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  • Ni

    Form Coalition that can win Elections at certain Level of Government-Barr. Aborishade

    Political parties and civil society groups in Nigeria have been called upon to form a coalition that shall have the capacity of winning elections at lower levels of government.

    This call was made recently by Barrister Femi Aborishade at the General Executive Council meeting of the Socialist Workers and Youth League(SWL) in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    ‘’Political parties and civil society groups should form a coalition to win elections at some levels of governance. There is a need for a minimum program for the interest of the ordinary people. I cannot be involved in any political party that we cannot argue out our ideas’’, Barr. Aborishade declared.

    Speakers at the meeting which include the League’s Chairperson, Comrades Kemi Afolayan, Dew Povey, Helen, Andrew Emelieze, Peter, Abiodun Oladosu and Lai Browne among others were unanimous on the need for stakeholders to be focused and unrelenting in their quest to facilitate the emergence of a responsible and people oriented leadership in Nigeria.

  • Ni 5

    Governance in Nigeria- Overhaul the System-AWC

    The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has called for the total overhaul of the  security, social, economic and political system in Nigeria for the country to move forward.

    The AWC made this call through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

    ‘’The AWC calls for the total overhaul of the system, if Nigeria will ever make progress. Our Government is now confused, they no longer know what to do at the right time. Government at all levels are no longer there for the people. There are no solutions to all the challenges confronting the people, massive poverty, hunger, insecurity and unemployment among others. The present crop of political office holders have nothing to offer’’.

    ‘’We are surprised that government is thinking of increasing the salaries and allowances of political office holders, especially in the face of a government that has proposed to fund the 2020 budget through borrowing funds from the pension savings of workers. This confirms a failure in governance which is also trailed by misguided and meaningless polices that shall in the long run not in any way better the lot of millions of Nigerians’’, Comrade Emelieze lamented.

  • Liberia 3

    Train Young Liberians Rather than Hiring Foreigners-Liberia's first female Maritime Educator to Government

    Liberia 4Liberia's first female Maritime Educator, Mrs. Miatta Sonie Sherif has advised the Government to invest in training  young Liberians rather than engaging the services of expartriates in the maritime industry.

     "It is now hard times that policymakers see the need to invest in building the capacity of Liberians especially the young ones to take charge of Liberia’s maritime resources given the fact that the few professionals in the sector are aging. Giving our Maritime sector to foreigners to manage is a risk we don't want to toy with," Mrs. Sherif emphasized.

    She obtained a Master’s of Science degree in Maritime Education and Training in 2019 from the World Maritime University in Sweden to become the first Liberian woman to achieve such feat. 

    As part of requirements to acquire the degree, Mrs. Sherif presented a dissertation on the topic: “The development of Maritime Education and Training in Liberia: a historical perspective”.
     

     

  • Ni 1

    10.33 Trillion Naira 2020 Budget-48 Billion Naira is a token for Nigeria’s Education sector-Prof Olagoke

    Prof sabitu olagoke 6A meager N48billion has been allocated to the Education sector out of the over N10 Trillion 2020 National budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This allocation is without consideration to the falling standard of education, bad state of infrastructure and the shortage of manpower.

    It is however surprising that the National Assembly will recieve N37 Billion for renovation of its entire complex.

    In this interview with People, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke insists that the allocation to the education is insignificant considering the 10.33 Trillion budget esitmate. Excerpts :

    Do you think that N48 Billion shall be able cater for the myriad of challenges confronting the education sector in Nigeria ?

    It is highly embarrassing to discover that Nigerians are not dreaming, but are faced with the stark reality of the times, when the paltry allocation to the education sector out of N10.33 Trillion budgeted for the nation is only N48 Billion and the Legislators in the National Assembly in their wisdom recommended a huge sum of N37 Billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex, as if to say that there is so much money in the country and that education is inconsequential to the development of the children and youth and the development of the nation at large. The question that would follow is what is the rational behind the decision of the Legislature and the Executive on the allocation to this all important sector? This is at variance with the United Nations affirmation of 26 per cent benchmark allocation of any country’s budget to education.

    The N37 Billion allocated for the renovation of the National Assembly complex at this critcal period of the country’s economy, when one quarter of the budget has been set aside for debt management, does not seem to be reasonable and it has portrayed both arms of government as irrational in their decision.

    N37 Billion with good economic action plan could have generated more job opportunities or standardization and establishment of more medical centers across the nation for better health care delivery, but this may not give room for self enrichment or direct filling of our leaders’ purses through the network of Serve Self First, Before I finally serve you concept which all Nigerians hypocritically condemn.

    Presently, the general atmosphere is not conducive for learning, cases of pupils and students sitting on the bare floor is rampant.

    Secondly, most schools do not have toilet facilities. What is the Federal, State and Local governments doing about this ?

    Thirdly, there is the issue of out of school children that is yet to be resolved. Most schools lack infrastructure, furniture and strucutures, this is in additon to the shortage of qualified Teachers.

    Furthermore laboratories, workshops and accompanying materials are inadequate in most of the schools.

    There is also the factor of capacity building through training and retraining.

    With due consideration to the above mentioned would the N48 Billion be able to cater for all these needs in all the educational institutions owned by the Federal Government ? What about those in the 36 states ?

    A general assessment of the breakdown of the budget shows that most of the contents reflect areas where the politicians would be able to make gains, at the detriment of the peoples’ welfare.

    The budget is supposd to be people friendly to the extent that it would result in self fulfillment by the citizens.

    The nation itself is now an object of ridicule among the comity of nations. Who will rescue Nigeria from its ‘’captors” ?

  • Katsina

    Supreme Court Judgment- Governors must ensure Good Governance, Probity and Accountability-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof sabitu olagoke 6The Supreme court has eventually affirmed the victories of the Governors of eight states in the federation. The states include Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom. Nigerians in these states are full of hopes that their helmsmen shall consider this an opportunity to ensure good governance, probity and accountability. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke advice the Governors to justify the confidence reposed in them by their people by ensuring good governance, probity and accountability. Excerpts :

    The Supreme court has affirmed the victories of Governors in eight states of the federation. What is your advice to these Governors with specific reference to good governance, probity and accountability ?

    Nigerians need to congratulate the eight Governors recently adjudged to be credible by the Supreme court, to continue to enjoy the mandate given to them by their people based on the results of the general elections.

    However, this is not to say that the elections were free, fair and credible, but rather the array of contested issues were not strong enough to oust the Governors.

    If it had been otherwise some states would have been in a state of grave yard silence, while others would have witnessed orgies of violence.

    That an environment of peace has been able to be maintained is commendable. The Judiciary in another breadth is gradually redeeming its battered image.

    For declared winners, the suggestion is that their people is ready to support them, despite the repeated threats by the opposition in a number of these states.

    However, the next step for the winner Governors is to justify the confidence reposed in them by their people. To whom much is given, in this instance, the Governors must realize that very very much is expected from them.

    In the light of this, the Governors must reassess the chemistry of democracy in relation to the peaceful co-existence of people with diverse backgrounds as well as in the area of achieving sustainable development which is anchored on environmental feasibility, economic viability and the social equability.

    A need to re-strategize to achieve in the provision of basic amenities and functional infrastructure should be major priorities and constitute the focus and direction of governance. For example, most of the Governors are operating in an environment of sentiments and emotion revolving on religion and ethnicity as well as political party collaboration in which the osmotic pressure could drive them through the murky waters of personal affinity towards the the constituency that produced them. There is the need to advice Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state to be above board, by objectively respecting the rule of law in governance. He should not stain his armor of credibility, that prompted eligible voters in Oyo state to shun party consideration, religious inclination and other reasons to vote enmasse for him.

    In the same vein, all Governors including Mr. President are challenged, there is a need for them, most especially the triumphant eight Governors to carefully live above board to be able to offer good governance which must rest on the following criteria :

    Governance should be for the promotion of a strong state rather than strong individuals. In this regard, the anti-graft commission currently in the works in Oyo state, is a step towards the right direction.

    Governance must also be based on the principles of feasibility, viability and equity, for sustainable development to be realized.

    Each of the Governors must realize that no matter how good they may be, they must be weary of those working with them and for them not to become frictional forces in their ways of making progress and ensuring development.

    Good governance can best be achieved through effective application of corporate governance principles based on transparency and accountability. This has been the basis of profit making in the private sector without recourse to fraudulent practices.

    For the right understanding of democracy, the Governors must ensure fair play and work positively with other arms of government to ensure that the rights of citizens are not trampled upon.

    Finally, the Governors must ensure that probity and accountability are their watch words in the serious business of governance. They must always remember that their present positions should be seen as opportunities for them to write their names in gold on the sands of time. A good name is better than a corrupt mind and ill gotten wealth.

  • Kenya 4

    Police Officer Defiles 12 year old Daughter in Kenya

    Kenyans have condemned  officers of the Isebania police station for detaining  a 12 year old girl who reported a case of rape.

    The girl had gone to the police station  to report, her father, a police officer, who had lured her into his bedroom and defiled her at their home in Nyabohanse town.

    Informed sources disclosed that the officers at the police station had to detain the girl, to cover up evidence of defilement and protect  their colleague from the consequence of his action..

    The girl, a  Standard Five pupil at a private school, recounted how she had approached her father for school fees, but rather than getting the money her father defiled her.

  • Nigeria 15

    Justice : Any Hope for Nigerians When Court Judgments are for the Highest Bidders ?-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof sabitu olagoke 6Millions of Nigerians are daily lamenting their inability to obtain justice in the courts of law. They blame this ugly trend, majorly, on corruption and other self centered considerations such as status in society and influence.

    Indeed, the Judiciary has, in most recent times, proved not to be the last resort for the common man, if recent events in Nigeria are anything to go by.

    Confronted with the fact that Government at all levels disobey court orders, Nigerians are now helpless, disillusioned and distraught.

    In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudfeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says that as long as court judgments are based on nepotism and the highest bidder syndrome in law courts in Nigeria it would be difficult for ordinary Nigerians to obtain justice. Excerpts :

    Nigerians are increasingly finding it difficult to get justice in the law courts in this dispensation, what do you think is wrong ?

    Regarding the issue of justice, the law court is the last hope of the people. This is because their perception , the training and orientation of Judges emphasizes incorruptibility. In other words, objectivity must be their watchword, in dispensation and delivery of judgments.

    No one must influence their actions with bribe or make moves to corrupt them and in the same vein the Judges must not demand for gratification or any form of inducement or favor.

    The profession is such that they must shun all biases and they must remove elements of unnecessary passion, that may be based on interpersonal relationship, blood relationship and even the status of the people on trial. This is why in a democratic dispensation the structure of democracy is such that governance must be articulated through the factors of transparency, accountability, auditing and probity, as well as the essence of feedback mechanism, even in procurement, due process is expected to be employed.

    Governance is embedded in the constitution of the nation which we expect the political active players to read, digest and comprehend for ease of application in the governance process.

    It takes two to tango, the people who are been governed, who gave the mandate to those people who are governing them and the performance rating of those charged with the responsibility of governance.

    Democracy, therefore stands on the two axis of justice and equity. In all these, the legislators are to formulate policies to regulate the environment for governance through feeling the pulse of the nation, while the executive are expected to harness and manage the resources-human and material.

    The legislators are equally expected to perform oversight functions to ensure that the executive fulfill promises and do the needful without derailing from the laid down ethical principles. All these are based on the issue of social justice.

    The policy formulators are so powerful by the rule of the law, to ensure that the electoral processes including campaigns equally follow due process. They further have the power to call to order, the Commissioners or Ministers on issues concerning project execution.

    When all these things are done accordingly, the issue of justice and equity would have been addressed to the point of producing peace for the environment as well as sustainable development without rancor.

    The level of constitutional compliance in going about the executive duties of managing approved budget by the National Assembly, as well as the welfare of the people become a matter of social interest, whereby the economic viability, environment feasibility and social justice based on the agitation level of the people, which must be critically controlled to avoid violence, insurgence and war, as indications of the collapse in the security system.

    Based on the above analysis, the expected job of the Judiciary manifests clearly on the need to regulate and control the justice system emanating from the activities of government officials and the people generally. The question now is how far have we fared in the management of our justice system by the third realm of government, the Judiciary ?

    Our situation in Nigeria is appalling, if we consider the relationship between the Judiciary, the security agencies and the Executive as having frictions, perhaps, because of the environment of partisan politics that polarizes issue and trivializes ethics.

    This becomes a serious issue when one considers the following events of historical records : the killers of Dele Giwa are yet to be identified, fished out and brought to justice, the killers of a one time Attorney General of the Federation, the late Chief Bola Ige are yet to be identified, fished out and brought to justice.

    The Nigeria state found it difficult to ensure the transparent trial of Chief James Ibori, despite all the evidences available, but Nigerians celebrated him on his return from an overseas jail after been convicted on the same matter.

    Nobody pursued the extra judicial murder of Mohammed Yusuf in Police custody, but today the whole Nigeria is paying dearly for this, through the unabating vengeance of destruction by the Bok-Haram.

    When is Nigeria to have universally acclaimed judgments on court litigation on various election results ?

    What about the very many of such cases that have to do with the poor masses suffering in silence ?

    Where lies the hope of the people and the nation generally when it comes to the issue of seeking redress ?

    It was Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka who said in one of his books,’’ The man died in that person who keeps mute in the face of tyranny’’, but when one cry out and judgment goes to the highest bidder, how are we to be motivated to have our trust in the Judiciary ?

    Employment in Nigeria is now about nepotism and judgement in the eyes of very many would only be received fairly by those who have right connections.

    Our clamor for restructuring must therefore, extend to ensure sanctity of the Judiciary through the possible overhaul of the system to ensure corrupt elements are eased out for sanity to reign supreme.

    Equally important, is the issue of freedom of the Judiciary. Generally, those who pay the piper dictate the tune. If the appointment of the leadership of the Judiciary remains with the political class, there is no way their operations would not be polarized through political interventions, interference and sentiments, thereby murdering merit to promote mediocrity in an environment of nepotism.

    Another aspect is that of salary independence which is not expected to come from the political class, but be managed by government as rolled out by them with that favor of independence to manage the disbursement without going cap in hand to the political masters, whose activities the Judiciary is expected to scrutinize, regulate and control.

    This working formula would afford them the opportunity to meet up with the challenge of incorruptibility for them to be objectively fair to all irrespective of status, poor or rich and religion, even when it is different from that of the Judge’s personal faith interest.

    The independence of the Judiciary would give them the freedom to use SWOT analysis in maximally utilizing their areas of strength and opportunities to avoid the delay in judgment dispensation. They would equally be able to identify areas of weaknesses and threats in catering for the areas of inadequacies of courts and Judges as well as the capacity building needs for Judicial officials to be capable of practicing through ethics, their assigned national assignments, to promote peaceful co-existence, good governance, zero tolerance for corruption and institutional indiscipline, which are germane to building a virile and prosperous society for strong institutions, rather than strong individuals.

  • Onitsha

    Victims of Onitsha Fire Disaster want state Govt. to Deal with them Directly

    Victims of the recent fire disaster at  Onitsha main market,in  Anambra state have called on the state Government to deal directly with them rather than going through unions.  

    The victims made this call through their spokespersons of the victims, Mr. Anthony, Chinedu Okonkwo, and Chief Uchenna Udaegbe.

    ''We lost over N20 billion to the fire disaster and some people are trying to use it to enrich themselves by diverting the donation. Government should deal directly with the affected persons and not through any union,” the victims disclosed.

     

     

  • Labor

    Find out If New minimum wage is in 2020 Budget-ULC to NLC

    The Nigeria Labor Congress has been called upon to confirm the inclusion of the new national minimum wage in the 2020 national budget.

    This call was made by  the Chairman of the United Labor Congress(ULC) in Abia state,  Comrade Christopher Uchenna Ezekiel.

    “The NLC should concentrate more on knowing if the increased minimum wage was captured in the 2020 federal government budget or not, before taking the decision to embark on national strike and then declare the proposed strike in those States that are still owing their workers arrears of salaries rather than calling for blanket national strike action against the Federal government, Comrade Ezekiel state.

    He lamented that a number of state governments were owing workers salary arrears under the present N18,000 minimum wage regime saying, ''if some of these Governors cannot pay the present N18, 000, is it now that we have an increase that they would pay ?''

     

  • Makueni 1

    37 Primary Schools in Kenya get Libraries and Books to Boost Reading Culture

    Makueni 2Makueni County Government in Kenya in partnership with Shina Foundation and  Story Moja  Publishers are set to establish libraries in 37 Primary schools in the county.
     
    This disclosure was made by the  the First Lady of the county, Mrs. Nazi Kivutha.
     

    ''37 primary schools in Makueni will each acquire one thousand books courtesy of Shina Foundation, county government of Makueni and Story Moja publishers in phase 2 of “start a library initiative.  In 2016, the county government in partnership with Shina Foundation started 30 libraries in primary schools, one in every ward.

    ''The “start a library initiative’’ is a reading promotion program that enhances access to story books for children and seeks to root a deep reading culture in schools.

    School libraries have proved useful in enhancing learner’s literacy, improving interest in reading for pleasure as well as for examinations.

    I grew passion for the books initiative out of my soft spot for children. Consequently, I decided to spearhead the library program, as one of my programs through the foundation

    Reading improves the language and exposes the children. Therefore, it’s prudent for every one of us here to go back to the primary school that they attended and donate a book or begin a library.

    As we flag off the over 40,000 books to schools, I urge teachers to encourage pupils to develop a reading culture by using them. Books that are not read remain to be just papers'', the First lady stated.

    Mrs Kivutha maintained that  the program was an avenue to alleviate illiteracy in the county, adding “We have already trained our gatekeepers for two days and we hope for the best when the real job starts''.

  • Trafficking

    Poor Governance and Poverty Responsible for Human Trafficking-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof sabitu olagoke 6Child and Human trafficking have become means to an end for several Nigerians who have lost hope in the system under the present administration.

    Reports of these ugly trend are recorded on a daily basis, with the law enforcement agencies struggling to stem the tide.

    Baby factories are on the increase while mothers, mostly the young ones, sell their new born babies to cushion the effects of the present economic realities.

    Teenagers and adults are deceived into traveling abroad, but end up as prostitutes or slaves. This trend in not abating.

    In this interview , the Founder, Spiritual Head and Gran Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that poor governance which has brought about poverty is the major cause of child and human trafficking

    Child and Human trafficking is what a sizable number of Nigerians engage in these days. Why is this so ?

    Nigeria was first a country where discipline, control the fabric of all social spiritual sub systems . It was characterized by very low import index and very high export index. Religious laws were in tandem with the societal norms to create a path of sanity for our interpersonal relationship and our general attitude towards values.

    Unfortunately, the Nigerian youth in the mufti of the military killed the geese that laid the golden eggs. Since then, value erosion crept in to destroy all agents of socialization for the nation, to stand with very weak legs.

  • Vat

    7.2 % VAT Increase : Millions of Nigerians will suffer-AWDROP

    The Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners(AWDROP) has warned that any attempt to increase the Value Added Tax(VAT) by 7.2 per cent will have adverse effect on millions of Nigerians.

    AWDROP made this position known through its National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Adeyinka

    ‘’All Nigerians know that the Federal Government needs money, but it must thread with caution, considering the state of the economy. Any increase in VAT will affect all aspects of life negatively, the masses will suffer for it. At the present 5 per cent VAT the masses know what they are going through, what happens if it is now increased by 7.2 per cent ?.’’

    ‘’Democracy means government of the people, for the people and by the people. Government cannot stand alone without the masses, who voted those in government into power. It is advisable for government to look elsewhere’’, Mr. Adeyinka stated.

  • Ndlea

    Drug Abuse and Trafficking : Interest of the Powers That Be A Set Back-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof sabitu olagoke 6Drug addiction, abuse and trafficking are among the several social problems confronting Nigeria presently.

    Indeed, addiction and abuse are rampant among the youth, while trafficking has for long become a major source of livelihood for a number of Nigerians.

    Of note, is that hard drug use and violent crimes are complimentary, although the Federal Government have, over the years, paid lip service to this fact.

    A source of worry lies in the role of the political class, in the use of drugs by their foot-soldiers to gain political mileage.

    In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Pro. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the interest of the Powers That Be makes it difficult for to curb hard drug menace.

    Drug addiction, abuse and trafficking have to a great extent contributed to the worrisome state of insecurity in Nigeria. Are you comfortable with this fact ?

    The history of the rise in criminality could be traced to the era of the military incursion in governance. If we are to connect it with the mysterious disappearance of Gloria Okon and the ultimate unrepentant investigative journalism that resulted in the demise of the late Dele Giwa, then it leaves much to be desired.

    That was the period when we could actually conclude that the cookie crumbled and the secrecy of illicit affairs and undercover criminality were found to be glorifying the creme de la creme of the society, which the Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, described as the expected Very Important Personalities(VIP) into the actual reality of government and the elite class been constituted by vagabonds in power. Things Fall Apart, according to the late Prof. Chinua Achebe, was why the Falcons could no longer hear the Falconers, while the center became elusive to hold.

    Suffice it to now say that if the ‘’Powers that Be’’ are clearly uninterested in drug abuse or trafficking the criminals behind it wouldn’t have been so difficult to tame.

    This is an era when sadism has replaced parental need in governance, for those in power to be daring in their involvement in the evils that they are supposed to control.

    Let’s first use the exchange of prisoners for innocent citizens who were kidnapped by the government of a state to settle the bandits, what of the case of Wadume, who was released from captivity by some Soldiers ?

    When criminals are been aided and abetted in a nation, justice is already murdered and the issue of security is at stake. Most often, like fables, tales from Arabian stories, innocent, but poor citizens are often exchanged for the real criminals, who have Barons as godfathers.

    Unfortunately, Nigeria has lost all virtues revolving on the dignity of labor to core values of integrity, which has been replaced by the craze for material wealth and quick money making schemes.

    Unfortunately, the ugly phenomena has crept into the houses of God,changing the divine code of sacredness into the satanic code of profanity.

    We can easily infer that Nigerians are naked now, losing the glorious wares of spirituality to lack divine intervention in their political, social and economic affairs, while most of us are dehumanized, chasing the shadows of life in accumulating wealth illegally.

    To exhibit our height of shame, Nigerians hero worship and even confer honors and chieftaincy titles on most of the people with questionable character.

    Drug abuse cuts across all classes of Nigerians, with respect to age, position and other measures.

    Children start with burnt cigarette remnants through their peer group and when they are in adolescence, they engage in the use of marijuana or cannabis, either for mere pleasure or to be active in fornication or at social gatherings.

    The originality of developing potentials through technical trainings, is hereby absent in their bid to make an head way in life.

    This extends to the deterioration in our reading culture, to the extent that they resort to the misuse of the social media, while Nigerian institutions end up turning out graduates, who are unable to express themselves.

    This poor background, cuts across our social, environment and economic lives, which results in the production of quacks, while at the same time depending on artisans, in place of technical experts and skill based leaders.

    In this kind of environment, it is therefore, normal to have drug addicts in government, who might not be able to fully control the activities of drug traffickers.

    Nigeria has become a mere talk shop, where evil doers lead in the praise and worship of God.

    Leaders who have corruptly enriched themselves, now lead in counseling prison inmates and also blaze the trail in the presentation of papers on ways of preventing crime.

    Any lofty idea for development, is gloriously orchestrated to be abandoned at the implementation level.

    Nigeria failed in Vision 2010, we somersaulted in Vision 20-20-20, which has made our becoming one of the 20 economically viable nations in the world a mirage.

    What of how we insulted the United Nations, on its charges to all nations of the world, to fund education adequately and the health sector to a functional state. This is just as government has failed to utilize the benefits of various grants, including the Millennium Development goals(MDGs) and the ongoing Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), instead, we excel in using tribal sentiments and nepotism to run each other down, while the country’s image abroad is always at stake.

    For example, 77 out of 80 caught for cyber crime in the United States of America, happen to be Nigerians.

    Nigeria is the major recipient of xenophobic attacks, while the kind of character Nigeria breeds, makes the whole world justify the country’s decapitation challenges in Saudi Arabia and China.

    Nigerians top in the number of criminals in various jails across the world.

    Apart from the international embarrassment, the home front is equally suffering from threats of insecurity, if the activities of a cult group who engaged in ritual killings in Ikorodu in Lagos some time ago and most recently in Oyo state, are anything to go by.

    Only under the influence of drugs, can anybody carry out such dastardly acts.

    What about the Boko-Haram onslaught in the North East of the country ? and the banditry in Zamfara state, don’t also forget the Fulani herdsmen activities, the South South militancy and the continued kidnappings across Nigeria, which began from the South East.

    Nobody will carry out this onslaught of mass killings and property destruction without been under the influence of hard drugs.

     Prosecution of court offenders which seems unclear, is a reflection of the lack of seriousness of government and the Judiciary because the impact has been so infinitesimal to bring about deterrence.

    It is fundamental to note that drug abuse, drug trafficking are devilish as child trafficking for hard labor or ritual killings, human trafficking and the girl child ordeal in this modern day slavery, have always been influenced through drug abuse.

    Prostitution and other crimes considered to be social problems, have their root in the effects of bad governance and the weakeness of the the apparatus of the system for effective control.

    The hope of eradicating these evils, to have a sanitized society, is therefore in realizing that every Nigerian is a stakeholder, who has specific roles to play, starting from the agencies of government and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as the religious houses, through reviving into a functional state all agents of socialization to be coordinated through continuous sensitization programs by the National Orientation Agency through the media.

    No single individual can do it and without government provision of basic amenities and functional infrastructure and employment as visible signs of good government insight. Let us all de emphasize quick money making syndrome, but uphold dignity of labor to prevent drug abuse and addiction, child trafficking, girl child abuse and women marginalization in the scheme of things.

    With this on ground, the network of evil will easily be broken, for us to have a reliable and admirable nation expected of Africa and the rest of the world.

     

  • Rape, Defilement and Homosexuality : The Police and Judiciary must be disciplined to ensure Justice for Victims-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof olagoke 2Reported and unreported cases of defilement, rape, sexual harassment and homosexuality, are on the increase in various parts of Nigeria and nothing impressive have been done to stem the ugly tide.

    Parents, guardians and serious minded Nigerians are helpless and worried, even as law enforcement agencies have adopted a non-nonchalant approach in enforcing the law.

    Indeed, most of the reported cases involve those at the bottom of the ladder in the society, while high profile cases have for long been shielded from the public domain.

    In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in Islam Wordlwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the Police and the Judiciary must first imbibe the tenets of discipline before victims of sexual crimes can have hope of getting justice. Excerpts :

    Sexual crimes, including defilement, rape and homosexuality among others are on the increase in Nigeria, law enforcement agencies have failed to do the needful, Nigerians are worried, what are your views ?

    Nigeria’s transition from a state of discipline, up to the 70’s, to that of institutional indiscipline, impunity and corruption have created an unsafe environment for the weak in the nation.

    The most vulnerable people to the let out of attack are the marginalized women and the girl child in particular.

    Our pace, as Nigerians, has nose dived into that of prey and predators, or to be specific a beastly level of existence.

    A nation that focuses on material wealth alone, without a commensurate provision for work will ever throw its people into all forms of misdemeanor just to be able to survive and live, most especially to the regime of affluence, is not only in a state of emergency, but highly unsafe for habitation and highly unsecured for investment that may attract foreign interest.

    With this kind of gory picture of the state of affairs in Nigeria, the people believe in enthroning a government that would be constitutionally empowered to correct all aberrations in the land.

    Unfortunately the elected representatives deviate from the course of Democracy that is based on justice and equity for real development and peace to elude us, hence the present state of insecurity at all strata of human endeavor in Nigeria.

    For example, cases like rape, defilement and pedophilia are expected to attract not less 14 years of imprisonment, to the worst, based on the level of damage a life term jail.

    However, since all cases are whistle blowing, and offenders identified, prosecution in this direction is yet to be published, perhaps, because there is none.

    In a situation of no deterrence, perpetrators of evil will continue will to multiply.

    The structure in Nigeria not only encourage corruption, but also encourage people to go into various criminal acts.

    This is because since the aftermath of Nigeria's civil war in 1970, we’ve been experiencing deterioration in the core values, that used to hold us intact into a state of discipline.

    This becomes cancerous into an endemic state, polarizing every segment of our agencies of socialization, breaking them down into a state of lawless and weak fabric of our human existence, destroy sacredness to promote profanity.

    Let us look into the following arrays of our stakeholders known as agents of socialization for correct transformation of the animal called man and the upbringing of our children.

    Parents, neighbors, government, schools, houses of God or system of religion, traditional institutions of the Obas, Emirs and the Obis, peer groups and voluntary organizations, what of the agencies for the regulation and control of the system for the overall security of the community and the nation ?

    A critical analysis of the present roles of these stakeholders is in a sorry state of destruction rather than construction, to the extent that Nigeria cannot claim to have a bequeath able legacy for our youth !

    Suffice it now to say that for our prison yards to transform into a corrective fluid, government must avoid the foot dragging in delivering judgments by the Judiciary, to effectively depopulate our havens of criminality by upholding the ethics of all professions, in this case, the Police and the Judges, on these matters relating to child abuse, pedophilia and cases of rape.

    The above mentioned must be disciplined themselves before they can discipline people into rejecting criminal tendencies.

    Parents on the other hand must be sensitive, responsive and responsible, in bringing up their children, within safe custody, monitoring and on the need for nature nurturing for the children not to allow anybody to abuse them or whistle blow the possible occurrence of abuse in any form and by anybody from outside.

    Government on the other hand must never show favor to offenders, researchers must support the cause of investigation to be able to uproot, the possible cases of aiding and abetting, even when it involves an intention of ritual killing to get rich quickly by perpetrators.

    The society must be sensitized on the evil of child abuse, drug abuse and out-of-school children syndrome which is now back to more than 13 million in Nigeria and more than 400,000 in Oyo state.

    Rape and pedophilia is very bestial and must be discouraged by all to have a sane and civilized society.

    The acts are sinful and could attract divine sanction and it is imaginatively affecting the safety and security of the society.

    We are all stakeholders in saving the future of our children, who we all regard as our future leaders, presently Nigeria’s image has been battered, both locally and internationally.

    If we fail to do the correct things today on this matters the embarrassment to the country occasioned by those involved in fraudulent activities in the United States of America and the issue of xenophobic attacks in South Africa shall be a child’s play for our children in future, if these issues are are not decisively addressed.

    Nigeria must learn how to adopt and adapt the culture of discipline and civility to be good ambassadors in and around the globe or wherever we may find ourselves.

    Stop the acts of pedophilia, rape, homosexuality and other acts of human dehumanization.

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  • Gas

    Relocate Petrol Stations and Gas Plants from Residential Areas-Oyo Residents to Govt

    Residents of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state have expressed reservations over the increasing rate of petrol stations and gas plants cited in residentail areas.

    The residents insist that these stations and plants pose great dangers to those who reside in and around these establishments.

    ''These petrol stations and gas plants are threats to people who reside near them. What if there is a negative occurence, what happens to the people ? The Oyo state government must do somwething about this'', one of the residents, Monsuru Akinleye stated.

    Insinuations are that fraudulent officials of the Urban Development and Physical Planning Agency in the state connive with the powers that be  to approve the construction of these stations and plants to promote political patronage, in addition to the indiscriminate construction of hotels in residential areas.

    There is also the suggestion that it would be extremely difficult for the state Government to muster the political will to reverse the ugly trend.

    In his views, the Deputy Director of the state Fire Service, Mr. Moshood Adewuyi opined that since gas is for domestic consumption, the plants have to be located near the consumers.

    ''The public need to be informed that gas is for domesitc consumption and needs to be very near the consumers. People should not have nay fears for having it in theri domains, since necessary safety mesures have been put in place during constrcution. I want to advise the public not to panic over the way the gas plants are springing up in residential areas'', Mr. Adewuyi stated.

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  • Nlc 2

    New Minimum Wage : Nigerian Workers have Lost Out-AWC

    Nigeria 14The All Workers Convergence(ACW) has berated labor leaders in Nigeria for begging President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the new national minimum wage negotiation.

    According to the National Coordinator of the AWC, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, ‘’ it is very embarrassing and ridiculous for labor leaders in Nigeria to beg Mr. President to intervene in the new minimum wage negotiation, President Muhammadu Buhari has severally made his stand known to Nigerian workers, that he is not ready to make workers happy, if not he ought to have influenced a reasonable new national minimum wage’’.

    ‘’ Labor leaders have exposed their weaknesses and stupidity by begging Mr. President, who from events is nonchalant to workers welfare. Painfully, Nigerian workers have lost out and the present crop of labor leaders are killing unionism in Nigeria, in their approach to the new national minimum wage by begging the question.’’

    ‘’Labor leaders have proven themselves to be a monumental disaster to the interest of Nigerian workers. And so, at the level of the AWC, we call on labor leaders to resign, if they cannot use legal industrial means to achieve the new national minimum wage’’, Comrade Emelieze stated.

  • Prof olagoke 2

    Govt Officials should be role models-Prof. Olagoke

    Efcc 1Political Office Holders and other category of government officials have been admonished to serve as role models to Nigerians to ensure sanity returns to the polity.

    This admonition was given by the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam f Shafaudeen-in-Islam Wrldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his sermon during prayers to commemorate this year's Ed el Kabir celebration at the Shafaudeen Mosque, Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria.

    ''Nigeria suffers from poverty and kleptocracy. We must not allow the environment to corrupt us. Those people in government should allow sanity to reign, they must role model good virtues. For Nigeria to have peace, justice and equity must prevail, while there must be transparency and accountability'', Prof. Olagoke asserted.Efcc

    Prof. Olagoke also called on parents and guardians to place more emphasis on good parenting saying, ''good child rearing must be the preoccupation of Fathers and Mothers.''

    Sadly, the contrary is the case in Ibadan, and other major cities in Nigeria, as the choice of words, mode of dressing and behavior of several youth leaves much to be desired.

    Of worry, however, is the recent arrests effected by the Ibadan zone of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the Elebu area of Ibadan, capital of Oyo state.

    This suggest that the ancient city is now a fortress for the ''yahoo'' adherents while the  Oyo state Government must take urgent steps to reverse this.

     

     

     

  • Why We Called Off Indefinite Industrial Action-AWC

    WorkersThe All Workers Covergence(AWC) has said that the indefinite strike action it facilitated was called off after achieving its major purpose.

    The AWC made this disclosure  in a chat with People through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

    ''The protest was meant to be an indefinite strike action and shut down of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Ibadan, which was successfully done on Monday, 29, July, 2019, at the end of the day the workers converged and it was unanimously agreed that having created the needed awareness there was the need  for a review.''

    '' Moreso, the protest was  not meant to deny  people of their rights, we therefore decided to observe reactions surrounding the protest and  based on the reactions we received, we decided the next line of action. Most importantly, the message has been sent to the right quarters and workers have been freely able to express their displeasure, anger and unhappiness over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, the continued kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes of innocent Nigerians at home and abroad.

  • Tech and Vocational Education : I Believe Govt has Solved most of the Problems in Nigeria-National President IEIs

    Innovation 1The National President f Innovation Enterprise Institutions(IEIs) Dr. Andrews Jegede has expressed the hopes that the Federal Government shall address the challenges confronting IEIs in Nigeria.

    Dr. Jegede made this position known recently, at the sidelines of a National Advocacy forum for the popularization of IEIs in the South West Geo-Political zone.

    ‘’ I want to believe that the Federal Government has most of the problems confronting IEIs in the country. There are about 150 institutions presently in the next five years, they could be between 200 and 300'’, the National President stated.

  • National conference

    Nigerians must be convinced that the hands of some Monarchs and Elite are clean before any dialogue-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof olagoke 2Nigerians in the six geo-political zones are not happy about the kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes been perpetrated by criminals all over the country.

    They are at a lose over the seemingly helplessness of the government to ensure the safety of lives and property of its citizens.

    They readily make reference to several communities such as Molusi, Olorunsogo, Molete,Felele among others in Ibadan, Oyo state, where some community leaders and Landlords and Tenants Association aid and abet criminals with the backing of law enforcement agents, as good examples of how crime has taken a very dangerous dimension.

    Indeed, a lot of Nigerians are of the opinion that dialogue is the way to go, while others believe that community leaders who sponsor criminals should be identified and brought to justice as a step towards addressing the country’s security challenges.

    In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that Nigerians must first be convinced that some traditional rulers and elite are above board in the present situation before the issue of dialogue can be propagated. Excerpts :

    A cross section of Nigerians are of the opinion that a national dialogue will address the county’s various problems. Do you agree ?

    The issue of national dialogue is not supposed to be limited to the time when the elite are been affected by the hostilities of the times, which today has manifested in insecurity.

    A profile of institutional indiscipline and corruption dates back to the 60s when Alhaji Tafawa Balewa observed that civil servants were no longer contented with what obtained then as natural life that was commensurate with the individual wages based on their cadre.

    He observed that they preferred to forcibly have bicycles, which they would ride with pleasure to their different villages.

    In the 70s, a foreign economic expert described the Nigerian system of government as that of kleptocracy.

    Furthermore, Nigeria was observed to have governments that condoned evil and corruption based on the fact that those unfortunate elite caught in the game would never be brought to justice or convicted.

    Many of those who talk today cannot absolve themselves from having contributed,at various degrees of impunity, to the present problems which urgently need a serious national conference; with a view to overhaul the provisions of the constitution, to a more holistic level of justice standard so that posterity would not continue to curse us.

    There is the need to appreciate the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on his concern, though his antecedents would always portray him as not been sincere because while in government, he stated that that he might have advisers, but nothing would compel him to take to their advice.

    However, we don’t need an angel to preach virtues, hence the advice of our great elder statesman must be heeded by President Muhammadu Buhari government.

    There is also the need to appreciate the efforts of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitna Ogunwusi and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, whose concern have made them to speak out on behalf of the voiceless.

    They don not want the Yoruba nation to be unnecessarily undermined and ravaged by the faceless non-indigenes, whose activities are yet to be effectively charged to the conviction level to serve as deterrent to others.

    However, the traditional rulers seem to have gone the extra mile to warn those of Yoruba origin who own the herds of cattle and engaged the services of the Fulanis, for rearing and grazing, so that we do not fight an unjust cause.

    What about the several Churches, Mosques, schools and institutions, companies and industries and even private homes that engage the services of the non-indigenes on matters of security.

    Once we have put our house in order and ensured that some traditional rulers hands are clean, as well as that of the elite, the agitation by the Yoruba to have their way would be justified.

    On the issue of national conference, we must avoid the jamboree sort of what happened during the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, many of the representative were never respected in their domains because they had never shown interest in the security and welfare of the people, who they claimed to represent.

    There is the need to separate rhetoric or game of theories from the pragmatism and records of concerned activities for the people who we may claim to represent.

    A choice based on mere political affiliation and diabolical service of Yes man platform for the strong individuals, will always mar the objectives of any conference.

    Service to humanity has nothing to do with egomania, which always characterize the state of most of those who have been having opportunities to attend conferences on issues pertaining to Nigeria.

    This must have been one of the hallmarks that weakened the strength of the 2014 conference because after it, most of the participants only enjoyed millions of Naira showered on them, without having anything to show on returning home.

    National conference should start from the past Heads of state and former Presidents with their economic and political experts to identify our areas of weaknesses and threats and those factors that must have been responsible for our Democracy turning into kleptocracy.

    The gross abuse of the immunity clause and the preferred alternative to ensure seriousness and discipline in governance.

    Attendees must from their various domains create platforms of town hall meeting with those professionals and opinion moulders as well as former state Governors, traditional rulers and religious leaders of note and relevance to the people at the grassroots, within their areas of jurisdiction for brainstorming before going for the conference and for feedback.

    If we are able to go by the national conference, accordingly, the intervention of God would eventually see us through to have a safe and secure nation again. God save Nigeria.