The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Mohammed Uwais (1936 – 2025)

    Mohammed Uwais (1936 – 2025)

    • Former CJN and a great jurist passes on

    The nation was thrown into mourning last Friday, following the demise of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) , Mohammed Uwais, at the age of 88. A seasoned jurist, Uwais served as CJN from 1995 to 2006, and Chairman of Presidential Electoral Reforms Commission, in 2007.

    He had his primary education at the Tudun Wada Elementary School, in Tudun Wada, Kano State, before proceeding to Barewa College, Zaria, Kaduna State. Uwais earned his LL.B. from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and further legal education at the School of Oriental and African Studies and Weldon College of Law in the UK.

    He was called to the Bar at Middle Temple, London, in 1963, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in 1964.

    He worked briefly as a private legal practitioner before he was appointed a state council in the ministry of justice in northern Nigeria. He rose to become the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the North-Central State in 1971. In 1973, he was appointed an acting Judge of the High Courts of Benue and Plateau, and North-Eastern States, and became a substantive Judge in 1974.

    He was appointed the acting Chief Judge of Kaduna State in 1976, and was elevated to the Court of Appeal on January 1, 1977, from where he was further elevated to the Supreme Court, in August 1979.

    In his years on the bench, Justice Uwais insisted that the judiciary must be the bedrock of democracy, and distinguished himself as a jurist of utmost integrity. After the 2007 general election was marred in malfeasance, President Umaru Yar’Adua looked up to a committee headed by Justice Uwais to reclaim the integrity of the democratic process.

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    He discharged that assignment with aplomb, and the committee made far- reaching recommendations which continue to reverberate many years after. Some of the key recommendations of the committee’s report, known as the Uwais Report, include the transfer of the power to appoint the commissioners and chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from the president to the National Judicial Council (NJC). The committee also proposed the unbundling of INEC, independent candidacy, specific timeline for election dispute resolution, and use of modern technology like biometric data capture, electronic voting, and electronic transmission of results.

    Since his demise, tributes have been pouring in in celebration of a life well lived. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described him as a respected patriot and statesman. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun noted that “His post-retirement service, including chairing the Electoral Reform Committee, further affirmed his deep love for country and passion for institutional integrity.”

    In its tribute the Supreme Court, through its Director of Information and Public Relations, Dr. Festus Akande, noted that “Hon. Justice Uwais’s professional achievements and unwavering commitment to justice have had a lasting impact on Nigeria’s legal landscape.”

    The legal profession and the civil society are not left out of eulogies for the late CJN. Kayode Ajulo, attorney general of Ondo State, in a tribute called Uwais “a true beacon of integrity, guiding the judiciary with grace and wisdom.” He added that as CJN, he “fundamentally transformed the landscape of the nation’s legal system, laying a foundation that continues to resonate today.”

    Justice Uwais delivered a number of landmark judgments which continue to edify our legal jurisdiction. In one of such, he ruled that the State Security Service (SSS) without a delegation of power, has no right to seize the passport of a Nigerian citizen.

    We join the family, professional colleagues and others Nigerians to mourn this distinguished Nigerian. We pray that his life of service to our country would never be in vain.

    We commit his wife, Mrs Maryam Uwais, and the entire family members to the protection of the Almighty God. May God grant the departed soul a peaceful rest.

  • Jibril Aminu (1939 – 2025)

    Jibril Aminu (1939 – 2025)

    • A man of many parts; his exit has diminished the circle of Nigeria’s great northerners

    In his public service years, he notably served as the pioneer executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) (1975–1979), minister of education (1985-1989) and later minister of petroleum and mineral resources (1989-1992), and Nigerian ambassador to the United States of America (1999-2003), among other distinguished positions. 

    Prof. Jibril Aminu’s death on June 5, aged 85, diminished the circle of living figures generally regarded as great northerners in Nigeria. Born Aminu Song, he explained why he changed his name in a 2016 interview, saying, “I didn’t like to be named after my town. But now, I wish I hadn’t changed it.” He hailed from Song, a town in present-day Adamawa State.

    He demonstrated brilliance right from his time as a student at Barewa College, Zaria, where he passed the West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) with flying colours in 1957. “In Barewa, all the teachers were British, either from Oxford or Cambridge,” he recalled.  “You can imagine what the standard would be.” After graduating in Medicine from the University of Ibadan in 1965, he earned a doctorate from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London in 1972. “I specialised in Cardiology because I like it,” he said.

    At Ibadan, he won a gold medal for the best medical student and was also the best graduating student of the year. He was expected to have a distinguished career as an academic.  However, his work as an academic was largely disrupted by his appointments outside academia.

    Also, as a student at Ibadan, he showed signs of political consciousness that was more strongly expressed in later years. He was among the founders of the Northern People’s Club, which brought him in contact with important northern leaders at the time. The club “made a lot of impact,” he said.  “We were getting letters from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. That was when I knew all these people. The Sardauna came and wanted to see us…We defended the North. That was when we knew Shagari too. We were well received by them… That was in 1963.”

    After stints as a Consultant in Medicine, Senior Lecturer and Sub-Dean, Clinical Studies at the University of Ibadan Medical School (1973–1975), and Visiting Professor of Medicine at Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC, USA, (1979–1980), he became a university administrator.

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    As vice-chancellor of the University of Maiduguri (1980 -1985), where he was also a Professor of Medicine, he introduced Mass Communication, and was regarded as the father of the discipline in that institution. In 1983, a student crisis at the university tainted his tenure. 

    Aminu was the minister of education when the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) was established under the military government of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in 1989. It was created to cater to the educational needs of nomadic and migrant groups in Nigeria. “I feel happy when I see the list of boards we created in the education sector,” he said.

    After four years, he was appointed minister of petroleum and mineral resources, a position of consequence, given the country’s oil-rich status.  According to him, his mission was “to make Nigerians understand the oil industry, domesticate it, accept it as something happening in their country, take part in it, learn the technology, learn the managerial aspect and develop the competence to be able to manage it.”  He said he wanted to make the point that “Nigerians could produce petroleum and export it.” While in that position, he became president of the then African Petroleum Producers’ Association (1991) and president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Conference (1991-1992).

     His respected intellect opened various doors for him. He was elected a delegate to the National Constitutional Conference (1994–1995), and later became Nigerian ambassador to the US.  As a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the country’s ruling party at the time, he was elected to the Senate for Adamawa Central in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.

    He will be remembered for his contributions to nation building.

  • Tola Adeniyi at 80

    Tola Adeniyi at 80

    •This is remarkable for an iconic journalist who had thought given his family record, he won’t live more than 40 years

    On May 29, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, one of the greats of Nigerian journalism over the last five decades, prolific columnist, media entrepreneur, dramatist, author, administrator and businessman turned 80. His has been a consistent and continuous presence on Nigeria’s media landscape as one of the most courageous voices against bad governance, both by military dictatorships and corrupt civilian administrations.

    If morning shows a clear indication of the day and the child is the father of the man, it was obvious quite early that the young Adeniyi would blossom into an impassioned journalist with uncommon mastery of the written word. An early immersion in the riches of his Yoruba cultural heritage, as well as deep acquaintance with Muslim Koranic learning, in addition to Western education gave him a broad-based intellectual foundation, making him versatile in both English and Yoruba.

    At the age of 14, he had begun to recite Yoruba poetry on Radio Nigeria. He was 16 when he published his first collection of Yoruba poetry titled ‘Aye Ode Oni’.

    As a student at the Ago-Iwoye Secondary School in Ogun State, he was editor of the school magazine, ‘The Spartan’. Later at the Ijebu-Ode Muslim College, he was editor-in-chief of the students magazine, ‘The Scientia’. He was admitted into the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and it was as an undergraduate at the institution that he founded the Writer’s Club in 1966.

    During this period, he achieved the feat of adapting Chinua Achebe’s path-breaking novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’ for stage and television. Thereafter, Adeniyi developed a close friendship with Achebe such that after his marriage, he and his wife spent their honeymoon in the writer’s house in Nsukka.

    He later obtained a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Lancaster in the UK, and also a Diploma in Mass Communication.

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    Akogun Adeniyi was one of the first set of university graduates to be recruited into journalism by the iconic Alhaji Babatunde Jose who was then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Daily Times Conglomerate. Writing with the pen name, ‘Aba Saheed’, he was one of the most prolific and unsparing columnists in Nigerian journalism during the period of military rule in the 1970s. His widely-read columns ever so critical of the excesses of military rule often attracted the wrath and harassment of the security agencies, but the young Adeniyi remained undaunted and unrepentant. 

    Speaking of his Aba Saheed column in an interview, he said, “Aba Saheed’ nursed not the intent to appease anybody. Rather, he writes to pull down the ‘Berlin walls’ of oppression”. In the same vein, he asserted that “All my writings have been geared towards protecting the weak and the oppressed, the depressed and the deprived in the society”. Thus, in his assessment of the role of the media in Nigeria’s history, he emphasises the contribution of journalism in holding power to account stressing that “Well, yesterday, the media was great. It was the media that got Nigeria independence. It was the media that drove away whoever was messing the country up. It was the media that drove away Shehu Shagari. It  was the media that killed Sani Abacha. It was the media that sent Ibrahim Babangida away. It was the media that prevented Olusegun Obasanjo from his third term or lifetime agenda”.

    With the transition to civilian rule in the Second Republic in 1979, Adeniyi moved to the ‘Nigerian Tribune’ where he maintained his crusading, vitriolic columns subjecting President Shagari ‘s administration to scathing criticisms while exhibiting support for Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

    By 1980, however, he had fallen out with the management of the Tribune Group of Newspapers and made a successful transition from journalism to media entrepreneurship.

    Under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, he was appointed a permanent secretary in the Presidency, responsible for coordinating the movement of the country’s capital from Lagos to Abuja, and later Chairman and Editor-in-chief of the Daily Times Conglomerate. He is the Chairman/Managing Consultant of ‘Knowledge Plaza’, a body of speech writers, biographers and editorial consultants, as well as Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Canada College and Canada University Press, Toronto.

    Chief Adeniyi, who initially thought he would not live beyond 40 years like many of his uncles and other relatives is the author of several creative works, including his autobiography, “Life Scripted by Destiny and Acted by Fate”. He continues to write on national affairs, making a case for the fundamental restructuring of Nigeria. He is the pioneer President of the League of Nigerian Columnists.

  • Time to sit up

    Time to sit up

    •FERMA should be made to optimally perform its duties.

    When the Obasanjo administration established the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in 2002, it held out so much promise to keep all federal roads safe and smooth within a short period. At the time, it was felt that the rate at which our roads degenerated had become unbearable, and something had to be done about it.

    Nigeria is always quick to sign contracts for road construction, and even other projects, without consideration for what is available and maintenance cost. This has led to the landscape being littered with so many uncompleted projects, to the discomfiture of the citizens.

    Over the years, roads, federal, state and local, have been dubbed death traps in all parts of the country. It is the duty of the respective authorities to ensure that lives of citizens and residents are safe on the roads.

    In this wise, the Federal Government that has responsibility for the major highways should ensure that movement within the country is smooth. Many people are discouraged from moving around by road by the sheer state of the highways. More roads are now being constructed and it is heartening that the Federal Government is giving consideration to maintenance in the contracts.

    Minister of Works, David Umahi, has become a major proponent for use of concrete in building the roads in a bid to making them more durable. He contends that such roads could last not less than 50 years before developing potholes.

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    While it may be true that roads built with concrete are inherently more durable, the place of maintenance would still be there. The terrain in different parts of the country is not the same. Some are coastal and could wear out faster than others. All over the world, provision is made for maintenance in all projects, be they roads or buildings, or even installed machinery. The earlier we started learning this truth, the better for us as a people and government.

    When we have hundreds of engineers in the Federal Ministry of Works, and FERMA, the reason is to ensure that they take adequate care of projects without necessarily resorting to contracts that are necessarily expensive at all times.

    About 23 years after FERMA was established, it could not be said that it has fulfilled its purpose. Lawmakers should review the law to ensure that they either perform their duties or the act is repealed to yield way to another. The National Assembly that has oversight over all government agencies and projects should organise a summit to discuss this critical issue as the nation has been losing so much to undue replication of contracts within very short periods. Anyone found to be negligent in the performance of his duties should be asked to step aside. This is not the time to waste scarce resources sorely needed for development and uplifting  millions of  our compatriots that have slipped into the poverty net. Nigeria could do better if only all public officers could be patriotic and passionate enough about that which is entrusted to them.

    Twenty-five years into the 21st Century, when smaller and even less endowed countries are already producing aircraft and are better reckoned with in the international community, Nigeria is still crawling, celebrating inanities.

    We have both natural and human resources in abundance, yet we are unable to harness them in the interest of the people and upliftment of the country. It is high time we realised this and began to play catch-up to even countries like Singapore, Brazil, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Our roads could be in much better shape if we ensure that all projects, henceforth, at all levels of government, are contracted at the best competitive cost and awarded to the best contractors.

    Civil servants entrusted with supervising construction should put up their best behaviour and ensure that the best materials are procured and used, and where they gave way earlier than envisaged and promised, those who signed that payments be made should face the music. It should no longer be business as usual.

  • Brilliant ones are here

    Brilliant ones are here

    17-year-old Oluwaseyitan’s feat, an indication of a brighter future

    This story of Oluwaseyitan Alabi who became a chartered accountant before his 18th birthday is a smooth one. It is rare to come by, for a university undergraduate to combine academic work with the rigour of accounting professional studies and examinations. To become chartered, a candidate who chose to go by way of Accounting Technician Scheme (ATS) would have to scale the hurdles of ATS 1, 2 and 3.

    This, Oluwaseyitan had to do and pass. As he disclosed, he once had a setback in one of the subjects and had to take it again. Yet, he was not discouraged. He proceeded to the professional stage and again moved from the first to the second stage, and scaled the hurdles in good time.

    It is surprising that a teenager could do all this in Nigeria of today where the education standard is said to be low and where young ones are easily distracted by peers. Oluwaseyitan credits his success story to his parents as they continually supported and encouraged him. His story illustrates the place of the home in the overall development of children.

    Also, contrary to expectation that the academic environment would be a distraction, he said his teachers paid him special attention, guiding him all the way. It is an indication that the school, as a socialisation agency, could make or mar students. There are sadist teachers who specialise in impeding the progress of young ones committed to their care at different levels of education. The very brilliant ones are sometimes targeted by such teachers. This, apparently, was not Oluwaseyitan’s experience. It is an indication that the educational authorities could do a lot to monitor the schools to deliver on their charge.

    Where the authorities of the institutions are derelict, the future of the country is subverted. It is not enough to say the students are the future of the country without making available a conducive environment. Where institutions are infested by cult groups, instructional materials are unavailable and teachers who should fill the space in loco parentis take pleasure in predating on their students, the young ones cannot fulfill their dreams.

    The management of Babcock University, (Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State), one of the first private tertiary institutions in the country, deserves commendation. We look forward to many more of such. This is despite the controversies involving some of their students in recent times. They need to work on the impact of those scandals on the school. Other institutions that have specialised in turning out students who specialise in financial fraud should follow this sterling example.

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    It is interesting that this is coming at a time when the Federal Ministry of Education and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) are touting a policy of jerking up the minimum age for accessing university education to 18 years. Success stories like this could suggest a need to review the policy.

    Successful young ones deserve the full support of not just their parents, but also the nation. Scholarship schemes should be made available for them and mentors should not be in short supply. There are many talented students in the country. Many do not have parents like Oluwaseyitan, but where there are schemes to locate and lift them up; they would not just be useful to themselves and their families, but also the nation.

    The late Professor Chinua Achebe once wrote a book: There was a country. The story could still change if there are determined steps by the authorities to aid the bright ones. While Achebe is gone, there could still be a sequel by another author, “There is now a better country”.

  • Cruel world

    Cruel world

    What could have made family members feed a three-month-old baby with acid?

    But for the fact that the suspect arrested in connection with the death of a three-month-old baby allegedly confessed to feeding the baby acid, the story would have sounded like an improbable fiction. How on earth could someone have been so mean to commit such a heartless crime? What could have been the grouse against the baby or even the mother to warrant snuffing out life from him?

    These are some of the questions that the Kaduna State Police Command has to provide clues to.

    A statement by the state police public relations officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, made available to Saturday PUNCH said the mother of the baby fed acid, Maryam Ibrahim, went to use the bathroom, leaving her baby alone in the room. Upon her return, she found the infant in the arms of her co-wife, Zaliha, who handed the baby back to her.

    “But the mother noticed that the baby was in distress, with foam coming out of his mouth and a visible injury on his neck”, Hassan said.

    The child was crying and immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

    The incident occurred on May 13, inside the family compound in Malari village, located in the Soba Local Government Area of the state, shared by the suspect, her husband, and the baby’s mother.

    The suspect was subsequently arrested following swift investigation by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Soba Division in the state. It was during interrogation that the suspect allegedly confessed to feeding the baby acid, with the help of her husband’s younger brother, one Lawal Muhammad, who is currently on the run. As a matter of fact, the suspect said it was the said Muhammad who provided the acid that they fed the baby with.

    This is another typical proof that wickedness has no bounds; it is all about the capacity of the human mind to do evil. And such crimes happen often because perpetrators are hardly served the appropriate deterrent punishment.

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    Babies are supposed to be bundles of joy that many people crave to have. Pediatrics wings of many hospitals are clogged by people looking for these priceless gifts. Prayers for newly-weds are not complete without people asking for God to bless them with good children. Indeed, hardly would any major church activity end without those looking for the fruits of the womb (as children are referred to) being specially remembered in prayers.

    Unfortunately, many others who have them virtually on a platter do not appreciate their value. That is why we hear stories of mothers demonstrating all kinds of cruelty on their own babies; some would give birth and simply throw the babies into wells or toilets.

    We have so many bad and sad examples to recall when it comes to the attitude of some people towards babies whose only sin is coming to the world through the source that they have no control over.

    The instant case just happened to be another low in the many cases of children killed in cruel circumstances. How does one explain that a three-month-old baby was given acid, a thing that eventually led to his death?

    It would be interesting to know what the motivation of those who carried out the cruelty was. Were they trying to get at the mother or the father? What for? Or, could it be a by-product of polygamy?

    Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, has promised to get the fleeing suspect arrested and that the command would leave no stone unturned in the investigation to unearth what happened. This is the least the police can do for the baby and his parents. No one involved in this cruelty should be allowed to go scot-free.

  • Night vision

    Night vision

    • No reason exams should hold after dusk

    Examination malpractice is posing the biggest threat to Nigeria’s education system, notably at the secondary level. The search for remedy is on, but it is far from certain what is the best approach.

    Candidates taking the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) recently sat Parts II and III (Objectives and Theory) of the English Language paper late into the night in states like Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Benue and Taraba, among others.

    The paper, on May 28, lasted till about 9p.m. in most places  and close to midnight in Taraba State, in particular. The candidates had taken Part I (Oral English) in the morning and were waiting to sit the remainder in the early afternoon, only to encounter a delay by which the question paper did not arrive most centres until evening. The examination held at between 7p.m. and 9p.m. in many places, while in others like Taraba, centres did not receive the paper until after 9p.m., forcing candidates to sit the exam till midnight. The psychological and physical stress on candidates and consequent effect on their performance is only to be imagined.

    The delay, it has since been revealed, resulted from a leakage of the question paper, which compelled WAEC to make a last minute switch to an alternative set of questions that the examination body printed late. This naturally came with attendant bottlenecks in logistical operations towards getting the question paper to examination centres.

    WAEC, in an official statement, said the delay resulted from efforts to safeguard the integrity of the exam, which “impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct” of the paper. Reports said the original paper got leaked to the public some four days before the exam and was pawned openly on social media.

    Nothing illustrated the audacity of impunity involved in examination malpractice more than the reported case of a school vice-principal in Ondo State who was brutally assaulted by thugs for daring to stop a pupil from cheating in the ongoing WASSCE. The vice-principal, identified as Mr. Rotifa, was penultimate Friday battered to near unconsciousness by thugs believed to be acting on the instructions of parents of a Senior Secondary 3 pupil of Complete Child Development College, Awule in Akure, who against school rules had taken an android phone into the exam hall apparently to cheat, prompting the vice-principal to confiscate the phone. Reports said the pupil reported Rotifa’s action to his parents, upon which the mother allegedly stormed the school to vow harsh reprisal against persons who obstructed her son.

    Ondo State Government gave an account of its preliminary investigation, saying even though the phone was returned following the protestations by the mother, the pupil’s brother, who himself is an alumnus of the school, subsequently came in to harass and threaten the vice-principal. When the school authorities noticed thugs hanging around the school, they advised the vice-principal to report to the police, “whereupon two officers escorted him in their van to locate the suspects, but they were unsuccessful,” the statement said.

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    “On their return, the suspects intercepted the police van, forcibly removed Mr. Rotifa, and assaulted him. He was hospitalised but has since been discharged, though he has not returned home for fear of further attack,” it added.

    The state police command, early last week, confirmed the incident and announced the arrest of the pupil’s mother along with four other suspects, who it said would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.

    Education minister Tunji Alausa says government believes the solution to examination malpractice lies in full roll-out of computer-based testing (CBT) in all examinations conducted by WAEC and the National Examinations Council (NECO), just like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) does. He directed that the two examination bodies begin conducting their objective papers in CBT mode from this year, and fully transition to CBT with the other papers, including the essays and practicals by May/June 2026.

    The minister first announced the policy in April while monitoring this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by JAMB, and reaffirmed same during his inspection of the conduct of WAEC’s CBT examinations in Abuja some two weeks ago. “By their 2026 exams that will come up in May/June, both the objectives and the essays will be fully on CBT. That is how we can eliminate exam malpractices,” he had said inter alia.

    Most stakeholders agree on  the potential of CBT to curb malpractice and address logistical challenges entailed in conducting hard-copy examinations. But many doubt this country is ready for rushed implementation, and that is where we stand.

    Required infrastructure as in sufficient access to computer terminals, steady power and internet connectivity must be ensured. Durability of the infrastructure must as well be factored in because whereas JAMB conducts its UTME in a few days, school certificate examinations last nearly two months at each stretch. There’s also the issue of digital literacy of all prospective candidates as would guarantee that no area of the country – urban or rural, north or south – is disadvantaged. And efforts must be made to safeguard the rigour of examinations that could be lost to computer-based testing. In short, let’s make haste slowly.

  • Kano’s avoidable crash

    Kano’s avoidable crash

    Govt must probe the circumstances that led to the death of 22 National Sports Festival members

    It was an avoidable accident. We are talking about the gruesome loss of 22 members of Kano State contingent to the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival in an auto crash about 40 kilometers to their journey back home after the festival, on May 31. The victims included athletes, coaches, officials and medical personnel. Nine people were injured in the accident; only one person escaped without an injury.

    The state won a total of 29 medals at the event.

    It was one accident too many.

    If any of the victims had any inclination that they would never have made it back home alive, they probably would not have embarked on the journey.

    The National Sports Festival is organised to promote unity, youth engagement and national development through sports.

    This year’s edition of the festival took place in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, from May 18 to May 30. The team was returning to Kano the next day, when the vehicle they were travelling in reportedly veered off the road and overturned around Dakatsalle in Kura Local Government Area of Kano State.

    The state government declared May 2 as a day of mourning and gave each of the victims’ families N1million, as well as some foodstuffs.

    As Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), noted in a statement, the accident marked “a very sad day for Nigerian sports”.

    “We are heartbroken by this tragedy. “These were promising athletes and dedicated officials who had just served their state and country with pride. Their loss is immeasurable.”

    The loss is indeed immeasurable.

     Unfortunately, as usual with such incidents, measures are only now being contemplated to forestall a recurrence of such disasters, after the Kano tragedy.

    But whatever has been said about the Kano incident is not peculiar to Kano. We are just narrowing it down to the state because it produced the latest victims of such avoidable crashes.

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    This is why we welcome the decision of the NSC, the organiser of the festival, to streamline safety protocols for all national sporting events. There is the need for a national policy on travel and welfare, which all participating states must subscribe to, as against the extant practice whereby such decisions are left to the discretion of the participating entities.

    For instance, we do not know why contingents from a far-away state like Kano, a distance of over 1,000 kilometers, should have travelled by road to the event.

    The commission has also said that henceforth, comprehensive insurance cover would be mandatory for the contingents, and that their vehicles would be certified roadworthy, etc.

    However, we want the NSC to understand that it is not enough to roll out precautionary measures, enforcement is key.

    It is also important we stress that some other measures required are beyond the sports commission. Here, we refer to many roads in the country that are in deplorable condition. The federal and state governments must work out maintenance plans for these roads to make them motorable. Furthermore, it is not enough to construct roads, there should be pullover facilities, among others, where travellers on long distances could unwind at intervals, to avoid fatigue, especially by drivers.

    Moreover, there should be more alternatives to road travel. Perhaps the accident that claimed the lives of the Kano athletes would have been averted if they had the option to travel by rail. This is why we welcome the announcement by the Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr Kayode Opeifa, that the Federal Government would soon unveil a plan to interconnect several parts of the country.

    All said, we still look forward to a detailed investigation of what happened so as to help in charting the way forward. Such an inquiry is necessary because, if thorough, it would help in pinpointing what really happened. Mercifully, some of the team members survived the crash. Their testimonies would go a long way in ascertaining what really led to the unfortunate accident.

    We can only hope this would be the last of such avoidable incidents.

  • Vocational renaissance?

    Vocational renaissance?

    •The new stress on TVET bodes well for the economy

    Compared with the most advanced of western countries, Nigerians’ appetite for higher education is remarkable. In the United States, Nigerians are clear leaders, besting other ethnics, when the subject is higher degrees.

    At home too, that appetite is admirable. But that it is often skewed towards higher eduction — with diminishing job opportunities — to the disadvantage of the basics, has created a costly disequilibrium. TVET — technical and vocational education and training — is the clear answer to that disparity.

    That is why the TVET-powered policy of paying teens in Nigeria’s public technical and vocational colleges a monthly stipend of N45, 000, aside free TVET tuition, is great news. Also, the Federal Government foots the bill for industrial training: the “master class” instructors, beside paying the cost of skill certification.

    Prof. Idris Bugaje, executive secretary/CEO of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), who made the announcement, declared: “With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualification, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria.”

    We completely agree. 

    Indeed, for much too long, artisans from Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana have grabbed an unacceptable portion of Nigeria’s vocational sector, because Nigerian artisans — masons, tillers, plumbers and even those in internal decor and sundry fittings — have proved themselves too sloppy for nice and tight finishing. 

    Their training simply lacks the rigour and stringent standards to compete. It would be nice a switch: Nigerian artisans, for a change, dominating jobs in these neighbouring countries. That would be a long-term indicator to measure the success of this new policy.

    Prof. Bugaje further explained the near-collapse of TVET over the years: “During the colonial days and early part of our independence, TVET had received attention,” he recalled. “But since 1980s, we have been going down the drains. That is why the number of technical colleges has dropped to 129 at the moment, compared to 15, 000 senior secondary schools in Nigeria.”

    The crash in the number of TVET schools, compared to senior secondary schools (SSS), is instructive. By the 6-3-3-4 system, launched in 1982, TVET schools were to take the place of SSS for technically gifted teens. 

    But even teachers and principals often projected TVET as too inferior and unworthy of their pupils, thus over-glamouralising the SSS path to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. So, If 6-3-3-4 has not delivered on its promise of balanced technical and non-technical education, endangered TVET is clearly the reason.

    Therefore, this new policy, to reverse that trend is a very good policy. That is underscored by the incentives attached to TVET.

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    Whereas the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) provides N20, 000 monthly for living allowance, as part of its university loan scheme, NBTE is paying a N45, 000 monthly stipend to TVET trainees.

    This is a step in the right direction. That is not because it downgrades tertiary education, but because it opens a fresh window of job opportunities for millions of Nigerian youths, roaming the streets for worthwhile jobs. 

    Besides, it’s high time Nigeria opened a wide vista of blue-collar jobs. What is more, TVET graduates have a good possibility of opening shops of their own, without just lugging paper certificates, to join the ever-long unemployment queues. 

    Which is why, post-training, the government should emplace some credit infrastructure to provide seed capital for TVET graduates. The market is huge for such intrusion: auto mechanics, builders, plumbers, fitters, carpenters, etc. As in housing stock, Nigeria lags in many areas of basic comfort, which can provide ready jobs for sound TVET products.

    But as with every beautiful policy, the elephant in the room is bad implementation. If 6-3-3-4 had been well implemented, there would have been no need for this fresh campaign. TVET is the crippled part of 6-3-3-4. Imagine what the economy today would have been, had the TVET component of 6-3-3-4 been soundly implemented?

    Then, it’s absolutely imperative to maintain the purity of this neo-TVET campaign. The government must make sure it is not boiled down by gate-crashing hustlers attracted by stipends, aided and abetted by colluding insider rogues, to make nonsense of the initiative.

  • Potent threat

    Potent threat

    •High ports charges and other logistics hurdles may make $200bn revenue target elusive

    The national target of $200b revenue in the next five years, from non-oil export, may be threatened by policy inconsistency and the high cost of shipping at Nigerian ports.

    According to ‘The Guardian’ report, the problem is attributable to a recent 15 percent increase in charges by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which operators claim is higher than what obtain in neighbouring countries. While refuting the claim, NPA attributed the high cost to non-receipted costs, arising from undue human interface, bureaucratic bottlenecks and overlaps resulting from absence of National Single Window (NSW).

    We wonder what is keeping the relevant authorities from implementing the much advertised NSW, which would give impetus to a 24-hour clearing system.

    The overall implication of the challenges in Nigeria’s ports, according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is that the average cargo dwell time in Nigeria is between 20 to 30 days, which is much higher than the four to seven days applicable in neighbouring ports. The finding also claimed that while it costs $1,500 to export a container from Nigeria, comparatively it costs $600 to do same in Ghana.

    The NEPC estimates that the inefficiencies in logistics and supply chains cost Nigeria over $10 billion annually.

    On its part, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) estimated the delays and rerouted shipments and all other bottlenecks in 2023 cost the country about $400 million in potential agribusiness revenue. Exporters resort to the rerouted shipments in the face of the bottlenecks at the nation’s ports.

    We urge relevant authorities to ensure the cost of exporting from our nation’s ports remain competitive, compared to neighbouring countries. 

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    Operators in the industry are however of the opinion that the hike by NPA has added a major burden to burgeoning export business. According to the CEO of Produce Export Development Alliance, Aiyeoola Adetiloye, the hike is a threat to Nigeria’s agricultural exports, which include commodities like cocoa, sesame and cashew. He intoned, “when charges increase, transportation becomes more expensive, clearing will take longer, and businesses, exporters that form the backbone of the export chain, bear the brunt through reduced transactions.”

    The leader of the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA), Adeola Adegoke, said the recent port charge hike is a major setback for cocoa traders. He emphasised that, “the 15 per cent charge only adds to the heavy financial burden. It creates difficult transition conditions that lead to deeper financial stress; the impact on us is bad. We are not even making money, and now this is going to increase the financial challenges even more.”

    The NPA however disagrees that the 15 percent hike is higher than what obtains in neighbouring countries.

    We hope the hike by the NPA is in tandem with overall objectives of the 10-year national policy on marine and blue economy recently approved by President Bola Tinubu at the Federal Executive Council meeting. That policy is geared to harness the full benefits of the over 853 kilometers of Nigeria’s coastline. With the Cabotage Act which shields the Nigerian maritime industry from foreign competition, by reserving coastal routes for locally registered vessels, we hope the new policy will awaken the giant marine and blue economy for the benefit of Nigeria.

    We urge for coordination between policy makers and industry operators for the greater good of the nation. The greater private sector participation which President Tinubu emphasised on at the lunch of the 10-year plan can only be realised with such synergy. We hope the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, will ensure the synchronisation of all interests to achieve the overall objective of that national policy.