The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Kudos to Ajimobi on Ikoyi-Ogbomoso road project

    SIR: The commencement of work on the dualisation of Ikoyi road-Ogbomoso Grammar School end of Ogbomoso-Igbeti highway has shown that urban renewal programme of the Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led government in Oyo State is fully on course. From Ogbomoso Grammar School end through Takie to Ikoyi road, construction equipments are working to the chagrin of sceptics who had the notion that the proposed dualisation of that road is a hoax and mere ‘politics’.

    With the little work that has been done, there is evidence that the road when completed, would change the face of the city for good. Also, Senator Ajimobi’s name would be engrained in the consciousness of appreciative Ogbomoso people, just like the pioneering road developers and past leaders like Late Chief SLA Akintola, Late Chief J.O. Adigun, Late Chief Areegbe, Chief Ayantayo Ayandele, Late Eng. Adigun and Hon. Peter Oluremi Odetomi.

    In addition, the construction company handling the work and security agents attached to them equally deserve accolade for their comportment and maturity thus far. People were allowed to remove all movable items and properties from the structure being cleared to give way to the expanded road. They were respectful, accommodating and friendly, no harassment, no molestation. Equally, Ogbomoso people affected by the demolition exercise also deserve commendation for their disposition to the exercise. There was no opposition from the people as previously expected because of the fear that government may not compensate the owners of the demolished structures.

    Although, the exercise is painful but, the equanimity that the people took the exercise shows their support for Senator Ajimobi-led government in Oyo State and their yearning for development of their city.

    Oyo State government should replicate the support by paying commensurate compensation to those affected by the demolition exercise. As a matter of fact, many of the houses that are being demolished are ancient families compounds dated 1900 or earlier, which have no survey plans or certificate of occupancy. Government is implored not to use this as an excuse to deny them compensation for the lost properties. The people affected have been disorganised already and it may take long time to put their acts together again. One hopes the compensation paid by government would go a long way to ameliorate their sufferings.

    • Adewuyi Adegbite

    Apake, Ogbomoso.

  • Bayelsa govt. should tackle job creation

    SIR: On February 14, the Bayelsa State government celebrated its one year anniversary. So much was promised to unemployed people, hundreds of thousands of who sacrificed to vote the Restoration Government into power.

    We have waited, albeit indefinitely, for government intervention in the plight of unemployed persons of Bayelsa State who struggle daily with economic hardship, emotional and psychological anguish. We are not fortunate to live in a society that operates a welfare state were unemployed persons are assured of their social security and receive a token unemployment benefit from government.

    Government’s placing of embargo on employment is a totally condemnable and retrogressive policy in any progressive society. As articulated by US President Barack Obama: “the state of the economy calls for actions, bold and swift, and we will act- not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.” If the Americans with all their level of advancement and constant threats of economic recession still have reasons to create “new jobs”, then nothing on this earth, we repeat, absolutely nothing on this earth must stop our various tiers of governments from doing so. The blatant refusal of government to create opportunities for the large army of unemployed persons is a gross violation of Human Rights as enshrined in Article 23 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.”

    According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Bayelsa State tops the unemployment chart by having the highest composite rate of unemployed skilled and unskilled workers in Nigeria; and this phenomenon is still increasing in an alarming geometric progression. This situation is unacceptable to progressive thinking youths of Bayelsa State.

    For one thing, the claim that the Nigerian Economy as a whole is growing without a corresponding increase in job creation is a badly cooked economic deception aimed at blindfolding the defenseless masses to the country’s precarious economic situation.

    We are not prepared to become graduate armed robbers, vandals, kidnappers, sea pirates or a brand new set of militants, which we are sure are more grievous problems with greater social, political and economic implications. The penalty for kidnapping here is death. Does the government want to hang all of us before the state feels our pain?

    We call on all unemployed people to stand up and embrace the struggle for their rights and say no this blatant act of social oppression. It is a struggle to reclaim our human dignity and social identity in the universal brotherhood of mankind.

    • Comrade Binaebi Oyeghe

    (Ag. State Coordinator)

    Bayelsa Unemployed Graduates Forum and The Unemployed Youths of Nigeria, Yenagoa

  • Repositioning the National Institute for development

    Precisely because yours comradely is involved as a member of the National Institute, (National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS), I bear witness that the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) assumes a special importance. The AGM which holds this Saturday March 2, at the Institute in Kuru, Jos inaugurates new participants of Course 35. It will conduct election for a new 10-mnis-National Executive Committee which according to the association’s constitution consists of the President, the Vice-President, Secretary-General, Assistant Secretary General, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Secretary, Welfare/Social Secretary, Internal Auditor and the legal Adviser. Immediate Past President, a Past President and all chapter chairpersons also serve on the executive. The General Assembly of the Annual General Meeting is the supreme highest decision making organ that importantly sets the agenda for the association.

    Understandably, the alumni association is as old as the National Institute. National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS was established as part of the national institutions for capacity building to drive the development agenda of Nigeria. Three post-colonial decades of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s can very well be said to be development decades in Nigeria. Long before, President Barack Obama admonished Africa to build strong institutions, not strong men, Nigeria had seen the need to build institutions such as NIPSS to produce strong men and women that can drive development. It is neither one nor the other but both; Africa needs both strong institutions and persons to promote growth and development.

    As part of the vision to drive national development, the Federal Government, in 1979, established NIPSS “ to serve as a high level centre of reflection, research, and dialogue where academics of intellectual excellence, policy initiators and executors and other citizens of practical experience and wisdom drawn from different sectors of national life in Nigeria would meet to reflect and exchange ideas on the great issues of society, particularly as they relate to Nigeria and Africa in the context of the dynamics of a constantly changing world.”.

    Thirty-five years after, as many as 1,523 members of Senior Executive courses have been turned out from the prestigious Institute in Kuru, Jos Plateau State. Of course, the number of graduands could be higher without the natural wastages engendered by deaths of some members that included notables like the late Admiral A. A. Aikhomu, former military Vice President and member of AANI’s Board of Patrons.

    The Institute has “Towards a Better Society” as its motto. The objectives and aims of AANI were formulated with the main goal of realising the noble vision of the institute; “Towards a Better Society” , promote understanding, unity, brotherhood and cooperation among the members; strengthen the relationship between the association and the National Institute with a view to maintaining synergy; interact with the federal and states governments of Nigeria, other organisations or associations, with similar objectives; establish the means of contributing objectively to national discourse on any issues affecting the positive development of Nigeria and proffer appropriate recommendation and implementation strategies to the government; serve as think-tank to the federal and states governments of Nigeria; maintain the highest standards of conduct, etiquette and discipline among its members; establish schemes for the promotion of the welfare, security and economic advancement of members; and create and maintain an endowment fund for the proper observance and discharge of any of the objectives of the association”.

    We can debate the extent to which AANI members drawn from federal establishments such as civil service, army, police, customs, state civil services, para-military institutions as well as non-state institutions like Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), TUC and Bar Association have added value to Nigeria. But what cannot be doubted is that in close to four decades, NIPSS has produced quality research papers on policy issues, which with political commitment of the successive governments could have accelerated the country’s development process. A quick visit to the active web site of AANI will show that Nigeria does not need policy advice from abroad as it is the case today, if various governments can draw on the original studies carried out by the graduands of the institute over the years after a year long academic engagement, local and global tours and inclusive critical group and integrated work. The remarkable successes of most successful emerging economies such as India, China, Pakistan and Brazil are attributable to the original policy ideas from their national think tanks like the National Institute.

    The outgoing national executive members led by tireless President, Engineer Janni Ibrahim OON and selfless Secretary General, Rear Admiral OU Emele, have undoubtedly set a standard in corporate governance for AANI. The out-going executive, notwithstanding the limited resources and time, have truly repositioned AANI in the last four years. The incoming executive therefore has the great responsibility to consolidate and improve on the remarkable achievements of the outgoing executive. Most recent achievements include engagements with government on issues of development and security of the nation, building of Abuja centre and strengthening the network among members as well as annual presidential dinners that have featured thoughts-for-food lectures on topical issues of national development. Will AANI add its voice to the national discourse on power sector reform and constitutional reforms among others? AANI must first re-invent NIPSS in line with its original vision, deepen relationship with the National Institute with regular interactions of members at all levels. With functional committees such as the Heritage Council that parade eminent personalities like His Eminence Sultan of Sokoto and the Obi of Onitsha, there are enough structures to drive AANI to the next level in the coming two years. Here is wishing my fellow mnis another rewarding AGM and further repositioning of AANI towards a Better Nigeria. With AANI, there has been and definitely there is still a country which must certainly get better.

    • Aremu, mni, writes from Kaduna

  • Boko Haram abductions: The French approach

    Boko Haram abductions: The French approach

    In a terse statement issued shortly after Nigeria’s Boko Haram terror sect released a video recording of the seven French citizens its militants abducted from Northern Cameroun on February 19 and ferried to Nigeria, France has declared there would be no negotiation. Instead, said the statement, “France will use all possible means to secure the release of the hostages.” The statement is all the more interesting for the contemptuous manner it declared that “(France does) not negotiate on these bases with those groups.” In more than a dozen commentaries published in this place, Hardball had declared it was folly to negotiate with terrorists or kidnappers. Negotiating with Boko Haram, the column warned repeatedly, showed national weakness and mocked the memory of the innocent who were murdered in cold blood.

    After considerable dithering, the President Goodluck Jonathan government finally decided to negotiate with Boko Haram if leaders of the terror group would show their faces. And as an example of good faith, the government persuaded the rest of the world not to declare the sect a terrorist organisation, arguing that it would hurt the country and its travelling citizens more than the terrorists. Analysts even supplied the government the theoretical foundation for its indecisiveness. They urged the government to use stick and carrot approach to pacify the group and its splinter groups. Relying on economic arguments, they suggested that poverty triggered the uprising. During his recent visit to Nigeria, former United States President, Bill Clinton, also seemed to endorse this perspective, except that his endorsement was more nuanced.

    This column will not revisit the arguments he had made in this place against negotiation. But he will restate the imperative of defeating the group before an economic rejuvenation plan is enunciated for the poor regions of the country. To do otherwise is to encourage alienated groups to levy war against the state in order to wring concessions out of the government. But much more than this, the outright dismissal of negotiation by the French is relevant to the discourse to the extent that it showed character in the face of both extreme danger and direct threat to the lives of French citizens. The implication is that France will use all means to free its citizens, but that even if it feared failure was a possibility, it would still not negotiate. Nigeria needed to show this sort of steely resolve in the early days of the fight against terror. Instead, it displayed lack of national resoluteness in the face of danger. The country also showed lack of philosophical appreciation of what terror is all about and the dangerous precedents negotiating with it could set for future generations.

    By dismissing outright the possibility of negotiation, France indicated she would neither allow its policies to be undermined by fear nor its people and leaders to be blackmailed by terrorists. More, she seemed conscious of the need to set a proud precedent for future generations, and to indicate that the country was ready to rigidly stand by lofty principles rather than by expediency, no matter the cost.

    Instead of belittling the French approach, Nigeria should take a cue from that country’s spontaneous response, a spontaneity that by all considerations exhibits depth. Nigeria has seemed to stumble on what seemed to be a sensible approach against terror groups, but it is hoped that the tentative resolve to fight to the bitter end will not collapse in the face of Boko Haram raising the ante by indiscriminate and extensive projection of terror. Nigeria will also hope that the rather desperate decision of the sect to embrace a tenuous ceasefire would not be jettisoned. However, it is hard not to feel that the government has kept on fighting, no matter how inexpertly, not because it hopes to win the war but because it expects that at a point, the terror sect would lose steam either through attrition or age.

  • Re: NTA – Star Times agreement

    The launch of the NTA-STAR TV Network on July 29, 2010 was widely received by Nigerians. At the time of its launch by Vice President Namadi Sambo on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigerians had never seen such technology which allows one to view digital terrestrial TV channels without installing any dish. This revolutionary technology was brought into Nigeria through a joint venture partnership between the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Star Times of the Republic of China. This signaled the beginning of terrestrial digital broadcasting in the country.

    Over the years, viewers have become more sophisticated and the only way to keep up with this is the concept of multi channels which entails the transmission of many channels, instead of one. Thus, when NTA decided to have multi-channels, it therefore needed a platform. Setting up such a digital terrestrial television platform is a very capital intensive project which also requires advanced technology. To this end, NTA decided to look for a partner for the project, hence the partnership between it and Star Communications of China – the NTA Star TV Network Ltd.

    The core objective of the partnership is to provide excellent and technology-driven digital pay TV services in the Nigerian territory as well as provide excellent and socially responsible television broadcast services in Nigeria. The project in the long run will expand to include the provision of advertisement and signal transfer services, mobile phone television as well as wireless internet services. Star Times relationship with NTA is a strategic partnership that will help Nigeria in actualizing its 2015 digital transition deadline. Star Times will leverage on the existing platform of NTA to provide quality digital service to every home in Nigeria and in doing that, the whole country won’t find it difficult to get digitalized even before the 2015 transition.

    NTA-Star Times bouquet include local programmes and other well known international satellite channels, which provide news, music, sports, cartoon, finance, religion, movies, reality, etc. The programming platform also captures all age and interest groups. More importantly, the costs, both in terms of decoders and subscription, are affordable and easy to use with an advanced technology that guarantees clean and stable signals.

    Laudable as the NTA-Star Times partnership has been, it has come under severe and misguided criticism by one Sunday Adigun writing under the caption, “Issues in the NTA-Star Times agreement” published in The Nation of February 4. One of his grudges is the impending transition and upgrade from the DVB-T technology platform to the DVB-T2. According to Adigun, it is unnecessary exploitation to make people buy the DVB-T decoder when at the launch of the DVB-T2 decoder they will be made to repurchase the new decoder to enable them continue to view the Star Times bouquet. There is need to put all the issues in the right perspective.

    The truth about the introduction of new DVB -T2 decoders by Star Times is that it will enable subscribers to have access to over 70 channels as against the 53 Channels with DVB-T decoder. However, there is no iota of truth that subscribers with the old DVB-T decoders will have to buy the new DVB-T2 decoders. All subscribers with the DVB-T decoders will have them swapped with the new DVB–T2 at absolutely no cost to the subscriber. The swapping of decoders will be done at the point of subscription renewal. Thus, there will be no payment for new decoder. This does not in any way render the DVB-T decoder unusable as claimed by the writer.

    DVB-T2 is only an upgrade of DVB-T. The writer conveniently forgot to mention that even the DVB-S being used by other satellite pay TV providers is a variant of DVB format and even that too has an upgrade (DVB-S2). It is doubtful if any of the Satellite pay TV in Nigeria have upgraded to the DVB-S2. NTA – Star TV is not unmindful of the dynamism of technology, and would always strive to give its subscribers the best.

    The issue of NTA’s 30% shareholding in the venture also came under criticism with a counter proposition for a 50-50 shareholding structure. It is important to point out here that the NTA-Star Times partnership is no different from other partnerships in any part of the world and there is no requirement that equity must be 50-50 in any partnership. Two parties in every Joint Venture come to the negotiation table with their comparative advantages, and that is what determines the equality ratio. However, this is subject to review from time to time. The analogue switch off is expected to free up frequency spectrum. Already the recently inaugurated DigiTeam saddled with the responsibility of implementing the digital transition, is in the process of splitting NTA in two viz; NTA Broadcast signal distributor and NTA Broadcast content provider. A signal distributor would provide signal to broadcasters on an equitable, reasonable, non preferential and non-discriminatory basis. Needless to say that there would be additional private signal distributors to be licensed. So the assumption that NTA would have unlimited control over broadcasters will not arise.

    It is not also true that at the expiration of subscription, viewers are completely disconnected. There are two free to air channels: NTA News 24 and NTA Sports. At the expiration of subscription, the subscriber can continue to watch both channels free of charge.

    There is no gainsaying that NTA-Star Times is living up to expectation with its revolutionary technology which allows the subscriber to view digital Terrestrial TV channels without installing any dish. The future even hold more promises.

    • Loko, Deputy Director Star Times writes from Abuja

  • Foreign reserve brouhaha: Let’s thank Okonjo-Iweala

    SIR: It is heart-warming to see some influential Nigerians coming out of their gilded cage to demand accountability from the present government. It shows that we are now waking up to our civic rights by taking the government to task on the expenditure of our collective wealth, and alerting them that it won’t be business as usual anymore. After all, we are in a democratic dispensation where freedom of speech is a given.

    Worthy of note is the recent harangue by former Vice President (Africa) of the World Bank and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and her demand for the account of how the $67billion left in the foreign reserve by the administration of her erstwhile boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was spent.

    I think Nigerians should start asking questions instead of allowing anyone or a group of individuals to manipulate their public sentiment. We need to analyze the questions raised by the opposition to determine their merits and, at the same time, examine the motives behind their clamour.

    Year 2015 is fast approaching and politicians are deploying all tricks in the book to get into the proverbial corridor of power, or to regain what they lost in previous elections. And those in power are also busy strategising how to extend their stay in government. Therefore, we have definitely not heard the last of allegations and counter-allegations from different political quarters. The accusation flying around now is the management of Nigeria’s reserve. While Madam due process claims that the $67 billion (about N11 trillion) left behind by President Obasanjo has been squandered by the incumbent government; the government, in its own response, is claiming that it has added $2.17bn to the foreign reserves since former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office in 2007.

    Surprisingly, Dr. Ezekwesili lent credence to this government’s claim on Twitter while responding to the query of one of her followers. The follower had asked why she didn’t consult the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, before making her allegations. And in her response, she said the only reason the crashed foreign reserve and Excess Crude Account are once again creeping up is because of the awesome effort of the Minister of Finance, “so you must thank her.”

    That means, even while the debate is going on, we need to pause and thank Mrs Okonjo-Iweala for ensuring that Nigeria’s economy is run with prudence. Since she returned in 2011 to manage the nation’s economy, all of us can see the several battles she has had to fight those within and outside the system in her bid to ensure that Nigeria’s finances are in good shape. But for her, the present situation would have been dismal and the narrative would have been totally different. Who knows how many more trillions we would have continued to lose to greedy fuel marketers and their allies in NNPC? Who knows how many trillions of naira the country would have continued to pay hundreds of thousands of ghost workers in monthly salaries? Who knows how many trillions we would have continued to lose in unaccounted for budgetary allocations on a yearly basis? Who knows how many more trillions we will continue to lose to the various holes in the Nigerian system that this woman is blocking with such ingenuity? How much more?

    While demanding more from our leaders, the least we can do is to appreciate this woman who has brought sanity into our national expenditure.

    • Oluwaseun Joseph

    Lagos

  • Death of Nasarawa varsity four

    SIR: The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) received the shocking news of the brutal killing of four students of Nasarawa State University by armed soldiers invited by the university management to quell the protest of students against water scarcity and power outage. We condemn in strong terms this shocking killing and arrest of the unarmed students. No official explanation or excuse can erase the guilt of the army as this is brutal murder of unarmed protesters demanding improved and decent welfare conditions. We place the responsibility on the university management who invited soldiers to quell a legitimate protest and the state government whose neo-liberal capitalist policy of education underfunding is the root cause of this killing.

    We offer our condolence and most importantly our solidarity to students of the university as well as parents and families of the slain students. This killing has again thrown to the fore the ruthlessness of the capitalist ruling elite in preventing every effort by students to organise to fight for improved conditions on campuses and in the education sector.

    Notwithstanding this, the fight for improved welfare conditions on campuses, against fee hike and the criminal anti-poor policy of education underfunding must continue. Rather than a deterrent, this killing has to be a lightning rod for a more determined resistance of students on all campuses against anti-poor education policies.

    To prosecute this struggle, it is very crucial that local unions are rebuilt with leaders capable of fighting. Equally vital is the need to build a democratic and radical national student leadership that can unite all students in a common struggle against neo-liberal attacks on public education, and in the demand for the provision of free and quality education at all levels.

    We urge all student unions, student groups and activists to offer solidarity to Nasarawa state students through actions like parliamentary and/or congressional resolutions and public statements condemning the killing as well as to organise immediate protests and demonstrations to lend support to their struggle. This is essential to ensure that this brutal killing is not swept under the carpet like numerous others in the past.

    We also call on all the academic and non-academic unions in the university to condemn this vicious action of the armed soldiers and the university management and give solidarity to students in their demand for justice and improved welfare conditions.

    The ERC demands justice for the four murdered students. We demand the immediate removal of the Vice Chancellor and dissolution of the management of Nasarrawa State University for inviting soldiers into the campus to kill protesting students; the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested students; the re-constitution of a new management through a democratic electoral process in which members of staff and students of the institution can have a say in who become principal officers and members of Senate of the University

    Furthermore, we demand the immediate arrest and trial of the soldiers and/or their commanding officers responsible for the shooting of unarmed protesting students; the setting up of a democratic panel of inquiry composed of elected representatives of staff unions, the trade unions in the state, students union, and civil societies to investigate the immediate and remote circumstances surrounding the killing, identify members of management responsible for the invitation of soldiers, recommend punishment as well as recommendations to forestall future occurrence; the immediate granting of the demands of students for adequate water supply and improved welfare condition which led to the protest in the first place; and the immediate reopening of the University.

    • Hassan Taiwo Soweto National Coordinator Education Right Campaign, Lagos

  • PDP BoT: Return of the gerontocrats

    PDP BoT: Return of the gerontocrats

    Chief Tony Anenih may be a few months shy of 80 years old, but the aging politician and warhorse shows no sign of his zeal for politics and passion for rough tackles flagging. Instead of heading for the knacker’s yard, he has just been elected to head the coveted Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party at a time President Goodluck Jonathan felt hemmed in by enemies. Between the time Anenih led the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Bendel State and the time he assumed the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and then on to his tumultuous roles in the PDP, there was no let up on his machinations and ruthless politicking. He will have another opportunity to mould PDP affairs in his image, and he will do it with gusto, especially because he came in as a consensus candidate.

    Everyone believes that the second coming of Anenih is tied to 2015 elections. This is probably true. By sheer amateurish display, both Jonathan and the party’s chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, have got themselves embroiled in so much controversy that desperation quickly crept into the part, sapping it of all its energies as it prepares for the coming polls. Given Tukur’s enthusiastic endorsement of Anenih and the president’s secret admiration for the tested old warrior, it was not surprising that the party did the unusual to get Anenih back in the saddle. He will not want to disappoint them. The news, therefore, is not that an old soldier has returned to his former haunts. The news is to find out what punishment he is capable of inflicting on dissenters within his party and outside. For a man who when he was previously BoT chairman hardly waited to catch his ethical breath as he plotted feverishly and unscrupulously to undermine the opposition, there is nothing to indicate he will be fastidious about principles or ideologies. He knows his brief, and we will hear from him shortly and brutally.

    But rather than wait in apprehension, and considering how much of him is known, it will be the responsibility of Nigerians inside and outside the PDP to meet Anenih and his cohorts with courage and hope, in battlefields or at negotiating tables. Old men are often vulnerable in battlefields as they are usually anachronistic and overconfident in war rooms. The country must, therefore, meet his every whim with intuitive brilliance and indescribable feints. In the old man’s fading eyes, we will see the desperation of Jonathan, the man unleashing him into battle. And in his jaded dribbles, we will recognise just how much faith the ruling party is reposing in their old soldiers and old war tactics. Commodore Oliver Perry was famously quoted in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1812 to have said, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” The excuse of the Nigerian opposition in 2015 must never be that they didn’t know the enemy, nor that when they met them, they didn’t recognise them.

    Increasingly, it seems, the opposition (All Progressives Congress?) will square off with the PDP gerontocracy in 2015. Let the opposition go into that battle with fleet-foot politicians, men and women who understand what it means to be faced by unethical and ruthless warriors, and men and women who once the battle is joined recognise that the possibility of defeat does not exist.

  • Kudos to Aregbesola

    SIR: Kindly permit me to commend Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on the report of his recent trip to the United States where he, among other things, delivered the guest lecture at the prestigious Whetherhead Center at Harvard University. The lecture wherein he discussed the problems in the way of Nigeria’s development was widely reported in the dailies. According to him, ethnicity, poverty, unemployment, lopsided federalism, neo-colonialism and other other factors have hampered the country’s development and fuelled the spate of violent ethno- religious strife in the country and unless these are well addressed, the problems will continue and escalate.

    I am very proud of the governor when I watched him deliver the lecture live on the internet. He has distinguished himself and he is indeed a great leader. Many governors travel outside the country to attend to their harem and engage in capital flight and have left their states ruined. But our governor was consumed by state service and his itinerary was published everyday and has promptly returned to the country.

    It was also reported that he was able to connect with the diaspora and is mobilising them for massive investment at home. I am happy for this. He was also able to showcase his IT invention, the computer tablet for use by secondary school called Opon Imo. We were told that the chief executive of the city of Pittsburgh has bought into this and has expressed his readiness to purchase for all the schools in his county. This is an unprecedented development in Nigeria that a white man will emulate any state governor in innovation.

    Thank you very much sir for upholding the glory of our state and portraying us as true Omoluabi, the virtuous.

    • Francis Bamidele,

    Osogbo, Osun State

  • SOS to Governor Mimiko

    SOS to Governor Mimiko

    SIR: I wish to draw the attention of Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to the deplorable condition of living on Agunbiade Avenue Street, opposite St. James’ Grammar School, Lipakala Junction, Rainbow, Ondo in Ondo West LGA. The condition of the road is very bad.

    For almost 30 years now, there have been recurrent problemsof flooding on this street due to the inability of easy flow of water whenever it rains – through the water channels, or drainages and also due to the narrow nature of the bridge through where this water flows especially, the one at the main road beside Lipakala’s House on the main road along Adeyemi College Road, near St. James’ Grammar School, Ondo.

    About two years ago, the Mimiko-led administration made deliberate efforts to widen the channels through where the water flows. Unfortunately, this has not solved any of the perennial problems.

    This reason for this was that, when this water channel was done, it was abandoned without adequate plan for it to be made into a proper water channels with walls and access roads for inhabitants of the streets where residents live. This has forced many residents and home owners to flee the area, which now look like ghost streets.

    The incessant flooding has made people to abandon these houses, and made the street look so much in despair with overgrown fields on the streets.

    The remaining residents on Agunbiade Avenue as well as the adjoining streets are now pleading with the state government to urgently come to their aid. As stated earlier, the case has been on for a long time without any solution. In actual fact, an 80-year-old woman died inside her house a couple of years ago at night, due to flooding that caught her unawares in the middle of the night.

    The residents are now pleading with the government to come and finish the abandoned work they started and find a lasting solution to flooding in this area, before the whole street is wiped off.

    • Akinyele Akinkuolie,

    Ondo