₦airaland Forum

The repeated failure of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) recruitment portal is more than a technical embarrassment; it is a glaring indictment of the culture of poor planning and institutional unpreparedness that continues to undermine public confidence in government recruitment exercises.

For days, countless hopeful applicants have been met with nothing but a "503 Service Unavailable" error whenever they attempt to access the recruitment portal. These are not idle visitors to a website. They are unemployed graduates, struggling young Nigerians, fathers, mothers, and breadwinners seeking an honest opportunity to compete for public service jobs. Instead of a fair chance, they have been rewarded with frustration, uncertainty, and silence.

The obvious question is: why announce a nationwide recruitment exercise when the technological infrastructure to support it is either grossly inadequate or completely unprepared? In an age where millions of Nigerians routinely access banking platforms, e-commerce websites, and examination portals simultaneously, why should a federal recruitment portal collapse under the very traffic it ought to have anticipated?

Public institutions have a duty not merely to advertise opportunities but to ensure that every qualified Nigerian enjoys equal access to them. When an application portal remains inaccessible for prolonged periods, the principle of equal opportunity is placed in serious doubt. It inevitably fuels public suspicion that while ordinary citizens struggle against an unresponsive website, others may somehow enjoy privileged access behind the scenes. Whether or not such fears are justified, government agencies have an obligation to eliminate even the appearance of unfairness.

This is why transparency must not be treated as an optional virtue. It is a constitutional and moral obligation. Every federal recruitment exercise must be conducted in a manner that is open, accessible, verifiable, and beyond reasonable suspicion. Anything less weakens public trust and diminishes the credibility of the institution conducting the exercise.

Equally troubling is the silence. Where is the official explanation? Where is the public assurance? Where is the announcement extending the application deadline to compensate applicants who have been locked out through no fault of their own? Nigerians deserve more than silence while precious application days slip away.

If the recruitment portal was not technically ready, then the recruitment should not have been announced. Raising the hopes of millions only to confront them with an inaccessible website is not merely poor administration; it reflects a disturbing disregard for the hardship facing Nigerian youths. At a time when unemployment, inflation, and economic uncertainty have pushed many citizens to the brink, government agencies should not become additional sources of avoidable disappointment.

There should also be serious conversations about accountability whenever public recruitment processes are compromised by preventable failures. While every technical fault is not evidence of corruption, persistent failures that effectively deny citizens equal access to public opportunities demand investigation. Public institutions entrusted with recruitment owe Nigerians a duty of competence, fairness, and transparency. Where those standards are not met, responsible officials should be required to explain why.

The Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service must immediately restore full access to its recruitment portal, publicly disclose the steps being taken to address the problem, and extend the application deadline by a period sufficient to compensate every applicant who has lost valuable time because of this failure. Anything short of these measures would cast an unnecessary shadow over the integrity of the exercise.

Nigerians are not asking for favours. They are asking for fairness. They are asking for competence. They are asking that government institutions treat them with the respect owed to citizens whose taxes sustain the machinery of government. That is not too much to ask. It is the minimum standard that every public institution should be expected to uphold.

BORROWED LEGITIMACY AND THE DUTY TO VERIFY: A CIVIC REFLECTION ON INSTITUTIONAL CLAIMS

- John Obot, Uyo

Recently, I saw promotional materials for an event held by the African Union Youth Council (AUYC). The materials carried the African Union's emblem and said the event was held "by the mandate of the African Union Commission." To most readers, this makes it sound like the organisation is officially recognised by the African Union Commission, or is acting on its behalf.

As a law student, I have learned that good reasoning starts with evidence, not assumptions. So instead of simply believing or dismissing this claim, I decided to check it myself. I searched African Union documents that are open to the public, to see if AUYC is listed as one of the AU's official bodies. I found no such listing. What I did find were the AU's real, documented channels for working with young people: the Office of the Youth Envoy, and the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate. Both are different from AUYC, and neither one mentions it.

To be fair, I did not stop at an internet search. I contacted one of the organisation's officials directly. In our conversation, I addressed him as "Ambassador," and I asked him to clarify things. What happened next is worth telling in detail, because it teaches a lesson that goes beyond this one organisation.

His first claims were big ones. He said the African Union Commission itself had set up AUYC. He said its officials were sworn in on 3 March 2025. He said AUYC has an office inside the AU Secretariat in Addis Ababa. He said the Commission pays AUYC every month. And he said an upcoming trip to South Africa is fully paid for by the Commission. If all of this is true, it would mean AUYC has a very close and important relationship with the African Union.

But the organisation's own materials tell a smaller story. Its adverts call it the African Union Youth Council. Its own Nigerian website calls it the African Union Youth Club — same short name, AUYC, but a different full name. The website also says it works "under the coordination of the African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AU-SARO)." Being coordinated by a regional office is very different from being set up, funded, and housed by the AU Commission itself. As I told the official, these are two different relationships. The public deserves to know which one is actually true.

I asked directly for proof that anyone could check — an AU Commission decision, an official letter, or a page on the AU website. Nothing confidential, just something public. In reply, the official gave me one specific detail: he said AUYC has an office at "block 411, Mandela wing" inside the AU Secretariat. He added, "I won't say much again, but you'll see as event unfolds." I have not been able to find any public source that backs up this claim. The AU Secretariat does have a well-known Nelson Mandela Hall. But this is the huge hall used once a year for the AU's big summit of Heads of State. It is not office space. And large international organisations like the AU do not normally give permanent office space, inside their guarded headquarters, to outside youth or civil-society groups.

When I pushed further, the official's story changed. This time he said: "AUYC is how NYCN is to federal government" — meaning AUYC is an independent group that works together with the AU, not a part of it. This does not fit well with what he said earlier — that the Commission itself set up AUYC, pays it, and houses it. An organisation cannot be both: created and housed by the Commission, and also just an independent group that works with the Commission. Someone needs to explain how both things can be true at the same time.

When I went back to my original request — just for public proof — I did not get it. Instead, I was told my request itself was wrong: "you're not an agency nor an executive member authorized to access our official documents… If you feel we don't have any affiliation with the AUC, petition us." He also mentioned a letter of appointment from the Commission's Director of Women, Gender and Youth, but did not show it to me. None of this answered my simple question: is there a public document that proves this claim? Instead, the burden was placed on me, the person asking, rather than on the organisation that made the claim in public in the first place.

Since the organisation itself could not point me to any public proof, I decided to go straight to the source. I have reached out to credible contacts at the African Union Secretariat in Addis Ababa, to ask directly whether AUYC is known and recognised there. Getting to the right people was not easy at all — that's a story for another day — but contact has now been made, and I will share whatever response I receive, as soon as it arrives.

During this exchange, I also told the organisation that I planned to write about it. I promised to share a draft with them before publishing, so they could give their side fairly. I repeat that promise here. If AUYC's Nigerian chapter can show the public document, letter, or webpage I have asked for, I will happily update this piece to include it.

It is important to be clear about what this exchange does, and does not, prove. It does not prove fraud. It is still possible that a real arrangement exists with an AU regional office, that a letter from a Commission director is genuine, and that some of what I was told was simply mistaken, not dishonest. It is also fair to point out that the African Union itself has published a general warning to the public. The warning says that people and groups often use the AU's name, emblem, and officials without permission. This shows that fake use of the AU's name is a real problem the Union already deals with. It is not a made-up worry, and it is not a claim about any one group in particular.

What the exchange does show, taken together, is a pattern that should be named clearly. A status that no official AU source confirms. A description of the organisation that changes depending on which paper, or which moment, you check. One specific, checkable claim about office space that no outside source supports. And a reply to a simple, fully public request for proof that dodges the question instead of answering it. This is exactly the shape that scams built on borrowing another institution's good name usually take. Such scams use borrowed respect to recruit "ambassadors," collect fees, or win invitations, and they keep working for as long as nobody asks a sharp question. No single one of these points proves anything on its own. But together, they are more than enough reason for real caution — not to condemn the organisation outright, but to think twice before paying it money, travelling on its invitation, or lending it your name.

None of this is happening in isolation. One of the biggest lessons from recent events in Nigeria is this: an organisation is not automatically legitimate just because it has an official-sounding name, a recognisable logo, or the kind of language used by real government bodies. The recent case of the alleged fake Presidential Council shows this clearly. That group's claimed link to the Presidency has been publicly disputed and is now before the courts. Every Nigerian should learn from this, and think harder about how we judge claims of official authority. The AUYC case is smaller, and still unresolved, but it raises the exact same question — and it does so about the African Union, an institution that most people trust even more naturally.

Before I go further, let me be clear about what this piece is not saying. It is not an argument against young people organising themselves. It is not against ambition, and it is not against young Nigerians wanting a real seat at the table on African issues. The idea behind a group like AUYC is a good one. As already mentioned, the African Union has built real structures for young people — the Youth Envoy's office, the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, and a network of grassroots Youth Clubs. That network began with a 2014 project involving the AU Commission Chairperson and students in Cape Town, and it has since grown to several African countries. A Nigerian chapter that brings young people properly into this system, with a clear and provable mandate, deserves everyone's support. All this piece asks is that when a group uses the AU's name, logo, and authority to recruit ambassadors, delegates, partners, or money, that use of the name should be trustworthy. It does not ask anyone to give up on the idea itself.

This is not a final judgment. It is simply a call for the same standard that the organisation's own adverts invite. Big claims about official authority need equally strong public proof — not proof that is hidden behind a demand that the person asking first prove they have the right to ask. One short, clear statement from the African Union Commission, confirming or denying any link with this chapter, would settle the matter completely. It would also help every genuine, grassroots AU Youth Club chapter, by separating them from any impostors. Until that kind of proof exists, and does not just come from the organisation's own mouth, anyone thinking of becoming an ambassador, sponsor, delegate, or event partner should pause. Anyone who has already paid money, or shared personal or financial details, based on these claims, should think about reporting it to the right Nigerian authorities.

We should stop assuming that every "Commission," "Council," "Authority," or "Task Force" with an official-sounding name is really what it claims to be. This is true even, and especially, when the cause it claims to support is one we really want to believe in. Before you join, pay, travel, or lend your name to something, ask: Who set up this body? Under what legal authority does it exist? Does the institution it claims to represent openly confirm this? Can you check these claims yourself, independently — not just take the organisation's word for it? These are not disrespectful questions. They are the questions of a responsible citizen. Democracies, and the youth movements that hope to strengthen them, grow strong when citizens check facts instead of simply believing, when proof matters more than appearances, and when public trust is built on openness, not assumption. The idea of Nigerian youth speaking with real credibility in African Union spaces is still worth fighting for. It deserves better than borrowed legitimacy.

Very soon special seats will be created for youths and children...

In the Nigerian legal system, when a court grants bail of 10,000,000 naira, the accused person (defendant) or their representative must pay this amount to the court before being released from custody. This payment is a prerequisite for securing temporary freedom pending trial or other legal proceedings.

The relevant legal authority governing bail in Nigeria includes provisions from the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and the Nigerian Constitution. Specifically, Section 161 of the ACJA outlines the principles and procedures related to bail. Here are key points supported by this legal authority:

1. Bail Conditions

Section 161(1) of the ACJA states that bail shall be granted to a defendant upon application, except in circumstances where it is deemed necessary to deny bail based on specific grounds as outlined in Section 162.

2. Bail Amount

Section 161(5) of the ACJA empowers the court to determine the amount of bail to be paid by the defendant. This determination takes into account factors such as the nature of the offense, the circumstances of the case, and the financial capacity of the defendant.

3. Payment of Bail

Based on the provisions of the ACJA, when bail is granted for a specified amount (e.g., 10,000,000 naira), the defendant or their representative is required to pay this amount to the court before release from custody.

4. Legal Authority

- Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Section 161(5) says:

"In fixing the amount of any recognizance or bail, the court shall consider the nature of the offence, the circumstances of the case, the defendant's character, antecedents, means, position and any other factors which in the opinion of the court it considers relevant, and shall fix the amount of any recognizance or bail at a level that would ensure the defendant's attendance at trial and compliance with any other conditions considered necessary."

5. Constitutional Backing

The principles of bail in Nigeria are also supported by the Nigerian Constitution, particularly with respect to the fundamental rights of individuals. The Constitution underscores the presumption of innocence and the right to liberty pending trial, except in limited circumstances where denial of bail is justified by specific legal grounds.

Therefore, in summary, when a court grants bail of 10,000,000 naira in Nigeria, the defendant is required to pay this amount to the court as directed by the judicial order, in accordance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and constitutional principles governing bail.

* A Nigerian man has received approval from the Guinness World Records to read for 145 hours in an attempt to set a new record

* The man, named John Obot said his official record attempt will commence on September 9 to 15 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state

* According to Obot his aim for hosting the ReadMania is to promote reading culture in the society and encourage authors.

A Nigerian man who is a book enthusiast is set to start a reading marathon that would last for 145 hours. The reader, John Obot is aiming to set a new world record with the reading marathon, which will hold in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

Already, Obot has applied to the Guinness World Records and got approval for the record attempt. Information posted on his Facebook page shows that Obot's record attempt will take place from September 9 to 15.

He posted the mail he received from the GWR, which approved his application for the record attempt.

Obot said he is using the opportunity provided by the reading marathon to create awareness on the importance of reading and to encourage authors.

The current record holder read for 124 hours The current record for the longest reading marathon is held by Rysbai Isakov from Kyrgyzstan. In 2022, Rysbai spent 124 hours reading, and his reading marathon took place in Bursa, Turkey, from 22 to 27 September 2022.

If Obot succeeds in reading for 145 hours, he will become the world record holder for the longest reading aloud. He will be reading a collection of 30 Nigerian/Non-african novels. Reactions from Facebook users as Nigerian man is set to commence reading marathon

Ofonime Honesty said: "Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe should be part of the collection."

Abigail Akpan said: "Wow, I love this! So good that you are venturing into another area. Guinness World Record has so many records one can break, not just cooking."

Read here: https://www.legit.ng/people/1542721-book-tear-nigerian-man-approval-read-books-145-hours-set-guinness-world-record/

Doesn't work that way... Criminal responsibility is individual... You can't be arrested, legally speaking, for your son's crime. It's the job of the police to investigate and hunt down any fleeing culprit and not the parent...

tenkiu

Dry

All Akwa Ibom students need to see this...

lalasticlala

3 November 2019

His Excellency
Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel
Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State
Government House, Uyo

Your Excellency,

THE PEACE AND UNITY OF OUR DEAR STATE MAY WORTH OUR BLOOD: A CRISES ALERT!

We bring warm and fraternal greetings from the South South/South East Zonal Secretariat of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the largest youth movement in the entire Black world, and relevant stakeholder in the crusade for human/education rights, inclusive development, democracy, just, free and egalitarian human society in the Nigerian state. It was only natural, obviously in deep acknowledgement of your strides, that at the famous Globe Roundabout Accord we mobilized Nigerian Students to endorse and work for the realization of your reelection, and has sustained that support and cooperation for your completion agenda which hopes to take our state to the world, and the world to our state.

May we further humbly and respectfully brief His Excellency, the Executive Governor that the Secretariat of NANS Zone B has conventionally moved to University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State following my graceful elections at the just concluded Elective Zonal Convention which held at University of Nigeria, Nsukka between 22 and 25 October 2019, and observed by the different security agencies, civil society groups, the media and representatives of various State governments and the Federal Ministry of Education. That again implies that I have become the second highest ranking resident students leader in the State after Comrade Ekemini Inyang, the National Ex-Officio of NANS. The Convention took far reaching decisions which borders on better living conditions for Nigerians, especially the funding of education, dissolved the immediate past executive council and elected a new executive where I emerged as the Zonal Secretary General under the Cordinatorship of Comrade Jeremiah Friday of Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and and membership across the eleven states that forms the zone. These, and other resolutions of Convention are duly documented in the Communique of Convention which has enjoyed adequate media exposure and publicity.

However, despite the plausible ideals and breath of fresh air in the students movement based on my election on the strong credentials of sanity, depoliticization and student centred activism for leadership incubation, our attention has been drawn to an organized attempt by some political contractors led by one Mr. Ettinyene Offongekpe, a known youth leader of the All Progressives Congress political party who lost out of the Zonal Cordinatorship elections of our Association to infiltrate our ranks and escalate mischievous violent crimes with intention to destabilize the government of our State to satisfy their political masters illl conceived desires, and we hereby rise to assure your Excellency and the State security apparatus that Nigerian Students in Akwa Ibom State shall stake their highest sacrifice to defend the peace and Unity of our State, and that never would we allow any body or group of people no matter how highly placed to use the student movement in a subtle continuation of the 2019 elections battle with the Divine Mandate government of the day.

We therefore wish to formerly notify the government and good people of Akwa Ibom State that there is no faction or whatsoever in Akwa Ibom State as a fall out of the just concluded zonal elections, and that there is only one Secretary for the zone which happens to be my humble self, and that I have constitutionally resumed the roles and functions of my office, notwithstanding the ceremonial Inauguration procedure. We further wish to notify all stakeholders that we shall remain committed to building bridges to achieve students welfare and shall not remain silent over matters of policy and consultation with other development actors.

Nevertheless, we view the attempted attempt by Mr. Ettinyene Offongekpe who vied for Cordinatorship of the Zone, and was rejected at the polls by the Senators (SUG Presidents) voting at Senate floor on grounds of political partisanship being a card carrying member of a political party and serving Campaign Cordinator for Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ekon. Who vied for House of Representatives in the last election. It was only a new beginning for NANS when delegates resolved not to sell NANS to political merchants who allegedly invested N50Million to induce votes, and another N4M for the upkeep of a few former factional leaders and business men who have held the Association captive for years for political and economic gains.

Therefore we would not encourage Mr. Offongekpe to use our Association for political muscling, and thus understand his contemplation to impost as the Zonal Coordinator as an invitation to anarchy, and a scripted campaign to cause a breach of public peace, as we shall not hesitate to mobilize authentic Nigerian Students to defend the mandate that was bravely given to us by students at the level of Nsukka. We shall equally defend and protect the government, peace and unity of our State, as well as the mandate that was massively given to Your Excellency, our dear Governor, and if doing this would cost our blood, we have resolved it be so.
In saying this, we have recieved credible intelligence that Mr. Offongekpe has assembled a bunch of school drop outs and known cultist with intention to parade himself and impost as the Coordinator of NANS Zone B purportedly on the University of Uyo ticket. We also would want to call on the State government and the security agencies to please note this attempt to cause crises in Akwa Ibom state along political and ethnic lines, and call Mr. Offongekpe to order as the consequences of this one very action may be devastating.
A man who stood as a witness in the Tribunal for a political party that lost elections in the State, happily married with kids who are already in Secondary school and whose only objective for NANS office is to 'fight the government of the day' could not have been elected as as a Student leader, talkless of the highly revered and responsibility embedded office of the Coordinator of the largest zone of NANS comprising of 11 States with 74 tertiary institutions. That imposition, misrepresentation and attempt to factionalize the Zonal structure would not be tolerated and should not be contemplated, as there would be no further warning.

Meanwhile, we acknowledge Your Excellency's support so far, and hail his spirited efforts to turn around the economic fortunes of our State. We shall not relent our support for your administration. We also appreciate the goodwill and cooperation of Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, ASUU, SSANU, NASU, the media in our avowed commitment to reorient the students movement and shall continue to reciprocate this gesture by weeding out unscrupulous element from the rank and file of our Noble Association.

Rest, Your Excellency Sir, in the assurances of our highest regards, loyalty and esteem.

Aluta Continua, Victoria Acerta!!

Comrade Ubong Ekwere
Secretary General
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)
Zone B, (South South/South East)


Copy To
1. The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command Headquarters
2. The State Director, Department of State Services
3. The Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Education
4. All Vice Chancellors/ Rectors/Provosts
5. The Global President, NANS

cc: lalasticlala