The Nation Newspaper

Tag: needs

  • Nigeria needs prayers, says Oyedepo

    Nigeria needs prayers, says Oyedepo

    President, Living Faith Worldwide (Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo, has said Nigeria needs prayers, given the myriad of problems bedeviling it.

    Bishop Oyedepo, who is the Chancellor of Landmark University, spoke at Omu-Aran, Irepodun local government area, Kwara state during the maiden convocation of the institution.

    Oyedepo said 386 students would graduate in 13 programmes.

    He gave a breakdown of the graduands as:  39 First Class; 186 Second Class Upper; 152 Second Class Lower and nine Third Class.

    He said the programmes with graduating students included: Accounting, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Political Science, International Relations, Sociology and Economics.

    Others are: Industrial Physics, Industrial Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Industrial Mathematics and Computer Science.

    The cleric blamed strike in the country on corruption and mismanagement of funds.

    He challenged the country’s leaders to learn from other countries who had experienced such crises on how best to manage them.

    He said: “Industrial actions are always prompted by economic crisis or mismanagement of resources and it is a global phenomenon. All we need is for God to give our leaders more wisdom in dealing with issues before they get out of hand. It is very pathetic that a medical corps of the country will close their eye and walk out of dying patient.

    “It is inhuman. If this thing is properly managed, it would not have gotten to this level. Trade dispute is a global issue. There should not be apartheid in knowledge. If you are deficient in managing something; go find out from those who have managed it well. Nigeria needs prayers. Let me stop at that.”

    Bishop Oyedepo said strikes by various institutions, particularly, in the education sector,  were eroding the values’ and ‘killing the system’.

    He said workers should not be allowed to see strike as the only effective means through which they could get attention, because institutions would continue to employ the action, thereby, “making the system struggle to survive.”

    On Landmark’s agricultural revolution, he described “food shortage as the greatest problem” confronting Nigeria.

    He pointed out that the university was providing solutions to the food crisis through its agricultural revolution programmes designed to ensure food security for the nation and Africa continent at large.

    “Our prayer is that God should give our leaders the wisdom and direction in dealings with where our problems are, as we are faced with enormous problems. Food shortage is one of the greatest problems confronting us now. No amount of policy can stop people from importing food,” he added.

    Banning of some food items, according to him, will not ensure food sufficiency. He urged the country’s leaders to enunciate policies and programmes that would banish food shortage for good.

  • ‘FMBN needs N250b to operate effectively’

    ‘FMBN needs N250b to operate effectively’

    The housing challenge being faced by millions of Nigerians will continue for a while unless the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria is effectively funded to the tune of N250bn, to enable discharge its responsibilities.

    According to the Managing Director of the country’s prime mortgage institution, Alhaji Yomi Odunuga, , who made this disclosure at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the FMBN has collected the sum of N134bn since the inception of the National Housing Fund in 1992.

    Noting that paucity of funds has gravely affected the drive by the bank to provide affordable housing for Nigerians, Kumo said the bank’s management  is liaising with some mortgage institutions both in and outside the country with a bid to meeting the housing challenges while not compromising quality.

    He said: “We are not only involved in driving foreign investments in the nation’s housing sector bu also taking the advantage of the private-sector driven affordable mass housing strategy of the Nigerian government in line with the transformation agenda.

    “We have to do this because the sector is grossly underfunded. As things stand today, if the FMBN is to effectively discharge its responsibilities, it requires a capital base of N250bn and it has nothing close to that. But we are glad that reputable companies in the sector like the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China; the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation; Shelter Afrique; and Globus Financial Services in the United States of America are prepared to partner with us.”

    Speaking on the bank’s cash flow, Kumo said the monthly collection of the bank stands between N2.2 billion and N2. 5 while efforts are being made to improve on it by convincing more state governments to contribute to the NHS.

    He said though the Federal Government approved N5bn as the capital base in 2003-2004, the current capital base stands at N2.5 billion which was contributed by the Federal Government while the Central Bank of Nigeria is yet to contribute its 30 per cent share.

    He, however, noted that the management has succeeded in convincing many states to buy into the NHS’ scheme, noting that before December, 2010, between 22 and 24 states were contributing to the NHF while the bank had been able to increase the number of contributing states to 31, including FCT.

    Kumo urged the Federal Government to provide infrastructure, insisting that the bank, in most cases, would provide infrastructure to estate developers apart from giving loans to them.

    He said the total refund of NHF before 2010 was less than N1 billion and that it has been presently raised to N2. 7bn.

    He assured the public that the contributions to NHF remain safe, noting that the bank would pay contributors as at when due.

    “Your contributions are not lost; all will be paid in full with two per cent interest as at when due; so have the confidence that your contributions are safe,’’ he said.

    Kumo also said the bank had been consistent in providing affordable houses across the country, especially for the low income earners.

  • Kwara needs N300b for projects, says Ahmed

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed at the weekend said the state needs a N300 billion for the execution of capital projects.

    He said this informed his administration’s decision to approach the capital market to raise N23 billion.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the  move, saying it was a way to impoverish the people.

    Ahmed spoke in Ilorin in his monthly radio and television programme dubbed “Governor Explain”, adding that the monthly allocation from the Federation Account could only cater for the state’s recurrent expenditure.

    He said any government desirous of making life meaningful for its people would have to borrow to carry out capital projects.

    His words: “As I have always said, infrastructure is something that we have not been doing in the past and this has resulted in the decay which we have recorded.

    “What I mean by the past is 20 to 30 years ago; we have been building roads, constructing bridges, culverts but we have not been maintaining them.

    “In the process, we find out that they get spoilt and you have to start all over again.

    “When I look at infrastructural requirements that the state needs, I found out that there is a huge gap and to put those things in place, it would cost us about N300billion.

    “And given the way things are, we know that we cannot raise N300billion but as a government that has a life span, we must see how much of the fund we can raise.

    “And where are the sources of funding? Of course, we know that we get the monthly Federal Allocation from where we pay salaries and carry out other recurrent expenditure.

    “Is it enough for us to carry out capital project? Obviously it is not. It means that we have to look at other sources of fund that will enable us do our own portion  and then we expect that successive governments will continue from where we stopped.

    “For us the capital market is the cheapest source of fund for government. Those who don’t know will exhibit ignorance by saying that government is going to borrow money to execute projects.

    “How do you want to execute projects without borrowing? I don’t know how, even the Federal Government as it is today use its Treasury Bill.

    “It is a cheaper source of funding because the interest rates are lower than when you borrow from commercial banks.

    “I have heard a few people saying Kwara is taking a bond to impoverish the people. You demonstrate ignorance if you say that taking up a bond to execute well-articulated capital projects is impoverishing the state.

    “You have simply shown  that you have no business in the business of governance.”

  • Economy needs central bank’s assistance, says Federal Reserve chair

    Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said yesterday the US economy appeared to be slowly moving toward full employment, but that it would need help from the central bank for some time to come.

    In her second public speech since taking the Fed’s helm, Yellen said it was “quite plausible” the economy would be back to near full employment and a healthier level of inflation by the end of 2016.

    “I do think we are seeing very meaningful progress, although clearly … the goal has not been achieved at this point,” she told the Economic Club of New York.

    Yellen used her speech to provide a monetary policy road map of sorts to one of the Fed’s most important constituencies – Wall Street.

    How long rates will stay near zero, she said, will depend on how far the U.S. economy remains from the central bank’s employment and inflation goals, and how long it will likely take to meet them. She stressed that the Fed would respond to shifting economic conditions as it judges when to finally tighten monetary policy after years of unprecedented stimulus.

    And although she emphasized how important it will be for the Fed to keep monetary policy easy for some time, she pointed to an eventual end to those policies.

    “As the recovery proceeds and healing occurs, it’s obvious that we will need to tighten monetary policy to avoid overshooting our target,” she said. “We will remain very focused on removing accommodation when the right time has come.”

    But she also emphasized that unforeseeable events could alter the central bank’s current course, as it has several times over the course of the recovery.

    The Fed could even set aside efforts to wind down its bond-buying stimulus, she said, pushing back against broad expectations that the Fed is nearly certain to end the bond-buying, now at $55 billion a month, by the end of the year.

    The Fed, frustrated with the slow U.S. recovery from the 2007-2009 recession, aims for maximum sustainable employment and a rise in inflation to 2 percent from just above 1 percent now.

  • This boy needs N150, 000 monthly to stay alive

    This boy needs N150, 000 monthly to stay alive

    Three months ago, a 23-year-old student, Joseph Oghenetega Uhawha, made history as the beneficiary of the first successful kidney transplant in the Niger Delta, when a kidney donated by his mother was successfully used to replace his failing organ. The young man whose life has now returned to normal will need at least N150, 000 monthly to stay healthy, report South-South Regional Editor SHOLA O’NEIL and BOLAJI OGUNDELE.  

    In a beautiful sunny morning in January 2013, hundreds of fresh students were in a joyful mood. They decked their academic gowns in preparation for the day’s matriculation at the Niger Delta University.

    Among the freshers was Joseph Oghenetega Uhawha of the Department of Agriculture Technology. First son of his parents, the tall and handsome youth was taking the first step towards making his parents proud. He told Niger Delta Report that his dream was to become an expert in fishery.

    Unlike his colleagues, the Delta State-born student could not make it to the auditorium for one of the biggest events of his youthful life. He was bogged down by a weak, almost useless kidney that threatened to end his life, before it had begun.

    “A day to my matriculation, I noticed that I wasn’t able to stand up from the bed. I was very weak and tired; couldn’t walk for two meters. That morning, I could not go to school,” Uhawha said.

    He was rushed back to Ovwian in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State where he lived with his parents. It was the beginning of a nightmare for the young man and his family.

    ecalling his ordeal in an exclusive interview with Niger Delta Report, Tega as he is fondly called, said it started a year earlier when “I noticed swellings on my legs and hands. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I notice that my face and hands are swollen. When I press my hands, the spot doesn’t come up immediately; it stays down for some time before coming up.”

    His maternal uncle, a medical doctor at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), asked him to come over to UPTH where they did series of tests including full blood count and urinalysis.

    “They said it is renal problem and that I have blood in my urine and there is a little protein in the urine. We went to a nephrologist in Port Harcourt who told us that it is a kidney problem but that it was not yet serious. He said we could still wait for some time before we go for dialysis,” he said.

    Devastated by the revelation, Tega said he was forced to re-examine and take stock of his young life because of the widely held view that kidney diseases are caused by heavy drinking and other crummy lifestyle.

    “I was told that heavy drinking, infection and heredity could cause kidney problem. Those were the things I was told but there is nobody in my family who has been diagnosed with kidney problem. I seldom drink and I did not take more than two bottles of beer at a time. I never took much alcohol. I was living a very normal life and I was a very calm and quiet boy,” he stated.

    Shortly after he got home and broke the sad news to his parents, Tega discovered that his legs were swelling again. He went to Warri General Hospital, where he did more tests. From there, he was referred to the Delta State University Teaching Hospital in Oghara, where he was subjected to more tests.

    “We met with the consultant (at DELSUTH) and she told us that I should start dialysis immediately. I started dialysis in March, 2013. At that time, dialysis was about N23, 000 per session and I went three or four times every week. My parents spent up to N40, 000 per session for dialysis and the Erythropoietin (Epo) injection, which cost N8, 000. Sometimes we also need to buy blood,” Tega said.

    He said he was lucky because his father had just been paid about N4 million at the time. So, there was money to pay for the expensive therapy and drugs needed to sustain him.

    However, it was not long before the money ran out and they could no longer afford the expensive three to four times weekly dialysis sessions.

    As he continued to skip the sessions, Tega’s condition deteriorated so much so that he became partially blind and unable to walk.

    “My parents could not afford it anymore after my father had spent well over N5m. If you have kidney problem, the fluid go to every part of the body, even the eyes. I was blind from March till July 2013 because I could not afford the dialysis,” he said.

    Delta State govt’s subsidy

    Providence smiled on the young man at that critical period when Delta State Governor; Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan (a medical doctor) slashed the price of dialysis from N23, 000 to N5, 000. The price for the Erythropoietin injection was also crashed to N2, 000.

    ”We were happy and everything was fine. I was able to go for dialysis frequently. I began to see again. All the things I couldn’t do for myself, I started doing again because things became easier for me and my parents,” he said.

    However, like most patients with kidney problems, the 23-year-old boy knew that the dialysis and other medications were merely to manage his ailment-they were not the ultimate solution.

    He said he and his mother continued to pray fervently for God to take away his pains and anguish.

    “My mother would pray throughout the night. When everybody is sleeping, she would be on her knees. She would cry, pray from midnight till early in the morning and would only go back to bed when people start waking up. She would then sleep for maybe two hours before she would wake up to go to work,”he stated.

    It was gathered that his mother decided to take her supplication to God when the family was informed of the cost of taking her son to India for the operation. Tega said the cost of the operation was put at over N5m. “My parents could not afford it after all the money they had spent on my treatment,” He said.

    Meanwhile, before Tega was diagnosed with kidney problem, the Delta State Government had been investing in world-class equipment at the DELSUTH. The advent of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan administration in 2007 brought fresh impetus to the health sector. Results of the investment were seen in the numerous medical feats, including pacesetter operation, hipbone replacements, knee cap and other transplant operations that were successfully accomplished.

    In 2013, the governor and the Dr Leslie Akporiaye-led board of the DELSUTH targeted kidney transplant –a medical procedure to replace diseased kidneys as those on Tega’s with a healthy one from a donor.

    Prior to the development, patients from the Niger Delta region and other parts of the country who could afford it usually opted for India and other western countries to treat the ailment.

    One of the initiatives of the government was a partnership between DELSUTH and the University of Texas South-western Medical Centre in the United States of America. In furtherance of the union, an agreement was reached to perform the first kidney transplant in the South-south geo-political zone of the country.

    “One day, my doctor and the Chief Medical Director (CMD) (DELSUTH) told me that they would be doing kidney transplant in the hospital. I was happy to know that I was selected as the first person and it was totally free.

    “When Dr. Okoye told us that I have been selected for the transplant, the attention shifted to who would donate the kidney. My mother immediately volunteered. She said she would give it to me,” Tega said.

    Expectedly, there were doubts and concerns over the operation. Some people were scared and there was rumour that the hospital wanted to use the beneficiaries for experiment.  But Tega and his mother, who volunteered one of her kidneys to save her son’s life, weren’t bothered.

    At 10:00 a.m. on a sunny Monday, January 13, mother and son were wheeled into the theatre.  ”I came out about 4:30 p.m. I was very fine, taking in a lot of water. We were taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and they took very good care of us.”

    When our correspondent met Tega on Thursday last week, he looked healthy and very happy.

    “When I was diagnosed, I couldn’t do anything for myself. I was unable to walk; I only stayed in one place. When going to the hospital, my mum had to support me to get into the car because I couldn’t walk. But now I am doing things for myself. I now cook, wash my clothes and do everything others do,” he said.

    He also spoke of the comforting words of the governor, who was part of the team, not as a medical doctor, but as an anaesthetist and a comforter. “He spoke gently to me and assured that I was going to be fine,” Tega revealed.

    Cost of staying alive is very high

    Unfortunately, the return of his life to normal was at a cost. He said he would have to be on regular medication for the rest of his life in order to maintain his good health. The medication could cost as much as N150, 000 monthly.

    “The governor (Uduaghan) said he would give us the drugs free for six months. They are still giving us the drugs free. After that, we would start buying for ourselves and the drugs are very expensive –up to N150, 000 a month -and I am supposed to take it every day, morning and night for the rest of my life,” he said.

    With his parents’ life savings depleted in the course of caring for him, Tega faces uncertainty over what to do when the free medication from the government expires in July.

    “I must thank Governor Uduaghan for making me see today because he was the one God used to save me. I will also appeal to him and the good people of the state not to leave me like this. Public-spirited individuals, well-to-do Nigerians and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should please save my life. If I don’t take these drugs, my health situation will relapse. This miracle that is my life should not end; the government has saved my life, it has to help further.

    “I intend to go back to school and I am pleading with the government to assist me. I need to have something doing even while I am in school in order to be able to afford the drugs,” he said.

    Beyond soliciting help for himself, he appealed to the Federal Government and policy makers to focus on provision of quality healthcare for citizens. He lamented the number of people living with defective organs with little or no hope.

    He said: “I advise governments at all levels, not just in Delta State, but all over the country, to take health issues seriously because there are a lot of people suffering from several ailments. Not all are as lucky as I am. People are suffering, not just from kidney problem, but from several other ailments.

    “I was in Oghara and I saw a lot of people and only a few of them are still alive today. When you go one session, the next time you return and ask after someone you met, they will say he/she is dead. Some of them died because they could not afford treatment and drugs and because of some minor mistakes. I met a lot of people in the course of the routine dialysis but today only a fraction of them are alive.

    “Many people-young and old-are diagnosed of kidney problem. I have seen a lot of young boys with kidney problems and the solution is just transplant.

    “There is the need for efforts on renal ailments and the Department of Nephrology. There is need for governments and NGOs to channel efforts towards enlightenment and cure. Departments of Nephrology should receive more attention,” Tega said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Policeman’s son needs N5m for surgery

    Policeman’s son needs N5m for surgery

    Nathaniel Obasefunmi, a Kwara State Polytechnic (KWARA POLY) National Diploma holder and son of a police officer, was afflicted with a kidney disease on the day he wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). After months of battling with the ailment, he needs N5 million to undergo kidney transplant in India. DAYO IBITOYE reports.

    Having completed his National Diploma in Office Technology Management (OTM) at the Kwara State Polytechnic (KWARA POLY) in Ilorin, Nathaniel Obasefunmi was hopeful of securing admission into the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to further his studies and get a Bachelor’s degree certificate.

    He obtained a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) form and sat for the examination, which was held last April. On that day, he left home to write the test hale and hearty. But after writing the examination, Nathaniel started vomiting. He thought it was examination fever; he bought some drugs for the ailment.

    When the symptom persisted, the ailing boy was advised to undergo test to diagnose the ailment. He was shocked to hear that his kidney had been affected with chronic disease.

    “The sickness has turned our family to beggars. As I speak to you, we feed solely from food given to us by neighbours and sympathisers. Some people give us food and money to feed,” Obasetunmi, who broke down in tears, told our reporter.

    His mother, Grace Obasefunmi, in tears, said: “My husband and I have exhausted our life savings on Nathaniel without improvement. We have taken loans to the tune of N4 million but his condition remains the same. We don’t know what to do again.”

    Obasefunmi started undergoing dialysis at the Federal Medical Centre in Ido-Ekiti in Ekiti State where he was referred to.

    Mrs Obasefunmi, a level 10 teacher with Ilota Junior Secondary School in Ilorin South Local Government Area, said: “We actually started the dialysis session last June and we have been on it since then. Initially, it was twice a week arrangement, but later, the doctors increased it to three times a week. Giving him dialysis a month costs N420,000 and we have been on it for almost a year. This has practically grounded everything in the family”

    Mrs Obasefunmi said when the challenge became too much for the family to bear, she approached her church, Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), for help. The church members, it was learnt, did their best to support the ailing Nathaniel for many dialysis sessions.

    She said: “I was moved to tears when church members contributed money to assist us for the dialysis. All my children were withdrawn from private schools to public schools before we had to stop some of them from going to school.

    “At the moment, I have incurred some debts to the tune of N1.5 million on dialysis. My husband has also collected loans from several places. We may have about N4 million to pay back.”

    A medical report obtained by CAMPUSLIFE quoted Dr O.E. Fadipe of the Federal Medical Centre in Ido-Ekiti thus: “Nathaniel is being managed for end-stage kidney disease by our unit. He is on maintenance haemodialysis and also being worked up for renal transplantation.

    “The patient had shown interest in kidney transplantation following counselling. However, this service is not available in our centre but the average cost of kidney transplantation in Nigeria is about N5 million.

    “For logistics, supporting partner and medication, he may also need another N5 million.”

    Mrs Obasefunmi appeals to Nigerians for assistance. “I want Nigerians to help us. This boy must not die like this. He will be 24 years on May 10, and he is brilliant.”

    Frederic Obasefunmi, Nathaniel’s father, who is an inspector with health division of the Nigerian Police, Tanke in Ilorin, sighed intermittently when our correspondent met him. Obasefunmi, who will retire from service in four years, said: “If you know what I have been passing through, my brother, you would cry for me.” It took him another five minutes before he could say another word.

    “The only thing that has been sustaining us is the help from my church members and neighbours, especially to feed my family. My salaries and that of my wife are expended on dialysis,” he said.

    Nathaniel told CAMPUSLIFE: “I have been going through a lot of pains. I can’t breathe properly. My heart is heavy. There is pain all over my body. My parents and siblings cry every day because this sickness has wrecked the whole family and we receive handouts from all kinds of people. I plead with Nigerians to help us financially so that I can undergo the transplantation. I don’t want to die like this. I believe I have something to contribute to the development of this country.”

    Financial assistance to Nathaniel Obasefunmi should to: Obasefunmi Aaron Gbenga. GTBank account no: 0115914950; or call 07089929880, 08094214862 and 08025886300.

  • Union faults NEEDS report

    Union faults NEEDS report

    NON-TEACHING staff in universities may lose their job if the the Needs Assessment report by Prof Yakubu Mahmood, a former executive of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) should be implemented by the government.

    The report, which is aimed at addressing infrastructural decay and funding challenges in the nation’s public universities, does not favour the non-teaching staff.

    However, the western zone of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has faulted the report in a public lecture it held in the Akin Deko audirorium at the University of Benin (UNIBNEN).

    The lecture with the theme: “Needs Assessment: A benchmark of confusion”was attended by members of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and  National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

    In his address, Alfred Jimoh, said the lecture was aimed at educating the public on some contentioussections of the report which had generated confusion in the zone .Jimoh said the association had decided to condemn the report, which according to him,was harmful to human capital development and promotion of sound academic ethics in the sector.

    A participant, Mr A.O. Salami, from the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB) said he was surprisedat the content of the document, saying it was targeted at witch-hunting non-academic members.

    According to him, the report which was said to have been prepared using international best practices, said if Nigerian universities must compete globally, the number of academics should outnumber those of non-academic staff.

    He said the recommendation was erroneous, citing cases of the renowned John Hopkins University and Havard University where the number of non-teaching staff outweighs that of teaching staff.

    “Placing an embargo on the employment of non-academic staff will spell doom for us considering the fact that the labour market is already saturated. Moreover, more financial cost is incurred in catering for the salary of more academics,” he stated.

    Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, a member of the UNIBEN chapter of the association, Osaretin Ahile, said if Nigeria universities must reclaim their pride of place, the assessment report needed to be revisited in the interest of non-academic staff.

    “We are dissociating ourselves from the obvious shortcomings of the NEED report and we urge government to desist from implementing those parts of the report targeted at witch-hunting us,” he said.

    A civil servant who attended the lecture, Mr Solomon Okoro, said: “With what I have learned today in the course of this lecture, I can sense that all is not well with Nigerian universities. Government should do all it can to correct the deficit highlighted by SSANU members inorder to avoid a collapse of our educational system.”

    A student, Clemetina Elema, hailed SSANU for organising the lecture.

  • ‘Why Osun needs more councils’

    ‘Why Osun needs more councils’

    The 1976 Local Government Reform was a systematic and de-

    liberate reorganisation of the local government administration in Nigeria. The military needed a link between their centrally controlled political system and the people at the grassroots to mobilize the people to get their support with the aim of legitimising their illegitimate regime, after they have edged out a democratically elected government. Ever since, the local government has continued to remain a vibrant and quintessence form of government, both the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions guarantee democratically elected local government councils.

    Today, the total number of local governments recognised by the 1999 Constitution are 774 in numbers. However the 1999 Constitution empowers the state Assembly to create new local government but must be forwarded to the National Assembly for ratification for the purpose of including such a local government in the constitution.

    In 1999, when the democratically elected government was ushered in, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State, was uncomfortable with the 20 local government areas he met in Lagos. Tinubu could not comprehend how Lagos State, with a population of 15 million at that time would be given only 20 local governments when Kano was having 44 local gvernment, despite the fact that Jigawa State had been carved out of it, which almost doubled local government areas in Lagos State. For instance, Alimosho Local Government Area alone, both in population and land mass was bigger than Bayelsa state with eight local governments.

    The military leaders were masters of deception, they knew the importance of Local Government, and they utilized the creation to benefit their states of origin; knowing that the more the numbers of local government, the more the Federal Allocation would be given to their local government. He immediately set in motion necessary machineries to increase the numbers of the local government areas. At the end of the exercise, the number of local government areas remained 20, but 37 new Local Government Developmental Areas (LCDA) were created.

    Lagosians welcomed the development, praising Tinubu for such vision. But the People Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the newly created developmental areas. The PDP led-Federal Government seized the monthly Federal allocation to local government areas. And the action was challenged in the court in the celebrated case of AG Lagos Versus AG Federation. At the end of the case, the Supreme Court held that the House of Assembly is empowered to create local government areas in their states but must forward their newly created local government to the National Assembly for the purpose of adding them to the existing local governments and for the purpose of enlistment and allocation of fund to the local governments. That although, the newly created local governments in Lagos State were in order but, “it is Inchoate,” until it is enlisted in the constitution by the National Assembly. It held further that the Federal Government has no power under the constitution to withhold allocation to any part of the states in Nigeria.

    Why Osun need more local governments?

    Osun is located in the Western part of Nigeria. It covers an area of approximately 14,875 square kilometers.

    According to the National Population and Housing Census exercise conducted in 2006, Osun has a population of 3,423,535. As an agrarian area, there is the likelihood that its annual population growth will be around 5 per cent.

    In the next few days, the governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, may give the state a Christmas gift of new Local Government Developmental Areas (LCDA), in accordance with the power vested in him, and to an extent, the State House of Assembly. It is important to solicit for the cooperation of the people of the state on the forthcoming exercise, as the new LCDA may not satisfy all the interest groups in the state. But it is incontrovertible that a local government brings progress and development to its people . However, the viability of local government is vital to its running and sustainability.

    Apart from the constitutional functions of a local government, grassroots politics will be encouraged as government will be brought closer to the people. The much desired development in the state will further be pronounced and experience if will whole heartedly welcome the newly created local governments.

    It is important that the people of the state cooperate with the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola and support the LCDAs and to ensure that nothing is to disturb the existing peace reigning in the state, irrespective of political or religious persuasion. We are one and must see the need to continue with the developmental agenda in all areas of our state.

     

    Obaditan wrote the piece from Osogbo, the state capital.

     

  • After ASUU, don’t forget ASUP

    After ASUU, don’t forget ASUP

    SIR: The long waited suspension of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has finally come. Students of federal and state owned universities can now go back to school after 170 days of strike by their teachers. But still, it is not yet over.

    Our brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues in the polytechnics are still at home. They have not been in class since October 4. This is as a result of the resolve of Academic Staff Union of the Polytechnics (ASUP) not to return to class until the constitution of governing councils for the polytechnics, release of white paper on the visitation panels to federal government and the commencement of NEEDS assessment of the polytechnics.

    Other demands/grouses of the polytechnic teachers are the halting the appointment of unqualified persons as rectors and provost by some state government, failure of government to implement the approved salary package(CONPCASS), 65-year retirement age for the members, the worrisome state of state owned polytechnics, the continued recognition of the National Board of Technical Education as the regulatory body of the Nigerian polytechnics as against the unions’ repeated call for the establishment of National Polytechnic Commission(NPC), the non commencement of the re-negotiation of the FGN/ASUP agreement as contained in the signed agreement, the snail speed on works on the amendment of the federal polytechnic Act/scheme of service and migration of the lower cadre to CONTISS salary scale.

    Indeed, these issues need not shoved aside nor left unattended. The continuous stay of students at home is uncalled for. These young minds are delayed from progressing.

    It will be recalled that ASUP embarked on strike on April 29. The strike lasted for 81 days before the intervention of the joint committees on education in the National Assembly. The strike was suspended for one month in order to address the issues.

    As a result of the failure to address the issues, the strike resumed on October 4. Till date, nothing has been heard on the strike.

    Education at whatever level is pertinent to society development. No level need receive attention more than the other. If it happens, the result would be an unbalanced scale in our hands. A scale where graduates of universities are perceived to perform better than their polytechnic counterparts. A scale where there is segregation and discrimination; a scale where polytechnic graduates are treated as second-hand citizens. Are these meant to be so?

    Over N400 billion was allocated to the entire education sector in 2012. Out of these, federal polytechnics got N63.7 billion, representing 15.92 percent, while federal colleges of education got N42.5 billion which represented 10.62 percent. But federal universities got N188.4 billion representing 47.10 percent – in other words, the university sector alone received twice of what was allocated to the polytechnics and colleges of education.

    Even as the needful has been done for the universities, same hand needed to be extended to the polytechnics. Government, do the needful; the students are anxious to resume their studies.

    • Kelechi Amakoh

    University of Lagos

  • SSANU: discard NEEDS Assessment report

    SSANU: discard NEEDS Assessment report

    Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) yesterday urged the Federal Government to discountenance last year’s NEEDS Assessment reports.

    The report recommended the reduction of the non-teaching staff in public universities.

    SSANU said if the Federal Government implements the report, it might go on strike.

    SSANU’s National Vice President Comrade Alfred Jimoh spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, at a lecture organised by its Western Zone.

    He said: “The unemployment market in Nigeria may be witnessing another increase, if federal and state governments are deceived into laying off the non-teaching staff under the guise that they are not involved in ‘core academic activities’ and a ploy to ‘halt’ their so-called ‘artificial growth in the system.’

    “This lecture serves as part of the responses of the non-teaching staff to half truth/utter falsehood being celebrated and glorified as the best thing that has ever happened to the Nigerian public universities in the name of NEEDS Assessment Report.”

    Speaking on the topic, Public lecture on the report of the committee on NEEDS Assessment of Nigerian public universities, Federal University of Agriculture Chairman AbdulSobur O. Salam said the NEEDS committee’s report had several flaws and errors.

    He said: “While some could be traced to ignorance on the part of the committee; some other aspects are deliberately created to protect the academic staff in the system.

    “We thus say that the purpose of the committee and its report have failed to ‘objectively and robustly examine the critical human, material and infrastructural need-gaps within the public universities and come up with practical solutions.’

    “For there to be a proper repositioning of the Nigerian public university system, the NEEDS committee report must be discarded by the Federal Government. If we have to return, re-energise and relocate our public universities to glory, the process must start with a serious NEEDS assessment, not a work that is deep with incurable congenital and acquired defects…”