TAKEAWAYS FROM TEDx Ikeja

On Saturday October 14, 2017 the Annual TEDx Ikeja, an independent TED-like events held its third series in Lagos which I attended through a  friend's invitation. TEDx Ikeja  was launched in the year 2015 and has emerged as a meeting point for town and gown where various speakers that have accomplished feats in their chosen career come to share their experiences and practical life lessons with attendees.

Apart from other attractions of an usual TEDx events, I had a few Takeaways from the event that Nigerians can learn from.

My first take away from the event was their ability to keep to time. Timing has been a major issue with programmes and events in Nigeria, these ugly development has made its way into corporate events where company executives and other individuals are present including government events that Governors and other personalities are expected to attend.

Early 2017, i was invited for a dinner at Oriental Hotel Lekki by a friend, despite being a dinner that had the presence of Bank Executives and Federal Ministers, the cocktail  slated for 6pm didn't start until 8pm and it affected the whole event.

It took an uninspiring dimension when a Federal Minister arrived in the course of the event, his presence disrupted the event for more than ten minutes. This was an individual coming behind schedule. For TEDx Ikeja all speakers arrived before 10am and the Program started at 10am prompt. African time syndrome failed to make its way into TEDx Ikeja.


Another take away  from TEDx Ikeja was absence of Prayers either at the beginning nor at the end of the program. When the time ticked 10.00am, the anchor came on stage to introduce himself and called on the curator of TEDx Ikeja Demola Adeshola for his opening speech. Demola came on stage, made his speech and left, then speakers came one after the other.

In a sharp contrast to other events in Nigeria, the first ten to fifteen minutes is dedicated to opening prayers and some will spend more time arguing over who is fit to lead the prayers and who is not, after which they will move on to whether the prayers should be Christian or Muslim or both. By the time they are done, fifteen minutes has gone down the drain. The same fifteen minutes a speaker uses for his presentation  at TEDx Ikeja??


I'm not against Nigerians praying at events and meetings but it has played little or no role at our events. At National Assembly where budget are allegedly padded and where they end up boxing each other, they pray. At companies Boardroom meetings where shareholders funds are looted they pray. At government offices where tax payers money are mismanaged they  pray before and after work. Why can't we do away with Prayers at our events? To those who believed that prayers are needed for smooth running of event, there was no prayer at TEDx Ikeja and it was a successful program.


Next take away for me was absence of protocol and "high table". Protocol and high table is another syndrome that has made its way into Nigeria events that is absent in other parts of the world. Protocols which includes introduction of guest and other paparazzi was absent at TEDx Ikeja. Every one was seated and the Program commenced without creation of "scene" by any individual with unnecessary protocol.

Several times we've watched events on TV like UNGA meetings, IMF meetings, World Bank meetings. These events are devoid of protocols and "high-table" syndrome despite the presence of world decision makers. Here in Nigeria, some individuals will fight the MC for not adding Chief or Doctor as the case may be to their Name. This high table syndrome nearly marred the burial of the late Ooni of Ife in the year 2015.

There was a fierce confrontation between the Vice President protocol team and the event organizers over the arrangement of chairs for the high table, it took the intervention of some well meaning Nigerians before the issue was resolved. This needless confrontation can be avoided with a simple front row seat arrangement which was what TEDx Ikeja did.

TEDx Ikeja has come and gone but the lessons are indelible for appropriate event planning in Nigeria.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel
Lagos

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HOW BUHARI FUELLED CRITICISM FOR JIM YONG KIM STATEMENT.

In the midst of the Barrage of criticism trailing the statement made by the President of the World Bank Group,Mr Jim Yong Kim on President Buhari's request for the Bretton woods institution "specific" concentration on the Northern Region, there comes a soothing relief on Friday October 13,2017 courtesy of former Minister of education and co-founder Bring Back Our Girls Dr. Mrs,Oby Ezekwesili who was at a time the world Bank Vice President.

Posting on her twitter handle @obyezeks she defends President Buhari "specific" request saying  "I want everyone  to know that the statement made by the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is not as it sounds. I should know"

Moving further she stated that As a practice,post- conflict zones -e.g. Northern Uganda, Northern CAR, Eastern DRC receive Special Focus from World Bank.In the same vein the destabilization in the North East worsened Human Development Indicators in North East Nigeria and the country sadly joined the List therefore prioritizing reconstruction of Post-Conflict zone in any of those countries factually proved to be key for rest of the country growth and stability.

She also attributed the criticisms that trailed Jim Yong Kim statement to President Muhammadu Buhari's poor management of our diversity which is the main focus of this article.

The current criticism and unnecessary suspicion trailing President Buhari today is the long term effect of his pro-North agenda, permit me to reproduce this story that was once Published in Vanguard Newspapers on 3rd February 2015.

“Between 1983 and 1985, Peter Onu of Nigeria was Acting Secretary-General of the OAU. At the 1985 Summit in Addis Ababa, statesmen like Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania, lobbied for his election as substantive Secretary-General. However, there was a major stumbling block to Peter Onu’s candidature:his Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, was campaigning against him.Buhari claimed: “This generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no other country than Nigeria.” But when the crunch came, his allegiance to Nigeria disappeared. In the election of the OAU Secretary-General in 1985, Buhari voted against Nigeria and for Niger instead. He secured the election of Ide Oumarou, a Fulani man from Niger; as opposed to an Igbo man from Nigeria. By so doing, Buhari became the first and only Head of State in the history of modern international relations to vote against his country in favour of his tribe”.


The emergence of President Buhari signaled a new beginning for a democratic Buhari but there hasn't been much difference since he assumes power in 2015. The president has neglected federal character and taken decisions that has further widen our unity. Hardly has he settled down in office that he made his first freudian slip of 97% and 5% at the United states Institute of Peace While answering questions on the developmental plans for Niger delta.

The resultant effect of that gaffe cost the country billions as the rested militancy activities in the region suddenly assumed a wild dimension through the activities of the now rested Niger-delta Avengers.

As if that was not enough, the appointments of Military and paramilitary heads was skewed in favour of the Northern region at the detriment of other region. These brought about a lot of cries but the President moved on.

Still unperturbed, the DSS made one of the most scandalous  recruitment in Nigeria's history giving the North more slots compared to fewer slots for the south. For example, katsina had fifty-one  slots while Lagos had seven slots. The President as usual failed to ammend these grave errors rather he turned a deaf ear to the critics.

I can go on and on mentioning all the unnecessary errors that the President has made that is now hunting his image badly which has been depleted further by his media handlers that chose to speak to Nigerians as if we are all opposition party members that are not free to Air our  opinion.

The President and his handlers needs  to know we are in a country with diverse ethnic group as a result, our diversity must be considered before critical decisions are made.Its unfortunate that the proliferation of ethnicity that was condemned under Dr Goodluck Jonathan now has a strong footing under a Change government.

President Muhammadu Buhari came to office with a Pan Nigeria mandate and should act by the mandate. I will advise the President to address  the lopsidedness of appointments currently evident in his administration.

The journey to 2019 general elections is still far therefore he needs to make amendments so that Nigerians will make a good review of his administration if re-election time comes.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel
Adesinatosin1@gmail.com
Lagos

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ALHAJI RAZAK GAWAT, FIVE YEARS TOO LONG

On the morning of July 6 2012 Alhaji Rasak Gawat left his house in search of his daily bread, decked in a white Agbada with his signature cap. The broadcaster and host of the popular Ramadan fasting programme Ejisari left for his office but never returned home. His car was later found empty and neatly parked on the Eko Bridge.
 There was confusion everywhere as to what might have happened to him. Suicide was initially suspected however this was not substantiated as no suicide note was discovered, while search parties fruitlessly combed the expanse of the Lagos lagoon for his body.
 The family spent days awaiting a call from kidnappers in the event of an abduction, but no call came through. Later on the then governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), announced a 10 million naira reward for anyone with useful information on his whereabouts. In addition to that, broadcasts were made on radio and television informing Nigerians of the disappearance.
Despite efforts made by the Fashola administration and his family, the whereabouts of Alhaji Rasak Gawat remain a mystery to date. The family and friends of Alhaji Rasak Gawat held Fidau prayers for him on the 10th of July 2016 according to Islamic injunction on missing persons. As prominent as the case of Alhaji Rasak Gawat was, it is not the only unresolved case of missing individuals in Nigeria as at this moment.
Bukola Olowookere, an employee of Ecobank Bourdillon Branch Ikoyi Lagos has been missing since May 5 2016. Around 7pm on the said day, the mother of one told her husband Adewale in a phone call that she was on her way home from work and that was all. He waited all night for her arrival to no avail. The case was later reported at Ejigbo police station where law enforcement agents swung into action but nothing has come out of the investigation one year afterwards. The woman’s whereabouts are not known despite unconfirmed media reports stating that her bag and phones were found by the police.

The cases of these two individuals constitute less than 1% of the number of people missing in Nigeria annually. According to the National Bureau of Statistics between 2002 and 2016 the Nigeria Police investigated about 3000 cases of missing persons with an average of 5 individuals every week. From January to May 2016 the Police received reports of 100 missing persons and it hasn't stopped since then. Lots of individuals have been found dead with their bodies mutilated, some were found after payment of a hefty ransom to their kidnappers while others were not found at all.

The import of this is that we live in a very insecure country where individuals disappear for no reason. The Nigeria Police Force saddled with the duty of civic protection of lives and property is underfunded and ill equipped as a result they barely get to the root of issues of missing persons unless the affected families mount pressure on the Force.
Though the case of Alhaji Gawat was a topic of national discourse back then in 2012, now in 2017 many have forgotten the man once existed let alone being missing, which is a failure of the government which swore to protect the lives and properties of the citizens.


Poor record keeping practice of security agencies is also a hindrance to finding a solution to the case of missing persons in Nigeria. The moment an officer in charge of an investigation is transferred to another command the case dies a natural death and it stops there as the case file is declared missing most times due to the transfer of the investigation officer  as if there was no proper handing over to the current officer in charge by the former .
In the case of Rasak Gawat the current situation of the case is not known. In the course of writing this article I put a call to CSP Jimoh Moshood the Nigerian Police Force P.R.O who promised to call back to give me an update but the update hasn’t arrived one week after. It is worthy of mentioning that between 2012 and 2017 five Inspectors General of Police have served the country and none of them reviewed the case in other to find a lasting solution to it. This is an anomaly that should not exist in a sane society as we need to find solutions to issues to prevent re-occurrence.

More so, the case file of Bukola Olowookere was said to have been transferred to the Force Headquarters and there is no update about it till this moment. As I've said earlier, these two cases make up less than 1% of missing persons in Nigeria. Some of the kidnapped Chibok girls are still being held hostage by the Boko-haram sect after 3years of kidnap. The kidnapped students of Igbonla Model College Epe are still in captivity 40 days after their disappearance.

I would like to use this medium to urge government at all levels to make the security of lives their utmost responsibility as every life counts; security agencies should be equipped and trained to make them more efficient.
That Alhaji Rasak Gawat is still missing five years after is unfortunate and a sign that we are yet to get it right in terms of public safety as a country.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites

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BEFORE WE START THE ARMY UNIVERSITY

It was reported recently that the Nigerian Army plans to establish a new university called The Army University in Biu, Borno State. According to details released to the media the University is billed to take-off September next year. The certificate of occupancy was given to the Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Tukur Buratai on the 5th of June 2017 by the Borno state governor.

Establishing a university for the Nigerian Army is a welcome development as it will serve as a means of accommodating admission seekers who don't make it into other universities. It could serve as a research centre which will develop solutions to enhance our security apparatus at a time the nation is being confronted with myriad of security challenges. Despite all the good purposes the university may serve, however, caution must be exercised before going ahead with the University.It's  one thing to establish a university, and quite another to ensure its viability. As of now, no Nigerian university makes the list of Top 1000 universities in the world, which brings to question the quality of our institutions.

Currently, the Federal Government of Nigeria has established universities in every state of the federation but these universities have not achieved the aim of their establishment. They are confronted with financial, administrative and labour related issues. Salaries are not paid as and when due, research grants are not available for lecturers, some universities cannot afford diesel to fuel their generators, while some can't provide potable water for their students. Some do not have a functional website while those who do update it for admission purposes only.

The NEEDS assessment report on the state of Nigerian Universities submitted to the Federal executive council in 2012 states as follows "The Assessment committee found that physical facilities for teaching and learning in Nigerian Universities are Inadequate and Used beyond the original carrying capacity.  Many lecturers including professors share small offices which are dilapidated, poorly ventilated, poorly illuminated, poorly furnished and poorly equipped with over-stretched/over-crowded lecture theatres, classrooms, laboratories and workshops shared by many programs across different faculties. Improvised open-air sports pavilion, old cafeteria, convocation arenas and even uncompleted buildings used for lectures. In some cases workshops are conducted under corrugated sheds or Trees"

Furthermore, the report states that basic learning resources are unavailable or in short supply. For instance, less than 10% of the universities have video conferencing facility, less than 20% of the universities use Interactive Boards (even the ones that deployed Interactive Boards are using them in less than 10%of their lecture rooms/ theatres). More than 50% don’t  use public address systems in their lecture rooms/theatres. Internet Services are non-existent, or epileptic and slow. library resources are outdated and manual In addition, the report stated that no Nigerian university library is fully automated while less than 35% are partially automated. This report was submitted in 2012 and the current situation in 2017 is worse than what was reported by the NEEDS assessment committee in 2012.

Nigeria's  premier university, the University of Ibadan is currently under lock as a result of a protest embarked upon by students due to the inability of the management to issue them with identity cards after charging 2000 Naira per student. These challenges are not peculiar to one but all as the newly established federal universities are having financial and administrative issues as well. For example, the Federal University Oye-Ekiti is on strike at the moment due to friction between the management and the labour union despite being in its nascent stage. The University is experiencing crisis which is not good for its growth process. By all indications, the proposed Army University may be encumbered by similar challenges which would sooner or later overwhelm it and defeat its raison dêtre, however noble that may be.

Also, the timing and location of the Army University is wrong considering some factors. Currently the Army is still battling with the Boko-Haram menace which is taking a toll on its scant resources. As a result establishing the university at this moment will deplete the existing insufficient funds of the Ministry of Education, Defence and Army at the same time.  Besides, why do we need to start a new University in Biu when we have the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna which is a degree awarding institution? Equipping and expanding  the NDA will cost less for the government than establishing a new University in a fresh location considering the economic reality of the country  at this moment.

Nigeria has not managed the existing universities well so it will be an irony to go ahead with a new University when the existing ones are comatose. Some universities are surviving based on the lease of life given to them by the Alumni as their subventions are being owed with some running into years. The existing atmosphere beclouding Nigerian Universities portends a great danger for the future of the proposed Army University, therefore we should exercise caution lest we embark on another wild goose chase.

Equipping the existing universities should be made a national priority. To make them more viable, necessary equipment should be provided for the students as some science based universities still use kerosene stoves as Bunsen burners in their laboratories. Incessant industrial actions by ASUU and other labour unions in the universities should be addressed and salaries paid promptly. Funding for education should be increased from its current inadequate state so as to make these universities work.

The current manpower shortage should be addressed so as to ease the teaching and learning process. The international Organization for Migration, Abuja, in a November 2012 report, states as follows  "with 37,504 academic staff in 74 public universities in Nigeria the report revealed an unmanageable student-lecture ratio.  For example, at the National Open University the academic staff-to-student ratio was 1:363, at Lagos State University it was 1:144 and at the University of Abuja it was 1:122. Kano State University which was eleven years old at the time of the Needs Assessment had one professor and 25 lecturers with PhDs while Kebbi State University had two professors and five lecturers with doctorate degrees. These statistics revealed wide disparities between Nigerian universities and their counterparts in other parts of the world. For instance, staff-student ratio in Harvard University is 1 to 4, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1 to 9, and the University of Cambridge is 1 to 3" The situation  in 2017 is the same as reported in 2012. This report shows our University system is in need of concerted intervention. The government should concentrate on solving the existing problems; not adding to it, as the Army University won't fare any better.

Before we go ahead with the Army University, the existing rot in our public universities must be address before we plunged the Army University into an avoidable mess.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites

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NBA: SABOTAGING THE ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR

This is not the best of times for the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Nigerian Bar Association which is the umbrella body of lawyers in Nigeria On Sunday 28th May 2017 through their President Mahmood Abubakar SAN faulted the anti-corruption war of the Buhari led government especially the ones involving judges in the Judiciary arm of government calling for the stoppage of the anti-corruption war and in a related development The NJC also ordered the reinstatement of the suspended Judges few days after the NBA declaration despite the fact that investigations is still on and an appeal already filed against justice Adrmiyu Ademola the NJC went ahead with the implementation of the resumption of duty order.
  The action of the Bar no matter what they may think is a disservice to NBA In particular and the Judiciary in its entirety. A wise man once said "He who will come to equity must come with clean hands" in this situation the NBA is lacking the equity expected of it in condemning the federal government anti-corruption war.

 The NBA and the Judiciary have constituted a major impediment to the success of the government's anti-corruption war over the years. Nigerians across all levels have described the Judiciary as a major hindrance to effective justice dispensation in Nigeria with NBA as a major supporter. President Buhari once stated in a forum that his greatest headache in his bid to rid the country of the toga of corruption is the Judiciary It is therefore appalling that the NBA is calling on the presidency to halt the trials of judges and other corruption cases when corruption has dented our image as a country and cant be redeem in four years of the Buhari led government not to talk of ten years. Corruption has made Every Nigerian to be perceived as a thief in other countries of the world including neighboring countries like Ghana and South Africa.

The NBA itself knows that Nigeria as a country is synonymous with corruption as a result any effort made by the government deserves commendation and advise should be given where necessary for proper guidance. The anti-corruption war may not be as perfect as expected but we cannot throw the baby away with the bath water. The determination of President Muhammadu   Buhari   to fight corruption even consumed the all-powerful Babachir David Lawal his former SGF a pointer to the fact that no one is a sacred cow in this war.

The NBA at this moment should be at the forefront of the campaign for the anti-corruption war and working for its success and not against it because as it is said the Judiciary is the hope of the common man but with the recent action of NBA that hope has been diminished. The NBA as an association has been riddled with corruption allegations over the years,  Even the current NBA executives have been sacked by the Federal high court in Abuja but they are yet to comply with that judgement.

At the osun state election petition tribunal for the 2011 gubernatorial elections the defence lawyer Kunle Kalejaiye was accused of engaging in unwholesome practices with the Tribunal chairman justice Thomas Naron the NBA kept mum on the matter until The National Judicial council was petitioned. They made their findings and Kunle Kalejaiye was de-robed as a lawyer and his SAN award revoked. Justice Naron too was punished for the unprofessional act. The case exposed the actions of Bribe giving lawyers and Bribe taking judges which shows that corruption has eaten deep into our system and it hasn't since subsided with many lawyers standing trial for corruption related cases. The Panama Papers Investigative release of 2016 indicted some Nigerians including members of the Judiciary but the NBA kept mum on the issue same as the case involving Barrister Ebun Olu Adegboruwa, Mallam Rickey Tarfa among others.

High profile criminals in the countries have escaped justice through the actions of lawyers and judges with the accused always carrying the day due to the action of injunction awarding judges . The moment the judges under probe were arrested last year with lots of cash found on them it was the NBA that first cried foul without making its findings on the issue until they later made a U-Turn . The set of people who lauded the effort of the government were civil society organisations and some human right lawyers including Femi Falana SAN, Professor itse sagay among others.

Nigeria is a country under construction as a result every action that will lead to the eradication of corruption which is our greatest nightmare must be supported by all and sundry. Nigeria cannot be purged of corruption without cleaning the Augean stable in the Judiciary too. The action of the NBA is a sabotage to the good spirited effort of the President to restore the country to the path of sanity. His performance in other sectors of the country has been abysmally poor but his handling of the insecurity and war against corruption in the country is a step in the right direction.

The NBA should serve as the major supporter of the war against corruption by giving necessary input to the Federal Government where necessary and not by condemning government effort aimed  at stamping out corruption.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites

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MANCHESTER UNITED, LAGOS APC AND REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE

On the 21st of April 2017, some football enthusiasts gathered at a viewing centre in Calabar cross Rivers State to watch the Europa League quarter final match between Manchester United and Anderlecht. In the course of the match tragedy struck. A high tension cable dropped on the roof of the building killing 30 people instantly with more than 15 injured. The news spread across the whole country as it was an unprecedented incident. Less than 12hours after this incident, Manchester United Football Club acknowledged the death of the fans in a tweet saying "our thoughts go out to the United Fans, their friends and families affected by the tragedy in Calabar, Nigeria, yesterday" That was a very swift response and a show of sympathy for the lives lost in the incident. Manchester and Calabar are thousands of miles apart but the club got wind of the news and responded in admirable fashion.

Further research into the lives lost might show some of them to be fans of other clubs but it doesn't deter Manchester United, what they know was that people died watching a football match involving their club and they've showed love. The club didn't stop at that as their players wore black armbands at their next match as a sign of respect for the departed souls. It shows the premium placed on human lives by the club.

In a similar event here in Nigeria on Wednesday 10th May, 2017, the Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held a state meeting at its secretariat on Acme Road Ogba Ikeja. As a result of the meeting, the whole of Ogba  witnessed a gridlock which affected vehicular movement as road users and civil servants  had a hectic time moving to their places of work while some resorted to trekking.

In the midst of this, one Bashir, a staff of the Lagos State government was taking his sick eight day-old son Oluwatamilore to the hospital for medical care but his movement was hampered by the traffic holdup caused by the APC meeting. He made frantic efforts to find a way to the hospital but all efforts failed. The baby died in the traffic.

Immediately this happened the distraught Bashir took to Twitter to vent his anger on Lagos APC and the state Government for his loss. The tweet went viral with lots of Twitter users condoling him while others shared their experiences of the traffic jam. Lagosians expected the state government and Lagos APC to react to the issue as the Governor was present at the meeting together with the National Leader of APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu but there was none until the Press contacted Joe Igbokwe, the Spokesman of Lagos APC. As expected of a Nigerian, Igbokwe gave a very distasteful reply that "if it's true we apologize for the incident"

The statement triggered the rage of Nigerians who described it as insensitive and inappropriate but nothing has been heard from the APC since, likewise the Lagos State Government. To show the value Lagos APC placed on human lives, the State Chairman Mr Henry Ajomale was on a political programme on Classic FM with popular radio Host Jimi Disu on Sunday May 14 2017. When the chairman was asked to react to the incident he denied knowledge of the incident. All  effort made by Jimi Disu to convince the APC Chairman  that the party is responsible for the death of the child failed as he disagreed vehemently and the show ended without a concrete statement from the APC chairman on the issue.

This has brought to fore the fact that Nigerian politicians don't have value for human lives irrespective of the party and position in which they find themselves. The tragic death of the baby meant nothing to the likes of Joe Igbokwe but if a fellow politician were to pass away in a foreign hospital that is miles away from Nigeria, they would be quick to declare seven days of mourning with the flag flown at half-mast with condolence visits to the family and lots of cash gifts. But for Oluwatamilore he means nothing to the Lagos APC and the Lagos State government.

That Lagos APC chose to act in that manner is a reflection of the society we find ourselves and the premium placed on lives in Nigeria irrespective of the political party in power. Under the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, about 24 job seekers lost their lives in the immigration recruitment exercise. Despite the casualty, the minister of Interior Abba Morro remained in office until the end of the tenure. Despite several calls for his removal by Nigerians and the APC which was an opposition party then, he wasn't removed.  Today, the APC which is the ruling party  commits the same acts for which it routinely criticized PDP.

The party has revealed to the world that it has no value for human lives and this goes to show that our political leaders have zero regard for the electorate after the election, which lies in sharp contrast to what Manchester United did for the Calabar victims. The APC and the Lagos State government sure have a lesson to learn from Manchester United. They've shown that they are not only interested in people watching their games with high revenue accruing to them but that human lives matter.
May the souls of the departed rest in peace. Amen

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites

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DSS LOPSIDED RECRUITMENT: BUHARI BELONGS TO SOMEBODY

An online news portal Premium times published on the 28th of April 2017 a report detailing a strange recruitment exercise by the Department of State Security Services.

The agency had commissioned 479 cadet officers after their passing-out parade in Lagos on March 5 2017 after  a nine-month training programme under the agency’s Basic Course 29/2016/17. The listing of those recruited into the service has now become a subject of concern to Nigerians who are confused as to what the DSS aims to achieve by the oddly disproportionate nature of its recruitment. The exercise was expected to award five slots to each state of the federation but the final listing shows a huge disparity in allotment cadet officers from each state.

For example, Katsina which is the home state of the President produced fifty-one cadets while Lagos had just seven; ditto for Kano which had twenty-five while Abia got seven slots. In aggregate, the North had more slots than the South.This is a clear violation of the principle of federal character of the Federal Republic. But this is not its first occurrence under the Buhari led presidency.


On the 15th of March 2016, Sahara Reporters and Premium Times reported the illegal recruitment of 91 individuals who are relatives and wards of political office holders into the Central Bank of Nigeria, the recruitment was done in secret by the Apex bank, devoid of the necessary due process. The job was not advertised for public participation rather the individuals were handpicked and the Federal Government kept mum on the issue.


Also in 2016 the chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr Babatunde Fowler, illegally recruited people into the agency as reported by the Media http://saharareporters.com/2016/06/15/federal-inland-revenue-service-job-scandal-full-list-349-new-staff-secretly-hired-tunde . The presidency kept silent on the issue and a terse statement was released by the SA on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande claiming that no such recruitment took place. As we know, the media won't report what they don't know but it has become the norm for the government to deny every allegation against it, however compelling they may sound.

However the current skewed recruitment by the DSS is one that has cast a blithe on the transparency and accountability being championed by the Federal Government. It lends credence to the statement attributed to the President after his election that he would pay more attention to those who voted for him than  those who gave him no votes.  The statement was rebuffed by Nigerians, as it contradicts his inaugural promise of "I belong to everybody, I belong to Nobody" but the presidency has carried on by implementing the statement through its actions as seen in the recent DSS recruitment.

The future implication of this is that a time will come when the DSS will be seen as an ethnic fiefdom, belonging to one part of the country. Already the southerners have expressed concerns about the “northernisation” of Buhari's appointments and the president has not done much to assuage their fears.  One of the greatest mistakes of President Goodluck Jonathan was the promotion of an Ijaw based agenda which was roundly criticized and which eventually backfired. Buhari is doing the same at the moment. It has shown that the continuous ethnic agitations in the south against the Nigerian state won't end anytime soon unless the south is given a sense of belonging.

I'm a firm believer in One Nigeria and the indivisibility of this country. However we must not embark on actions that fuel agitations for self-government and secession. The DSS recruitment is a slap in the face of an administration that espouses the idea of change but is found stuck in the mire of the status quo.

The action of the DSS DG is inimical to the change agenda of the APC led Federal Government and the government must speak out to condemn this abuse of power. If the government allows nepotism to go unchecked, then we are not yet ready for change.


Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites

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TIM OMOTOSHO: LESSONS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Recently, the media was awashed with  news of the arrest of a South African based Nigerian Pastor, Timothy Omotosho, the founder of Jesus dominion international church Durban south Africa. Omotosho started his ministry in England before moving to South Africa in the year 2001 and  has grown his church of 50 members to thousands. Dubbed the "miracle worker" he has been credited with healing all sorts of sickness and performing miracles. But that CV was tainted with his arrest for human trafficking last week.

The Police alleged that Tim Omotosho trafficked about 30 girls from different locations within south africa to a house in Uhmlanga, Kwazulu-Natal where he exploited them sexually. I watched the confessions of some of the girls on South African TV in a documentary themed "The Assignment" It was a horrific documentary that brought tears to my eyes.

As expected, there were various opinions for and against his arrest, but the opinions did not deter the Police from arraigning him in court for the offence. In the course of his arraignment he pleaded not guilty. subsequently he was denied Bail with case adjourned to the 3rd of May.

There is a big lesson for Nigeria to learn as a country in the ongoing trial of Tim Omotosho for the alleged offences. From the investigations by the police to his arrest and arraignment, everything was a show of class and Professionalism. The man was not subjected to media trial as found in Nigeria. despite his status as  a Big Time Pastor in South Africa with thousands of members the state did not shield him from prosecution as found here. South Africa's justice system and rule of law is one Nigeria needs to emulate.

if Tim Omotosho had committed these alleged acts in Nigeria, I am 100% sure he wouldn't have been  arrested let alone being arraigned. His media adviser would have taken to the press to blame it on mischief makers and black mailers, if that did not work they would  give it an ethnic coloration, if that failed they will make it political. He will hire ten SAN's and the SAN's would have obtained an order from a magistrate court in sokoto to prevent Police from arresting him in ibadan. There would have been protest by his church members alleging Blackmail by the powers of Darkness and the case would have died  a natural death with the victims living forever with the scar!

But that was not so in South Africa. for every act committed there is  an equal and commensurate punishment. It was in South Africa that Henry Okah was convicted for the Independence Day bomb blast that rocked the capital city of Nigeria during the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. he was in South Africa at the time of the blast but the long  arm of the law caught up with him and he was convicted. His brother, Charles Okah's case is still dragging slowly for over 4years in Nigeria with no end in sight.

Nigeria sure has a lots to learn from the South African justice system. Our government needs to learn how to stand in the gap for victims of any human right abuse irrespective of who committed the act.

In the year 2013 a lady named Ese walter alleged that the senior Pastor of common wealth of Zion Assembly, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo had a sexual relationship with her outside the country and when she couldn't bear seeing the man preaching every Sunday, she had to speak out to clear her conscience. The Pastor in the usual style of a Nigerian claimed it was Blackmail and said God asked him to keep quiet about it that there will be a robust reply soon. four years after, we are yet to get the robust reply and Ese walter is no more a Christian as she finds it difficult to see the same man that slept with her leading Thousands of worshippers.

In this case there was no investigation by the security agencies, the state also feign ignorance of it and we've continued to act as if all is well.

As if that was not enough, on the 12th of September 2014 a guest house located in the premises of synagogue church of all nations ikotun-egbe belonging to Pastor TB Joshua collapsed, killing over 100 souls majorly foreigners with South Africans the most hit. The event was shocking that it put Nigeria on the world news for Days and months. But who paid for the lost souls? NO one. TB Joshua enjoyed the protection of the state from President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Lagos State government set up a coroner's inquest into the incident but TB Joshua refused to appear before it till date. He would  rather blame the Evil ones and one small airplane for the collapse. In fact the plane was so small that it couldn't be captured by the radar of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency. The rest as they say is history!

I can give countless examples of how the state has frustrated justice and failed to support victims of abuse and other vices in Nigeria. Is it the Stephanie otobo / Apostle Suleman saga? Is it the Bishop Akan Weeks church collapse that claimed lots of life in Akwa ibom that he also blamed on the power of Darkness?

One thing common to these cases is the role played by the state in preventing the dispensation of justice  to the culprits. The state isn't interested in it no matter the publicity the event generates so far the individual is a public figure.Succinctly put, if you are a public figure in Nigeria say Pastor, imam, business tycoon  among others you have license to commit crime and get away with it . South Africa has shown to Nigeria that everyone is important and you will reap whatever you sow irrespective of your status .

And before you think Omotosho was being persecuted because he is a Nigerian, The answer is a capital NO! South Africans too had a first-hand experience of the sound justice system in the country. A case that readily comes to mind is that of Olympic Gold medalist Oscar Pistorious. Despite bringing glory to his country as a paralympian he was not spared when he killed his girlfriend and he was convicted at the end of the day. Can that happen in Nigeria? Your guess is as good as mine.

Until the state starts supporting victims of human right abuse and other vices and stops its interference with justice; and Nigerians in general believe in justice for the oppressed rather than calling it Blackmail, Justice will be far from the victims and the accused will always Prevail. Nigeria should learn from South Africa and promote a society where sinners don't go unpunished!
Justice is a Right, it must be enjoyed by everyone.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
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GOOD MORNING MR PRESIDENT

GOOD MORNING MR PRESIDENT

Last week Wednesday I sent a message to a friend on Whatsapp, in which I stated that since May 29 2015, when President Buhari was inaugurated as the President of Nigeria, he finally made me happy on the 19th of April 2017. I've had reasons to worry about the capability of the man I vigorously campaigned for in my own little capacity, about his ability to bark and bite as a president.

The Buhari we know is a strong and tough general and a man of more actions than words but since May 29 2015 we've seen the opposite. The president has been cold for no reason. The behavior of his appointees has been akin to that of the Biblical sons of Eli, bringing disrepute to the president’s name.

If the grass cutter (former SGF) doesn’t berate members of the National Assembly today, tomorrow he will descend on the Bring Back our Girls group. His appointees had been in the news for the wrong reasons and many were wondering what deters the president from using the sledge hammer where necessary.

But alas! Baba woke up from his long sleep of silence and showed the stuff he was made of on Wednesday. Like wild fire, the news resounded that the former SGF Babachir David Lawal had been suspended by the Presidency, he never expected it (in falz voice) as he denied the suspension in an interview with state house correspondent by feigning ignorance of it.

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in his leaked memo to President Buhari described the former SGF as lousy and disrespectful and he proved El Rufai right, by asking journalists “who is the Presidency?”  That exposes him as a disrespectful individual. The presidency is the highest decision making body in Nigeria and it deserves to be respected by everyone.

A few months ago I wrote an article regarding this same SGF in which I advised the president to be wary of people like Babachir Lawal. I'm happy Mr President has finally recognized Babachir as an albatross to the progress of his government and he has been cleared out.

In the same vein I would be happy if the president could rejig his cabinet and bring in individuals that will translate his change vision into reality as the current Federal Executive Council as composed  is nothing but zero. Nigeria deserves a better deal.

The lesson to Babachir David Lawal and other political office holders is that power is transient. It won't last, as a result they should preserve their integrity for future reference.

Also last week president buhari suspended the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency. The NIA is one of the most secretive agencies of government after the DSS. Their activities are kept away from public glare due to their sensitive nature but that has ceased to be. On the 12th of April 2017 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission made a discovery of over 10 Billion naira at Osborne Towers Ikoyi in Lagos due to the activity of a whistleblower.

Immediately the discovery was made public, Nigerians were looking forward to those that would be arrested but instead what we saw was a drama of wits over who owns the money. The first entrant into it was the Rivers State Governor Mr Nyesom Wike. In his words, that the money was part of Rivers State funds looted by his predecessor and current minister of transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. An allegation which Amaechi subsequently denied.

The second entrant was the NIA which declared through its suspended DG that the money was kept in the apartment for a "covert operation" and that it was given to them by the CBN and approved by Former President Jonathan. In a twist of events the apex bank denied giving the NIA such money and Jonathan kept mum on the matter.

The involvement and interests of the NIA in the matter came as a surprise to many Nigerians, including me. Nigerians wondered how a government agency would keep over 10Billion naira in a private apartment for its use while the EFCC went ahead to declare it as stolen fund despite the presumed existence of inter-agency collaboration between these two institutions. Up till today no arrest has been made, but the axe fell on the NIA chief same day Babachir Lawal was booted out of office.

Nigerians are still waiting for the next line of Action. Will Babachir Lawal face prosecution for his role in the contract awarding process for the Presidential Initiative for North East Development?
Will Ayodele Oke face prosecution for the Ikoyi loot too? These will unfold in days to come.
As an individual I believe these two individuals must account for their deeds in their previous offices to serve as deterrent to others.

To Mr President, we need more of these actions; the change you promised is yet to come but with such acts of bravery as outlined above, I'm assured the future is bright.

Now that you've woken up from your long sleep of silence, I say good morning Mr President.


Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
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JAMB 2017 AND OTHER ILLS

JAMB 2017 AND OTHER ILLS
On the 4th of April 2017 I overhead people discussing in hushed tones in our house around 1am, I was wondered what could be going on such discussion an odd hour of the night. I had to put a call through to my sister to ask what was happening and she said “we are going to the JAMB registration Centre”. I was stunned with mouth left ajar. I asked her again, “you mean JAMB center? 1am?” She said yes. On probing her further I discovered there were only four JAMB licensed registration centers in Ikorodu, as a result the pressure was much on the centers and they had to schedule some applicants for Midnight registration. On getting to the JAMB registration center they met over 80 Nigerians sleeping on the ground, waiting for the registration to commence. There was no security presence at the venue, despite the volatile nature of Ikorodu. It's worthy of note that they left the house that night around 1:30am and returned by 11:30am the next day.

How JAMB degenerated to this level is what I don't know, as at the last UTME of 2016 what you needed to register for JAMB was to buy a registration scratch card from JAMB accredited sellers and walk into a nearby cybercafé to get your registration done. That ends it and you go for your exam. But since the appointment of professor Ishaq Oloyede as the new JAMB registrar the achievements of the previous JAMB management under the leadership of Professor Dibu Ojerinde have been thrown to the bin by the ineffective policies implemented by the new leadership of JAMB.

Ikorodu with population of over 2 million inhabitants has just four registration centers for over 20,000 applicants while less than 1000 registration centers exist nationwide.

In Benue state some applicants staged a violent protest to express their displeasure about the stress they had to go through for their registration. In the process the JAMB office was destroyed. This abominable act should not have happened had JAMB made its registration hassle free.

In an era where the world has become a global village due to the advent of the Internet, JAMB has decided to subject applicants and their parents to unnecessary stress in the bid to register their wards for The examination. The sad part of this is that it has depleted the image of JAMB further as their result doesn't guarantee automatic admission.  Individual institutions still subject applicants to another round of screening; an act that shows a lack of faith in the accuracy and competence of JAMB as an examining body.

The policy somersault currently going on in JAMB is a reflection of the sad state of our society. Continuity is never our watchword in Nigeria, we believe in implementing new policies with each administration in power due to our ego, as a result we will keep doing the merry go round with no end in sight to our challenges. The management of JAMB should get its acts together and do the right thing and make the process easier than it used to be.

The former process created job for millions of cybercafé owners in the country and contributed positively to economic growth. This new process will lead to job loss by the cybercafé owners and monopolizing of the process by the few JAMB contractors which will further increase the poverty level in an economy currently experiencing recession.

In the same vein over 300 Nigerians have been lost to the dreaded epidemic of cerebrospinal meningitis in zamfara, Katsina,Sokoto, kebbi and Niger states. The outbreak started in December 2016 and we are yet to curtail the disease by April 2017.The Nigeria center for disease control described the ravaging meningitis as the Meningitis C. The meningitis C according to information made available is an incurable type of meningitis but it can be prevented.

On the third of April 2017 the federal Government in a shameless manner announced that there is no drug for the disease in Nigeria, stating that it would need to import the vaccines from other foreign nations. It's such a sad state of affairs that we need to import drugs for a disease that has been killing Nigerians since December 2016 in April 2017, leading to question about what the national drug research institutes and teaching hospitals have been doing in Nigeria despite the billions budgeted for them. But do we really need to worry? NO we don't!  the Governor of Zamfara State has described the meningitis C as an act of God to serve as a punishment to human beings for turning away from his ways.

That meningitis, cholera and typhoid are killing Nigerians in 2017 as seen in Queens College Lagos  is a reflection of the sad state of our dear country. Our health sector needs total revamping in other to reduce the number of souls being lost to diseases which have been eradicated in countries not as prosperous as Nigeria.

Conclusively, the management of University of Lagos notorious for its anti-student policies have gone haywire again. The once "Great Akokite" is now living in its past glory with the way students union leaders of the University have been subjected to intimidation by the University management. Events such as scrapping of the university’s Students Union to the introduction of Parents Teachers Association In the school are signs that the Professor Rahman Bello led management of the institution is hell bent on destroying the good name of an institution once renowned for its virile student unions. Recently, some students union leaders of the institution demonstrated at the premises of Television Continental (TVC) Lagos to call for the reinstatement of two blind students rusticated by the University despite their physical challenge. The protest was peaceful as corroborated by the management of TVC through Abisola Agbaje, the company’s legal manager but the leadership of the University authority in connivance with the Nigeria Police Force arrested the students, charging them before a mobile court for unlawful invasion of TVC – an allegation denied by the TVC management. They were sent to Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison by the magistrate.

The colleagues of the affected students had to mobilize for a massive protest at Kirikiri Prison before the release of their detained colleagues including Lawrence success, a blind student rusticated from the University. The constant intimidation of the UNILAG Student Union is a dictatorial act by Professor Bello and the Governing Council of the University and should be condemned.

Students have a right to protest and peaceful assembly and that was done by the student leaders of the University but they end up in a maximum prison as though they were terrorists. The right of these students should not be trampled upon under any guise.

These three incidents have shown the sorry state of our nation and the need for total restructuring of all sectors from education to health, and the economy.
Let's purge Nigeria of these ills.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
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SARAKI, APC AND THE VAGUE VICTORY

Fellow Nigerians, a few days ago makes it two years since we trooped out in our Thousands to Demand for a change of government at the centre by voting out the PDP led government and the Buhari led FG was elected, President Buhari and his party the APC campaigned on the change slogan as they felt what we felt under the Jonathan government that we deserved a better deal as Nigerians.

The victory of the APC as a Party was a short lived one as the early signs exposed the party for what it is – a conglomeration of power seekers and not a political party succinctly put "a collection of strange bed fellows" The elections into the legislative arm of government were the first litmus test the Party and President Buhari failed.

In the build up to the election the Party had nominated Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives while Senator Ahmed Lawan was nominated respectively for the Senate Presidency. In a twist of events, Senator Bukola Saraki emerged as the Senate President while Yakubu Dogara emerged as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in connivance with the PDP members of both chambers.

The case of Saraki was more shocking as senator Ike Ekweremadu a PDP man was elected as his deputy. That was the first sign that all was not well with the Party. Immediately the election was over the newly elected Senate president paid a visit to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (former Vice president and his co-decampee from PDP) to thank him for his 'support' towards his emergence. Since then the Party has been in one crisis or another and it has reached a level where it's evident the Party is only existing on Paper.

The rough edge relationship between the APC led legislative arm and the APC led executive gives the appearance of a house divided against itself. Till date, APC is not fully organized party, with the frequent wrangling between its various factions -- the Tinubu Faction, the Saraki/ Atiku Faction, the Buhari / Daura Faction among others. However as raw as it may sound the Buhari Faction is the loser in this game.

The Tinubu Faction has recoiled back to the South West as seen in the present reconciliation moves of the party which have been yielding fruit as the crisis over the ondo election has been put to rest  and the massive support Tinubu received recently at his 65th Birthday shows their bloc is as strong as ever.
The saraki Faction was not taken seriously initially as it wasn't seen as a threat. To distract him he was fired with missiles of court cases from the Code of Conduct Tribunal to the election Tribunal and the Senate forgery case but this failed as the group has moved from just an ordinary group of angry APC members to a formidable group that needs to be check mated thoroughly to prevent any impeding disaster the Party may experience anytime from now.

Many people may not know "Oloye", as Saraki is fondly called by his Ilorin admirers, as a master of his game with results to show for it.

In 2003 Saraki as a young cadet in the political field contested and won the Kwara state Governorship election, defeating the late Muhammed Lawal by a landslide with the support of his father. To show that saraki is a fast learner he started building his political group apart from his father's own.

Even his father the Late Olusola saraki didn't see his son as the straw that would break the back of his Political camel. Saraki was recruiting his foot soldiers underneath while still showing his father the necessary loyalty until the 2011 elections arrived. Senator Olusola Saraki wanted Bukola’s younger sister, Gbemi, who was a member of the upper chamber of the National Assembly at that time to contest for the Governorship seat but he went against his father's wish to support his long time friend and then commissioner for finance Alhaji Abdul fatah Hammed. Hammed won the election while Gbemi lost.

Senator Olusola Saraki went into political hibernation and nothing was heard of him after the 2011 elections until he died on the 14th of November 2012. In this scenario saraki won, his father lost.

Bukola's defiance to APC was another sign that his political group was growing rapidly. His group’s stranglehold on the Senate has been a formidable one. Senator Ali Ndume who was elected initially as the leader of the Senate was removed in absentia on the Senate floor and he was replaced by Senator Ahmed Lawan from the Tinubu Faction of the Party. Also some senate committees were reshuffled to accommodate the interest of the Pro Tinubu group members like Senator Kabir Marafa, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Senator Robert Ajayi Borrofice and Senator Oluremi Tinubu among others and the peace that once evaded the Senate is back as the interest of everyone was catered for by Saraki. However, the Buhari Faction is still finding it difficult to get things done in the Senate.

This is evident in the embarrassment the federal government has experienced in recent times at the Senate. The sign that all was not well started when some career ambassadors were nominated and the Senate rejected the list before it was represented by the presidency. Similar treatment was meted out on the non-career ambassadors until it was re-presented. It was the same as the poor handling of the 2016 budget by the Senate.

The rejection of the acting EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu’s nomination by the Senate is another sign that the relationship between the executive and the Senate is faulty.

When Magu was nominated a news medium in October 2016 predicted his failure at the screening as some groups within the Buhari Presidency working against the president interest saw him as a threat to their interest.

This group is reportedly led by The Chief Of Staff to the President Mallam Abba Kyari, one of those mentioned by Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in his leaked September 2016 memo to Buhari as those that have become more powerful than the government. As predicted, Magu was rejected by the Senate on the 15th of December 2016 due to the unfavorable report by the Department of State Services (DSS) (an agency under the Buhari Presidency) against him.

The presidency presented his name for the second time for confirmation and the Senate on the 15th of March once again rejected him for the second time and he was declared unfit to hold the position of the EFCC chairman for failing the integrity test. In this case Buhari lost, Saraki won as both the APC and the PDP senators supported the rejection except Senator Ali Ndume.

As if that was not enough, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service had his dose of the senatorial melodrama as he was compelled to appear before the Senate in customs uniform. Despite the APC outnumbering the PDP the man was humiliated by the Senate and they had to approach the court as a face saving strategy. Another pointer to the fact that the Saraki led Senate has taken care of the interest of all senators. In this situation also Buhari lost, and Saraki won.

The silence of the National Working Committee of the APC on the frosty relationship between Senate and the Executive is a sign that the party lacks the necessary internal structure that makes up a party and that APC is not ready for governance. As terrible as Goodluck Jonathan’s government was the PDP NWC and BoT was the highest decision making of the Party and their opinion was always respected on issues.

That fact that the Saraki led Senate is strong and hitting the executive hard is a pointer to Buhari’s political weakness and the sad state of APC as a party.

This could not have happened if Buhari had properly built his political muscle as a president. In the buildup to the Senate election the President was advised to make his interest known but he declared that he can work with anybody that emerged as the leader of the chamber. A day to the Senate election when Saraki and others were planning, Buhari was sleeping and he rather preferred to fix a meeting for election morning than the pre -election night. When they were expecting him at the venue of the meeting, Saraki and Ekweremadu had emerged as the Senate President and Deputy respectively. And today, nobody is working with Buhari in the Senate, not even the three Senators from Katsina State, from where he hails.

Since their emergence the president has had it rough with this arm of government and they've stagnated the administration literally. Letters of approval are piling up on Saraki's table awaiting approval and some are  being rejected.

To crown it all, the Saraki led Senate has placed Senator Ali Ndume, the only man that speaks Buhari's mind in the Senate, on a six month suspension. A 6-month suspension is as good as killing the man politically.

As of now Saraki is getting stronger while Buhari is getting weaker, APC exists only on paper. Something urgent needs to Happen!  


Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
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WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST SUICIDE

On the 19th of January The Assistant Inspector General of Police  Zone 5 Headquarters, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, while addressing Police officers in Bayelsa State, expressed worry over the increasing incidents of suicide among officers across the country. In his words he said

“The Inspector General of Police (IG) has asked us to now go close to our officers as well as the rank and file to know what their problems are because the level of suicide within the police is getting higher"

That was January, the news was everywhere that Police officers were committing suicide with lots of public commentators attributing the suicide to the ongoing economic recession in the country but that was not all. In the same month one Tope Afolayan, a level 12 officer in the Ekiti State civil service and also a final year law student of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) committed suicide in his Ado Ekiti house without leaving a suicide note and the trend has continued since then.

In the month of February there was the case of a young man who killed himself in Ikorodu part of Lagos in an uncompleted building due to his failed relationship with his girlfriend of over seven years. His body was found dangling inside the uncompleted building with a suicide note by his side.

The Evil trend has now made its way into the month of March. In the early hours of the 7th of March, Ariyo Olanrewaju Taiwo posted this on his Facebook page "only got few hours to live..feeling depressed but not scared of death..wish I can make things right again but NO..it is over" Immediately  he posted this, his Facebook friends went into a frenzy as they taunted him that he doesn't know what he was doing. That evening he was found dead.

On the 18th of March 2017 Adesoji Adediran, a 500 level student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomosho hanged himself in his hostel room overnight without leaving a suicide note while his friends were out reading; what prompted him to do so remains a mystery to his friends who returned from the night class to find him dangling in his hostel room.

On the 19th of March 2017 a 35 year old Medical Doctor Allwell Orji committed suicide in Lagos by jumping into the lagoon after he told his driver to pull over on the 3rd Mainland Bridge. All efforts to save his life proved abortive as his corpse was recovered from the lagoon by men of the Nigerian Police Force Marine Department on the 22nd of March 2017. There have been lots of narratives about his reason for suicide but the summary is that we lost the bright young man.

As if that was not enough, on the 20th of March a day after Doctor Orji’s suicide incidence a middle-aged woman attempted suicide by jumping into the Mile 2 River in the Maza Maza area of Lagos but was rescued before drowning.

Suicide is a worldwide occurrence that has claimed lots of lives but the increased rate of suicide in Nigeria is one that calls for attention from all well meaning Nigerians because we don't know the next victim.

Majority of opinion moulders have attributed the rising rate of suicide in Nigeria to economic challenges. The question is, are we experiencing economic challenges for the first time? NO! Economic challenge has been a part of us in Nigeria as successive administrations have refused to tackle the economic problems confronting Nigerians with the right vigour and corruption has been the bane of our development.

Suicide is rising in Nigeria today due to the lack of love among Nigerians. This may sound funny but it's a fact that   Nigerians know.
We live in a country where individuals living on the same street don't know the names of their next door neighbour. We've maintained this behaviour of “me and myself”, “me and my family”, “me and my business” as a result a depressed neighbour of ours passing through hard times won't find anyone to encourage him or her. Those who share their problems with their friends find their problems being discussed on social media with lots of negativity from people as seen in the case of Olanrewaju Taiwo who was mocked by his friends before committing the act.

Dr Orji was a successful medical doctor for his age, he had a car and a driver but he still went ahead to commit suicide. Of the various narratives to his death none pointed to financial issues, so why did he had to take his life? Same as Olanrewaju Taiwo and other victims. None was related to economic challenge so why did they resort to taking their lives in a bizarre manner?

It's evident all these arise from depression and it's high time we tackle this multifaceted problem that wants to establish its root among us.

According to Wikipedia "Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense of well-being"

It may be triggered by so many factors including Physical illness, Societal Challenge and it may be a fallout of medical prescription especially some range of Pain killers. All these can cause depression among other Factors in individuals.People that experience  depression don't just take rope to hang Themselves or jump into the Lagoon..No! suicide is the results of continuous feeling of heaviness that has spiraled out of control.

The solution to this is seeking help when we have situations beyond our controls. Let's speak out and stop being moody.any problem that defied solution can end up depressing us .as a result, Let's communicate with our family, friends and Neighbors. Out of 180m Nigerians we will still have that one person that arouse  our feelings Positively.

And to those not experiencing depression Let's show love to our neighbours, let's show concern to people passing through hard times, even if u can't be the solution to their problem. Showing empathy will go a long way to give relief to them.

Affection, love and support is the fastest antidote to depression. Government should engage the citizens through the mass media to tackle suicide and suicide related activities same way the media was used to tackle the Ebola disease. We won the Ebola war, we will win the one against suicide too.

The life of every Nigerian counts and it should be preserved for the benefit of Nigerians at large.

Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites






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HAS NIGERIA RUN OUT OF TALENTS?

The Punch of the 13th of March 2017 has as its headline “Controversy as Buhari extends perm sec’s tenure twice." The story has it that President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the tenure of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Dr. Jamila Shuara, by another year.

This makes it the second such extension for Shuara, whose tenure expired in February 2016, when she turned 60 years. The extension of her tenure contravenes the Civil Service Code which states that an officer will retire from service after serving for 35 years or attaining the age of 60 years, whichever comes first. But in the case of Shuara she has remained in office despite attaining the mandatory age of sixty. Her first tenure extension was in February 2016 and the second extension came when the President was on his medical vacation to the United Kingdom. How the President managed to issue the letter is still a mystery, considering that he handed over to Professor Yemi Osinbajo as the Acting President. The case of Shuara is one out of many examples of disregard for laws governing the civil service by President Buhari.

 President Muhammadu Buhari on 27th August 2015 appointed Colonel Hammed Ali as the Comptroller General of customs.  Col. Ali served as military administrator of Kaduna State between August 1996 and August 1998, during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. He was brought back from retirement by President Buhari to head the Nigeria Customs Service. The Customs is supposed to be headed by a Comptroller General who is appointed among the deputy comptrollers general, according to the stipulated laws Section 3.11:1 of the federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No 24 vol. 89 of 25th March 2002 states that the choice of the comptroller general of customs shall be by appointment of a suitable deputy comptroller General of Customs (General Duty) but President Buhari prefers a former army officer to head the Customs Service; a decision that was condemned by Nigerians but the outcry fell on deaf ears as Buhari went ahead with his appointment. Col. Hammed Ali is having problems with the Nigerian Senate over his recent refusal to appear in uniform before  the senate to defend the Service’s planned verification of payment of customs duties on imported vehicles. The man in the eye of the storm has stated unequivocally that he wasn't appointed the head of customs to wear uniform.

As if that was not enough, President Buhari appointed a retired Director General of the Department of State Security Services Mr Lawal Daura as the head of the nation's secret police in the year 2015 following the dismissal of Ita Ekpeyong as its former head on July 2 2015. The performance of the DSS under his watch is a matter for another day.

The process of appointing these three individuals among others has called for question on the way we run public office in Nigeria. Our elected leaders have become so powerful they can do and undo, and they don’t give a damn (apologies to former President Jonathan). They have a penchant for disregarding the laws of the land. As a way of justifying the bizarre extension of Mrs Shuara’s tenure, President Buhari described it as an extension based on "Principle". What Principle supports disregard for stipulated laws and provisions of the law?

This administration built its campaign on the change mantra but it is fast abandoning and even contradicting the spirit of its avowed cornerstone. What is the fate of deputy directors, assistant directors and other individuals in the Ministry of Education who aspire to the coveted office of Permanent Secretary when the woman who must make way for their emergence has refused to vacate the stage? If Shuara’s predecessors enjoyed generous tenure extensions like her, would she be so opportune to occupy her present office?

The law is clear on the appointment of people into these offices. People have been trained for a minimum of 20 years before reaching the cadre of being appointed as the head of a Ministry, Department or Agency. As a result, they are prepared to assumed leadership. Extension of tenure of retired heads of Ministry is an aberration.

In like manner, about eight senior police officers were retired prematurely when the new Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris was appointed on the basis of being in a higher cadre than the newly appointed Inspector General, as contained in a June 22nd 2016 letter the then newly appointed IGP Ibrahim Idris sent to President Buhari. Why do we have to sacrifice our best brains for an individual? Why doesn't the President choose his new IG among those in the higher cadre rather than reach for Ibrahim Idris, an Assistant Inspector General of Police?

President Buhari needs to convince a lot of onlookers that he is not bringing ethnicity into play in these appointments, especially in the case of Shuara. President Buhari should explain to Nigerians why Shuara is the only individual that can run the Federal Ministry of Education. Must Hammed Ali be the one to run the Nigeria Customs Service when we have lots of individuals of adequate ranking, who have been trained for the job and have worked with different Comptrollers General in the Past? Also, why must we bring Lawal Daura out of retirement to head the DSS?

Are we in dearth of talents in Nigeria? What plan do we have to grow the next generation of leaders in Nigeria when we keep recycling old ones? President Buhari has set a bad precedence in the extension of Mrs Shuara's appointment as this will embolden other politicians to continue in their disdain for laws and policies. As president, he is the number one political leader in Nigeria and any action he embarks on will tell a lot about him.

Developed Nations of the world won't take Nigeria seriously until we start doing the right thing. We can't build a strong nation when we persistently demonstrate disregard for the laws of the land and we won't produce the next generation of leaders who will take Nigeria further if the old ones refuse to go.

The President should as a matter of responsibility terminate the appointment of Mrs Shuara as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education for the appointment of a new individual by the Federal Civil Service Commission. Our institutions must be protected from unnecessary political interference.

 Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
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WHAT DID OBASANJO’S GENERATION DO FOR NIGERIA?

WHAT DID OBASANJO’S GENERATION DO FOR NIGERIA?

Let me start by congratulating the Ebora Owu on his newest title of Baba Onigbagbo Ogun (leader of Christians in Ogun state) conferred on him by the Christian Association of Nigeria Ogun state Branch on Sunday 26th February 2017 in commemoration of his 80th Birthday. This is a position that should make Baba speak the truth no matter the condition he finds himself but alas it wasn't so. On Monday 27th of February 2017 at a Programme organised by the Kaduna State Chamber of Mines and Commerce Chief Obasanjo added another lie to the existing third term lie among other lies that have refused to go (thanks to Elrufai for confirming what we know in his book The Accidental Public Servant that indeed there was a Third term agenda that failed).

Chief Obasanjo challenged Nigerian youths by asking them what their generation will do for Nigeria. He stated that his generation fought for the unity of Nigeria and laid the foundation for democracy but he has forgotten that his generation also undid the two things they did for Nigeria. His Generation fought for unity of Nigeria and still introduced disunity in like manner. The democracy that was given to Nigeria by his generation was a fake one as it was "lootocracy", a democracy that is based on looting, looting and looting.

The evil done to Nigeria by Obasanjo's generation is unequalled and unparalleled. Obasanjo and his contemporaries like General Muhammadu Buhari, General Sanni Abacha, General Babangida, Dr Goodluck Jonathan among others are the reason why Nigeria is at the zero point we are today.

Nigeria gained independence in 1960. That independence was truncated by Obasanjo’s fellow military men when we had the 1st coup and General Aguyi Ironsi emerged as the President of Nigeria. The casualties of the coup included the Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Sardauna of Sokoto Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the Western Region Samuel Akintola, the finance minister Festus Okotie-Eboh among others. These shining stars were lost to the coup plotted and executed by Obasanjo's generation and Nigeria has not remained the same since then. After this there were coups and counter coups including the one involving Obasanjo in 1975 that saw to the removal of General Yakubu Gowon from office and the circus continued until "democracy" came back fully in 1999 with the same Obasanjo as President of the Federal Republic.

The coup activities of the military regime were the first actions that created division in our country. The same Unity that obasanjo's generation claimed they fought for. The coups were plotted and executed based on religion and ethnic colouration and till today the fruits of those ignoble actions are being reaped by Nigerians. Apart from the coup, these generations destroyed the common wealth of Nigeria and positioned us for the breaking point of today.

The military governments headed by Obasanjo's generation were characterised by looting, state sponsored assassinations, mysterious disappearance of people from the country and other evil vices. When Major General Buhari as a military officer toppled the democratically elected Sheu Shagari from office in a bloodless coup in the year 1983 and they took over the reins of power with his deputy Major General Tunde Idiagbon. they were succeeded in leading the country into its worst economic mess, the value of the Naira dropped and there was hardship everywhere coupled with the fifty two suit case issue too. So what has obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria?

 After a period of time, Buhari was removed in a palace coup by General Ibrahim Babangida in the year 1985. The Babangida tenure was a continuation of the maladministration of the Buhari regime, from assassinations to looting and other vices including the introduction of the failed Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP); this tenure stood out. Under the leadership of IBB the Evil Genius (as fondly called) late Dele Giwa was killed in a parcel bomb on a Black Sunday. That was the first and only time that a Nigerian had died by parcel bomb and this was long before Boko-Haram started deploying bombs everywhere. Under General Babangida the June 12 election which was adjudged the freeest and fairest Election in Nigeria's History  was annulled for no reason. Till today what happened to the 12billion Dollars oil windfall under Babangida remains a mystery. His Minna mansion and other properties acquired by him and his fellow officers are from state funds.  So what has obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria?

As if that was not enough a greater evil befell Nigeria under the leadership of General Sanni Abacha, another man in obasanjo's generation. Abacha dissolved the interim government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan by forcing him to resign. He came into power and the looting continued with more assassination. From Chief Alfred Rewane to Kudirat Abiola and others it was killing galore and the looting was unprecedented. Even Obasanjo escaped Abacha's death offering by luck. Till today the Abacha loots have not been recovered fully by the federal government of Nigeria. So what has Obasanjo’s generation done for Nigeria??

In the year 1999 democracy returned to Nigeria and Chief Obasanjo emerged as president and he served a complete two terms from 1999-2007. Between these eight years Nigeria experienced so much drama under the man that came to office with less than 1 million Naira in his account but left as a billionaire in 2007 (well done Sir). Under the leadership of Chief Obasanjo corruption became a part of our lives as it was found everywhere. Under his watch there was stealing by all and sundry under his government. He was taking his own, same as his Vice President and other members of his kitchen cabinet. Democracy was a sham as the tenure was a continuation of his military regime. The leadership of National assembly was removed severally due to obasanjo's interference with their activities. When it was time for his Third term agenda bid he introduced bribery into the National assembly via his Ghana must go message.

He tried his very best to elongate his tenure but he failed woefully. Under his tenure as President 16Billion dollars was expended on Electricity generation but we ended up generating darkness. Till today Obasanjo has not explained how the money was spent. The National Assembly under the leadership of Dimeji Bankole set up a committee to probe the issue but in the long run it failed as Obasanjo refused to appear before the committee. The rest as they say is history...today Obasanjo is a billionaire with lots of interests such as Ota Farm, Bells University and other numerous properties. So what has obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria??


The maladministration of Obasanjo’s generation continued with the Government of Yar’adua/ Goodluck Jonathan. This Government will be in competition with Abacha's tenure based on corruption perception index. It was all about looting, looting and looting. We can't forget so soon the missing twenty billion dollars among other looted funds as was revealed by the EFCC. So what has obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria??

The same Muhammadu Buhari that was a beneficiary of a coup that removed Shehu Shagari from office in 1985 is now the President of Nigeria after winning the 2015 Presidential  election and as it was in 1983 so it is in 2017. The Nigeria economy is experiencing its worst recession in twenty-five years courtesy of the Muhammadu Buhari led Government. The security situation is still a mounting challenge. From the north to the south it's all shades of civil unrest and terrorist attacks and our President is currently in London on medical treatment after campaigning against foreign medical treatment. It's ironic that Obasanjo's generation didn't  build a world class health system for Nigeria. So what has obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria??

After Fifty years of independence Nigeria is not in the league of developed nations in the world. We are still battling with corruption, poor civil service, a poor human rights record, unemployment, election rigging and other vices. So what has obasanjo's generation done for Nigeria??

Now what’s the way Forward? Three things that marred their generation include corruption, nepotism and lack of innovation. Youths should participate in politics to replace the gerontocrats who have refused to leave the stage. Acts of corruption should be eschewed as corruption stunts the growth of nations when the national commonwealth is pilfered away, therefore accountability should be our watchword. We should see ourselves as patriots and put Nigeria first. The unity needed by Nigeria will come when we place Nigeria first and this will douse ethnic uprising as found in the actions of IPOB members and others. Youths of this generation should be innovative in their doings so as to confront the problems of economic downturn, unemployment and security challenges confronting the country.

With this our generation will be able to do something remarkable for Nigeria.

The present youth of Nigeria have done more good than harm to the image of this country; from sports to technological development, entertainment, activism, innovation, government and other sectors. They've shown the world that Nigeria has better things to offer the world than what was placed in our hands by Obasanjo's generation.


Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites.blogspot.com
Tweets @Donteewrites
Facebook Page-@Donteewrites
Instagram- @Donteewrites

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