The Nation Newspaper

Tag: emergency

  • Governors: no to emergency rule

    Governors: no to emergency rule

    Governors kicked yesterday against the alleged plan by the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in three troubled northern states – Borno, Yobo and Nasarawa.

    Although the Federal Government has denied the plan, saying no decision had been reached on the matter, governors said President Goodluck Jonathan should not heed the call for emergency declaration.

    The states’ helsmen issued two statements – by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi in his capacity as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi on behalf of the newly formed Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF).

    The NGF said: “We urge the Federal Government to continue to support affected states in the bid to check violence. The Federal Government should remain focused and continue to provide leadership until every part of Nigeria is rid of violence and insurgency.”

    “We also call on the Federal Government to ignore the ongoing agitation for a state of emergency in some parts of the country. These requests are being made by people who do not wish our country well and who are bent on plunging the country into a deeper crisis.

    “The Federal Government should not allow itself to be distracted from our collective goal of curbing the insurgency in some parts of our country once and for all.

    He went on: “We in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) hereby condemn the recent violence and killings in some parts of our country – Borno, Nasarawa, Benue, Adamawa and some other states. We also commiserate with the people and government of those states, our security agencies and the families of the victims and pray God to give them and indeed every Nigerian the fortitude to bear the loss.

    “While urging security agencies to continue to do their jobs as professionally as possible, we appeal to all aggrieved individuals and groups in Nigeria to appreciate the fact that violence can never be a solution to any problem. We have no other country to call home and it is important that we understand the danger and futility of destroying our land in the pursuit of a selfish agenda.

    “It is gratifying that government – Federal and State – are working hard to get to the root of the killings and nip this orgy of violence in the bud. We are impressed by the magnanimity of the Federal Government, which has demonstrated an uncommon love for the country by setting up a Committee to explore the possibilities of granting amnesty to the members of the Boko Haram sect.

    “It is also a good step that government has agreed to cooperate fully with the National Human Rights Commission in the investigation of the killings in Baga.

    “We also commend our security agencies for the selfless sacrifice they are making in the interest of us all to restore calm to all parts of our country.”

    The PGF said: “The Progressive Governors’ Forum unequivocally condemns the breach of peace and mindless bloodletting in the states and empathises with our brother Governors Alhaji Kashim Shettima, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam and the good people of Borno, Nassarawa and Yobe states, as well as the people of other states affected. We equally extend our sympathies to the families of the gallant soldiers, policemen and men of the State Security Service (SSS), that have lost their lives in the course of duty.

    “While it might be argued in some quarters that the Presidency is well-intentioned with the reported intended course of action aimed at restoring sustained peace to the affected states, we would like to draw the attention of Mr. President to historical perspectives and contemporary conflict resolution methodologies for consideration before taking such a far-reaching decision.

    “We find the reported course of action incongruent with the posturing of the Presidency which has been reported to be pursuing dialogue with the non-state actors reportedly responsible for the breach of the peace in those states. Less than three weeks ago a Presidential Committee was empanelled to look into the issues and deploy mediation among other measures and make recommendations to Mr. President; why then would the Presidency want to pre-empt the work of the committee by declaring state of emergency in the affected states.

    “We note that the Federal Government under the leadership of former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, was able to successfully contain the Niger Delta crisis by creating the space for credible dialogue with the aggrieved militants, within the framework of a period of amnesty. More importantly, the government at the time worked assiduously with all stakeholders to address the socio-economic issues that catalysed such unrests especially youth unemployment.

    “In view of the foregoing, the Progressive Governors’ Forum implores Mr. President to be consistent with the combination of dialogue and mediation which he has already set in motion, and stay action on the planned declaration of State of Emergency in the affected states, which we believe would be counter-productive. It is also suggested that the Presidency, in addition to the committee, consults extensively with the leadership of the Christian and Muslim Communities as well as Eminent Traditional rulers across the country pursuant of a critical path to sustainable peace in the country.

    “Already, the international community has condemned the excesses of our security forces in their recent campaigns that recorded widespread human rights violations – a state of emergency would precipitate the conditions for the escalation of such excesses.

    “Mr. President is further encouraged to step-up the criminal intelligence gathering machinery of our security forces with a view to pre-empting the wanton destruction of lives and property. This, in our opinion, is in tandem with contemporary statecraft which focuses on preventive rather than reactive responses to breaches of peace and tranquillity in any state.

    “We believe the presence of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the affected areas is capable of restoring peace, if properly coordinated. Thus, any attempt to declare a state of emergency would be seen as a mere excuse to remove the governors by every means.

    “Lastly, it is in our collective interest for the Presidency to concentrate efforts on addressing the socio-economic issues that catalyse crime in any society as well as ensuring equity and justice in the administration of our great country, Nigeria. In other words, an economic-cum-security strategy would yield more enduring dividends than a law and order response. This, in our view, is the surest way to achieve peace and progress.”

  • No plan for emergency rule, says PDP

    •As Anglican Church Borno, Yobe kick

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP yesterday denied any plan to impose emergency rule on Borno, Yobe and Nassarwa states.

    The party spoke as Borno and Yobe residents and the Anglican Church warned against the imposition of emergency rule.

    A statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday described the anxiety by opposition parties as “fallacious and wicked”.

    According to the statement, the Federal Government has not reached any decision to impose emergency rule in any state of the federation.

    The statement reads: “The opposition parties in their usual noise making, homage to falsehood and lies and quest to always be in the news for frivolous reasons, purported in their statements that the Presidency planned to impose emergency rule in some northern states when no such decision has been reached.

    “We find it appalling and very disheartening that the leaders of opposition parties, made up of elderly persons, who ordinarily should have the interest of the nation at heart, have reduced themselves to noise-makers and rumour mongers who have nothing to offer but engage in wicked fabrications in their desperation for power.

    “While the security situation in the country remains a challenge to all Nigerians, it is public knowledge that President Goodluck Jonathan has been upbeat in seeking solutions in the interest of all, by way of equipping security agencies, opening opportunities for dialogue and recently, the consideration of amnesty for Boko Haram members.

    “It is, therefore, to say the least, despicable that the opposition, instead of supporting the laudable efforts by the Jonathan administration, would rather resort to fanning the ambers of violence through lies and fabrications in the media.

    “By always giving partisan coloration to the steps taken by the authorities in finding solution to the security problems, especially in the North, the opposition has shown that it is only interested in the mere pursuit of political power instead of the security and welfare of our people in the troubled states.

    “Their unrelenting attacks on the President, the PDP leadership and the PDP Governors’ Forum, even when there is no need for such and without proffering any solution, is a testament to the fact that the opposition, indeed, has nothing to offer.

    “We charge the opposition to show patriotism in responding to national issues and to learn that integrity, values and reputation are worth more than mere political successes.”

    The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion yesterday advised the Federal Government against bowing to pressure to declare a state of emergency in Nassarawa State.

    Its Primate Nicholas Okoh said the Federal Government should seek a comprehensive security approach instead of declaration of a state of emergency that will be a piecemeal solution to the national debacle.

    The cleric, who spoke in Abuja during the pre-third session of the eighth synod, noted that a similar solution to the insecurity in Borno and other states did not yield any positive result.

    The primate also asked the Federal Government to urgently tackle the security challenges that Fulani herdsmen have posed in various communities.

    He said: “If the Fulani militant herdsmen are not disarmed, they will be worse than Boko Haram. They are shooting people, raping women and taking over everything. That is another colonisation.”

    The theme of the synod is: Christian Stewardship.

    The cleric advised political and labour leaders as well as other Nigerians in various positions of authority to be accountable so that the nation can progress.

    On Boko Haram, Okoh said: “We go further to talk about the proposed amnesty committee. We say that as desirable as it is for us to have peace, we must not have peace negotiated on Boko Haram’s terms. That is, whatever they want, we’ll agree to, if they stop fighting. That will be saving 10 people and destroying 160million or so.

    “One would have loved a situation where amnesty is the climax of a programme of discussions, not secret discussions or public discussions…”

    The Confluence of Borno-Yobe Citizens for Justice (CBYC-J) yesterday condemned the alleged plot to impose emergency rule on the two states in the Northeast.

    The group said a declaration of a state of emergency will contradict the ongoing Federal Government’s amnesty plans for Boko Haram.

    In a statement in Abuja by its Chairman James Musa Mshelia and Secretary Ibrahim B. Tarmuwa, the group said: “The purported efforts by the Presidency to invoke a state of emergency in Borno and Yobe states is like the case of ‘a rich first son who, after failing to provide clothes, blames the nakedness of his father on a distant cousin’.

    “The Constitution is unambiguous about whose responsibility it is to protect the lives of Nigerians and defend its territorial integrity.

    “No governor has an exclusive control over the military, police or any para-military since all service chiefs in the 36 states refer to their superiors in Abuja before determining whether to take the orders of governors or to act on what the Constitution provides in Sections 215 and 217.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • The brazen subterfuge of emergency rule

    The brazen subterfuge of emergency rule

    The moment President Goodlcuk Jonathan started surrendering wholesale to the cajolery of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gerontocracy – the Anenihs and the Tukurs – and began giving heed to the scaremongering of hawkish ethnic advisers, his government also started embracing vicious schemes and intrigues of every conceivable hue. It was not as if he was himself blameless before he encountered those who inspired him to excesses, but in his innocent years, he cut the figure of a moderate whose underhandedness appeared imposed. Thanks to the hawks and the ageing dupes that now surround him and weave their talisman around him, Jonathan has become an eager intriguer quite prepared to hang his enemies upon flimsy legal scaffolds as he is anxious to eviscerate his friends who acquire ambition that threatens his presidency.

    Last week, someone close to the presidency flew the kite of emergency rule in the five northern states of Borno, Yobe, Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau. The emergency rule declaration, it was suggested, would be a firm, if last-ditch, attempt to rein in the insurgency of Boko Haram, the acerbity of nomadic Fulani, and the homicidal frenzy of Middle Belt cults. The presidency has been quick to deny the news, but it didn’t quite say the government had not flirted with the idea. However, media reports strongly assert that the idea is actually under active consideration, and that the Jonathan presidency is somewhat amenable to it, indeed, that it finds it intriguingly attractive. The reasons are not far-fetched. Given present realities, the Northeast is all but lost to the president should elections be held today. However, even if the polls were to take place further down the years, it is inconceivable that the electorate in those forbidden regions would entertain Dr Jonathan with as much as a grin.

    Not only did Dr Jonathan fail to restrain his security agents when the people and elders of the Northeast complained about their high handedness, the president even toured a few of those outlandish regions and lathered them with criticisms. Borno elders have not forgotten the surliness of the president, nor will they forget or forgive his lack of empathy. It is, therefore, suggested that knowing how implacably opposed the Northeast is to him, the president has made up his mind he faces only two choices: either to consider the bright side of the stalemate as implying that no election will take place in those parts on account of unremitting violence or, through the instrumentality of emergency rule, and similar to what Chief Olusegun Obasanjo did in Ekiti State in 2006, put his men in power unconstitutionally to procure electoral triumphs. The two choices are truly enticing to Jonathan’s ageing advisers and hawkish ethnopolitical man Fridays. But these are ominous choices destined to miscarry badly for obvious reasons, for every subterfuge enacted in the Northeast alienates the restive region the more, thereby making wider swaths of that region vulnerable to Jonathan’s enemies, particularly the Boko Haram.

    The emergency rule idea is of course not the president’s first scheme to tackle the growing uncertainties of 2015. Recall his shenanigans in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the bold and intrusive manner the president provoked dissension among the governors, pitching the boisterously impatient Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers against the ingratiating and colluding Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom. The battle and its concomitant furies are still raging in the Forum, and will not end even after the NGF chairmanship election had been won and lost. But much more than the fracturing of the NGF, the emergency rule boondoggle is certain to provoke the most fascinating pre-election jousting of the Fourth Republic, far worse than the serial deposition of PDP chairmen embarked upon by Obasanjo many years before.

    As governors of the South-South and Southeast showed in Asaba, Delta State on Sunday by their chorused endorsement of the president, Dr Jonathan has the two zones locked in his hat. Given the plum placement of officials from the two zones in the government, the cohabitation between them will survive every snide attack from the other regions. If the president is to work his sorcery on any Zone, therefore, expect him to target the Southwest and the Northwest, the two remaining bastions of anti-Jonathan forces and hegemonies of aristocratic politics. Dr Jonathan knows he will split the North-Central on account of the country’s widening religious dichotomies. In sum, the Northeast is the femme fatale expected to cast the deciding vote. But if Dr Jonathan cannot have her, he seems determined to ensure that no one else will. This behaviour may not be statesmanlike and could ruin the republic, but the president’s hawks don’t give a damn – as always.

     

     

     

  • Aregbesola urges Fed Govt to activate emergency call centres

    Aregbesola urges Fed Govt to activate emergency call centres

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the state chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have urged the media to prevail on the Federal Government to activate the emergency call centres his administration built to rescue people in dire security situations across the state.

    The governor, who made the appeal in Osogbo, the state capital, alleged that the Federal Government was frustrating his administration’s good intention to secure the state with the emergency centres.

    He said: “We have been asking the regulatory body, the National Communication Commission (NCC), since last year, to make us operate the centres to help victims in security situations without any success. The body said we could not operate because it is a federal matter. We also asked them to activate the one the Federal Government built for the state; they refused.

    “Please, help us to beg the Federal Government to do something in the interest of the security of life and property in our state. They should not allow all that we have spent to go down the drain. They should make the one we built or theirs work in the interest of the people. They have a responsibility to the people. Please help us to beg them.”

    The Osun ACN, in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, said the Federal Government should act fast in the interest of the people.

    It urged well-meaning Nigerians to join the appeal to the Federal Government to activate the emergency call centres, adding that the security of life and property as well as hundreds of millions of naira expended on building the facilities must be considered.

    It said: “These call centres could be contacted by any cell phone by just dialing 122 to intimate security forces on emergency situations wherever they occur.

    “We cannot understand why such strategic facilities exist in states and the Federal Government cannot activate them to help manage the parlous security situation in the country. The country’s security situation will improve significantly if the public could access the security personnel through the emergency call centres.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • FCT gets emergency management agency

    As part of efforts to tackle emergency situations in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has approved the establishment of the FCT Emergency Management Agency.

    Accordingly, this new agency has been created to effectively and efficiently respond to all emergency challenges in and around the 8,000 square kilometre of the Federal Capital Territory in line with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Act that stipulates the establishment of similar agencies in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.

    The Agency, according to a statement by the Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Hazat Sule, would be a one-stop-shop for all emergency cases to provide basic infrastructure as well as immediate rescue services to all affected residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

    The minister added that the agency has been well packaged to deliver services in tune with the mission and vision of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Meanwhile, Senator Mohammed has also approved the constitution of the FCT Emergency Management Committee in line with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Act.

     

  • EMERGENCY CONGRESS NFF stops Club Chairmen

    EMERGENCY CONGRESS NFF stops Club Chairmen

    THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has ordered Chairmen/Managers of the Nigeria Professional Football League to withdraw their threat to the League Management Committee (LMC) to convene an emergency Congress.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, the NFF reiterated that the LMC was conceived, constituted and inaugurated by the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation – the nation’s football governing body – and therefore, legitimate.

    “The LMC is duly recognized by the NFF and has been keeping to the letter and spirit of its terms of reference, since inauguration. The NFF views any threat to the LMC as an affront, not only to the Football Federation but to Nigeria football,” the statement read.

    The statement added: “Any person(s) purporting to act on behalf of club(s) in the Nigeria Professional Football League to, therefore, undermine the authority and legitimacy of the LMC shall be visited with very severe sanctions.”

    The NFF called on the Chairmen/Managers concerned to follow due and acceptable process by channelling their grievances to the Glass House, while observing that nothing should be prompted to disrupt the 2012/2013 League season that has been running excellently, with good organization and absence of violence and brigandage.

  • FCTA to provide 3-digit emergency phone numbers

    FCTA to provide 3-digit emergency phone numbers

    The FCT Administration is to provide a three-digit emergency call numbers soon to prevent unforeseen disasters within the 8,000 square kilometres of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, who broke the news in Abuja, said that the arrangement, which has reached advanced stages, is in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    According to him, these three-digit call numbers will soon be ready for use by the residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

    Mohammed said that two communication service providers had already hooked up. The remaining ones are yet to.

    Meanwhile, the minister has directed the Urban Affairs Department of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council to start a comprehensive sensitisation on flooding as the rains are already here.

    Mohammed said that the FCT Administration received an early warning from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on the dangers of flood.

    He instructed the Urban Affairs to write to stakeholders, including the Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) under the FCT Administration, such as the Development Control Department; Department Facilities Management & Maintenance; Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) on flood prevention to avert it.

    The minister also directed that all the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory be carried along in the Flood Prevention Campaign.

    Mohammed noted that all the communication service providers, including MTN, Globacom, Etisalat and Airtel are partners in the project.

  • Mark mourns as TUC seeks declaration of state of emergency

    Mark mourns as TUC seeks declaration of state of emergency

    Senate President David Mark yesterday lamented the gruesome murder of the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chinwike Asadu in Enugu last weekend.

    Mark, in a message of condolence to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, bemoaned Asadu’s assassination and said the late police chief served the nation meritoriously.

    He decried the renewed violence in some parts of the country and called on security operatives to rise up to the challenge.

    In the statement by his media aide Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, Mark said: “The continued loss of lives to violence crimes attracts the condemnation of all right thinking members of the society.

    “The assassination of Kwara State Commissioner of Police is to say the least regrettable and an affront.

    “We suddenly find ourselves in a society where life has become so cheap and almost meaningless. We must do all we can within the ambits of the law to halt these menace.

    “That is the only way we can guarantee that the late police commissioner did not die in vain.”

    He sympathised with the Nigerian Police and the immediate family of the deceased, praying God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    Also yesterday, the Rivers State Chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said the assassination called for the declaration of a state of emergency on security by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Union Chairman Chika Onuegbu who spoke in Port Harcourt, described as unfortunate, the assassination of Asadu in Enugu, his home state, He also said it was very sad that the police boss’ orderly and driver were severely shot.

    He noted that the assassination of the police chief, at a time Boko Haram suicide bombers and other fundamentalists were killing innocent people and destroying valuable property, called for serious concern.

    Onuegbu said: “It will not be out of place for President Jonathan to declare a state of emergency on security in Nigeria. Imagine the assassination of a commissioner of police by hoodlums, who were bold enough to make away with his injured orderly’s rifle!

    “Innocent people are being wasted in Nigeria on a daily basis. Kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists, sea pirates, suicide bombers and other criminals have been let loose. Those at the helm of affairs should not appear helpless and clueless.

    “The protection of lives and property is the essence of governance. Criminals should not be allowed to continue to have a field day and make it to appear as if nobody is in charge. It is quite pathetic. Urgent action must be taken, to stop the dastardly acts forthwith.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • We can help manage emergency, biking group says

    The Association of Nigerian Motorcycle Clubs (ANMC) has said the country can leverage on its members’ expertise to manage accidents and emergencies.

    The group’s president, Inyang Effiong, an engineer, said this during their maiden press conference held in Ikeja, Lagos.

    “When Nigerians witness accident, they just lament and take to Facebook to announce that people are dying. Most times, the victims do not get the needed help on time,” he said, adding: “That is why we want to help because we have the ability to get to places faster than cars without exceeding speed limit. So, we can come handy in emergency situations.”

    He said the group is holding meetings with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on modalities of collaboration to ensure that lives are saved in critical moments.

    The group’s vice president, Ogbonnaya Kanu, said that the group could be of several social benefits. “We have helped charity organisations organise successful rallies because it is easy for us to attract public attention. For example, we shall be holding a ride in Jos on March 1 as our contribution towards peaceful coexistence,” he said.

    Besides the social intervention, Inyang said the country could also benefit economically from their activities. “Biking in other countries is a multi-billion-naira industry and that is the level we are aiming for, to use our sport to develop Nigeria’s economy. Nigerians will gain financially and emotionally by associating with us,” he said, adding: “We are holding our annual convention in Ado-Ekiti and imagine what that translates to economically when all bikers in Nigeria and even from neighbouring countries come to stay for a few days.”

    He said ANMC was registered in 2009 as “an umbrella body for increasing number of Motorcycle Riding Clubs.”

    He disclosed further: “Currently, there are 11 clubs, spread across Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Jos, and Bauchi and we are hereby asking individual riders to join a club or form one so that we can all enjoy the sport we love together,” he said, adding that “we already have a template for establishing new clubs and for mentoring riders.”

    Ogbonnaya urged members of the public to respect riders and stop castigating them as eccentric. “We want to let people know that the person they see on power bike is not a riffraff but a responsible person.

    “We want people’s opinion about us to change. We are law abiding and responsible people from diverse backgrounds, professions, age, and religion, united by the passion to ride. And we have been using this passion to help our communities. We visit charity homes and hold safety seminars,” he said.

  • Talk without tactics; Judicial Performance Record; Emergency electric power; Split road contracts into 10

    Talk without tactics; Judicial Performance Record; Emergency electric power; Split road contracts into 10

    Road officials nationwide should operate 7am to 9pm even on Sundays at every jammed junction.

    Warning about newspaper articles: ‘Agreement without action’, ‘words without work’ and ‘talk without tactics’ are worthless. Those who love Nigeria must take action –like NGOs on the ‘First $12.5b Gulf Oil Windfall’ where their court case was thrown out perhaps for lack of jurisdiction or time lapse or even that the NGOs ‘lack authority to represent the people’. But has the money expired? Has a NGO no right to enquire about the common wealth? More NGOS should follow this lead. Unfortunately the government lawyer relished the moment publically but the moral shoe is on the other foot. Millions of Nigerians wept watching him boasting as yet another opportunity to expose the truth was thwarted ‘legally’. The war against corruption has not started. Judges know they could die without being remembered for ‘moral judgements’ unlike UK’s Lord Denning and Nigeria’s Justice Kayode Eso.

    Eventually the judiciary must learn courage or face ridicule and ‘watchdog’ judicial enquiry. In fact a compulsory monthly updated computer-based ‘Magistrates and Judges Performance Record’ for evidence-based keeping track of ‘sick leaves’, injunctions, adjournments, no shows, wrong jurisdiction courts and technicalities, adjournments, case length, judgements and reversals on Appeal should be created by the Judicial Council or NGOS. Such a performance record will paradoxically help protect judges from corruption pressure. Is it not amazing that from infamous Pol Pot to Pinochet to today, the excuse of ‘sickness’ ridicules the judicial process as an excuse for ‘alternative’ incarceration in VIP hospital or hotel instead of a prison cell? Their dead and murdered victims had no ‘sick-off’ to avoid execution.

    Nigeria should be in a hurry to right the wrongs of decades of incompetent rulership. The pain of a pothole is when it is filled and you remember the needless suffering from rubbish road works. The pain of electricity powerlessness is when you visit those with 24 hour power and discover they are black like you and do not have two heads or a generator at home, office and everywhere.

    Job creation means work in building the 14,000,000 Nigerian homes. Japan replaced all power losses from its shutdown nuclear plant within 3 months using known international emergency electricity companies. Japanese did not starve of power while awaiting a new power station. Nigeria’s multi-billion budget for publically funded generators, fuel and maintenance charges could be better spent on cheaper, large scale, emergency power pending ‘the final solution to power problems’ –the IPPs. So let us remove generators, fuel and maintenance items, except for hospitals, from all government budgets, offices and homes from the presidency, politicians and public officials and PHCN staff. If we do this from Jan 1st 2013 power will ‘flow’. Power is an emergency and a right, not a dividend of democracy. To put our 100,000MW pathetic political power failure in perspective, every single Nigerian from barber to baker to banker would be 10-30% better off financially if power was constant. They would be able to invest in and increase non-oil business and employment by 10-30%. Of course the petroleum billionaires would be 40-50% poorer if Nigeria’s generators dry up as fuel consumption would go down. Hurray!

    A 300 Level undergraduate of Political Science told me today that they have never analysed current affairs in class. It is time for curriculum change to include ‘Application of Today’s Lecture to World and Local Events’. Undergraduates in every discipline need a lecturer guided/ student space to discuss and research Nigeria’s pathetic state every day.

    Potholes are filled year round in countries like Thailand with monsoon rainy season. Nigerian roads are mysteriously abandoned during ‘rainy season’ –disgracing Nigerian professionals. Nigeria must fill potholes 365 days a year and work day and night during the dry season.

    Teachers should teach NASS and government an old mathematical puzzle – ‘If it takes one farmer 10 days to plough a field, how long would it take 10 farmers to do the same field? Answer ‘One day’. So why does Nigeria not divide all roads into sections of 10-20km for 5 or 10 contractors? Road mega-contracts have failed Nigeria, creating 1 or 2 billionaires and millions of road sufferers and failed projects nationwide. A country is not made great by billionaires but by its other classes. Multiple small contracts will produce a quick execution of contracts, healthy rivalry, competitive quotations, more happy contractor families, more spread of wealth, 10 times the employment, fewer exclusive yachts and private jets. Governments must initiate a ‘Split Contract Policy’ of ‘Prove why the contract should not be split’.

    CBN governor Sanusi’s comments about workers reduction require dispassionate thought. The origin of our recent financial problems is the excesses of the NASS ‘Salaries And Perks’ precipitating the ‘Second Nigerian SAP programme’ after Babangida’s First SAP programme. This caused a backlash of supersalary demands among other political appointees, civil servants and states and LGAs. The CBN could deliberately improve the naira at say N1/month over 4 years and bring down the 12% interbank interest rates and the 21-25% bank interest rate. This would have reducing the cost of living. Nigeria is eating its own hands. To save the economy, put politicians on a sitting part-time allowance and target strategies for a naira of N120: $1 by 2015. Strengthening the naira will empower salary earners, create jobs, wealth and halve the number of Nigerians living on $1/day.