The Nation Newspaper

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  • Onitsha set for Ofala festival

    The Onitsha Kingdom in Southeast Nigeria is agog with excitement as the commercial town awaits the Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty, Nnaemeka Achebe, to flag off the activities of 2019 edition of the annual Ofala festival.

    Globacom is the major corporate sponsor of the event, and has been doing so for the past eight years, a phenomenon that has helped to upscale the festival to a world class tourism event.

    The  main  Ofala features a  display  of royal dances, tributes, parades and music running  over two days commencing on  October 11 till 12. However, the activities of the festival has now been increased to include other events, to make it 10 days of unstoppable fun and entertainment for both visitors and residents.

    A joint statement by the Ofala Steering Committee and Globacom, explained that the 2019 Ofala events will now include the Onitsha City Marathon, organised by the Onitsha Business School. The 21-kilometre road race has been  approved by both the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

    Read Also: Ooni of Ife goes into seclusion as Olojo festival commences

    This takes place on Saturday, October 5 and  renowned international marathoners, particularly from countries with road racing records like Kenya, Ethiopia, Ugandan and  Diaspora Nigerian elite athletes, have registered for the event.

    The marathon will be followed by the Oreze Arts  VII, a group art exhibition promoted by His Majesty’s Chimedie Museum Trust Foundation and supported by the National Gallery of Art. The works of  250 artists  from various parts of the world are planned to be on display  at the show, which will run from October 9 to  October 13.  Frank Ugiomoh, Professor of Art History and Theory, Department of Fine Art and Design, University of Port Harcourt, will be the special guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the art exhibition.  A panel discussion  on the ‘Role of Art in Community Enlightenment, Cohesion and Development’ will form part of the exhibition.

    Panel lists include Tayo Adenaike, Obiora Anidi, and Nneka Odoh. Others are art collector Hakeem Adedeji, and art curator Iheanyi Onwuegbucha.

    About 2000 persons are expected to participate in the Ofala Youth Carnival, which is scheduled for Thursday, October10. Now in its seventh year, the carnival holds under the auspices of the Onitsha Ado Youth Council and showcases the rich cultural heritage of Onitsha.

    The activities will be rounded off with a Royal Banquet, organised by Globacom in honour of the Obi of Onitsha. The banquet will be held at the Dolly Hills Hotel, Onitsha, on Monday, October 14.

  • Holy cow!

    Nothing demonstrates the state of our democracy at independence like the cow, and the drama in Ondo State. The episode hit everyone in the country like a jolt.

    The cows wanted to graze. The lush, green fields appetised the herds. The sky was soft and blue. Witnesses deny a cloudburst was in the offing. No one, not the herdsman, saw any omen in the heavens. They mooed and mulled to the mountain for a refuge of food and comfort.

    The gods thought otherwise. The locals warned, just as the custodian of the deity. It was forbidden ground, don’t go there. But temptation often overpowers the senses. The cow shall not live by words, but by every blade of grass that lodges in the jaw.

    Against the warning, they went. All 36 of them. It has a highland, close enough to the finger fury of the gods. Before they knew it, the sky opened with rage. Lightning flashed, thunderstorms roared, and all 36 fell. It was not like T.S Eliot’s A Journey of The Magi,  whose wayfarers knew “a cold morning they had of it/ just the worst time of the year.”

    The locals, and not a few Nigerians, believe the bovine tragedy was a case of divine revenge. The animals died. But the humans survived. Some have looked at it not from the scientific point of view. The study of geography shows that cows should be wary of grazing on mountains. One, it is close to the tempest of the sky. Two, they are often too exposed to get shelter, except trees which are actually traps of nature. You cannot avoid the storm by going under the tree. You should avoid the tree instead.

    Superstition or not, some have said, aha, this is the solution to the herdsmen crisis. Let us import the gods of Ijare Hills – sounds like Soyinka’s Idanre Hills – and send them to the farms of states of Plateau, Enugu, Nasarawa, Mambilla, Benue, et al, and dare the bandits.

    What happened was the spiritual equivalent of the abattoir. The bovine train did not need prodding. No lashes, no grumbles, no coercion. A Golgotha with a smooth trail. They mooed along of their own volition. The gods beguiled them to the pasture. A voluntary submission. They obeyed for the sacrifice. It was also different from the gas chambers of the Nazi era, where the Jews and Gypsies knew that it was death by incineration. When the gods struck, there was no mistake. The gods don’t shoot to miss. They fell all their targets. The spiritual abattoir is more to be dreaded than the familiar ones.

    Except that it is not the cows that the people loathe in the farmers-herders crisis. It is the owners, not the cows. After all, even the custodians or priests of the gods also crave the temptation of a cow meal. Yet, not a hair of the herder died. According to all reports, it is the herder who harasses. They do the reconnaissance, they wield the guns, they mow, maul and destroy. They simply lead the cows along.

    Here again, it is a story of how as a nation we always go after the wrong targets. We destroy what we should preserve. It is a metaphor of how we waste human resources, as we have done in the past 59 years. From day one, the prodigal has been our first principle. What have we preserved? Cocoa, groundnut pyramid, palm produce, rubber, crude oil, human talent?  As William Wordsworth noted in his poem, “The world is too much with us/ Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”

    But the herdsman is the proper Nigerian, especially the elite. We do not respect rules, or the rule of law. They were warned to stay away from the hallowed ground. But greed overrides propriety. Just as we have not followed the rules in mining our resources across the 36 states, so the 36 cows symbolise the states of the federation. All of them fall to meaningless squander. It is Illegal bunkering on crude oil and gangsters of mineral resources. In agriculture, it is corruption. We import to kill the local farmer. Let us look forward in hope to see what we shall make of the border closures, which I support if we can turn it into policy to galvanise local productivity.

    It is the same lack of respect for the rule of law that makes a Sowore to remain in detention in spite of court order, or Sambo Dasuki – no hero – to still squeak in silence. The herdsman is the elite. The cows, the masses of sort. When the storm comes, the elites have a way of escape.

    He is safe, and all he needs is to tap into resources and start again, with a fresh consignment for plunder, or recruit new people for his schemes. The herdsman here represents the Nigerian state, as well, who leads the people astray.

    They have no sense of justice, or vision to see what dangers lie ahead because they know that, somehow, they will always survive. The herdsman is no hero of his flock. He does not have the fidelity or empathy of Christ, who said if he loses one sheep he would leave the others and go after the lost one and make sure there is one sheep, one shepherd. Our leaders lead the flock to doom.

    It is a lack of vision, and that has flourished darkly in our lack of grasp of systems. We have debated whether we should retain the presidential or Westminster system, as though we have not tasted both. The parliamentary system led us to civil war and bloodletting of siblings. The supporters say it is cheaper. Bunkum. It is not the system that it is cheap or expensive. It is Nigerians that are spendthrift. Unlike the presidential system with many rules, the parliamentary system anticipates the good conduct of the practitioners. Good conduct is a casualty with Nigerian politicians. Take for instance, if Nigeria faced a knotty case like BREXIT,  the republic would have collapsed. But it is the level-headedness of the political elite in Britain that has maintained a brilliant chaos in the country. Ours led to civil war. The French, even the Russians, accept a mix, so that that the strong office of the president can rein in the parliament’s tendency to anarchy.

    The presidency was tested when Yar-adua took ill, and we almost lost this republic but for the intervention of a strong system the made us appeal to the doctrine of necessity. The parliamentary system would have given us a death warrant.

    The bovine episode also reflects the failure of the ecclesiastical order in the land. It is a land of worshippers, but not a land of progress. We believe but are not redeemed. The church leaders, Islamic clerics and juju priests have always been factors in our land, but they have never come through. Rather they leave us a mess, sometimes worse.

    Now, what is left of Ijare matter but stench. There is plenty of meat, but they are all rotten. The gods will not clear them. Locals are staying away because the frowzy air threatens their peace. The state government has nothing to do with it, but the locals want the government to clear them. Will they need special auspices from the gods before government workers can dispose of the dead cows? Even the traditional ruler visits it once a year and after special permission. We don’t want any tragedy in which lightning strikes the workers. It will need an extra dip into government revenue to clear the mess the gods have made.

    Of course, the locals fear diseases. It is not enough for the carcasses to fall in the wilderness. It is whether we can survive them.

    This is how we waste our wealth. At 59, Nigerian leaders have a cow lesson.

  • ‘N1.6tr shortfall caused power crisis’

    Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) at the weekend blamed the woes in the power sector on N1.6 trillion shortfall.

    The Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributiors (ANED), Mr Sunday Oduntan, in a telephone interview, said it would be wrong to accuse a segment of the value chain of  causing the challenges in the sector.

    According to him, the shortfall accumulated over a period of time.

    “The entire sector is battling a shortfall of N1.6 trillion, which represents the revenues that are supposed to have come to the operators in the value chain namely the power generation companies (GenCos), energy distribution firms and others.

    “Of the three key stakeholders in the sector, DisCos operate as the collectors of the funds or money in the sector.I disagree with figures that are not true, but are being bandied about in the sector because they are not true,” he said.

    The Federal Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Siemens, a German firm, to produce 25, 000 megawatts (Mw) for the country, over a period.

    This is being done that the issue would put an end to power outage in the country.

    Currently, the sector is experiencing low productivity, occasioned by problems such as funding, shortage of gas, deficiencies of equipment used in transmitting electricity to the energy distributors and accumulated bills.

  • Toyota to raise stake in Subaru to 20 per cent

    Toyota Motor Corporation said it will raise its stake in Subaru Corp to 20 per cent from 16.8 per cent to boost the companies’ joint development of advanced technology for autonomous and electric vehicles.

    The increased stake will make Toyota’s 14-year-old partner into its equity-method affiliate, meaning the Japanese auto giant will see Subaru’s earnings incorporated into its consolidated financial statements.

    Under a deal struck by the two automakers, Subaru also plans to acquire a stake in Toyota worth 80 billion yen ($741 million), equivalent to the largest Japanese automaker’s additional investment in the smaller partner.

    They will buy each other’s shares through the stock market or direct transactions between them as soon as approval is secured from competition authorities.

    Toyota has been stepping up efforts to consolidate its ties with smaller rivals and tech giants such as SoftBank Group Corp to respond to a shift in consumer demand for electric, connected and self-driving vehicles.

    Toyota agreed in late August with Suzuki Motor Corp on a capital tie-up to jointly work on autonomous vehicles.

    Toyota formed an alliance with Subaru, formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, in 2005 after purchasing shares from General Motors Co.

    Toyota and Subaru have since cooperated in vehicle development, production and sales. Toyota is already the largest shareholder in Subaru.

    As part of their cooperation, they began selling their jointly developed sports car, branded by Toyota as the 86 and Subaru the BRX, in 2012.

    In June, the carmakers said they will jointly develop an electric sports utility vehicle to be sold under each company’s name by the mid-2020s in the United States.

    Subaru is also among major Japanese automakers that have invested in a self-driving technology startup Monet Technologies Inc, jointly established by Toyota and SoftBank Corp.

  • SMBLF’s new angst

    A body that calls itself the Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) just came out with fresh fears over the National Livestock Transformational Plan (NLTP) and a proposed piece of legislation, the National Waterways Bill.

    But with its clear fixation with “Fulani” Armageddon,  which  appears to have captured and thoroughly eaten up its psyche, it is doubtful if this body is not driven more by a mere bogey, than by sound reason or even common sense.

    The National Economic Council (NEC) just endorsed the implementation of NLTP (voluntary to states); while the National Inland Waterway Bill is before the National Assembly for processing.  But SMBLF opposes both because of anti-Fulani hysterics.

    As far as the body is concerned, there is no fundamental difference between the NLTP and the RUGA project earlier shot down, despite ample explanation that the NLTP was much more robust; captures almost the entire animal husbandry value chain; seeks to modernize livestock farming; and to halt open grazing, which has led to farmer-herders conflicts, consuming thousands of lives.

    But SMBLF is predicting nothing but more Armageddon.  It declared: NLTP “will only escalate the clashes between the indigenous communities and cattle settlers as experiences in southern and Middle Belt areas of Nigeria have shown that the Fulani imports do not assimilate …”

    On the bill, the SMBLF thunders: “the Waterways Bill is another land-grabbing move like RUGA by ethnic supremacists who are working against the unity of the country. Major rivers in Nigeria can be made available, by federal law if the bill is passed to Fulani pastoralists and there is nothing the indigenous people within such vicinities can do about it.”

    How the irony of this statement escaped the SMBLF beggars belief.  It dubs others “ethnic supremacists”.  Yet, its own very words, in this release, ooze ethnic supremacism, fired by blind hate!  That exposes a disturbing Freudian slip, which projects the body as no better, in basic principle and temper, than the Fulani it scalds and loves to hate!  Besides, its explosive and emotive diction is a threat to “national unity”.

    A harvest of hate helps no one. Such blighted activism only pollutes the ethnic waters and breeds needless tension; which could yet lead to more loss of lives.

    SMBLF is at liberty to criticize policies.  But it should do so with facts and figures, not scalding hate.  It has projected too much ethnic toxins in the Nigeria cultural air, such that no one is sure if it hadn’t even planted a huge seed of future ethnic slaughter.  Yet, no people develop, nursing perpetual grudges and hate.

    Let SMBLF — a presumptive pressure group with no elective mandate — switch to a saner path, of hard reason, love and tolerance.

    It started wishing to be part of the solution.  But now, it has clearly become a part of the problem.  The tragedy is it can’t even see it!

  • Closing agric sector’s skills gap to boost production

    Globally, the future of large scale agriculture lies in the adoption and integration of modern technology to boost food production. Consequently, there is need for more skilled and qualified workforce to adopt and make use of budding tech innovations designed to boost food production. The increasing demand for tech-savvy specialists across the food production value chain has put authorities in agric sector on their toes. Already, efforts to equip the next generation of Nigerians with relevant skills have taken centre stage, Agriculture Correspondent, DANIEL ESSIET, reports.

    For Nigeria’s agric sector, a new dawn beckons. This is coming on the strength of a strategic partnership between Nigeria and Morocco in the provision of quality education, research, and training to support a world-class fertiliser industry.

    It was learnt that as part of this promising collaboration between both countries, at least, three Nigerians are already participating in an International Masters in Fertiliser Management Programme in Ben Guerir, Morocco.

    One of the lucky participants, Mr. Nnaemeka Odionye, is currently being exposed to new automation technologies designed to boost productivity in the agricultural sector, from software that can assist with early pest detection, robotics, and artificial intelligence systems to grow crops,

    Odionye is optimistic that his training will prepare him for the job of the future, especially in Nigeria where the adoption and integration of modern technology to boost food production has become imperative.

    Speaking, an expectant Odionye confirmed that he and other post-graduate students enrolled in Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco, are exposed to world class education that will equip them to pursue global careers in agriculture.

    “We are exposed to several agricultural and food industry technologies e.g. fertigation (when nutrients are incorporated into irrigation water) and precision agriculture (the use of technology to obtain environmental and crop data so as to deliver the right dose of nutrients to plants to increase productivity),” he said.

    He also said the university’s laboratories are equipped with lots of equipment for real time analysis.

    He said: “I am also aware that new laboratories are being set up for the new masters’ students in molecular biology.

    “Academically, it has also been fantastic. The curriculum, seminars, workshops and teaching aids are well tailored to meet the programme’s description. The laboratories are as good as you find in prestigious universities in the world, with cutting edge technologies to carry out the latest research in soil fertilisation and related fields.”

    Under the partnership, graduates under the agriculture faculty also deal with automation in agriculture and the demand for technology in greenhouses. They are taught how to use robotics and automation in greenhouses to create a positive impact on the sector and emerging technologies, including robotic harvesters and decision support systems.

    These must be why Odionye described the programme as “a game changer.” According to him, the opportunity for networking has been awesome, as he and he and other participants have had the opportunity of meeting experts not only in the fertiliser industry, but in the global food industry.

    He also said UM6P is the only school in the world with a specific programme in fertiliser science and technology. “I believe the opportunities out there for us are limitless. I have developed a passion to contribute to reducing global hunger and poverty.

    “I intend to increase small holder farmer’s income in Nigeria and Africa by improving fertiliser use efficiency through the recommendation of specific soil nutrients for different regions and crop varieties across Africa,” Odionye said.

    Toyib Aremu, another beneficiary of the Nigeria/Morocco partnership, is also enjoying a full scholarship at the Moroccan university. He said he hopes to deploy knowledge gained from the programme to help revolutionise Nigeria’s agriculture and enhance food security.

    According to him, the school brings international academics and industry experts to take participants through various aspects of tech innovation in the agric sector. He added that studying with students from other African countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Uganda, Malawi, Liberia, Rwanda and Morocco exposed him to the cultures of other people.

    Aremu said UM6P, which is funded by the state-owned Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP), provides an example for Nigeria in terms of building quality human capital and equipping the next generation of Nigerians with in-demand skills at the tertiary education level.

    He said although, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is currently sponsoring students abroad, he is looking forward to a time when it will invest more in local institutions.

    Aremu said such investment was necessary because tech innovation in agric had the potential to drive Nigeria and indeed, Africa’s economic transformation through more formal and efficient smallholder farmer value chains. It will also reduce food imports and increase agric exports.

    Odionye and Aremu personify the renewed thinking by industry experts and authorities in the agric sector in favour of the adoption and integration of modern technology to boost food production. This,  it was gathered, is in line with global trend that supports skilled and qualified workforce to adopt and make use of budding tech innovations to boost food production.

    Experts speak

    For instance, the Director-General, Premier Agribusiness Academy, Mr. Toromade Francis, said agric businesses are increasingly looking to groom future specialists, especially at a time when technology is disrupting businesses faster than companies can cope with.

    Francis, who spoke at a forum in Lagos, noted that the integration of technology into agriculture industries is already having a significant effect on the sector in terms of both the structure of the workforce and the increase in productivity that tech innovations facilitate.

    According to him, technology is a significant factor in increasing the industry’s ability to grow more food. As a result, there is a big demand for specialists across the agricultural production systems with skills in managing the technological system used in food production.

    Francis said attaining a high level of skill in the new redefined specialties could be the best way to secure a dynamic, rewarding career in the future.

    He said the agric industry needs professionals exposed to efficient operating practices, new technologies, and increased levels of partnership and collaboration across the supply chain.

    Francis said employers are hungry for well-trained supply chain graduates, with skills that are continually growing and changing, adding that technology is having greater impact on agribusinesses.

    The Country Manager, HarvestPlus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, also in the agric sector, said there are many Nigerians who lack the technical proficiency needed to do certain jobs.

    According to him, this is despite the fact that the agric sector presents tremendous opportunities for personal, enterprise and national growth and development.

    This is more so considering the fact that as more companies expand globally, they are also increasing their international assignments and relying on expatriates to manage their global operations.

    The belief is that there is a labour market failure that results, in part, from the accelerating rate of change in the global economy–making it harder for the skills supply system to keep up with rapidly changing demand.

    According to development experts, the education and training system continue to turn out graduates whose skills are not always a match for available opportunities.

    While there is shortage of locals to help international companies successfully launch new ventures and gain advantage over competitors, most of them generally bring in their own experts from other locations to lead projects on a short-term basis, rather than rely on local talent.

    This is perhaps, why Ilona noted that the Nigerian economy is currently experiencing a structural and long-term talent development issue. This is not limited to Nigeria though, as most countries in Africa are facing the same challange.

    Impulse accelerator programme to the rescue

    An international non-profit organisation, Mass Challenge and UM6P in Ben Guerir, Morocco, has launched the “Impulse Accelerator Programme” to support start-ups in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

    The global programme aims to pool resources, integrate and accelerate start-up projects the incubator will be fostering across the continent. It was designed to equip young entrepreneurs with the skills set to develop and grow start-ups.

    Impulse Programme Director, Adnane Soulimani, said: “The programme was dedicated to start-up businesses, fostering innovation and supporting entrepreneurs with their projects through its acceleration programme.”

    The programme is going to groom African start-ups and create opportunities for talented Nigerian and international students interested in tech jobs.

    Soulimani said the programme was determined to instil entrepreneurial spirit through outreach programmes in different parts of Africa where youths will be exposed to inspirational talks and workshops teaching skills necessary for entrepreneurship.

    The start-up journey, under the guidance of seasoned entrepreneurs and network of corporate partners and investors, doesn’t only give students and graduates the confidence required to jump-start their entrepreneurial ambition, but also helps position their venture for long- term success.

    It was gathered that Morocco’s tech sector has matured radically, especially in agri-tech, which has skyrocketed in the region. With new start-up incubators and accelerators, the north African country has made a name for itself as Africa’s start-up powerhouse.

    Performance Manager, OCP SA, Sara Sabor, said the goal was not only to open up possibilities for entrepreneurs, but also cultivate a new generation of active job creators rather than job seekers.

    According to her, Morocco has made significant economic and social progress, which has raised the aspirations of Moroccans, especially its young people.

    OCP, she noted, was investing in youths to ensure they have the skills needed to drive the economic transformation, while unleashing the job-creating dynamism of the private sector.

    The immediate past Director, Agriculture School, UM6P, and coordinator of Agro Biosciences Research in Benguerir, Morocco, Prof. Faouzi Bekkaoui, said with more mouths to feed, the need to churn out more innovators to work in crop agriculture has never been more compelling.

    He said there is the urgent need for African countries to figure out how to grow more food faster, with fewer resources, by developing new technologies to scale up the planet’s food production mechanisms on a sustainable basis.

    Bekkaoui believes the country and the rest of Africa need competent hands to facilitate production of high-value crops. And to help the continent achieve this, he said the university created an agriculture department.

    According to him, the department includes a new school of agriculture, fertiliser and environment sciences (ESAFE), focused on both education and research, alongside an experimental farm featuring a 110-hectare living lab in Benguerir, with nurseries and greenhouses.

    To create tailor-made solutions adapted to the diversity of all African soils, the institution is also creating an experimental farm in Yamoussoukro in the Ivory Coast, while also exploring similar centres in different areas in the continent.

    The goal of ESAFE, according to Bekkaoui, was to train students and professionals in agriculture who will contribute to food security by advancing research and improving fertiliser, crop products, water and soil management.

    According to him, the Executive Master’s Programme in Fertiliser Science and Technology has been developed in collaboration with the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC), alongside contributions from the International Plant Nutrition Institute, the University of Georgia and Morocco’s OCP.

    The aim, he explained, was to give employees a thorough understanding of all aspects of the fertiliser industry.

    An important pillar of the university’s agricultural research is an ongoing project to analyse and map soils in countries throughout Africa to better understand their needs and help make more appropriate fertiliser for them.

    Under a pact with African universities, teachers and professionals across the country are benefitting from world class educational investment, gaining tangible, in-demand skills and knowledge that will re-shape the country’s workforce and boost economic growth.

    Commenting on the multi-year partnership agreement the OCP sealed with IFDC and UM6P, OCP Chairman and CEO Mostafa Terrab said: “This important partnership with IFDC confirms and advances our ambition to mobilise world-class resources in research and innovation for the benefit of Africa in general.”

    For President and CEO of IFDC, Albin Hubscher, the partnership “will accelerate the development and large-scale production of more efficient fertiliser to increase smallholder productivity and incomes while respecting the environment.”

    He added that the partnership was unique because it invests in public good, which is the building of the next generation of African scientists and professionals to drive the growth of the agric sector and feed the continent.

    The collaboration will develop science-based interventions, produce a large body of scientific publications, and create the next generation of trans-disciplinary trained scientists who can bridge the gap between science and implementation.

    Digital jobs

    This is a $100 million initiative by the Rockefeller Foundation that seeks to impact the lives of one million people in six African countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, and Egypt.

    The initiative does this by catalysing Information Communications Technology (ICT)-enabled employment and skills training for high-potential African youth who would not otherwise have access to sustainable employment.

    Launched in 2013, the initiative works in close partnership with stakeholders from the private sector, government, civil society, and the development community.

    In partnership with the Digital Jobs Africa Initiative, the World Bank has undertaken a number of activities to increase and enhance opportunities for digital job creation in Africa.

    This includes the development of an Information Technology (IT) park in Ghana, capacity building for digitilisation of public records, and online work/micro-work awareness building and training in Nigeria.

    Experts say the recipe for success in the country lies in its ability to increase investments in innovation, equip the workforce with relevant skills, produce higher-value goods and services, and expand trade.

    This, according to them, means ensuring that Nigerians, particularly youths, are well prepared to succeed as skilled workers and entrepreneurs in an increasingly digital and global economy.

    The consensus is that if the country does not address her talent and skills gap, it could cost the economy billions loss productivity, tax revenues, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    In other words, it has become imperative to address the skills gap, if the country wants to secure its place as a competitive player in the global economy.

    To make this happen, the Chief Executive, Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, Bankole Oloruntoba, believes the widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies would create employment opportunities across the supply chain.

    According to him, there is the need for policy makers and businesses to recognise the broad socio-economic opportunities and benefits that renewables can bring.

    Indeed, globally, the renewable sector employed 11 million people at the end of 2018, according to the sixth edition of the Renewable Energy and Jobs series of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

  • Making ACJA work

    • This is a task that must be done by judges and lawyers, to save their profession

    The excitement that greeted the emergence of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) has dampened because of its limited success in ensuring speedy trial of cases. An investigation conducted by this paper  showed that one case has lasted for 829 working days, without a final judgment. This is despite the several provisions in the ACJA to ensure trials don’t last for more than few months.

    One of such provisions is section 396(3) of the ACJA which provides: “upon arraignment the trial of the defendant shall proceed from day-to-day until the conclusion of the trial.” Sub-section 4 provides: “where day-to-day trial is impracticable after arraignment, no party shall be entitled to more than five adjournments from arraignment to final judgment; provided always that the interval between each adjournment shall not exceed 14 working days.”

    There are other provisions geared towards ensuring that our criminal justice system operates in accordance with world best practice. Unfortunately, despite these laudable provisions, the criminal justice system is still steeped in embarrassing delays. So, what could be the cause of this negation of the laudable objects of the ACJA? According to some commentators, the judges and lawyers are responsible for the delays. Others are however of the opinion that the provisions are impracticable, even as some called for increase in the number of judges to reduce the number of cases a judge handles.

    While all of the adduced reasons may be responsible for the crisis in the criminal justice sector, we urge the legislature, the executive and the judiciary to find answers to the challenges facing our criminal justice system. After all, it is commonly agreed that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. Of course, it must be appreciated that in a criminal trial, justice is three-pronged: to the victim, to the state and to the accused person. So, all parties, we guess, lose when a trial is perennially prolonged.

    But of all the parties, it is the society that loses most. Among those accused of causing the delay, it is the judges and lawyers that owe the responsibility to the society to ensure that criminal trials are expeditiously carried out. After all, the courts are their primary place of business, and if the society should lose faith in the sanctity of the courts, they stand to lose more than any other group. They also stand in the best stead to ensure obedience to the letter and spirit of the law. Of course, they are primarily in charge of affairs in the court, and are responsible for the procedure therein.

    Between them, they can ensure that the delays become a thing of the past. On their part, the legislators can look out for the loopholes in the law that are being exploited and block them. They can enact laws to sanction judges and lawyers who flout any of the important provisions of the act. They can also ensure that judges are well remunerated, and if necessary provide the resources to ensure that more judges are appointed, so that courts are not overcrowded with cases.

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria has just lamented that the judiciary is not independent with regards to the resources needed. Clearly, the solution lies with the executive and the legislature, after all, while one appropriates, the other dispenses. The conference of judges and the Nigerian Bar Association should also weigh in to improve the ACJA. They can recommend necessary amendments that can curb the current abuses. As we stated earlier, apart from the general society, the two stand to lose most if the judicial system collapses.

  • Osinbajo and the hounds

    Sir: You can accuse Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of being ‘’down-to-earth’’, considering his pint-size. You can also accuse him of intellectual exuberance, but you cannot tack corruption to him. It will not stick.

    Over the years, the maelstrom of anger against Osinbajo has widened. The reason for this, perhaps, is the perception by some Nigerians that he is not standing up enough for his own – the Christian fold and the south – when it matters. Another reason is the amplification of this perception by some members of the opposition who deploy propaganda to ‘’divisive finale’’.

    As matter of fact, the vice-president often appears to be singled out for remonstrance for the lapses and controversial policies of the administration.

    For example, in June, the vice-president was reported to have told Nigerians in New York that Nigeria had about 112.7million people living in extreme poverty as of 2010 – this was in response to reports of the country becoming the world poverty capital under Buhari.

    One of those who drew blood from Osinbajo on account of this was Reno Omokri.

    Really, social media has made it facile to sculpt perceptions. All it takes is for a stentorian voice, with a strong capacity for babble, to make pronouncements on an issue or an individual, and the mob, which operates without the ‘’encephalon’’, go to town and bleat.

    It is understandable that there are high expectations of Osinbajo being a man of the robe. But the tendency to diminish him for standing in support of the administration he serves is an act of sanctimony.

    I think, by being a strong support to Buhari, Osinbajo is giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Also, before the Ruga programme was pigeonholed, Osinbajo took much of the obloquy for the controversial initiative, even though he had nothing to do with it; he was already working on the National Livestock Transformation Plan with the governors of the 36 states.

    The vice-president, eventually, had to issue a statement dissociating himself from Ruga to get the hounds off.

    In addition, there is the perception that he is not doing enough or not exerting enough pressure on the administration to secure the release of Leah Sharibu, a Christian girl in Boko Haram captivity.

    It is characteristic of our brand of politics, for political actors to casually tag other actors as corrupt even when there is no evidence. Nigeria’s politics is where good and competent men and women get into, and become sectioned as part of the vacuous, predatory corrupt class. The reason most Nigerians with the aptitude for leadership do not go into politics is for fear of the ‘’tag’’.

    Even the principled Oby Ezekwesili was not spared of scandals after bravely stepping into the molten magna that is Nigeria’s politics. Allegations of diverting N153 million campaign funds rippled when she decided to back out of the 2019 presidential contest.

    One thing is certain; the hawks are hovering over Osinbajo in Aso Rock.  He himself admitted that there are saboteurs working against the government. These recent allegations may be a furtherance of the artifice of those hawks.

    • Fredrick Nwabufo, fredricknwabufo@yahoo.com>

  • Old Mutual rewards customers

    Old Mutual General Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Old Mutual Limited and Premium African Financial Services Group, has launched Double Awoof campaign on its Comprehensive Motor Insurance policy in furtherance of its resolve to deepen market penetration and reward its loyal customers,

    The company’s ‘Double Awoof’ loyalty programme, which began on August 27, 2019, will last till November 8, 2019. The loyalty programme rewards policyholders by slashing the cost of procuring comprehensive motor insurance cover to 2.5 per cent on vehicles and doubles the reward with an instant gift of a Total Service Station’s fuel voucher of up to N30,000.

    The Executive Head, Marketing, Old Mutual, Alero Ladipo, who made this known in a statement explained that for a vehicle owner whose car is valued at N2 million, the instant fuel voucher is N5,000 to keep the vehicle moving during the ember months.

    This, according to her, is an addition to the 25 per cent discount of the premium.

    She said: “The brand’s move to reward its growing customer base was borne out of the firm commitment to the Nigerian insurance market. We understand the importance of comprehensive car insurance to Nigerians especially during the last quarter of the year, when there is a spike in travel activities, heightened insecurity and other associated risks.

    “While we believe that it is critical for everyone to buy an insurance policy for their cars, we also consider it thoughtful to give back to policyholders who buy our Comprehensive Motor Insurance policy. So, it is really about buying a great product at a discount and getting rewarded at the same time,” she said.

  • Nigeria: Groping in the dark

    SIR: Today, Nigeria is stuck in the mud of underdevelopment because it hasn’t been led by its best politicians since it became a independent country. A country’s development is intrinsically linked to the quality of leadership provided to the citizens by its national leader. The economies of Malaysia, Singapore, and other great Asian countries had been leapfrogged to a dizzying great height because their leaders possess ideologies, moral probity, and leadership qualities. A good political leader, who is a visionary, imagines the type of country he wants, and works assiduously and patriotically to build that country.

    So, during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first coming as civilian president, millions of Nigerians thought him to be the Messiah, who would revamp our economy, evolve our own technological culture ,which will be predicated on functional educational system, and entrench peace and unity in the country. And not a few Nigerians felt that his leadership of Nigeria would be a departure from Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s clueless, tardy, uninspiring, and corrupt administration. We believed him to be the political leader, who would root out corruption in Nigeria and bring sanity to our systems of doing things given his ascetic nature and distaste for corruption.

    However, President Buhari’s occupation of the highest political office has led to his demystification. Under his watch and guidance, Nigeria is steadily and progressively going to the dogs. In his first term, Nigeria’s economy slipped into recession. It came out of it soon after, however. Nigeria, as a country, which has oil resources and humongous population, has not witnessed rapid economic progress and technological transformation under the leadership of President Buhari.

    The worsening economic situation in the country has made millions of Nigerians become vulnerable to joining terrorist groups like the Boko Haram and others. Aren’t we aware that the unresolved Boko Haram incubus poses a great threat to our continued existence as one indivisible country?

    President Buhari should up his game in order to improve the people’s living condition and ignite the rapid economic and technological growth of Nigeria. He should wean himself off ethnocentric proclivities and religious bias and initiate pragmatic pan-Nigerian policies, the implementation of which will transform Nigeria into a developed nation-state and assure us that he is not a sectional leader and divisive figure.

    Until President Buhari starts doing the right things, Nigeria will continue to grope in the dark for national redemption and salvation from the debilitating forces of national disunity and underdevelopment.

    • Chiedu Uche Okoye, Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State.