slashed Keshi’s salary, only the salaries of his coaching crew and backroom staff. Even without the chop to his own salary, the interference in his staffing setup must taste overwhelmingly bitter to the man who has now twice led Nigeria to the AFCON championship. Outside of the injustice of the NFF not even consulting Keshi prior to the dismissals, the situation also speaks to the inequality between foreign—a term most typically used to refer to European—coaches and African coaches. Would the NFF have dared to do the same to a foreign coach?

    Perhaps related to its all too frequent allegations of corruption, the NFF is undeniably broke. So it may have been forced to cut salaries regardless of the national origin of its coaching staff. But, the fact remains that foreign coaches in both Nigeria and the rest of the African continent are typically treated preferentially over African coaches. After winning this year’s AFCON, Keshi temporarily resigned in February because of NFF pressure to work with either a foreign coach or a foreign technical team. Clearly, the belief that African coaches are not good enough on their own is prevalent across Africa. And this opinion is dead wrong.

    Most African countries do not have the economic resources to attract Europe’s premier coaching staff. The European coaches that are imported by African nations tend to be overpriced for their qualifications. Those countries that can afford to pay exorbitant sums for Europe’s finest often find that high costs are no guarantee of success. Eric Gerets—once considered one of the top right-backs in Europe—couldn’t lead Morocco past the first round of the African Cup, despite receiving one of the highest coaching salaries (Sh 25 million per month) in Africa. Yet, African states continue to operate under the mistaken assumption that an imported coach will revolutionize their football program and bring them to victory. Uganda, one of the world’s poorest countries, nevertheless insisted on paying Bobby Williamson KSh 1.8 million per month for nearly five years, even though his teams were never able to qualify for AFCON.

    The exorbitant salaries of foreign coaches would be better spent improving and increasing youth development programs; thereby strengthening a nation’s available talent pool. By adopting a bottom-up approach, countries would make their players more attractive for recruitment in top-quality foreign leagues. Ultimately, rather than pouring money into an endless train of questionable foreign leadership, African nations should be reinvesting in their own.

     

    • Clare Finnegan,

    New Jersey

     

  • Bring back the groundnut pyramids

    SIR: Before Nigeria’s independence in 1960, groundnut pyramids were synonymous with the success story of agricultural revolution in Kano State. Today, magnificent buildings have taken over the spaces once occupied by the pyramids.

    Groundnut pyramids can be described as the systematic way of arranging groundnuts in a large building, constructed in form of square or triangle which is specifically for that purpose.

    The formation of groundnut pyramids was the idea of late Alhaji Alhasan Dantata, a business magnate who was also a merchant of Kola-nuts, based in Kumasi, Ghana from where he shipped his goods to Nigeria by sea.

    In 1919, late Dantata returned to Kano at the height of the groundnut boom and became the most prominent Hausa trader to benefit from its commercial success and in five years of his involvement, he became a major supplier of groundnuts to the Royal Nigerian Company (RNC).

    Kano became famous in the world commerce following the magnificent groundnut pyramids during the Nigerians period of agricultural boom, especially in 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s and it contributed 70 percent of the region’s export earnings.

    Unknown to the youth of today, Kojut Muazugal Quarters, a high rise building in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State which served as the head quarters of the defunct Bank of the North now Unity Bank, was once the epicentre of the renowned groundnuts pyramid of the north.

    In the same vein, a wide expanse of yet to be developed land (polo ground) known be the haven for groundnut activities in the early 50’s has now been converted into a playing ground for the youth. A Kano State-based football club uses the ground as training pitch while political parties are not left out of the scramble to use the venue for rallies and other political activities.

    With the conversion of the ground nut pyramids’ grounds, a halt has been put to the dreams of the founding fathers of the region. Gradually, the charmed world of the nuts castles has disappeared. The glow which the pyramids once turned the ancient emirate to a Mecca of all sorts has vanished.

    To reclaim the lost glory of groundnut pyramids, the government must act fast by giving top priority to agriculture.To achieve this, the government should train the teeming unemployed youth in different facets of agriculture. Apart from being gainfully employed, it would reduce poverty in the land and ensure food security.

    Modern agriculture in northern Nigeria can serve as catalyst for development and also reduce migration to urban areas among young Nigerians residing in rural areas.

    Let the on-going transformational agenda in the agricultural sector of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration also bring back the groundnut pyramids.

    • Awunah Pius Terwase,

    Abuja

     

  • Afghan President, Boko Haram and peace

    Afghan President, Boko Haram and peace

    SIR: At a time the Nigerian government is considering granting an amnesty to Boko Haram jihadists, the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has reportedly offered a very important advice to the militants in Northern Nigeria: “Lay down your arms if you are true muslims and embrace the amnesty offered by the federal government”.

    He also said “Boko Haram should stop burning schools, mosques, churches in the name of Islam. You should not destroy your country if you are true muslims. You should protect lives because in Islam if you kill one, it is as if you killed the whole of humanity and if you save life, it is as if you saved the whole of humanity”.

    Drawing parallels between the activities of Boko Haram militants and those of the Taliban in his country, he acknowledged that the suicide bombing and other atrocities of the jihadist group were externally motivated, urging the insurgents not to allow external forces to get them to destabillize and destroy their country.

    Karzai timely advice to Boko Haram militants is a welcome development and the strongest case for peace made by a president of another country since this insurgency began.

    Like the Taliban, Boko Haram militants have both local and international support. They need to be isolated and denounced by all peace loving muslims. Leaders of muslim groups around the globe should add their voice in calling the Boko Haram militants to order and in undermining its support base.

    The insurgents should be made to understand the incompatibilty of their campaign with the cause of peace, unity, harmony and development in the country.

    Personally I disagree with Karzai that no religion preaches violence. This is clearly a mistaken notion of religion, and does not reflect the facts of history or the actual experiences of the people. Religions, particularly the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam preach both peace and violence. These faiths have at certain times in history used or advocated violence. We should not shy away from this bloody reality and instead we should thoughtfully engage and reconstruct it to further the cause of peace around the globe.

    Violence originates from human beings, not from religion. Violent expressions are human and reflect how humans sometimes do things. Human beings sometimes have used and still use violence to advance their cause including religious cause. Boko Haram militants should be persuaded on moral grounds to embrace peace and shun violence. There is an urgent need of some ‘mental detoxification’.

    Boko Haram insurgents and their local and international backers should be made to understand that they stand to benefit; that their religion or cause stands to benefit if they adopt peaceful, human rights compatible and civil ways of promoting their goals and mission.

     

    • Leo Igwe

    Bayreuth, Germany

  • It is not yet the End of History in Rivers (1)

    It is not yet the End of History in Rivers (1)

    The fight for control of Rivers State is far from over; in fact, it is just beginning. But contrary to what many people think, perhaps even some of the combatants themselves, the war is not simply about the disagreements between the President Goodluck Jonathan government and Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Nor quite visibly is it about whether the governor harbours presidential ambition. Nor still is it about whether the president feels his pride has been injured by a governor who he believes will wilt before a withering display and application of raw state power. The war, which is getting nastier by the day, is simply about keeping Rivers safe for the president when he throws his hat into the ring for the 2015 contest.

    Much of the Northwest and Northeast is virtually lost to the president, and the North-central is a tossup. The Southwest is virulently anti-Jonathan, while the hitherto safe South-South is not only restive, it is seething with discord. For Jonathan, therefore, damn the niceties of democracy; damn federalism; and damn human rights and any talk of posterity. If his 2015 ambition is to be saved, he knows that Rivers must be kept secure in the pouch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), indeed in the warm embrace of Jonathan himself, no matter what it takes. Therefore, any talk of restraint and civilised behaviour is likely to fall on deaf ears.

    To many non-Nigerians, it is disconcerting that an Abuja High Court had to be secured to sack Godspower Ake as chairman of the Rivers PDP. The attempt by a Rivers High Court to reverse the sack has met with little success because the powerful forces behind the turmoil in Rivers are too connected to be pushed aside. With the installation of Felix Obuah as the new chairman about three weeks ago, the Abuja power game has gone into overdrive. Using the pretext of the House of Assembly’s suspension of the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government, Timothy Nsirim, his deputy, Solomon Eke, and 17 councillors since April 22, Mr Obuah has managed to rewrite the Nigerian constitution by equally suspending 27 members of the state House of Assembly, including the Speaker, Otelemaba Dan Amachree. A stalemate has thus been procured, and the state reels under dreadful unease.

    The Rivers House of Assembly has 32 members. With the party presumptuously suspending 27 members loyal to the governor, the Abuja mafia now ‘proudly’ musters just five members with which it hopes to unsettle and probably unhorse the governor. The five have proved powerful, considering how they were escorted into the premises of the Assembly two days ago by the police, while the pro-Amaechi lawmakers were compelled by circumstances to go into hiding for fear of attack. The events of the past few days in the legislature have prompted fear of impending impeachment of both the Speaker and the governor. Going by history, the fear of impeachment is not unfounded.

     

    To be concluded tomorrow

     

  • From the cell phone

    For Olatunji Dare

     

    Each time l see her picture in the papers, my heart speaks…and say…Haaa! An angel has left us in our evil ways… Anonymous

    The President is playing, toying with the lives of Nigerians in the name of politics. He does not give a damn whether the people who voted him in are in danger or not. Insecurity is spreading accros the country but he seems not to worry about it; all he is busy doing is muzzling those he sees as his enemies. Let all Nigerians wake up from their slumber and challenge our leaders to tackle insecurity. If not, we shall one day wake up and see the country being consumed by insecurity. The lives of Nigerians which the President swore to protect are in danger. But he does not care. He should remember that, no matter how long he stays in office, one day he will leave and become like every other citizen of this country. Let him know that whatever he does to Nigerians now, either good or bad, will definitely come to him when he leaves. He cannot take water as his enemy why preparing to wash his clothes; he would be put to shame by his dirty clothes. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Dockyard, Apapa, Lagos.

    Everyday and every moment reassures us of the endless circle of existence and the limitless mercy of God, that is why as long as heaven and earth endure, the supreme Being will never step aside for the ultimate triumph of evil. Anonymous

    The good things Funmilayo has done would live after her. May God Almighty choose somebody like her, somebody with the fear of God as the next Deputy Governor of Ekiti State. Fayemi, God will give you the strength and wisdom to pilot the affairs of Ekiti State. Mummy, sleep well. And may God strengthen your chilldren in whatever decision they take in life. Mr. Olayinka take heart! God will replace sorrrow with joy in your life. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Dockyard, Apapa, Lagos.

    Re: Anarchy at the gate. I disagree with all the people who adduced unemployment as the cause of crimes, thefts and kidnappings in Nigeria. We all have unemployed brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. We use substantial part of our income to maintain and sustain them, until they get a job. Must they take to crimes against the middle and low classes? Why did they not focus on policy makers? A leopard will never change its skin. The criminals are unfair to the poor and middle classes they rob and kidnap! However, ethnicism and corruption remain the bane of Nigeria’s underdevelopment. From Lanre Oseni.

    Re: For Funmilayo Olayinka: a postscript. Her exit at 52 years was untimely but eventful and glorious. It was very moving and painful when the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was silently discussing with the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, that: ‘She was my co-pilot and never a spare tyre’. The pain of her death was visible on his face. May her soul rest in peace, ameen. From Lanre Oseni.

    Despite that Fashola is doing well in infrastructural development, let him look inward at security lapses — kiddnapping and other vices — in Lagos. From Gordon Chika

    The problem with our leaders is that they have refused to see the realities of the difficult life the citizens are facing. They wished the problems away, but it is not so. Instead of facing the myriad of problems head long, they are busy scheming for 2015, forgetting that God is watching them and will soon judge everyone by his deeds. From Ojo A. Ayodele, Emure Ekiti

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

     

    Re: A battle plan for 2015: This is apt, direct and a graphic account of what goes on in the country called Nigeria. From D. Tella Attoni Esq.

    Are Nigerians still living in a fool’s paradise? Listening to a leader who promised to rebrand Nigeria but abandoned it for 2015? Our roads have become death traps, insecurity is everywhere, unemployment has become a nightmare to every youth in this country; still, the man is strangulating his opponents. Governance is all about persuasion not intimidating people. The President has forgotten that, those who do not keep what they have properly before looking for another one are bound to loose it all. The ruling party heated up the polity, when it said it would capture 32 states in 2015. Maybe they are under the influence of ‘Sapele water’’, em! sorry, ‘Delta water’. Last week, a faded politician who has no base in his home town said they would do what they know best. Let the ruling party try what I will call unholy attitude in 2015, and see our red eyes. From Hamza Ozi Momoh

    We are waiting for PDP mechanic to come and do what he knows best to do. The ealier we get it right the better for us. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Dockyard, Apapa Lagos.

    Re: A battle plan for 2015: It is a true reflection of Nigeria’s leadership. Some of us are saddened; an obvious case of the failure to reconcile ambition with reality. It looks more like a journey to a disaster than an election. Can the actors and the spectators survive? Nigerians are greater than all these feebleness. A trump card vs a joker! From James, Jos.

    The battle plan for 2015 looks like an updated manual. Well, it is a practical guide indeed, for murky politicians. It is a nice and workable plan for the 2015 poll. From Stanley Uchegbu, Unical

    Babangida once said: “Those who quarrel about how to share the rooms of a house, the foundation of which is about to collapse, can only, with extreme charity, be condemned for lack of wisdom.” Jonathan’s army of advisers should tell him that things are getting out of hand; taking Nigerians for a ride this time around could be a fatal mistake that no sensible person should make. I cannot see Nigeria surviving the heat of another fraudulent election. Quote me, God is about to mock Nigeria’s tribe of criminal leaders who take Him for granted. 2015 is pay-back time. From Ifeanyi.O. Ifeanyichukwu, Abuja

    Gbenga, you are good. A battle plan for 2015 was really nice! Keep it up! Well done! Please, write something on the chances of APC winning in 2015. From Sulaiman.

    Funny, but that is the reality in the naijacracy we practise in this 21st century. Our leaders by selection do not seem to have learnt anything from the past. From John Yakubu

    Your article says it all. It is for real, and those who will not adhere must be crushed. But Edo tactics will not be ruled out completely, too. We are watching and waiting. From Omeru Chinda, PH.D

    Gbenga, kudos for your article. If the efforts wasted in chasing imaginary enemies are put into good governance, getting the masses to vote for them will be as easy as what Adams did in Edo State instead of the unwarranted dirty fight. May God help us. From Tersoo Orbunde, Gwarinpa Abuja

    Our leaders are without a vision for the ordinary man on the street. All they care about is their foreign accounts. They are at the top for selfish reasons. A day to account for their stewardship is near; a day to take stock. From Jacob Uzoigwe. Ore, Ondo State

    Sir, your A battle plan for 2015 is one of the best I have read in this column. But, to me, you should have called a spade a spade and hit the nail on the head because it shows the attitude of the PDP government in Rivers State, APC case and others. More power to your elbow, Mr. Omotoso. You will live to excel in your career. Love you for your maturity. From Esan Ogunjobi, Ekiti State.

    Sir, you made my day with your last Editorial Notebook. Keep it up. From Dr. Dennis

    Mr. Omotoso, I cannot stop marvelling at your rare ingenuity. A battle plan for 2015 tells the story as it is. These people, according to Fela Anikulapo, are vagabonds in power. Anonymous

    Mr. Omotoso, God bless you for your indepth account and analysis on the injustices going on in our country, especially the current situation in Rivers State. From Enyinna Brown, Port Harcourt.

    You will be shocked that our “Oga at the top” will actually read your piece and, indeed, attempt to implement the strategies. That is who we have given ourselves. I weep no more! Anonymous

    A battle plan? Get serious and get us a winning plan. No Nigerian can stand a change we are not used to. Imagine Nigeria with good roads and stable electricity, people will start dying of shock. I beg, give us a crushing plan so Uncle Jona and his pindipi can sustain our collective madness. From Demola, Ikole.

    I read your satirical piece – A battle plan for 2015. I found it hilarious! You, however, forgot three crucial strategies: Let the “Oga at the top” import container loads of shoes and distribute to all shoeless voters in the Niger Delta. Shoeless voters in other regions can continue shoeless. All he needs to win are those of the Niger Delta. Second, in addition to the kidnap of NNPC, he should also arrange the hijack of Chevron, Mobil, Total and Agip and, if he is resisted, he should order that they be localised to Bayelsa State Government ministries and permanent secretaries appointed to head them! Third, as a way of getting the votes of widows in the country, he should promise them that their fellow widows will be appointed minister for Petroleum Resources in addition to Perm. Sec position. Anonymous

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

     

    Why other choose to remember Baga, I choose to remember the devastation of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, United Nations building, Force Headquaters and other victims of terror. God bless Nigeria. (EHI)

    Opposition mentality of the average Yoruba journalist often distorts his sense of reality. For God’s sake, The Nation newspaper should send a team of journalists to Baga for a better investigation and to contradict the military report. There should be a limit to politicts. From Amadi, Port Harcourt

    In fact, I really thank you for being there for us talakawas unlike your good friend Opalaba. Year 2015 political battle is around. Southwest integration: Olu Falae is planning a mega political party; Dr. Fredrick Faseun is bringing back the dead UPN and at the same time looking for a contract from the Federal Government. Gani Adams and his faction, too, wanted to share in the contract with Faseun. Where is Opalaba? Has he no comments on all these? Is he a coward? From Pastor Esan Ajibola JP, Ibadan Oyo State.

    The only reason I believe that Nigeria will not break up is the neutrality of the army. The military neutrality must be protected religiously if we are to remain a nation. Over the past few years, there have been allegations of complicity or unlawful taking of sides by the military task force in Plateau State. Recently in Benue, similar allegations have come up against the military as well. As a Middle Beltan, I think the core Northern Press should learn from the neutrality and fairness with which the Southern Press has covered the Baga situation. This they should exercise when minorities are the ones at the receiving end of alleged unfair treatments. Anonymous

    What happened to the innocent civilians in Baga would have been averted if the victims of the mindless killings by the sadistic Nigerian Armed Forces had joined other victims in the past to condemn similar primitive and demonic killings of defenceless Nigerians in other parts of the country. What we fail to realise is that what goes around comes around. The atrocious members of the Nigerian Armed Forces should be reminded that after a maximum of 35 years of Godless and satanic acts under the protection of man- made uniform, they too will become bloody civilians one day. Who knows the next victim of the rampaging army? Anonymous

    Re: Why Baga matters: It is very unfortunate lives were lost callously at Baga. However, who will talk if they cannot talk to the Boko Haramists who are the cause of the confusions and destructions in the last three years. For how long will we witness avoidable death? I am a civilian but a situation where militants, no matter whatever name they are called, would be bold to confront the army, then the civilians are not safe! May God intervene and resolve the confusions, miraculously, amen. Baga matters because of the catastrophe involved. From Lanre Oseni.

    The President displayed his power in Baga to prove to his distractors that he is not a weak leader. But he should remember that the world is watching him. Where are the movers and shakers of yesterday? They are still alive but their tentacles have been cut to size. If the President thinks he can kill innocent cilvilians with impunity, I think he must be ready to face a revolution. He should be taken to ICC to serve as a deterrent to others. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Docyard Apapa Lagos.

    Good day, Mr. Gbadegesin! It is good to write, especially for the opposition. But, I must warn you, there is Heaven to go to, after all your so-called commentaries. Men, especially your bosses, will clap for you but what other rewards will follow, you cannot determine. I send this warning as a Christain brother. From Hábil Sarki

    Re: Why Baga matters: The Nigerian Armed Forces erred seriously in their handling of the Boko Haram sect in Baga community. There are rules that govern military engagement. Though the death of the military officer and injury suffered by soldiers on patrol are regrettable, shooting innocent residents of Baga (and using them as human shields by the Boko Haram sect) was highly uncalled for. The innocent residents of Baga never fired any shot. From Olumide Soyemi, Bariga.

    When I see people disputing the accurate number of people brutally murdered at Baga, I pinch myself to ensure I am not dreaming. Do we realise we are talking about human beings like ourselves, our children, parents and other relations? Sir, please, what is wrong with Nigeria? Again,why is the country’s democracy full of extreme wickedness, hypocrisy, deceit, manipulation and massive looting of public treasury? Is this the type of democracy that built the United States and other paradise-on-earth societies we see today? Are we not fooling ourselves in this country? From Ifeanyi O. Ifeanyichukwu, Abuja

     

  • Much ado about 45-years jail term for phone

    Much ado about 45-years jail term for phone

    SIR: There have been reactions – most of them misplaced or bordering on sheer sentiments and emotions – to the news of the jail terms handed down to the man who stole Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s phone.

    Because it involved a governor, many were mistaken in their belief that the governor has a hand in the number of years of imprisonment given to the man. To these set of people, the argument is that 45 years is harsh considering what was stolen.

    Yours sincerely holds different opinion about this issue. In the first place, people must know that neither morality nor emotion has basis in law.

    Judges arrive at their verdict based on the preponderance of evidence available to them.

    In criminal law, once a crime has been established beyond reasonable doubt, judgment must logically follow – sometimes mild, sometimes harsh depending on the mindset and philosophical conviction of the trial judge.

    Secondly, for every offence, there is a corresponding punishment. Besides, when an offender commits a crime, he may inadvertently have committed other crimes in the process, which might be probable consequences of the initial crime.

    Thirdly, part of what goes into sentencing includes history of an offender’s criminal record or history.

    Now to the real issue at hand. The criminal in question, many did not know, is a serial offender. This man started out as a police officer. He was however, dismissed from the force because he was involved in armed robbery. He was subsequently jailed for a number of years (not in the State of Osun) but he was said to have escaped from prison without completing his jail term.

    He continued plying his obnoxious trade until he stole the phone of the governor and was again caught in the act.

    Presumed innocent initially, a counsel was procured for his defence. During the period the counsel was taking brief from him, this same man attempted to rape the counsel, a woman!

    It was later discovered that while in possession of governor’s phone, he criminally made judicious and maximal use of the high profile contacts of the governor. For instance, he fraudulently demanded and got over N200, 000 from a first class monarch, Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, the traditional ruler of the governor’s town, Ilesha.

    He also duped many friends, human right activists and political associates of the governor of huge amounts of money running into millions before he was arrested.

    All these put together – an armed robber, a thief, a jail breaker, who almost added rape to his retinue of crimes – what do you think would go on in the mind of the judge before sentencing this hardened criminal?

    Differently put, if you are a judge and an offender with the above criminal background and record is brought before your lordship, what will you do?

    Yours sincerely dwelt more on the background of the offender to bring to the fore facts which were previously unknown to majority of those commenting or reacting to the jail term.

    One issue left unaddressed or sentimentally talked about is the role or not of the governor in this matter. The fact remains that the governor has no constitutional right to intervene with the judiciary.

    The same also goes for the judiciary. It does not interfere in what the executive is doing. This is an elementary feature of democracy called separation of power.

    Beyond this, for every offence, there is corresponding punishment. So, the governor could not have connived with the judge to change the law as it relates to punishment – either by increasing or reducing the imprisonment term.

    So wither the fault of the governor? What could he have done in the matter – plead with the judge to tamper justice with mercy? Plead for mercy on behalf and in honour of a criminal!

     

    • Abdul Fatah Omo Olofa

    Abule-Egba, Lagos

  • Open letter to Fashola

    Open letter to Fashola

    SIR: Lagos is known to be turbulent and aggressive, that is why security needs to be beefed up in every nooks and crannies of the state.

    We wish to state that about 60 of our members (Keke Napep drivers) were apprehended by policemen for offences they did not know about. They were detained in State CID (Panti) withsome in Area C Police Command in Surulere before being transferred to Special Offences Court (Task Force) in Alausa. This took place between April 22-26.

    On Friday, April 26, 21 of our members were arraigned before a female magistrate in a special offences court in Alausa and she gave a very stringent bail condition which non of the members could fulfil i.e two surety with landed property in Lagos, 10 years tax clearance of two surety; affidavit of support of means of livelihood and surety; affidavit to means of livelihood of the two surety and other requirements before the bail could be perfected.

    Sir, this association is now imploring you to use your good office to come to the aid of the drivers who knew nothing about what they are been persecuted for and their bail condition reduced to one surety and three years tax clearance.

    The drivers are suffering in silence. The 22 members are presently remanded in Badagry Prison and Panti State CID because of the non-fulfillment of the bail condition.

     

    • Rapheal Oladipo

    Secretary, Ojuelega Unit

    Keke Napep,

    Lagos.