The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria newspaper

  • Pillage of Nigeria’s skilled workforce

    Migrating for greener pastures’ has been a recurrent clause in Nigerians’ daily conversations since the turn of the 1970’s when the culture of military impunity and bastardization of the economy forced citizens to seek better opportunities and prosperity elsewhere.

    Over the following decades, as the country’s economic fortunes continued to plummet, more illustrious countries had tightened their borders, leaving majority of Nigerians to pursue less legitimate modes of migration such as the valleys of the shadow of death through the Sahara desert or the suicide mission through the Mediterranean Sea. A lucky minority left through visa lotteries and educational tourism. Still, much of the skilled workforce- those referred to as the middle class which has now shrunk spectacularly- hung on to their relatively comfortable government jobs and were scarcely interested in abandoning their pensionable appointments for an uncertain and apparently less secure opportunities abroad.

    Alas! The times have changed in a remarkable way. As I write, almost every health professional that I know who is less than 50 years, has either migrated or is planning to migrate to the UK, Australia and Canada. This set of people includes accomplished doctors in government hospitals who are happy to divorce the thoughts of pension and gratuity to relocate to Canada or Australia.

    The UK’s Professional and Language Assessment Board (PLAB) is currently inundated with applications from Nigerian medical practitioners desperately vying to move permanently to Britain to ply their trade. To say it matter-of-factly, doctors who are laid back and not interested in migrating seem to be either too old to make the move, too rich to bother or do not have the right information or clue about what practice elsewhere means or promises.

    Australia and Canada which have more robust immigration programmes are attracting not only health professionals, but all manner of skilled professionals; and our lawyers, engineers, scientists and academics are taking full advantage. From my own observation, it seems to no longer matter if some will not eventually practice their particular professions or whether they have to settle for less dignifying jobs (which pay better than white collar jobs at home, by the way), the goal is to leave!

    Why are these countries opening up their borders and stealing our skilled manpower?

    There are many reasons smarter countries are picking the best brains from around the underdeveloped or developing world. Firstly, every serious country recognizes the role its skilled workforce plays in economic development. In the area of health, for example, doctors and nurses from third world countries such as India and Nigeria make up the huge percentage of health professionals practicing in the UK, US and Canada. Rich Nigerians who can afford the humongous bills paid for treatment abroad will recognize that they are in many cases attended to by fellow Nigerians. The monies spent abroad go into the economy of those nations. This practice of having to travel seven lands and seven seas to meet fellow citizens practicing in places that have been cleaned up is synonymous to the other equally appalling culture of exporting our crude and paying mouth-watering amounts to buy them back as refined products.

    Secondly, while these nations rake in the monies that should have gone into developing our own healthcare, they are also using our skilled manpower to make up for their own aging populations or shortages of skilled workforce. For instance, according to the 2016 Canada census, it is projected that by 2031 one in every four Canadians will be over 65 years of age. This statistics will get scarier with time as more and more people in Western societies are less worried about making babies. Therefore, the policy of importing younger, competent personnel sounds like a good idea. For the immigrants it may not be all rosy. There is the threat posed by xenophobes, racists and white supremacists which will always leave the feeling of nostalgia for a home that can be considered safer, even if only safer; but that is a story for another day.

    Canada and Australia have perfected their skills-based immigration programme so much that the new UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has taken a cue and announced plans to emulate such a system in preparation for the expected economic dynamics after Brexit. This only further illustrates the economic worth of hiring skilled immigrants.

    Australia, Canada and the UK are not alone! Donald Trump is also revamping America’s immigration programme to admit only individuals who have the wherewithal or the skill-set to make developmental impacts in their country. The common denominator in the intentions of these nations is to ‘pilfer’ the best of the best to themselves, leaving the exporting nations with increasingly less qualified people. The point-based immigration system they are all embracing is only a sieving mechanism and only those with the money and brains will be selected. Apparently, many Nigerians do not want to be left behind, with everyone scrambling to ‘put head’ anywhere – be it China, Abu Dhabi or even nearby African countries like Ghana, Mauritius and Botswana.

    But what is Nigeria doing about the current massive wave of brain-drain?

    As far as I know, Nigeria is asleep and snoring away. She does not seem to care, after all she has close to 200 million people. This is eminently confirmed by the response of the minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who announced on live television on April 24, that Nigeria had no need to worry about the spate of mass migration of Nigerian doctors to the rest of the world. With an insouciant air of detachment, he said, “No, I’m not concerned at all. I’m not worried. We have surplus. If you have surplus, you export”.

    But Nigeria does not have surplus. We may have a surplus population of about 200 million people but according to UNICEF, 10.5 million of our under-15 are out of school. The UN also reports that about 92 million of our people live in extreme, desperate and multi-dimensional poverty. When broken further down, you have the remaining 100 million who are either trooping into higher schools without any hope of employment and tens of millions of others who have graduated without any gainful employment. Indeed, with WHO’s 2015 Workforce Alliance report that puts 10,000 Nigerians to four physicians and 16 nurses respectively, we do not have any surplus. What is more, if the current tide is not contained what would be left behind in the country after the very best have left would be the inexperienced or the aging professionals.

    The consequences of the brain drain transcend merely the implications on our institutions, especially the health system. The economic implications for Nigeria are also sources of concern. With a shortage of manpower and the rampant corruption in high places, Nigerians who reside abroad are under enormous pressure to cater for the needs of their wards back home. These Nigerians also remit huge sums of money back to the country which goes into the coffers of government and disappears without anything to show for it. This contrasts with what countries like India have done with the repatriated funds of their emigrated citizens. The initial impacts of mass migration of highly skilled Indians have been offset by the reinvestment of the revenue sent back by these people, enabling the country to build its ICT and health systems to enviable standards.

    Nigeria must wake up and take notice of the long-term effects of the dwindling skilled work force or be ready to face the dire consequences. Repatriated funds by Nigerians in the Diaspora might be an enticing justification to encourage the exportation of skilled professionals which might explain why Dr Chris Ngige’s earlier stance on the matter ostensibly earned him a reappointment as labour minister, but when these monies face the same fate as the millions of repatriated and recovered loots, travelling politicians will continue to dread the ire of these ‘abroadians’ who are evidently not comfortable that they still have to share the burdens of a seemingly dysfunctional country from which they thought they had escaped.

    • Orji, an academic and medical scientist, writes from England, UK.

  • Adventures of Wadume

    He could well have been Nigeria’s equivalent of the notorious Mexican drug lord, ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, who now is cooling his heels on a life term in United States incarceration. Only he isn’t at odds with the law for drug dealing, but rather for suspicion of lucrative exploits in the trendy crime of kidnapping.

    However, Bala Hamisu, also known as Wadume, had a reputation for eelish manoeuvre through the Nigerian security setup as Guzman had in his country until his third re-arrest in January 2016, which ended his slippery duel with the Mexican law and got him delivered to the clenching jaws of American legal system.

    Wadume, a millionaire kidnap suspect, was recaptured early last week after being sprung free from an arrest on 6th of August by police personnel, who subsequently ran into a hail of gunfire by soldiers suspected to be working in the suspect’s interest while he was being conveyed from Ibi where he was arrested to Jalingo, Taraba State.

    Three police officers from the Inspector-General’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and two civilians died in the firestorm by soldiers from 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Takum, with five other operatives getting injured. That incident opened up bitter acrimony between the two security services. The army explained that it was an unintended mishap stemming from mistaken identity by soldiers, who in response to a distress call mistook the police personnel for kidnappers and the arrested suspect for a victim. But the police insisted that the soldiers’ real motive was to free the arrested suspect at the cost of taking out affected lives.

    With the credibility battle waged between those two institutions, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered an inter-service probe of the incident. A joint service panel raised by Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, has representatives drawn from the Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Defence Intelligence Agency. It was yet to conclude its work as at the weekend.

    The police meanwhile recorded a major feat by recapturing Wadume early last week, and the force proceeded  to publicise alleged confessions made by the suspect. Wadume, who was said to be in restraining handcuffs at the time of his escape in the Ibi-Jalingo road firefight, was re-arrested in a hideout at Layin Mai Allo Hotoro area of Kano State.

    He was shown in a police video saying soldiers took him to their base after liberating him from police personnel who had arrested him, and they had his handcuffs removed by a welder before he was let off on the run. A statement by police spokesman Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner, cited Inspector-General Muhammed Adamu saying the re-arrest of Wadume “will, no doubt, help in bringing answers to the numerous but hitherto unanswered questions touching on the incident and the larger criminal enterprise of the suspect.”

    With the circumstances of his escape from initial arrest, Wadume should have much to reveal about the dark underbelly of Nigerian security operatives. For instance, media reports cited him saying during police interrogation after his recapture that an army Captain and some other officers were on his payroll. He also reportedly said he paid his way with generous ‘tolls’ at checkpoints en route to his hideout.

    It should help our collective security as citizens if Wadume is made to face-tag the alleged payrolled officers, and if these are thoroughly investigated by the army and brought to justice if found complicit as alleged. Besides, it is high time all relevant security services did definitive risk mapping of checkpoints manned by their personnel, based on the susceptibility of those personnel to being blindsided with bribes by fleeing criminals.

    But then, Wadume’s ‘confessions’ further highlighted the discord underpinning Nigeria’s security architecture, with military sources reported accusing the police of scripted media trial of the kidnap suspect. A top military source was cited by the media wondering why Wadume, a subject of a presidential probe, was interrogated by the police without a representative of the army being present, and why the police appeared to be pre-empting the presidential panel’s investigation.

    The source was quoted saying: “Following the re-arrest of (Wadume) and his video broadcast that was released by the police, certain pertinent questions arise: It is no secret that an all-encompassing presidential investigation committee set up by the Defence Headquarters is currently investigating the allegations of his escape.

    Why have the police decided to come out with a statement directly accusing the army before the presidential panel, which is almost concluding its investigation, rounds up? What is the rush in pre-empting the panel’s report? And in the police statement, why was little or no mention made about the major issue – that is, the crime of kidnapping – which is supposed to be the focus of Wadume’s arrest? The re-arrested (suspect) should not have been interrogated by the police alone in a matter over which both organisations are trading blames and subsequent confession is made to only one party, and that same confession is made public by the police.”

    In other reports, a member of the joint service investigation panel argued that the media parade of Wadume’s confessions poisoned the well of ongoing efforts to smoothen the working relationship between the police and the army. “Though it is commendable that the kidnap kingpin was re-arrested, the video recording of (his) alleged confession while the panel is still conducting its investigation is quite worrisome, as efforts were being put in place to ensure smooth relations between the military and the police before the offending confession,” the panelist was reported saying.

    On this space the last time out, I linked the apparent disarray in operations by Nigerian security agencies to the nebulous architecture on which basis they operate and argued for a redesign of that architecture. Developments over the past week as afore outlined only make me restate that proposition here. Rather than random deployment of military personnel to complement the police in tackling escalating threats of internal insecurity as is presently the case, we should have a more cohesive structure for internal law keeping that intermediates between the civil orientation of the police and warfare orientation of the military. And it isn’t so far fetched, as it might seem, to implement such a structure.

    The community policing initiative already being contemplated by government could be fashioned in the mould of the United States National Guard that is community-based and reports to the governor of respective state, unless called up to protect national interests in times of conflict or natural disaster. That guard is essentially civil, but is yet so military in orientation that it gets mobilised to complement the U.S. army in combat whenever the need arises.

    Also following from Wadume’s confessions is the need to reassess the value of media parade of crime suspects by the police. Media parades are where suspects readily own up to offences, which eventually become a tall order for the police to secure formal conviction from the judiciary. Even notorious suspects like alleged kidnap kingpin, Evans, have till date grinded rather laboriously through the gritty wheel of justice when compared to the hype of their arrest and media parade by the police.

    In Wadume’s case, the parade has aggravated the acrimony between the police and the army. Meanwhile, rights crusaders have always argued that such parades shortchange suspects of their right to be presumed innocent until found guilty by the court of law. Until a competent court is persuaded to convict him, Wadume’s touted confessions may be just another preemptive but vacuous strike by the police.

    • Please join me on kayodeidowu.blogspot.be for conversation.

  • FIRS teams up with EFCC to tackle high profile tax defaulters

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a bid to check tax evasion by high profile individuals in the country.

    Head of Audit at FIRS, Mr. Ajayi Adepoju, said the organization was enlisting the support of the EFCC to ensure that all taxable individuals pay whatever they are supposed to pay to government.

    He spoke during a media chat organized by Voice 89.9 FM Chapel of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ), in Ado Ekiti on Friday.

    He described tax evasion as a serious economic crime that must be tackled by all relevant stakeholders to enable government generate revenue to meet the needs of the people.

    Read Also: FIRS names over 19,000 tax defaulters

    Those who fail to comply, he said, would be prosecuted in consonance with the extant laws no matter how highly placed.

    Adepoju revealed that FIRS generated a tax income of N5.32 trillion last year.

    The FIRS chief advised the Ekiti State government to look more inward to boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    He also advised state government to massively develop the agricultural sector, emphasizing on annexing the forestry base of Ekiti.

    The FIRS director also revealed that the tax base of Ekiti is poor and thus advised that the government should take a painstaking effort to explore the mineral deposits in the state.

    Exploring the mineral resources of the state, according to him, would help boost its tax income and provide more money to meet the needs of the people.

    Adepoju added that he, in collaboration with Ado Progressive Union (APU), is working on different workshops to equip youths with skills that will greatly impact their means of livelihood.

  • I faked kidnap in order to see my boyfriend, says 14 year old girl

    One of the reported kidnap victims in Enugu last Thursday has been found by the operatives of the anti -kidnap team of the Enugu Police Command.

    According to the police spokesman, Superintendent Ebere Amaraizu, the “victim”, Kosisochukwu Anioma, 14, confessed that she was never kidnapped but faked it in order to meet her school boyfriend in Owerri.

    Up till the time of filing this report, Kosisochukwu, who is a daughter of an Enugu politician and a former aide to former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, Frank Anioma, was still in custody of the police.

    Anioma had reported on Thursday that his daughter, Kosiso, was on her way to the New Haven market when she got missing.

    Read Also: Boy, 15, stages own kidnap

    “Her phone was ringing when we called her number but there was no reply. Thereafter, it went into busy,” Anioma posted.

    The police based on the report immediately swung into action where she was traced to Owerri in Imo state.

    According to Amaraizu, the teenage girl confessed: “I faked kidnap in order for me to travel to Owerri to meet my school boyfriend.”

    The police quoted the girl as saying, both of them have been secondary school friends at Abakiliki but she needed to go see him following the prolonged school holiday.

    Kosisochukwu, 14, would be in SSS 1 when the school reopens, same with her boyfriend who hails from Owerri in Imo State,’ the police spokesman said.

  • Lawmaker calls for calm as residents groan over joint border security exercise

    Lawmaker representing Badagry constituency in the House of Representatives, Babatunde Hunpe, on Sunday urged residents to remain calm over ongoing Joint Border Security Exercise in the area.

    Hunpe made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) following complaints by his constituents over the restriction of movements at Seme border ordered by the Federal Government.

    According to the federal lawmaker, the joint exercise was aimed at securing the country against trans-border crimes and criminality.

    He said that the exercise was going on in all border communities in 25 states across the country and appealed to people in the areas to remain calm and supportive.

    Read also: Fed Govt begins repair of Seme road

    “It is not only Seme border that is affected by the Federal Government’s directive, it also affects many communities in 25 states across Nigeria.

    “I want to appeal to my people to let peace reign by going about their normal daily activities peacefully.

    “Badagry communities should cooperate with the special task force created by the FG to enable them achieve their aims,” Hunpe said.

    The lawmaker said that he was aware of the difficulties being experienced by people as a result of the exercise in view of the cordial business relations existing between the people of Badagry and Benin communities.

    “The traffic jam experienced daily by motorists and passengers along Seme -Badagry road due to the activities of the task force is hectic, we know.

    “But, all things work for good, as I am sure the country will overcome all the challenges it is currently facing,” he said.

    He urged residents of Badagry and other border towns not to engage in smuggling of contranbands into the country through the border.

    He restated his commitment to the fulfillment of his electoral promises which included provision of water, road, schools and empowerment for youths in the border communities.

    “I am determined to make an impact in these areas through robust legislations and advocacy for the plight of our people,” said the lawmaker.

    NAN reports that the Customs Spokesman, Joseph Attah, had in a statement said that the joint border security exercise was being conducted in 25 states across the South-South, South-West, North-Central and North-West zones.

    He explained that the ongoing exercise was to tackle trans-border crimes and urged the public and travellers to go about their businesses without apprehension, stressing that “those with legitimate engagements should have nothing to be afraid of”.

    NAN reports that many travellers and vehicles were stranded for hours at Seme border post following the exercise as incoming travelers and vehicles were being thoroughly searched by additional security personnel drafted to the area.

    The joint border security exercise, code-named ‘Ex-Swift Response’, was ordered by the Federal Government and was aimed at securing Nigeria’s land and maritime borders.

    The exercise commenced last Tuesday and was being jointly conducted by the customs, immigration, police and military personnel and coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser. (NAN)

  • How MFM was born, by Olukoya

    The founder of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Olukoya, revealed that God gave him vision to start MFM when he was living in a one-bedroom rented apartment.

    Olukoya, who is now General Overseer, MFM Ministries (Worldwide), disclosed this on Saturday during the church’s 30th year anniversary and international convention holding at its Prayer City, along Lagos -Ibadan Expressway.

    He told the congregation during a sermon, he titled: “Rearranged for Revival”, which is also the theme of the convention, that: “I was sleeping in my one-room apartment in the Boys Quarters of a house located on Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, in 1977, when I heard a sharp voice. I then woke up and walked towards the door. But I did not see anybody.

    “Again, for the second time, the voice came and as wondered who it was, the Holy Spirit said: ‘son remember the call of Samuel’.

    “Then he started giving the covenant that led to the establishment of the MFM.”

    He also said, though he got the messages and the covenant from God, MFM was not founded until 12 years later.

    ‎According to a statement issued and made available to reporters by the spokesman to the General Overseer, Collins Edomaruse: “The convention, which opened for real spiritual activities, attracted hundreds of thousands of worshippers to the venue while millions of others are following the activities through the various alternative channels of the church.

    ‎”Today’s activities include three Manna Water prayer sessions, 30 prayer sessions and 30 deliverance sessions.

    “The convention kicked off on Friday evening‎. Worshippers, in their thousands from all over the world, who had arrived early for the convention were treated to a highly-anointed and spiritually-packed concert on Friday evening as a prelude to today’s service.”

    Unveiling the programme of the event last Sunday at the international headquarters, Lagos, General Overseer of MFM, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, said the Saturday programme will be laced with three Holy Ghost-packed Manna Water Services.

    He encouraged worshippers to come to the meeting with their bottles of water as they connect to the awesome power of the Holy Ghost.

    He said: “The Manna Water service is one the church’s inter-denominational services that attracts millions of worshippers all over the world.

    “Worshippers, during several of their testimonies on the Manna Water service, say longtime yokes, intractable ailments and foundational curses, among others, are broken during the services.

    Olukoya, speaking on the programme, also said the special convention will come to a close on Sunday with a thanksgiving service at the same venue.

  • Nigeria, Germany to partner on mechanised farming

    Nigerian Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA), have agreed to work together to revamp agribusiness and help Nigerian farmers engage in mechanised farming.

    Speaking at the weekend at the end of the investment workshop between NIRSAL and German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA) for local farmers in Abuja, NIRSAL Managing Director, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed, said “the relationship between NIRSAL and GAA is to bring equipment, technology and standard for Nigerian farmers.”

    Read Also: ‘Banditry killing farming, cattle breeding’

    Abdulhameed said Nigerian farmers need to be empowered in all ramifications, noting that “what NIRSAL is doing today is to ensure that all the risks in crop production have been eliminated or reduced to their minimum to ensure that farmers get good returns.” We need equipment capital, technology capital and the brain capital to be able to design and deliver projects and all these must be supported by government.”

    After the workshop, NIRSAL and GAA will sign a framework of understanding that will facilitate the broader agreement to be signed later. According to Abdulhameed, the partnership will see German equipment manufacturers bring samples to showcase for Nigerian farmers and demonstrate how to use them on their farms.

    The leader of German delegations, Frank Nordman, said the whole idea of the partnership is to assist Nigerian farmers to be able to produce enough food to feed the about 200 million local population as well as meeting European standard for food item export to Europe and other countries.

  • FG parastatal paid rent on own land for 50 years

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Managing Director, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, has revealed that the company has stopped paying rent on its land at the National Control Center (NCC), Oshogbo in Osun State.

    He recalled that the government had paid rent on it for 50 years but at the point of planning to install a SCADA in the center, it realised that it was inappropriate to install it in a rented property.

    He spoke at the Market Operator’s Participants Key Stakeholders 2019 3rd Quarter Interactive Forum in Abuja.

    While deciding to relocate the center, the TCN was told that the property on which it has paid rent in error for 50 years belonged to the federal government.

    This has culminated in the stoppage of further payments of rent on the property.

    He did not however disclose whether the government has plans to recover the fund from the private individuals that fraudulently collected its rent for five decades.

    Read Also: How we’re eliminating transmission losses, by TCN chief

    Mohammed said “For your information, for several years we have been operating our National Control Centre, Osogbo, the land we use is a rented land. We had been paying rent on that land for over 50 years. I am happy to announce that that land belongs to us and we are not paying rent again.”

    He said that all the company’s contracts must now be completed within 18 to 24 months, stressing that “we don’t need politics. We need infrastructure.”

    He debunked the claim that the TCN was not considering local contractors in its award of contracts.

    The TCN boss noted that the management would not respect local content to reencounter what led to the “problem that caused us to have 800 containers stranded in the ports; we cannot repeat it.”

    Mohammed threatened that the company would charge any contractor that fails to complete his project in record time liquidated damage.

    Following the failure of Nigeria to install a SCADA after three attempts, the company has now accepted a zero knowledge of it and decided to sign a bond with 15 staff to undergo training on SCADA abroad no matter the cost. The staff, in line with the bond, must serve the company for five years, he said.

    The Market Operator of the TCN, Engr. Edmund Ejie, disclosed that the Federal Government has approved N600billion that would be injected into the nation’s electricity market.

    He said that the fund is ripe for disbursement any moment from now.

  • Kano governorship tussle: I did not cancel disputed election results says INEC returning officer

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer who superintend over Kano State Governorship Election, in Nassarwa Local Government, Professor Ibrahim Khaleel, has dismissed the allegations of issues of over voting and violence attributed to the cancellation of outcome of the elections in Gama Ward.

    The university don, who appeared before the State Election Petition Tribunal, on subpoena, said there were no formal reports of cases of violence and over voting during the governorship election held on March 9th in Gama Ward.

    According to him, the INEC Returning Officer assigned to Gama only failed to reconcile the results scored by the gubernatorial contestants, disclosing that twice, he gave injunction to the ward Returning Officer to reconcile the discrepancies evident in the ward results.

    Khaleel said “I did not receive a formal report about the violence in Gama; I did not cancel the results in Gama ward.”

    Read Also: Kano guber tussle: no case to answer – Ganduje

    Earlier, Khaleel told the judicial panel that “Hon Farouk Lawan and some others stood on me, which was intimidating, and the collation hall was crowded; some people came from behind me, I did not see their faces to know who they were, then pandemonium broke out.

    “I ran out of the building and took cover, later we relocated to the state collation centre for safety,” the court heard.

    He also said: “There were gunshots, there was chaos and the electoral documents were carted away by one Dr. Umar Tanko Yakasai, who was my former student, I know very well.”

    The presiding judge, Justice Halima Shamaki, ordered the matter adjourned to August 26th for continuation of hearing.

    Meanwhile, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has described the suit filed by Abba Kabiru Yusuf of the PDP challenging his March 2019 victory as lacking in burden of proof.

    Ganduje said his PDP rivals have failed to establish their burden of proof before the tribunal.

    The counsel representing Ganduje, Ibrahim Mukthar, reacting to questions from judicial reporters at the Miller road court complex said the Ganduje camp is far from being under pressure to counter the allegations filed by the petitioners.

  • Buhari: Slavery still exists – we must take action

    To mark August 23rd, which has been declared International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition by the UN, President Muhammadu Buhari published an opinion in the Washington Post newspaper.

    Four centuries ago, the first 20 documented African slaves arrived on the shores of Virginia. In the years that followed, millions more were shipped in dehumanizing conditions across the ocean and enslaved. Slavery had, of course, existed before. But this indicated the beginning of a mechanised trade that saw human beings reduced to property on an unprecedented scale.

    Despite the fact that descendants of African slaves have made valuable contributions across society, they are still dealing with the effects of this poisonous legacy. They still have to navigate its everyday manifestations, such as discrimination, racism or lack of access to resources and opportunities. This must not be overlooked or forgotten.

    Yet, as we reflect on this day, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, it is clear slavery did not only thrive then. It still thrives today. Across the world it is estimated there are as many as 40 million men, women and children living in forced servitude. They are the industrial victims of a business many believe was abolished hundreds of years ago. They are the modern enslaved.

    Their exploitation appears in many guises, though usually unrecognized as slavery. Many victims are unseen, hidden beneath opaque supply chains. Others are hidden in plain sight, entrapped by circumstances that rob them of autonomy. In any case, their labour, often dangerous, is no product of choice, and its conditions are self-perpetuating.

    Read Also: Modern slavery still prevalent in Nigeria – Osinbajo

    In Africa, its modern forms include debt bondage, the enslavement of war captives, commercial sexual exploitation and forced domestic servitude. Holding people held against their will, controlling their movements and forcing them to work for the sole profit of others – wherever they are – is slavery today and always.

    The abolitionists of the 19th century succeeded more than any before: By working to extinguish the transatlantic slave trade that had claimed 15 million victims, they laid the groundwork to ensure it did not manufacture millions more. But their work is not done. We must take up their examples as we forge a path forward to eliminate modern-day slavery in all its forms.

    Slavery, once again, has become entwined in the global economy – and it is largely unseen. For instance, most of us might know in principle that the mining of cobalt crucial to our smartphones might have used forced labour. But what do we know of those that experience it? Just as personal testimony and resulting public pressure led to the passing of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in Britain in 1807, these stories must be told and used to inform policy. Once heard, they can elevate visceral reactions, driving the public pressure needed to ensure the application of anti-slavery laws.

    One distinction from then and now is important: the costs. From records, adjusted for today’s prices, the cost of a human-being-as-property was valued on average at $40,000. Today, it is just $90, sometimes even lower. We must remember that slavery is not simply a campaign of hatred; it is the pursuit of profit. One way to extinguish it in its current forms, therefore, is to make it economically unfeasible. This means making sure that any anti-slavery laws have bite, come with strong penalties and are enforced.

    It is also vital to have a robust tip-off and reporting system. Where this once meant detecting ships, today the signs are less conspicuous. The public must be shown how to see what is hidden in plain sight, particularly signs of suspicious behaviour. This might seem broad. But vagueness should not give rise to reluctance to report anything that could be smuggling or forced servitude. If something doesn’t look right, report it, for you could be securing another human’s freedom.

    In Nigeria, our anti-trafficking agency has rolled out the “Not for Sale” campaign to protect against the deceptions of human smugglers, helping those who might be vulnerable to false promises see through the ruse and say no. These prevention programmes are crucial.

    The appearance of slavery today might have changed. The institution has not. There are no radical solutions to conjure, only political will. But on this, we can learn from the past, the shadows in which modern slavery proliferates today.

    It is not enough to mark this 400th anniversary. We must use it as a platform to eliminate slavery in all its present-day forms. We should reflect in memory to find a better future, one that should ensure freedom for all.