The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Respite

  • Respite for Ogun cotton producers

    SIR: Cotton and its production is central to the economy of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital and the cottage industry in the state with mainly women but also men producing Adire, the local tie and dye fabric which they sell in the state’s markets and beyond to make a living.

    Unfortunately, during the Goodluck Jonathan’s led administration, the government banned the importation of cotton though with right intention to increase employment, but the policy seems to have been unevenly implemented because while the dyers could no longer get cotton in the south, they could in the markets of Kano up north and this brought about great setbacks to the cottage industry in Abeokuta due to the troubles often got into with customs officers when trying to move it into Ogun State.

    The confiscation of cotton worth millions of naira, the stress of trying to reclaim their seized products, and other untold hardship they experienced for over four years, all combined to convince the dyers that they desperately needed a way to buy cotton fabric locally and this desire got answered when the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment mooted the idea to establish a ginnery factory in the South-West.

    A cotton trade show was held in India in 2012 which was attended by all cotton producing states in Nigeria and the event gave all cotton growers and producers the opportunity to meet with buyers with samples of cotton staple grown in their states. This staple samples were then put through rigorous tests to ascertain the strength of the cotton staple and its length, factors which affect the range, as well as the quality of the fabric that could be produced with it. It was at this event that the political considerations that often stand in the way of merit-based selection processes in Nigeria was removed and Ogun State was declared as “the best cotton producing state in Nigeria”.

    Apparently, its long staple cotton which is a by-product of the soil type and rainfall pattern is a rarity that Ogun cotton shares with Mali and Egypt who are among the best cotton producers in the world. These factors taken together with the thriving Adire industry in Abeokuta, which represented potential off-takers of cotton produced by a regional ginnery made a strong case for Ogun State giving the Gateway State the privilege to house the ginnery factory in the South-West.

    With one masterful stroke by the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun yesterday, August 24, the state is now positioned to exploit the entire cotton value chain, from growing the plant, to spinning and weaving in a ginnery, to production of textiles for clothing, furniture and other uses by the final consumer and you can be rest assured that this one project offers the opportunity to open up at least tens of thousands of jobs for the state’s teeming youths, women and even men.

     

    • Femi Osipitan,

    Abeokuta, Ogun State.

  • No respite in sight for manufacturers

    The manufacturing sector’s outlook for 2016 remains gloomy. The prevailing macro-economic indicators have not improved, pointing to a sector headed for more turbulence.

    Although, the Federal Government is using a crude oil price benchmark of N38 for its 2016 Budget proposal, the oil price has continued to plummet, falling below $37 per barrel, even as international Brent crashed to below $40 for the first time since early 2009.Experts have predicted that prices may fall further.

    The Managing Director, Nesbet Consulting, a Lagos-based firm of finance and management consultants, Dr. Alaba Olusemore, has advised Nigerians to brace for the worst while expecting the best.

    “Nigerians,” he said, “should not expect any miracle as far as economic recovery is concerned until probably, the second quarter of the year.”

    According to him, the on-going fight against Boko Haram insurgents and the renewed anti-corruption battle seem to have diverted the attention of the Buhari-led administration from manufacturing and agric sectors – two critical sectors capable of putting the economy back on track.

    Olusemore, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), told The Nation that Nigerians, realistically, may not heave sigh of relief until around the second quarter of the year when ministers would have settled down for business.

    The economist analyst, however, urged the President Buhari-led administration to aggressively pursue policies that will end the economy’s over-dependence on oil revenues, before the economy begins to take shape in the second quarter.

    “The monolithic nature of the economy is unsustainable. We must immediately begin to initiate and sustain policies directed at economic diversification,” he said, pointing out that there has been a strategic refocusing on manufacturing and agriculture, which have the potential to create employment opportunities.

    He also identified (SMEs as another area with lots of promises of turning around the fortunes of the economy.

    “The government must encourage SMEs to succeed. SME operators should be supported; they must have access to funds and services of consultants and mentors. Consultants should assist them develop bankable business plans and proposals,” he said.

    But, would the government heed such counsels and unleash the potentials in the manufacturing sector? Only time would tell.

  • Kashamu: Echoes from a judicial respite

    Kashamu: Echoes from a judicial respite

    Following the judgment of the Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal that Senator Buruji Kashamu was validly elected to represent the Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on the reactions of stakeholders

    Expectedly, reactions have been varied and diverse over last Monday’s verdict of the Appeal Court sitting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, which set aside the judgment of the Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal and ruled that Senator Buruji Kashamu was validly elected to represent the Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

    Consequent upon the pronouncement by the learned judges that the embattled senator should remain in office as senator, the rerun election ordered by the tribunal would no longer hold. Thus, political activities in the senatorial district, which were on high pitch in preparation for the rerun poll, have mellowed down.

    Buruji, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last national assembly election, was dragged before the tribunal by Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on allegations that his declaration as the winner of the Ogun East Senatorial Election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was done in error.

    Delivering his judgement, the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Ebiowei Tobi, said that the election was marred with irregularities and non compliance with the Electoral Law. It ordered fresh election in 110 polling units across the senatorial district. Although no date was fixed for the fresh election, the tribunal chairman directed that the exercise should hold within 90 days.

    But Kashamu won at the appellate court. Reading the lead judgment, Justice M.L Shuaib, held that the tribunal erred and was partisan, adding that it descended into the arena and scouted for evidence to nullify Kashamu’s election and to truncate his victory.

    He held that it was curious, illogical and perverse of the tribunal to place so much reliance on the evidence of a prosecution witness labeled as PW44 and further admit as evidence documents that were clearly inadmissible under the law and also act on such evidence to truncate Kashamu’s victory.?

    The three man panel further held that the case of Prince Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressive Congress is a non issue as the material used to nullify the results of elections in some polling units and order re-election is inadmissible in law. The three man panel, comprising of Justices  A.G Msheila, M.L Shuaib and Ignatius Agube, also adopted the same judgment for the cross petition filed by Prince Adedapo Abiodun.

    Bumpy road to respite

    It was not an easy walk to the judicial respite for Senator Kashamu as he had to petition the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, demanding the disbandment of the Ogun State Court of Appeal Panel sitting in Ibadan over allegations of inducement, influence peddling and pervasion of justice.

    In two separate petitions written last November to the President of the Court of Appeal, the PDP and Kashamu alleged that the APC had through a Senior Advocate of Nigeria compromised the members of the Appeal Panel empanelled to entertain appeals arising from the outcomes of the National Assembly and States Assemblies Elections petitions in Ogun State.

    In the petition dated November 18, 2015 and signed by the Secretary of the PDP in Ogun State, Alhaji Semiu Shodipo?, the party faulted the decision of the tribunal in ordering fresh elections in certain wards, even when APC did not make such prayers.

    According to Shodipo, the “allegations of compromise of the trial tribunal members by the APC candidates led to petitions submitted to the National Judicial Council against the said tribunal members. This petition is however written to seek your Lordship’s intervention in respect of the appearance of a clear likelihood of bias on the part of the Justices of the Court of Appeal empanelled to sit as the Elections Petitions Appeal Tribunal (at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan) in respect of appeals from the judgment of the Ogun State trial Tribunal”.

    He added: “It is in the above circumstances that we humbly request that you intervene and save us from a situation that could occasion a miscarriage of justice by reconstituting the panel in such a way that its independence and impartiality may be guaranteed.”

    As a result of Kashamu’s allegations, it was a new panel, which took over from the earlier one, accused of bias by Kashamu, that eventually delivered judgment on the appeal to all parties in the case, in spite of spirited efforts by the APC and other parties, to caution the Judiciary against allowing itself to be stampeded by the petitioners.

    Implications

    Apart from politicians giving mixed reactions over the development, residents of the senatorial district also spoke on the implications of the judgment, which has put paid to any hope that Kashamu may still be displaced from the national assembly by the courts. From Ijebu Ode to Sagamu, echoes of the judicial respite handed the embattled senator by the Ibadan court keep reverberating.

    As expected, Kashamu hailed the judgment of the appellate court, describing it as a victory for democracy and the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District.

    ?”I dedicate this victory to the Almighty Allah ‘Sub ana wata’alla.’ I am happy at the verdict of the Court of Appeal. I am happy that justice has been served. I am particularly elated that the judiciary has once again risen to the occasion as the last hope of the common man.?I am happy that despite the ills of our society, the judiciary still boasts of men and women of integrity and great courage who can resist filthy lucre and stand up for the truth and justice.

    “I salute the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District who overwhelmingly gave me their mandate. I thank my party leaders, elders, associates and supporters, for standing by me all through the litigation. I thank my legal team, the media, clerics, the youths,  students, artisans, okada riders, market men and women, for their best wishes, prayers and support,” he said.

    But a chieftain of the APC in the state, Chief Tele Buraimoh, cautioned the senator against labeling his victory as that of democracy because, “Everything about Kashamu is undemocratic. How then can he say his questionable victory is that of democracy and the good people of or district? It is neither. Although the court has the final say, the fact remains that Kashamu is not the best we can have as the senator representing us in the national assembly.

    “And for those of us who were on ground here in Ijebu during the election, it is not possible to forget all that we witnessed simply because Kashamu’s lawyers did a good job of convincing the Appeal Court on his case. The judges were not here. They merely relied on the evidences brought before them. We witnessed many things that were not mentioned in the court.

    Ogun East will come out of this better. We have learnt our lessons and I am sure the people know better now. How can Kashamu concentrate at the national assembly when the NDLEA recently announced that his case with them is not over yet? How can he represent us appropriately when he is still needed in America to defend himself? For me, the implications of this verdict on the good people of Ogun East are many, but the law is the law,” he said.

    However, Comrade Bosun Adetu, convener of the Vigil for Good Governance (VFGG), is of the opinion that the scenario in the senatorial district is a typical example of democracy at work. According to the Sagamu, Ogun State-born pro-democracy activist, “those complaining about the type of representation we will get from Kashamu in the national assembly need to learn about the tyranny of the majority.

    “While I will continue to say that Ogun East, an area that produced political giants like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Bisi Onabanjo, Pa Abraham Adesanya, Chief Olabiyi Durojaiye, Pa Lanihun Ajayi, Senator Gbenga Kaka, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and numerous others, should be represented by a better person at the national assembly, I am of the opinion that the verdict reflects democracy at its best.

    At times, the majority becomes tyrannical and imposes the very wrong option on the people even when the minority tries to point the right way to go. When this happens in a democracy, we all pay the price and bear the brunt. This is the exact scenario in Ogun East today. During the election, our people made a choice. The Appeal Court just affirmed that choice. Good or bad, we must live with it and learn from this incident,” Adetu said.

  • In Plateau, the killings return after respite

    In Plateau, the killings return after respite

    The killings that had held some communities in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State bound for long returned at a time it was thought that peace had finally returned to the area. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU x-rays the renewed violence and the attendant humanitarian problems.

    The ongoing efforts by stakeholders, particularly the Plateau State Government, to restore peace in Berom land collapsed with another invasion allegedly masterminded by Fulani militia last week. This time, the centre of the bloodletting was Bisichi village in Foron District, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. The invasion of the village resulted in the death of 10 Berom people, according to Bisichi Community Youth Leader, Mr. Mark Pam Bot.

    Narrating how the attack was carried out, Bot said: “This is not the first attack by Fulani militia in the locality. This time, the Fulani who are resident in the village went to hire some Fulani mercenaries from somewhere just to attack and kill Berom people.

    “Before now, there were reserved areas in our communities where we warned the Fulani herdsmen not to go to graze their cattle because such places are where our people perform their traditional rituals.

    “But each time the Fulani want to provoke an attack, they will go and graze their cattle in the forbidden areas. And each time they do that, they draw the anger of our people.

    “Our people have been warning them not to repeat the act, but because the Fulani are prepared for trouble, they keep going there.

    “You would realise that we also live with Hausa Muslims in the same village. But since they don’t rear cows, we are living peacefully with them.

    “The Fulani feel that no one can stop them from grazing. They also believe that nobody should restrict their cows from grazing.

    “But when they abuse the rules of the community and they are attacked, they vent their anger on our people in Bisichi village.

    “We learnt that they were attacked in Heipang for grazing in forbidden areas. We are not the ones that attacked them. But when they returned home, they launched an attack on us.”

    The Secretary of Fulani Cattle Breeders Association in Barkin Ladi, Adam Muhammed, however disputed Bot’s claims, saying that it was the Berom youths that came to surround Bisichi village to launch an attack on the Fulani residents, adding that it was the security agencies that rescued them from the attack.

    According to Muhammed, the Berom had killed seven Fulani people in the attack before the police came to their rescue.

    The accusations and counter-accusation notwithstanding, the conflict left in its trail some humanitarian concerns in the locality. Many victims of the violence writhe in severe pains at the Plateau Specialists Hospital in Jos.

    Curiously, all the injured victims in the hospital were Berom youths. One of them, a 19-year-old student of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, was seeing wallowing in pains in the hospital, having been shot in the left eye which his loved ones feared might have been lost. After the last surgical operation carried out on the eye, they said, there was no hope that he would see again.

    Many Berom people lost their homes to the latest attack. No fewer than 30 residential houses were demolished allegedly by Fulani militia. Owners of the affected homes are already taking refuge in a primary school within the locality. A visit to the school revealed the pains that filled the hearts of the victims. Their condition becomes even more pathetic considering that the rainy season is at its peak in the state. Women and children constituted the majority of the refugees in the camp. They were seen crying for help and relief materials.

    At the hospital, an elder brother of the victim, Geofrey Chuwang, who was at his bedside, said: “The boy came home from school to collect money for food. He was already returning to school when he was shot.

    “He was being escorted out of the village to where he could get a motor bike. All of a sudden, an armoured vehicle of the Special Task Force was coming towards them, and before they knew it, the soldiers opened fire and a bullet caught the innocent boy in the eye.

    “It was yesterday that the doctors conducted the second operation on the eye. They were not sure if the boy would be able to see with the eye again. He was never a part of any conflict. He was shot at about 11 am on Tuesday.”

    Chuwang, who also witnessed the crisis at Bisichi village, said: “Most of the killings during the attack were carried out by men of the Special Task Force and armed Fulani men. While the crisis in the village intensified, some youths went to convey a 90-year-old man from the village to another village where he would be safe. But a stray bullet hit him on their way and the old man died immediately.”

    Reliving the violent incident, Bot, the youth leader of Bisichi community, said the same Fulani who hired mercenaries to attack our people were also the ones who lied to the Special Task Force that they were being attacked by the Berom. “In response, the STF mobilised to hunt for Berom youths, and without hearing from us, the soldiers opened fire wherever they saw two people standing while armed Fulani men went behind to attack some other villages.

    “I can tell you the truth that soldiers of the STF opened fire on three Berom youths. They killed two of them while the third one escaped with bullet wounds. The same Fulani people mounted road block on the highway and attacked every motorist they saw. They killed two other Berom students found in one vehicle. They also headed to a farm where they shot and killed one old man by name Markus Dung.

    “The truth is that the STF aided the Fulani in killing many of our people. Apart from that, the Fulani took advantage of the soldiers’ support to enter into our farmlands to destroy maize farms.

    “There was a case where we reported to security agencies that we saw an armed Fulani man grazing his cattle on a farm. The Fulani man took to his heel on seeing that soldiers were coming to arrest him. While he was running, the magazine attached to his gun fell down and the soldiers picked it up. It was confirmed that the magazine contained 56 rounds of ammunition.”

    Fulani community leaders, speaking through the Secretary of Cattle Breeders Association, also known as Miyeti Allah, Adam Muhammed, said: “The Berom are only lying so as to cover up their own actions. We had earlier reported that seven of our men were killed by Berom youths without provocation. That was the action that provoked the violence, because we cannot wait until the Berom had killed all of us.

    “If not for the security agencies, the Berom would have wiped out the Fulani from these communities.”

    Considering the weight of the attacks on their kinsmen, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) has called on the Federal Government to ensure that justice is done over what they described as unprovoked attack in Bisichi village.

    A press statement signed by Chuwang, the President of the group, and the Secretary, Davou Gyang, demanded that those arrested by the STF in the course of the violence should be prosecuted for peace to reign in the locality and to serve as deterrent to others.

    The group said the militia Fulani did not only attack Berom homes and farms, they blocked the highway and attacked innocent travellers on Barkin Ladi Road. They alleged that at least 10 travellers were attacked and killed on the federal highway by some unknown gunmen last week in Bisichi village during the four-day carnage.

    The Berom youths also alleged that some Fulani headsmen suspected to have carried out the attacks on the highway were arrested by men of the Special Task Force (STF) code named Operation Safe Haven.

    The statement added: “We are seeking the intervention of the federal government in this case because very soon, the suspected militia caught by the Special Task Force will bribe their way and will be released and they will escape justice.

    “The federal government should make the STF to disclose the identity of the suspected terrorist group. Any attempt to allow them to go scot-free will attract serious protest across the state, because these are some of the unknown gunmen who attack us at night.”

    Dalyop noted that “while we commend members of the STF for this laudable feat, we wish to caution against any attempt to release these culprits without the law taking it full course on them. And any attempt in that regard shall be vehemently resisted within the ambit of the law.”

    The statement noted that, “Recently, 30 Berom Villages were razed completely and over 800 inhabitants of these villages killed. Among them were school principals, senior civil servants, farmers, traders, students and artisans who were ambushed in diverse locations while going about their legitimate duties, and over 500 inhabitants rendered homeless by the Fulani militias.

    “We wish to emphatically draw the Federal and Plateau State governments’ attention to these callous activities of the militias, which has over the years truncated the peace and serenity of Barkin-Ladi and parts of Jos South LGA without concerted efforts by the security outfits to thwart the persistent annihilation of the Berom nation by the heavily armed terrorists.

    “We wish to make it clear that we shall not continue to preach peace and harmony while we fold our arms and watch our enemies evict us from out territories, leaving us with the option of seeking refuge in other people’s lands. The government must live up to its task of guaranteeing security in all the troubled areas or else we seek possible ways of self defence and protection of our cherished heritage.”

    Meanwhile, the member representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Istifanus Gyang, has appealed to both the Berom and the Fulani to sheathe their swords for peace to reign in the constituency.

    Reacting to the renewed violence in the constituency, the federal lawmaker said: “Our internal peace effort is failing because of external factors. The invasion by militia men from outside the state is causing us serious problems. That is why we have some discordant voices on this crisis.

    “The discordant voices can be categorised into three: those who have objective understanding of the underlying ​factors and are genuinely desirous of finding a lasting solution; those who are ignorant and express their ignorance on the ​issue and those whose perspectives are informed by prejudice, sentiment, ​partisanship and hate.”

    He added: “In morality and in law, wrong is wrong and right is right irrespective of who does it or who it affects. That is why neither God nor law has respect for persons. I am therefore calling on all men of goodwill who are advocates of peace to join me in my commitment to rebranding Barkin Ladi-Riyom Federal Constituency of Plateau State from an axis of violence and bloodshed to one of peace and prosperity. May we rise beyond ethnic and religious sentiment and become advocates of national integration, peace and harmonious coexistence.”

    Hon Gyang also said: “My constituents who elected me, including Berom, Atten, Attakar, Hausa, Fulani, Ngas, Taroh, Mwaghavul, Ron, Idoma and Yoruba, they did so on the basis of a clear legislative agenda that gave primacy to the restoration of peace and security to the people. You can therefore only imagine the pain in my heart when the attacks and killings are persisting.

    “Options available to us in resolving this problem are twofold. The first is the deployment of conventional security of the military and police to vulnerable communities to protect law abiding citizens and end the attacks.

    “It was with this in mind that I raised a motion on the floor of the House and placed a demand on government under President Mohammadu Buhari, being the one that has the constitutional responsibility to protect every citizen, to issue a clear directive to the military high command to act decisively to end the attacks. Once this is done, it will create an enabling environment for the peace option to materialise.

    “We have elaborate peace architecture at the level of advocacy and practice by which we shall partner with state and non-state actors in constructive community dialogue towards the attainment of lasting peace through mediation, conciliation and healing of fractured relationships.”

  • Respite for lawmakers, aides as National Assembly pays February salaries

    Respite for lawmakers, aides as National Assembly pays February salaries

    Respite came for members of the National Assembly, their aides and civil servants as their February salaries were paid on Wednesday.

    The payment of the salaries coincided with a report in The Nation about the financial crisis facing the legislature.

    The second installment of the lawmakers’ quarterly allocation for this quarter was also paid on Wednesday. The third installment is still pending.

    These payments were said to have been made possible through a bank loan by the management while awaiting the statutory allocation from the government.

    However, there are still indications of hard times in the Assembly.

    Besides several facilities in the vast complex that this newspaper reported were in poor shape, telephone land lines and water have been cut off as its management struggle to meet financial needs.

    Private toilets in the offices of the legislators and public toilets in the Assembly have been without water for days.

    Even some air-conditioning systems that serve the complex packed up after construction giant Julius Berger walked out from maintaining the facilities in January.

    The Nation learnt that the lawmakers were unable to fulfil their promises on constituency projects to their constituents.

    A source said: “One issue that is a source of concern to members of the National Assembly in this elections year, aside the cash crunch being experienced by the management of the federal legislature, is the reluctance of the executive arm of government to fund constituency projects as appropriated and captured in the 2014 federal budget.

    “These projects that are essentially grassroots-oriented, have been a source of several controversies in the past as many had questioned the propriety of legislators to be involved in capital project implementation given that their primary duty as enshrined in the constitution is to make laws for the good of the people.

    “The lawmakers have always argued that since they are seemingly closer to the grassroots, they ought to understand the needs of their constituents better, thus, should play a role in suggesting types and locations of such projects.

    “The non-funding of most of these projects that were in the 2014 budget by the Federal Government, even after money has been appropriated for them, has now become a major embarrassment to many of these lawmakers, who have already cited the project implementation as part of their campaign promises.”

    These constituency projects (or zonal intervention projects, as they were referred  to in 2014 budget),  which are primarily executed by Federal Ministries and Agencies (MDAs), are facing  different levels of challenges. Records show that contracts for many of these projects captured in 2014 budget were yet to be awarded.

    Those awarded have received little or zero financial backing, leaving the contractors in a difficult position as some of them had taken loans from banks to mobilise to site.

    Many have alluded to the election campaigns as being responsible for the paucity of funds by the Federal Government to sufficiently fund last year’s zonal intervention projects, three months into a new year.

    The 2015 federal budget is pending before the National Assembly.

     

  • Respite for Sokoto varsity students

    Bridges linking the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) to town have been rehabilitated, bringing relief to students. The structure has since been re-opened, report IBRAHIM JATTO (Zoology) and HALIMAH AKANBI (300-Level Law). 

    There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The truth in this aphorism is captured in the rehabilitation of bridges linking the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) to town. Before their repair, staff, students and members of their host community virtually went through hell getting to town. Now, they are full of smiles, with the rehabilitation of the bridges.

    The structures were washed away in September 2010, following a flood that destroyed properties in the state and some parts of Kebbi State. The incident disrupted academic and commercial activities and the Federal Government promised to rebuild the bridges over River Rima.

    Before the construction, the government provided a military-type floating bridge as a palliative, while the eroded portions of the bridges were sandfilled by the state in January 2011. Students and residents of the communities whenever it rained.

    The contractor that handled the project moved to the site last November, several months after the project was approved. This led to the closure of the road, which caused hardship to students and motorists. The alternative Sokoto-Illela route takes 30 minutes to the university from Dandima Bus Stop in the town; this naturally made commercial cab operators to increase the transport fare to the school.

    Relief came the way of students as well as residents of the host communities when the concrete bridges were completed, reconnecting the university back to the Sokoto metropolis. The bridges were opened last month.

    Transport fares for commercial buses and cabs, increased during the period of rehabilitation, were immediately slashed, a development that lifted the mood of students.

    The Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr A.A. Aliero, said the development would rejig activities on the campus. He added that the management would complement the government’s efforts by rehabilitating the stretch from the university’s first gate to the Abdullahi Fodiyo Library Junction to make movement easy.

    A resident of Kwalkwalawa Village, close to the university, Mallam Ilya, a fish seller, said commercial activities were paralysed in the community while the construction was going on.

    “The construction dealt a big blow on our fishing business, because motorists were following a different route. The only customers we had were small-scale fish sellers, who take their goods to the other side to sell,” he said.

    Some students, who also spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, expressed delight over the bridges. Tole Adewumi, a 400-Level Political Science student, said: “It is a big relief to all of us. I give kudos to the government and the contractor.”

    Fatimah Baba Muhammed, a 300-Level Law student, said students could now save more money rather than paying exorbitant fare to commercial bus drivers. “Also, the rate of accident on the alternative route will be greatly reduced because the pressure on the road will be minimal,” she added.

    Hammed Lukman, a 400-Level Law student and caretaker chairman of the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ) hoped the construction met the standard and would stand the test of time. He said: “I will advise that students and other road users should imbibe good culture of maintenance in order to ensure proper safety of lives and avert future disaster.”

    Immediately the bridges were open for road users, the commercial bus operators reduced the fare to N60. The reduction did not go down with students, who wondered why the drivers did not revert to “normal fare” of N30 before flood washed away the bridges.

    The chairman, Caretaker Committee of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Al-Amin Wushishi, said the committee members had met with the chairman of Bus Service Management Committee (BSMC) and Dr Aliero, who, he said, assured that the matter would be looked into. “We hope they see to the plight of students as regards transportation challenges on campus,” Al-Amin said.

    When contacted, BSMC chairman, Dr S.D. Abubakar, said management took the decision to fix the fare at N60, urging the students to direct grievances to the “right quarters”.

    Dr Aliero, in a telephone interview, said: “This issue was brought to my notice. When I tabled the matter before the stakeholders, I was made to understand that the current fare is to the detriment of the bus operators, which made the management to intervene by subsidising the fuel. We do this to attend to the welfare of our students.”

  • No respite yet for Chime

    No respite yet for Chime

    Governor Sullivan Chime’s hope that the political war he has been waging in his backyard since the Udi council chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State suspended five of his aides will become a thing of the past appears to have again been dashed.

    Things appeared bright for the embattled governor when the state party chapter said it had upturned the suspension of the affected persons. The governor who according to sources had made several efforts to have the suspension reversed was elated at the news.

    But last Wednesday, the Udi council chapter insisted that the said suspension has not and cannot be reversed. The executive members of the Udi PDP made this known in Enugu, when news filtered in that the state party chapter had upturned the suspension of the affected persons.

    Five aides of the Enugu State governor were reportedly suspended last Friday for anti-party activities and holding meetings with party members without the knowledge of the executive committee members. The affected are the Secretary to the State Government, Ameachi Okolo; the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Chijioke Agu; Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Jude Akubuilo; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Marcus Agu; and the Executive Secretary, Enugu State Industrial Parks Authority, Mr. Ugochukwu Onyema.

    With the latest development, it simply means that the political ‘civil war’ between Governor Chime and leaders of his party in Udi L.G.A is yet to abate, leaving the Enugu helmsman with no respite.

  • Respite for Lagos – Ibadan Expressway?

    Respite for Lagos – Ibadan Expressway?

    SIR: If there are indices to measure how low we have sunk into in matters of leadership in Nigeria for years now, I think the conditions of Lagos – Ibadan, Shagamu – Benin, Onitsha – Enugu, Enugu – Port Harcourt expressways etc will tell the story better. You do not need to go too far to measure the dept of our leadership crisis in Nigeria for nearly four decades. Our problem has not been money, it has not been bad weather, or bad soil, it is the failure of a people to come to terms with those who govern them.

    Lagos – Ibadan expressway was commissioned in 1976 or thereabout when there were not too many vehicles in Nigeria. Under our own very eyes, things began to change; economic activities increased, population increased, vehicles increased houses, churches, industries etc increased on the corridor but that road has remained like that for nearly forty years.

    The criminal neglect of the Lagos – Ibadan expressway and other federal roads in Nigeria has lingered on with a huge price. Billions have been lost, thousands of lives lost, millions of man hours lost. For 13 years since 1999, we have been talking about Lagos – Ibadan and Shagamu – Benin expressways, the busiest in the country. Former President Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua saw the disaster and put up huge billboards with their photographs on them deceiving Nigerians that actions will soon be seen on these critical roads but all to no avail. Soon, we began to hear about Bi-Courtney and the concession agreement with the Federal Government signed since 2009.

    For three years, Bi-Courtney has been speaking from both sides of the mouth offering one reason or the other why work has not started on this critical road. Two years ago, I began to notice mobilization of men and equipment on Lagos – Ibadan expressway only for them to vanish into thin air. What we continued to see are signboards telling motorists that work will commence soon on the road. The soon has winded to years and the road continues to decay to an unbearable state.

    Only God knows how much Dr Wale Babalakin has pocketed since this rigmarole started in 2009 as either mobilization fee or other sundry payments that are in tune with the rotten Nigerian contract culture. It is only in Nigeria that this kind absurdity can take place. It is only in Nigeria that this kind of impunity will be tolerated. It is only in Nigeria that we do not use sanctions or punishment to call people to order.

    The truth is that if the economy of Nigeria is to be propped up quickly, we need to invest seriously on critical infrastructures like roads and power. The mobility of the federal Government to reconstruct and rebuild Lagos – Ibadan and Shagamu – Benin roads has drastically reduced the rising economic strength of Lagos State. Realizing the potential damage these unattended critical roads have brought to the economy of Lagos and South West states, ACN Governors met recently to begin plans of building an alternative road to the existing Lagos – Ibadan expressway. Perhaps, the Federal Government was rattled by this decision and now decided to act even though belatedly.

    The time you wake up from sleep is your morning. If after 13 years of democracy, the PDP controlled Federal Government is now realizing that Lagos – Ibadan and Shagamu – Benin roads need to be fixed quickly, I say good morning PDP. We expect such quick and decisive actions on the many dilapidated federal roads in Nigeria; be it the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway or theUmuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road. And Nigerians demand that for once, this government should match its words with action.

    • Joe Igbokwe

    Lagos.