The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Breakthrough

    Breakthrough

    It’s cheery news that Nigeria is now exporting light vessels and cranes to Europe

    The reforms in the maritime sector appears to be yielding the desired results, as Nigeria has exported locally manufactured vessels, fire-floats and floating cranes worth about N326 billion, to two European countries.

    The Federal Government placed restrictions on the importation of 14 categories of marine support vessels at the end of December 2024. Currently, about 80 per cent of barges used in the country’s waterways are built locally.

    We commend the development of local content in the maritime sector.

    According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the policy was geared to save $3.3 billion spent annually on importation of marine vessels, since some of the ships and equipment can be manufactured and repaired in local shipyards in the country.

    The bureau indicates that in the first quarter of this year, Netherlands and France purchased vessels worth N212.04 billion and N24.1 billion, respectively, from Nigeria. Also, submersible drilling or production platforms worth about N90.43 billion were exported to Equatorial Guinea.

    We consider this a positive development and an indication that Nigeria is slowly but surely becoming an exporter of manufactured goods, instead of just raw materials.

    Listed amongst the banned maritime support vessels are drag head suction hopper, dredger suction hopper and trailing suction hopper dredger, since indigenous local shipyards have the capacity to build them.

    The government ordered the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to enforce the ban.

    The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has shown its determination to diversify the nation’s economy and encouraging export of manufactured goods confirms that.

    At the recent United Nations General Assembly, the administration made a strong argument for a better world economic order, to include the processing of minerals and other raw materials by African countries, before they are exported.

    We agree with the president that without a fair balance of trade amongst developed and developing nations, conflicts among nations would fester.

    As we have argued severally on this page, Nigeria’s industrialisation hinges on the local production of steel. The efforts to produce the maritime support vessels would be a lot easier if the nation’s steel plants are producing.

    Sadly, the Ajaokuta Steel Company, which was designed to thrust the nation on the part of sustainable industrial development remains work in progress, after more than four decades. We earnestly urge this administration to slay the delay monster.

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    There is no doubt that the macroeconomic policies of the Tinubu administration have started to affect the economy positively. While foreign exchange has substantially stabilised, the naira is incrementally gaining strength against major foreign currencies. Conserving foreign exchange and enhancing import substitution in the maritime sector, add more value. As imports reduce, and foreign exchange reserve increases, more investors will come into the country.

    We urge the Federal Government to enforce the new policy in the maritime sector for the benefit of Nigeria’s economy. Many indigenous companies have over the years developed the capacity to build light vessels and their ancillary products, and they should be patronised.

    The successful export of locally produced maritime products to developed European countries shows the high quality of such products. The order to the CBN to stop granting foreign exchange to importers of jack-up barges, offshore supply vessels, tug boat, tankers of below 10,000 gross tonnages, must be enforced.

    We urge all stakeholders to support the government’s effort to diversify the nation’s economy. With concerted effort, Nigeria’s over 180 million people, with about 70 percent under 30 years, can be mobilised to catapult the country to an industrial giant within a few decades.

    To achieve that, local content industrialisation will be the chief driver.

  • Back to basics

    Back to basics

    • Return of history as subject in basic education curriculum is laudable

    Nearly two decades after it was taken out, history will now be taught to primary and secondary school pupils as a mandatory subject. A new government policy is bringing back Nigerian history as a core subject in basic education curriculum to strengthen national identity, unity, patriotism and responsible citizenship.

    The Federal Ministry of Education lately announced the policy in a statement on its official X account. It said: “For the first time in decades, Nigerian pupils will study History continuously from Primary 1 to JSS3, while SSS 1to 3 students will take the new Citizenship and Heritage Studies integrating history with civic education.” The statement added that in primaries 1 to 6, pupils will learn about Nigeria’s origins, heroes, rulers, culture, politics, the economy, religions, colonial rule and post-independence governance; while in junior secondary school classes 1 to 3, students will study civilizations, empires, trade, European contacts, amalgamation, Independence, democracy and civic values.

    According to the ministry, the reform is expected to reconnect children with their roots while inspiring pride, unity and commitment to national development. The ministry published a revised curriculum reflecting the new policy and promised to retrain teachers, provide resources as well as strengthen monitoring of implementation.

    The statement cited education minister, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and Minister of State, Prof. Sai’d Ahmad, describing the new policy as a “priceless gift to the nation” by the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that embedding civic education in school curriculum would equip learners with values needed to respect diversity, uphold institutions and contribute positively to society. Government also urged parents, educators and communities to support the initiative it described as a shared responsibility towards raising disciplined and patriotic citizens.

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    History was discontinued as a taught subject in basic education under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo for purported irrelevance to the drive for science and technology that characterises the modern era. Reasons given for the elimination then include that students were shunning the subject, that only a few jobs were available for history graduates, and that there was a shortage of history teachers.

    In 2007, government introduced a new curriculum known as the New Basic Education Curriculum for primary and junior secondary schools by which history was dropped from subjects taught at those levels, thereby also disabling its being taught at the senior secondary level. This policy took effect from the 2009/2010 academic session.

    In 2017, the Nigeria Education Research and Development Council announced that it was set to reintroduce history as a subject in primary and junior secondary school curriculum, beginning from the 2018/2019 academic session. But there was apparently a challenge with getting teachers to teach the subject. It was in 2022 that government initiated the first stage of a teacher training programme towards reintroducing history as a stand-alone subject in basic education curriculum.

    By the latest policy, the new curriculum that will take effect in the 2025/26 academic year provides for pupils in primaries 1 to 3 to take a minimum of nine and maximum of 10 subjects, while those in primaries 4 to 6 will study 11 to 13 subjects. Junior secondary school students will take 12 to 14 subjects; and senior secondary school students, eight to nine subjects with focus on five core areas namely humanities, sciences, business, one trade subject and compulsory general courses.

    Nigerian history is compulsory for students from primary 1 to junior secondary 3, while Citizenship and Heritage Studies that combines Nigerian history, civic education and social studies is compulsory for students at the senior secondary level. Other core and compulsory subjects for students at the senior secondary level are English Language, General Mathematics, one Trade subject and Digital Technologies.

    Since its elimination, there have only been modest and isolated attempts at restoring history as a taught subject in Nigerian classrooms. Sometime in 2022, Oyo State government directed all public primary schools in its domain to re-introduce the teaching of history as an independent subject starting from then just-commencing third term of the 2021/2022 session.

     The state official who announced that policy said the new curriculum would enable pupils to appreciate history as an instrument of national integration, and also afford them deeper knowledge of their native country. Stressing the importance of history to nation-building, promotion of patriotism and human development, he was optimistic that teaching it to pupils as a subject would equip the younger generation with vital information on their past.

    We have always advocated the restoration of history to Nigerian basic education curriculum. Taking it out in the first place was a very bad idea because it left the country with an educational system that produced a rootless generation of learners. Experience has shown that a people are unlikely to know where they are headed and the appropriate path to take without adequate knowledge of where they were coming from – including past missteps that must be avoided going forward. It can be argued that much of the divisive tendencies currently being plied against the Nigerian nationhood stem from lack of historical education on the part of proponents. So are unjust behaviours that fuel nationhood disequilibrium a function of willful connivance at history in some parts, and lack of historical education in others.

    The downgrade of history in our national curriculum had shifted the burden of documentation to biographers. But they could only scratch at the surface of potential body of information, especially with many participants in nationhood history still alive and yet untapped. It isn’t for nothing that progressive societies preserve their history as a vital component of national life, with developed countries setting great store by routine transmission of their history across generations.

    Now that history is a core subject in basic education, we expect that Nigerian identity and civic awareness will be enhanced for national benefit.

  • Beyond comprehension

    Beyond comprehension

    • Ogun governor’s appointment of 1,200 assistants is indefensible

    What could have prompted Governor Dapo Abiodun to join state helmsmen in appointing more than a thousand assistants barely 20 months to his exit? Prior to the announcement of the bizarre decision, such recklessness had been associated only with some governors in the South South and Northern parts of the country, especially anytime elections were around the corner.

    Apparently, the cancer is gradually spreading to other states; even local government chairmen and councillors are being encouraged by the audacity of their governors to travel that route.

    It is unfortunate that this is becoming the norm in the country. Governor Abiodun had explained that he did so in a bid to take governance to the grassroots. What do the Nigerian people need — infrastructure, medical care facilities, schools, electric power, or crumbs from the tables of the high and mighty for a chosen few? Job for the boys is certainly not the way to empower the rural women or the teeming unemployed youths in all parts of our country.

    There is nothing wrong with a governor copying good things from his peers, but when it pertains to indefensible actions of taking money from the coffers of the state in a manner that does not contribute to development, political leaders deserve to be called out by the vigilant public. Some of the governor’s handlers have argued that only a pittance is paid to these assistants; but, even then, a pittance multiplied by 1,200 amounts to much.

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    Besides, Nigerians are not fooled by the official salaries stated on appointment letters. So much more is paid outside such remuneration. In some cases, when such aides are posted, they also find other means of extorting the public.

    We call on Governor Abiodun to immediately reverse the appointments as it amounts to insensitivity. What Nigerian people expect is that their leaders would continually assemble crack teams of officials to come up with policies that could tackle social and economic challenges, especially in view of paucity of funds.

    How could the states generate funds internally without overtaxing a burdened people? How best should such funds be deployed in the overall interest of the people who voted them into office? These are the responsibilities of leaders.

    After 25 years of democracy in the Fourth Republic, we expect that the leaders would come up with policies that would bridge the gaps between Nigeria and countries like United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Indonesia that were once at the same level of development as Nigeria. Rather than bridge the gap, it is widening daily.

    If Nigeria is to catch up with the rest of the world, the sub nationals have a key role to play. Unfortunately, most of the leaders at that level do not appreciate the onerous responsibility bestowed on them at this point, and the people, including the civil society groups and media, are not sufficiently beaming the searchlight on their activities.

    This is not the way to develop.

    At this point in the 21st Century, Nigeria is still ranked among countries with the highest level of open defecation in the world. Infant mortality and needless maternal mortality is still rife, even as many go to bed hungry. This is a call on leaders to roll up their sleeves and call the people to duty.

    Apart from the moral and economic implications of employing such hordes of aides, the anti-corruption agencies should swing into action to probe all those appointing legislative and executive assistants. Legislative aides are known to have taken to the streets protesting non-payment of their remuneration, yet nothing was done.

     The trend should be halted. What political leaders owe the society is not to create non-existent vacancies, but a conducive environment for the private sector to thrive and create jobs for the people. In many cases, people hired as “assistants” when elections approach are sometimes hired as rough necks to thwart the will of the people.

    This may not be so in all cases, though.

    Nigerians should be vigilant as the 2027 general election approaches. All leaders should act in accordance with the rule of law and every line of expenditure must be scrutinised to conform to the people’s interest.

  • Anti-terror war

    Anti-terror war

    The arrest of ‘Gentle de Yahoo’ is about the latest in the strings of successes of Nuhu Ribadu-led security agencies, but they need to do more

    Unquestionably, the most significant and impactful indication of the intensity with which the Nigerian military is waging the war against non-state criminal actors perpetrating assorted acts of violence in different parts of the country, including kidnapping, banditry and terrorism was the arrest in August of two terrorist commanders, Mahmud Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri, reportedly linked to the deadly Ansaru terrorist group.

    The duo, that had for long been on the wanted list of security agencies were apprehended in a targeted operation by Nigerian operatives.

    It is significant that security agencies in the United States and Britain commended Nigeria’s military and intelligence authorities for this successful operation. While both men are facing terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Usman is already serving a 15-year jail term after admitting his involvement in illegal mining and funding terror activities through the proceeds.

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    Last week, reliable army sources revealed that a commander of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (ESN), Ifeanyi Okorienta, also known as ‘Gentle de Yahoo’, had been arrested in a coordinated operation by security agencies in Aku-Ihube Local Government Area of Imo State.

    This suggests that there is no slowing down in ongoing efforts by the military and other security agencies to tame the scourge of insecurity across the country and restore security of lives and property in traumatised communities. Although some elements on social media have tried to impugn the veracity of the claim of this criminal kingpin’s arrest, an investigative journalist with Television Continental (TVC), Babajide Otitoju, gave an eyewitness account of the operation on national television and there is no basis to doubt the credibility of his report.

    According to Otitoju on the Journalists’ Hangout programme, “To achieve the element of surprise, troops opted to trek for nearly four hours through rough terrain before arriving at the target location in the early hours of the morning. On arrival, the soldiers surrounded the compound housing ‘Gentle de Yahoo’ and his fighters.

    However, the terrorists who were in the ceiling or rooftop opened fire, prompting troops to return fire. But when the troops noticed that those inside the ceiling didn’t want to come down; they had no choice but to set the building ablaze”.

    Subsequently, the terrorist commander’s second -in- command as well as three males and two females jumped down from the building but were caught by the military cross-fire in an attempt to escape.

    The mode of apprehension of ‘Gentle de Yahoo’ raises key questions about criminal elements and the seeming freedom with which they operate in communities. It is significant, for instance, that the building from where the terrorist leader and his gang carried out their activities was not a hidden structure.

    Rather, it was located in the midst of a community, suggesting that the criminal elements were not anonymous or unknown people in the area. They could thus have been long caught up with by the law if security agencies had been given the requisite information on their activities.

    Again, there were people resident in the building with the criminals who became collateral damage when the military struck, thus indicating a level of interaction between the terrorist gang and residents of neighbouring communities. Furthermore, in the hideout from where he operated, the soldiers recovered arms and ammunition, mobile phones, military and police uniforms and a German flag. Ten motorcycles and a workshop where stolen vehicles were dismantled and sold were destroyed by soldiers at the scene.

    This was thus a clear case of the gang engaging in sheer criminality while purporting to be engaged in a liberation struggle on behalf of the people of the South-East who must certainly have been aware of the fraudulence of their stated purpose.

    Over the last two years, several bandit and terrorist leaders have been eliminated in several communities, particularly in the most violence -infested areas of northern Nigeria. Some of the most notorious of these are Kachalla Halilu Sububu, who operated a large mining site in Katsina State; Buhari As lhaji Halida, “ Buhari Yada”, whose sphere of activity were parts of Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states; Boderi Isyaku who was responsible for kidnapping 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization as well as the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna in 2021.

    Others were Rufsi Waikaji who commanded over 100 fighters in Zamfara State; Alhaji Karki who was killed while attempting to overrun a military unit in Niger State and Gwarka Dankarami, who reportedly served as second-in -command to an Islamic State-linked leader.

    While the increased onslaught against terrorist and bandit leaders by the military is commendable, there is still a lot to be done to enforce the requisite degree of public safety across the country and the authorities cannot afford to rest on their oars. This is especially because the arrest or killing of criminal gang leaders does not necessarily imply disbandment or incapacitation of their organisational network.

    There must therefore be continual upgrading of the equipment of the security agencies, boosting of morale of personnel as well as constant institutional rejuvenation of military units and refinement of operational tactics and strategies.

  • A fresh push for agric

    A fresh push for agric

    • New measures will go a long way if well implemented

    Tuesday last week, the Federal Government released a slew of incentives designed to catalyse investment, raise output, and generate jobs as part of its ongoing reforms of the agricultural sector.

    Highlighting the measures at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s National and Sub regional Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum in Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima said they include single-window platforms for land registration, strengthened agricultural credit systems, large-scale mechanisation, and strategic irrigation projects.

    He spoke particularly of irrigation as a game-changer, noting that Nigeria has river basins and aquifers capable of irrigating over three million hectares but currently uses less than 10 per cent. In his words: “Strategic investment in irrigation alone could triple yields, free us from seasonal dependency, and fortify our resilience against climate shocks”.

    In all, the vice president believes that the measures alone could create 21 million jobs in rural communities as well as secure food and nutrition sufficiency in line with the 2021–2025 National Development Plan whose aim is to lift 35 million people out of poverty.

    We commend the Federal Government for not letting off on its aggressive push to modernise and transform our agricultural and livestock systems and practices. Surely, the measures could hardly be faulted on the ground of either lacking in lofty ambitions or in matters of realism, particularly when the size of our rural farming population, our vast material endowments and the multipliers are taken into account.

    It bears stressing that the issues underlying the latest reforms have been with us for as long as Nigerians can remember. The issue is, each successive government has pushed its own ideas of what needs to be done to transform the sector; yet, the problems have persisted.

    Among the problems are funds – both in terms of cost and access; the land holding system, the deplorable states of rural infrastructure and its concomitant limits on what is achievable, and the virtual collapse of extension services to facilitate the much needed transition to modern farming and livestock practices, among others.

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    Clearly, if there are lessons to take from the efforts of the immediate past administration in particular, it is how not to frame complex problems strictly in cash terms only. One telling example here is how the N1 trillion disbursed to over  4.6 million farmers under the CBN-led Anchor Borrowers Scheme remained substantially unaccounted for, with over N577 billion reportedly lost to defaults and an inability of farmers to repay loans by October 2023.

    The other is the rather unconventional situation in which the CBN chose to assume the role of the lender of first and last resort; and finally the fact that on the whole, the various initiatives tended to operate in silos.

    This time, we expect things to be different. In fact, Nigerians cannot wait to see the government speed things up on those measures it has highlighted. We consider the measures as bold, necessary, well-thought-out and doable.

    Yet, we understand that the real test will be the extent to which the government is able to muster the critical stakeholders to deliver on their part. From the banks, acting as lenders, to the states and local governments acting as facilitators, right up to states’ field extension units whose job is assist the farmers in whatever way they can, nothing can be said to be given; a lot certainly depends on the extent to which the disparate players are able to play their part.

    It is a tough call as it is.  Now that the Federal Government has laid out the plan, this seems the best time for the key players to step up their game. For the banks, to make credit available to farmers on agreeable terms; for the states to make good their long-declared willingness to collaborate with the centre for the shared objective, for them to strengthen their extension services, given the role of the latter as the touch-point for the specific measures.

  • Another big one

    Another big one

    • A Nigerian is appointed to manage Botswana’s sovereign wealth fund

    Botswana’s appointment of a Nigerian, Farouk Gumel, as maiden Chairman, Board of Directors of its newly-created Botswana Sovereign Wealth Fund (BSWF) Limited is a source of encouragement to other Nigerians to do well whatever they know how to do, because someone might be noticing.

    Eminent Nigerians like the Late Justice Taslim Olawale Elias, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, was at a time president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ); Rilwanu Lukman was one time Secretary- General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). We also have Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation and Professor Benedict Oramah, President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

    With specific reference to Botswana, another Nigerian jurist, Akinola Aguda, had also served as that country’s first indigenous African chief justice.

    The Botswana leader launched the multi-billion-dollar BSWF penultimate week at the President’s Office in Gabarone, Botswana. President Boko underscored the significance of this step, adding that the idea was informed not only by the need to stabilise the country’s economy but also about economic growth.

    He said: “The launch of the Botswana Sovereign Wealth Fund represents an investment in the future of our country. It is about creating jobs, driving growth, and ensuring that our nation’s wealth works for all Batswana.

    “This is a foundation upon which we will diversify our economy, open new frontiers of opportunity, and build lasting prosperity for future generations. We are sending a message to the world that Botswana is ready to compete, invest, and lead”, he added.

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    Botswana is an African country seen as an economic success story but it has been having difficulties due to a prolonged slump in diamond, its key export.

    It is significant that the BSWF is not the country’s first attempt at keeping something in stock for future generations. It used to have what it called the Pula Fund, which, according to Gumel  “… is a liquidity stabilisation fund, it is a fund that takes cash and keeps it for a rainy day. This sovereign wealth fund will not be only about stabilisation, it’s about growth.”

    This fund had been in existence for about three decades but also ran into stormy waters due to the economic downturn. Gumel added that “We are not only going to be managing cash, but there is also management of assets, like some of the state-owned entities.”

    The scope of the BSWF was expanded to accommodate the new role.

    For Nigeria, this is something to cheer. It is another testament to the industry, competence and integrity of the typical Nigerian, his ability to hold his own among his peers in a highly competitive world.

    A country’s sovereign wealth fund is a crucial tool for its economic growth and development. To have placed such a fund in the hands of a foreigner, nay a Nigerian, reflects the degree of trust and confidence the Botswana president has in Gumel.

    This is much more so when we consider the fact that he is going to work with other talented and experienced individuals from diverse backgrounds. These include the Head of Service to the Government of Botswana, Ms. Emmah Peloetletse, who doubles as Secretary to the President and Cabinet of Botswana and has been appointed as BSWF vice chairperson; Anil Dua, Co-founder of Gateway Partners; Lesego Moseki, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Botswana; Malebogo Mpugwa, Chief People Officer at De Beers Group.

    Others are Sunil Sabharwal, former U.S. Executive Director to the IMF; Boingotlo Toteng, Senior Managing Partner of Toteng & Company and Rizwan Desai, Managing Partner of Desai Law Group.

    Little wonder the composition of the team has been commended by economic experts.

    Gumel, Vice Chairman of Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group and immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new assignment.

    We congratulate him and urge him not to betray the confidence reposed in him.

  • Chinese fake products

    Chinese fake products

    • Fed Govt. and China must parley, even as monitoring agencies have to be alive to their responsibilities

    The call by Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on China to take stringent measures to stop the manufacturing of substandard goods in China, for export to Nigeria, deserves greater diplomatic engagement from the Federal Government. His assertion that manufacturers in China produce different qualities of goods for different countries is correct.

    For example, while Chinese exports to the United States of America and other advanced countries are of the highest quality, most of the goods imported into Nigeria from China are of the lowest quality.

    The minister, according to his aide, Bolaji Tunji, spoke at a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai. The minister acknowledged the capacity of China to produce high quality goods, noting that allowing for the production of low quality goods tarnishes the image of the country.

    He admonished China to have a minimum standard for its products, regardless of the country of destination for the goods. Among other things, he called on Chinese companies to train Nigerians by way of transfer of technology.

    We note that such discriminatory practice is not coincidental, and if measures are not put in place to reverse the prevailing trend, Nigeria would continue to be a dumping ground for substandard goods.

    To reverse the ugly trend, Nigeria would have to engage China on several fronts, in addition to diplomacy. Nigeria must streamline her import procedure to checkmate what clearly amounts to economic sabotage by importers of substandard products.

    For, no nation would develop when it allows the importation of products that undermine its economic development. The minister also noted that trade between China and Nigeria has reached $20 billion, as he called for a deeper strategic partnership.

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    In 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) renewed the 15 billion yuan ($2 billion) currency swap agreement between the two countries for another three years. The CBN said the renewal would help deepen economic ties, encourage investment and facilitate cross-border trade, and reduce over-reliance on the currencies of third party countries like the United States dollars. This collaboration shows that Nigeria and China are strong trading partners.

    China has also been very supportive of Nigeria’s economic development, especially in the railway sector, both in financing and building the rail networks. As the minister also noted, China has provided crucial support to Nigeria in the energy sector.

    He highlighted crucial Chinese investments in the $1.4 billion Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant and a $2.5 billion transmission project for the Eastern and Western super grid, which the Chinese financial institutions funded. There are several other similar infrastructures that the Chinese have supported in Nigeria. With such deep relationship, both countries should work to end the manufacture of substandard products for Nigerian market.

    One measure that should be put in place is effective pre-shipment inspection for exports to Nigeria, with inspectors having express responsibility to ensure that goods from China to Nigeria are thoroughly examined before shipment. Such companies would be liable to pay damages to Nigeria for negligence in their duties.

    Also, Chinese companies which consistently manufacture substandard goods for export to Nigeria should be blacklisted, and Nigerians duly notified that imports from such recalcitrant offenders are banned from entering into Nigeria.

    While calling on China to help Nigeria rein in manufacturers of substandard goods imported into Nigeria, the cancerous network of corruption, which provides cover on the Nigerian side must be wrestled to the ground. Many of the importers are not Chinese; they are also not the Customs officials, the clearing agents, members of the staff of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and other regulatory bodies charged with ensuring that adulterated or substandard products do not enter into Nigeria. But these agencies must be more proactive in discharging their responsibilities.

    Also, while we blame the country of origin of such substandard products, we must blame importers who, in search of material wealth, poison consumers. That is, those who feed from the challenges foisted on their fellow citizens, because people die from the malfunction of those imported substandard products, whether food, or drugs or appliances.

    We condemn their lack of patriotism and urge for efficient regulations, laws and enforcement organs to rein in those feeding  fat from the misery of fellow citizens.

  • Autism

    Autism

    • Affected children, with emotionally drained parents, crave institutional support

    She had coped with the condition of her daughter, weathered the initial storm, floated a foundation for a support group with a network of parents in tow, and pitched for funding that’s slow in coming.  Yet, without robust policy and institutional support from the government and other NGOs, she may well fall short.

    That’s the story of Mrs. Raheedat Olatunji, a widow and Faizat, 25, her autistic daughter.  To make the future more relatable for the autistic Nigerian child, Mrs. Olatunji has floated the Faizat Hope Foundation for Autism and Special Needs.

    That initiative should be supported by every right-thinking person, in or out of government.  As many autism care NGOs, as possible, should also band into a vibrant national network, to create a more loving and adaptable future for Nigerian children that have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    But NGOs — as crucial as they may be, to help access funding from global networks — should be part of an integrated and robust pro-autism care policy, with the government itself at the core.  Autistic children and emotionally sapped parents are, after all, Nigerian citizens deserving of their government’s help and care.

    Besides, ASD, as defined by Wikipedia, is a cognitive freak: “a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain.  People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction; and restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests.”

    Still, ASD can be two-way: regressive or exceptional.  Again, Wikipedia: “It — ASD — is also associated with significant cognitive strengths, including exceptional memory, focused attention, creativity, and specialised talents in areas like math, art, or music.  These unique cognitive profiles are not uncommon in autistic individuals; and highlight the importance of recognising and nurturing their specific abilities.”

    So, though ASD is often associated with retarded cognition — as Faizat Olatunji’s case — it could also manifest as hyper-intelligence.

    Indeed, even the Yoruba folklore captures this genius with the “Ajantala” (wonder child) concept.  Either way, Nigeria should emplace a policy to fully develop and utilise, to the fullest, its brood of autistic children.

    Autistic children in Nigeria are projected to be around 600, 000. This figure is middling, compared to the global top 5: South Korea (1:38 children), the United States (1:36), Japan (1:87), Sweden (1:100) and France (1:100).

    Given Nigeria’s estimated population of over 200 million, the ratio would appear far less.

    But unlike these other countries, autism awareness in Nigeria is clearly far lower.  If awareness is poor, then there is a great possibility — and logically so — that autism is under-reported.  So, both the rate and raw number could be far higher.

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    The odyssey of Widow Olatunji and daughter should therefore refocus attention on the matter.  The negative side of ASD appears always the focus: fear, scorn, shame and stigma.  Mrs. Olatunji disclosed that some neighbours once advised her to poison her — obviously problematic — child, to regain her peace of mind.

    Such infanticidal hint might not have been the first — nor would it possibly be the last.  The response too might not always be charitable, as Mrs. Olatunji’s. Yet, they are often borne out of fear and shame, not necessarily from malice to end a difficult child’s life.

    Also, with teenage years and adulthood, the challenges expand, not contract.  How, for instance, do you as a parent cope with a 25-year-old young (wo)man that should be preparing to run own home, yet remains a perpetual child, cognitive-wise?  That situation would task anyone, even with the deepest of parental love.

    Which is why the government should emplace a vibrant, robust and comprehensive policy and programmes to help out such families.  Yes, autism is incurable.  But it can be managed with a cocktail of treatments, which can make the autistic’s faculty to live as normal a life as possible, thus shunning a miserable life-long dependency.

    A vibrant, well-funded public heath policy, that harnesses every possible public and private sector support funding, holds the key to that threshold.

    To echo Wikipedia again: “People with ASD may have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.”  In real terms, that’s high-quality, customised education — that costs whale money!  A deliberate and sound public education policy, that nevertheless can also tap funding from supportive private sector, can tackle that.

    Mrs. Olatunji and Faizat, her daughter, should signify Nigeria’s re-entry into the autism challenge, starting with a blitz of enlightenment, followed by sound policies.  If Nigeria will sacrifice for children retarded by autism, it can also profit from the autistic genius.

    The concept is total and comprehensive development that leaves no citizen behind.

  • Expired groceries

    Expired groceries

    • Time for concerted efforts to stem the tide

    The proliferation of expired groceries must be halted by the regulatory agencies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

    These agencies must take part of the blame for seemingly failing to enforce the laws regarding standards. Spontaneous raids of markets, retail outlets, warehouses and some local manufacturing companies must be increased. Law enforcement agencies must treat perpetrators with the seriousness the laws demand.

    The concerned agencies, both at the entry ports and local markets must realise that it is not only groceries that have expiry dates; food items like rice, beans and drugs also have. Consumer protection agencies, both government-owned and those run by civil rights organisations must show more seriousness and stop latching on trending one-off citizen reports.

    There ought to be more diligence and alertness to track these poisonous products.

    Beyond the present outrage in Lagos, states around the country must see the value of stepping up monitoring, inspections and seizures in retail and manufacturing outlets because very often, many importers and manufacturers alter the expiry and ‘best before’ dates to maximise profits. This is defiance of the rules that guide operators in those sectors.

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    The seeming permissiveness of regulators that give room for continued recalcitrance just shows that most public servants do not understand the value of human life and the essence of being a public servant paid with the same taxes from the people they abdicate responsibility for.

    The health of the citizens, including the regulators’ matters in national development. Experts in healthcare insist that the increase in organ diseases is traceable in part to the foods and drugs that humans ingest.

    Expired groceries are often described as toxins that have no nutritional  values. Countries treat healthcare issues with the seriousness the sector deserves. If a healthy nation is a wealthy nation, it therefore follows that all tiers of government in Nigeria must wake up to their duties in protecting citizens from the merchants of death.

    The sale of expired groceries would be eradicated when those caught marketing them under the guise of ‘sales and discounts’ have their operating licences or permits withdrawn and other lawful punitive measures meted to offenders. Criminal activities are never wished away by mere expression of outrage. The full weight of the law must be applied to those found guilty of distributing and or marketing expired groceries.

    Indeed, the proliferation of such toxic products merely points to a dysfunctional and permissive system where the chains of distribution are not painstakingly checked to sieve out offenders.

    We hope this attitude would change as soon as possible.

  • Cost of elections

    Cost of elections

    • Our country must find a way to spend less

    Recent reports said Nigeria spent a staggering N981.47billion (about $5.483bn) on conducting elections since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999. This locates the country among those with the costliest elections in the world, raising questions as to whether we are getting full value from the big budget and whether the huge cost is inevitable.

    A feature piece by ‘Vanguard’ newspaper indicated that six general elections conducted since the return to civil rule in 1999 gulped N949.47bn ($4.023bn). And the country laid out N32bn (about $1.46bn at the prevailing exchange rate) on the poll that ushered in civil rule, making a total of N981.47bn for the seven elections.

    According to the report, the cost of respective election in naira terms and the dollar equivalent at official exchange rates when the polls were conducted is as follows: 1999 – N32bn ($1.46bn), 2003 – N55.172bn ($483.965m), 2007 – N74.2bn ($618.333m), 2011 – N99.7bn ($664.667m), 2015 – N122.9bn ($646.842m), 2019 – N242.2bn ($794.098m) and 2023 – N355.298bn ($815.475m).

    Not that the spiralling cost of elections has translated to deepening trust in the electoral process by the political class – that is, if the number of post-election petitions is to be taken as indexing trust. The report stated that unlike the 1999 election that incurred only two petitions, the 2003 poll was trailed by 560 petitions, 2007 by 1,290 petitions, 2011 by 732 petitions, 2015 by 560 petitions, 2019 by 1,697 petitions and 2023 by 1,996 petitions.

    Election stakeholders rate Nigerian elections among the most expensive globally and nearly the costliest in Africa. Bangladesh with a population of 175.7million people conducted her 2024 elections with local currency equivalent of $21.3m. In Africa, Kenya with a voter population of 22.12million voters spent KSh36bn ($257m) on her 2022 general election, translating to an average cost of about KSh2,000 per voter.

    Ghana and South Africa are also high election spenders, with Ghana splashing GHC786.9m ($52.1m) on her 2024 poll and South Africa Rand2.3bn ($137.8m) on her election, also in 2024. The cost of conducting elections in Nigeria is also higher than in bigger economies like Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.

    The United States and India outpace all other nations in election spending, but they also deal with voter population sizes that exceed all others. Besides, high voter turnout in those countries mitigate the monies laid out on their elections. Whereas India’s 2024 general election, for instance, is considered among the most expensive anywhere in the world, incurring an estimated $2.89bn bill, more than 968million people out of the country’s 1.4billion population (i.e. 70 percent) were eligible to vote and 642million (65.79 percent) voters actually turned out.

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    The 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections in the United States gulped $15.9bn; but there were 173.85million people registered to vote, and turnout for the presidential poll was 64.1 percent.

    On the other hand, while the cost of elections is surging in Nigeria, voter turnout is dwindling amidst ballooning voter register. From 58million registrants in 1999, the country’s voter roll swelled to 93.5million registrants before the 2023 general election, but voter turnout has progressively dipped at election cycles. Official data showed percentage turnout for presidential polls as 52.3 percent in 1999, 69 percent in 2003, 57.5 percent in 2007, 53.7 percent in 2011, 43.7 percent in 2015, 34.8 percent in 2019 and 26.72 percent in 2023.

    In its official report on the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it received N313.4bn out of N355.2bn approved for the conduct of the polls as of September, that year. “The breakdown of the appropriated amount on the basis of the Average Cost per Registered Voter Index (COVI), for the 93,469,008 registered voters in Nigeria is N3,801 (US$6.72) per voter. This is well within the internationally acceptable Average Cost per Registered Voter (ACRV) of $4 to $8 that is deemed adequate for the conduct of elections in transitional democracies,” the electoral body said in the report.

    It added: “In fact, the ACRV for the 2023 general election is less than the actual cost of $9.62 and $7.38 cost per voter for the 2015 and 2019 general election, respectively, and very reasonable in comparison to the cost per voter in other transitional democracies such as Ghana and Kenya.”

    Elections are expensive in Nigeria, and there’s no gainsaying it. But the high cost of elections is directly a function of the political culture that is characterised by acute desperation on the part of political actors. INEC incurs massive expenditure on conducting elections because the commission must stay ahead of fraudulent devices by political actors and absorb willful damage to its infrastructure by sponsored hoodlums.

    Many times, its offices and machines were torched by hoodlums and had to be restored or replaced. Beyond the core cost of conducting elections by INEC, there is the unwieldy electoral spending by political parties and candidates prior to elections, and endless litigations long after elections are over. All these contribute to the huge cost of election in the country.

    There is a sense in which we think all these tie together. Political players must get less desperate, so that INEC would spend less on staging elections. But desperation can also be doused by engendering higher level of trust in the electoral process, and the electoral commission can help by working harder to acquit itself of all shades of suspicion.

    All said, it is about time political offices were made more of willingness to serve and less of investment with huge rewards in view.