The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Legends of Okada 

    Legends of Okada 

    • The Esama of Benin, 90, by stellar personal achievements, has planted his native place on the national map

    Per Wikipedia: “The title Esama traditionally means the ‘son of the people’, with responsibilities including assisting the poor in menial, monetary and private venture forms.”

    Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the famous Esama of Benin, who turned 90 on September 11 (he was born on September 11, 1934), has lived that Esama duty with aplomb.  From routine charity to the less privileged, he has built many churches, among them, a Grand Catholic Cathedral.

    But the Esama legend surpasses just philanthropy.  Indeed, the Esama sits at the crux of the contemporary legend of Okada, by which Chief Igbinedion’s plaudits and solid achievements have rocketed his Okada home town into national consciousness.

    When Nigeria Airways — the lone monopolist in Nigeria’s domestic aviation market — held air travellers by the jugular, his Okada Air was the first to jump into the market fray.  That was in 1983.  Other rivals soon followed. At its zenith, Okada Air had no less than 40 aircraft (air planes and choppers).

    Today, Okada Air is defunct.  But so too is Nigeria Airways.  Nevertheless, Okada Air marked the first branding, by Chief Igbinedion, in the national consciousness, of his native Okada Town.  Besides, Okada Air’s pioneering spurt showed who, between the government monopoly and a private investor, had the rightful vision for aviation.

    But Chief Igbinedion’s pioneering spirit — or that of the native that always returned to honour his roots — was not limited to aviation alone.  Tertiary education is another.

    As Okada Air, the Igbinedion University (IU) was, when founded in 1999, Nigeria’s first private university.  This time, the university took the name of its founder. But the location — Okada — would take no less prominence, for it was another bold stamping of Okada on the national consciousness.

    Education-thirsty students, from all over the country, streamed to Okada to taste new private university experience.  Today, IU isn’t listed as the best private university in town.  But it holds its own, while holding, for keeps, the bragging right as the very first of its species.

    How Okada ended up as the bitter-sweet pan-Nigeria name for the country’s chaotic — often suicidal motorbike commercial shuttle, is not clear.  Might it be a figurative dazzler to compare how reckless ‘Okada’ biker-drivers pull dangerous stunts to beat traffic snarls, with a skilled pilot’s manouevres in the skies?

    Whatever it is, that adds a seedy side to the Okada legend — maybe a guilt by association? Chief Igbinedion had no link with the chaotic ‘Okada’ bike shuttle.

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    But a fairer Okada/Esama de-marketing was Esama politics, mainly through the activity — or lack of it — of his offspring politicians.  Prime among these offspring is Lucky Igbinedion, the Esama’s first son.

    Though Igbinedion, the son, was a two-term elected chairman of Oredo Local Government, in Benin, the Edo State capital, and also a controversial two-term governor of the state, his impact was underwhelming, if not near-disastrous.

    Indeed, as the younger Igbinedion, self-made unlucky after an indifferent first term, campaigned for a fresh term, the street-wise father outed with the sardonic joke-appeal: if they say Lucky failed in his first attempt, why not give him a re-sit to correct and make up?  The Edo voters didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry!  Lucky indeed got a second term.  But it would only cement his lack of performance that birthed the much better Adams Oshiomhole years.

    These troubling years from 2008 — with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loss of power in Edo, and the so-called godfathers politically “slain” by the new Oshiomhole-led sheriffs in town — coincided with the Esama’s trouble with the Edo palace.  Although the Oba of Benin never publicly declared the Esama as palace enemy, the Esama was suspended from palace duties in 2008.  But happier times would come on June 13, 2012, when the palace lifted that suspension.

    Still, in all of those vicissitudes, the name Igbinedion retained some glow and affection, particularly in their native Ovia Local Government Area.  Indeed, Omosede Igbinedion, formerly married into the Akenzua Edo ruling family, still got elected into the House of Representatives, after brother Lucky’s gubernatorial debacle, perhaps mainly by the goodwill of their colourful paterfamilias.

    Chief Igbinedion, thick or thin, has lived an impactful life; adding value to his immediate Edo environment, the extended Nigeria community and the global business universe, with his investment in the media, in a bank, aside diamond, gold and marble mines elsewhere in Africa.

    The Esama is a worthy elder worth toasting at 90.  We wish him and Lady Cherry, the family’s matriarch, the very best in the years to come.

  • Justice without mercy 

    Justice without mercy 

    • The man who stole yams to feed his family does not deserve the harsh sentencing that he got

    A chief magistrate’s court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has sentenced one Sunday Ejoh, an artisan, to six months in prison for stealing three tubers of yam. He was however given the option of N25,000. It is doubtful if he had the fine to save him from jail, given that the tubers were worth about N3,000. He reportedly had no legal representation and had pleaded guilty to the crime. He claimed he was hungry and equally needed to feed his family.

    While we condemn any criminal act by any citizen, we are curious that in a country with a huge backlog of cases, this particular incident of theft took barely 48 hours to prosecute and pass judgment. We wish such speedy judicial action can be extended to more heinous acts of criminality not just in Osun State but across the country because, as the saying goes, ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.

    However, the case of Ejoh reminds us of the recent case of a widow in Akwa Ibom State whose husband had been lynched by a mob because he had stolen some potatoes, apparently to feed his family of four. The widow was in the news because she had resorted to feeding the children with fish and animal feeds. It was after her story went viral that the state’s First lady and some individuals contributed money to help her.

    While many might sneer at the convict or even applaud the magistrate, we feel that the society might be drifting to a total loss of values of empathy and compassion in an era of serious economic constraints that is pushing citizens to the edge. The African society is built on a functional community care where people looked out for each other through the extended family and other traditional structures. That expression is seen in the semantic import of the Igbo adage, ‘Igwe bu ike’ (community is strength) or  South Africa’s ‘Ubuntu’ (I am because you are).

    We are noticing a decreasing sense of empathy and community. In the past, such a man might have received help and some reprimand given that he just wanted to eat and give his children, not for commercial purpose. While there are no details about his past in terms of criminality, the magistrate ought to have considered that he might have been a first time offender and sort of given him a more lenient punishment like community service.

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    Judge Frank Caprio, one of the most compassionate judges in America popular for his style of dispensing justice with mercy does not compromise justice. He merely tries to understand reasons that forced offenders to break the law and focuses on listening to the offenders and in some instances offering help in paying fines from donations of his global fans. His style does not increase crime; it merely promotes our shared humanity.

    The law ought not to be just about justice. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice”. The magistrate, in jailing a man who stole because he was hungry seems to have been more focused on punitive measure than a corrective process. He stole to feed his family, so what happens to the family as he heads to jail? Don’t they matter? Couldn’t he have been given community service time and placed on parole within which time he would be under observation for good behaviour?

    Petty stealing like the one under review should not, in the twenty-first century economic climate attract such a high-handed judgment. The judiciary should rather go after the pen robbers whose actions and inactions have left people like Ejoh in dire economic situations. We hope there can be a more compassionate review of this case. The Nigerian correctional centres are too populated to add more convicts in such little acts of social misdemeanor, given the circumstances. Justice must have a human face.

  • JAMB cares

    JAMB cares

    Its support for People Living With Disabilities is a model worthy of emulation

    To know the level of civilisation in a society, find out how it treats its vulnerable members. Because such members are disadvantaged, with respect to their capacity to scramble for the limited opportunities that the society offers for self-fulfillment, they need to be granted concessions which would make it possible for them to realise their optimum, if not full, potential in life. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is one institution of the Nigerian government which has committed itself to granting such empathetic concessions.

    First, it has offered an application form rebate to Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs), so that rather than pay the full fee of N5,000, they would be paying only N3,500. Since such disadvantaged persons may not easily get the opportunities which other categories of students have to engage in jobs and related activities which may enhance their financial means of purchasing the forms, the compassionate form-related concession granted PLWDs by JAMB is commendable.

    Second, JAMB has proposed to the National Council on Education that PLWDs should be offered admission without putting them through the extra rigours of Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and related tests, once they have scored the minimum marks required for their courses of interest at the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The humane proposal by the Professor Is’haq Oloyede-led upper echelons of JAMB has been approved by the 67th council meeting, and it is a praiseworthy incremental step towards making life more livable for PLWDs.

    Third, JAMB has set for itself the target of enrolling 825 PLWDs for the UTME and for admission in the next five years. Moreover, JAMB is proposing to establish a Support Centre for PLWDs which would be optimally, technologically equipped to make life easier for them. To enhance the effectiveness of such measures, it is necessary for a census of PLWDs to be taken, and for the relevant agencies of government to pay special attention to facilitating a significant increase in their enrollment in primary and secondary schools.

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    The value of these measures is that they can facilitate excellent performance by PLWDs in different spheres of human endeavour. Examples of this were found in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which took place between August 28 and September 8, 2024. On this global stage, Nigerian Paralympians brought the country glory by winning 40 medals, including two gold. The significance of this, which is ironical, is that in the main Olympic Games which held in the same city from July 26 to August 11, 2024, Nigeria won no medal. The point being made here is that when PLWDs are granted the right concessions, they can excel in many other sectors.

    The challenge that this fact should throw to a grateful and forward-looking nation is that, in order not to make JAMB’s positive initiatives to be mere tokenisms, a comprehensive examination of areas of the society which are not yet PLWD-compliant should be undertaken and remedial action taken accordingly. At the socio-psychological level, parents of PLWDs should be counselled to shun superstitions about disability and not to see the children as a burden, but to note that with the appropriate nurture, especially if they are given optimum education, any PLWD can become a star.

    In this regard, conventional schools should be made more PLWD-compliant and more special schools, at the primary and secondary levels, should be built, especially by local governments and state governments who appear to be currently negligent of the plight of PLWDs. Programmes should also be emplaced to identify exceptional PLWDs and assist them, through appropriate professionals, to develop to the zenith of their talents. 

  • Monarch, scholar, educator

    Monarch, scholar, educator

    Foremost Yoruba traditional ruler, Aromolaran, leaves the stage when his counsel is needed the most

     Going by historical and political significance, Ilesa, headquarters of Ijesaland in Osun State, is one of the most prominent towns in Yorubaland. And, by extension, the paramount traditional ruler has always occupied a place of pride when the traditional rulers of the region meet.

    Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, the Owa-Obokun of Ijesaland, who passed on recently added dignity to the throne. He had panache, was well educated, up to doctorate level. In the civil service of the defunct Western State, he rose to the level of a deputy permanent secretary. When he crossed to the University of Ibadan, he was well regarded, not just as a prince of the ancient Ijesa throne; he carried himself well as a lecturer who had attained a high status before coming over to the ivory tower.

    Dr. Aromolaran was also involved in publishing. He established the Aromolaran Publishing Company Limited where he used his background as an economist of note, to turn the firm into one of the foremost publishers of books for secondary schools. He wrote many of the books and they soon became household names among students preparing for the Ordinary and Advanced Levels Economics and Government in the West African School Certificate Examinations.

    When the academic and business man was unanimously picked to succeed Oba Peter Adediran Agunlejika in February 1982, the whole progressive people of Ijesaland erupted with joy, believing that the time had come for someone who could rub shoulders with the best in the country, and raise his voice in the comity of Nigerian monarchs. Many looked up to him for guidance in educational matters, and even in business startups, and he never disappointed them.

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    The traditional institution, especially in Yorubaland, may be seen as representing the past, or a symbol of the ancient, but, with Aromolaran on the throne of the stool first occupied by Owa Ajibogun, a direct grandson of Oduduwa, the people saw in him a link with the modern. He understood what was needed to lift up the young, spearheaded organising business and economic summits to build up the ancient town, and later became chairman of Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers. Whereas some well-connected persons at the federal level tried to be recognised as his equal in Ijesaland where he was the paramount ruler, he stood his ground and what was considered by many as an affront was soon put down, especially when death intervened in his favour.

    During the General Sani Abacha reign when traditional rulers were intimidated and induced to support dictatorship, he maintained his dignity. He would not join in the pilgrimage to pay obeisance to the military dictator. Perhaps as a result of his academic background, he succeeded in getting the college of education in the ancient town upgraded to a university.

    Peace reigned in his time. Among members of the Ijesa traditional council, even when there appeared to be an attempted rebellion, his dignity and maturity kept the peace. In Ilesa, all his chiefs deferred to him and the people revered him.

    Oba Aromolaran led the fund-raising to give his palace a new, befitting look, and others, including the state government, rallied round. One of his closest confidants, Yinka Fasuyi, was effusive in praising the demised leader whom he described as both an elephant and a lion.

    Oba Adekunle Aromolaran has played his part and bowed out at the age of 86 years. The next challenge is getting someone who could step into his large shoes without much rancour. The kingmakers have the work cut out for them in conducting a transparent selection process.

  • Heartwarming

    Heartwarming

    •Southwest governors’ steps so far on the hunger question is soul-lifting

    Just as many had begun questioning whether the well publicised aim of the Southwest Governors Forum to work jointly towards mass food production in the region, announced in Lagos in June, was mere political rhetoric, it is heartening that steps taken so far to achieve this objective have been made public. In a features report published this month by the Nigerian Tribune, the Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), Seye Oyeleye, was quoted as saying that the commissioners of agriculture in the six states had met about four times since June to initiate and implement collective actions aimed at achieving food abundance.

    In his words, “A lot of activities that will impact output of food in the next harvest season have taken place in the Southwest and DAWN Commission has already collated the reports which will be sent to the Chairman of the Southwest Governors Forum”.

    From the report, there are indications that individual states in the region have stepped up activities in the agricultural sector and there is some justification for Mr Oyeleye’s optimism. For instance, in Ondo State, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo, said N2 billion has been committed to various activities, including the clearing of land across various local government areas, provision of farming equipment, distribution of fertiliser to farmers, as well as grains to livestock farmers and promotion of cluster farming to enhance security for farmers. The state has also reportedly commenced extensive construction and rehabilitation of access roads in various communities through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).

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    Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, stated that the state is concentrating efforts in its areas of strength such as fishery and coconut farming, while also seeking to leverage on its position as the biggest consumer of agricultural produce in the country, given its huge population. According to him, “Lagos consumes over 50 percent of anything coming from all other states of the federation…So we are trying to do the biggest food and logistics hub in Africa; and if not in Africa, but in West Africa, at Ketu Ereyin so that all the produce coming from the other states we can store them there…if there is inflation, high prices as we have now, we can bring out produce from that place to stabilise prices”.

    Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluade, on his part identified measures taken by the government to boost food production to include clearing of land for farmers, with particular focus on young citizens, construction of rural roads to connect farms to the market, providing subsidised tractor services, subsidising inputs and fertilisers, among other incentives.

    Similar measures have also been taken in Oyo State where the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, emphasised the introduction of a tractor services subsidy policy through which the state government defrays 50 percent of the cost of hiring tractors to clear farmlands. In Ogun State, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, said the state government recently distributed 24,000 bags of fertiliser to boost production while no fewer than 30,000 farmers have been supported to boost rice, maize and cassava production.

    Among other measures, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State distributed 31 tractors and other inputs to farmers in the state, including 6,000 herbicides, 80,000 cashew seedlings, 8,000 cassava cuttings and varieties of 8,000 vegetable seeds.

    The initiatives taken by the individual states are indeed commendable and we hope that the desired impact will be visible in the next harvest season.

    Yet, beyond the policies of each state, we expected a joint master plan that would clearly identify their respective areas of strength and collaborative efforts to enhance their collective productivity. What steps are being taken, for instance, to boost regional security across the states as a necessary condition for improved food production? Do we even have accurate statistics as regards the number of farmers in the region or the crop clusters into which they are segmented? How many agricultural cooperative societies are there in the region, and, can the states better coordinate the supply of inputs or tractor services to them for greater efficiency and cost effectiveness?

    Given the acuteness of the hunger in the land, we urge the Southwest governors to keep the people updated periodically on their efforts to make food more abundant and affordable in the region.

  • Police escorts

    Police escorts

    •Its high time police authorities reduced the number allocated to private individuals

    Nigerians have always known that very important personalities in the country enjoy the privilege of having many police escorts at their expense. In fact, they have always criticised this glaring abuse of privilege. It is not that they do not want the important personalities to be protected; just that they do not think it should be at the expense of the populace. The general thinking is that security should be provided for all, irrespective of status, and that the country would continue to suffer insecurity for as long as some people have the privilege of special protection at public expense.

    But, a report in The Guardian newspaper of September 12, 2024, put this special treatment of VIPs in bold perspective when it actually provided an analysis of the percentage of the cost of securing these privileged Nigerians vis-a-vis that of the entire police force.

    According to The Guardian report, headlined: “Policing: Amid lean resources, FG spends N131bn subsidising VIPs protection yearly”, came with several layers of equally astonishing but familiar riders: ‘Splashes N45bn on escorts’ uniform, tasers, bullet-proof vests, other kits’; ‘IGP: No going back on withdrawal of PMF personnel’; ‘experts urge government to emulate Rwanda, S’ Africa, others on private security’; ‘Ubani: assigning police officers to VIPs symptomatic of failed state’.

    According to the newspaper, “to provide security for these folks, the Federal Government currently spends at least N131bn yearly on salaries for police officers designated as escorts”.

    The next paragraph provides in vivid details the statistics of the percentage of Nigerians enjoying this special security cover: “Sadly” and sadly indeed, “these VIPs represent a scant 1.09 per cent of the country’s estimated 200m people. This implies that 150,000 of the current 370,800 police officers are assigned to VIPs and private individuals!”

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    We are not saying that some Nigerians are not entitled to police protection. But what we keep witnessing is a situation where policemen are simply allocated to any Nigerian who has the means, including people who are regarded as undeserving of such protection. It is so absurd that some of these escorts have been turned to glorified personal assistants not just by these VIPs and their wives, but their concubines as well. They gladly help ‘madam’ carry her bag and are ever ready to deliver on any menial jobs they are ordered to do, no matter how demeaning. As a matter of fact, many policemen reportedly bribe their way to the homes of these VIPs because of the extra cash they make from such assignments and despite the risks involved.

    And, talking about risks, we here refer to the killings of some policemen assigned to VIPs who often become the very targets of criminals bent on attacking the important personalities. They first take out the police escorts and cheaply too, because those they are protecting do not seem to value the lives of the escorts as they value theirs. They leave them in open or semi-open vans whereas the VIPs stay in bulletproof jeeps.

    Yet, successive IGPs have always threatened to do something about the too many escorts assigned to the VIPs. Yet, by the time they are leaving office, their successors are issuing the same threat, suggesting that little or nothing had been done in spite of earlier threats.

    We urge the police authorities to look seriously into this system because it is simply unsustainable. The least any government owes the citizenry is to secure them. The rich can look in the direction of private security guards as obtained in other countries, rather than shortchanging the average Nigerian.

    Even at this year’s relatively jumbo allocation to the police force, it is inconceivable that a tiny fraction of the personnel are the ones taking about 10 per cent of it.

  • Dangote petrol’s uneasy start

    Dangote petrol’s uneasy start

    We expect a quick resolution of the  teething problems to maximise the benefits of the project

    Although nearly overshadowed by needless tiffs and brickbats, September 15 turned out to be that historic moment that Nigerians had long hoped, and prayed for: the sight of hundreds of trucks rolling into the gantry of the $20 billion, 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery to lift premium motor spirit, (petrol).   Surely, the significance of the moment cannot be overstated. This is a product whose consumption of foreign exchange is put variously at anything between 35 to 40 percent of the nation’s entire foreign exchange outlay. Nigerians will also recall that this is a product over which citizens had for years been locked in combat with the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) over the question of importation and pricing. That the product is finally coming to join the league of other fuels from the refinery after delays, recriminations, allegations and counter-allegations of sabotage and other institutional challenges; surely, the moment cannot but signal an important step forward in the nation’s long journey towards domestic energy sufficiency.

    For plodding on despite the odds, Aliko Dangote, the visioner deserves commendation; no less deserving however is the Federal Government for providing the required fiscal muscle to ensure its realisation.

    Yet, as important as this latest milestone is, the road ahead would appear no less bumpy still. As it is, Nigerians’ expectation of immediate reduction in product prices would appear, not only unrealistic, but unlikely to happen anytime soon. Although an interim arrangement is reportedly in place under which the NNPCL would serve as the off-taker of the product, one contentious issue that came up last week was how much the NNPCL actually bought the product from the refinery. Whereas the company claimed to have bought the product at N898 per litre from the refinery, the refinery management on its part had described the claim as ‘misleading and mischievous’, without telling Nigerians its own version of truth, thus leaving Nigerians with wild guesses as to who between the two was not telling the whole truth.

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    Howbeit, if the forth and back argument is any indication of the government’s resolve to yield the space to the forces of the market, the adjustment in the pump prices that followed would appear to be the final seal. One other issue that also emerged is the capacity of the refinery to meet the needs of the market. Again, whereas Nigerians were led to believe that the refinery would deliver 25 million litres daily to the market, to be raised to 35 million by October, it emerged that it could only deliver 10.3 million litres in the first three days as against 75 million, thus raising fresh fears about its actual readiness to meet market demands. In fact, the situation was said to have heightened concerns about product’s future availability in the situation that NNPCL had banked on the 25 million litres per day supply from the refinery. Nigerians expect that the Dangote Refinery would be more forthcoming on the situation.

    In all, it might well be that a number of the challenges that have emerged in the past weeks are not entirely unexpected. Nonetheless, the expectation is that these would be tackled swiftly and decisively. Whether the issue is in the domain of equitable pricing or product supply guarantees, Nigerians, it needs to be said, have certainly gone too far in this journey to contemplate looking back. Just as Nigerians expect Dangote Refinery to step up the game, NNPCL, as the supplier of last resort, owes Nigeria a duty of ensuring product availability, at least until the sector fully stabilises. We expect the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to ensure that every player acts in accordance with the rules. Same with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC); the commission might want to take a more than passing interest in the activities of the disparate actors in the fuel supply chain, given the near limitless capacity for collusion and other anti-competition practices known to exist in the industry. In all, the era of product shortages should be consigned to the past.

  • School Upgrade

    School Upgrade

    • Stakeholders must handle the laudable objective with a sense of responsibility

    Better days seem to be here with the Federal Government earmarking N47.5 billion to upgrade 50 selected senior secondary schools (SSS) nationwide. This represents the first phase of the renewal process.

    Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr. Iyela Ajayi, made this known during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Government Science Secondary School (GSSC) at Koton Karfe in Kogi State. The school is the only school in the  state to benefit from the first phase of the intervention.

    “This is just the first phase. When this phase is completed, we can then report to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Education and say we have finished this phase”, Ajayi said. He added that “This will allow them to come and complete this project, and we will move unto the next phase.”

    Ajayi urged other schools to exercise patience as the intervention would get to them over time.

    “So, those schools that are not going to benefit from the first phase, I want them to be patient because after the first phase, we will come to them.

    “The intervention for the first phase will cover about N47.5 billion for the 50 schools,” he said.

    Physical planning unit’s director Maimuna Umar said the commission would deliver four new buildings to the school to ensure effective learning.

    This is a welcome relief. Many of these schools have suffered neglect over the years. Federal schools, whether secondary or even its former schools of arts and science, etc. used to be models. Those who attended the schools would always recall, albeit with nostalgia, how they were pampered with some of the best physical structures one could think of; they boasted some of the best tutors and equipment. Despite the schools being provided for in all imaginable respects, their school fees were low compared to those of other schools owned by state governments and even the privately-owned institutions. 

    It is regrettable that many of these schools, like most other things in the country, gradually degenerated over the years. It is so bad that people who attended some of those schools about three decades ago can hardly believe that these were the same schools where they finished their secondary education.

    It is therefore a welcome relief that the President Bola Tinubu government has opened the Book of Remembrance concerning these schools.

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    We urge all the stakeholders to carry out this assignment with the desired sense of responsibility. It should not be seen as another opportunity to shortchange the government. We here recall the Safe School Initiative and other intervention funds that were mismanaged. This should not repeat itself with this schools renewal programme.

    It is imperative that state governments take a cue from the Federal Government in this regard. If federal schools are bad, many schools owned by some state governments are worse. It is not enough to establish institutions, there should be plans for their periodic renewal which should be scrupulously observed to keep them in top form.

    Education is key to national development. Therefore, it should be treated as priority.

    We would be glad to see all those things that made the federal schools of old where to be in terms of staffing, equipment, physical structures, etc. replicated once again.

    The old students of these schools and others should also rise to the occasion. Governments cannot do it all alone. They should help give back to the schools that helped in making them whatever they are today.

    We urge all the stakeholders — contractors — the school authorities, the communities as well as the government to cooperate towards ensuring that the projects are delivered to standard and on time, to facilitate the renewal process.

  • From Beijing, with deals

    From Beijing, with deals

    President’s China trip promises a harvest for the future

    Not enough has been said and written about the benefits of the recent visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to China. But the narrative that almost drowned this significant outing was the list of the high-profile delegation. The story, mainly ballyhooed in the social media, was that the trip was another spendthrift affair.

    But little remorse has followed after the true story gradually came to light that

    the roll call of marquee names who accompanied the president were there for worthy reasons.

    So, the two governors, Uba Sani (Kaduna State) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State), were not there for photo ops. The ministers who were there had their pens ready for memoranda of understanding (MOU) on behalf of the country and their ministries. They included ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, trade and investment, solid minerals, power, defence, transportation, petroleum resources, information and national orientation, foreign affairs.

    At the centre of it all was the meeting between President Tinubu and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and they penned a bilateral agreement intended to raise the profile of relations between both countries that has already topped $23 billion in annual trade, making it second to South Africa in Africa, with the Asian behemoth.

    The MOUs cover its famous Belt and Road cooperation, economic development, application of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, nuclear energy, groundnut exports to China and news media. Critical among these deals is infrastructure. The imprint of China is evident in the Nigerian landscape, in road and railways construction snaking through our vast cities and wildernesses. For agriculture, it eyes the rebirth of the Kano pyramids with an MOU on the export of shelled nuts to the Asian country.

    One of the major goals is the Lagos- Abuja as well as the Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano railways. These are projects for which the president has shown enthusiasm and the China visit is another marker of that zest.

    Another agreement is the Huawei DigiTruck to ramp up mobile ICT classrooms in 10 states in Nigeria. It promises to break grounds in literacy onslaught, especially in underserved parts of the country. In the sturdy gas industry, they penned a deal for the Brass Industrial Park, Facilities, and the Methanol Complex project. It was between Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company and the China Road and Bridge Corporation. These deals amount to about $3.3 billion.

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    On of the understated announcements was the $1 billion MOU between Chart and Capstone Integrated Limited with its Chinese counterpart, Sinomach-Hea. This promises to revive the long-neglected and criticised Ajaokuta Steel complex.

    For the FCT, the minister signed agreements for street lights in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, Central Business District and the Airport Road.  The other is for waterworks not only to complete the Abuja Water Works, but also to extend the supply of clean water to Gwagwalada, Kwali and Kuje. Another agreement covers solar street lights for Mabushi, Katampe and Garki.

    Lagos State Governor Sanwo-Olu signed the Green Line MOU, a train addition to the Red Line and Blue Line. The Green Line will connect Lekki to Marina, which potentially is one of Nigeria’s busiest commutes with about a million passengers a day. Kaduna State‘s Governor Sani signed agreements to bring high-tech imprints on his state, including an MOU with Huawei Technologies to ensure unified command centre, enhanced security, intelligent traffic system, e-government and office automation, smart education, smart healthcare, ICT talent, renewable energy and public transportation.

    After the visit, the president proceeded to the United Kingdom where agreements on bilateral levels were also signed. The downside was that his media team did not inform Nigerians that he was going to the United Kingdom.

  • Welcome development

    Welcome development

    Commercial transport operators must let free CNG installation in their vehicles reflect in cheaper fares

    The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which kicked off with the distribution of 1,000 conversion kits, is a welcome development. We urge similar initiatives at the state and local government levels. Just like the revolution in GSM Telecommunications technology, the relevant authorities should awaken to the potential opportunities the CNG conversion portends, as business. Nothing stops the three tiers of government from starting a floodgate of trainee centres across the country, to churn out technicians, knowledgeable in the new technology.

    Simply put, the CNG conversion could become the next business in town. But the governments at the three tiers of government would have to make that happen. Presently, there are few and far-fetched centres for the conversion. Reports show that customers have to wait for four to six weeks to get a chance to have their vehicles converted, because of the few centres and even fewer technicians. We imagine the commercial boost, should government subsidise the training for many technicians. Again, the government could encourage private companies and enterprises to train technicians. The state and local government councils can collaborate to establish centres across the local government towns. And states with high volume of vehicles can help private entrepreneurs establish conversion points in city centres. States like Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Enugu should have hundreds of conversion centres manned by competent personnel to drive this revolutionary programme. Ogun State, from available reports, appears to be ahead other states in the CNG programme. We wonder why most states are lagging behind. It appears the governors do not understand the public angst over the cost implication of the deregulation of fuel and its ripple effects on the citizens, especially transportation. If the governors do, they would join forces with the Federal Government to drive the transition to CNG. We warn that it is foolhardy to take the economic hardship in the street for granted. In many instances, the cost of transportation had quadrupled, yet the income of most people is stagnated. Perhaps, the answer to the inflationary pressure on the economy could lie in the drastic reduction in the cost of transportation. Whether for inter-state or intra-state movement of persons, goods and services, the cost of transportation is a major contributory factor, fuelled by the high cost of diesel and petrol. Should a significant number of public vehicles convert to CNG, it will definitely impact on the cost charged commuters and transporters of goods.

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    We therefore urge the federal, state and local governments to, as a matter of urgency, influence the construction of more gas centres for the CNG vehicles. While we are not arguing for state-run enterprises, we believe government can facilitate businesses. After all, the very essence of government is the security and welfare of the people. So, governments can provide incentives to help business operators in any key  sector to enhance the welfare of the people. Transporters must also show integrity for the governments to do more. Buses and articulated vehicles running on CNG must show fidelity to the objectives of granting them free conversion kit, with reduction in the cost of transportation. It would be fraudulent for them to gain the free kit and conversion, and yet continue to charge what the users of petrol and gas charge. The transport unions can also play a role in the transition programme by encouraging their members to know that they are partners in the business of providing quality services to the people at competitive pricing.

    We urge the federal, state and local governments to take all necessary steps to bring down the cost of transportation, both for commuters and goods. If that is done, the nation will heave a sigh of relief from the economic hardship that, if unchecked, could upend the country.