The Nation Newspaper

Tag: idea

  • A welcome idea

    A welcome idea

    • We agree that election petitions should be concluded before swearing-in of winners.

    The post-mortem assessment of the 2023 general election petitions by members of the tribunals and courts who had firsthand experience of the proceedings is a welcome development. No doubt, their recommendations, if implemented, would have far-reaching impact on the laws governing the practice and procedure of election petitions.

    The former tribunal members at a two-day workshop in Abuja, advocated that all election petitions and appeals should be dispensed with, before persons declared as winners are sworn into office.

    We agree with this suggestion, if enduring measures, laws and regulations can be provided to make it happen. Our concerns are the same reasons why such practice in the second republic was jettisoned in the present constitution, as amended. Such practice was abandoned when litigants and lawyers complained that the time provided for the trial and determination of the election petitions before swearing in date was too short to allow a full ventilation of cases by petitioners, a thing that impinges on fair hearing.

    Sadly, when the law was changed to allow litigants and their counsel take necessary time to file their papers and argue their cases, unscrupulous parties and lawyers amongst them foisted an unending cycle of litigation on the courts, which allowed the party wrongly declared a winner to enjoy the unearned office. In some states, those who were eventually adjudged as fraudulently declared winners of the election nearly finished the term of office before the cases were finally determined at the apex court.

    The compromise was an elaborate Part III Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which provided for time within which an election petition or an appeal shall be determined. Section 285(6) provides that “An election tribunal shall deliver its judgment in writing within 180 days from the date of the filling of the petition” while section 285(7) provides “An appeal from the decision of an election tribunal or Court of Appeal in an election matter shall be heard and disposed of within 60 days from the date of the delivery of judgment of the tribunal or Court of Appeal.”

    To ensure that election petitions are concluded before the person declared winner is inaugurated, the election may have to hold nearly one year before the end of tenure of an incumbent, unless the time for hearing and determining the cases and any appeal therefrom is further reduced.  If the first is done, incumbents who would become lame ducks after the elections may protest the extension. Similarly, if the time for hearing and determining the cases are reduced, litigants and lawyers may complain.

    So, the task for the legislators is how can that desirable recommendation be achieved without creating another undesirable outcome.

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    In the communique issued, the workshop also recommended that “Section 187 of the 1999 Constitution should be amended to include a new sub-section stating clearly that the disqualification or non-qualification of a deputy governor shall not affect the governor-elect or governorship candidate of a political party.” Furthermore, that “Section 246 (3) of the extant constitution is proposed to be altered to reflect the finality of decisions of the Court of Appeal in all election appeals, governorship appeals inclusive.”

    Another far-reaching proposal made by the former members of tribunals is that “all pre-election appeals should terminate at the Court of Appeal.” An even more revolutionary proposal from the workshop is that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) be applied in dealing with pre-election matters.

    Perhaps, the august body may be hinting at a shared electoral banquet, instead of the winner takes all of the presidential system of government. While the jurists may have spoken from experience, and with great insight, the challenge lies with the practicability of their suggestions.

  • On fixation with national carrier idea

    SIR: From all indications, the federal government is determined to float a new national airline and have it operational by the end of the year. This milestone appears to have been inspired during the election campaign that ushered in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. This zeal to fulfil a major campaign promise and commit scarce funds to a rather capital intensive project is in itself admirable, but the energy should undoubtedly be channelled differently.

    Floating a national airline should rank least on the economic priorities of a nation that just sneaked out of a recession that spanned five quarters. Nigeria boasts of housing Africa’s largest economy, taking that crown from South Africa after rebasing its GDP four years ago. That status is currently undisputed, but it is from that same South Africa that Nigeria needs to pick lessons on how not to lose the crown.

    Nigeria Airways was founded two years before independence. It became the national carrier in 1961 after the government increased its shares in the company from 51 percent to 100. By 1987 the airline, as a result of corruption and mismanagement had accumulated debts of over $250 million and was suspended by the International Air Transport Association for poor safety compliance.

    At this time, it had 500 employees per aircraft in the fleet, twice the international average of which 1700 people were laid off in 1985 and another 1000 the following year. In a desperate attempt to keep the airline afloat, 3000 more employees were laid off in December 1988, domestic and international fares were raised and flights to a number of destinations discontinued. None of these measures proved effective in turning the fortunes of the airline around.

    It took the international embarrassment of having a Nigeria Airways aircraft impounded at Heathrow Airport and an eventual ban by the UK Civil Aviation Authority to convince the government to privatise the debt-ridden venture. By the time it folded up in 2003, it had received a cash injection of $200 million from the government and was $528 million in debt.

    The government in 2004 staged a revival of the national airline in the form of Virgin Nigeria Airways, as a joint venture with the Virgin Group. This quickly morphed into Air Nigeria after the Virgin Group pulled out of the arrangement. By 2012 Air Nigeria had met its demise.

    Fast forward to 2017; the Nigerian government appointed Lufthansa and five other firms as transaction advisers to kick-start the process of establishing yet another national carrier.

    So why is the Buhari administration fixated on an idea that has twice been tested, twice failed, accumulating humongous debts while costing taxpayers millions of dollars? According to statements issued at different times over the last one year, the government is convinced this new venture, touted as a public-private partnership, has the potential to be Nigeria’s answer to the largest African airline – state-owned Ethiopia Airlines which clocked $175 million in profits in 2015. If records, are anything to go by, it could very well be the Siamese twin to the loss-making South African Airways.

    Despite running one of Africa’s biggest fleets, state-owned South Africa Airways is yet to post profits for seven consecutive years, managing to stay afloat on bailout funds by the South African government. State-owned regional airline, South African Express, and low-cost carrier, Mango, are not faring any better. These three airlines have recorded a combined R35 billion in operational losses over the last 10 years. Indeed, the fate of South Africa Airways currently hangs on a R10 billion bailout, to enable it honour its debt obligations by the end of this month.

    Nigeria appears set to tread the same path even while the debts left in the wake of the previous attempts are still hanging on the government’s neck. The unpaid pensions and entitlements of the workers laid-off when the Air Nigeria closed shop in 2012 stand at N78 billion today.

    Rather this fixation on floating a national carrier just because there used to be one and other countries have theirs, a more productive venture would be to institute key reforms in Nigeria’s aviation industry to improve the operational efficiency of the existing players and attract new investments into the sector.

     

    • Bukola Ogunyemi,

    Lagos.

  • Speak out that Idea!

    Most great thinkers and successful persons in the world, both past and present, have, at one time or the other, associated their successes to good ideas. Several books have been published on this valuable seed called idea and how it can be capitalized upon for great achievements. We cannot over emphasize the fact that good ideas rule the world. When ideas become a passion, they consume the proponent so that he or she becomes unstoppable. Victor Hugo said, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.” Great ideas cannot be restricted; they find their ways around every obstacle. According to Benazir Bhutto, “You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea.” Not only are good ideas characteristically bigger than their proponents, they also mostly outlive them. In this respect, John F. Kennedy said, “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.”

    As valuable as ideas are, however, we will be making a big mistake to think that they are all it takes to succeed. Ideas don’t fulfil themselves, they must be put to use, and the first step of this is expression. What are ideas without expressions? Have you ever seen an army commander who instructs his troupe with his mind? No matter how skillful or tactful he is, he must issue clear commands, either by speech or by gesture, for the soldiers to act. Can a teacher teach a class without words, gestures, or other technical aids? Unless the subject matter is “silence,” the students would receive nothing. Likewise, ideas are nothing unless they are expressed.

    People cannot get into our minds or read our thoughts; hence, they cannot access our brilliant ideas unless we express them. Lois Wyse said, “The only people in the world who can change things are those who can sell ideas.” In whatever endeavour we are engaged in, our ideas will be no good if we cannot convince the necessary stakeholders of their authenticity.  If we don’t know how to present our ideas, they may die in our minds.

    Some people spend their entire lives merely brooding over some ideas because they believe the ideas are not good enough to be shared. According to Brian G. Jett, “We think good ideas to death, when we should be acting them to life.” I am of the opinion that we don’t know the value of our ideas until we share them.  Have you ever had the experience, probably when you were in school, that your teacher asked a question, to which you knew the answer, but you were afraid to be wrong, so, someone else spoke exactly what you had in mind and was correct? How did you feel? Whether in the same scenario or a similar but more complex one, the effect is usually the same. Though you tried to console yourself that it wasn’t really a big deal, deep down, you felt a sense of loss. That is what happens when we don’t share the valuable ideas we have; we lose them to other thinkers. Some other people believe that no one can be trusted, so they hoard their ideas. While the ideas are safe in their minds, neither they nor any other person benefit from that.

    Ideas get bigger when they are shared effectively. George Bernard Shaw said, “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”

    Having established that ideas are invaluable, and that they are of no use when we keep them to ourselves, the next question is, “How do we share our ideas?” There are several ways to share our ideas; in fact, there are many more ways than we can talk about here. But I can assure you that one of the major and most effective ways is through speaking. Of course, you may write a proposal, but you are most probably going to need to make an oral presentation of it at some points. Some people write winning proposals but are screened out only because of their inability to come across convincingly in their oral presentations. When a business proposal is particularly brilliant, and the presenter is particularly poor, the assessor naturally concludes that the idea is stolen. Think about this: why is it that we hear some people accuse some popular musicians of stealing their songs, yet it’s not a hit when the supposed owners perform it? Why does a student explain a course to another and the latter passes while the former fails? The answer is simple- some people are good at getting ideas, some are good at expressing them, and some are good in both. “But is this fair?” You may ask. Well, that may be a discussion for another day. In the mean time, know that you can learn to express your ideas effectively and win your audience to your line of thinking. Organize your thoughts, support it with facts, create the context in which it can work, and be passionate as you speak. You are closer to achieving your dreams than you know.

  • Nigeria gets first software incubation centre

    Nigeria gets first software incubation centre

    Nigeria has finally launched the first software incubation centre in Lagos.

    It is known as the Information Technology Developers Entrepreneurship Accelerator (iDEA) Software Incubation Centre.

    iDEA is a not-for-profit special purpose vehicle (SPV) constituted to ensure the successful implementation of the programme across the country.
    Speaking at the event, Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said the official launch of the project  marks a significant milestone in the country’s quest to grow the software development industry and grow young entrepreneurs too.
    The software incubation centre is located in the popular Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba, a middle class business and residential area on the mainland of metropolitan Lagos.
    She recalled that the idea of the centre came shortly after she was appointed minister of the new ministry, adding that every consultation she had with stakeholders in the industry all pointed to the fact that the software industry has huge potential to support ongoing efforts at job and wealth creation for the youths of the country
    The consultation led to setting up of  a committee to provide a working template since it will be impossible to import wholesale what has been done in places like China and India.
    The committee worked assiduously to produce what has led to the establishment of the incubation centres.
    “There is a lot of work to be done. We will bring all the multinationals to this initiative,” she said.
    Mrs Johnson said the launch of the other incubation centres, first in Tinapa Knowledge City, Calabar, Cross Rivers State, and others will follow suit.
    Chairman, Governing Board of iDEA, Adedotun Suleiman, said the centre will offer all the technical and financial assistance needed by students, developers and start-ups to grow their ideas, adding that with the funding from the Federal Government, the coast was clear for youngsters with promising business plan to make them a reality.
    Project Manager, Helen Anatogu, said the centres will provide developers the opportunity to develop their skills and market it.

  • Once upon an idea

    Once upon a time, there was community. And it was not just an idea; it was also a practice. Does anyone, except foreigners looking for something other than what they have, still believe that we practise community? Those who do are engaged in an unconscious act of self-deceit. For what is the scope of such a community? Does it include the kidnappers? Or armed robbers? Or suicide bombers?

    Sure, we can indulge in a healthy nostalgia of what was. However, it’s even more rewarding to reflect on the logic of what was when it was. The question then is what is the logic of the relationship of the individual to the community in days gone by? How did it evolve? How was it destroyed?

    We may have a good idea of the evolution and practice of community, especially in Yorubaland, by taking a few steps back to the coming-into-being of a new member of a household. The new baby arrives into the waiting hands of the elder members of the household. From that point on, they see the baby as theirs. They invest their time and resources on her. Her naming ceremony is significant because it is the time she is formally recognised through naming. The names she is given reflect the values of the family and community. They must guide her so she does not bring the family name to ridicule.

    The process of socialisation begins right from birth and all extended family members have a role to play. The structure of the family compound makes this easy since everyone is close by. A child cannot misbehave without being corrected immediately. Love is lavished, but the rod is not spared. In this kind of environment, growing children are able to see themselves as a part of an extended family household and not as independent atoms. They see their intrinsic relation to others and see the interdependent existence of their lives with others.

    The picture just painted suggests the limit of individualism. Not that the community forces itself on an unyielding individual; rather the individual, through socialisation and the love and concern which the household and community have extended to him/her cannot now see himself or herself as anything apart from her community. Interest in her success is shown by members of the extended family who regard her as their “blood” and the community members are also able to trace their origin to a common, even if mythical ancestor. There is, therefore, a genuine feeling of oneness among its members.

    The process of socialisation, which begins in the family compound, ultimately gets extended to the community playground and market square, where the child is further exposed to the virtue of communal life. Here, the child and others like her have their exposure to the display of selfless efforts by adult members of the community. They see how adults contribute to the welfare of the community; how they contribute towards the education of one of them; how they prepare the market place for the new yam festival, etc.

    Building on the initial experience in the family compound, these new members of the community now see themselves as destined to carry the banner of the community. They make up their mind to do their part. They will pursue community interest and shun individualism. This is the meaning of the common saying: I am because we are. It follows that the common rendering of this saying to the effect that the individual in traditional Yoruba society is crushed by the almighty presence of the community is not the whole truth.

    Of course, individuals are valued in themselves and as potential contributors to communal survival. Further it is known that many individuals have the wisdom to guide the community and such people are well-respected. After all, the wisdom that created the idea and sustained the practice of community in the first place originated with individuals.

    This conception of the person in relation to the community is derived from particular metaphysical assumptions that are themselves value-laden and are therefore the basis for the articulation of particular moral values to which all subscribe. First, a person is a creature of God and as such is endowed with dignity and inherent worth. This is based on the belief that a creature of God shares in the dignity and worth that is sourced by God. This is the basis of Yoruba belief in the individuality of persons.

    Second, there is a metaphysical basis for egalitarianism in the Yoruba account of the making of humans. The most important element in the make-up of humans, that which endures their existence is emi, the breath of life; it is given by God and is given equally to all. Therefore, no-one can claim a greater share of God’s love and care, and everyone can claim an equal right to life.

    Third, a person thus endowed with dignity and inherent worth has a capacity for moral virtue and responsible choice and is therefore subject to praise or blame.

    Specific moral values also follow these metaphysical assumptions. First, because the individual is a creature and child of God, the community regards itself as the guardian of the baby, as seen above. Therefore it cannot cause unnecessary harm to the child and thus to an adult, and it must continuously seek the promotion of the good and welfare of the child.

    Second, a child that is immersed in love and care from infancy to adulthood in this way has a responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the children that he or she brings into the world and to the continuity of the group. Indeed, the faithful discharge of this responsibility is an essential precondition for the accord of personhood status to adults of sound body and mind. In other words for this group of individuals, personhood is an acquired status. An irresponsible loafer is treated as a non-person.

    The solidarity among members of a community is healthy because it is beneficial to all. There is common enjoyment and/or common suffering. But what must be prized most highly is that when genuine community relations exist, there cannot be a case of one section rising against the other. For there is an in-built mechanism of unity made possible by the internalisation of the communal norms by young and old, men and women: “I am because we are.” When I am conscious of the fact that my existence is made possible by the reality of the community, I will not undermine that reality since I know that my existence would be impacted.

    We have now embraced the logic of individualism at the expense of community. Yet we are wondering why things have fallen apart. Even our religious sensibilities have been destructive of our traditional values and have embraced the logic of individualism wherein what is important is no longer our earthly communities but those of the world beyond. The consequence of this is that it doesn’t really matter what happens to the former, individuals who embrace the latter have nothing to fear.

    Whereas communities of yore invested in the training of their youths according to their understanding and the resources available to them, we have neglected the youth in spite of the abundant of resources available to us. Yet we expect them to see themselves as communal beings. We practise a “do-or-die” politics in which opposing camps are construed as enemies to be eliminated, the antithesis of communitarian ethos, and we wonder why militants thrive across the land. Whereas in genuine communities, either everyone is poor or everyone is wealthy, we are now comfortable with the combination of extremes of undeserved wealth and extremes of unjustifiable poverty. Isn’t it time we learned the simple truth that what we sow is what we reap?