The Nation Newspaper

Tag: hope

  • Judiciary: Last hope of common man on earth or where?

    SIR: I had just lost an appeal at the Court of Appeal and as a result I fell into coma legally. When after some days I managed to shed off the effect of the judgment, I got to my chambers to be greeted by my clients who were equally dazed by the judgment. It was then very difficult to discuss the judgment with them but because they were in court when the judgment was delivered, and as educated people they drew my attention to that part of the judgment where their Lordships said the trial Court ought to have struck out the case but yet their Lordships proceeded to dismiss their appeal instead of doing what the trial Court omitted to do. This opened the way for our discussion of possible appeal to the Supreme Court. But before I could tell them that their Lordships erred in law and that an appeal to the Supreme Court can succeed even on that ground alone, I fell into another coma: How could I suggest an appeal to the Supreme Court having regard to their ages and even mine when I know that in the next 10 to 15 years it will not be determined?

    At that point I decided to put the drafting of the Notice of Appeal on hold and to write this piece, hoping it may serve as a forerunner to reduce the life-span of the appeal at the Supreme Court.

    To the extent that I do not conduct my business in reasonable propinquity to the Supreme Court, I may not know the exact causes of the delay in determining appeal at the Supreme Court. But there is delay, not just delay but phenomenal and inordinate delay with grave implications for the legal system and the security of the nation. The brief explanation here is that if litigants are not sure that their rights will be determined while still alive, they are likely to resort to self-help. Ironically, those who in the past argued for speedy dispensation of justice hinged their call for reform on the economic advantage as investors always prefer countries with legal systems that boost their Midas touch. Such call is not necessarily bad but my concern is justice to the common man whose farmland may have illegally been taken away and other causes of action common to the citizenry.

    I wish to sincerely offer my suggestion through this medium. This drag on the determination of the rights of citizens should be the concern of everybody in the country. This is particularly so that the NBA, which is supposed to be the mouth-piece of the Bench is too busy organising elections that are as, if not, more sophisticated than the general elections in the country and embarking on some enterprises without legal footing, like the seal and stamp project.

    The call for the involvement of the public is based on my conviction that only a constitutional amendment increasing the number of the justices of the Supreme Court to at least 35 can reasonably abate the delay in determining appeals by the apex court. With such number of the justices of the Supreme Court, at least three divisions of the court can then be created at different locations in the country. After all, the decision of the Supreme Court is not supreme or final because it is housed in one building in Abuja but because it is the last court.

    I hope my clients and I will still be around in 10-15 years to witness the verdict of the Supreme Court. This is supposed to be the feeling of advocates and even the NBA so that litigants do not toil for nothing; otherwise, they will forever be guilty for leading litigants to take the first step in litigation. As for the general public, if you fail to lend your voice on this issue you may be a victim some day.

     

    • Dr. Moses Ediru

    Lafia,

    Nasarawa State.

  • Game of hope (1)

    It was my last class of the day and as I stepped out of the classroom into the corridor, I ran into Debra, a fellow teacher. Trailing behind her were two students, a boy and a girl in the senior school with their school bags strapped on their backs.

    “Ah, Sonia, I was about looking for you in the staff room. Please, lend me your cane. I need to teach these two a lesson,” she said, turning to scowl at the students who looked down as if ashamed of themselves.

    “What have they done this time?” I queried.

    Drawing closer, she explained she had caught them at the back of the class she was teaching, watching porn movies on a mobile phone.

    “My students were doing a test I had given them. I stood by the window to relax a little and take some fresh air, when I looked down and saw them outside, by the wall. They were supposed to be in class but were instead watching dirty films. At your age! Is this what your parents sent you to school to do?” she said angrily to them.

    “Please, Ma. We are sorry! This won’t happen again,” the girl pleaded earnestly, her hands raised in supplication.

    “Shut up! I will report both of you to the Principal after flogging you. And you know what that means; your parents will hear about this and you will both go on suspension!” Debra stated angrily. At that point, both of them knelt down, pleading with Debra and even appealing to me to save them.

    “Please, Ma, do whatever you want with me. But don’t let my Daddy hear or he will kill me,” the girl begged.

    At that point, I took Debra’s hand and drawing her aside said:

    “I think it’s better you handle this instead of involving the Principal. The exams are approaching and it might affect them if they are suspended from school.”

    She grudgingly agreed and turning to the two errant students, she ordered:

    “Follow me!”

    I stood watching as they all marched down the long corridor until they disappeared round a corner…

    I shook my head and walked towards the staff room, thinking about all the stuff and ‘drama’ one saw every day as a teacher. I had been working at the school for about three years and while I enjoyed the job, it could be stressful at times. But it was better than staying home idle after graduation. I had written so many applications and attended endless interviews all to no avail; I had not been able to secure a job nearly four years after leaving school.

    Infact, I was at the point of getting really frustrated with my job hunt when one of my uncles, who knew the proprietor of the school, arranged the teaching job for me. To supplement my salary, which was not that fantastic, I conduct home lessons for some selected students.

    On getting home, I took a quick bath, ate and rested a bit before going to the home of one of my students…

     

    ***

    Her name was Joy and she was an eleven-year-old JSS 11 student. Joy was sitting at the dining table working on her lesson, when I arrived.

    “Joy, you have not finished the homework since yesterday?” I queried, standing by her at the table.

    She looked up at me sheepishly then said:

    “No, Aunty Sonia. I’m really sorry. It’s just my friend Ena came over and she wanted to watch the new film my Daddy brought and…” she said.

    “You know that’s not good enough Joy. Always do your home work first before watching movies or playing games,” I told her.

    “Ok Aunty. Please, Aunty Sonia, can you help me with this calculation?” she asked, pointing to her note.

    Except for her playful ways, teaching Joy was no problem as she was quite intelligent. I had been teaching her for six months and we were getting on well. If it were not for the unforeseen problem that had come up, I would have continued as her teacher for a long time. But from the look of things, I might have to give up as her teacher.

    It was all because of my friend, Thelma, who incidentally is Joy’s older sister. Thelma and I knew ourselves way back at the university. We had done a lot things together which I will state later in my story. Presently, however, Thelma is at war with me because of her father, a widower. Her mother had died over ten years earlier when Joy was still a baby. He had not remarried and had focused on taking care of Thelma and her siblings.

    Her father, whom I usually called Uncle Luke had to my surprise, fallen in love with me. All the while I was coming to their home to teach Joy, I had regarded him like my own Dad or older uncle. He was about sixty years old, nearly twice my age and I looked on him as a father figure. But unknown to me, Uncle Luke had developed feelings for me. And just a month ago, he had taken it a step further and proposed marriage!

    When my friend heard about the proposal, she had hit the roof. She had been really angry and we had had a big quarrel over the matter. She had accused me of seducing her father and using charms on him to make him fall in love and even propose. She said if I did not leave her Dad alone, she will reveal so many secrets about me, especially about my escapades while at the university…

    To be continued

     

    Send comments/suggestions to 08023201831(sms only), psaduwa@yahoo.com or psaduwa007@gmail.com

    Names have been changed to protect the identity of the narrator, Sonia and other individuals in the story.

  • Hope for decaying historical town

    Hope for decaying historical town

    It has a robust history and influential people, but Afikpo, Ebonyi State’s second largest town, has since fallen into infrastructural decay. OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE reports that there is hope of a comeback

    Afikpo has enough to wow anyone: a rich history, being an ancient centre of Igbo tradition, and a large pool of influential leaders, one of whom the late Dr Akanu Ibiam, former Premier of Eastern Nigeria. Yet, its decay is as legendary as its illustrious products and past.

    The ancient town is noted the world over for producing great leaders, academicians, businessmen and technocrats, among others.

    Situated in the southern part of Ebonyi State, Afikpo, is the second largest city in the state. It is believed that Afikpo civilisation existed as far back as the Neolithic Age. It is also said that Afikpo was one of the first towns in eastern Nigeria to be reached by the colonialists. Little wonder Dr Ibiam was one of the first indigenous medical doctors in the country.

    One would think that such a renowned town with illustrious personalities and rich history would have advanced greatly in the area of infrastructure.

    Not so. Whatever Afikpo gained over the ages seems to have diminished, except, mercifully, the fact of its people’s personal achievements.

    A visit to the ancient town attests to the fact that it has suffered neglect. Dilapidated infrastructures, where they exist, are a write-off. There are huge gully erosion sites and potholes everywhere, becoming death traps. Public convenience rooms have collapsed.

    One woman is hopeful, however, that the city is not beyond redemption and that people can help it climb back to life. She is Maria Ude Nwachi popularly known as Nwanyi Afikpo, a top businesswoman and politician. In the last elections, Nwachi was voted overwhelmingly by the people of Afikpo North East Constituency to represent them in the state House of Assembly. She was been sworn in and already the people have started to feel the impact of her people oriented representation.

    Recently she embarked on a tour of some of these dilapidated sights in the area.

    Appalled by the sorry state of infrastructure in her constituency, she has started to repair many of them on her own instead of waiting for government.

    She said: “I went out with my team to see where we can start our journey of turning Afikpo into a first world town. We decided to deal with the gullies that are nothing but death traps. These disgusting gullies have been an albatross to my people for decades. It is over. We are rejecting such eye-sore. We are going to fix it and put rails so that if a motorist has a mishap, he doesn’t end it dead or mortally wounded by falling into the gullies.”

    “Without fixing this, our beautification project will come to nil. And we cannot let that happen. Then we are going to fix repair the roads from Local Government office to Eke Market round about. Then head to Amangbala round about and then to Egesco for now. The next phase of road repairs will follow soon after.”

    “The most tear-inducing thing I saw today is the toilets for Eke Market. It was disgracefully bad and so unhealthy. Looks like what I do not know and understand. Words fail me. Oh God, my people have suffered. Well I am going to build a world standard toilet facility for our Eke Market. It is going to be even more beautiful than what is obtained in civilized world. I will see to it. Enough is enough. The building of this first class toilet will start this month.”

    “We will also fix the drainage system in the market and the roads we are retouching and beautifying for without that there will still be a problem. So much to do, I am ready because it is all about making sure Governance works the way it was meant to work, which is to lessen the burden of those being governed and to make their lives as easy possible. I will continue to serve myself last. As should be the case for those elected to serve, so this country can also one day become a first world nation.

    “There is so much I am about to do. Also, Afikpo Beautification Project team and staff, whose duty it is to sweep Afikpo and keep it looking beautiful, will start work in a few weeks.”

    •Nwachi’s team at the Oziza Road erosion site
    •Nwachi’s team at the Oziza Road erosion site

    She also visited Oziza Road where a gully has claimed many lives. Nwachi promised to start work there soon.

    “When the road leading to Ozizza was constructed, the company involved neglected to properly handle Ogbordor bridge in Mater road, this costly error in judgment, extreme incompetence and callous carelessness is engendering the lives of those plying the road daily.

    Many have already been sent to their early graves. We went there last week with an indigenous company to look at it, tell us the way forward and cost implications; and to be sure we have all bases covered, we also invited a foreign company there too to do the same.

    “We have decided on which company will best do the job for us and will start work there this month. At the mean time we would put some danger signs around the area so that motorists and cyclists do not fall victim to this deadly erosion gully”.

    She also appealed to the people to be patient and support the government of Chief Dave Umahi who she said has a lot of good things in stock for the people of Afikpo which he will unveil as the dire financial situation of the state government which the governor inherited improves.

    Reacting to the actions of the Lawmaker, a resident of the city, Mr Ekoh Isaac commended the Mrs Maria for her vision and determination to uplift the living standards of her constituents and charged other lected leaders to emulate her.

    “There is hadly any lawmaker whether state of federal that has even gone to assess developmental problems in Afikpo talk more of thinking of the solutions. God will give you all it takes to do the job. We are sure you have a good heart towards Afikpo people, more powers to your elbows”

    Another resident resident Mr Charles Otu urged other elected leaders to strive to change the lives of the people.

    He said: “ If all elected political office holders will be as selfless as Nwanyi Afikpo the Ebonyi State and Nigeria will be a world leader in a short time. Being a member of the legislature is not only about making laws but also about touching the lives of the people and I have no doubt that Mrs Nwachi will excell in both areas because she has been at the forefront of uplifting the lives of the people even before she became a lawmaker. That is why she was voted in overwhelmingly despite running under the platform of the opposition Poeples Pregressive Alliance (PPA)”.

  • Hope is alive again

    Ever since 1986, when we chose to ditch, as a nation, administrative control and its line of sight management, for a deregulated economy, the economy has always wobbled. Central planners, till date, remain confused as to whether to stay in the lazy comfort of the administrative setting, or go for the growth promise of deregulation.

    All along, with the wobble, we have been driven by drivels from gobbledygook spewing economists, often lacking in common sense advisory, needed for critical change management.The effect of these partial and a la carte transformation programmes has been utter confusion. Schisms and disagreements within administrations have led to divergent policy directions, which have opened-up cleavages in the economy with devastating effects on domestic production.

    President Muhammadu Buhari returns to the saddle into a yet undefined market economy setting. Gone are the administrative lines of control management he may have been accustomed to in the first coming, and so also are the co-administrators in whom he had faith and trust. That’s how fluxed the state of affairs are now that many do not know whether we are coming or going. The resulting hopelessness is written on the faces of citizens across the land.

    Against that background, the burden of public expectation is high, and only a systematic challenge of each and everyone, to be the change that they desire, rather than a rabid rush to get a piece of the pie, will deliver hope to the hopeless, and put the nation back on the mend.

    Late Professor Alan Walters, chief economic adviser to the late British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher got it so right, when he said that the problem with achieving economic growth targets, was largely due to civil servants and their political policy leaders who do not understand markets, and the considerable importance of money in their processes. A large number of classical economists, 364 of them, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer took him on, but he poured enough whisky for the Prime Minister, to stiffen her spine, and she stayed the course. The rest like they say is history.

    She privatized underperforming state assets, brought in imaginative ways of creating public assets through PPPs and PFIs, won the admiration of an equally focussed American President, Ronald Reagan, and found a Russian leader with whom the West could do business, Mikhail Gorbachev. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her team proved that classical economics is not the issue but their application (the technology of it) as expressed in markets that work that matter. Put in her words “Men that can make things happen”.

    Governance must focus, at all times, on the well-being of the individual by constantly creating opportunities for them to reach their aspirations. It must move away from extreme ideological positions of sharing without creating, or the belief that wealth created at the top will trickle-down.

    The new executive and legislature must arm themselves with concepts of money and markets as veritable tools of analysis. Having acquired their tools, they should use them to drive their policy decision processes, in such a manner, that the public good is always defended against the exploitative tendencies of private interests. This is the only way to end the fits of starts and stops which has bedevilled our privatization programme and the efforts to keep to the design plan of new cities.

    If we are able to stay the course, while keeping to strict monetary targets, the markets and by extension the economy will equilibrate themselves. The levers of monetary control will begin to work again and hope will be restored. There are many underperforming and sub optimal markets in the economy. Power markets without definition, capital markets lacking in confidence, government gilts that are tarnished, healthcare without cover, farmers exploited by buying agents, skill markets that are inappropriate, etc.

    Any place, real or virtual, where goods and services are exchanged is a market. Economic deregulation, which allows private sector participation in hitherto exclusive areas of government play, does not mean the market space will not be regulated – regulated to extract value through competition, while keeping a watchful eye for anti-trust and manipulations.

     

    • Iyore is of Dion & Associates CTA, United Kingdom.

  • Ekiti Assembly holds no hope for development, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has described the House of Assembly as a contraption by Governor Ayodele Fayose to protect his  interest.

    The party noted that such selfish agenda holds no promise for the growth of the state and its political development.

    A statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said the membership profile of the new Assembly  revealed many men and women lacking lawmakingskills.

    “They were ‘selected’ to be lawmakers above qualified Ekiti sons and daughters to enable the governor manipulate them.

    “Only a few of them are worthy of the exalted position of lawmakers.

    “We all saw the intrigues that characterised the primaries that returned the new members.

    “It was ballot snatching and violence. The same for the April 11 House of Assembly election.

    “Fayose just selected his cronies above well-educated members and imposed them on the party.

    “Most of them are miscreants and school dropouts. We saw their first public declaration of loyalty on inauguration day, when they all prostrated for Fayose, stating he is their father.”

    Olatubosun regretted that majority of the lawmakers could have been described as councillors.

    “Because of their inadequacies, they will legitimise and encourage illegality and impunity because they won’t understand the nitty-gritty of lawmaking and independence of mind.

    “We cannot compare this Fifth Assembly with the Fourth Assembly in terms of composition of members.

    “The last Assembly was composed of members who have seen it all. They are professionals, such as lawyers, medical doctors, pharmacists, architects, policy makers, public analysts and retired top civil servants.

    “These are the educated people Fayose will not work with because of their courage and independence of mind.

    “In their place are Fayose’s thugs and those who helped him to undermine the law.

    “Ekiti people should brace up for many surprises and bizarre legislations from this Assembly,” Olatubosun said.

  • Scarcity: NNPC raises hope

    Scarcity: NNPC raises hope

    The lingering fuel scarcity may continue till next month, considering marketers’ insistence on being paid the balance of over N200billion subsidy arrears owed them by the Federal Government.

    It was learnt that the situation is getting worse because the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) can only meet 50 per cent of the national demand and the oil marketers that supply the remaining 50 per cent have refused to import since last month.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said the Corporation has 25 days stock but noted that the scarcity got worse because of the workers’ strike.

    Alegbe said: “As we speak, we have 25 days sufficiency. Although we (NNPC) import only 50 per cent of national demand, the scarcity is not supposed to be this severe. The situation was worsened by the strike embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). As a result of this strike, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTDs) are not lifting fuel.  Also, members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) have not imported a litre of fuel for a long time now.

    “We have been on negotiation with the striking workers since Friday and I hope the issue will be resolved before midnight today (Sunday) and the strike will be called off. We explained to them (striking workers) that this time is very wrong to embark on such strike because Nigerians suffer the impact and it is not good for a smooth transition expected in less than a week. We directed retail outlets to sell but because the tanker drivers were not lifting, they didn’t have product to sell. The supply situation will certainly improve substantially this week.”

  • There is hope for Nigeria, says NBA

    There is hope for Nigeria, says NBA

    The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) has expressed optimism that Nigeria’s economy would improve under the incoming administration of  Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Its chairman, Asue Ighodalo, said with the successful conduct of the general elections, the country is poised for new beginnings, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan’s concession of defeat would further boost the nation’s democratic credentials and reputation.

    He spoke during a press conference in Lagos on NBA-SBL’s Ninth Annual Business Law Conference to be held from June 7-9 at the Eko Hotel & Suites, with the theme: Regulators as Catalysts for Economic Growth.

    Ighodalo said the conference is coming at a time when citizens have higher expectations of the government, adding that the gathering would set an economic agenda for the incoming administration.

    He disclosed that the format of the conference has been altered; the opening ceremony would be held on Sunday evening rather than Monday morning.

    He said nine plenary sessions will be held, providing a forum for regulators, lawyers and business executives to dialogue on policies and regulations that shape economic growth.

    Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah will give the keynote address.

    A premium plenary session will hold on June 9, featuring the Chief Economist of PricewaterhouseCoopers John Hawsworth, who will speak on “Long Term Global Economic Trends and Implications for Nigeria.” The session is based on PwC’s World 2015 Report.

    Ighalo said the conference aims to attract at least 1,000 delegates, including practicing lawyers, in-house counsel in the private and public sector, corporate Nigeria and the government.

    Among the events planned are an opening dinner, a boat cruise, and a closing party and excursion for young lawyers to three top law firms for mentoring sessions.

    Some of the sessions’ themes are: Improving Nigeria’s ease of doing business; Is there Nigerian Content for Lawyers?; What’s trending with financing Nigerian projects?; Counsel-to-Counsel roundtable; Value based pricing for legal services; Young Lawyers roundtable with senior lawyers; and Nigeria’s power privatisation process: Learning curves and Next steps.

     

  • Hope for a new Nigeria

    Hope for a new Nigeria

    In the last few weeks, the focus of international community has been on Nigeria as the nation held its general elections, which saw the emergence of a new leadership for the nation’s highest office. Before the election, expectations were high and there was panic about the possible breakup of the country, which has been fractured along ethno-religious line.

    For Nigerians, it was historic moment to make or mar the country. The two main presidential contenders, President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, were made to sign a peace accord to forestall possible violence that could arise after the election.

    Some saw the Peace Accord as a formality and predicted there would be violence. The elections have come and gone, Nigeria remains an indivisible nation contrary to the belief that it would cave in. we have come out stronger and we have shamed our detractors that we can manage our differences and forge common front.

    The challenges we face as a nation are not peculiar to us alone. It took the United States (U.S.) more than three century to resolve the challenge of racial domination and discrimination. The black people in the U.S. struggled against their white compatriots for years to gain political and economic relevance.

    President Barrack Obama broke the jinx in a history election, which saw a black man leading the most powerful nation.

    Sixteen years after our transition from military rule to civilian government, the just-concluded general elections have taken our nation to higher rung on the ladder of democratic stability. The process sent a strong message across Africa, that democracy and peaceful change of government is possible in a free and fair election. The success of the polls has reawakened our spirit and induced patriotism.

    The exploration of technological advancement, which saw the introduction of card readers to our electoral process, has ended an era of violence that usually followed elections. This has brought sanity to the system and chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, deserved commendation for this.

    I was born a year before June 12, 1993 elections acclaimed to be freest and fairest polls to be held in Nigeria’s history. But, that election was annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the then Head of State. Given the peaceful atmosphere under which the just concluded elections were held, one wonders how free June 12 election would have been.

    The manner with which Nigerians at home and in diaspora conducted themselves during and after the election despite the threat of violence shows the nation is advancing on its democratic course. It is good to praise the commitment of the people as they endured under scorching sun to exercise their franchise to the end. My earlier article published on January 15 on this space in which I categorically advised the youth on their choices drew flaks from readers, who accused me of inconsistent argument.

    But, I only played my part as a citizen and today it has come to pass that the collective will of Nigerians is reflected in the outcome of the results. Some key persons who played good part in this process of change and deserve commendation include President Jonathan, who exhibits uncommon spirit of statesmanship by conceding defeat to avoid violent reactions from his supporters. Also, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former Head of State, who brokered the Peace Accord and Prof Jega, who becomes the hero of the peaceful election.

    The late Rev. Martin Luther-King Jnr. once said: “One of the greatest liabilities of history is that, all too many people fail to remain awake through great period of social change, every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifference who are notorious for sleeping through revolution. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake to adjust to new ideas to remain vigilant and to face the challenges of change.”

    Now that change has come, we seek a new way forward to advance our aims as a united country. We need to pick up ourselves from the bad side of history and arrest the core challenges we are facing in security, corruption, bad economy, declining education standard, which are the bedrock for sustainability.

    We have to put the past behind us, especially the recent past; we must forget the old battles and past grievances and forge ahead.

    The president-elect, Gen. Buhari, has a lot of work to do and there are high expectations from Nigerians. His post-election speeches have given a clue on how he is going to govern Nigeria and people are keen to see what will begin to happen after May 29.

    The president elect has pledged to govern the country with the rule of law and promised a zero tolerance for corruption to end the era of impunity and insecurity. He was quoted to have said: “We will spare no efforts until we defeat terrorism.” He has also stretched a hand of fellowship to outgoing President Jonathan for a proper transition.

    This is a sign of new hope for our country. The youth will no longer see their future hanged in the balance. This is a new era of progress; there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

     

    •Damsa, 300-Level Physics Education, UNIAGRIC Makurdi

  • Hope, as change beckons

    SIR: To begin with, not even my NOKIA charger seems to be working under this administration. Nigerian polity has always been a subject of ridicule within and beyond. Nigeria is a country where the plight of the masses are downplayed for partisan and sectional interests: It is a country where the divide between the rich and poor is immeasurable: Our dear Nigeria is one where President Goodluck Jonathan views internal problems as trash while external problem becomes his focal agenda. Indeed, nothing seems to count for now but our mandate surely would, come March 28.

    Nigerians have a way of addressing issues that leaves me wondering and pondering if I’m a citizen of this country. There is a beginning and end to everything and as such, the end of this trait has surfaced and should be laid to rest with urgency. We all have a duty to our fatherland and it is not by being regional, partisan or hiding under the pretext of religious and cultural unity that should abet us. Such would not but our collective unity of purpose. It is about time we understood that the office of the president is imperative and greater than its occupant.

    The average Nigerian man cannot go about his business without giving thoughts to security threats. The educational system is in shambles while the power sector is wide off the mark. Our roads are but accident traps and the hospitals appear to be sicker than sick patients. The list just goes on and on. Nigeria is on a fast lane to total collapse under this administration. Virtually every sector with little exception fidgets, due to mismanagement, like a helpless titanic ship.

    Nothing seems to work. Our beloved president continue to sing the melodious story of his poor upbringing to a point one would actually begin to wonder if he ever wore shoes during his university days.

    As if matters were not worst, the president has the effrontery of stepping into Maiduguri in pursuit of his bid for re-election despite having massively failed parents whose children remain in the company of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

    One striking quality about Jonathan is the perfection of lip service. He talks as if the task before him is close to completion when the blueprint has not actually been drawn. This is not the kind of leader we desire. If 2011 was a year to vote for someone young with a seemingly bright future to steer the country towards development, indeed we had made a collective mistake. This is the chance to correct it by voting this president out of power.

    I therefore call on all Nigerians to display sagacity in their choice for the next president. We should remember the fact that even though our existence as citizens does not count to the incumbent administration, we have been endowed with the opportunity to send them parking. Our mandate surely counts albeit in a free and fair election. We are tired of endless kaput promises. We are tired of an administration that gives thumbs up to criminals and offer them official protection. Come March 28, we shall march to install the right man at the helm of affairs, as it would mark the beginning of a new dawn. We are massively motivated by the need to build a society enriched with bright hope for the future generation and devoid of endorsed social vices by the people currently at the helm of affairs. Change we must seek for.

     

    • Yahaya Ibrahim

    Minna

  • Ray of hope from Chad

    Riddle over the death of acclaimed Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau is about to be untangled. This ray of hope came from Chadian President, Idriss Deby. He had at a press conference in that country’s capital N’djamena called on Shekau to surrender or face immediate death.

    Hear him, “Abubakar Shekau must surrender. We know where he is. If he doesn’t give himself up, he will suffer the same fate as his compatriots. He was in Dikwa two days ago. He managed to get away, but we know where he is. It’s in his interest to surrender.”

    Given the controversy on Shekau’s death and accusations against Nigeria’s African neighbours for not cooperating in the war against Boko Haram, Deby’s intervention is significant in more ways than one.

    First, it signifies the accord brokered by the French government for multi-lateral cooperation in the war against the insurgents is beginning to take full shape. Before now, that accord had not been given full cooperation such that the insurgents have had a free reign levying terror on innocent people with reckless abandon.

    If the countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon which share very porous and ill-policed boarders with Nigeria had been cooperating in the fight against Boko Haram, perhaps the insurgency would have been crushed long before now. Because of this seeming nonchalance, the insurgents had exploited to the fullest, the porosity of our borders; fleeing into neighbouring countries when hotly pursued by our soldiers.

    In one of such occasions, our soldiers were rescued by Cameroonian soldiers as they strayed into their territory. There were then reports that our soldiers were even disarmed by the Cameroonian soldiers in keeping with international conventions; provided food and military protection before they were eventually escorted back into the country.

    This matter has been deliberately brought in to underscore the difficulty in fighting Boko Haram in the face of the difficult terrain in which our soldiers have had to operate. It is therefore heart-warming that at last, Nigeria’s neighbours now share our concerns to flush out the insurgents without further delay.

    For another, it also illustrates very vividly the enormous successes the Nigerian military have been making in the fight against the insurgents in the last couple of weeks. These successes are no longer in doubt. Many villages in the war ravaged North-east especially Borno State that is worst hit have been liberated with heavy casualties inflicted on the insurgents.

    It is not surprising that following the heavy artillery power of the ground forces backed by aerial bombardments, the insurgents scamper to the borders seeking escape routes. And there, they are confronted by our foreign neighbours. With consistent push from the Nigerian troops and the cooperation of our neighbours, there is no doubt the days of Boko Haram are numbered.

    We are encouraged by the revelations of Deby. And when a president of a country speaks on such a very sensitive matter in public, we have every reason to take him very seriously. There is no reason not to believe Deby knows where Shekau currently is. He has ordered him to surrender or face dire consequences.

    But if the psychology of such terrorists is anything to go by, it is very unlikely Shekau will surrender himself alive. He would rather die than give up himself to be humiliated and disgraced. So why wait for him to surrender when from all accounts, such an expectation is a very remote possibility? For a group that wires young girls with explosives for suicide missions, self annihilation will not amount to much for its leader. This is more so when we reckon with the weird religious ideology that propels this extremists terror group.

    Going by the weight and certainty with which Deby spoke, the issue of Shekau may even be resolved before this article is published. When we pair this certainty with the fact that Shekau is unlikely to surrender alive, the likely option is that of violent confrontation.

    Either way, Shekau’s time has come unless Deby is not sure of his statements. There is no reason not to believe him. It is therefore the expectation that in the next few days, the world will get to know more about Shekau and the Boko Haram insurgency.

    We will then be entangled in a controversy of another sort. We will hear such tales as the dead man is not Skekau but a semblance of him. We will be confronted with a crisis of identity given several reports before now that Shekau had long been killed in battle field. All manner of theories will be floated especially by those who would not let the present administration take credit for the feat. The authorities will be hard put to convince the people that this is the original Shekau; not the characters that have been mimicking him. May be the saving grace will be the Chadian authorities. Coming from Deby, all shadows of doubt that are likely to be raised over the identity of the sect leader may not be pushed too far.

    This point has to be underscored given that the issue of insecurity in the country has become a serious election issue. The opposition has made it one of its cardinal campaign issues with a promise to ensure the security and territorial integrity of the country. The government in power has reinvigorated the war against terrorism to prove that it has the capacity to tame the monster and take away from the opposition whatever political advantage it seeks to get by exploiting weaknesses in the war against terrorism.

    These are the issues the nation will have to contend with in the way the current escapades against terrorism are likely to be perceived. This is more so when it is realized that one of the major reasons for shifting the elections was to enable the military conclude its military operations in that part of the country. Then, many had queried what feat the government would achieve in barely six weeks in a war that has seemingly defied it these years. Many did not see the possibility of that happening.

    But the signal coming from Deby and the reported recapturing of many villages from the insurgents now give a glimmer of hope that Boko Haram is now living on borrowed time. That would be a major political feat for the government of the day especially with the elections around the corner. It would have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the military had genuine reasons for asking to have the elections shifted for them to conclude their military operations. The government would then exploit that success for electoral advantage.

    But the question will still arise as to why the government had to wait till the last minute before decisively confronting the insurgents. Is it because of the arrival of new equipment or a deliberate strategy to score political points for electoral advantage? These are the issues that will be thrown up if the real Shekau is captured or killed and the insurgency tamed very considerably in the next few days. Whatever the case, it is in the interest of this country that the war is brought to a conclusive end.