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Tag: society

  • Society marks family week

    The Lagos State Women’s Council of the Ansar-UD-Deen Society of Nigeria has organised its 2018 family week. The event which took place at the Nigeria Police College ground, Ikeja had members, guests and dignitaries from all walks of life in attendance. The event kicked off with the reading of the holy Qur’an and welcome address by  Alhaja R. Ola Oke, chairperson of the Lagos State working council.

    “We are here to celebrate our annual family week. The theme for this year’s celebration centres on cancer, creating awareness and care for victims. We have discovered that it is now on the increase throughout the world. We want to save our women and our husbands and fathers.” She adds that: “Apart from Cancer we are interested in education and we currently have our university, Summit University at Offa.”

  • ‘Society for the Blind generated N37.8m in 2017’

    The Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB) said it generated N37.8 million in 2017, representing a 48 per cent increase over N25.6 million it generated in the preceding year.

    Despite the increase, the society’s expenditure grew from N38.5 million in 2016 to N42.3 million in the year under review.

    FNSB’s Chairman of Executive Council Fola Osibo said this was due to the effects of double digit inflation, which impacted adversely on the cost of running the vocational training centre.

    Speaking at the society’s annual general meeting (AGM), Osibo said the centre was prioritising to develop other streams of income to improve the lives of visually impaired individuals.

    The society’s total dependence on donations from philanthropists – individual and corporate – could no longer sustain the operations of the centre, the chairman said.

    He added: “Major causes of increase in expenses were salaries, which were slightly reviewed upwards to ensure retention of good and dedicated workers, and the need to further improve our publicity and public enlightenment profile.”

    He added that even though measures were being put in place to cut the cost, the effects of double-digit inflation continued to impact adversely on the cost of running the vocational training centre.

    The chairman added that economic downturn also forced the executive council to review the school fees from N50,000 per student to N150,000 yearly, while the society continued to source for the excess of N600,000.

    The General Manager for Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs (LASODA), Dr. Babatunde Awelenje, who was the special guest, enjoined organisations to support the society through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

  • Civil society and innovation society

    Before we discuss about an innovation society we need to understand what is innovation and why is it important to have an innovation society. Human society exists to help human beings flourish. Our ideas of human flourishing may differ but every one of us can agree that society exist to enable human being live fulfilling lives. Modern right theorists would argue that human flourishing in this context means enabling human beings fulfill their individual projects. The benchmarks of a good society would be one that provides support for citizens to live a life of dignity, freedom and justice. In the classical natural law philosophy dating from Aristotle, the idea of the community is committed to fostering a virtuous life for its members. Aristotle believed that the purpose of a community is to promote a virtuous life, which is a life of excellence.

    Solving problems that militate against human happiness and dignity is the defining task of human communities, be they cities or countries. The social contract theorists, approaching the issue from divergent definitions of the state of nature, agree that the purpose of government is the promotion of prosperity, freedom and dignity of human beings who live in communities. Government exists to make sure the pursuit of happiness and dignity is not undermined by problems. In the hunter and gatherer society, when humans were still in the state of nature, threats to prosperity can easily be overcome by exercise of physical strength.

    Innovation is not merely a matter of academic pastime. Innovation is the secret of survival on planet earth. The fruit of innovation range from the many products that enable us to contain the scourge of disease and prolong the longevity and quality of life, to the breakthrough in physical sciences that enable us to counter the threat of climate change. Innovation is also evident in the social and political sectors. Many of the less corrupt countries in the Nordic region are less corrupt because they have developed social and political institutions that better manage the reality of human nature and pathologies of social relationship. Their accountability mechanisms reflect higher intelligence and creative application of economic and social insights. Whilst other resources rich countries in Africa are suffering from resources curse, these countries are investing oil resources in building better human capital and stronger society.

    So, innovation matters because it is the secret of sustainable development. Sooner or later all resources will run out. Sooner or later societies that cannot innovate will run out solution and they would be left helpless in the face of daunting challenges. Today, we are witnessing a major divide between the axis of poverty and the axis of wealth. The society of the future may be divided between those can innovate and those that cannot.

    What makes a society an innovation society? What features accounts for the ability of some societies to innovate and others cannot? I identify what I call the hardware and software of innovation- technological and social. Things like the political regimes and economic systems we can call hardware. Innovation will be more likely in societies that promote entrepreneurship by reward private initiatives. Such a society will recognize trade and private property. It will be difficult to have sustainable innovation in societies where people are not rewarded for efforts. The great political economist, Joseph Schumpeter thought that it is a free market society that can promote entrepreneurship which he believed was the sources of innovation. He called it ‘creative destruction’. He associated monopolies with the capacity to undertake long term research that will lead to innovation. Although the latter point is contestable as monopolies can manipulate price and block competition; thereby destroying incentive to innovate, his view that entrepreneurship is key to innovation is unassailable. But the general idea of such society must also protect in some degrees intellectual property.We can all debate whether the present regime of intellectual property protection does not value profit over life. The fight over generic drugs suggests that perhaps the regime of intellectual property protection may have gone too far in protecting enterprise at the detriment of human life and community sustainable development. But what is never debatable is that protection for intellectual work is fundamental to sustaining investment of human capital in solving social problems.

    What is the software of innovation? The American sociologist, Robert Putnam viewed civil society from the point of view of social capital and social trust. These are part of the software of innovation. Innovation is a collaborative enterprise. Innovators build on the work of other researchers and thinkers. They solve problems in a community defined by mutual trust and respect. If the social capital or the trust quotient in a society is low, it may be difficult to have the degree of social cooperation required for sustainable innovation. Robert Putnam considered the deficiencies of a low trust society in his classic, Bowling Alone. These social capitals include volunteerism, membership in association and unions and religious beliefs and practices. Drawing from Alexis Tocqueville’s magisterial Democracy in America, Putnam argued for more civic engagement.

    Another important software for innovation is ethical universalism, the notion that human beings share common moral qualities that mandate non-discriminatory treatment. As a matter of fact, innovative societies are characterized by ethical universalism and, to a large extent, the principle of individualism. Such societies treat people without regard to their particularities of birth or status. Such societies contrast from honorific societies that treat people differently according to their social or cultural status. Max Weber, the theorist of modernity argued that modern development is only possible in a ‘bureaucratic’ society, a society where rules and laws replace traditional norms and privileges. This is the underlying structure of liberal and human rights-oriented societies.

    An innovation obviously thrives in knowledge. The Nobel Laureate in Economics, Kenneth Arrow argues the importance of learning and doing. People learn by doing. Therefore, innovation society also has innovative industries. This is also why innovative societies are usually post-industrial societies. Innovation comes from doing and big corporation provide the learning environment for innovation. Two important points arise from this insight. First, without good education it is difficult to have innovation. Quality education is software for innovation. When Japan began its transition from agrarian to industrial society it had more 80-90% literacy level. It also has public norms that valued quality education. This means that it must be a meritocracy which encourages learning and doing. If you measure in terms of the quality of higher institute of learning and the number of patents posted by schools and institutes in these innovative societies, you will appreciate the high quality of education in these societies. This contrasts with our society that despises knowledge and has no social reward for excellence. A society that is not merit-based, that introduce privilege and prerogatives to undercut merit is no where close to an innovative society

    It is difficult to remember when there were no civil societies. That will tell you how old and venerable civil societies have been. Legend has it that the oldest civil society was the Birch Society dedicated to the preservation of some bird species. Today, civil society straddles different segments of social life. Some civil society organizations are located in the business sector while others are in the social sector. The concept of civil society is so problematic that some persons hold their breath when the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the USA or the Organized Petroleum Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce are listed as civil society organizations. Just as we have civil societies that promote positive changes in the world there are those that promote negative results. So, even as the concept of civil society is controversial, the realities of civil society are also controversial.

    Nigerian civil society has had a respectable profile in the struggle for a democratic and progressive society in Nigeria. It has been a champion of human rights and accountable governance in Nigeria. Although civil society in Nigeria has played key role to usher Nigeria into sustainable democracy and development, it still has a lot of work to do to promote the ideals of the public good. The knowledge and skill gap in the civil society movement in Nigeria is too huge that it does not encourage social innovation. Again, the Nigerian civil society needs to reinvent itself to reinvent society. The stagnating norm of ethical particularism and its consequent regime of prerogative foster a corrupt and uncompetitive society. Such a society cannot be innovating. Civil society groups in Nigeria should recognize that they have responsibility to foster the cultural reform necessary to build a sustainable foundation for social innovation.

     

    • Dr. Amadi, former chairman and chief executive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) delivered this at the Reverend David Ugolor Inaugural Public Lecture Series.

  • Youths urged to add value to society

    Youths have been urged to add value to their society by discovering their God-given talents and harnessing them the right way.

    An author, Paul Okoogwa, gave  this charge on Sunday during the launch of his book entitled: “You can make a difference”, at Igando, Lagos State.

    He urged youths to love God, work in line with His will and start taking steps to advance their life.

    “The book would be of benefit to Nigeria because change comes from within. If everybody can live right and make a difference, the country would be a better place. This book is to get the readers stirred up, transformed and to do something different towards reaching their destination in Ife.”

    He said the book showed the love of God for humanity and how humans can love God back in return, by living in conformity to His will.

    A senior Pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Pastor Emmanuel Okoogwa, said in the state of hopelessness among youths, the book would enable them to be inspired and purpose driven.

    “It is a spiritual book, the spiritual controls the physical. The content is loaded and anyone that reads the book would not remain the same again,” he said.

    He urged youths to be less materialistic.

    “Those who would make a difference in their world must have ideas, they must be less materialistic and they must seek God,” he said.

    Pastor John Sholesi of the MFM Youth Church said it was time  youths  made a difference in the country.

    “This is the time for us to rise up from our sleep and do something exceptional. This book would be an encounter to a lot of people, their potential would come out and they would do great things in the world.

    “Youths need to come out, we have a lot to do for our nation. We need to do our best for the development of Nigeria. It is our responsibility to stay in the country and make it a better place for ourselves. This book would enable everyone who reads it to make a difference. Youths should let their voice be heard, register and vote,” Okoogwa added.

    He described the author as obedient, disciplined and focused, urging him to continue along that line.

  • Labour, civil society kick against electricity tariff hike

    Labour, civil society kick against electricity tariff hike

    The civil society and the organised labour have vowed to engage the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over plans to increase electricity tariff by over 61 per cent.

    Speaking after a rally in Lagos, leader of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), Comrade Toluwani Adebiyi, said the move was unacceptable.

    Adebiyi said the increment is totally unaffordable, considering the biting economic hardship assailing the already impoverished masses.

    The human rights activist recalled that the electricity distribution companies (Discos) were yet to honour the agreements they signed with the Federal Government in November 2013 to issue prepaid metres to all Nigeria consumers within 18 months.

    “It will amount to a rude disrespect to the rule of law to talk of increment now when the matter that touches so much on tariff increment is still pending in court,” he said.

    Adebiyi observed that it has been incessant power tariff increments without commensurate improvement, saying Nigerians have been paying for gross darkness with no value in return for the exorbitant bill paid by consumers.

    He urged NERC to optimise its generating capacity by ensuring that the electricity generating companies (GENCOs) generate enough power for the DisCos.

    He advised the Federal Government to revoke private companies license and take over the sector if the private companies cannot stabilise and improve power in Nigeria after four years of privatisation.

    “The Nigeria power sector for long has been taking undue advantage of and exploiting Nigerian electricity consumers. Until the labour group and civil society organisations decided to take up and challenge their inordinate trade practices, he added.

  • Society seeks review of occupational, environmental health laws

    There  is an urgent need  to review occupational and environmental laws.

    The Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEHPON) National President, Dr Okon Akiba, made the call at this year’s conference and general meeting of the society.

    The theme was: Occupational health for all.

    Akiba said: “The law is obsolete. Occupational health is law, and policy and guidelines-driven; other than that, we are nowhere. We must do it and put it in the cost of production. The gaps in policy are big.’’

    He added that it was for this that the society was calling for a review of the law guiding occupational health.

    He continued: ‘’It is only as a matter of passion for us having worked in multinational companies that we see these things. Occupational health is almost non-existent here. There is a difference between just providing curative and medical health.

    ‘’Occupational health is about being proactive and workers must know the hazards. You must tell them the hazards involved in their work and put in place preventive measures so that the workplace is healthy.

    “There is an urgent need to adopt a National Policy and Programme for occupational health that includes actions for providing competent occupational health services for all people at work. Occupational health is not about us, it is about the public. We are sharing knowledge about safety in the workplace and ensuring the right policies are in place and that guidelines are put in place. Employers are more interested in the work forgetting that the employees have to be healthy, the workplace has to be safe and will be more cost effective at the end of the day because a healthy workforce is a healthy organisation and the end point is enhanced productivity.”

    Akiba said his society was x-raying  the occupational health hazards and risks associated with the informal and the formal sectors, since it is apparent that not much had been documented about the issues.’’

    He said occupational health is an important factor for sustainable socio-economic development that enables workers to enjoy a healthy and productive life during their working years.

    Country Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO),  Nigeria and West Africa, Daniel Zulu, said the ILO/WHO 1950 Constitution sets forth the principle that workers should be protected from sickness, disease, and injury arising from their employment, “yet for millions of workers the reality is very different’’.

    ‘’About 100 million workers are injured and 200,000 die yearly in occupational accidents and 68 to 157 million new cases of occupational diseases are attributed to hazardous exposures or workload,” he added.

    Zulu said: “By affecting the health of the working population, occupational injuries and diseases have profound effects on work productivity and on the economic, social and well being of workers, their families and dependents. .

    SOEHPON National Secretary,  Dr. Uche Enumah, said  the conference is held yearly: “We do this annually to train ourselves. We have a two-day pre-training workshop. Medicine is all about continuing education and latest developments in the field.

    “Health and safety at work are important matters that relate to the general health and well being of working people and, therefore, should be given due consideration in policies, at all levels. Health and safety problems at work are, in principle, preventable and should be done by using all available tools, legislative, technical, research, training, education, information and economic instruments.’’

    “The government should ensure the development of necessary infrastructure for effective implementation of occupational health programmes, including health services, research programmes, training and education, information services and data banks. Networking of such infrastructure within and among the countries would substantially facilitate their efforts to implement national programmes.’’’

  • Moral and ethical standards in society

    There is a moral gale sweeping through the Anglo-Saxon world.. The whole thing started with revelations about how the movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein has used, over the years, his power and influence to sexually molest young girls looking for breakthrough in the movie industry in Hollywood in the United States.  Close  to 20 ladies have come out to accuse the same man of either rape or improper sexual conduct. The list of abusers is growing every day and it now includes Kevin Spacey; Dustin Hoffman, Brett Rather and James Tobback. The 80-year old radical film star,  Jane Fonda even testified that demanding sexual favours from young stars has been going on in Hollywood for as long as one can remember. These accusations have come on the heel of the sexual misdemeanors allegedly committed by Bill Cosby who in his famous Bill Cosby Show for decades presented himself as the ideal father and husband that both white and black audiences could associate with. He is now derided as someone who was drugging women before sexually assaulting them.

    The  distinction must however be made between sexual harassment and sexual philandering or people having affairs. Sexual molestation is when one exploits his or her power to demand sexual favours from an unwilling person or even making sexually lurid and suggestive jokes to somebody of the opposite sex or somebody with a different sexual orientation especially homosexuals and lesbians. Kevin Spacey for example was accused by somebody who as a young 14-year  old,   found Spacey trying to make love to him.  This was a horrible situation because the poor boy was straight. In all these accusations those accused have denied the accusations or have said most of their sexual relations were consensual. The police in California and New York are looking into possible prosecution of those accused. Very few American politicians have been accused yet unlike the gale sweeping through Westminster. There is the funny accusations against  President George W. H. Bush who at 93 was said  to have touched the buttocks of the women taking care of him after telling them dirty jokes. The old man had to issue statements of regret and apology to his accusers. I personally feel the old man should never have been bothered. My son Seyi feels differently saying old age is not an excuse for inappropriate behaviour.

    The case in Britain is totally different from what is happening in America. The Deputy Prime Minister Damien Green  is under investigation for inappropriate behaviour dating back a decade ago when “extreme pornography” was found  in his computer  during investigation of inappropriate sexual conduct.  The Defence Minister Sir Michael Fallon has already resigned for touching the knees of a female journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer some 15 years ago and apparently for inappropriate proposition to a female cabinet colleague. Another Conservative member of parliament, Dan Pouter has been referred to an internal party disciplinary committee for proper investigation. The Labour Party has its own problem. Clive Lewis, a member of parliament has been accused of groping a woman at Labour’s 2017 conference. One or two members of parliament have been accused of raping young interns or junior members in their offices or of inappropriate behaviour such as a minister sending a secretary to buy him sex toys in a shop in notorious Soho area of London. Sexual scandals are not new in British politics dating back to the John Profumo scandals of 1961. The then Secretary for War was accused of sharing a prostitute with a Russian agent. He resigned in 1963 because he was found to have lied to parliament. Recently Sir Edward Heath a former Prime Minister in the 1970s was posthumously accused of inappropriate relations with young boys. I remember John Major, sleeping apparently on consensual basis, with one of his beautiful ministers of state in 1990 or there about. The longest serving female Labour MP, Harriet Harman said this kind of behaviour cuts across all facets of life in the United Kingdom especially when people  having power deal with those below them. She gave a personal experience of when she was about to graduate some decades ago. Her lecturer called her and told her “young lady you are close to an upper second honours degree and to make sure you make that grade you have to sleep with me. The choice is yours”. She did not say what later happened. For those who think Nigerian teachers are lecherous, you better believe that inappropriate behaviour in tertiary institutions is global. The point must also be made that female students are not saints in this sordid drama.

    What I find intriguing is that the  current brouhaha  about sexual harassment is not likely to cut any ice in France. Infidelity and sexual promiscuity has been tolerated in France  since the time of the Bourbon dynasty to the present. President  Francois Mitterrand for example had a daughter out of marriage and proudly went about with her without anybody raising an eyelid.  The mother of President  Francois Hollande’s children was not the First Lady of France in the last regime and neither was he married to her or the First Lady. The Germans are like their British fellow Saxons who probably hypocritically put on a moral armour in public while  doing something different in their privacy. The Italians of Silvio Berlusconi would laugh at the prudishness of the British. Journalists and victims of sexual harassment in Putin’s Russia will be too afraid to accuse anybody in government because they may be sent to jail or worse.

    I wonder what will happen if there were to be a focus on people in power in Nigeria in their relations with women under them. This would cut across all spectrum of the society in government, bureaucracy, tertiary institutions, business, and even the holy orders  of Christian and Islamic traditions.

    I remember some incidents that make our situation a bit peculiar. In 1995, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led a delegation on behalf of the Abacha regime to the European Union. I was Ambassador in Germany winding down my mission to that country. The delegation sought a meeting with the German foreign office. I had to arrange it. We were given 15 minutes for the meeting. Ojukwu was the spokesperson for the group. After a rambling speech about the generosity of Abacha to Abiola in  detention, he dramatically said that Abacha allowed “four of Abiola’s senior wives to visit him every week”. The Germans with broad smile asked Ojukwu “How many wives does Abiola have?”

    The attitude in Asia is not much different. This reminds me of  what the minister of foreign affairs in the Philippines was said to have said to a  Philippine lady who complained to him during a visit to Saudi Arabia about being raped by her boss. He was said to have whispered to his aid without knowing that the microphone was switched on  that she should enjoy it. When the news got home, the minister was immediately fired.

    Although there is no universal norm of sexual relations, but we can all agree that no one should have the power to sexually exploit a fellow human being because of the position of power one holds. Even in marriage, one should not be able to exploit his or her partner sexually. A husband can technically be guilty of rape if a wife is forced against her will. As bad as we sometimes think  things are in Nigeria, people still maintain decent and respectable relationships with people of the opposite sex. I was in Redeemers University for 12 years and I can attest and affirm the fact that nothing of this sort occurred between staff and students. There were cases of improper relations among students. But this is to be expected among young people whose hormones drive them towards sexual relations. Unfortunately with the downturn in the economy in the country, girls and boys in order to survive, I am told, are forced to compromise their morals.Young people of today are less inhibited  as people of my generation. A former female student of mine told me she and two other former students were sharing an apartment in Lagos. I immediately assumed the other two were girls. I was shocked when she told me they were boys. I then told her that I found the situation a bit confusing to put it diplomatically. She explained that there were three different rooms, and that they shared a common kitchen and bathroom and toilet. She then said they were adults with knowledge of permissible boundaries. I then recalled my stay in Lillian Penson Post-graduate hall in the university of London in 1968. This was a mixed hall and my neighbour to the right and left were ladies. Since all the rooms were en suite, I never heard of any scandal through out my stay there yet coming from Nigeria where sexes were rigidly separated. I initially found the arrangement difficult to understand. It all boils down to discipline. Since we were all young and had no power or influence to exercise over others in exchange for sexual favours, the idea of sexual harassment did not come up. This is the crux of the matter. Sexual harassment is a manifestation of power.

  • Safety enginering germaine to danger-free society

    The pursuit of a danger-free industrial and public environment will not be effective without sufficient training of safety engineers, former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel has said.

    According to him, there was a need for engineers to have the mastery of safety engineering, noting that only those who have undergone specialised training in public safety measures should be certified.

    He spoke on the theme: “Assuring public safety in Nigeria – the roles of safety engineers”, at the Nigerian Institute of Safety Engineers (NISE) conference and Annual General Meeting at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

    The former governor, who was represented by the Managing Director of Kresta Laurel Limited, Dideolu Falobi, said safety engineering is a pivotal field of engineering essential to accident prevention, design and implementation of modalities with acceptable level of safety.

    According to him, the most potent tool to achieve Zero Lost Time (LTI) in public and industrial safety is the utilisation of a robust risk assessment.

    “In the true spirit of engineering, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment should not only capture design and implementation stages, but also the pre-design. Besides, mandate review of these audit reports at planned intervals is essential for safety engineers to achieve zero incident and make positive impacts in society.

    “This engineering exercise would shed light on the professional skills and required competencies needed to implement the safety programmes,” he said.

    NISE’s National Chairman Adeyemi Oyedepo reiterated the body’s commitment to protect life, properties and the environment, by guiding organisations on safety, assisting statutory bodies to enact engineering standards and educate the society to contribute and adhere to safety regulations.

  • Who is afraid of civil society?

    In recent weeks, Nigerians have witnessed a potential setback to our nation’s democracy through the on-going unguarded activities by some members of the House of Representatives who dedicate precious legislative time and resources in pushing for passage, a Sierra Leone-originated, but widely condemned and rejected legislative framework popularly known as a “Bill to regulate NGOs, CSOs”.

    The bill which within few months of its initiation in the House passed for second reading in theory, aims at setting up a commission to regulate their activities and provide a platform for robust relationships between them and the government for the interest of Nigerians.

    It expropriates the powers of the corporate affairs commission (CAC), which will no longer be able to issue certificates to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Certificate Issuance will be handled by a 17-man committee selected by the president subject to approval by the Senate president.

    Under the proposed provisions of the bill, NGOs will have to re-register after 24 months, they will pay re-registration fees and the committee handpicked by the president and decide whether to re-approve or deny the certificate.

    It is worrisome that the clueless imported bill from Sierra Leone shamelessly found its way to our highly respected Lower Legislative Chamber without appropriate scrutiny and in-depth socio-political analysis if Nigeria as a democratic nation needs such totally authoritarian and despotic legislation at this point when the citizens should begin to feel the impact of legislative representation, especially at national level, but are insensitively deprived appropriate representation by the trust ones who endlessly backstab them.

    More unfortunately, the Bill has since arrival to the House been receiving needless legislative attention, time and resources.

    A development of this nature puts to question whether our legislative activities are guided by selfish personal agenda or constituents’ needs and priorities.

    With the volume of well-informed civil society, media and citizens in the country, the on-going effort by the legislators to frustrate accountability mechanism would without doubt result in more aggressive demand for accountability and interpretation of quality of representation and performance by civil society groups that may henceforth trigger citizens’ perception and understanding of who deserves their votes.

    The cabal pushing for passage of the mischievous bill must be made to realise that true democracy which was drastically pursued by the civil society groups has come to stay and the groups will never relent in their efforts in demanding accountability under the same democracy.

    It is no more news that Nigerians have suffered from various anti-citizens bills sponsored by undemocratic cabal in the legislature primarily to sabotage accountability mechanism and continuously ensure citizens are dispossessed their constitutional rights to enjoy democratic dividend.

    Such ill-fated bills include the ‘Social Media Bill’ that was subsequently dropped for its irrelevant to the nation’s progress and citizens’ development.

    The argument that some NGOs used their funds to fund terrorism is merely nothing but an illusion; as if confirmed to be true, what then is the work of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU)?

    More importantly, the rigorous processes Nigeria’s Civil Society Organisations are subjected during registration and filling of returns is evident and well documented with various authorities like Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) National Planning Commission, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    Finally, while the legislators have the mandate towards citizens’ representation, civil society groups have the responsibility not only to foster legislative-constituent relations but also to ensure connectivity between legislative activities and constituents’ representation. Civil society role should rather be respected and appreciated for democratic values to thrive.

    Abubakar Jimoh, a Development Communication Specialist writes from AMAC Estate, Abuja Email: abujimoh01@gmail.com

     

  • Society, CONTEC partner to boost bio-economy

    The Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) and CONTEC Global, Nigerian innovative technology solution providers, are tinkering with ideas that can boost the economy, using bio-solutions( Bio-Economy).

    Riding on the high-level commitments made so far by CONTEC Global, through its agricultural subsidiary, Contec Agro Ltd (CGAL), the BSN has offered to partner the firm to increase the knowledge and application of science and technology innovations  for food security in Nigeria.

    Speaking when representatives of the society visited the Abuja facility of CGAL, Prof. Benjamin Ewa Ubi, president, Biotech-nology Society of Nigeria, said: “We very much thank you for your innovative technologies for a bio-based economy. We look forward to building partnerships to upscale Science and Technology Innovations in Nigeria.”

    Buttressing this, Chairman, BSN Board of Trustees, who is also the Vice Chancellor of Taraba State University, Jalingo, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, described the visit to facility as a very important one, as it afforded them the opportunity of furthering the collaboration with CGAL.

    “The Biotechnology Society of Nigeria is highly impressed with the performance of Contec Global Agro LTD. The society is ready and willing to work and collaborate with the company to further activate the beautiful dreams that this company (CGAL) has for Nigeria and indeed, the whole humanity,” Tenebe said.

    Similar optimism was also expressed by Musa Wamba of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), who was also a visitor to CGAL, Abuja.

    According to Wamba, “CGAL has brought a lasting solution to the Nigerian farmers by giving them the best substitute to the conventional chemical fertilisers, with the potential of high yields for our crops”.