The Nation Newspaper

Tag: nation

  • How the nation can have peace, by Tambuwal

    How the nation can have peace, by Tambuwal

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal was the guest at a conference organised by the Faculty of Social Science of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), where he gave tips on how the nation can surmount its security challenges. ISMAT ANIFOWOSE (300-Level Economics) and YASIN OLAWUMI (300-Level English Language) report.

    The fifth conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) was aimed at enlightening the public on the role of security in national integration and development. And the special guest of honour – Governor Aminu Tambuwal – believes security is critical to any effort aimed at rebuilding the nation.

    The nation’s security challenges, he said, would be solved if people gave useful information about criminal activities in their areas.

    Tambuwal, who spoke on Security, National Integration and Challenges of Development in Nigeria, said security of lives and property remained the challenge facing 21st societies, stressing the need for a partnership between the people and security agencies.

    He said: “Without doubt, insecurity is the most daunting challenge undermining the growth and development of Nigeria as a nation. As the chief executive and, by implication, the chief security officer of this state, an event of this nature is necessary in enhancing our understanding of the dynamic and complex requirements of the challenges that could inhibit sustainable peace and security in the state.”

    He said insecurity had led to the diversion of resources meant for the development of key sectors of the economy to respond to the challenges of security at various levels. Tambuwal said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was alive to its responsibilities of providing adequate security to ensure sustainable political and socio-economic change.

    He said: “The turn of events in the last two months attests to the commitment and resolve of the present government to liberate the country from security challenges. The various arms of our security forces are being repositioned to reduce the nation’s battered image. At the state level, similar responses are also underway to institutionalise coherent security mechanisms that will consolidate the peace and security that our state is famous for.”

    Tambuwal charged the participants on enlightening the public to join hand with the government to secure the state. He said adequate security would promote economic growth and human development, but he said it could only be achieved if people are vigilance and give information about criminal activities.

    The chairman of the occasion and Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Sokoto State University, Prof Nuhu Yakubu, said the event’s theme was timely, given the current security challenges in the Northeast. The Boko Haram insurgency, he said, has led to extreme poverty and bred corruption in the management of security budget. While saying security of the lives and properties should be the primary focus of government, Prof Yakubu said people had key role to play in proffering solution to their challenges.

    The UDUS VC, Prof Abdullahi Zuru, said economy could only thrive in a peace environment, adding that insecurity had hampered the nation’s development in the last five years. He believed said he expressed national integration could be achieved if there was security.

     

    A lecturer of the Department of Economics, Anas Sanda, hinged the cause of insecurity to income inequality and unstable growth in the economy. He said he carried out a study, which examined relationship between income inequality and economy growth in African countries.

    His findings, he said, suggested that income inequality has a negative effect on economic growth, which means a country that has high level of inequality is to experience decline in economic growth.

    Sanda said the study showed that income inequality could generate tension in the society. He urged the government to implement policies that would close the gap between income and economic growth. He said there would always be security challenges in a society where majority of the citizens are hungry and could not have access to the basic needs of life.

    The session was followed by question and answer session, after which the Deputy VC for Administration gave the closing prayer.

    The university auditorium, where the event was held, was filled to the brim. Guests at event included the Deputy Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, Head of Service, Alhaji Suleiman Shinkafi, Governor of Zamfara State, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Prof Abdullahi Shikafi and Ssultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by Alhaji Buhari Abubakar, among others.

  • No more rainbows in the Rainbow nation

    The party is over. It is time to go home.” That is what the nationals of Rainbow nation seems to be saying to immigrants who have spent years in South Africa. Rainbow nation, a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was popularised by late former South African president, Nelson Mandela. Rainbow nation was a metaphor to describe South Africa’s multicultural diversity.

    However, with the way things stand now, the rainbow has disappeared. The nationals are not in a party mood. They have turned Dracula. They now suck blood. For the immigrants, particularly blacks, it is time to return home.

    Those who failed to yield to this advice were greeted with violent riot on the streets of South Africa. Watching the news on TV recently, I saw hundreds of foreigners who have been maimed. Shops belonging to foreigners were looted. Thousands of blacks were rendered homeless. Gosh, why would a host suddenly turned violent and kills his guests? Is it because the guests have accepted jobs meant for the locals? Is that what has led to high unemployment in South Africa?

    Whatever it is, this is the verdict. South Africans, as host nation, do not like our faces any more. The fact that Nigerians are black, bold, and not witless, sort of irritates the host. The host does not like every step we take.

    That is why the host has taken up cudgel against our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora. That is why the host has maimed them without apology. That is the cause of this curse. Is it because we have accepted the odd jobs, waited on them, cleaned after them, polished their shoes in restaurants and cafeterias? Is it because we have rolled up our sleeves, dirtied our fingers, and rolled on the garage floor?  Could this have caused disparity between the locals and Nigerians and other immigrants? However, reports claimed that inequality in the Rainbow nation has gone up within the racial groups. This isn’t a bad thing, if you ask me. But it seems that it has bred a society that itself breeds inequality. As we all know, it is the labour market that transforms a society. But in South Africa, job creation is not very high.

    Research has  suggested that immigration posses few threats  to South Africa. Immigration does not hinder access to housing and services. But South African politicians have continued to demonisse foreigners. They said immigrants undermine economic transformation. They said it heightened crime. They said it exposed the Rainbow nation to disease and organized crime.

    Yes, we know that anti-outsider sentiments are rising globally. But South Africa’s variant is particularly pervasive across its socioeconomic status, location and race. I believe this black self-hate [afrophobia] is inherited from the apartheid era.

    Otherwise, I am yet to understand why a beggar would insult another beggar? Why the pot will call the kettle black? Why a black man would maim another black man? Is it because one black man possesses inborn ability to see and seize opportunity?

    Is it because he is street smart and understands how to survive in a foreign land? Is that why other blacks and Nigerians living in South Africa have suddenly become threats to the economic survival of South Africans? Some of my colleagues who have travelled to the Rainbow nation for courses and conferences attested to the existence of topnotch infrastructure in South Africa. “Driving on the highway is a precious experience.

    You would think you are in any Western nation,” they chorused. “The telephone tariff is cheap”. Hmm, South African brand may look dandy and dapper. However, its popularity as an attractive destination brand has waned because some of my colleagues have sworn never to return to the Rainbow nation.

    South African government has said it would protect those who entered the country “legally”. Meaning: Immigrants who entered the country illegally may be hurt. According to reports, in the days following xenophobic attack, the government rolled out Operation Fiela to fish out dangerous elements. But it took place in a migrant-rich neighbourhood. 700 people were arrested for deportation and 150 others were charged for various offences.

    As it is, visits to South Africa by Nigerians and other foreign nationals would obviously be marred by concern about xenophobic violence. This kind ofviolence betrays hopes of a peaceful Rainbow nation. This kind of violence has an adverse effect on the image of the Rainbow nation. Let Nigerians and other nationals come home now. Indeed, the party is over.

  • Buhari: Rejuvenating a disenchanted nation

    SIR: The general consensus among Nigerians at the moment is that it can no longer be business as usual. Therefore, drastic and urgent measures must be taken to save the nation from obstacles to national growth and development. First, the remuneration of political office holders, financial profligacy, the size and cost of running the government which are disturbing concerns in governance structure need to be frontally addressed by the new administration. This government should sincerely embrace a cost effective and efficient administration built on prudent management of available resources.

    Ministerial positions and the number of aides to political office holders should be pruned beginning with the president and governors. It is common in Nigerian democratic parlance to find positions like Senior Special Adviser and Special Adviser to one man. One wonders where the difference lies if not only in the nomenclature.

    When one looks at the fleet of cars in the president’s, governors,’ ministers,’ senators and other elected officers convoys, one begins to wonder the huge cost of maintenance and fuelling of those vehicles. Will it diminish the office of the president, governor or any elected officer for that matter if they have less vehicles attached to their offices?

    Example they say is better than precepts. Beginning from the president himself, some perks of office should be slashed or out rightly removed. Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission which is charged with the responsibility of fixing the salaries of public office holders should begin a downward review of the total emolument of political office holders. Public office is designed fundamentally for service to humanity; not for luxury or enrichment of the occupier.

    The incongruity in allowing the annual budgetary recurrent expenditure to constantly outweigh the capital expenditure should be addressed. It is paradoxical for a nation desirous of development to encourage this budgetary misnomer. In simple arithmetic, it means, the nation expends far more on payment of salaries than developmental projects.

    The nation can no longer afford to be an oil producing nation but ironically lacking same and have no working refineries. In the face of the nation’s dwindling economy occasioned by one monolithic product of crude oil, the Buhari administration has no option than to urgently move to reactivate other sectors of the economy beginning with power, manufacturing, agriculture, solid minerals etc.

    The responsibilities of some ministries and parastatals are practically intertwined or rather duplicated. Those with semblance of duties should be fused together for efficiency and effectiveness. This administration should take a cursory look at Steve Orosanye’s Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of ministries, parastatals and agencies to bring an end to this duplication without undue effect on the workforce.

    The cost of running the National Assembly alone is too exorbitant to say the least. The 2015 budgetary allocation for the National Assembly stands at N150 billion. From 2003 till date, it was reported that the National Assembly has gulped N 600 billion in budgetary allocation. It will not be out of place to say that the cost of running the National Assembly for these years can build more than two power generation stations of 400 MW capacity and refineries respectively. The bills in both the National and in some state Houses of Assembly which gave undue life severance or retirement benefits to former governors and leaders of State Houses of Assembly were end of tenure scams which should be repealed immediately.

    Finally, government should provide an enabling environment for the production and manufacturing sectors of the economy to thrive. The power and energy sectors must be up and running. The expected outcome is confidence building, peace and exponential rise in employment opportunities for the army of unemployed citizenry. No government can succeed in isolation of a patriotic, law abiding and orderly citizenry. Therefore, the intangible behavioural attitudes such as truth, obedience, tolerance, selflessness, punctuality, discipline etc., and reorientation of the society must align with the expectations of the new government for the good of all.

     

    • Sunday Onyemaechi Eze,

    Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna.

  • From Balewa to Buhari: A nation thirsty for good leadership

    From Balewa to Buhari: A nation thirsty for good leadership

    In almost 55 years, Nigeria has witnessed 14 administrations. Eight of them were military regimes. One was an interim contraption; a mixed grill of soldiers and their civilian collaborators. Five were civilian governments. Today, the sixth civilian government, which is the 15th administration headed by Muhammadu Buhari, will start to lead the country in a new journey into the future.

    Buhari was the military Head of State between 1984 and 1985. Before him was Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, who also returned to power 20 years after he left as the Head of State.

    The slow pace of development in Africa’s most populous country underscores, in part, the failure of indigenous leadership. Nigeria was projected to become a potential middle-level world power in the seventies, owing its vast natural endowment and other potentials. But, when its leaders failed to lay a strong foundation for a united nation, the country was threatened by disintegration. Nigeria has not become an economic miracle. Even the national question has remained unresolved. It has a great future ahead of it. But, only a dynamic leadership can take fulfill its dream.

    At independence, the Prime Minister was the late Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Then, the country practiced parliamentary system. Barely six years after, the military displaced legitimate authorities. The First Republic was the era of the pathfinders who doubled as ethnic champions. The big three-Alhaji Ahmadu Bello (North), Chief Obafemi Awolowo (West) and Dr. Nnamidi Azikiwe (East)-coordinated that ethnic battle for relevance. They managed to agree on some basic federal principles. Although there were crises and tensions triggered by the hot battle for federal power, it was evident that, in an atmosphere of true federalism, the three, later four, regions were ready to develop at their pace, and within the limit of their resources.

    However, the period was characterised by corruption, avarice, nepotism and rigging of elections, especially in the wild wild West. The ring leader of the coup plotters, Major. Chukwuemeka Nzeogwu, attempted to topple the Balewa Government. The project was hijacked by senior officers who later departed from the vision of the supposedly military modernisers. When Balewa was killed, soldiers of Northern origin were not happy. They sworn to avenge the blood of Bello and Balewa at a later date.

    Gen. Thomas Aguity-Ironsi, the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army, became the Head of State in 1966. But, six months after, he was assassinated by ‘Northern’ soldiers. Ironsi came to office unprepared. He was not sensitive to the prevailing conditions and the differences among the regions, which have been aggravated by the first coup. The Head of State abolised the regions, thereby stifling the doctrine of theoretical autonomy. His unification decree was offensive to the political leaders. In fact, for six months, Ironsi could not set up a proper cabinet. He was killed at Ibadan by the gang of Theophilus Danjuma and Murtala Muhammed. Also assassinated was his host, Co,. Adekunle Fajuyi, the military governor of Western State.

    The Army chief, Colonel (later General) Yakubu Gowon, assumed the reins. He spent nine years in office. Gowon did not anticipate the leadership responsibilities suddenly entrusted on his shoulders. His emergence, as claimed by the military governor of Eastern State, Col. Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disrupted the seniority and succession pattern in the military. Brig. Babafemi Ogundipe, he insisted, should have succeeded Ironsi, instead of Jack. Also, there was pogrom in the North, with many Igbos as casualties. As the ego war between Gowon and Ojukwu persisted, Ojukwu plunged the country into war by declaring the East as the Republic of Biafra. For 30 months, the nation was at war with itself.

    After winning the war, Gowon refused to set up a transition programme. Many top government officials have become so corrupt. In 1975, Gen. Murtala Muhammed toppled Gowon in a bloodless coup.  Murtala stepped on toes. He was a man in a hurry. He thread the populist path, setting up a transition programme and waging war against corruption. On February 13, 1976, he was killed in a coup led by Col. Bukar Dimka. The Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo became the new Head of State. On October 1, 1979, he voluntarily handed over to President Shehu Shagari.

    Nigeria practiced presidential system between 1979 and 1983. The civilians did not learn from their mistakes during previous 13 year-interregnum. They became more reckless in the Second Republic. When Awolowo warned Shagari that the ship of state was about to hit the rock, he was ignored. The economy was crumbling. Service delivery was poor. But, on December 31, 1983, the military sacked the administration. The first four years of presidential system became history. Buhari became the Head of State.

    Buhari and his deputy, Gen. Tunde Idiagbon, the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, wanted to clear the Augean table. They waged war against graft in high places. All forms of indiscipline were not condoned. It was a government of financial accountability. Foreign debts were paid. Loopholes were bridged. But, the human rights record of the administration was poor.

    In August 1985, Buhari was displaced in a palace coup by the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The military President was in power for eight years. The General dribbled the country throughout his regime. It was another eight years of political, economic and social experimentation which produced no meaningful result. He set up a transition programme. A free and fair election was conducted. A winner, the late Chief Moshood Abiola, emerged. But, the exercise was criminally annulled. Despite the money wasted on the exercise, the military President subverted the project.

    Babangida was succeeded after stepping aside by the Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan. He did not understand the setting. He was a nominal Commander-in-Chief. But, barely three months later, the Minister of Defence, Gen. Sani Abacha, shoved him aside and pronounced himself as the Head of State.

    However, Abacha, who had wanted to transmute into a civilian President, died in 1998. He had waged the most cruelest war against democracy. The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, became the Head of State. He hurriedly handed over to Chief Obasanjo in 1999.

    Obasanjo ruled like a soldier that he is. He brooked no opposition. Court orders were worthless. In his first term, he tried to lay an effective foundation. He initiated a new anti-corruption course, setting up the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Matters Commission (ICPC). The two organs were later used to witch hunt political opponents. Electricity could not be fixed. Roads still remained death traps. Refineries could not be revived. Rigging became pervasive.

    Obasanjo was succeeded by the late Alhaji Sheu Yar’Adua in 2007. He was slowed down by illness. He died before the expiration of his tenure. His deputy, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, became the President. Today, he will bow out of office after six years in the saddle.

    Jonathan will go down, not as a giant of history, but as a leader who could not live to the billing of leadership. Indeed, he was not adequately prepared for the massive task. Despite his high academic qualification, he could not make much difference.

    The Bayelsa State-born politician was deputy governor under former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. He was the beneficiary of his boss’ impeachment. He was governor for a brief period before he became Yar’Adua’s running mate. When Yar’Adua was incapacitated by illness, he was liberated from the cabal and made the Acting President by Nigerians in accordance with the constitution. At work was the doctrine of necessity. Later, Dr. Jonathan succeeded his boss as the President.

    In 2011, he contested his first election. As a candidate of the ruling party from a minority ethnic group, he elicited sympathy. He described himself as a shoeless boy from Otuoke, assuring that he will serve the poor. He defeated Buhari at the poll. But, there was a huge gap between expectation and reality afterwards.  The challenges overwhelmed the President.

    He ignored public outcry and demand for their sack. Nigerians started to have negative perception about the administration.

    The ruling party was in crisis. The President could not wield it together. The Nigerian Governors’ Forum was in crisis. He took sides. For months, university, polytechnic and college teachers were on strike. Infrastructure battle stopped. During campaigns, the President’s men went to rallies with generators. Electricity was beyond reach. Corruption was on the increase. The President clarified that stealing was different from corruption. Irked by his style of leadership, former All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim Chairman Chief Bisi Akande described him as a kindergarten President. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said Dr. Jonathan was clueless.

    As 16 years of PDP’s rule will terminate today, eyes are on the new APC government. Will Buhari maintain a clean break from the past and reposition the country for excellence? Time will tell.

  • Jonathan handing over nation in deep crises, says APC

    Jonathan handing over nation in deep crises, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said President Goodluck Jonathan is handing over a nation in a deep crisis. It alleged that the administration continues to contrive more crises without making any effort to solve any of them.

    In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party urged Nigerians not to lose hope, despite the daunting challenges they are facing in this atmosphere of contrived chaos, saying “help is on the way”.

    ‘’In a few days’ time, President Jonathan will hand over to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari. Never in the history of our country has any government handed over to another a more distressed country: No electricity, no fuel, workers are on strike, billions are owed to state and federal workers, 60 billion dollars are owed in national debt and the economy is virtually grounded.

    ‘’Today, Nigerians are roaming the streets, jerry cans in hand, searching for everything from kerosene to fuel to diesel to power their homes, keep their vehicles on the road and keep their businesses going. They are paying as much as N300 per litre for fuel, if at all they can get it. Yet their government is not saying a word about the situation,’’ it said.

    APC said while the Jonathan Administration had arrogantly told Nigerians that it remains in office and in power till May 29, all it has been doing is sacking people and making new appointments as if it had been deprived of the opportunity to do so in the past six years.

    ‘’They are not interested in how to end the fuel scarcity that has paralysed the socio-economic lives of Nigerians, they are not interested in how to raise electricity production from its unprecedentedly-low level of 1,327 megawatts, they are not doing anything to end the strike by blue and while collar oil workers, or to stop the impending one.

    ‘’They say they are in office till May 29th, but they do not care how workers in 18 states, who are owed a total of N300 billion in salaries under their watch, or federal workers who are owed N400 billion, will be paid. Yet they are running a budget of N1 trillion deficit.

    ‘’They have deliberately stopped meeting their obligations to oil marketers, which is now around 200 billion Naira, hence no one is lifting petroleum products anymore. If the current energy crisis is not solved soonest, the telecommunications sector could even be grounded in a matter of days as service providers will have neither electricity nor fuel to power their base stations. Of course the aviation sector has already been left comatose by the fuel crisis. The whole scenario reeks of sabotage!,’’ the party said.

    APC said before PDP’s and Jonathan Administration’s spin doctors distort its message, it is important to let Nigerians know that the party (APC) is not engaging in lamentations but simply keeping the citizenry informed of the situation on the ground, with just five days to handover date.

    ‘’If we thought the nation was being well managed and there was no problem, we would not have embarked on a campaign of change. While we are ready, willing and able to begin to address the mammoth challenges facing us as a nation as soon as we assume office at the centre in a few days’ time, we will not hesitate for a second to keep Nigerians informed of how we have been brought to this sorry pass, with a view to avoiding such a tragic turn in the future,’’ the party said.

    It expressed sadness that the nation has been on auto pilot for the past several weeks, as the outgoing administration has shown neither the capacity nor the willingness to resolve any of the crises it has contrived and foisted on the nation.

    ‘’This is the most vivid manifestation of the old saying that literally translates to a departing office holder defecating on the chair he is vacating,’’ APC said.

  • NUJ poll: The Nation man solicits Akwa Ibom NWC’s votes

    A top contender for the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) presidency, Waheed Odusile, yesterday solicited the votes of members of the Akwa Ibom State NUJ Council.

    Odusile, who addressed reporters at the State Press Centre in Uyo, the state capital, promised that if given the opportunity to lead the union, he would propose that journalists in the employ of federal and state governments be treated as professionals and placed under a special media salary structure.

    Odusile, The Nation Managing Editor and columnist, was accompanied by the leadership of the NUJ Lagos State Council, led by its Chairman Deji Elumoye.

    The Nation man said if elected, he would propose a law that would make it illegal for media owners to owe journalists salaries.

    He said: “We will propose to the government that all journalists in the employ of governments, either in the state or Federal government, should be treated as professionals. They should be accorded a special salary structure to take care of what they are doing.

    “What we are asking for is simple: we are saying, ‘let us have a minimum salary structure that should be paid to the Nigerian journalists’. Once we are able to achieve that with the government, we will be able to negotiate in our private organisations.”

    Odusile also vowed to fight quackery, if given the mandate to lead the union.

    The member of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) said there is need to correct the image of the profession in the eye of the public.

    He said: “We will eradicate quackery. Journalism should not be an all-comers’ affair. For you to become a journalist, we are saying come and train. We are saying journalism is a profession. Let it so be recognised as a profession. There is need for us to restore our dignity.”

  • UNIBEN hails The Nation

    UNIBEN hails The Nation

    Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA) of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof Francis Osagiede, has hailed The Nation for giving students the opportunity to practise journalism while in school.

    He gave the commendation last Thursday while receiving CAMPUSLIFE correspondents in the school, who were in his office to congratulate him on his appointment as the DSA.

    The student-reporters are Eddy Uwoghiren, a 300-Level Medicine and Surgery student, and Ezekiel Efeobhokhan, a 400-Level Pharmacy student.

    Eddy said the purpose of the visit was to avail the DSA on the activities of campus journalists and build a cordial working relationship with Osagiede to promote understanding.

    He said: “Over the years, our practice has been hindered by our inability to gain access to top management staff. Whenever we report events that require comment from the management to balance our stories, we are unable to do so because of the administrative shield. This is why we have come to intimate the Dean with our activities.”

    Responding, Osagiede hailed the student-reporters for their courage and independent mind. He urged them to be professional in their writing by ensuring proper investigation of any event before publishing it. This, he said, is necessary in order not to portray the school in bad light.

    He said: “You might not see the benefit of your practice now, but with time, you will begin to enjoy the benefit. It is good to know how both of you are combining professional courses with your practice as campus journalists. Please keep developing yourselves.

    Osagiede added: “I am an avid reader of The Nation and I must commend the media firm for giving students platform to develop their writing skill and explore their energy in productive venture.”

     

  • The Nation man attacked by hoodlums

    The Nation man attacked by hoodlums

    Hoodlums attacked a graphic artist with The Nation Joe Ukah, last Monday, taking away his phone and N15, 000 cash.

    The incident happened around Dopemu under bridge on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway at 10.30pm when he was returning from office.

    Ukah was injured on the head.

    He withdrew the money to give his brother who was billed to travel the following day. Part of the money was also meant for his mother in the village.

    Ukah, with a bandaged head said yesterday: “A colleague dropped me off near Dopemu bridge; It was really dark so I decided to walk to the next bus stop since my chances of getting a bus there were slim; I was still heading to Abule-Egba. I was almost at the bus stop when suddenly someone grabbed me from behind and searched my pocket. As I began to struggle, four other men came with sticks and hit me on my head. They beat me mercilessly that I bled. Before I knew it, my phone, wallet and the N15, 000 I withdrew earlier on that day had gone.”

    Ukah said he wanted to give the money to his brother who was travelling and send some part of it to his mother.

    “I used my shirt to tie my head because I had bled so much. I didn’t have a kobo on me. It was a Good Samaritan who saw me that gave me his shirt to put on and N100 to Abule-Egba. When I got to the hospital few minutes past 11pm, the nurses on duty didn’t want to attend to me if not for one of them who recognised me. I wasn’t given first-aid treatment because I had no money on me. They only stopped the blood and wrapped my head with bandage

    “The following day, I went back to the hospital because the pain deprived me from sleeping and I thought my head was going to fall off. I was asked to pay N20, 000 for treatment but I deposited N15, 000. My head was stitched in five different places before it was bandaged. I couldn’t resume office for two days because of the pain.

    Ukah thanked God for saving his life, urging people to always be on the alert especially at night.

  • Great people, good nation

    •A vulnerable Nigerian receives abundant assistance 

    In spite of the spreading moral decay into which Nigeria appears to have fallen, it is heartwarming to see unambiguous demonstrations of love, empathy and generosity by distinguished corporate bodies and ordinary people to fellow-citizens in desperate need.

    This was the case of Owolabi Oladunjoye, a 17-year-old bus conductor who was one of 14 victims involved in an accident on the Third Mainland Bridge on January 23, 2015. Having fallen unconscious, he and another victim of the crash were taken to St. Nicholas Hospital on Lagos Island by a Good Samaritan, where he was admitted and treated until he regained consciousness several days later.

    After identifying himself and admitting that he did not have a fixed address, Mr. Razak Yusuf, a housekeeper in the hospital, undertook to locate Owolabi’s relations in Lagos. After a great deal of effort, they were traced and his mother in Ede, Osun State, was contacted. The management of St. Nicholas Hospital presented the convalescing Owolabi with a monetary gift to aid him in paying for his West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), which had caused him to abscond from home.

    This tale is significant for the way in which it reveals a happy convergence of corporate social responsibility and a strong sense of moral obligation. St. Nicholas must be commended for the manner in which it chose to live up to its ideals by admitting two accident victims and treating them without demanding any money from the person who brought them in. Both were given comprehensive treatment free of charge, including intensive care for Owolabi, who was also given financial assistance and a commitment to further medical checks. The hospital found a suitable confederate in Mr. Yusuf, who went above and beyond the call of duty in tracing Owolabi’s relations across two states and the nooks and crannies of inner-city Lagos.

    When corporate organisations and individuals act with such selflessness, with no other thought than that of the wellbeing of their compatriots, it becomes evident that there is some hope for the prospect of Nigeria becoming a true home for all its citizens. St. Nicholas did not behave with the notorious indifference of many Nigerian healthcare institutions which usually demand the payment of hefty admission fees before treatment, even in emergency cases. It did not seek to simply stabilise the patients and then get rid of them. Mr. Yusuf was not tasked with the assignment of locating Owolabi’s relations, but he did it as if he had a personal interest in the outcome.

    These are the institutions and people of whom Nigeria can justly be proud. Unlike the greed, corruption and selfishness with which the nation is only too familiar, they reveal an admirable capacity to rise above the predatory instincts that abound in contemporary society.

    Owolabi’s predicament throws up several issues whose resolution could help to mitigate the occurrence of similar situations in future. His inability to pay his WASSCE fees would not have arisen if they had been covered by government. It would not have been so easy for a minor to get employment as a bus-conductor if there had been a proper process of training and registration in place. He might not have remained unidentified for so long if the interminably-delayed national identification system had been set up. The actions of St. Nicholas would not have been so unusual if the federal and state governments had ensured that hospitals obeyed laid-down regulations regarding the mandatory admission of all emergency cases.

    It is clear that Nigeria is full of organisations and individuals who are willing and able to make sacrifices for the progress of their nation. Such sacrifices must become the rule rather than the exception if the country is to attain its true potential for greatness.

  • The Nation man finds love

    The Nation man finds love

    A member of staff of The Nation, Abiola Adenekan, got married to his heartrob, Olapeju Adekola, of Natural Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), last Saturday at the  Folawiyo Bankole Memorial Methodist Church in Ikate, Surulere, Lagos, writes IBRAHIM ADAM.

    The family members of Adekola and Adenekan gathered last Saturday at the Folawiyo Bankole Memorial Methodist Church in Ikate, Surulere, Lagos  for their children’s wedding.

    The groom, Abiola Adenekan, arrived in a gold Nissan Pathfinder Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). He was all smiles in his black suit, white shirt, sky inner blue jacket and tie with a pair of black shoes.

    Soon, the bride, Olapeju joined him in a black Toyota Land Cruiser. She was a beauty to behold in her shiny cream flowery gown with a veil as she entered the church auditorium with her father, Rev. Johnson Adekola, who walked her to the altar and handed her to the cleric.

    The Circuit Minister, Rev. Olusegun Aiyedero, coordinated the service.

    It started with the church choir singing the processional hymn: “Praise to the Lord” after which the Presbyter, Rev. Oluyinka Akande, spoke. He said marriage is a sacred and life-long union between a man and woman who gives themselves to each other in love and trust.

    The choir sang another hymn:  “Blessed assurance”.

    Abiola unveiled Olapeju and both stood up to declare their wish for the marriage. Family and guests affirmed to the matrimony. After the vows, the couple exchanged rings and the cleric declared them man and wife. The couple consequently signed the marriage register.

    In a sermon, Rev. Akande charged the couple to love each other, constantly express love by word and action and depend on God for the sustainability of their relationship.

    The cleric urged them not to allow the prevailing economic situation to distract them.

    “Abiola, your home must be the home where the husband is the head and Olapeju, you should submit yourself to your husband. Don’t let your love to be based on what you get from the other. Constant expression of love encourages relationship and don’t allow selfishness or third party to separate you.

    “You must learn to pray together in all situations and don’t allow disagreements to also separate you. The best time to settle your misunderstanding is at bed where no man can disturb you both for the journey you started today needs strength, grace and power of God,” he said.

    Reception followed at Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) Sports Ground Hall, on Bode Thomas Road, Surulere.

    Olumide Olagoke popularly called MC DAY, anchored the event; Blessed Band entertained guests.

    The couple were ushered in amid cheers. They were the cynosure of all eyes. Everyone stood watching them as they entered.

    Mr Timothy Adelowo Adedokun, who chairmed the reception, enjoined the bride not to take things for granted. He advised the groom to treat his wife the way he would treat himself.

    “Let there be sincere love, respect honour, care, appreciation, understanding, tolerance and perseverance for each other because without the body there cannot be the head and without the head there cannot be the body.

    “Olapeju, you are now the Chief of Staff, which means nothing should be taken for granted and you must always watch your tongue,” he said.

    The couple cut their three-layer cake, fed each other and sealed it with kisses. They moved to the dance floor and were joined by  their parents and guests.

    Rev. Adekola, described his daughter as a faithful woman, saying he would miss her patience.

    The groom’s father, Pastor Julius Adenekan, described his son as a good boy.

    Olapeju, a  chemist described her husband as her king.

    “I’m so excited for he is my king, my crown, my best friend and confidant,” she said.

    Abiola, a graduate of History and Diplomatic Studies, described his wife as calm, supportive and caring.

    “She is my queen, and does not complain. I feel so happy and honoured for this day and I give God all the glory,” he said.