The Nation Newspaper

Tag: national

  • Don backs national livestock census

    Don backs national livestock census

    Nigerian Institute of Animal Science Registrar Prof Eustace Iyayi has called for a national-level livestock census.

    The census, he said, will help the government to decide which areas it needs to focus on to improve livestock population.

    Nigeria, according to Iyayi, has enormous and diverse animal wealth generating opportunities for millions, adding that investment in animal wealth can contribute to income growth.

    Through data collection, he said,  the government will be able to  prove figures on animals and livestock products.

    The government, he said, will be able to gather correct data for drawing policies on the country’s food security and poverty alleviation, livestock breeding and veterinary plans.

    According to the Dean, School of Science and Technology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Prof. Dele Fapohunda, a national livestock census  will support the government’s effort towards achieving sustainable development of the  agric sector, by providing materials to assist  in  the formulation  and implementation  schemes  that meet the local needs of  farmers.

    Fapohunda said the statistics would also help the government in areas where stocking and restocking are required as well as help the government to decide which areas it needs to focus on to improve the livestock population. Fapohunda  said the census will help the government to estimate the population of livestock in the country, stressing the need to collect data on livestock loss due to the sudden outbreak of diseases.

    To experts, the lack of livestock census has caused a gap between the government calculated livestock data and the actual livestock figure.

    In some countries, livestock survey is carried out every 10 years. It is used as a projection and planning tool for the sector, which has continued to use estimations for available livestock in the country.

  • On fixation with national carrier idea

    SIR: From all indications, the federal government is determined to float a new national airline and have it operational by the end of the year. This milestone appears to have been inspired during the election campaign that ushered in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. This zeal to fulfil a major campaign promise and commit scarce funds to a rather capital intensive project is in itself admirable, but the energy should undoubtedly be channelled differently.

    Floating a national airline should rank least on the economic priorities of a nation that just sneaked out of a recession that spanned five quarters. Nigeria boasts of housing Africa’s largest economy, taking that crown from South Africa after rebasing its GDP four years ago. That status is currently undisputed, but it is from that same South Africa that Nigeria needs to pick lessons on how not to lose the crown.

    Nigeria Airways was founded two years before independence. It became the national carrier in 1961 after the government increased its shares in the company from 51 percent to 100. By 1987 the airline, as a result of corruption and mismanagement had accumulated debts of over $250 million and was suspended by the International Air Transport Association for poor safety compliance.

    At this time, it had 500 employees per aircraft in the fleet, twice the international average of which 1700 people were laid off in 1985 and another 1000 the following year. In a desperate attempt to keep the airline afloat, 3000 more employees were laid off in December 1988, domestic and international fares were raised and flights to a number of destinations discontinued. None of these measures proved effective in turning the fortunes of the airline around.

    It took the international embarrassment of having a Nigeria Airways aircraft impounded at Heathrow Airport and an eventual ban by the UK Civil Aviation Authority to convince the government to privatise the debt-ridden venture. By the time it folded up in 2003, it had received a cash injection of $200 million from the government and was $528 million in debt.

    The government in 2004 staged a revival of the national airline in the form of Virgin Nigeria Airways, as a joint venture with the Virgin Group. This quickly morphed into Air Nigeria after the Virgin Group pulled out of the arrangement. By 2012 Air Nigeria had met its demise.

    Fast forward to 2017; the Nigerian government appointed Lufthansa and five other firms as transaction advisers to kick-start the process of establishing yet another national carrier.

    So why is the Buhari administration fixated on an idea that has twice been tested, twice failed, accumulating humongous debts while costing taxpayers millions of dollars? According to statements issued at different times over the last one year, the government is convinced this new venture, touted as a public-private partnership, has the potential to be Nigeria’s answer to the largest African airline – state-owned Ethiopia Airlines which clocked $175 million in profits in 2015. If records, are anything to go by, it could very well be the Siamese twin to the loss-making South African Airways.

    Despite running one of Africa’s biggest fleets, state-owned South Africa Airways is yet to post profits for seven consecutive years, managing to stay afloat on bailout funds by the South African government. State-owned regional airline, South African Express, and low-cost carrier, Mango, are not faring any better. These three airlines have recorded a combined R35 billion in operational losses over the last 10 years. Indeed, the fate of South Africa Airways currently hangs on a R10 billion bailout, to enable it honour its debt obligations by the end of this month.

    Nigeria appears set to tread the same path even while the debts left in the wake of the previous attempts are still hanging on the government’s neck. The unpaid pensions and entitlements of the workers laid-off when the Air Nigeria closed shop in 2012 stand at N78 billion today.

    Rather this fixation on floating a national carrier just because there used to be one and other countries have theirs, a more productive venture would be to institute key reforms in Nigeria’s aviation industry to improve the operational efficiency of the existing players and attract new investments into the sector.

     

    • Bukola Ogunyemi,

    Lagos.

  • A national crisis that never was

    We are grateful to God for intervening in stopping what could have been the greatest bloodbath known in the history of mankind”.  Those were the remarks of Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu when he visited the Press Centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Umuahia on Sunday, September 17 to commiserate with them over their altercation with soldiers.

    Why would the Governor make such a claim? What was he talking about? I’ll explain.

    Sunday, September 12, the peace of Abia State was suddenly shattered seemingly out of nowhere. Soldiers drafted to Abia State in preparation for the commencement of a military exercise codenamed Operation Python Dance II decided to parade around the city of Umuahia in their full fearsome might complete with heavy equipment’s and armoury and the resultant effect was chaos that would last for a week and only just thawing.

    In the cause of the parade on Sunday, skirmishes ensued with locals who felt intimidated by the display. Next day, Monday, the phalanx marched to the home of Nnamdi Kanu, the Major Domo of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and almost inevitably, a confrontation ensued between Kanu’s supporters and the troops on parade. Tuesday, similar confrontations occurred at Ubakala and Aba as the Pythons were still dancing and were rubbing people who were not used to seeing pythons dance in the open the wrong way.

    As soon as the crisis spread to Aba, all bets were off. The crisis took a new dimension that required deft moves and a masterful yeoman’s job.

    Rumours soon began to circulate of Hausas being attacked and killed by Igbos in Aba in retaliation for Igbos allegedly killed by the soldiers. Soon, tempers were high nationwide and leadership became imperative to avoid a national bloodbath.

    Governor Victor Okezie Ikpeazu at this point took personal charge. He ensured that northerners in Abia State were safe and kept in constant touch with his colleague governors in the North assuring them of the safety of their people while pleading for the protection of Igbos in the North.

    Governor Ikpeazu immediately imposed a four-day dusk-dawn curfew on Aba thus curtailing the ability of mischief-makers to congregate and implement their mischief which is usually at its peak in the dead of the night. The northerners in Aba were equally herded to a safe location where they were kept protected. The few that got injured before the curfew was imposed were treated with the governor footing the bill. They were dissuaded from returning to their states and told to wait until tension died down and because of the sincerity of who they were dealing with, remained.

    Kudos must go to the governors of Northern Nigeria at this point under the leadership of Alhaji Kashim Shettima. They met and agreed to take steps to foster peace and ensure that no harm befalls any Igbo in the North and by all genuine accounts, no life was lost.

    Imagine if this was happening under intemperate governors? The youths of Aba would have had free reign to unleash havoc on the Hausa Community. The northerners would have mounted trailers and returned to the North with their dead to tell tales of death and destruction of lives and property. Upon their arrival at home, Northern Youths would have hit the streets in search of Igbo people to kill and burn their properties in retaliation for those killed in Aba.

    The tension would soon spread all over as whenever there is crisis in the North, virtually every non-Hausa is labelled an Igbo person and thus, a candidate for attack. Inevitably, corpses of those killed will start returning home to different parts of Southern Nigeria and even more violence will be unleashed on Northerners in other locations and the cycle will continue.

    But to the glory of God, all that was averted.

    Governor Ikpeazu would always preach that the reason why he cannot toe a hard line on any issue concerning the North is first and foremost because of the number of Abians in the North. While there may be 1,000 Northerners in Abia State, there are conversely, over two million Abians spread across the northern states of Nigeria.

    While the investment of Northerners in Abia State may be N20m collectively, those of Abians in the North and Abuja will be in the region of N100billion including hotels, malls, housing estates, residential houses, cars and landed properties.

    What that then means is that the effect of crises against northerners in Abia State will leave Abians and Igbos at great disadvantage because of their exposure in the North. Abians and Igbos own properties and businesses in the North compared to itinerant northern traders in Abia State. The reprisal damage would have been devastating.

    It is not cowardice. It is a leader toeing a line that is beneficial to the greater good of the greater number of his people.

    Monday, September 18, five governors of northern Nigeria came to Umuahia to commend Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for his sterling leadership in ensuring that the crisis was nipped in the bud and that it did not escalate. Speaking on behalf of the governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Plateau, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State who is also the chairman of the Northern Governor’s Forum, thanked Governor Ikpeazu for the proactive steps he took towards securing the peace of Abia State and the safety of northerners in Abia State.

    The northern governors also briefed Governor Ikpeazu on steps they took to ensure the safety and security of Igbos in their states and together, all the governors made a commitment to the unity of Nigeria and safety of all in their domains pending when an amicable discussion can be held on the Nigerian question.

    Speaking on behalf of the northerners’ community in Abia State, the Chief Imam of Aba noted that there had been several crises since their sojourn in Abia State but at no time have they ever felt as safe as they felt last week due to the personal involvement of Governor Ikpeazu and urged the governors to thank him.

    As peace and calm returns to Abia State, we cannot but give immense thanks to God Almighty for His wisdom, guidance and protection throughout the tense period when the crisis lasted. Anything could have happened with one wrong step but God said no and averted danger.

    Kudos must also go to all the parties who played one role or another to avert the escalation of the crisis.

  • National conference on farmers/herdsmen crisis holds tomorrow

    The Federal Government has said it will hold a national conference tomorrow as part of efforts to provide sustainable solution to the lingering crisis between farmers and the herdsmen.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh at a news briefing at the weekend in Abuja said the planned stakeholders’ conference was to transform the nation’s livestock industry.

    He said the crisis has led to loss of lives, destruction of properties as well as crops, adding that there was need for pastoralists to embrace modern cattle breeding methods to foster better productivity, increase profit and put a stop to the reoccurring conflicts.

    Ogbeh said: “Nasty articles and hate speeches won’t solve our problems. There is no point spoiling the atmosphere with toxic thought and violent opinions. We will all pay for it down the road. It’s about talking sensibly what did we do? How did we get here and why was livestock neglected? That’s what we will be discussing on Tuesday.

    “We are going to discuss issues that affect livestock and about 450 grazing reserves that existed before, which have vanished and grazing routes that existed. Abuja was a route before. Meat preservation and availability will be discussed and at the end of the programme, I am assuring you that all the problems will have been solved such that our neighbouring countries will tap from the success achieved.”

  • Cleric advocates 24-hour national economy

    Nigerians sleep too much, leading to low productivity and stunted national development, the Vicar of St. Barth’s Anglican Church Aguda Lagos, Venerable Ben Nwanekwu, has stated.

    He spoke with reporters last Wednesday ahead of the 60th anniversary of the church.

    Nwanekwu, who lamented the parlous state of the economy, attributed it to the fact that Nigeria does not run a 24-hour economy.

    He said major cities such as Lagos, Kano and Abuja should never go to bed but run bubbling night life with massive economic activities.

    While noting that insecurity was a major reason for the early closure of businesses, Nwanekwu also pointed out Nigerians sleep too long.

    He explained the massive poverty in the nation was due to the fact that Nigerians sleep too much.

    According to him: “Nigerians sleep too much. There is no reason why Lagos cannot run a 24-hour economy like it is done in developed nations.

    “Banks, offices and other businesses should work without sleep. We are sleeping giants. We are poor because we sleep too much.”

    He also lamented Nigerians are poor because the wage structure is too poor.

    Nwanekwu said Nigerians are paid salaries instead of wages that would have offered them better quality of life.

    “We deserve wages, not salaries. Workers should be paid weekly, not monthly as it obtains,” he stated.

    On the anniversary with the theme That they may be one, the cleric said the one-year schedule will run from August 20-27 with activities such as novelty match, family seminar and banquet.

    The match holds on August 23 at Albati Barracks between the church and All Saints Church.

    The grand finale on August 27 will witness confirmation of members and post-mortem as well as service awards.

    The guest preacher will be Rt. Rev Dapo Asaju, the Vice Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo.

    In 60 years, Nwanekwu said the church has planted six parishes and granted scholarships to indigent students.

    On community services, he said the church fills potholes and bumps with Aguda in addition to establishment of security posts.

  • Hate speeches in national discourse

    SIR: Hate speeches emanating from various parts of the country has created anxiety and doubts on whether or not Nigeria will remain a sovereign entity.

    An undiscerning mind can easily draw the conclusion that these threats posed real and potential danger, especially when viewed against the backdrop that those who expected to speak against such threats in order to douse the tension it generated are either keeping quiet or reacting a bit too late.

    The situation lends to suspicion that the elite, who are expected to immediately condemn the hate speeches, are either in support of the utterances or are sponsoring such activities because of group interests.

    Over the years, successive administrations in Nigeria made efforts to foster national unity. A look at various universities and unity schools in the country showed that students from respective parts of the country studied under the same academic environment. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) also stands out as one scheme that has ensured national integration for several decades.

    A poignant question to ask is why must Nigeria remain one? The nation is the only African nation that possesses immense human and natural resources that attract most attention from the international community especially the super powers. Nigerians must also be mindful of the clandestine agenda of those nations that are envious of the dividends of our diversity.

    Ghana, Togo, Cote d’ Ivoire and Senegal overcame secession threats at different points in their history and this should be a lesson for Nigeria since it is the mouthpiece of the African continent. For the nation to continue enjoying such status, political stability, peace, security and development are key qualities.

    It is important to underscore the fact that no African nation, split through referendum or by civil war has really achieved high level of security and development. Most of the countries that experienced wars or civil strife still spend scarce resources to processes and purchase arms to fight against insurgencies. Nigeria should avoid such situation considering that fact that the nation survived a civil war that lasted three years.

    Inferences could be drawn from Libya and South-Sudan. Both countries depict the gloomy picture of divided nations torn apart by strife.

    The implementation of a dynamic policy of unity of purpose which the current leadership is leaning towards will ensure that all Nigerians have a better understanding of the collective interest. The full implementation of the strategy will halt permanently agitations for secession and consolidate the much desired unity of the nation.

    Any move to cause war or civil strife in Nigeria should be avoided because of its negative impact on the growth and development of the nation. George Kennan, an American diplomat and strategist who captures the frightful impact of hate speech purveyors said: “War has a momentum of its own, you know where you begin. You never know where you are going to end.’’

     

    • Ayobami Akanji

    Abuja

  • Rethinking football and national interest

    SIR: As most sport enthusiasts would know, there was a Nigeria – South Africa match on Saturday, June 10 at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. In order not to miss watching it live, those of us who found ourselves in Atlanta in the United States had to go to the CNN Centre to arrange the facility. Doing that had its own pleasant hassles but it was worth it.

    Tragically, Nigeria lost to South Africa. Again, as most sport enthusiasts would remember, the score was 2- 0. Perhaps, that was a ‘good’ defeat in relation to what followed. One is referring to the ambience of a funeral that descended on all the many Nigerians that were part of the arrangement of watching it live through the CNN facility. There was no tribalism, no ethnicity, no regional or religious differences. It was national grief of inestimable proportions, to recast late Chief Awolowo’s similar usage decades ago. To the extent that many were weeping, it was genuine outpouring of nationalism, even as our friends in psychology might call it banal nationalism.

    Watching the entire spectacle play out was as personally humbling as it was an unpacking of Nigeria in terms of what we might, collectively, have taken for granted. That is that, like the national economy, there is also the national culture in shared values, hopes, aspirations, sentiments and sensibilities. The defeat and the reaction to it that one saw in Atlanta strongly suggests how losing is such a devastating downside of Nigeria’s national culture. And how strategic winning is to that national culture, thereby necessitating the question: if winning has such a powerful unifying import, why is sports in Nigeria not organised in such a way that we keep on winning and winning and winning? This cannot be too much to ask for if we are the giant of Africa and should manifest a winning way unique to that status.

    In other words, is it not possible to isolate the organisation or administration of sports in Nigeria as the country’s model of a merit system? It should be possible to implement a merit system that is, however, not exclusionary. The idea here is that the spirit of excellence in a merit system would keep us winning and winning and winning and coming together to share the benefits of primacy in an arena of joy for all. After all, from what we can see, sports is the only arena where differences disappear, be it class, ethnic, religious and regional differences.

    One might still be under the influence of that emotional moment at Atlanta but this might be one instance where emotion has been more powerful than reality or, in fact, created a reality. In any case, sports has become an all involving social domain with something for everybody – national and international unity, professionals and professionalism, governments, business, security and tourism.

    One is, therefore, associating oneself with the dominant sentiment in Atlanta as to whether the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) is fully aware that the only thing which brings people together in a manner unique to it across the above barriers is football. Like the military uniform when Nigeria goes to military or humanitarian engagement outside, the jersey has its own magnetic pull that winning is no longer something to be pursued as a matter of chance but of strategic thinking and actions. This is a process from which other actors and factors cannot be excluded but which, for the start, the Nigerian Football Federation, (NFA) is well placed to lead on behalf of the government. This is not naira and kobo stuff at this level but about strategising on how best to convert main features of this particular domain in relation to national interest. Here also, it is not national interest in terms of old fashioned territorial integrity, but the projection of national identity through the sporting competences of nationals.

    It is amazing how a single experience could have had such a transformative impact on one’s thinking as far as the potentials of sports in national interest is concerned. This is an area that has hitherto been relatively remote even as involving as sports has been in one’s life.

     

    • Chief Steve Lawani,

    Abuja.

  • PMB’s audio message and national language question

    SIR: Since the release of President Muhammadu Buhari’s audio message in which he addressed Nigerians in Hausa, there have been angry reactions from every nook and cranny of the society. Understandably, the people were provoked with the address in Hausa language.

    In a nation where ethnic sentiments and bigotries have beclouded intellectual judgment, it is no surprise that his message was more likely to generate controversies and provoke reactions. These angry reactions and condemnations should as a matter of exigency, necessitate a call to revisit the national language question.

    One of the problems we are having as a nation is the lack of true identity. Otherwise, the message should not have generated controversies. Indeed, the wild criticism of the audio message in his mother tongue is an evidence of a nation that lacks true identity. Ethnic colouration had been added to his message even though the President may have made it out of innocence and good intentions to Nigerians.

    This wild condemnation brings forth these questions:  Is English language the true identity of Nigeria as a nation? What then is the pride of our nation if we elevate English which is our second language above indigenous languages in the country?

    We should know that Nigeria is not the only heterogeneous country in the world and therefore must not hide under the guise of linguistic diversity to promote English language at the expense of indigenous languages. Presently, English language is acting in the capacity of our national language because, for ethno-sentimental reasons, we have failed to reach a compromise to select indigenous languages as our national language(s).

    Switzerland today is one of the most developed countries in the world, yet they have four official languages. They made three of their four national languages official languages. Nigeria should follow in that step by making Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo official languages in Nigeria alongside English language.

     

    • Temitope Ogundeji,

    Akure, Ondo State.

  • CIBN, stakeholders seek national integration

    CIBN, stakeholders seek national integration

    The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has said national integration remains key tool for economic policy, processes and national development.

    President of the institute, Prof. Segun Ajibola, who spoke at the 2017 CIBN yearly lecture in Lagos explained that national integration and successful planning and implementation are in inseparable.

    “Indeed it will be wrong to assume that any economic policy will succeed without the awareness of a common identity among the citizens, while respecting their ethnic, cultural, religious and social affiliations. Nigeria has been estimated to have over 250 ethnic groups each with its own expectations and desires from the national government. I wish to therefore state that national integration is predicated on the mobilisation of the citizenship just as it is enhanced through appropriate economic policies,” he stated.

    Earlier, the President of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who is also the Chairman of the event, noted that ‘citizenship is key to national integration.

    “There is no more powerful instrument than economic policy to address the issue of integration and citizenship. When you formulate economic policy by recognising this principle, you create an environment where people are compelled to identify with,” he said.

    The guest Speaker, who is also a Professor of Economics and Director, Institute for Developmental Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Osita Ogbu, said that “it is clear that nations rise and fall not because of oil or other sub-soil assets, but because they have leaders who deliberately constructed acceptance or legitimation of the nation state in the minds of its citizens as diverse as they may be.

  • Ahmed, Ooni call for national unity

    Ahmed, Ooni call for national unity

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, and the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyey Enitan Ogunwusi, have called on Nigerians to work for the unity, peace and corporate existence of the country.

    The duo made the call at the weekend when the monarch visited Ahmed at the Government House in Ilorin.

    Ahmed said: “Our diversity should be a source of strength rather than of disunity. God has a reason for creating us in this geographical entity called Nigeria; we should allow that reason for greatness to manifest.

    “We should to live together in peace, irrespective of our political, social, ethnic or religious differences. Everyone must be an advocate of peace.”

    The governor described Oba Adeyeye as an epitome of peace, considering his antecedents since he assumed the throne. According to him, the monarch has redefined the role of traditional rulers as participatory in the act of governance.

    Oba Adeyeye noted that Nigerians have sacrificed for the cooperate existence of the country than the unfortunate song of disunity in some quarters.

    He urged the people to show more patriotism and muster resources for the growth and development of the country.

    “We have more to benefit as a united entity. We must, therefore, sacrifice for the generations yet unborn,” he said.

    The monarch described Ahmed as a focused governor and an embodiment of simplicity and humility. He congratulated him on the state’s golden jubilee.