The Nation Newspaper

Tag: leaders’

  • When leaders rattle and supporters fret

    American  President  Barak  Obama  set  the ball  rolling on today’s  topic when  he   told an  audience this week  that the utterances  and antics of the new nominee  of the Republican  Party  for the 2016  presidential  elections in the US, Donald  Trump  have   got world leaders rattled.  Obama lamented that  Trump  has  been ignorant and cavalier in  his  views  on government, the economy  and  world  affairs  generally. This  was a cute,  direct and  bold condemnation  of  the  man  that  many  feel  could  well  be his successor.

     Which  in  cold terms then  means a tragedy  or  calamity  is about to befall  the US  and  our world as  we  know  it today,   given  the fact  that the US  more  than  any other  nation in the  world  including China  and even  Russia  under an aggressive  President Vladmir Putin,  calls  the shots on world  affairs  and  the direction of  global  diplomacy and  security. Mercifully  though,  the political  equation  for world  affairs is  not just  a matter of simple  arithmetic as  the human element in both leaders and their  followers   as well  as the decisions they make on choosing  their  leaders and dumping them at elections, are a social  phenomenon    far   beyond  human  understanding and  the US no  matter  how much it is trumpeted as God’s  own country, is  not  an  exception.  So  for all  the dire forecast  about the    pitiful   and   sorry  consequences  of  a Donald  Trump presidency  for the US and  our world, the issue is  not  for President  Barak  Obama to  resolve, confirm  or  condemn  for the simple  reason  that it is very  much  beyond  him. Obama  whether  he  likes  it or not is quitting when  the ovation is loudest  as he can  not  have a third term  as that is a taboo in current  US  politics.  A  lame  duck  president  goes  his way not  necessarily  into  oblivion  after  his tenure and it  is in his own  interest to  leave those to succeed  him  to be  clearly  seen as elected in a free and  fair  election  which  is the  core value  of America  libertarianism  embedded  in the slogan, Freedom, Liberty  and Equality.

    It  therefore  does  not matter if world  leaders are rattled by Donald  Trump’s    stupidity or  buffoonery as  they  are not  part  of the US  electorate and  therefore  have  no say in who  the  Americans elect  as their  president.  Just   as  they could  do nothing   but  applaud ,  at  least  at  last,  when  Americans eight  years ago,  elected a  black  man whose  father  came from Kenya  in East  Africa as their leader and president. Indeed  it also  does  not matter  that Donald  Trump the new enfant  terrible  of US  politics has retorted to  Obama’s categorization  of him  by saying that he  does  not  care  if world leaders are  rattled   by  his   emergence  and   his   typical  verbal   gymnastics  . Trump  did  not need  to say it in so  many words  but  the  world  has changed dramatically  since  his emergence  as a nominee presidential  candidate  for  his party and  the world is waiting with  baited breath  to see if  he can scale the hurdle  and win the US  Presidency.  If  he does  it will be the most  wonderful  Cinderella rags  to  riches  story  in US politics in  spite  of  Trump’s  billionaire  status,   comparable  only  to  how  Obama dazed  us all  with  his election  eight years  ago. It will certainly be  a heady  story  of a unique man  and leader diagnosed  with verbal  diarrhea by  his predecessor making  his way  to  the  White in spite  of his awful oral  disposition   and   verbiage   and the  attendant  stigma  of  in electability nailed  on  his   head  on that account.

    The  other  side of  this story  or  topic  has to do  with followers  fretting  and it is to  Nigeria that I turn  to illustrate  what  I have  in mind. Just  as Obama  fretted that world  leaders  are rattled by Trump I  fret  today  that Nigerians  are  rattled  about  their leaders  in  government  today and  the  reason  is  not far  fetched. It  is in  the astronomical  increase  in the  price  of fuel  from 86  naira  to 145  naira.  Nigerians  are  rattled  because  this is a government  they  believe  in and  trust. This is  really  true  and  that is why I say Nigerians  are really  rattled  and shocked  by the huge  rise.  No  other  government  could  have  done it and  gotten  away  with it and really I do  not believe  this government  has seen  the last  of the  matter. It  is not a case of protests or  strikes. It  is the inhumanity inherent  in the huge  rise which  is bound to have terrible consequences  on the economic life of the  masses  of this  nation   that  is  the issue  to confront  and resolve and  the  sooner  this is done the better for  the  government  and  all  of  us.

    A series  of posters that adorn  the Okota- Apple  Junction  Rd declared  open  by the  Vice  President  recently in Lagos has  the picture of the hard  working Governor of the State and the President with the inscription – Our  Trusted  President. That  really is how Nigerians  see  and   hold this president. That  is why they  are stunned  by  the fuel  price  increase  to  far away 145 naira. They  are more  than  rattled   and  it is as if  they have scored an  own  goal. Their  state  is like that described in Peter Enahoro’s book   How  To  Be  A Nigerian . They  are  ‘ flabberwhelmed’ and   ‘overgasted.’  Yet  this is still a  popular  government they put in place a year  ago and  with  this 145 naira wonder it is as if a father has given a scorpion  to a   trusting  child  who asked   just   for bread.

    Yet  this  fretting in the land is not beyond  redemption.  An  opposition  politician recently  told  some APC  diehards  to  my hearing that  with  the 145  naira  price  it  seems   that  the  party has  just started  to  inflict  its  own   brand   of  suffering  on  Nigeria and  Nigerians.  I  do  not  believe  that  one bit and  I believe  that by the time the  party would  have spent the next  year in office such  an  observation would be a thing of the past    or    at  least   have  feet  of clay.  Really, Nigerians are hopeful because this government is their  political investment  and they must  reap  the dividend of a better life  from it well  before the next election as a year is gone by already  and it  has ended on a sour note of fuel  at 145naira.  Which  is a tragedy and not a dividend of democracy or any political investment.

    To  the opposition leader who  taunted my  APC  friend  on suffering under the  government I will illustrate  my support  for the government with a  political  story. This  was the story  during the coup  in   the   military  era    during which  some Yoruba  generals  were shown in a video  detailing  their  complicity  against  the Abacha  regime  in Aso  Rock, Abuja. The  video  was shown  reportedly to some Yoruba  Obas  most  of whom  were carried away  and believed  the charge  of complicity. It  was  only one Oba who  refused  to disown the generals for any complicity in spite  of the odds inherent in the video. That  Oba was  Sikiru  Adetona, Ogbagba 11, the inimitable  Awujale  of  Ijebu  land whose ‘son’ Oluwole Diya was  among the arrested generals. Awujale  famously  and historically  told  the  Nigerian  tyrant then –  he  is our son  –  and  the Yoruba general  lived till   another day and is still alive and  kicking today.

    That  to  me is the attitude  of  Nigerians to this government  in spite of the 145naira fuel  menace. Like  the  Awujale  stood  by his  man  in spite  of  the odds and  kept  faith with  him, Nigerians still  have  faith in this government. What  they need is that  the yoke  of governance should  reciprocate the love and trust  they  put in place  a year ago  when they  elected  change and put  their  future and  hope  in the  hands of the government of the day.  That  certainly  is  not  too much to ask for or  look  forward  to.

    Once  again,  long  live the  Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Union gets new leaders

    The Ebonyi state Development Association (ESDA), Lagos Branch, has elected new officers. The election held at Ebonyi House in Lagos. Mr. Paul Ikele was elected president of the union and will serve a term of four years.

    Others elected were Mr Joseph Egbo (1st Vice President); Mr Francis Akan (2rd Vice President); Mr. Joseph Okon (Gen. Secretary); Mr Idam Onyekwere (Assistant Secretary); Ide Nwonu Sunday (Treasurer); Chief Lazarus Nwafor (Financial Secretary); Comrade Joseph Igboji (Public Relations Officer); Mr Obosi Job Obasi (Assistant Public Relations Officer).

    The officials were inaugurated by Mr. Augustine Ogbodo, a lawyer.

    Responding on behalf of the newly elected officers, the president thanked members of the union for their confidence in the leaders, adding that his administration would focus on innovation.

    He said, “Our administration will bring good transformation, reliability and progress and assiduously follow the tenets and ensure the association attains the highest point with humility and respect more especially the safety our members. We shall ensure financial strength, self-sustenance, empowered and support to all our brother and sister and liaising with both Ebonyi and Lagos state Government in tacking the street trading issues.”

  • COEASU-FCE(T) elects new leaders

    The Federal College of Education Technical, Akoka chapter of the College of Education Academic Staff Union will begin a new administration with Mr Oje Ebenezer as its Chairman.

    He won a landslide victory in an unopposed poll. He polled a total of 146 ‘Yes’ votes and 47 ‘No’ votes out of the 195 member Union.

    Oje, a Lecturer III in the Mathematics/Statistics department said his plans includes: reconciling all aggrieved members of the union; constructing a befitting union secretariat building; improving welfare; and running a functional cooperative society to support the finance of members; and promoting professionalism. He also promised to maintain a robust relationship with the college management and resuscitate the regular COEASU Honours lecture series.

    On his part, the outgoing chairman, Mr Olayanju Taiwo, said he was happy that the election was peaceful and orderly.

    He noted that his administration which started April 21, 2012 achieved a lot including fostering cordial relationship among members and increasing membership.

    He explained that the chairman’s position was unopposed because the second candidate who showed interest failed to meet all criteria.

    Other elected executives were: Dr Busari Olabisi (Vice Chairman), Mr Ijadunola Kolawole (Secretary), Mr Ideyi Chijioke (Assistant Secretary), Mr Chukwukadibia Nnabuife (Treasurer), Mr Babatunde Peters (Financial Secretary), Mr Emeriewen Innocent (Director Socials), and Mr Kolade Ayeyemi (Public Relations Officer).

  • Peace training for students’ leaders

    LEAD initiative in collaboration with Human Capital Partners have organised a three-day leadership tournament called Student’s Leadership Development Tournament (SLEDT) for Students’ Union (SU) leaders of higher institutions in Nigeria, with a mission to expose them to international best practices.

    The programme also featured training in Agri-business.

    At the event, which was hosted by the University of Ibadan, the SU leaders showcased their stewardship using the criteria called VCAPPS, which stands for Vision, Continuity, Accountability, Productivity, Peace and Sustainability and Agri-business.

    Titilayo Femi Kings, an internationally certified student’s affairs professional and project director of SLEDT said Students’ Unionism should be encouraged because it helps groom future leaders.

    “Existence of Students’ Union government enhances the process of school administration and it usually facilitates effective communication between authorities and the students. Indeed, Students’ Unionism provides opportunities for leadership training for the youths,” he said.

    Kings, who is also the Face of Agriculture, Africa,  said the event came out of a vow he made in 1998 during a violent protest by students following the death of M.K.O. Abiola, in which some students died or got injured without achieving meaningful progress.

    He said many students are misled to participate in protests that end up being violent.

    “Many of those protests could have been resolved without resorting to violence and a lot of lives would have been saved.  Today Students’ leaders are characterized by thuggery, cultism and antisocial behavior which are against the tenets of the founding fathers of Students’ Unionism. This is why we are coming up with a programme that focuses on the Partners In Progress (PIP) strategy, which is the hallmark of the 21st century student leader,” he said.

    The tournament has been attended by representatives from schools such as Federal University, Dutse, Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO); Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA); University of Calabar (UNICAL); University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM); Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST); Ibrahim Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai; Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma; University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID); University of Ilorin (UNILORIN); Uthman Dan Fodio University and Imo State University, Owerri (IMSU).

    Kings noted that the schools that attended last year, now called SLEDT certified schools, have remain peaceful for the past one year.

    Based on what they learnt, the various SU leaders committed N500,000 from their union account to start farming yam, vegetables, fish and poultry.

    They asked for government’s help and support in making their vision a reality.

    At the conclusion of the competition, Imo State University, Owerri emerged tops, while FUTO and IBBU were the first and second runners up.

  • Leaders in waiting

    Leaders in waiting

    Some secondary school girls in Lagos recieved training in leadership, ethics, morals and etiquettes. They were also  trained  in technology, engineering, mathematics and  related fields, which most of them acknowledged  marked a turning point in their lives and prepared them  for the future, reports  Seyi Odewale 

    The amphitheatre of the five-year-old college was filled with lively and animated pupils, girls all, whose one week camping ended that day. They have  been together to share experiences and learn new ones, courtesy of the Christopher Kolade Foundation (CFK) in conjunction with the Thames Valley College (TVC), a world class private secondary school in Shagamu, Ogun State, whose premises was used for the programme.

    The weather was clement, the atmosphere vivacious and the joy of bounding together unlimited. Girls within ages 12 to 14, drawn from various schools in District Six of the Lagos State Education District had what they described as an experience of a lifetime.  The way they chatted animatedly among themselves, as if they had known one another for a long time, showed that the little time spent together was meaningful and allowed them to establish a lifetime friendship.

    The closing event, which was the high point of the week-long camping, however, reminded them that human beings meet to part and part to meet in life, but the memories of such meetings would linger forever.

    The week-long programme afforded them the opportunity of learning how to use the computers, which they described as awesome. They learnt how to do research, just as they received training in leadership, moral and ethics, etiquettes, how to comport themselves as ladies, how to celebrate success and create games for fun, among others. All these made the pupils to wish for an extension of the programme.

    Tagged: SHE initiative camp programme for STEMMA Hands-on Empowerment, it is a seven-day residential science camp for disadvantaged girls from public schools around Lagos. It formed part of an extended and robust science immersion programme. The initiative, according to its organisers, “is a girl-only programme designed to stir participants’ curiosity and interest in exploring the world of science and technology”.

    The programme is aimed at changing stereotype around girl and science and equip participants with lifelong skills in the realm of science and technology. It also offers participants personal development, leadership and ethics education.  56 girls participated in the programme.

    In the words of the organisers, “given the current state of education in our country and based on our shared belief that we must provide solutions at all levels to our problems. We believe that this will be a good opportunity to highlight how individuals and private institutions are working together to solve the challenge in our education system.”

    The guest speaker at the event, Kofo Akinkugbe, said she was impressed with what she saw when some of the pupils narrated their experiences, which they termed as awesome. According to Akinkugbe, the programme was right for the girls as it afforded them the opportunity to share from the experiences of people like her, who never allowed her gender as a barrier to being successful in life.

    Her gender, according to Akinkugbe, inspired her to reach for the tops and be counted first among the male dominated business world. She said she was underrated, owing to her sex, but she was determined to be the best in her chosen career and everything she has done.

    As a science student, studying Mathematics in the university, none of her lecturers gave her a chance, but she proved them wrong, coming tops as the best student in her class with a First Class in Mathematics. She did not stop at that, according to her, she proceeded abroad to do a Masters’ programme in Business Administration (MBA).

    “What my love for the sciences and mathematics did to me was to make me know logic, which I eventually applied in my MBA Maths, is a direct science where you can create orderliness in a state of confusion. Maths developed my logic and analytical minds,” she said.

    The school proprietor, Mr Nurudeen Fagbenro, who spoke on the reason behind the programme, praised the commitment of the CKF founder, Dr Christopher Kolade, who he eulogised for his integrity, honesty and sheer commitment to anything that adds value to mankind.

    He recalled a story of how he met the elder-statesman, whose impact, he said, marked the turning-point for him in life. He declared before the pupils why he chose to have him as his mentor. “I admire him for his strength of character, his integrity, honesty and rare commitment to impacting meaningfully lives of people around him,” he said. According to him, integrity could make one to be lonely and could be dangerous, but there is no substitute for it. He told the pupils the reward of integrity, may come after much intimidation, harassment and persecution.

    He said it was because of these values, which he saw in Dr Kolade that made him to be part of the programme to impact on the lives of the girls positively.

    Speaking at the event, the founder of the foundation, Dr Christopher Kolade, said attending the closing ceremony is a very interesting thing because if ‘I was in doubt that there were actually some girls who came to camp here, my doubt is gone. I can see some girls. When the Chairman of the foundation told me about the programme I kept to myself that until I see it.

    “Again, it is very encouraging to hear the testimonies of the Chairman of this organisation.  This is because you wonder when you give talks like this, how many people listen to you and when you hear things like this it encourages you to do more and that somebody is listening to you, you can speak as long as life allows you”.

    He thanked his wife, who is the chairman of the foundation. He thanked Hon Biodun Jaji, whom he described as a long standing friend.

    He said when Akinkugbe said she had to work 10 times more to be able to excel in a men dominated world, he simply thanked the men for keeping women on their toes.

    He said he was pleased with what the girls said about their experiences. The programme, according to him, started as an idea, which he had and was supported by people around him, who believe in that same idea. Two things, he said, walk together-idea and the opportunity to express it. Idea has no meaning until it is expressed for people to see and can be achieved with only those who believe in it.

    He enjoined the girls, who must have developed one idea or the other, to seek out for good people, who will help in making it come to fruition.

    Parents and guests were conducted round various projects embarked upon by the pupils. The project ideas were theirs, and were only guided by their trainers and facilitators.

    Present at the event were Dr Kolade, his wife and Chairman of the foundation, the proprietor of the school, Mr Fagbenro the guest speaker, Mrs Akinkugbe and a host of others.

  • ‘Leaders use deliberate underfunding of tertiary institutions to maintain hold on power’

    An activist and the Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Abuja Prof Abubakar Momoh, has said underfunding in tertiary institutions has become one of the mechanisms   by governments and ruling elites to impose their decisions for political and social control.

    Momoh said it is a trend that dates back to the military era, and which has since extended because of the realisation that ideas were more powerful than guns.

    Momoh, a professor of Political Theory at the Lagos State University (LASU), delivered the 24th convocation lecture of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH).

    He spoke on: “Funding challenge of tertiary institution in Nigeria”.

    “It was a technique the military used to make tertiary institution lecturers subservient to their antics, whims and caprices. Underfunding is one of the reasons education has become mundane, moribund and backward in Nigeria,’’ Momoh said.

    According to him, underfunding has made it impossible for education to empower the people as well as bring about rapid technological development in ways in which research resulted in rapid development of other developing countries.

    Momoh lamented that the governments’ allocations to tertiary institutions has dwindled tremendously amid their excuse that other sectors equally have competing demands.

    “But there are several other nations with meagre resources yet they are able to dedicate UNESCO’s 26 per cent recommendations of their annual budget to the education sector”, Momoh added.

    Momoh said the government can resolve the distress by separating recurring expenditure from capital expenditure, address physical and research expansion of tertiary institutions, and ensure that quality assurance and control bodies play their roles.

    Others, he said, are: supporting of endowment by wealthy individuals and indigenous foundations. Tertiary institutions must also offer support and an improvement in internal mechanisms of their institutions to improve accountability and administrative transparency.’’

  • Nigerian leaders must take tough decisions to grow economy

    Despite boasting the biggest economy in Africa, Nigeria’s economy remains largely undiversified with crude oil sales accounting for over 90% of total revenue. As a result, our economy is always vulnerable to volatilities in the international oil market coupled with the impact of many years of corruption and wastages. This is the reason for our present economic nightmare.

    It is very unfortunate that we wasted the golden opportunity to deploy the trillions of dollars earned from our oil exports to develop the critical sectors of the economy including power, agriculture, industries, solid minerals, transportation infrastructure among others.  No doubt, if we had done the right thing as some other oil producing countries did, keeping in mind that crude oil is a finite resource, we would not be experiencing the devastating effect of oil price crash on the scale we are experiencing it now.

    We are now being forced to do, with pains, what we should have done with ease years ago. The task of charting a new direction for the economy is notgoing to be a tea party.  Various policy options mustbe identified and assessed on the basis of our current situation and needs.  Moving our economy forward requires thinking outside the box and doing things differently. We need creativity, innovation and the courage to take difficult and tough decisions.

    The leadership of the country at national and state levels must have the courage to take tough decisions and make sacrifices in the near term which will, in the long run, make our economy stronger and sustainable and, consequently result in prosperity across all regions of Nigeria.

    One way to revive our economy will be to explore and expand inter-State relations, strengthen regional competitiveness by maximising economies of scale, regional optimisation of assets and endowments and mitigation of afflictions and natural disasters. Other potential areas for inter-State collaboration include transport infrastructure to facilitate market linkages, education, market development, human capacity building, securityand intelligence sharing, among others.

    However, this idea is not an entirely uncharted territory for Nigeria. Prior to the oil boom era, Agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy and contributed about 65% to the country’s GDP and represented close to 70% of total exports. Through farming, Nigeria was able to feed its population while major cash crops were exported to earn foreign exchange. From the cocoa and rubber plantations in the West, the groundnut pyramids and cotton in the north, to palm oil in theeast; each region was identified by its economic areas of comparative advantage which were collectively harnessed towards ensuring food security and inclusive growth across the country.

    Given our current economic challenge, I believe it is time we take a cue from our old ‘playbook’ for a viable ‘game plan’ to revive our national economy. States and regions must once again begin to leverage on their respective areas of comparative advantage by establishing partnerships towards establishing inter-State or inter-regional commodity value chain. We must re-startinter-state/regionalcooperation.

    It was in realization of this that Lagos and Kebbi States signed a Memorandum of Understanding a few weeks ago.Kebbi Stateis the largest producer of rice in Nigeriawhile Lagos state, the most populous state in Africa, consumes rice, mostly imported rice, worth N135b annually. With this partnership, which covers food production, processing and distribution, Lagos State and Kebbi State have taken steps to explore our areas ofcomparative advantages to achieve food security for Nigeriaand save our foreign exchange. In specific terms, this collaboration will produce 70% of Nigeria’s rice demand.  The multiplier effect of this collaboration will be felt in the areas of job creation, the development ofancillary industries, the strengthening of our local currency against the Dollar and other major international currencies.

    I believe more of this inter-state collaboration should be encouraged as a major driving force for the diversification of the economy.  There are manymore areas of collaboration to be explored in thenation. The political leadership must develop the will to make this initiative work, to achieve food security and promote backward integration for industrial growth.

    Lagos State has always embraced inter-state cooperation as a strategy to fast-track economic growth and development. Prior to the agreement with Kebbi State in the Northwestern Nigeria, Lagos State has collaborated with States from within the western region in the areas of comparative advantage for the partner States.

    Lagos State currently has 84 hectares of land in Osogbo, Osun State, out of which 20 hectares is used for palm produce, while others are used for rice farming, cassava and maize. Lagos State also acquired additional 1,000 hectares of land in Osun, 500 hectares in Ogun and Oyo each and 50 hectares in Abuja to support farming. In addition, all granite used in construction in Lagos State are being sourced from quarries located in Ogun State. These relationships have proved especially beneficial for Lagos State given its low land mass and the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in the State.

    It must however be noted that for regional or inter-state cooperation to yield the desired result in terms of enhanced inclusive growth, we must put in place a functional modern rail and water transportation system. The movement of goods, materials and people by road is not only inefficient but fraught with risks, safety hazards and detrimental to our roads.

    The Lagos/Kebbi initiative for example will involve movement of thousands of tons of paddy rice to Lagos for processing in the mills. This can only be achieved more efficiently through a modern rail system which at present remains largely undeveloped.

    We must brace ourselves, take the tough but right decisions, individually and collectively, so that we can have a better tomorrow.

    • Ambode, the governor of Lagos State delivered this address at the Nation’s Ist national forum on the economy at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, on Thursday, April 7.
  • Tambuwal to Nigerians: choose leaders wisely

    Tambuwal to Nigerians: choose leaders wisely

    •Sultan, Oyinlola bag Fountain Varsity’s honorary degrees.

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has advised Nigerians to ensure that politicians who understand the place of religion in solving national problems are voted into power.

    He attributed ethnicity and religious intolerance to the recurrence of ethno-religious conflicts in the country.

    The former House of Representatives Speaker  spoke yesterday on “Religious Tolerance and Challenges of Democratic Governance” at the fourth and fifth convocation of the Fountain University, Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, was  conferred with the honorary doctor of Political Economy.

    Also, former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was conferred with honorary doctor of Science in Public Administration.

    Tambuwal said appointment of public office holders, who recognise religion as a veritable tool for peace, progress and sustainable development, could solve the national problems, insecurity and corruption.

    According to him: “ The soaring tides of poverty, unemployment, ethno-religious crisis, poor infrastructure, environmental hazards, insecurity and particularly bad leadership have converged to deny the country the potential to reach the benchmark of development in the 21st Century.

    “Mismanagement of natural resources and misrule by the elite from all divides are also factors that have impoverished and denied majority of Nigerians great opportunities.

    “Since Independence, religious and ethnic rhetoric have leveraged claims to political representation and opportunities. Corruption and incompetent leadership have added another dimension to the ugly phenomena.

    “The nation, therefore, needs to evolve a system of leadership selection and accountability, which produces the sort of leaders that would confront the challenges associated with our history, socio-economic inequality, and building viable institutions for democracy and good governance.

    “In essence, politicians, public officials and political office holders must be those who are not necessarily detached from religion, but who have the understanding that religion is in itself a tool for peace, progress and sustainable development.”

    The Sultan enjoined Muslims to strive to acquire knowledge and understanding of others as a way of fostering peaceful coexistence in the nation.

     

     

  • Warring Mushin gang leaders arrested

    Calm has returned to Mushin, scene of gang wars spanning years, following the arrest of the leaders, The Nation gathered.

    The foot soldiers called boys, it was learnt, have fled, following their leaders’ arrest.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Mr Dawodu Olatunji has hailed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the restoration of peace in the area.

    “For two months now, peace has returned to Mushin. Thanks to our governor, who ordered the arrest of the gang leaders and their boys disappeared.

    “Mushin is now safe, no longer a hotbed of criminality. The hoodlums are killing themselves and not hoodlums versus the people,” he said.

    Olatunji thanked the governor for his intervention, saying the criminals are not from Mushin, but from other parts of the state.

    “I am born and bred in Mushin and like others; we grew up to imbibe some virtues

    to become responsible citizens. Not everybody in Mushin is criminals.”

    He noted that gangsterism, not robberies had reigned in the area, saying “ the supremacy fight between the gangs had always unleashed a reign of terror on Mushin.”

    He blamed politicians for allegedly raising armed gangs for elections and advised youths to reject guns and banditry and go for empowerment and jobs.

  • Emulate Christ, group urges leaders

    A group, The Christian Conscience, has enjoined politicians to emulate Jesus Christ, who during his life was an embodiment of love, peace and integrity.

    According to the group, until these virtues are emulated, our political leaders will continue to depend on their own strength rather than allowing Christ to lead them aright.

    In a goodwill message to Christians and political leaders at Easter, the group admonished leaders to allow Christ to always direct their affairs by loving one another.

    A statement by its National Chairman Chief Enock Ajiboso, and the Publicity Secretary, Tunji Oguntuase, yesterday said: “When we emulate Christ, there will be peace, integrity and love, rather than the politically-induced senseless killings. Rather than allow Christ to anoint them for leadership roles, political leaders are forcing themselves on the people and have made politics a do-or-die affair, forgetting that only God anoints leaders.”

    The statement called on Nigerians to support the Buhari-Osinbajo government more than before to fulfill their campaign promises.