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  • Widow Nwankwo: Beneficiary of philanthropist’s large heart

    He takes delight in making others happy. He also enjoys solving people’s problems. Right from when he was a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Charles Okechukwu Anyanwu has made reaching out to people across generations one of his cardinal points. Southsouth Bureau Chief BISI OLANIYI reports that for many years, he has empowered the youth so that they could become self-reliant and that the NDDC chief’s aide most striking gestures were scholarships to some youths and a house he built for a blind widow in Etche.

    The great German Kent once said: “If you are in a position where you can reach people, then use your platform to stand up for a cause.”

    This is a true reflection of Hon. Charles Okechukwu Anyanwu who has been positively touching lives of many people in more ways than one. He is a man who has a sense of compassion, empathy, a sense of responsibility and keen in advancement of humanity.

    All his life, the Etche-born lawmaker, administrator, politician, businessman, leader, mentor and organiser has made reaching out to people across generations one of his cardinal points.

    For emphasis, Charlie, as he is popularly known among his friends and family members, is not the richest, neither is he the best, but he has been able to make sacrifices from the little he has, to make life better for other people.

    Recently, he gave cars, houses, financial grants and scholarships to youths across the nine states of the Niger Delta region, a gesture which was aimed at making life better for the beneficiaries.

    It is on record that long before holding any public office, he had sunk boreholes in various communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State to mitigate the problem of water scarcity at the grassroots. This singular effort endeared him to the people, who commended him for his philanthropy.

    The Banking and Finance graduate of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (now Rivers State University), Port Harcourt, is seen as one of the shining lights of his generation, particularly in the way and manner he has used all the offices he has held to impact on lives.

    Anyanwu began his political career when he was elected into the Rivers State House of Assembly to represent Etche Constituency 2. While in the House of Assembly, he remained one of the progressive members, giving insights and contributions to various bills, motions and debates on the floor of the House.

    Despite being a first-time member of the House of Assembly, he was quite influential and earned the respect of his colleagues, who saw him as a bridge builder and hardworking lawmaker in the House, then led by Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who later became Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation.

    Besides being an active member of the House of Assembly, Anyanwu also made contributions to the educational development of his constituents, through constituency projects.

    Nelson Mandela had noted that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

    Anyanwu influenced the construction of six-classroom blocks each for primary and secondary schools at Ulakwo, in addition to two town halls in the same community. It was the first time a member of the Assembly was doing that in the area.

    Not done with that, he also influenced the building of another six-classroom block in a primary school at Odufor, just as it was done at a secondary school in Egwi.

    The former member of the House of Assembly did not stop at that, he embarked on numerous empowerment programmes, including scholarships, financial grants, donation of cars and motorcycles.

    Till date, no other member of the House of Assembly from Etche has been able to match his record of achievements and direct impact on the people, 12 years after leaving office as a legislator.

    In view of his commitment to the administration of the then Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Hon. Anyanwu was twice appointed as the Caretaker Chairman of Etche Local Government Council, first from June to September, 2014 and later between February and May, 2015.

    One of the immediate challenges he experienced while in office was the deplorable state of Chokocho Road.

    Worried about the discomforting state of the road and the sufferings of the people, he hit the ground running. He was able to ensure smooth passage of people and farm products from the rural areas by reconstructing Chokocho Road.

    On the insecurity that he met on the ground, it is to his credit that he tackled it head on. He was able to get all the people involved to a roundtable and they accepted the amnesty offer. This singular effort brought about peace in Etche, which is still being enjoyed till today.

    Anyanwu also continued with his human capital development through scholarships, financial grants and donation of vehicles to some of those who are indigenous to the local government.

    In the light of this, Jillian Lauren said: “I know something about performing. I know that when it seems like the avalanche is about to roll over you, you face into it and keep both arms swimming as hard as you can. You smile and you sell it.”

    This perfectly fits Charlie, as the reward for good performance is more work to be done. In November 2016, he was appointed as the Special Adviser on Youth and Sports to the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He was reappointed in January this year, under the Prof. Nelson Brambaifa-led NDDC’s management.

    This latest portfolio provided another platform for Anyanwu to touch even more lives, as he has always loved to give opportunities to the youth to excel in all spheres of life as leaders of tomorrow.

    Since his appointment, the former legislator has taken compassion, empowerment and philanthropy to a new level, thus earning the sobriquet: “Mr. Touch Life.” His efforts have not only been touching lives, they have influenced generations.

    Touched by the plight of a blind wdow, Mrs. Regina Nwankwo of Etche, Mr. “Touch Life” built a house for her, just as he has done for other less-privileged people in the society. He has not stopped at that, he has also embarked on sustainable means of livelihood for many youths through the donation of over 20 cars to be used for earning income through hire services.

    To prove that his actions are not cosmetic, Mr. Anyanwu has set up Hon. Charles Anyanwu Foundation, which has already begun work.

    At present, two students from each of the wards in Rivers State, beginning from Etche and Omuma local government areas benefit from his scholarships.

    This is in addition to the empowerment of three widows per local government area in Rivers State, while the management of the Foundation is still working out other schemes.

    Not done with his reach out and touching of lives, Anyanwu has graciously assisted no fewer than 50 lawyers to attend the forthcoming National Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

    To ensure that youths in the Niger Delta find meaning, purpose and pursuit of their God-given talents in sports, his office, last year, organised the “Catch Them Young Football Competition” among the nine states that make up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), namely: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers, where each of the state winners travelled abroad for exposure and competition. Season two is in the pipeline and it promises to be illuminating.

    Fredrick Lenz had noted that “selfless giving does not imply superiority. Selfless giving is about love.” Nothing can be farther from the truth, regarding Hon. Anyanwu, who, out of the little God has given him, is reaching out to people.

    His good deeds have not gone without history keeping records. He is a recipient of many honours, including Certificate of Credence by Progressive Fellowship of Nigeria, Pre-Eminence and Excellence Award by the National Union of Etche Students (NUES), Merit Award by Rivers APC Students’ League, Most-Friendly Public Officer by Port Harcourt Comedy Club and Special Son of Honour Award on 2019 Mothering Sunday Thanksgiving by Mothers, among others.

    Many people have stated that if all office holders (either elected or appointed) can emulate Anyanwu, there will be less worries in the crude oil and gas-rich Niger Delta and indeed, across the federation.

    In the words of Debi Mazar: “A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit. Who just tries to give back as much as possible and helps people. A hero, to me, is someone who saves people and who really deeply cares.”

  • Introduction of hermetic storage reduces food loss in Yobe

    A training carried out by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Yobe State has improved methods of food storage after the harvest season.

    WFP, in collaboration with the Agricultural Development Project (ADP) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), trained 300 farmers on post-harvest best practices – using hermetic storage technology.

    Hermetic storage bags are airtight and waterproof, allowing farmers to store and save grains from infestations or destruction by insects, rodents, mold and moisture, thus preserving them for long periods of time.

    A bag-opening ceremony on July 10 in Gashua, Yobe State, marked the highpoint of the training which aimed to reduce the losses suffered by farmers due to improper food storage.

    According to figures by the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Nigeria loses some US$9 billion every year due to poor post-harvest management.

    More than 30 percent of staple food grains (maize, sorghum, millet) are lost due to poor storage, while 60 percent of vegetables perish.

    After the training, each of the farmers received eight specially made airtight 50 kg bags to store their grains for six months until the prices of grains rose in the market.

    The farmers stored cowpeas in the new airtight bags, while others stored theirs in the traditional ways.

    “When the bags were opened in Gashua, the results were astonishing,” says Ms. Eden Guizaw, the WFP officer leading the Post-Harvest Loss Management Programme.

    “90 percent of the grains stored in the traditional way were lost, while 100 percent of those stored in the hermetic (airtight) bags were intact. It was amazing; indeed, beyond my imagination”.

    One of the farmers, Hajia Taannabi, recorded a huge profit in her sales by using the hermetic storage bags to preserve her grains.

    “I stored my grain with the hermetic bags, without losing any to infestation or rodents. I sold each mudu (measure for grains) for N400 and gained N300 on each mudu and was able to feed my family and pay my children’s school fees,” Hajia Taanabi said.

    Building on the success of the pilot project, WFP will train more farmers nationwide in the use of the hermetic storage technology in the next phase of the programme – depending on the availability of funds.

    “Investments in this type of training and technology are critical to making progress in reducing food insecurity over time” says Sarah Longford, Acting Country Director for WFP Nigeria.

    “WFP is also encouraging local businesses by supporting the production in Nigeria of the hermetic storage bags by some Nigerian private enterprises.

    By promoting hermetic storage in Nigeria, WFP aims to contribute to post-harvest loss reduction and boost food security to achieve zero hunger.

  • Teachers teaching nonsense, other problems in Nigerian secondary schools

    The poor state of education in Nigeria should be one of the things that should be keeping us awake in the night as Nigerians. While it is the decay within the universities that often attracts attentions, the problems, perhaps in bigger proportions- exist in the secondary school systems.

    Anyone that went to state schools in Nigeria from the 90s till now, would have experienced some of the issues discussed in this reflection: Students are now being asked to come to schools with their own chairs and tables, parents are responsible for buying chalks and teaching materials, in some cases, parents often contribute money to hire teachers for the school- these teachers are usually paid at lower rates compared to their colleagues who were employed by the government- there are other worrying issues of dilapidated buildings, roofs that could not protect students from the elements of weather etc. and incessant strike actions by school teachers.

    The poor working conditions often make some of the teachers to device alternative ways of surviving, some of the teachers have had to add extra jobs, and some become so demotivated that they hardly pay any serious attention to the demands of their jobs.

    Yet, lives of millions of children are entrusted to them. This piece is not to bash teachers, but to explore some of the problems that we have with quality of teaching in our schools.

    Most of the schools are ill equipped- I once taught in a school in one of the oil producing states in Nigeria while I was on the NYSC [National service], the school was poorly equipped- it lacked basic infrastructures- the only room with a framed window and door was the principal’s office, there were no laboratories, the students had no chance of taking any science practical sessions in the three years of their senior secondary school- yet these students were expected to sit a test of practical knowledge in the subjects- and these are very key subjects such as chemistry, physics, and biology…

    This is the stage in the life of the students, where opportunities for greater attainment in life are being taken away from them- especially from the children of the poor. The children of the rich could be enlisted in private schools, their parents could afford all the international school franchises that are springing up in Nigeria, and other good schools overseas, while most children of the poor are trapped within the mess caused by the criminal leadership in the county- the politicians who steal from the wealth of the countries ferry their children abroad.

    Read Also: Foundation donates to secondary school

    I have my own first-hand account of the damage that the education system of the country could do…. It took me more than 4 years to redeem my life after suffering the most damaging educational failure of my life (I have taken personal responsibilities for my own contributions to it)- but come to think of it, most of the blames went down to the quality of teaching I received in school.

    I was a ‘science student’ in high school. We never went pass the ‘periodic table’ at the end of my senior secondary school year 1 (SS1). My first chemistry teacher was hired and paid for by the Parent Association, the teacher left the school for better opportunities mid-way into the first year.

    We never had a replacement until the end of year 2 (SS2), as the school often take the final year student as priority. Until the last weeks of SS3- the year we would sit the high school final exams, we never had any practical sessions in chemistry, no salt analysis, no titration etc… Similarly in other subjects, the school always kept the available subject teachers for the final year class, but most of the damage had been done in the previous 2 years…

    The problem of course transcends issues of material and infrastructural inadequacies within schools, some of the problems have to do with teaching qualities, or I should say some of the problems have led to bad teaching qualities in our secondary schools.

    I have been taught by some wonderful teachers who have enabled me to realise my life ambitions- most of them were working under the most precarious conditions I ever witnessed- some of the times they were being owed their wages by the government for more than 6 months at a stretch, and even when they were paid, it was pittance- they could barely survive on it.

    However, there were cases of ‘bad’ teachers too, sometimes it was so obvious that the person standing in front of the class to teach had insufficient knowledge of the subjects… we have had NYSC teachers who studied Law and were made to teach English in secondary schools… and most of these NYSC teachers are product of the half-baked systems as well- so it was a perfect case of ‘rubbish-recycling’.

    The garbage that some of them deposited in our heads took half a decade to be evacuated. Some of my class mates from the high school never recovered. None of my class mate made it to the university within 4years of leaving the secondary school… including myself. This piece offers some suggestions on how to combat some of the problems of poor teaching qualities in Nigerian schools.

    FUNDING THE EDUCATION SYSTEMS: TOO LITTLE…. TOO LATE – All teachers in Nigeria (from primary to secondary) should be well paid, and they must be paid on time. Government should ring-fence some funds, with special budget protection for education- this money should not be kept where thieves in government would steal it…. All teachers deserve decent living- it was almost became a shameful thing to be a teacher in Nigeria, in the recent past, some property owners would not even agree to let their houses to teachers, because it was a well-known secret the government do not pay teachers enough, and they were never paid on time.

    Good remuneration would attract the brightest of the best into the teaching profession. This is what the private enterprise schools are doing well- in 2017, I met a young man on a flight from Amsterdam to Lagos, we were both connecting from the UK to Nigeria- we sat next to each other, and we got talking. The young man was a teacher in one of the international schools in Lagos, and his employer had sent him on a training/course at University of Surrey in the UK. We talked at length, and he told me a lot of good incentives that the school does to motivate the staff. And I would not be surprised to see the good quality students being produced from such schools, happy teachers will produce good students.

    BAD TEACHERS WOULD PRODUCE BAD STUDENTS – We have had a crazy situation in Nigeria, where a large section of secondary school teachers that are preparing pupils for exams which are required for entrance into universities- themselves never went to university- isn’t this madness?…. I will suggest that all teaching/education focused (teachers-producing) institutions be upgraded to become universities…. The entry requirements into the then-grade II teachers college (now defunct), and the NCE are lower than what is required to get into universities. How then do we expect the teachers who themselves never attained the qualifications that could earn them places within universities- to produce good students that would be able to proceed to universities. I have no apologies about this, individuals who never had up to the minimum 5 credits required to gain a place in the universities should never be allowed to teach students who we expect to proceed to universities. When the Oshiomole’s public trial of the Edo school headmistress went viral, some of us had sympathy for the woman- she is a victim of the same system, maybe she had poorly trained teachers as well, and there was no way she could give what she never had.

    MORE GOOD TEACHERS NEEDED- teacher to student ratio should be reduced to a manageable size, more teachers should be recruited to fill vacancies in schools that are under-staffed. All those times that we never had teachers meant we never covered all the topics in the syllabus- in my case and in the case of many others, the grounds for failure in the WAEC is long set, even before the exams are written.

    TEST THE TEACHERS AS YOU TEST THE STUDENTS. A robust system of quality control should be put in place, I know culturally there is a problem with ‘asking the child to assess the parent’. There must be ways of asking the students to give feedback on their teachers— this is being done successfully elsewhere, it is part of a comprehensive performance management system. I remember the issue I had with my parents- who were teachers too. Whenever I expressed my concerns about the poor qualities of teaching- they only reminded me to go and carry my books and read them, and stop playing football about… there were issues being brushed under the carpets, of course the last 20 years have changed their opinions on this- as most of the system have become even more failing… some of the teachers would rather not enrol their children in the schools where they teach.

    There should be an independent agency that ensures the quality of the teachers are checked, and upgraded where there are identified gaps in teacher’s subject knowledge and teaching skills. I am not suggesting that people should necessarily lose their jobs- of course there may be need to ask some people to leave the profession if they fail to become better after management measures have been introduced- but the essence of the exercise should not be punitive, but to save what is left of the system.

    SOME CONTROVERSIAL SUGGESTIONS?

    CHILDREN OF POLITICIANS SHOULD ATTEND STATE SCHOOLS? There have been public outcries that the children of the politicians should be enrolled in public schools in the jurisdictions where they govern. This is a colourful idea, but what happens where a politician has no children, or where all their kids have become adults and living independently? THOUGH this suggestion may force them to take measures that are more radical, and see things changed rather too quickly, but it may be infringing on the fundamental human rights of their children too. Every summer the pictures of the politicians’ families attending graduation of their children in overseas’ schools flood the social media…WHILE the children of the poor languish in the ‘universities of Strikes’.

    NO TEACHER IS BETTER THAN BAD TEACHER? There is a wild spread use of unqualified teachers, if it is not acceptable that an untrained doctor should treat us when we are sick, why should it be acceptable for untrained teachers to teach school pupils… examples of where unqualified teachers are commonly used within the system is the NYSC- if a graduate is not specially trained to be a teacher, he/she should not be asked to teach… In my case as NYSC teacher- I had the subject knowledge, but I lacked the skills of a teacher. So should the schools rather stayed unstaffed? Or what can we do differently with the NYSC teachers?- If NYSC members must teach, there should be a short teacher’s training scheme incorporated into the NYSC orientation for those who are deployed into schools, this will prevent some of the damage that bad teachers do to secondary school pupils’ learning.

    STATE OF EMERGENCY should be declared in the education sector of Nigeria, these matters require urgent interventions, the government should become more serious with their commitments to education, and teacher’s training in Nigeria should be overhauled. There are many potential talents being harmed in the systems, they are the leaders of tomorrow, something must be done to reverse the damage, and it must be done now.

  • Transition as looting window

    Again, it is that time when stories of mind-boggling looting spree dominate the air-waves. Call it the season of looting if you want, because transition season is usually looting season in Nigeria. Back in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osibanjo, the vice-president, began their tenure by operating from Defence House in Abuja, while Aso Rock, the Presidential Villa, was under ‘renovation’ for their arrival. With a full three months between the announcement of election results and the actual handover date, one would expect that there is enough time for such preparations. But the vandalism that took place was so massive that things needed to be properly put in place.

    In truth, the ‘preparation’ for incoming administrations in government houses at federal and state level is an almost clean sweep of government property by the outgoing horde – from cars and furniture to pots, pans and stationaries. The worst part of the systemic transition-time looting is that, almost every administration begins with massive expenditure on looted items, most likely at inflated values, and the practice has largely come to be accepted as the norm in the country. It is, in fact, a corrupt practice that has no place in a government that is accountable for its spending and expenditure, even to the minutest details on its budget. And it seems we are yet to have such a government.

    In 2015, in Rivers State, in one of the few cases where feigned political outrage follows the clean sweep of a government house, Governor Nyesom Wike had embarked on an elaborate tour. In the full glare of cameras, he exposed the looting and vandalism allegedly perpetrated by aides of Rotimi Amaechi, his predecessor. That outrage was borne by political rivalry and nothing else because it has become the norm in Nigeria, rather than a one-off event in Rivers State.

    In the series of transitions after the 2019 elections, Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State also embarked on the same tour of shame, perhaps, to spite his political foe, Rochas Okorocha, now ex-governor of the state. Recall that his predecessor, now a senator, was staunchly opposed to his emergence as governor. In some cases, where past administrations may have left articles intact, some have even alleged that new governments or their agents intentionally pillage the property and equipment found, making way for the bogus bills for new materials that must begin the administration, by ‘norm’.

    Beyond materials and articles of government, large fund transfers have been known to disappear days or weeks before a transition. In the past, new governments routinely cried about empty treasuries left for them by their predecessors. This was before the stricter financial monitoring measures that have been instituted by the anti-graft agencies and new policies like the Bank Verification Numbers, BVN, for all bank accounts. Still, such things happen and mostly go unpunished.

    The practice is so rife that some ex-governors, like Peter Obi of Anambra, made much light of the ‘large amounts’ left in state coffers after their administration. If those funds were used transparently to the identifiable good of their states, no-one would begrudge an outgoing government any low balances in the state treasury. Almost as sinister as the looting of the treasury and government property is the politicisation of supposed financial accountability.

    However, the transition-time corruption does not end at looting of government property and funds. Last minute promotions, redistribution and postings at all levels of government are another avenue. It could even be the more dangerous kind, because of the long-term effects of these last minute acts.

    In Ogun State, after the last elections, Dapo Abiodun, the new governor, complained about his predecessor’s last minute appointments and promotions of hundreds of government staff in the state. Ibikunle Amosun, the immediate past governor in the state, now a senator, is known to have done all within his power to stop Abiodun’s election. If Abiodun now suspects that his predecessor is laying traps and deliberately complicating his government, he cannot be faulted.

    Yet, at the root of the transition-time bazaar is a high propensity for abuse of authority by public officials, poor moral compass and a disregard for the voting public. Ignorance of the true nature of corruption and a culture of unjustified entitlement also enables the pillaging and misuse of power during the last moments of every administration. Even if the leading figures of an administration are unaware and un-involved, the rottenness is deeply rooted in public service, so that the underlings of a popular leader, including the cooks, drivers and higher-up aides are ready for the windfall of a change in power even before election day comes.

    Transitions can be a tricky matter anywhere in the world. But the nature of our system of government and the weakness of public sector ethics ensures that the promise of immoral benefits far outweighs the fear of legal repercussion or the weight of moral obligation. In 2001, Bob Barr, then a Republican Representative from Georgia, submitted a request to the General Accounting Office, GAO, of the United States Congress to investigate allegations of vandalism and theft at the White House during the presidential transition from Democrat Bill Clinton to Republican George W. Bush.

    The vandalism and alleged theft in the US case were mostly political statements made by outgoing White House staffers, and the GAO placed the cost at up to $14,000 at the time. This is child’s play in transitions in Nigeria today. The pillaging is no political statement, but a calculated act of theft pre-conceived almost immediately a new administration arrives. The US system, which Nigeria is modelled after, enables this to happen because of the long transitional period. Britain’s parliamentary system is near seamless and outgoing prime ministers, for instance, have a maximum of 48 hours to leave Downing Street in most cases, under close scrutiny.

    As Nigerians, we are already well aware of the high propensity for corrupt practices in our society, but may be oblivious to the actual incidents of corruption that are before our eyes every day. When a window of corruption opens up in the course of duty or other activities, our sense of morality seems to conveniently go on holiday, allowing almost unconscious acts of corruption to take place. In essence, many of us have become blind to corruption; and this may be why our society is swimming in it.

    From under-the-table payment for government services and other ingenious forms of stealing, people are institutionalising corruption in our society every day. This sense of entitlement to illegal royalties on public property and utility is enabled by government officials and members of the public. Now, the custodians of public property have developed a sense of actual ownership to public articles. Thus, when the tenure of an entire government or government functionary comes to an end, the sense of ownership is so strong that they, and/or their staff, leave with the public articles in their control.

    There is an urgent need for re-orientation of civil servants and other public servants on the nature and ownership of public property. Our ex-ministers, ex-governors and other functionaries need to know that official cars and the like remain property of the government. They bear the responsibility of educating their staffers on the duty to preserve the property while in office and properly handover in the event of their leaving office.

    Every transitional period in government should be spent auditing and accounting for materials and funds within the control of public officers, in preparation for handover, rather than on ways through which they can be pillaged. Extra laws need not be created for this. Only enforcement by relevant authorities needs to be encouraged. Conversion of property is already a crime in our laws.

    Nigerians are tired of seeing expenditure for the same item every year and more exorbitant bills for those same items during government transitions. Public office is not an eat-all-you-can buffet. It is a position of trust, with every item kept in trust for the next holders of the office, on behalf of the public. These new administrations nationwide should be properly guided on this.

  • Study shines light on how vulnerable children are trafficked in Nigeria

    The international trafficking of children has received much attention in recent times. But, little attention has been paid to how it plays out and its unique dynamics in Nigeria.

    Child trafficking is one of the most flourishing organised criminal enterprises in Nigeria. In Oyo State alone (Nigeria has 36 states and a federal capital), the Nigerian Immigration Service rescued 464 trafficked children and arrested 101 traffickers and 120 end-users between 2016 and this year.

    Nigeria is a source, transit spot and destination for human trafficking. Close to 1.4 million Nigerians live in slave-like conditions.

    An investigation into the recruiting strategies of traffickers and their networks could be helpful in arresting this menace.

    With this in mind, I conducted research in which I examined the recruitment strategies of trafficking networks. I interviewed drivers, domestic servants, those who employed domestic servants, and trafficking agents in two communities in Ibadan, Oyo State where the crime is endemic.

    Research findings

    My research found that traffickers have established markets where they supply trafficked children who are younger than 18. Their clients include plantation agriculturists, brothel house owners, and middle-class urban households. Based on their needs, the farmers, brothel owners and urban households contact traffickers to obtain children to work for them.

    The brothel managers demand children for sexual exploitation. Farmers, meanwhile, use the trafficked children for cheap labour on plantations.

    Households demand child domestic servants to lessen the burden of executing domestic chores while at the same time engaging in paid work. In deciding whether to hire domestic servants, households adopt the so-called “make or buy strategy”. Under the “make strategy”, households devise a plan to split housework and home management between family members. The “buy strategy” is adopted only when the activities go beyond what households believe they can manage – then, they “outsource” to a domestic servant.

    If they decide to go this route, the household specifies the age and sex of the preferred domestic servant. For most employers, sex is considered alongside age.

    Other required qualities include the ability to communicate in the employer’s language or pidgin English, good character, history or place of origin, and the ability to work under stress.

    Recruitment strategies

    Traffickers can recruit from child trafficking endemic communities in Oyo State or other states. Our respondents adopted two major strategies in recruiting children as domestic servants and child prostitutes. The first involves the use of relatives, coworkers, religious associates, club members and neighbours to lure children away.

    The second strategy relies on recruiting agents or traffickers. The traffickers use field agents. Here, trust is vital. Without trust, it’s difficult for prospective employers to get to the traffickers. The agents ensure that prospective employers are genuine and not part of the security apparatus.

    For traffickers who are indigene (that is, from the communities where the children are recruited from), the method is usually deception. They trick parents into releasing their children for supposed training in the city. A 16-year-old domestic servant affirmed:

    It was my uncle who came to Igede to tell my people that he wanted me to assist him with his business that was booming. He took me from Benue to Benin and dropped me with a woman at a brothel house. I was expected to sleep with men and pay money for the house I slept in every morning. I cried throughout the three days I stayed there … I ran away … I went back to Igede.

    Another strategy is to use people from the recruiting community to get children to work in town. A trafficker stated:

    I have one Alhaji (meaning a Muslim who has completed the holy pilgrimage to Mecca) in Benue State. We got to know each other through wheat trading. Any time I need people to work here (in Ibadan) … I will just call on him and since we have been able to establish trust and confidence, it is not difficult for him to get some of these children for me.

    Trafficking season

    My research participants who recruit from Igede community in Benue state told me they are more likely to get more children during the New Yam Festival when people of Igede extraction return home to thank their communal deity for a bumper harvest before officially eating the new yam.

    The traffickers and agents use this period to entrap new children. They come to Igede with lots of money to attract attention. I found that traffickers set out on the recruitment journey towards the end of the year and returned early in the year with newly trafficked children. A female domestic servant said all Igede indigene who live or work elsewhere were expected to return home to join in the Christmas festivities. Most of the traffickers can be seen in the community at this time, as often they bring the children home and then return with them to the city.

    The traffickers or agents engage in house-to-house canvassing, asking and persuading people to release their children to them, usually on agreed terms. Once this is settled, the local community agent either transports the children on his or her own, or awaits a vehicle sent by an associate in Ibadan to transport the new recruits.

    A private vehicle is usually hired from Ibadan, which is more than 500kms away, to avoid suspicion.

    Combating the scourge

    To combat trafficking, it’s important for the Nigerian government to understand and deal with the factors that predispose children to being trafficked. These include rural underdevelopment and poverty, for instance. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons needs to strengthen its campaign aimed at fighting the trafficking of people within Nigeria.

    A good place to start would be to target festival periods to educate the communities from which children are sourced about the scourge of child trafficking. Such education needs to expose the gimmicks traffickers use to lure vulnerable children. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons may also need to revisit its current strategy and leverage more on inter-agency collaboration.The Conversation

    Oludayo Tade, Lecturer of Criminology, Victimology, Deviance and Social Problems, University of Ibadan

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

  • Breaking:  Abaribe is Minority Senate leader

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe(Abia South) is the Minority Leader of the Ninth Senate.

    He emerged at an ongoing meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) at the Maitama residence of the National Chairman, Uche Secondus.

    Senator Emmanuel Bwacha from Taraba South was returned as Deputy Minority Leader while Senator Philips Aduda(FCT) was retained as the Minority Whip.

     

    Details shortly…

     

  • Oyegun bites back

    A few days ago former APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, grabbed the headlines by savaging the leadership style of his successor, Adams Oshiomhole, as akin to that of an ‘agbero’ – street lingo for motor park tout.

    His intervention was in support of the mini-rebellion fronted by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Lawal Shuaibu, calling for the ouster of Oshiomhole over the ruling party’s catastrophic losses in Zamfara State and elsewhere.

    I’m not too sure what the former chairman hoped to achieve with his verbal salvo and the manner in which he unleashed it. It certainly cannot be internal health and cohesion of the organisation he once headed.

    READ ALSO: Oyegun: Oshiomhole lacks capacity to lead

    Oyegun believes the incumbent party chair lacks the capacity to lead the APC. His statement proudly declared that the ruling party’s most glorious days were under his stewardship. How generous!

    A lot of people would think otherwise. Under him the party snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when despite its majority in the National Assembly, a PDP-backed alliance seized power and relegated APC to a beggarly status. His leadership was so spineless that it could do nothing to those who had thumbed their noses at the party leadership.

    Under him, governors were bigger than the party and their word was law. He ruled at their pleasure and was ever willing to do their bidding.

    If his stewardship was so satisfactory, a consensus with the buy-in of Buhari and the same governors who had been propping him up, would not have forced him out.

    I understand that at that point he wasn’t quite ready to give up power, so his removal would have been a bitter pill to swallow.

    But he left office with grace and dignity. His bilious comments about Oshiomhole won’t return him to his former position; they only lower him in the estimation of many who used to hold him in higher regard.

  • Beyond Sanwo-Olu’s Executive Order

     

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has begun life as chief executive of Nigeria’s most prosperous state with comforting surefootedness. If morning shows the day, then there are plenty of reasons for Lagosians to be hopeful that this unruly, sprawling city can somehow be made liveable.

    On his first day at work, while some were taking new wives and sacking democratically elected local government chairmen like military despots, he signed an Executive Order outlining the six major areas on which his administration would focus.

    Under the acronym ‘THEMES’, he outlined a plan of action that put the challenge of tackling traffic and environmental problems up top. Lagos, to put it mildly, is a very dirty city that urgently needs a clean-up.

    It is also notorious for its gridlock. Not much has changed since Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang about the infamous traffic jam at Ojuelegba in the 70s. From decade to decade since then, administrations have come and gone with the confusion being replicated in different areas of the city.

    READ ALSO: I’ve lost weight since taking over from Ambode -Sanwo-Olu

    From Maza-Maza to Mile 2 to Kirkiri to Apapa, from Oshodi to Ikeja and Agege, from Mile 12 to Ikorodu, the hapless denizens of the city have come to accept that half their lives would be spent in some ‘Hold-up’ or ‘Go-slow’.

    A terrible situation was made worse by the massive construction of the last two years of the Akinwumi Ambode administration, coupled with the government’s capitulation over enforcement of its own rules regulating the activities of commercial motorcyclists.

    Today, travelling on most Lagos roads is a hellish experience where, if you manage to avoid crushing the ‘okada’ darting in front of you without warning, you are most likely to be careening into some crater that has been left unattended for ages.

    To compound matters, there is the human aspect which no governor has been able to crack. On most of the city’s streets people are a law unto themselves. Very few obey basic rules. Driving against traffic is par the course on any given day. If you stop at the traffic light when it turns red, you are the crazy one! Lawlessness on the road has become cultural; it’s the way we roll in Lagos.

    Another depressing angle is that those supposed to enforce the law, have become willing enablers of the madness. Traffic officers and other security agents encourage unruly commercial buses to clog up choke points, they turn a blind eye to offences especially where there is some financial benefit to them.

    Indeed, for most of these officers the disorderliness is profitable. Unfortunately, they are the very ones expected to implement the governor’s call to orderliness! I can just imagine their enthusiastic embrace of the task!

    It is nice to see the governor, putting traffic management, road improvement and environmental issues, at the top of his agenda. In the last few days I have noticed officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), policemen and soldiers moving traffic along at some of the most notorious problem spots.

    However, while Sanwo-Olu’s efforts are commendable, my worry is about sustainability. How long will his zeal last? Lagos roads and road users need to be tamed. These are people used to a culture of impunity; many have come to believe that you can get away with murder – if not scot free, then at least for a fee.

    They are not going to swiftly repent of their ways and methods just because the new governor waved an Executive Order under their noses. When no one is watching or present to enforce the rules, they quickly revert to type.

    The governor and his team can build the best roads and bridges, if they don’t get the people to embrace a new culture on the road, nothing will change.

    Sanwo-Olu has to project to a people who have become addicted to lawlessness that he would be unrelenting in enforcing the laws as they concern road use and the environment. He has had the seemingly obligatory photo-op arresting some danfo driver driving against traffic. Everyone’s done it: Babatunde Fashola nabbed an army colonel, Ambode bagged a commercial bus driver. He cannot stop there.

    It would be a bitter disappointment if the promising enthusiasm and zeal of these early days is allowed to dissipate – returning us to be chaotic and ungovernable Lagos we have become used to, and resigned to as our lot.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Certificate of return: Court fixes judgment for Friday in Okorocha’s suit against INEC

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed judgment for Friday (June 7) for judgment in the suit by former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, in which he seeks to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him a certificate of return.

    Justice Okon Abang chose the date for judgment after entertain final arguments from lawyers representing parties in the case, including Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) for the plaintiff.

    READ ALSO: Imo Assembly mandates Ihedioha to probe Okorocha

    Okorocha is, by the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/296/2019, praying the court to, among others, order INEC to issue him a certificate of return as the senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District.

    It is part of Okorcha’s contention that INEC lacked the statutory powers to withhold his certificate of return, because he was validly elected to occupy the senatorial seat.

    He equally wants the court to declare that INEC acted in error when it refused to recognise him as the winner of the senatorial election in Imo West District, even after the Returning Officer had declared that he won the election.

  • Breaking: Australia’s former PM, Bob Hawke dies at 89

    Bob Hawke, a transformative and charismatic left-wing lawmaker with a “larrikin’’ streak who served as Australian prime minister from 1983 to 1991, died on Thursday aged 89, his family said.

    “Today we lost Bob Hawke, a great Australian, many would say the greatest Australian of the post-war era,” his wife and former biographer Blanche d’Alpuget, said in a statement.

    While others may have struggled to dismiss a reputation for boisterous, if well-meaning, behaviour, silver-haired Hawke said it helped him win favour with working-class voters.

    Prime Minster Scott Morrison hailed Hawke’s ability to speak to all Australians.

    “Bob Hawke was a great Australian who led and served our country with passion, courage, and an intellectual horsepower that made our country stronger,” he said on social media.

    Hawke’s death comes ahead of a Saturday general election, with his opposition Labor party is narrowly ahead in the polls.

    “The Australian people loved Bob Hawke because they knew Bob loved them, this was true to the very end,” Labor party leader Bill Shorten said in a statement.

    Hawke earned his reputation as a “larrikin”, or loveable rogue, in part due to his world record for drinking a “yard”, or 1.4 litres of beer in 11 seconds while at Oxford University.

    Robert James Lee Hawke, a former trade union leader, was first elected to parliament in 1980 and was named leader of the centre-left Labor Party less than a month before a snap general election in 1983.

    Voters embraced Hawke and Labor won an unlikely landslide against a conservative government led by Malcolm Fraser, who had been in power for nearly a decade.

    Hawke became Australia’s 23rd prime minister.

    “I regard Bob Hawke as the best Labor prime minister this country has ever had,” former conservative leader John Howard, who served as Fraser’s treasurer, said this year.

    Inheriting an economy languishing in recession and with double-digit unemployment and inflation, Hawke embraced economic deregulation that belied his connections with Australia’s largest trade unions.

    Hawke won support from the political left to float the Australian dollar, remove controls on foreign exchange and interest rates and lower tariffs on imports within months of his inauguration.

    Read Also: Osinbajo promises FG collaboration with Lasu

    The reforms triggered a wave of economic growth, allowing Hawke to introduce universal healthcare, strengthen social security for poor families and enact stronger environmental legislation.

    Within months of Hawke becoming prime minister, Australia won sailing’s America’s Cup in 1983, ending 132 years of U.S. dominance over the oldest trophy in world sport.

    Hawke led the celebrations, famously sticking up of anyone who might over-do the revelry, declaring on television: “Any boss that sacks a worker for not turning up is a bum.”

    Australia also made its mark on the international stage under Hawke, who shifted diplomatic priorities away from Britain, fostering closer ties with the U.S., China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

    He also spearheaded international efforts to impose economic sanctions on South Africa over apartheid.

    Hawke was riding high in opinion polls by the mid-1980s and won re-election in 1987 in spite of an economic downturn.

    He won a fourth election in 1990 to become Australia’s longest-serving Labor prime minister however his popularity began to wane amid a recession.

    Paul Keating, Hawke’s treasurer and the architect of Labor’s economic policies, pressured him to step aside as his position weakened.

    However, with no sign that Hawke would retire, Keating challenged him for the leadership in 1991.

    Hawke saw off the first challenge however eventually lost to Keating a few months later in a party-room coup.

    He quit politics three months later.

    Hawke divorced his wife of almost 40 years, Hazel Masterson, after leaving politics and public life and married his biographer, Blanche d’Alpuget.

    He appeared as a media commentator and was in demand as a public speaker.