Nigerian Newspapers
Achieving a drug- and crime-free youth population
Being the text of speech delivered by Mr Femi Falana (SAN), a frontline rights activist and lawyer, at the 11th CAMPUSLIFE Correspondents’ Workshop held on July 6, 2013.
Introduction: The Nation newspaper deserves commendation for creating and maintaining the CAMPUSLIFE section, which reports major events on campuses of the tertiary institutions. It is particularly gratifying to note that students are encouraged to report stories and in the process train themselves in the practice of journalism. By having an annual retreat of campus journalists to compare notes through personal contacts and interactions, the column is also promoting an important aspect of communication. Notwithstanding that the founding Editor of the section, Mrs Ngozi Agbo, passed on last year, The Nation has continued to pay the greatest tribute to her memory by sustaining the column on a weekly basis. In examining the proclivity of the youths to engage in drug abuse and other crimes I am going to task all participants in this workshop to be prepared to lead a campaign that will guarantee access to qualitative education for every Nigerian child and job creation for unemployed graduates and other school leavers. My conclusion is that the menace of drug abuse among our youths cannot be eradicated if the state is not prepared to invest in education and job creation.
The good old days
Parents are fond of talking of the “good old days”. It is high time the young generation of Nigerians began to interrogate why their parents including public officers speak of the past with such nostalgic feelings. During the last electioneering campaign President Goodluck Jonathan said that while he was growing up in his village at Otuoke in Bayelsa state he had no shoes. Many young Nigerians sympathised with him and voted for him on that basis. But the President forgot to inform Nigerians that most members of his generation throughout the country did not have the privilege of wearing shoes. Since I belong to that generation, I can say, without any fear of contradiction that the few who had shoes among us were not permitted to wear them on a daily basis as they were reserved for special occasions. But in order to ensure that we all grew up to wear shoes the State invested in our future.
There was massive investment in education by the government aided by religious institutions and a number of communities. In 1955, free primary school education was introduced by the Obafemi Awolowo Administration in western Nigeria. About two decades later, it became a national policy when it was made free and compulsory for every Nigerian child. Fees charged in secondary schools were reasonably affordable while tuition was totally free in all institutions of higher learning. As the public schools were well staffed and equipped only very few students patronised the private schools. There was no brain drain as the conditions of service of teachers were generally encouraging. Undergraduates were given loans and bursaries to fund their education. There were a few private secondary schools but there was no private university in the country. There were jobs for university graduates and other school leavers. In fact, there were vacation jobs for undergraduates. In essence the youths could dream dreams. Unfortunately, the State has stopped to make adequate provision for education. According to the UNICEF not less than 10.5 million children of school age in Nigeria are roaming the streets. Since the future of the youths was reasonably secured only a few of them who dropped out of schools were involved in crimes.
In the circumstance, the dreams of the generality of the youths have been shattered due to the rapacious looting of the treasury and the reckless diversion of public funds by an unpatriotic ruling class with the connivance of some foreign financial institutions. By 1986, the gross mismanagement of the economy led to the imposition of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) by the Ibrahim Babangida junta upon the insistence of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It is on record that the implementation of the SAP resulted in the drastic reduction of the funding of education by the government and the withdrawal of subsidies from social services, retrenchment of workers and embargo on new jobs. Consequently, the youths have been thrown into the unemployment market.
Out of sheer frustration many youths were driven to criminality. Others have taken to thuggery, drug trafficking, human trafficking, prostitution, examination malpractice, fraud and other economic and financial crimes. This propensity to commit such crimes has been facilitated by the culture of impunity which is the order of the day. In recent time, thousands have been jailed at home and abroad for drug related offences. Indeed, some have been convicted and sentenced to death for drug trafficking in the Middle East and Asia. It is pertinent to acknowledge that in spite of the temptation and encouragement to engage in crimes most Nigerian youths have remained law abiding. In recent time, many youths have engaged in armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorism. To take the youths out of criminality is a herculean task which requires a complete change of orientation. No doubt, the future of the country depends on the commitment and determination of the patriotic segment of the youths to mobilise others to channel their talents and energies towards productive ventures. To achieve the objective the youths have to be organised to appreciate that they have a historic role to play in creating an egalitarian society out of the decadence of the neo-colonial capitalist socio-economic system that has turned our prosperity into poverty.
The call for revolution
I am not unaware of the popular call for “revolution” among the youths which is borne out of total disenchantment with the prodigality and insensitivity of the over pampered ruling class which is unleashing kwashiokor democracy on the people. Even a former President Olusegun Obasanjo has predicted the imminence of a revolution in Nigeria. Just last week, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal called on the ruling class to address the crisis of poverty in the land to prevent a revolution. While the increasing wave of poverty in the country cannot be justified in view of our abundant human and natural resources we must never mistake street protests propelled by anger with revolution. The street protests in Libya, Syria and Egypt have since snowballed into intractable political crises that may destroy those countries. We must also not join the “international community” of imperialist nations which stand to gain from the breakup of their former colonies by celebrating the triumph of the revolutions of chaos and anarchy. For instance, while the United States and other western nations have captured the Libyan oil resources it has now dawned on the Libyan people that the jobs, houses and other social amenities hitherto provided by the government may have gone with the brutal execution of President Muammar Gaddafi.
Since the armed forces in Africa have contributed substantially to the political instability plaguing the continent they cannot afford to remain neutral in the management of the political crisis in many countries. Hence the Egyptian army has collaborated with anti-Morsi protesters while arresting the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and killing pro-Morsi protesters. During the anti-fuel subsidy removal protests last year in Nigeria the army rolled out the tanks to maintain law and order for the continued exploitation of the Nigerian people. For those whose memory is so short with respect to the capacity of Nigerians to organise protests against injustice let them be reminded that we have had many street protests and labour strikes which had a paralytic effect on the economy. In fact, it is on record that over one million Nigerians took part in the several rallies and demonstrations staged against the criminal annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. In Lagos alone, not less than 200 unarmed protesters were killed by the Nigerian army. And when Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti and I were arrested, charged and detained in Kuje prisons for leading the protests the struggle assumed a new dimension. Our comrades – Chima Ubani, Shehu Sani, Abiodun Aremu, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Labaran Maku, Joe Okey-Odumakin and others in the Campaign for Democracy asked Nigerians to resort to sit at home and other forms of civil disobedience.
It was the mass action which forced General Babangida out of power on August 26, 1993. As the protests continued the illegal Interim National Government hurriedly put in place by the disgraced dictator was sacked by another band of military predators led by Generals Sani Abacha and Oladipo Diya on November 17, 1993. The junta dissolved all democratic structures, imposed martial law and declared a war against the people. The winner of the presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola was arrested and charged with treason. He was detained; his wife was killed while his businesses were ruined. Pro-democracy and human rights leaders were targeted for harassment and intimidation. And when Chief Abiola continued to insist on the mandate, four years later, he died in a military custody after taking a cup of tea served by an American delegation. A month earlier, the maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha had been poisoned in similar circumstances. However, with the violent resolution of the political logjam the Abdulsalami junta manipulated the political transition programme to facilitate the transfer of power to a former military head of state, General Obasanjo of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), a political party funded by a crop of retired military officers.
The way forward
From the foregoing it is clear that the armed forces have always capitalised on mass disenchantment with the government to strike and either install themselves in power or hand over power to the civilian wing of the ruling class. In 1966 and1983 the army sacked the civilian regimes to avert a mass revolt. Although the country was under the jackboots for about three decades the wealth of the nation was plundered by a gang of military officers in alliance with their civilian cronies and their imperialist overlords.
In a war situation when soldiers invade and capture a town properties are looted while prisoners of war are held. In the same vein the military rulers who took over the country looted the treasury, raped the country and installed a regime of executive lawlessness and impunity. As the national resources were cornered by the rulers the people were sentenced to penury. In order to make ends meet the youths resorted to 419 (obtaining by false pretences), drug trafficking and consumption and other crimes. As no nation can develop with criminally minded youths Nigeria requires a new crop of leaders who will change the negative orientation of the youths. To rehabilitate the country after the massive destruction by the pirates in power we require a new culture and orientation. Our youth population of 60 million must be prepared to produce the men and women of ideas and vision with a mission to mobilise our people for the reconstruction of the State with a view to guaranteeing the welfare and security of all citizens. Instead of waiting for barracks messiahs through street protests or relying on some politicians with expired ideas the youths should have confidence in themselves. Since liberal democracy is a game of numbers I believe that if Nigerian youths are well mobilised they can make a difference in the politics of the nation in 2015.
Conclusion
The struggle to rid the country of crimes has to begin now. Nigerian youths should ensure that the political parties and their candidates are made to address the problems of the comatose economy, infrastructural decay, unemployment, corruption, insecurity of life and property. Those who base their campaigns on ethnicity, sectionalism, religion and other primordial sentiments should be rejected at the polls. While Nigerians should demonstrate against injustice we must create a political culture that allows change of governments through the ballot and not through street protests which usually lead to coups.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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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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