The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Poor service of Etisalat in Oke-Ogun

    SIR: The National Communication Commission (NCC) early last year (2012) threaten to sanction any mobile service provider whose service/network was not effective. The commission made good its treat when it fined GLO, MTN, Airtel and Etisalat twice last year for poor services.

    After the fine, GLO, MTN and Airtel services improved as these services providers made deliberate efforts to improve such. However, it is alarming that Etisalat’s service remains the worst since that time as no efforts is made till now to improve the service in Oke-Ogun especially in Saki-East, Saki-West and ATISBO Local Governments. Etisalat officials only made arrangement to erect more masts in Ibadan, Ogbomoso and Oyo being cities and abandoned other parts of the state especially Oke-Ogun area. Hence, their services are better in these cities but terrible in Oke-Ogun area.

    Is it that once services are better in the cities the NCC would think that the service is good across the state? It is on this note that we are appealing to Etisalat officials to extend their effort of improving services beyond the cities and let such get to Oke-Ogun kin particular.

    • Ogunremi Timothy

    Saki, Oyo State

  • No, Jonathan couldn’t have said that

    No, Jonathan couldn’t have said that

    For once, Hardball is prepared to believe that President Goodluck Jonathan is capable of more altruism, patriotism and logic than he has been credited with since he assumed the presidency. For exercising such a great faith in the president, this columnist will absolutely not believe that he said all the things the newspapers attributed to him yesterday. The president was reported to have said in Lagos on Tuesday that the complete removal of fuel subsidy was inevitable. “We cannot continue to waste resources meant for a greater number of Nigerians to subsidise the affluent middle class, who are the main beneficiaries of fuel subsidy,” he sneered. “We believe that as we progress, government is going to continue to enlighten Nigerians on the need to remove fuel subsidy.”

    It is impossible to imagine that Jonathan made this highly derogatory and incredulous statement. It is true he did not indicate he would be removing the subsidy next month or even next year, but the timing of the removal is the least of the problems the troubling statement is capable of creating. The problem is also not really the unfavourable socio-political climate in which Jonathan would want to throw the subsidy crisis, especially in view of the already combustible revolutionary situation the country is immersed in from the Northeast to the other parts of the country. Nor is the problem the violent protests that would greet further increases in fuel products prices.

    This column thinks the president was probably misquoted for the following reasons. First, the few papers that published the story relied on the same two-paragraphed quotation, with hardly any elaboration on the matter. This is unusual, except of course the papers relied on the same source. Second, and more damagingly, the statement is annoyingly contemptuous of an important economic stratum, the middle class. If indeed the middle class is the leading beneficiary of fuel subsidy, has the president tried to analyse the role of the middle class and its humongous contributions to the economy, particularly in terms of employment and production? How could any president take any of the classes, whether lower, middle or upper, and dismiss it so casually, so frivolously, so contemptibly, so antagonistically?

    Third, what curious school of economics would inspire a president to conclude so bewilderingly that fuel subsidy benefited mainly the middle class, a class the president was said to have described as affluent? Who relies most on the already expensive private sector-run transportation system? Is it not the lower class, especially the urban poor? Whose agricultural products would be moved to the markets more expensively if fuel subsidy were to be removed? Is it not the small-scale subsistence farmer? The statement attributed to the president should never be made by a college graduate, let alone a president, for the reasons underlying the statement are so slipshod that it is impossible for anyone to offer them as rational economic arguments.

    Though Hardball is aware that during last year’s fuel subsidy revolt, the president made utterances not too different from the one attributed to him yesterday, it is still hard to imagine he truly made that indefensible statement on the middle class. But if indeed he actually made the offending statement, well, it is a pity he could not be impeached for poor reasoning, for that would have been the least we could do to redeem him from his excesses.

  • US and Alamieyeseigha pardon

    SIR: I have read different comments on the state pardon granted D.S.P Alamieyeseigha et al. Section 175 (1) (2) (3) of our 1999 constitution that empowers the President to grant pardon to any ex-convict which says:

    (1) “The President may

    (a) Grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National Assembly a pardon, either free, or subject to lawful conditions;………….

    (2) The powers of the President under sub section (1) of this section shall be exercised by him after consultation with the council of State.

    (3) The President, acting in accordance with the advice of the council of State, may exercise his power under subsection (1) of this in relation to person concerned with offences against the army, naval or air-force law or convicted or sentenced by a court – marital”.

    From the above, there is no doubt that that the law permits the President to do what he did. While I am not supporting corruption, I was worried by the reactions and comments of US embassy in Nigeria and comments of State Department in Washington over the action taken by our President. I wonder if US government wants the President to seek her opinion about our internal affairs, because I can’t remember the last time the US President sought Nigerian government’s consent before taking any action in America.

    While I appreciate the work of US government in Nigeria, that is not the license for them to be intervening in our internal affairs.

    When former president Bill Clinton pardoned Fife Symington III, former Republican Governor of Arizona who was convicted of bank fraud, he did not consult Nigeria and Nigerian Embassy in US did not criticise him. Similarly, when Marc Rick, who was charged in 1983 with cheating the US of nearly $50million and doing business with Iran during the hostage crises, who was never tried having fled to Switzerland to avoid prosecution, was pardoned, Nigeria government did not complain.

    Therefore America government must mind her own business and stop undue meddlesomeness in the internal affairs of Nigeria.

    Like Nigeria, United States also have their own peculiar mess. For instance the US government is known for her politics of double standard in different parts of the world. The same US government that claims to be fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan is also giving billions of dollars to rebels fighting Syria’s Al Assad government. It is now 10 years that US-led troop invaded Iraq but George W. Bush and Tony Blair who committed the crime against humanity in Iraq have not been prosecuted up till now.

    The same US government who is accusing Nigeria of corruption gave a soft landing to the ousted Yemen President, Ali Abdullah Saleh who looted his country and killed many people during protests.

    The US government is currently backing the Bahraini king who is killing people protesting against his government since 2011 after revolt in Egypt and Tunisia because of Bahraini oil money he is bringing to US.

    The call to Bill Gates by US State Department to cancel his scheduled visit to Nigeria on March 27 for charity work to end polio should be a wake-up call to Nigeria and other African countries to stop relying on aid from developed countries before doing what they ought to do. We must learn from other Third world countries like China, India, and Brazil that are developing without waiting for US aid.

    • John Tosin Ajiboye,

    Osogbo Osun State

  • Boko Haram ups the ante

    Boko Haram ups the ante

    Monday’s deadly attack on the New Road Motor Park in Kano bore the imprimatur of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram. Ansaru, the sect’s equally deadly splinter group, prefers to abduct those it considers enemies of Islam, and does not hesitate to murder them if the group’s safety is threatened. It is officially estimated that about 22 people died in Monday’s attack and 65 were injured. Eyewitnesses, however, suggested that more than 60 people died and several more were injured in an attack that consumed five luxurious buses. Whether the eyewitnesses exaggerated or security agencies deliberately downplayed the story cannot be immediately determined. But more than 20 dead is as horrendous as more than 60 dead.

    It may be speculative to conclude that the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Borno and Yobe States almost two weeks ago virtually guaranteed that Boko Haram would not relent in launching vicious attacks on selected targets. The president had been expected to extract some commitments from the elite in the twin hotbeds of Boko Haram insurgency, or possibly announce initiatives capable of stanching the flow of blood in the entire Northeast and parts of the Northwest. Unfortunately, he neither got any commitment from his hosts nor did he present pragmatic plans to curb the insurgency. Indeed, he unwisely engaged the elite in Damaturu and Maiduguri in bitter and divisive verbal exchange. It was, therefore, inevitable that the sect, splintered or not, would intensify its rage, and the security agencies would respond unorthodoxly and ruthlessly.

    But there is something uncanny about the latest Kano attack. The main Boko Haram group had before now deliberately targeted places of worship, particularly churches, in the hope that it could instigate a sectarian war and throw the country into anarchy. In the end, wiser counsel prevailed with many Nigerians realising that while the sect had targeted Christians, as many Muslims, if not more, also fell to Boko Haram’s bullets and bombs. The sect’s primary objective is the establishment of an Islamic theocracy, but its violence indiscriminately punished Christians and Muslims alike. Now, with the Kano bus park attack, the sect appears to be sinisterly trying to instigate ethnic war through the back door. The government and victims must recognise the sect’s tactical manoeuvrability, and must unite to foil its objectives as they foiled the sectarian catastrophe it plotted.

    It is evident that Boko Haram and its splinters have become more imaginative than the presidency. They are adapting tactics and shifting objectives. Rather than keep doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome, it is time Jonathan tried a more scientific approach to the war against extremism, conciliate moderates in Boko Haram hotbeds, speak and act more presidential without the rashness and imperiousness that have served him poorly, and clean up the dismal and brutal methods of the security agencies that have clearly become counterproductive. It is incumbent on the president to ensure that the tipping point is not reached, for no one can tell when that would be or what tragic consequences that portends for the unity of the country.

     

     

  • From the cell phone

    For Dare Olatunji

    Brilliant article, more power to your elbow, sir! Anonymous

    Eh, did you refer to the governors in the photograph as a quartet? I see 3+1!

    Well done, sir. Anonymous

    Your piece Matters miscellaneous is quite interesting. But what is pertinent is that Boko Haram is not a faceless group as such. On the picture of governors Amaechi and others, and even the President’s visit, point to one fact: our leaders lack transparency, the hallmark of democracy. They should know that truth is constant. From Ojo A. Ayodele, Emure Ekiti

    Sorry to use your platform to cry foul at Labaran Maku, the chief propagandist of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s claim that IPI is providing Nigerians 18 hours of ‘constant’ power supply. I do not expect such a claim from a cabinet member of the Federal Government of Nigeria. From Y. K. Ojo, Idimu Lagos

    I disagree with you on granting of amnesty and rehabilitation for Boko Haram members. What are they fighting for? Is it not to Islamise this country? Are we going to agree with them that Nigeria will be Islamised for them to lay down their arms? Sir, is Islamising this country a right in our Constitution? Please think about all these. Thank you, sir! Anonymous

    Re: Matters miscellaneous. Both the 11 wise men of APC and Jonathan, the President, were guilty of late solidarity visit to Maiduguri! What were the ACN, ANPP and CPC doing before February 25, 2013? APC’s visit was more of a political show-off, political-jamboree. President’s was over commitment, misplaced. The Northern leaders know the Boko Haram members, otherwise, why seek amnesty for a purposeless militancy? It may be psychological relieving if Patience Jonathan also visits Borno and Yobe. Alas, that is not a fundamental solution against Boko Haram! You were courageous among your co-columnists to have praised President Jonathan for being undeterred by remaining focused while Patience’s sickness lasted. This is the objective critique I want to read in all columnists’ write-ups, not I must at all cost dissect the President and his party. Let us continue to pray for faster recuperation of the four sick governors, despite whatever might have been their deficiencies – Suntai, Chime, Imoke and Wada. From Lanre Oseni

    Re: Kaduna police assault on free speech. Why will some people want to go on a demonstration if a forming-political party is not registered or if a registered political party is de-registered? Can’t they join any other? And for those who were not registered or had been de-registered in the past, did they not join others? We should not condone thugery, we should not entertain incitement! From Lanre Oseni

    The President did not tell the type of ghost he was referring to, whether they are holy ghost or unholy ghost. He needs to go back to Borno and Yobe states to confirm the type of ghost they are. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Docyard Apapa Lagos

    Governor Chime should forgive and forget those that say ungodly things against him in his absence in governance, because of his health condition. From Gordon Chika Nnorom

    Thanks for your brilliance on Matters miscellaneous. This is also a lesson for those who are against amnesty for the ‘ghost’ Boko Haram. Since it seems our intelligence service and forces are failing to withstand the sect, what is next is to start to beg them, like their Niger Delta counterparts. From Alhaji ADEYCorsim, Osodi, Lagos

    To be a President you need to be intellectually ok. He called Bako Haram ghost, but he has forgotten that he once said that Boko Haram are in his government. He even said they are in the police, judiciary, military, Air force, etc. If actually they are ghosts, how come he discovered them in this government? The President should not allow his handlers to put words into his mouth; he should think before he speaks in public. The words from the mouth are very strong in interpretation. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Dockyard Apapa, Lagos

    Keep it up. Our system of government kills us the more. Is there any developed country in the world that used democracy to develop? Until we change our system, assault on human life will not stop. Anonymous

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Thanks for your exhaustive clarification on this vexed issue; I think the President should give a posthumous pardon to Anini and Oyenusi so that we can know that Nigeria is really a failed state. Anonymous

    I want to state that man is not God and his thought for us is not the same. If through the Council of State God performed a miracle for Alamieyeseigha, why then are we murmuring. Does it mean that we can question God for pardoning us too, despite our grievous lies and sins? In other words, we should note that no one is righteous and we do not have any power to question God’s purpose for any individual. Hence, I will advise everyone to bury their hatchet and allow nature to prevail because we cannot fight nature. Finally, the dying thief rejoices to see the fountain of life in his days. From Sunny Igiri, Port Harcourt

    The President should not have pardoned a corrupt governor like Alamieyeseigha but there are several other ex-governors that stole more than Alamieyeseigha who still walk about freely. Show me a politician and the poor citizens of Nigeria will tell you that corruption is his middle name. Journalists should leave politicians to their loots. Write till eternity, all of them are corrupt. Anonymous

    The fact remains that Mr. President acted in favour of corrupt-tendency, most especially, on Alamieyeseigha who disgraced Nigeria, irredeemably! The President did a mix-pardon thinking it would be over. The family being a part of the state should have been thought of in our-would-be-reactions. The President should think less of blood/ethnic relation in giving pardons. On this one, my President acted below expectation. I pray that a tough man will in future, not reverse that! From Lanre Oseni

    Oh Allah! Behold our situation, give us faith that will lead to good conduct, avert calamities from us and also protect us from all evil. Ameen! From Jumma’at Kareem

    On ‘The state as family writ large’, I wish to state that the Nigerian state wronged Alamieyeseigha in the brazen manner he was impeached. His pardon should be seen as atonement for his unjust impeachment. What about the pardon of Salisu Buhari, the former speaker of the House of Representatives by the all knowing General Obasanjo? Notwithstanding my support for the pardon of Alamieyeseigha, I believe the President has not shown sufficient concern for the endemic and pervasive corruption in the land. From Dr. Emmanuel Irabor

    Alamieyeseigha is simply lucky to have his former deputy in a position to help. It is not his fault. From Isaac Agwaza, Central Area, Abuja

    With Alamieyeseigha’s pardon and the celebrations that followed, it means that there was something he was deprived of by being labelled a convict. For those against plea bargain, you do not know the stigma attached to being a convict and the freedom you are denied until you notice the way all the plea bargain ex-convicts live a less-visible life. Ironically, the only high profile corrupted ex-convict still visibly out there is the one who never admitted his guilt and spent two years in jail. Today, he has even claimed his innocence. But with plea bargain, part of the deal, is that you can never come back to say you did not do it. Plea bargaining is not a slap on the wrist but it should be done the way it is done abroad. Anonymous

    Alamieyeseigha’s presidential pardon is welcome because it is in the Constitution. Pardon is given for crime committed by offenders not saints, but what is the rationale behind the presidential pardon? Time will tell. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State

    The piece is interesting. I do not agree that the founding fathers were wise. They imposed a neo-colonial capitalist economy that has created two tribes: the exploiters and the exploited. The system has buried social justice and cashiered peace. Thanks! From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna

    Why is it that Nigerians always conclude issues wrongly? Pardoning our leaders who have served the nation should not be a problem to us. Anonymous

    The President did a very good thing in granting state pardon to his formal boss and others. The president is a God fearing man and he finds out the truth behind this people Abacha and Obasanjo accused because of political problem. Nobody in government who made money more than what Obasanjo made. Please I will like to have president’s phone number to thank him directly. Anonymous

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Tunji, your write-up this morning (Sunday, March 17) titled “Ex-convict in our hearts” expressed the opinion of millions of Nigerians. This is one of the moments that one feels sad to be a Nigerian. Immediately the pardon was announced, my mind went to you straightaway; that you are going to dwell on this on Sunday and I got it right. As you have said, it is only Jonathan that can explain why he did it. But I am surprised that Reuben Abati can be defending the indefensible. How time changes! I hope you too don’t change when you are appointed as one of the presidential aides. Keep it up, my brother. Thanks. From Sina Awelewa.

    The state pardon by President Jonathan, the Federal Government and the National Council of State for Diepreye Alamieyeseigha remains a political economic, social and transparency hara-kiri. One advantage methinks, is that, that is a pointer that President Jonathan planned to run one term which ends April 2015, ending all doubts of whether he is going to run in 2015. No, he won’t! Alams dented Nigeria’s good image internationally then and Alams pardoned now, still denting the image. OBJ must be regretting now why he failed to ethnicise, fraternise with and pardon ex-IGP Tafa Balogun for his corruption conviction. From Lanre Oseni.

    One day death will come to all; then, all our intellect, power, wisdom; riches will not be enough to make heaven. The Alamieyeseigha we are judging today, if truly repentant of his sins and has given his life to Jesus Christ, might make heaven while people like you who have not given their lives to Jesus might end up in hell. If His creator has forgiven him, then who are we ordinary mortals? Have you given your life to Jesus? Please repent before it’s too late. From Isaac Jackson Isele.

    Tunji, it pains me so much that you picked on Chief Alamieyeseigha with so much hatred, just the way your power-drunk brother did to him. Alams meant well for the Niger Delta people and OBJ frustrated his efforts. The process that led to Alams’ impeachment was faulty and influenced by OBJ. Alams, as the leader of Izon nation would have gotten the state pardon from Yar’Adua if he were to be alive. Alams is held in high esteem. Jonathan’s state pardon for him is backed by the Izon people. So, leave Alams and Jonathan alone. From Chief Ebi Olotu, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    A well deserved slap in the face. That was what Obasanjo got with Jonathan’s pardon for Alamieyeseigha. Nigerians should not blame Jonathan. Anonymous.

    We are all living witnesses to OBJ stopping the trial of his cousin, a former PS who allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira. It was all sounds of silence from you hypocrites. From Ray.

    It is very unfortunate that whilst other countries are fighting corruption in governance, Nigeria is encouraging corruption and other vices by granting presidential pardon to Alams. Let’s not believe that the pardon granted Alams is not a politically motivated move against the 2015 general elections. If Alams could be granted presidential pardon, why can’t Bode George and others with the same issue of corruption be granted pardon too, to balance the equation? Let corruption fighting be our watchword in leadership so that Nigeria can move forward. From Gordon Chika Nnorom.

    Re: Kalu can try again (your column of March 10). Dear Tunji, instead of writing about the greed of a former chief of staff (Orji) who was nominated by Kalu and won election while in prison, you chose to support the former (Orji). Where was Orji when Kalu and others formed PDP? He even prevented Kalu’s readmission into PDP and sacked Kalu’s ward PDP chairman. Is this how a sitting governor should pay back his former boss? This kind of rascality can only happen in the PDP without the national executive making any response. Can it happen in any ACN-controlled state? Orji and Kalu’s case is a good example of what many Nigerians represent – greed! The same thing happened in Taraba between Governor Suntai and Rev. Jolly Nyame. From Owolabi Banji, Okota, Lagos.

    I refer to your article “Kalu can try again”. Theo Orji had a hand in the plot to humiliate Kalu. When Agagu was governor of Ondo State, he caused the name of Gani Fawehinmi to be deleted from the list of those to be honoured by the state university. When Kalu bounces back, the university senate will claim they took the decision in error and restore his certificate. Ribadu who was demoted and refused the certificate he earned at Jaji got all he lost in the end. How many lectures did Obasanjo attend before he graduated from the National Open University? If Jonathan wants to be mischievous, the university can withdraw the certificate from OBJ. Theo should leave Kalu and address the challenges of bad roads and infrastructure generally in the state. Anonymous.

  • Pardon for Alams and others a dangerous precedent

    Pardon for Alams and others a dangerous precedent

    SIR: The pardon granted by President Jonathan few days ago to Alamieyeseigha and others didn’t come as a surprise to us, and we wonder why it is for many both here at home and abroad. From the outset, we knew the character of the man the majority of Nigerians chose or elected to become their president in 2011 due chiefly to sentiments, and we didn’t mince our words in sounding the warning but as is often the case, no one listened; today we are reaping the fruit of our choice, the Presidency has been reduced to an ethnic affair.

    Why is it so difficult to understand that this administration is corruption personified? Issue after issue has evidently shown that this administration will never combat corruption; it will rather swim in it and shield corrupt officials. Even the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicted this administration when last year, it clearly stated in the Annual General Meeting of the Coalition against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) that the reason why the commission has become so ineffective and sloppy is due to lack of political will and support from the Administration.

    But let us be clear on this issue: the presidential pardon thing is not necessarily a constitutional issue but a crucial moral issue. The President has the constitutional powers to grant pardon, but he has chosen to abuse those powers. Regretfully, he has by his immoral abuse of his constitutional powers set a dangerous precedent for present and future generations of Nigerians who will now see nothing wrong with stealing, pilfering and looting of our patrimony and commonwealth; after all, they can always in the end get needless plea bargains, buy justice in the courts or get presidential pardons by simply getting close to the corridors of power. So the big issue really is not whether the President has constitutional powers to grant pardon; the real issue is whether he has the right to abuse those constitutional powers by making a mockery of the constitution and of our justice system, and granting pardon to hardened and unrepentant criminals who have raped our collectivity, and then try to make the pardon credible by including names of notable Nigerians who were persecuted under military juntas.

    On this issue, there is only one demand that we make on the President. He should advise his propagandist, Dr. Doyin Okupe to desist further from insulting the intelligence of the Nigerian people; the President is not our parent who by his whims and caprices solely decides what we want; in fact most parents don’t do that. Okupe must realise that the President and other public officials, elected or otherwise, are only first among equals; every Nigerian has an equal stake in this patrimony. We have no other demand to make on the administration on this issue because ultimately, it is up to the Nigerian people to decide what they want to do, and we hope they will rise to the occasion even if not for themselves but for their children and unborn generations.

    • Eneruvie Enakoko

    Conscience Reports,

    Onikan, Lagos

  • …Extend to Bode George, Tafa Balogun and others

    …Extend to Bode George, Tafa Balogun and others

    SIR: Whoever says President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is not conscious of the federal character principle when doing his things should check the list of those recently granted pardon to see how magnanimous the president was in ensuring that the beneficiaries were drawn from almost all the geo -political zones of the country.

    But the truth of the matter is that President Jonathan would still have to do more; if he could be so good to Alamieyeseigha, what precludes his goodwill from flowing to his contemporaries in the crime of money laundering and abuse of office?

    Mr. Tafa Balogun who was Inspector General of Police, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, former Governor of Edo State and Chief Bode George, former chairman of the National Ports Authority would have appreciated the goodwill more than the dead paraded on Jonathan’s list, after all, these individuals are still alive and kicking.

    The President may have forgotten that extending such gestures to them would be a good tactic of preparing towards 2015. If he is truly the president of all as he claims, then he should not have been selective in his choice of money laundering convicts to be pardoned, after all, ‘all convicts are equal’ or is it that Alams is more equal than the others?

    Chief Alameseigha’ pardon is no doubt a presidential endorsement of illegal accumulation of wealth; the whole scenario is a mockery of the administration’s fight against corruption which has been shown to be bogus in its entirety anyway. It has only shown that public officials who loot public treasury can freely succumb to the warm hands of temptation, all they need do is to steal as much as they can, strike some plea bargaining deal with the prosecution in the event of one, get some very light sentence (which substantial part is to be served in the hospital), go home and enjoy the loot for some years and thereafter apply for state pardon. All they need ensure is a that they are in the good books of His Excellency, once that is guaranteed, there would be no problem.

    One thing that should be kept in mind is that Alamieyeseigha’s pardon is just a gateway for others that are still being hatched in the nooks of the presidential villa. Tafa Balogun, Lucky Igbinedion, Bode George and others of their kinds may someday carry the day as Alams has done now.

    • Vincent Adodo

    Legal Aid Council, Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • Re: Omatseye’s ‘From spirit to flesh’

    Re: Omatseye’s ‘From spirit to flesh’

    SIR: Thank you Sam for your piece in The Nation of March 18. The Bible, its history and origins is reflective of the Church of Christ in many ways. First and most important is its divine inspiration. This applies as much to the Bible as to the Church. The Bible was made for the church and by the church- under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. We recall that no book was found and called Bible. Rather diverse manuscripts authored by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were found, compiled or even censored by other men far removed from the original authors by centuries, location and culture.

    During this compilation, there were often disagreement as to which manuscript should be accepted as inspired or not. The book of James drew such contention because of its assertion that “faith without works is dead”. This was perceived to be in direct opposition to the Pauline assertion that “salvation is by faith not by works lest any man should boast”.

    Now, if we believe that the Bible so compiled is without error- it follows that both the authors and the serial compilers- for this compilation was a product of more than one council- were all under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

    These compiling councils were of men of the church- at a time the church was just one. In sum, centuries after their authors had died, ‘select’ manuscripts were compiled into a Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit by the church.

    That same Holy Spirit continues to inspire the Church of God. So flows the concept of infallibility- that the Holy Spirit-inspired church will not fall into error- the gates of hell will not prevail against it…” The Head of this church is Christ- who Himself created a visible head in Peter upon which rock He built His Church under the bewildering promise (in spite of Peter’s many weaknesses) that the gates of hell will not prevail.

    I hope the concept of infallibility – once a man (in spite of his weaknesses) assumes the Petrine office is clearer.

    Did you say celibacy is not biblical? Kindly refer to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Recall too that Christ at the start of His ministry was 30years old and completed same at 33. This was well beyond the traditional marriage age of the time and people. So we conclude that Christ’s celibacy was deliberate and to a purpose. The versed apostle Paul chose to emulate Him in the celibate life and goes on to say; “if you marry, it is good, if you do not marry it is even better…”

    Thank you again for this bold piece.

     

    • Dr Martins

    Jos

  • The leader we need in 2015

    The leader we need in 2015

    SIR: Nigeria is one of the most blessed countries in the world, with enough resources to develop its citizens and take them to the Promised Land. But our failure today has been from the corrupt and dishonest politicians we have.

    Can Nigeria have honest and upright leaders in 2015? That is a question that’s worth a million naira. With the present crop of politicians, it will be difficult.

    The president we need must be a person who has the experience, is principled and of course who will listen to the people without creating much gap between the high class and the working class. We cannot afford to go for a lucky man but rather a hardworking man. Our leader must know Nigeria; possibly speak another Nigerian language apart from his native tongue; one with literate and working knowledge of Nigeria.

    Our next president must have carriage and charisma, charm and finesse, bold and courageous and above all, he must have confidence and passion. He must be willing to fire any minister who is incompetent and corrupt, deal with economic issues and oil subsidy thieves.

    We need a leader that in 2015 that will supervise projects and not commissioning.

    How can we identify the honest leader who will take us to the Promised Land? Surely, we can find sincere and upright politicians in the lower echelons of government service. There are also non-politicians who do not have the means or people to prepare them for the 2015 elections, especially when it comes to campaign funding.

    We need to pray and seek for a God-fearing individual who will consider our needs and provide good education, employment, infrastructural development as well as good health for the people.

    •Abdulkadir Zainab

    IBB University, Lapai, Niger State

  • Running Abakaliki varsity by remote control

    Running Abakaliki varsity by remote control

    SIR: When I heard that the Federal Government would establish a new Federal University in Abakaliki (FUNAI), I was overjoyed because there is little federal presence in Ebonyi State. With the exception of the massive military barracks in the outskirts of Abakaliki and the federal roads linking Enugu State with Cross River State, there is little to show of any largesse from our federal government.

    Since the university was established, I have visited the temporary site of the university nearly 30 times. I have watched the slow pace of development of the site, the delayed admission of students, and a general sense of apathy in the place.

    By contrast, I have also visited the Federal University at Otuoke (FUO) not less than 20 times and seen the hectic pace with which physical structures have sprung up, staff, students and visitors mill around and a general sense of excitement and optimism in that university in spite of problems caused by floods and other natural events.

    I kept pondering why FUNAI is progressing slowly while FUO is bubbling until the reason occurred to me. FUO has a full-time, on-the-premises, hands-on vice chancellor while FUNAI has an absentee, part-time vice chancellor who prefers the comfort of Lagos to the parched earth and dry heat of Abakaliki.

    It occurred to me that each time I was at FUNAI and asked if the vice chancellor or registrar was in, the answer was always that the registrar was in but the vice chancellor was away. In all occasions when I asked the question, I got the same answer. On the other hand, any time I asked that question in Otuoke, I was told that the VC was in, or on very few occasions had gone to Abuja.

    You may ask what business of mine is it. As a science graduate by training and a contractor by trade, I am eminently qualified to make a living through providing necessary supplies and equipment to universities and other institutions of higher learning in our dear country. All of these must ultimately be approved by the Office of the Vice Chancellor and any supplies made must also be paid following approval from the Office of the Vice Chancellor.

    But more importantly, as a Nigerian citizen and Ebonyi indigene, I am and should be concerned about how a new federal university in my state is progressing. When the registrar is always there and working, but the captain of the ship the vice chancellor is always away, how can a new university thrive? How can the relevant culture of scholarship and integrity be transmitted to students, staff and lecturers? How can the essence of university training be imparted to new students and new lecturers? How can Deans and Heads of Department buy into the vision of the university when the leader is not there to ensure buy-in? Can a ship or airplane carrying hundreds of young impressionable and pliable Nigerians be piloted by remote control?

    I have the greatest respect for the esteemed erstwhile vice chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG) who is the current vice chancellor at FUNAI. Perhaps, being vice chancellor at UNILAG sapped all his administrative strength. However, is a tired Vice Chancellor what FUNAI needs at this primordial stage of its development?

    •Cassandra Ogbonna

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State