The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lopsidedness

  • ‘Restructuring will address lopsidedness in varsities’

    RESTRUCTURING will correct the lopsidedness in employ

    ment and admission into universities, a Professor of History and Director, Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo, Osun State, Siyan Oyeweso, has said.

    Oyeweso, who delivered the 20th convocation lecture of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) at the University of Lagos, said ethnic leaning had created a scenario where mediocrity was sacrificed for merit.

    Speaking on the theme: “Plural loyalties and multiple identities in post-independence Nigeria’’ Oyeweso lamented that be it a state or federal university, it is an uphill task for a non-indigene to aspire for the top office however brilliant he or she is.

    He said: “In any state university today, it is difficult for any non-indigene to aspire to the positing of a vice chancellor or registrar if he is not from that state. What we have done in Nigeria is to indigenise or ‘villagise’ the appointment of top principal officers.

    “Even in federal universities, the scenario is the same. If you are not from a geo-political zone where the university is located, you cannot become a VC; and that began since 1979.”

    Oyeweso did not buy the argument that appointing a ‘son of the soil’ would engender peace in the institution since the person is from a particular state, can speak the language of the natives, and relate well with his kinsmen.

    “You see,” he said, “universities are international in concept and scope.  Management of a university can decide to hire their vice chancellor from the United Kingdom or the United States of America. They can even advertise using the best journal. But today, the national or international standard has been betrayed. Even the appointment process is already skewed against non-indigenes.

    “I know of a university in Nigeria where 90 per cent of the workers and 95 per cent of students are from that state. Appointments and admissions are allocated on the basis of local governments. They call it ‘state character’ or ‘federal character’ if its federal place, or use other nomenclatures like catchment areas and so on.

    “That means a candidate may score 270 and yet be denied admission if he or she is not from the state, while another candidate who scored let’s say 230, would be consider for admission.

    Oyeweso, therefore, joined in the call for restructuring as well as the revisiting and implementation of the 2014 National Confab.

    “We must renegotiate and redefine the structure of governance in Nigeria. Call restructuring, call it dialogue. Truth is, we must sit down and talk because Nigeria is a renegotiated concept since 1914 (when Southern Nigeria was joined with Northern Nigeria Protectorate to form the single colony of Nigeria), through to 1999,” he added.

    The high point of the event was NAL’s investiture of five new fellows, including Prof Olutayo Charles Adesina, brother to Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media, Mr Femi Adesina.

    Earlier, NIL President, Prof Olu Obafemi, said the title of the lecture was drawn against Nigeria  socio-political upheavals.

    He said: “At no time in Nigeria history has the nation suffered this kind of political, ethnic and economic challenge. The level of insecurity is also frightening. Therefore, this lecture was conceptualists to look into some of these challenges and proffer solutions as Nigeria moves into another general election next year.”

  • CAN: National Assembly, Council of State have failed to address lopsidedness

    CAN: National Assembly, Council of State have failed to address lopsidedness

     Group backs restructuring

    The National leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday accused government of lopsidedness in the polity.

    CAN President, Rev Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, said both the National Assembly and the National Council of State have failed to address it.

    The sad development, Ayokunle said is making all well meaning Nigerians across all the divides to be calling for restructuring.

    In a statement by his Special Assistant (Media and Communications), Pastor Adebayo Oladeji in Abuja, the CAN President asked all and sundry to douse the tension in the land because: “no country has ever survived two civil wars.”

    It reads in part: “The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, on behalf of the Nigerian Christians,  rejoices with Muslims in the country as they join their counterparts all over the world in celebrating this year’s Eid-el-Kabir.

    “Ayokunle who seizes the occasion to task both the government at all levels and the governed to work harmoniously in addressing the economic hardship occasioned by the recession and the attendant problems also prays for the unity and peace of the country in a time like this.

    “As faithful Muslims celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s obedience to Allah, it is imperative to remind them what the Holy Quran says that; “It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah. It is your piety that reaches Him.” (Qur’an, 22:37.)

    “I urge the Muslim leaders in the country to join hands with us in our vision to have a nation where social justice, equity, peace, unity and progress are her hallmarks.

    “It is also imperative to remind them that their piety should go beyond the celebrations in order to compliment the efforts of the government in making the dream of our founding fathers a reality.

    The CAN also rejoiced at the return to the good health of President Buharin and called on “governments to wake up to their responsibilities with a view to reducing the economic hardship and the tension in the land because no country has ever survived two civil wars.”

    The association rejoiced with the Muslim faithful and appealed to “those drumming for war to sheath their sword, instead to search for the solutions to al the social, economic and political problems as we continuing to pray for our political leaders to wake up to their responsibilities.”

  • Lopsidedness in electricity distribution

    SIR: As kids in the late 70s and early 80s, we were made to understand whenever there’s power outage that must have been a major technical fault occasioned either by an environmental interference or weather induced. I still remembered vividly that whenever there was a prolonged power outage, announcement would be made on radio and television with apologies rendered to the public with assurances to rectify the hitches which were usually done within the shortest possible time.

    The reverse is now sadly and unfortunately the case. “Crazy bills” has now become the order of the day as the public are made to pay as high as N10,000 to N15,000 per month for electricity bills for a two or three bedroom apartment. Nigerians are often harassed into paying bills for electricity they never used. Threats of disconnection have often coerced many into paying for what they didn’t use just to save face and maintain their pride in their communities. “Inherited bills” now seems to have come to stay, as new tenants of a particular apartment are forced and harassed into clearing any outstanding bills been owed by the former tenant.

    The introduction of prepaid meters few years ago came as a relief to many; but hopes were dashed when many were made to understand that those meters were actually meant for VIP Customers. Some Nigerians had to pay through their nose just to get a prepaid meter but after paying as high as between N50,000 to N100,000 some have waited endlessly with no hope of getting it.

    The electricity transmission companies often shy away from taken responsibilities or measures at restoring or repairing power installations whenever occasion arises, either due to a natural disaster or activities of vandals. The affected communities are usually made to bear the brunt of such; oftentimes, electricity consumers are made to contribute certain amounts of money to fix even the minutest faults even though they still have to settle their bills at the end of every month.

    The fact that some parts of the country enjoy almost an uninterrupted power supply daily while majority hardly enjoy a four – hours electricity supply per day clearly shows that a lot needs to be done as regards to power distribution in Nigeria. With particular reference to the Kwara State capital, Ilorin where I live, communities like Airport, Asa-dam/Dangote, Agbo-oba, Ganmo, Ita-alamu, Olunlade and some parts of Osere and GRA usually have almost 24 hours uninterrupted power supply at the expense of all other communities which constitute almost 70% of the state capital, even though the billings doesn’t reflect this disparity and lopsidedness.

    It doesn’t really matter the quantity of electricity Nigeria generates; what matters is how much of electricity a household enjoys. Even if the country generates one million megawatts of electricity, it wouldn’t make any sense to the average Nigerian if at the end of the day he/she doesn’t get to enjoy it. Hence, the need for the power transmission companies to look urgently into their modus operandi to resolve and rectify the anomalies and lopsidedness in electricity distribution.

    Electricity consumers should have value for their money. Some people shouldn’t be enjoying electricity for almost 24 hours daily while others would only be paying for bills for electricity they didn’t use. Nigerians are calling on the relevant agencies like the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and indeed all other major stakeholders in power transmission and distribution sectors to come to the aid of the common man with the aim of addressing the issues and to ensure that the right things are done to move this country forward

    • Hussain Obaro,

    Ilorin – Kwara State.

  • North alleges ‘lopsidedness’ in aviation appointments

    To correct the perceived lopsidedness in apointments into key aviation positions, a group the Northern Youth Coalition for Democracy has called on the Presidency and the National Assembly to examine the recruitment criteria.

    The call, the group’s National Co-ordinator, Abdulyakeen Ibn Umar claimed, followed the perceived ‘lopsidedness’ in the appointment of some personnel in some aviation agencies.

    Umar said there might be need for the government to examine recent appointments in some of the agencies, to know if the criteria used did not meet the federal character.

    He called on the Federal Government to look into the appointment of chiefs of some key aviation agencies.

    Umar said the North was marginalised in the appointments into aviation parastatals, adding that such lopsided appointments would not move the nation forward.

    He said: “Aviation needs professionals and we have those professionals in the North and I don’t know why this government wants to relegate the North in the aviation sector. In some parastatals in the aviation sector, there is nothing like a northerner in the management team. I feel it is in justice.”

    Umar said it would be unfair for the Jonathan administration to move the North out of the sector.

    He said: ‘’The bone of contention is the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). If they are talking of professionals, it should be thrown open for people to apply. There is nothing like federal character here. You must balance it so that there will be no agitation.”

    In a swift reaction the Minister of Aviation denied the allegation, saying there is no basis for such claim.

    The Minister’s Special Assistant on Media Joe Obi said there was nothing like ethnic cleansing in the sector.

    The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) is headed by Mr George Uriesi, who is from Edo State, in the Southsouth.

    The Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, from Abia State, in the Southeast.

    Director-General of Nigeria Metereological Services (NIMET ), Dr Anthony Anuforum, hails from the Southeast.

    The Comissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Captain Muktar Usman, hails from the North.

    Director-General designation of, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Aviation Authority( NCAA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu, is from the Southwest.

    He is yet to be cleared by the Senate.

    Obi said qualified Nigerians no matter where they come from would be offered jobs in key positions in the industry to add value to the transformation agenda of government.

    The minister, he said, was poised to ensure that professionals from different ethnic background, who will add value to government’s vision would be engaged as key personnel in the industry.