The Nation Newspaper

Tag: excursion

  • Economics students visit CBN, SEC on excursion

    Students of the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), have gone on excursion to Abuja.

    The students under the aegis of Nigerian Economics Students’ Association (NESA) visited the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    The 32 students, who undertook the trip, were lodged at Masi Hotels and Suites Ltd in Wumba Apo. They were accompanied by some of their lecturers, including Mallam M.B. Achida and Mallam Audu Bello.

    At the CBN, the students were received by some officials. At the conference room, Muhammad Muhammad, an official, spoke on Naira depreciation and CBN’s strategy in managing foreign exchange flows.

    The students described the lecture as “interactive” and “educative”, saying it helped them to appreciate their monetary policy course.

    After the session, the students were conducted round the various CBN departments. They were taken to the CBN gallery, where old currency samples, such as cowries, timbers and coins, were on display. They were also taught how they could detect fake currencies.

    At SEC office, the students met with the Deputy Director for Investigation, Abubakar Ambursa, Head of Enforcement, Bello Gwamba,  and Zayyanu Bandiya, who are all alumni of UDUS.

    The students were tutored on capital market, functions of SEC, its vision and its organisational team structure. The session was conducted by Mrs Olayeni Johnson.

    The students were given books and compact discs (CDs) for further reading on the activities of the commission. The students left for the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) where they visited the Department of Economics on the Gwagalada campus. They had interactive session with lecturers and students before leaving for Sokoto.

    Some of the participants described the trip as educative, saying they would be willing to go again in the coming session.

  • Gimba’s literary excursion in Niger

    Gimba’s literary excursion in Niger

    Abubakar Gimba’s death was an expected surprise to everyone aware of his deteriorating health condition during his last days. True, we do not wish death upon our loved ones but by divine ordination, death is the prerequisite for the hope of afterlife. Therefore, as human beings, we must at all times expect and anticipate death’s call. Our perpetual existence on earth long after our physical death is dependent on the impact of our influence on the society. It is with great nostalgia that I write this eulogy about a man whom providence afforded me the privilege of knowing. My first encounter with Gimba was through his books and the first one, I had the privilege of reading was the “Sunset for a Mandarin,” a book I found fascinating and intriguing even though at first I didn’t quite understand nor appreciate the travails of the protagonist, until years after, and it was indeed after several years of quality reading and scholarship, that I came to understand the moral conflict that characterises works- the preponderance of the themes of morality which my dear friend and Poet, Gimba Kakanda faulted, as the renowned novelist’s greatest weakness.

    But perhaps, what my dear friend and I didn’t realise then was that, the concept of moralist literature propounded by the late novelist is paradoxically, Gimba’s most profound asset as a writer. Unlike many Gimba was conscious of his purpose in literature, perhaps he viewed literature as a medium of character modification and societal regeneration. He wrote his works with a psychologist mind-set and I should think that he achieved his aim of shaping the personalities of his readers, who are always eager to review the moral angle to Gimba’s novels. Most importantly and worthy of note is that Gimba allowed his writings to be ruled by his environment and in particular, religion. The Islamic religion to which he belonged played a major role in the kind of things he wrote and how he wrote about those things. He was a modest writer.

    As I read his other works, I began to understand that Gimba saw the advancement of morality as an inescapable responsibility, perhaps of every writer. He once and indeed always emphasized this point at his Okada Road, home in Mina, where he lived. Once, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Niger State paid him a courtesy call, I was then an ex-officio member of the executive. The team was led by Almamum Mallam, who was the then chairman, after we had been introduced and the intent of our visit stated, in his characteristic genial manner, he had submitted that the writer’s duty is to modify the society. There was the need for writers to be seen as decent and responsible people.

    He also opined that, one couldn’t teach what one doesn’t know or practice. He viewed writers as models that society should emulate and was particularly opposed to the Marxists life style that permeated the 90s, a thing he said, he tried to correct when he became the President of ANA in the late 90s. He had said, he wanted people to look at writers as dignified people and wretches of the society. But of course, to a certain degree his exorbitant belief about how a writer should look especially in terms of social stratification could easily be attributable to his middle class background. He became a Permanent Secretary at a young age and eventually became a Financial Executive in one of the top banks in the country.

    Gimba’s works are synonymous with his personality, religious and moral view, to him, only individuals who are morally upright can upturn the bad fortunes of any society for the better. He practised what he preached and lived by the values he espoused. During another visit of ANA Niger members to his home, where I was also fortunate to be around, and I was honoured with the privilege of saying a prayer at the meeting. When I had finished, he commended my praying prowess and referred to me jokingly as “Pastor Paul” and that incident is one, I will never forget, I was honoured that he could find my prayer worthy of his commendation. I also remember him single out,Aminu S. Mohammed as the person of after his heart, the one in whom he was pleased. He posited that Sheik was his replica and, I think he jokingly referred to him as his private secretary, with whom appointments must be booked before, he would be seen. But of course,he also said that, ANA Niger didn’t need an appointment to see him and it was always so, whenever the association needed his counsel, he was always available it.

    The interesting twist to Gimba’s influence is that he influenced a great army of word soldiers, who took after him and indeed exceeded him. This league of touch bearers and whom, for want of scholarly coloration may be referred to as “students of Gimba” because they practice what Gimba preached. For example, BM Dzukogi’s prose and even poetry assume the moral modesty characteristics of Gimba’s novels. Dzukogi appears to be the most pronounced literary replica of Gimba. A review of “Potholes in My Dreams” shows that Dzukogi writes with the same moral consciousness that Gimba is known for. Dzukogi’s engagement of sensuality in the story “Dry Tongue in Wet Lips,” attests to the same conscious morality that Gimba would have employed in writing the same story. The “Dry Tongue” clearly represents an infertile penis that cannot fertilise while the “Wet lips” represents a fertile vagina or womb. Throughout the story, Dzukogi deliberately avoids calling a dog by its true name. Dzukogi, KamarHamza, Baba Akote, Almamum Mallam, Aminu S. Muhammed, Ismaila A. Abdullahi are students of Gimba. Their actions, speeches and mannerism re-echo the moralist philosophy, they are the writers of conscience, the redeemers of our morally bankrupt society.

    Indeed, they exemplified this philosophy vehemently vituperations on what constitute the formation school thought they propounded as the “Fourth Oder” which I am also analysing in a separate exercise. Their belief did not end in theory alone, they implemented it and it is what is now known “literary Regeneration” in the state. ASCAFS, Read to A Child Campaign, Teen Authorship Scheme, Hilltoparts Centre, Minna literary Series and the Niger State Book and Other Intellectual Property Development Agency are all practical results of the philosophy of societal regeneration, they had hitherto espoused in theories over the years.

    Some of their activities such as the Teen Authorship Scheme, however appears to have birthed contrary expectations that they may not be too conscious of, and this group of new breeds brim with raw ingenuity and artistic thirst that is oblivion of their Mentors except in few cases. These fresh bloods seem to disagree with the followers and fellowship of Gimba. They have chosen to thread freely paths that their folks could not or did not pursue- freedom of the emotion and expression. There is a great disconnection between the writings of these dissenters and those of the followers of Gimba. It suffices to say that there has been literary revolution of a kind, the new crop of writers who are mostly poets are as raw as the sun can be when angry. Perhaps, in identifying members of this group it may be absolute to indulge our memory a little. Writers such as AyubaPmabi, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Gimba Kakanda, BM Nagidi, SaddiqDzukogi, Halima Aliyu, Maryam Bobi, Fodio Ahmed and I, belong to the ‘freedom of speech generation,’ we say it as we feel and see it without any necessary moral colouration.

  • An excursion into two worlds of the dead

    An excursion into two worlds of the dead

    Like the living, the dead also have two worlds

    Perhaps unknown to many, the opulence that separates the rich from the misery of the poor continues even into the grave. That much can be deduced from the visits our correspondent paid to two cemeteries in Lagos during the week. The Atan public cemetery, located on Lagos Mainland is reputed as a site set aside for the poor and the not-so-rich while the Vaults and Gardens, a private cemetery located in high brow Ikoyi, is reserved for the rich and the affluent.

    While with a paltry N35,000 a poor family can secure a space for their dead relation, a family who desires a space for its dead loved one at Vault and Garden may need as much as N70 million to actualise the dream. And this, according to findings by our correspondent excludes the value added tax and the cost of other ornaments.

    Curiously, it is a disparity that did not exist until the recent past. Checks revealed that prior to the coming of the colonial masters and missionaries, Africans, Nigerians in particular, maintained the tradition of burying their deceased loved ones within their immediate environments. Some their compounds as site for the burial while others who sought to demonstrate greater care for their dead ones, chose a room in the family house. It is a tradition that subsists in many communities till today, in spite of western influence.

    With the advent of civilization and western influence, however, the tradition of burying the dead in the family compound paved way for the use of public cemeteries. The emergence of public cemetery, it was gathered, started when missionaries acquired lands as burial grounds to bury their colleagues instead of flying their remains back to their countries of birth. This was later followed by the acquisition of land for the burial of deceased church members. The development gave rise to the creation of government owned cemeteries and subsequently private ones.

    In terms of beauty, serenity and arrangement, public cemeteries like the one at Atan are not anywhere near private ones like Vault and Garden. It is like comparing life between the residents of the high brow Victoria Garden City (VGC) and Makoko, a slum situated in Yaba area of Lagos State.

    At the Atan cemetery, the graves are overgrown with weeds and have become steady grazing grounds for sheep and goats that roam the premises. When our correspondent visited on Wednesday, the cemetery’s attendants were smoking cigarette and puffing out the smoke as if their lives depended on it. One of them told our correspondent that they believed the smoke from the cigarettes were capable chasing away the spirits of the dead.

    He said: “Taking care of a cemetery is not an easy job. Did your head not swell when you entered here? Did you feel the same way you felt before you got here? You can never feel the same way because this is another world entirely. It is a world of the spirits, and for us to stay here, we have to keep smoking to repel their spirits because they don’t like the smell of smoke.”

    Asked how much it costs to bury a dead person in the cemetery, the head of the cemetery, who gave his name as Sam, said the cost depends on whether one wants a temporary grave or a permanent one. “The temporary grave,” he said, “is without record. When you bury somebody in a temporary grave, there would be record of such burial. After some time, we can bury somebody else on such corpse. But it takes about two years before we can do that. It costs N35,000. The permanent grave costs N170, 000 for a single vault while a family vault for three persons costs N220, 000. However, if you want full marble, the cost will be N350, 000. We also provide caskets if you want one. The cost is between N35, 000 and N120, 000. We also have hearse and limousine to convey the corpse. The hearse costs N20, 000 while the limousine costs N50, 000.”

    He also allayed fears about the safety of interred corpses at the cemetery, saying: “It is not true that the remains of people buried here are not secured. We have a very tight security that would never permit any unholy practice here. When you look at the dates on some of the graves, you will see that they have been here for a long time without anybody tampering with them.

    “It is also not true that there is no more space in the cemetery. We still have a large expanse of land that has not been used. Our requirement for burying a corpse here is the death certificate. You must come with it when bringing the corpse for burial.”

    A visit to Ikoyi Cemetery showed that is better kept and organised than Atan Cemetery. The clean lawns were a contrast to the overgrown weeds at Atan cemetery. The attendant, who refused to give his name, said a three-chamber vault with space and construction costs N450, 000 while two-chamber and one-chamber vaults cost N350,000 and N300,000 respectively.

    A walk into Vault and Garden, just beside Ikoyi cemetery, revealed the glaring difference between public and private cemeteries. It is serene and colourful like a private estate. There was nothing outside the premises that gave it out as a cemetery. Even some people who had gone to the Ikoyi cemetery to bury their loved ones could not resist waiting at the entrance of Vault and Garden for a few minutes to behold its beauty. And if it is fascinating from the outside, the inside is simply captivating. Unlike the compound of public cemeteries that are not cemented, the floor of Vault and Garden is neatly paved with fancy blocks. The administrative office is tastefully furnished and fitted with air conditioners. The floor is generously covered with shinning tiles. Unlike the scary appearance that a visitor is confronted with at Atan, the graves in Vault and Gardens are simply inviting.

    The cost and requirement for making a deceased relation to enjoy these facilities are however enormous. The details as contained in the payment voucher given to our correspondent by the receptionist shows that apart from the death certificate, which is also required by private cemeteries, Vault and Garden also requires a death certificate obtained from the National Population Commission, certificate of burial permit from Eti Osa Local Government and an application form for burial issued by the establishment, among others.

    The costs of the vaults range between N1million and N70 million, excluding value added tax (VAT) and other services such as tombstone classification, which ranges between N550, 000 and N1,050, 000. The VAT for vault classification is between N50, 000 and N3, 5000, 000 while that of tombstone classification is between N27, 000 and N52, 500. This is the much a family of any deceased person has to part with to make their loved one rest in peace in the beautiful graves.

    In an informal chat with our correspondent, one of the attendants said humorously: “This is like a private living room. It is not like the public cemeteries where the fear of being attacked by the spirits of the dead can come to your mind. You can eat or even lie down there without any iota of fear. When you hear the phrase ‘rest in peace,’ this is what they mean. They are enjoying the same comfort as they did while alive.

    “The cost of some of the caskets used at Vault and Garden is enough to empower hundreds of people because it runs into millions. They use mother of the earth cars to bring them as if they are going for marriage. In fact, it is here I get to see some of such cars.”

    Commenting on the cost of burying corpses in private cemeteries, Chief Ladi Williams, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said there is nothing wrong with choosing a private or public cemetery to bury one’s loved one.

    He said: “Where you bury your loved one is a matter of choice. It is not a waste of money if you choose to bury your loved one in a private cemetery, if you have the money. Running a private cemetery is not a bad idea, because we are in a capitalist society. It is a business which you can choose to patronise or not.

    “There is also nothing bad in going to a public cemetery. It is like somebody taking BRT bus from Lagos Island to Dopemu and another person riding a Mercedez Benz from same Lagos Island to Dopemu. Both of them will get there. In fact, the person riding in the public bus may get there before the one riding in a private car.”

    Prince Dipo Okeyomi, a security expert and Executive Director of Marial Security, Texas, United States, identified security as a key reason why people choose to bury their loved ones in private cemeteries. He said the unwholesome practice of hoodlums pilfering corpses at graveyards for ritual purposes would never encourage anybody that has the means to bury the remains of a beloved one in a public cemetery.

    He said: “It is not a wrong thing for anybody that has the financial muscle to bury his beloved one in a private cemetery. Experience has shown that public cemeteries are not secure for one to bury his beloved one.

    “We have had several stories of hoodlums going into public cemeteries, opening the grave and casket of a buried person and stealing all the valuables buried with such persons, including clothing.

    “We have also had stories of how the eyes, the hands, private parts and other vital parts of corpses were removed for ritual purposes in public cemeteries. It is terrible. As Africans, we cherish and have great respect for our beloved late ones, and the fact that they are no more does not mean we should not care about the security of their remains. How would you feel if hoodlums vandalise the remains of your beloved ones in a public cemetery when you have the resources to put them in a more secured private cemetery?

    “In my own opinion, I would even suggest that the government should privatise the existing public cemeteries for better security and management. They can even build more and give them to private businessmen to manage, because it is not easy for an individual to establish private cemeteries.

    “If you go to the bank for a loan to establish such, it would be very difficult for you to get it. And where you get one, the interest rate will scare you. The cost of using private cemeteries is so much because the cost of maintaining them is very high. They spend so much on maintenance, staff salaries and other overhead costs.

    “Another reason for the high cost is because they are very few. If there are financial opportunities for many people to establish private cemeteries across the country, you will find that the cost of using it will drop drastically.”

    Reverend Father Paulinus Uju, OP, a parish priest of Dominican Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos, traced the origin of public cemetery to globalization and cultural interaction.

    He said: “The point at which we began to go to public cemeteries is as good as asking for the point we started going to fast food joints to eat burger instead of eating meals prepared at home. We live in a world of globalization and cultural interaction.

    “Westerners go to designated places they call cemeteries or grave yards to bury their people. I come from a culture where you don’t have these designated places for burying people. What we have is the culture of burying their people by the side of their homes and sometimes in the middle of their living room because our tradition believes in the living dead.

    “This is in line with the belief that our ancestors who have gone are really not dead but are living with the people, and we want to associate with them even though they are physically gone.

    “This practice is a product of globalization and cultural interaction like I said earlier. It is globalization in the sense that when the missionaries came around in those days and because they also were products of their own civilization, they came with the culture of burying people in designated areas.

    “The same civilization brought about the ownership of public cemeteries by the government. This is what you call product of social dynamics. We interact a lot in our world today and things change.”

    He averred that the choice of going to private cemetery to bury the dead is all about boosting one’s ego.

    “Going to private cemeteries is all about money. In our world today, the more money you have, the more you display it. I am talking of social dynamics. People want to show that they belong somewhere. For those who go to such cemeteries, it is all about some kind of ego, so to speak. It is all about instead of going to pile up the body of their late ones on top of other bodies, I would prefer a private cemetery where there is a sort of elitism. It is all about ego boosting, otherwise when somebody is dead, he is dead.

    “So far we have buried most of our dead here in Atan cemetery and I have never heard of any serious security problem there. Probably the problem there at the moment at Atan cemetery is that the whole place is filled up.

    “Like I said, you may not want to go there to pile up the body of a loved one on top of several other corpses or graves. If you talk of security, fine. But it is not much about security; it is about ego, boosting your social standing. If you belong to an elitist society, you would not want to put the body of a loved one in such a place that you may consider to be degrading.

    “The money spent on such burial is wasteful. It is vanity. Vanity upon vanity the scripture says is vanity. The dead is dead. Wherever you bury somebody does not matter. That is one thing that the Christians can borrow from the Muslims. The simplicity of what they call burial is what we Christians can borrow.

    “That is why some dioceses in Nigeria have made it mandatory that once you have somebody to bury, you must never exceed seven days in order to curtail expenses, because people know now there are instances where those left behind become very poor after such elitist and expensive burial. It is all about ego and it is all vanity.

    “When Muritala Mohammed died, he was buried in something that looked like a basket. That was a whole head of state. But here we are; those who believe in resurrection spending so much money, so much ostentation burying the dead. In the end, those left behind become impoverished because somebody died. It is all vanity. Whether you bury somebody in the sky or in the depth of the sea, they are the same corpse. Why would you impoverish the living because somebody is dead?

  • Firm thrills pupils on rail excursion

    Firm thrills pupils on rail excursion

    Wonderland Entertainment, an entertainment/recreational outfit in collaboration with Nigerian Railway Corporation, has taken no fewer than 1000 pupils from various schools in Lagos State for a free rail ride.

    The ride began from Yaba Train Station to Ijoko, a suburb of Ogun State.

    Many of the pupils according to one of the organisers, Mr Tayo Abayomi, were between the ages of four and 15.

    Being their first experience, they rode with excitement moving from one coach to the other, sharing ideals with their peers.

    Abayomi said various schools in the state have been benefiting from this exercise which is in its third edition.

    The excursion, he said, is to bring pupils together, interact with one another and educate them on rail transport.

    Among the school that participated in the exercise include Sound Mind International School; Victory Nursery and Primary School; Ferscoat International School; May Pride Nursery and Primary School; Royal Comprehensive College; Daystar Nursery and Primary School – all in Ipaja neighbourhood.

    Abayomi urged parents to allow their children to participate in school excursion to broaden their horizon.