The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • King’s College at 110

    • The epitome of educational excellence marches on

    In a nation where far too many vital institutions decay and whither, it is truly gratifying to see that King’s College, Lagos is still going strong, 110 years after its momentous founding in September 1909.

    It is undoubtedly Nigeria’s most famous educational institution, combining privilege, ability, consistency and distinction in a way very few other schools can dare to claim. In an era in which intellectual achievement is regarded with far less awe than hitherto, King’s College is a potent reminder of the supremely transformative capacity of a qualitative education.

    Even in its very origins, King’s College was conceived as a special establishment. The first government-owned secondary school in Nigeria, and originally called King’s School, it was meant to proffer “a higher general education than that supplied by the existing schools, to prepare them for the Matriculation Examination of the University of London and to give a useful course of study to those who intend to qualify for professional life or to enter government or mercantile service.”

    Unlike many missionary schools, King’s College was designed to produce leaders of men from the onset, even within the circumscribed context of colonial Nigeria. Outstanding academic performance was given pride of place with the quick introduction of scholarships and free tuition. Excellence in the classroom was complemented by concrete accomplishments outside it, as seen in the emphasis on good manners, self-control, athletic ability, sportsmanship, team-building and the cultivation of friendships which transcended ethnicity, religion and birth.

    From the 10 pioneer students admitted in 1909, King’s College now has about 3,600 students spread across two campuses in Lagos State. Its extensive alumni which include some of the best-known names in the nation’s history: Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Chief Simeon Adebo, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Dr. Lateef Adegbite, Professor Claude Ake, Professor Sam Akpabot, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Mr. Adebayo Ogunlesi, Mr. Atedo Peterside and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi are only a fraction of an incredibly impressive list of former students.

    Occupying prominent positions in government, politics, the arts, education, diplomacy, business, sport and the military, the alumni of King’s College have arguably had more influence on the fortunes of Nigeria than those of any other single institution within the education sector or outside it.

    As King’s College prepares for the future, three main problems confront it: space and infrastructural constraints; the challenges of funding its increasingly complex operations; its problematic status as a Unity School and the associated difficulties of governmental oversight.

    These challenges stem from the essential paradox of King’s College as an exclusive public school. As an elite college, it is necessarily exclusive; as a government-owned educational institution, it must be run for the greatest good of the greatest number.

    It is crucial that several fundamental questions must be resolved if the school is to make as much progress in the future as it has made in the past. Should it relocate to a more spacious location elsewhere in Lagos State? Can the student population be reduced to more manageable levels? Should the school be handed over to private management? Should merit constitute the sole criterion of admission?

    As one of 104 Unity Schools, King’s College is compelled to compete with the others for the limited resources provided by the Federal Government. In the 2018 national budget, N52.61 billion was approved, of which N38.79 billion was for recurrent expenditure. Capital expenditure was N13.82 billion; divided equally, each school would get about N132.8 million.

    This is clearly inadequate for a school of the stature of King’s College. The King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA), various class sets and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) have made significant interventions over the years. In 2009, the old boys raised N1 billion to rehabilitate the Lagos Island campus; a target of N10 billion was set for the rehabilitation of both campuses ahead of the 110th anniversary. In addition, individual principals of the school have raised enormous sums from the private sector for the construction of facilities and the provision of equipment.

    Such interventions, however, only emphasise the inadequacy of government ownership and oversight. If King’s College would do better in private hands, it should be let go of, especially since the resources so saved could go to more needy institutions.

    King’s College is a veritable institutional icon. It is a preeminent symbol of Nigerian ability and potential. May the college continue to flourish and be the nation’s hope for light.

  • 25 years of private broadcasting: More owners, less content

    Though Ray Power FM recently rolled out the drums to celebrate its 25 years anniversary, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, examines the high and low points of a sector, which has become the flagship for privatisation enthusiasts

    Has Nigeria gained anything from liberalisation of the media space? Foremost Mass Communication teacher Prof Ralph Akinfeleye says yes and no. For him, while the pluralism of the media ownership has boosted the nation’s profile, it is, however, still a long walk in the dark as far as content is concerned.

    Akinfeleye should know. He is not only a teacher from the nation’s foremost and second generation university, University of Lagos, he is also chairman of the school’s Television (Multimedia and Cinematography) and radio station: UNILAG Radio 103.1FM. He noted that though Nigerian broadcast industry has witnessed steady growth in private ownership in the last 25 years, there is still a huge gap in content.

    “Yes, we have ownership pluralism in … radio but regrettably, we don’t have content pluralism. There are more people owning radio stations but such is at the expense of content. He blamed the regulator – National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for the shoddy outcome. It appears the NBC over regulates and trades the nation’s air space instead of regulating it. They should understand that the airwave is not for sale,” he said.

    Akinfeleye, a member of the Council of the World Journalism Congress (CWJC), who spoke on Ray Power FM’s 25th anniversary on the radio’s Fact File, stressed that content is key to any meaningful and sustainable radio operations.

    Akinfeleye scored Ray Power FM high as pioneer private radio station in the country, but urged the organisation to work harder to sustain its leadership position.

    “The station had won the NMMA awards one or two times as ‘Radio Station of the Year’. They need to work harder to sustain it because now there is a lot of competition and everyone is working hard to get there. Ray Power FM should invest more on programmes, most especially sports.

    He urged owners of broadcast stations to invest more in the sector, train and retrain their staff to cope with the challenging terrain in broadcasting worldwide. They also need to improve more on their reach, capture more audience and update their equipment.

    “Ray Power FM started well, but there is need for a reorientation, so that the radio station can continue to fend off competition and retain its No. 1 position,” he said, challenging the owners to go back to the drawing board.

    In his assessment of Radio as a Catalyst for Development: The Ray Power Example, NBC’s Director of Monitoring Prof Armstrong Idachaba said NBC is proud of Ray Power, which it nurtured without any regulatory compass.

    He said since the 1990s, NBC has tried to develop appropriate regulatory structures that ensured a level-playing field in radio broadcasting.

    “As a regulator, we are proud that the Ray Power we midwifed and nurtured in the early 1990s have grown … From that one experiment, Nigeria now has over 700 broadcasting stations…these could not have been possible without a creative and development-minded regulator. As regulator, we have enabled a sustainable broadcasting industry in Nigeria. We would not have been able to do that without a level-playing field for operators.

    Group Managing Director of DAAR Communications Tony Akiotu said radio is a very potent vehicle for mass mobilisation. He argued that the advent of community radio stations has increased access to people in different parts of the country, adding that Ray Power FM played a key role in providing a platform for the voiceless by taking radio to the streets.

    Akiotu believed private radio stations have justified the deregulation. He recalled that many people never believed that private radio stations could thrive.

    “In the early 1990s, we were used to working for government stations. In those days, it was easier for the military coup to happen when a radio station is seized by Army boys. But people later realised that with the proliferation of radio stations, it would be a Herculean task for any coup d’état plot to succeed,” he added.

    In terms of employment opportunities, Akiotu said there are thousands of graduates of Mass Communication who could not find employment. “But that vacuum has been filled. Some of us, who have risen to the pinnacle of our career, would probably not have gotten such opportunities. In more ways than one, it provided the much-desired tonic and vehicle for development,” he said.

    Managing Director of Radio Services at DAAR Communications Mr. Ambrose Olutayo Somide described the 25-year journey of Ray Power FM in broadcasting as tough. He said the station has navigated through very turbulent times and conquered the fiercest battles to remain in business.

    He stated that as pioneers in an uncharted territory, it was tough in the early days for people to accept the station. He said independent stations survived by taking on subjects and issues that government owned stations never dared.

    “One major challenge is the cost of operation. For half the 25 years if not more, we have been running on electricity generating sets. There is also the issue of shrinking advertising revenue, among others which have become part of the burden of the station till date,” he said.

    Reacting to questions on whether or not the expectations of the stations had been met at 25, Somide responded, saying: “I should confidently say yes. It has been met. The station was meant to be the voice of the voiceless, to be the platform for alternative views, a platform that would drive the process of change, a platform that would provide quality entertainment and good music and so much more. It has done all of that and more. We have not only become a major voice in Nigeria’s march to democracy, we are a go-to station for news and information.”

    On how the station has met the demands of its audience in these changing times, Somide said such demands required them to invest in technology and capacity building. He identified these as major areas the station has focused on that enabled it to remain market leaders in the changing radio ecosystem of the last two decades, adding that the more ‘we grow, the more we understand the business.’

    “The audience demands a lot especially with the over saturation of the market and multiplicity of channels but the investment in audience research makes responding to such demands easy to deal with,”

    Ray Power FM has proved in its 25 years the importance of radio in shaping the lives of people. Despite frequent power outages hindering the free-flow of information, it has played a major role in providing knowledge and entertainment and building bridges across the country.

    Though the operational licence was given in 1993 following the deregulation in 1992, it started operation in 1994, as the first private radio station in Nigeria. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Decree No. 38 of 1992 repealed the provision, which conferred exclusive monopoly of ownership of electronic media on the state. With this, private and independent ownership of electronic media became legalised bringing to an end 60 years of government’s monopoly of broadcasting.

    Ray Power FM blazed 24 hours broadcasting and popularise outside broadcasting, bringing radio to the doorsteps of the people and dishing out entertainment to the delight of yearning listeners. News and information began to be treated in such a way that earn the confidence of the people.  Ray Power’s signal was actually launched on December 15, 1993, while commercial broadcasting commenced on September 1, 1994.

  • Smile’s customers get SMIFI, router

    4G LTE pioneer service provider in West Africa, Smile Nigeria, has unveiled a campaign designed to give brand new SMIFI and Router devices to its loyal customers.

    The offer is for customers that have spent a minimum of 12 months on its network.

    Its Head of Brands and Communication, Lotanna Anajemba, said to be qualified, customers who have spent the required minimum also must have good data usage history and  bring their old SMiFi or Router device in exchange for the new device.

    Anajemba said eligible customers could only benefit from the offer once a year and would need to update their Know Your Customer (KYC) record with Smile to enable them get notification for the offer. The lucky customers will be contacted via SMS and email and requested to visit their nearest Smile shop or kiosk nationwide to claim their new device.

    An aspect of the programme is that it offers the customer a router or SMiFi device at no extra cost. However, customers will have to trade in their old device for the new one. It primarily rewards loyalty and is available in all the major cities in which Smile operates.

    “We recognise that the internet is becoming more and more important for nearly everybody in their everyday lives, and as such, it is our goal to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the best customer experience on the Smile network,” Anajemba said.

    A cross section of keen industry watchers said the new offer would help customers to become owners of brand new SMIFI or router device. They said the offer is part of Smile’s objective to deepen internet access by delighting customers and attracting new prospects alike.

    Smile’s effort to get more people on to the internet is demonstrated by its aggressive investment in what is now about the largest 4G LTE network, introduction of a wide and affordable bundle portfolio, affordable data enabled devices and now this exciting offer. This latest offer aligns with its commitment to creating a differentiated value proposition and provide customer centric services, which are aimed at adding unrivalled benefits to its teeming customers spread across major cities and towns in the country.

    More than anything else, the new offer meets with Smile’s position as the broadband provider of choice in Nigeria that enables its customers to do and achieve more.

  • On the Next Level cabinet

    SIR: Nigerians and political observers were understandably concerned about the snail-speed process of cabinet ‘construction’, because of the myriad of challenges – economic, social, political and security – facing the nation. In his first coming (2015), it took President Muhammadu Buhari six months to perform similar task, and this had an enormous effect on the performance of that government afterwards.

    It is against this backdrop that Nigerians expected a shift, a better focus, and decisive action from president.  Another stumble on this task by President Buhari, again led to avoidable anxiety, moaning and agitation among Nigerians. Thankfully, the lacuna didn’t last as long before President Buhari finally released the (ministerial) list and the eventual inauguration of the ministers some weeks ago.

    Concerned Nigerians have however raised issues and expressed doubts on some names on the list because of concerns on competency, character, integrity and spectre of corruption allegations hanging over others.

    Yet, in the interest of equity, fairness and justice, we must not rush to proclaim anyone guilty of corruption without conviction. Nevertheless, it is important for Nigerians to give President Buhari and those ministers under investigation the benefit of the doubt, and to trust that the president has chosen those he trusts to help him actualise his programme for optimum results to Nigerians. The onus now rests on these ministers to prove to doubters wrong by collaborating and working assiduously in consonance with the vision, aspiration and Next Level Agenda of the president and his party.

    Nigerians expect the dividends in massive jobs creation, youth empowerment, provision of basic amenities and economic growth in the interest of every Nigerian. The cabinet members must avoid disagreements and unnecessary bickering which has always been the bane of performance of ministers in the past.

    Unlike in his first term when the president was aloof with his ministers, he would do Nigerians a great favour this time around by placing his ministers on probation and periodically assessing them and also not hesitant to fire anyone who underperforms or is found wanting in any way.  It is important to say that, though the re-appointed ministers have proved their mettle in the first term, they also need to redouble their efforts and commitments, whilst the new ministers among whom Nigerians expressed misgivings about should be challenged by the naysayers and take the enormity of the task before them seriously to drive the policies and programmes of the administration. All these should be their focus and the driving force, not pursuit of self-interests and self-aggrandizement.

    • Lanre Atere, United Kingdom.

  • Ericsson to lose $1b to porous internal controls

    Ericsson has identified breaches of its Code of Business Ethics and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) which it blamed on several deficiencies, including a ‘failure to react to red flags and inadequate internal controls’. These, it said enabled a limited number of employees to actively circumvent internal controls for ‘illegitimate purposes’.

    While it said it has been co-operating voluntarily since 2013 with an investigation by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and, since 2015, with an investigation by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) into its compliance with the FCPA and the process is still ongoing, it estimated that it will cost it an estimated $1billion.

    “While Ericsson cannot comment in detail on the ongoing process with the U.S. authorities, it can with current visibility estimate the cost and thus make a provision, which will impact the third quarter of 2019 results by SEK 12b.

    We have to recognise that the company has failed in the past and I can assure you that we work hard every day to build a stronger Ericsson, where ethics and compliance are cornerstones in how we conduct business. Over the past two years, we have made significant investments in our ethics and compliance program including our investigative capabilities and have taken actions against employees who have transgressed our values and standards.”

    Its Chairman, Board of Directors, Ronnie Leten, said: “This has been a formative process for the company. We have worked closely with the Executive Team in enhancing Ericsson’s ethics and compliance program. We are impressed by their conviction in addressing shortcomings and are confident in their ability to deliver on our strategy.”

    Based on a thorough internal and external assessment of its Ethics and Compliance programme, the company has implemented significant reforms to address identified gaps and further strengthen the programme. This work is still ongoing, and Ericsson will remain relentless in striving to improve and safeguard a strong ethical and compliance culture throughout the company.

  • Nigeria trudges on at 59

    SIR: As Nigeria celebrates 59 years of independence, the indisputable fact is that it currently grapples with challenges of security, economy and national unity. In 1960, Nigerians both in and out of the country celebrated the independence moment with an open mind in the hope that the nation will experience radical transformation and development.

    Six years after independence, the country went through various challenges most notable being the January 15, 1966 coup d’état at a point the structure of governance had barely developed. The consequences of the military intervention led to an unfortunate civil war of 1966 to 1970 which led to the death of thousands of Nigerians.

    After a series of several military interruptions at different times, the country returned to a civilian administration in 1999. This year, the country celebrated 20 years of uninterrupted democracy.

    Still, there are a lot of issues despite the improvements in the electoral process with electoral violence, desperation by politicians, vote-buying, logistic issues among others, a recurring factor.

    Worse still, Nigerian politicians continue to show that they are only interested in taking care of their personal interests rather than those that elected them. They have since succeeded in dividing the country along religious and ethnic lines. No longer are elections based on the capacity and ability of the person to deliver; rather most Nigerians appear to be more interested in seeing their kinsmen occupy the corridors of power. No wonder now that appointments into different ministries, departments, and agencies of government are based on where one comes from and religious consideration rather than merit.

    The level of insecurity has heightened the distrust among Nigerians. The security situation is getting worse with growing sophistication of ISWAP and, Boko Haram terrorists. Armed banditry in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Kaduna states, herders/farmers clashes and of course widespread of kidnapping especially along Kaduna-Abuja high way has since compounded the problem.

    The economy appears to be taking one step forward, two-steps backward with over 90.8 million Nigerians living below the poverty line. The industries are no longer functioning; foreign investors are afraid to invest and the level of unemployment is becoming a threat to our national security.

    Another cancer gnawing at Nigeria’s democracy and its unity is the issue of widespread hate and dangerous speech. This is not unconnected to the widespread access to social media platforms by Nigerians. Nigerian conversational space is suffused with hateful and damaging speeches threatening its corporate existence. Fake news and hate speeches circulating daily are heating up our political atmosphere and sowing seeds of discord among Nigerians.

    Despite these challenges or problems, the country trudges on. Nigerians should understand the wisdom of God who put us together as one country despite our differences.

    The government should provide a conducive atmosphere for participatory and inclusive governance. Doing so will tremendously assist the country to surmount its multi-faced problems. The government should also work hard to reduce the level of unemployment, insecurity and the threats to the unity of the country.

    Happy 59 independence anniversary and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    • Idris Mohammed, Abuja.

  • El-Rufai and f(r)iends

    El-Rufai, the son, arriving a public school, provokes a storm. El-Rufai, the father, faces the resultant blitz, of praise or blame.

    It’s the making of El-Rufai and f(r)iends!

    The governor may have bucked a sickly trend — of the Nigerian ruling elite keeping own children off the leprous public schools they run.

    That ought to come with some well-earned praise — for the governor’s action is welcome pinch, on the conscience (or lack of it) of his ruling peers.

    Yet, reaction has focused less on the action per se — noble, if you ask Ripples.  El-Rufai’s fiends would rather raze him for their perceived colour of his politics; and their sworn evil of his motive.

    It’s all perfectly contemporary Nigerian: it’s not enough to do good or evil.  What matters is the perception of friend and foe.  Donald Trump’s alternative facts syndrome is finding safe local anchor.

    Strictly, it’s ugly to fair-minded eyes.  Facts are nothing. Bias is everything.  It’s the paramountcy of shadow over substance.

    Yes, it’s true: Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State, does not suffer fools gladly, as the Brits say, of that clinical putdown.

    Some say that is because he has a sharp, acute, piercing mind that is rather impatient with those who waffle and dodder, no thanks to a wobbling and blunt mind.

    Others spurn that as crap.  El-Rufai, they insist, is just a brat with zero emotional intelligence. That dire challenge, they add, clothes him with combative and arrogant pride.  So, he holds others — particularly those who disagree with him — in contempt.

    He may indeed be brilliant — they reluctantly concede his razor-sharp mind — but it’s brilliance without humility or charity, which is a waste, they jeer in final triumph!

    Indeed, if you have read El-Rufai’s The Accidental Public Servant, you would marvel at his self-projection as clinical and severe, battling against all environmental odds to do good!   You then wondered if blood flowed in his veins!

    Now, was this a mind courting controversy as a political weapon?  Or just a single-minded dynamo determined to do his bit, whether anyone liked it or not?

    So, when the news hit the waves, that El-Rufai just enrolled his son Abubakar, 6, to start primary one in a public school, Capital School, Malali, in Kaduna, with the camera in tow, all hell simply broke loose, among friends and foes!

    In all the hullabaloo, however, some salient points got conveniently glossed over.

    To start with, the entry age into public primary schools.  To many parents today, it’s infra dig to enrol a six-year old — too old for primary one, they would bawl! — even if that is the entry prescription; just as a holiday is inconceivable without the so-called “summer classes.”

    The all-knowing, all-busy adults have decreed childhood and its sweet pleasures out of their children; the career-pushing parents have expunged play, fun and spark from their kids’ holidays!

    Therefore, it is rather refreshing that a governor, in 21st century Nigeria with all its empty conceits and grand pretences, is using his own blood to reiterate this sanity.

    Yes, little Abubakar is a product of some elite pre-primary schooling.  But that his father isn’t leveraging that for a higher class would appear total, solemn submission to the rules.  That is a leadership model that should excite everyone.

    Then, the inviolability of promises, by public servants.

    For whatever reason, the governor made a solemn promise: when his son turned six, whether he was still governor or not, he would enrol him in a public primary school.

    Everyone moved on. Not a few forgot. Most probably would not have remembered, had the governor played dumb, and allowed his promise to quietly slide. But should anyone dare remind him, to walk his talk, he would probably have put out some cant.

    But again, El-Rufai remembered — and kept his word.  That ought to earn due praise.  Leaders’ words ought to be their bond.

    Indeed, Olusegun Obasanjo always brags: my  word is my bond.  Let’s just say, El Rufai has just acted that, with little or no fuss — though the cameras were in tow, which seem to have enraged not a few!

    Obasanjo!  That name echoes the many battles of El Rufai in the public space, birthing a hardy and controversial public figure, more feared than loved!

    In The Accidental Public Servant, El-Rufai’s Obasanjo years ministerial memoirs — and a high-flying and very visible minister at that — the future governor gave his president the short-shrift: Obasanjo’s denial, of an attempt at an illegal “third term”, was a fib!

    “No third term – no Nigeria”, he quoted the president to have bragged inside Aso Rock, in February 2006.  Raising that “smoking gun”, El-Rufai declared, with utter irreverence, the president had tumbled, from the high pedestal he once held him!

    Not a few thought that was harsh — and brash.  Others felt it was plain ingratitude — to a president that offered El-Rufai the world.  Yet others craved more grace, no matter what.

    But an unfazed El-Rufai won’t waffle: it’s honour or nothing! Your word ought to be your bond!

    In another high-octane war, a Pentecostal cleric, the Edo-based Johnson Suleman, once crossed swords with El-Rufai, over some religious edict, in Kaduna State.

    When the push came to the shove, the pastor threatened a pastoral fatwa — a holy curse that threatened the governor with near-instant death!  It was a new low in ecclesiastical rascality!

    But it was the pastor that ate crow.  El-Rufai has not only lived, he had gone on to claim a second term!  But the man of God, it was, hobbled and humbled by a scandal!  See how the holy stumble?

    Of course, “second term” reminds you of Shehu Sani, the former Kaduna Central senator that also rumbled with the governor — but lost out on second term (replaced by another Uba Sani), even after the ruling party tried a stalled cohabitation.  El-Rufai could prove a formidable, unforgiving adversary!

    Poor Shehu Sani!  He has been apoplectic, since the El-Rufai-son-goes-to-school story broke; spinning tales of alleged deceit; of how the governor allegedly spent “N195 million on a particular school … take your son and the media to that school and think you have done anything different.”

    Sani went on Kaduna’s gubernatorial binge of worthier governors: a Balarabe Musa that shunned Government House, during his short governorship in the 2nd Republic; and an Ahmed Markarfi, whose children, he claimed, also attended that same school, without Markarfi bringing down the media roof!  Nasir’s was all comical stunt for 2023, see?

    But as poor Sani fumed, it was clear who stole the thunder; and who harvested the anger!  A grape never tasted so sour!  El-Rufai and fiends!

    Indeed, El-Rufai is as controversial — and combative —  as they come.  He especially loves to shut up the hyper-educated southern loud mouths, who sadistically glory the North is dumb; so it ought to listen, while they thunder!

    Nor does he necessarily hide the political Machiavelli in him.  He once rued the North as comparable human development laggard; but also relished its blind advantage as captive voting bloc, warts and all!

    Yet, on this one, El-Rufai has earned due and legitimate praise.  If every governor takes his cue, and enrol their children in public schools — primary, secondary and tertiary  — there would be added vim to fix crumbling public education.

  • Nigeria @ 59

    Thanks to one particular WhatsApp group among the countless others I belong whose subject can range from nothing to just about anything under the sun, I found myself in a long drawn debate over the state of the nation, with particular reference to our institutions vis-à-vis the civic responsibility of the citizen, and the interplay of the two in the current morass in which the country has found itself.

    The particular forum, appropriately named Lagos- Ibadan Road Update, created in the wake of the on-going construction works being undertaken by the German firm, Julius Berger at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, not only sought to provide regular, periodic updates on the hellish traffic situation to group members but for members an avenue for engagement on wider range of issues. For yours truly, the chat group has since become a must – a daily companion for the most part of the nearly four harrowing weeks on that traffic corridor. As one might imagine of such groups, discussions, more often than not, tend to veer into the railing against just about everyone deemed complicit in inflicting the needless pain on the “innocent motorist”: the federal government, the police and the traffic management agencies, and of course, the construction company – Julius Berger.

    It is as one might expect of the typical Nigerian Public Square where rules are not only expendable but readily dispensed with. If you discount the indulgence – by some- for disinformation, the penchant to trade fiction for facts, the bombasts, the uncivility of the language deployed to drive arguments, you probably have enough left to make sense of any issue in focus.

    And so it was that the chat group suddenly erupted on Sunday afternoon. This time, the big news was that the contractor, Julius Berger, had allegedly dug a giant canal on the alternative earth road known to have provided some succour in the last four weeks that the closure has lasted.

    What could be the basis – many had wondered? To some, the move was to discourage impatient motorists using the bye-pass to cut their ordeal even as it always turns out, that they end up further complicating the nightmare down the road. The big question was – whodunit?

    Was Julius Berger truly responsible? No one could be sure. A giant earth moving equipment allegedly sighted in the vicinity moments before the act would seem to suffice! Time it was once again, to call out the company for its ‘wickedness’, atrocious speed, indifference to the agonies of the road users and its evident lack of social responsibility given the scale of dislocation that have attended the construction job.

    Having been on the road for more than three years now, could the company not have made better plans not to talk of mobilization? How come, many ask, that JB couldn’t work 24 hours? Are they not being paid? This wasn’t the JB they knew; the one they knew would not only work 24/7 but at breadth-taking speed! The ranting went on and on…

    I perfectly understand the outbursts given the needless pains forced on the commuters on that stretch long arguably as the nation’s busiest traffic corridor.  If you have had the experience of enduring a minimum of four hours of stress in the terrible traffic in the course of eight hours work, you’ll probably understand not just the basis of their frustrations but why their anger is justifiable

    We must agree that Julius Berger has made a mess of the job. After all, it has been four weeks of hell on the highway. True, we may not have seen Nigerians dropping dead on the highway at this time; the same cannot be said of the slow, instalmental death which will surely come in the fullness of time.

    I mean, it would not matter if in the end, the stretch is paved with gold; the idea that a construction company in this day and age, could dispense with the niceties of good corporate behaviour and robust community relations/engagement obviously says a lot about how much premium the company places on the citizens. Ever heard of a doctor putting a patient through the rigours of a major surgery without anaesthesia? But that is what JB does to Nigerians!

    Yet, there is a sense in which our anger is misdirected. In treating Nigerians the way it does, Julius Berger may have in fact stretched outlawry to the limits; nothing however compares with the criminal indifference of Nigeria’s absentee government. Nigerians are supposed to be grateful that the government is finally minded to deliver the road; nothing, it would appear, matter after. The needless death and the public health issues from the lack of attention to details of planning and management are simply taken as necessary derivatives by a government that would rather mouth change than give it practical meaning!

    But then, if the Works Ministry is indifferent, the police, the FRSC and the other agencies of government deployed on the road are worse than pathetic. Good thing that they have not – at least not yet, set up tolling points; they have neither the sense of duty nor the understanding of what their duties demand at a time like this. When they are not indifferent to lawbreaking, some have proven to be abettors of indiscipline – the chief reason why chaos rule on the road.  Forget professionalism; we are yet to see evidence on display on that small stretch of the highway. At best, our uniformed men are mere bystanders!

    Nigerians are truly an impatient lot; not only that, they are certified wailers. They complain about everything under the sun – from the crass incompetence of their institutions to the legendary insensitivity of their government. The truth however is that they are no less complicit in condoning bad behaviour. Imagine how the antics of a few people, driving against traffic at peak traffic periods, turns the entire scene into bedlam. The next thing you hear is let him go – without so much as a demand for penance for the pains inflicted on other road users or the thought that this might constitute an incentive for others to follow the bad example. The trick is to tolerate and complain later!

    I would wager than a good number of motorists would readily present as a good case for the shrink. That is what the scale of chaos suggests. More than that however, it takes a high degree of permissiveness for bad behaviour for the chaos to endure. It is part of the intriguing mystery of how our society still manages to function – albeit minimally as a structured human entity. At best, the agony daily experienced on the Lagos- Ibadan expressway is a window into how we have sunk as a nation.

    Happy Independence Day celebration!

  • Save Satellite Town

    After 59 years of existence as a country, Nigeria is supposed to be celebrating laudable legacies. But instead, she is bogged down by basic existential challenges. Unfortunately, some of these challenges are manmade, and unless we change the way we treat ourselves and our national assets, we may continue tottering on the brink, when our nation’s contemporaries are leapfrogging to conquer space.

    Last Saturday, while journeying to participate at the official visit of the Rotary District Governor of District 9110 Nigeria, Dr. Jide Akeredolu, to the Rotary Club of Satellite Town, a drive that should take less than twenty minutes from Festac Town to Satellite Town, in Lagos, turned into a nightmare, necessitating the abandonment of the vehicle I was driving at a filing station, after wasting hours behind trailers and articulated vehicles.

    As the Assistant District Governor, seconded to supervise the club, I had to ride a motorbike, to ensure my boss doesn’t get there before me. The District Governor on his part journeyed for hours trying to navigate his way to the venue. Without any notice, a major exit artery off the expressway into the Satellite Town was blocked by a caterpillar, forcing the governor to pass the exit-road leading to the venue of the event.

    While the service lane of the expressway from around Ojo barracks down to Festac 3rd gate, is a nightmare, the inner roads of Satellite Town is worse than a nightmare. It is hell on earth. All the inner roads are spectacles of craters and emergency ponds. Whether you are driving on the inner roads of the federal government owned estate or the nearby communities, you are bound to wonder whether that part of Lagos has been at war for decades.

    Embarrassingly, some of the nations that Nigeria rubbed shoulders with in the 1960s, after she gained independence from Great Britain have so much to show off each time they celebrate their independence anniversary. Whether in the economy, military, science or technology, many of them have made significant achievements, and some are rubbing shoulders with the first world countries in science and technology.

    If Nigeria cannot compete in science and technology, it should not be a laggard in maintaining motorable roads, which does not require much exertion. The present leaders should at least maintain the infrastructure developed when Nigeria had the resources from the oil boom, such as the Satellite Town. It should also worry about the public health challenges that come with motorist staying for hours on the traffic.

    If the federal government has abandoned the Satellite Town which it built, the Lagos state government and the local government that controls the area should not abandon the people in the estate and its environs. The level of neglect is so palpable that a visitor would think there is no government office within the estate. So, I was surprised that a local council area has its office within the estate, and yet the entire area is looking like a dungeon.

    But Satellite was not always like that. It was developed as an adjunct to the Festac Town built to host African Nations to the Festival of Arts and Culture in 1977, when our central bank was over flowing with foreign exchange. In a record time, the federal government built the famous Festac Town, where it quartered participants and treated them to a lavish party. Part of the benefit of the African party was arguably the best planned estate in Africa at a time.

    Since Nigeria was awash with petro dollars, the federal authorities decided to build an adjunct to that town. So, a smaller but equally well laid out town was built across the West African trans-highway leading to Benin Republic, which became known as the Satellite Town. That smaller town, though less sophisticated in planning and execution than Festac Town, hosts the Central Bank of Nigeria Estate and several other estates owned by major oil companies and other industries in the 1980s.

    It is inside these enormous housing estates and adjunct communities that the Rotary Club of Satellite Town is tucked in. As the District Governor Akeredolu noted during the club’s presentation of exercise books and grants to selected students of the Satellite senior secoundary and Navy Town senior secoundary schools last Saturday, the Satellite communities have the potential to host a large Rotary Club. But that is not the case, and there is no doubt that the decay of Satellite Town had affected the health of the club, founded in 1982.

    So, those who allowed the town to dilapidate have not only downgraded the quality of life in the estate, they are also denying the residents the benefits that could come from hosting a vibrant Rotary club with all the attendant benefits. To restore the lost glory, the federal government, owners of the major estate in the Satellite town must lead the way. They should be supported by the state and local council authorities, since the extensions have more or less interwoven with the original federal government estate.

    The local council authority should borrow a leaf from the Amuwo-Odofin local council, which maintains the inner roads in Festac Town, even though the estate is owned by the Federal Housing Authority, a federal government agency. A planned urban renewal program is an emergency that would do everybody a lot of good. Whether for the enhancement of the value of the huge investment in housing in the area, or the quality of life of the residents, or general public health, the three levels of government and the residents association should work together to renew Satellite Town.

    The Federal Ministry of Works, which behaves like an irresponsible landowner must mend its waywardness. While allowing the estate to become an eyesore, it still collects levies on transactions on properties it owns in the estate. It even collects development levy, yet there is no iota of development going on. Without equivocation, one can say that if those Africans who marveled at the   beauty of Festac and Satellite Towns when Nigeria showed off its economic prowess in 1977 and beyound should visit now, they will be ashamed at the level of decadence and backwardness of the estate.

    I urge all government authorities to emulate the Rotary Club of Satellite Town, led by Rotarian Vera Nwagu, who despite their environmental challenges, still find a place in their heart to engage in doing public good. Other public spirited individuals resident in Satellite Town and its environs must seek out where the club meets and join them. As one of the best managed international non-governmental organizations with enormous potentials, Rotary stands in good stead to show how to save Satellite Town.

  • Why court jailed ex-NBA chair

    A Federal High court sitting in Yola has sentenced a former Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yola branch, Mr Esthon Runde Binani and a Magistrate Shehu Mustapha to five years in prison.

    The court further ordered that Binani refund N5 million  being the proceeds of Judgment obtained in favour of his clients while Shehu will return N61 million being part of the said proceeds placed under his care when he was the Litigation Secretary in the High court before his elevation to the lower bench.

    The suit was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) based on a complaint by the retired staff member of Sterling Construction Company who alleged that the two embezzled the proceeds of the judgment due to them.

    During the trial, Mr Esthon has insisted that the N5million was his professional fees and the remaining amount was paid to the High Court under the care of Mr Shehu.

    Mr Shehu denied spending the money but failed to mention who did.

    In a chat with The Nation, a source close to the court who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the sentence and stated that the lawyer was convicted for not paying the N5 million into his solicitors account; rather he paid it into his personal account and eventually spent the money for his personal needs.

    “Mr. Esthon had an understanding with his clients. They agreed for him to take 20 per cent of the debt when he recovered it for them. He recovered the sum of N72 million, but the registrar of the court refused to release the whole money to him, releasing only N5 million out of the money and refused to release the balance.

    Binani offered the N 5 million to his clients and they rejected it asking for their complete judgment amount.

    “Mr. Esthon paid the money into his personal account and eventually spent it. So, when the court eventually asked him to produce the money, he could not produce it because he had spent it. It is indeed regrettable,” the source stated.