The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Real

  • Depression, real and it’s ravaging our societies

    SIR, Recently, Nigerians received the tragic story that a 300 level student, Aisha Omolola Abdulganiyu, of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, committed suicide in her Samaru apartment. On that gloomy evening of December 26, 2018, the social media went into frenzy. Many were shocked at how a happy-looking lady – that was just a day earlier wishing season greetings – will go to the length of taking away her own life in the blink of an eye.

    But going through the suicide note she reportedly left, one doesn’t need to go deeper to come to terms with the sad reality: depression is real and it’s ravaging our societies – even if it does that silently. Although usually misunderstood as just a feeling of sadness that comes and goes in response to life events, depression, as a matter of fact, is a killing disease that claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of people yearly, mostly from suicide.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a common mental disorder, affecting more than 300 million people of all ages globally. It is different from usual mood fluctuations and short-lived emotional responses to challenges in everyday life. In moderate conditions, depression can cause long-lasting and severe feelings of sadness, hopelessness, fatigue, and a loss of interest in activities. At its worst, it can lead to suicide. The WHO estimated last year, close to 800,000 people die yearly due to suicide.

    A World Bank study found out that on average, 22 per cent of Nigerians suffer chronic depression. Data from other reports show Nigeria as having the 13th highest suicide mortality rate in Africa. Nigeria is also ranked as the country with the world’s 30th highest suicide rate.

    In the last two years alone, there has been an increase in reported incidences of Nigerians taking away their own lives – mostly out of depression. Like in Aisha’s case, some ended their lives by taking poison. Others committed suicide by hanging themselves, while a significant number jumped into the lagoon and drowned.

    Understanding what depression feels like will help us understand why happy-looking Nigerians would want to terminate their stay on earth. This is because, with a high number of unemployed people – especially the youth – one wonders how many people needing medical treatment and counselling are wearing a mask covering depression, anger, and sadness.

    Jennifer Berry in an insightful article for Medical News Today examined how depression feels and its common causes and risks factors. According to her, depression not only disrupts careers, relationships and daily tasks such as self-care and housework; its symptoms can last for months or years and can make it difficult or impossible for victims to carry on with daily life. Persons suffering from it may not enjoy things they once loved and feel like nothing can make them happy.

    Experts have identified several factors that cause depression. Major life changes and stressful events including divorce, the death of a loved one, job loss, or financial problems may trigger it. Alcohol and drug use, certain illnesses, genetics, sexual abuse, and some medication like steroids and cancer drugs are also risk factors for depression.

    As both the major religions in the country – Islam and Christianity – and most cultures are against the idea of one taking away his own life, religious and community leaders have a role to play in putting an end to the rising incidences of suicide. The government and stakeholders in the health sector should provide necessary services and counselling for those affected with mental illnesses, while also raising awareness on its causes, treatment, and prevention. Poverty-alleviating programs and other social initiatives to engage the poor and vulnerable of the society should be provided, because Nigerians deserve to have a chance to live.

    Stigmatizing and pushing away of loved ones suffering from mental diseases only intensify their isolation and risks of suicide, as studies have shown. Nobody wants to be in a state where he/she feels worthless and hopeless. It’s not laziness or weakness that makes them feel as such, but rather, preventable mental illnesses we could help them overcome. We’ve to understand this. We should therefore stop mocking and laughing at depressed people, whom we ignorantly misjudge as just being “lazy and weak”.

  • He was a real companion, Sofoluwe’s widow

    He was a real companion, Sofoluwe’s widow

    Life of the deceased Funmilayo Sofoluwe, has decribed her late hubby as the ‘best companion ever’.

    “Sometimes I act mischievous to him.  . He was very pleasant to have as a companion.  He was cheerful, he had a very good sense of humour,” said Mrs Sofoluwe who was also one of the special guests at the event.

    She continued: “Here are some of the things I will love to remember about him. We were very close. We talked about everything. We were each other’s confidant. Every morning and evening we chatted. At times he would wake me up in the middle of the night and said he wanted to tell me some things. Sometimes too before getting home, he would say: ‘don’t sleep o, I have gist for you and if you sleep I won’t tell you again.

    “We joked a lot. At times we joked about things couples would not dare joke about. I could remember our friends initially were scared, they would say these things you are talking about are things that cause problems between husband and wife but that was never our case. One other thing that people would not believe is that I never had to ask him for a penny in my life. He always gave me even more than I ever needed. He was that kind of man. Money was never an issue and there was 100 per cent trust.

    Despite Sofoluwe’s departure Mrs  Sofoluwe is happy that Unilag  still maintains a cordial relationship with her

    “The relationship with the school has not broken in any way. It has been good all along. His friends still have me at heart. Even his former students still visit me. I give Glory to God because He has been my pillar,” she concluded.

  • Ambode’s impact is real, says Ayorinde

    Ambode’s impact is real, says Ayorinde

    Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde appraises Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s performance and also highlights what to expect in the New Year

    How would you rate the performance of the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the last one and a half years?

    I would rate it the same way Lagosians have rated the administration. And their verdict, without a doubt, is that the administration has scored A+ in the delivery of services, as promised during the campaign to Lagosians, in terms of security of life and property; in terms of improved infrastructural development, of roads, traffic management, sports development, tourism and culture, health care, and of course, in job creation and opportunities for younger ones. There is no other way to show that our self appraisal, in the last 18 months, is in sync with those of Lagosians. Lately, there was an approval rating of 79% for Governor Ambode, the highest for any Governor in the country and indeed the highest ever attained by any Governor in his first two years. So, we really need no further evidence of the acceptance by the majority of our people. The popularity of the governor is not in doubt and this is attributable to his keeping his electoral promises and ensuring that truly there is continuity and improvement in Lagos State. We are satisfied with the rating we are getting, both at home and abroad.

    It looks like the LAKE rice is the icing on the cake for a long list of achievements of the governor in 2016?

    Without a doubt, yes. Our analysis shows that the acceptance that greeted the LAKE rice is perhaps the single biggest news item of the year in this country. And what this shows is that positive news can be very impactful. As we speak thousands of LAKE rice are still being pumped into the market for Lagosians to take advantage of. What this has demonstrated is the capacity to pursue a great vision with courage. Lagos signed an MOU with Kebbi in March and today, many homes are having the best Christmas of their lives because of the commitment and large Heart of a visionary Governor.

     Is this a one-off intervention?

    No it is not. The partnership between Lagos and Kebbi on rice will continue and will even transcend rice production. Lagos is the largest market in the country and it is has the comparative advantage in terms of disposable income, which is why we are entering into partnerships with other states that will impact on our people. But LAKE rice will continue into the new year and will continue to sell at those subsidized prices. But don’t forget that Lagos State is also developing its own capacity for milling through the Imota Rice mill. We expect that in the new year, our capacity to mill will be about 10.5 metric tonnes, since we will achieve 2.5 metric tonnes already at Imota and we are expecting another 8 metric tonnes from Abuja. So 2017 will be a year of rice aplenty for Lagosians.

    Many people acknowledge that it”s been a great year for Governor Ambode and Lagos State. What stood out among his achievements in your opinion?

    They are numerous. But our main achievements rest on a tripod – security of life and property, infrastructure development and job opportunities. In terms of security, it is crystal clear, that Lagos State has demonstrated leadership by the sheer amount of investments it has continued to pump into assisting the Nigerian police and other security agencies. Don’t forget that policing is a federal responsibility, and there is no state police in Nigeria at the moment. Even the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazzau (retd) and President Mohammadu Buhari, affirmed this fact, during the launch of security equipment, first, in November in 2015 and then, in May this year. They agreed with a majority of Nigerians that Lagos has shown more commitment than any other state, in terms of the support given to the Police. As we speak in Lagos, there is no police station that has not benefited from the support that Lagos state is giving, and there are 117 of them. At least, each police station, courtesy of the Lagos State Government, is enjoying a brand new patrol vehicle, that is being fuelled, maintained and repaired by the Security Trust Fund of Lagos State. There is no police station in the state that does not have a minimum of two patrol bikes, courtesy of Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

    The command and control centre in Lagos, without a doubt, is the most equipped in the country. It runs at par with what you have anywhere in the world, such that, any distress call, using our Emergency numbers – 112 and 767 – can be picked immediately and you will be attended to, regardless of what the distress call is about. You will also see that, in terms of the amount of investment we have put into the Emergency Rescue Operation in Lagos State, it is second to none, as alluded to, by the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who represented the President, when we unveiled the Emergency Rescue Operation Unit at Cappa, in Oshodi. Everybody has seen what our rescue operation wonder machines – ‘Charlie and Goliath’, the huge cranes, have been able to do at critical moments, even assisting neighbouring states like Ogun whenever they are in emergency situations. Again, there is clear evidence that, yes, we may not be able to eradicate crime completely in a mega city like ours, because there is no society that can totally eradicate crime, but what the state has demonstrated, convincingly, is that we have the capacity to go after every criminal and every kidnapper.

    How well has the administration fared in the area of social infrastructure and worker’ welfare?

    In the area of infrastructure development, we believe that we have done remarkably well. The first thing to note is that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has been very prudent, very resourceful and very creative in managing the resources of the state. Not a dime has been borrowed from any commercial bank since he became governor. Not a dime has been taken from the federal government for bailout. No single person is being owed salary or emolument in Lagos State. As a matter of fact, pensions have been and are still being paid. And as we speak, more than N11 billion has been paid on pension. So, for the Ambode administration, it is not just about being responsive to the huge work force, and we have almost 130,000 work force in state, and whose salaries are being paid on the 22nd or 23rd, like banks. Their leave bonuses and allowances are also not being toyed with, same with taxes and pensions. Also, those who have left the service are also being taken care of. Before the Governor took over, the pension arrears had piled up for up to five years. What Governor Ambode did was to clear off the arrears, and he now started paying on a regular basis. Workers in the state were paid their December salary well ahead of Christmas with a 20% bonus. This is also about the only state, as far as I know, that has been employing in different sectors – teachers, LASTMA officers, nurses and fire brigade officers. As you know, it is not the job of government just to be employing people, but to also create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. One of the key things that ensure that there are opportunities is when the workforce of the state itself is happy. You can imagine the rippling effect of the economy of the 28 states that are struggling to meet their obligations to civil servants. The large chunk of the government workers means a lot – the civil servants, the teachers, the nurses, the local government workers and many others. They are an integral part of the society. If they are being owed two or three months’ salaries, the effect on the society itself will be telling. But if they are getting their salaries, it means they can patronise those who are in the agricultural sector, those who are in the transport services and practically every aspect of the society. So, these things have a way of working together. Why businesses, in spite of the times that we are, are still booming in Lagos, is because the work base of the civil service and the public service is very solid.

    It is gratifying to know that Lagos has become an oil producing state. How do you think this will impact on the people of the state?

    It will have a very positive impact. Although we are trying to diversify from oil, oil and gas will still have its roles to play in creating wealth. The oil that was discovered in Badagry, Lagos, is a private sector venture. But, one, it has made Lagos a bona fide member of the league of oil producing states, now entitled to derivation funds from the federal government, taxes will be paid to the government in the state and massive jobs will be created. It means that oil that is discovered in Lagos may feed directly into the refinery that Dangote is building around Lekki Free Zone axis. It is projected to be the biggest refinery, if not in Africa, but certainly in West Africa. A petro-chemical company component of that, which is also coming, will transform Lagos into a more self-sufficient enclave, in terms of energy needs. Therefore, adding oil to it simply means that there is an undebiable blessing that had long been hidden but is now oozing out for the benefit of Lagosians. So, we welcome this additional source of income but we are not distracted by it.

    The outrage sparked by the ban on street hawking seems to have abated. Do you think it is a battle that has been won?

    It was never a battle. It was and will continue to be a dialogue with Lagosians. It is a dialogue that is well-meaning, because the law has always been there since 2003. There was a need for that law at that time. The need for that law is still very germane now. One, it is unfair to continue to expose our people, no matter their economic class, to the sort of hardship that they go through on the road, trying to sell a few oranges, sausages or bottled water. The chairman of the National Corporation Commission, in commending the Lagos State Government, said that if only we knew the amount of assaults and attacks – particularly sexual assaults – that these people are exposed to, that we would know that they ought not to be on the streets at all. In any case, what we are saying is that illegal trading, illegal market, street trading and street hawking are not allowed on our highways. Just like okadas are restricted from such highways. This is the necessary thing to do because we are trying to build a decent, tidy megalopolis that we all will be proud of. Why do our people go elsewhere and respect the laws of the land there, and think that Lagos should be a dumping ground, where anything goes? Lagos reserves the right to insist on the level of beauty and decency that it wants as a metropolis. Lagos has the right to say that it will no longer allow people, in the name of hawking and street trading, to destroy public assets, by digging potholes on major roads and highways, in order just to sell a few pieces of orange and banana. It is a crime against the state. And it is your tax and mine that people are destroying just to sell their wares. We say that it is not fair that those who have shops will now flood  the major highways, just to take advantage of the rush hours. We say that those who want to buy, because they are also criminalising it, are found guilty. They should buy their bread, gala and water, before they hit the highways, if they cannot wait for dinner because they reckon they will spend some hours in the traffic. There is nowhere in the world, there is no city in the world, that has population that is more than five million, that you will not encounter traffic. In any case, Lagos is not even among the ten cities with the worst traffic in the world. Go to India, China, Thailand or Indonesia, and you will see what traffic means and what road rage is. We are saying that we do not want those who will transform, by 6:30pm, when gun has already been planted inside the bread, harassing, sometimes killing people in traffic. Even those who are dashing off and around the major highways, just to get something to sell or buy, often get knocked down by vehicles on a daily basis. People don’t see that, and some people still argue that we should allow them to continue to die. When the unfortunate happens, it is the local government people that will now go and look after the body, take them to the morgue, identify and notify the families. We don’t have to allow that to continue to happen. And in any case, we insist that that, which will not be allowed in the states where some people are coming from, should not be forced on our throats. According to the police, 80% of those who engage in this street hawking, come from a single particular state in Nigeria. If they must come to Lagos, why can they not respect the laws of the land? If they cannot do it where they are coming from, is it fair to force it on Lagos State, and now blame Lagos for enforcing its own laws, in its own state?

    There has been some muffled grumblings among some Lagos politicians that the governor has become inaccessible. What do you have to say to this?

    I do not understand what being inaccessible means in this regard. When people say someone is inaccessible, what I think of this is that people are always quick to say that they can’t reach anyone who is saddled with the responsibility of public service. There are two things to note here: the first is what they want to reach you for. The second is, how many people, really, can you accommodate, in terms of personal relationship, once you have been given this type of job? I believe that if you carry the sort of weight that you claim you have, gaining access to the governor shouldn’t be much of a problem. I concede that a governor is not somebody that you pick up the phone and you just call, and you expect him to be there. A governor is voted into office to be busy; to serve the generality of the people. But then again, it is a question of the genuineness of the motive of the people trying to have access.

    What should we expect from Lagos State government in 2017?

    A lot, in continuation of the noiseless but strategic achievements that the Ambode administration is now known and celebrated for. 2017 will be an important year for Lagos. The state will be 50 and it will be an opportunity to celebrate.

  • Is northernisation agenda real?

    SIR: Nigeria is currently facing a very big challenge with regards to its unity. It’s been long since this nation was this regionally, ethnically and religiously divided. Politicians have played a big part in making sure we are divided while they achieve their selfish goals. Apparently, CIA’s prediction of Nigeria breaking up in 2015 isn’t too far from being accurate. The “Biafrans” are calling for independence at the same time when the Niger Delta people feel they’ve been exploited for too long. But what has this government done to solve this issue?

    Being a Muslim from the North, I would be a hypocrite if I said I don’t like the fact that Buhari is my President. I was very excited when Buhari won. To us then, President Jonathan was the devil. He was responsible for Boko Haram, poverty, marginalization and all sorts of evil. It’s time to celebrate because we have our own. We now feel security not like before. We see our people appointed into various offices. These are the silver linings.

    I try imagining being from the South or East. I am probably an unemployed youth who didn’t vote for Buhari. I see the fall of the Naira. I see increased difficulty living. I see rise in price of food stuffs. I see fuel subsidy removal. I see the “respected” politicians from my region getting arrested or probed. Even the ones who are free don’t give away money anymore. Then ultimately, I see appointments made where seven out of 10 will be from the north. In such an atmosphere, you don’t need to be a professor in psychology to know that, it’s chaos waiting to be triggered.

    I don’t know if President Buhari has noticed, but there is a campaign to further disunite Nigeria and his actions are not helping matters. I am very disturbed by his appointments. Perhaps, when he said he wasn’t going to treat those who voted for him equally as to those who didn’t, he actually meant it. I thought “The Northernization Agenda” was just a conspiracy theory. But there are more facts to prove it now than to disprove it. I understand that President Buhari does whatever he feels is right. But he also needs to understand that we are in a democratic set-up. It’s not just about building Nigeria. It’s about building a united Nigeria. His actions don’t just affect his political image but the image of the region, ethnic group and religion he is from.

    Even as I write this, somewhere in me, I keep hoping that I got this all wrong. That maybe there is indeed fairness or maybe there are bigger reasons for these actions. Until then, I think it’s time President Buhari looks back and reconsider some of these actions.

     

    • Muhammad Karamba,

    Karamba08@gmail.com

  • Fear of real change

    It is obvious all is not well with this country at the moment. Increasingly, it is getting clearer that fundamental modifications in the structure of the Nigerian state are inevitable to stave off systemic dysfunctions that are at the root of the cycle of crises that have been buffeting this federal contraption.

    Resurging tempo of centrifugalism; a plethora of challenges at the economic level leading in the main, to inability by governments to pay salaries, loss of jobs at the private sector with the banks taking the lead and deteriorating living conditions especially of the poor, are clear evidence that we need to get back to the drawing board to get our bearing right. Though this thinking is not entirely new, for some inexplicable reasons, it has failed to receive the support of some vested interests.

    And for that reason also, whatever gains this country would have harnessedthrough restructuring have continued to elude us. But hard as we try to shy away from it, its imperative continues daily to stare us on the face. That was the uncanny dialectics at play last week when President Buhari told State House workers that it was disgraceful that two thirds of the states of the federation cannot pay salaries to their workers.

    Hear him: “27 out of the 36 states cannot pay salaries. This is a disgrace to Nigeria”. The same contradiction was equally manifest in his comments on the resurging militancy in the Niger Delta region. Again, he had this to say: “Unfortunately, the Niger Delta with their myriads of organizations that are competing over which one can do more damage to the country and the oil wells and oil companies. For how long are we going to do this?”

    The two issues are very fundamental. So also is the question of how long shall we continue to be in this pass?Answer to why states cannot pay salaries can be located in the structure of the federation while the militancy in the Niger Delta will continue as long as people of the area see the organization of the Nigerian state as inequitable and incapable of guaranteeing even development in the area. These are the issues to contend with. And how can we go about addressing themwithout tinkering with the way this country is structured both on political and economic lines?

    Ironically, president Buhari who seeks answers to the posers is opposed to discussions on restructuring the polity. In his recent interview to mark his one year in office, he had in reaction to a question said he had neither read the 2014 National Conference report on how to move the nation forward nor called for a brief on it. He went further to say unequivocally that he would want the ‘report to go into the so-called archives’.

    So when just after a month he came up with the issue of how long we shall continue to live with the inability of states to pay salaries and the militancy in the Niger Delta, he was inadvertently cornered by the contradictions of the unresolved issues of our federal order. Incidentally, much of the solutions to these nagging national challenges were the major concerns of that conference report.

    So if Buhari is serious in finding durable answers to the two challenges, he has to reconcile himself with his averment to consign the conference report to the dustbin of history. In spite of differences in the management styles of state governors andsleaze in public places, the current situation where the states depend solely on hand-outs from the federal government for survival is at the root of their predicament.

    That has been the raison d’etre for calls for fiscal federalism and devolution of powers. The idea here is to whittle down the overwhelming powers of the centre and the concomitant bitter competition for its control that is at the centre of the simmering fission within the polity. States cannot pay salaries because most of them cannot survive on their own as presently constituted. They do not have the capacity to fund themselves because of a convoluted order that has rendered them mere appendages of the centre where life literally begins and ends. States cannot pay when they depend solely on oil revenue which the central government disburses at intervals. They cannot pay when a disproportionate chunk of what should go to their kitty is appropriated by a centre that espouses federal tenets but in reality unitary. And where they manage to pay salaries, other services suffer irretrievably.

    For states to do that and be in a position to discharge their statutory duties very effectively would require the restructuring of the fundamentals of our federal order.It is obviously a political action that seeks to unleash the creative energies and potentials of the component units for rapid development along their designed paths.

    With such action, the discontent that aggravates militancy due to the yawning disparity between the huge resources found at the backyard of the Niger Delta people and their abysmal poor level of development would have been adequately staved off. With it also, complaints bordering on the skewed allocation of oil wells to people almost exclusively outside the zone which the Ijaw Youths Congress has seriously complained about will be redressed.

    Similarly, the inequities that reinforce competition to control the centre and take advantage of its disproportionate resources would have been put at bay. So the answers to the question posed by the president can really be found in restructuring which has been seriously addressed in the document he has curiously relegated to rust in the archives even after the nation had spent stupendously to put it together.

    Had he read it or called for briefs on it, he may have found to his chagrin that in that document lie answers to the poser on why states cannot pay salaries. Ditto the reasons for resurging militancy in the Niger Delta and similar primordial tendencies that have reared up their ugly heads. Perhaps, he may also come to terms with the reality that as long as we trifle with the matter of instituting a true federal order, so long will these challenges be a recurring decimal.

    So when Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state sought to make a distinction between economic restructuring and its political variant, he was merely referring to two sides of the same coin. He said in a recent interview that restructuring in the past had been based on political exigencies and that is why its economic impact has not been felt. Now, he would want it to be along economic lines. But even when based on political exigencies, its overall benefits are usually felt within the economic realm. For, the difference between politics and economy in this instance is just a very thin one.

    Ahmed however, struck the right chord when he viewed restructuring as the process of reviewing the way we have been doing things and if that has not taken us to the promised land, we seek new ways of getting there. That is the real issue and not this rabid obsession with insinuations that it is a way of dismembering the country. On the contrary, continued opposition to restructuring may facilitate disintegration more quickly as has been shown by resurgent agitations for self-determination and national sabotage.

    It is also evident in the increasing resort to holdingthe nation together through coercive apparatus of the state. But then, for how long shall we continue to hold this country together through the force of arms? Is it not a huge contradiction that 56 years after independence, we still rely overwhelmingly on gunboat diplomacy or the actual deployment of same to compel loyalty for the government?

    It also smacks of educated guess to contend as some have attempted that restructuring and the fight against corruption cannot go together. They can and do go together. For us to fight corruption decisively, we must get at the root of it. And the way to it is by understanding and addressing those negative attitudinal dispositions that starve civic structures of their attendant moral bearing thereby reinforcing corruption. In them, we will find why our society does not frown at people who steal from the coffers of the government, without qualms.  Only then, shall we be able to effect real, lasting change.

  • Fuel subsidy: The real enemies

    Buffeted from all sides by vicious vultures, the government last week finally caved in to the demand of advocates of deregulation by increasing   pump price of petroleum from N87 to N145. The increase, according to Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information was inevitable, citing as reasons the dwindling foreign reserve, the reduction in crude production from 2.2m bpd to 1.65 bpd because of vandalisation of oil pipelines by sponsored elements and the fact that the N16.4b needed monthly for subsidy was just not available. We can add the sabotage by independent oil marketers who openly declared that importation of over 70% of oil consumption requirement by a government that refused to give their members foreign exchange will not bring an end to long queues at filling stations because NNPC is dependent on their storage facilities.

    The government has other off-shore detractors starting with Forbes and Bloomberg magazines that described Buhari as ‘obstinate’ for refusing to devalue the naira and take IMF loan, their principals including the IMF itself and other western leaders like David Cameron who survives on proceeds of stolen funds warehoused in their countries and of course those who stand to lose from government’s ban on 21 items gulping $12b of our foreign exchange every four months. Unfortunately, Buhari and his cash-strapped government need cash from even his detractors to finance a deficit budget of N2 trillion. Hence instead of apology, he appealed to Cameron to return our cash. His efforts at making beneficiaries of funds illegally taken out of the CBN vault with boxes, vomit what they all admitted was shared, is not receiving the support of some judges and some unpatriotic senior members of the bench. The Arab world he turned to for cash to implement his N2b budget deficit, have said, as players in the global financial market,  access to their loans is also tied to IMF ‘conditionalities’.  China of course was not ready to give cash but projects.  And reparation of stolen funds creatively deployed by some western countries to solve problems of social dislocations in their societies is a slow process.

    Unfortunately, in what is nothing but an act of misplaced aggression, those of us,  whose battle Buhari is fighting at his old age, are being misguided by  Labour that looked the other way while salaries of civil servants including doctors were unpaid for six  months by 26 states of the federation while the current lawmakers engaged in profligacy. Meanwhile our real enemies, the political elite and their trader-capitalists who have since 1999 waged war against the impoverished poor earning between N10,000–N18,000 and the middle class have continued to behave as if they are doing us a favour by serving us.

    While the lowest paid workers may now have to spend their take home pay on transportation, going by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), each of the of the 109 senators earns N19.26m. His House of Reps counterpart earns a little less. This is apart from quarterly office running cost put at N192million per senator per quarter while their House of Representatives counterparts received N140 million (2009 figures). They also get about N500,000 as wardrobe allowance, N202, 640 as newspapers/periodicals allowance, recess allowance of over N200, 000. They collect interest-free car loans. They have official cars fuelled by taxpayers. In the past they executed multi-million constituency projects. They take severance package which is in millions after four years while pensioners are unable to collect their pension years after retirement. About 21 of them are ex-governors who after mouth-watering severance packages of houses, cars and cash still collect pension as well as scandalously high salaries.

    It was these self-serving lawmakers that started our nightmare shortly after Obasanjo’s inauguration in 1999. The inauguration was followed by long queues in filling stations as a result of artificial scarcity created by cash-strapped politicians who claimed they sold houses to fight the 1999 election. Obasanjo’ s award of contract to refurbish the refineries was sabotaged by the politicians who failed to deliver after collecting contract payment. Then a self-serving bill for the establishment of PPPRA was promptly  passed into law and quickly assented to by Obasanjo within three months, February to May 2003. Its mandate was to ‘liberalise the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, privatise the refineries, deregulate and liberalise the imports of petroleum products and, generally, make the products available at reasonable prices.

    But PPPRA became tool for political patronage. The body then went on to increase the number of fuel importers from less than a dozen to over 148 made up of PDP stalwarts and their siblings. In 2011, it inflated consumption of imported petroleum products by N1trillion. A House probe was to show later that these PDP stalwarts and their siblings allegedly stole about N1.7 trillion through fraudulent practices including forging of government documents to receive subsidy without ‘importing a bottle of fuel’. Thirteen years down the line, PPPRA with staff strength of 249, and a 22-man strong board, earning salaries and allowances of N57.9 billion per annum, serves only the interest of those that set it up. It is not a surprise that one of their former board members has been linked with the Panama scandal.

    Sadly, by the time Buhari was throwing in the towel last week, some of their other baleful legacies include dysfunctional refineries, the collapse of the  over 4,000 kilometres of oil pipeline commissioned by Obasanjo in 1979, as well as  government-owned fuel tank farms with PPPRA now dependent on the storage facilities of members of Depot Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) with some boasting of the largest and most modern storage facilities in the world and the Independent Marketers Company (NIPCO) that has invested billions in storage facilities.

    While the nation frittered away about $30b on fuel subsidy between 2011 and 2012, an amount enough to build several refineries, at the time, Dangote’s $14b refinery which will come on stream in 2018, will not only meet the nations demand for fuel consumption but also put an end to 100% importation of fertilizer. “Today, Nigeria imports 100 percent of its fertilizer, but when we finish, Nigeria will be the largest exporter of Urea and Ammonia in Africa, and it will meet our total domestic requirement and save foreign exchange”, Dangote recently declared. His director has also confirmed “The refinery is the largest single line in Africa’, with refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), production of 750,000 metric tons of polypropylene per year and 2.8 million tones of fertilizer per annum,” Adding his own voice, Emefiele  the CBN Governor said “it will fetch Dangote about $6b foreign exchange earning which will bring relief to a nation that until Buhari’s courageous moves last week  was spending about 38% of its reserve on subsidy.”

    Labour has a duty to let those it represents know that Buhari is not the enemy but David Mark, Ekweremadu, Saraki, Gbajabiamila who awarded themselves generous pay for oversight function they performed in default, their colleagues who engaged in on what Obasanjo once called ‘theatrics on the floor of the National Assembly’ over subsidy removal when there was no subsidy appropriation. We can add subsidy cartels that stole N1.7t,  those who according to ex-Governor Peter Obi “were paid for vessels that were not anywhere near the Nigerian waters”, the  25 marketers who were  ordered to pay back N382 billion to the government following the findings of the presidential committee that looked into the disbursement of the fuel subsidy fund, vandals engaged in vandalisation of oil pipelines and their patrons  and finally some of those unskilled or dubious Nigeria- trader capitalists  who are richer than Nigeria and now threaten the system with the idle $20b kept in domiciliary account.

  • Exclusive breast feeding: real or imaginary

    Exclusive breast feeding: real or imaginary

    In the midst of plenty, Nigerian babies seem to be battling to repossess their exclusive rights to their mother’s breast in the first 1000 days of their existence, but their efforts seem fruitless. In this report Sina Fadare x-rays the contending issues at stake.

    Mrs. Ronke Ibilade hails from Igbo-ora in Oyo State, a rural community noted for high birth rate of twins. So it was not a surprise to the family when she delivered a set of triplets four years ago. Around FESTAC area of Lagos, where the woman and her husband live, mama eta-oko as she is fondly called is a household name.

    Sharing her experiences on exclusive breast-feeding is like sharing tales from the moon, as she is loaded with exciting experiences that could last a lifetime.  According to her, breast-feeding one’s baby is a compulsory duty, which a woman must perform. She however added that along the line, a lot of unforeseen circumstances prevailed and the reality cannot be met.

    “I had a son before the arrival of the triplets, which turned everything around in the family despite the fact that we are leaving as an average family. It was practically impossible for me to go on exclusive breast feeding for them because they were voracious suckers. There was a day I nearly fainted when the two boys grappled my breast simultaneously as if their lives depended on it, by the time they were done, the only girl had nothing to suck and she would not take any other alternative.

    “It was a battle in the house. We had to introduce baby nutrient food the second week of their arrival because the milk being produced from my breast was not sufficient enough to feed them. How can l rely on exclusive breast milk as was recommended by our doctor?” She queried.

    Ibilade’s case is similar to that of Mrs. Kelechi Chukwuma; her children are twin and voracious breast suckers as well. Despite the fact that she had two maids employed by the husband to assist her in house core and taking care of the babies, she lamented that “they rarely spared my breasts, unless they were sleeping, which is very rare for both to do at the same time.

    “When l could not cope with the babies demand in terms of breastfeeding, my husband suggested that we introduced baby food to them and that was when l had a bit of respite.”

    The mother of four children said that in as much as she wanted to  breastfeed the babies for at least six months, the reality on ground did not allow her, adding that the demand  was just too much for her to cope with, ‘especially after l resumed for work.’

    According to her, the other kids who came before them, one after the other, did not pose any pressure on her in terms of breastfeeding. ‘Even with that, I couldn’t breastfeed them exclusively because it was not realistic.’

    When reminded that exclusive breastfeeding has a lot of advantages which would assist the growth of the baby, she pointed out that there is no mother who will not try to give her baby the best, particularly in terms of breastfeeding, “but in most cases, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Do you believe that there was a time the breast was dry and nothing came out of it? Will you allow the baby to be crying? Definitely, you are going to look for an alternative”

    Chukwuma explained that “when the boy became naughty and was always crying especially in the night, my husband said we should give him baby food plus breast feeding. Funny enough since the day he tasted the food, he ignored the breast milk and before l knew what was happening, he never wanted to take it again. I had no choice but to cooperate with him. This eventually paid off when my maternity leave was over and l had to return to the office.”

    However the experience of Mrs. Toyin Ashefon, a mother of three, was a different story entirely. As a nurse by training, she had vowed to make sure that all her children were exclusively breastfed, as babies.

    According to her, her husband did not allow her to pick any job, a situation that allowed her to give the children exclusive breastfeeding at least in the first six months of their arrival.” I can tell you that this eventually paid off because up till today you can hardly see them falling sick, a situation that has been attributed to their being breastfed adequately  in their  first 1000 days in life.

    “The good aspect of it was that the last born sucked breast till he was a year old before l weaned him. Though it was not an easy task because l rarely went anywhere and my husband made sure all our needs were provided for, today I know better and l can authoritatively tell you that exclusive breastfeeding is the best, provided a nursing mother can cope with it.” she explained.

    Exclusive breast feeding has been the handout always handed over to nursing mothers during ante-natal period by medical experts. It is repeatedly echoed to them as a task that must be done and the expectant mothers in turn always looked forward to the arrival of the baby and how to put all that has been taught to practice. Unfortunately when the chips are down and reality dawns, it suddenly becomes a herculean task, all medical experts’ advice notwithstanding.

    At the Innocenti Declaration in 1990, the WHO/UNICEF called for policies that would cultivate a breastfeeding culture that encourages women to breastfeed their children exclusively for the first six months and then up to 2 years and beyond. However, a recent estimate by the WHO showed that worldwide only 35% of children between birth and their fifth month are breastfed exclusively.

    Based on the WHO Global data on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Nigeria, 22.3% of children were exclusively breastfed for less than 4 months, while 17.2% were exclusively breastfed for less than 6 months, in the year 2003.

    Similarly, according to the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), in 2008 17% of children were exclusively breastfed for less than 4 months, while 13% were exclusively breastfed for less than 6 months. The median exclusive breastfeeding period in Southwest Nigeria by months in the year 2003 was 7 months. In the year 2008, it was 6 months. Within the same period, early initiation of breastfeeding among women in the region was 12.7% in 2003, but increased to 35.5% in the year 2008. More worrisome is the fact that all these figures are far below the 90% level recommended by the WHO.

    Perhaps the recommendation of the WHO/UNICEF on exclusive breastfeeding despite its huge advantages is becoming unattainable because of the travails the average Nigerian woman is passing through in raising her children.

    Aside this, poor economy, cultural, political and psychological factors among others are impediments to exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria.

    The Nation’s investigation revealed that children from same parents react to different situation especially when it involves exclusive breastfeeding. However the practice of exclusive breastfeeding is still low despite the associated benefits.

    Against this backdrop, The Nation sampled the opinion of about 40 mothers on how they handled the situation when reality dawned. Their responses were as exciting as their various experiences, especially the reactions of the children.

    Of the 40 nursing mothers, only 10 percent confirmed that they were lucky to exclusively breastfeed their children for the six months timeline.

    Perhaps the significance of the critical window of 1000 days for a child may have influenced Lagos and Enugu state governments’ newly introduced six months maternity leave for nursing mothers and three weeks paternity leave for their husbands.

    Against this background, Lagos State last August set aside a week of sensitisation  to mark the world breastfeeding day for nursing  mothers, to intimate them on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

    Speaking on the occasion, Dr Modele Osunkiyesi of the state’s Ministry of Health pointed out that the state’s promotion and successive exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life without any other additive requires the collective support of all, including employers of labour, fathers, mothers and family members.

    In his own contribution, the campaign coordinator of the programme, Dr Olukemi Adeyoju noted that “Breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs in the first six months of life. Breastfeeding protects against diarrhea and common childhood illness such as pneumonia and may also have longer term health benefits for the mother and child such as reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence.”

    Apparently referring to the WHO, Adeyoju explained that a child that was exclusively breastfed for the first six months life would achieve optimal growth, development and good health.

    Similarly in a recent survey by the Bayelsa State government in partnership with the United Nation International Children Fund (UNICEF), only 15 per cent nursing mothers do exclusive breastfeeding.

    Out of the 2,332 breastfeeding mothers sampled in the state, only 349 (15 per cent) exclusively breastfed their babies, while 1,267 (45 per cent) gave breast milk and water to their babies. The remaining gave more of other kinds of food.

    Worried by the declining rate of breastfeeding among women in the state, the Chief Medical Director, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Prof. Onyaye Kunle-Olowu, lamented that 15 per cent of women in the state engage in the recommended standard of breastfeeding, adding that there is need for stronger advocacy for nursing mothers in their workplace, in order to promote exclusive breastfeeding.

    According to him, breastfeeding helps children to survive and thrive, enables infants to withstand infections, provides critical nutrients for the early development of their brains and bodies and strengthens the bond between mothers and their babies.

    “A recent Lancet study found that infants who were breastfed for at least one year went on to stay in school longer, score higher on intelligence tests and earn more as adults than those who were breastfed for only a month,” Owei said.

    The commissioner said the government would continue to lead the charge by making breastfeeding a policy priority in the state’s development plans, increasing resources for programmes that support breastfeeding and working with communities and families to promote the full benefits of breastfeeding.

    “Breastfed children fall sick less often, so their mothers are absent from work less often, too. These effects in turn contribute to higher productivity, ultimately benefitting businesses and larger economies,” he said.

    Owei pointed out that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has adopted three conventions to establish protective measures for pregnant women and new mothers, including the rights to continue breastfeeding. He listed the conventions as time (extended maternity leave), space (crèche at the workplace or close to it) and support (a support group at the workplace).

    “Our challenge now is to make breastfeeding work in our workplaces too. Together we can help working women to breastfeed and reap the benefits for themselves, their children and for the health and wellbeing of future generations.” He said.

    Why babies were shortchanged

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on protective measures for pregnant women and new mothers recommend an exclusive breastfeeding for the child as a right from her mother.

    Article 10 1&2 of the convention emphasised the privileges a nursing mother should enjoy in order to give exclusive breastfeeding to their children.

    “A woman shall be provided with the right to one or more daily breaks or a daily reduction of hours of work to breastfeed her child.

    “The period during which nursing breaks or the reduction of daily hours of work is allowed, their number, the duration of nursing breaks and the procedures for the reduction of daily hours of work shall be determined by national law and practice. These breaks or the reduction of daily hours of work shall be counted as working time and remunerated accordingly.”

    However, when all the chips are down, a lot of man-made hindrances still put clogs in the wheel of mother to child exclusive breastfeeding. Speaking to The Nation why it is increasingly difficult for nursing mother to breast feed her child exclusively, a middle age woman who works as an administrative officer at the Lagos State government secretariat noted is still difficult to do exclusive breastfeeding, despite the fact that the state is operating a six-month maternity leave system.

    Mama Tolu, as she is fondly called, explained that she could not cope with the demand of the little baby in the house because he always wanted a breast in his mouth anytime he is not sleeping. According to her, the situation forced her husband to start buying baby milk, a can of which the boy consumes in less than 10 days.  She added quickly that ‘this does not foreclose breast feeding intermittently. That is why l told you that from my own experience, l wanted to do it but it was not successful.’

    The Nation also found out that the demands of house chores, especially when couples are not buoyant enough to engage the services of house-helps also become a hindrance to nursing mothers, as they get too tired and overwhelmed to attend to the breast demands of the baby.

    Mrs. Kate Aladekomo, a senior computer programmer at Alausa in Lagos confirmed to this reporter that it is easier said than done, adding that sometimes, the baby’s enemy is the father, who may not be able to withstand the long denial of access to his wife’s breasts.

    “My husband so cherishes fondling my breast to the extent that it is usually a tug of war anytime l am nursing a baby.  Though in a friendly manner, he would tell the baby not to suck me dry because that (my breasts) was what attracted him to me. …Strangely he could not tolerate exclusive breast feeding.” She said.

    The Nation’s investigation also revealed that most of the time, career women have little time to offer their babies breast milk after the maternity leave, which is still pegged at three months in most private and public institutions. In addition, most women who go through caesarian section during delivery may experience a bit of pain in the first few days of the baby’s birth, thereby making exclusive breastfeeding a herculean task.

    In addition to this, health-related crisis may also prevent the new baby from enjoying the mother’s milk. In some cases, the breast may not flow as expected and in other cases, the mother may be mistakenly bitten on the nipples, thereby making breastfeeding a painful process.

    Sharing her experiences, Ms Tobi Abubakar, a single mother, said though she did not experience total biting, but constant sucking on her breasts in the first two weeks of her baby’s arrival, gave her a laceration that pained her to the marrow. “After the laceration, l could not stomach the pains that followed; l therefore had to resort to baby food for almost two weeks when l became medically okay, to contiune with breast milk.”

    While a painful experience may be a determinant, Dr Vincent Ilogbo, a consultant pediatrician based in Canada argued that from experience “some breastfeeding mothers do not breastfeed because they believe it could make their breast flabby and unappealing especially to their husbands. A number of men have high preference for well-shaped breast. Hence, they discontinue breastfeeding at short intervals to discourage their husbands from looking outside.”

    According to him, if such a situation arises, it is the baby that suffers the consequences, adding that the fear of the baby getting addicted to the breasts makes some mother to give breast milk sparingly.

    The Nation equally learnt that cultural beliefs by some families, especially when the mother-in-law is around go a long way in discouraging the mother from exclusive breast feeding. Some mother-in-laws cannot just agree that the baby cannot be given water and in some cases, concoction that will make the baby strong. In such a case, the mother may therefore be helpless, especially if the mother in law is very domineering.

    Importance of exclusive breastfeeding

    According to UNICEF the importance of exclusive breastfeeding cannot be underestimated. Dr Bamidele Omotola, a nutritionist with UNICEF while speaking to The Nation noted that breastfeeding provides the best nutrition and protection from illness for the baby.

    According to him, exclusive breastfeeding is fundamental in the first six months; it is easily digested and absorbed by the baby. Not that alone, it contains anti-bodies which protect the child against infection. Breast feeding also helps mother’s womb to return to normal position after birth.

    Corroborating Omotola’s view, Dr Orode Doherty, a pediatrician noted that exclusive breast feeding is key and it’s essential that the kid should be fed this way.

    Doherty maintained that “The first drop of breast from the mother’s breast is vital and key to the rapid growth of the baby. It is better that the baby starts the same day he is born. The first milk that comes out is very thick and contains anti-bodies that are very good for the health of the baby.”

    According to her, breast milk “is like the baby’s immunisation and it sends the signal to the mother’s brain that the baby is here. It is also a time for a child and mother’s bond and the beginning of a mother’s affection to the baby. What comes out first from the mother’s breast is as much more liquid and that is what the baby needs, no water but exclusive breast feeding. The mother should empty the first before changing it. You are what you eat. The mother should be on good diet so that the milk can always flow.”

    The pediatrician pointed out that mothers “have to be taught how and when to give the baby their breast. When you are about to wean, you have to look around and do soft food with ewedu, crayfish and others you find in the environment.”

    Thinking along same line,  Dr Titi Adesanmi consultant pediatrician and Managing Director of Life Child Centre in Lagos explained  that  if a child is  not breast-fed adequately,  he is always sick, adding that “The first 1000 days is critical to the baby to develop his brain and potentials. It is a critical window to ensure that the brain achieves optimum potentials, even from the pregnant stage. The mother needs to be adequately fed a balance diet in other to cope with the challenges of motherhood.”

    Ways of encouraging exclusive breastfeeding

    Since it has been established by all stakeholders that Nigerian children are being short-changed by their mothers in the first 1000 days window, then it is obvious that all hands must be on deck to correct this anomaly.

    Dr Vincent Ilogbo argued that the government has a role to play on the issue by passing a favourable legislation that would give nursing mothers more time to feed their children, even at their place of work.

    “Other states should borrow a leaf from Lagos and Enugu that has granted six months maternity leave for nursing mothers and three weeks paternity leave for the nursing father. The implication of this is that   all things been equal, the mother will have enough time to give exclusive breastfeeding to their children for the six months that they are on leave.”

    Ilogbo pointed out that crèche and nursing homes should be established in all local government all over the states, where mothers can use for their conveniences, adding that they can go there to feed their children three to four times during office hour. This will go a long way in putting their minds at rest and they will be able to give their best in whatever work they are doing. They will also not be in a hurry to sneak out of office to go home to attend to their babies.”

    He said such a programme will serve dual purposes in the sense that it can be used as a research center to generate data, especially by child psychologists and pediatricians. “This type of programme is being used in Canada and it is a form of generation of employment for various professionals in the health sector.”

    To Owei, government should go all out to make deliberate policies that support breastfeeding, leading to increased job satisfaction and greater loyalty to their employers. “Breastfed children fall sick less often, so their mothers are absent from work less often, too. These effects in turn contribute to higher productivity, ultimately benefitting businesses and larger economies,” he said.

    He argued that it is a collective effort by all to make this dream a reality. “Our challenge now is to make breastfeeding work in our workplaces too. Together, we can help working women to breastfeed and reap the benefits for themselves, their children and for the health and wellbeing of future generations.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Donald Ase  a health expert in Bayelsa  challenged nursing mothers to key in to the state government’s programme and give their children the best from what God has given  them, adding that the children need good attention from their mothers.”

    Adesanmi is of the view that since the first 1000 days is critical to the development of the baby’s brain and potentials, mothers should not only see exclusive breastfeeding as the right of the baby but a task that must be done to their babies in order to get their cooperation while growing up.

  • Fashola to PENCOM: invest N5tr pension fund in real sector

    Fashola to PENCOM: invest N5tr pension fund in real sector

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola has urged the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and other operators to invest the over N5 trillion pension fund in construction of infrastructure.

    He mentioned such infrastructure as roads, housing, Fourth Mainland Bridge, coastal road linking several coastal states from Lagos to Bayelsa and the new seaports in Lekki and Badagry.

    The minister spoke in a keynote speech at the Nigerian Pension Industry Strategy Implementation Roadmap Retreat organised by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and pension operators at the weekend in Abuja.

    His paper was titled: “Overcoming the Challenges and Managing the Risks and Constraints that Inhibit the Investment of Private Capital and Funds in Nigeria’s Infrastructure Landscape to Make a Visible Economic Impact”.

    He also recommended investment of the fund in refineries, such as Dangote’s, Ajaokuta Steel, petrochemical plants, resuscitation of textile mills; prisons to strengthen justice system and decongest prisons; hostels for universities, power plants for universities, especially those with teaching hospitals, health care and others.

    To sceptics, who may be scared to invest pension assets in the real sector, Fashola said “diversification has forced itself on us as a nation and those investible vehicles exist”.

    The minister said he could see a future of Africa, where Nigeria is leading in the use of people’s resources to build a future that includes the people.

    He said he developed a topic from the challenges encountered by the pension regulator and operators in finding suitable investable vehicles to invest.

    Fashola noted that the risks that stand in the way of the pension managers in investing the fund without any hitch were caused by some businessmen, who for their selfish reasons ensured that projects and contracts were tied down in courts.

    He identified five areas that needed to be addressed to assure investors of low induced risks and these included politics, government’s action, socio-cultural, legal and judicial factors.

    He stated that while the journey of a new pension system started with the coming together of some Nigerian minds like President Olusegun Obasanjo and Fola Adeola and was nurtured by the dedicated hands of men and women, it has reached a major milestone from where it must reinvigorate itself.

    The minister, who said it was time to invest in the real sector, added that the biggest opportunity presented itself for the nation to act towards diversification rather than sloganeering it.

    Fashola, who lamented infrastructure deficit in Africa, said: “This is the time to show that our nation and our national economy is bigger than the challenges posed by dwindling oil prices. This is the time to diversify and change the face of our economy. But the risks that stand in the way of investing the fund are caused by us and they must be changed by us.

    “Perhaps, the appropriate starting point will be to acknowledge that pension reforms are just beginning to gain a foothold across most of Africa in jurisdictions as Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Kenya and Uganda, to mention a few.

    “Perhaps the biggest and most advanced of the pension funds, especially in sub-Saharan Africa is the South African Pension Fund. But while the sizes of these funds are happily growing, and the number of contributors increasing, the impact in the quality of life on the continent is not yet anywhere near minimum globally acceptable standards.”

    The minister advocated the adoption of a collective national attitude to make it possible to invest the over N5 trillion  fund constituting the contributions of the nation’s working class into real sectors as a means of diversifying  the nation’s economy and achieving inclusive growth.

    He noted that the attitude that once mired pension funds management in scandals and lack of transparency, had led to stringent legislative interventions that limited the scope of activities that pension funds could participate.

    Fashola acknowledged the amendments being made to address the situation.

  • Imperatives for real development

    The political slogan of the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially during the Presidential election campaign was CHANGE. Interestingly, Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) slogan was TRANSFORMATION. Both slogans mean nothing to many.

    The government must find solution to unemployment through agriculture which played a significant role in Nigeria’s economic development at independence. It has now been relegated to the background especially since the so called oil boom. Gone are the days of cocoa in the west, groundnut pyramids of the north, oil palm in the east and forestry in the Middle West. We need to revamp agriculture to boost the economy by using part of our foreign exchange to do research for sustainable agriculture. A politically independent country that cannot feed its citizens is still in bondage.

    The country’s educational sector is comatose and unless urgent, drastic steps are taken to review the entire educational system (from primary, secondary to tertiary levels) we cannot move anywhere.

    A country  that specializes in marketing of products without investing massively in manufacturing quality products will become a dumping ground for products from other countries. My heart bleeds and I know that other people feel sad and cry inside when I see Kia and Tata vehicles flooding Nigeria. When some decades back Nigeria, India and South Korea were on the similar levels of industrialization. Today, Nigeria can hardly produce vehicles of similar quality as South Korea and India. How did these two countries perform this feat? It was through forward looking, patriotic leadership and followership with vision and tenacity. Nigeria’s oil palm seedlings were taken to an Asian country which today floods Nigeria’s vast market with vegetable oil processed from the seedling taken to that country!

    Nigeria’s land/soil in all parts can produce rice- in large quantity for domestic consumption and export if properly processed (with stones removed and deodorized). The Ofada rice; Bida and Abakaliki rice can be brought back with its attendant positive effect on youth unemployment. Where there is a will there is a way. Nigeria can regain its lost glory in agro industrial revolution where there were textile mills that produced cloths in Kaduna, Lagos, Ado- Ekiti etc. Cotton Production must be brought back and our textile industry resurrected, instead of relying on clothes produced in other countries.

    As a deliberate government policy, every science/technological innovation must be supported (with funds and enabling environment) and its products patronized by government (federal, state, and local governments and even the private sector of the economy).

    Policies of government at all levels should be consistent with successive administration because government is a continuum. Therefore efforts must be made by succeeding administrations to continue policies/projects that are favourable to the populace and such should be mutually reinforcing. For example, in order to reduce deserts encroachment through deforestation, there should be kerosene or cooking gas plus stores at very low prices so that the populace will cook without recourse to felling trees. Also there should be public enlightenment on the adverse effects of indiscriminate tree felling.

    This implies the active involvement/ participation of the people (the beneficiaries) in the conception, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects meant for the common good of majority. Every local government must find ways to increase its generated revenue. In essence any LGA that cannot increase its IGR cannot be said to be viable economically for such depend 100% allocation from federal government.

    All subjects and disciplines have their place in development of a nation. No subject should be looked down because little parts, strands/parts of a thing (cloth) make a whole, just as every part of the body is important and work together for functionality.

    Leadership and management skills are related but not the same. Leadership is sacrifice of time, intellect, skills, resources etc for the betterment of a people.

    Nigerians in May decided to effect a change in governance because of the widespread dissatisfaction with the way things were. President Muhammadu Buhari won the election as a result of the general perception that he is incorruptible and disciplined.

    In the words of John Milton “The childhood shows the man as morning shows the day”. He has introduced steps to curb corruption and impunity in stewardship.

    Let Nigeria reverse the trend of medical tourism to India, Egypt, South Africa, U.K and USA by building credible centres of excellence that will serve the nation creditably while attracting medical tourist to our major cities.

     

    • By Deacon Adelani A. Akinola

    The New Covenant Baptist Church,

    Ojokoro, Lagos.

  • ‘Real estate will bounce back next year’

    ‘Real estate will bounce back next year’

    A real estate expert, Mr. Dipo Fakorede, has attributed the current lull in the sector to cash crunch and change of government at the federal level.

    He said the incomes of estate firms and investors have been dwindling because of the unpalatable situation.

    Fakorede, who spoke with our correspondent last week in his Lagos office, said: “Real sector of the economy has a lull because there is a financial crunch in the system.

    “We have a new government with different policies and people are still waiting to see which direction the new government will take us.

    “The new government says it want Treasury Single Account (TSA), which has forced banks not to lend. Banks are not lending to real estate developers or granting mortgage.”

    The downturn, he said, has thrown up many properties across major cities of the nation at give-away prices.

    The Head of Practice at Dipo Fakorede and Co advised investors with dormant resources to cash in on the situation to acquire most of these cheap properties.

    According to him: “It is good for anybody now who is not taking money from anybody or financial institution to buy properties.

    “This is the best time for investors who have their own money. There are thousands of properties out there for grab at give away prices.”

    For owners, he advised them to hold on to their properties, especially when they are not under dire financial difficulties because the market will pick up again.

    “My advice for sellers is to hold on to their properties if they are not pressed. What we are facing is a phase. The good times will soon come back.”

    Fakorede predicted the market will bounce back latest by first quarter of 2016, calling for patients among owners and investors.

    He explained: “I think by end of first quarter next year, there should be a bounce back. The ministers will be sworn in soonest; they would have to settle down, look at what is on ground and conceive a plan.

    “Then, they present them to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before getting approval and then execution. Then, we can start seeing results.”

    The real estate expert also pointed out that banks will have no choice but to offer more housing mortgage facilities from next year.

    This, he said, would be in response to the implementation of TSA and cancellation of COT, which will bring down their earnings and force them to fund the housing sector.

    “There are coming back to meet us, I can tell you. They must survive and they will go back to mortgage. In developed countries, banks survive on mortgage.”

    He called on the would-be Housing Minister to settle down quickly and conceive policies that will take the sector to the zenith.