The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Away

  • So near, so far away

    So near, so far away

    So near, yet so far away — that aptly captures the grim reality of local refining of petroleum products.  Yet, imported petrol appears the No. 1 driver of inflation.  Inflation is the No. 1 challenge to the Tinubu Presidency, in this very critical short run.

    Costly fuel drives up transport cost.  Transport cost drives up everything.  If you buy fuel for N800 a litre in Lagos, how much will you buy it in the hinterlands?  And what’s the outlook of that for inflation — and by extension poverty and hopelessness?

    That is why the current controversy over the Dangote Refinery is absolutely misplaced.  That is a strategic investment.  Why is it that at every critical juncture of Nigeria’s life, the elite just yak away at one another, with hardly any sense of self-preservation?

    Yes, Dangote has had a long streak of ruthless monopoly.  So, anchoring the soon-to-boom petroleum downstream, on rigorous antitrust processes, is imperative.  After eons of wasteful exports of crude on the cheap, and re-importing refined petroleum at a premium, no one wants a monopoly to take the gains away, by just fixing outrageous prices — just because they could.  Setting the industry right, from the very beginning, is vital.

    Yet, setting things right is one thing.  Wilfully getting in the way, is another.  The NNPCL vs Dangote controversy looks more like getting in the way.  Our long-suffering folks can “smell” local refining, and close to heaving a huge relief in reduced fuel — and — transportation cost.  Anything prolonging that is insensitive.  It just doesn’t cut it at all.

    Which is why President Bola Tinubu should move fast to cut through whatever demons that could be in the way.  The first crucial step is the Federal Executive Council (FEC) decision — rightly a presidential memo — to sell crude to local refiners in Naira, not in dollar.  That is a very strategic step.

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    What the President should do is a firm follow-up by ensuring these local refineries have crude to process.  If they so, that would cool off the high inflation. That is one jab in the arm that the economy needs more than anything now.

    If the President must adopt pulpit bully tactics, let him do so.  Let him read the riot act.  Let the market be hit by local petrol, and let fuel pump prices come tumbling down. That should offer the people — as well as the administration — great relief.  That is imperative in the short term.

    In the long run, compressed natural gas (CNG) is even sweeter.  But if that can’t be mainstreamed until earliest another year or two.  Thus, really crashing fuel pump prices, without returning to the old subsidy regime, make extreme common sense.  CNG is that joker.  But you need to quieten the turf before that big gun.

    Let the President impress it upon NNCPL and Dangote to cease fire in their “civil war”.  This is a crucial national juncture, which could make all of the difference, in re-setting the economy to new post-subsidy realities.

    The time to act is NOW!

  • Why we ran away from home, by rescued kids

    Why we ran away from home, by rescued kids

    Two teenagers who fled their parents’ homes in Abuja have been rescued by Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives in Lagos.

    They were reunited with their parents at the weekend, a statement by the police said yesterday.

    Chidubem Amaechi, 13 and Chinedu Onyebuchi, 13, were picked up by the police after they got off a bus from Abuja at Ojodu-Berger.

    According to the police, the duo fled their homes last Sunday and were invited for interrogation by the police after they were seen wandering.

    Initially, they were said to have lied to detectives that they were kidnapped, blindfolded and brought to Lagos. The police said the teenagers alleged that they escaped from their kidnappers, who were sleeping under a bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, by the Ogun State boundary.

    But after three days, the teenagers were said to have confessed that they fled Abuja in search of a better life to help their parents.

    A source said: “The officers later moved the boys to the RRS Headquarters, where an investigation into their alleged kidnapping was launched immediately. While the investigation progressed, officers suspected the children were lying about the kidnapping story.

    “Their parents, who have been looking for them in Abuja since May 14, were shocked when contacted that their children were in the custody of RRS in Lagos.

    “It took three days of questioning before Chidubem Amaechi opened up that he and Chinedu Onyebuchi connived to leave Abuja because of the poor state of their parents.”

    Amaechi said: “We noticed that our parents were suffering in order to take care of us. We decided to come to Lagos and work for some time. Whatever we are able to raise in six months, we would hand over to our parents for them to start business.

    “We realised that the hardship was too much and that we would be helping them if we left our families in Abuja in search of better opportunities in Lagos.

    “I brought my N4,200 savings while Chinedu added N500 as transport fare to Lagos. We were already in Lagos before we realised that we were simply being stupid. We were wandering about when the officer invited us for questioning.”

    Handing over the teenagers to their parents, RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), begged them to monitor the kids.

    The boys promised to never run away from home again.

  • El Kanemi secure first away win

    El Kanemi secure first away win

    El Kanemi Warriors secured its first away win of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) 2016/2017 season after beating Abia Warriors 1-0 at the Umuahia Township Stadium on Sunday.

    This is Borno Army’s first away win since gaining promotion back to the NPFL in 2011/2012 season.

    A University of Maiduguri student, Hussaini Bata Muhammad’s 7th minute strike separated both sides in a tension soaked encounter that left the home fans dejected.

    Despite being a goal up, Ladan Bosso’s boys were all over Abia Warriors, piling pressure perhaps to end their poor away form which they eventually did.

    Abia Warriors made an attempt to get an equaliser for the home team but Ndifreke’s free kick was saved by George Michael.

    El-Kanemi goal scorer, Bata was substituted for Sunday Anthony in the 90th minute when it was obvious that his side had secured all important three points at stake in the game.

    At 85 minutes, tense supporters of Abia Warriors urged their side to go for goal, but El Kanemi held on to end the game 0-1.

    Interestingly, El Kanemi Warriors coach Ladan Bosso was in charge of Abia Warriors two seasons ago as he promised to get something out of the game before it kicked off.

    Team manager, Baba Ali Ajayi commended his boys for their fighting spirit.

    “I think our boys gave a good fight today and they really showed that they mean  business this season. This is a huge result for us after a long time. Although, we have been getting draws away but we have been finding it very difficult to pick three points on the road but I thank God that finally we achieved it today. This is our first away win since we returned to the premier league in 2012. We will cherish this for a long time,” Ajayi said to SportingLife.

  • Away with this Peace Committee

    I think what we are concerned about is the process. It is no longer a military regime and under our existing laws, everybody is innocent until proven guilty.” This is a statement credited to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Dioceses, Bishop Hassan Kukah, when The Peace Committee for 2015 general elections led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar visited President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday August 11, 2015. As it were, I found nothing wrong in the Peace Committee visiting the President because any credible group is free to visit the President since the President is for everybody and for nobody in particular. What I am worried about is the timing and the motive of the visit. I am deeply worried about the purpose of this visit. Is it to shield some people from the investigations on corruption going in almost every critical sector of our economy? Is it to try to circumvent a clinical process being put in place to put things in order in Nigeria? Is it to try to slow down President Buharis’s agenda to rid Nigeria of corruption? Is it an attempt to intimidate the President to slow down and let the corrupt who pillaged and plundered our common patrimony to go scot free? Is it a blackmail to render nugatory APC’s agenda to bring the change it promised Nigerians? Are the Peace Committee members not aware of the sordid roles some members of the committee played during President Jonathan’s tenure? Why these crude interventions at a time like this? Is the Peace Committee working to protect Jonathan and his cronies and shield them from facing the jury? When has it become an offence to investigate past leaders and bring them to book if necessary? What is the meaning of this dangerous mediation at a time like this? A friend tells me that the rampancy of corruption in Nigeria is a function of low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) on the part of all of us. Can the members of the Peace Committee be exonerated?

    Please listen to Bishop Kukah’s second sentence: “Again, our commitment is not to intimidate or fight anybody, the former President’s commitment and what he did still remains spectacular and I think that President Buhari himself appreciates that. So our effort really is to make sure that the right thing is done.” Now, what is this spectacular thing that the former president Jonathan did, to preside over a corrupt empire never known in the history of Nigeria, to decimate and desecrate the political decision to rotate power between the North and South and consequently put the nation in danger, to accept that he blew billions of dollars and pounds in an election he was bound to lose because the figures were not in his favour. He did something spectacular by accepting defeat in an election he lost fair and square? He did something spectacular by allowing every Dick and Harry including his wife to declare war on our national till?

    Let the truth be told, former president Jonathan was defeated black and blue, left and right, front and back and up and down. Eleven small states in the South-South and South- East would not have defeated 25 states from the South-West, North-West, North-East and North-Central. There was no way two small zones would have defeated four big zones in that crucial elections. Therefore, there was nothing spectacular about accepting defeat. He had no choice than to hand over and bow out. Former president Jonathan’s ambition to rule Nigeria for 10 years plus OBJ’s eight years put Nigeria in great danger. In fact it put a knife on things that have held us together. It divided the country, and it was a threat to national unity.

    It is therefore worrisome and unacceptable for the members of the Peace Committee to try to blackmail and intimidate APC and President Buhari in their strong desire and determination to fulfill what the party promised Nigerians. APC promised to fight corruption, impunity and lawlessness. APC promised to restore sanity and progress in the land. APC promised to do things differently and change the way we think, the way we reason, the way we act, the way we plan and the way we work. APC promised to plug all the loop holes and stop all the leakages within the system. APC promised to stop the oil thieves and chase the saboteurs away from the power sector and NNPC. APC cannot achieve all this without the required political will, courage and strong leadership. The task of rebuilding and repositioning Nigeria is a task that must be done and the president must be encouraged to go the whole hog. Have we suddenly forgotten what President Buhari went through in the course of the campaign? Have we forgotten all the hate campaigns against candidate Buhari? Have we forgotten the Certificate issue, his health issue, and his age issue? What did the Peace Committee do? They said Buhari will not rule Nigeria. They said he is brain dead. They said he has no certificate. They said he is not electable. They said he will die in office. They abused his family. They said APC will not survive till October 2014. They said Nigeria will be set on fire if Jonathan loses.

    Now that God has made Buhari president, please let us allow him to work. There are some faces I saw in the Peace Committee that send strong signals to me that it is former president Jonathan’s show. An evil spirit visited the house in the night and the child died in the morning. We know better. President Buhari should be allowed to do the work God wants him to do. God brought this president in the saddle to do what he is doing now. They did everything humanly possible to stop him but he defeated them all. I know that the election losers are still very angry, and are yet to come to terms with what hit them but it is a mission accomplished. I am told that old ways will not open new doors. PDP posed an existential threat to Nigeria while the bazaar lasted. Now we have a new order. This is a new Nigeria. Please allow President Buhari to fight corruption and restore sanity in the land.

     

    • Joe Igbokwe wrote from Lagos

  • Away from danger

    •Govt must fulfill its promises to the 2,400 students moved to Unity Schools from the north east

    As part of its response to the attacks on educational institutions in the north eastern part of the country, the Federal Government has moved 2,400 students from their various schools to Federal Unity Schools of their choice. The Students’ parents – 800 each from the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe that are currently under emergency rule as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency – have consented to the idea and had indeed signed that their wards be transferred to the Unity Schools in places they consider more secure.

    Unity Schools were established partly to bring Nigerians from all parts of the country together at tender ages and inculcate in them the importance of togetherness and unity. So, in a sense, the transfer of the students from the volatile region to these schools fulfills one of the criteria for the setting up of the schools. The snag however is that it was not a choice they willingly made; rather, it was imposed by circumstances beyond their control.

    At a glance therefore, the ‘forced’ transfer of the students signposts the failure of government in its core responsibility of guaranteeing the security of lives and property, which is the raison d’être of any government properly so-called.

    But it would appear the most pragmatic thing to do, given the realities on ground. Young boys and girls who crave western education, especially in a region where some misguided elements are now painting education as ‘sinful’ ought to be given the necessary encouragement and support that they need to realise their potential. Most of the foot soldiers of the Boko Haram insurgents were recruited largely from the army of illiterates that roam the streets of the region and other parts of the north. They have no hope of any better life today, even as their tomorrow appears forlorn. So, they are susceptible to being brainwashed and naturally get excited by any assignments that would fetch them some money, no matter how heinous such jobs may be.

    It is against this background that we commend the government for acceding to the requests of the parents who asked that their children be transferred to the Unity Schools, instead of keep assuring them, as usual, of their safety which it obviously cannot guarantee. We have lost too many of our innocent young ones to the senseless killings by Boko Haram and we need not gamble any longer with the lives of the country’s future leaders.

    However, having agreed to move the students to the Unity Schools, the government must honour its obligations to them and their parents as it promised. They should not be abandoned midway as is usual with many government initiatives.

    In this light, the government should realise that the Safe Schools Initiative, under which arrangement it has moved the students is funded not only locally, but also with assistance from outside the country. So, the ‘Nigerian factor’ should not come into play in its implementation. We cannot be doing things in a wrong way and expect others to come down to our own standards only to turn round to accuse them of not supporting us.  While we commend all those that are financing the initiative, we urge the Federal Government to implement it in a way that would make further assistance possible and not in a way to shut the door against such.

    It is equally important for the government to know that the remaining students who have opted to remain in their respective schools in the region deserve protection. We can begin to consider basic safety measures such as perimeter fencing, gates and electronic surveillance, starting with schools in the hottest trouble spots. If we fail to help the youths achieve their hearts’ desires today, they would be the ones to torment us tomorrow, exactly the same way Boko Haram insurgents are doing today.