The Nation Newspaper

Tag: buried

  • Buried money

    •Who owns the billions found in farmland?

    Corruption is doing well in Nigeria and seems to be growing on fertile soil. Hear the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara: “If you look at the massive looting of the treasury, actually, I have been in government for quite some time, I never, never could have imagined the scale of corruption that we are witnessing, where people took lots of money running into billions and buried them in farms. As we speak, they are recovering monies from someone’s farm somewhere around Abuja. It is very unfortunate, where people stole money just for the sake of stealing.”

    This thought-provoking corruption-related picture is so picturesque, and indeed captures a disturbing kleptomaniacal reality in the country’s power circle that is definitely unprogressive and anti-development. It is a picture of reckless and senseless materialism that is particularly tragic because it is anti-people.

    When huge public money stolen from the public purse is tracked to a private farmland, it should prompt curious questions about the ownership of the land and the money. Obviously, burying money in the ground is suspicious enough, and when “money running into billions” is allegedly involved, suspicion of corruption is logical.

    From the look of things, official corruption may have grown beyond public imagination.  Stupendous figures are regularly publicised in connection with corrupt figures and corrupt conduct, and it is clear that the country needs to act urgently against corruption. It is interesting that Dogara was quoted as saying: “If you were the one who was in charge of fighting corruption, you would have even been shocked by the scale of the problem. I guess part of the problem we have is that the scale of the problem far outweighs the anticipation of the agencies.”

    Yes, it would appear that the problem is overwhelming. But the country must not be overwhelmed. It is noteworthy that President Muhammadu Buhari himself famously observed that if the country does not kill corruption, then corruption will kill the country.

    The latest information concerning treasures of corruption hidden in secret places, in this case, a farm, certainly reinforces why the country must crush corruption in order to achieve socio-economic progress.  Dogara’s remarks deserve contemplation: “The process of doing that has become a subject of concern to some people. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is actually the agency, as we all know, that is in charge of this fight and if you look at what it has done so far, there is even a discussion as to whether they are proceeding in the right direction and whether it is not time for us to sit down and do an assessment of how the fight has been, in view of the fact that in the last one year I do not think there has been any major conviction.”

    Dogara also noted:  ”And it has always been a case of this person has been arrested and detained and some things have been done or he has been charged to court and then the story ends there. Whether we will succeed in fighting corruption, if we continue in this way, only God knows. If the end is just to arrest people, charge them to court and, thereafter, nothing happens, no one is convicted; because conviction, even if you are not jailed, has a way of deterring people…But if I am just arrested, charged to court and maybe some money recovered from me and at the end of the day, nothing happens, a lot of people may not be deterred in the future from engaging in corrupt practices.”

    So this matter of buried money should be pursued to a logical conclusion. In the final analysis, the anti-corruption campaign requires focused action, and will not be successful if it does not go beyond rhetoric. We need to know the owner of the farm as well as the money. This is important.

  • Before post-UTME is buried

    Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu recently stirred the hornet’s nest when he announced the cancellation of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in all the universities, saying the only legally recognized body to conduct university admission examination was Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The minister also cited the way some universities had turned the post-UTME to money-making venture as part of the reasons for his position.

    Adamu’s directive which was initially seen as a mere kite flying,  for it carried the element of de ja vu, was later reinforced with a threat that he would deal with any university which flouts the order. Since then, the issue of post-UTME has become a subject of heated hullaballoo, thus polarizing stakeholders into either supporters or opponents. As a worker in the industry, this writer feels it is not quite right to be quiet in this contentious matter, hence this write up.  Let me humbly disagree with the minister, without disrespecting his personality that, post-UTME constitutes additional burden to candidates and drains the parents financially, thereby necessitating the need to scrap it. I disagree.

    These are for too insignificant demerits of post-UTME, compared to the valuable academic improvements the exercise has brought to bear on the system. I have confidence of my truth that post-UTME has transparently reconstructed admission template to the extent that the children of the poor who passed

    For instance, in the University of Ibadan, (UI), once a candidate’s score was up to the cut-off mark of his or her department of choice, such a candidate got admitted automatically. Such a successful candidate required no note from any quarter before being admitted. This is the reason no one has ever complained about admission fraud in the last 10 years. No candidate has ever alleged that he was short-changed because the process was, and still is, very transparent. Every candidate was made to understand all the stages leading to the final step of admission.

    More importantly, since 2003 when the post-UTME was introduced in UI, the rate at which matriculated students were being withdrawn from the university as a result of poor academic performance after the first year, has gone down drastically. Conversely, the university has turned out more first class graduates than before the advent of post-UTME. This was because those who were admitted were the best as they went through meticulous and tough process. Again, when last has anyone heard of cultism in UI? Almost all the students who came in through post-UTME had no time for frivolities and cultism. They were and still are serious minded scholars because they were rigorously screened before being admitted.

    Now, the minister, with due respect, has triggered trouble in the system by insisting that the quality assurance mechanism that has brought sanity into our academic matrix must die. However, if the minister insists that this rigorous, quality-control measure should be buried, let it be on record that he has deliberately placed higher education in the country on a gymnastic manoeuvring. Nigeria today wallows in the straits of horrendous backwardness as a result of consistent policy summersaults. We have become so much inured to policy inconsistency that we don’t even know what to retain and what to discard!

    In more ways than we will like to admit, this attempt to cancel post UTME is deleterious to our educational development. Without sarcastic hyperbole, the scrapping ministers nothing but strife, and achieves nothing but distraction. The cancellation seems to be motivated by some subterranean interests. We must therefore not yield to this visceral policy!

    If the cancellation was not meant to achieve ulterior motive, why is the minister insisting that the universities should not have a say in the quality of the candidates they are going to train? As Luke Onyekayeyah noted in his Guardian column, “there is no country in the world where all universities have the same standard. Otherwise, we would not have the Ivy-league institutions that are world acclaimed. Setting the same cut – off mark for University of Lagos for instance and the newly established private polytechnic in one village, is senseless”.

    Indeed, this current attempt to bury post -UTME is a major infraction on the universities’ autonomy. This is where Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities should take up the gauntlet. Post-UTME represents integrity check in our academic process. And, no serious nation plays game with the demand of integrity. Certainly, the plan to cancel post-UTME is an attempt to substitute placebo for an effective therapy. It is like taking a deadly plunge for the worst.

    A few guesses may be useful here, once the only requirement to gain admission is to pass JAMB examination by scoring 180, then, lists from influential people and groups would begin to fly from Abuja to all the federal universities that these students must be admitted to study Medicine, Law and other prestigious courses.  The children of the poor who have nobody in Abuja are excluded from the game because they are not connected.

    Last year, the cut-off mark to study medicine in UI was 74 in UI-conducted post-UTME. I know many brilliant children of the farmers who passed and got admitted. Yet, I know children of the governors and ministers who could not get in because they failed the transparent post-UTME. Therefore, the planned cancellation of post UTME is not only a trivialization of a process which was designed to be rigorous and methodical in order to get the best, but also a coup   against the children of the poor.

    The minister created an impression that he was protecting JAMB which was legally set up to distribute candidates to various universities. Again, with due respect, I beg to disagree! JAMB was created in 1978 when Nigeria had only 13 federal universities. The vision was to ensure that no candidate secured more than one admission slot. But today, there are 40 federal universities, 41 state universities and 61 private universities totalling 142. Technically, JAMB has outlived its usefulness and relevance.

    By the way, is it not the same JAMB which caused national uproar last year when it started distributing candidates to private universities the candidates never applied to? JAMB has lost its verve, relevance and seriousness over the years. The Board has probably been assailed by the pervasive social putrefaction so much so that its examination results lack credibility.

    The post – UTME funeral should be delayed for some introspection to take place. It is obvious that the scrapping is redolent of politicization of the nation’s educational policy to favour a particular section of the country. In the light of loftier arguments, the minister is expected to have a second thought. Chief Afe Babalola who has been in the industry for years as a one -time Pro Chancellor of University of Lagos and a proprietor of a private university knows what he is saying when he describes the scrapping as a regrettable mistake.

    Former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Tolu Odugbemi, held similar opinion. He said the decision to scrap the post-UTME without proper research was ill-conceived and utterly worrisome. He maintained that universities should have the right to admit suitable students based on relevant and objective criteria.

    “Is there data or published research studies available either for or against dumping “post- UTME” in our universities to back such important policy? Have the problems which led universities to introduce the post-UTME exam been addressed? Government policies are based on facts and research data”, he said.

    What more does one add to these formidable voices? A word, they say, is enough for the wise and as George Bernard Shaw says, progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

     

    • Saanu writes from the University of Ibadan.

  • Tears as The Nation man Uyoatta is buried

    It was an emotion-laden ceremony attended by family members and journalists as the remains of Uyoatta Eshiet, the Akwa Ibom State Correspondent of The Nation, were interred yesterday.

    Friends and well-wishers wept when the brown coffin bearing the body of the late journalist arrived at his family’s compound in Afia Nsit Urua Nko, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.

    The late Uyoatta died on April 13, after an illness.

    A mass was conducted by clerics of the Living Faith Church (aka Winners’ Chapel).

    They prayed for the late Uyoatta and the children he left behind.

    The clerics urged sympathisers to examine their lives, have more intimacy with God, live a holy life and be prayerful, if they wanted to make heaven.

    The eldest son, Daniel, described the late Uyoatta as an easy going man who could hardly hurt a fly.

    Daniel said: “I don’t know exactly where to start from because it is just too frustrating and disheartening. Just two years after losing a precious jewel, and still going through the process of healing, you had to take away the second pair of my precious jewel.

    “Dad, after all the stress you went through, depriving yourself of the basic necessities of life, just to meet those of my siblings and I, without even reaping the fruits of your labour, death took you away.

    “Death! Why now, when he was just about to start reaping the fruits of his labour? I feel like I’m dreaming and someone needs to wake me up from this nightmare. But every time I think about it, it all keeps getting real that I and my siblings are left alone. It tears me up inside, knowing you won’t be there to see your children become what God destined them to be in life.”

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, in a condolence message to the family, described the late Uyoatta as a great loss to the state and The Nation.

    Represented by Information Commissioner Aniekan Umanah and Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Ekerete Udoh, the governor noted that by Uyoatta’s death, the family, community and the state would miss his services.

    The governor urged Christians to avoid taking the wrong direction but allow God to dictate their affairs because they would account for every deed in the hereafter.

    The state’s Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Chairman Patrick Albert described the deceased as a good natured person whose contribution to journalism would always be remembered.

    The NUJ chairman, who also said the late Uyoatta distinguished himself as a humble, gentle and respectful journalist, added that everything in life was driven by something.

    But he said until something is driven by God, there would be misadventure.

  • Scores feared buried in Sri Lanka landslides

    A round 200 people are feared dead after more than three days of heavy rain triggered two landslides in central Sri Lanka, disaster officials said on Wednesday as rescuers stopped work after recovering more than a dozen bodies.

    Torrential rains have forced more than 223,000 people from their homes across the South Asian country, the latest official data showed. Seventeen bodies have been recovered, bringing the official death toll to 37, although that figure is likely to rise sharply.

    Rescue efforts have focused on the town of Aranayaka, 100 km (60 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, where three villages were buried late on Tuesday in the central district of Kegalle.

    “As at 1800 hours, 134 are still missing and 14 bodies recovered so far from the landslide site in Aranayaka,” Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, officer in charge of rescue operation told Reuters.

    “We have stopped the operations for the day since it’s dark and the operation continued for over 20 hours. We will start again tomorrow morning.”

    More than 350 people were plucked to safety during rescue operations in landslide-affected areas early on Wednesday, officials said.

    A Red Cross official who attended a disaster meeting at the Aranayaka landslide site said earlier it was feared the death toll would be “around 300-400”.

    Military Spokesman Jayanath Jayaweera said 150 people who were rescued from Aranayaka had been sent to six camps set up for displaced people in the area.

    Troops using boats and helicopters also pulled to safety more than 200 people trapped in the northwestern coastal district of Puttalam, Jayaweera said.

    Flooding and drought are cyclical in Sri Lanka, which is battered by a southern monsoon between May and September, while a northeastern monsoon runs from December to February.

  • Tanko Nuhu may be buried today or Wednesday

    Tanko Nuhu may be buried today or Wednesday

    It is understood that Hypertensive drugs were found in the hotel room of the late Tanko Nuhu, the match commissioner for Sunday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match between Kano Pillars and Ikorodu United.

    The Karu Local Government in Nasarawa State-born official was found dead in his hotel room yesterday’s.

    Kano Pillars media officer, Idris Malikawa told SportingLife that Dr Sani Zakari of the Murtala Muhammad Hospital in Kano confirmed that Nuhu’s death is natural.

    He said his corpse has been deposited at the Murtala Muhammad Hospital mortuary and waiting for his immediate family to come for his body.

    “Nuhu’s lifeless body was found in his hotel room this morning (Monday) and the doctor has confirmed that he died a natural death, although suspected hypertensive drugs were found in his room,” Malikawa told SportingLife.

    “He (Nuhu) was supposed to travel to Abuja this morning (Monday) alongside other match officials that handled the game on Sunday. They called his mobile phone but he did not picked it up and they contacted the hotel reception to get in touch with him and it was during the process that they discovered that something is happening when several attempt to reach him proved abortive.

    “They called police and when they eventually forced their way in, his lifeless body was found in the room and suspected hypertensive drugs were found in his room. We have contacted Nasarawa FA and LMC over the incident. On behalf of Kano Pillars and people of Kano State we sympathized with his family.”

    Meanwhile, Nasarawa State Football Association Secretary Adamu Yusuf has told SportingLife that late Nuhu would be buried on Tuesday or Wednesday.

    He said the State FA chairman Mohammed Alkali and two member of his family Emmanuel Nuhu and Julius Nuhu traveled to Kano to bring his corpse back to Nasarawa State.

    “We received the news of his death as a shock. Our chairman and his family are in Kano to bring his corpse back to Nasarawa State on today. His family has said that they didn’t want to delay the burial. If his corpse arrives early today (Tuesday) he would be buried but if they come back late that means he would be buried on Wednesday. We are really sympathised with his family,” Yusuf told SportingLife.

  • Dumebi, Corps member killed in Rivers, buried

    Dumebi, Corps member killed in Rivers, buried

    The remains of Okonta Dumebi Samuel, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member killed during the rerun elections in Rivers State, have been laid to rest in his hometown of Illah in Delta State. The body was committed to earth last Friday in Okonta’s family compound after a service of songs held in his honour at the Christ Holy Family Catholic Church, Illah.

    The late Dumebi, with state code number RV/15B/5539, was an ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the rerun election. He was killed by yet to be identified gunmen while returning to his base after submitting the poll results at the INEC collation centre in Ahoada West Local Government Area.

    In his sermon at the funeral, Reverend Father Peter Mbuogwu, who presided, condemned electoral violence, urging politicians to desist from encouraging thuggery in elections. He said people must fear God, adding that only God gives power to whoever He wishes.

    Mbuogwu told the youths to resist attempt by politicians to use them to commit atrocities. He charged them to use their talents for the good of the society. He prayed to God to grant the late Dumebi eternal rest. He said the best way to immortalise the victim was for politicians to respect the sanctity of human life and have peaceful approach towards election.

    It was a moment of grief for the family members and mourners, who gathered to perform dust-to-dust rite for the late Dumebi. The family was joined by dignitaries, including a delegation from the NYSC and colleagues of the deceased.

    The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, noted that the Corps member died while contributing his quota towards a better country. “The late Dumebi believed in Nigeria, he served and died for Nigeria,” he said.

    Speaking through the Director of Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, Mrs Rhoda Kaka Kwaki, Olawumi reaffirmed the directorate’s assistance to the family.

    In his message read at the funeral, INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, described Okonta as a “martyr and Nigeria’s hero of democracy”.

    Yakubu, represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Delta State, Baritor Kpagih, assured that the commission would immortalise the deceased.

  • Bank chief buried

    The remains of a Nigerian banker, Daniel Orogun, who died in Liberia on Januray 24, was on Friday interred at the Ikoyi Vaults in Lagos.

    Orogun, who was Managing Director (MD) of Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) in Liberia, was said to have drowned in a Liberia river during a boat cruise with his widow, three children and a customer, George Kailondo who invited them and three others to dinner.

    But Orogun’s family is claiming that he was murdered.

    It has called on the Federal Government to intervene in the matter and ensure that justice is done.

    Its spokesperson, Pastor Felix Orogun, described as untrue, reports that the deceased was celebrating his wedding anniversary when he fell into the river and drowned.

    The family, he said, took time to investigate the death of his younger brother, adding that it was a clear case of murder.

    “It is not true that my brother was celebrating his wedding anniversary when he drowned in the water. Besides, my brother was a very good swimmer and there was no way he would have drowned in that water which is calmer than the Lagos lagoon,” he said.

  • Mama Dorcas Korode buried

    The remains of Mother-in-Israel Dorcas Olanihun Korode, mother of the leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church (Ayo ni o), Most superior Sunday Korode, has been buried in Omu Aran, Kwara State.

    Primate Korode expressed confidence that mama will make heaven.

     

  • Ex-PDP governorship candidate Pwajok buried amid tears, eulogies

    Ex-PDP governorship candidate Pwajok buried amid tears, eulogies

    Plateau State stood still yesterday as one of its priced sons, the late Senator Gyang Nyam Shum Pwajok, was committed to mother earth. Pwajok passed on in India about three weeks ago. The former senator meant a lot to the people who had had cause to associate with him, hence his burial was full of testimonies from people whose lives he impacted on in one way or the other.

    The remains of the late senator was moved from the mortuary of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) as early as 8am to the Church of Christ In Nation (COCIN) Du, Jos South LGA for the burial mass. His body drew a long convoy of vehicles rarely experienced in the state. It was like the funeral of a king.

    At the funeral service at COCIN yesterday, Senate President Bukola Saraki described him as an embodiment of humility, adding that during his period as Senator, he contributed immensely to the current peace in Plateau State.

    Saraki, who was represented by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, said Plateau State and Nigeria had lost a brave and vibrant leader who lived and worked for the peace and unity of the nation.

    The senator representing Plateau North, Dr. Jonah David Jang, regarded as the political father of the late Pwajok, described him as a sharp intellect, a vibrant character and a resilient spirit.

    Jang, who was visibly shaken by Pwajok’s death, wondered: “How could this rare star be dimmed so prematurely? We weep in anguish and wander why fate is so cruel to us.

    “But God is never cruel to us. Yes, His ways are sometimes strange, unfathomable to us, but we must not despair. We must still thank Him even for what He has done.

    “In our eyes, Gyang’s life was sadly too short. But we cannot measure the worth of a man’s life by the days he sojourns here. Rather, we should assess it by how much he impacts society.

    “Gyang was indeed a great man, a great inspiration and profound blessing to his time. He will continue to excite fond memories in generations to come, especially the youth whom he loved so much.”

    Plateau State governor, Simon Bako Lalong, while eulogising the life and times of the late senator, said: “I regret the death of GNS Pwajok, I questioned why he died so early in age. But I cannot question God Almighty who created GNS Pwajok.

    “The man has a vision for Plateau State and I will not allow that vision to die with him. I will work with the family to get his development blue print for me to implement it for the benefit of Plateau citizens whom GNS Pwajok loved so much.

    “As a governor, I had sincere intention to tap into the vision of GNS Pwajok in developing the state. It is therefore a great loss to my administration that he has to die now. I have no one to consult for ideas any more.

    “I know GNS has a rich store of ideas for the growth of the state. Only God knows why the man died without fulfilling his mission for the people of the state. It is so painful.”

    The running mate to the late Senator Pwajok during the governorship election, Yilji Gomwalk, described his deceased boss as a man with a large and gentle heart who accepted all indiscriminately. He always thought of others before himself.”

    Plateau youths described him as their hero and role model. Politicians described him as their hope. Women called him their saviour. The indigent group called him their Messiah.

    Senator Pwajok was the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 11 governorship election in Plateau State. He fell sick before May 29 and was flown out of the country for medical attention. But the youngest Senator in the 7th Assembly between 2012 and 2015 was confirmed dead on the 28th of October 2015.

    The late Pwajok was suspected to have died of illness known in medical parlance as Hepatocellular Carcinoma, a combination of kidney and liver complications.

    The entire state mourns his death because he died at the early age of 48, having been born on the 15th of March 1966.

    The PDP standard bearer died while pursuing his governorship case before the election petition tribunal.

    The youths in the state vowed to continue with the legacies of the late senator as enshrined in his political slogan, Greater Together, during the governorship campaign, based on his belief that Plateau State will be greater when the citizens are united.

    Senator Pwajok died fighting for the unity of the people of Plateau state. As a leader of the “greater together” crusade, he was detribalised. He embraced all and never showed ethnic or religious sentiments in his character.

    GNS Pwajok was a lecturer at Plateau State Polythecnic, University of Jos before going into politics. He was a Director General of Research and Documentation and late Chief of Staff in the former Jonah Jang administration between 2007 and 2012.

    He later contested the Senate seat of Plateau North Senatorial zone and won in 2012. He won the governorship primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after defeating 15 other governorship aspirant.

    In a tribute by his wife, Mrs Bridget Gyang Pwajok, she said: “By this death, myself and my husband has only separated physically, we are still together in spirit.

    “I will forever love the world we shared. I will always remember your smile. I shall miss your love and care, no doubt, but I’m consoled with the confidence that you’ve gone to be with our Lord God.

    “I will be with you there someday. Rest in peace, my dear.”

    The only daughter of the late senator, Miss Matilda Simi Pwajok, said: “I never imagined I would pay a tribute to daddy so early. It is just too difficult to accept he is dead. I still don’t believe it. I wish Iam dreaming”

    Senator Pwajok was later laid to rest at his Rayfield residence after the burial mass.

  • Tears as college’s spokesman is buried

    Tears as college’s spokesman is buried

    It was all tears at Amaokwu-Umunze Village in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, when staff and students of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Umunze gathered to bury the institution’s Public Relations Office, Mr Humphrey Sunday Ike.

    Ike died on July 5 after he was attacked by unknown gunmen at his family compound.

    •Catholic priests and others praying before the interment
    •Catholic priests and others praying before the interment

    His burial started with a mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Umunze, which was attended by top government officials, lecturers and students.

    In his homily, the Auxiliary Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Reverend Jonas-Benson Okoye, said death was a necessary end of all human beings, charging the congregation to prepare to meet God with good hearts and deeds.

    Describing the late PRO as rare gem, the cleric said the deceased was a tool God used to touch many lives and propagate the message of Christ.

    The Provost, Prof Josephat Ogbuagu, described the deceased as a prolific writer and quintessential Public Relations practitioner, saying the late Ike was a dedicated staff member who discharged his responsibilities with unparalleled commitment.

    He said: “We will greatly miss Ike. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the bereaved family; we pray God to give them the fortitude to bear this great loss. The late Ike showed good intelligence and exemplary conduct both in public and private life. He was a team player who brought orderliness to the school information management. He was focused and determined to make positive difference. No doubt he left a vacuum that would be too hard to fill.”

    A staff member of the Information and Public Relations Unit, Miss Lovelyn Ojimba, described the late Ike as a role model, saying: “He taught us diligence in labour, love, humility, resilience and never to be intimidated by challenges. We mourn a man who fashioned his life to upholding justice; a man of tremendous integrity and principles.”