Nigerian Newspapers
Building and equipping a prepared citizenry
By Leonard Karshima Shilgba
In the first inaugural speech of President Dwight Eisenhower of the USA on January 20, 1953, as he came to the conclusion of that speech, he said those memorable and insightful words:
“We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose. We must be willing, individually and as a Nation, to accept whatever sacrifices may be required of us. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.
These basic precepts are not lofty abstractions, far removed from matters of daily living. They are laws of spiritual strength that generate and define our material strength. Patriotism means equipped forces and a prepared citizenry.” The underline is done by me for emphasis.
Few days ago, I received in my university office a son of a past senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He told me that based on what he knew of Nigerian politicians from his privileged position, Nigerian public officials would only buy into my ideas of development if I could make them see the personal benefit they would derive from such lofty ideas. On my hope that the Nigerian youth with whom I am resolved to engage for the future that I envisage would get the intended epiphany, he attempted, probably without intent, to pour cold water, with those words which I paraphrase: “Sir, even if what you seek to accomplish would be to the ultimate benefit of the Nigerians, they must expect material benefits from you in order to sustain their interest.” This young man had very low opinion of politicians from my part of the country, about whom he revealed very discouraging facts.
It has become apparent that President Jonathan, many of our governors and other public officials (elected or selected) in Nigeria do not lack knowledge of the good things they must do in order to equip the Nigerian citizens with both the knowledge and external resources required for adequate productivity on which societies thrive and survive. The exhibits are the numerous “vision” statements and “transformation agendas” that litter the shelves of government department offices across Nigeria. What they lack is the will or boldness required. Most importantly, they are afraid for embarrassing exposures because most of them are morally bankrupt, and without good conscience.
Let us seek to understand our common leadership tragedy through the common utterances and expectations of the Nigerian on your street, in your towns, at your place of work, and at your school.
“We must celebrate your political appointment. God has provided food for us,” (or its variants) is a common statement by Nigerians. They view appointment to a public office as an opportunity to make a living rather than to serve the people. The senator’s son told me about “compensation appointments”, and invited me to Abuja during the Christmas break because, as he informed me, President Jonathan would reshuffle his cabinet and bring in new faces, obviously, to take their compensating positions at the feast table. You had better believe that millions of naira would be spent by those “lucky” fellows on festive parties to celebrate their “achievement”.
The Nigerian who complains against the “corruption” of public officials would eagerly accept similar opportunities to engage in the same graft they complain about. When a friend of mine took leave of absence from his professorial position this year to become an “Adviser on strategy” to the governor of his state, a non-Nigerian professor colleague of mine asked me, “Is it better for him to leave his professorial position to take such position in his state?” I must confess that I did not know how to answer the question. It is dignifying to serve as an advisor to the governor of your state or president of your country, if your advice would be useful and accepted most of the time, and if you have access to those who have appointed you, rather than being invited into the club simply to feast at the table when the employer does not truly have need of your “advice”.
We have hundreds of advisors in some states, and only 365 days in a year or only 260 work days in a year (assuming there are no holidays). How many minutes would a governor have to spend quality time with those advisors in a year? I saw on news hours before I sat down to write that President Jonathan had asked for “prayers and advice” from Nigerians. The president does not need more advice; he must have the courage to work with the many pieces of advice many of us have freely provided on education, revenue generation, accountability, smart governance, job creation, provision and maintenance of infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, etc. In fact, a patriot, Dele Momodu has lately volunteered a sequence of free open letters to Jonathan to help him improve on the quality of leadership he is not providing. On prayers, I request Nigerians to ask God to bring strategic discomfort to Jonathan, to ruin the cordial relationship he has maintained with his evil godfathers and fellow thieves, and to bring him public humiliation. And if these would not force him to action, then, that God would send him on exile far away from Aso Rock. Jonathan deserves neither pity nor advice. He deserves hard times that force a timid president to throw off fear, and a corrupt president to repent, make restitution, and resign.
Are Nigerians ready for a new nation? When, out of curiosity, I read through some of the comments by some Nigerians on my essays about Nigeria, I am sad at how some of them think that the solution to our social decadence is the splitting up of Nigeria into smaller units. Even if that is the ultimate destiny, unless and until we have mutually enlightened ourselves and prepared our people on the two principles that President Eisenhower spoke about, we may only thereby succeed in spreading the concentration points of social conflagration and unease, and not cure the ailment.
“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid,” said President Eisenhower. This is the first principle Nigerians must learn about. Freedom cannot be sustained by the weak and timid. Our resolve is very weak. I have received numerous text messages and mails from readers assuring me of “support.” I am not sure I need “support.” Rather, Nigerians need the social orientation that will strengthen them, for a man of knowledge increases in strength. One reason why the political opposition in Nigeria has remained weak is because of its impatience and lack of investment in social education. While the opposition is distracted by the simple pastime of excoriating attacks on the government, it lacks coordination in social education of the people—What resources are available to the governments in Nigeria; what percentage of public resources is spent on a few public officials; how much inflation of public project costs there is; what powers under the constitution do the people have, etc. These are some of the questions that the opposition needs to assist the people answer. I also know that millions of Nigerians do not have access to the internet. But the opposition has an opportunity here.
The vacuum of neglect created by ruling parties across Nigeria must be quickly filled up by the opposition. Irregular conferences in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, or Kaduna by some opposition parties and “civil rights” activists will not be enough. Along with rallies and town meetings in towns and villages across all local government areas in Nigeria, the opposition must put together professionals such as medical doctors, environmentalists, civil rights lawyers, and social workers to provide services and assistance to the people free of charge well before elections and in spite of electoral fortunes. In these revolutionary efforts, informed and principled scholars and columnists can be invited to educate the people and address questions that the people may have. There are no short-cuts in social transformation of a people. The various social groups on social media circles provide veritable recruiting grounds for volunteers. The opposition, putting together germane resources will do better than individuals like us planning and holding rallies. An individual is an easier picking than an organized group. I speak from experience. Gani Fawehinmi was a one-man soldier. Such tactic cannot succeed in Nigeria. Numbers! Organized numbers! That is the game.
The Hamas in Palestine won the heart of the Palestinian people by saving lives where Yasser Arafat failed. Eventually, the Hamas won the confidence and votes of the people in 2006 and formed government.
The second principle I would like to discuss is what President Eisenhower said: “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
The frequent criss-crossing of politicians from one political party to another and the usual betrayals of “social critics”, “principled columnists”, and “progressives” have given away the Nigerian elite as unstable people that treasure privileges above principles. This is a national tragedy. We are engaged with a deadly squad that has got executive powers, legislative powers, judicial powers, military powers, and business monopoly, all with the blessings of the compromised traditional and religious leadership.
We are in a long marathon to equip our people with both the knowledge and strength that they need to resist injustice and corruption intelligently, with stamina and staying power. If the presently disorganized opposition wishes to wrest power from the corrupt and inefficient national ruling party, it must look beyond a mere merger of political parties for the puerile purpose of winning elections. The opposition must give the people a reason to trust it. For now, nothing else will work, and the people hardly can find a substitute for the ruling national party. But the people are being confused by the unstable behavior of the opposition that dines with the ruling party at their nocturnal feasts only to scream invectives against it at noon.
If the Nigerian people want a better country, we must invest in ourselves. For only when the people and their politics is purged shall there be a better future.
Leonard Karshima Shilgba is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with the American University of Nigeria
The post Building and equipping a prepared citizenry appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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