The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria

  • Drug war and Thai testimonial on Nigeria

    Drug war and Thai testimonial on Nigeria

    Sir: In an unexpected yet deeply gratifying commendation, the Royal Thai Embassy in Nigeria praised the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for its relentless efforts in combating drug abuse and trafficking. This accolade underscores the positive impact of NDLEA’s rigorous enforcement strategies. Such international recognition significantly boosts Nigeria’s image, long marred by its notoriety as both a production and transit country for illicit drugs.

    Kriwat Pharmorabuta, Charge d’affaires of Thai Embassy in Nigeria, recently delivered the commendation when he paid a visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. MB Marwa (rtd.), at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. According to the envoy, “There were around 800 prisoners from Nigeria in Thai prisons, but right now the number has decreased greatly; it is less than 200. That means it’s very difficult now for them to get out with the drugs. So, I congratulate you and the Nigerian people”.

    For years, Nigeria has grappled with the dual stigma of being a major drug production hub and a convenient transit point for traffickers. This reputation was compounded by the alarming number of Nigerian nationals incarcerated abroad for drug-related offences, a situation that has painted the country in an unflattering light. The spike in Nigerian prisoners, particularly in places like Thailand, was a stark indicator of the pervasive reach of drug traffickers exploiting Nigerian routes. Yet, amidst this gloomy scenario, the NDLEA’s sustained efforts have led to a remarkable reduction in the number of Nigerian prisoners in Thailand—from around 800 to less than 200 in recent years.

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    The decline, a statistical anomaly, can only be a reflection of a broader, more systemic change. It signifies that Nigeria is gradually shedding its image as a drug haven. The NDLEA’s strategic operations, bolstered by effective leadership, have started to yield results that are reshaping perceptions and realities. The commendation is not merely about numbers; it is about the narrative changing in favour of Nigeria. This progress, however, must be seen as a clarion call for more support rather than a signal to rest on laurels.

    Patriotism also requires that we all contribute to the fight against drug abuse. For the sake of a safer and healthier country, every Nigerian should see the value in supporting this battle. It is not merely a fight for the agency but a collective effort to secure a brighter future for our nation. Community engagement, public awareness campaigns, and grassroots participation are essential components in this war. The NDLEA’s mission transcends enforcement; it is about building a society free from the scourge of drug abuse, where every citizen plays a part.

    • Abdullahi Sani, Yola, Adamawa State.

  • President charting the path to Nigeria’s greatness

    President charting the path to Nigeria’s greatness

    • Eshanakpe Israel

    Given his antecedents and the policy thrust of his one-year-old administration, there is hope that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is steering Nigeria towards greatness. From day one, the Tinubu administration has proved that it is here for serious business; as it hit the ground running the moment it took the reins of power.

    So far, the Tinubu-led APC administration has made giant strides in several sectors. From the point of his inauguration as the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he took a giant stride by removing the vexatious oil subsidy that had profited only from oil cartels over the years. It was a feat achieved by dint of his determination as someone who had the ambition long ago to put the country on a path of growth and development. He succeeded where his predecessors failed. The economy immediately embraced the realities of global economies.

    Besides, before coming on board, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was artificially propping up the value of Nigeria’s national currency, the naira vis-a-vis the dollar. Thereby sending out wrong signals about the true state of the country’s economic situation.

    That was why President Tinubu immediately floated the naira when he took over the reins of power; leaving it to the whims of market forces. Today, any economic growth achieved is sustainable.

    Who says the administration has nothing to celebrate in one year? For well-meaning Nigerians, there are millions of reasons to celebrate Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

    The second giant stride made by the Tinubu administration is in the education sector. The Student Loan scheme is a novel idea that people thought was not possible but Tinubu’s reformative presidency has simplified it by streamlining all the grey areas and setting it on course.

    As a key stakeholder in the Niger Delta region, I know the role the Tinubu administration has played in taming criminal elements in our waterways. With the prompt payment of stakeholders like Tantita Security Services Nig Ltd to secure and protect the country’s oil assets. Today, Nigeria has plugged a loophole in the Niger Delta where it was losing revenue.

    With the decimation of bloody attacks by the insurgents in the Northeast, banditry in the Northwest and other areas in the country this administration has been able to firmly hold the nation together in unity by ending sectional agitations. The president has also quelled ethnic agitations by appointing persons from different parts of the country to the Federal Executive Council.

    The administration has been able to exterminate the hydra-headed monster of incessant industrial actions in the country’s educational system. During his one year in office, the president has ensured zero tolerance for strikes in that sector, which underscores his zeal to build a functional educational system.

    The Lagos-Calabar super coastal highway is another feather to the Tinubu administration. A major approach to open the socio-economic landscape of the nation for aggressive development from the Niger Delta corridor. It takes a visionary to mull these ideas and go for them head-on. It’s a great achievement ditto the Sokoto Badagry highway that the contract is about to be awarded. The nation has a lot to celebrate under this government.

    The government has also awarded several contracts to build infrastructure, particularly roads in the hinterland. Electricity supply has also increased tremendously in the country, while the health sector is also receiving the reformative touch of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Mr President.

    Asiwaju Tinubu has tightened the noose against backwardness, setting the agenda for a more prosperous, secure, stronger and more reliable nation. In a reformative socio-economic system, the citizens must lend their support to the operators of the political system for it to achieve its goal. This is what the Tinubu administration needs.

    The president has shown capacity, honesty, resilience, patriotism and statesmanship in steering the ship of the state and this is why we are clamouring for him to finish strongly as he drives the statecraft to safety. 

    With President Tinubu on the saddle, for another three years, there’s hope that the citizens will crave more years of his administration. This past year was a huge success, with commendable achievements too numerous to be mentioned.

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    On the humanitarian front, the president has demonstrated the capacity to banish poverty in the country and remove Nigerians from the ranks of people in that segment globally. From the mangrove of the Delta region, we congratulate the president, his cabinet members and the good people of Nigeria. That decision made on February 25, 2023, was the best a nation could make. 

    Tinubu fought for the restoration of democracy, following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. It was a struggle in which he confronted the military junta led by the late Gen. Sani Abacha. He fought like a wounded lion at the heels of the annulment of the election.

    While he was in the Senate during the aborted Third Republic, Tinubu exuded uniqueness, holding tenaciously to democratic norms and values. He stuck out his neck for democracy at the annulment of Nigeria’s acclaimed fairest and most election.

    When the winner of the election was incarcerated, Tinubu was part of those who formed the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), an organisation that eased the military out of power to pave the way for democracy to flourish in Nigeria.

    While he held sway, using the NADECO as a launching pad against the military, most of his contemporaries chose to wine and dine with the military and the rest they say is history.

    A progressive to the core, the top-notch accountant and former Lagos State governor sacrificed all his life to ensure the emergence of a more workable Nigeria where there is equality, social justice, and good governance.

    We saw the stiff opposition, conspiracies of party men and women against him, and the gang up to his emergence within the same political party that he midwifed, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Incidentally, the apostle of the popular Renewed Hope defeated and broke the barriers of impossibilities to become not only the flag bearer of his party but also defeated every impediment to his ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president.

    In his victory on February 25, 2023, Nigerians witnessed new political dynamics, President Tinubu’s victory proved bookmakers wrong, while his traducers fled in different directions.

    • Eshanakpe Israel, Mayor of Urhoboland, writes from Ughelli, Delta State
  • Strike: Don’t jeopardize Nigeria’s fledgling democracy, Okechukwu warns Labour

    Strike: Don’t jeopardize Nigeria’s fledgling democracy, Okechukwu warns Labour

    Osita Okechukwu, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has cautioned the Organised Labour against jeopardizing Nigeria’s fledgling democracy with its planned indefinite strike on Monday, June 3.

    He said the labour’s action could destabilise the economy, spiral into unintended consequences and harm the country’s democracy.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Friday declared an indefinite strike from Monday over what they terms as a disagreement on a new minimum wage with the government.

    The two central labour unions had on Tuesday refused the N60,000 minimum wage proposal by the government. 

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    Reacting to the minimum wage impasse and the declaration of industrial action by the organised labour in a statement in Abuja on Sunday,  the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) expressed concern on the attendant effects of the workers’ proposed action, insisting that it will be inimical to the economy.

    Admitting that the labourer is entitled to living wage, especially in the midst of stagflation and declining living conditions, the APC leader advised labour to adopt house ownership for every worker as middle ground, to augment the N60,000 offered by government and the private sector.

    He argued that rent is one of the items in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is tearing the hair of workers nationwide, as workers spend one third of their disposal income on shelter related matters.

    Okechukwu added that house ownership gives workers inner peace of mind, improves living conditions and encourages productivity.

    He accordingly called on President Bola Tinubu to as matter of urgent national importance to retool his Renewed Hope housing programme and embark on house ownership for all workers nationwide as alternative to unaffordable minimum wage.

    “Mr President house ownership for all workers is the doable middle ground in this impasse, as workers over the years have been contributing 2.5% of their salary to the National Housing Fund; all that is needed is Federal, State, LGA and private sector’s supplement.” Okechukwu opined.

    Okechukwu argued that the N497,000 is unaffordable, because more than ten states either could not or had blatantly refused to pay N30,000 till date.

    “Whereas one agrees with the working people that there is economic hardship and declining standard of living; albeit ownership houses is the middle ground in this impasse and better than more liquid cash which could spiral hyperinflation out of hand and lead to mass retrenchment of workers”. Okechukwu retorted.

    Okechukwu finally appealed to the organised labour to remember the blood and tears shed decades ago by our compatriots enroute our return to democracy; therefore we should not in vain throw the baby-democracy away with bathwater.

  • Professor Tunji Olaopa and there form struggle in Nigeria (1)

    Professor Tunji Olaopa and there form struggle in Nigeria (1)

    Just as Nelson Mandela in his autobiography, ‘No Easy Walk to Freedom’, described the struggle for the emancipation of his country from the clutches of racist colonialism as his life, Professor Tunji Olaopa, eminent political scientist, accomplished public administrator, engaging public intellectual, bibliophile and life-long student of philosophy, has adopted his obsessive quest for public sector transformational reform in post-colonial Nigeria as his life. It is hardly contestable that a truly modernizing, efficient, effective, result-oriented, purpose-driven and ethically conscious public service is a necessary condition for the realization of Nigeria’s trapped potentials and the fulfillment of her manifest destiny as a developmental lodestar for the black man.

    In his characteristically inimitable self-portraiture to commemorate his 60th birthday in 2019 but published last year by Pan-African University Press and titled, ‘The Unending Quest for Reform: An Intellectual Memoir’, Professor Olaopa documents both the paths of his personal life trajectory so far and also his diverse roles over the last three and a half decades in the intellectual and practical endeavours to deliver on far-reaching and sustainable public- sector reforms in Nigeria. It is not surprising that two of Nigeria’s best and brightest intellectuals, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church and Professor Eghosa Osaghae, renowned political scientist and Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), write the two insightful forewords to the book which runs into 258 pages and is subdivided into eighteen chapters.

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    Dr Kukah, who highlights some of the Kukah Foundation’s collaborative efforts with the author towards achieving desired reforms in Nigeria submits that “The uniqueness of ‘Unending Quest for Reform’ is that it brings together the career trajectory of someone who is both a scholar and a bureaucrat; someone who brought the uniqueness of theory and scholarship to the peculiar profession of the public service. This great work closes the gap between the two”. And Professor Osaghae, who incidentally was Olaopa’s teacher at the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, in the second foreword asserts tersely and unequivocally that “Intellectual autobiographies come as absorbing and engaging as other profound academic works tend to be. Professor Tunji Olaopa’s intellectual memoir is not different and certainly ranks as one of the more profound intellectual autobiographies to come out of Nigeria”.

    Apart from the author’s earlier authorized biography of the eminent economist, Professor Ojetunji Aboyade, titled ‘A Prophet is with Honour: The Life and Times of Ojetunji Aboyade’, published in 1997, which meticulously documents the intellectual influences on the great scholar, I am yet to come across a life narrative in Nigeria that so intricately blends the theoretical and the praxial, the philosophical and the pragmatic, the idealist and the realist as Olaopa’s enthralling memoir. It is instructive that, as Olaopa states in his preface, the choice of his title for the book was influenced by that of the Austian- British philosopher, Karl Popper, whose revelatory self-narrative was titled: “Unending Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography”. That the author had read and was profoundly influenced by Popper is not surprising. The deep, it is said, call to the deep. I am eagerly on the lookout for Popper’s work which I have not read.

    One of the things that emerge poignantly in this book is Olaopa’s intense love affair with books and the enduring impact they have made in shaping the course of his life and the defining cause of his existence. In a way, this book has been prefaced by Olaopa’s slim but pungent and delightful volume titled ‘The Joy of Learning’ published in 2010. In my review of that work at the time, I had averred that “Indeed, Awolowo’s insight helps us to appreciate better Olaopa’s articulation of the imperative of consciously and deliberately encouraging learning as a lifelong process that includes formal training in a specialized discipline but also encompasses what he describes as the sustained cultivation of ethical consciousness, broadness of perspectives and horizon, tolerance, compassion and a high sense of individual and moral responsibility”.

    But then, why write the story of a life that, as at 2019, was still unfolding at 60 when, all things being equal, Olaopa’s personal and career accomplishments in a relatively brief time-span, indicated even more daunting height he was more than capable of attaining in the road ahead of him? His justification is persuasive. According to him, “In convincing myself to publish my life’s story, I have argued that an autobiography is not essentially meant to be written at a life’s end. It could essentially be a summation of what one considers to be significant in one’s unfolding trajectory. In my case, like Aboyade’s, I have lived and I am still living the life of an institutional reformer within the context of the Nigerian state which journey towards nationhood is still evolving”.

    When he penned those words around 2019, Olaopa was unaware that he would be appointed Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in May 2023 after a bitterly fought presidential election. With over 15 full length academic books on public administration and public sector reforms in Nigeria, scores of journal articles, an eventful public service career that saw him rise to the apex of the Service as a federal Permanent Secretary and his post-retirement creative institutional endeavor, the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), there is hardly any person better placed than the author to occupy that office in an administration that has no choice but to commit to fundamental public sector reforms if it is to break the logjam of what Professor Okwudiba Nnoli describe as the ‘dead-end to Nigerian development’. This book charts the course of how and why Professor Olaopa has become what he is today – an icon in the intellection and practice of public administration in contemporary Nigeria.

    In the first chapter titled ‘Books and Becoming’, he narrates the phenomenal role of books in developing his intellect and outlook, nurturing his character as well as nursing and guiding his ambitions and life projections. But then, there are good and bad books which may exert positive or negative moral influences on the burgeoning mind of youth. The choice of books that nudged the urge to add value to humanity must in itself be a function of the presence of some directing, inner virtue. In Olaopa’s words, “I was practically raised on books. I mean to say that, apart from my paternal grandmother’s notion of physical work as the definition of excellence in life, all others – from my father to my elder brother and the schools I attended – saw the significance of books and were insistent on redefining excellence in terms of how many books I could read”. As he pithily puts it, “I was the one Bertolt Brecht was talking to when he said, “Hungry man, reach for the book. It is a weapon”. The book was a weapon for my coming of age and the compass of my journey through life”.  

  • Nigeria needs new military doctrine

    Nigeria needs new military doctrine

    It is going to take a herculean effort for the Nigerian military to transform into the people’s army. The Nigerian government, since military rule began, has had no idea what people’s army means, and the army itself has demonstrated no appetite for change. Hundreds of events and incidents illustrate this deficit. But three recent incidents should exemplify the depressing disconnection between Nigerians and their military, a disconnection that has accentuated the crisis of underdevelopment and stymied the effectiveness of the military in its numerous counterinsurgency wars in the Northeast, costly efforts to pacify the Northwest, and other internal peacekeeping duties.

    The first incident relates to the shutting down of Banex Plaza in Abuja for one week over a dispute between a phone seller and a soldier. A trader allegedly sold a defective phone to a soldier, and refused to make good. Soon, the disagreement escalated into a fight and a free-for-all, leading incredibly to the deployment of five teams of soldiers to barricade the shopping plaza for a week. The details of the disagreement, and who provoked whom, have neither been investigated nor reported, nor is it clear who was to blame, nor whether the phone was actually defective or not. Until the disputants are interviewed, the whole truth may not be known. But how on earth such a dispute escalated so quickly until it became an official matter said to be capable of threatening national security is hard to fathom. The reasons may, however, are not be as far-fetched as imagined.

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    Disputes between buyers and sellers are commonplace. Sometimes they get out of hand, but often they don’t, especially if relevant regulatory or law enforcement institutions function properly. Admittedly Nigeria is a developing country and both regulatory and law enforcement institutions are inadequate or too weak to mediate conflicts. Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu, a major-general, spoke of the sacrosanctness of military uniforms, the aggression of the ‘hoodlums’ who attacked ‘unarmed soldiers’, the presence of unidentified miscreants who ‘use the Banex neighbourhood’ to threaten security, and the capacity of such incidents to ‘orchestrate threats to national security’. Alarmingly, commenting on the incident days later, former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lucky Irabor regarded the statement by the spokesman as mild. For him, shutting down the plaza and occupying it were the right things to do.

    In Gen. Irabor’s view, no person in uniform should be attacked because he represents the state. He said: “This applies to any uniformed person for as long as he is an agent of the state. An attack on him is an attack on the state, so any Nigerian of goodwill must condemn such an act. For me, I join to support the closure of Banex Plaza for as long as it takes to have anyone responsible for that dastardly act brought to justice. This is because if we fail to do so, we will be calling for anarchy. The only men who are sacrificing their lives to ensure our collective good are members of the armed forces, the police, and other security agencies.” With such a mindset, it makes it harder for disputes not to be blown out of proportion. That sense of institutional exceptionalism has seemed to corrode thea propriety of responses to provocations and the moderation that should flow from the commonality of human beings and experience. Soldiers sacrifice their lives; but so do doctors, nurses, and others. Ukraine could today not make the distinction that Gen. Irabor has made. When a country’s existence is threatened, everyone becomes a soldier. Indeed, it is in such sacrifices, which the former CDS made reference to, that the best of soldiery and highest regard for the sanctity of life are located. Drawing the kind of distinction the general has done is unhelpful and inciting. If at the level of commanding a country’s entire armed forces a military general could promote a controversial appreciation of military doctrine, then it is time to ask for more fundamental changes and reforms. Perhaps, it is time they went back to military histories and get inspired afresh.

    The second incident, sadly, flows from the Okuama, Delta State, incident in which 17 military personnel lost their lives in an ambush by militants on March 14 over a land dispute between Bomadi and Okuama communities. The reprisal was swift and fierce, indeed as the military warned. Okuama is a small community of a few hundred people, but it was soon levelled, a fact that came to light after the military ended their occupation. A third incident is the May 30 killing of five soldiers by militants in Aba, Abia State. The identities of the attackers are disputed, but military officers suspect the Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network who organised that day’s lockdown to commemorate the sacrifice of their civil war heroes. Responding to the killings, the military in a statement spoke about the ‘imperative’ to ‘retaliate’ and why it would be ‘fierce in its response’. The military also spoke about the people being the lifeline of terrorists, but also acknowledged that the military could not hope to win the war against terrorism without the people. What would they, therefore, do about the seemingly conflicted role of the people? Whether the military likes it or not, the sacking of Odi community in Bayelsa State in 1999, after the killing of 12 policemen and some soldiers, did not prevent the Zaki Biam, Benue State, killing of 19 soldiers and the reprisal killings of hundreds of Tivs. And both the killings and the sacking of the two communities did not prevent the Okuama and Aba killings, not to say the humiliation of soldiers at an Abuja shopping mall. This is why the military must now begin to consider a different approach to responding to provocations.

    As long as the police are structured and funded poorly to rise up to the threat posed by criminals, and as long as soldiers are inappropriately deployed to carry out police duties, the interactions between soldiers and the public would inevitably weaken, if not corrupt, the military. And for as long as Nigeria’s military personnel have a poor understanding of an equally poorly designed military doctrine, they would see themselves and their uniforms provocatively above censure or attack. If their brightest and best embrace a controversial understanding of military doctrine, it is impossible for them not to embark on angry reprisals against audacious criminals who attack soldiers, and in the process killing the innocent in retaliation, or even wiping out entire communities. The Banex Plaza provocation should have been left to the police, and the Okuama incident left to the Department of State Service (DSS) and the police; but anger and the need to retaliate the effrontery of civilians got the better of the military. Letting the police handle the Banex affair does not take anything, not even a jot, from the military. But it seems their military doctrine does not admit to such a lasting and effective approach to civilian provocations.

    Unfortunately for the military, the enormous firepower at their disposal is wholly unsuited to the kind of interactions and domestic assignments they are saddled with. This mismatch is worsened by the fact that the people actually yearn to love their military; for the ordinary soldier is first a civilian, a brother, a sister, a father, a mother, and a relation whose death or incapacitation would be a tragedy. Prince Harry’s visit last month and the televised events that exposed Nigerian soldiers permanently maimed while on duty brought it agonisingly home to Nigerians the huge and incredible sacrifices Nigerian soldiers make to keep the country safe and united. It is a disservice to their collective sacrifice that their comrades-in-arms descend to the ignominious role of approving self-help and tyrannising civilians on the grounds of the uniforms they wear. Being wounded in action is one thing; sometimes some of them return home in body bags, their eyes permanently closed in sleep while their relations continue to mourn. Surviving soldiers should stop desecrating the memory of their fallen comrades, and senior officers charged with formulating and teaching tradition and doctrine in the military should stop depriving the civil populace from relating with, and loving and honouring soldiers forever poised to give their all, including their limbs and lives, for the country.

    The best place to begin this new approach is for the military to eschew violent, supremacist language from their statements during provocations. They have no control over provocations; but they can determine how they respond to attacks, either in ways that honour their uniforms and training or in ways that dishonor their arms. The choice is theirs to make. However, it is time to stop seeing themselves as soldiers superior to the polity. After all, they are not soldiers of fortune. For when they respond fiercely and indiscriminately to provocations like militants and insurgents, talking about retaliation and vengeance instead of calmly and forcefully saying they would bring the attackers to justice, how can they prove they are different from those animals who unfeelingly leave destruction in their wake?  

  • Nigeria moves to boost skills development

    Nigeria moves to boost skills development

    … Eyes $100BN outsourcing market

    The National Council on Skills (NCS) has taken a significant step towards enhancing Nigeria’s skills development sector with the establishment of a committee to coordinate Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and States Programmes on Skills.

    The committee, headed by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, is tasked with identifying skill training, dominant skills in the private sector, and devising strategies for standardization, recognition, and certification.

    In addition, the Council has proposed a draft bill for the Nigerian Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), aimed at developing the skills of the nation’s workforce and improving the quality of skilled workers.

    The bill, which is being reviewed by a separate committee chaired by the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, seeks to establish a system for the development, recognition, and enforcement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Skills Qualifications.

    Addressing the 4th National Council on Skills meeting yesterday  at the Presidential Villa, Vice President Kashim Shettima reiterated the importance of seizing opportunities, particularly in the digital space.

    According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said “India is expected to earn $100 billion from outsourcing alone this year.

    “We have a lot of unemployed graduates who can work comfortably from their homes and earn a minimum of $40,000 per annum. If we have one million Nigerian youths working in the digital space, we will earn more than what we generate from the sale of crude oil, and it will have a multiplier effect on our economy,” VP Shettima stated.

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    He urged the committees to work diligently as a team to address the challenges in the skills development sector, emphasizing the need to focus on high-earning skills in the rapidly changing global landscape.

    Earlier, the Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman, noted the importance of integrating skills into the entire education sector for Nigeria’s true transformation.

    “The whole idea is to bring skills into the entire education sector if Nigeria is to be truly transformative. The work of this council will be a major driver in accomplishing that,” he said.

    Professor Mamman also highlighted the need for conducting skills surveys and labour market information to provide policymakers with reliable and timely data on job quality, skill gaps, and policy design for poverty reduction.

    The NSQF aims to establish a system for the development, recognition, and enforcement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Skills Qualifications.

  • Nigeria’s Special Envoy on climate change engages global stakeholders

    Nigeria’s Special Envoy on climate change engages global stakeholders

    Nigeria’s Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action (SPEC), Ajuri Ngelale, has embarked on a series of high-level engagements with key stakeholders in the global climate action and finance ecosystem.

    On Tuesday, he met with the United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, at the UN Headquarters in New York, where they exchanged views on deepening collaboration on existential matters.

    “I was honoured to have exchanged views with UN DSG, H. E. Amina Mohammed, on Tuesday at UN HQ, New York, during my first engagement as Nigeria’s Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action (SPEC).

    “Deepening collaboration with critical stakeholders on these existential matters is top priority,” Ngelale said.

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    On Wednesday, in Washington D.C., the Nigerian special envoy engaged in a productive discussion with Mr. Landon Derentz of the Global Energy Centre of the Washington-based Atlantic Council, focusing on green industry and carbon capture technology manufacturing and implementation in Nigeria.

    “It was a pleasure to engage in a productive and incisive discussion with Mr. Landon Derentz of the Global Energy Center of the Washington-based Atlantic Council on Wednesday in Washington D.C.

    “As a key stakeholder in the global climate action and finance ecosystem, we shared views about green industry and carbon capture technology manufacturing and implementation in Nigeria moving forward.

    “Exciting times ahead for Africa’s most populous nation,” he said.

    Later on Wednesday, Ngelale was hosted by a sector-wide technical working group of the U.S. State Department at their headquarters, where they discussed important areas of mutual concern ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany.

    The special envoy presented Nigeria’s green industrial plans, participation in the Energy Transition Accelerator, Methane reduction program, Carbon Market and Management Initiatives, and updates on nationally determined contributions (NDCs), amongst other matters.

  • Reaffirming Nigeria’s ‘One China policy’

    Reaffirming Nigeria’s ‘One China policy’

    By Charles Onunaiju

    Whatever its internal differences, serious countries build consensus around its international relations, articulated in foreign policy framework as such, not only guarantees the respectability of the country but ensures that international partners view her institutions as stable, credible and reliable.

    Nigeria’s One China Policy is a key enduring line in the country foreign policy since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1971. 

    The ‘One China’ Nigeria Policy holds that the Taiwan region is inalienable part of China and the Taiwan question, a left-over of Chinese history, especially after its civil war in the 1940’s, when the Communist Party of China in a patriotic coalition of other parties, defeated the then ruling Kuomintang or Nationalist Party (KMT), whose top military and political leaders fled across the straits between the mainland and island of Taiwan region of China.

    Propped by the United States and other western powers, the Nationalist Party held on to the illusion of being the legitimate government of all Chinese people, and held the seat in the United Nations until the iconic resolution 2758, which expelled once and for all, the representatives of Chang Kai Sheik and readmitted the government of the Peoples of Republic of the China as the sole and legitimate government of all Chinese people. Nigeria was among the 26 African countries that voted for the historic resolution, which became a vital cornerstone of Nigeria-China diplomatic cooperation established earlier on the February, 1971, few months before the iconic UN resolution in October of the same year.

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    An alleged parliamentary group in the House of Representatives which describes itself as Nigeria-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group recently circulated an invitation, notifying of its inauguration, thereby not only brazenly interfering in China’s internal affairs but flagrantly undermining the integrity of Nigeria’s unambiguous and explicit ‘One China’ foreign policy. Such affront to a historical key pillar of Nigeria’s foreign relations also dastardly stuck a knife at Nigeria’s viable diplomatic cooperation.

    The shockwave of the development to the friendly Chinese people, would be exactly the same here, should any such misguided element of Chinese parliament attempt to establish “A China-Biafra, or China-Yoruba Nation or even China-Boko Haram parliamentary group.

    In solving their national question as it relates to the Taiwan region, the two sides of the straits have established a “consensus” in 1992, which holds that the two sides of the straits belong to one and the same China, and can thereby actively work on a formula for reunion. As we have our few hot heads, who will settle at nothing except disintegration, the Taiwan separatist hot heads, urged on by the U.S, make a case for such extremity. The Taipei Trade Office in Nigeria since 1991 is not a diplomatic mission but a trade promotion centre, just as any Nigeria sub-national entity may choose to open a trade promotion centre anywhere in the world.

    Nigeria’s parliament is a key national state institution and cannot possibly contradict Nigeria’s vital foreign policy position.

    In early 2017, the federal government took a definitive stand in response to the Taiwan question of the People’s Republic of China and reaffirmed her long standing “One China policy” which leaves no ambiguity that there is only but One China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Speaking at a joint press conference in Abuja then with the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, Nigeria’s then, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said Nigeria would take all necessary measures to maintain the integrity of its “One China Policy”.

    A joint statement issued after the press conference asserted the One –China Policy is at the core of strategic partnership between the two countries and further stated that “the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes that there is only One China in the world, that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory,” and added the governments of China and Nigeria have mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    Earlier, Nigeria’s government directed that the Taiwan trade office in Abuja which was re-designated Taipei Trade office immediately relocate to the Nigeria’s commercial capital, as the continued stay of the trade office in the Nigeria’s political capital has been used for activities inconsistent with its status of trade office. The government took the action of directing the trade office to relocate to Nigeria’s business and commercial hub, so as to leave no doubt about her strict and unequivocal “One China Policy”.

    Chinese government said then that it “affirms and greatly appreciates Nigeria’s support for the “One China Principle” and stated further “this thoroughly resolves an issue left over from history that influenced mutual political trust between China and Nigeria, and eliminates a political obstacle that interfered with the healthy development of bilateral relations”.

    Nigeria’s definitive stance is an integral part of global consensus, clearly affirmed by the iconic United Nations (UN) resolution 2758 mainstreamed to the core of international law, convention and standard practice. As a key member of the international community and regional power house, Nigeria’s principled measures to restore the integrity of her “One China Policy” aligns with the fundamental principle of state to state relations, in which a demonstration of unassailable sensitivity to each other’s core concerns is a standard norm.

    Despite the provocative visits of the former U.S House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi in 2022, the “One China Principle”, according to the white paper of the Chinese government released in 2022 “represents the Universal Consensus of the International community and is consistent with basic norms of international relations.

    Most countries in the world, including the United States have established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China on the basis of “One China Principle”.

    The white paper made reference to the China – U.S joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations, published in December 1978, which among other things stated that “the government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is only but One China and Taiwan is part of China”.

    It further states; “The United States of America recognizes the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan”.

    The unambiguous framework of the Taiwan question as China’s internal affairs leaves no room for equivocations and meddling without undermining the critical pillars of the contemporary international system.

    Nigeria’s demonstration of clear sensitivity to China’s core national concerns especially on the matter of the Taiwan question has had clear effects on China – Africa cooperation, pointing clearly to the exemplary nature of China – Africa cooperation as a model of international partnership.

    With Taiwan separatist forces intensifying its provocation with active connivance of Washington, Nigeria’s institutions should stay clear from Washington’s perennial obsession to contain China through wanton interference in her internal affairs.

    •Onunaiju is research director of Abuja based Think-Tank.

  • Nigeria’s Democracy at 25: The Search for Govt System that Works

    Nigeria’s Democracy at 25: The Search for Govt System that Works

    By Abdussamad Dasuki

    Nigeria will record a milestone in its democratic journey on May 29, as it marks 25 years of uninterrupted democracy – the longest since independence in 1960. While the First Republic lasted for six years, and the Second Republic for four years, the Third Republic was aborted as the Presidential election was annulled.

    As expected, to mark the occasion, drums would be rolled out and dividends of democracy would be reeled out by governments at all levels.

    But beyond this are salient questions: Is Nigeria working? If not, what system of government will make Nigeria work?

    On the first question, many would agree that Nigeria is far from where it ought to be in terms of growth and development despite its enormous potentials. At independence, Nigeria, a country blessed with huge human and natural resources, showed promise of a great nation. Apart from solid, liquid, gaseous minerals buried in the ground, the palm oil, rubber, cocoa,  timber and the groundnut pyramids, all pointed to the fact that the prospects were great. 64 years after, these great expectations are yet to be met as Nigeria is still battling to resolve some of its teething problems.

    On the salient question on whether the presidential system of government is working for Nigeria, there is a unanimity of opinion that the system is not working and its imperfections have slowed the pace of Nigeria’s development strides.  From the huge cost of governance associated with the presidential system, its slow decision making and implementation pace, and the tendency for the emergence of an all-powerful leader who is neither accountable to the people nor their representatives in the legislature, to the inability to change a bad leader until the next election cycle or through a rigorous removal process, the inherent defects of the presidential system are obvious. 

    Taking cognizance of Nigeria’s chequered history of governance, 60 members of the House of Representatives (well over 60 now) introduced three bills mid-February seeking the alteration of the Constitution for a transition to Parliamentary System.

    It’s a great privilege for me to be among the sponsors of the bills, comprising lawmakers across party lines and geopolitical zones. We are motivated by our patriotic desires to make Nigeria work for its people and reclaim its glorious destiny as the Giant of Africa and the pride of the black race.

    We are of the strong view that the best time to hold a national conversation on the system of government that works for Nigeria is now. Gladly, the national conversation has been ignited.

    Conversations are on going on which system works for Nigeria. We have  held consultations with some leaders of thought, former presidents, traditional rulers, and elder statesmen across geopolitical zones. In all the conversations held so far, there is unanimity of opinions that the current system is defective and there is a need to evolve a system that will work for Nigeria. There is also a consensus that such a system must take cognizance of our peculiarity in terms of history, culture and values.

    There are basically three forms of democratic government systems around the world – Presidential, Parliamentary, and the hybrid system, which contains features of both presidential and parliamentary system. Data has however shown that there are more parliamentary forms of government.

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    In initiating the bills, we recalled that our founders in their wisdom and in a political atmosphere devoid of compulsion, having considered the interests of their native peoples and their desire to live together in a country where truth and justice reign, where no man is oppressed, and where all citizens live in peace and plenty, adopted the parliamentary System of Government.

    The system lasted till the First Republic was truncated by military coup, following political unrests of the 1960s. The system worked while it lasted, but the six years duration were too short. The collapse of the First Republic led to military rule which lasted for 14 years. The political transition programme of the 1970s midwifed by the military regime introduced the presidential system of government of the American model. The political transition programme culminated in the birth of the Second Republic, which lasted for four years.

    The collapse of the Second Republic began another epoch of military rule which lasted for 15 years, during which a prolonged transition programme within the first 10 years ended in an aborted Third Republic, an interim government of an appointed civilian leader, and another military era that culminated in the birth of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

    25 years of the current democratic dispensation have however shown the shortcomings of the presidential system of government, which include huge cost of governance; excessively powerful presidency wielding fierce influence on the legislature and posing threats to the independence of the judiciary; slow pace of policy formation and implementation; nearly impossible process of removing a bad leader before scheduled elections due to the very rigorous impeachment process; and the fact that cabinet in a presidential system is neither accountable to the people nor to their representatives in parliament, thereby making government less responsive to the resolutions of the legislature and yearnings of the people. 

    Why a home-grown parliamentary system? Firstly, that was the system adopted by our founders, who were consummate nationalists, unhindered in their political thoughts, fearless in the protection of the value system of their various peoples and desirous of building a strong and vibrant nation that meets the aspirations of its citizens. What we are however advocating is a home-grown system that reflects our peculiarities.

    Secondly, parliamentary system is more effective and efficient because it is not inhibited by checks and balances, which sometimes lead to debilitating gridlocks. That was witnessed extensively in the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo when the legislature and the executive were at loggerheads for most part of the administration on policy direction and budgetary approvals. In parliamentary system, because the members of cabinet are chosen from the legislature, there is better coordination between the two arms, therefore making it easier to pass laws and implement them.

    Thirdly, the head of government and the cabinet are responsible and responsive because they are accountable to the parliament comprising the representatives of the people. Example of this accountability to the legislature is the prime minister’s questions in nations practising parliamentary system, during which the prime minister answers questions from members of parliament at a specific day of the week.

    Fourthly, the flexibility associated with the parliamentary system such that the Prime Minister can be removed with a vote of no confidence or a call for early elections, which is more or less a referendum on the government. This helps to guarantee a responsible and responsive government, and prevents the concentration of power in one hand and authoritarianism, unlike the presidential system where such removal can only be through a rigorous impeachment process or in polls held at constitutionally fixed election cycle.

    Another reason for the endorsement of the parliamentary system is the huge costs associated with the presidential system. For example, an enormous sum of over N300 billion was spent by INEC on the 2023 elections, which included Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections. The burden of election costs is not limited to government alone. Candidates and political parties also incur enormous electioneering costs because of the series and scope of elections. In a parliamentary system,  nationwide presidential election and state-wide governorship elections are not required because members of parliaments are elected in their various constituencies, and they in turn elect the heads of federal government and the state governments in their respective parliaments, thereby eliminating election costs for that purpose.

    The past 25 years have shown that a major imperfection of the presidential system is the high cost of governance, particularly in the area of personnel costs of political appointees, leaving fewer resources for other critical sectors. Whereas in parliamentary system, the cabinet is picked from the members of the legislature, thereby knocking off additional personnel costs.

    One of our intentions is to provoke a national discourse on the governance system suitable for Nigeria. Apart from the consultations held so far, there are plans to consult CSOs, religious leaders, business community and of course the youths. As part of the effective engagement of the youths, the Parliamentary Systems Support group (PSSG) has kicked off a national essay competition open globally to all Nigerian students at any university to discuss the system of government that works for the country.

    In the present democratic dispensation, two national conferences had been held – One under President Obasanjo government and the other under President Goodluck Jonathan. These conferences confirm that Nigerians believe that the system was not working and there was need to find suitable alternatives. Sadly, the factors that compelled the convocation of the conferences are still on ground.

    As the national conversation continues, it is not unexpected that the outcome may be a hybrid government system that combines the lessons of our history, the beauty of our culture and the sacrosanctity of our values. May this conversation culminate in the adoption a home-grown government system that works for Nigeria.

    *Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, House of Representatives member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, is the spokesman of the lawmakers calling for return to home-grown parliamentary system.

  • Nigeria’s luxury car market to reach $55m by 2028

    Nigeria’s luxury car market to reach $55m by 2028

    The Nigerian luxury car market is experiencing remarkable growth despite the challenges posed by rising inflation and other macroeconomic turbulence, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jiji and Cars45, Maxim Makarchuk, has said.

    Cars45 is a technology-enabled automotive trading platform, powered by Africa’s e-commerce giant Jiji, which, some years ago, acquired and merged with Cars 45, to create a single organisation that offers unique services for car sellers, buyers, and dealers.

    Makarchuk said the Nigerian luxury car market is set to achieve a remarkable Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.75 per cent, resulting in a projected market value of $55 million by 2028, according to Statista.

    He said this growth is being driven by evolving customer desires, infrastructure development, and a growing preference for sustainable luxury cars.

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     “This exponential industry growth is driven by a potent mix of different factors, including changing customer desires, emerging trends, infrastructure development, and a shifting preference for sustainable luxury cars,” he stated

    Makarchuk, however, revealed that renowned brands such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Land Rover will continue to dominate the market, contributing over 60 per cent of luxury car advertisements on platforms like Jiji.

    According to the COO of Jiji and Cars45, the remarkable growth of the Nigerian luxury car market amidst rising inflation and other headwinds highlights a significant trend in the Nigerian economy.

    For instance, he explained that there’s an insatiable appetite for luxury goods, especially amongst the growing Nigerian middle class, who aspire despite the difficulties and see cars as a significant luxury good.

    Makarchuk, while noting that the country’s economic fluctuations are no match for the allure of luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Toyota and Land Rover, said  luxury goods consumers prioritise symbolic consumption to showcase their success.

    “Thus, luxury cars have become a statement of achievement, a tangible manifestation of one’s income power, and social standing in a competitive society where appearances matter,” he told The Nation..

    He also said in addition to the undiminishing desire for prestige and social distinctions, Nigerians also want to balance style, comfort, performance, and budget.

     “Consumers are increasingly looking for relatively affordable cars that provide a comfortable and luxurious driving experience while delivering durability, fuel efficiency, and high performance on the road,” Makarchuk said.

    For instance, the demand for Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in Nigeria, according to him, is skyrocketing in recent years, attributing this to several factors, including customers’ desire for vehicles with more space and versatility, as well as options more suitable for the country’s challenging road conditions.

    Makarchuk further pointed out that the purchasing patterns in Nigeria have led to a rich diversity in the luxury car market, catering to a wide spectrum of demographics, tastes, lifestyles, and budgets.

    In response, luxury car dealers and other related businesses, he said, are continually emerging to meet the needs of their discerning clientele.

     “Nigeria’s luxury car market is poised to continue its rising as a fast-growing, multi-diverse nation, meeting the specific expectations of its affluent customers,” he emphasised.

    The COO also said infrastructure investment is also driving the growth of the luxury car market in Nigeria despite the rising inflation. “Nigeria’s ambitious infrastructure projects are reshaping the automotive sector, creating an environment conducive to luxury car ownership,” he stated.

    Also, improved road networks and upscale residential developments are fueling the desire for high-end automobiles.

    “A drive through the streets of Banana Island, Lagos, the upscale neighbourhood of Maitama, Abuja, and other upscale neighbourhoods exposes one to an array of luxury cars,” the COO said.

    He also pointed at the need for sustainability as another factor. According to him, Nigeria is embracing sustainable luxury just like the rest of the world, and it’s a driving force behind customer preferences.

    Makarchuk’s words: “Luxury car buyers in Nigeria are increasingly drawn to eco-friendly and fuel-efficient models that offer performance without harming the climate.

    For instance, Tesla’s Electric Vehicles (EVs) and BMW’s i3 are gaining popularity in the Nigerian luxury car market due to their sustainability features.”

    He, therefore, said stakeholders must hasten the process of infrastructural provisions for EV charging points in the country to accommodate the growing adoption of EVs.

    According to him, a few charging stations already exist like the NADDC stations in Lagos and Sokoto, as well as privately-owned stations in-office and in-home.

    Makarchuk said while luxury goods companies can be considered inflation-proof as the consumer is willing to pay the premium, this strong standing may be challenged in the future if the inflation rate continues its hike.

    He said the high-end luxury market and major luxury brands remain less affected by the rates compared to the rest of the market.

    “Despite the economic challenges posed by inflation, the luxury car market in Nigeria stands as a beacon of resilience and aspiration.

     “It continues to defy gravity as consumers, undeterred by economic fluctuations, prioritise status, comfort, and performance on the road,” Makarchuk told The Nation.

    He said available data shows that Nigerians’ love for luxury automobiles shows no signs of slowing down, and it’s no wonder why the car upgrades business is also in its booming season – old model, upgraded body.

    The COO stated that with platforms like Cars45, Carmart, and Jiji making access to affordable cars easier for the common man, the industry is poised to continue its upward trajectory, defying odds and charting a course of steady growth.

    “For car dealers, investors, car loan financiers, and other automotive industry players, this is a wake-up call to double up efforts to be better prepared to meet the economic and industry shakeup expected with such rapid growth,” he concluded.

    Also commenting on the trend, Regional Head of PR and Marketing, Jiji Africa, Majolie Obaje, said the luxury car market in Nigeria is not just a story of economic resilience; it reflects broader trends in consumer behavior, infrastructure development, and sustainable practices.

    As Obaje put it, “This growth presents significant opportunities for car dealers, investors, and automotive industry stakeholders to tap into a thriving market despite macroeconomic challenges.”