The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Making

  • The making of a people’s constitution

    Excerpts of activist-lawyer Femi Falana’s review of the book: Minority Report & Draft Constitution for the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1976, co-authored by Olusegun Osoba and Yusufu Bala Usman.

    The historical context of this occasion of the public presentation of the Minority Report & Draft Constitution for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1976 is bound to generate hope with an admixture of regrets.

    As part of the initial steps towards the transition to civil rule in 1975, the regime of General Murtala Mohammed gave a committee of 49 eminent Nigerians the job of producing a draft constitution for the Second Republic, which was scheduled to begin on October 1, 1979.

    Two members of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) fundamentally disagreed on ideological grounds with the report supported by the majority of 47 others.

    On the question of human progress, the philosophical divergence between the minority and the majority within the CDC was too wide to expect a compromise. Hence, the minority came up with the document under review today.

    By the time the report was ready, Murtala had been killed in an abortive coup and his second-in-command, General Olusegun Obasanjo, was now in charge.

    Regrettably, the Obasanjo regime rejected, in a most hostile manner, the Minority Report, as it is now known in Nigeria’s political history.

    The report of the majority was decreed into the 1979 Constitution, the basic content of which has formed the nucleus of the subsequent constitutions including the Decree 24 of 1999 otherwise called the 1999 Constitution.

    Let us quickly dispense with the regrets, as the actual spirit of this occasion is to engender hope about the future of Nigeria. A critical reading of the publication being presented today would bring to the fore the radical diagnosis   and the extraordinary   prescience in the prescriptions for the Nigerian condition made by the authors.

    This is despite the fact that the authors, Dr. Olusegun Osoba and Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman, both radical historians, wrote 43 years ago that they never pretended to put forward “a perfect document.”

    In the true tradition of self-criticism that is the hallmark leftist thinkers, they readily admitted “faults and inadequacies” in the document.

    Besides, the dynamics of Nigeria’s political economy would compel an update of a few of their propositions as Dr. Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, director of CEDDERT, rightly puts the matter in the highly instructive forward to the publication.

    Yet, Nigeria could possibly have avoided the current obstacles to genuine democracy and sustainable human development if some of the questions posed and the answers provided by Osoba and Usman, two leading lights of the Nigerian Left, in their unambiguously progressive Report and Draft of 1976 had been considered.

    Take a sample!

    Unknown to the Not Too Young to Run campaigners (who sometimes make a fetish of age in politics), Osoba and Usman had recommended in Section 145 of their own Draft Constitution way back in 1976 the minimum age of 30 as part of the qualifications to contest for the office president or governor.

    Forty three years later, the same provision is being celebrated by youths who now see the man that treated the Minority Draft then as “non-existent,” Obasanjo, as a pathfinder of their future!

    Similarly, it is significant that the constitutional immunity for the president and governors and their respective deputies was hotly contested by Osoba and Usman during the making of the 1979 Constitution.

    According to them the immunity provisions “contradict violently the fundamental principle of the equality of all citizens before the law and is an unwarranted attempt to shield these high officials of the state from the full rigours of the law as would apply to the other citizens of Nigeria in similar situations of misconduct or improper conduct.”

    If you ask the anti-corruption agencies the main roadblock in their work today, they would readily tell you that it’s the constitutional immunity for this category of public officers.

    Other similarly remarkable provisions encapsulated in the Draft, but were regrettably rejected by the Obasanjo regime, include those on accountability by those in power; the purpose and management of political parties as well as the appointment of a prime minister by the elected president for the purpose of diffusing power…

    Now, if Nigeria had been constitutionally and philosophically run on the basis of the Minority Report with socio-economic rights of the people reigning supreme, the scourge of poverty would not have been ravaging the land so ferociously as it is doing today.

    In Section 36 of the Minority Draft, Osoba and Usman propose as follows: “The Federal Republic of Nigeria is committed to a rapid, even, balanced and self-reliant economic development and the state shall direct and plan the national economy.

    Appropriate planning authorities shall be created at village, district area, state and national levels to ensure closely integrated planning based on the genuine needs and interests of the people and their full and active participation.”

    In retrospect, if the running of the Nigerian political economy had been informed by such a constitutional provision in the last 40 years, the scandalous social inequality plaguing the Nigerian society could not have arisen.

    Instead, Nigeria could have at least evolved into a social democracy without a bloody revolution. The Scandinavian countries that are always rated higher in human development than the richer capitalist countries actually apply these social democratic principles in running their economies.

    Besides, the devolution of powers embodied in the Section 36 of the Draft cited in the foregoing is the type for which the people should struggle and not the devolution of powers to governors who are emperors and looters, as the ethnic and regional champions of “restructuring” are unwittingly framing the question.

    The Nigerian federalism should be made to work for the people and not only for the factions of the ruling class located in the various regions and ethnic groups. It is remarkable that Osoba and Usman rigorously make this genuinely federalist argument in the 43 –year old report.

    Indeed, if the provisions of the Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution (an inherited item from the 1979 Constitution) had been made justiciable, governments in Nigeria would be taken more seriously in tackling poverty and inequality.

    In the same vein, the profundity of the argument of Osoba and Usman in their debate with the authors of the Majority Draft on national integration should command the attention of those approaching the National Question from a progressive perspective.

    The Minority Report argues against “state citizenship” which contradicts the “national citizenship.” If the formula provided by Osoba and Usman in 1976 had been assimilated in the economy, polity and society the bloodletting arising from the episodic wars of the  “indigenes” versus the   ”settlers” could probably have been avoided. Today, the advocates of ethnic and geographical restructuring dominate waves.

    In fact, restructuring is presented as the panacea to all Nigerian problems. National unity is becoming an anathema in some quarters dominated by ethnic and regional champions. The voices of the separatists are getting more strident.

    This is a clear degeneration from the 1976 situation when Osoba and Usman were even criticising the authors of the Majority Draft for advancing the cause of the unity of the elites only as against unity of the whole people…

    Since the completion of the work of the CDC in 1976 in which Osoba and Usman valiantly defended the people’s interests from the viewpoint of the Left, some other genuinely progressive interventions have been made in national debates.

    The interventions might not have been politically decisive, but   they have been ideologically significant. It is hoped that this important publication would reawaken the tradition of putting at the centre of national debates credible alternatives for building a humane and just society.

    It is even more crucial that such perspectives should inform the organisations working towards the building of such a society.

  • Making the economy work

    •Buhari must walk his talk

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s recently reported statement that Nigeria’s economy is “still in bad shape” should serve as an impetus to do better rather than be parlayed into the frantic politicking of the latest election cycle.

    What is perhaps most interesting about Buhari’s assertion is its indirection. The declaration did not come from the President himself, but was quoted by Zamfara State governor, Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari, who was speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF). The NGF had met with the President, allegedly to discuss the issue of a new National Minimum Wage.

    Yari said Buhari had claimed that “the economy is in a bad shape and that we have to come together, think and rethink on the way forward.” He added that the President had “talked to us in a manner that we have a task ahead of us; we should tighten our belts and see how we can put the Nigerian economy in the right direction.”

    The numbers certainly testify to the fact that Nigeria is not where it should be. Recently-released figures by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that unemployment grew from 18.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 23.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. Citizens without jobs rose from 17.6 million to 20.9 million within the same period. 8.77 million of these were first-time job seekers; another 9.7 million consisted of individuals who had lost jobs.

    The unemployment figures reflect the marginal progress made in overall economic growth. The NBS reports that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose by 1.81 per cent in the third quarter of 2018, a 0.31 per cent increase over the 1.50 per cent of the second quarter of 2018, and 0.64 per cent better than the third quarter of 2017. The non-oil sector grew by 0.28 per cent over the second quarter of 2018, but its contribution to GDP fell by 0.83 per cent compared to the preceding quarter.

    Such slow growth is an indication that the country is yet to fully recover from the recession it recently exited. Given the stark nature of Nigeria’s economic position, it does not help that the President’s remarks reached the nation indirectly. Yari is not Buhari’s Minister of Finance or his Senior Special Assistant on Economic Affairs; there is no reason why those officials cannot regularly apprise the nation on the state of the economy in clear and unambiguous terms.

    The indirectness of such vitally important information inevitably implies that the President was reluctant to let his remarks become general knowledge; unsurprisingly, it was seized upon by opposition parties as conclusive proof of his inability to manage the economy competently.

    Forthright, regular and informative updates on the economy by the Federal Government are essential to formulating an appropriate response to slow growth. The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and other economic stimulation policies embarked upon by the administration must be re-examined to see why they have apparently not helped to facilitate economic development as quickly as they should have.

    It is especially important that the government’s infrastructural expansion programme is speeded up; signature projects in road rehabilitation, bridge construction, railway expansion and power generation and transmission must be completed in time and on budget.

    The administration’s vaunted successes in agriculture must make a more definitive contribution to the value chain; the huge increase in rice production, for example, must translate into ramped-up rice-milling, greater sales and significant price reduction. The substantial increases in tax revenue and crude oil receipts must be deployed more accurately towards critical areas rather than wasteful consumption which only serves to put unnecessary pressure on the naira.

    The ultimate target of these policies should be increased employment. The jobless growth of the Jonathan administration has shown that significant rises in GDP without commensurate gains in employment can only lead to tragic fiascos like the Immigration recruitment scandal of March 2014.

    The performance of the economy is a reflection upon President Buhari’s qualities as a leader. It is incumbent upon him to show that he has both the capacity and the will to leave Nigeria better than he met it.

  • Making sense of these days 

    Sir: Tales of blood have railed our skein, of late. At intervals, they were intercepted by corruption and buffoonery. Each day in this country with its own issue. The scorching sun of our polity, that rises every morning, never sets. Yet, a nocturnal moon keeps interceding, reflecting rays of agony, and casting shadows of death and catastrophe on our land.

    At one time, it was Atiku arrogating PDP’s presidential glory to himself, with some foreign currency. In Port Harcourt, he boosted the Bureau-de-Change business, as delegates stormed their offices, ‘nairalizing’ their portion of Atiku’s dollars.

    Then it was the case between Obasanjo and God. The Owu chief had sworn never to back Atiku’s presidential ambition. Should he, he said, “God would not forgive me.”

    Suddenly, both adversaries were spotted in Abeokuta, making peace. They were both flanked by a couple of men of God, giving the occasion a sense of divinity.

    Whether their presence is for reconciliation or endorsement, it is unclear. Though it seemed more like invoking God’s forgiveness on Baba Iyabo, for forgiving his former Vice President, Atiku.

    But the question lingers: Will God forgive Obasanjo?

    Then we were shocked by Ganduje. The Kano State governor who was caught on camera allegedly receiving some dollar bribes, and pocketing them in his Babanriga. Some said he was trying to hide them from the knowing of his aides. Selfishness, they claimed scuppered his persona.

    Well, his media lieutenants have not been quiet either. Some have jumped into his defense, saying the video was fake and “obviously” doctored. They ask the journalist who exposed him to either provide full details of the scenario, or face the wrath of the law. They’ve been doing their job.

    Still nursing the Kano bruise, Ayo Fayose came in. Something is spectacular about that guy, I must confess. He is an outstanding media practitioner. As a matter of fact, his media advisers are not from this world. How he manages to pull media frenzies almost all the time—and persistently— stunnes me.

    Whoever watched the “EFCC I’m here” saga more closely would see the plot. It was a deliberate stratagem. The timing was apt. Why was it on Fayemi’s Inauguration Day? Simple. He was bent on shifting media attention from the Ekiti swearing-in, and at the same time, ridicule the anti-corruption fisticuffs.

    The basket-mouth stormed the media with a melodrama, as he’d always do. Remember the ‘inverted-P.O.P’ drama during Ekiti electioneering. Gbenga Omotoso described his emergence: “He showed up at the EFCC like an amateur mountaineer— in a black T-shirt emblazoned with ‘EFCC I’M HERE,’ a pair of black glasses, a jean Fez-cap, and a bagpack he carried like a schoolboy.”

    Anyway, the EFCC doesn’t seem to give a damn about him or his media frenzy and paparazzi. They’ve received a court order to detain him for two weeks, pronto, and have confiscated his Lagos property. Although, investigations and interrogations are still ongoing, only a glimpse of Kuje or Kirikiri seems to be flashing at Peter-The-Rock at the moment!

    On a really sad note, however, we lost Hauwa Liman. An aid worker, she was slain in cold blood by the terrorist corpus our leaders have been unable to scupper. It’s a show of how we’ve been stripped of our humanity. No emotions, no feelings, no heart to harbor respect for life.

    Armed robbers sprinkle bullets on innocent souls. Kidnappers snatch fellow humans from their people and drain their hard-earned riches, in one go. Our leaders usurp our monies for themselves, and allege poor innocent animals of swallowing them.

    Our workers are screaming of hunger; they are not being paid. Pensioners who have exhausted their lives serving the government die of distress. They are being knocked down by stroke and hypertension.

    Solely because someone somewhere has swayed their rights into his own personal account. But are those corrupt heartless elite anywhere to be found in our prisons?

    If this is how far we have come as a nation, we have failed!

     

    • Muneer Yaqub,

    Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. 

  • Making African women’s voices mainstream

    Sir: There are not enough women occupying Board or Executive level positions in African business, it’s as simple as that. This is a travesty, because it removes African women’s voices from mainstream conversations, and robs girls across the continent of strong female role models and the inspiration that they can bring. A lack of strong female voices also weakens business and politics more generally, because it removes the capacity for wide-reaching, representative debate, and the benefits that this can bring.

    It is fair to say that a lack of mainstream female voices remains a global, rather than specifically an African problem. When Mark Zuckerberg came to Lagos, I asked him if Sheryl Sandberg – one of the few genuinely recognisable exec-level female faces in business across the world – would soon be making the same trip?

    But based on my own experiences, I think it is fair to say that progress has been particularly slow in Nigeria and throughout the rest of Africa. Women still make up an extremely low proportion of Board and Executive level positions across the continent, and the famous female faces that we are beginning to see in politics and entertainment, have so far not translated into the Mark Zuckerbergs’ and Bill Gates’ of this world.

    And the real problem cuts much deeper than job titles… The very perception of women, and what it means to be a woman, needs to change – both in and around traditional business settings.

    Having held strong positions in business and worked alongside male peers, I’ve looked on as older men have treated my male counterparts differently, often with more acclaim. One once markedly told me that the thing he admired most about my skill-set was that I listened when he spoke – the true mark of a modest female.

    More seriously, I’ve experienced instances of both external and intrinsic harassment – a by-product of a culture that promotes extreme masculinity and views the feminine body as something to be objectified and chased. Women are often discouraged from sharing strong opinions in the workplace, as opposed to their male counterparts, for whom it is encouraged. Looking back on the first part of my career I now realise that there were times when I deliberately forewent lipstick, wore trousers, and subconsciously tried to suppress my femininity as much as possible, believing that the way to get ahead as a woman in business was, counter-intuitively, to be as ‘unwomanly’ as possible.

    This approach not only detracts from female advancement, but from business success and political debate at large in an increasingly integrated, egalitarian, tech-focused world.

    Take the example of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in the UK. The institution recently took the decision to produce an all-female directed 2018 season, the first time in the company’s history that this had happened. Interestingly Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director for the RSC, says that her version of Romeo and Juliet will be “about a group of grownups who have let their young people down”. In a world of growing social, political, and cultural discord between the older and younger generations, the introduction of female blood into a historically male-dominated realm is actually helping to move the conversation on, bring people back together, and facilitate forward debate.

    FELA and the Kalakuta Queens, which recently opened at the Terra Kulture in Lagos, offers a more local example. Uniquely, the story focuses on Fela’s many women (he married 27 wives) and the fundamental role they play in the making of Fela, rather than the musician himself. Female producer, Bolanle Austen Peters – along with the show’s sponsors – have taken a brave decision to tell the story from a new and bold perspective, providing us with an original narrative that moves the story on from the same tired telling from Fela’s perspective. New ideas, new opinions, and new approaches can only be effectively leveraged if they are first given the platform to make themselves known.

    It is this lesson that the business world needs to learn from some of the more headline sectors we find around us. Making African Women’s voices mainstream is not just about equality for equality’s sake –

    It’s about the advancements, progress, and success that diversity and new perspectives can bring. Businesses in Africa need more strong female voices if they are to succeed on the playing -fields and in the forums of tomorrow, just as much as more traditionally marginalised groups need to be welcomed into the business core.

     

    • Dr. Nkiru Balonwu,

    @nkirubalonwu

  • Making local governments work

    Making local governments work

    SIR: A simple peek into most of the local government secretariats in Nigeria, especially those in the rural areas, would leave even a neutral observer alarmed at the depth of neglect and levity visited on that most crucial rung of Nigeria‘s increasingly foggy system of government.

    The constitutional conception of the local government system was aided immensely by the need to take government to the grassroots and ensure that rural dwellers get their own bit and play their own part in governance through the local government system. If this constitutional conception was prescient then, it has proved even prophetic in the midst of the governmental quagmire the country is currently enmeshed in.

    In a country where most citizens are rural dwellers, there has been an abysmal failure in addressing the needs of its rural citizenry. This has in turn left large numbers of the Nigerian populace struggling in the   rural areas and facing a scandalous   inadequacy of basic amenities. The immediate result is to be seen in the constantly increasing rural-urban migration and the deplorable conditions of life in   the rural areas.

    In a country where people at the grassroots are sought to be carried along only   in times of electioneering by dubious political players, the dereliction which has reduced the local councils to dysfunctional contraption can be blamed on both the Federal and State Governments.

    Empirical evidence reveals that most Governors are most uncomfortable with functional and virile local governments having any semblance of independence. From their allocations to their elections, what usually comes into play is the proverbial voice of Jacob and hands of Esau; and it is the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians that are the worse for it. It is also common knowledge that the Local Government System provides employment to thousands of workers in Nigeria. The sore point, however, is that the same system has also become a haven for all guises of ghost workers. Again it is the most vulnerable Nigerians that are the worse for it.

    There can be no equitable distribution of the dividends of democracy unless the Local Government System is strengthened and repositioned to achieve some measure of autonomy and accountability to the very people they were constitutionally envisaged to serve.

     

    • Kenechukwu Obiezu,

    Abuja

  • Making a change in your problematic children

    Dear Reader,

    You are welcome to Family Forum, a column for your marriage fulfilment. I shall be teaching on Making a Change in Your Problematic Children throughout this month. Today, I shall begin with The Root Causes of the Problems of Children.

    I want you to know that children, like most adults, are often products of their environment. Also, problem children are products of a problem-filled environment, which the enemy is very quick to take advantage of.

     

    Causes Of Problematic Children:

    Parents’ Reactions To The Way They Were Brought Up

    Some parents, in reacting to the way they were brought up under strict discipline, tend to be lenient and inconsistent in disciplining their own children. On the other hand, those reacting to their parent’s leniency tend to be strict and inconsistent in disciplining their own children. It is an unending cycle, from one generation to another that causes deep resentment on the part of the children. The Word of God says: Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged (Colossians 3:21).

    These parental reactions tend to build walls between them and their children. It could cause a lack of respect, inability to confide in parents, bitterness whenever there is an attempt to discipline the child even when the child is clearly wrong, and not be able to receive counsel from them. In most cases, the child’s reaction to this inconsistency in discipline is what leads them to cultivate unwise friendship outside the home, secretiveness and in extreme cases, rebellion.

    Homes Where There Is No Peace and Harmony

    Children are products of what they see much more than what they are told. Being exposed to violence, irrational behaviour, and inconsistency in their parent’s relationship makes them unbearable to harsh realities without the maturity to handle them. Some parents are so consumed with their own problems that they do not pay adequate attention to their children; thereby, leaving them to their own devices. This lack of attention and affection from parents causes the children to become violent, take laws into their hands and become hardened.

    Some children take advantage of the disunity between their parents to manipulate situations to their advantage. When they find out that it works at home, they will try it outside; thus, inevitably becoming schemers.

     

    The Problem of Rejection

    Instability in a child’s personality is also often caused by wounds of rejection. Some children are rejected even before they are born, on the grounds of: a child comes too soon after the last one, when there are already many children in the family; the wrong sex preference, or when they have some physical defects. Children also feel rejected by parents, who verbally, physically or sexually abuse them. They also react to peer rejection. Such rejections could be on the grounds of being affluent or snobbish, poor and badly dressed, insecure, domineering, or when one has some exaggerated physical features such as big ears, nose, mouth or the like.

    Some rejections are also as a result of negative comments from school teachers, such as being told that they will never make it or succeed in life. Others are church-related hurts from Sunday school teachers. Lack of love, especially from parents is probably the hardest blow.

    It is important for you to know that these rejections lead to various reactions from the child. He or she might easily be lured into the arms of someone who promises love, but who ends up taking advantage of him or her lustfully. This is more rampant among the girls. A child, in seeking a sense of self-worth, would try all manner of attention-getting devices. Many spend their lifetime trying to be somebody else as a result of this rejection. In most cases, this leads to their being double-minded, unstable and having dual personalities (saint at home and beasts outside).

    Rejection also causes paranoia in some children. This is a mental illness in which someone believes that other people are trying to harm him or that he is much more important than he really is. This might cause children to want to attack before they are attacked; make them suspicious of the intentions of others and often become either full of pride or hatred. Rejection as a result of physical defects or dullness at school, might lead to a hatred of self, inferiority complex and insecurity, which might lead to rebellion, resentment, self-pity or cause deep-rooted depression and escapism.

    Other reactions to rejection include: reading (where the child projects himself into one of the principal characters in the story), watching television soap operas (in an attempt to forget hurtful pasts), going to sleep and not wanting to get up in the morning, resorting to drinking alcohol and/or drugs. Others are self-blame or accusation, fear, death wishes, becoming judgmental or always finding faults (a child who is criticized will become judgmental), distrust and disrespect, hardness (he feels that this way nobody will hurt him again), promiscuity and possessiveness (not wanting to lose a good friend and eventually end up being rejected for being over-possessive).

    It takes your accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour to be able to handle your children. That is what being born again is all about. If you want to be born again, say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

    If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

    Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

    For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

  • Making varsities accountable

    Making varsities accountable

    Executive members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have visited the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) in Enugu State for assessment of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) projects. The visit turned out to be a saving grace for Students’ Union Government (SUG) president, Kingsley Isiani, who was expelled by the management a few months ago. EMMANUEL AHANONU and KADIE KENECHUKWU report.

    The executive of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was at the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) in Enugu State last week to assess Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) projects. The NANS team, led by its national president, Comrade Tijani Usman, was warmly received by the institution’s top management staff led by the Rector, Prof Mike Iloeje.

    Tijani said the visit was informed by allegations that some beneficiaries of TETFund grants were misappropriating the money. He said the association took it as a duty to investigate how school administrators, which have benefited from the TETFund cash are utilising the grant.

    The NANS president explained that similar visit was paid to Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike (MOAU), Abia State, noting that the group was shown how the grant was utilised. He urged varsities’ administrators to be open in disbursing the grants.

    Tijani said NANS under his watch had been going through modernisation and rebranding, noting that violent unionism was becoming a thing of the past. He said students were now being seen as partners in the progress of their schools, which was why, he said, private-owned institutions were making efforts to be engage NANS in their activities.

    A member of the NANS delegation, Igwe Ude Umamta, said there was no need for higher institutions to hike tuition fees, because of the planned move by the Federal Government to increase education budget. He said most of the facilities required in higher institutions were being provided by government agencies overseeing education.

    Responding, Prof Iloeje, said the institution would not fail to give an account of how the grant it got from TETFund was spent. In previous years, Prof Iloeje said the institution could not access TETFund grant, because his predecessor did not explore the appropriate channels.

    The rector listed 17 projects carried out using the TETFund grant, stressing that the money had assisted the school to raise its standard.

    He listed some of the projects to include School of Engineering complex, central library, School of Technology building, Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, School of Arts and Design and hostel, among others.

    He also said his administration had institutionalised scholarship for best students with the TETFund grant to promote excellence.

    Before the NANS executive toured the campus to assess the projects, a drama ensued when Tijani raised expulsion of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) president, Kingsley Isiani, with the rector. While pleading with the management for leniency, the NANS executive members prostrated before the rector and vowed not to get up until the Prof Iloeje ordered Kingsley’s recall.

    The rector assured the NANS executive that management would review Kingsley’s expulsion and recall the students’ leader to complete his studies. The NANS president praised the rector for listening to their plea.

    After the tour of the campus, the NANS Public Relation Officer (PRO), Ezekiel Ikechukwu, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said the students’ body was satisfied with the “marvelous projects” embarked on by the school management. He said NANS would write an appeal letter to the state government to assist the school to complete the remaining projects.

    Chairman of Joint Campus Committee (JCC), the state arm of NANS, Udochukwu Aligwoekwe, said the improved facilities in the school would raise the bar of academic excellence among students, praising the rector for utilising the TETFund grant judiciously.

     

  • Making a soldier a democrat

    SIR: Discipline of a soldier could help move Nigeria from era of impunity.  Military regimen is built on structures.  The foundation of the nation’s governance is collapsed by leaderships who did not have resistance to unruly factors.  Democracy could borrow strict adherence to orderliness of the military occasionally to strengthen its institutions.  This is by no means to suggest the superiority of a military regime to democratic dispensation.

    Nigerians who are politically aware sensed the leadership disaster in the country prior to the last presidential election.  Call of duty prompted them to favour a retired General.  Opposition to President Muhammadu Buhari’s candidacy in the last election were mostly operating from the standpoint of the horrific past military leadership experience repeating itself.  Like deja vu, some recent actions of the president are giving them jittery feelings.  One may choose to look at these unfortunate decisions and utterances by the president as part of the floundering of making a soldier a democrat.  Luckily, the lack of leadership tools that made military regime dark are suffused with the broad canvas and colorful palette offered by democracy for the president to paint with.

    It is a common saying that old soldier never dies.  However, one will beg the president to bury some of the intractable qualities that make military system unappealing.  He should consult extensively within the confines of democracy before embarking on policy decisions.  Democracy is not a one man’s show but rather a drama encompassing of different frameworks.  It will behove him to consider many factors in the Nigerian context before formulating a policy decision.  It is not enough to appoint someone to an office, for example, based on his sentiment alone.

    The qualities that made him an astute soldier could wind up causing his undoing as a democratically elected president.  The love of his people and followers could hamper his realization that he is the president of a nation of many tribal and religious groups.  Resoluteness of attempting to live up to the expectations of his zealous supporters could derail his focus of executing a fair governance.

    Welcome to democracy!  It will not take long before the president exhausts his grace period.  There will not be military shield to protect him from the firing shots of opponents.  It is either he has the constitution on his side or he will face a hostile battle to complete his tenure.

    Nigeria is fortunate at this point in history to have President Buhari who is worldly acclaimed to be a man of integrity.  That, in itself, is a saving grace for the mess made of the country by previous leaderships.  He can only be better by allowing the forces of democracy to carry him along.  One believes he cares enough for the country to make the change.

    • Pius Okaneme,

    Umuoji, Anambra State.

  • Making them relevant

    Making them relevant

    TITLE: The Missing Daughters
    AUTHOR: Orubebe, G.E.
    PUBLISHER: Grace Springs Africa Publishers, Lagos
    NO. OF PAGES: 285
    REVIEWER: Chijioke Uwasomba

    The Missing Daughters is a morality tale by Orubebe Gandhi to warn men and women alike of the need to accept the will of God as it relates to the sex of their children. In order words, every child, whether male or female is important and should not be discarded. Those who out of foolishness or short-sightedness, dismiss their female child or children are bound to regret like Obi in the novel under discussion.

    The story is set in a village called Ogbabiri. From all indications and by all accounts, Ogbabiri is a village that lacks modern facilities that could make life more meaningful. The commonest source of energy in the area is firewood and no wonder the village is always enveloped by smoke. The point at issue upon which the story revolves round- the less value placed on the female child- further portrays the society of the novel as one that is primitive in every material particular.

    Egbema, who has six boys is always in the habit of boasting to his wife, Nigho that the female sex does not endear to his ancestors. He sees his family from  time immemorial as a male-breeding one. Egbema dismisses Nigho for wanting to have a female child as if she is the one who decides the sex of a child. It is with this mindset that Egbema warns his children: “Any woman you marry among all of you, if she bears a female child in the midst of your children, she would have committed an abomination in that she may have had that female issue from another man, she would have committed adultery” (29). Egbema is obsessed with this reprehensible thinking to the extent that “No female children” becomes the chant in his household.

    It is important to note that out of fear and to satisfy their father, all Egbema’s children are gripped by their father’s story about male/female which they have dubbed ” the male syndrome thing”(35). Bafukeme, the oldest son who has fallen in love with Ereseimo shows signs of fear because he does not want to hurt the sensibilities of his father. This is more so considering the fact that Ereseimo’s family is known as a female-bearing one. But in the end both Bafukeme’s wife and those of the other two siblings give birth to male children.

    Obi’s wife cannot understand the queer premium placed on male children over and above the female by the Egbema family. She sees it as amusing. Obi tells his wife: “You either give birth to male children or you are not part of our family”(55). But unfortunately to Obi his wife gives birth to a female. Of all in the household of Egbema it is only Nigho, Egbema’s wife that defends and identifies with Obi’s wife. She teases Obi: “Becky has given birth to a female child. Go and kill yourself. Since she arrived here, she has been like a woman in harem”(59). Becky gives birth to two other girls and is driven out by Obi her husband: “Go away with your female children”(62),Obi chides her.

    Nigho, a very clairvoyant mother scolds Obi for his foolish decision. Obi’s siblings and their father Egbema praise Obi to high heavens for the decision to send his wife and children away. No sooner has Obi taken this decision than he begins to regret his action, tormenting himself. Even in his place of work, Obi who is known for his exemplary industry and commitment to duties can no longer give his best. He is chided by the management: “Obi your attitude to work which used to be commendable has taken a plunge for the worse. This place is not a civil service arena rather we are a company. You had an adept hand in times past”(68). Obi is eventually sacked. He marries another girl. As if he has lost every modicum of reason, he drives the third wife away saying: “go away with your female child”(69).

    Meanwhile, Becky, Obi’s first wife who had been driven away by Obi has not lost hope in Jesus Christ in spite of all her frustrations. Her three daughters- Dora, Dolphin and Betty- who are under the custody of her parents and being taken care of, over time  become graduates with the first daughter Dora,who at this point has become a lawyer getting married to Dr. Ibeh Ogbebor,a medical doctor.

    By a twist of events the king of Ogbabiri informs his people of how the Ogbu indigenes who the Ogbabiri clan had given its land for their settlement have turned around to be killing the Ogbabiri people. All the Ogbu males are wiped out. Some of the Ogbu girls are taken captive and one of these girls, Edna is married by Obi making it the fourth wife he has married. Strangely, Obi does everything within his power including cooking and serving Edna but the latter does not show any form of appreciation. Obi’s drinking habit which he acquired when he was desperately looking for male children has increased even now that through Edna he has had three male children. His wife Edna and the three children take to alcoholic drinks like Obi leading to the death of the third son Roland.

    Edna is also rumoured to be sleeping with all sorts of men and caught in a room with a man. Because of the irresponsibility of Obi’s children and the waywardness of Edna, Obi decides to keep his money in the bank to prevent it from being stolen but is beaten mercilessly by his children in his farm. Obi is rescued by a good Samaritan, Ogbebor who takes him to his Doctor son, Dr. Ibeh Ogbebor who turns out surprisingly to be the husband of one of the three daughters of Obi (Becky’s first daughter, Dora). Obi is healed in Ogbebor’s house and is given a parcel of land to farm since he says he wants to be Ogbebor’s servant.

    The turning point in the life of Obi comes when he realises that but for Dr. Ibe Ogbebor, all the other eight children of Ogbebor are all females. Obi is at this point in his life full of regrets, more so when he notices the enviable relationship that exists between Dr. Ibeh Ogbebor and his lovely wife, Barrister Dora Ogbebor. Each time Ogbebor’s children display their love for their father with gifts, the gesture evokes thoughtful memory in Obi. He begins to regret his past actions especially the way he treated his wife Becky and children. The invitation of Becky to the Chieftaincy ceremonies for Ogbebor brings Becky and Obi together as Becky recognises Obi and holds him with joy. This leads to a reconciliation between Obi, Becky and their three daughters but with the search for the other daughters from the other women that had been sent packing by Obi in those days of his “madness”.

    As noted from the outset of this review, this is a novel that is rich in didactic disclosures harping on the need for forgiveness. At the denouement of the novel, the reader realises the futility and foolishness in dismissing the female sex as unimportant. The novel throws up a lot of issues bordering on the need for good family values, respect for women, love, the recognition of women as human beings who have the same values as their male counterparts or even better. Ironically, the male children of Obi become alcoholics and father beaters who are given to criminality. Obi’s most loved wife whom he pampers, in cahoots with her children become a thorn in the flesh of Obi.

    But for the love shown to Obi by Ogbebor after the thorough beaten given to him by his male children, he would have died. The love and fellow feeling showed to him by Ogbebor and his household, and the cohesiveness of the immediate and extended Ogbebor family prick the conscience of Obi and usher a turn-around in his entire consciousness.

  • Honour for history-making sisters

    Honour for history-making sisters

    The Lagos State government has held a reception for Justice Ayotunde Phillips, the immediate past Chief Judge, and her sister, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, who succeeded her. It was a gathering of eminent personalities in the judiciary, reports JOSEPH JIBUEZE 

    It is rare for two siblings to succeed each other as the Chief Judge of a state. But it happened in Lagos when Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade succeeded her elder sister Justice Ayotunde Phillips as chief judge.

    Justice Atilade was sworn in as the fifth Chief Judge of the state on August 20.

    The state has had three successive women chief judges in the past five years, starting with Justice Inumidun Akande, followed by Justice Phillips and now Justice Atilade.

    To honour the history making sisters, the state held a reception for them at the prestigious City Hall on Catholic Mission Street on Lagos Island.

    The massive hall was decorated in sparkling golden colours.

    Gorgeously dressed men and women in  suits, bow ties, dinner gowns and other formal attires graced the occasion.

    There was enough to eat and drink. Before the event began, there was a cocktail, featuring assorted wines and spirits. Guests clinked classes in celebration.

    Justice Phillips is the first Chief Judge to use a laptop at her own expense to do her job, according to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye.

    She became a judge after a stint in the Ministry of Justice and was sworn in as the 14th Chief Judge on June 15, 2012. She retired on July 26.

    Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) described the gathering as exciting, adding that the rivalry between the sisters is “healthy”.

    “We couldn’t have been more fortunate in Lagos. We take pride in celebrating those who excel, who serve us with all their heart.

    “We’ll continue to send out messages that all is not lost in Nigeria,” Fashola said.

    Fashola believes Lagos has a judiciary that is not corrupt.

    “We’re also sending out a statement that our integrity is more valuable to us than all our personal assets,” he added.

    The governor drew a parallel between excellence in judicial administration and party politics.

    Referring to the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, Fashola said: “We’ve sent a strong message about the kind of politics we also want to play. A candidate has emerged and we’re moving on. No candidate has complained.

    “The presidential primary was a model for the whole of Africa. We have shown that we can take care of our own affairs. Those are the things that make me happy to celebrate,” he said.

    Fashola said Justice Phillips and Justice Atilade assumed leadership of the judiciary by merit.

    “In the race to excellence, there is no finish line,” he added.

    Supreme Court Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who worked with Justice Phillips in the Ministry of Justice, recalled her passion for music.

    Justice Phillips, he said, was a leading member and vocalist in the Soul Assembly Band in the 60s.

    “She was a tomboy all over Lagos. I was following her at her back,” he said jovially, adding: “I think I should stop there.”

    He wished her good health in retirement, and expressed confidence in her sister-successor.

    “Justice Atilade will be a great success. I have no doubt she will excel,” he said.

    Justice Rhodes-Vivour gave an anecdote on which is the oldest profession in the world among medicine, law and engineering.

    According to him, while the surgeons claim God made woman from man’s rib in the first act of surgery, the engineers claim God made the world in six days with engineering precision.

    However, it is on record that God rested afterwards because of some kind of “chaos” in the world. “Who do you think created the chaos?” he asked, in reference to law, generating laughter in the full hall.

    To Ipaye, it takes someone interested in the delivery of quality service to introduce something that had been lacking: judicial information system, which includes electronic filing of cases.

    For the first time in the Lagos judiciary, there is an electronic search and archiving system, thanks to Justice Phillips.

    During her tenure, the high court’s fast-track procedure was revamped, while several new courts were commissioned.

    The court’s civil procedure rules also made Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) track compulsory.

    “Justice Phillips is known today as the Chief Judge that heard the cries of detainees. We hope she will continue to serve as an inspiration to others,” he said.

    Justice Raliatu Adebiyi recalled that Justice Phillips ran an open door policy.

    “We congratulate you. We’ll miss your infectious smiles, the judges’ meeting where we share cake and tea, and those dance steps,” she said.

    The judge, who along with Justice Phillips attended Queens College, recited the school’s anthem. Other old girls present joined in the hearty rendition, to a loud applause.

    Justice Atilade,  who was called to the Bar in 1976, started  as a Senior Magistrate Grade II and rose to a judge.

    Ipaye believes the new Chief Judge will succeed because she “has a burning desire” to surpass her sister’s achievements by, first, ensuring that cases are disposed speedily.

    So far, she has superintended the appointment and swearing-in of four new judges, with three to follow soon, Ipaye said.

    “I can’t think of any other Chief Judge who has brought in two batches of judges within a short time. That is why Lagos State judiciary remains a shining light,” he said.

    Chief Magistrate, Eniola Fabanwo identified qualities which stand the sisters out: being down to earth, and their impeccable manners.

    She said while Justice Phillips is an extrovert, Justice Atilade is a bit more reserved yet fun-loving, with a steely character.

    She expressed confidence that the lot of magistrates would improve, with Justice Atilade at the helm.

    “She’s one of us and is not unfamiliar with our challenges.

    We pray the good Lord to give her more energy as we look forward to working with her,” she said.

    Chairman, Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Alex Muoka, said lawyers had excellent relations with Justice Phillips.

    “For the first time, a sister has succeeded a sister as CJ of Lagos. Most of us may not see that history repeated,” he said.

    He expressed hope that the Bar would work harmoniously with Justice Atilade.

    “We wish her a successful tenure,” he said.

    A friend of Justice Phillips, Mrs Bolaji Aboderin, said being with the celebrator was always a pleasure.

    “There were no gossips…we just talked about ourselves. At her house she had piles of files, but she likes to enjoy herself. She loves to cook. She had time for her children,” she said.

    Justice Phillips shared fond memories of how her band entertained Lagosians during her youth.

    “We painted this town red. In secondary school, I painted the whole of the Western region red.

    “If I had continued, maybe by now I’d be a senior, senior, senior Don Jazzy.

    “I’m still a bit of a rascal. My red hair shows a bit of my rascality,” she joked.

    The retired CJ attributed her success to the support of all in the judiciary.

    “Everyone seemed to be in sync with what we were doing in the judiciary. I pray my sister will do whatever I have done 10 times better,” she added.

    For Justice Atilade, it is reassuring to be recognised.

    “I’m not unaware of the enormous responsibility entrusted on me by this appointment. It is even more demanding as the 2015 electoral process approaches,” she said.

    Her focus, she said, would be on human capital development, improving the facilities and working conditions, decongesting the prisons and ensuring quick determination of cases.

    “We shall continue to work harmoniously with the executive and the legislature to achieve a society where good governance is guaranteed,” she added.

    Also at the event were former Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ade Alabi; Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court; doyen of accountancy, Chief Akintola Williams; Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the Supreme Court; Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), Lagos State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN) and Dr Sola Labinjo, among others.