The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • 10,000MW: If wishes were horses

    10,000MW: If wishes were horses

    The Minister of State for Power, Mrs. Zainab Kuchi, was reported to have gushed before the Presidential Action Committee on Power in Abuja on Tuesday that the Federal Government planned to generate 10,000 Megawatts of electricity by December 2013. The government’s confidence probably derives from the fact that by the end of last year generation capacity stood at 6,442MW, while actual generation peaked at 4,517.6MW. The reports on Kuchi’s presentation did not say how the government planned to achieve the target it set for the year. Perhaps she gave the needed details, only that they were not reported, and she expected her audience to believe her projections, if she could somehow wave a magic wand.

    For a highly skeptical public, however, the projections are not only far-fetched, they seem too overly optimistic. First is the nebulous figure associated with the so-called generation capacity, which is so subjective as to be statistically meaningless. Why use it in any presentation or discourse when it is nothing but a chimera? But more crucially is the actual electricity generation for 2013, which Kuchi indicated would rise to 10,000MW. Ten thousand megawatts? Why, even pigs might fly!

    Neither the President Goodluck Jonathan government nor any before it has managed to come near its electricity generation projections at any time. Shortly after assuming power in 1999, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo enthusiastically saddled the late Chief Bola Ige with the task of solving the energy problems of the country. Not only were the shifting targets not met by the end of Obasanjo’s first term, it became doubtful by 2003 that any reasonable target could be met by the end of his second term. It will be recalled that he also set a 10,000MW target for 2007, only to end up, after spending billions of dollars on electricity projects, generating even less than he met on assumption of office.

    Admittedly, a part of the problem that hobbled Obasanjo’s effort to solve the electricity problem of Nigeria had been mitigated by the Yar’Adua amnesty programme. But to suggest that in about 11 months the government could double electricity generation over its current levels is to stretch bureaucratic confidence too far. In the last year or two of their presidencies, both Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua repeatedly revised their estimates downwards, at various times citing either shortage of water in the nation’s hydroelectric dams, disrupted gas supplies and pipeline vandalisation, and plain sabotage. None of these three major factors has been thoroughly dealt with to warrant the kind of unabashed confidence Kuchi exuded.

    It is said that if wishes were horse, beggars would ride. Indeed, as much as we would like to give the government the benefit of the doubt and yield to their enthusiasm, it is still hard to see what sort of magical horse the government hopes to ride into 10,000MW. Their main challenge this year should be how to maintain the little progress they have made in the past few months and possibly how to build on it a little at a time. A little modesty would serve their optimism well. In fact what the people want is not extraordinary projections, but simple realism. To generate even 6,000MW would be stupendous achievement, one that would impact favourably on the economy and transform the social environment of the people. If that figure is surpassed, the government can justifiably boast; but if they fall below it, they can offer reasonable alibis. But to set target at a humongous 10,000MW is to tempt fate far beyond their ability to manage.

    Nigerians must also hope that in the event of failing to meet their own lofty expectations, the government would be honest enough not to say that what they promised the country was 10,000MW generation capacity.

  • Chime: The hawks at it again

    Enugu State has always had politicians who play politics in very unique ways that almost always attract national attention, either due to the roles played by the key actors or the hilarity that their acts arouse.

    It was more verbal than physical wars between the candidates themselves and also supporters of Chiefs Jim Nwobodo and Chukwuma Onoh during the battle for the governorship of old Anambra State. That was during the 1979 and 1983 general elections. In those days, different camps composed songs to denigrate the other. Their media interviews were spiced with all kinds of inelegant words. But there was no bloodshed, just occasional flexing of muscles by their distinct supporters. The election that ushered in Okwesilieze Nwodo as the first civilian governor of the new Enugu State was full of its own intrigues, climaxing in the former being donned in the same campaign uniform as his elder brother, Joe who had been disqualified with Hyde Onuaguluchi. It was a tragic-comedy that threw up mundane issues as electioneering progressed.

    Then came the period of Chimaroke Nnamani, the Ebeano godfather and an ardent lover of political sloganeering. This was an era when opposition elements were hounded out of the state. Those who dared to visit came with truck-load of soldiers and policemen. Ask the Nwodos, Nwobodos and others.

    Enugu began to breathe fresh air with the coming of Sullivan Chime as the governor of the State in 2007. The political temperature in the entire state has remained calm since then. There is accommodation of opposing views. Yet, the development under his charge has been so unprecedented that even his political rivals acknowledge that fact. But some people, for obvious reasons, have seized the opportunity of his absence to try to portray Enugu State as a place where nothing works at the moment. For those of us who live here, nothing can be farther from the truth. One has read a lot of jaundiced articles that have no bearing with what is on ground in the State.

    I am not a civil servant here neither am I a political appointee. But I know that they receive their salaries promptly and regularly. Road projects are on-going in both the urban and rural areas. Aside the roads, other projects are being executed. There is an acting governor who is in charge and who presides over the state executive council meetings and gives all approvals and directives.

    Yet, some mischievous politicians from the state working in concert with some hired hands in the media have been sponsoring reports to suggest that the Acting Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi is not the one calling the shots. Has he told anybody that? If, as we are told, he approves payments for contractors, chairs state executive council meetings, supervises on-going contracts and gives all due approvals, so who else is running Enugu State? This is a clear case of some interested politicians out to cause unwarranted anxiety, crying more than the bereaved. We must show this fine gentleman some respect that he deserves. Just like his boss, Onyebuchi abhors the limelight. It is an insult to suggest that he is not the one calling the shots when in truth, he is.

    Some even go to the ridiculous level of calling on the Enugu State House of Assembly to either impeach Chime or make Onyebuchi an Acting Governor! What has he been ever since the governor left? As a lawyer, I have gone through the Nigerian constitution and I see no place where

    Chime went out of line. As the constitution stipulated, he transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly to the effect that he was proceeding on vacation and that his deputy would act in his absence. From reports, he also announced same to the state executive council. Either out of sheer ignorance or outright mischief, some persons with hidden agenda have even made allusions to when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was out of the country and the National Assembly came up with the Doctrine of Necessity. There is no relationship between the situation then and what it is in Enugu today.

    The difference is that Chime transmitted a letter to the state House of Assembly that his deputy would act in his absence. For those of us living in Enugu, especially citizens of the state, we do not lose sleep over those sponsored stories in the media which are aimed at painting a hopeless picture and to get the House to act rather unwisely. If things go bad in our state, we the people will be the first to experience it and shout out. If the government is no more delivering services to the people, we will be the first victims to feel the pains.

    For those who go to the extreme case of wishing a man dead because of the lure of power, I urge them to have a rethink. That is not the way to play politics. Only God will determine when each and every one of us will die. As for the newspapers, I sometimes pity them. How do readers take a newspaper seriously when it publishes that a man is feared dead on the strength of what one mischief maker posted on the internet? The other day, one national newspaper published the falsehood that Governor Chime’s brother, sister and children had travelled abroad because his “health” was “unstable.” Yet, both Jide Chime and Mrs. May Oji, the governor’s siblings as well as his children were all in Enugu at the point of the report. I was dumb-founded when I saw May at the church that same Sunday that the newspaper published this story. It reminded one of the slip made by many newspapers which reported the death of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe some years back when he was at his Onuiyi Haven in Nsukka. Those who control what get published must do their papers and all of us a lot of good if they cross-check the information at their disposal before they present fiction as facts. Of course, I can predict that those behind such false stories concerning Chime will not relent because it serves their narrow interests to present Enugu State as one where nothing works at the moment. We have heard that the sponsors have set up a team co-ordinated by a media aide to one of the former governors with a charge to continue to publish lies in order to create an impression that governance has broken down in Enugu State. Today, they write articles with pseudo names and send same to their contacts in the media houses. Their sole goal is to encourage an unwholesome act from both within and outside. Fortunately, that is the sharp opposite of the situation on ground.

    •Ezekiel Nwafor, a lawyer and public analyst, contributed this piece from Enugu

  • From Ekiti with testimonies

    Mr. Kayode Fayemi, the executive governor of Ekiti State who assumed office more than one year ago, first made many promises to the people of the state. One of those promises which seems to be more cogent and striking now is the provision of adequate security for the people. To make certain his resolve to ensure that everybody is properly secured in the state, the governor has just established what he termed the Ekiti State Peace Corps.

    Inaugurating the corps at the Jibowu Hall, Ado – Ekiti, the state capital recently, Governor Fayemi reiterated his commitment to peace, unity and security in the state. For this reason, he told the people that part of the plan for the establishment of the Peace Corps is to complement the efforts of security agencies in fighting crime. To the governor, for the state to be in secured hands for the yuletide, the level of security in the various communities and at the grassroots, should be topmost in the agenda of the government.

    Before the advent of the yuletide, the administration of Fayemi had promised the entire citizens of the state, that their lives and property would be safe for the celebrations. This assurance indeed encouraged more people to travel home to Ekiti for the Christmas and New Year festivities. While constituting the Peace Corps, the governor made it pointedly clear in his new year broadcast to the state that no nation or society can thrive when there is chaos or insecurity of lives and property. And Ekiti is no exception.

    He said: “It is common knowledge that a society thrives more and attracts higher economic growth when there is peace.” As people trooped home to savour the peaceful ambience of Ekiti State, they equally saw how the rural areas and communities have been transformed. “I think his commitment to the total transformation of the entire state is genuine and total” was how Emmanuel Akanji, who just returned home from Ivory Coast after three years, put it. “To me, this was the best yuletide celebration in my village in the last twenty years. You could see the old people and retired civil servants, the governor has touched their lives through his many-people and grassroots oriented programmes exhibiting hope and enthusiasm. The joy and peace on people’s faces showed that there is hope, a very big one for that matter, in the horizon for the people of Ekiti State,” Akanji said.

    “And more will come,” Ade Babatunde, a young graduate from Oye declared in his assessment of what is in the offing for the people. Even the governor in his New Year message to the state looked into the future and declared that 2013 would be totally dedicated to creating more jobs for the teeming youths. “It is Ekiti’s year of employment and consolidation.” In order to actualize this dream, the governor has proposed the creation of the Ministry of Rural Development and Empowerment. The purpose is to create room for more jobs especially in the local communities and hamlets.

    It was in giving acclaim to the many concerted communal provisions by the state government that the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Adewale Omirin publicly declared that the administration of Fayemi has truly delivered the dividends of democracy to the people in the implementation of 2012 budget. This is the sort of declaration that is hard to hear elsewhere in the country where leaders are rather busy pillaging the state coffers and making the citizenry more impoverished day-in-day-out.

    Ekiti State was a beehive of activities this past yuletide because this cankerworm called kidnapping was never recorded in the state. It is on record that the state government worked round the clock with all security agencies to ensure that peace was paramount in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

    The newly revived Ire Burnt Bricks Factory and the Odua Enterprise Centre which were opened last year, have also offered employment to so many youths. This has not only helped to expand the resources of the state, it has equally helped to control youth restiveness. A lot of youths are fully employed and have been contributing immensely to the revenue base of their families.

    By taking factories and industries to nearly every rural place in the state, the governor has smartly succeeded in stemming crime, thereby assuring returnees that the people at home cannot be of any harm to them. When the home front, like it is usually said, is in peace, the whole town can go to sleep with their whole eyes closed. That is Ekiti of today where crime has been reduced to its barest level because the level of transformation is all –encompassing.

    The new plan to build more affordable houses for the people is equally warming the hearts of residents. This year, about 5,000 of such houses will be in place, in addition to more that have been constructed. The idea, like the governor has often reiterated is to save residents from the hands of shylock landlords and dubious property developers in the state.

    The governor even promised to embark on this massive project through a Public Private Partnership arrangement. Once that is done, more indigent citizens will be offered their own sanctuary, thus reducing the number of people precariously hanging at the mercy of dubious landlords in the society.

    Making health one of his priority areas, the governor through the state Health Commissioner, Professor Olusola Fasubaa recently distributed drugs worth over N33.3million to hospitals and health centres across the state. This was done in order to keep the Unified Drugs Resolving Fund Scheme (UDRFS) in the state alive and active. Fasubaa assured the people that the primary concern of the state is to constantly ensure the success of the state’s free health care scheme. All the hospitals renovated previously for this purpose are now in full operation to cater for the sick and the aged.

    At the moment, the government has made it clear that the issue of health will remain uppermost in the scheme of things. There are plans to build new general hospitals at Ilawe and Oye, while about 20 old ones will be renovated as soon as possible. In addition, about 35 basic health centres and dispensaries will be upgraded to save human lives.

    The governor signed the prohibition of smoking in public places Law 2012 in the state to further consolidate his hold on the health sector. To him, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. And because many people who smoke in public are either ignorant of the hazards they pose to people or have blatantly refused to come to terms with the danger they constitute to others. Whichever way, the governor says this has to end.

    The truth of the matter is that while people travelled for Christmas and the New year, they were confronted by many innovative developments in the state. The Ikogosi Tourist Resort, on its part, served as home away from home to many holiday makers. The governor has even made a promise that with time, Ekiti State will serve as the most attractive holiday destination in Nigeria. Ikogosi has a natural allure and warmth that can never be equaled in Nigeria.

    As Ekiti people savour the prospects of 2013, it is proper for the people to catch in on the economic prospects in the state to make the year a glorious one for themselves. Ekiti State is geared towards a new dawn both socially, economically and otherwise. As the governor keeps himself busy with more new projects, it is time to give him the deserved support and encouragement. Together, the whole people can do this.

    • Olaniyi writes from Oye.

  • Between Fashola and Prophet Obasanjo

    SIR: There are only a handful of men like Olusegun Aremu Okikiolu Obasanjo scattered around the globe. At a first glance, these are men that can easily be dismissed by the average Joe, especially when by reputation, their antics border on the comical and the absurd but wise men that learn from the tides of life are more hesitant in appraising such persons.

    Channels Television recently showed footages of Obasanjo and a handful of his PDP cohorts praying to God on the behalf of Lagos State in Abeokuta, Ogun State. What originally was defined as a goodwill visit by Lagos State PDP stalwarts to rejoice with the patriarch concerning a fire incident in his abode was turned into an intercessory church session. This band of “emergency” prayer contractors from the upper echelon of the political class petitioned the Almighty God to deliver Lagos State from the evil clutches of the ACN.

    Without a shred of doubt, “Saul was evidently numbered among the prophets” on that day as the motley crew of politrick-cians bombarded the heavens for a miracle. Given the sterling performance of the incumbent governor of Lagos State compared to others in the country, it seemed like an absurd prayer. Babatunde Raji Fashola, the political scion of his mercurial predecessor, outperformed the rest to establish Lagos as the flagship state and pacesetter in performance.

    The natural temptation to dismiss OBJ and his band of politrickal prophets as unserious would have been justified but the thought was arrested in a flash. Nigerian history has demonstrated that OBJ is not a man to be dismissed lightly, for some reasons known only to God, this unpretentious man rose from a background of deep poverty to straddle the throne in Africa’s most populous nation twice! We must not forget that this is the same man who cried out to God in desperation when he was remanded on death row in the paranoid years of the Abacha regime. Many do not remember that the prison walls that held him came down for some reason, but he refused to make an escape! Just when everybody thought that the bumpkin’s story was over, the heavens moved and Okikiolu was taken from the prison to the palace. The prisoner became the president and the rest is history now. If it is really true that the Almighty God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, we need look no further than this local shon-of-the-shoil for confirmation. Perhaps the ACN needs to proceed with caution as we move towards the next gubernatorial election in Lagos State because of the prevailing winds in Nigeria. The South-western states have always been the prime examples of harmony and religious tolerance but it seems that our noble cultural “omoluabi” inheritance of diplomatic dealings could be in jeopardy. We have never permitted religious issues to divide our people but there are whispers in Lagos that the ACN has been compromised in some ways. If the ACN coincidentally presents another Muslim gubernatorial candidate for the next elections instead of factoring our time-honoured tradition of accommodation, there could be a serious opening for the PDP if they have the wisdom to present the right person and manage to keep him alive! The BRF incumbency factor weighed against our deep cultural inheritance is not likely to hold sway because it is also common knowledge that Fashola could never have reaped the kind of results that he did without the foundations laid by others like Yemi Cardoso, Leke Pitan, Yemi Osinbajo, Wale Edun and Rauf Aregbesola. Whichever way, it is just a matter of time before we find out whether the Ota politrickal prayer band was in the spirit on that day of the Lord.

    • Ladi Peter Thompson,

    Living Waters Unlimited Church, Anthony, Lagos.

  • Oyo NURTW: Good riddance to the menace of Tokyo

    SIR: Every reasonable observer of politics in Oyo State knew that the former chairman of the state’s chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola, a.k.a. Tokyo, was not going to go away quietly.

    On Christmas Eve, NURTW national President, Alhaji Nojeem Yasin, came down to Ibadan from Abuja to administer the oath of office on the newly-elected 21-member administrative council led by Alhaji Taofeek Ayorinde., a.k.a. Fele. Fele had served, for the past six months as the chairman of the Caretaker Committee that Governor Abiola Ajimobi, upon the intervention of Yasin and others, instituted when he lifted the ban on the NURTW and allowed them to resume operation as a union.

    More than anything else that Ajimobi may have accomplished so far, the mature manner in which he deflated the tires of the rampaging NURTW will rank near the top.

    Why is Tokyo fighting tooth and nail, almost to the point of death, in order to remain chairman of the Oyo State NURTW? The perks accruable to the chairmen of the NURTW are impressive and could be the envy of an oil company CEO. Commercial operators (inter-state, intra-state, inter-city, or intra-city) pay “taxes” to these chairmen daily. These daily “taxes” can run into hundreds of thousands of naira for chairmen in states with large cities like Lagos, Oyo, and Kano.

    What is more, these chairmen do not even have to leave home to collect the money. It is usually brought to them at home. The money, technically, is supposed to be dues contributed by members for the welfare of the union, its members (in case of family and personal emergencies), and the maintenance of its secretariat. However, a large chunk of that money goes to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of each area. The DPO, in return, directs his officers to look the other way when the drivers violate traffic laws. The chairmen also appropriate a substantial chunk of the money, for which they does not have to account.

    Tokyo lived large as state chairman. He flew first-class to Abuja on a regular basis and stayed in 4-star hotels. His children attended (and still attend) private schools, including one at a private university. He maintained scores of Islamic clerics whose full-time job was to shield him from the law and from retaliations for his brutish acts. To hear Tokyo speak about the extent he would fight to regain the chairmanship, you would think the title was his family inheritance.

    Under Alao-Akala, Tokyo became a larger-than-life figure in the PDP and in Alao-Akala’s cabinet. The triumvirate of Adedibu, Alao-Akala, and Tokyo used the NURTW thugs to foment all sorts of crises in the state.

    Upon becoming governor, Ajimobi would not have any of that nonsense.

    Had Tokyo been reinstated, his term would have ended last month; a convenient time for Yasin to organize an election during which Fele was elected as the substantive chairman of a new 21-member NURTW executive council in Oyo State. Fele will have three years to turn around that much-maligned union, sever it completely from politics, remove those ogogoro joints, build respectable toilets, build covered waiting halls and sheds for passengers, re-orientate the drivers about safety checks before embarking on each trip, and reinforce good customer service.

    On good advice, he has returned to court, asking to be reinstated as chairman to complete his abbreviated term. It would have been something worth fighting for by all democracy-loving minds if he hadn’t been such a nuisance to the people of Oyo State. There are many things for which followers of government activities in Oyo State can blame Ajimobi, but on Tokyo, he deftly and successfully handled the situation.

    • Abiodun Ladepo

    Los Angeles, California, USA

  • Jonathan and Obasanjo on Boko Haram

    Jonathan and Obasanjo on Boko Haram

    By and by, President Goodluck Jonathan will start to understand just how relentless and detached a foe Chief Olusegun Obasanjo can be to anyone, irrespective of the opponent’s status. Hardball had once here captured the quintessential Obasanjo and recounted his political and literary odysseys over the decades. The former president’s quarrel with Jonathan over which approach to adopt in the fight against the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, is merely a short chapter in the long-running saga of his life. In November 2012, Obasanjo had argued Jonathan was slow in tackling the Boko Haram terror problem. He then advised the president to borrow a leaf from the drastic steps he employed in pacifying Odi in Bayelsa State in November 1999 when some militants murdered soldiers and policemen in that small town.

    But the former president reversed himself, according to yesterday’s newspapers, when he told the CNN in an interview that Jonathan was fixated on fighting the sect rather than negotiating with it. According to him, “To deal with a group like that, you need a carrot and stick. The carrot is finding out how to reach out to them. When you try to reach out to them and they are not amenable to being reached out to, you have to use the stick… Jonathan is just using the stick…He’s doing one aspect of it well, but the other aspect must not be forgotten.” The president’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, has responded by pointing out the contradictory positions the former president has taken on the matter in barely two months. But it was unnecessary for Jonathan’s spokesman to respond to Obasanjo’s criticisms. When the former president spoke to the CNN, it was obvious he had forgotten the counsel he gave Jonathan in November. Nor, apparently, did he recollect that in 2011, he had himself tried to reach out to Boko Haram leaders and got his fingers burnt. Those he reached out to in Maiduguri, the hotbed of Boko Haram, were summarily executed for daring to speak with him.

    This column does not dare to defend Jonathan in his struggles with his mentor. However, it must be obvious to even a child in Nigeria that the president has never been opposed to dialogue with Boko Haram. All he wants is peace to enjoy his tenure, no matter the price. That he has vacillated annoyingly over Boko Haram so far is less a reflection of his lack of moral or ideological courage than it is an indication of his own lack of depth in understanding the critical determinants of great leadership. After being thoroughly and repeatedly embarrassed by Boko Haram, Jonathan a long time ago jettisoned the little fight left in him and embraced dialogue with the sect. In fact on one occasion he plaintively announced his readiness for talks if the sect’s leaders would show their faces.

    Obasanjo, it seems, is driven not by logical consistency on any issue but by overriding self-importance and self-interest. In November 2012, it suited him to lampoon Jonathan for pacifism and slow action; and two months later it has pleased him to lambast the same Jonathan for undue use of force and inflexibility. If it will massage his ego on some hypothetical tomorrow, Obasanjo will damn Jonathan for not expediently leapfrogging over Boko Haram to negotiate with Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM). Obasanjo is Jonathan’s mentor, and in the fog of his criticisms of his mentee, we discern the former characterising the latter as a supple soul easily bent by the wind. The mentee, on his own, should by now have understood his mentor as a man of doubtful loyalties whose attachment to anyone is as fickle as a feather in a gale. It is a tribute to their vaunted leadership skills that while they squabble, the Boko Haram menace festers very badly.

  • Mark’s comment on gay reprehensible

    SIR: The statements made by David Mark that the ban on same sex marriage was irrevocable are reprehensible. They are a clear demonstration of homophobia and show a lack of appreciation of the humane moral values of the contemporary world. He has used the civic reception of John Cardinal Olorunfemi Onaiyekan to fan the flames of hatred and persecution of a sexual minority and to promote his skewed sense of decency. They are inconsistent with the constitutional role of a Senate President. They are also another clear indication of how the Senate and the church in Nigeria are working together in prosecuting a crusade against gay people.

    Instead of supporting the ban on same sex marriage, the Senate and the government of Nigeria as a whole should make a commitment to promoting and protecting the universal human rights of everyone, whatever their race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, even when such commitment conflicts with the teachings of religion.”

    • Leo Igwe,

    United Kingdom

  • Health in interest of the public

    Health in interest of the public

    Text of the Inaugural Lecture delivered by the Provost, College of Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof Olumuyiwa Odusanya, at the ivory tower.

     

    Poliomyelitis in Nigeria

    The progress made on immunization in Nigeria has a dark spot: that of continuous transmission of poliomyelitis. The beginnings of the rejection of polio vaccine and of its unintended consequences are well known to health workers such that Nigeria exported the polio virus to several parts of Africa and the rest of the world. In 2012, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan are the only countries that remain endemic for poliomyelitis. Nigeria is the only country that is endemic for types I and III strains of the wild polio virus (WPV). As at September 2012, Nigeria had recorded 84 cases of WPV in 11 states (all in the north, Figure 6) accounting for 94% of the polio burden in the African region of WHO.25

     

    Figure 6. Nigeria Polio cases as at September 21, 2012.25

     

    The age analysis of the poliomyelitis cases shows that 74% were less than three years and over half received less than three doses of the oral polio vaccine and were susceptible to the infection (Figures 7 and 8, data from WHO Nigeria). The cooperation of all is needed if Nigeria is to become polio-free. This may be the time to focus on sanitary disposal of faeces as an additional control measure. If more sanitary facilities were to be provided, could this intervention persuade more communities to accept the vaccine?

     

    Fig 7. Age group of WPV cases Jan-Sep 2012 as at Week 38

     

     

    My Contributions to Immunization

    Sabonggida-Ora Vaccination Project

    I was privileged to commence from inception a privately sponsored community-based immunization project in Sabonggida-Ora, the headquarters of Owan West LGA, Edo State in 1997. The project was sponsored by SmithKline Beecham Biologicals as a corporate social responsibility. I had the support of two senior management staff, Dr. Vincent Ahonkhai in the USA operations and Dr. François Meurice in GSK Biologicals in Belgium. Equally important was the role of a surgeon in the area, Prof. Ewan Alufohai who was our link person on a day-to-day basis. It was my lot to gain acceptance into a hitherto unknown community to me, obtain community approval, employ staff, arrange logistics and get the programme started.

    The programme emphasis was purely service but it became a priority project and research unit. Using skills expected of a public health physician, I was able to get the programme commenced on March 27, 1998 and commissioned by the then Permanent Secretary of Edo State Ministry of Health, Dr. S. Okpaise. The programme is still running actively 14 years after.

    To my knowledge, the programme was the first to vaccinate children against DPT and Hepatitis B using a combined DPT/HB vaccine with an advantage of fewer injections for the children. Since 2009, the programme has commenced administering a combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The programme managers had been committed to surveillance, data collection and conducting epidemiological surveys. The programme had received visits from the National NPI office and submits data monthly to the Local Government.

    Vaccination Coverage in Sabongidda-Ora

    At the programme onset, the full immunization coverage (measles vaccine uptake) was 43% 22 but after two years this was raised to 78%.26 The coverage of Hepatitis B (3rd dose) was 58% from a situation where it was not being administered. After eight years of service, a third survey was conducted and 61% of the children were fully immunized and yellow fever vaccine coverage was 51%.27 The significant determinants of full vaccination (measles vaccine uptake) were knowledge of mothers on immunization and the place (facility) where vaccination was administered. The trend on immunization coverage in Sabongidda-Ora is shown on Figure 9.

    In addition we have conducted immunological studies in the community. A study by Odusanya et al showed that vaccinated subjects had a significantly lower rate (P = 0.04) of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg, 1.3%) compared to the unimmunized group (4.6%).28 Furthermore, we conducted another study to investigate the efficacy of Hepatitis B Vaccine five to seven years after vaccination. The markers of infection (antibody to the hepatitis B Core antigen [anti-HBC], and HBsAg) were significantly reduced in the vaccinated group (Table 6). The vaccine effectiveness against exposure (anti-HBc) was 84.6% (95% confidence interval 77.8, 89.3%) and against infection (HBsAg) was 84.7% (95% confidence interval 68.2, 92.6%). The results showed persistence of antibodies to the surface antigen (anti-HBS) which indicates adequate protection of the vaccinated subjects.

    Table 6. Hepatitis B Vaccine Markers in Study Subjects.

    Pneumococcal vaccine trials.

    Pneumonia is the leading cause of deaths in children worldwide and kills an estimated 1.4 million children under the age of five years annually more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Streptococcus pneumonia is the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia. Key strategies for treating, preventing and protecting from pneumonia include case management at all levels, vaccination and control of indoor pollution.

    The 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine was the first vaccine against the organism but it was poorly immunogenic in infants less than 24 months of age and failed to induce an anamnestic antibody response. 32 The 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine was efficacious but did not contain serotypes 1 and 5, the major causes of invasive pneumococcal disease in Africa.33 The 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenza protein D conjugate vaccine contains serotypes 1,5, and 7F in addition to the serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C , 19F and 23F available in the 7-valent vaccine.

    In conjunction with colleagues in Mali, we conducted a randomised open vaccine trial of the 10-valent conjugate vaccine when administered with other NPI vaccines to assess its immunogenicity and safety. The report showed that 97% of vaccinated subjects had antibody concentration e” 0.2ug/ml for the pneumococcal serotypes except for 6B (82%) and 23F (87%), see Table 7.34 At least 85% of subjects had opsonophagocytic activity against all serotypes. The main adverse events were fever, pain and redness. The vaccine was found to be safe, immunogenic and compatible with NPI vaccines.34 The results are consistent with findings by other researchers.35

    Table 7. IgG antibody responses (22F-ELISA) against individual pneumococcal vaccine serotypes and cross-reactive serotypes 6A and 19A (ATP immunogenicity cohort)

    NOTE. GMC, geometric mean antibody concentration; pre-vaccine, before the first vaccine dose; post-dose 3, 1 month after vaccine dose 3; N, number of subjects with available results (this number varies per time point and per serotype depending on the amount of serum available for testing).

    We have then conducted a follow up study to administer booster doses of the pneumococcal vaccine in the study group 12 months after the primary study. Previously vaccinated (primed) subjects received one dose while previously unvaccinated (unprimed) subjects received two doses of the vaccine. The results showed immunogenicity in both the primed and unprimed subjects and the adverse events were as observed in the primary study. These are very major contributions in the area of vaccines and immunology. Nigeria has now licensed both the 10 and 13-valent pneumococcal vaccines.

    IV. A Functional Health System for the Public (Restoring the Health of the Public)

    The six building blocks of the health system have a common goal: that of improving health. Health systems particularly health facilities play a central role at the secondary level of prevention; that of early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

    Service Quality

    The quality of service of a health system has a major impact on the health outcome of the population served and is crucial to the achievement of the health related millennium development goals. A well functional health service should have some key characteristics.Good service delivery is a vital element of any health system. Service delivery is a fundamental input to population health status, along with other factors, including social determinants of health. The precise organization and content of health services will differ from one country to another, but in any well-functioning health system, the network of service delivery should have the following key characteristics:

    • Comprehensiveness: A comprehensive range of health services is provided, appropriate to the needs of the target population, including preventative, curative, palliative and rehabilitative services and health promotion activities.

    • Accessibility: Services are directly and permanently accessible with no undue barriers of cost, language, culture, or geography. Health services are close to the people, with a routine point of entry to the service network at primary care level (not at the specialist or hospital level). Services may be provided in the home, the community, the workplace, or health facilities as appropriate.

    • Coverage: Service delivery is designed so that all people in a defined target population are covered, i.e. the sick and the healthy, all income groups and all social groups.

    • Continuity: Service delivery is organized to provide an individual with continuity of care across the network of services, health conditions, levels of care, and over the life-cycle.

    • Quality: Health services are of high quality, i.e. they are effective, safe, centred on the patient’s needs and given in a timely fashion.

    • Person-centredness: Services are organized around the person, not the disease or the financing. Users perceive health services to be responsive and acceptable to them. There is participation from the target population in service delivery design and assessment. People are partners in their own health care.

    • Coordination: Local area health service networks are actively coordinated, across types of provider, types of care, levels of service delivery, and for both routine and emergency preparedness. The patient’s primary care provider facilitates the route through the needed services, and works in collaboration with other levels and types of provider. Coordination also takes place with other sectors (e.g. social services) and partners (e.g. community organizations).

    • Accountability and efficiency: Health services are well managed so as to achieve the core elements described above with a minimum wastage of resources. Managers are allocated the necessary authority to achieve planned objectives and held accountable for overall performance and results. Assessment includes appropriate mechanisms for the participation of the target population and civil society.

  • Mr President, please stop this bloodshed

    Mr President, please stop this bloodshed

    SIR: I write in reaction to President Goodluck Jonathan’s statement on New Year day that all the Boko Haram suspects responsible for the various attacks in the country have been apprehended. The President also gave himself kudos for preventing a wave of terror attacks from the extremist sect during the Yuletide. I beg to say that this is nothing but unnecessary vain-glorying.

    All over the world, leaders are always privy to information that the general populace does not possess. This is why they are people of few words; this is so that they do not reveal sensitive information which are inimical to their interests. An example is President Obama having knowledge of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts a year before the operation to take him out was eventually carried out.

    President Jonathan in all honesty cannot say he does not know those behind these attacks. Then why do we have the SSS,DMI,DDI,Police Army, Navy, Airforce, NIA, e.t.c? All these agencies submit daily reports to the President yet he is in a quandary about what to do. I know that he might not have enough evidence to arrest these evil fellows but he can employ Machiavellian principles to bully these fellows to stop their fiendish acts. This will also create an image of strength thereby helping his Presidency. Let us not forget that Former President Obasanjo employed these tactics between 2003 to 2007 to pursue his objectives. No wonder Baba as he is fondly called cried out recently that Jonathan is doing nothing while Nigeria gradually slides into the abyss.

    Great heroes are birthed from the womb of great crises. Let him put aside political considerations, because if he fails to act now, he will forever be consigned to the dustbin of history and posterity will never forgive him.

    • Peter Ovie Akus

    University of Port Harcourt.

  • From the Cell Phone

    For Segun Gbadegesin

     

    The late Most Rev. J. A. Adetiloye was the second bishop of Ekiti Diocese and not the first. Rt Revd Bolanle Gbonigi served in Akure Diocese and not Ekiti. Anonymous

    Ajimobi has failed the people of Oyo State. He lacks ideas to carry along component units that make up the state. From Ismaila, Kaduna

    Good if the state governor will think over the lecture and members of ThinkOyo will always tell the governor what he wants to hear except the truth. Anonymous

    Thank you sir for the historical essay on the late Primate Adetiloye. I am particularly excited reading about Sir Herbert Macaulay’s father to whom history has not been kind. This has reinforced my passion for Yoruba race to develop a hall of fame for our heroes. I am happy that the Yoruba Education Trust Fund I proposed some years back to Dr. Fredrick Faseun has since taken off. Equally sir, Yoruba or Oodua hall of fame for heroes is hereby proposed. I will be grateful sir if I could be invited for formal presentation. I used to be an active journalist. I wish you a happy New Year sir as I am too eager to read your book. From Gboyega Amoboye, Owo

    Thank you for the serial publication of the lecture delivered on the ‘Responsibility of citizenship: the youth in focus’. The lecture was well packaged. My remark is on the summary of the lecture that the destiny of the state or the nation is in the hands of the youths I quite agree, but are you talking of the youths who are not empowered for the challenges of tomorrow through provisions of enployment? Or who are not going through the proper channels of democracy and good governance? I am sorry. The only notable and unifying orientation and practice among Nigerian youths of today inrrespective of ethnic and class are political thuggery, yahoo plus, kidnapping, exam malpractices, Europian football leagues and all sort of social vices. So I wonder why our leaders should rely on tomorrow they have emptied and paralysed today. If we should put the nation’s destiny in the hands of the youths, the youths should always be carried along in all socio-economic and political activities in the country, change their orientation, empower them with jobs and make our educational institutions functional. From Fola Afolalu, Ado Ekiti

    Re: Responsibility of citizenship: the youth in focus-3. The final write-up on the above titled subject was encouraging for those who are development-minded. Both the leaders and citizens need to be up and doing. The cooperation between the government/leaders and citizens in Oyo State will however, require the LED seeing the leaders ‘shedding weight’. If I were the Governor, I would be transparent enough on the commissioners and legislators’ pay and the sacrifice as donations therefrom. Then if I am taxed in a way, I would gladly accept and pay! Let us cooperate altogether. From Lanre Oseni

    If jobless population has reached 50% of Nigerian population, FG will face Ajaokuta steel company quickly, the largest uncompleted company was left aside during IBB regime when he wanted to change the Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja. Ajaokuta is now a source of campaign for politicians both state and federal. Ajaokuta is on the throat of government, swallow it no vomit. From John Onimisi, Kogi Central

    It was speculated that most of the celebrated figures that drafted American Constitution had slaves that were Yorubas. Some of the slaves enlightened their masters of old Oyo Empire’s System. Hence The Kabiyesi becomes Presidential, The Ogbonis as Senators and The Oyomesi As House of Reps. The Aare OnaKakafo, The Balogun, The Bashorun, etc are visible in America system. The Religion aspect is not missing. Please take a closer look, America copied us. We can impeach the Kabiyesi with all his power, but the America President can watch his own impeachment on TV. From Cardinal Wole Arogundade of Sinners Redemption Assembly, Abuja

    Responsibility of citizenship: The youth in focus (2), back page of The Nation 28-12-2012. Whose speech please? Anonymous

     

     

    For Dare Olatunji

    Oh Lord as we celebrate this year’s season of goodwill forgive us our trespasses and provide us a right course in our affairs. Amen. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! From Mohammed Haruna

    It seems to me that our leadership suffers from brain wave. They must be seen to be working even if to build mobile schools for the nomads while the others are left undone. The fact of the matter is that the think tanks of the government are Nigeria by name but they are much distanced from the real Nigerian situation. They are bent on stuffing drugs down the throat of a man suffering from malnutrition instead of giving him good food. From Steve A.

    That was a good one on ‘Benito Aderemi’. Hope the government will take steps to fix the epileptic petroleum refineries. From Niyi Taiwo

    They will ban wheat because they cannot think of investing in generic research towards getting cultivate of wheat that can thrive in Nigeria. Wheat grow well in north of India with similar climate conditions. Are you aware sir that even if Nigeria is the largest cassava producer, it is the largest domestic (not industrial) consumer? Be kind sir to hint the minister that the success of his ministry is in reduction of food prices and not in eliminating a fertilizer cartel. From Ade

    Dare, please help me tell Okonjo-Iweala not to go overseas for the borrowing. Tell her to call a meeting of all governors and ministers without the knowledge of the EFCC. I am sure only two or so of the governors and ministers have more than five times the amount she is looking for. From Sabia Esit Eket, Akwa Ibom

    May all the good things from God continue to hunt you until you are located where ever you may be in 2013 in Jesus name! Happy 2013. From Renner Tiebiri

    Good one uncle Dare. I think Nigerians should expect the best from Goodluck Jonathan, he will try his best but as he said Nigerians should play their role dilligently. From Lanre, Magboro

    Re: The year that was 2012. The year 2012 started on a bad note of deceit and ended on destruction of lives. 2012 was a wasted year economically, developmentally and industrially. The political assessment by loud mouthed Doyin Okupe is a ruse. The PDP led Federal Government is a big failure in all sectors of the economy, see how much we are paying for petrol and electricity now. The government has said nothing on this. What a shame, the government is overdue for better replacement. No employment, roads, security, electricity supply and visible infrastructure development. May God lead us aright and free us from this mindless administration. Enough of unfulfilled promises! From Pastor Odunmbaku

    Re: The year that was 2012. Year 2012 was more catastrophic than of mixed feelings – fuel-price increase, resistance achieved N97. Quick-wins by FG on price increase did not show, flood and other disasters, Air-mishaps-DANA/NAVY, Boko-Haram attacks, kidnappings, sickness of government functionaries, rumoured deaths, etc., and the year ended with petrol fuel scarcity with attendant arbitrary price increases-N110 to N120, up to January 2013. With all the aforementioned ills and horrors, solutions to moving forward are: kill corruption and enforce our existing laws. It is quite unfortunate for Nigeria. From Lanre Oseni.

     

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

     

    Gbenga, they are stone-hearted. They will not listen. Olorun a se idajo, even to their unborn generation. Ride on. Anonymous

    The President can afford to be slow in decision making in as much as he is no longer shoeless and his household is in affluence, while majority of us remain shoeless and in abject poverty. He will always remain on top of the situation when no one so close to him is hit by the bombers or touched by the kidnapers. From Daramola. Lagos

    Amen my editor. The little problem is that our rulers (not leaders), do not cherish solemn prayers. They prefer the shout of ‘HOLY GHOST FIRE!’ above their heads. Well, let us hope they will be able to handle the ‘fire’ when it comes. My pity goes to a President who surrounds himself with free-loaders and mind benders who ‘protects’ him from the true feelings of his people and brazenly cons him to believe that even genuine critics of his actions are political opponents after his job. But, it is said that: history, like electricity current, has no feelings. Let us hope he remembers that. Compliments of the Season! From Olu.

    Sir, your piece on ‘A prayer at Christmas’ is God sent to Nigeria and the world. Merry Christmas! God bless. From Nnamdi Azubuike

    Compliments! I join you in praying not for a new dress or bicycle but for our corrupt leaders who loot the treasury and live in presidential mansions, receive treatments abroad, spend billions on food and refreshments, Boko Haram, kidnapping, corruption, exam malpractice, professional courses reserved for those who could afford it etc. I further join you during this Christmas to pray for justice, truth, love, against many that go to bed hungry, some feeding from dustbin, the homeless in Jesus Name. Amen. From Abang, Joe

    Happy New Year Mr. Gbenga, may we witness more years to come in peace. Terrorism, kidnapping will never stop until injustice is put to a halt. PDP National chairman said our leaders ignored him, Andrew Azazi may his soul rest in perfect peace said it was injustice that brought insecurity in the country, but instead, our leaders scolded him. A true talker will find it difficult in this country because when you are saying the truth people will take you as their enemy, with justice, corruption will go forever, with justice insecurity will vamoose, with justice terrorism will say bye to our land. Mr. Goody, you have been called upon to wake up in 2013, Mr. Goody wake up now because whatever you do now will speak against or in your favour in future. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Dockyard Lagos

    Re: A prayer at Christmas. The last two paragraphs of your write-up catches it all. Once justice is displayed, the right people rather than thieves, thugs and money bags, go and win elections; Nigeria will be on the right path. May we help ourselves as Almighty God had helped us enough. From Lanre Oseni.

    Yours ‘A prayer at Christmas’. There has been no Tiv/Idoma clash in Benue in the last 10 years. What we have is Tiv farmers/Fulani herdsmen clashes. From John Tyav, Makurdi

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

     

    Sir, you’ve made the point concerning Chief Stanley Okeke’s unnecessary worry over fuel subsidy in your article of January 6 titled: “Anti-subsidy suit: Another ABN show?” Nigerians like him do not want food on ordinary Nigerians’ tables. They loathe financial/economic equality; they develop hypertension once they see anyone outside their cabal making financial progress. There’ll soon be a government in Nigeria that’ll be most unfriendly to such Nigerians as Chief Okeke. If they think it is impossible, they should wait and see. From Kayode Sopein, Abeokuta.

    Re: “I insist, Sambo must have his N13bn palace” (your column of December 30 refers). It is not a joking matter if an allegation of N13-N14billion to refurbish, remodel and furnish the VP’s official residence is true. Whether for religious or cultural taste necessity, the amount should be reduced to N6billion. Such things should often not be told the public as ordinarily, many would faint or die when they hear such information. People are suffering. In a decent nation devoid of poor attitude and corrupt tendencies, N14billion, if well managed, would create small-scale industries that would employ about 15,000 Nigerians. I want to believe that Vice President Sambo did not make the request for refurbishment and remodelling requiring the amount in question (N14bn). If then he was not misquoted for the taste, the National Assembly should approve not more than N6billion for the whole project. I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. From Lanre Oseni.

    One measure of intellectual rigour is the ability to avoid the temptation to use men as mirror for truth. The title of your essay on Sunday December 30 made me wonder whether you were aware of this principle. It would not be correct for anyone to say the misdeeds of Jonathan reflect his religion. I am a columnist like you, but I won’t do that. From Ola.

    Tunji, you no go kill people with laughter with your sarcastic caption “I insist, Sambo must have his N13billion palace”. His religion and culture must be reflected. I can’t agree less … I enjoy your column a lot. Thanks From Barr. Felix Ogbadu, AIG (rtd).

    Thanks for your irony in “I insist, Sambo must have his N13bn palace”. Nigeria is in trouble since we have no leaders. From Dan.

    What a seriocomical piece you had on December 30. May God deliver us in this country. Anonymous.

    I am sorry you will be attacked with abusive responses because many Nigerians do not understand satire pieces. From Ayo Ojeniyi.

    My dear Tunji, thanks for your satire on our N13bn palace for our VP. You made me laugh in the New Year. I pity my country, Nigeria. Thanks. Anonymous.

    Honestly, Tunji, I think the problem we are having in this country is not corruption but ignorance; ignorance in the sense that they have no human feeling to their high taste in government. Anonymous.

    Re ‘My man of the Year? Let subsidy fraud step forward’ (December 23). Your choice is incontrovertible. And I am satisfied with it. Since January 2, 2012 the issue and the problems of unresolved panels, probes, fuel scarcity and illegal fuel price hikes by some major and independent marketers, persist. Is this a country at all? Nothing other than corruption – oil issues dominated Nigeria in 2012. I fear for our own type of democracy. From Lanre.

    With ‘Corruption’ as your ‘Person of the Year’, (Nation December 23) you have identified the worst sin Nigeria is saddled with. Have a swell time. From Bayo.