₦airaland Forum

Thank God for his mercies

Fela told us that Culture and Tradition are the teachers of the government, so we can understand why the government has over the years approached the menace of herdsmen and farmer clashes with kid gloves. It would not do to further point out that majority of the Presidents we have had tended to come from the same clan as the oppressors in these cases.

However, the tense situation observable across the country is finally reaching boiling point and if drastic and lasting measures are not put in place to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order, the scenario where other Sunday Igboho’s taking the fight to foreigners whom they believe are responsible for acts of crime in their home community.

After the meeting of the southwest Governors with MACBAN and various security forces, the major take away was that all the states were going to abolish open grazing and upon reading the released communiqué, I immediately recalled that as far back as 2018/2019 Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had in his capacity as chairman of the National Economic Council, proposed the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan to forestall these sort of clashes, offer conflict resolution and administer justice and peace.

Only the most stoic and archaic followers of the tradition of herding cattle from the North to the South in accordance with the rainfall season would argue that it should still be employed, in the first instance, the population explosion has necessitated that previously available land for grazing designated as grazing routes in the 1960s are no longer available. Secondly, climate change has influenced a greater number of cattle being grazed southwards due to the drying up of Lake Chad, clearly, this points towards 21st-century problems but we are still hoping to employ 19th-century solutions.

To fit square pegs in square holes would be the not so gradual shift to ranching by our brothers from the North. To fast track this, state governments need to copy Adamawa state in the full implementation of the NLTP, or else we would continue to lose 2kg of beef and 15litres of milk daily due to the stress of herding these animals.

Other benefits of this 21st-century solution include adopting all advantages of modern technologies and advancements in ranching, improving human capital development; gender equality in participation, reduction in underage workers, who can then focus on acquiring an education, and finally the gains in research, information and strategic communication. All these would deescalate the embers of war before they ignite into a conflagration that could consume us all.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nicholas Adesina Writes in from Ibadan

My only reservation is the February 27th commencement date. If only it could be fast-tracked sooner. Kudos to Prof Osinbajo and his team.

Slow but confident forward strides and eventually we will overcome.

For a six months projected business, the target of a million Nigerians is a great development.

It is not news that countries across the globe are scrambling to get adequate doses of the various Covid19 vaccines for their citizens and this is because of the economic impact that the virus has had on the global economy and the good news is that Nigeria is also on the front foot in that regards. This was revealed by the Incident Manager of the presidential taskforce team on Covid19 while on Radio Nigeria’s “Have Your Say” program.

Dr. Muhktar Muhammed said that “We expect to receive our first batches of the vaccine in two to three weeks tops. As the month of January rounds up and we go into February, we should begin to take delivery of the vaccines meant for Nigerians. The National primary health care development agency is the government body that is leading the line for this and they are doing a tremendous job.”

“As is to the expected, NAFDAC and other regulatory bodies in charge of our overall health in Nigeria would have to ascertain that the vaccines themselves are safe for Nigerians to use specifically. This is despite the fact that the taskforce as a whole has followed the development of the various vaccines through their development phases in order to help us make the best decision when it came to time of purchase.”He added.

Dr. Muhammed stated that it was normal for people to initially be sceptical about the vaccine as with most new innovations, and as such, the problem was one of education and enlightenment. “We would need to continue to inform the people about the advantages of taking the vaccines and the potential side effects. Side effects are normal in most medicines as we all have different physiologies and there are people with underlying ailments such as Cancer and HIV among others whom cannot take this vaccine.”

It would be recalled that in September of 2020, Prof Yemi Osinbajo had lobbied the international community of the importance of Nigerians to get the vaccines on time due to our position in the committee of nations as well as the population of the country. He spoke at the virtual 2020 EURAFRICA Forum with the theme, “Towards a Realistic Euro-African Partnership During and Beyond the COVID-19 Era”
“We urge the EU to lend support to GAVI’s effort to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX initiative. This way, poorer countries and their citizens will get the vaccines they need at the same time as the rest of the world,” he said.

Following the pronouncements of the federal government on the resumptions of schools across the federation on the 18th of January, it has come to the knowledge of the Federal Taskforce on Covid-19 that certain schools are not complying with the laid down protocols, and this has led to the pronouncement by the National Impact Manager of the taskforce to state categorically while on Radio Nigeria’s weekly program “Have Your Say”, That any school found culpable would be Shut down.

Dr. Mukhtar Mohammed stated that “School children are the most vulnerable to the disease as they cannot make decisions for themselves, hence, the parents, teachers, school owners, and proprietors must be as much accountable for their safety as well as those of the children in their care. The protocols have been laid down by the ministry of education and the school owners indicated interest and capability to adhere to them.”

When asked about the difference of opinion as relates to the opening of the Unity Schools which are a group of public schools run by the federal government, Dr. Muhammed initially said that the best people to respond would be the Ministry of Education but that what he was aware of was that; initially, there was a line of thought to postpone the resumption, but after consultations with various commissioners of education, resumption would go on as planned.

He enjoined schools to ensure that adequate and frequent training is given to their staff as well as children that are old enough to understand. “80% of victims are asymptomatic but they are still carriers and spreaders of covid-19 as such everyone needs to take responsibility in order to protect the vulnerable members of the society, community, and family.

In conclusion, the incidence manager stated that even though the case fatality ratios have remained low, the figures have ballooned. “We had figures in the hundreds that necessitated the first phase of the lockdown almost a year ago, and now we have daily figures numbering in the thousands. While the economic impact of a lockdown does not justify its repeat, drastic measures might be required if the situation persists or worsens.”

govt officials have a responsibility to the Nigerian people to not only abstain from corruption in their agencies and ministries but also to whistleblow anyone culpable. the development of the economic environment is dependent on a corruption-free system.

business always grows in an enabling environment. it is like planting a seed in good soil with enough sunlight and water

Vice president Yemi OSINBAJO has previously said that we need to expand the scope of the Economic Sustainability Plan especially as it's proven to be a huge success so that more Nigerians can be impacted.

easily brings to mind the era of Gucci rice and Fendi Beans of Jonathan

The fact the persons are yearning for a man that's solely focused on performing in this administration shows you how much loved Osinbajo is.

Marking the start of the week-long activities commemorating the Armed Forces Remembrance Day for 2021, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo gave a sermon urging Nigerians to live in unity and harmony with one another as we are stronger together than apart despite differences in religion, ethnicity, and political affiliations.

Having been born to an Urhobo mother and my father being Yoruba in Abeokuta, his military career began our nomadic travels to Kaduna, Jos, Ibadan, at which point schooling in Ife, serving in Katsina, was followed by work postings to Malumfashi, Funtua, Kano, Idiroko and Sango-Otta.

It was the geographer in me that ensured that I utilized every opportunity to visit as many states in the South East and North East bringing me to a position where I can boast of having spent at least two nights in about 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states.

The reason for the above prose is just to highlight the fact that the average Nigerian is not only friendly and accommodating but is a treasure trove of culture and tradition molded over generations. True in the past, our forefathers fought wars to expand territories but the aftermath was not a complete animosity of the neighboring tribes, which is why till today, we have the wonderful events intercultural marriages that only Covid-19 has tried to reduce to an event of just a few family members.

A tree cannot make a forest, No one is an island, the more the merrier, the broomsticks get stronger the more they bunch together. We could go on and on with these expressions and the reason being that they are all true. Together, Nigeria is a stronger nation than the sum of its individual parts. This can only get clearer as we continue to diversify to non-oil exports.

We are already becoming self-sustaining in local rice production and the target is for all cereals we consume, mining of mineral resources has increased across the country, more tech hubs are springing up with one even in Borno. The industrialization of the South East, coupled with the manpower of the North, arable land from there as well as the South West who would also come with technological knowhow all buoyed by the oil in the South-South can bring about a full transformation of our nation and place her rightly where she belongs in the committee of nations.

The road ahead of us is long and requires dedication and sacrifices but the beautiful part is that we are already moving along the right path. The infrastructural deficit that used to be the bane of investors is already being addressed as we are seeing more towns and cities connected by railroads. Power is already improving in parts of the country plus roads and bridges are being built all in all the non-oil future is looking bright.

So yes, I’d say the temptation to break apart might be there for some as it is always easier to destroy than to build up, but I repeat in agreement with the VP, we are truly stronger together and if we were all to focus on the big picture, then “We would at every opportunity, insist just as has every great multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation has, through thick and thin, fight to realize the great dividends of diversity and pluralism” –Prof Osinbajo.

The labor of our heroes past shall never be in vain. God bless the federal republic of Nigeria.
Happy Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

Nicholas Adesina writes in from Ibadan.

The General Manager of the LR CS of NIMC has stated that at the end of the NIN SIM card linkage drive that is currently ongoing across the country; there would be a harmonization of that database with all the other established databases already present in the country. She stated this while representing Engr. Aliyu Azeez, the MD/CEO of the NIMC on the weekly program of the Federal Radio Cooperation of Nigeria, “Have Your Say”.

Hajiya Ali-Dagabana said that one of the mandates of the commission was to harmonize all the databases across the country that were already in existence, such as the BVN (which is already in the process of linking its approximate 16million users to the NIN platform), TIN, Drivers’ license, International Passport amongst others. Presently one cannot acquire or renew an international passport without a NIN and very soon, the same would apply to drivers’ licenses. These centers have all been approved to become NIN data capture centers as well to aid the registration process.

“As of today, the major problems we are having is in the harmonization of the different databases and to fast track this process, a harmonization committee was set up so that a centralized database with NIN as its foundation bedrock can be established, once a uniform biometric system is established all data capture would be synced to our database.” She stated.

“A harmonized database would enable the government to adequately provide amenities for its citizens while also providing accurate information as to what sectors of the economy require urgent attention. This is the position held by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and we can surely see that the country is headed in the right direction via database harmonization.

“Over the next three years, at a cutoff date, all information captured would be harmonized, and then going forward, NIN would then be administered at birth and carried on for life, thereafter being the introduction piece that would be used to acquire others as the child grows into adulthood. Currently, we are aware that these information are usually secondary especially for the older generations as such we still allow for changes to be made to names and date of birth but that would be a thing of the past in the future.”

She concluded by saying that private license operators have been activated and would be visible everywhere in public. She stated that one company had even provided images of its mobile registration center while others have indicated a methodology of going house to house. She enjoined Nigerians to employ Covid-19 protocols all through the process while reminding them that the registration is free as the government has already paid for it. “Anyone asking you to pay for registration should be reported with documented evidence”

if one tries hard enough one will make some sense of this poorly written gibberish. I do understand that the OP is entitled to his opinion as did both KUKAH and the muslim body that make the suggestion for him to leave the north. as long as well respect the boundaries of our rights while exercising our freedom of speech I see no reason for calling on VP Osinbajo into the Fracas when even the Bishop of the Sokoto did not do the same.

capatainrambo:
This Garba Shehu is fanning the country to religious war. His statement "Bishop Kukah offended Nigerians is more inciting than Donald Trumps call for protest on Capitol Hill" and he should resign. Bishop Kukah as a Nigerian have rights to reside anywhere. Enough is Enough


Does Osinbajo know what it means to sit in a federal council as a Christian and a pastor?

The Israelites became slaves only after joseph left the Egyptian decision room of the pharaoh and his advisers. Only his death made that happen. Joseph was saw to it that the israelites were treated well. But this Osinbajo keeps quiet in face of this ? While muslims come out and vilify kukah ? Where us the self acclaimed 0astor femi adesina as his fellow stupid spokes man says trash and incites the public against his lordship,, Hassan kukah.


Really a living dog(joseph) is better than the 2 dead lions in asorock .!!!!

if a picture speaks a thousand words, below is three thousand words about the impact that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has had in recent times especially as regards improving the economy despite the fangs of the Covid 19 pandemic

When Covid-19 hit last year and the government realized that without a financial impetus shot into the economy, the freefall that was already being witnessed would only accelerate deeper and faster. The economic sustainability fund was thus birthed but the question on everyone’s lips was “where would the funds come from to finance it?”

The various schemes have been a resounding success; Covid-19 relief, Survival Fund, Payroll Support, Solar Power Naija, NSHP but the main stick that has been held against the plan is the limited numbers of persons benefitting especially if one is speaking in proportion to the total population of the entire country that is estimated at 200m Nigerians.

To fund the first phase that is already being implemented, the Federal Government stated that it would utilize funds from; Special Accounts, Structured Lending from the CBN as well as Bilateral and Multilateral Sources. Probably as a result of the proper utilization of these funds or the success as emphasized by the various testimonies that abound across social media, Nigeria has begun to receive support from the international community in support of what is clearly a laudable plan.

First came the United Nations with a pledge of $250m that was promised in the month of November and this has been followed by Microsoft’s pledge a couple of days into the New Year to partner with the Federal Government for the benefit of the Nigerian People, especially the youth as disclosed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

All these partnerships and foreign aid can only help to realize the scaling up of the schemes of the ESP in order that more Nigerians might be beneficiaries and this has been a recurrent theme in the Vice president’s speech in recent times as he believes that more Nigerians can and should be beneficiaries of the empowerment opportunities being provided by the Government which in turn would be performing the duties for which it was elected.

Full and continuous implementation of these schemes of the ESP could only help to bolster our economy as it is seeming like the Covid-19 environment and its impact especially world economies is going to be with us for a while yet.

Nicholas Adesina writes in from Ibadan.

Ever since his trip to Silicon Valley in 2018, The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has continued to attract investment from the top tech firms around the world. Even Jack Ma, China's richest man led a deligation who came to look for opportunities in Education, infrastructure, governance and Entrepreneurship

I now understand why some people feel that have to resort to swear words with folks like you. America the former country we all looked up to had covid-19 survival funds for it's citizens but y'all rather be uneducated.

Nigeriabiafra80:
If Nigeria is not a failed country
I see no reason for survival fund
Surviving from Nigeria

The VP has continually said it... It's possible to do better for the majority of Nigerians

my favorite quote now comes from his response to the Tech giant MICROSOFT. Plan for the week starting 11th of January

"We will use technology to engage our youths & address issues affecting our people." -Prof. OSINBAJO

We must never forget the price some have paid for our unity.

This is highly encouraging to our entrepreneurs and commendable.

The people who are quick to backlash on their own are those who lack the knowledge of the intricacies of the different constitutional powers of the Vice presidency in both countries.

This story is false... As pence himself was escorted out of the building by Capitol Hill police. Yet you get away with such blatant lies because Nigerians aren't bothered with facts rather they'd hop on any wagon to spew tribalism and hate speech

KnowAll:
Vice President Mike Pence mobilised National Guard to protect Washington DC & d National House of Assembly.

In this regards since Buhari has decided not to sack service chiefs in d face of threatening security issues around d country can Osinbajo do d needful by sacking d service chief since Buhari seems to be incapacitated.

This is commendable

The national social housing plan would go a long way in helping to bridge the housing deficit in the country which is one of the primary economic needs of humans.

The respiratory virus that came to be known as covid-19 was already in play asr early as late November and major news channels had begun reporting it, but in the usual manner of Nigerian penticostal ministers delivering prophetic utterances they claim to have gotten from God, almost non of them actually saw the coming of a global pandemic, based on this major gaffe, most Nigerians had gone on social media and declared that this time around they were not going to put a lot of stock on whatever proclamations would come from the usual quarters especially as we reached the end of the year or the first day of the new one. At the cross over services Most of which was held online even though some still held physical programs with little regards for social distance.

Hence it was a major surprise, when skits started circulating that apostle Suleiman had held a church service on the 30th of December 2020, where he prophesied that God has told him that power was going to change hands peacefully as number 2 was going to become number 1, and like clockwork, at least two other pastors, one of whom is even a Ghana based pastor, Prophet Nigel Gaisie, have hoped on the bandwagon of the Osinbajo will be president chorus.

At this juncture, it's mandatory to state that the person in question is non other than he of whom the Emir of Daura has described as the most loyal and best vice president Nigeria had ever had, especially after the way he carried himself when the president handed over power to him before proceeding on a medical vacation.

There were stories, although unconfirmed, making the rounds then that certain state governors of northern origin, at the time had even begun to lobby for the Vice Persident position. Yet, Prof Osinbajo never betrayed his boss, rather holding on to the helm of affairs in such a manner that people still wax lovingly of the times when for the first time ever Nigeria had an acting president, the accomplishments of which I've covered in past articles of which a short Google search would provide.

A story is never complete until we've heard the other side, yet for all the pressuring and mudslinging that came his way in 2020, all vice president yemi Osinbajo uttered as regards 2023 elections it his desire to become president was; he'd barely given any thoughts to it, as he was focused on ensuring success of the Buhari administration especially in terms of the people oriented policies and schemes they've continued to roll out; the latest being the arms of NESP that was designed to help ameliorate the impact of the Covid-19 virus on Nigerians and the Nigerian economy.

So while we continue to do the prophets no harm and touch not the anointed, can we all remember that those prophesies are just that and professor Osinbajo is the last person to place any stock on them.

Imagine having to respond to fake news two years after simply because Nigerian bloggers game nothing to report in the new year. Some persons are so pathetic

The one person I'm sure would not be interested in his superior's passing in order to claim the exalted office would be vice president yemi Osinbajo. Here's a man who on multiple occasions has even said he's not even interested in thinking about 2023 for now rather he wanted all the policies of the Buhari administration to succeed.

Unsurprisingly Innoson's neighbors that haven't bought his cars are the most ferocious in demanding that government does the same, hypocrites the whole lot.
Yes the legislators got themselves out cars, but Innoson himself has said that the executive and military are patronizing him, what more do these people want.

Can't believe this read has only got two likes?

Excuzeme:
Very valid Question.
I am sure this thread was opened by an Ipod person (you can tell tell by the way they spell or pronounce the name of the Vice President), to have deliberately excluded the names of StarBoy, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the most qualified Nigerian and the most qualified South Westerner, while including nonentities like Okorocha, Gov. Umahi, Fayemi, etc, shows how mischievous the writer is.
Even people like Fashola are more qualified to lead Nigerian than all the Ipobs on that list.

That aside.
Each time we blame all these useless Politicians for our woes in Nigeria, they usually remind us that they did not apply for the job but that it is Nigerians that BEGGED THEM to come and loot, as Office holders!
Now, look at the plethora of useless, faceless and hungry "Associations" springing up (l know it is the same corrupt and visionless Candidate they are supporting that is financing them behind the scenes), BEGGING THEM to come and be President!
Is this the benefit of the #EndBadGovernance Protest?

Again, you can see that the average Northerner cannot be trusted with Power?
That Sharia Governor whose actions started all the terrorists, Islamic Jihadism in Nigeria, that child predator called Yerima Sanni, former Governor of Zamfara State, wants to become President but the fool cant even respect the Gentle Man's Agreement of his Party, the APC?
If not for that agreement, can Buhari, who has failed serially THREE TIMES, even become President or did the ACN, led by Tinubu just handed over five Governors and Five States Machinery it controls in the South West, to Buhari's CPC party that does not have a single State under its control...FOR FREE?
Are you telling me the ACN big wigs like Tinubu, Akande, etc are that stoopid and foolish and who is Buhari, what is he bringing to the table, in 2015, to be supported and allowed to have two terms in APC, as President?

Yerima Sanni is now denying the obvious and the fool who said Sharia Laws were superior to the Nigerian Constitution when he was implementing Sharia in Zamfara State, is now the one quoting the same Nigerian Constitution, just because it soothes his inordinate ambition?
God forbid we elect another Sharia Proponent as President in Nigeria, after this Buhari.

Buhari was given the Presidency (the same presidential ambition that he had failed to achieve THREE TIMES in the past) on a platter of Gold, because there was an agreement that the APC will zone the Presidency to the North and he would be supported to win and the North and Buhari will RECIPROCATE by supporting the South West ACN Candidate (Yes, South West mean YORUBA) that the APC would present after Buhari, in 2023.

Anything short of the above is a lie, greed and dishonesty.
The Yorubas have shown that they can be trusted, they are Politically reliable (unlike those Ipods jumping from PDP to APC in 2020, foolishly hoping they can reap where they did not sow or where were they, when the "agreement of zoning" in APC was established?) and are not desperate for Power at the Centre.

The Northerners in APC should forget about 2023.
The PDP should also, out of respect for the Ipods that supported them since 1999, zone its Presidency to the South East in 2023 (though the greed of the Ibos would not even put them in a position to reap from where they have sown, they are more interested in attempting to ruin the chances of Yorubas in APC, rather than pursue their own genuine ambition, like the Yorubas in APC have been doing since 2015); and support any Ipod that the party puts up. Let that candidate now takes its chance against the Yoruba candidate of the APC, that way, we will know whether it is the Ibos or Yorubas that have a better National Strategy, Acceptability and Character, in Nigerian Politics.

Atiku is one of those Spent forces who ruined Nigeria and any Youth that is campaigning for the likes of Atiku, Tinubu, Kwakwanso, etc, needs to check his own head because you cant be protesting to oust these Corrupt, legacy Politicians and at the same time, collecting peanuts from them and canvassing for them to come back again, that is self-defeating.

Said enough.