The Nation Newspaper

Tag: exploitation

  • In search of a new social order

    It is imperative that the Nigerian nation as we know it today must evolve and come to terms with the realities of the times in which we live. Urgent steps must be taken to forge a more enduring union, as what we currently have is not only deceptive, but seems to be built upon mutual distrust, outright deceit, exploitation and savage oppressive tendencies.

    The laws and articles of our association as a nation appear to be inherently faulty. The Constitution should be a more definitive piece of bye-laws and constitutional framework upon which our union is premised. The document as we know it today lacks the authority to nurture, guide and oversee the building of a more virile nation. This inadequacy has led to the incessant call for restructuring of the union to reflect the character and characteristics of true federalism.

    Suffice it to say that Nigeria has entered into a very treacherous era in her social and political history as we evolve into nationhood. It has become clear that what we have today is a politics of ‘we’ against ‘them’, ‘north’ versus ‘south’ and everything in-between. The weak and unstable ideological leaning of the present crop of politicians has become increasingly glaring as they crisscross between the two leading political parties. It is obvious that the basis for their association is purely pecuniary and parochial.

    These politicians within a short span of time shuttle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). One is forced to conclude that both parties are actually Siamese twins after all. What is apparent is that there is an elite conspiracy to hold on to power at all cost. We see the same set of individuals being cycled and recycled over the past three decades. They readily embrace all forms of transformational change, including the current change mantra without any slack in zeal or momentum. They are the perennial change agents, promising the populace ‘more’ change even when things spiral into negative change. There is certainly no succession plan as the aged politicians are currently averse to retirement.

    While nothing changes for the electorate, these same politicians are busy building empires locally and globally at the expense of the people they represent. At the top of the political pyramid, there is class tolerance. Even when they encourage and sponsor the upheavals and violent disruptions that always seems to consume those at the base. We are therefore not surprised when we hear from the presidency that the current wave of militancy and insurgency across the nation is sponsored by disgruntled politicians just as was the case during the tenure of the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    This tumultuous and desperate struggle for power for power sake has thrust up unprepared leaders who think that the country can survive on ‘neutral’ mode so long as the petro-dollars continue to roll into the national coffers. This lack of well-focused leadership with well-articulated plans and programmes has created a systemic inertia which ultimately sent the economy into recession. The paucity of capital coupled with limited oil revenue has further worsened the scramble for the few available opportunities.

    Never in the fifty-eight years history of this country have we been so divided except during the Biafran war. Various commentators maintain that the lessons of that war were not properly learnt, as all the indicators that led the country through the path of civil war are still present today. Our politics is increasingly more divisive than ever. This winner takes it all mentality is imminently dangerous and reminiscent of the First Republic. The more political stakeholders abhor dialogue and rely more on sign and body language, the nation gets increasingly more polarized. This leaves the majority of our people in great despair and despondency. Citizens become more irritable as they vent their anger on their neighbours. This is manifest in the upsurge in unrest between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers, revival of militancy in the creeks, religious intolerance, as depicted by the Shiites of Kaduna State, call for referendum by Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), kidnappings, violent armed robberies as witnessed in Offa, Kwara State recently.

    The social media in the present age is a catalyst for social change, like we saw in Tunisia, Egypt, and even in the United States of America. Here in Nigeria, this same media have failed us. Instead of unifying the oppressed people, they have gradually been hijacked by propagandists who promote ethnic strife, tribal hatred and religious intolerance. Divisionary as this maybe, it has succeeded in its objective which is to keep pertinent issues of national concern away from the front burner. Therefore, instead of addressing common social issues plaguing the nation, the youths are overtly involved in hate exchanges, amplifying ethnic and tribal suspicions. These most times succeed in truncating any opportunity for healthy worthwhile dialogue.

    That our young people are angry, bitter, and frustrated is stating the obvious. From the exchange on-line, you can literarily perceive the highly charged atmosphere as they take on one another in cyberspace, with words that confirm that intolerance is at unprecedented high levels. One can easily extrapolate from these online altercations that our union as a nation is highly strained presently beyond elastic limits and weaker than ever before. Secondly, we can also discern that our educational system has been thoroughly neglected and in fast decline. The thoughts and opinion expressed by these young adults and even some older persons on these platforms most times reflect infantile and half-baked logic.

    Social media and the freedom of information it supports should promote transparency. However, in our society the reality is that facts and figures are distorted. Truth and the veracity of any presentation is determined by which side of the prism you are gazing at. Distrust of information being churned out online is common place as politicians and their supporters freely play the ethnic and religious card whenever it suits their purpose. The Nigerian society deserve better. Our politics should be issues based as obtained in more established democracies around the world. Let the pre-election debates be long and exhaustive. Not the type of noise making jamborees we witness during electioneering campaigns, where rice, salts and other frivolous ‘freebies’ are shared to people in a bid to buy their votes and by extension their consciences.

    We need to carry out a proper analysis of the party manifestoes and programs so that the people’s expectation can be real and realizable. Candidates should be asked to state unequivocally how they intend to fulfill the promises they have made. The current template whereby bogus promises are made in the heat of campaign only to be denied on the actualization of mandate is nothing but sheer robbery. It is deceitful and should be discouraged.

    The adversary of the Nigerian masses is not the man who speaks a different language or dialect from ours. The common enemy is poverty, ignorance, insecurity, graft, corruption, decaying infrastructure, declining educational standards, diminishing opportunities, environmental degradation, non-existent health care and lack of social security. These are the issues that leadership needs to urgently confront and address.

    Nigerians rather than fight each other on social media, should put their energy and effort to identifying credible and competent leaders under sixty years of age, who have the qualities to take Nigeria from the precipice and guide her to economic and social stability. We need to mobilize our people and create platforms online with vibrant discussion groups so that tested and proven leaders with imagination and integrity can emerge.  We owe this as a duty to our children and generations unborn to leave behind a virile nation, where men and women can dream and aspire to live within acceptable human standards of wellbeing, devoid of fear, intimidation and any form of discrimination.

    We need to realize that our strength comes from our diversity as a people and we should work towards creating an equal opportunity society where no man will be left behind.

     

     

    • Otuchikere, a geologist and Senior Member Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management (IPDM) wrote from Calabar.

  • ‘Exploitation killing aerial photography’

    Bayo Akanbi is a visual artist redefining the digital switch of transactions at one of the booming online real estate companies, ToLet.com. In this interview, he tells TEMITAYO AYETOTO about his passion for street and aerial photography and the hurdles against his dreams.

    W  HAT  is photography in real estate?

    In real estate, a lot of people want to sell their properties faster and the best way to present the value of your property is to get a professional picture. The way we take real estate picture is different from the way people take landscape, portraits or street photography.  The technique is very different. So, there are certain things you need to capture when shooting for real estate and there are things not needed. If I want to shoot a property, for instance, there are four things I need to shoot: the exterior, the interior, the living room, the master bedroom and the kitchen and maybe, the toilet. Those are the areas people want to see when they want to buy property. Unlike random photography, a novice could shoot different angles of the same object when all you need is a perfect shot. We edit and do finishing touches, but not extreme enough to make it unrealistic.

    Would you say professional photography has given real estate a mileage?

    Real estate in Nigeria is one of the fast-growing sectors as a lot of people are investing in it, especially in Lagos. Most of the people that are really interested in the industry are such that do not have the luxury to go around and check out properties. They usually rely on pictures and when the picture is very good, it helps the property sell faster than when such photography don’t exist.

    How is the drone technology impacting the sector?

    There is a law in Nigeria that before you can fly a drone, you have to have rights. You have to obtain a form before you can get the permission. And the fee is about N300,000 and a yearly renewal of N100,000. That fee alone is ridiculous. You can get a professional drone for about N200,000. So, why should I buy the permission for its use for about N400,000. This kind of law will prevent people from going into aerial photography.

    So, how do you fly your drone?

    I don’t have a right. The only thing I do is to ensure I don’t fly in certain areas where aircraft or helipads fly around.

    Thus the law is effective?

    It is not effective. I know a lot of people who are into aerial photography, but don’t have rights because they can’t afford it. The law appears to be killing the budding sector. It is still a new terrain, most times when I go out to fly some aerial shots, I see a lot of people come out looking amazed and they ask me questions on how I fly it. Someone even asked if it could take him out of Nigeria. So, I don’t know how they will fix a kind of law that will affect the industry.

     The Federal Government has been in active support of the expansion of the creative industry due to the huge potential it has to contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), what input does photography offer?

    It is still growing. To fly a drone in a day, averagely, you could be billed about N50,000 or N70,000. It’s a bit pricy. So, people are not really patronising it because it is expensive. For the exposure, we still need aerial photography. It might not be contributing much for now, but there are potential benefits in the long run. For instance, whenever there is traffic, GidiTraffick flies drone to see the situation of things and feed Lagosians back. The information helps people identify clear  routes and, consequently, spend less productive hours on the road.

    What challenges do you face taking aerial shots in Lagos?

    I have shot a lot of aerial shots on the Mainland and Island and my take is that there are more challenges shooting on the mainland. I think most people there have not yet realised how this technology can help their area because when I go out, a lot of people show up to extort me. They usually insist I drop something. When I went to Surulere, to fly drone at Shitta round-about, I didn’t know that I was in Shitta. I just got there, prepared my device and started flying it. One after the other people started coming, asking where I’m from, who gave me permission and all that. Then one of them insisted that I paid N50,000. Then another woman intervened, saying even if it is just N20,000 you have, just give them. I was shocked by their demands. And to think that I’m not making money from it, but to basically make pictorial documentation of the area. I realised they don’t care about that except the money. In fact, an educated man among came to me, telling me to give them the money, whereas I expected him to understand.

    But most times on the Island, people approach me for my contacts when they see me flying a drone. That’s the difference I experienced. It’s rare on the mainland. But, most importantly, it is about the people, not the area.

    What do people stand to gain?

    The aerial shot of an area will give you an idea of its layout. If they have beautiful infrastructure like a stadium, you will capture how wide it is and how it fits into other units. It gives a good overview of an area from afar.

    If you try to check aerial shots of Lagos, they are very limited. Why?

    I think it is because of the challenges people like me face taking aerial shots. If you need the aerial shot of Mushin, for instance, why would you need to go there when you can just download from the internet, but these pictures are not online because of people that are limiting the access of photographers?

    Weeks back, I was shooting on the third mainland bridge and some policemen challenged me, asking why I was shooting. I told them I wanted to take a view of third mainland bridge with Lagos Island for personal documentation. They said okay, but I have to drop something for no reason.

     How can this perception change towards photography in Nigeria?

    I think it is all about mentality. Some Nigerians are insecure and feel they are not too good to be captured. Most times when I’m doing street photography and I take candid pictures of maybe people in the market, immediately they see that camera, they just become aggressive. At times even my attempt to be friendly or explanatory does not work because they just don’t want their face taken.

    Why?

    Maybe some feel like they aren’t supposed to be in the market or that they are too good to be selling stuff in the market. It just shows they are not really happy with the situation they find themselves. Unlike in advanced countries, people don’t bother. They just mind their businesses.

    How should the government help?

    The police should be more supportive. In most of the challenges If I face problems during shooting in unfamiliar terrains, the only person I can run to is the police. If they are aware that the effort is to digitalise the geographic documentation of the country, then they can back us rather than contribute to the exploitation. As a photographer, I prefer street photography but the situation of things in the country is discouraging. Because of that, I prefer real estate since I shoot buildings and buildings don’t complain.

  • ‘Exploitation killing aerial photography’

    Bayo Akanbi is a visual artist redefining the digital switch of transactions at one of the booming online real estate companies, ToLet.com. In this interview, he tells TEMITAYO AYETOTO about his passion for street and aerial photography and the hurdles against his dreams.

     WHAT  is photography in real estate?

    In real estate, a lot of people want to sell their properties faster and the best way to present the value of your property is to get a professional picture. The way we take real estate picture is different from the way people take landscape, portraits or street photography.  The technique is very different. So, there are certain things you need to capture when shooting for real estate and there are things not needed. If I want to shoot a property, for instance, there are four things I need to shoot: the exterior, the interior, the living room, the master bedroom and the kitchen and maybe, the toilet. Those are the areas people want to see when they want to buy property. Unlike random photography, a novice could shoot different angles of the same object when all you need is a perfect shot. We edit and do finishing touches, but not extreme enough to make it unrealistic.

    Would you say professional photography has given real estate a mileage?

    Real estate in Nigeria is one of the fast-growing sectors as a lot of people are investing in it, especially in Lagos. Most of the people that are really interested in the industry are such that do not have the luxury to go around and check out properties. They usually rely on pictures and when the picture is very good, it helps the property sell faster than when such photography don’t exist.

    How is the drone technology impacting the sector?

    There is a law in Nigeria that before you can fly a drone, you have to have rights. You have to obtain a form before you can get the permission. And the fee is about N300,000 and a yearly renewal of N100,000. That fee alone is ridiculous. You can get a professional drone for about N200,000. So, why should I buy the permission for its use for about N400,000. This kind of law will prevent people from going into aerial photography.

    So, how do you fly your drone?

    I don’t have a right. The only thing I do is to ensure I don’t fly in certain areas where aircraft or helipads fly around.

    Thus the law is effective?

    It is not effective. I know a lot of people who are into aerial photography, but don’t have rights because they can’t afford it. The law appears to be killing the budding sector. It is still a new terrain, most times when I go out to fly some aerial shots, I see a lot of people come out looking amazed and they ask me questions on how I fly it. Someone even asked if it could take him out of Nigeria. So, I don’t know how they will fix a kind of law that will affect the industry.

     The Federal Government has been in active support of the expansion of the creative industry due to the huge potential it has to contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), what input does photography offer?

    It is still growing. To fly a drone in a day, averagely, you could be billed about N50,000 or N70,000. It’s a bit pricy. So, people are not really patronising it because it is expensive. For the exposure, we still need aerial photography. It might not be contributing much for now, but there are potential benefits in the long run. For instance, whenever there is traffic, GidiTraffick flies drone to see the situation of things and feed Lagosians back. The information helps people identify clear  routes and, consequently, spend less productive hours on the road.

    What challenges do you face taking aerial shots in Lagos?

    I have shot a lot of aerial shots on the Mainland and Island and my take is that there are more challenges shooting on the mainland. I think most people there have not yet realised how this technology can help their area because when I go out, a lot of people show up to extort me. They usually insist I drop something. When I went to Surulere, to fly drone at Shitta round-about, I didn’t know that I was in Shitta. I just got there, prepared my device and started flying it. One after the other people started coming, asking where I’m from, who gave me permission and all that. Then one of them insisted that I paid N50,000. Then another woman intervened, saying even if it is just N20,000 you have, just give them. I was shocked by their demands. And to think that I’m not making money from it, but to basically make pictorial documentation of the area. I realised they don’t care about that except the money. In fact, an educated man among came to me, telling me to give them the money, whereas I expected him to understand.

    But most times on the Island, people approach me for my contacts when they see me flying a drone. That’s the difference I experienced. It’s rare on the mainland. But, most importantly, it is about the people, not the area.

    What do people stand to gain?

    The aerial shot of an area will give you an idea of its layout. If they have beautiful infrastructure like a stadium, you will capture how wide it is and how it fits into other units. It gives a good overview of an area from afar.

    If you try to check aerial shots of Lagos, they are very limited. Why?

    I think it is because of the challenges people like me face taking aerial shots. If you need the aerial shot of Mushin, for instance, why would you need to go there when you can just download from the internet, but these pictures are not online because of people that are limiting the access of photographers?

    Weeks back, I was shooting on the third mainland bridge and some policemen challenged me, asking why I was shooting. I told them I wanted to take a view of third mainland bridge with Lagos Island for personal documentation. They said okay, but I have to drop something for no reason.

     How can this perception change towards photography in Nigeria?

    I think it is all about mentality. Some Nigerians are insecure and feel they are not too good to be captured. Most times when I’m doing street photography and I take candid pictures of maybe people in the market, immediately they see that camera, they just become aggressive. At times even my attempt to be friendly or explanatory does not work because they just don’t want their face taken.

    Why?

    Maybe some feel like they aren’t supposed to be in the market or that they are too good to be selling stuff in the market. It just shows they are not really happy with the situation they find themselves. Unlike in advanced countries, people don’t bother. They just mind their businesses.

    How should the government help?

    The police should be more supportive. In most of the challenges If I face problems during shooting in unfamiliar terrains, the only person I can run to is the police. If they are aware that the effort is to digitalise the geographic documentation of the country, then they can back us rather than contribute to the exploitation. As a photographer, I prefer street photography but the situation of things in the country is discouraging. Because of that, I prefer real estate since I shoot buildings and buildings don’t complain.

  • UNICEF wants children protected from abuse, exploitation

    UNICEF wants children protected from abuse, exploitation

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged government and the private sector to protect children from online abuse, exploitation, trafficking, cyber bullying and exposure to unsuitable materials.

    Its Communication Specialist, Eva Hinds, said in a statement in Abuja yesterday that the Executive Director of the fund, Anthony Lake, made the call at the unveiling of annual flagship report on “The State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a digital world.”

    Hinds said Lake had noted that one out of three children worldwide used the internet.

    He added that in spite of children’s massive online presence or usage, too little was done to protect them from the perils of the digital world and to increase their access to safe online content.

    Lake, therefore, emphasised collective efforts by government, the private sector, children’s organisations, academia, families and children themselves to level the digital playing field and make the internet safer and more accessible for children.

    The executive director said: “UNICEF report x-rays the different ways digital technology is affecting children’s lives and chances, identifying dangers, as well as opportunities.

    “It argues that governments and the private sector have not kept up the pace of change, exposing children to new risks and harms and leaving millions of the most disadvantaged children behind.

    “The report also examines how the internet increases children’s vulnerability to risks and harms, including misuse of their private information, access to harmful content, and cyber bullying.

    “It notes the ubiquitous presence of mobile devices, which make online access for many children less supervised and potentially more dangerous.

    “For better and for worse, digital technology is now an irreversible fact of our lives; digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximising the benefits of the internet for every child.”

    The report, according to Lake, recommends that government, among others, should protect children’s privacy and identity online, as well as place them at the centre of digital policy.

    He stressed the need for government and the private sector to advance ethical standards and practices that would protect and benefit children while they surf the internet.

     

  • Foundation tackles child exploitation

    Child sexual exploitation is not alien to Nigeria; it is rooted in culture, tradition and, in some cases, fetish and ungodly religious beliefs with children and vulnerable women as victims. WALE AJETUNMOBI writes that Jose Foundation and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development have joined forces to curb the phenomenon. 

    September, 2015 findings from the Nigeria Violence against Children Survey carried out by the National Population Commission (NPC), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, discovered high prevalence of violence against children in Nigeria.

    The population-based study revealed that approximately six out of every 10 Nigerian children under the age of 18 years, experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years.

    One out of two children experience physical violence, one in four girls and one in 10 boys experience sexual violence, and one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence.

    The majority of children never tell anyone about their experience and less than 5 per cent of children who experience violence ever receive the support they need to recover.

    The survey found out that childhood violence has a long-term impact that lasts well into adulthood, including poorer mental and physical health outcomes. Individuals who experienced physical and sexual violence in childhood were also significantly more likely to perpetrate intimate partner violence.

    The shocking rape of a six-month-old baby in Kano of late that left the nation in shock further reinforced the call by experts to tighten security around minors to avoid child sexual exploitation against them.

    The defilement of the baby, no doubt, touched the heart of Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari and the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II both of whom visited the victim in hospital and expressed shock at the incident.

    Recall that Jose Foundation, last year, wrote a letter to the wife of the President, the Inspector- General of Police and wife of the Senate President, informing them of the growing trend of abuse of minors and women in the country.

    In the letter it called for a pragmatic action from highly placed individuals in authority to step up action against violence on children and vulnerable women in IDP camps and other parts of Nigeria.

    Although, child sexual exploitation (CSE) may not actually be a ‘Nigerian phenomenon’ the prevalence of abuse of minors in the country has become ‘alarming’.

    Unfortunately, several reported cases of child sexual exploitation have close family members as the ‘usual culprits’ pushing experts to redraw plans on how to deal with the monster that has continued to gain ground in the country of recent.

    Not even the Child Rights Act (2003) has been able to deter the evil doers from crying out heinous crimes against innocent minors, worse is that some states are finding hard to domesticate the Act due to factors centred around religion, culture and lack of political will.

    The situation has not only affected many psychologically, but has also threatened the future of millions of children.

    An international non-governmental organisation, Jose Foundation, since 2003, has continued to champion the fight against child sexual exploitation in Nigeria.

    To address the issue, Jose Foundation has been carrying out series of public awareness on how parents can protect their children from falling into the hands of sexual exploiters.

    This includes advocacy, creating awareness, trainings and international diplomacy to draw attention of leaders worldwide to the plights of the vulnerable in the society.

    The promotion of CSE campaigns necessitated the need to organise a workshop for all stakeholders in the protection of minors in Nigeria.

    The foundation, through the Nigerian mission in the United Kingdom, submitted a training proposal to several ministries in Nigeria; including the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social development.

    Reports have it that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development responded to the foundation’s request by asking for the details of the proposed programme.

    Details of the proposed workshop which has been delivered to the Nigerian High Commission in London to be transmitted to Abuja, it was learnt, will bring the crème de la crème in the Nigerian society under one roof to discuss child sexual exploitation, it’s implications to Nigeria and how it can be tackled.

    Between August 15 and 21, this year, some members of the Federal Executive Council, lawmakers, the military and the internally displaced persons (IDPs), parents, care givers, family members and community leaders will have to listen to a group of experts from the United Kingdom fighting CSE on how to curb the menace in Nigeria.

    Others to attend the workshop are: religious leaders; development workers; heads of schools; and other officers including law enforcement agents and social care educators.

    Speaking on the planned workshop, President, Jose Foundation, Prince Martins Abhulimhen told journalists that the time has come for Nigeria to join other nations who are showing commitment to the protection of minors and women from sexual abuse.

    “We have taken responsibility to work with the Nigerian government to tackle CSE and that is why we chose to submit our programme details for government scrutiny and full participation”, he said.

    He noted that the foundation planned to launch a book on child sexual exploitation written in three of Nigeria’s major languages and the setting up of a Jose Foundation Therapy Centre in Nigeria to be managed by UK experts to train Nigerians on how to handle victims.

    The book is to act as a day-to-day guideline that children must read to checkmate any kind of abuse from perpetrators.

    He said the seven-member team of experts from the UK on CSE will be led by Jayne Senior, a Councillor in Rotherham. She was credited for revealing a pattern of exploitation in the town that saw large numbers of children and young people groomed, gang-raped and tortured by groups of men.

    At least 1,400 children were subjected to appalling sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

    Children as young as 11 were raped by multiple perpetrators, abducted, trafficked to other cities in England, beaten and intimidated.

    Consequently, to further fight the scourge in the United Kingdom, the government is spending about 40 million pounds this year alone. Amount considered too low by some critics while Nigeria, with a rising cases of CSE, is lagging behind.

    Meanwhile, lawmakers and ministers will be the first to be briefed on the topic. Personal experiences and skills around tackling CSE will share and why CSE is a global issue and the short-term and long-term effects of CSE on victims and families.

    The military and officials of IDP camps will learn different types of exploitation. This will include the impact of victims both short-term and long-term and moral and legal issues.

    Religious leaders will be thought on how to spot the signs of CSE, their role in protecting children from harm, while law enforcement agents and social care educators are to learn issue of awareness within local economy, indicators of a child at risk, long and short-term impact of abuse on children, and reporting and referring concerns to relevant agencies.

    Meanwhile, working with families and communities in this regard has been identified as a measure to fencing the child against people with the intention to sexually-exploit minors.

    Monitoring and engaging children is said to make minors and their parents have a sense of what constitutes child abuse and what it is not.

     

     

     

  • Buhari urges Muslims to avoid exploitation

    Buhari urges Muslims to avoid exploitation

    •Urges them to get closer to Allah
    •Says looters only paying lip service to God

    President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Muslims to use the holy month of Ramadan to seeking forgiveness and getting closer to Allah through worship (Ibadah) and good deeds.

    This was contained in his message to mark the beginning of the fasting period.

    Speaking through his Special Media Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President said the month of Ramadan is a time of spiritual reawakening which demands not only abstention from food and drinks, but also all wrongdoing in their lives.

    He explained that he is always disturbed why people seek to make brisk profits by hiking food prices as soon as the month of Ramadan starts.

    Buhari called on Muslim traders, businessmen and women, civil servants and political office holders to use the month of Ramadan to seek forgiveness of God by abandoning wrong practices for personal gains at the expense of others.

    A religion, he said, should serve as a moral restraint from bad practices, as he regretted that those stealing national resources are merely paying lip service to religion.

    He advised that anybody holding position of trust should primarily remember that they would be accountable one day either on earth or the hereafter.

    The President said the government is working towards bringing relief to Nigerians through palliative measures and faithful implementation of the 2016 budget.

    According to him, no elected government would intentionally want to make life difficult for the people that gave it the mandate to serve.

  • Buhari calls for end to child marriage, exploitation

    Buhari calls for end to child marriage, exploitation

    President Muhammadu Buhari, has called for an end to all forms of abuse and exploitation against the child, including abduction and forced early marriage.

    Buhari made the call Friday during the National Children’s Day Celebration at the Eagle Square, Abuja; saying there is urgent need for all stakeholders, including parents and communities at all level to protect children against any form of violence.

    The president who was represented at the occasion by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, said the Federal Government was resolute in its efforts at rescuing all the missing Chibok Girls.

    He cited the recent rescue of Amina Ali Nkeki and Sarah Luka all of Chibok, as evidence that government was unwavering in its resolve in that regard.

    The President said, no child or indeed any other Nigerian should be put through the brutality of abduction, violence or forced marriage in whatever form, stressing that every girl has a right to education and choice of life.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, Buhari while emphasizing the commitment of his administration to protecting the rights of children as enshrined in the Child Rights Act, 2007 as well as in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, said his government would continue to fight the scourge of child abuse, child abduction, child labour and child trafficking among others.

    He directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to liaise with other agencies to work out appropriate programmes including actions and measures that would help in tackling violence and abuse against children.

    While wishing children happy celebration, the President urged them to be responsible citizens by respecting constituted authorities as well their parents, teachers and elders.

    He called on parents to teach their children to live a life of honesty, dedication and love for the country.

    In her address, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Jumai Alhassan who was also represented at the occasion by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Binta Adamu Bello assured that the government would not leave any stone unturned in protecting the rights of the children.

  • Inhuman exploitation

    Inhuman exploitation

    •Nigerian couple enslaves man for 24 years in Britain!

    It could be considered as just another story of man’s inhumanity to man, but this doesn’t make it any less appalling and condemnable. Indeed, in a world of escalating evil, stories like this one should prompt further reflections on the values that separate humanity from beasts.

    How a British–Nigerian couple, Emmanuel Edet, a 61-year-old obstetrician, and his 58-year-old wife Antan, a hospital worker, enslaved Ofonime Sunday Inuk for 24 years belongs to the realm of the surreal. Inuk, now 40, was made to work “up to 17 hours a day” without pay for almost quarter of a century. He was forced to look after the couple’s two children, cook, clean and garden for free.

    The victim, who was 14 when the couple took him to the UK from Nigeria in 1989, told his sad tale in a UK court where he gave his evidence from behind a screen so that he could not see his tormentors. He had believed the Edets would pay him for his work as a “houseboy” and had dreamed of getting an education in Britain.

    The Edets reportedly changed the victim’s name and added him to their family passport as their son to facilitate his entry into the UK. The fraud was bad enough. It was worsened by the victim’s enslavement.

    It was evidently a bad case against the Edets. Harrow Crown Court found husband and wife guilty of cruelty to a child, slavery and assisting unlawful immigration.  Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Damaris Lakin described the abuse as “a shocking case of modern-day slavery which has no place in our society.”

    She said: “Not only did the defendants have total psychological control over the victim, but they also had control of his passport and identity documents. He was told by the Edets that if he left the house and reported matters to the police he would be arrested as an illegal immigrant and sent back to Nigeria. He believed this and felt trapped and completely dependent on the Edets…He was made to sleep largely on the floor in hallways despite there often being a spare bedroom in the houses where the family lived.”

    The Edets’ conviction and imprisonment for six years leave no doubt about how the society in which they live views their wrongdoing. Their punishment makes a powerful moral statement that should be endorsed by civilised humanity.

    Regrettably, given the Edets’ Nigerian roots, their beastly behaviour is bad publicity for Nigeria.  Nigeria doesn’t need negative ambassadors like the Edets. It is noteworthy that the local conditions which made it possible for the Edets to take Inuk to the UK as a “houseboy” still exist. Also, the practice continues till today. So, there is always the possibility of the kind of inhuman exploitation that the Edets’ case highlighted.

    What makes the Edets’ example particularly tragic and terrifying is that they betrayed their medical background, which should have made them more empathetic than their conduct showed. They had no excuse for what they did, and it was inexcusable.

    Inuk’s redemption is a positive ending.  Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Phil Brewer said: “Today the victim is living a new life in the UK. He has a job, a home with his own bed and freedom to move, and he is studying. While he will never fully overcome what happened during those 24 years, he is determined to make the most of the rest of his life…”

    Any decent society must continuously enforce civilised standards through the justice system. This case should serve as a lesson to local authorities on the need to focus more intensely on child trafficking and child abuse issues.

  • Kwara varsity is exploitation machine’

    Kwara varsity is exploitation machine’

    Pioneer graduates of the Kwara State University (KWASU) have alleged exploitation against the school, following its directive that its graduates must pay N45,000 for accommodation. The graduates vowed not to pay, claiming they did not stay in the school hostels. MATTHEW AJAKAIYE (Zoology) reports.

    The Kwara State University (KWASU) in Malete, Ilorin, the state capital, held its maiden convocation last June, with the hope that its first set of graduates would be mobilised for the National Youth Service in October. But, three months after, the institution is yet to release the results of the graduates to enable them participate in the service.

    The school’s action has generated discontent among the graduates, who condemned the management’s refusal to initiate the process that would enable them participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

    Some of the students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said various letters had been sent to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to draw his attention to their plight, but there was  no response from the government  . The students accused the university of using its “extortion policy” to delay their future engagements.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the KWASU management had decided it would not release the final year results of the graduates and stopped the process of their certificates until they pay N45,000 each for hostel accommodation. This, it was gathered, is meant to serve as a penalty for the graduates’ refusal to stay in the university-acquired off-campus hostels.

    But, the graduates said they could never pay for hostels they didn’t use.

    The university authorities mandated all freshers and graduating students to stay in its hostels, on and off-campus, which went for N45,000 per bed space.

    The final year students were not satisfied with the arrangement, which led many of them to go for cheaper private hostels outside the campus. They complained the accommodation fee in the school hostels was “exorbitant” compared to the rent they would pay living in the school’s host community.

    A student, who simply gave his name as Dayo, said the management was wrong not to allow students to have choice on the accommodation matter, adding that the school authorities wanted to extort money from the students by forcing them to pay “outrageous fee” for school hostels. He said private hostels are relatively cheap.

    “The school hostels are very far from the campus, such that students living in those hostels spend high fare on transportation to and from the school. This is why many of us decided not to stay in their hostels,” he said.

    Another student of Mass Communication, who simply gave her name as Monisola, described the school’s accommodation policy as brazen exploitation, adding that students would not pay for a service they never sought for.

    She said: “The KWASU management’s insistence that we pay N45,000 hostel accommodation before they can process our results and certificates is a brazen exploitation and sheer wickedness. How can they expect us to pay for bed spaces we did not use when we were in school?”

    Monisola said students considered the “illegal payment” as “dubious”, alleging that the school management wanted to use the money to pay its staff. She added: “If the Kwara State government cannot fund the school anymore, they should rather privatise it than turning it to an exploitation machine to rip off the public.”

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Gov. Ahmed was embarrassed by the students’ allegation and ordered investigation of the matter, but there has been no official statement from the government.

    However, the school management denied allegation of extortion, noting that its policy was introduced in the interest of students. This was contained in a statement released by Information Office on the school’s website.

    The statement reads: “KWASU neither extorts nor compels all students to stay in university accommodation. However, it has made hostel accommodation mandatory for fresh and final year students for their own benefits. For example, fresh students are placed in accommodation where they can be monitored.

    “It is equally compulsory for the final year students to stay in the hostel because that is the year they need to take their studies seriously. When they live in the accommodation provided by the school, they will have time for their studies and perform better than living off-campus.”

    The management added that, if any student had a genuine reason to stay out the accommodation provided by the university, such student was expected to pick up an exemption form and state his “genuine reason” for rejecting the school hostels.

     

     

     

  • Consumer exploitation

    This is a column that seeks to mold, shape societal values and to protect the interest 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 CONSUMER EXPLOITATION

    Various service providers, regulatory bodies in Nigeria do not live up to required expectation  and we all know that they have been getting away with.. Why? No checks and balances, but this time, we consumers and the citizens are saying Enough-is-Enough! We say No to further exploitation and unethical practices..

    I will emphasise the word ‘unethically’ for this topic.

    Nigeria’s GSM service providers bake the cake for unethical behavior; they have devised various games and antics to undercut consumers. Subscribers are forced to have minimum of two different networks. They are all guilty in various ways:

    Some of the brands are mean in the treatment of their customers, the yellow-label for instance, by taking advantage of their subscribers. They run promos promising you double value of your airtime if you subscribe to a particular code, or pronto. We are all happy to get extra airtime but a lot of times, the rate offered per unit in the promo differs from regular rates, this they do without full disclosure to subscribers; and in a twinkling of an eyelid, all your money (airtime) is gone. At other times, after subscribing to double value airtime to some of these promos, you will lose both your regular credit and the bonanza credit. If you are lucky, you get a response that you do not qualify for  the bonanza and your normal airtime will not be refunded.

    Everybody knows the red family GSM service provider deducts your airtime balances on regular basis whether your phone is data enabled or not. You may not notice on time if you are a heavy phone user. But when you do not make a single call and did not subscribe to any magic, you still find your balances deducted. It usually starts with 3k, 5k, then N20 and it keeps going higher. By the time you check. You have lost N200, or more. A friend in anger had to switch off her red network perpetually for a week; we were worried that her phone might have been stolen, only for us to find out that she went on strike from this network so her airtime will not be deducted without usage. Other times, she chooses not to buy airtime but rather prefers to send whatsapp messages only even for serious discussions.

    The ‘original green’ family GSM service provider brought a wide grin to our service thirsty throats when it became the first to introduce per second billing and also crashed the airtime rates ab initio. We were further impressed when they empowered many of our entertainers and made them smile to the bank. Nigerians never knew they will have to pay back for these goodies.

    Many times, there will be no network to make, or receive calls for hours or days. The much advertised expansion has become meaningless as the quality of the calls of this provider has dropped sharply in the last two years. Woe betides you if this is the only network you have. A newcomer to our shores was to be picked by a driver using this service provider around Lagos tollgate to Ibadan for a family function, alas he waited forever as the driver could not get him on the phone (no network faithfully). The driver did not know him and kept on stopping for the wrong people in the vicinity.

    The visiting guest had to go home, his trip to Nigeria unfulfilled. If you try data on this network, you will come running back.

    The new green family came with fanfare after we’d all become bored with the three major exploiters; as usual we lapped all their promises up like a dog. It was a roller coaster at first for the few who still had some faith. Lo and behold, we started getting dropped calls; our airtime started reducing without being used. Here we are, back to status quo with the new green family. Data services and telephone calls on this network are below average.

    All the providers are guilty of forcing us to subscribe to unsolicited ringtones, news, matchmaking, employment and property mart etc and we get our airtime balances deducted weekly or monthly without actually giving us a choice.

    We have been so used to being taken for granted so much so, that we get pleasantly shocked when a service provider magnanimously refunds stolen airtime once in a while like five per cent of the time.

    There is a change in the baton at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) lately; Nigerians want the telecoms service providers to be more responsible. We sincerely hope the new Chief Executive Chairman will make a difference; Change has gone beyond party slogan, Nigeria is evolving, change is here.