₦airaland Forum

By Eboigbe Cyril Zion

The advancement of a country is traceable to the level of literacy its citizens possesses. This is what separates the developed world from the underdeveloped world.

Literacy, the ability to read and write is almost as old as man. The first written communication dates back to 3500 B.C when only a few who knew how to read and write displayed their skills in public performances.

However in 23 B.C, books came on the scene first from Rome and then from the Middle East and Asian nations. During this period books were rare and very costly to get. But by the 15th century printed books became more common as it invoked the quest towards a reading culture amongst European life.

Again, the Industrial revolution brought about swift changes to the advancement of the reading culture in the world as a result of paper production which greatly reduced the cost of books. Thus the level of literacy increased around the world.

Africa was not left out, the missionaries coming into the hinterlands of Africa brought education and taught the people how to read and write as a result, schools were established during the colonial era and sustained after the independence of African nations, thus the level of literacy grew amongst Africans and their leaders making many African leaders to gain formal education in their home country and abroad.

According to the Collins dictionary, reading can be defined as a total integrated process that starts with the reader and includes the effective, perpetual and cognitive domains.

Through reading, humans have been able to transmit information or knowledge from one succeeding generation to the other, thus acquiring skills, learning and listening to wisdom and people of the ages.

In Nigeria for example, the decline in our reading culture today especially among children, has its root cause to the advancement in science and technology. Prior to the age of advanced technology like the internet and use of cell phones, reading and writing were the best form of communication such as pen pals. It was full of excitement to read a letter sent to you and quickly reply as soon as possible.

But in today’s world, not much of writing and reading can be found amongst student as communication is mostly carried out through the use of gadgets like phones and electronic mail.

In the past, interschool debate, essay competition and reading competition among students, were key motivations in enhancing our reading culture in schools especially public schools in Nigeria. The absence of this competition has greatly impaired the reading culture and educational system.

In a democratic society like ours, it is pertinent that everyone should be able to read in order to fully dispense the responsibilities enshrined in the constitution.

Developing a competent reading skill is one ability that helps to improve one’s efficiency hence students and employees alike should brace up the challenge to read and be acquainted with current events. Therefore developing a reading skill is essential to one’s success in life.

Reading is a life skill that should be nurtured from childhood. A child’s poor educational background is a direct reflection of his or her poor reading skills and consequential poor grade at school. These pupils often feel frustrated and distracted, have behavioral pattern associated with difficulty to cope in school and hence unable to develop their full potential.

Acquiring a reading skill is key to understanding all subject in school. There are certain requirement one must have in order to be a fervent reader. Such as a skill could help any reader find good books and captivate his interest.

Some of the skills for reading are skimming, scanning, light reading and word-for-word reading. To develop these skills there must be of a necessity a conducive learning environment for quiet study. To this end, libraries were established to carter for such needs.

Unfortunately, most places of learning, particularly primary and secondary schools are located in densely populated areas where noise and distraction hinders the smooth flow of reading. The short supply of books in the library shelves of most schools and almost non availability of library in some schools and communities contribute immensely to a poor reading culture.

The challenge of poor eye health from a child’s early age could also be a contributory factor. Accident or injuries to eyes, problems resulting from cataract, long sightedness and short sightedness not quickly identified and treated, could lead to complication of the eye sight among students.

However, despite the aforementioned factors, there are strategies that could be adopted to change the tide and take the nation from a poor reading nation to a reading nation and her citizens a reading people.

These include but not limited to the provision of adequate funded libraries equipped with books, charts, magazines, newspaper, literatures, journals and computers for e-libraries purpose.

Group reading is another way of creating fun. By reading together, students or people become motivated and their interest stimulated to express their knowledge and understanding of a subject or an issue. As such, good reading habits are formed as students are motivated to habitually read a book as often as possible.

Reading habits are also formed through storytelling, shield reading, formation of books clubs and a serene reading environment devoid of unwanted noise and distraction.

Developing a good reading skills is one way to build your reading culture. The use of an online dictionary like the oxford online dictionary is a good resource for defining unfamiliar words or ideas.

The use of an e-reader online will proffer access to digital books for sale or loans. Also, there are quite a number of websites that gives you access to universities libraries with permission to pre-copy right literary works online.

Reading improves our self-worth, intelligence, fluency, in addition to create pleasure as we read. In addition, it helps to improve our individual personality. Reading helps in essential discovery about life, places and events especially those not taught in the class room. That’s the more reason why teachers are to encourage students to cultivate a deliberate reading culture as a life practice beyond the class room or school environment.

By Eboigbe Cyril Zion

A Strong position held by proactivists for climate change and global
warming over the years continue to warn that human activities are harmful
to a safer earth with scientific evidence showing that human activities
(primarily the human burning of fossil fuels) increasingly pollutes the air
with the release of toxic carbon monoxide harmful to the environment with
various degrees of hazardous substances, which is toxic to human and
aquatic life.

One definition of climate change, refers to long-term shifts in
temperatures and weather conditions. These shifts may be natural such as
variation in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been
the main driver of climate change particularly due to burning fossils fuels
like coal, oil and gas.

Arguably, it is believed that global warming if left unchecked could reshape
the future of the earth leading to temperature changes, regions which were
known to be cool might become warmer and vice-versa. Other changes
expected include a warmer atmosphere due to sudden rise in the earth’s
temperature, causing warmer and more acidic ocean, rise in sea levels
beyond normal. Also an alarming changes in precipitation patterns.

That the future of climate change will negatively impair the earth, is a
function of how we responds to the earth’s plea for a reduced greenhouse
gas emissions. The more emissions are released into the earth’s surface the
more probable the negative impacts or changes would be.

According to experts, they opined that global temperature rise is
increasingly alarming and that there is about seventy-five per cent risk that
temperatures globally may rise with two to three degree in the next fifty
years. It will not be out of context to say the rise of just one or two degrees
would be catastrophic enough to melt the Greenland ice sheet and drown
the Maldives. But a three degree rise would devastate the Amazon
rainforest, wipe out nearly one third of the species going extinct and dwarf
crop yields as a result of changes in weather conditions.
Although the global climate goes through hot and cold cycles, but
increasingly alarming is the pace of change that could cause human
extinction.

According to scientists, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) conference on
global warming, noted that a time frame was issued following the findings
from the conference that global warming, would push outbreaks of
infectious diseases, create water shortages, famine, cause drought,
flooding, and catastrophic natural disaster such as hurricane and influx of
refugee fleeing inhabitable regions.

Study have shown that the projected impacts on wildlife and ecosystems,
food crops, water resources and economies across the earth, due to rising
temperature expected in the next 10 decades would cause some species of
wildlife to go extinct including human life.

Ultimately, there have been calls by supporters of climate change on global
warming mounting pressure on government and multinationals, challenging
them to adopt policies in favour of safe Earth for all.

Nonetheless, the calls by pro-climate activist on global warming are now
beginning to gain global attention especially with the case of Nigeria where
most of the oil wells are located in the Niger Delta region and had
continued gas flaring activities since 1950 when it first discovered oil.
It was not until 1980’s that technology was innovated for storing and
transporting the natural gas expelled during crude oil extraction.

Today, due to advanced technology natural gas can be cooled and
condensed into liquid form, known as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Despite the economic advantage notwithstanding, Nigeria continues to
flare much of its gas and adds to countries listed for gas emission globally.

By Simeon OSAJIE

The Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has not known peace since the commencement of the nomination process ahead the 2023 general elections.  The party has since been bifurcated into two factions, the old PDP also known as the Legacy PDP and the new PDP consisting of all those who came into the party alongside Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020.

It is a matter of public knowledge that the two sides have been at daggers drawn since the commencement of the process leading to the congress of the party for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections. The two factions went ahead to organize separate primaries and submitted results to the party national secretariat.  However, the Legacy PDP went to court to seek an order validating their factional primary as the authentic primary, a prayer that was granted by an Abuja Federal High Court. The court also ordered the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the candidates from that factional primary as the candidates of the Edo State chapter of the party.

However, the new PDP also went to court seeking an order to validate their own primary as the validly conducted primary election of the party. That case went up the Court of Appeal in Benin with a declaration that nomination of candidates is an internal affair of the party.

The new PDP also appealed the Abuja Federal High Court ruling at the Abuja Court of Appeal.  The Court of Appeal in Abuja also declared that the nomination of candidates for elections is the internal affairs of the party.

Several political pundits and analysts view the Appeal Court judgments as hunk judgments, just as it is being rumoured that some of those laying claims to the party candidacy have gone to the Supreme Court praying for a declarative order on their candidacy.

The matter even degenerated to the extent that the party has to petition the Edo State Resident Electoral Commission (REC) to the police, accusing him of forging results of the primary election and availing same to a faction of the party to file suits at the law courts.

It should be noted that Edo people who wholeheartedly voted the PDP back to power in 2020 via Governor Godwin Obaseki after more than a decade are not happy. The party should be sincere with itself and call all the claimants to the candidacy to a round table with a view to resolving all the issues in contention, settle out of court and withdraw all pending litigations.

As a first step towards the realization of this out of court settlement, the Edo State PDP State Working Committee (SWC) should immediately convene a meeting, sincerely purge themselves of any vestige of bias against any of the claimants to the party candidacy and make an appeal to the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki who is the leader of the party to intervene to pave way for out of court resolution of the crisis.
 
The party should leverage on the provisions of Sections 31 and 33 of the Electoral Act, 2022 dealing on the withdrawal of candidates from the election to share the elective positions between the Legacy PDP members and the new PDP members. It is against the grain for the Legacy PDP members to corner all the elective positions to their members and expect support from the new PDP members who came to the party with Governor Obaseki. By the same token, it will be unfair of the new PDP members to appropriate all the elective positions to their members alone leaving the Legacy PDP members in the cold.

The party should invoke the provisions of Section 33 of the Electoral Act, 2022 which states that, “a political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under Section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate; provided that in the case of such withdrawal or death of candidate, the political party affected shall within 14 days of the occurrence of the event, hold a fresh primary election to produce and submit a fresh candidate to the Commission for the election concerned."

Section 31 provides that all these should be done not later than 90 days to the date of the election.

Members of the Edo State PDP should make a passionate appeal to the Governor and leaders of the party to explore the provisions of these Sections of the Electoral Act to resolve the crisis rocking the party and withdraw all pending litigations which outcome will further divide the party.

This proposed reconciliation encapsulated in the spirit of give and take, sacrifice for the party’s interest and the interests of the Nigerian masses suffering under the yoke of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC); will surely assist to bat dawn all electoral hurdles for the candidates and the Edo State chapter of the PDP and enhance their chances of registering victory in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

May I caution with all the equivocally that I can muster that if this crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the party continue beyond the next two months, it will make the party strength become as lean as a rake and wasted to skeleton in the run up to the 2023 general elections and what becomes of its electoral fortunes can only be imagined than experienced.

All those laying claims to the party tickets at various levels and their supporters vide the various court pronouncements should stop giving an impression of settled and irreversible conquest of the situation.
 
They should stop equating their perceived previous success with ability to neutralize obstacles as it would be near fatal for them to approach the general elections with a divided house.  The candidates need the cohesion of the party and support of every member to face their major opponent, which is the nation’s ruling party in the general elections.

...Calls for immediate replacement, prosecution by Edo State Police Command.

 
By Osajie Simeon

The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has called for the immediate replacement and the prosecution of the Edo State Resident Election Commissioner, (REC), Dr. Johnson Alaibo Sinikiem.

The PRP demand is coming few weeks after a similar call by the ruling party in the party, People's Democratic party (PDP).

The PDP had in a petition signed by the party chairman,  Dr. Tony Aziegbemi accused the Edo REC of forgery and falsification of reports.

The PRP in a statement signed  by the party's chairman, Dr. Greg Igbinomwanhia said the party’s stance is based on the recent corruption exhibited during the recent voters registration in the state where money was alleged to have exchanged hands between the INEC officials and the people as a condition for registration.

According to the party,  "it is highly embarrassing that the bribery allegations in the last voters registration was vividly captured by a leading national newspaper in the country.

The newspaper has reported that there was element of corruption during  the voters registration with the Commission demanding between N1,000 and N5,000 before eligible citizens are allowed to participate in the continuous voter registration (CVR) ahead of the 2023 elections, applicants have alleged.

Dr. Igbinomwanhia condemned the attitude of the Edo REC who he said gave the laxity to the personnel for allowing his staff to deny the citizenry their civil responsibilities due to corruption.

Dr. Igbinomwanhia also stated that the petitions from Edo PDP and APC has enough evidence to prosecute the Edo REC, over their  involvement in the bribery scandal.

By Osajie Simeon

The Edo State chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the recent shield provided for the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Johnson Alaibo Sinikiem by the National body of the Commission and similarly insisted on Police prosecution.

The party in statement issued in Benin city and signed by it's State Chairman Dr. Tony Aziegbemi draws the attention of the Commission's Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to the statement by Mr. Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, which he considered as a cover up and ways to intimidate, coarse and prevent the police from concluding the ongoing investigation of Dr. Sinikiem.

According to Dr Aziegbemi, the PDP request to the police is to investigate and verify documents that Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem has been peddling as results of his imaginary Congresses and Primaries.

"I condemn in very strong terms, Okoye's comments as being subversive, and capable of ridiculing the electoral body as a transparent institution."

According to Dr. Aziegbemi, "There are no laws that insulates agents of INEC or any other State or Federal institutions from investigation and possibly, criminal trial, especially in a case of forgery."

He said, "The petition is backed by facts and we had initially refrained ourselves, because the matter was before the court. However, now that the Appeal Court in its ruling last week affirmed that the issue of Congresses and Primaries are Political Party's internal affairs, justice has been served in favour of the party, we challenge Dr. Sinikiem to defend himself against the very heavy proof of falsification that has been levelled against him."

Edo PDP Chairman further challenged the Edo REC with a series of questions to provide answers to, which are: (i) What communication did he act on, regarding the addresses of venues approved by the PDP National Working Committee? (ii) What does the INEC guideline say about the organization of Congresses and Primaries of political parties? From facts at the disposal of the party, Dr. Sinikiem ignored communications from both the NWC and the office of State Chairman. As a matter of fact, he assumed the authority of our party. "

"For the avoidance of doubt, and without equivocation, Dr. Sinikiem has failed to defend his verbal claim that he monitored any parallel delegates congress and Primaries in Edo State."

"PDP has records to prove that Dr. Sinikiem merely sat behind in INEC office and rubber stamped the forged papers that were passed to him by paid agents.

"In the spirit of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu's determination to always deliver free, fair and transparent election, we call on him to support moves by the Edo State Commissioner of Police, to thoroughly investigate the allegation of falsification by the PDP against Dr. Sinikiem, the REC in Edo State. This is more important as the nation moves towards critical elections in 2023."

"Sadly and painfully too, Dr. Sinikiem partisan role in the internal workings of PDP, has considerably festered division in the party.

"In the prevailing circumstance, where the police is being prevented from investigating and prosecuting Dr. Johnson Alaibo Sinikiem, we shall have no other option to the fact, that he used his position as the Resident Electoral Commissioner, to cause division, disaffection, in the manner an interested party will do, in what the Appeal court has now said is the internal affair of our political party."

Dr Aziegbemi further remarked that the bribery allegations of the commission officials in the ongoing voters registration is a further prove of the activities of INEC in Edo State under the supervision of Dr. Johnson Alaibo Sinikiem.

Dr Aziegbemi had recently forwarded a petition to the Edo state police command accusing the Edo REC, Dr. Johnson Alaibo Sinikiem of forgery and falsification of results of Congresses and Primaries conducted by the various panels set up and sent to the State by the NWC of the party.

The petition, amongst other things, accused the REC of forgery and falsification of results of Congresses and primaries conducted by the various panels set up and sent to the State by the NWC of the PDP.

By Simeon Osajie

The euphoria of the victory of Ademola Adeleke of  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last governorship elections in Osun State may have subsided,  but what may not be forgotten in a hurry are the attendant beneficial moral lessons from the contest that are vividly instructive.

 

One of such didactic lessons which any  political party or individual  desirous of  electoral victory must indelibly commit to memory is that, it is only the collaborative push of all members that guarantees electoral victory, as palpably exemplified by the Osun example.

 

It may be safe to say that the mediatory  roles played by the former Senate President Bukola Saraki as Chairman of the party’s National Reconciliation and Strategic Committee (NRSC) and other invaluable contributions of the Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and others,  positioned them to have the ears and heart of many stalwarts of the PDP in a  bid to mend fences and ensure that the party enters into the  contest against its arch rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as an unbreakable, formidable  and united force.

 

Their roles in  fence mending amongst the aggrieved party leaders, their planning and monitoring of the decisive moments ensured the victory that the PDP is currently savouring in that  State today. Certainly, that would not be possible in an acrimonious atmosphere as is the case presently  with  Edo PDP.

 

The Edo State PDP as it were, is  an  institution. A formidable political institution  like a deity,   that  requires a prescribed  and acceptable  pattern  of comportment. Anything less is unacceptable but a wakeup call for anarchy  because a deity that requires, for instance,  blood sacrifice,  would not accept oil, no matter how much quantity you offer, until the  prescribed and acceptable sacrifice is administered.

 

That  sacrifice the Edo PDP urgently requires now to bring it back to the path of corporate sanity, is the sacrifice of peace not of court litigations.

 

Litigations between the PDP folds are divisive. The party has no business or gain in internal crisis of the party. Litigations in Edo PDP is like cutting off the nose to spite the face.

 

The choice of litigations in place of internal peaceful resolution of the Edo PDP differences readily brings to mind the words  of  Frederick Foresight, in his book, " THE DEVIL'S ALTERNATIVE" where he said and I quote, "WHICH EVER OPTION I CHOOSE, MEN ARE BOUND TO DIE." 

 

The Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) currently faces the Devil's alternative in their choice of Court litigations,   because the Court victory of any of the factions affects the unity and party cohesion which is the driving force behind electoral victories. A Court win for any of the warring faction is a loss for the unity of the party as a whole.

 

It is considered in some quarters that the recent Court of  Appeal judgment in Abuja which affirmed the power of the  party to choose its representatives in elections through processes defined by its internal leadership and consistent with its  constitution is soft landing for the party and a leeway for internal peaceful resolution of the current crisis.

 

During the struggle by the African National Congress (ANC) and the South Africans against the Apartheid policy  in South Africa,  the  late Steve Biko of blessed memories said,  "the most powerful weapon in the hands of the opponent or the oppressor  is the mind of the oppressed.”

 

It is a fact universally acknowledged that the opportunity of winning an opponent is most often times provided by the opponent himself.


 
What the above statements translate to is that, the state of mind of the PDP as a corporate entity as it were presently,  is a weapon in the hands of its opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) because the PDP has successfully mutilated its  corporate esteem and therefore  lacking in social and moral capital which are expedient in  cohesion building, which are the cumulative recipe for electoral victories.

 

According to political observers and analysts, what the Edo PDP urgently requires now is a comprehensive action plan of  reconciliation in the real sense of it; a reconciliation package that would be all encompassing and acceptable to both divide. A reconciliation package designed to give a sense of belonging to all members of the party; a sacrificial reconciliation which must be concessional from the feuding parties.

 

Everyone in Edo State PDP for instance, must accept that His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the governor of the State is the Leader of the Party.  It has to be acknowledged that though this is not in the Party’s Constitution, it is based on conventional wisdom and it is so in all the States of the Federation that has a PDP Governor, Edo cannot be an exception.

 

The Governor too, should also accept the fact that he has to do statewide consultations before taking any major decision concerning the party.  Every member of the party has to feel that they were part of the decision making process.  This allows for easy implementation.  With the mien of the State Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, we are confident that this crisis can and would be resolved soon.

 

Edo PDP should also solicit the support of prominent and credible individuals at the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party hierarchy to midwife the reconciliatory process. 

 

To consummate  the glory of true reconciliation, all the aggrieved must  demonstrate, in words and in actions, true preparedness for a peaceful and willingness for an enduring truce that will restore the troubled party to its lost glory.