The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • 115 Drawbacks

    115 Drawbacks

    •Laws hindering call for reforms

    The assertion by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dr Tayo Aduloju, that the group has “identified about 115 legislations that have been hindering the capacity of the country to grow” may not be far from the truth. After all, the tax reform bills still pending at the National Assembly are touted as the first major tax reform bills since Nigeria’s independence. So, when it comes to law reforms, Nigeria appears too steeped in the past.

    Also, his assertion that the NESG is “addressing these legislative barriers with a focus on creating a clear pathway for economic revitalisation” is welcomed. After all, the NESG is one of the preeminent economic think tanks in the country, and such an august body should not only complain about the state of things but also proffer solutions to the existing problems.

    The Tinubu-led Federal Government has, no doubt, shown itself to be a reformatory administration. It has taken bold economic initiatives which past administrations had shied away from. Take the removal of fuel subsidy, for example. The subsidy regime which past administrations claimed was a drain on the national economy remained intractable, until the Tinubu administration squarely slayed the tiger. The same is applicable to the multiple foreign exchange platforms, which became a Pandora’s box of corruption, as former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele’s saga has overwhelmingly confirmed.

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    The tax reform bills are also indicative of the bold determination of the Tinubu administration to change the country’s economic narrative. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said as much concerning the bills: “This initiative marks the first comprehensive tax reform since Nigeria’s independence, presenting a transformative opportunity for rejuvenating small and medium enterprises and enhancing the livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians.” He added: “These reforms will not only improve Nigeria’s revenue profile but also create a more conducive and internationally competitive business environment, transforming our tax system to support sustainable development.”

    While the NESG has not listed the 115 anachronistic legislation hindering economic development, on our part we can list a few of them. Some of the most intriguing provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) include the provisions which more or less bar savings relating to the income accruing to the federation account, but for the bold initiative to create Sovereign Wealth Fund and other similar initiatives to compel national savings. There are also laws that hitherto centralised the provision of social and physical infrastructure, like electricity production, railways, waterways etc., which requires decentralisation, if the economies of the nation and its subnational units are to make significant progress.

    Sadly, the need for reforms is not felt across the board. The tax reform bills, for instance, have stalled in the National Assembly, despite the high praise from experts, because some legislators, state governors and other entrenched interests have continuously denounced the bills. The Director-General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, in a recent interview said: “The issue of tax reform has been controversial and the reason is that many people did not go through it thoroughly. For us, it is a good thing. We were happy when the committee was set up… But it is very unfortunate that some people are kicking against it at this time.” He concluded: “We should not allow any interest beyond the national interest to dictate the direction where we should go.”

    Indeed, the national interest should dictate the direction of law reforms. The Federal Government should pay serious attention to the NESG’s call for urgent law reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s economic framework. Importantly, Aduloju stated that NESG’s Ernest Shonekan Centre for Legislative Reforms and Economic Development is actively reviewing and proposing corrective versions of the laws hampering the country’s economic performance. We expect this to bring about the needed economic revitalisation. 

  • Malaria malady

    Malaria malady

    •Figures of malaria cases and deaths in the country are concerning

     It is troubling news that in 2023 Nigeria accounted for 40 percent of estimated malaria cases and 46 percent of estimated malaria deaths within the 10 High Burden to High Impact countries. The 2024 World Malaria Report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) presented this worrying information.

    Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the anopheles mosquitoes that breed largely in dirty stagnant waters and rubbish dumps. Sub-Saharan Africa has the most victims of malaria. The symptoms include headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting. More often than not, victims die if help doesn’t come quickly. Sometimes there are severe and fatal consequences of malaria infections. It can cause seizures, jaundice and coma. In very extreme cases, death results from the malaria disease.

    Malaria is among the leading causes of death in Africa. The WHO estimates that about 94 percent of all malaria deaths occur in Africa, most commonly in children under the age of 5. But it is preventable and curable. The use of mosquito nets and insect repellents, environmental cleanliness to stop the breeding of mosquitoes, anti-malaria medications and vaccines can greatly reduce malaria infections among the population.  We find it very disappointing that none of these measures has been effectively used to prevent malaria in Africa, especially in Nigeria, which is the most populous nation on the continent.

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    Nigeria pays dearly for its poor healthcare infrastructure and lack of serious preventive policy measures not just for malaria but for many other health conditions and other preventable diseases. Human lives, especially the most productive demographics, reproductive age women, babies and young adults, are often lost due to carelessness on the part of the authorities as well as the people.  There are multiple implications, including the loss of so many lives and the slowing down of the workforce when they are ill due to malaria infections, which greatly affects development.

    Malaria has been reported to affect many pregnant women, often resulting in maternal and infant mortality. This is a health scare that most countries desirous of development try very hard to prevent. Paradoxically, Nigeria’s statistics regarding malaria cases and the consequent deaths seem to have become progressively worse in the last few years.

    Based on WHO statistics, Nigeria is not doing enough to tackle the malaria disease. The global health agency is understandably worried that the country may fail to meet the Malaria Global Technical Strategy goal of a 75 percent reduction in cases of deaths by 2025 due to limited access to healthcare, on-going conflicts and emergencies. Globally, 44 countries have eliminated malaria.

    In October 2024, the first ever malaria vaccine was delivered to the Nigerian government following a collaborative effort involving Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and WHO. Sadly, after the delivery not much has been heard about the vaccine either in terms of public enlightenment or distribution. We know that vaccines have a shelf life and required storage temperatures. We fear that this opportunity to curb malaria infections and deaths might be lost due to bureaucratic bottlenecks and official lethargy.

     Deaths due to malaria are unacceptable, and we urge the authorities to treat the disease as an emergency. The measures to curb the disease must be pushed into the public space and strictly monitored by relevant agencies.

    We hope that this alarm from WHO is loud enough to wake the Nigerian health authorities and make them play their role with a sense of responsibility because when it comes to diseases and their devastating impacts everyone is a potential victim. We demand that malaria prevention and treatment must be prioritised.

  • A peace model

    A peace model

    In the past decade, the roll call of flashpoints of violence will not complete without a reference to Birnin Gwari local government area and its environs in Kaduna State. For a long time, it was a no-go area for farmers and workers of different types. Kidnapping, murders and general banditry held sway. Successive governors failed and the Federal Government, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, seemed to have developed an attitude of surrender to the ever-increasing spams of onslaughts, assaults and deaths.

    The result was that major markets, schools and clinics were shut down. That explained why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited the place in December 2022, when he was a candidate, to underscore the urgency of that place for peace not only in the state but for the entire northwest.

    Hence, it made cheerful news when the livestock market, shut down for five odd years, was reopened for business recently. Also, in late November, the state governor, Uba Sani, reopened the Birnin Gwari market that had been out of commission for about a decade.

    However, this decision did not happen in a vacuum but out of efforts involving the state government, local community working within the state security council apparatus and the Federal Government.  These efforts, coordinated by Governor Sani, brokered an understanding that allowed the bandits, especially the senior ones and sponsors of this unrest, to down their weapons to give peace a chance.

    The road to peace began about six months ago, as reported by the governor. The initiative arose after many who lived in the local government area, as well as other five local government areas in the state, mooted the initiative for peace.

    The governor did not act in an arbitrary manner as the state chief executives do not have control over the police, or military. The governor said he contacted the federal agencies, including the National Security Office and that of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa. They cooperated in working with the locals to broker an agreement for tranquility.

    The state has had a harvest of peace with the recovery of over 200 victims from captivity since the initiative began. Also, senior bandits have been granted amnesty for downing their weapons. There is no greater peace than when all major stakeholders participate and agree. So, when there is a breakdown, accountability is easy. Any erring party can be identified and isolated for action.

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    Some have raised concerns about the possibility of criminal remorse and the bandits returning to their old ways. The governor warned, ‘’while we welcome those who choose peace, we will not hesitate to take decisive action against anyone who continues to perpetuate violence.

    “The security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have already achieved significant results, neutralising bandit kingpins, dismantling criminal networks and rescuing kidnapped victims.”

    This bears watching, and it is called the Kaduna Model, which means it is a novel approach to security in an age of bandits. It also means that it is an uncharted territory. We welcome new thinking in this era. It may not be perfect but it signals a new way of tackling what has been the major security challenge in a generation.

    About 162 schools are located in that troubled area and a good many of them have been reopened, and more reopening is promised. Clinics are also being reopened. There were some suggestions that this did not enjoy Christian support but that has been debunked.

    The arrangement shows that governors can work for peace in spite of their constitutional handicap as chief security officer without the enabling powers. They have the soft powers of imagination and leverage with the centre, and that is what has happened. We hope the momentum continues.

  •  Security support

     Security support

    • The UBA example is laudable 

    Over the last 17 years since its establishment in 2007 by the administration of former governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has contributed immensely to enhancing the security of lives and property in Nigeria’s economic capital and commercial nerve centre.

    The LSSTF has the mandate to raise and manage donations from government ministries, departments and agencies, private organisations and individuals to provide equipment, training and logistics for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies operating in the state. In particular, the Fund has been largely responsible for the widely acknowledged effectiveness and professionalism of the state’s special anti-crime outfit, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). While the LSSTF receives donations in kind from the government, it does not get any statutory subvention and is funded solely by voluntary donations.

    The Fund received a significant boost when the United Bank for Africa (UBA) recently donated the sum of N500m to it towards the sustenance of a secure environment for individuals and businesses. Speaking during the presentation of the cheque to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, said: “At UBA, we understand that security is critical for economic growth and societal well-being. Our donation to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund is a reflection of the bank’s belief in building safer communities to enhance the quality of life for all.”

    The bank made the donation through the UBA Foundation, its corporate social responsibility arm. This consciousness of the responsibility of a corporate body like the UBA, which is a major player in the Nigerian economy, to help address the problems and challenges of the environment in which it does business and thrives is commendable and deserves emulation by other such organisations.

    Instructively, a few days after the donation by the UBA, the Lagos State government handed over 260 operational vehicles, ballistic helmets, bullet proof vests and other consumables to the NPF as part of its effort to strengthen the security architecture of the state. This was one of the activities to mark the 18th security town hall meeting organised by the LSSTF to brief stakeholders on its performance, and further illustrates the utility of the Fund in continuously strengthening the capacity of security agencies in the state. 

    In addition to the donation of these facilities to the NPF, Governor Sanwo-Olu performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of 2,200 blocks of flats for the Lagos State Police Command at the old Ijeh Police Barracks, Obalende. The old dilapidated barracks structures which had become an eyesore had been pulled down to make way for the new modern dwellings for police personnel to be built under the auspices of the LSSTF.

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    Another initiative to enhance security is the installation of almost 500 High Definition cameras across 360 streets in the five regions of the state to facilitate the monitoring of activities on the streets in real time. According to the governor, “The plan is to ramp this up to 2000 cameras for digital identification systems.”

    There is no doubt that the existence of the LSSTF, which operates on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, has enhanced the capacity of the state to meet its security responsibilities far beyond what it would have done relying solely on its annual budget. It is noteworthy that a number of other states have emulated this example, and we urge more to do so.

    Of course, the success, efficacy and sustainability of an outfit like the LSSTF depends critically on transparency and accountability in its operations. Responsible and prudent utilisation of the funds donated to it will foster trust and encourage public-spirited organisations and individuals to support its mandate through their donations. 

    Sanwo-Olu said: “Every year since 2007, LSSTF has been consistent with giving accounts of how it has been dispensing all donations of funds and materials which have come in from all its partners and donors while the Commissioner of Police equally gives account of the state of crime and criminality year-on-year.” This healthy culture of accountability should be sustained.

  • Don’t touch

    Don’t touch

    State governors got a stern warning from the Federal Government against tampering with funds allocated to local governments. Doing that would be contemptuous of the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to the councils and would amount to gross misconduct, which is an impeachable offence, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), advised.

    The minister made it known that the Federal Government took exception to moves by some states enacting laws directed at circumventing the July 11 verdict of the apex court. It would, therefore, not hesitate to initiate contempt proceedings against such states, while their Attorneys-General might be referred to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for professional misconduct.

    He spoke in Abuja at the 2024 National Conference of the Abuja chapter of National Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC). “I am aware that some states have embarked on promulgation of legislations which appear to be antithetical to the tenets or tenor of the judgment of the Supreme Court. My simple point is that the states concerned are advised not to tread within the precinct of contempt of court. And my colleagues at the sub-nationals should not also invite the attention of the legal practitioners disciplinary committee for misconduct,” he said. He added: “It is expected that having become divorced from financial dependency on state governments, more Nigerians will begin to get involved in grassroots politics so as to ensure effective governance from the ground up.”

    Delivering a paper titled ‘Aftermath of Supreme Court judgment on Local Government financial autonomy: what next?’ Fagbemi said: “By the July 11, 2024 judgment of the Supreme Court, which granted financial autonomy to local governments in the country, any governor who tampers with the finances of LGAs in his state is seen to have committed a gross misconduct, which is an impeachable offence.”

    According to him, the apex court’s verdict is intended to liberate local governments from the stranglehold of state governors and promote development at the grassroots. He deplored a situation where council secretariat staff would have to notify governors in advance before they could spend their own money for basic things like stationery, saying, “We have (heard) funny arguments before and after the judgment to the effect that, ‘Oh, they are not mature enough.’ I say: ‘How better are you? Are you any better? Leave them!’

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    The minister further warned that council bosses who misapply local government funds would be swiftly prosecuted since they do not enjoy immunity like state governors under the Nigerian Constitution. “We have been drumming this into the ears of local government officials that, ‘Look, the governors have immunity, but you don’t have. So, it is very easy for you to get yourself to Kuje or other prisons spread across Nigeria.”

    The Supreme Court had last July, in a suit brought against state governments by the Federal Government, affirmed the financial autonomy of the country’s 774 local governments. The court ruled that councils should, henceforth, receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation, and that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to receive and withhold funds allocated to councils in their states.

    The verdict gave a three-month deadline for states in default to conduct elections into their councils, and it empowered the Federal Government to withhold allocations of local governments being administered by caretakers that state governors appointed. Following that judgment, most state governments have raced to conduct elections into their local governments – even states like Anambra that had not held such elections in some 10 years.

    But also, in the aftermath of the verdict, some states have enacted their own legislation compelling councils to remit a portion of their federal allocations into a consolidated account controlled by the state government. They argued, among others, that there are services they jointly undertake with councils, and there are others they would be forced to come in and bankroll should councils find themselves insolvent to do so. Besides, they further argued, the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) empowers state legislatures to enact laws for administration and financial regulation of local governments.

    Fagbemi said he was aware of fears expressed in many quarters about continuing influence of governors on local governments because they still supervise the conduct of council elections.  The Federal Government, according to him, is being methodical in its approach to ensuring that councils are allowed to function as the third tier as envisaged by the Constitution. “We are not resting on our oars. If we don’t have any meaningful response, we may invite the Supreme Court to also look at the Constitution and see whether they should be allowed to continue to conduct local government elections in the form that we have presently,” he said.  “It does not give anybody any joy to drag any of the sub-nationals to court. Our expectation is that the sub-nationals should allow the law to take its course,” he added.

    The minister identified some constitutional roles of local governments that he urged council chairmen to prioritise. “Primary education must be accessible to every child. Pregnant women and infants must receive quality healthcare, and the vulnerable in the society must benefit from sustainable welfare programmes,” he said. The financial autonomy granted councils by the Supreme Court is aimed at empowering them to carry out these responsibilities effectively, he explained, adding that any expenditure incurred by governors in relation to official functions of a state government must be handled by the state and not shared with councils.

    Tackling state governors over their meddling with the finances of councils, as threatened by the Justice minister, may be a tall order. Governors are constitutionally immunised against prosecution while in office. And the threat of their impeachment for gross misconduct falls flat because it is the state houses of assembly that have the statutory mandate to process such action. But the reality is that most of these assemblies are in the pockets of the governors and are, in many instances, more of accomplices than checks on the state executives. Hence, it remains to be seen how the same legislatures would take on the governors for purported gross misconduct over council financials.

    The dubious legislations Fagbemi complained about were in many parts initiated by state assemblies and only forwarded to governors for assent. The same legislatures cannot be expected to move against governors for legislations they originated and only got state chief executives to sign.

    The minister was more on point, in our view, with his threat that council officials themselves could be prosecuted and sanctioned for the said violation. Council officials are immediately answerable under the law, and the law can make examples of them when they err, to dissuade others from collaborating with state governors in abusing council finances.

    When council officials are fired up, through sanctions against defaulting ones, to stand up to meddlesome state governors, councils would begin to assert the autonomy that the law and the Supreme Court verdict confer on them.

  • Budget 2025

    Budget 2025

    • The Federal Government must prioritise fiscal discipline and implementation

    One way to evaluate the Federal Government’s Budget 2025 presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the  National Assembly on December 18 is to look at the scale of its ambitions. Aside from a significant increase by a whopping 74.18 percent from Y2024 budget of N27.5tr, the 2025 budget titled “Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity,” with a proposal of N49.7tr expenditure, is clear about its ambitions.

    For instance, with inflation at a record level of 34.6 percent, the budget seeks to bring the monster down to 15 percent. For the exchange rate, it projects N1,500 to the US dollar against the current N1,700.  In the same vein, it envisages an increase in crude oil production to 2.06 million barrels per day from the current year’s 1,780 million bpd.

    Expectedly, the president was careful to lay out the basis of his optimism.  He highlighted the reduced importation of petroleum products alongside increased export of finished petroleum products; the bumper harvests, driven by enhanced security, reduced reliance on food imports; the increased foreign exchange inflows through Foreign Portfolio Investments; and the higher crude oil output and exports, coupled with a substantial reduction in upstream oil and gas production costs – developments, which more than mere projections, are verifiable.

    To these, he adds our foreign reserves currently standing at nearly $42bn; and the trade surplus, standing at N5.8tr, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Hence his submission that the budget, though “ambitious,” is “necessary…to secure our future.”

    The budget is also very clear about its strategic priorities: defence and security, understandably, takes the lion’s share of N4.91tr, followed by infrastructure N4.06tr, health N2.48tr, and education N3.52tr. On the flip side, it projects N15.81tr for debt servicing, with N13.08tr, or 3.89 percent of GDP, as deficit.

    The budget, the president said, seeks to consolidate the key policies already instituted to restructure the economy, boost human capital development, increase the volume of trade and investments, bolster oil and gas production, get the country’s manufacturing sector humming again and ultimately increase the competitiveness of the economy.

    However, nothing in the budget outlook suggests that it is all gloss. In fact, it is quite easy to recognise a number of significant hurdles ahead. For instance, in dollar terms, the budget actually contracts by 23.22 per cent, from $36.7bn in 2024 to $28.18bn in 2025. The implication is that there could be constraints regarding how much could be done particularly concerning projects that have foreign input components.

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    Besides, whereas the projected N30tr in revenue based on an oil price target of $75 per barrel and a production target of 2.06 million barrels per day might seem realistic given the relative calm in the Niger Delta, the production target would appear unduly optimistic considering that OPEC actually reported that the country’s oil production reached just 1.4mbpd in October.

     Moreover, despite significant progress in combating crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and underinvestment, there still remains genuine apprehension about whether or not the two million barrels per day production target could be said to be realistic in the short term.

    Added to the above is the debt factor. Here again, the issue essentially is about ensuring deft management of the debt in such a way as not to further exacerbate the burden. And finally, issues of rising inflation and currency depreciation – two factors inextricably linked to the erosion of the purchasing power of not just the budget but of individual households, given their direct impact on its effectiveness, particularly for essential imports and capital expenditure. All of these are significant variables whose interplay would affect the budget in one way or another. 

    Of course, there is the challenge of implementation. This is where the Federal Government has a lot to do. We expect not only fiscal discipline across all levels of government but also commitment to budget implementation. In this respect, the admonition of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) is instructive: “Beyond the figures and assumptions, implementation would remain the budget’s key performance driver.”

    Surely, the 2025 budget, perhaps unlike those before it, will be judged, not so much on dry statistics of performances and capital releases, but by the extent to which it is able to address, in a significant way, the familiar and lingering issues that may – while rendering the larger economy prostrate – prevent its fruits from trickling down to the ordinary citizen.

    Among the issues needing urgent attention are the food and energy supply chain that has kept food prices unbearably high, the security situation, which although has improved, still requires more to be done to boost the confidence of the farming population, the provision of vital farm inputs and infrastructure to boost output and to lessen the drudgery of farm work. Others are the delivery of the local petroleum production projects, and the fostering of the much talked about alignment between monetary and fiscal policies to restore confidence in the naira and to ease inflationary pressures. In short, Nigerians expect the ongoing improvements in the business climate, which have begun to deliver commendable results, to be sustained.

     The bureaucracy – the engine room of the government – has its work cut out. A lot has been said about how much its rules actually end up stifling productivity, particularly with its officials, more often than not, choosing to see the rules as ends in themselves consequent upon which nothing gets done. We are referring to the same set of rules that would not suffice to prevent humongous amounts being taken out of the system only for the deeds to be discovered after they have been done. Nigerians expect that the bureaucracy will be on top of its game to assist the government to deliver on the objectives of the budget.

  • Consequences

    Consequences

    The authorities must stop the rot beyond firing civil servants with fake qualifications from institutions in Benin and Togo

    Finally, the Federal Government has taken concrete steps in respect of Nigerians reported to have graduated from unaccredited tertiary institutions in neighbouring countries. It is a shame that it took an expose by an undercover journalist for the government to get to this point. The investigation had revealed that some Nigerians obtained degrees outside Nigeria without receiving any form of tuition from the named institutions. In two months, it was possible to obtain a certificate if one could afford the payment, according to the investigative report.

    It is even more scandalous that such people, including those who actually attended the institutions knowing they were not accredited, succeeded in beating the system, got enrolled in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and consequently got employed in the public and private sectors.

    A probe revealed it was a widespread racket involving more than 22,000 Nigerians who had passed the route. In August, the Federal Government announced that only eight universities had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Benin Republic and Togo.

    The order that workers with such background in the federal civil service be rooted out is, therefore, in order. Ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government have been directed to “identify and terminate the appointments of workers employed with certificates obtained from the private universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 to date” following the recommendations of an investigative committee. However, it should not stop there.

    The Federal Ministry of Education has always had a list of accredited institutions abroad, whether in the West African sub-region, other parts of Africa, North America, India or Europe. It is good that the list of approved institutions in Benin and Togo have now been made public. They are, for the sake of desperate unsuspecting youths, West Africa Union University, Cotonou; ISCOM University, Benin; Catholic University of West Africa, Togo; National University of Agriculture, Benin; ESCAE University, Benin; ISFOP Benin; Universite de Parakou, International University of Management and Administration, Benin, among others.

    The investigation should be extended to other countries. If those from Benin and Togo could beat the system, others also could. A comprehensive list, country by country, should be published and reviewed annually.

    We, however, call on the authorities to be painstaking as there are institutions with best practice standards in those countries. The innocent must be protected.

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    It beats the imagination how graduates of unaccredited  universities found their way into the civil service. Certainly, as former education minister Prof.Tahir Mamman pointed out when receiving the probe report, they were aided by some unscrupulous officials, possibly after receiving some form of gratification. Such people should be exposed and prosecuted as a deterrent to others.

    It is known, too, that there are many fake universities in Nigeria, unknown to the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), which are legally responsible for accreditation and admissions into Nigerian universities. In 2021, 67 such universities, satellite campuses and certificate awarding study centres were uncovered and sealed up.

    However, many others have since sprung up with nothing said or done. The relevant agencies concentrate on accreditation of courses in the legally approved institutions. All Nigerians should be enlisted in the task of uncovering unaccredited schools. The searchlight should be beamed across the country with assistance from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

    There is so much rot in the country’s educational system, with parents paying people to sit admission examinations for their children and wards, ladies known to have found other means of passing examinations in schools, teachers seeking gratification to pass their students and outright forgery of certificates.  The situation demands urgent intervention by education authorities.

    This is the 21st Century; the knowledge economy is recognised as the surest route to a prosperous future. While Nigeria continues to rely on export of raw commodities, especially crude oil, some other countries have moved beyond fossil fuels. Agencies that have the role of sensitising and mobilising citizens in accordance with the directive principles of the Nigerian state such as the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the various information organs nationwide should step up their activities now.

    University certificates are not the only way to success in life. Others could attend technical and vocational institutes. Nigeria is blessed with many creative and innovative youths who could be effectively mentored to attain success and contribute their quota to nation building.

    Over the years, Nigeria has been acknowledged as a source of skilled manpower. This should not be allowed to change now. The task of reviving the comatose economy must involve youths who have imbibed ethical values and have patriotic feelings. This can only be cultivated deliberately.

    As was the case with India, which many looked down upon globally but has now become highly respected, Nigeria can rise in a short while. Like the Asian Tigers, Nigeria has all the potential if only the energy of the citizenry could be positively directed. Nigeria can and must survive, but institutions of state must wake up to their responsibilities.

    The new Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has a duty to continue where Prof. Mamman left off. Discontinuous policies are the bane of governance in Nigeria. New officials are wont to terminate inherited policies and institute new ones. Since the same Bola Tinubu administration is in place, we expect that Alausa would come up with complementary measures to develop the country’s educational system.

  • Illegal firearms

    Illegal firearms

    The authorities must ensure that they are not in circulation

    A family of gunmakers found with firearms in their illegal gun-making factory by the police in Akwa Ibom State and the interception of firearms by the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, South-West, Lagos at a place in Oyo State further highlighted the country’s security challenges.

    Following a tip-off, operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command had raided the gun factory ran by a father and his sons, where they said “firearms of various types were fabricated and sold to criminals.” They notably seized seven newly made single-barrel guns, five newly made double-barrel guns, one special steel double-trigger pistol, one broken single-barrel gun, one trigger-handle walking stick knife, and several cut iron pipes used for constructing gun barrels.

    The State Commissioner of Police, Joseph O. Eribo told journalists that during the operation “one David Nse Emmanuel was arrested, while his father, Akpan Nse Emmanuel, and his brothers, who jointly run the business, fled.” He said the police were making efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects and trace people who had purchased or ordered firearms from them.

    It is unclear how long the gun-making factory had existed, and why its existence was unknown to law enforcement agents before now. This case shows why members of the public should be vigilant and help security agencies to fight crime by supplying useful information. The police should follow up with a manhunt for the suspects on the run, and ensure they are caught and prosecuted. The involvement of a father and his sons is a shocking dimension. There should be no room for such a family of criminals in society. 

     This is troubling indeed. A comparable incident in March, when men of the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army raided an illegal gun factory in Onicha Olona community, Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State, shows that there may well be many others in the country who are running illegal gun-making factories as a family business. At the time, the army said: “Eight suspects involved in the family business including the mastermind of the operation, his father, mother, and sister were among those arrested at the factory.”

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    The coordinator of the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, Mohammed Shuaibu, a Deputy Controller of Customs, told journalists that his team “intercepted six pieces of pump action rifles and 1,125 live cartridges concealed in a sack containing cassava flakes along Okerete-Ododo Bush in Oyo State.” He said the rifles were loaded in a Toyota saloon car.

    The joint border patrol team was inaugurated in August 2019 to tackle security challenges at the country’s international borders caused by the proliferation of smuggled small and light weapons, among others.

    The Office of the National Security Adviser, which coordinates the management of the team, works closely with the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Police, the Immigration Service, the Department of State Services, and the National Intelligence Agency.  The Nigeria Customs Service is the lead agency in the arrangement designed to ensure improved security at the country’s borders.

    Weapons falling into the wrong hands contribute to the country’s security crisis.  The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said the security forces seized 10,200 weapons and 224,709 ammunition from terrorists and other non-state actors this year.

     Figures from the Institute of Security Studies saying Nigeria accounts for 70 percent of about 500 million illegal weapons in circulation in West Africa, and another report that puts the number of small arms in the hands of civilians in Nigeria at around 6.15 million, give an insight into the scale of the problem. 

    President Bola Tinubu recently unveiled the Nigeria Immigration Service Technology Innovation Complex named after him in Abuja. The facility will ascertain the risk level of persons entering the country, detect irregular migration patterns and monitor unmanned borders in hard-to-reach areas nationwide. Its unveiling is an innovative move to use technology to secure the country’s borders.  This facility is expected to help curb the illegal inflow of weapons into the country.

    In the final analysis, the authorities must ensure that illegal firearms are not in circulation within the country. 

  • Far too much

    Far too much

    Spending on rice importation scandalous

     The recent disclosure by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, that the country still spends about $480m annually to import rice is simply scandalous. For a country said to have about 34 million hectares of arable land, it is an indictment of leaders at all levels of government in the country over the years. 

    Rice has become one of the staple foods in the country. It is present on the dining tables of most Nigerians daily, just as it is a regular guest at various celebrations and festivals.  The government is thus compelled to not only import but subsidise the importation and production of the commodity.

    Soon after the Bola Tinubu administration was inaugurated last year, it announced an elaborate scheme to tackle food shortages and scarcity. At the heart of the programme was to ensure that rice, wheat and maize would be available nationwide, given the availability of 34 million hectares of land. It declared a state of emergency towards achieving food security, including adequate funding for large-scale and subsistence farmers.

    Unfortunately, despite the measures, Nigeria still has to fall back on food importation, especially rice. Despite the borders flung open now, the price of rice continues to skyrocket in the markets nationwide.

    It is good that the President has announced that security that is said to be at the heart of failure to meet the production target would occupy a special place in the 2025 budget. But unless this is complemented by the states, the scheme may again come to grief.

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    Under the Jonathan government, Akinwumi Adesina, who was the minister of agriculture, came up with what appeared to be lofty schemes to make Nigeria self-sufficient in the production of rice in particular. He declared many times that Nigeria could and would feed herself.

    When former President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, he was quick to roll out schemes intended to make Nigeria not only self-sufficient in rice production but also a net exporter of the commodity.

    However, almost 10 years later, the country is still groaning under the yoke of food inadequacy and hunger. The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele, came up with intervention measures such as the Anchor Borrowers Scheme, to ensure that rice was produced all year round. At some point, under the Buhari government, it was even declared that Rice Pyramids had arrived. But today, there are excuses on why the various schemes failed.

    One point that must be noted is that agriculture cannot be handled mainly from the centre. The Land Use Act makes land mainly a state asset, and the governors must be in the driver’s seat. The Federal Government can only assist them, coming up with some funding and policies. Interfacing with farmers and encouraging them, be they large-scale or smallholder farmers, is essentially a state matter.

    The National Economic Council (NEC) has an important role to play in this matter.  What are the 774 local government councils doing? How is the private sector being energised to get fully involved? What is being done to get foreign investors interested, especially as many African countries are perennially threatened by drought?

    Many countries in the West African sub-region are heavy consumers of rice that could rely on Nigeria for their supply if only we could step up our production. The Tinubu government should ensure that we produce enough for local consumption and export. Other schemes that came to grief in the past should be revisited and reviewed to help in this regard.

    Nigeria is blessed with a rich variety of foods, including root and tuber crops and grains that are even more healthful than rice and should be robustly promoted.

    Spending so much scarce resources, especially foreign exchange, on rice importation is certainly not the way to go. Other less costly possibilities should be explored urgently.

  • New Covid strain

    New Covid strain

    • The authorities must take necessary actions

    The devastating COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of deaths across the world. No continent was spared and the global lockdown impacted socio-political economies across nations. Somehow, many countries are still reeling from the effects of the 2020 Covid experience. Somehow, Covid variants seem to be rearing their lethal heads in many countries.  In particular, developing countries with poor healthcare systems should take this feared resurgence of the disease very seriously.

    Reports indicate that there is a new strain called XEC that is emerging and causing infections. It’s a subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain and is made up of combinations of two pre-existing COVID-19 subvariants (KP.3.3 and KS.1.1). This is very scary for a world still contending with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    We, therefore, commend the Federal Government for activating preventive measures concerning the new Covid strain. However, we know that measures do not implement themselves. Humans implement measures. So, we call for the activation of processes to ensure that the new Covid strain has no place in Nigeria.

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    This can only be achieved when all those in the relevant agencies work to prevent a repeat of the 2014 Ebola episode in which a Liberian carrier was able to beat airport health checks at a time the world was at a standstill due to the effects of the virus. He slipped into the country and only the vigilance and patriotism of Dr Stella Adadevoh at First Foundation Hospital, Lagos prevented what would have been a terrible national tragedy. The valiant doctor paid the supreme price to save Nigerians.

    With Covid, individual sacrifice might not be much of a saving grace. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. All the relevant agencies must double their efforts especially at this festive period when there are lots of inter-country and international travels. It is no news that Nigeria has some of the most porous borders in the world. Those who man the country’s borders must be extra vigilant at this time. 

    Even though no case of the new virus had been reported in the country, we know that there could be errors in reporting. Air-borne diseases can be tricky and as such, more checks and vigilance might be the saving grace. There is an urgent need for collaboration with global health institutions. This could involve but not limited to thorough personnel training to be able to detect and prevent certain diseases like the new Covid. Also, the health sector must be adequately funded to deal with the new challenges. 

    Inter-agency collaborations must be encouraged by the government. The Ministry of Interior must be alive to its responsibilities. The national borders are under its care and it is its duty, through the immigration department, to check immigration. It must make sure that manning of the various ports of entry –   whether road, air or sea – is well coordinated for tighter national security. Porous borders are a recipe for a health disaster.

    The government must invest in health infrastructure, including upgrading machines for screening various infectious diseases, not just for the new strain of Covid but to save the lives of health workers that the country invests in training.  Fighting dangerous diseases is a double-edged sword. Protecting the lives of caregivers is as important as protecting the people. Healthcare workers take long and financial commitment to train; so, unlike in 2020 when the country struggled with masks and oxygen tanks, all needed equipment must be acquired in readiness for action when needed.

    Diseases do not discriminate. It is in the interest of everyone that the government invests in the education and health sectors. There is an African proverb that says that a war that has a date does not consume the cripple. In essence, when the country takes necessary actions, no disease, no matter how lethal, can cause too much harm.