The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lessons

  • Lessons from fall of Berlin Wall

    SIR: Citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany the other day celebrated the 25th year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall which occurred on November 9, 1989. The great feat brought together East and West German people.

    That historic unification might not have been possible without the conscientious idealistic efforts of so many people, some of whom include John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev and many people on both sides of the German divide. I watched a CNN correspondent, Jonathan Mann on television during the celebration of that day in 1989 as a young reporter where he gave a report from Germany on the jubilant moment.

    25 years later, Jonathan is still with the CNN but now a well groomed and oriented journalist. I wish same can relate to Nigerian politicians who should be

    well groomed to serve beyond self while in office. I wish political parties can present dependable people for elections with experience to manage the plethora of problems bedevilling the polity.

    People who do not engage in acts akin to sock puppetry and who understand the role of the opposition in a democracy should henceforth come forward. Nigerians would love to see politicians with great promises go into government only after genuinely soliciting for votes from the electorate. People with real demonstrable political skill and sound leadership ability for controlling crisis are needed to wriggle the country out of her present leadership impasse. The nation

    needs political figures who truly understand that elective office is all about solving problems; who appreciate the importance of concessional politics for peace, especially in a fickle country like ours.

    Like the Germans, we need genuine statesmen  to teach our children the importance of service beyond self which must form the bedrock of our educational curriculum to enable a child grow with the concept of seeing life beyond a narrow indoctrinated perspective. Like the Germans, we need leaders that appreciate the power of reason to stop the insurgency ravaging our country and rebuild Nigeria, for, “where excessive emotion takes root, reason takes flight.” Like the Germans, we need leaders with the will to do and solve problems which is the essence of politics and not leaders interested only in making history by the number of years they serve(d) in office.

    • Simon Abah

    Port Harcourt

    Rivers State

  • Lessons from Scottish referendum

    he recently conducted referendum by the people of Scotland to decide their future has come and gone. About 1.8 million Scots (55%) cast a decisive “NO” vote for independence as against about 1.5 million (45%) who voted for independence from the United Kingdom. Scotland, a country with a projected population of about six million people and occupying a territory of approximately 79,000 square kilometres joined the United Kingdom of Great Britain more than 300 years ago through the act of Union in 1707.

    The referendum took the entire world by storm going by fact that the Union had actually endured for more than three centuries thus the prospect of its dissolution at this time and age would have had far-reaching and unimaginable consequences for many nations of the world with contrived or lopsided union.

    The conclusion by many political observers throughout the intense campaign period was that if the people of Scotland after more than 300 years in the United Kingdom would now agitate for independence, then obviously the act of the Union ab initio was inherently defective. The result of the referendum has further polarized the Scottish people going by the closeness of the result – 55% for the “NO” vote as against 45% for the “YES” vote.

    At the commencement of the campaigns,  it became obvious that the Scottish people had extremely a raw deal in the United Kingdom of Great Britain hence the initial opinion polls which had predicted a comfortable lead by the campaigners for “YES” vote.  This scenario of imminent victory continued until the bigwigs at Westminster led by the Prime Minister, David Cameron and the immediate past Labour Party, Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, himself is a Scot, desperately rushed to Scotland and with last minute passionate appeals to the undecided voters not to vote “YES” for independence while adopting all manners of political gimmicks including naked blackmail and outright intimidation as well as the belated token or half-hearted promises to the Scottish people for them to remain in the United Kingdom.

    This was the last trump card that dramatically changed the tide of opinion in favour of the “NO” vote on the eve of the historic referendum.

    For the 1.5million people that voted “YES”, Scotland will never be the same again, hence the spirit of nationalism and identity already ignited by the referendum will certainly remain with the people for generations yet to come. It had been proved time and time again that gross or naked injustice, inequality, and lack of fairness tend to breed mass discontentment, distrust and perpetual fear of domination by one group of people over others. The consequences are separatist tendencies and agitations for autonomy or self determination by the perceived marginalized segment as was the case with the people of Scotland.

    In Africa, the erstwhile colonial powers particularly the British lumped together people of diverse ethnic, socio-cultural and religious backgrounds and orientation as one country and eventually granted them independence as one nation.

    Cases abound in Africa where this situation has continued to fuel endless crisis, armed conflicts and socio-political instability in those countries due to the forced union and incompatibility among the diverse groups that make up the countries. The recent independence of the people of South Sudan from Sudan is a typical case in point where the southern Sudanese felt that they could no longer peacefully co-exist with their northern “brothers” as a result of deep-rooted animosity engendered by ethno-religious and irreconcilable differences between the mainly Moslem north and mainly Christian south. This situation was further aggravated when the Sudanese government officially adopted Islam as a state religion to the detriment of the mainly Christian south. This ugly situation consequently degenerated into armed conflicts between the two divided sections of Sudan.

    There are many other volatile parts of the world or flash points where people still harbour strong separatist tendencies as a result of not having a fair deal. Some of these include the French speaking people of Quebec in Canada; the people of Eastern Ukraine of the former Soviet Union who with the strong support of Russia are currently fighting for self determination or independence from Ukraine. Only recently the people of “Catalonia” in Spain staged a huge demonstration in that country calling for the independence of Catalonia from Spain ostensibly taking a cue from the Scots.

    However, in the African context, it was the erstwhile colonial powers that forcibly brought together strange bedfellows with incompatible and irreconcilable ethno-religious, and socio-cultural backgrounds to form a union or country without their consent purely for their selfish economic interest. A case in point was the defunct Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland then ruled by the British under Sir Roy Welensky.  During the long agitation for independence which later culminated in the armed struggle by the nationalist forces led by the indefatigable and foremost freedom fighter, Robert Mugabe, along with other freedom fighters such as Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole, Abel Muzorewa and many others, the British in their wisdom and legendary act of diplomacy quickly realised that the people of Rhodesia and Nyasaland could never peacefully co-exist as one nation and as such, proceeded to grant independence separately first to Northern Rhodesia now Zambia, followed by Nyasalnd, now Malawi, and lastly, Southern Rhodesia now Zimbabwe after a long and bitter armed struggle by the African liberation forces. The white minority settlers in Southern Rhodesia then led by racist Prime Minister Ian Smith had wanted to entrench white minority government modelled on the obnoxious former apartheid system in South Africa. Ian Smith in obvious self delusion had dared the British authorities when he unilaterally declared independence for Rhodesia (UDI) in 1965 and that led to the intensification of the armed struggle by the nationalist forces which eventually crushed the resistance of Ian Smith and his white minority racist regime paving the way for the independence of Zimbabwe from Britain in 1980.

    In the same vein, the British granted independence separately to India and Pakistan in the Indian sub-continent in 1947 due to the simple fact that India with a huge population of predominantly Hindu religion could never peacefully co-exist with Pakistan also with a huge population of predominantly Muslim religion as one nation. Again, the Republic of Bangladesh which was part of Pakistan later broke away after a long and bitter civil war and gained her independence in 1971.

    There are many similar instances throughout the world where people decided to leave the union or country they had voluntarily joined due to certain factors that were inimical to their collective interest and destiny such as the cases already mentioned.

    It is an obvious truism that unity is strength, thus people of diverse ethnic, socio-cultural and religious backgrounds could freely come together to form a union or a country. However, justice, equity, fairness, mutual respect and trust between and among the people must be the guiding principle for the union to survive.

    It is a sad commentary that in the case of our dear country Nigeria, the erstwhile British colonial powers after the infamous and forced amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 proceeded to grant independence to Nigeria as one nation despite all the available empirical indices which pointed to the fact that the diverse ethnic, socio-cultural, cum religious groups could not peacefully co-exist as one nation. The Nigerian nation has continued to pay very dearly for this forced amalgamation up till date.

    The only solution to the current endemic multifarious challenges confronting the nation is for Nigeria to quickly return to the regional structure of government with full and undiluted fiscal autonomy, where the present six geo-political zones would possibly be increased to eight zones with their separate constitutions, police force and regional army. Any further delay to the restructuring of the Nigerian polity in line with the above recommendations might spell doom to the corporate existence of the country as one nation or entity. The country should take a cue from other volatile parts of the world where the nationalist or separatist movements are daily gathering momentum and attracting global attention. It is said that a stitch in time saves nine and therefore, the Nigerian authorities should quickly read the handwriting on the wall and take the bull by the horn by facing the stark realities of the current desperate situation and act decisively to save the nation from the looming catastrophe.

    • Akabogu (JP) wrote from Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.

  • Kwara: Lessons from Aregbesola’s victory

    The landslide victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and by extension, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Osun State’s gubernatorial election is instructive. It has emphasized the truth about life that leadership only confers influence, followership, power and respect on the leader, depending on how much good or positive-impact or love for the people the leader brings to bear on the office. Not only that, it highlighted the folly of a leader simply being satisfied with the glamour and splendour of office, but looking away from the welfare, dreams and expectations of the poor and less-privileged.

    More than anything else, the APC’s clean sweep has shown that sustained good work and cordial relationship with the people form the basis of understanding and followership between the leader and the people, and that believability nurtured by trust arising from promises kept further helps to deepen such a union.

    Indeed, one lesson to take away from the Osun election is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola walked into the hearts of the people by first making them the essence of governance. In return, he became an indispensible friend of the people and so popular that the federal might which reared its ugly head before and during the election was summarily subdued by the peoples’ strong will to have the back of their man. It would seem that the people were determined to stop any intruder from deciding their fate as was the case in Ekiti and Adamawa states where external forces high on greed, intrigues and conspiracy, deceived and arm-twisted the people of Ekiti State to rig through the forces of arms; and conspired in the case of Adamawa, leading to the defeat of Governor Kayode Fayemi and removal of former governor Murtala Nyako, respectively.

    Today, the federal government which has continued to deny complicity in the Adamawa impunity, saying it allowed the constitution and the people to have their way, has typically looked away as the same constitution and due process it claimed to protect is raped as Adamawa lawmakers have yet to inform the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the impeachment so as to make way for election within 90 days as stipulated in the constitution.

    While these point to the desperation of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal government to cause confusion and disaffection where none existed among the people, the Osun election points to the resolve of the people to support the popular man so as to sustain the progress being made in the state, while consciously initiating what many see as a permanent coroner report on the PDP’s impunity. The Osun victory and the lessons from it, no doubt, would provide a veritable compass with which the people, first, and members of APC, on the other hand, can fight and resist enemies of their common good. Interestingly, federal might can only work in states where the people allow needless, division, blackmail, intrigues and hypocrisy to thrive.

    In my state, Kwara, blessed with a selfless, committed and working leader, Senator Bukola Saraki, who following in the footsteps of his father, has continued to touch lives positively through unprecedented philanthropy, the PDP and their federal might can only but scratch a dream! Globally, today, Dr Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jnr; Mother Theresa and Princess Diana of blessed memories, among others, are still fondly remembered and celebrated not because of the political office they held, but mainly because of the exemplary life of selfless service which they lived, especially, caring for the lowly in society. Many years after death, they remain stuck to the minds of the people; great and small, rich and poor due to their life of giving and hearts fixated on making positive impacts on society at large.

    It is this same commitment to transforming Kwara State that has formed a meeting point for the late Waziri, Senator Olusola Saraki, the father, Dr Bukola Saraki, a former governor and the son, such that the mention of their names evoke great joy amongst the people. From road construction, job creation, skills acquisition centers, scholarships for overseas study for indigenes, healthcare centres and hospitals, affordable tuition fees in schools, training of pilots, rehabilitation of schools, agricultural revolution, loans to set up own businesses, Governor Ahmed has also sustained a culture of development and thus delivering on democratic dividends, which ultimately impact on peoples’ lives.  Ahmed’s popularity among the people has been helped in no small measure by the political influence of Dr Bukola, who like his father, has been a rallying point for both great and small. An undisputable dominant force in Kwara politics, the solid foundations laid by Bukola, no doubt, has helped Governor Ahmed in redeeming his promises and sustaining his bond with the people.

    This is why it would qualify for height of self-deceit and delusion to try to cause disaffection among the people in the face of the enormous achievements and giant leap the APC state has made in the last few years. Like Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Osun people, who voted the popular man, at the right time, the Kwara people will speak based on what they see, federal might or not. Or, is it not said that seeing is believing?

    In the face of dwindling resources from the federation account as a result of corruption and especially diversion of oil revenue, the state still embarked on massive project like the on-going Patigi/Pada, Share/Okeode and Kiama/Kishi roads, Ilorin water project, renovated more than 400 classrooms, world class general hospitals, among others.

    How else would the people appreciate the APC other than another endorsement through massive peoples’ vote?

     

    • SMO writes from Baboko, Ilorin
  • Ahmed: don’t discard lessons of Ramadan

    Ahmed: don’t discard lessons of Ramadan

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has urged Muslims to ensure that the lessons of kindness, fear of God, spirit of helping the needy imbibed during Ramadan continue.

    Speaking to Muslims in his Eid-el-Fitri message, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, Governor Ahmed said beyond festivity, they should pray for the restoration of peace in the country.

    The governor noted that if Muslims do not imbibe the lessons as a life-long experience, the exercise would have be a futile one.

    “As Muslims,we must sustain our devotion to Allah, uphold the teachings of the Quran and Prophet Muhammed.

    ‘’It is also important that those in authority translate the culture of piety, devotion and submission to the will of Allah into ensuring a society free of want, poverty and hunger”, he said.

    Governor Ahmed also advised Muslims to shun vices, especially violence, which could hinder harmonious existence with people of other faith.

    “It is not a mistake that God made people of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds to co-exist in the country; it is for a purpose.

  • Bring Back Our Girls: Lessons we must learn

    SIR: The “Chibok” abduction has finally done what the previous 10 years of killing and destruction failed to do.  It has galvanized public opinion in Nigeria and worldwide and it has united us as a nation to condemn and confront the Boko Haram menace. The facts of the abduction are horrific and the plight of the girls heart-breaking but the full implications of this incident go far beyond the immediate outcry it has caused.  It raises profound and disturbing questions about our beliefs and values as a nation. It has raised a mirror unto our society and forced us to look ourselves and ask who we are and what we stand for.

    What value do we place on human life?

    The girls must be found and brought back but these and other lingering and deep questions will not go away.  The issues the incident has raised must be addressed by all Nigerians as we join hands to build a better nation where the life of every single person is precious;  a nation where every individual, male or female is protected and nurtured; a nation where every citizen is given the scope to fully develop his or her potential.

    Efforts are being made to bring back the girls with international help and support but despite the outcry and all the attention, no tangible progress appears to have been made in securing their safety and release.

    What lessons should we learn from this situation?

    The outright violation of human life by this sect of insurgents has given birth to the world wide movement aptly named #Bring Back Our Girls. It is unfortunate that the solidarity of world citizens is often only engendered by tragic conditions and situations such as this. Nevertheless, we must as a nation and a people seize this opportunity to all lend our voices in condemnation of the Boko Haram cancer that has infected our nation. Every Nigerian must speak and act as one in this matter.  This lingering menace affects all of us, and cuts across religion, ethnicity, economic situation or political affiliation.

    We should not let this happen again to any Nigerian in any part of Nigeria. We are our brother’s keepers.

    We have the power to determine how we wish to be governed. Therefore, we must fulfil our civic responsibilities and show our elected officials what true leadership means, to stand with the Chibok community and to get involved in whatever capacity that we can to help bring back our girls and fight the scourge of Boko Haram. We must move from dialogue to action, to ensure that our children are safe and secure.

    We believe that to combat the several ills that bedevil our society, including the growth of terrorism, corruption and the bestial immorality practiced by Boko Haram and others of its ilk, we must begin to guard our rights as citizens more jealously and carry out our civic responsibilities more resolutely. Politics is far too important to be left only to politicians.

    In a democratic setting, it is the involvement of citizens that produces enlightened leadership.

    • Africa Leadership Initiative West Africa (ALIWA),

    Lagos

     

  • Lessons from Ghana

    Lessons from Ghana

    Minister sacked for dreaming of making $1m off govt must have wished she served in Nigeria

    The sacked Ghanaian deputy Minister of Communications, Victoria Hammah, must be wishing that she was a minister in Nigeria, working for President Goodluck Jonathan. If she had been, she would still be sitting comfortably on her desk. In our country, it is highly inconceivable that a minister in the present government could be sacked, for a mere taped conversation, that, she would not leave politics until she has made a million dollars. As if mocking the Stella Oduah’s corruption scandal, the sacked deputy minister, like Ms Oduah, also worked to elect John Mahama as president, and as such was considered a confidant of the president.

    Yet, in the interest of Ghana, and to send a clear message that his presidency would not condone corrupt tendencies, President Mahama, despite affiliations, sacked the deputy minister, for her mere inclination to corruption. Conversely in Nigeria, President Jonathan, despite overwhelming indictment of his Minister of Aviation, Ms Oduah, over the purchase of unbudgeted two bullet-proof cars for a staggering N255 million, still considers the minister indispensible to his government, and has retained her services, in spite of a national outcry for her removal. Instructively, therefore, while in Ghana a minister is sacked for contemplating corruption, in Nigeria, another is retained despite a clear indictment over corruption practices.

    This is a clear message that while Ghana takes the fight against corruption seriously, in Nigeria, under President Jonathan, corruption is allowed to fester. And the circumstances of the sacked minister and Oduah are so intriguingly similar. Like Hammah of Ghana, Oduah worked hard to elect her country’s president. Indeed, it is common knowledge that Oduah’s campaign machinery, known as ‘Neighbour to Neighbour’ was very helpful towards the election of President Jonathan in 2011; and she consequently became one of the closest persons to the president. For that reason, many had even before the current scandal, considered her an untouchable. Thus, when the current scandal broke, many had predicted that she was likely going to get a mere slap on the wrist, current events seem to be confirming those fears.

    As we have noted on this page many times, the Jonathan presidency has shown serious accommodation to corruption, and this could spell great tragedy for our country. Early last year, following a nationwide protest over increase in the prices of petroleum products, Nigerians were regaled with unprecedented cases of fleecing of the nation’s treasury under the guise of petroleum subsidy claims. As the investigation by the National Assembly subsequently revealed, the subsidy claims were a mere criminal connivance between some government officials and private companies to apply and get paid humongous amounts as subsidy refunds, when in reality most of them never imported any product.

    As we write, nobody has been punished for stealing the billions of naira from our national treasury, in the name of the phantom oil subsidy. Again, as in the aviation sector, the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, is considered another untouchable in the Jonathan presidency. To confirm that, the president has successfully ignored Nigerians, despite the demand that the supervising minister under whose watch the petroleum subsidy scam happened should be sacked. In fact, as events subsequently showed, most of those indicted for the subsidy scam are the children and associates of the major big-wigs in the ruling party, and the half-hearted criminal trials have been turned to a circus.

    Similar tales of corruption have been established in the pension management, which operates under the presidency. As between the National Assembly and a presidential task force on pension, led by one Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, what has been established is that billions of naira has been stolen, but there is dispute as to the guilty party. There again, there is no concrete effort, by relevant authorities, to recover our stolen wealth, under the nose of the presidency. As in other cases, the nation is again taken for a ride, as the chief culprit was at a time alleged to be shielded by the presidency with police protection, while the senate was issuing orders that the Inspector-General of police should arrest and bring him to the senate chambers. At the end of the hullaballoo, the task force chairman was neither apprehended nor the allegedly stolen money recovered.

    In our view, President Jonathan must learn necessary lessons from the way his Ghanaian counterpart handled the fate of the sacked deputy minister, Hammah. To do otherwise is to clearly make Ghana, the preferred destination for direct foreign investment in the region. Indeed, few Nigerians will still remember that President Jonathan anchored his presidency on transparency and transformation. For many, it is like his administration is more at home with institutionalising corruption than fighting it. To prove cynics wrong, President Jonathan should borrow a leaf from his colleague in Ghana.

  • Leadership lessons from the church

    The Methodist Church started in Nigeria on September 24, 1842, more than 170 years ago. The Roman Catholic Church has been around for more than 2000 years. Leadership experts have always pondered the question as to how and why, beyond the issue of spiritual anchor, these two organizations have survived challenges that other organizations did not survive. How have they been able to survive a world order where the constant is change? How did they survive countless insurrections and revolutions? How did they survive the world wars? How did they survive Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and other dictators?

    What leadership lessons can political leaders and other churches in Nigeria draw from their longevity?

    The critical lessons are embodied in the recent elections of the leadership of the two Christian organizations. In 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new Supreme Pontiff of Roman Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. On September 1, His Grace, Most Rev. S.C.K. Uche, the Archbishop of Enugu was elected as Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria to take over from his Eminence, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde.

    The first survival lesson is that the Methodist Church and the Roman Catholic Church, by conducting successful leadership transition processes, confirmed that they have truly matured into non-personalized institutions that are bigger than their individual members. Lesson number two is that the transition processes are built around enduring constitutions or procedures that are not subjected to whims and caprice of individuals.

    The election of the new Prelate of Methodist church was done by an Electoral College that relied on section 470 sub-section 3 of the constitution of the church. Pope Francis was elected by a conclave of 203 cardinals from 69 countries. It is near impossible for individuals, however powerful, to bend or tinker with the transition processes of the two Churches. Even the Pope as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church seldom tempers with the laid down meticulous processes of electing a new Pope.

    The third critical lesson is that election of new leaders in these churches, despite being political democratic processes, are deeply anchored on the strong spiritual foundation that the emergence of any leader is always a manifestation of fulfillment of divine will of God. Both churches emphasize guidance by the Holy Spirit. The emphasis revolves around the doctrine that God appoints specific leaders to fulfill His Mission at specific periods in history.

    Both churches have demonstrated over and over that survival or extinction rests with leadership question. Once the leadership issue is successfully addressed, the organization survives and moves forward. This lesson is of critical importance on the effort to build enduring institutional framework in Nigeria. To establish sustainable institution requires that the leadership question be successfully settled. The world is littered with stories of countries, organizations, churches and institutions that failed on the altar of shaky leadership processes.

    Lesson number four flows the transparent and due process nature of electing the new leaders. Both churches reached deep down to bring forth leaders that are well prepared to confront current realities and challenges irrespective of where they come from. Pope Francis is the First pope from Latin America. The impact is already obvious. In just seven months in office, he has succeeded in navigating attention away from the crippling scandals of priestly sexual abuses in the Catholic churches to the core value of church which is social justice.

    Archbishop Uche as Prelate elect has already made history as the first Prelate of Methodist Church from the South-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria. He was ordained Priest in 1982, became a Presbyter in 1990, elected Bishop in 1998 and Archbishop in 2009. He has held leadership positions within and outside the church including chairmanship of Christian Association of Nigeria, Kano State and membership of Imo State Secondary Education Management Board.

    The important lesson here, especially for Nigerian political leaders, is that in choosing new leaders to confront current and future challenges, the institutions of Methodist and Catholic churches did not pigeon hole their scope and span of choice to particular geopolitical areas, regions, race or ethnic group. They spread their net far and wide and allowed God to make His choice. Elections or no elections, both churches understand that God neither holds nor depends on popular votes. If he does, Saul would never have become Paul and Saint Peter would probably never have become the first Pope.

    The fifth important lesson is that the choice of new leaders inevitably comes with some degree of controversy. Some Roman Catholics hold the view that a Jesuit should never have been elected pope. The Jesuits were a militant order founded in 16th century by Basque soldier Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The leader of the Jesuits is referred to as Father General. Just before the convening of the conclave that elected him Pope, Cardinal Bergoglio celebrated his 55th year as a Jesuit. No Jesuit had even been pope. He is the first. This school of thought also believe that a Cardinal reputed to have cooked his own meals, rode public transport to work, paid his own hotel bills, gets his own coffee from vending machines should never have been made pope. They believe that he will compromise the aura and dignity of the Pontificate. That the Pope washed the feet of an imprisoned non-Catholic Serbian felon during the traditional washing of feet during the holy week and gives ordinary people rides in his Popemobile have added fuel to the controversy.

    In the case of Prelate S.C.K Uche, there have been remarks to that his election breached some constitutional provisions. The leadership lesson is on how the post election controversies are handled.

    The matter is neatly handled in the Catholic Church. Anything that happened in the conclave during election of a new Pope is a matter of utmost secrecy. All Cardinals, members of the election conclave and all staff associated with the processes swear to oath of perpetual secrecy. Once the white smoke announces the birth of a new pope to the world, all controversies related to the election are regarded as academic exercises and personal opinions. Most importantly, all issues, real or imagined, are regarded as family disagreement and treated as such. No member of the conclave comes out to circulate press statements on whether or not he agrees with the result of the voting or the process that led to the emergence of the Pope.

    It is unthinkable that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will one day circulate a press statement, addressed to person in particular, to the effect that that the election process that produced Pope Francis was flawed. This post election spirit of unity, love, peace and the belief in the divine will of God if not fully observed becomes a fatal flaw that nullifies all the gains and benefits of the leadership lessons enumerated above.

    The leaders and Trustees of Methodist Church Nigeria should therefore learn from the Catholic Church in terms of addressing post election controversies and take pro-active steps so that the church does not fall victim of this fatal flaw.

     

    •Onyechere, MFR is the founding chairman, Exam Ethics Marshals International

  • Lessons from outside

    Lessons from outside

    FOR a nation that likes to stress its sovereignty, it is strange that Nigeria continues to depend so heavily on the goodwill of others to achieve fundamental national development goals. The latest example of this anomaly occurred in Abuja when the former British Prime Minister, Mr Gordon Brown, outlined a series of financial initiatives designed to boost the country’s Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme.

    Speaking in his capacity as the United Nations (UN) Special Envoy on Global Education, Brown told a conference on Accelerating Progress in the Attainment of Education for All in Nigeria that about US $500 million would be ploughed into the UBE over the next few years by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Development Commission of the European Union, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, and the Global Partnership for Education.

    What is galling is not so much the infusion of foreign funds, but the palpable inability of successive Nigerian administrations to give education the priority it so obviously deserves. The country’s educational statistics are a veritable disaster area. Nigeria has a literacy rate of 48.66 per cent. Over 10 million of its children are out of school, the highest number in the world. Its citizens enjoy about nine years of schooling, which is lower than the sub-Saharan African average of 9.3 years. Educational institutions are beset by infrastructural decay, poor funding, widespread cynicism, corruption and despondency, all of which have resulted in several industrial actions by teachers. Currently, the country’s federal and state-owned universities have been closed for several weeks due to a strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    The UBE programme has been in existence since 1999, but its impact is mixed, at best. There has been conflict with states and local governments that have constitutional responsibility for overseeing primary education, especially where the UBE Commission did not consult benefitting states about their proposed interventions. Primary school teachers continually complain of delayed salaries and the inadequacy of teaching inputs. Many parents and guardians have voted with their feet and sought admission for their children and wards in private schools.

    It is ironic that the outside world appears to value educational development in Nigeria more than Nigerians themselves. The envisaged contributions to the UBE by multilateral funding agencies reflect the international community’s understanding of the importance of education in the maintenance of international peace and security. As the Boko Haram scourge has tragically shown, the less educated a populace is, the more susceptible it will be to being used in the perpetration of large-scale violence. On the other hand, the more educated a people are, the better-equipped they are to take active roles in the overall development of their nation.

    It is time for Nigerian governments at the federal, state and local government levels to take education much more seriously than they hitherto have. The current practice of building model schools should be accelerated to cater for the country’s growing population, and should be adapted to the cultural norms of specific parts of the country. Greater effort should be made to ensure that all schools are properly equipped, resourced and staffed. Educational professionals should be given better salaries and conditions of service in order to attract and retain talented individuals. In obtaining funding, increased attention should be paid to the concerns of donor agencies, especially regarding transparency and accountability in the management of funds.

    In addition, there must be a readjustment of cultural attitudes away from the acquisition of wealth to educational attainment as the ideal goal of citizenship. A country where rapacious self-enrichment is celebrated at the expense of everything else cannot provide fertile grounds for sustained educational development.

  • Curtains lower on UAC’s holiday lessons

    Curtains lower on UAC’s holiday lessons

    The Executive Director, Corporate Services, UAC Nigeria Plc, Mr. Joe Dada has reiterated the company’s resolve to reverse the deterioration in the education sector.

    Speaking at the closing of the free holiday coaching organised by UAC under its “Goodness League” initiative for secondary school pupils in Lagos State last Saturday, Dada said UAC has been contributing to education since 2008 through the free holiday lessons and rehabilitation of schools.

    The coaching, held only on weekends for six weeks at two locations – Gbagada Senior Grammar School, Gbagada and Newland Senior Secondary School, Ajegunle, recorded a huge turnout of pupils from about 30 different schools.

    He thanked the Lagos State government for supporting the scheme and challenged the participants to utilise what they learnt during the programme to realise their educational aspirations and goals.

    In realising the goals of the Goodness League, UAC addressed the provision of equipment and infrastructural development, and active engagement in the teaching pupils through a Volunteer Scheme.

    So far, UAC’s Schools Support Programme has benefitted St Finbarr’s College, Akoka; CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos; Rumfa College, Kano; Government Secondary School, Gwale, Kano; Government College, kaduna and Alhudahuda College, Zaria among others.

    Dada said schools in the Southeast geo-political zones will benefit from the scheme this year.

     

  • Lessons of Tinubu’s mum’s life, by clerics

    Lessons of Tinubu’s mum’s life, by clerics

    Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) – the biggest host of landmark events in Lagos that is named after former Nigeria Prime Minister – was throbbing yesterday with crowds.

    There were many politicians, who mixed freely with dignitaries from all walks of life as well as ordinary folks.

    But the ceremony was no political rally; it was the eighth-day prayer for the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji.

    The mother of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, died at 96 on June 15. Her remains were buried the following day.

    The President of Ghana, John Mahama, sent a delegation. There were Islamic scholars from Senegal.

    The programme kicked off with prayers and recitation from the Qur’an by Muslim clerics.

    In his lecture, the Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest of Nigeria (MUSWEN), Prof. Daud Noibi, reminded the audience that the purpose of Allah in creating us is to serve Him. It is only when we have obeyed Allah’s injunction that we can be rewarded in the hereafter.

    Noibi described life as a dream.” It is when we die that we wake up from our dream. When we wake up we regret failing to do what we were supposed to do,” he said.

    He observed that human beings attached so much importance to pleasure of this life whereas Allah has promised better comfort for the righteous in the hereafter.

    Noibi advised political leaders to ensure that education of our children is rooted in fear of Allah, saying the fear of Allah is the beginning of wisdom.

    He described the late Alhaja Mogaji as a religious woman who brought up her children by inculcating Islamic virtues in them.

    Sheikh Habeeb Abdullahi, Principal of Morcas Arabic Institute, Lagos, said a good believer is someone who is good in character, good to his fellow human beings and who always prepares for death.

    He said: “There is nothing in this life. Accumulation of wealth is misleading many of us. All this earthly materials will not lead us anywhere. Those who want to die peacefully and escape the wrath of Allah on Judgment Day should prepare for it while on earth.

    “Life is like planting a crop. When it grows, you will harvest the crop and the plant will get dry.”

    He said the late Alhaja Mogaji lived an exemplary life in the way of Allah. Besides, she was a philanthropist of note, Abdulahi remarked.

    He admonished Asiwaju Tinubu to continue his philanthropic activities as a way of paying tribute to his mother.

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, in his vote of thanks expressed gratitude to Allah for the selfless life the late Alhaja Mogaji lived.

    After the prayer, guests were treated to music from many musicians, including Fuji songster Wasiu Ayinde Marshal.

    Former Military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who ealier in the day visited TInubu at his Ikoyi home, sent a condolence letter.

    He said: “I receive with grave shock the news of the peaceful passing on of your mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, who has since been buried in accordance with Islamic injunction.”

    “I first met you when you accompanied her on one of her usual motherly visits to us at Dodan Barracks residence. She introduced you to me during the visit and since then we have managed to build cohesive friendship,” Gen. Babangida said.

    He noted that the late Iyaloja-General was a powerful mobiliser because of her magnanimity in philanthropy. This, Gen. Babangida said, earned the late Alhaja Mogaji the accolade and respect that accompanied her until her demise.

    “She was a committed and successful business woman who was committed to the improvement of the lives of the downtrodden. Little wonder, therefore, that she was the President General of the Nigerian Market Women and Men.

    “She brought you up to be a well known, respected and admired leader who is committed to defend the fundamental rights of all the people.

    “You are, therefore, roundly qualified to carry on her good deeds and works so as to keep alive the memory. It is our expectation that you will undauntedly continue to forge and build on her legacy of honesty, dedication, trust, mobilisation and building bridges to enhance unity for the good of the country.”

    Gen. Babangida remarked that the records of service of Tinubu to Lagos State and the country were pointers to the attribute he got from the late Alhaja Mogaji. “Your political ideas, structures and network are the evident fruit of her labour in nurturing, guiding and educating you so as to be useful to humanity.”