Nigerian Newspapers
The supermarket dialogue (3)
I concluded last week with the crisis of leadership, which has permeated almost all facets of our system. If we are serious about retracing our steps it has to start from here. My fellow supermarket discussant agreed that throughout human history, the centrality of leadership in charting positive direction has been established; the ancient and modern history of leaders is replete with stories of vision, courage, enterprise, capacity, tenacity and originality. While several factors – physical, non-physical and human – are almost always at play in determining the fate and fortune of societies, the role of leadership is fundamental. Leadership, particularly political leadership, whether good or bad, can determine the destiny of a nation.
Without dwelling on the elaborate and multi-dimensional aspect of leadership, I am interested here in identifying the role leadership plays in human capital development and how this can be used to address the challenges of tertiary education in Nigeria. With vision, integrity, dedication or commitment, competence, discernment, creativity, assertiveness, fairness, openness and humility, a good leader can create a vision of a good society, recognising what needs to be done to build one, mobilising human and material resources to build such a society and confronting every challenge that is encountered in the process.
Bernard Montgomery, the British Field Marshal who accepted the German surrender in northern Germany at the end of World War II, stated: “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.”
The capacity to rally men and women to a common purpose and inspire them with confidence cannot be achieved by anyone who does not – fundamentally speaking – believe in humans as the bedrock of society. A leadership that recognises this and have the vision to transform society would make the development of human capital the centre-piece of its development paradigm. This is because strategic leadership involves the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, think strategically, and work with others to initiate changes that will create a viable and lasting future.
As I got home from the supermarket that day, I reflected on one key issue: what if we never had visionary leaders at independence who invested massively in education, where would we be today? Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Lagos and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, were all conceived and set up by these leaders, I deliberately left University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan out because it existed before independence. Until decay started setting in from the late 1980s, these were institutions of repute that attracted visiting professors from across the world.
For example, by 1980, Nigeria had established one of the best higher education systems in the developing world which offered direction at an international standard in diverse disciplines. For instance, the UI and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) earned global recognition for research in tropical health and agriculture, respectively. But since then, under successive military administrations, these achievements, through lack of funding and policy inconsistencies, were not allowed to be improved upon.
Driving through these campuses anytime and looking at the infrastructure back then, a visitor will be left without an iota of doubt that visionaries planned these. The sad aspect is that many of the products of the finest decades of these varsities – up until the early-1990s – who were expected to become an essential part of a new middle class and the engine rooms of social, political and economic change and progress were forced out of the country. Today, many of these people who were trained in these institutions – like my discussants – are now not able to send their own children to these same institutions that produced them. They now send their kids to Ghana, South Africa, Europe or America.
What went wrong then? Let’s make no mistake about this: the original crisis of higher education in Nigeria is entangled with the political crisis in Nigeria which brought the military to power. The military in power constituted the greatest threat, not just to the advancement of human freedom and justice, but also to knowledge building, knowledge sharing and human capacity development. The military destroyed higher education in Nigeria, as they destroyed many other institutions of society. Starting from 1966 when they first seized power and ending with the Babangida-Abacha era, where the military simply buried an ailing university system, Nigeria has witnessed leaders who are the very anti-thesis of human capital development and progress.
With higher education destroyed by the military, aided and abetted by their civilian cronies, it was no surprise that virtually every other institution of society, including the moral fabric, which hitherto held us together was virtually wiped out, in essence we lost our soul and have continued in a downward spiral ever since.
Fourteen years into our democratic dispensation, we still face many of the old challenges in area of higher education in Nigeria – as illustrated in the capital flight and brain drain which attend the outflow of students from Nigeria to foreign universities, without the expected inflow of trained manpower or “brain gain” and financial resources. This is the depressing reality we face today. It is evident from developed societies that substantial investment in human capital is needed for economic progress, social transformation and political stability. This we lack as the system is so hostile that those that left are not willing to come back.
A large percentage of Nigerians now attend Ghanaian universities. Why Ghana? we may ask. Because they put their house in order and returned to the glory of the past and are now marching on to a more glorious future; they embraced their challenges and learnt from them. But it seems that in Nigeria, our leaders are yet to identify a problem, let alone think about the solutions. The establishment of nine new federal universities last year is a classic example of the absence of strategic thinking at the national level. A Federal Government that is yet to develop the understanding of the need, let alone the capacity, to sufficiently fund the existing federal universities should not have embarked on another round of creating new universities. They could have used the resources to expand the facilities and recruit more lecturers and staff in the existing universities so that they could accommodate more students.
Now that we love foreign lands so much for education, leisure and other frivolities, we are not realising that we are becoming a nuisance to some countries. Only on Monday, reports had it that the British Government is planning to ask visitors from Nigeria and five other countries whose nationals are deemed to pose a “high risk” of immigration abuse to provide a 3,000 pounds (about N750,000) bond before they can enter the country.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the David Cameron administration is serious about cutting immigration and abuses of the system. The Sunday Times said from November, a pilot scheme would target visitors from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Pakistan and India. Visitors aged 18 and over would be forced to hand over £3,000 ($ 4,600, 3,500 euro) from November for a six-month visit visa. They will forfeit the money if they overstay in Britain after their visa has expired.
The Federal Government said although it had not received any communication to that effect, such a policy, if implemented, would be discriminatory. Perhaps we need such policies to enable us to really sit and think of creative and productive ways of tackling the numerous challenges confronting us . Britain has a right to put forward whatever policy it deemed fit to protect its interests. This is where I agreed with one of the discussants who said we always have an “escapist mentality” about issues in Nigeria.
A cartoon in one of the national dailies captured what we should expect if the policy is implemented by the British. It depicted a politician congratulating the High Commissioner for coming up with such a policy because London should not be an all comers affair; in fact, he promised to pay double the fee as a status symbol because “Britain is not for every riff raff”. We know that this cartoonist hit the nail on the head, forget about the wolf cry from the National Assembly. Isn’t it time our leaders got down, their hands and dirty make Nigeria work?
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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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