The Nation Newspaper

Tag: citizens

  • Democracy without citizens’ participation?

    SIR: The dishonorable happenings in the 8th National Assembly have resolutely convinced politically-engaged Nigerians that a critical mass of politicians in the upper and lower chambers of our law making ivory tower are not there for representative democracy, but to earn the largest legislative allowances and wages in the history of democracy on earth.

    From the melodrama produced by the Machiavellian process of picking principal officers in the lawmaking assemblage to the current Saraki saga, the drama seems to keep evolving unabatedly from the floors of the both houses. Nigerians are finding it hard to move on with zest as expected by standard demands of citizenship because those they have elected to represent them at the National Assembly now advance their personal interest without recourse to their constituents.

    How come solutions to poverty and unemployment at the grassroots are all about tricycles and sewing machines but N3.8 billion is spent on Sports Utility vehicles (SUV) for themselves?

    Why do our public officers think that people at the grassroots should be the only ones to take the hit in the bumpy ride to economic reconstruction?

    The answers would be that our public officials are not accountable to the public. The elected members even attempted to redefine what free speech should be in our democracy. Money and power always have a way of introducing a twist in noble human rectitude.

    Why should they be held accountable in the first place? After all, as purportedly written by a sitting Senator, some of them ‘paid every inch of the way’ to get there. Therefore, they will never be afraid to happily and perceptively over-promise but under-deliver because there is no immediate penalty for doing so.

    Perhaps, common sense should tell our Senators that ‘in the spirit of change’, the constant fleecing of public funds and display of contempt for public intelligence, which used to be a norm, is becoming a thing of the past in Nigeria. But then again, common sense has never been part of their equation.

    The facetious response from a senator to an individual she represents reconfirms two truisms about Nigerian politics: Truth has no place in our system and money wins elections. The system is so corrupt we can smell it in the air we breathe.

    Money and material considerations are part of politics in every democratic setting. But they have always taken away the voice and rights of the common man in Nigeria.

    It is obvious that appealing to our elected officials in the National Assembly might not change their dishonorable approach to public service since some of them have been bought or paid for by someone else at the party hierarchy. Nonetheless, we will continue to remind them that in representative democracy, they are not our leaders but our representatives. They are there to carry out the will of the people. In simple terms, their primary task is serving their constituents.

    In the past, whistles were used to nobly pass messages to our elected officials. But the prevalent circumstances in our National Assembly have shown that our lawmakers have ear plugs in their ears. We are wiser and audacious now. We are engaging the use of drums and trumpets to articulate our disenchantment to democracy without citizens’ participation.

     

    • David Dimas,

    Maryland, U.S.A.

  • Emulate Jesus’ sacrifice, Akinde tells citizens

    The Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos and Bishop, Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Most Rev Adebayo Akinde, has urged Nigerians to emulate the sacrificial life of Jesus by working to improve the lives of others around them.

    Akinde spoke in an interview with reporters yesterday during the Easter Day celebration at the Cathedral of Saint Jude, Anglican Church, Ebute-Meta, Lagos.

    According to him, the death and resurrection of Jesus should remind Nigerians of the need to be selfless and sacrifice their time, energy and skill to help others in need.

    He said Nigeria would be a better place where equity, justice and fair-play are enthroned when the citizens subscribe to the lifestyle of giving as exemplified by Jesus Christ.

    “Easter is a celebration of love, commitment, passion and sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave with his life to reconcile man back to God,” he said.

    “For us to benefit from the death of Jesus Christ, we must put our trust in God through Jesus Christ. Christianity does not need any embellishment or assistance but only trust in Jesus, which opens to all of us, the enormous blessing of the resurrection.

    “We can experience peace internally, and in our nation when we embrace the sacrifice that Christ has made and key into the conditions of salvation, which include confessing our sins, forsaking them and asking God for grace to live for him.”

    He added that the country’s transformation would be dependent on government’s policies and programme as well as the church that is committed to reproducing the life of obedience to Jesus Christ in all that they say or do.

  • Citizens Church lifts Abuja schools

    No fewer than 2,000 pupils in Abuja have received educational materials worth over N1million courtesy of The Citizen Church with headquarters in the nation’s capital.

    The beneficiaries were drawn from LEA Model Science Primary School, Garki 2 and UBE Primary School, Kuje.

    Some of the items donated to the pupils include exercise books, uniforms, sandals, socks, school bags and writing materials as well as payment of PTA levies valued at N200, 000.

    The church’s leader, Pastor Peter Balogun, said the gestures were parts of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    Balogun said it was to demonstrate the love of Christ, which is basically through giving.

    He called on religious institutions and non-governmental organisations to leave their comfort zone and show love by giving.

    According to him: “Every church should know that our message is centred around love. And love is not complete without giving.

    “In fact, the only way to demonstrate that you love is by giving. When Jesus came, he moved around and put smiles on people’s faces.”

    Balogun stated the resources for the project were sourced through contributions from members, assuring that this would be a regular feature.

    “This is not going to be a one-off thing. We expect to be doing it from time to time. This is just a starting point.

    “We are trusting God that very soon, God will help us to do some mega projects that will aid good education in Nigeria”, he stated.

    His wife, Kemi, disclosed that the less privileged pupils were specifically chosen, as some of them had no school uniforms, shoes and bags.

    Head Teacher, LEA Model Science Primary School, Hannatu Bawa asked other institutions to emulate the church.

    Also, Head Boy of the school, Ifeanyi Okereke and another recipient, Favour Keke, a Primary 3 pupil, expressed gratitude to the church for the gesture.

  • Taxation and dis-alienation of citizens (2)

    Taxation and dis-alienation of citizens (2)

    In particular the decision to call on citizens to take charge of funding governance is tantamount to calling on citizens to rescue their country and its economy from collapse in the wake of low revenue from petroleum and decades-long reckless looting of the nation’s resources.

    There is no room for failure over FIRS’s attainment of its 2016 target of N4.97 trillion to the Federal Government. This is not a joke. We need everybody to do his/her beat to ensure that everybody contributes (sic) to the achievement of the target. The nation will depend on FIRS to fund the budget. We need the money to stabilize the economy. –Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister
    Democracy is founded on the principle that the moral authority of government is derived from the consent of the governed. That consent is not very meaningful, however, unless it is informed. When a government makes decisions in secret, opportunity for corruption increases and accountability to the people decreases. That is why government transparency should be a priority. When official meetings are open to citizens and the press, when government finances are open to public scrutiny, and when laws and the procedures for making them are open to discussion, the actions of government enjoy greater legitimacy.-Jerry Brito

    The first section of this article stated that decades of military rule during the period of oil boom and lack of will by civilian rulers to move beyond military notion of governance distanced the citizenry from government. It argued that the decision by rulers-both military and civilian-to use funds from petroleum as they wanted without having to be accountable to citizens created a conducive condition for corruption at the level of governance and created lack of concern for public accountability on the part of the average citizen who saw government as the business of those in whatever form of power was in vogue from time to time in an ethos of easy revenue from non-renewable fossil energy. The piece concluded that now that the chicken seems to have come to roost in respect of the seeming omnipotence and omnipresence of oil revenue, those saddled with a depleted economy after decades of venality in governance have found solace in asking citizens to pay taxes to fund governance and restore the country’s damaged economy. It ended by stating that payment of tax is larger than citizens’ obligations to government; it should strengthen the culture of accountability while enhancing citizens’ ownership of their government.

    Today’s piece will focus on what government at all levels should do, not only to encourage citizens to pay taxes but also to make them see clearly how their taxes are used for the purpose for which they are meant. It will also make suggestions on how citizens can ensure that they are not taken for granted by those they have chosen to use their taxes on their behalf for national security and physical, social and human development. The overarching thesis for today’s concluding piece is that democracy is larger than choosing leaders at elections; it is about nurturing an open government for the purpose of making citizens have and grow confidence in the process by which they are governed by involving citizens to participate fully in their governance.

    The onus of initiating and sustaining Change or the New Politics promised before the 2015 election by General Mohammed Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) is on both the government and the voters. With relation to the government, it is salutary that it has decided to outgrow the laissez-faire approach to government as an opportunity for those in power to spend revenue without any reference to citizens. In particular the decision to call on citizens to take charge of funding governance is tantamount to calling on citizens to rescue their country and its economy from collapse in the wake of low revenue from petroleum and decades-long reckless looting of the nation’s resources. But let nobody be fooled; the best way to encourage citizens to pay their taxes is to let them see in unmistakable terms that the taxes they pay are used to improve the quality of their life. And the most assured way to make this happen is for those in government-executive, legislative, and judiciary-to be accountable in all they do.

    The old culture of spending without explanation and without involving citizens in discussion of budget projects is not acceptable in an ethos in which citizens fund governance through tax. The old habit on the part of military and civilian rulers that oil money belonged to nobody and could be used as rulers feel has been made obsolete by the new reality thrown up by precipitous fall in the price of oil. There is no better time for those in power under the Government of Change to remember the old saying: “He/she who pays the piper calls the tune.”Political office holders need to realise that citizens need evidence of accountability at every stage of spending their tax money. The example of Lagos State in the last sixteen years of Tinubu, Fashola, and now Ambode with making tax money work for those who made it possible is a model that the federal government in particular should borrow and build on, especially the readiness of the Lagos State government to mix provision of elite and mass goods and services.

    As the federal government goes the way of e-governance, it must seize the opportunity of improving access of citizens to information about the activities of government. Such information should include budget details and how funds are used on projects, apart from aspects of governance that have to be classified for the security of the state. Citizens are not likely to (and should not) tolerate the present situation of continued impunity by those in government. For example, despite the directive by President Buhari that the number of police officers being used as personal guards or Maiguards for members of those designated as Big men and women in the country be stopped or curtailed, there are still hundreds of policemen sitting in front of houses beside drivers of former members of legislature and even of the executive. Former legislators are still driving cars with NASS plate tags almost one year after they had ceased to be lawmakers. Citizens who pay tax to fund governance would prefer that the police are used to provide security for all citizens, and not just for a handful of citizens who happened to have been minister or legislator in the past.

    On the part of citizens, agreeing to pay tax to save the polity and economy should be seen as the return of the public, which had been repressed, ignored, or marginalised for over four decades of free flow of revenue from rent collection by the government. Citizens have to insist on not just executive accountability but also on legislative and judicial accountability.  Citizens should be given opportunity in discussion of salaries and allowances to those in governance at all levels. Full disclosures on federal budgeting, state, and local government budgeting should be high on the menu of government-citizen relations. For too long, citizens have been denied benefits of having local governments through failure of states to conduct regular local government elections and the propensity of governors to hamstring local governments by holding on to statutory allocations to the third tier of government under the guise of managing state/local government joint accounts. Both governments and citizens should listen to and learn from Donald Gordon’s admonition on transparent governance: “Openness, accountability, and honesty define government transparency. In a free society, transparency is government’s obligation to share information with citizens. It is at the heart of how citizens hold their public officials accountable. Governments exist to serve the people. Information on how officials conduct the public business and spend taxpayers’ money must be readily available and easily understood.”

    Citizens must not only remain steadfast in their support to fight corruption; they must also be vigilant to the extent that they can prevent corruption by insisting that they are fully consulted before decisions to spend their tax money are made. The power to take decisions about the polity and economy should not rest in the era of modern democracy on only elected representatives. There is no better time to push the tenets of modern democracy and citizen participation than under an administration that has pledged to uphold high moral and ethical standards in governance.

    – Concluded

     

  • Taxation and dis-alienation of citizens (1)

    Taxation and dis-alienation of citizens (1)

    A more optimistic view of the call on residents and companies to pay taxes is for citizens to see this as inevitable return of their sovereignty to them by those who had distracted citizens from their primary political responsibility in the past.

    There is no room for failure over FIRS’s attainment of its 2016 target of N4.97 trillion to the Federal Government. This is not a joke. We need everybody to do his/her beat to ensure that everybody contributes (sic) to the achievement of the target. The nation will depend on FIRS to fund the budget. We need the money to stabilise the economy.–Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister
    The subjects of every state ought to contribute to the support of the government, as nearly as possible in proportion to their respective abilities: that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state. In the observation or neglect of this maxim consists what is called the equality or inequality of taxation. -Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations
    A democracy requires accountability and accountability requires transparency. -Barack Obama

    Nigeria has been for too long a state run on the model of landlordism by those charged with rent collection from petroleum, who generally relish treating Nigerians not as citizens but as tenants. This philosophy of governance and of citizen-state relations had not always been so. Towards the end of the colonial era, taxation at the instance of colonial administrators and later of pre-Independence political leaders applied the principle of social contract with citizens, by assuring them in their rhetoric and praxis that the taxes citizens paid would address their social needs. This was why resistance to tax by citizens, especially in Western and Eastern regions weakened until when citizens joyfully paid their taxes, particularly during Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s unmistakable use of tax funds for social programmes that citizens could identify with. Now that Nigeria has been forced by collapse of oil price to return to funding of governance through taxes from citizens and non-citizens, as it is done in most self-sustaining countries of the world, this column will return to addressing previous themes covered on this page in the past: complementary responsibility of the taker and giver of taxes in a democracy.

    In the years before the onset of military rule in 1966, especially after the civil war when the principal source of funding for the government was rent collection from sale of petroleum, it was money collected directly and indirectly from citizens, residents, and companies that drove governance. For example, most of the infrastructure and institutions created in the four regions before the 1970s derived from funds collected directly and indirectly from the people and the economic activities they engaged in.  However, continued surge in revenue from petroleum not only encouraged military rulers to create a bloated central government in terms of functions and revenue; it also drove the policy of proliferation of states and of intended or unintended alienation of citizens from governments. Military rulers (and later civilians) of the central government in particular had the courage to delete the support of citizens from consideration, once they felt there were sufficient funds from petroleum sale to create whatever appealed to the fancies of rulers-be they military or civilian between 1975 and 2015.

    Military rulers who came to power by force of arms or civilian governments rigged into power found encouragement in the assured and growing revenue from petroleum to distance citizens from the state. This policy over time kept citizens away from scrutinising how they were governed, thus saving political and bureaucratic leaders from accountability.  Military rulers were content with citizen apathy generated by alienation, as this situation made it easier for rulers to manage civil society organisations and the media that had the courage to hold rulers to account periodically.  Corruption of some members of the media and sponsoring by rulers of civil society organisations to counter those that were genuinely pro-citizens’ interests gained ground during decades of military rule. The result of such policy on the part of government, especially the central government, is estrangement or withdrawal or separation of a person’s or group’s affections from an object or group such as those in charge of governance.

    Such alienation erodes or represses citizens’ political efficacy that should have allowed them to exercise their sovereignty. Instead, a polity committed to alienating citizens created a culture in which citizens largely, in the words of Dan Hind in The Return of the Public, “accept government’s authority almost to the point of autocracy.” It has taken the election of 2015 and the ascendancy of Mohammed Buhari as president to know the dangerous implications of decades of separation between those who governed the country and those that were governed. Suddenly, citizens now get to see the difference between discussion of corruption in the media as abstract ideas and the details of corrupt acts by those charged as politicians or civil servants to serve as minders of the state.

    It is possible that if the price of petroleum had not slumped, partisan traditional and social media could still have been able to urge the public to move on and forget the past, in order to mask the details of corruption in the polity. But the coming at the same time of an austere anti-corruption president and the loss of value of petroleum in the international market has unearthed the venality of crass political and bureaucratic corruption in the country. This has also compelled those newly charged to govern the country decades after consolidation of the culture of corruption to come back to citizens for collaboration with government through putting the onus of funding the country on citizens, residents, and their businesses. The return to the public by the Finance Minister when she said, “We need everybody to do his/her beat to ensure that everybody contributes (sic) to the achievement of the target” of raising 4.97 trillion from tax to fund a the 6+ trillion budget and to stabilise the economy knowingly or unknowingly calls on citizens to take their country back from banditry of decades-long irresponsible and unresponsive governance.

    It is conceivable that many citizens who did not feel pressured for decades to pay taxes religiously because of the culture of parasitism made possible by assured flow of revenue from petroleum and stratagems on the part of military and civilian rulers to save themselves from public scrutiny are likely to feel inconvenienced by government’s demand for prompt payment of taxes to fund governance. This may be a pessimistic view of the new reality by such citizens. A more optimistic view of the call on residents and companies to pay taxes is for citizens to see this as inevitable return of their sovereignty to them by those who had distracted citizens from their primary political responsibility in the past.

    Putting as many corrupt citizens in jail after proper trial; strengthening regulatory regimes to discourage corruption, and teaching young people in all schools about the value of honesty may not end corruption, without the readiness of citizens to invoke their power to read the riot act to politicians and civil servants that abuse their office. Such readiness will be stimulated and sustained once citizens provide the bulk of funds put in the care of politicians and civil servants. If citizens want to eat the omelette of good governance, they have to be prepared to break the eggs of reading riot acts to those who rob them of their commonwealth, by enthusiastically re-claiming their ownership of the state. Citizens’ readiness to invoke their sovereignty during and after elections is now required, more than ever before, to end a culture in which representatives of citizens as members of the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of government act as if they are sole owners of the republic.

     

    To be continued

  • ‘Study hard to be good citizens’

    The President, Road Safety Officers’ Wives’ Association, Ogun State branch, Mrs Adekunbi Adetunji, has urged children to improve their study skills to enable them to archieve success in their education.

    Mrs Adetunji spoke at the get-to-gether/end-of-the-year party organised by the association for children at the Ogun State Sector Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Abeokuta, the state capital.

    The event, she said, was aimed at  showing love to the children and to encourage unity among the officers’ wives and children as their husbands are absent due to their work schedules.

    She appealed to the children to be obedient to their parents and all elderly persons.

    She also urged them to be law-abiding in order to make their parents, society and the country proud.

    Mrs Adetunji appealed to the children to be more engaged to school  activities that would make them better citizens in the future.

    She also advised them to always seek God’s guidance and protection of their fathers who are always absent from home due to national assignments.

    She urged members of the association to ensure they instil discipline in their children, even as she said they should train them in the ways of the Lord. She said it was a good idea for parents to give children better home training.

    Highlights of the event was cutting of cake, quiz/dancing competition and presentation of gifts to the children.

     

  • ‘Study hard to be good citizens’

    ‘Study hard to be good citizens’

    The President, Road Safety Officers’ Wives’ Association, Ogun State branch, Mrs Adekunbi Adetunji, has urged children to improve their study skills to enable them to archieve success in their education.

    Mrs Adetunji spoke at the get-to-gether/end-of-the-year party organised by the association for children at the Ogun State Sector Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Abeokuta, the state capital.

    The event, she said, was aimed at  showing love to the children and to encourage unity among the officers’ wives and children as their husbands are absent due to their work schedules.

    She appealed to the children to be obedient to their parents and all elderly persons.

    She also urged them to be law-abiding in order to make their parents, society and the country proud.

    Mrs Adetunji appealed to the children to be more engaged to school  activities that would make them better citizens in the future.

    She also advised them to always seek God’s guidance and protection of their fathers who are always absent from home due to national assignments.

    She urged members of the association to ensure they instil discipline in their children, even as she said they should train them in the ways of the Lord. She said it was a good idea for parents to give children better home training.

    Highlights of the event was cutting of cake, quiz/dancing competition and presentation of gifts to the children.

     

  • ‘I’ll promote peace, citizens’ welfare’

    ‘I’ll promote peace, citizens’ welfare’

    The newly installed Baale of Ilupeju, Lagos, Chief Michael Idowu Orelaja, has pledged to promote peace, progress and ensure the welfare of the Ilupeju residents.  He also promised to support the local and state governments’ programmes to make life better for his people.  He spoke at his palace while marking the seventh day of his coronation.

    Chief Orelaja was installed as the fifth Baale, having succeeded the late Chief James Adeboye Olaleye, who died on April 20, last year.

    He was selected after much screening by the Council of Chiefs among many contestants. Many traditional chiefs, monarchs, political stalwarts and dignitaries across the country were present at the event to rejoice with the ‘authentic’ Baale as he was fondly called by youths.

    While thanking the Council of Chiefs and citizens of the town, Chief Orelaja pledged to contribute his quota to the development of Ilupeju Township. He promised to find solution to some of the challenges that members of the community experience and create an enabling environment for residents to realise their potential; just as they will be made to live harmoniously.

    The Baale said he would work with both state and local governments to re-orientate his people and create awareness on environmental safety and security within the township.

    He urged the youth to shun all forms of indiscipline and social vices that can cause chaos in the area. Chief Orelaja harped on peaceful co-existence within the town as panacea for development and progress promising to embark on youths’ development programme that could make them acquire skills that can make them useful to themselves and the community.

     

  • Army seeks citizens’ support in terrorism battle

    Army seeks citizens’ support in terrorism battle

    The Army yesterday appealed to Nigerians to support its efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Making the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri, Maj.-Gen. Yushau Abubakar, the Theatre Commander, Operation “Lafiya Dole”, said one of the key roles the people could play was volunteering vital information.

    Abubakar explained that the war could not succeed through military operations alone.

    “I want to inform all that this operation should not be seen as purely military; it should be seen as an inclusive peace operation, where everybody has a role to play.

    “This battle can best be won at the quickest time with the co-operation of all stakeholders.

    “We need information; we need co-operation; we need synergy, we need support, support in the sense that we have lots of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which I believe, good Nigerians, good organisations, either domestically or internationally, can always come to assist.

    “While this is being done, the military is faced with the task of degrading, destroying and arresting the terrorists,” he said

    The commander said wealthy individuals and corporate organisations, should also assist by providing logistics to the military to aid its operations.

    “In a situation where you find us in more areas than expected, then our attention will be diverted, That is why we need the co-operation of other stakeholders.

    “About two weeks ago, Toyota Nigeria Limited came and made a donation; such support will enhance our efficiency.” Abubakar said.

    He also advised Nigerians to form vigilante groups in their localities and places of work, to prevent terrorists attacks.

    “We are appealing to everybody to take charge of security in his or her environment by being vigilant and reporting strange happenings.

    “The military will do all it takes to secure the society, but Nigerians must help out by being vigilant,” he added.

    He lamented that spate of explosions in motor parks in spite of the fact that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), is one of the strongest unions in Nigeria in terms of membership and organisation”.

    “Unfortunately, we always have challenges or cases of bomb blasts in motor parks.

    “I will appeal to NURTW, market organisations and religious bodies that security should be our collective responsibilities,” he said.

    He, however, commended Nigerian journalists for their support in the anti-terrorism war.

    “It is important that we should always be interacting with journalists, so that Nigerians will know what we are doing; so that our efforts will not only be appreciated by the military high command, but also the citizens of the country, who want peace to come back to this part of the country,” Abubakar said.

  • Citizens beware

    This is a column that seeks to mold, shape societal values and to protect the interests of consumers, citizens and touch other broader relevant topics under the column: ‘TRUE VALUE 360’. It is an interactive column as suggestions, complaints; day to day experiences are welcome.

    This week’s edition is CITIZENS BEWARE

    It has been crystal clear that Nigerian citizens have been on their own (OYO – On Your Own) in the past decades as long as basic utilities are concerned. We have all become a full fledged government of our own; generating water, power, school fees, providing school furniture to take to school, playing fast ones to generate extra income to ‘chillax’.

    I stumbled upon a most disheartening revelation in a client’s office recently; he asked me to taste two different canned fish sauce in different plates, one a high quality, the other a lower quality. Of course they tasted differently; the most painful part was they were both approved for sale in our market for the same price. If you remove the paper of the two distinct brands, the tin and size are the same. The brand of fish written on the label was different from what was sealed inside.

    It was further alleged that there is a particular key department in the regulatory body on quality control of such items that overlooks quality control for a piece of cake.

    Furthermore, prospective new comers into canned fish sauce industry are encouraged by the cartel to go for a lower quality in order to break even and even maximize profit margin, knowing full well that a better quality will throw them out of the market.

    We thought all these stopped a decade ago but it seems we clearly need an independent inspection agency to check the lame watchdogs before citizens are murdered out of greed for kickbacks, talk about watching the watchdogs.

    Who are the primary consumers of the various canned fish sauce mackerel which abound in the market?

    Our Children.

    Nothing stops us from having a better quality at a higher price; consumers will still patronize the slightly more expensive brand if the inferior cheaper ones are not available. The body language of the current leadership must extend to all nooks and corners and save our citizens. The heartless quality control officers must be changed if they cannot join the Nigerian Change Wagon.

    On further investigation, it was realized that it did not stop with canned food; it also extends to red wine. The unit cost of production for an empty bottle of red wine here in Nigeria excluding content costs N450.00 per unit, to import same costs about N400.00. Now you find a bottle of red wine in the market for N450/N500. How did that happen? What is the quality content? Even if content is ‘paraga’ and coloring? What is the marginal cost of quality control? What is the unit cost of content per bottle? Who is responsible for damaging our kidneys? How did such quality of wine sneak into the market to the unsuspecting public? Enough is enough!

    We implore our appropriate bodies to wake up from slumber and beam the searchlights on various quality control departments and regulatory bodies as we may be gradually killing our own citizens with consumption of fake and unapproved food and beverages. A chief executive officer is also the chief responsibility officer of any organization; if your staff has been compromising successfully without being caught or detected, it simply means appropriate structures are not in place and the CEO is liable. Pronto!

    Of course Nigerians are not totally guilty, we have been pushed to the wall with lack of basic amenities by the various past governments, and the environment has been super hostile to business men and women.  At each stage of business cycle, bribes are given and taken, both giver and taker are guilty. This trend has made most people resort to various tricks to generate income at any cost. Of course foreign business men love Nigeria to pieces as they get away with 200% of what they cannot even try in their countries.

    I have in the past worked with a foreign conglomerate; my then foreign boss used to tell me that ‘nothing is impossible in Nigeria’ and that everyone had a price tag. Of course, he was right as I see hitherto disciplined personalities melt at the sight of ‘Ghana must go bags’. We need stop selling your souls for money that will injure the economy and lives of citizens. When we all go abroad for business, we abide by their rules because they will not move they rules for anyone, citizens or foreigners. The onus is on the leadership to lay appropriate rules and apply the laws of checks and balances.

    There is no point making rules if offenders are not brought to book.

    Do you have a nasty experience with any service provider or a regulatory body? Send us a mail today.