The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • Sani Abacha: Remembering the despot 20 years after

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    Twenty years ago today, precisely, 8 June 1998, the former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, died mysteriously in office.

    Dismissing reports that the Kano-born artillery soldier died after eating a poisoned apple from one of his mistresses, former chief Security Officer to the late Head of State. Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), had claimed in 2017 that the late Abacha’s health system collapsed “immediately after one of the security operatives that accompanied the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, shook hands with him.”

    The ex-Nigerian strongman became unconscious and died few hours later.

    While tears flowed freely at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, there were celebrations and dancing in Lagos and  other cities across the country.

    Abacha is widely remembered in Nigeria and across the world for his style of government.

    He was a man of few words, but deadly actions. Born on the 20th of September, 1943 in the ancient city of Kano, he announced the coup that sacked the administration of ex-President Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983 and brought Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to power.

    He also announced the then Chief of Army Staff, Major-Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, as the new military President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in an evening broadcast on August 27, 1985.

    That coup speech was read by Brig. Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro.

    Abacha was appointed the Minister of Defence in 1990.

    Read Also: Abacha as President Buhari’s hero?

    He took over power on November 17, 1993 after a Federal High Court in Lagos had declared the Interim National Government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan as illegal.

    The ING was put in place by the Babangida’s administration following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election presumed to have been won by the late billionaire businessman, Chief MKO Abiola.

    The Abacha cabinet comprised of several prominent politicians – Bamanga Tukur, Lateef Jakande, Adamu Ciroma, Jim Nwobodo, Babagana Kingibe, who was Abiola’s running mate; Uche Chukwumerije and Solomon Lar.

    It is unfair to accuse the Abacha regime as completely negative. This is because the regime stabilized the Nigeria economy. In four years (1993 to 1997), Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserve rose from $494 million to $9.6 billion and the external debt of the country was reduced from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion in 1997.

    It should also be recalled that the inflation rate of 54 per cent inherited from the Ibrahim Babangida’s administration was reduced to 8.5 per cent between 1993 and 1998 under Abacha.

    Abacha increased the price of petrol just once in his four-and-a-half years stint in office and set up the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund, which was widely acknowledged to have performed well in infrastructural development and intervention programmes in education, health and water.

    In sports, Nigeria excelled under Abacha. For the first time, Nigeria earned gold medals in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics including the much coveted one in football.

    He personally phoned the players and other sportsmen and women during these competitions. He motivated them and they in turn won laurels for Nigeria under the then Sports Minister, Chief Jim Nwobodo.

    In 2014, the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration chose Abacha as one of Nigeria’s greatest heroes for “unity, patriotism and national development.”

    However, he is remembered for his scarce public appearance and refusal to grant interviews or allow the publication of any personal information about him and developed a habit of working only at night.

    He had informed Nigerians during his national broadcast, on assumption to power in 1993, that his regime would be “firm, humane and decisive” and any attempt to test the will of the regime will be decisively dealt with.

    And he lived up to these words, with the continued arrest and detention of journalists and Nigerians that criticized his regime. Between 1995 and 1996, at least 200 senior officers were sacked, including the first Chief of Army Staff, Chris Alli.

    His successor, Ibrahim Alkali, was also fired on grounds of outspokenness. The killing of the Ogoni nine still remain fresh in the minds of Nigerians, with the international community tagging Nigeria “a pariah state.”

    Abacha also jailed prominent Nigerians like Sheu Yar’Adua, Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief MKO Abiola (winner of the June 12 1993 elections), for revolting against his regime.

    Yar’Adua and Abiola later died in prison.

    Abacha was also accused of looting the treasury, stashing the funds abroad, especially in Switzerland.

    Adeyinka Akintunde is a graduate of Philosophy from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. A social commentator and Online Reporter

  • Skill acquisition: Charles O’Tudor takes five entrepreneurs to Switzerland

    Widely acknowledged brand strategist and vast entrepreneur, Charles O’Tudor is gearing up to hold the second edition of the most anticipated Charles O’Tudor Brand Master Class Season Two (COBM02).

    The event which coincides with O’Tudor’s 47th birthday is a special birthday anniversary give back to the society and its first edition which held last year had 460 entrepreneurs in attendance. The anticipation and clamour for participation since O’Tudor unveiled plans for the second edition has consistently been on the rise.

    Just like the first edition, the ‘Charles O’Tudor Brand Master  Class’ will feature stirring and innovative sessions where partakers will be led on how to plan, build and implement a winning brand from brief to creation and implementation.  In one of his social media posts, O’Tudor said the brand master class is for “entrepreneurs who are passionate about growth, who desire real impact and are hungry for improvement.

    Entrepreneurship has been found to be capable of making greater impact on the economy and nation, the quality of life of her people through economic growth, employment generation and repositioning Nigeria as an emerging economic giant. It’s for these reasons that I have chosen to give back to Nigeria through the CharlesO’Tudor Brand Master Class Series For Exceptional Entrepreneurs”.

    As part of the build up to the event, some of the speakers have been unveiled and it seems O’Tudor want this year’s participants to learn from other successful world renowned brand strategists.

    British born Claudine Moore who owns an impressive PR and communications career that spans top global agencies and Fortune 100 brands across multiple markets has been confirmed as one of the speakers.  Claudine has held senior leadership roles in agencies such as McCann Erickson (MRM) and Grey. She was also the US Regional Director, Media, Marketing and Business Development for PR giant, Hill & Knowlton Strategies.

    Also confirmed as one of the speakers is Musheer Alambert, who has over 12 years of experience in financial industry, working on assignments in North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

    Most recently, he led multinational engagement teams to manage audits for the National Bank of Abu Dhabi across its global network, which extends to 150 locations and 18 countries, and has assets over $100 billion. The last but not the least is Nigeria’s Chukwuka Monye, the Managing Partner of Ciuci Consulting and Director General of Delta Economic Summit Group. Chukwuka is an innovation strategist, corporate development and consumer intelligence expert.

    One of the event’s sponsors, African Wealth Report has also volunteered to sponsor the best five entrepreneurs with the most resounding business plans to Switzerland to gain more skills acquisition.

    Air Peace will also be giving out five free local return tickets to outstanding entrepreneurs who can distinguish themselves in their chosen fields. Charles O’Tudor has earlier announced that he will be hosting 1007 entrepreneurs this year selected based on viability of their businesses and the submitted rationale behind their desire to be at the ‘Master Class’, after applying online at www.charlesotudor.com/register .

    The event is scheduled to hold on June 20, 2018 by 10am at The Coliseum, Lekki.

    Charles O’Tudor is Africa’s premiere brand strategist and engagement consultant. Over the years,  he has enriched the branding landscape with his innovative approach to brand building across all sectors of the economy.

    An alumnus of the prestigious wits business school in South Africa, he is the Principal Consultant of ADSTRAT Brand Management Consultants, a firm renowned for its out of box approach to brand strategy and engagement. He is an accomplished author, public speaker and thought leader.

  • Artificial eyelashes: Optometrist advises women on hand hygiene

    Dr Njong Onugu, the Chief Executive Officer, Eyes R Us, has advised women to ensure clean hands while inserting and removing artificial eyelashes in order to avoid eye infections and visual impairment.

    Onugu gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

    She explained that artificial eyelashes did not pose any threat to vision, if worn properly with strict adherence to instructions by optometrist.

    The specialist defined artificial eyelashes as the extensions used to enhance the length, curliness, fullness and thickness of natural eyelashes.

    According to her, the extensions can be made from several materials including mink, synthetic or horse hair.

    Read Also:Women warned on dangers of fixing artificial eyelashes

    Onugu, however, urged women fixing such lashes to consult a doctor for proper medical counselling on the way and manner it should be worn and its duration on the eyes.

    “Artificial eyelashes, if worn properly with adherence to instructions; do not pose a threat to your vision, however, we want to ensure that people maintain good hand hygiene.

    “In this case, when inserting or removing it, you should make sure your hands are clean to ensure you don’t predispose your eyes to some infections or inflammation.

    “You must also be careful not to inflict injury on the outer part of the cornea, as this can lead to a scar, which will eventually lead to impaired vision, if not properly treated and managed by optometrist.

    “In this regard, before you start fixing eyelashes, you must ask your optometrist questions bordering on how to care for your lashes, insert, remove and adhere to instructions,” Onugu said.

  • Rethinking the next generation of NGOs

    Non Governmental Organizations ( NGOs ) are not only recognised as an alternative to leadership but are also essential to the key transformations that shape peace, security and development globally. Although, religious and circular groups are engaged in activities similar to what NGOs are known for today, the creation of the United Nations (UN) in 1945, and the end of the cold war in 1990 introduced the first and second generations of NGOs in modern era. Currently, NGOs are said to be in their third generation which mainstreams sustainable systems as its defining feature, as against the first and second generations whose characteristics emphasised welfarist and local self-reliant development respectively.

    The approaches of the first and second generations were crucial for emergency situations requiring instant and effective responses, but they only provided temporary solutions that left the much tougher and wicked problems untouched. The humanitarian responses provided to conflict torn communities in parts of Africa were not anchored on the lived experiences of ordinary citizens, providing limited solutions to the much tougher problems of poverty and unemployment for instance. However, international NGOs that started with delivering welfare services such as food, water, clothing and other forms of charity have had to review their strategies particularly in the wake of the September 11 (9/11) terrorist attacks.

    The unique events of 9/11 altered the international landscape in particular ways, with a realisation that the greatest threats to global security could stem from state fragility. This realisation led to the third generation of NGOs with an orientation towards strategic management, and a people centred approach to development, which situates the fundamental challenges of development within institutional and policy constraints. While the third-generation approach attempts to upturn the structural conditions that perpetuate insecurity and underdevelopment broadly, the changing nature of challenges across the globe may require a rethink of development approaches as NGOs transition into its fourth generation.

    Ideas on the fourth generation of NGOs was perhaps first championed by David Korten in 1990 who suggested that it would be critical for the fourth-generation of NGOs to have an orientation towards building ‘a mass of independent, decentralized initiatives in support of a social vision’. Building on the ideas of Korten, it may be useful to emphasise that the fourth-generation approach should essentially move away from simplistic analysis that predicts doom for the world’s future or solutions that suggest single institutional frameworks for contexts that are less similar.

    These notions tend to view problems as a manifestation of the absence of rules or enforcement mechanisms that suggests top-down solutions, which essentially reinforces the approach of the first and second generation. This indeed reflects the gulf that separates elegant institutional approaches from the daily realities of people in many parts of the global south. Instead, we may be at an advantage when we understand challenges and problems from a different lens. It may be useful to view global challenges from the inability of communities to mobilise themselves to solving their own problems. This way we can see what development means from the eyes of ordinary citizens, and harness solutions to problems from their aspirations. In the words of Marcel Proust ‘the real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes’.

    NGOs

    Importantly, therefore, moving into the next generation will require a strategic leadership approach. Strategic because interventions should be proactive, dynamic and for the longer term and; leadership because, the problems are tough not tame. The strategic leadership orientation suggested here is not necessarily a sweeping departure from Kurten’s’ idea of mobilising people nationally and globally towards a vision for an indefinite future. However, the conceptual description emphasises that the next generation should embody certain elements.

    First, there needs to be a fundamental shift from mere predictions of future challenges, to a focus on identifying future prospects through research evidence that effectively articulates the daily realities of ordinary citizens. Similarly, the approach should be proactive in solving tomorrow’s problems today, while also developing models of how best to maximise the opportunities of tomorrow when it comes. Currently, many countries in Africa are struggling to maximise the opportunities of urbanisation for instance. The interventions that led to the reduction in child mortality rates in parts of Africa in the last two decades, did little to provide solutions to the challenges young people face today in making fundamental transitions related to education, employment or even climbing the social ladder.

    Read also: Enabling transilience for the Girl Child: The role of leadership and life skills

    Secondly, it will be imperative for NGOs to ensure that the ideas and theories that inform development planning and policies are consistent with interventions implemented. Development is an experiment, and it will be useful to document the processes that help to unlock the possibilities for progress. NGOs should be careful of falling into the trap of just ticking the box. Rather they should be conscious to ensure that when interventions do not meet implementation realities, change theories should be tweaked and the lessons shared.

    Finally, strategic leadership is about founding partnerships to create a better future. Hence, NGOs need to work together to sustain relevance. They must seek to form communities of stakeholders – not silos – to enhance a comprehensive and dynamic approach to problem solving. One that is not necessarily elegant, but one that holds the potential to create a future where women and men, children and youth, regardless of social, economic and political orientation can live long, live well and reach their highest potential.

  • Enabling transilience for the Girl Child: The role of leadership and life skills

    Girls and boys at school experience learning differently, because the reality of their social existence is both gendered and diverse. However, the implication of this experience in marginalised communities presents peculiar challenges for how the girl child transition into the next phase of their lives and who they eventual become. Many of these young girls have to endure the hurdles of poverty and the shocks of persistent vulnerability and disempowerment in isolation which may lead to the adoption of risky and unlawful behaviours, substance abuse, domestic violence, dejection, or even suicide. While, this forms the social reality of many young girls, leadership and life skills not only challenges these kinds of behaviours, but it also transforms attitudes in particular ways.

    Emerging evidence suggests that cognitive skills alone are not sufficient in preparing girls to succeed in school and transition into life after school. Girls as well as boys require other skills and aptitudes that will propel them to be independent, self-confident, negotiate effectively, manage risks, think and solve problems critically, manage time and resources effectively as well as contribute to society amongst others.

    LEAP Africa has been at the fore front of changing mind-sets and inspiring young people in marginalised communities to realise the possibility of self-actualisation and social transformation in the midst of structural limitations. LEAP’s work brings to the fore the imperatives of leadership and life skills (non-cognitive skills) as a means to maximising opportunities, leaping beyond structural challenges and contributing to society.

    The grim realities of poverty continue to fan the flames of unequal access to education, employment, health care, social mobility and citizenship. These limit the opportunities available to young people who are unable to advance beyond secondary school levels. In a society where the openings for formal employment is largely shaped by one’s level of education, under-educated youth must rely on the informal sector where employment is essentially volatile and vulnerable. The consequence is even dire for young girls who must also struggle with multiple forms of sexual harassment, early marriage and teenage pregnancy. Hence the need to prioritise leadership and life skills for girls and boys.

    Emerging evidence from LEAP Africa’s leadership and life skills program in about 15 secondary schools across Lagos, Enugu and Akwa Ibom states suggest that non-cognitive skills have implications for students’ learning outcomes. The leadership program which enrols over 1000 students in secondary schools from low income communities has seen more than half of these students experience improvements in their academic results. A key aspect of the leadership curriculum is visioning and goal setting, where students are equipped with the knowledge on how to engage the SMART technique to set goals.

    From the five schools in Akwa Ibom, we found that more than 90% of the students are setting academic targets for themselves for the first time. For many of the girls who were interviewed, this means paying more attention and asking questions in class, maximising reading time, as well as collaborating with colleagues to improve on areas where they need help. Improved academic outcomes and being equipped with non-cognitive skills may have significant implications for their employability and future aspirations.

    A rigorous mid-term impact evaluation of the project found that the leadership and life skills training is helping many of the girls realise that they are responsible for their future outcomes, while also learning that having a positive mind set is crucial in realising their aspirations. In a focus group interview with girls from Mary Hanney Secondary School Oron, Awka Ibom State, we find that the girls have raised aspirations about what they want to do after school. Many of the girls who did not think that advancing into higher forms learning was a possibility (given their background) are confident that they will have a university degree. Most of them recognise that the funding to advance their education may not be readily available, they are preparing their minds to engage in economic activities after school to pay for their university education.

    The story of 15-year-old Faith in one of the schools in Akwa Ibom was particularly remarkable. She explains that her parents are separated but lives with her father who thinks less of her abilities and considers her going to school a waste of time due to her grades before joining the life skills program. In junior secondary school Faith never had an A, and with a cumulative average grade of 45% her father thinks she will end up like her older sisters. Furthermore, her teacher revealed that Faith had very low self-esteem before joining the program. She would isolate herself from colleagues and wanted to just get married after secondary school so she could be free from her father.

    However, after joining the leadership and life skills program Faith’s cumulative average has risen to 65%, and had four A’s in her last exam. Faith is having an A on her report sheet for the first time in her secondary school trajectory. Faith who is the last born of 5 siblings, tells us she has learnt to remain self-confident and positive minded. We were particularly stunned by the confidence in the tone of her voice when she said;

    ‘…it doesn’t matter what my father thinks of me, I know who I am, I am intelligent and I will make an impact in my community, and in Nigeria, because I am the flower that changes the odour of society’.  

    Asides improvements in academic outcomes and raising aspirations, one key lesson from this is that life skills empowers girls to recognise how gender relations shape their interactions with society broadly and how to respond to these dynamics. This is particularly important at this stage because they are beginning to experience new feelings, physical and emotional changes, questions and difficult decisions as they begin to also recognise the foundations of gender norms. Although, it is difficult at this point to determine how malleable these skills are at different ages, life skills training is providing an opportunity for girls to reflect on their self-identify, self-awareness and aspirations.

    Leadership and life skills exceeds the provision of or information. While this is important, by helping young girls discover and reflect on their self-worth and inner strength, they come to realise and identify the attitudes that will help them become complete and healthy human beings. These attitudes transforms them into positive change agents who are transilient – leaping above structural social conditions – rather than just coping with existing limitations.  

     

  • Recycling of plastic can create six million additional jobs annually- Ilo

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that about six million additional jobs can be created through a sustained recycling of five percent of plastic, glass, wood pulp, mega, and mineral waste generated annually across the globe.

    The world body also said large amount of uncollected plastic waste are founding their way into the ocean, posing a potential threat to fishes, saying unless something is done about it, there may be more plastics 8n the ocean than fishes by the year 2050.

    In its report on entitled “World Employment and Social Outlook: Greening with Jobs 2018” the ILO waste management and recycling sector has already employed over 500,000 people in Brazil and about the same number of workers in Bangladesh, with majority of them being women.

    The report said “the sad reality is that the handling of plastic waste, as well as e-waste and other fast-growing solid waste streams, remains largely part of the informal economy in many countries.

    “Workers face serious decent work deficits, such as work-related hazards, discrimination, stigmatization, violence and harassment, low earnings and long working hours.

    They often are not legally registered and are not protected by labour laws, with no access to social protection benefits.

    “Addressing these gaps will greatly enhance opportunities for decent work. A coherent and integrated legal framework is a first step in that direction. Therefore, the ILO’s constituents – governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations – have an important role to play.”

    The report said further that “Plastic has become the workhorse of the modern economy and is found in all aspects of modern life. While providing significant benefits, the current use of plastics has many drawbacks.

    “More than 32 per cent of plastic packaging escapes collection systems. Most of it ends up in landfills, dumps or simply in the environment – in cities, in the oceans or farm lands.

    “The challenge before us is to transform the “make-use-dispose” plastics’ economy into a circular economy, based on recycling. We also need to reduce our consumption of single-use or disposable plastic.

    “We can lessen the environmental damage that plastic pollution is causing by extending the use of plastic products for as long as possible, while recovering, reusing and recycling plastics at a much higher rate. This will not only reduce the environmental damage that plastic pollution is causing but will also open up new opportunities for decent work.”

    The report said that the world body will convene a Global Dialogue Forum on decent work in the management of e-waste in 2019 which is expected to generate new solutions and recommendations.

    It said further that the ILO has implemented successful projects around the world to support formalization in the waste management sector, skills’ development and entrepreneurship.

    We also play a major role in promoting social dialogue, in partnership with industry as well as with employers’ and workers’ organizations.

    Also, it said cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy organizations have been set up in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines and South Africa to increase the collective voice and negotiation power of waste pickers while ensuring that . In addition their integration into waste management chains as recycling workers.

  • Not too young to run or Too old to run

    The number of youths in world has not been ascertain, but United Nation estimation put it as being at the highest number of the world population.

    Half of the global population is under 30, and yet 73% of countries restrict young people from running for office, even though they are allowed to vote.

    Around the world, campaigns are underway to promote the rights of young people running for public office by seeking to lower the legal age of candidacy, and bring it into line with the age at which you can vote.

    Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the “Not Too Young To Run” bill into law.

    The new law is aimed at relaxing some of the stringent and discriminatory provisions of the constitution.

    The bill seeks to alter the Section 65, 106, 131, 177 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to reduce the age qualification for the office of the President from 40 years to 30 years; Governor 35 to 30, Senate 35 to 30, House of Representatives 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly 30 to 25. The Bill also seeks to mainstream independent candidacy into Nigeria’s electoral process.

    Read Also: Buhari to sign “Not Too Young to Run” Bill into law

    In a brief remark after he signed the bill, Mr Buhari told his audience comprising representatives of young persons from the 36 states and Abuja that “You can aspire for President but Please postpone your campaign till after 2019 election.”

    Based on the foregoing, the writer bares his thought as regards the aforementioned bill that can best be described as a “tricky game of politics”.

    The “Not Too Young To Run” bill is a very good initiative if it is strictly based on the interest of the masses and not a political game to seek votes from the younger generation during the 2019 election.

    Recall that the President said the younger generation should drop plans of contesting in the 2019 election.

    The question now begging for answers is this, why would Mr Buhari signed a bill when he knows it won’t take full effect until after the 2019 election?

    This shows that there is more to the bill than what many think it is, considering the post comment of Mr President after the bill was passed into law.

    Bearing in mind that the expectation of the teeming population of Nigerian youths is far beyond a child’s play but the government includes them in its programme policies because the youths are not only the leaders of tomorrow that we think them to be but the leaders of today as well.

    It is obvious that the political gestures of Mr President is aimed at adopting the youths as leaders of tomorrow if not, why would he have denied them access from conducting in the 2019 election without stating out in clear terms why he made that derogatory statement.

    In summary, the government would have been fair enough to implement another bill that restricts the oldies (above 70 years of age) from contesting in any electoral process. Thus, there should be provision for “Too Old To Run” bill then there can be said that there is synergy in the President’s speech.

  • On Lagos’ fresh employment initiatives

    Obviously, there exists a large army of unemployed youths in our country. According to a latest National Bureau of Statistics report, the country’s unemployment rate is 14.2%. But this number still did not include about 40 million Nigerian youths captured in World Bank statistics in 2009. By implication, it means that if Nigeria’s population is 180 million, then 50% of Nigerians are unemployed, or worse still, at least 71% of Nigerian youths are unemployed. This is particularly disturbing.

    Since Lagos State is home to about 21million Nigerians, it is safe to affirm that the State, which is the fifth largest economy in Africa, feels the brunt of the menace of youth employment the most. That Lagos alone accounts for over 70% of national industrial investments makes it attractive to job seekers from all across the country.

    In Lagos, unemployed youths fall into various categories viz employable and unemployable degree holders, medium level education certificate holders, school certificate holders and drop outs and those who never made it beyond primary schools. Stark illiterates also swam on the State on a daily basis, seeking jobs.

    In order to frontally address the State’s peculiar unemployment question, the State government has put in place several new initiatives alongside existing ones. For instance, to prepare graduates for life after school, Ready-Set-Work was launched. It isan entrepreneurial and employability training programme aimed at ensuring that every student who graduates from any tertiary institution in Lagos has knowledge, skills, and attitude required to gain employment upon graduation.

    The 13-week training programme prepares final year students for immediate entry into the workforce as employees and employers of labour by equipping them with market- aligned soft skills, business tools, and a mindset re-orientation to the world of work. Since its inception in 2016, 12,500 students have benefitted from the programme.

    Another fresh strategy being deployed to tackle unemployment in the State is the revamp of technical education. Technical education is the form of education that prepares people for specific trades, crafts and careers at various levels. As our country aspires to diversify its economy; it is evident that a vital instrument needed for attaining such height is skilled manpower development and a competent workforce.  It is in order to address this need that the State government has been boosting technical education in the State.

    The collapse of many industries and the limited capacity of government at various levels to employ the teeming population have made white collar jobs practically non-existent. However, there exists job opportunities in other areas that our youths need to be sufficiently equipped to exploit. In the construction industry, for instance, there abounds limitless opportunities for youths with relevant skills for gainful employment. Sadly, this is not being fully exploited because of lack required competence. Thus, to get the needed good hands, property entrepreneurs go to neighbouring Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Cameroon.

    Presently, the Lagos State government is laying great emphasis on technical education to reverse the trend. Hence, the 5 Technical and Vocational Colleges in the State have been rehabilitated and properly equipped while advocacy campaigns have been stepped up to get more students enroll into the colleges. Steadily, the efforts are paying off as enrolment into the colleges has increased by 120%, a situation that has spurred approval for the establishment of 3 additional Technical Colleges in the State.

    Read Also: Lagos, Ambode and 2019

    The State government is equally partnering with several firms to further develop technical education through the setting up of Academies within the Colleges. Notable among these are Samsung (Engineering Academy), Electrical Power Engineering (Power Academy), Automechatronics (Automotive Academy) and Julius Berger (Construction Academy). The good thing about this development is that some of them provide instant employment for grandaunts of these colleges since they can vouch for their competence. For instance, 26 graduates of the State’s Technical Colleges were recently recruited by Dangote Groups as Technician Trainees at Dangote Academy, Obajana while 115 Graduates in Electrical Installation were recruited by Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.

    To further exploit the current momentum, the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board has  collaborated with General Electric for the training of students and Instructors on 3D Printing Technology and Kansai Plascon on Human Capacity Development for fifteen (15) Instructors in Painting and Decorating. The quality of training has also led to the employment of some graduates of the colleges while many have equally become self- employed.

    In order sustain existing progress in terms of enhanced job opportunities, the agriculture and agro business sector, with huge capacity for mass employment, is equally being creatively explored. Thus, the Agric Yes programme is being vigorously pursued to train students, school leavers and graduates in Agro related enterprises at Araga in Epe. Upon completion of training, land, accommodation and other vital tools needed to start off are provided for those who choose to stay back in the Farm Settlement while those willing to practice elsewhere are equally supported to stand on their own.

    Also, in order to really catch in on the job creation potentials of ICT, the State government introduced Code Lagos, an initiative aimed at teaching 1 million Lagos residents to code by 2020. In May 2017, the programme launched a successful pilot phase with 67 schools, comprising both public and private schools, which exposed over 5464 students to the Code Lagos Coding Framework.

    According to ICT experts, knowledge of coding is important not only to individual students’ future career prospects, but also for their countries’ economic competitiveness as well as the ability of technology industry to unearth qualified personnel. In our technologically enhanced world, people with excellent ICT skills stand better chance of being self reliant entrepreneurs. Currently, Code Lagos has trained over 31,000 Lagosians to code while 364 Coding Centres have also been set up in 352 primary and secondary schools as well  12 Out-of-School Centres located in Yaba, Ikorodu, Meiran, Surulere, Ipaja, Ilupeju, Isolo, Onikan, Ikeja and Fadeyi. By June, 2018 another set of 1,260 Lagos residents will commence coding classes in the 12 Out-of-School Centres.

    Plans are currently underway to expand the programme to run in 1500 primary and secondary schools as well as 50 Out-of-school Centres across the State by the end of this year. The goal is to ensure that 100,000 Lagosians are trained by September 2018 and 150,000 by December 2018. Once the Code Lagos initiative has been sparked there is no telling where it may end. Founders of Microsoft and Facebook had good technical skill and programming ability as well as many other skills. These and few other well known personalities can be cited in computer coding classes to encourage more youths to take keen interests in ICT.

    No doubt, with the conception and execution of more strategic plans, it is envisioned that unemployment will considerably reduce in Lagos. It is, however, important to stress that we need to alter the curriculum of our tertiary education to embrace courses that fit into current socio-economic reality. Indeed, more emphasis must now be placed on technical education and skill acquisition.

    Ogundeji is Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Alausa, Ikeja

  • Are you serving your child poison?

    Care givers indulging children with processed snacks and drinks are leading them in death’s path.

    Studies linking high sugar intake in children with obesity have shown disturbing health consequences for infants and young children hooked on snack foods such as cookies, sweetened cereals, soft drinks, salty crisps and candy.

     

    In a study on weaning practices among Nigerian women conducted by researchers from the University of Ibadan; it was discovered that children aged 6-18 months were given soft drinks a minimum of 1 time per day as a weaning drink. The study further revealed that older infants and preschool children are exposed to a highly cariogenic diet at an early age, with implications not only for oral hygiene but non-communicable diseases.

     

    “Chocolate beverages, natural fruit juice and soft drinks were the most commonly given drinks as 88.1%, 79.9% and 70.3% babies were said to be given these respectively. Over 57% of mothers sweetened pap with sugar. Forty seven percent of mothers added glucose to children’s drinking water. Over two-third (64.9%) of children ate biscuits several times a day. Soft drinks, commercial fruit juices and squash were consumed by 16.1%, 9.6% and 7.7% of the infants respectively on a daily basis,” the study quoted.

     

    The statistics from the research which attest to the high consumption of sweetened beverages among very young children in sub-Saharan Africa, was derived from a survey involving 700 volunteer mothers of young children aged 6-18 months resident in Ibadan, West Africa’s biggest city.

     

    Sugar has been identified as the key driving force behind obesity and associated ill health including type 2 diabetes, heart attacks,  cancer and tooth decay in children. Biscuits are a particular concern because frequent consumption of refined carbohydrates is a risk factor for dental caries.

    Weybridge, England-April 16, 2011. Large collection of junk food. Includes Skittles, Snickers, Dr. Pepper, MandMs, Doritos, Mike and Ike, Kit Kat, Hershey, Sprite and Jelly Bellys.

     

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has continually raise alarm over global increase in childhood obesity in developing countries.  In a report on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO), WHO described childhood obesity as an ‘exploding nightmare, adding that the number of children in Africa who are overweight or obese has doubled since 1990 (5.4 million to 10.3 million).

     

    Bold Initiatives to Reduce Sugar

     

    Ms Paula Johns, a safe food advocate was one of the speakers at the recently held World Health Assembly in Geneva. During a side event centered on initiative and success stories in reducing sugar, salts and fats to prevent NCDs, organized by Vital Strategies, an NGO, she condemned soda and ultra-processed cookies.

     

    Advocating that sugar alternatives like artificial sweeteners should also be discouraged, she canvased the need for care givers to teach children to learn to drink water in place of sugary stuffs. She also opined that many parents are being misled by the false claims on the front and back package of most snacks.

     

    “…Not even a PhD nutritionist can interpret those labeling. We really need to have forms of labelling that warns about the bad food package of those products. We need that as a policy linked with marketing for children. It is not fair that we should be blaming parents when you have to fight with totally unhealthy eatable products targeting our children,” she said.

     

    Training children’s palate 

     

    As Nigeria continues to grow into a mid-income country; the demands of survival have left many parents with less time to cook healthy meals for their children. It’s usual for parents to add carbonated drinks and biscuits to lunchboxes for school children. Many school environments also have kiosks were snacks and soda drinks could be easily purchased by pupils, often without adult supervision.  Some other parents erroneously believe soda drinks are healthy for children since they need sugar to boost their energy levels when in the real sense, fructose, a form of sugar found in fruits and honey is said to be enough energy boaster.

     

    In reducing sugar intake for kids, a testimonial show that training children’s palate to be sugar free has positive effects, as shown by Majeedah Salau, a school owner in Lagos. Initiating a new school policy on mid-day snacks in the school, Salau informed parents that four days would be for fruits and vegetables with only one day for biscuits, juice and other sweets.

     

    “Some parents didn’t like the idea, they believe the kids need sugar. Some others appreciated the policy since they have been trying to reduce their kids sugar intake which hasn’t been easy. Sensing the school’s determination, all the parents complied. I can tell you emphatically, we have not had any course to take a pupil to the hospital. We’ve had very few cases of diarrhea or stomach upset and even malaria fever is minimal,” she said.

  • #NotTooYoungToRun: Joyous daybreak for the Nigerian youths

    The assurance of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the “Not Too Young To Run” bill comes as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Nigerian youths who have been seared in the flames of political marginalization.

    It is a healthy weather and a joyous daybreak for our nascent democracy, and a momentous breakthrough for the vibrant youths of our nation as it seems like in few days our constant clamour for inclusion in the elective and political superstructure of our great nation is about to receive a constitutional approbation.

    The political stratosphere is about to become more interesting as we will see young, experienced and brilliant minds share campaign soapboxes and political portfolios with the older generations come 2019.

    The bill, which is part of the process to amend the 1999 Constitution, seeks to reduce the minimum age requirements and entry for elective offices in the country.

    It will ensure that any individual who is a citizen of Nigeria, and has attained at least the ages of twenty-five and thirty years respectively, will have the statutory right to contest elective positions.

    Some of the positions up for grabs are as follows: membership of the National Assembly, membership of the House of Assembly, Governor and President.

    Read also: Youth not fully ready for leadership -Yero

    Below is the full details of the “Not Too Young To Run” Bill:

    Qualifications for Membership of National Assembly

    1. Section 65 (1)(a) and (b) is amended by substituting the provisions with a new

    provision as follows:

    A person shall be qualified for election as a member of –

    (a) the Senate, if he is a citizen of Nigeria and has attained the age of thirty years;

    and

    (b) the House of Representatives, if he is a citizen of Nigeria and has attained the age

    of twenty-five years.

    1. Section 65 (2)(b) is amended by substituting the provision with a provision as

    follows:

    A person shall be qualified for election under subsection (1) of this section if –

    (c) He is member of a political party and is sponsored by that party or he is an independent candidate

    Qualifications for Membership of House of Assembly

    1. Section 106 (b) and (d) is amended by substituting the provisions with new provision as follows:

    A person shall be qualified for election as a member of a House of Assembly if –

    (b) he has attained the age of twenty-five years;

    (d) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that party or he is an independent candidate

    Qualifications for election as President

    1. Section 131 (b) and (c) is amended by substituting the provisions with new provisions as follows:

    A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if –

    (b) he has attained the age of thirty;

    (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party or he is an independent candidate

    Qualifications for election as Governor

    1. Section 177 (b) and (c) is amended by substituting the provisions with new provisions as follows:

    A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the Governor of a State if –

    (b) he has attained the age of thirty;

    (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party or he is an independent candidate

    1. This Bill may be cited as Constitution (Alteration) Bill, 2016

    EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

    This Bill seeks to alter the Section 65, 106, 131, 177 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to reduce the age qualification for the office of the President and Governor and membership of the Senate and House of Representatives and the State House of Assembly. The Bill also seeks to allow independent candidacy in Nigeria’s electoral process.

    President Buhari is perceived to be a man of integrity who keeps to his words and promises; the days to come will validate such conjectures. Let’s see if he would transform his promises from thin paper to thick action.

    Great Nigerian Youths….our time has come.

    We are the leaders of NOW.

     

    Moses Emorinken is a reporter with The Nation Newspaper from the business desk.

    Twitter & Instagram : @memorinken