COVID-19 deaths approaching 4,237,000 among 199,000,000 diagnosed cases and 3.65b vaccines, 4.1b vaccines given worldwide. Nigerian cases approaching 174,500 and 2,200 deaths with 3.4+m vaccine doses with 1.4m fully vaccinated.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister apologises to the Pacific Islanders for tribalism/racism against them characterised by the infamous Dawn Raids. Nigeria, note how to repair damage to traumatised and marginalised communities and tribes. The ‘Immediate Action’ reactivation of the suspended/ignored Federal Character Commission codes and full implementation of federal character is an essential good start to heal wounds deliberately created and perpetrated by government even ignoring to implement the existing poor constitution.
Strangely, Minister Rauf Aregbesola calls for 3008 condemned prisoners to be executed in the time of ‘Abolition of Death Penalty’. He also suggests reduction in ‘Awaiting Trial’ inmates. We practice 18th century court procedures in 2021 with so many SANs. Who is sabotaging the modernisation of Nigerian courts with computerisation and court stenographers to reduce trial times? Who rejects the stenographers and fingerprint experts for police – job creation!
US gymnast Simone Biles’ withdrawal from most events due to mental stress should be a lesson to everyone as permanent damage can result. Mental health issues are widespread and need identification and compassion. The over five million IDPs and millions who have been impacted by kidnapping, terrorism and killer bandits and raiding herders live constantly in a state of PTSD -Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, Nigeria hardly sleeps at night and travels in terror and prayer. The kidnap of a Benue commissioner’s wife, the children kidnapped from Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri where two children have escaped/were rescued, the children kidnapped in schools, attacks on hospitals perhaps to service terrorist camps make for fearful stories. It does not include the crimes of okada-riding criminals nationwide.
Second Nigeria Bridge to be completed in 2022. Hurray! Lagos-Ibadan Road to be completed 2022? Why does government infrastructure rot before fixing it? There must be billons of lost hours and billions of naira buried on that road-all government incompetence since 1999. It is a simple road for goodness sake, not a rocket to the Moon, though others are going to the Sun, or a complex machine or a nuclear power plant. Why do we, educated since forever, still shame ourselves publicly disregarding citizens’ welfare. This 2022 is now supposed to be magic ‘Finish Projects’ year, before the election year 2023, abi no be so??
Why are projects just political and not for the population? The federal government will presumably insert the money to finish the two projects and others in railways etc. in the 2022 Budget to end the 10+ year delayed and the insultingly long 40+ year delayed 2nd Niger Bridge. Hurray, better late than never. But we have been here before. Will we suddenly get a re-run of the 2019/2020 ‘NASS Budgetary Diversion’ when NASS railroaded the N150b specifically allocated in the budget by this government to quickly finish the Lagos-Ibadan Road and instead diverted ?N130b+ of it to constituency projects leaving, was it N15b, for the road, not fit for purpose? Just wait and see.
The same NASS is still around. Can a devious leopard change its spots? Will NASS again divert the Niger Bridge and the Lagos Ibadan Road funds to Constituency Projects – self before service? Will government fail again and announce the REVISED’ OR ‘Finally Final’ completion of the Lagos Ibadan Road and the 2nd Niger Bridge to be ‘No 1 New Promise’ of the government during the 2023 election to be completed by 2027?
Add this to the ‘Wanton Project Negligence’ in which citizens’ money is misused or used well and then abused by the next government by neglect. Successive governors must take good and even the bad projects make them better than the previous government did. Standards are usually so low that ‘better than previous government’ is never difficult. All that is needed is a forensic audit of the past project and then move forward from there. Nigeria is still rebuilding roads first built 50-100 years ago. Other countries build new roads in new directions every few years, even to the moon!
Nigerian youth should be asked to watch many of the 339 events across 33 different sports and the different styles and techniques and personal and team strategies in the 2020 Olympics and observe especially the youth and age of some of the participants and winners. They are people like themselves. Governments at LGA, state and federal must open many other sports to our youth. Youth cannot take a sport they have never seen or heard of or if your country refused to provide facilities for youth training, coaching or inspiration for youth the put in the time and energy. Nigerian officials should note the Olympic field was not crowded by officials or cameramen obstructing the view. Sadly, expectedly from our youth sports program failures, Nigeria is too busy boasting of 160+m (question the inflated 210m-it is political) and is shamefully underperforming and underrepresented for our size at the Tokyo Olympics.
The suspension of Okagbare at 2020 OLYMPICS is a painful, embarrassing disgrace to Nigeria and its sports and athletics authorities all of whom should be investigated for systemic failure in athletes and authorities. The eligibility code is standard with mandatory dope tests in and out of competition. As a successful athlete witness to drug failures, it must be a particular tragedy for Okagbare. Sabotage? Accident? Deliberate?
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