The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ‘Nigeria needs

  • Safeguarding academic freedom in Nigeria

    Safeguarding academic freedom in Nigeria

    Sir: Academic freedom is a fundamental pillar of higher education, ensuring lecturers can teach, research, and publish without undue interference. However, this freedom faces significant challenges. Despite being theoretically supported by the National Policy on Education, which grants universities the autonomy to select students, appoint staff, determine course content, and conduct research, academic freedom is often curtailed by government interference and the political climate.

    The history of academic freedom in Nigeria is marked by tension and conflict, particularly between the government and academic unions such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The ASUU has frequently clashed with the government over issues related to academic freedom, working conditions, and funding for higher education. Strikes and protests have been common as academics fight for their rights and the independence of their institutions.

    A comparative perspective reveals that while the context differs, the United States faces challenges regarding academic freedom, primarily from political and legislative attempts to control university curricula and limit discussions on controversial topics such as Critical Race Theory. Despite these challenges, faculty members and university senates in the United States have been vocal in defending their academic freedom, passing resolutions, and publicly opposing restrictive legislation. This global struggle to protect academic freedom underscores Nigeria’s need for unwavering vigilance and relentless advocacy. Just as U.S. professors actively defend their rights, Nigerian lecturers must continue to advocate for their freedom and the autonomy of their institutions.

    Read Also: Nigerians aren’t people to share good news with, says Erica Nlewedim

    To safeguard academic freedom in Nigeria, several dynamic and proactive steps can be taken. Firstly, supporting academic unions and advocacy groups is essential. Strengthening the role of organizations like ASUU in defending academic freedom is crucial. Solidarity and collective bargaining can be powerful tools in negotiating with the government. Promoting policy reforms is also necessary to protect educational institutions’ autonomy and educators’ rights to teach and research freely. Ensuring that educational policies align with the principles of academic freedom is critical.

    Moreover, raising public awareness about the importance of academic freedom through media campaigns, public discussions, and educational programs can be instrumental. Public support can significantly influence policy changes. Fostering international collaboration between Nigerian universities and their counterparts globally is beneficial. Sharing best practices and supporting each other in defending academic freedom through international partnerships can provide Nigerian institutions with additional resources and visibility. Engaging policymakers to create environments that support academic freedom and resist efforts to control or influence academic content unduly is vital. Building relationships with supportive policymakers can help advance the cause of academic freedom.

    The importance of academic freedom for advancing knowledge and developing societies cannot be overstated. Nigeria can ensure that its educational institutions remain vibrant centers of learning and innovation when this freedom is safeguarded. The challenges faced in Nigeria and the United States highlight the universal need for continued vigilance and advocacy. If these steps are taken, Nigeria can uphold the principles of academic freedom and create a more just and equitable educational system.

    Imagine a Nigeria where universities thrive, unfettered by restrictive policies, and educators can engage students with a diverse and challenging curriculum. Picture a future encouraging academic inquiry, fostering innovation and critical thinking. This vision is within reach if we champion the cause of academic freedom. By uniting to protect the rights of lecturers and ensuring the autonomy of our academic institutions, we can cultivate a generation of thinkers, innovators, and leaders equipped to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

    •Olukayode Apata, Texas A&M University, United States.

  • How community leader raped me, by teenager

    A teenager (names withheld) has told an Edo State Family Court sitting in Bénin City how she was raped by a community leader identified as Goddey Jatto, aged 34.

    The minor was said to have been allegedly defiled by Goddey who is the Odionwere of Jatto Street in Oregbeni Quarters.

    Speaking while being led in evidence by Police Prosecutor, Inspector Thomas Ojo, the victim said she was accosted, taken to a bush behind a fish-pond in the area and defiled by Jatto on January 22, 2019.

    “While I was waiting for my mother at the shop, I decided to go to a neighbour to help me call my mother on phone.

    “Before I could get to the neighbour’s house, I changed my mind and turned back because I did not want to upset my mother.

    “As I was returning to the shop, Jatto called me to help him take a book to his wife and I refused because I do not want my mother to get to the shop and not meet me there.

     “He insisted and as I walked close to him, he held my hand, closed my mouth with his other hand and dragged me to the back of his house by the fish-pond.

    Read also: I was accosted by a community leader, raped behind fish pond, Teenager tells court

    “He removed my pant, brought out his baby (penis) and forced it inside my baby (virginal).

    “It was so painful and when he finished, he gave me N200 and turned my back, trying to do the same thing again. I bend-down, picked my pant from the floor and ran,” she said.

    The child (victim) told the court that immediately she ran back to the shop, she met her mother and narrated her ordeal.

    “My mother cried, fell and couldn’t move. She informed the Police; they took us to the police station the next day,” she said.

    Mother of the victim said the defendant was initially released at Oregbeni Police Station and was under pressure for amicable settlement but she refused.

    She claimed that she was contacted by officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and assured that justice would prevail on the matter

    Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. D.I Adamaigbo, who refused bail application for the suspect adjourned the case to May 2, 2019, for accelerated hearing.

  • ‘Nigeria needs 2m pints of blood yearly for emergencies’

    The Commandant of the Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) detachment, Mr. Talodabioluwa Alonge, says the health sector needs two million pints of blood yearly in anticipation of emergencies.

    However, according to him, only about 500,000 pints have been raised.

    Alonge spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the weekend in Lagos during a health and blood drive at YABATECH.

    The theme of the event was: “True Humanity to Peace”.

    The event included blood donations and a free breast screening for female workers and students.

    Alonge said the Nigerian health sector records a lot of emergencies whereby patients require blood daily and sometimes, they have to spend so much in search of blood.

    “Statistics show that in the Nigerian health sector, we need two million pints of blood, but we’re able to raise only 500,000 pints.

    “This mainly comes from family donors when their loved ones need blood.

    “But we see many accidents and other situations where people need blood daily and sometimes find it difficult getting it,’ he said.

    The commandant said the vision of NRCS, Lagos State, is to ensure that blood is available in their bank.

    “In January, our detachment raised 120 pints and this time we raised 90 pints, making it a total of 210 pints,” he said.

    Alonge said the reason for the decrease was because only full-time students were in school at present, compared to January when the part-time students were there.

    He urged people to participate in humanitarian activities such as blood donations to save lives.

    Hailing YABATECH detachment, Mr. Lawson Sekegor, chairman of the Mainland Division of the society, said the amount of blood raised at the event would help the state’s branch surpass its target.

    “Normally, we have expectations from the state body. The number of pints for this year is 500.

    “Based on the amount raised here and what we already have, we can beat the target because we need less than 10 pints more to reach it,” he said.

    Jonathan Adegboye, 18, a student of the University of Lagos, who donated blood, said the exercise made him happy knowing he was helping to save lives.

    He added that it also helped him overcome the fear he had of donating blood.

    “Overcoming the fear was not a day’s job. Last month, I tried donating blood, but I gave only two millilitres before I backed out,” Adegboye said.

    Another donor, Deborah Adeola, a 22-year-old student, said donating blood gave her the opportunity to check her blood pressure, weight and blood level.

    The Secretary of NRCS, Lagos branch, Mr. Olakunle Lasisi, urged people to imbibe the act of voluntary blood donations, to help ensure there is enough blood in the blood banks.

    He noted that donating blood not only benefits the recipients, but also the donors.

    According to him, he had an experience a few years ago when he was usually drowsy and sometimes felt dizzy.

    Lasisi decided to go for a general blood test and was advised to donate blood.

    “Blood donation refreshes donors.

    “Not donating blood is not beneficial to you because you will end up having more than required, which has its disadvantages,” he said.

    NAN reports that donating blood may help the donor reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases and other health conditions.

  • Nigeria needs $20b to develop gas infrastructure

    Nigeria needs $20b to develop gas infrastructure

    Nigeria will require at least $20 billion to bridge its gas infrastructure deficit, the Vice President and Head, Energy and Natural Resources, FBN Capital, Rolake Akinkugbe, has said.

    Akinkugbe who spoke at the luncheon/panel session organised by the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference in Houston Texas, said the investment would also provide the infrastructure required to adequately meet the gas needs of the nation’s 21 gas-fired power plants including the 10 power stations constructed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

    In her presentation titled Global Gas Outlook and Implications for Nigeria, Akinkugbe said Nigeria’s gas-fired power plants require over 2.2 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) of gas. She also projected that the nation’s gas demand will reach 8bscf/d from the current 2.2bscf/d by 2020. She however, noted that making gas available to service domestic requirements will be a key challenge in the short-term.

    On the global arena, she said Asia’s top three consumers require 14.4 trillion cubic feet (tcf) by 2020, which still provides market for many of Africa’s exporters, adding that attraction of Henry Hub as a cheaper alternative has waned in Asia as oil prices have fallen.

    Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Asia from United States, according to her is more expensive than from Africa, Europe & Australia. In 2012, she said the US did not import any LNG from Nigeria but imports resumed in 2013.

    On costs, she stated that gas is unlikely to compete with petrol in the short-to-medium term in Asia despite cost and environmental benefits. “But the cost of developing and extracting, transporting and distributing this gas is tremendous. Price distortions undermine gas products advantage over oil, particularly in the downstream. Implications are different for producers and consumers.

    “Offtake security challenges make gas less attractive for producers at upstream entry point. Infrastructure bottlenecks limit producers’ options. Producers want competitively priced gas-to-power pricing because consumers naturally want cheap fuel sources,” she said, stressing the urgent need for a regional gas pipeline network.

  • The additional state Nigeria needs

    SIR: The agitation of the just concluded National Conference for the creation of 18 new states didn’t come to me as a shocker. Looking at their agitation from different perspective, I think they are right to the extent that some states in Nigeria are bigger in times of land occupied and population than some countries in Africa. In addition to this, creation of new states will enhance the development of the country and also create jobs for some many people.

    Lagos State with the population of 9,019,534 is bigger than Togo, Benin Republic, Libya, Liberia, Gabon, Gambia, Swaziland and Cape Verde among others. In the same vein, Oyo State covers approximately an area of 28,454 square kilometres. This cannot be compared with Cape Verde, Comoros, Gambia, Swaziland and Djibouti among others.

    The big question is that what should be the yardstick for state creation? This is a billion dollar question that even the confab could not answer. Should land size or population be the criteria for state creation? If land size is the criteria, certainly, Oyo State deserves two slots. Meanwhile, if it is the population that will determine it, Lagos and Kano both deserve one slot each.

    The biggest question is: do we really need 18 states? We only need one state!

    We need one state where Nigerians can see themselves has one, where corruption will be nowhere to be found and where tribalism, ethnicity, gender differences or religion will not be the basis for relationship.

    We need one state where there is stable electricity supply, where there is free and fair election and where there is truly equality before the law. We need one state where there is no discrimination between the Polytechnic and the University education. We need one state where strike will not be the best means for workers to channel their grievances to the government.

    We need one state where there is protection of lives and properties. We need one state where there are conducive job opportunities for job seekers. We need one state where there are basic infrastructures and where the government encourages entrepreneurs.

    We need one state where pensioners and females will not be treated as slaves, where physically challenged people’s opinions can be heard and respected. We need one state where we can sleep with both eyes closed. We need one state where Boko Haram insurgency will be the thing of the past. We need one state where Nigerians can cajole or rob mind with their leaders.

    The one state we need is Nigeria. Let us join hands together to make Nigeria great.

     

    • Oluwagbenga Bankole

    Sango, Ogun State

     

  • ‘Nigeria needs quality soil survey’

    Nigeria needs a survey to create a database of soil types to aid land use planning and agricultural expansion, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), University of Agirculture, Abeokuta, Prof Felix Salako, has said.

    In an interview with The Nation, Salako said such surveys would help farmers, planners and developers to better evaluate the potential of soils for agriculture.

    He said a quality soil survey is an immense undertaking, driven by minute scientific detail and extensive field work .

    The project,he said, involves survey and analysis of the makeup of the soil, water availability, surrounding vegetation, and a variety of other factors including suitability for irrigated agriculture of soils.

    According to him, a soil survey is an accurate and robust inventory of natural resources and information from the survey can be used by the farming community, decision makers and environmental-impact assessors.

    He said various soils respond different to crop rotation, tillage and fertiliser as such,soil scientists need to inform farmers about how to correct problems and provide information and recommendations to them about plants to avoid or the best use of land.

    He said the survey will enable the government to analyse thousands of soil samples and draw up a “chemical content map of the land.

    Such sampling, he noted, becomes a regular part of monitoring resources and will feed into climate change and biodiversity-related studies and assessments of soil degradation.

    Hard data on soil quality, Salako explained, was particularly valuable for soil protection that a directive on soil is necessary in managing issues such as climate change, biodiversity and water pollution.

    Stressing the importance of soil biodiversity in agriculture,the don said mismanaging soil biodiversity could jeopardise agricultural production.

    He said land degradation and associated pressures are threatening soil biodiversity, hence, the ability of the soil to perform its basic ecosystem functions and services.

  • ‘Nigeria needs quality soil survey’

    Nigeria needs a dependable soil survey which will create a database of soil types to aid land use planning and agricultural expansion, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), University of Agirculture, Abeokuta, Prof Felix Salako, has said.

    In an interview with The Nation, Salako said such surveys will help farmers, planners and developers to better evaluate the potential of soils for agriculture.

    He said a quality soil survey is an immense undertaking, driven by minute scientific detail and extensive field work .

    He explained that the project involves survey and analysis of the makeup of the soil, water availability, surrounding vegetation, and a variety of other factors including suitability for irrigated agriculture of soils.

    According to him, a soil survey is an accurate and robust inventory of natural resources and information from the survey can be used by the farming community, decision makers and environmental-impact assessors.

    He said various soils respond different to crop rotation, tillage and fertiliser as such,soil scientists need to inform farmers about how to correct problems and provide information and recommendations to them about plants to avoid or the best use of land.

    He said the survey will enable the government to analyse thousands of soil samples and draw up a “chemical content map of the land.

    Such sampling, he noted, becomes a regular part of monitoring resources and will feed into climate change and biodiversity-related studies and assessments of soil degradation.

    Hard data on soil quality, Salako explained, was particularly valuable for soil protection that a directive on soil is necessary in managing issues such as climate change, biodiversity and water pollution.

    Stressing the importance of soil biodiversity in agriculture,the don said mismanaging soil biodiversity could jeopardise agricultural production.

    He said land degradation and associated pressures are threatening soil biodiversity, hence, the ability of the soil to perform its basic ecosystem functions and services.