The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • New epidemic

    New epidemic

    • Rape of minors has reached alarming proportions in Nigeria

    In three short words, borrowing from the renowned dramatist Wole Soyinka, the girl died. Her identity remains unknown, just as the predators who raped her to death. She died a horrible death while she remained innocent. The questions are, where are we as a people? What does this say of the community, the people and the nation?

    The girl deserves justice, even in death. She was yet to know life when it was snuffed out of her. The killer could have been a relation or friend of the family, who knows? Who knows the purpose of the criminal taking to that line of “business”? Was it for pleasure or out of a desire for money or power ritual? We hope that the Commissioner of Police in Bauchi State, Auwal Mohammed, will live to his promise to sniff out the killer rapist or rapists.

     As a starting point, when the lifeless body was recovered from the side of a mosque in Ningi where it was dumped, it was rightly taken to the general hospital where violent penetration or violation was established and semens were extracted for analysis. Beyond this, though, not much could be scientifically established as biometrics of citizens are not documented, nor are there laboratories for forensic analysis. Yet, this should not be an excuse for the police to throw up their hands in the air and pretend nothing could be done.

    We hope the parents of the girl would show up, if they had not. Then people around the home and precincts of the mosque should be quizzed with a view to obtaining some facts. Those with history of rape and paedophilia should be taken up to see if any of them had been involved or knew about it.

    A time there was when every adult regarded any wandering child as theirs. They cared. The Nigerian society, even in the rural area, has since lost that communal kindred spirit to the individualism of this age imported from the west. A rousing campaign to restore this pristine culture would go a long way to help in restoring desired values to protect our children.

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    Parents are as guilty as the criminals — guilty of neglect. Where were the parents when the girl was snatched? Or, was she already roaming the streets at that age? When children are left to their own devices, with little or no parental care, devoid of social cover and lacking governmental compassion, what else is expected, but rape, kidnap, murder and other forms of violation?

    This has become rampant all over the country. The corollary is that we have so many children who should be in school wandering through streets scraping for food and being trained by rough necks to be street urchins. Unless something is done, and quickly, too, the future may be bleak. Any society that exposes so many of the young ones to life of criminality has no right to expect them to contribute anything meaningful to national development.

    As the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) indicated, one in four Nigerian girls is sexually violated before attaining age 18 years, while one in 10 boys suffers the same fate. This is dire statistics and government should come up with clear policy to halt the ugly trend.

    The police, as lead civil law enforcement agency should immediately embark on mass training of its personnel so that all the divisions nationwide would have specialists on handling such cases, from offering psychological support for survivors to obtaining justice for the dead. Unless this is done, the cycle will continue.

  • Call to service

    Call to service

    •President Tinubu’s reshuffle of his executive council is another chance for public officials to sit up

    After 64 years existence as an independent nation, Nigeria still has a long way to go. When the Tinubu administration was inaugurated last year, expectation was that things that had gone wrong for so long would be set right, and when he unfolded the full picture of his government, many were critical of some of those he chose. It was said that many were chosen for political reasons and not their competence.

    But, when the President announced the appointment of Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman as Special Adviser on Policy Matters who would be reviewing the performance of the ministers, Nigerians chose to keep their fingers crossed.

    About 18 months into the administration, and one year after the ministers assumed office, the dangling axe came down on five of the ministers on October 23. The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, ministers of tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade-John; women affairs, Uju-Ken Ohaneye; youth development, Jamaila Ibrahim; and minister of state for housing and urban development, Abdullahi Gwarzo, were given the boot. 

    Seven new ministers were appointed and subsequently screened and approved by the Senate, including the widow of Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was appointed Minister of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Apart from the sack and fresh appointments, it is instructive that the Federal Ministry of Sports was scrapped, while the Ministry of Niger Delta has been expanded and renamed Ministry of Regional Development to make for supervision of the newly created regional development commissions in the other zones. The Federal Ministry of Tourism was merged with the Ministry of Arts and Culture and renamed Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.

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    The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction from where Mrs. Beta Edu had been suspended got a new minister — Nentawe Yilwatda, and Senator Simon Along who had moved to the Senate was replaced by Maigari Dingyadi. In all, 10 ministers were moved around as part of the restructuring of the government machinery.

    We agree that the reshuffle is in the best interest of the country as we hope that due diligence had been observed in the process. However, it is not enough to reshuffle and make fresh appointments, the president should keep an eye on his team. There is so much expected from the governments at a time like this when there is a lot of hardship in the land, occasioned by economic reform. While the deregulation of the petroleum and foreign exchange sectors have elicited so much outcry, well-meaning Nigerians have bought the explanation that it is all in the country’s best interest.

    As we move further in the life of this administration, people would begin to ask for promised dividends of democracy.

    Critical sectors like finance, defence and agriculture that were left out of the reshuffle need to be thoroughly supervised as a lot depends on them if the country is to survive its ordeal. The ministers in charge of these ministries should step up their act in the interest of the common man.

    The fight against corruption should not be by mouth only, but be seen by all. A situation that saw the humanitarian affairs ministry without leadership, and comatose for months is not good enough. The investigation of allegations against the suspended minister ought to have been concluded within three months and the report made public. Culprits, if any, should be brought to justice as a deterrence to others, and if nothing was amiss, those who had been suspended should be reinstated. So much is still left at the level of speculation now.

    The president should however be commended for attaching portfolios to the names sent to the Senate for screening. This is what the lawmakers have always demanded to enable them do thorough screening. While this is not a constitutional imperative, it helps the public to understand those being brought to run the business of government and should be the standard for future appointments.

    All the three arms of government are so important that they must be alive to their responsibilities. The executive, in particular, being the branch responsible for the day-to-day running of affairs  is too crucial to be allowed to be left to men and women who only want to enjoy the perks of office. This is not a time for the ministries, departments and agencies to be left in the hands of people who think they are out merely for fashion parade. It’s a time to work towards attaining the dreams of our founding fathers.

  • Limits of punishment

    Limits of punishment

    •Student’s death after being punished calls for stern measures against errant teachers

    It seems some teachers in our schools are yet to know how far they can go in punishing their pupils or students for whatever misdemeanour they have committed. This is the best we can deduce from the death of Monday Arijo, a student of Obada Idi-Emi High School in the Imeko Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, on October 25.

    Arijo allegedly died from complications he sustained after 162 frog-jumps and 24 strokes of the cane, administered by one of his teachers, Azamdjo Elijah.

    According to reports, the teacher had reportedly brought a dustbin to Arijo’s class with a firm instruction that the students should not break it. Arijo was said to have replied jokingly that the dustbin was bought with the students’ money. This got the teacher angry and he reported the matter to the principal, Tamrat Onaolapo, who instructed that the student be punished.

    There is nothing wrong in disciplining an errant student. The issue now is the nature of the punishment. Was it punitive or corrective? But the scope of the punishment in this case leaves too much to be desired — 24 strokes of the cane after 162 frog jumps! It is simply incredible.

    What was sadder was that the teacher and some other members of the staff of the school who were at the scene delayed in taking Arijo to the hospital for medical attention when he was behaving somehow when serving the punishment. He died 10 days later, allegedly of complications from the corporal punishment.

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    Ogun State Police Command spokesman, Omolola Odutola, said “The incident happened on October 15, 2024. The deceased was asked to do 162 frog jumps and was given 24 strokes of the cane.

    “He was rushed to FMC, Idi-Aba, for medical attention and he died today (October 25). The deceased body has been deposited at the Ayetoro mortuary for autopsy. An investigation is ongoing”, she added.

    Arijo’s death was only the most recent of such painful exits. Painful not just because someone has died but because a youth with a promising future has needlessly been despatched to the grave prematurely, over a broken dustbin.

    As usual in such situations, the state government has shut down the school and suspended the teacher. But the closure would only subsist for a while as the school would sooner or later be reopened. Reports say the principal has also been suspended after being queried over the incident.

    We want to believe that this sort of thing keeps recurring in some of our schools because the right things are not done before the schools are reopened after being shut over an incident like this.

    There must be a charter of relationships between teachers and students that the teachers must be made to subscribe to, and this must be scrupulously observed. Corporal punishment is banned in the state; yet, some teachers punish their students beyond permissible limits, sometimes leading to the death of pupils or students as the case may be.

    While we agree that some students canbe cantankerous, there are ways to handle them professionally and this is part of the curriculum in teacher training colleges.

    We cannot afford to be losing children in avoidable circumstances. This incident must be thoroughly investigated and culprits prosecuted.

  • Need for caution

    Need for caution

    • We urge restraint on claims and counter-claims on the situation of military camp in Kontagora

    It was a member of the Niger State House of Assembly,  Abdullahi Isah, who first raised the alarm on the floor of the legislature that those he described as gunmen and bandits had overrun and taken over one of the country’s largest military training camps located in Kontagora, headquarters of Kontagora Local Government Area of the state. Speaking on a motion brought before the house, the legislator claimed that the training camp, situated at the Nagwamase Military Cantonment, where the artillery corps of the Nigerian Army undergoes training, was under the control of the terrorists who had not only chased out no less than 23 communities across Kontagora and Maniga local government areas, but had established eight different camps in the forest areas where they harbour kidnapped victims and collect ransom from beleaguered relatives.

    Despite the swift and vigorous denial of the military authorities of this grave allegation, the Niger State legislature doubled down on its claim when the Speaker of the House, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, urged the army “to stop living in denial” over the presence of bandits on its training ground. He alleged that since the rebuttal of the report by the military, the terrorists had unleashed terror on communities in the areas, blocking the Minna-Kontagora road, killing about 13 vigilante members in Mariga Local Government Area and abducting an unknown number of passengers from vehicles on the blocked highway. Urging the military to speedily flush out the bandits from the area, the speaker said “As members representing our people, we get feedback from our constituents of their plight so before we present anything on the floor of the house; we have done our investigation very well”.

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    But in presenting information purportedly emanating from their constituents on the floor of the house, it is important that the legislators be sure of the veracity of their assertions so as not to end up worsening an admittedly fragile security situation. For instance, in its earlier resolution on the matter, the house had called on Governor

    Mohammed Umar Bago to liaise with the military to bring the situation under control. As the chief security officer of the state, it surely would not have been out of place for the legislature to have discussed the matter personally with the governor before raising an alarm that could cause panic within and beyond the state.

    Again, the clarification of the military on the issue indicates that the house had little or no communication with the former before going public with its allegations. The duty and responsibility of the legislature, particularly with regard to security in a sensitive state like Niger, is too serious to be treated in a cavalier and sensational manner. According to the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Edward Buba, “No inch of the training camp has been ceded to terrorists”. Describing the allegations as inaccurate and incorrect, he stated that “While it is understandable that troops have recorded encounters with terrorists in the course of operating in the general area, no inch of the training area has been ceded to terrorists. Indeed, troops constantly eliminate the threat posed by terrorists crisscrossing the vast area; our clearance operations in the area have denied the terrorists freedom of action”. Thus, the military does not deny encounters with terrorists in the area but asserts that the alleged successes of the enemy have been grossly exaggerated.

    It is unfortunate and unprofessional that the media reported the allegations in the first place without seeking the position of the military for balance.

    We recall that at their recent meeting to review the state of their region and the country, governors and traditional rulers from the North commended the military for recent successes in the war against banditry and terrorism in the region. It is important that we do not inadvertently propagate information that emboldens the criminals while demoralising security agents who put their lives on the line to defend our lives and property.

    Better still; the government should do a private investigation of the matter to ascertain the actual state of affairs in the place.

  • A well-deserved big stick

    A well-deserved big stick

    • CAF’s fine against Libya for maltreating Nigerian team is in order

    Football, like all games is ruled by often very strict rules. Obedience to these rules guarantees that sports play its socially functional rules. The idea of sportsmanship stems from the expectation that sports in its purest form be taken as recreational and uniting, not just in communities but on the global scale. Global sports has more than politics or economic activities been a more uniting force across nations, in spite of racial, religious or class differences.

    Football is globally described as the ‘beautiful game’ for a reason. It is the most universally popular game across the world. It has become the most popular and most economically viable game with very strong national leagues, sub-national, regional, sub-regional, continental and global (World Cup) competitions that provide entertainment and passionate following for lovers of the game.

    The  Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), is the international governing body for association football, futsal, and beach soccer. Founded in1904, the body oversees the organisation of football globally. Continental and regional organisations like Confederation of African

    Football (CAF) and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and others are charged with organising competitions and maintenance of law and order.

    It was therefore very apposite that CAF wielded the big stick on Libya penultimate week, when they investigated the treatment meted to the Nigerian Super Eagles who were due to play a second leg AFCON qualifying match in Benghazi, Libya. The Nigerian team had their flight diverted from Benghazi to Al-Abraq International Airport without prior notice. The flight was diverted to Al-Abraq and the players and crew were kept waiting for over 12 hours, with no decent accommodation, food or water.

    CAF Disciplinary Board said because Libya violated AFCON Regulations and the CAF Disciplinary Code —specifically Articles 31, 82, and 151 –  CAF had declared the match forfeited by Libya and awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory. In addition, Libya was fined $50,000 to be paid before 60 days from the date of the ruling. Even though Libya has indicated its readiness to appeal the decision, it remains to be seen what their new arguments would be.

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    The controversy raging in Libya over the decision of the committee has shocked many, given that every football governing body across the footballing nations is expected to be familiar with the rules of the game. However, the allegation that the decision has elicited a political reaction from some Libyans has raised outrage in Nigeria. It is alleged that some Libyan citizens are using the social media to call for the deportation of some Nigerians, and a tax of about $500 in a seeming punitive measure.

    This tastes very sore in the mouth as a continental competition is supposed to be about displaying the best form of sportsmanship and camaraderie. However, CAF takes a part of the blame. Given the political chaos in Libya since the death of its former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, there has been no stable government in the country. There have been internal conflicts and struggle for power. A ban from competitions for Libya might just have spurred the people to reunite and organise credible elections.

    CAF might claim that they do not allow politics to meddle with the game, but tragedy can be avoided by being more circumspect, especially for a conflict-ridden country like Libya. On another hand, many commend CAF for wielding the big stick against Libya in this instance. It is a good lesson to send to other nations that might decide to toe the same path.

    We however recommend that the Federal Government, through the foreign affairs ministry, must investigate the allegation about Nigerians being threatened with deportation and illegal taxes. While we do not recommend illegal migration into any country, a football issue should not offer any country the cover under which to punish citizens of other countries. FIFA has always tried to separate politics and the game of football. Libya has a very notorious relationship with black immigrants that have been seen through videos and pictures being physically and sexually abused for just being black. Nigeria must protect its citizens by rejecting extra-judicial maltreatment of Nigerians as retaliation for any CAF punishment.

  • Too small

    Too small

    •We welcome reps’ intention to increase derivation fund beyond the present 13%

    The bill seeking to rephrase paragraph two of section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) sponsored in the House of Representatives by  Awaji-Inombek Abiante and eight others, deserves a critical review. The bill, which has passed second reading, seeks to delete ‘not less than 13 per cent’ in line three and insert ‘not less than 50 per cent’. The lead sponsor referenced the Independence Constitution and the 1963 Republican Constitution, respectively, which provided for the payment of 50 per cent proceeds of any royalty received by the federation for any minerals extracted in any region in the country.

     Abiante told his colleagues that the bill, if passed, would benefit the entire country.

    We agree.

    He posited: “Some of us may feel that this section that we seek to amend makes no meaning to them, because their states are not presently affected but it is pertinent to ask, what about the future?” He went on: “Let us remember that every state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources capable of turning the economic fortunes of the country.”

    Thankfully, as his colleagues should know, the Tinubu administration has shown remarkable interest in the development of solid minerals, as a main source of revenue. The Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, has shown remarkable determination to ensure the realisation of the administration’s policy on diversification of the nation’s economy. Perhaps the

    passage of this bill may further spur it. We know that the present practice of a dependent federalism is not good for the country. So, let Nigeria return to the era of competitive federalism, where states would, like the post-independence regions, compete amongst themselves.

    We recall with nostalgia, the great pyramids of the northern region, the cocoa of the south-west and the palm oil of the south-east etc., which were

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    the mainstay of the giant achievements of the First Republic. Many would agree that the quality of life of the ordinary Nigerian in that era was much better than what is obtained today. In that era, the governments of the regions ensured productivity in their domains, since that determined the availability of resources for the government. That symbiotic relationship ensured that government established farm settlements, research institutes, marketing boards and all necessary dynamics for a productive economy.

    Conversely, the dependent federalism we presently practice promotes the lethargy that has become the bane of the states. Now, most governments and the governed at sub-national levels are bereft of productive energy, while all efforts are geared to be well positioned to access the statutory share of the federal monthly allocations.

    Hopefully, passage of this bill would spur competitiveness amongst states, which will ultimately impact positively on the quality of the lives of the productive citizens.

    Abiante also argued that retaining more resources in the states would mitigate the environmental challenges facing the impacted states. “Even the intent and desire to ensure the rehabilitation and development of the damaged environment where mineral resources (liquid, gaseous and solid) are derived for the sustenance and development of the whole country does not also seem achievable with the current practice of 13 per cent”, he said.

    Of course, we appreciate that weaning the states and local governments’ dependency on the humongous federation account would require a lot of adjustments. So, if the nation would not go the whole hog of 50 percent, the present 13 percent is too low to incentivise and spur productivity at the subnational levels. We therefore urge the National Assembly to start the difficult but inevitable return to the agreements reached at the pre-independence conferences on fiscal federalism, without putting the country’s unity in jeopardy.

  • A placebo

    A placebo

    •Phasing out wooden boats is no solution to mishaps on waterways

    The two most recent mishaps, each of them claiming scores of lives, has occasioned fresh concerns on the safety of wooden boats in the country’s water transportation matrix. We refer here to the October 1 incident during which a wooden boat, said to be conveying about 300 passengers from Kwara State to an event in neighbouring Niger State capsized at Gbajibo in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, with more than 100 of the passengers feared drowned.

    And then the October 7 incident in Imore Town, Lagos, also involving two wooden boats, each said to be ferrying 16 passengers. They were said to have collided mid-Lagoon with 11 of the passengers rescued, the rest 21, apparently drowned.

    In fact, if the mood at the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is anything to go by, the days of the wooden boats, said to constitute over 90 per cent of boats on the country’s waterways, are about to end.

    According to NIWA’s managing director Bola Oyebamiji, his agency is already liaising with the presidency and Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to replace wooden boats nationwide.

    We do agree, in a general sense, that the water transportation sector needs to be modernised and transformed for convenience, safety and efficiency. Our point of departure with NIWA is the proposed solution which seems to us, at this time, like cutting off the head to treat a nagging headache. For, while we might agree that wooden boats appear somewhat archaic and perhaps outdated, what is debatable is that these boats, which have served our people for generations, have suddenly become less safe in use.

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    The point that must never be lost is that those contraptions have remained – for those who use them – the means of choice in the absence of alternatives. In other words, they have dominated the scene only because state governments in particular have not thought it fit to modernise the sector.

    In seeking to phase out the wooden boats, NIWA ought to be careful in disrupting an eco-system that would have the potential to create more problems than it seeks to solve.

    We say this because NIWA has itself correctly identified the problems as one of regard for operational rules, particularly night travels, overloading and failure to use life jackets by both operators and passengers. These problems can be put squarely to the lack of effective oversight by those charged with the business of safety and standards in the sector.

    These problems, being in the domain of regulation, are certainly easier to address in the short term. This is where we think NIWA and state governments, in particular, should primarily concentrate their attention rather than what appears to us, as another initiative to throw scarce funds at problems that will in the end yield nothing.

    We note that some states, notably Lagos, have invested massively, not just in water transportation but also in ancillary infrastructures. We do not see anything holding back other states from embarking on similar ventures. That way, they will be better positioned to address the basic issues of regulation and safety while pushing aggressively for the much sought-after modernisation.

    Rather than being the source of the problem, the prevalence of the wooden boats would at best be a symptom of the sector’s state of underdevelopment. In the circumstance, phasing out the wooden boats would at best be a placebo. It will certainly not address the roots of the problem.

    While NIWA’s core  task is to make our inland waterways not only safe but navigable, issues of safety on our waterways would seem to us as beyond that which NIWA alone could address. It is a task for which they should seek active collaboration with the state governments.

  • Girding the grid

    Girding the grid

    • Multi-layered transmission lines, aside grid decentralisation, are exciting prospects

    The latest national uproar was the plunging of a wide swath of the North into darkness for days on end — no thanks to vandals’ wreckage of the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line.

    It was depressing that a good chunk of the North got enveloped in the dark for days. But the siege is over.  The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), on October 30, announced it had restored power to the bulk of the region: Lafia (in Nasarawa) and Makurdi (in Benue); aside Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Gombe states. 

    That was through the 330 KV Ugwuaji-Apir transmission line, part of which too was vandalised.  Though the TCN release did not give updates on the Shiroro-Kaduna line, the repairs should be gathering pace, with the National Security Adviser (NSA), partnering the Army and the Air Force, to provide cover for TCN engineers, working hard to fix the damaged lines.

    TCN and its obsolete transmission lines are a long, winding odyssey.  Insecurity is only its latest headache.  Much of the North West grapples with banditry.  Boko Haram terrorism, though now fading, has branded an indelible scar on the North East.  A pocket of the North Central — Niger State — is also snared in devil-may-care banditry, seeping from the North West. 

    Outside that northern belt, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) violence is plaguing the South East.  So, North or South, TCN is forced to brace itself for additional worries — the security of its assets, often sited in “no-man’s lands”; easy game for vandals, aside worrying over sourcing capital to upgrade its aging lines.

    On securing TCN  transmission lines, the security agencies have their job well cut out.  The chore may be tasking but with right materiel and motivated personnel in right places, it is eminently achievable. 

    Electricity is a major plank on which the success — or failure — of the government would be measured. Not a few have said that high glory, for the Tinubu administration, rests exclusively on winning the electricity access war.  That’s not exactly a hyperbole.  So, the government should roll out everything to secure TCN transmission assets.

    Still, this security, as vital as it is, is only a symptom. The real disease are the outdated lines; and how to source the huge cash to modernise them —  and in record time too. This splitting double-headache cannot just vanish. For context, the transformer that exploded in Jebba (Kwara State), which triggered the latest national grid crisis, is 47 years old! — according to power minister, Adebayo Adelabu.

    “Let me tell you, the truth of the matter is we have old infrastructure,” the minister exploded in understandable

    jeremiad. “We have a national grid whose transmission lines are weak, the towers are falling, and the substations, the transformers are old.  In fact,” he added, “the transformer that actually exploded in Jeba was 47 years old. We’ve been trying to revamp the assets, to change them.  But they cannot be changed overnight.”

    True.  To modernise those lines, the Muhammadu Buhari government put in place the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) aka Siemens Power Programme (SPP). The PPI/SPP’s pre-engineering phase was signed in February 2021. 

    It projected US$ 2.3 billion to upgrade Nigeria’s outdated transmission lines, in this Germany-Nigeria, government-to-government initiative. But for COVID-19, which raged for much of 2020, the signing could have been earlier.  Indeed, Mallam Abba Kyari, President Buhari’s first chief of staff, contracted COVID-19, on one of his foreign trips to work on the Siemens project.  He did not survive the virus.

    President Bola Tinubu too, early in his tenure, followed up on the Siemens initiative.  As we speak, both the President and his German counterpart, Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, have exchanged visits, with both pledged to consummating the project. 

    The German Chancellor was in Nigeria on October 29 and 30, 2023 — the first foreign President to visit, after President Tinubu’s assumption of power. President Tinubu,  following Chancellor Scholz’s invite, went to Germany on a three-day official visit, starting from November 20, 2023.  The Siemens project was central to these visits, so much so that Minister Adelabu, by April 2024, was giving updates on the arrival of core hardware for the project’s pilot phase.

    “The pilot phase involved the offshore importation of 10 power transformers and 10 mobile substations to be used as a proof of concept for these projects,” he enthused. “All these items have arrived in the country.”  That development led to the upgrade of some 14 existing power transmission substations; and installing 22 new transmission sub-stations.  Still, given the depth and breadth of the problem, it would still appear a drop of water in the ocean.

    So, after years of near-zero investment in Nigeria’s aging transmission lines, renewed  serious activity returned to that front from 2015.  It is clear the ruling order is realising it cannot possibly fix the wobbly economy without fixing power.

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    But even more exciting is the move away from the problematic, sole central grid — with its constant collapse — to back-ups: in regional and state grids. Sections of these back-up grids are designed to explore solar and wind, aside the traditional thermal and hydro.  This new thinking is hinged on liberalisation, which invites individual states; and even contiguous states to band into regional investors, to power their common economy.

    The power minister waxed lyrical on the new concept: “We are working on establishing what is called a super grid — which is a backup, optional grid.  If the national grid has a problem, there will be an alternative route, through which power can be transmitted.”  That means double cover for the central grid, to fend off collapses.

    Then, regional grids: “The world has moved beyond having a centralised grid.  Grid must be regionalised.  We must have state grids, so that each of the regionalised grids will be insulated from each other.  A problem in a particular line will not affect the others.”  Good thinking! 

    But beyond plans, what are the timelines?  The minister should provide specific timelines, within which these reforms would be achieved.  The media too, instead of just rushing to break the news, in pleasurable hysterics, that the grid had collapsed yet again, should take ownership of the power reform processes.  That way, they would not only track the minister at every stage of project timelines, they would also be able to report accurate progress — or retrogress — to Nigerians.

    Besides, if the regional and state grids must work, there should be a constitutional amendment to tweak the revenue sharing formula, to push more resources to the states to actualise the new power liberation concept.

    But liberalisation doesn’t diminish asset security.  Since power infrastructure is always sited far away from the proverbial city centre, they remain sitting targets for vandals.  So, as liberalisation de-centralises power investment, there must be a corollary in decentralised policing.  It is therefore good that work is proceeding on state police. 

    For the ultimate good, decentralised power and decentralised police should go hand-in-hand.  That’s when the grid can be well and truly girded.

  • Revolutionary drugs

    Revolutionary drugs

    The United States has developed new classes of drugs that could change civilisation, and Nigeria should not be left out.

    What is regarded as a miracle in one age is simply a routine in another. Medicine and technology have guaranteed this fact. For instance, the ability to fly across continents in an aircraft was a marvel for supernatural witchcraft until the 20th century. The discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics tackled infections, syphilis, meningitis, wounds and eased surgeries, many of which were death sentences. Hence some philosophers have asserted that many of the world’s problems were within the reach of humans to solve.

    As humanity evolves with disruptive inventions and discoveries, idealists think up new worlds. We are experiencing one today by way of new classes of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. The development of these classes of drugs has been in the works for about two decades, but the world, beginning with the United States, is beginning to see the effects of these drugs that medics are describing as the everything drugs.

    They began with the treatment of diabetes; then they are shrinking the obese. Now they are known to treat cardiovascular and kidney diseases. There is hope that they will defeat Alzheimer’s and addiction. One of the drugs in these classes is known as Semaglutide and it has been doing wonders against obesity. One in eight Americans are on the drug. One of the pharma companies, Novo Nordisk, makes Semaglutide. It also has Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. Eli Lilly, another firm, sells tirzepatide, also for weight loss.

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    According to the Economist magazine, just these two firms and their drugs accounted for about $1 trillion in market value in 2021. With these everything drugs, we may be on the cusp of a revolutionary time for human triumph not only over diseases, but over the definition of the good life. For instance, its handling of obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and addiction could redefine the meaning of addiction. Addiction may attract derision as a moral weakness or collapse but just a biological and curable condition. No more cocaine addict, opioid addict, alcohol addict, but conditions that require a pill and a time with a doctor or a monitoring nurse.

    It is a call to our ministry of health and top medical experts in the country to tap into this trend. It had been a United States phenomenon for years. Now other countries are joining. China, the United Kingdom and even Brazil are opening up to enjoy this refreshing medical facility.

    But it is not the exclusive of the west to develop this sort of medical revolution. Their advantage is their ability to create conducive environment for ingenuity, including a reward system. In the southwest of Nigeria, there has been a herbal mixture named ‘Gbogbonse’, which also means everything drug. It is known to cure a wide range of human illnesses. But it has remained on the fringes of medical discourse and even application.

    When the white man came to West Africa, especially after they came to settle for colonialism, many of them died from malaria, so much so that the region was called “the white man’s grave.” Then one Doctor Baikie developed quinine in the 19th century, and that made life easy for his folks. But the locals had been tackling mosquitoes for ages with local herbs. It is those herbs that the doctor manipulated to develop his quinine, which is the root of malaria treatments today. For instance, many Nigerians treated malaria with ‘dogonyaro’ leaves, which was boiled and drunk without a standard of dosage.

    Just like ‘Gbogbonse’, the new classes of drugs are not plucked from the American sky. They were extracted from herbs. The GLP-1 drugs, for instance, have shown from statistics to chasten the chances of opioid overdose and cannabis and alcohol abuse. One of the downsides to the drugs, like most medications, is that they have side effects. Another weakness is that patients may have to use them their whole lives. Three, it is also expensive to get any of them. Tirzepatide costs a whopping $500 a month. Another failing is what sociologists call the medicalisation of everyday life, which means permissive lifestyle may be normalised because there is always a medication to return the person to good health. The side effects include nausea, pancreatitis, diarrhoea and muscle loss. Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and kidney disease have ranked among the top killers. Hence these classes of drugs have started the whispers about their ability for longevity. As the Economist, wrote, “as the contraceptive pill encouraged women to stay in education and work, so GLP-1 drugs could lead to profound economic and social change by enhancing productivity and freedom.”

    Our policy makers ought to key into this new medical development, although much of the work is still going on and the range of its applicability is still speculative. What is known already is stunning. As the drugs get cheaper, and they will eventually, our people should benefit from them. Time to start work on having them in this country is now, while we investigate how we can domesticate this genius and make our own variants for our own people.

  • The dishonourable rep

    The dishonourable rep

    Ikwechegh should be taught the lesson that would put an end to such cruelty in high places

    A video showing Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, an All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) member representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency, allegedly assaulting an Uber driver during a delivery at his residence in Maitama, Abuja, has been trending in the past few days. As though nature was conducting a symphony of political rascality, far away in the United Kingdom, Labour Party’s Mike Amesbury was trending on the social media, after footage of a video of him in a street brawl allegedly punching a man.

    The noticeable difference in the two incidents however is that while the British Labour Party immediately suspended the Back Bencher, his Nigerian APGA counterpart has been grandstanding, both at the police station and in the National Assembly where a video of him reading some written apology has also been trending. There has been no word from his party, constituency or the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House of Representatives.

    Humanity is the same and emotions are expressed the same way across the globe. However, as public officers, politicians and government appointees are expected, like Caesar’s wife, to be above reproach. In the UK, the Labour Party said Amesbury is assisting police with their inquiries, and that they have suspended him “pending an investigation.” On the contrary, in Nigeria, the police detained Mr. Ikwechegh’s victim after he was taken to the station by cronies of the law maker.

    According to Kier Stammer, the Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, “I have seen the video footage, it’s shocking. We moved very swiftly to suspend him as a member and as a member of parliament.” In Nigeria, despite public outrage, the house member has been in plenary and is reported to have been granted a N500,000 bail by a court in Abuja.

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    It is apposite to state that this incident is not the first of its kind in Nigeria. There had been physical fights in Nigeria’s House of Representatives in the past.

    There seems to be an unbridled display of impunity by some of our public office holders. Nothing proves this better than the recorded slapping video of Ikwechegh boasting to his victim, “I can make you disappear. Do you know who I am? I can make this man (driver) disappear from the whole of Nigeria, and nothing will happen. Can you imagine this rat? I am not going to give this boy one naira of my money”.

    “I am not going to call my policemen to beat you up. I will do that myself. I will show you that I am a big brother. I will tie you up, lie you down and put you in my generator house. Do you know where you are? Because you saw me sitting outside here? Look at this monkey,” he said. In these words by a federal law maker lie the impunity that often cascades from Nigeria’s political elite. At the risk of using the social cliché, Nigerian political class almost always ‘gets away with blue murder’.

    The fact that the Nigerian system is often very dysfunctional empowers some people with the privileges of money or power to abuse whatever power they wield. An Ikwechegh is seemingly standing on existing systemic loopholes. A Senator Elisha Abbo from Adamawa State had been caught on camera physically abusing a shop owner in her sex toy shop and despite the outrage and court cases, he got away with that crime.

    Many politicians in Nigeria behave as emperors and grandstand as being above the law. The law enforcement agencies often abdicate responsibilities and fail to hold most of them to account. That accounts for their often braggadocio and abusive behaviour. It might not be wrong to say that in Nigerian political space, might is often right and accountability does not always apply to people with financial and/or political power. It is even sadder that law enforcement agencies often side with those with influence and power. That is absolutely very empowering and reason why politicians often get very abusive verbally and physically. We hope that this singular incident provides the platform for a systemic introspection that can restore the dignity that goes with public offices.

    If the political elite must covet the sobriquets; Excellency, Distinguished and Honourable, they must earn them through their behaviour.  We hope that Ikwechegh would be made to answer to his very repugnant public behaviour and disrespect for Nigerian institutions like the National Assembly and the Nigeria Police Force.

    A House of Representatives member is a national figure that ought to be a beacon. His so-called apology is so puerile and seems choreographed. It is a mere face-saving attempt and lacks the full verve of a remorseful individual. Nigeria might feel more compelled to have a more thorough mental health evaluation of those running for public offices.