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Tag: PUBLIC

  • Communicate your ideas: Public Speaking Icon (4)

    Communicate your ideas: Public Speaking Icon (4)

    One of the easily identifiable traits of wise people is their ability to improve on their knowledge. They realise that no one knows it all. There are always people who are more experienced than us and knowledge is progressive. Whatever information we have today may be obsolete by tomorrow because the only constant thing in life is change. Whoever closes his/her mind to new information is heading for a life of isolation. Hence, we have constantly emphasized the need to keep learning in this column. In agreement with this commitment, it is my pleasure to bring you another Public Speaking Icon today. I admire him because he is multi-talented. His leadership style is also worthy of emulation, and he has great people skills. Hey, why should I tell you all about him when you can meet him yourself? For your reading pleasure and enlightenment, I bring you Mr. Alfred Olomukoro.

    Alfred Olomukoro

    Alfred Olomukoro is a theatre art practitioner and a comedian. He owns a training academy known as Ekwebility Professional Academy, where he is the principal facilitator. “Ekwe” in Delta means laughter, so the academy focuses on developing the ability to make people laugh in its students. The Academy has had the privilege of consulting for the United Nations. Alfred is also an actor, a director, and a professionally trained compère. He also recently authored a book titled, Scores to Settle, a collection of short stories. I leave you with Fred Olomukoro.

    Factors responsible for interest in comedy

    While in primary school, I always loved to tell stories in class. I even narrated movies to my classmates. Gradually, they got so used to it that during any free period, they would gather around me and expect me to tell them the latest movie- most of them were boarders, while I was a day student. But unknown to them, there were days I didn’t have a story to tell; so I would create some make believe stories on impulse. A title would evolve right there and then, and I would tell them the story, which they always believed. They were always quite captivated by the stories. I was gradually building myself in speaking without knowing. Comedy came into the scene because, in the cause of telling those stories, I added my own humour, my own flavor and I saw them laugh- I love to see people laugh. Also, my sisters enjoyed me reading a book or watching a movie instead of them doing it; they would wait for me to tell them the story. They believed my own version was more interesting than the original. All these developed my creativity in terms of humour and speaking. I seize every opportunity of an event to make a presentation, such a reciting a poem. That was how I got used to facing a crowd.

    First time before a crowd

    My first time before a crowd was in my primary school days. I participated in a drama presentation, and I did quite well. I wasn’t too shaken by the crowd. I had already rehearsed in the class, so I was not a victim of pressure or stage fright. In secondary school, I continued like that. Though a little fear would naturally come, but as long as I am prepared, I will overcome it.

    Difference between facing a crowd as a master of event (compère) and as a comedian

    There is a big difference. In the Nigerian context, most people simply assume that if you are a comedian, you must also be a compère, but it doesn’t really work like that. This has robbed a lot of compères their jobs because people expected that they must make people laugh. You can be a compère, but you may not be a comedian. A comedian’s basic job is to make people laugh. Nevertheless, a comedian should train as a compère to learn how to observe protocols appropriately. As a comedian, your humour must apply to your audience. It has to impart the people because humour speaks volume. They will laugh, but there should be a message. Your major goal is to hear the outburst of laughter. So, you must put in the required humour ingredients that will stir up people to laugh. A speaker needs to have a very good opening; it could be via humour, or statistics on the subject matter, or stories, people love stories. Also, as a comedian, your first joke is your major joker. If you give a fantastic first joke, even if the next one is not as interesting as the first, the initial one will linger in their minds, so they will still laugh. It is also good that you leave them with the humour that will cause them to ask for more, so that you can leave the stage when the ovation is loudest. These are some of the things we teach at Ekwebility Academy.

    How easy is it to be funny?

    A lot of people think comedy is easy or cheap, but it is not. It is not easy to be funny. Comedians do say this and it is true; I have been on stage as a comedian, and I am also a trainer, so I’ve seen both sides of it. Nigerians are passing through economic depression, so sometimes when they come to events like that, you don’t know what’s running through their minds. And you want to make such people laugh? They may have been through a terrible traffic, or be experiencing delayed salaries, or victimization at the office, and they want a comic relieve at the event. As a comedian, it is your task to make them laugh. You must have that natural ability in you- there is something in you that makes you original and funny. This interesting interview with Fred Olomukoro continues next week by the grace of God, please make it a date.

  • Public, private schools battle for TETFund cash

    Public, private schools battle for TETFund cash

    The role of individuals and religious societies in education cannot be discountenanced. For long, they have been supporting the government in this critical sector. They started with the founding of nursery/primary schools; moved into secondary school and are now into tertiary education.

    Private schools have their challenges, despite some of the good things people say about them. Their major challenge is funding, an area where they cannot match the government. The different tiers of government own most of the schools inthe country. The Federal Government is at the top of the ownership ladder.

    Last year, it devoted 8.43 per cent of the budget to the funding of education. Many consider the vote may be inadequate because it is for the funding of public-owned schools and relevant regulatory agencies and parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Education, (FME)

    Private schools do not enjoy government support. It is argued that since they charge fees and make profit, they do not need financial support to build infrastructure, hire teachers and provide equipment like their public school counterparts.

    Now, they are beginning to agitate for a change. They are seeking greater recognition and financial support from the government. They are also seeking relief from paying high taxes.

    They made their stand known at the 28th Annual Conference of the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) hosted by the Federal University of Technology in Akure (FUTA). At the opening of the conference, some vice-chancellors of private universities protested claims by government representatives that private schools do not need support because they charge fees.

    At the end of the conference attended by 60 vice-chancellors from public and private universities, the communiqué reflected the feelings of private school administrators that they deserve government’s support.

    Part of the observations in the communiqué read: “Universities do not operate under the same circumstances having been established by various entities but inadequacy of funding by university proprietors is a major cause of declining educational quality in all universities.”

    To this end, the AVCNU recommended that the: “Federal Government should increase funding of public universities and extend financial support to private ones.”

    Prof Olusola Fajana, Vice-Chancellor of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University [JABU], attended the conference and was one of those who protested the claim that private schools are very comfortable.

    Fajana told The Nation that private universities should benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) because it is funded by the private sector. TETFund derives its money from two per cent of the profit of private companies. The fund, the brainchild of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), is disbursed as grants to federal and state universities as grants to improve infrastructure, train lecturers and conduct research among others.

    Fajana said it is erroneous to think that private universities exist to make profit because many of them charge well below the cost of education.

    “A large number of private universities are not for profit. You cannot be charging 50 per cent of the cost and want to make profit. The cost of training an undergraduate as calculated two years ago was between N800,000 and N900,000. Our school fees is not N800,000 but half of that and the proprietors subsidise the money. Those universities charging N800,000 are charging close to the cost,” he said.

    Fajana advocated for the return of grants-in-aid that was given to mission schools in pre-independence Nigeria to help cover the cost of education.

    Even if the government is unwilling to develop infrastructure in private universities, Fajana is advocating support in training lecturers.

    “The government should at least assist in funding our capacity development for staff,” he said.

    Also making a case for government funding for private university, Aare Afe Babalola, founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti [ABUAD], said his university reinvests proceeds into enhancing education and should be supported by governemt.

    He said: “I strongly believe government should fund my university because ABUAD is the only university in Nigeria today that was established as a non-profit making university. This simply means neither I nor my wife or children is entitled to a penny of the profit. Every profit that is made from the university goes back into the university.

    “There are people that are wealthy in this country yet many fail to leave a lasting legacy. Some even decided to establish companies outside the country in the face of acute joblessness and poverty at the home front. But as God has blessed me so much through this legal practice, I one day now asked myself what can I do to reward humanity for what God has done for me, it was then the idea of ABUAD came on board. And I think people like us should be given kudos for bequeathing to humanity a lifelong asset.”

    Rather than considering profit when thinking of private schools, Mr Mandy David Abulaya, proprietor of Nacabs Polytechnic in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, said government should appreciate the social service they provide.

    “Private schools need a lot of funds. Education is not profit-oriented. You can only make goodwill and name but you don’t make profit,” he said.

    At almost all levels of education, private schools are proliferating in Nigeria. At the university education sub-sector, there are 51 private universities, compared to the 40 run by the Federal Government and the 38 run by state governments. At the primary and secondary levels, there are close to 20,000 private schools in Nigeria – with more than 12,000 of them located in Lagos alone.

    However, despite their increasing numbers, President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Dr P.C. Okoh lamented the lack of support or recognition from the government.

    Okoh said at a Private Education Finance Summit held at the Excellence Hotel and Conference Centre, Ogba penultimate week that the private education sub-sector now caters for more children than the public education sub-sector.

    “With the virtual collapse of public education system in many parts of the country, private schools rose to the challenge of bridging the gap. Parents prefer to send their children to private educational institutions to the extent that the private education subsector is today bigger than the public education sub-sector. Available records confirm that 98 per cent of secondary schools and 56 per cent of pre-schools, and 80 per cent of nursery pupils, 72 per cent of primary and 56 per cent of secondary school children are in private schools nationwide,” Okoh said in his speech read by the Chairman of Exam Ethics Marshals International, Mr Ike Onyechere.

    Okoh however lamented that despite their significant contribution to educational development in Nigeria, governments have not extended support to private proprietors like it did to other sectors.

    He said: “Despite its growing importance, government’s reaction to the private education sector is that of total neglect as all intervention efforts are focused on public education. There is no special intervention for private education as is the case in other sectors: Agriculture (Bank of Agriculture); Housing (Federal Mortgage Bank); Industries (Bank of Industry); Road transport (SURE-P) ETC.”

    On the contrary, rather than support Okoh said government tax private schools unfairly.

    “The private education sub-sector does not enjoy any fiscal policy incentives. To make matters worse, governments at all levels regard private schools as veritable sources for enhancement of internally-generated revenue. Private schools are further encumbered with all forms of taxation that include company tax, education tax, tax on signboards and stickers on school buses, etc.”

    Okoh also said lack of funding forces private schools to seek loans from commercial banks which charge them cut-throat interest rates that force some to increase fees and engage in unethical practices.

    “Of all the consequences of the financial pressure on private schools, weak adherence to best practices is the most dangerous. It is the driving force behind the weakening moral infrastructure as symbolised in the epidemic of examination malpractice and academic dishonesty,” he said.

    Attesting to Okoh’s claims, Mukhtar Yunus Uthman, the sole administrator of Ibrahim Bello Memorial School, Zaria, Kaduna State told The Nation that it is time governments at all levels recognised the social role private schools play in the society.

    He said annually, his school pays for renewal, signboard, tenement rate, personal annual income tax of proprietor and PAYE to the government. All this, he said, are taken without consideration for whether the schools can pay their workers.

    “The truth is we don’t even have the money. In some private schools, when the end of term comes, proprietors have problems paying their workers until students resume, not to talk of paying these taxes. Recently, the Kano State government started charging private schools 10 per cent of their total annual income deductable before they remove tax salaries or any other expenses. Now in Kaduna State, we are battling with the plan of government to charge five per cent annual income as tax,” he said.

    Complaining about multiple taxes from various agents of government, Mrs Temilola Afolabi, proprietress of High Gate Schools, Oshodi said the government regulation forces school owners to take loans.

    She said: ”The tax imposed on us is much. The government sees private schools as if we collect a lot of money. We pay N63,000 for land use which is quite much but what can we do? We cannot fight the government; we just have to continue to manage. Sometimes we have to collect loans to pay these taxes. The personal income tax is another problem. How much is even the salary that they pay tax from when teachers are being paid maybe N15,000, N18,000 or N20,000?

    “The radio and television tax is N10,000, then it was just N500. If you don’t pay up, the local council will come and threaten to close up your school. In fact we were even asked to pay N20,000 before we beat it down to N10,000. We just have two televisions; one for the day class and the other for the prep class. It is not as if we usually have light. We are always on generator and yet we pay for PCHN. We pay N20,000 monthly for light which we do not even see. By the time you put all these expenditures – tax, teachers’ salary, maintenance fee, LAWMA, PHCN and other expenses, how much do you now have as your profit for the year?

    Mrs Oluokun Zainab, proprietress of Ansar-ud-deen Nursery and Primary School, Mafoluku, said the Lagos State Government should reduce the taxes.

    She said: “Every January we pay some amount of money to the government which they call revenue and it is mandatory. We pay N20,000 to the Lagos State Signage Advertiment Agency, (LASAA) every year; LAWMA (Lagos State Waste Management Authority), Ministry of Environment will come; and N5,000 for fire certificate which is renewed every year. Land uUe, PHCN,TV and radio tax, teachers income taxes are there. All these taxes are just too much on us. Government should help us to reduce the tax because they are trying to push us out of business. They cannot provide for all so they should support us. When they collect all these amount of money from us definitely the profit has been drastically reduced.”

    Mr Ayodele Ayodeji, Principal of SMA College, Isolo, said the taxes are ridiculous.

    “Local government officials will come and harass you. Even the government officials will come to us and ask for withholding tax. If you want to paint your building yourself, they will come and say you must contract it out to them and you must pay tax. People are now moving away from education sector in Lagos to nearby places like Ogun State because of these reasons. The Directors tax that the owners also are made to pay is much. This will not help the country or people at all,” he said.

    However, Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye said at a forum with private school proprietors, that the government considers them as partners.

    She said: “We have since realised that there is no way that government alone can move the education sector forward, we need to partners with the private sector and other stakeholders in the education sector because we realised that the largest number of our children are in private schools.”

    She urged them to get the list of approved taxes from the ministry of education and desist from paying taxes to just any government official that shows up on their doorsteps.

  • Why I’m writing a book on public administration, by ex-Edo SSG

    Why I’m writing a book on public administration, by ex-Edo SSG

    THE youths in Edo State say good things about you; what is the magic behind this?

    My philosophy of life is to try as much as possible to touch many lives in a positive manner, and I believe that the future belongs to the youths. If you go to any campaign ground, 70 per cent of the people you see there are youths, same on the voting day, therefore, if you neglect the youths, you are not only neglecting the present generation but the future generation as well if attention is not given to the youths.

    It is for this reason that I had always invested in the youths – I have been doing this right from my days in the medical profession, especially as an activist in the NMA. This is what has brought me close to many youths associations in the state and beyond. When they come to me, I listen to them, and in my own way assist them. This was why when I was dropped from the government, they were not happy but I assure them that nobody has the prerogative to remain in office. I really find it rewarding assisting the youths in whatever capacity I can.

    What have you been doing since you left office as SSG?

    I have not really been idle since I left office. I have been very busy with various activities that I have occupied myself with. I have my future all mapped out, whether in office or not. I am an academic, with two fellowship in pediatrics, I could take up a teaching job if I meant to. Since I left office, I have been serving government as a consultant to the state government on internal revenue; I have served and still serving in various committees of the state ruling party. I am also putting a book together to educate public servants on governance and administration. The book is titled, “Understanding Public Administration As a Tool for Effective Service Delivery”. This book has been completed and about being sent to the publisher. It is billed to be out in the next one or two months. It is based on my experience in the various offices I held during the past 19 years. This book will prepare those aspiring for public offices. I am also trying to put one or two thing in place to give myself support. My family is also there for me to look after – I have not been bore but rather very busy since I left office.

    As a stakeholder in Afemai politics, there is this recent vote of no confidence passed on the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe by your people. What is your take on this?

    Though it was a party issue, I think it was a wrong decision taken by those involved. I believe there are better ways of getting leaders to do those things we believe they are not doing. What that exercise portrayed, is the leadership question in Edo North. I think if we had an established structure on ground, either at the traditional institution level, the problem of going to the public to pass a vote of no confidence would not have occurred. Perhaps some of the reasons behind their actions may be genuine but not how it was handled. I think there should have been a better way of telling him about his shortcomings.

    How would you react to the insinuation that your desire to become a senator in Edo North in 2015 has pitched you against the governor and some key political actors in the area?

    I have made it clear to my supporters and family that I have no desire to contest a senatorial position, I am a careful person and I take my time to access situation, though there has been glamour for me to contest, I have told them that my spirit has not convinced me at this point in time to run for the senate or any other political office for now.

    For those who think am a clog in their wheel of progress, let me use this opportunity to let them know that I am not aspiring for any political office. I also like the public know that I have no problem with the governor as regards any senatorial ambition or any political position whatsoever.

    Why are you so committed to Oshiomhole despite the fact that he dumped you after working hard to ensure he was re-elected?

    I do not have any problem with the governor. I do not have any disagreement with Oshiomhole. My relationship with Oshiomhole is very cordial. I worked with him during his first tenure as Head of Service and Secretary to Government. I was an integral part of government during the first term and I had a good work relationship with him. We all worked hard for him to win his second term election, the prerogative as to who remains or becomes his SSG is his and in his wisdom, he decided to drop me. And when that happened, I gave God the glory, for enabling me to serve SSG after I had retired as the HOS.

    So, I had no problem whatsoever when I was dropped because I had prepared myself that I would one day leave office. As I speak with you, the same governor has appointed me as a consultant to the state on revenue, under this platform; I interact with him quite often. I am also serving in various committees that he has put in place. Talks about disagreement with the governor are mere speculations.

    What is your response to the mirage of criticism of Oshiomhole’s government this second term?

    I have heard some of these things and feel surprised that people are talking like this. The fact is that it is very difficult to satisfy Nigerians and Edo people in particular. If you look at Edo State now and compare it to the era before Oshiomhole became the Governor of Edo State, you will agree with me that the changes he has brought are phenomenon. It is uncharitable for people to start doubting his government. If the roads in Benin are the only thing he has done, there is no doubt in my mind that he has brought changes to the State. Name it; Airport Road, Akpakpava Road, Sapele Road, this development is not only visible in Benin City but in other parts of the State as well. But by far the most visible intervention of Oshiomhole’s government is in the area of education. Public schools in the state were not longer viable before his intervention but as I speak, you have more parents changing their wards school from private to public schools because of Oshiomhole’s intervention. Many universities in this country today do not have some of these facilities in some of these schools in Edo State. It is the same in the health sector and water.

     

  • ‘Public sector deposits hit N2.5t’

    ‘Public sector deposits hit N2.5t’

    Public sector deposits in banks stood at N2.5 trillion, about 20 per cent of total deposits between January and March, Currencies Analyst at Ecobank Nigeria Olakunle Ezun has said.

    Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of states and the Federal Government as well as the local governments comprise the public sector.

    In an emailed report titled: “Nigeria: Indirect monetary policy tightening,” Edun said aside the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) which rose by N650 billion, after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) increased the ratio to 50 per cent, an additional N955 billion will be removed from the economy.

    Last week, the CBN raised the CRR from 12 to 50 per cent during the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

    The hike, he said, suggested that the tightening effect would be immediate, which in turn could require CBN repost to rebalance liquidity demand and supply.

    The monetary policy, he said, may remain relatively unchanged in the months ahead. “Assuming no significant change to key indicators, we think the Monetary Policy Rate (MRR) will be held at 12 per cent in subsequent MPC meetings, although further indirect tightening may occur if liquidity remains above target,” he said.

    Ezun said oil production remains a key variable and the recent moderate contraction in production to 1.88 million barrel per day in June from 2.1 million barrel per day in December 2012 highlights on-going oil theft/bunkering. It also showed the impact of delayed investment that has been caused by Petroleum Industry Bill uncertainties.

    “If production continues to fall and in combination with a fall in global oil prices below $100 per day, there is a risk that Nigeria’s growth could slow owing to the high level of government spending throughout the economy,” he predicted.

    Ezun said liquidity tightening will push up the short end of the yield curve by around 40 to 50 basis points.

    “We also expect the longer end of the curve to move up, but by a smaller margin. The amount of the rise will be countered by the level of repost the CBN conducts in the days and weeks ahead to rebalance credit demand and supply. Assuming our positive inflation outlook and currency stabilise, we think foreign investors can continue to invest in one year and shorter maturity government securities with confidence that real returns will remain solid and currency risk minimized,” he said.

    He explained that pressure on forex reserves would also rise, leading to currency weakness even as the relatively expansionary fiscal stance is another concern, particularly if fiscal revenues come under strain. He noted that oil revenues account for around 75 per cent of total fiscal revenues.

    “The somewhat low balance of Excess Crude Account of $5.3 billion in May 2013 highlights the limited recourse to supplementary financing should revenue growth slow.

    “Inflation remains comfortable and the MPC estimated that the inflation outlook was good with single digit inflation likely by year-end. Inflation is likely to accelerate to low double digits driven by robust domestic demand and on-going government spending, and despite the recent choking-off of liquidity.”

     

  • ‘Efficient public procurement system will curb corruption’

    ‘Efficient public procurement system will curb corruption’

    One of the easiest means of perpetrating corruption is through the award of contracts. The fact that billions of naira have been stolen in the name of contracts shows a failure of the public procurement system, experts have said.

    “Corruption has its roots in procurement and award of contracts,” emeritus professor of Law and former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Ayo Ajomo said.

    He was among speakers at NIALS’ Fourth Diaspora Scholars Lecture held in Lagos. It had the theme: Entrenching fairness and the rule of law in Public Procurement: Reflections and Lessons from South Africa.

    This year’s lecture was delivered by Prof Patrick Osode of the Nelson R. Mandela School of Law, University of Fort Hare, South Africa.

    Ajomo said he was on a United Nation’s (UN) panel in the 80s, which studied award of public contracts in Nigeria. Major contractors of the world were interviewed.

    “It was discovered that Nigerians have a propensity to own foreign accounts. And before any discussions are held on contracts, they ask contractors to pay money into those accounts,” he said.

    He blamed the government for treating corruption with kid gloves, decrying the fact that high-profile conviction for graft remains low despite heavy looting by public officials.

    Ajomo said rather than jail high-status persons found guilty of corruption, anti-graft agencies enter plea-bargain arrangements with them, thereby encouraging rather than deterring official sleaze.

    “Of all the nations in the world, Nigeria is the most notorious for keeping money in foreign accounts,” Ajomo lamented

    Osode said Nigeria’s performance is mediocre in governance and public procurement, adding that corruption makes it impossible to “mobilise the faith of the citizens, especially youth, around the Nigerian dream.”

    The effect, he said, is damage to the national brand and continuing dent to the society’s moral fibre.

    “When I hear that public funds are found in the basement of a public servant, it breaks my heart,” Osode said.

    He said through the 10 years he served as Dean of Law in his university, he never “saw” a Rand (South African money) out of the faculty’s budget.

    Osode said a poor public procurement system manifests in willingness of Nigerian families to tolerate illicit use of public funds by relatives.

    It is also evident in general lack of genuine respect for the law, legal institutions and public functionaries.

    “There is abnormal and inexhaustible appetite for conspicuous consumption and wealth accumulation by Nigerian elites,” Osode said.

    He said one way to ensure an efficient procurement system is to make it part of the constitution, as South Africa did.

    In the South African Constitution, public procurement is directly and indirectly stated, such as in Section 217 known as the Procurement Clause, Osode said.

    “Public institutions and functionaries are specifically mentioned as being bound by that section.

    “It is also justice-able, as no other law can supercede public procurement laws because it is in the constitution.

    “That way, public procurement is capable of being deployed on a mission of nation-building through the enhancement of social inclusion, which should in turn lead to greater levels of transparency,” Osode said.

    The law professor called for a review of Nigeria’s public procurement laws to remove the provision for administrative review which whittles down the influence of the court in such matters.

    “Administrative review is problematic. It confers quasi-adjucatory responsibility to the authorities.

    “The Administrative review indirectly insulates the tender process from judicial review, which hampers the growth of legal jurisprudence. Administrative review should be jettisoned,” he said.

    According to him, meaningful development will continue to elude Nigeria until its public procurement system is made effective.

    “If we are to increase the pace of development and restore public trust and confidence in the state, the quality of governance in public procurement will have to be improved sooner rather than later.

    “Therefore, effect amendment of the 1999 Constitution to incorporate public procurement as has been done by Kenya in its 2010 Constitution. Eliminate administrative review.

    “The effectiveness of the public procurement-related laws and institutions will depend on Nigeria’s successes in creating a socio-political environment that is conducive to the rule of law.”

    Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr Emeka Ezeh, represented by Dr Akanmu, said the Public Procurement Act (2007) empowers the bureau to regulate the entire process of public acquisition of goods, works and services.

    Their duty, he said, involves identifying the need and source of fund, and letting people know through advertisement that the government or its agencies want to make an acquisition.

    “The bid must be examined technically and financially. The winner of the bid should be the lowest evaluated, responsive bidder.

    “For any bidding firm to be responsive, it must be a legal entity,” Ezeh said.

    Professor of Law at NIALS, Paul Idornigie, decried the fact that since 2007, the National Council on Public Procurement, which should guile the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has ceased existing.

    NIALS Director-General Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) said the purpose for establishing the Diaspora Lecture – to bring back the best brains abroad – was being achieved.

    “We are attaining the objectives and the goal of engaging people in the Diaspora. The lecture is a way of bringing our best brains home to make useful recommendations on how to move the country forward in various spheres.

    “Osode has been out for 25 years and this is the first time he is coming back home. We keep looking out for our colleagues across the globe.

    “They need to be brought back to contribute to the country’s development. We are achieving that objective through this forum, which is like an instrument to chart a path, so that our people, wherever they are, can be useful to the country.

    “We will, in conjunction with the relevant authorities, work to implement all the recommendations that flow from the lectures. If we can do that successfully, we will have achieved our aims.”

     

  • A public school encounter

    I was pleasantly surprised by my visit to a public primary school in Lagos about two weeks ago. It was an initiative by a private school, Dansol Nursery and Primary School, Ojodu, to celebrate the Day of the African Child with their less privileged neighbours that took me there. With the support of the Dansol PTA and some corporate organisations, the school donated bags, writing materials, food and drinks to pupils of Ojodu Primary School I. The materials were more than enough to go round the 1,300 pupils of the school such that even their teachers got something to take home to their wards.

    Commendable as the initiative is, that was not the highpoint of the programme for me. It was my interaction with pupils of the public school, and their presentation at the second part of the programme that made my day. I am used to visiting public schools and not being able to communicate with the pupils except I repeat myself several times, or speak in the local tongue. I have covered so many events about various interventions by the government, corporate organisations or individuals and the experience has been the same. When it is time to get the views of the pupils, I meet a brick wall. They are so bad in expressing themselves in the English Language that I struggle to piece together an intelligible sentence I can attribute to them.

    My experience at St John’s Primary School, Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State, was particularly pathetic. I had tried without much success to get several pupils to tell me how the adoption of their school by Airtel would change their lives. Two journalists from other media houses joined me, so I gladly left the questioning to them. A boy that we asked could only struggle to say something like: “They have house…”, after a long wait to allow him compose his thoughts. By that time I could no longer stop myself from laughing out loud, despite trying not to cause discomfort to the pupils that had gathered to hear their representative speak. A teacher saved the day by selecting the ‘best’ pupil to talk to us. I can tell you that the best barely managed to communicate. This has been my experience in most public schools I visit. To get anything intelligible from the pupils, a teacher has to call out the brightest to speak.

    However, that was not the case at Ojodu Primary School I two weeks ago. When I requested that the Head Teacher, Mr Adebowale Adaranijo, get me a pupil, he entered a class and said: “Who would like to talk about what happened here today?” Many pupils offered to but it was Titilayo Oyebanji, in Primary Six, who came out to speak with me. She was able to express her appreciation of the gesture so clearly that I asked to speak to someone else, this time, a boy.

    Mr Adaranijo entered another classroom, repeated his question and called out someone for me. The boy did not disappoint. I had to congratulate Mr Adaranijo for managing his school well.

    But it wasn’t over. Dansol had invited a team from the school to participate in a cultural programme holding at their high school. They were to join pupils from other private schools to celebrate African countries by parading in their clothes, and talking about their culture, food and the like.

    Ojodu Primary School I represented Kenya. Other schools represented Liberia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana and other countries. When pupils of Ojodu Primary School I, mounted the podium, they were no different from their peers from the private schools. They spoke fluently, without making grammatical errors. And it was not that only one pupil spoke; they all took turns to educate the audience about Kenya, its government, people, their dressing, culture and languages. Someone seated close to me had to remark, “Are you sure those children are from a public school?” I would have reacted the same way if I had not visited their school earlier. I am sure some parents in the audience felt that they must be spending huge sums in private schools only for pupils from public schools to be able to achieve the same thing.

    Ojodu Primary School I has done for its pupils what should be the norm but has become an exception in present-day Nigeria. An average pupil in the school can communicate in English, the language of instruction in our schools. With many public primary and even secondary school pupils unable to do this, the governments of various states need to take a closer look at the quality of education service delivery and whether learners are achieving the stipulated outcomes for whatever level they are in.

    As I have noted many times, it is not enough for governments to tell us about the billions spent building classrooms, rehabilitating structures, purchasing equipment, recruiting and training teachers; it is also their business to ensure that their investments are yielding the desired returns in form of pupils achieving the learning outcomes for their levels. Many are not, which means it is not time for our governments to boast but to work at genuinely improving our schools.

  • Niger Delta students picket Orubebe’s office

    Niger Delta students picket Orubebe’s office

    On May 29, some students from the Niger Delta held a rally in Abuja to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s two years in office. The rally ended up in the picketing of Niger Delta Minister Elder Godsday Orubebe’s office because of his alleged refusal to see them. EMMANUEL AHANONU reports.

    IT was May 29, a day observed by the Federal Government as Democracy Day. Some students from the Niger Delta gathered in Abuja for a “1000-man March” to mark President Goodluck Jonathan’s two years in office. They were led by the National President of the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG), Tonbara Yalah. The peaceful rally degenerated to a protest against Minister of Niger Delta Elder Godsday Orubebe over his alleged refusal to see the students.

    The students arrived in Abuja in batches on May 28. Some were lodged at Niger Delta Hotels, Nyanya, Abuja. In their hundreds, they swarmed major roads and offices in Abuja on May 29, dressed in T-shirts,with inscriptions, such as: “May 29, our democracy is 14 years”, “Jonathan is 2 years” and “Goodluck Nigeria”.

    The rally started at the Bayelsa State Government Lodge and Liaison Office on Plot 1038, Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama District.

    Tonbara, who described President Jonathan as “father of the nation”, said the union deemed it necessary to celebrate the country’s unity and existence after 14 years of democracy.

    He urged the students to conduct themselves as the procession moved from one place to the other, adding that they should peacefully express their educational challenges to the authorities without being violent.

    Tonbara had barely finished his address when a student of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), Friday Anayi, burst out in anger, shouting that his institution had been abandoned by the Federal Government. This resulted into an argument among the students. For several minutes, the crowd was uncontrollable until it was discovered that the complainant was drunk.

    From Bayelsa State Lodge, the students went to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to make their position known on democracy. Initially, they stopped at the International Conference Centre (ICC) where the day was being formally marked.

    To prevent the rally from being hijacked by hoodlums, operatives from the State Security Service (SSS) and the police guided the procession.

    At the NTA, the students were received by Mr Walid Odiola, a journalist.

    Tonbara said: “Education is one of the priorities if the Jonathan administration. Considering that the president is an academic himself, he has established more federal universities, increased the funding of the existing ones which has put a stop to industrial actions in our higher institutions. He has established schools for Almajiris in the North. Though we believe there are still more to be done by the president but he has shown that he is ready to effect the changes we desire in the education sector.”

    Other students’ leaders who spoke with the NTA reporter were the Speaker of the legislative arm of NIDSUG, Obada Akpomiemie, and Students’ Union Government (SUG) President of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Bassey Eka.

    From the NTA, the students moved to the Africa Independent Television (AIT) office, where they were welcomed by the Chairmans of DAAR Communications Limited, Chief Raymond Dokpesi. At AIT, students decried the country’s inability to meet the standard of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for education funding.

    The students returned to the Bayelsa State Government Lodge, where Tonbara praised his colleagues for the peaceful outing. He then led the students to the residence of Orubebe who could not attend to them despite a two-hour wait.

    The students resolved to continue the rally the next day at the offices of Orubebe and other public officers from the Niger Delta region to “pay homage”.

    By 10am on May 30, over 100 students had converged on the 11th floor of the building of the Ministry of Niger Delta. After security clearance, Tombara and four other students’ leaders were allowed to see Orubebe to explain why they were visiting him.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Tonbara pleaded with the Minister to address the students, who were waiting outside. Our correspondent learnt that the Minister was not convinced by the the students’-leaders explanation. Orubebe was said to have questioned why the students made such a move in the first place.

    One of those that met with the Minister told CAMPUSLIFE: “Orubebe ordered us out of his office in anger and told us that we did not conduct ourselves. He even said that he did not have money to give and that even if he had money to give to us, he would not be happy to do so because we did not officially inform him of our visit. At that point, he ordered us out of his office. Imagine that from a Minister from our region?”

    The students waited for another three hours in Orubebe’s office, threatening that they would not leave except Orubebe came to address them.

    On leaving the Minister’s office, Tonbara told his colleagues: “We had a very brief session with the Minister but the bottom line is that he told us he was displeased by the fact that we did not organise ourselves properly before coming to do the rally in Abuja. He said that he would not attend to us.

    “Even though I have all the resources to do the rally alone, is it out of place for us to come and see our Minister? Have you benefited anything since this ministry was created? Has the ministry impacted on you? Has there been any essence of the ministry? In unison, the students responded: “No”.

    In a twinkling of an eye, the ministry’s activities were disrupted. Students blocked the entrance gate, preventing vehicles from coming in and going of the premises. From nowhere, several placards appeared, with inscriptions such as “Orubebe must go!”, “Orubebe is not competent”, “Orubebe, why are you denying Niger Delta students their right?”, “Orubebe, who made you a Minister?”, “Orubebe, you are selfish and incompetent” among others.

    For several minutes, the protesters chanted anti-Orubebe songs at the front of the Ministry’s gate. Movement was restricted as the students locked the civil servants in the office.

    Udofia Amanam, one of the students from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, said: “The main problem we have in Nigeria is our inability to talk to our leaders. The essence of creating the Niger Delta Ministry is being defeated with the behaviour of people like Orubebe, who ordered us out like a common dog. This shows his incompetence. Let him resign or we will ground activities in the Ministry.”

    At 3:41pm, when the civil servants were preparing to close, Tonbara prevailed on the students re-open the gate. He told the students: “Orubebe will never come down because it may be a great shame to him. Let us end the demonstration.”

    In an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, Tonbara said: “Orubebe has not been living up to expectation; we came here because of his lacklustre performance as a Minister representing Niger Delta. This is why we came here to register our displeasure.”

  • What public office has taught me

    What public office has taught me

    When Louis Odion turned 40 two months ago, the media buzz was quite estatic. Fondly known as Mr. Capacity, among many ways that he was celebrated was an exclusive party at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Victoria Island Lagos, that was put together by celebrities in the entertainment and fashion world. The event was attended by his choice friends. A young man with a quiet outlook, it was easy to understand why Odion readily appeals to the fashion world; he maybe a successful writer, he is also a peculiar man of style. The Edo State Commissioner for Information, says he is proud to have worked to get to his present position. “I started from the rung of the ladder and paid my dues.” He spoke to PAUL UKPABIO at his residence in Lekki, Lagos.

    Quite an achievement you’ve made of your life at 40! What does being 40 mean to you?

    Like someone once said, age is a matter of the mind, if you don’t mind, then it does not matter. I believe that it is a number, I’m thankful that God has preserved my life to be 40. Looking back, I’ll say I have every cause to thank God. I started very early, I didn’t have a background in journalism, the career line I pursued. It was by the grace of God I was able to rise through the rank to the top. I am grateful to God that I was able to manage a national newspaper, before going to Edo State to accept a political appointment as the Commissioner for Information.

    You will expect that somebody who was a reporter, became a line editor, and then an editor before becoming an editor-in-chief, must have been somebody who read journalism in school. I didn’t study journalism formally. I started as a reporter. I did Secretariat Administration (OND) at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti. Afterwards, I came to Lagos where I got employed at the National Concord Newspapers as a confidential secretary. Along the line, my passion, my talent for writing took over. To the extent that I later got invited to the editorial. So while working as a reporter at the age of 19, I took JAMB afresh, and enrolled at the University of Lagos to study English Education and Guidance/Counselling Combined Honours. I was studying full time as well as working. For my Masters, I did International Law/Diplomacy at same institution.

    When I look back, I sort of thank God, for the opportunity. It’s good to be talented but talent alone does not necessarily translate to everything.

    What has experience thought you?

    I am a little wiser; there are certain decisions I took 10 years ago which, given the same opportunity, I won’t make same again. I believe that I used to be very impatient, that was one of my vices, my shortcomings. That must have been caused by the fact that I was always in a hurry. When I was at UNILAG, I was always in a hurry to catch up with my lectures, in a hurry to resume work and I did that for four years non stop. So it became my character. Now I’m learning to be more patient.

    If there is anything my outing in Edo State has done, it is that the system has taught me to be patient. In public office, you are dealing with civil service, it has it own logic. As MD of National Life newspaper, when I gave a reporter an assignment and he did not deliver, he might get sacked. But in civil service, it doesn’t work that way.

    You conceive an idea, you want it implemented and you call the civil servants, usually they will tell you it is good. If you call them after a week and ask them about it, they will tell you that they are working on it. Often time, that’s a lie!

    We as political appointees or ‘contract staff’ as Governor Adam Oshiomole calls us, are usually in a hurry. But the civil servants are not. They have always been there. They have seen commissioners come and go, they have seen governors come and go. So my outing in Edo State has taught me to be patient. In journalism, you have a deadline, a story is breaking, you go, report it against deadline. You can do a good story but if it does not meet deadline, your effort will be wasted. But civil servants work 8 to 4pm. As a matter of fact, once it is 4 pm, they give you the signal to close. That is the time journalists start the day. This has been an illuminating experience.

    What were your childhood dreams?

    Funny enough, I had a lot of dreams depending on the age grade I was. I remember as a boy of 10, watching a musician on television performing, and I told my mom: ‘When I grow up, I want to be a musician’. I was fascinated by the glamour of being a music star. In my later years, my passion shifted to boxing and that was largely influenced by Mohammed Ali. My dad is a boxing fan. I used to sit with him and watch. That fascinated me. In secondary school, I was into amateur boxing. I was involved in it till class 5. I was the leader of my weight category in school. We participated in many inter-school competitions and I performed well because whatever I put my mind to, I give it my best.

    Then, along the line, the writing passion came. That was inspired by Dele Giwa. I was about 13 when Dele Giwa died, the uproar it generated drifted my mind from boxing. What prepared me for writing was that my dad used to buy two newspapers daily. They were The Concord and Daily Times or Concord and Sketch. And on a weekly basis, he would buy American Time Magazine and later Newswatch. In our own time, we prided ourselves in reading voraciously, it was a status symbol to say that you have finished all Charles Dickens collection or you’ve finished all books on African Writers Series or all Pacesetters series. That was how we used to boast then. Reading widely prepared me for writing. When it came to current affairs, I was always on top, that sharpened my political awareness and knowledge of foreign affairs.

    Why didn’t you just study Mass Communication from the beginning?

    When I wrote the entrance examination to Federal Polytecnic, Ado Ekiti, it was my dad who said Accountancy would be nice for me. That was what I was admitted to study. But my maths was not good at the school. I was forced to either withdraw or change course. The school was not offering Mass Comm, so the only option I was opened to was Secretariat Administration, which was where mathematics was not required. My dad was afraid that returning home would dampen my spirit because I finished school and the following month I got the admission. There I got involved in campus journalism and my fame was all over the campus.

    I returned to Lagos for industrial programme at Concord. There I was mentored by Mr. Tunji Bello, current Commissioner for the Environment, Lagos State; Mr. Victor Ifijey, now the Managing Director of The Nation newspapers; Mr. Sam Omatseye, Chairman Editorial Board of The Nation; Lanre Arogundade; Taiwo Ogundipe and Mrs. Osanhenren, she was the Features Editor then. They were already in Concord. They saw that the little boy was writing well and started offering me advice. The average editor needs a script that gives him less stress. They noticed that when I wrote, they more or less may not need to do corrections. So I was getting published almost immediately I wrote. That motivated me.

    It was Nsikak Essien who suggested that I should go and get admission in UNILAG, that he would ask management to offer me scholarship. But when I got the admission, he had left. Mr. Tunji Bello was my editor. He offered me all the support I needed. He became my brother as he protected me in the newsroom. When Concord was not able to pay salary, he was supporting me financially. I can’t thank him enough.

    By 1999 when Mr. Dele Alake, who was also one of my mentors too, left to take up appointment as the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tunji Bello became Editor of the Daily paper, his deputy then, Kayode Komolafe, had moved to become the Editor, Sunday paper. I was told that at the management meeting, my name popped up for who to become the deputy. The argument that arose was that I was too young to be a deputy editor and not a graduate. There were others who were there and far above me in terms of experience.

    That was when it was revealed that I had since gone to UNILAG and came out with a 2.1 result. I had just finished the course. The MD, Dr. Doyin Abiola at that time, announced that I should take up the position. That was how I got the job. It was like a fairy tale, a boy who got into Concord as Confidential Secretary seven years earlier, who was typing scripts for the editors, had become an editor. It was a turning point in my career. So in a nutshell, writing has always been my passion.

    Now in Edo State, I miss writing but I also realise that I also needed to face life, so that when I get back to news room, I’ll be a better commentator. Now I can see why things don’t work. The political leader comes, he has good intentions, he makes a pronouncement, but when it comes to execution, people he relies on fail him.

    Why did you take the commissioner job?

    Before this, I had received others, from Edo State and at the national level.

    My standard then was that I wasn’t interested, writing gives me joy. But having witnessed what the governor did in 2008 and 2011, I knew this man is different. That was what made me accept and sincerely, I don’t regret it. Edo State used to be teased as a basket state, a place that had been condemned to a state of penury. That was the impression past governors created.

    For 10 years, PDP was there, nothing moved. They were telling people that the state is very poor and has nothing, that what they got from the federation account could only pay salaries. People had resigned themselves to fate, but Oshiomhole has shown a difference. Within the first tenure, he constructed more than 400 kilometres of brand new roads, quality roads like those found in Abuja. In PDP days, only asphalt will be poured. Now we do proper soil tests, proper road design and so on.

    Education sector has been transformed. Before now, the poorest of the poor paid through their noses to put their children in private schools, now the governor has transformed public schools and people are removing their children and wards from private schools to public schools. The schools are more beautiful and the teachers more competent, dedicated and motivated.

    What challenges do you come across as an Information Commissioner?

    Challenge is not what I will describe my peculiar experience in Edo State because I have a governor who is working ahead and people see him as performing. That has already lightened my job. If he were not working, I would have run into problems. People would have been asking questions. But today when I say Governor Oshiomhole is working, people say yes, we can see. That has helped me. I have also been lucky because I can’t imagine myself coming out to lie because of my professional background. I used to hold people in public officials by standards when I used to be a commentator. That’s the standard I still keep. I can’t imagine myself being in a position where I would be forced to lie that somebody is performing when he is not.

    That Governor Oshiomhole is working, has helped me. That has been my secret.

    Going to serve in Edo State personally amounted to a massive pay cut. I was the MD and Editor in Chief of a national newspaper. This is the same house I was living in Lagos, but had to leave to where I was not based, and operate in a totally different situation. However, when I leave this appointment, I will be sure to hold my head anywhere and say that I was part of the Oshiomhole revolution. Money is not everything.

    What determines your personal style?

    Style to me is an expression of the totality of a person and it reflects in my colours. I am not a loud person, so I have affinity with conservative colours. That is probably why you will not see me ordinarily wearing red attire in public. Some dress to impress but I dress according to my mood. My style reflects in how I talk, the company I keep, how I carry myself. Writing is a loneliness job so I find myself to be an intensive private person.

     

  • Lagos Airport Hotel opens institute to the public

    Lagos Airport Hotel has opened its training school to the public. The institute, the Lagos Airport Hotel Hospitality Institute, which has been in existence since 1997 as the training arm of the Lagos Airport Hotel, has now been approved by the government to award certificates and diplomas to its graduates.

    Speaking during a training programme for 50 students that are being sponsored by the Lagos State government, the Controller of Training, Lagos Airport Hotel, Mrs Ebunoluwa Oyaleke, said the institute was currently training 50 students on different areas of hospitality management.

    According to her, the four-week intensive training on housekeeping management would allow participants have broad knowledge of what housekeeping and cleaning are. It will give the participants the skills needed so that at the end of the programme, they will not only be self-employed, they would be fit into any organisation that requires their skills.

    In the four-week programme, students would be taken through both practical and theoretical aspects of the training.

    The institute is now officially opened to outsiders who want to be trained in hospitality management, catering housekeeping, event management and other things.

    A participant at the training, Olukoga Oluwafunmilola, a professional caterer was full of praises for the Lagos State government and Airport Hotel for the quality of the training. She said the training had broadened her knowledge. According to her, “The training is good. With the knowledge I gathered here, I can start my own business that will help those who are jobless.”

    Orekoya Basirat, another participant, who is a banking and finance graduate, also applauded the training, describing it as interesting and total. Like Olukoga, she is thinking of establishing her own business after the training.

    The training was done by the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in collaboration with the Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, Lagos.

     

  • Court orders police, SSS to pay group N10m for stripping members in public

    Justice Evon Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday ordered the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the State Security Service (SSS) to pay N10million to a group, Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN).

    Both security agencies were found guilty of stripping naked in public members of the group and subjecting them to other forms of harassment.

    Justice Chukwu declared the actions of both agencies on members of the group as “barbaric, uncivilised and a gross abuse of powers”.

    The judgment followed a suit by the Trustees of the PCN, which sued the police and SSS for abuse of its members and a secret report by the SSS labelling the group and its members security risks.

    The group argued that the series of attack on its members by both agencies reached the peak in July, last year, when, at a state function in Zamfara State, some policemen and SSS officials held 11 of its members, beat them up and stripped them naked.

    The members’ offence, the group said, was that they refused the security operatives’ directive to remove their uniform in public.

    They also complained about a plot by the security agencies to ground PCN’s activities nationwide by authoring spurious security reports labeling it and its members security risks.

    Justice Chukwu ordered men of both agencies to conduct themselves within the ambit of the law and refrain from gross abuse of innocent citizens’ rights to freedom of association.

    The judge, who noted the PCN was a duly registered private organisation, barred the police and SSS from further interfering with its lawful activities and programmes.

    He restrained them from further arrest, detention, intimidation and harassment of PCN member.

    Justice Chukwu held that it was barbaric and uncivilised for operatives of the SSS and the police to strip officials of the Peace Corps (members of the group) naked in the public for no cause that could be defended in a law court.

    The judge nullified and set aside the secret security report, which the SSS sent to some governors, labelling PCN as an unregistered and a security threat. He held that the report was unlawful, illegal, unwarranted and made in bad faith.

    Justice Chukwu held that the SSS was not diligent in defending the case, adding that in a democracy, where the rule of law prevails, such a gross abuse of power and deliberate infringement on citizens’ rights must not be allowed.

    He disagreed with the defendants’ claim that the group was exploiting Nigerian youths by training them on illegal activities that could undermine the country’s security.

    Justice Chukwu averred that the defendants did not supply any proof to support their allegations.

    The group’s National Commandant, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, hailed the judge for upholding the rule of law.

    He said the SSS and the police had crippled PCN’s activities in past judgments in their favour.