₦airaland Forum

On the 29th of May, 2017, I wrote a short but incisive article wherein I concluded that Buhari is GROSSLY and IRREDEEMABLY INCOMPETENT! Right from that point, I have not found it worth my time to comment on his administration any more. Doing so is akin to pouring water in a basket or on the back of a duck. It is simply a fruitless exercise! But one can't turn a blind eye to the untold suffering and hardship visited on the citizenry by his administration. It is no longer fashionable to become deaf to the cries of anguish of our people.

What then is the way forward? Buhari has to go by 2019! Enough is enough. If this is not done, there may not be anything left of the country's economy that could be salvaged after he is done. This must not be allowed to happen. What can we do as 2018-19 approaches and as PDP is not necessarily the alternative? In fact, it is not about APC and PDP! Well, more more 'credible' candidates should throw their hats in the ring. And the people must make the sacrifice to vote for only a 'credible' person. I hope that Professor Remi Sonaiya of KOWA will do so, too. That woman acquitted herself as one of the most intelligent and serious minded presidential candidates to ever grace the election stage in Nigeria. Most sensible people will agree with this assessment. But what did she get for all her trouble? There you have the issue staring you in the face!

I must clarify, though, that leadership is not and has never been the problem with Nigeria. Nonetheless, it is a critical factor in the regeneration and development of the country.

Listic1; @ODNEsq

In the news on Monday, 20th November, 2017; we heard of how two men were remanded in prison custody by a Chief Magistrate's Court in Port Harcourt pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Their offence was that they separately defiled two little girls. One of those girls was only four years old! A similar thing happened a few months ago with the runaway prisoner who was eventually rearrested by the police in Jos. It should be noted, though, that these are the incidents that are reported; a higher number of these sort of abuses stay below the radar.

Back to the matter. This is a very despicable and barbaric act. It is inexcusable and must be condemned by all well meaning people. Nevertheless, a lesson or two could be learnt from the episode. There is a need, like never before, for conscientious parenting. In recent times, many a parent/guardian are becoming too carefree. How can one explain the freedom given to very young children these days? Sometimes, no, all the time, I am utterly gobsmacked to see children of between 4 and 10 years wandering about unsupervised and sometimes as late as 10pm. Stuff some adults cannot even do. At that age, I was not even allowed to leave my immediate vicinity after 8pm on those occasions when I was not sleeping. And the world was way better, or if you like, saner, then!

I agree, parents must go out and sometimes stay out very late in order to fend for the family. It goes without saying that the Nigerian economy is not smiling at most struggling families at this time. But then, must we sacrifice the future of our children for temporary economic gain? Must we place our children in situations that some paedophile or other depraved people can take advantage of them and by so doing inflict maximum damage on them and scar them for life? I think not! The reason for this is simple. To have broken children, is to be done for in all ramifications as a society. This is why I have consistently advocated that families must be compelled to have only the number of children they can comfortably cater to. In addition, they must also do everything possible to shield these children from these growing dangers.

This is extremely important for a variety of reasons. But the most fundamental is that while it is true that the offender may be prosecuted and punished, in the majority of cases the damage cannot be undone. Poignantly, as a lawyer I know that in a good number of cases the offender may not even be punished as a result of the interplay of some legal technicalities. Such a development is most unfortunate. But sadly, this is our reality. It should, therefore, be a constant reminder to today's parents - the young ones especially - to be up and doing and deliver on their mandate!

Listic1; @ODNEsq.

Mynd44; Lalasticlala, please a lot of families need to see this. Thanks.

Obijulius:
@OP what has upstream sector got to do with distribution and availability?

We know our problem as a country- but choose to create a parallel and false reality.

Let the owners of the resources decide on how it used and see how the rest of this mostly parasitic union will come to their senses.

Thanks for pointing that out. I meant to say 'downstream'.

I didn't support the Federal Government's review of the price of PMS (fuel) in 2016. In fact, I called the entire process a HUGE SCAM. This is because you can't deregulate with a pricing mechanism that is fixed and doesn't allow for proper competition. As it is, the framework for Nigeria's downstream petroleum sector is seriously unsustainable. We'll continue to have these crazy, intermittent and contrived shortages and or hoarding of products.

Well, may be our only respite will come from Dangote's refinery when it comes on stream in 2019 or thereabouts. This is what successive governments have been looking forward to. But this is a 'Catch 22' situation. When one man has monopolistic control over a product as essential as PMS (fuel) then we are all practically in trouble!

Listic1; @ODNEsq.

Most businesses in Nigeria operate in a questionable fashion. And this is for want of a more appropriate word to describe the unethical practices perpetrated by these organisations. A few examples are necessary.

Electricity distribution companies don't distribute power (which is generally nonexistent, by the way). And yet, they expect and insist that hapless electricity consumers must pay their bills, which are scandalous, at the end of each month. As if this is not bad enough, telecommunication companies charge you for calls that don't connect or messages that don't deliver. In some cases, you just wake and you discover a huge chunk of your airtime is gone. When enquiries are made, all one is told is that it is due to one subscription or another. Subscriptions whose details one has no idea about.

And the one that gets me completely stunned. Nigerian banks keep deducting small amounts of money on a regular basis from customers' account. They say it is for card maintenance, SMS fee or other similar but shady charges. All of these for an account that is either dormant or not used often to justify the amounts deducted.

And here is the outrage! At the end of every trading year something happens. These guys keep declaring humongous profits before and after tax which are gotten largely fraudulently!

Listic1; @ODNEsq

aolawale025:
Yet they are returning some people's properties when the case has not been exhausted

That is what I don't understand, myself.

oladeebo:
sorry Mr lawyer! ..the system short-change your income? but Nigerian needed their assets badly for their own survival now! Lawyer can wait for the better time for ripping!

Hahaha. This is very funny. But you have a point, though.

What I have serious trouble understanding in the present 'fight against corruption' is what I am about to relay. How can the EFCC and the courts confiscate a person's property who has not yet been found guilty of fraud or any crime for that matter? The one that leaves a sour taste in my mouth, as a lawyer, is the fact that they do this using only, or mostly, MOTION EXPARTE! Who makes these laws or rules?

The case of Cecilia Ibru seems unimpeachable in this respect. These days, however, you keep hearing of forfeitures from Ex-Minister, Ex-First-Lady, Ex-This, Ex-That and yet no one is being prosecuted for any offence. The one that wants to come down and defend herself they said she should remain where she is; that they are not prepared for her yet. But they go on confiscating her properties! This cannot be proper!

If we desire to break the backbone of corruption in Nigeria, we must not toy with our adherence to due process. To do otherwise simply means we are corrupting the system. And you know what? A corrupt system cannot 'fight', I would rather use, neutralise, corruption! Please, don't get it muddled up, well, you can if you want.

This is by no stretch of the imagination a request for soft landing for people who are alleged to have stolen our commonwealth. See, anyone who is found culpable should and must pay for their misstep to the fullest extent allowed by law. Those guys don't give a damn. I, too, don't care! My call is only that due process must be followed religiously. Except we do so, we will only be making nonsense of the effort to put society back on track!

By Listic1; @ODNEsq

MalcoImX:
You want Shekau and Kanu to be served letter of notice against the stated law. Go and do that yourself, and let's see if you'll come back alive.

Well, there are a number of ways of doing so validly without even seeing the person to be served physically. The law cleverly makes provision for that.

MalcoImX:
No need to hear ipoB's side of the story. We've been hearing that long enough that even a blind man can recount that offhand. Kanu is a devil and he is befitting of any word more than terrorism. This man needs to be dealt with before he starts some fire that nobody would be able to quench. Here are some of his sides of the story:
.
"Nigeria should prepare for war, we are coming to annihilate you, my secret service are already studying the zoo and strategising."
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"If you find anybody in your village asking after Radio Biafra, kill the baboon Awusa Fulani or Yoruba bastard. Let them keep searching as we keep tweeting for #Biafra."
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"Buhari is a Terrorist he should be killed."
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"By the time we finish dealing with the animals in the zoo, there'll be none left to tell the story.
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"We are assembling weapons and we need some more money to thoroughly equip our military to enable us unleash mayhem on Nigeria."
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"Nigeria is a zoo and everybody living in that Godforsaken zoo deserves to die."
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"Kumuyi should be stoned and dealt with thoroughly if he comes to Aba for his planned crusade."
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"The imbecilic Goodluck Jonathan is a disgrace to humanity and deserves to be skinned alive for handing over to an [n]Hausa goat."[/b]
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"Niger Deltans are cowards; we know what to do to them. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Edo and Cross Rivers State are our territory and anybody who tries to oppose us will be crushed."
.
"No Ibo man should attend any Church where the pastor is a Yoruba man, they are criminals and fools."
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"Its either Biafra or death..."

Whatever rocks your boat. But bear in mind that this post is not about IPOB's or Nnamdi Kanu's activities or utterances - which you have brilliantly set out above. The post's focus is on the procedure under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 (as amended).

ipobarecriminals:
i dnt have time to waste.Why the hunchback terrorist nor follow the law/constitution of the land?

I am sorry but this post is not about IPOB or Nnamdi Kanu. I really don't see why you keep bringing up those names here.

gidgiddy:
I dont know if ISIS or Al Qaeda are operating in Nigeria but based on Boko Haram that we know is in Nigeria, they should have been noticed.

Law is all about fair hearing and fair hearing is non existent when only one side is heard.

The Government proscribed IPOB without hearing IPOB side of the story, this I think is unconstitutional. What this means is that the Government can proscribe anyone they like.

The good thing about it all is that IPOB has a right to challenge that decision which they have already done.

Great post.

ipobarecriminals:
those kanu slaves that carried sticks, cutlass dangerous weapons looking for hausa/yoruba up/down are what?Asking for donation to buy guns is for what? KANU isn't fighting for any Biafra,his main occupation is to amass wealth like that Niger delta Hippopotamus Asari.KANU IS TERRORIST

Please, calm down and read the post again, if at all you did before you commented. The last paragraph of the post addressed your concerns.
We are not talking politics or Nnamdi Kanu here. We are talking law and the constitution for that matter.

blackpanda:
Op i dont get this ur ridiculous write up. Are u saying boko haram should have been served with notice before being proscribed First of all who will serve the notice?? And who will the notice be served to?? Because when u argue the unconstitutionality of proscribing ipob, that section of the law also applies to boko haram, isis and al queda.

I think people should stop reasoning like robots and face reality. That application is exparte for a reason. And your right to enjoy freedom is not without limits. The constitution also guarantees life yet the courts sentence people to death everyday. Pls apply common sense

Are you a lawyer? I don't mean to be disrespectful. But I'm talking law here and unless you have a superior legal view then your opinion is at best unpersuasive.

Well, even if you are not a lawyer, you can still read up the sections and cases I referred to in the post and then engage me from that prism. We all must not think in the same way, you know.

And just to let you know, there are ways to serve legal notices/processes validly without even going to meet the persons physically. But that is a matter for another day.

A lot of people have said a thing or two about the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) as a terrorist group. Ditto for Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād popularly known as Boko Haram. I wish to point out a very salient observation which may have been overlooked by these pundits. But before I do so, I must state upfront that I do not support any of these groups. I have consistently argued that the modus operandi of IPoB is uncivilized and unintelligent. And I have described the Boko Haram sect as a barbaric, devilish and bloodthirsty band of fanatics. Generally, I detest persons and groups who believe that the only way they can achieve their ends is by the visitation of unnecessary violence. The above notwithstanding, I hold the strong view that the right to self determination of persons and groups is sacrosanct. It is the hallmark of the human specie. To that extent, it must be afforded the highest levels of protection and given free expression at all times.

Having made the above clarification, I will now turn to the issue at hand. The law under which any organization can be proscribed by the Federal Government as a terrorist group is the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 as amended in 2013 (the Act). Basically, s.2 of the Act provides that a judge of the Federal High Court may declare any entity to be a proscribed organization on the application of the Attorney General, National Security Adviser or Inspector General of Police on the approval of the President. And when such a declaration is made, it should be published in the official gazette and two national newspapers. The manner in which this application is to be brought before the court is by motion exparte. To the legally uninitiated, this means that the group to be proscribed is not put on notice. In other words, the group is, legally speaking, unaware of the application in court and the case against it. As such, it cannot put up a defence to the case against it - even if a member were in court. And then the sad part, the decision of the court under the Act is not an interim or interlocutory one; it is final in the sense of a final judgment.

However, is this entire procedure not in conflict with the constitution of Nigeria? Well, let us see: s.36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) (the constitution) provides that "In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing...by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality". It is worth noting at this juncture that 'a person' in this section refers to both natural and artificial persons.

The courts of Nigeria, especially the Supreme Court, have variously described fair hearing in the following terms: audi alteram partem and nemo judex in causa sua. These Latin maxims respectively mean: hear the other party and a person must not be a judge in his own case. This is what is often referred to as the twin-pillars of justice. It has been said that God Himself even heard from Adam before the latter was punished i.e. sent out of the Garden of Eden. In fact, this principle is so fundamental in any proceedings that a violation of one of the strands renders the entire proceedings null and void. See the Supreme Court's cases of: Danladi vs Dangiri (2015) 2 NWLR (Pt 1441) 124; and Omoniyi vs Alabi (2015) 6 NWLR (Pt 1456) 572. Interestingly, the Supreme Court in the case of Pam vs Mohammed (2008) 16 NWLR (Pt 1112) 1 at 49-50, Paras F-D, had this to say on the import of fair hearing under the constitution: "The very essence of fair hearing...is a hearing which is fair to both parties to the suit....A party who will be affected by the result of a judicial enquiry must be given an opportunity of being heard. Otherwise, the action taken following the enquiry will be unconstitutional and illegal".

But what do we have under the Act? In one short phrase, the stark opposite! Under the Act, the court is to hear from only one party, the government - the superior party! Is this not open to all manner of abuses by the government? Does this not give the government the leeway to give any group a bad name in order to hang it? All of these legitimate concerns point to one incontrovertible fact: that provision cannot stand an intense scrutiny by the constitution. This is especially so when we realise that what the Act and the entire process seeks to achieve is the deprivation of the fundamental right of citizens to assemble and associate freely as guaranteed by s.40 of the same constitution. Thankfully, the Supreme Court has in a plethora of cases declared such anomalous legal provisions as unconstitutional, null and void in line with s.1(3) of the constitution. See the cases of Ugba vs Suswam (2014) 14 NWLR (Pt 1427) 264; and Kayili vs Yilbuk (2015) 7 NWLR (Pt 1457) 26.

Nonetheless, the courts are not given to academic, hypothetical or moot issues. To activate the adjudicatory jurisdiction of the courts, live cases must be brought before them. And so, I implore affected persons and groups, especially the IPoB, to approach the courts to judicially interpret the provisions in question. While doing so, they must bear the wise words of Bada, JCA in Igbinedion vs E.S.B.I.R. (2017) 13 NWLR (Pt 1583) 503 at 515, Para B, in mind: "The right to fair hearing is a fundamental and constitutional right of a party to a dispute to be afforded an opportunity to present his case to the adjudicating authority. The right lies in the procedure followed in the determination of a case and not in the correctness of the decision arrived at in the case".

Listic1.

Mynd44; Lalasticlala: Can we give this a wider read? Thanks.

As one listens to these 'big' private schools' admission adverts, one can't help but get sad. They talk about US, British and now even Chinese curriculums! And then I wonder, when are we going to develop a curriculum that will be decent enough for us and for export?

Similarly, I really don't understand this new craze going on in most 'big' private schools. What is it with teaching our children to use very strange and funny accents when talking? Have we sunk that low?!

Well, this nonsense does not mean exposure or class in any way. It is mental laziness and inferiority complex - pure and simple!

Listic1

PMB is one man with a unique, even if weird, sense of humour. He is calling on the UN to negotiate with North Korea. And yet, he sent tanks to South East Nigeria where some people disagree with him! Well, some people can see through this deceit!

Lastking147:
The only government we have is Nigerian Government
U dey call for restraint when those Ipigs formed a Secret Service
Dem never see anything
U don see where Dem de price bread b4

My concern is simply having some quiet in this country. Others are doing great stuff to advance the human cause and all we are doing here is destroying ourselves? It does not make sense to me! It is actually stupid.

The kind of violence we have seen in the last few days in Abia State and Rivers State (and this is likely to spread to other states within the two regions) shows that the government of #Nigeria and the #IPOB are not going about whatever they are fighting for intelligently. I call for restraint - all lovers of peace should - from all sides in this fracas. This was how the Boko Haram menace and 'Niger-Delta' militancy started.

Why should it be war-war when we can jaw-jaw? Common sense fall on us, abeg!

Lalasticlala: Please, let those who have eyes see and those with ears hear!

After some careful thought, it has dawned on me that the country I come from is one highly confounding address. Frankly, it is a land bustling with incredible ironies and contrasts that leaves the keen observer completely stunned. I will share a few examples to clarify the point.

1. Everyday we mouth the unity of Nigeria; how it is better for the country to remain a single entity. For some people, the unity of Nigeria cannot even be discussed. It is non-negotiable; a done deal! And yet, we are afraid of unity; of truly uniting; of becoming 'one'. The majority of the things we consciously do create divisions instead of bond amongst us. From the laws - starting with the constitution - to the brand of politics played here to the orientation of the people - our words and actions, everything is designed in such a way that the fragile mould that binds these disparate people together is undermined at its very core. And we wonder why our so called unity is only at the level of rhetorics?!

And this bizarre one. Most of our public office holders believe in and champion the right of self-determination of 'oppressed' people around the world. For instance, they support a two state solution in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine and they want independence for the people of Western Sahara. Curiously, this same set of people cry wolf and treason when a section of Nigeria which feels 'marginalised' and 'oppressed' say they want to go their own way. To prevent this sort of movement, they threaten and actually deploy tanks and other instruments of violence to stop the 'rebels'. Who is deceiving who?

2. This one is highly unfortunate. Nigeria is a giant in the global energy space. It is reported that the country is the 8th largest exporter of crude oil globally and it is currently contesting the top spot with Angola on the continent. Sadly, in spite of this fantastic and impressive statistics, Nigeria is still not able to refine enough crude oil for its internal use. From official reports, more than 80 percent of the country's locally consumed fuel is sourced from overseas. It is imported! In the process, at least 30 percent of the country's foreign exchange is expended without contemplation, mindlessly. When Nigerians are not lucky enough, they spend days on end queuing at petrol stations just to buy fuel and at mostly cutthroat prices. Nigeria is the only major oil exporting country where such craze goes on!

3. As one travels around Nigeria, one would observe that there are uncountable numbers of security checkpoints along the roads. One won't also fail to see so many military and police officers with AK47s scaring the life out of innocent commuters as they blare away in their siren vehicles. As they do this, they wear different shades of uniforms (including denim - 'jeans' - with red/black T-shirt and caps or scarves to match) with varying, undecipherable abbreviations: SOS, RRS, SARS, etc. With all of these activities one would think that Nigerian roads and communities would be some of the safest in the world. But thinking that way only makes one really naive. There is practically no day that we don't hear or read of some audacious crimes on our roads and in our communities i.e. (ritual) murder, decapitation, kidnapping/abduction, (armed) robbery, etc. Nigeria's case is, simply, a perplexing one.

4. Nigeria is easily one of the most religious countries in the world. It has the highest concentration of places of worship, especially churches - I have at least 7 in my very short street of about a few metres - per square mile. This ordinarily presupposes that the citizens of the country are ethically aware and have a clear sense of justice and morality. But not so here! In spite of our feigned religiosity, the citizens are highly ungodly and the country is one of the most corrupt in the world! In fact, the country thrives on that vice. I simply can't figure this one out.

5. Political office holders in Nigeria travel every now and again instead of concentrating on the sacred duty of administering their domains. When queried, they say they have gone in search of 'foreign investment'. And then I scratch my head. Do you go in search of foreign investment or you attract it by putting your house in order and your acts together? On those rare occasions when they are able to attract some investments, by their own dictatorial tendencies, they threaten those very investments. Well, I may never understand it.

6. The average Nigerian is aggressive and takes no prisoners. Whether this is pure genetics or the effect of the environment, one can't really tell. What is, however, settled is that most Nigerians are champions of 'jungle justice'. They beat, stone or burn to death 'poor' and 'unfortunate' people who are alleged to be involved in 'small' crimes. What is bewildering, though, is that this same set of people will see 'rich' and 'fortunate' big time criminals and they will do nothing. In fact, they do the opposite. They celebrate and deify these people by giving them high sounding but usually hollow titles and fancy names like: high chief, honourable, distinguished, illustrious son/daughter, stakeholder, etc.

7. I am willing to wager that, at present, Nigeria has the most complex arrangement for securing admission into a tertiary educational institution. Prospective students write at least two examinations - UTME and P-UTME - and part with reasonable sums in the process. One would naturally assume that this level of difficulty would translate into an improved educational system. The contrary is the case. Over the years, the quality of instruction in the universities hasn't improved. Similarly, the quality of the graduates that are churn out of our universities has not improved. More persons will be inclined to argue that quality has actually dropped. And then I wonder: why do we persist blindly in our folly? Why do we continue to subject ourselves to unnecessary stress and pain?! If we cannot chart a novel course for education in Nigeria, we can, at least, copy from places with workable systems.

8. An excerpt from the country's pledge goes thus: 'I pledge to Nigeria .... To be faithful, loyal and honest'. I don't have to be the one to say this but even a child in kindergarten knows that the vast majority of Nigerians, both the leaders and the led, don't have these qualities especially the virtue of honesty. To require honesty from the greater percentage of Nigerians is to ask for the impossible. It is akin to a search for the proverbial needle in a haystack. As I have always maintained, there is always a 'risk' doing business with a Nigerian citizen or institution particularly when the other party is outside the country. For those who are even on ground what respite do they have?

9. The motto of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is: 'To Restore the dlDignity of Man'. This one keeps cracking me up, really. The question I keep asking is: whose dignity do they want to restore; which of the men? Is it the man in human?! Damn! They did not say the dignity of the Igbo man, the dignity of the Nigerian man, the dignity of the Black man, but the dignity of the global man?! But these guys were quite ambitious! Wow! The interesting but sad thing is that this institution, by the way it operates, subjects countless numbers of our young people and students to sub-human treatments.

10. From the point I started making sense of my environment, I have been hearing this somewhat empty phrase: 'fighting corruption' in Nigeria. Quite frankly, I don't understand what this phrase means. It simply doesn't make sense! How can one even fight corruption in a country like Nigeria? Do they want to kill it? This country was conceived in corruption, birthed in corruption and continues to derive its sustenance from corruption. Any public officer who says he wants to fight corruption in Nigeria is therefore only deceiving the highly gullible and of course himself as he betrays his ignorance. It is only Nigerians who can willingly give up their ignoble ways and in the process cause a rebirth in their country.

11. May be you have noticed it, too. Whenever our mediocre political office holders want to commission some substandard project, they describe it as: 'state of the art', 'cutting edge' or 'ultra modern' with some crazy, unbelievable fanfare. Yeah, you heard right. 'State of the art', 'cutting edge' and 'ultra modern'! Please, don't laugh but do these people understand the meanings of those words/phrases? I doubt it, seriously. May be they derive great amounts of joy in those highfalutin words/phrases! What would have been funny if not that it is extremely tragic is that in most cases they spend more money commissioning those worthless projects than they spent executing them. If it were within my powers, those words/phrases in addition to 'dividend of democracy', 'welcome development', etc, would be banned in public discourse in Nigeria.

And yes, this is not to rationalise or justify anything. It is just for the fun of it. But I guess there is something to take home from the piece: we have to change our perception of and the way we transact with and in this material world. After all, transformation - of both the individual and society - is an inside job! Unless we do so, we will continue to live in the shackles of our own self-deceit!

Listic1; @ODNEsq

Seun; Lalasticlala: Many thanks.

A group of people campaigned fiercely for GMB to become President by projecting him in a near saintly stature. After his victory and eventual swearing in, their candidate hasn't been able to deliver on his electoral promises. Not surprisingly, the government has either denied those promises or did the exact opposite i.e. going overseas for medical attention. In fact, the government like all others before it, has been one that is characteristically uninspiring. And this is putting it mildly!

Now, instead of these supporters taking responsibility for their error in judgment - if one can describe it that way, they have turned around to berate those calling them out. They do this by suggesting that the people asking those questions don't want to get over the 2015 election loss of GEJ, who himself performed awfully. This is stale and highly unfortunate!

And yes, this has nothing to do with politics or the 2015 election. Quite frankly, I don't believe in personalities and the soulless 'politics' that is played in Nigeria. In any case, is our redemption and that of our kith and kin elsewhere in politics? The evidence suggests otherwise. But that is a matter for another day. Meantime, the compelling issue at hand is that these people should no longer be allowed to pull the wool over the eyes of the largely ignorant!

*This piece applies with equal force to everyone who insists on personalities instead of systems; the 'hallelujah boys/girls'.*

Listic1

Thank you: Lalasticlala

Did anyone notice that they recalled the earlier email with this subject: 2017 NLNG PGSS? Did anyone also notice that the dates are not correct in the body of the email i.e. 28th August and 6th September?

*** This piece is actually a follow up to an earlier article on the subject. It is a bit of a long read but it is worth it in the end. We have to do something about education in Nigeria. ***

I am saddened by the fact that the Nigerian government, after so many years, has still not been able to get its tertiary education policy right. Successive governments have only engaged in what can be likened to 'trial and error'. The recent directive by the Minister of Education that universities should conduct Post-UTME screenings (Post -UTME) lends credence to the view above.

Without a doubt, these haphazard measures and policy somersaults will not help the educational sector of the county. I am of the firm view that Post-UTME has no real benefit whatsoever! In fact, it has quite the opposite effect. A few points will clarify this position.

1. Post-UTME does not correct in any way the lapses identified in the UTME organised by JAMB. This is for the simple reason that the system that made it impossible for the UTME to be 'perfect' will also make it impossible for the Post-UTME to be plague free. To that end, we are only putting our young people and families through unnecessary stress when we insist on Post-UTME. As I see it, it is just about the money these institutions can make and which they often don't account for.

2. Post-UTME does not improve the quality of instruction in the universities. It also does not improve the quality of graduates that are churn out of our universities every year. For instance, in the last twelve years, have our graduates been better than those before them? Well, more persons will be inclined to argue that the reverse is actually the case. It is contended that quality investment in education with particular emphasis on imaginative thinking is what does the trick! Since that is absent, for as long as we can remember, tertiary education in Nigeria has been on a downward trend. So, why the deceit with the suggestion that Post-UTME will help to check the quality of students being admitted and help to improve the system down the line?

Poignantly, the majority of universities in Europe and North America do not set examinations before they admit students. Instructively, representatives from these universities come to Nigeria and they offer on the spot admission to Nigerians by just sighting their ordinary level results. And yet, it is very easy to argue that our best universities cannot compete with those universities under any guise!

3. To be fair, Post-UTME might have been conceived with the best of intentions. However, as it has been made to operate, it is a tool handed to the university authorities with which to patronise themselves and also perpetrate mind numbing graft! Before 2005 when the devilish system was introduced by the then Minister of Education under the Obasanjo Administration, a prospective student gained admission directly into a university by simply writing what was then known as UME and passing the examination with the right score or buying a supplementary form where the score was not up to the stipulated cutoff mark. They didn't have to know anyone who would influence their admission - in theory, at least.

The current system, however, is the stark opposite. It puts the admission process in the hands of the university administrators instead of JAMB. This means that in the vast majority of cases, for a student to be admitted to a programme in a Nigerian university the student must know some officer in the university or be prepared to part with a huge sum of money. This reminds me of an experience I had sometime in 2007 in one of the universities in Port Harcourt. I was in one of the offices in this university when a young man stepped in and introduced himself. The young man who had just written that year's UME and Post-UME (it used to be UME before JAMB christened it UTME, recently) in that university informed the officer that he was sent by his father who had earlier discussed with the officer. Right in my presence, the young man was told that if he wants his first choice course (law) he should be prepared to pay N100,000 and for his second choice course (mass communication) he should set aside N60,000. Such is the modus operandi in nearly all the universities.

In the final analysis, based on the present arrangement, we don't seem to be concerned about the future of tertiary education in Nigeria. It would have been easy to overlook if not that it is really a tragedy. This is especially as tertiary education holds the key to the long sought after transformation of our largely crude society. Even if we cannot convoke a conference to articulate the way forward for (tertiary) education in Nigeria, we can at least copy from societies with workable systems! This is why I propose that Post-UTME should be scrapped forthwith. I also propose that JAMB's UTME should be done away with. The alternative is contained in an earlier article on the subject.

By: Listic1

***Reference to university in this piece is primarily a reference to a public university. However, most of the assertions hold true for universities that are privately owned.***

MrHowto:
We are not talking about v.p.


is the I.G with Buhari? Yes or No according to that picture.


The meeting with v.p is a different one which include borno state governor about rebuilding bama town of borno state.

Bro, I am sorry but the post is based on the picture of the meeting with the President released by the government itself. I am not prepared to rely on pictures and a video from a press conference after the meeting. That explains my response to babyfaceafrica.

MrHowto:
Did you see the Inspector General Of police in the picture? He is also from the north (Niger State).

Did you ask of him? Did you watch the video after the meeting. I can see naval representative. See the picture in my first post.


Check the photo below


https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2017/08/23/photos-buhari-presides-security-meeting-home/

My brother, calm down and read the original post again. You don't seem to get the point. My reply to babyfaceafrica might help.

By the way, the pictures and video you have uploaded are not those taken in the meeting which was held behind closed doors with the President.

babyfaceafrica:
As long as they are Nigerians
.no problem.......you said save one?.....I disagree..no NC and SE..so save two?

Please, read again. I was not talking about geopolitical zones. I was talking about sections i.e. north vs. south. In any case, the person from the SS was not even part of the meeting from the pictures released. The IGP was there - with the VP. Is he not from NC?

MrHowto:
Useless observation of falsehood and propaganda.


1. Chief Of Defense Staff (Oga of all soldiers) : Gen Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin from Ekiti State South West Nigeria

2. Chief Of Army Staff: LT. Gen Tukur Yusuf Burutai from Borno Northeast Nigeria

3. Chief Of Air Staff: Air Marshall Abubakar Saddiq from Bauchi state Northeast Nigeria

4. Chief Of Naval Staff: Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas from Cross River southsouth Nigeria


Where is representation from Northwest? The largest region which double as the president region? Where is representation from Northcentral? Where is representation from Southeast?


Then apart from service chiefs, Inspector general of police Ibrahim Idris is from North Central

How are all these people from one region region in which sense? Ne Nw Nc Ss Se Sw OR North Vs South ?

In whichever case you are a shameless liar. a
And funny enough he is calling mod to take this shit to front page.

Bro, take it easy. You don't have to use all those expletives just because you disagree with the view up there.

I believe you innocently didn't get the drift in the write up above or you deliberately misapprehended the import of the post. That notwithstanding, this picture might aid your understanding!

Well, I personally don't want anything. But to understand the gist in what is written up there I would, respectfully, suggest that you look at the pictures and read up the news article in the following links:

https://www.nairaland.com/4005400/photos-president-buhari-service-chiefs

https://www.nairaland.com/4005429/buhari-orders-military-deal-biafra

How can security chiefs be invited to discuss the security of a fractious country like Nigeria and all the invitees are from a section of the country save one?! This is particularly worrisome when it is realised that most of the security measures are to be implemented in the unrepresented section of the country.

It is contended that this arrangement cannot be right especially when we factor in our proclivity for mischief as a people.

Perception is everything for most people.

Lalasticlala: Please, give this a bit of wide readership. Thank you.

krystalyne:
How did you find out your test was rescheduled?
Please let me know because I am supposed to write 27th, printed my slip yesterday and 27th is what is there.

How did you find out you were rescheduled?

Thanks

The first email sent vs. the date on the slip. Since your slip has 27th I believe you should be good!

Unfortunately, I may not be writing the aptitude test. I discovered recently that the DPR guys have rescheduled my test for tomorrow 25/07/17 instead of the earlier announced date 29/07/17. I can't make it to the venue tomorrow as I am out of town at the moment.

I sent an email as soon as I noticed it on Saturday but sadly I have yet to hear back from them as I type this. Any advise on the way forward?

The odds are, indeed, against the African youth! An example will lend credence to this statement of fact. On average, a 22 year old American or European youth is a graduate; working and living alone and has visited at least 5 different countries within and without his continent. What do we have on this side? In one word: confounding. A 30 year old African youth is still probably in the university (the point on university attendance is only true for a very small number of young people); living with his family and eating ‘mama thank you’. And then to crown it all, nearly all recruiters operating under such blatantly awkward arrangement say they are looking for prospective employees who are 25 years old and, bizarrely, who have between 2-5 years’ relevant work experience. Well, I have always maintained that it is actually devilish, taking Nigeria’s peculiar circumstances into consideration, for any recruiter to peg age anything below 30 years. But that is beside the point!

I should clarify that this piece is not intended to embarrass or ridicule our young people who in the majority of cases are trying to make sense of their existence; young persons who are bearing the brunt of a rather unfortunate situation to which they contributed precious little or nothing. In fact, it is quite the opposite. This is a modest attempt to say exactly where it pinches. And so, we must not despair. Equally importantly, a good percentage of our number must stop this meaningless, despicable grandstanding. The African youth must, instead, ‘engage’ with the current diabolical system to which he has been subjected not with a view to continue to pick the seasonal crumbs but with a total commitment and deliberate intention to completely ‘dismantle’ it and in its place erect a more humane, befitting and progressive system.

Respectfully,
ODNEsq.

Lalasticlala: Please front-page. Thank you.