₦airaland Forum

A former governor of Anambra, Mr Peter Obi, has said that Nigerian economy is on life support due to the rising debt profile of about N22.7 trillion.

Obi, disclosed this at the ‘2018 This Generation Conference’ organised by the Summit Bible Church, with the theme: “Taking Responsibility, Making Nigeria Great,” on Saturday, in Abuja.

According to him, the high unemployment rate was orchestrated by bad governance and if 50 per cent of the country’s revenue is used to settle such debt Nigerians will continue to groan.

The former governor, who was the guest speaker implored voters to weed out people who lacked the technical know-how to revamp the nation’s economy and render good services.

“Our educational system is too low. Our per capital is 2000, and since our population growth is higher than the growth of our GDP, the consequences in the future will be higher than what it is today.

“China adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), when it was told that it had the poorest people in the world and it took over four hundred million people out of poverty.”

Obi, however, said that for Nigeria to get it right, people who have ideas, capacity and have managed resources before should be brought forward to change the poor narrative.

In his remarks, Convener of the programme, Pastor Andy Osakwe, challenged youths to be active in politics and take their destinies into their hands not by thuggery but by asking questions and voting competent representatives.

“A lot of people tend to blame other people for the current state of our nation; it is time for us to take ownership of our condition and also our destiny.

“Even though different generations have taken different positions as to who is responsible for the not-so-great status of Nigeria today, there is a consensus on the fact that Nigeria already has within its borders all that is required to become one of the most secure and prosperous countries in the world,” he said.

Osakwe said that Nigeria is already postured to become one of the advanced nation on the planets due to its extensive human and natural resources, and its high level of educated people.

He added that Nigeria abundant mineral resources, its rich and arable land that is capable of feeding Africa, amongst other attributes of its greatness.

“Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you were born in the 30’s or in this millennium, as long as you are alive today; you have a responsibility to contribute towards making Nigeria great.

“While we may be disappointed with the present state of our nation, we must resolve together to rise above the mediocrity of the past, so that we can start moving forward to our place of glory, “ he stressed.

The cleric said a great Nigeria is possible, only if Nigerians will play their part in our journey to greatness.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports the conference provided a platform for passionate and patriotic Nigerian leaders, entrepreneurs, captains of industries, public office leaders, influencers, politicians, clergymen, entertainers, sports personalities among others to deliberate, exchange ideas in moving the nation forward.(NAN)
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/nigerian-economy-on-life-support.html

President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged military personnel deployed to Katsina State, saddled with the task of fighting bandits in Zamfara, to be `as ruthless as humanly possible’ in carrying out their assignment.

The president gave the challenge when he addressed the 1000-strong military force assembled to check the menace of the bandits and other criminal elements at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport Katsina, on Saturday.

The Federal Government had, on July 29, assembled military personnel, comprising the army, air force, police and the civil defence to help in tackling the activities of the bandits.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed fighter aircrafts to Katsina, the airport with the closest proximity to Zamfara, to allow for immediate and effective response to the menace of the bandits.

He had also authorised the engagement by NAF, of advanced satellite surveillance technology to help in accurate detection of movement and locations of the bandits.

The bandits had been terrorising innocent rural dwellers, razing down several villages and towns across the local government areas of Zamfara, and also kidnapping for ransom.


http://surecontents..com/2018/08/be-ruthless-in-fighting-bandits-buhari.

Data circulating about HIV indicates that 3.2 million Nigerians live with the virus

The country’s programme for HIV appears floating. For years, it has been largely run with funding from the U.S. president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR).

PEPFAR invested more than $5 billion as at 2017 to provide antiretroviral treatment for 880,668 people, testing for 7.76 million, care and support for 1.28 million orphans, vulnerable children and their caregivers.

But total funding from PEPFAR dropped from $409.1m in 2016 to $383.6m in 2017. The gain for the programme is a loss for close to a million said to be on treatment across nearly 4,000 facilities that provide services.

“What’s changed is that we are suffering the way we used to suffer,” said Omosehin, the national coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.

“Responsibility for commodities and logistics at facilities providing services, some of those things we used to depend on has been shifted to the patient. All of these unnecessary charges are barriers to treatment,” he said.

Tests for viral load, CD4 count, blood count costs anything between N2,000 and N3,000 each and some centres tag on N1,000 every month as patients pick up their drugs, with patients racking up N12,000 for drug pickup at the end of the year.

Bills of N500 and N1,000 might be considered affordable but many people living with HIV have already seen their finances battered.

“And when you look at the economic situation of the country, even those who are negative are unemployed. How much can we cry as persons living with HIV if the people who are negative don’t even have, not to talk of those of us living with HIV,” said Omosehin.

Some facilities demand payment for every chemistry and hematology evaluation and tests can be up to three times a year, depending on a doctor’s judgment, he added.

“For an individual who has Ebola, you can’t say they should come to pay for treatment. It is a public health concern. If that individual goes back home because of charges, because of even N50, he is going to transmit the infection to a whole lot of communities. The same thing is applicable to HIV. If we are going to put the epidemic under control we shouldn’t attach any charges.”
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/reduced-funding-puts-hivaids-care-on.html

Flays leaked correspondences to INEC

The National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) holds Wednesday over the timetable for the conduct of congresses and primaries for nomination of candidates ahead of the 2019 general elections, the party’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, told Daily Trust in Abuja yesterday.

The APC, in a leaked correspondence to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu dated August 17, 2018 and signed by its National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had fixed the primaries to elect candidates for the House of Representatives elections for Wednesday, September 19, 2018.

In the notice sent to INEC in line with the provisions of Section 85 of the Electoral Act (2010) as amended, the party fixed senatorial primaries to elect candidates for the senatorial elections on Thursday, September 20, 2018.

The party, which also scheduled governorship primaries for Monday, September 24, 2018, fixed House of Assembly primaries for Saturday, September 29, 2018.

The notice, which urged the electoral body to send its officials to monitor the exercise, scheduled nationwide local government congresses to delegates to the National Convention (presidential) for Saturday, September 8, 2018.

The correspondence fixed the presidential primary to elect the presidential candidate for September 19, 2018, thereby making it coincide with the House of Representatives Primaries.

Meanwhile, the APC has expressed concern over the leaked correspondence to INEC.

The party, in a release yesterday advised the general public to wait for an official announcement from the party as the leaked dates were subject to changes.

“Our attention has been drawn to a leaked letter the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Oshiomhole, wrote to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Yakubu, informing the commission of the schedule of the congresses and primaries to elect party candidates for the 2019 general elections.

“These leaks of our sensitive and confidential correspondence to INEC are becoming commonplace and totally unacceptable. We strongly request that INEC looks into its internal handling of official correspondence and put a stop to these leaks.”
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/apc-nec-to-meets-over-primaries.html

The Plateau state Police Command has foiled an attempt by a group of youth suspected to members of Sara-Suka gangsters to set ablaze a Catholic Church located in Kongo Rosha community of Jos North local government area of the state.

The Command through its Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP Tyopev Terna, said that the incident occurred on Wednesday night between 10:30pm to 11pm.

Mr. Terna explained that the police were able to foil the attempt following a phone call from the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) in the area, Mr. Musa Hassan who promptly alerted the police headquarters in the state.

"Contrary to the news making the round that a church was burnt, that story was not true; the church was not burnt." He said.

He clarified that there was an attempt to set ablaze the church in the area but the police had timely intervened.

He said, "Yesterday being August 22 between 10:30pm and 11pm, our command received a call that some youth were about to set ablaze a Catholic Church in Kongo Rosha area."

He added that upon receipt of the call the command mobilized its men to the area and on reaching, there they discovered that it was a skirmish between two groups.

He said, "The problem was that there was a girl called Maureen who was said to be molested by some youths after which she reported the case to a group in her area. The group then went to the boys that molested the girl."

Mr. Terna further stated that during the skirmishes one Ayuba Damina was injured and later rushed to Ola Hospital for treatment.

The police confirmed that peace has been restored in the area.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/how-police-foil-attempt-to-burn-jos.html

The Presidency on Thursday, deplore at a newspaper columnist, Mr Akin Oshuntokun, over claim that a bomb blast had gone off in Maiduguri, Borno, on Aug. 21, killing about 88 people.

Oshuntokun, a public affairs commentator, made the claim when he appeared on Politics Today programme of Channels Television, on Aug. 21.

Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, condemned the claim, saying no such incident was recorded.

He noted that Oshuntokun had never hidden his antipathy toward the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

The presidential aide said“but to go on national television and tell lies of the most heinous kind betrays a mind taken completely over by ill wishes against his own country.’’

Adesina, however, observed with delight that this year Sallah celebration passed without any reported incident of bomb blast, contrary to what happened during previous administration in the country.

“Sallah Day had passed quietly and peacefully, without even a firecracker going off, let alone bomb blast.

“That was contrary to what used to happen before the advent of the Buhari administration, when such festivals were turned to orgy of killings in many parts of the country by insurgents.

“Apparently, enemies of peace and progress had expected a return to the infamous past, thus, Oshuntokun appeared on television with his bag of lies.

“When those on the programme remonstrated with him that they were not aware of any bomb blast on that day, he stood his ground all in a futile bid to puncture the successes recorded by government in the area of security.’’

He said till the Sallah holidays ended, no bomb blast was recorded in any part of the country, “to the shame and discomfiture of the naysayers.

“One wonders: if there were bomb blasts and more than 80 people truly died, what would be the gain of anybody, except those who have become blinded by malediction and morbid wishes?

“Is carnage something now to glory about? Is the struggle for power now so ghoulish that some people have lost their humanity over it?

“Oshuntokun and his ilk should realise that this is the only country we have and we can’t swallow poison and expect it to kill the next person. What we sow is what we reap.

“Happily, however, those for a peaceful, united and cohesive Nigeria are more than those against it. That is why those with baleful, hateful thoughts would never win.’’

The presidential aide maintained that tripod goals of securing the country, fighting corruption, and reviving the economy would continue to remain central to the Buhari administration.

He said the Buhari administration was making strides in the three areas, adding that the conquests continued.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/presidency-attacks-oshuntokun-over.html

Mynd44 lalasticlala

A former Commissioner of Finance and Local Government Affairs in Sokoto state, Alhaji Faruk Malami Yabo, has said the socio-economic development in the state is being stagnated due to the absence of visionary leadership.

Yabo, who is aspiring for the Governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this on Thursday during an audience with some journalists in Sokoto.

According to him, the government of the day was not prepared to govern the state but was just fortunate to be at the helm of affair.

"He (Tambuwal) said the state is generating N70 billion annually and he is making a budget of over N200 billion which is unrealistic," he said.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/tambuwal-lacks-vision-yabo.html

In what appears to be unending attacks on the media in recent times, last week a journalist with an online newspaper, Premium Times, was arrested and detained by the police through its Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS).

Mr. Samuel Ogundipe was held over what the police called criminal trespass and theft and unlawful possession of classified and restricted documents. He was invited to the SARS headquarters in Abuja and later taken to the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters, where he was asked to divulge the source of a story he recently wrote. And in keeping with the tenets of the profession, Ogundipe refused to disclose his source, a development which led to his detention. And a day later, the SARS took the harassment further by freezing the journalist’s bank account.

Mr Ogundipe was also accused of publishing mainly negative stories about the police.

A statement by the police spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, said, “ the force is categorically stating that one Samuel Ogundipe is being investigated and prosecuted for the offences of theft and unlawful possession of restricted and classified documents inimical to state/national security that can jeopardise peace, cause breakdown of law and capable of precipitating crisis in the country. Ogundipe is also being investigated and prosecuted under other offences, which violate Official Secret Act and the Penal Code Law for which he has volunteered statements and is standing trial”.

The police then secretly arraigned the journalist at a Magistrate Court in Kubwa, FCT, without any legal representation. During the arraignment, the police left out the fact that the supposed suspect was a journalist.

Condemnations and outcry have trailed the action with media organisations, well-meaning individuals and groups, criticising the police. Following the outrage, Ogundipe was released on Friday after three days in detention.

We condemn the action by the police and urge it and other security agencies to forthwith desist from arbitrary arrests and harassment of journalists in whatever form. This latest arrest adds to the list of journalists so far held since the advent of this administration and it does not speak well of a democratically elected government.

Ogundipe’s arrest is most disheartening, especially coming at the time when we were just celebrating the release of Jones Abiri, another journalist who had been held in custody by the Department of State Security (DSS) for over two years. Security agents should note that it is unethical for a journalist to disclose his or her sources and aside that, once that is done, that journalist loses his credibility as he or she can no longer be trusted with information, a development that will hamper performance. Secondly, we are of the opinion that the police should have been more concerned about the authenticity of the report written by Mr Ogundipe. If that was the case, it should have taken the media organisation and the journalist to court, rather than holding him illegally and asking that he reveals his sources.

In any case, the police is an agency involved in intelligence gathering and has the machineries to do so, we implore it to always use those resources to fish out leaks such as this rather than harass someone who was merely performing his legitimate duties.

The media is not the enemy, in fact, the security agencies, especially the police have on various occasions benefitted from the dexterity of journalists who in the course of investigation come up with information that have assisted them in cracking some difficult cases. The idea of going after journalists when reports do not favour them is not good for the country. The duties of the media and that of the police are alike in many ways and both should be working together to make Nigeria better.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/the-police-and-media-harassment.html

Nigeria has warned its pilgrims to refrain from displaying political banners and posters in Muna and Arafat as 2018 Hajj begins on Sunday.

The chairman and chief executive of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, disclosed this during a pre-Arafat meeting with Nigerian Hajj stakeholders in Makkah.

Saudi authorities said about 1.6 million Muslims from across the world, comprising over 55,000 Nigerians will perform this year’s Hajj, the fifth pillar of the Islamic faith.

“Don’t paste or hang any banner that is political in nature. There should be no picture of any individual inside or outside our tents,” the chairman said.

The NAHCON chief said Saudi Arabian authorities don’t accept any politicking during Hajj.

Daily Trust reports that over the years, state pilgrims officials display political campaign banners in the entrances of their tents.

In Arafat and Muna, Nigerian tents are usually adorned with banners of state governors and their First Ladies, as well as other politicians, purportedly wishing their pilgrims successful hajj.

Nigerian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Justice Muhammad Dodo also urged Nigerian pilgrims to pray for their country.

“We have no alternative than to pray for our country,” the envoy said. He said Nigeria is facing lots of challenges of insecurity, among others which makes praying for the country, more than expedient.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/hajj-nigeria-warns-pilgrims-against.html

A traditionalist and former Vice-Chancellor of University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Osun State (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Prof. Wande Abimbola, speaks on problems of leadership, followership, education, religion, security and how they affect our value system as a nation in this interview by AKINWALE ABOLUWADE , excerpts:



Many people attribute the problem in the country to leadership, do you agree with the notion?

I don’t agree at all. The problems that we have are problems that cannot be solved unless the vast majority of our people also know what problems we have, what solutions there are and their own contributions to solve those problems. If you talk about leadership, what about followership? All these problems deal with all of us, not just the leaders. Awolowo was a visionary and wonderful leader. He couldn’t do much, he tried his best. It was when he died that people started crying and sending praises. I was at Liberty Stadium, Ibadan the day they carried his dead body there after taking it all over Yoruba land. I was invited to deliver the oration for his funeral. All the governors of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) lined up and I chanted funerary dirges for about an hour. But before I entered the stadium, it was a tug of war because the stadium was filled with thousands of people that were lamenting and eulogising him. Why didn’t they do that while he was alive? He was a good example of the kind of leader that we all want. No country succeeds only because they have good leaders. It is like the case of a wonderful jokey – somebody who is the best for riding prize horses for victory but also needs a horse that is equally wonderful. A jokey cannot ride to success on the back of a mule. We have many problems and to solve those problems, all of us have to be involved.



Where exactly do you think we got it wrong?

There are so many reasons why we got it wrong. One, we have so many centuries of enslavement of our people. The bulk of the people taken away from West Africa during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade came from Nigeria especially among the Yoruba. The Yoruba were probably the most enslaved people in the world and we haven’t recovered from that. Slave trade came to an end after Abraham Lincoln abolished the slave trade in the United States around 1865,. Exactly 25 years later, the European powers assembled in Berlin to divide Africa yielding the map that we have today of Africa. And exactly 35 years later, they came and declared Nigeria the possession of the British. The European powers that got the bulk of the land divided up were the France, which got more than everybody else, followed by the British. Belgium, a tiny country which is probably the size of Ogun State or less, was allocated the whole of the Congo. Portugal which is about the size of Lagos State had four countries. Germany also got. When they saw that their own people no longer wanted them to bring Africans to them in bondage anymore, they abandoned the idea and assembled in Germany and then divided up Africa. We haven’t recovered from that, we are an enslaved people, we have been badly dealt with and traumatized. That is one basic thing that we often forget. With colonialism, they brought their own religion, their way of life and education mainly by missionaries after being badly dealt with-. Our languages were never used in the education process. Can you imagine a people whose children go to school and they are not taught in their mother tongue but in a foreign language? Nobody should be surprised that Nigeria or any other African country turns out to be what it is. We need to address those issues. They tried to erase our belief system in addition to more than three centuries of slavery.



You mentioned our belief system as a people, do you support traditional oath taking to curb impunity and corruption in government?

Just taking oath doesn’t mean much as important as that may be in our belief system. It is much more than that. It has to do with our values, what we rever as a people and what we condemn. We have dilluted, if not completely erased, our value system. Today, the two religions tried to erase our traditional belief system, especially Christianity. Their main interest is financial breakthrough. Go and fast for days at a secluded place to sing and dance for financial breakthrough. Which country or people yearn only for financial breakthrough as a value? So we have to find a way to repair ourselves not just our leaders. We are a damaged people, we need to repair our souls. That is the basic problem.



You are well travelled, what do you think is the perception of the international community about Nigeria?

How do we look at a country where nothing works; where there are no roads, electricity? In Oyo town, there is no water to drink, no security. If (as a foreigner) my son gets a job in such a country, will I allow him to go, will I not be afraid? That is the trouble, the country is in shambles.



Some put the blame on the protracted military administration?

During the oil boom, government was spending as if the money would never finish. I don’t salute the military, I don’t know what good they did but the civilians have even done worse.



What must be done to right the past mistakes?

I don’t have all the answers. Probably we can do a big conference and invite all the thinkers and intelligentsia in all works of life in Nigeria to contribute ideas but what I know is that the interests of the intelligentsia of Nigeria today in every sphere nobody is interested in our beliefs and values anymore except the few of us that still preserve our tradition. I was born here and I never practised any other religion. But the problem is that do people actually know that something is wrong? I don’t think so. Everybody blames somebody else (saying) oh, it is the senators because they earn N37m a month even some people blame those practising our religions saying that they are witches while some say perhaps until we have many educated people. We need to do something for ourselves and our children. What we are doing now will not take us anywhere. What everybody is looking for is money as if material things are so intrinsic. People think you must have a car or two or three. As if one house is not enough, that is the problem. You will know that these people are sick when you see that they are not satisfied with one house but the one they are living in is filthy.



What you are saying in essence is that corruption, in all sense, is sickness?

Well, at the risk of trying not to appear immodest, we can say something like that. Probably we can be on the road to some kind of recovery or good health if we first of all start using our language. It is only on the African continent that a child would go to school without using his mother tongue in learning. The second thing is give everybody the freedom to practise their own beliefs. Everyday, people who practice their own religion are abused. When the Muslims start praying from morning to night they curse saying if you are practising Ifa, Sango or Osun you are going to hell. Even the Christians will say if you are practising other religion you will go to hell. They will be raining curses. We have people killing in most heinous ways, slaughtering. The violence that Africans have suffered since 500 to 600 years is unimaginable.



Security is a major challenge, what do you think is the solution, state police?

We tried state police police before, it didn’t work. When we had three regions, each region had its state police but it was abused by some local authorities especially here in the West. Sometimes, the federal police which we used to call Olopa Eko would have to come to your rescue if the local authorities tried to oppress you with the local constabulary. By then, Nigeria had too many authorities. In Yoruba land of today, you have to do census to know how many kings we have. In some towns, you have like 40 kings and each of them can do whatever he wants in his locality. Few years ago, one king went to the temple of Sango and said they should pull down the orisha. I won’t tell you his name. The king said people don’t worship Sango anymore. Nigeria is over-governed by innumerable authorities. Nigeria is about the size of Texas. When you add the small state of Oklahoma to it, it will be slightly more than the size of Nigeria. Nigeria is the size of one and half states in the US and we have 36 states and one Federal Government plus the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, that makes it 38 governments, innumerable kings and thousands of chiefs. If somebody calls me Chief Abimbola, I won’t answer, it is an abuse, the British brought the word. Have you ever seen a British called chief? One day, I was invited to Benin Republic by a friend and he conferred on me the Elemoso of Ketu. When I came back home, one of my cousins welcomed us the second day and he started calling me “thief” instead of chief. Since then I didn’t want it but many want to be called chief. I live more in America, I don’t see anybody going about calling himself chief, chief of what?



Is there a spiritual solution to Nigeria’s problems?

I don’t participate in the madness of financial breakthrough, I am not praying for it. I’m praying that I am a person of good character. We all can live like our forefathers and mothers. I was brought up in a village. In the village, at that time, some people may not see one penny of British money in three months and they still managed to survive. There were strings of five villages where I was raised. The only thing that they craved was to find a way to borrow money to buy salt. What they were using as salt before was ashes of some trees. If you had a farm with vegetables, you will not need money. We sew our dress with thread and needles. We planted cottons and people turned it to clothes. We may not be able to live like that today but we can take a cue from that so that we can de-empathize the need to make money.



Casting your divination (Ifa), what does the future portend for Nigeria?

I don’t think we are hopeless even though we have many problems which have not been attended to. We don’t even need a diviner. The only thing that worries me is that we have not even started to try to solve those problems. On the steps to be taken, let the state governments like Lagos State agree to use the learners’ mother tongues to teach in schools. Take a primary six student and ask him to recite a story in English what he would say is unintelligible.Someone from Europe or America would not understand what the student is saying. Another one, you will never hear in my mouth that one religion is not good. If Christianity is not good why is Europe good and if you say Islam is not good why is Saudi Arabia wonderful? But that is not our indigenous value system. What happened to our own belief system? Christianity and Islam should not be practised in a way which you will wipe the agenda of our own ancestors. If we can find a way that is less violent and less abusive of whatever is indigenous to us maybe we would begin to repair our souls little by little. What good can come to someone who abuses his grandfather or grandmother? Let us do away with violence whether by herdsmen or Boko Haram. How about the violence in churches and mosques against the traditionalists? You can ask Ifa any question but the problem is I can’t ask Ifa anything about Nigeria if I was not asked to do so.



Nigeria is multilingual in nature, won’t it be a problem deciding languages to use as medium of instruction in schools?

That is a fallacy. It is what they told me in school which is not true. If you count all the languages in Europe they may be 150 or 200. Do you know that in Spain there are more languages that we don’t hear of? It is not only Nigeria that has many languages. That is an excuse. The good thing is that where you have many languages, minority peoples are always multilingual and talented. By the time you put down the three major languages in Nigeria – Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, you now have like 10 percent of Nigerians who don’t speak any of them. People have always found a way to deal with that. We are not casting away the smaller groups but the languages that are ready – those who have alphabets already can be adaptable. Any of the others who also want to use their language should put up alphabets and develop a set of conventions of the users of the language and employ linguists to fashion the significant sounds of their own language. China has 56 languages, they use all of them and some of the languages are used by less than one million out of population of 1.4billion people. That is not an impediment. It is even wealth. We were on the way to that. I don’t know why we didn’t focus on it.


How do you feel about the recent ratings of Nigerian universities which put University of Ibadan, which is adjudged the first in the country, at number 1,032nd position in the world?

I’m not comfortable with the rating but that is the truth. I tried to do something about it as Vice Chancellor at University of Ife, Ile Ife. Yesterday, a Vice Chancellor of a university visited me and we talked for about one hour. It was one of the issues we discussed. A university is not a good one if it does not have linkages. If you enter an African university and there is nobody from Kenya, Senegal, South or North America, nobody from Europe as students or teachers that is very local, it doesn’t help anybody. When I was Vice Chancellor, we had 23 linkages around the world. I travelled to Brazil, we had four linkages. There was a time when our Dentistry Faculty was not accredited because we didn’t have dental chairs which is a valuable tool in dentistry. But we couldn’t afford it because each chair at the time cost about $30,000. I travelled to a dental university in the south of Brazil, they also manufacture dental chairs in the university. We signed linkage agreement with them and they sent us dental chairs at a cost lesser than a tenth. They came here to train our technicians how to use those chairs. It saddens me to read in the newspaper yesterday that Dentistry in OAU, Ile-Ife has not been accredited once again. I don’t know why that is so. But with good linkages, that will not be so. Another problem that must have compounded the difficulties we have is devaluation of the naira. When a people’s currency is devalued, it is not just the currency but the people also are devalued. Before the naira was devalued, if you went to the British High Commission or American Embassy as a journalist and say I want to travel to your country for a conference and request one week or one month visa they will be saying let’s give you a multiple visa to enable you travel again and again because they knew that our naira at that time exchanged for a few dollars and after changing your money, you had plenty of money to spend and you won’t be a problem there. If you fell sick, you had the money to spend. But today, they are so stingy because our money has no value. That is why they no longer want to give visas to Nigerians because they don’t want our people to become beggars when they get to their country.



Way forward sir?

Abraham Lincoln says he prayed and wished that the government for the people by the people and for the people may never perish from the earth. The good thing about democracy is that people elect their own representatives to discuss their problems and find ways to solve them. How can we make our democracy better is one major problem. Number one, go and restructure Nigeria into six zones as the conference ordered by former President Goodluck Jonathan recommended. If Jonathan had good sense to have implemented those recommendations, maybe he wouldn’t have been ousted in the election that followed. Let’s start from there. We don’t need 36 states in a country about the size of Texas. Nobody does that, what kind of foolishness is that? We don’t need 38 governments in a country that cannot provide water, good road for its own people. It cannot provide security, cannot pay the teachers and you still want to continue with this pattern of government. There is no place in history not to talk of modern times where people do that. If you restructure Nigeria, it will now be the problem of the West to find way forward for the zone and no longer the business of President Muhammadu Buhari. At that, we can’t blame the Federal Government anymore but put things that connect all of us at the center like the army, security, foreign affairs. Whoever is heading the zones are no longer waiting for allocation from the center anymore. Government will no longer be far away from the people. It will now be our own business. Number two, stop this wicked evangelism, abusing each other everyday using amplifiers. These are your own brothers and sisters, you are not better than them because you are a Christian. Some people in this country will say my son or daughter will never marry a Christian or Muslim. There are good people among the Christians and Muslims and there are good people among the atheists. The Christians and Muslims say that their holy books licensed them to abuse people of other faith. If that is the case, I don’t see people doing that anywhere in the world. In which country do people abuse one another everyday? In which country do people break into farmlands and kill fellowmen and nothing happens and the killings continue. Those are the questions we should ask those that are aspiring to lead us. What are you going to do about those who are slaughtering people all over the place, this is the question that we should ask.



Governance is presently riddled by crisis, the National Assembly is enmeshed in conflict, why?

What is Nigeria doing with presidential system? What is the purpose of doing that? What was wrong with the parliamentary system that we had? Go back to the system where we elected people into parliament doing it part-time. I led a senate where people were not paid a dime for one year. They didn’t pay the senators that I led for one year one dime. The N5, 000 a month that senators received was for them to travel from Abuja to Lagos. At that time, from Abuja to Lagos one way was N2,500 and back was N2, 500. They lodged everybody in Hilton Hotel, Abuja. You would eat freely and sign. What are our legislators doing with N37m a month. In today’s Nigeria, we are seeing things we had never seen, hardship. There are many people who didn’t have anything to eat yesterday, they don’t even know what they will eat today and somebody is pocketing N37m. Why can’t we stop that? The people earning that should be ashamed of themselves. Shame on them.



That must be the reason why they are desperate to return to that position?

Yes, and people should no longer vote for them. When they come home, when they go to market place cry “ole, ole” (call them thieves). We don’t need those rogues and vagabonds anymore. They have failed us.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/we-dont-need-rogues-and-vagabonds-in.html

THERE was palpable anger among the wailing Ido-Ekiti crowd as they trooped out in their thousands to pay their last respects to the slain member of the community and All Progressives Congress (APC) chief, Mr. Bunmi Ojo, who was buried on Friday.

Ojo’s burial, apart from shutting down the community, also attracted APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bigwigs in the state as well as representatives of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), which he was a member before his killing on August 10.

All markets in the town were closed for the day while many public offices were also deserted as a mark of honour for the departed politician and community activist.

At the Methodist Church Nigeria, Ido Ekiti where a funeral service was held, while the service was going on, and during the sermon, angry community women and youths sang and rained curses on the killers of Ojo, who had also served as a personal assistant to a former governor of the state, Chief Segun Oni.

The women, mostly elderly, left their heads without cover and some of them wore their clothes inside out, and they sang their tirades and curses throughout the duration of the church service.

In his sermon, the Reverend Olanrewaju Komolafe, lamented that Nigeria was “under attack”, saying “Nigerians are under attack because people die every day, if not through unknown gunmen, it could be through accidents from bad roads or undetected illnesses in ill-equipped hospitals.”


Komolafe, who referred to Ecclesiastes 3:1 said there was time for everything under the planet earth, noting that the late Bunmi Ojo, though died when least expected, had fulfilled the purpose of life.

He charged families, relatives, political parties and acquaintances present at the event to live a life worthy of emulation just like the late Ojo considering the outpouring of emotions and love for him.

After the service, tears flowed freely as the remains of the late Ojo were taken from the church to its final resting place, with his grieving wife, Adeola; three daughters, Eniola, Feyikemi, Gbemisola and relatives in tow.

Governor Ayodele Fayose was represented at the funeral by his chief of staff, Chief Dipo Aniwulowo. Also at the funeral were the Ekiti State governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi; deputy governor-elect, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi; former Governor Segun Oni and his wife, Kemi and his deputy, Dr Sikiru Tae-Lawal.

Others include Senators Duro Faseyi, Bode Ola, Tony Adeniyi and Ayo Arise a former Minister of State for Works, Dayo Adeyeye; and chairman of the Ekiti State chapter of APC, Chief Olajide Awe among others.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/anger-resentment-in-ido-ekiti-as-slain.html

A 14-year old girl simply identified as Hannah has said that she killed her 70 years old madam, Mrs. Helen Adodo, with a stone last week because an evil spirit told her to do so.

Hannah had earlier lied that it was a four-man gang that stormed their residence and killed the woman while attempting to also rape.

She later recounted after being subjected to series of questioning.

Speaking to newsmen at the Edo State Police Command, Hannah said the spirit threatened to kill her if she did not lie about the incident.

Her late madam is said to have been down with stroke which made her children to engage Hannah four months ago to care for her.

Hannah said she washed clothes, gave her madam food and ensure the victim went to bed.

According to her “There is one of her friends that usually come around and when she comes, she sends me an errand. After washing the clothes, I went out.

“Some uncontrollable forces came upon me like breezy. So I lost my senses of what I was doing When the spirit entered my body

“I left the dishes I was to wash and went straight to stand on a stone. I later went inside the room where I discovered that my mistress was still sleeping so I hit the stone on her head and she died.

“So, I scratched my head and turned around four times before I regained my sense.

“So when I saw that I have killed her, I held her and started crying in her pool of blood”, she said.

Hannah said she is in JSS II at Itohan Girls Grammar School and that she was brought from Abuja to assist the deceased.

She said the spirit warned her not to tell anyone and that if she does, she will die.

Police Commissioner, Babatunde Kokumo, said investigation was still on to ascertain whether other culprits were involved.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/evil-spirit-told-me-to-kill-my-madam.html

In what appears to be a direct support to the call for the establishment of state police, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Secretariat on Tuesday said governors of the 36 states have collectively spent more than N2 trillion in augmenting police operations nationwide in the last decade alone.

Mr Abdulrazaque Barkindo, Head, Media and Public Affairs made this known in Abuja.

The amount, according to Barkindo, was not minding the contributions of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states, hitherto referred to as the frontline states and critical flashpoints at the peak of the war against insurgency in the country.

He said that the revelation was part of a research conducted by the media department of the NGF monthly magazine “The Executive Summary” July edition.

He said that the purchases by the governors have covered such items as Hilux trucks, Armoured Personnel carriers, Helicopters, River Gun Boats, Horses, Communication equipment, uniforms and handcuffs among others.

“For example, the magazine which has as its cover story State Police: The Time is Now, related that in 2015 alone Lagos State, under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode spent over N4.765bn on helping to sustain the Federal Police.

“It also reported that in subsequent years going forward, the state also bought and donated to the police, 100 four-door Saloon cars, 55 Ford Ranger Pick-up trucks and 10 Toyota Landcruiser Pick-up trucks.

“These also include 15 BMW power-bikes, 100 Isuzu trucks, three helicopters, two gunboats, 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers, revolving lights, sirens, communication gadgets, helmets, handcuffs among many other police requirements.”

Barkindo added that looking at the donations in retrospect, Ambode’s predecessor, Babatunde Raji Fashola also donated 50 patrol vehicles, 10 Armoured Personnel carriers, 100 walkie-talkies and 200 bullet-proof jackets.

He added that the state government also established an ICT Resource Centre for the police in Lagos State.

“It is not Lagos alone that has donated generously to the police. Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi and Abia States have all, at various times, donated generously to the police force towards ensuring the safety and security of their peoples and their property.”

Barkindo said that the magazine also accompanied its story with an expenditure table of some of the purchases and donations made to the police by more than 20 of the states.

He recalled that in July 2017 the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris approached the NGF at their meeting in Aso Rock Villa seeking cap-in-hand, the sum of N3trilion as assistance from states.


He said that the magazine also quoted the lamentations of some of the state governors, who in spite of these donations had been unable to enjoy even the partial loyalty of the federal police at their most critical hour of need.


He said that Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, for example, was quoted in the magazine as saying “I am sitting here as governor, but I cannot control one police troop whenever crises break in my state.”


“His Zamfara State counterpart and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar had, at one time, even relinquished his position as the Chief Security Officer of his state, in frustration.


“The report added that even Benue State, which very recently had its state assembly sealed and overtaken by the Nigeria Police Force, had spent a substantial part of its security vote in ameliorating the problems of the same police force that was to later humiliate the state.”

Barkindo added that the governors through the instrumentality of the NGF view this situation as absolutely unacceptable.

He said it was for these and several other reasons that the governors had been agitating for the creation of state police so that the safety of lives and property in the country would be firmly rested in the hands of those who spend their resources in sustaining the police force.

“Indeed, to give spice to the argument for the agitation of the states, the National Assembly only recently lent its voice to the agitation by state governors and also endorsed the formation of state police, saying it is about time.

“Most others who canvas the same position as the governors allude to the countries whose system Nigeria is emulating, saying community policing is a necessity if crime is to be prevented and insurgency is to be curtailed to the barest minimum.”

He also quoted Gov. Mohammed Abdullahi of Bauchi state responding to those who argue that governors would abuse the privilege of state police as saying , those who hold such view were fearful because they have restricted their thinking to building individuals rather than building institutions.

The NGF head of public affairs recalled that most states of the federation have already resorted to supporting vigilante groups.

According to him, some have even gone further to establish various types of self-help security formations like the Bakasi Boys in Abia, KAI in Lagos, Civilian JTF in the northeast, Karota in Kano and several others that fill the vacuum created by the absence of the federal police in their states.(NAN)

http://surecontents..com/2018/08/how-governors-spent-n2trn-on-nigerian.html?m=1

Instead of apologizing profusely for their gang-rape of the nation, the PDP seeks to present itself before Nigerians in 2019 to seek a return to their stealing, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Yekini Nabena has said.

Nabena, in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday in reaction to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegations on the President Buhari administration’s anti-corruption war, said the former ruling party’s corruption stench suffocated Nigerians.

While describing the allegations as empty, baseless and diversionary, the APC said the PDP should understand that Nigerians could not forget how the country was destroyed by its ‘gang of pen robbers’.

“The PDP may wish to explain to Nigerians under which administration a State Governor who was set free in many courts in Nigeria on charges of corruption and money laundering but was tried and jailed in the United Kingdom.

“Is it not ironic that the PDP preaches about corruption in the oil sector when it in fact oversaw record pillage, maladministration and disrepair of the oil sector when it held sway. The PDP should remind Nigerians the circumstances under which the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), now Emir of Kano, lost his job in the bank. How many millions of dollars did he say was not remitted to the nation’s coffers on regular basis? The PDP may also explain the fuel subsidy scandals and how billions of the country’s funds went into private pockets; the massive seizures of properties and cash from public officers who served in the PDP government.

“In 2015, Nigerians voted massively for the establishment of a truly progressive government to check the shocking level of impunity, corruption, disregard for the rule of law and other deplorable undemocratic practices which previously defined our national life,” the statement read.

The APC, which assured all Nigerians that the President held their ‘collective trust’ sacred, said the war against graft was being won despite efforts to discredit on-going anti-corruption efforts.

The statement also read, “An often overlooked major achievement of the anti-corruption war is that President Buhari has brought the issue of corruption to the heart of national consciousness. The fact that Nigerians are talking about it means we have not accepted it as a way of life and as long as ordinary people continue to show that disdain for corruption, we would win the war sooner or later.

“Under President Buhari, the country has never had it so good. Yearly remittances by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) have been in billions of Naira, over and above what PDP governments remitted in 16 years; increasing yearly revenue from the Customs Service; within three years and despite low oil prices, execution of massive road and rail infrastructure our foreign reserves has grown to over $47 billion- about $4billion more than that of South Africa.

“Under the administration of President Buhari, no minister will purchase bullet proof cars with public funds, nor will an oil minister junket the globe with family members in private jets at the public expense.

“Nigerians were taken for granted too long and have vowed enough is now enough. No degree of blackmail and wicked scheming will make us return to the years the locusts had eaten. We have crossed the Red Sea and have no intention to return to our ugly past.

“While the PDP and their agents attempt to discredit the ongoing fight against corruption, the question the PDP should answer is: are anti-corruption efforts being carried out within the ambit of the law?”

The party urged the President, law enforcement agencies, anti-graft bodies and Nigerians not to be side-tracked by what it called the desperate and roguish attempt by the PDP and their agents to discredit the on-going fight against corruption.

The party assured Nigerians that it would not fail the country like what it referred to as ‘PDP’s wasted 16 years’.

“While the PDP continue to spew lies in its cheap attempt at opposition politics, President Buhari is concentrating on the important work at hand – clearing the mess and rebuilding the country in all facets,” Nabena added.
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/corruption-war-we-won-fail-nigerians.html

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi says women aspirants in the 2019 general elections will receive the party’s nomination forms free.

The APC Chairman in the state, Chief Eze Nwachukwu, announced this when he declared open the APC Ebonyi women stakeholders meeting in Abakaliki on Sunday.

He noted that the initiative was to encourage more women politicians to get involved in elective political activities.

Nwachukwu urged them to support the emergence of more elected women office holders, and advised those interested to avail themselves of the opportunity to participate.

He commended the women and organisers of the meeting and urged them to make the women’s gathering more regular.

“We are promising that our great party will give out free nomination forms to women aspirants in the forthcoming 2019 general elections in Ebonyi and this is in line with our party’s policy.

“The gesture is to demonstrate that our great party is gender sensitive and also intended to encourage more qualified women to participate actively in elective political positions.

“Women were given free nominations during our congresses and we are going to demonstrate a similar gesture in the election because women have more numerical strength and vote more than men during elections,’’ Nwachukwu said.

He admonished women to resist all forms of intimidation, monetary inducements and harassment from desperate politicians.

Nwachukwu urged them to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and to ensure that they did not sell or exchange them for any price.

The chairman also appealed to the women to guide their children and ensure that they were not used for political thuggery and election violence during the 2019 general elections in the state.

“You must not sell your voter cards because your PVC is your power and legal mandate to make the change we all need.

“Those who are yet to register should go and register, while all who registered but have not obtained the voter cards should go to the INEC local government area offices to collect them,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, the Convener of the meeting, Mrs Modesta Nwogbaga, said that it was a platform to reach out to women with a view to sensitising them on the need to participate actively in the forthcoming general elections.

Nwogbaga, Coordinator of the 2019 Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Initiative for Ebonyi, said that the meeting provided a forum to engage the women, encourage them to register and collect their PVCs, as well as sensitise them to resist vote selling, intimidation and harassment.

She urged women to participate actively in the political process, adding that the APC-led administration was committed to enhancing the capacity of women in politics.

The convener assured that the party would accord more priority to women in both elective and appointive political positions in 2019.

“Under the APC watch, the capacity and political potential of women politicians are being enhanced and deployed to produce governors, more Senators, House of Representatives members, state legislators and even the president of this country,’’ Nwogbaga said.

She called for sustained support from Ebonyi women to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to enable the administration continue in its delivery of democracy dividends to the people.

Mrs Nwogbara also urged women to support the emergence of credible candidates under the APC platform for the various elective positions in 2019.

“I urge you to support those who are qualified, credible and electable to emerge as our party’s flagbearers in the forthcoming 2019 elections.

“I plead with my fellow women whose husbands are aspiring but do not have what it takes to win elections, to drop the idea,’’ she said.

Another chieftain and wife of the former governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the 2015 elections, Mrs Mary Nkwegu, urged the women party leaders to move into their various wards to educate, sensitise and mobilise grassroots women on the collection of their PVCs.

Nkwegu said that only the PVC could qualify a person to participate in choosing elected leaders.

She advised women to ensure that they voted in large numbers and to ensure that their votes counted in the elections.

The wife of the immediate-past governor of Ebonyi, Mrs Josephine Elechi, urged the women to shun vices that could make them compromise their conscience during the elections.

Elechi called on the women to participate actively in the 2019 electoral processes, including going out to register, collecting their PVCs, as well as voting in the elections.

She warned women to be mindful of politicians allegedly going about collecting voter cards from ‘unsuspecting’ members of the public in exchange for jobs, money and other material gifts.

The former First Lady urged women to utilise their voting strength and vote wisely to elect leaders that would effect positive changes.

Elechi further urged Ebonyi women to ensure that their children and wards were not used for political thuggery, before, during and after the elections.

“I urge you to resist all forms of financial inducements during the 2019 general elections and ensure that you guard your voter cards.

“Do not engage in actions that will hinder the development of the state and mortgage the future of our children and those yet unborn.

“We encourage you to register and obtain your cards to participate in choosing the next representatives,” Elechi said. (NAN)
http://surecontents..com/2018/08/2019-ebonyi-apc-to-give-women-free.html?m=1