Ghana leads the way again (2)

MANY no longer think the excesses of Jerry Rawlings are enough to derail Ghana's democracy because the institutional frameworks of democracy and the rule of law are becoming better entrenched. Indeed, discerning observers now believe he would suffer the fate of the kingmaker in the event of NDC's victory if he insists on being the dominant back-seat driver to an eventually successful Atta-Mills government.

Indeed, the fact that the property owning democracy and golden age of business that NPP promised Ghanaians eight years ago is yet to materialise provides enough reason for its current challenges. Although there is a huge influx of foreign direct investment, the economy is no better than where the NDC left it. Over the past two decades, market forces have dominated the Ghanaian economy and this trend has continued with the NPP government. The economy is reliant on the export of primary products and thus making it vulnerable to the general shocks of the global economy including price fluctuations.

Further, since the 1990s, the economy has been characterised by high rates of inflation, high interest rates, depreciation of the cedi, dwindling foreign reserves, excessive public debt overhang and stagnant economic growth, implementation of the Government Poverty reduction strategy notwithstanding. It is these factors that have turned this election into the real test of popularity for the ruling party. Yet, while the message of change rather than continuity seemed quite strong, there is very little that seems to separate both parties in terms of their policies on the big issues of economic transformation and social stability, at least if one goes by their manifestoes...

There are several lessons too for Big brother Nigeria as the leader of the ECOWAS Observer Mission, former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon opined. The first is the humbling lesson that no respect would come our way from Ghana and the rest of Africa through hegemonic display of hollow power until we perfect our own governance structures at home by enhancing domestic electoral legitimacy. The widespread impression that those ruling Nigeria are not really the true representatives of the people actually undermine rather than enhance the way we are seen outside our shores. Indeed, the impression that we are 'big for nothing' and a disappointment to Africa is a regular view that I encounter in my eight years of residence in Ghana, even as Ghanaians acknowledge our boundless energy, proud carriage, rare intellect and our government's readiness to come to their rescue in times of economic stress. Indeed, many Nigerians are successful in Ghana and they run the major companies quoted on the Ghana Stock Exchange, but ever present in their relations with the Ghanaian elite is the subliminal arrogance and unspoken contempt that reifies the view that "Yes, you Nigerians may be brilliant, smart and rich, but brilliance without character and integrity amount to very little, and good breeding is not something to be purchased in the marketplace." In political science language, Ghana has political culture, Nigeria lacks it.

The second lesson is the more optimistic one of practice makes perfect. It is arguable that elections in Ghana have resulted in enhanced legitimacy because the chain has remained unbroken since 1992. Having run the fifth election in an unbroken cycle, the Electoral Commission in Ghana is regarded as one of the best managed in the whole of Africa. Its Executive Chairman, Dr Kwadjo Afari-Gyan and his fellow commissioners have become well-known elections gurus in the continent, earning the respect of peers across the board.

Sitting in on one of the commission's meetings with political parties, one can understand why. Dr Afari-Gyan demonstrated a mastery of his brief without being arrogant, entertained legitimate complaints from the opposition parties and left all with a clear impression that he was not in the pocket of any government or opposition party. There may be those who believe that Maurice Iwu is not beholden to the PDP but I know enough to dismiss such people. Even if that were true, the current structure and constitution of INEC does not help promote the view that ours is truly an independent Electoral Commission. The challenge before us is therefore to organise an Electoral Commission that is truly independent of Government and wholly accountable to the legislature and ordinary Nigerians.

The third lesson is the relevance of freedom of information and the vigilance of civil society. A major credit for the transparent conduct of the Ghanaian election goes to the several FM stations dotted around the country and the vigilance of CODEO - the local domestic observer mission of 4,000 people. Although some of the FM stations can be a bit over the top in the use of inelegant adjectives to describe the President and opposition leaders, it is a major credit to the NPP government that they removed criminal libel from Ghana's statute books. The truth is that the feeding of the public with regular, minute-by-minute updates on the elections is in itself a conflict prevention mechanism. And, more importantly, the FM stations are encouraged to do so by the Electoral Commission provided they stress that the results are not official but provisional. So, the idea that a result known to everyone at the local level suddenly produces another winner as it happens in Nigeria is immediately nipped in the bud.

Many have gone on record to commend the establishment of Justice Uwais' led Electoral Reform Committee by President Yar'adua. It is certainly my hope that the Committee would provide Nigerians with a better understanding of Nigeria's electoral geography. Two, we should let the Nigerian public, not the President nominate elections commissioners and subject them to public scrutiny before the National Assembly appoints them; three, we must fund the electoral body direct from the Consolidated Account without any interference from the ruling government.

Four, we must ensure that fast-track election dispute mechanism is introduced and utilised before any controversial 'victor' is sworn into office; five the electoral body must be supported by an independent bureaucracy, not the Nigerian civil service, six - adequate punishment must be prescribed in the electoral law for electoral crimes and finally, we must ensure that the electoral law promotes independent candidacy and proportional representation rather than the 'winner takes all' mentality.

For now, Ghana is leading Africa into democratic consolidation and it is certainly a beacon of hope for the rest of our continent. But if you ask Mr Iwu, don't be surprised if he says he was the architect of all the credible things we are seeing in Ghana. Chikena!

The open deceit called “MTN treasure hunt”

The Nigeria customer protection agency once clamped a beverage drink firm in Nigeria this year for a promo that it was organizing and hosting and said the promo was characterized by fraud and ordinances it discontinue from the promo. But no one was sure if that firm paid heed to the ordinance of the agency because a lot of things happen in Nigeria without strict checks.

Last night 3/12/08 I checked my cellphone account balance which was using MTN network and I saw the following write-up on it by MTN: “Your Xtracool Bal is Main:…Ur Bank balance could be N1m by tonight! Play MTN Treasure Hunt – N1m daily Prize. Text TREASURE to 77777. Each SMS costs N10”. And I text.

I was aware that the N10 in the text message by MTN was not originally N10, it was supposed to be N100, because N100 was the normal amount MTN has been collecting for this programme per each SMS, as prior told me by people who have entered for the promo. But what battled me was why N10 in the message? Was it to lure people to text and MTN would cut N100 instead of the N10 the texter might be carrying in mind for? Notwithstanding, the amount was not my problem, even that MTN cut N100 from my account balance when I sent SMS for the ‘show’ instead of N10 that the message on my phone was reading for their “MTN Treasure Hunt”.

When I joyously sent the message to 77777 and was expecting when MTN would inform me that I have won or havelost as they had instructed in the SMS, “Ur Bank balance could be N1m by tonight! Play MTN Treasure Hunt – N1m daily Prize”, I only got a rude shock from the subsequent messages MTN sent me, and those who are very knack in unmasking ‘fraud letters’ would see reason that I was not just an alarmist.

Read the first message from MTN after I had contested: “MTN Treasure Hunt: WELCOME! Daily prize: N1 million. Weekly prize: N2 million. Jackpot: N10 million! Plus BONUS PRIZES. Reply with your name (6 letters max)”. When I saw this message, I know that MTN was up to something and I refused to reply for the fear of not losing another N100 from my account balance.
When I did not reply, another message came in from MTN just few minutes after the former, and it reads: “MTN Treasure Hunt Terms and Conditions: tonight! Play MTN Treasure Hunt – N1m daily Prize”?
When I did not reply, I got another message from MTN on 4/12/ 08, 08:42:27am, thus: “MTN Treasure Hunt: IT’S HAPPY HOUR! Between 10am and 11am replying to this message will win double reward points! (Did you here “replying to this message will win double reward points!”?) N1 million must be won tonight!”

Women and hard drug trade

The recent report that about 238 Nigerian women are currently serving various prison terms for drug trafficking in London is another sad pointer to the precarious condition of many of our compatriots in foreign lands.

Olga Heaven, Coordinator of the non-governmental organisation, Hibiscus, who disclosed the sad fate of these women, said that the women represent Nigeria’s low class women who were forced by poverty and the temptation to get rich quickly into illegal drug trafficking. Seventy of the women are said to be in a single prison, where they constitute a significant percentage of inmates of the prison.
The sorry fate of these compatriots is disturbing.

The imprisonment of so many Nigerian women is a dent on the image of the country. Sadder still is the fact that the case of these women is a tip of the ice berg of the imprisonment of our compatriots for drug trafficking in foreign lands. So many of our citizens are in jail for drug trafficking in many parts of the world.

Only recently, we had occasion to comment on the case of seven of our citizens on death row in Indonesia, with two of them already executed on June 2, 2008. In that instance, efforts by the Federal Government to secure amnesty for the convicted Nigerians failed.

This unfortunate state of affairs calls for introspection on the part of the Nigerian authorities and indeed all Nigerians on the cause and the remedy for the development. While we agree with Hibiscus that the endemic poverty in the nation could exacerbate the tendency to succumb to the lure of the huge sums of money involved in the hard drugs trade, we do not think that that reason alone explains the propensity of our women for the illicit business. We hold these views because Nigeria is not the only country that is ravaged by poverty neither are the imprisoned persons the only poor persons in the country.
The problem, we think, can also be traced to the collapse of values and the desperation of many Nigerians to become rich by all means, fair or foul.
The foregoing, however, is not to exonerate the government of the responsibility of providing the normal economic and social pillars that should ensure opportunities for gainful and responsible living for the people.


It is no news that Nigerian youths, for some years now, have been largely left to their own caprices to fashion out a living in whatever way they can. The society that should support the effort to provide gainful employment and ensure that the youths remain on the path of moral rectitude has largely ignored them.
Our courts which oftentimes impose ridiculously lenient sentences on convicted drug traffickers have also not helped the situation.

This permissive attitude to drug trafficking runs contrary to the serious view of the offence in many countries, with the result that many of our compatriots have either been imprisoned, hanged or are on death row in countries like Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Indonesia.

This situation gives a very poor image of our country. It is casts a slur on the perception of our compatriots who are now subjected to several indignities and body searches at many airports across the world.
The involvement of our women in drug trafficking is also a debasement of the public image of Nigerian women who are mostly hardworking and responsible members of society.
This sad state of affairs should be addressed holistically at all levels of government. Non Governmental Organisations, schools, religious and traditional rulers should be involved in the campaign to dissuade Nigerians from the ignoble trade.

Our drug law enforcement and other security agencies should step up surveillance to ensure that drugs do not easily pass through our borders. Stiffer sanctions should be provided for drug trafficking in our law books and the sanctions must be faithfully enforced by our courts
The society, through moral sanctions, should seek to project a new image of drug trafficking as a truly reprehensive trade.

The reality of Vision 20–2020

Recently, the Federal Government advised states to ensure that whatever economic blueprint they design for their respective states should of, necessity, be in line with Vision 20–2020. For the records, Vision 20–2020, is government’s ambitious economic catchphrase that aims to make Nigeria as the “20th most industrialized economies of the World” by the year 2020.

Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan dropped government’s desire of synergy of economic ideas with the states during the just concluded and hugely successful, The Sun South-East Economic Summit, held in Owerri, Imo State.

According to the Vice President, state governors are at liberty to design their own economic vision, but underscored the imperativeness of such plan to factor in the policy framework encapsulated in the Vision 20 – 2020 document in line with President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda. These include, the rule of law, strong economy with low inflation rate and job creation, power supply, security, among others.
In this connection, the Vice President stressed the need for integrated effort with the states, the public and private partnership for accelerated national development.

On the face of it, the cooperation being sought by the federal government from the states, points to a positive direction. It can be likened to a compass for a co-ordinated economic development blueprint that can help the nation move forward. It makes economic sense that state governments should apply themselves to the realization of this vision and the goals contained therein.

Hitherto, there have been so many visions, from past and present governments, at both federal and state levels. They have remained just visions. In most cases, the visions are blurred and poorly articulated.
It is, therefore, high time these visions moved from been mere mantras, to concrete things that Nigerians can see and feel. In this regard, the federal government should lead the way and the states will follow. It is one thing to embrace a vision, it is another thing to transform it into reality. Essentially, a vision must say something that clarifies the direction in which any nation needs to move.

Sadly, this is yet to happen in our country. While we support government’s idea and calls for states to join in realizing the goals, the governments at all levels need to be reminded that a vision is vacuous if the leadership lacks what it takes to actualize it. In effect, without sensible vision, every effort dissolves into a list of confusing and incompatible projects that takes the country in the wrong direction. Government’s vision will remain a mirage if the enabling environment is not put in place.

The fundamentals such as regular power supply and security are priority areas, the absence of which the government’s 7-point agenda cannot be realized. The vision plan should not be a temporizing platform as is the case now. At present, Nigeria is stuck in the middle with no tangible incremental improvement in essential things of life.

We therefore urge the federal government to apply itself consciously to meeting it’s own agenda based on promises made on assumption of office nineteen months ago.
No amount of documented blueprint will yield the necessary democratic dividend when the leadership seems to have lost focus with the agenda that brought it into office. Our position remains that good ideas have never been our problem as a nation, it is the lack of a purposeful leadership that can chart a good direction for human and economic prosperity. That, in our view, is the reality of a vision. A vision with discernible cause of action capable of yielding purposeful results, is what Nigeria urgently needs.

Moving Nigeria forward

It is really disturbing that after 48 years of indepence, the masses of this country are yet to experience appreciable socio-economic advancement despite the abundant natural resources God has bestowed on this land.

There are still widespread poverty, crookedness, lawlessness, cheating, embezzlement, corruption, injustice, immolation, intimidation, marginalization, tribalism and religious intolerance. If you put all these factors together, you will discover that the evil things happening in this country have gone beyond human comprehension and description.

hot, Nigeria has been hijacked by political vampires who do not want this country to move forward because of the evil politics they have inflicted on the defenseless masses of this country. The field of politics has been so polluted that decent men and genuine patriots are not given the opportunity to participate. Most of them have chickened out because the political field is too severe for their comfort.

Our economic failure is linked to our political failure because we have incompetent political leaders who often formulate faulty economic policies. The results are the unfortunate collapse of agriculture which should be the mainstay of our economic, the precarious dependence on oil and spending of billions of naira on power and other projects without anything to show for it.

I weep for Nigeria, my country and generations unborn. In Nigeria, anything is possible. Nigeria of 15 years ago is better than Nigeria of today. The country is sinking everyday, and there is no solution in sight to these lingering crises. Some people have been calling for sovereign national conference, some others agitating for confederation while others are contemplating secession.

Right now, we the masses are reaping the fruits of bad governance because we have been dumb and inactive for too long. We are so accustomed to pain that we think by ignoring it we can wish away. It is time for Nigerians to take their destiny in their hands and decide to move forward

How best to enjoy Christmas

I have observed that when you remind an average Nigerian of the Christmas celebration, he or she gets frightened. But it should not be a fear-provoking event, rather it should be the time to be happy and have fun.

These are some of the ways you can really enjoy this season.
Most importantly, remember that it is a time to move closer to God. After all, Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. The main purpose of His death is to reconcile us back to God. A period to take time to appraise your lifestyle, make amend, forgo the bad habits and resolve to take up the good ones so as to establish a spiritual stand with God.

When the above forms the basis of your celebration, you can successfully draw your budget based on what you have and what you need and not what you want. Make sure that you do not go beyond your budget. Do not be confused by the roadside traders who will be ringing their bells to attract you to buy their products.

Also, before buying anything, check your lists. Make sure you don’t buy what you already have; after all, it is not a season of “everything must be new.” You might have some things, especially clothes that will serve well for the celebration than bordering your head to buy new ones at this rush and expensive time of the market.

It is also advisable to buy only what you need for this season and the things you planned to give to your relatives. Also remember to bless the poor. This will make you happy and bless you as well. Don’t end up buying bags of rice, carton of this and that at this peak period and will not need. This can affect your January when business will be dull and every worker visits the calendar on a daily basis calculating when to collect another salary. Be prudent in your spending this period, you will buy the best, enjoy yourself and stand to face January more comfortably.

Therefore, even as challenges of life come within the year, try to solve them based on your financial level so as to save adequately for your other celebrations like weddings, birthdays, naming and burial.
What I am emphasizing here is that your expenses have to be planned based on your income to take you throughout the year and the for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

No doubt, some people have made it big, financially. They do not have to meticulously follow the planning like others, especially the group that will get shocked at the mention of the approach of Christmas season.
I hereby encourage you to plan your ways to be happy with what you have. Rejoice with the big and mighty. Thank God you are alive when many have gone even as we are counting down to the Xmas. Because you are alive, there is hope that one day, you will get where you are expecting.
Do not worry. Be happy with what you have.

Under education and non education trap

heard a view point about the problems of Nigeria and how long it will take to address them from a lady with a unique perspective.
Born in Nigeria, the lady was sent to the UK by her parents at an early age where she was educated. She only returned to Nigeria after working for years in the UK and is now employed in the administration department of a private school in Lagos.

Recalling her experiences since she relocated to Nigeria, she has found it difficult to reconcile the quality of life in the UK and Nigeria. Describing her experiences in Lagos as harrowing but challenging, the grueling nature of life in Lagos has pushed her to the brink.

And when compared to the ordered existence of life in the UK she wonders at times why she came back to Nigeria. But then again Lagos is home and she would rather be here than in the UK where she sometimes felt like an outsider looking in. She did opine though that it would take Nigeria more than 50 years to get things right and for a semblance of order to be injected into the status quo. Taken aback I asked what could have informed such a position considering I am one who wants urgent solutions to our numerous problems.

Her response set me thinking and could be paraphrased as follows: Consider the millions of children in Nigeria today who are not being educated or are being undereducated. Also consider the millions more who are being raised in poverty in the midst of ostentatious display of wealth by a few in the society. 20 to 30 years from now they will have come of age and will constitute the majority in an environment where the few educated ones must interact with them. Until such a time when minimum standards are put in place and there is a leveling of sorts between the rich and the poor then Nigeria will continue to struggle.

Educated youths would have thought twice before engaging in maiming, killings and destruction of propertied like what we witnessed in Jos, Plateau state last week. The principle is that whatever one sow that is what will be reaped and this is why I left that lady's office in a somber mood.
Man is not born to solve the problems of the universe, but to find out what he has to do Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Controlling Fireworks

IT is December, and the onset of the season of goodwill generally known as Yuletide and the end of year activities. At Christmas fireworks are used. Many cities in Europe and America are officially wired for fireworks displays on Christmas and New Year Eve. In some cities, the mayor sets off the fireworks through a switch to commence the merriments at the festive season.

Nigeria is no less. The celebration of Christmas has become an industry in States like Cross River (Calabar Carnival) which runs throughout December . As early as the end of October, children and youths sporadically start using fireworks as if to remind their parents that it would soon be Yuletide.

Each year the authorities made a routine of issuing warnings about the use of these fireworks that have been known to set houses ablaze and serious injuries sustained youths who excitedly fireworks at each other in streets funs that sometimes turn tragic – it does not stop them from continuing.

The Rivers State Police Command has announced the prohibition of the use of fireworks “throughout this Christmas till January next year.” Mr. Bala Hassan, the State Commissioner of Police in issuing the order gave as reason that fireworks confuse policemen about the activities of criminals. Mr. Hassan may well be correct, as stories have been told of how petty thieves use fireworks to instil fear in their victims, by exploiting the confusion they generate as cover to rob.


Why does Nigeria expend its scarce resources in importing these deadly fireworks which serve no useful purpose? There is no Nigerian firm manufacturing fireworks.


If fireworks can be used by criminals in pursuit of their nefarious activities, why not place their sale and purchase under sanction? Why do we allow our youths to use them with all their known dangerous consequences?


The argument that fireworks are mostly smuggled into the country is a mere excuse to allow banned illegality to thrive. It is the duty of the customs to stop their entry into the country. The police and other security agencies should work together on this matter, to save the country from the dire consequences of these fireworks.


Community leaders should be pressed into service of getting their residents to comply with the bans on fireworks. Everyone tends to treat this matter with levity until the damage has been done.
Fireworks are dangerous enough that if ever they have to be used, it should be with permission of the police and clearance with the Fire Service because of the possibilities with fireworks.


Arbitrary use of fireworks on the streets cannot meet these conditions and the authorities should deal with violators decisively

Verdict Of ‘Substantial Compliance’

THE Supreme Court’s 4-3 verdict that upheld the 2007 election of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua confirmed earlier positions that the election lacked credibility. The controversy would remain.
Most of the dissenting views were about the serialisation of the ballot papers for the polls. Some think that it was a mute point that INEC did not serialise the ballot papers, or at least some of them. The dissenting judges however think that without a proper control on the ballot papers, it was doubtful how many they were, and how they were used.

Section 45 (1) makes the serialisation of the ballot paper mandatory. INEC did not comply with this. The Electoral Act does not make a provision for a waiver of this provision. Non-compliance with the provision should have been a substantial reason to order another election.

This major defect did not stop the majority of the judges from upholding the Court of Appeal’s earlier verdict that the election complied “substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Act”. The issue of “substantial compliance” remains a major flaw of the Electoral Act.

An Electoral Act that effusively lists conditions candidates must meet to contest elections, or even in filing their election petitions, should have been specific about “substantial compliance”. Leaving “substantial compliance” to the interpretation of courts makes room for more opinion than justice.

What was the intention of the law in asking for “substantial compliance”? Which provisions of the Electoral Act are less important and could be infringed without compromising the elections?

The sad thing about the Supreme Court verdict was that it tended to punish the appellants for the obvious defects of the Electoral Act. The essence of the Electoral Act is to guide INEC and contestants to elections that are credible. Where there are complaints, the provisions of the Act also provide guides for resolving them at the tribunals and the appeal processes.

“Substantial compliance” is an ambiguity that deserves excision from the Electoral Act. Other sections of the Act should be amended to ensure that only those who have no cases pending against them assume office.

There is always the great urge to move Nigeria forward with all the flaws the system amasses against its democratic growth. Many would see this verdict as meant to sustain democracy – again that is controversial.

In 2009, the 2007 elections would remain an issue. Some of the cases are still at the tribunals. The Court of Appeal is yet to make pronouncements on others.

Little has been said about the validity of results, where the victory of a governorship candidate, if of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was the logic for the President sweeping the polls in that State. In Edo State , for instance, could the Court of Appeal upturning of the governorship election, held on the same day as the presidential, deny the presidential election in the State “substantial compliance”?

Nigerians have to live with a government the Supreme Court confirmed got into office after “substantial compliance” with the Electoral Act.

After Eid el Kabir

From Vanguard to its millions of readers, it is still Eid Mubarak. May the lessons of submission and sacrifice which were the essence of the Eid el Kabir remain with us and lead us unto a path of renewal, as a people.
This year, the world celebrated the Eid el Kabir against the background of major killings round the world linked to intolerance. In Mumbai, India, about 195 people died from attacks allegedly by a fundamentalist group. In Jos, Nigeria, hundreds of people lost their lives from premeditated acts of violence. Contest for power degenerated to ethnic and religious tailored killings. The claims and counter claims have seen the two major religious groups pointing accusing fingers at each other.

With this celebration over, it is time again to reflect on the use of religion as cover for some of mankind’s evil deeds.

During the Eid el Kabir, millions of Muslims go on pilgrimage to Mecca and use the occasion to ask for forgiveness for their sins. They seek renewal before the Almighty. At least three million faithful made it this year, among them about 95,000 Nigerians.

As in India or Nigeria, even if an inquiry fails to uncover those behind the mayhem, the God who both sides ascribe to, knows who did evil. This should really guide the thoughts of religious leaders, as they are aware that their beliefs preach a day of judgement for our deeds.

What a difference it would have made if Nigerians reflect their religions in the way they live? Why are we unforgiving? Why are we ever so eager to take lives in God’s name? Why do we burn places of worship once there are differences?

Eid el Kabir is about Ibrahim’s trust in God, to the point of sacrificing his only son in obedience to God. Only at the point of the sacrifice, did God intervene by providing an alternative - a ram.

Nigerians should trust the Almighty and draw confidence from the fact that the Almighty who caters for 6.8 billion people can look after His own affairs. We need to imbibe the message of forgiveness, which all the major religions preach. The resort to riots, reprisal attacks and more violence has no place in either Islam or Christianity which are founded on love for one another.

There is a lot of room for forgiveness. Let us leave God to fight His own battles. The killings attributed to religious differences have no place in the Almighty’s plan for the human race.

After the Eid el Kabir, the lessons of forgiveness and dependence on the Almighty should continue for all. A lot of forgiveness is required to heal the wounds of these killings and to forestall such incidents.

Implementing 2009 budget

After two aborted attempts, the 2009 appropriation bill is now before the National Assembly, thus ending the lingering anxiety over the document. Totalling N2.87 trillion, the 2009 budget is 4.45 per cent higher than the initial appropriation of N2.74 trillion for 2008 and 6.42 per cent above the amended 2008 budget of N2.64 trillion.

The President said emphasis would be placed on the completion of some ongoing programmes and projects that are key to development, such as power, transportation, land reform, food security, works and the Niger Delta. Highlights of the budget proposals show that a larger chunk of public expenditure - N1.65trn - is for recurrent expenditure while N796.74bn is for capital.

The proposed budget is predicated on a $45 per barrel of crude oil price, a daily oil production of 2.292 million barrels per day, Joint Venture Cash Calls of $5bn, Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 8.9 per cent and inflation growth rate of 8.2 per cent.

The 2009 budget is coming amid worsening global recession, which is already posing a threat to the implementation of the budget. The plan has a huge deficit component of N1.09trn or 3.95 per cent of the GDP. The National Assembly should prevent the country from being plunged into another foreign debt trap. With the sudden crash of oil prices from a peak of about $147 in July to about $42 for January delivery, the oil price benchmark of $45 per barrel may be too optimistic. The restiveness in the Niger Delta also poses a threat to the oil production benchmark of over two million barrels per day.

Despite some attempts to change its orientation, the budget still retains its old character. For instance, though the new economic instrument is set to increase non-oil revenue, strengthen tax proceeds and fortify the ongoing performance of the non-oil sector, it has once again exposed the nation’s slavish dependence on oil and the inability to withstand the shocks from a crash in crude prices. Thus, it is still a long road to a diversified economy.

The government has also done little to correct the anomaly of big government and ballooning recurrent expenditure, which has always left too little for implementing development projects. The decision to cut some overhead expenses could not address the lopsidedness. Yet this would have been addressed through greater financial prudence and sincere commitment to privatisation of state-owned enterprises.

Considering the importance of railway to an efficient transportation system, the paltry allocation of N8.3bn to the sector is inadequate compared to N48.7bn earmarked for the Federal Capital Territory. The sector should be opened up immediately to private sector participation.

The real challenge, however, is in implementation. In the last nine years, the country has had to contend with poor implementation of the nation’s successive budgets. This is evidently responsible for the pervasive decay in the nation’s infrastructure and the generally poor performance of the nation’s economy. It is instructive that the President himself admitted the failure of the 2008 budget. Perhaps to prevent a repeat of the 2008 scenario where 67 per cent of the capital vote has not been spent, in spite of 100 per cent disbursement, the President said the MDAs would be made to deliver measurable targets.

Critical areas like power, security and others identified in the budget should be faithfully implemented through an efficient utilisation of allocated votes. The success of any budget does not depend solely on the amount allocated but on an efficient structure for the implementation of the document. Despite the need for proper scrutiny, it is gratifying that the leadership of the National Assembly has pledged prompt passage of the budget. The lawmakers should cut areas of waste and avoid self-serving adjustments.

The terrorist attacks on Mumbai

THE recent terrorist attacks on Mumbai, India, wrought devastating havoc, death and destruction on the city, and more ominously, put enormous strain on the fragile relations between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed states with a history of wars, border skirmishes and mutual recriminations. Yet, in spite of the evidence it claims to have linking the terrorists to groups in Pakistan, India has shown tremendous restraint and has refrained from mobilising its forces to its borders or launching retaliatory attacks on its neighbour.

For its part, Pakistan has condemned the attacks on its neighbour openly and sincerely, and has cooperated wholeheartedly with the investigation. This is most gratifying. India and Pakistan have both been victims of numerous terrorist attacks of recent. Cooperation, rather than mutual recrimination or suspicion offers the two countries the best option to rid themselves of the scourge of terrorism.

According to information which Indian authorities have gathered so far, the implementation of the well-planned and obviously well-coordinated terrorist attacks began when at least 10 young men took over at sea a private fishing trawler with five crew members that had set sail from the Arabian Sea off the coast of Porbandar in India's western Gujarat state on November 13. Little is known of the fate of the trawler's original crew except that one of them was found in the engine room of the abandoned trawler tied and with his throat cut.

In any case, the terrorists used inflatable dinghies to sail undetected into Mumbai waters on November 26, split into four groups, and rode on taxis to their target locations. For a start, the terrorists left explosives inside the taxis before they got out; these exploded soon after, killing two drivers and a bystander. Thus began a series of co-ordinated and multiple attacks that would last for three days; an orgy of senseless violence and destruction that killed over 195 people and wounded twice as many.

The next target was the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus otherwise known as the Victoria Terminus railway station where a number of the gunmen entered the platforms and started shooting people indiscriminately. Once out of the station they shot three police officers, stole a police van and moved on. When the police van got a flat tyre the gunmen abandoned it and drove a stolen Skoda car towards their next targets. As they drove through the city of Mumbai they opened fire on several targets including, of all places, the Cama and Albless hospital for women and children. The police eventually intercepted the Skoda, killed one of the gunmen and arrested another.

Meanwhile, other groups of gunmen were attacking a popular caf?, a Jewish cultural centre and two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi Trident. The gunmen stormed the hotels as guests sat down for dinner. They began shooting indiscriminately, setting explosions and fires as they moved from floor to floor. It took over 100 commandos and 60 hours to dislodge them, at terrible cost to the security officials, property, staff and guests of the hotels.

Although the attacks caused massive destruction of property and caught the attention of the world, the Indian people have remained unbowed. The Indian state has not panicked and has not taken any precipitate action that would inadvertently advance the cause of the terrorists. Instead the authorities in India have reacted with commendable restraint and maturity. They have listened to wise counsel from third parties, including the United States, whose Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, travelled to both New Delhi and Islamabad to persuade the Indian and Pakistani governments to relax tension. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also undertaken a similar mission to the subcontinent.

Of ample significance, especially for democratic pretenders like the ruling elite in Nigeria and other African countries, is the sense of responsibility demonstrated by Indian officials. India is of course the world's largest democracy and it is gratifying that in accordance with the tenets of democracy, Indian leaders have accepted personal responsibility for perceived lapses in the conduct and operations of the institutions of state. Quite a number of state and national officials have resigned in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

We cannot but contrast their conduct with that of Nigerian officials. At the time the attacks on Mumbai were unfolding, mayhem was let loose in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, following disputed results over local government elections. In the process over 300 hundred Nigerians were killed including three National Youth Corps members who were performing national service. The number killed in Jos was far greater than that of Mumbai. Shortly before the Jos incident, the media was inundated with reports of an adulterated medicine that was killing Nigerian children through acute renal failure. In neither of these instances did a single Nigerian official accept responsibility or acknowledge culpability. No Nigerian official has either resigned or been indicted for these incidents.

As the authorities in India deal with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai we urge them to maintain the path of reconciliation and cooperation with Pakistan so that together, they can take the necessary measures to improve institutional capacity to forestall a reoccurrence of similar incidents in the future. It is time the two countries saw themselves as stakeholders in maintaining peace and promoting development in the subcontinent.

For the ruling elite in Nigeria we urge them to take a cue from India and take measures to advance the democratic tradition in the country. Democracy cannot take root and the social contract between the state and the citizen cannot be maintained if government officials do not take responsibility for perceived lapses in the institutions of state.

Adieu, Haruna Ilerika

IT was with profound shock that myself and members of my family received the news of the passing on of Alhaji Haruna Ilerika, former Stationary Stores FC of Lagos and Nigerian Green Eagles Centre-forward player as beamed by a Lagos-based private television station on Thursday, December 4, 2008 on its 9.45 p.m. news bulletin. The harsh reality of Ilerika's demise dawned on me when the television news clip showed how the casket was lowered into mother earth by the Islamic clerics and officials at Atan Cemetery Yaba, Lagos and I exclaimed: "Why Ilerika?"

Indeed, my interaction with the master dribbler dates back to the 1971/72 football season when he joined the Stationery Stores FC of Lagos, after a brief stint with the defunct Metal Construction Football Club (Apapa) after having led the Zumratul-Islamiya Grammar School , Surulere to victory in the 1970 Principals' Cup football competition for secondary schools in Lagos State at the Onikan Stadium.

On Saturday May 22, 1972, Alhaji Ilerika shared the line-up of Stationery Stores FC in a 2-2 drawn friendly match with Dundee United FC of Scotland with team captain late Mr. Augustine Offuokwu ("mazeli"), goalkeeper Peter Fregene, defender Daniel Ajibode, midfielder Sanni Mohammed (now in Ghana), Akintayo Aro, Yomi Peters, Jibrin (Ghanaian player), the then school-boy sensation Harvey Awotoro, Tanko and another player coached by late Stores FC Ghanaian born Mr. Dodoo Quartey and Lagos State Sports Council assigned Coach the late Mr. Jide Johnson who passed on in 1985. Coach Quartey took over the mantle of coaching from Coach Peter 'Eto' Amaechina.

Undoubtedly, the crowning glory of late Alhaji Ilerika's football career came on Thursday January 18, 1973 when Nigeria defeated Guinea 2-0 in the final of the second All Africa Games at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos along with prominent players such as goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala (Rangers FC Enugu), Sanni Mohammed (Stores FC Lagos), Morton Owolo (Sharks FC Port Harcourt), late goalkeeper Eyo Essien (Bendel Insurance FC Benin), Sunday Oyarekhua (Police FC Lagos), late Mathias Obianika (Rangers FC Enugu), Sylvester Egborge (Bendel Insurance), Kenneth Olayombo (Nigerian Army FC Lagos), Dominic Ezeani (Rangers FC Enugu), Sam Ikedi (Bendel Insurance), Anthony Ottah (Bendel Insurance), late Yakubu Mambo (Stores FC), Sunny Izebhigie (Bendel Insurance), Anthony Igwe alias "World No.2" (NEPA FC Lagos but previously a Stores FC player), Gideon Njoku (ACB) FC Lagos), team captain Victor Oduah (Bendel Insurance) and Godwin Achebe (Rangers FC Enugu). The team was coached by Mr. Jorge Penna (Brazil) with late Chief Shola Rhodes (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) as overall team manager.

On the vexed issue of reward for dedicated service to our fatherland Nigeria, it is only members of the aforementioned gold medal winning team who can confirm whether or not some rewards were promised the players at that time by our political and sports leadership but which have not been fulfilled to date, to the chagrin of the footballers. My humble advice is that it is never too late to reward hard-work and dedication.

In the intensive preparations/camping for the 1980 football Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Nigeria, the Chief Coach, late Brazilian Professor Otto Gloria and his assistant Professor Calleso were reportedly very impressed with the natural talents and dribbling skills of late Chief Ilerika which fitted well into the Brazilian philosophy of entertaining football but the camping/logistics arrangements did not quite favour the midfield maestro hence he did not make the team which eventually won the cup.

After playing a prominent role in the 1981 African Cup Winners Club competition which Stores FC narrowly lost 2-1 to Union Douala FC of Cameroun on Saturday December 5, 1981 at the National Stadium, Surulere, Chief Ilerika moved on to the team's technical bench and many Stores FC supporters were happy that their beloved player was now an "official" of the team. Of course he was rewarded with the 1982 National Challenge Cup Gold Medal after Stores FC defeated Niger Tornadoes of Minna, Niger State by 4-1 on Saturday, October 30 1982 (see The Guardian newspaper, Friday, October 31, 2008, page 14 - "The Real Flamingoes").

When in August 1992, I was admitted as an Associate Member of the Lagos State Branch of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and I sought Chief Ilerika's support in updating me on football matters, he assured me of his cooperation at all times especially as I have over the years proved to be a genuine and authentic Stores FC supporter and I often marvelled at his accommodating nature and disposition. He did not carry the air of an "international soccer star" and never insisted on "previous appointment" before granting me audience.

On Wednesday August 26, 2006, I called at the Borno Way Ebute-Metta residence of late Chief Ilerika to clarify some matters of "Urgent football importance" and luckily, he was available at home - this was after I had concluded a meeting with some officials of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue at No. 20, Jebba Street, Ebute-Metta, together with one top Executive of a Lagos Island-based Cooperative Society. As usual, I was better educated and enlightened after the discussions.

What has now turned out to be my last personal interaction took place on Thursday August 12, 2007 at the Agege Stadium/Pepsi Football Academy Training Ground where late Chief Ilerika, Coach Amusa Shittu (alias "Bulldozer") - who was coach/player when NEPA FC of Lagos won the National Challenge Cup in 1970; together with Pepsi Football Academy Director Coach Kashimawo Laloko and Mr. Segun Adenuga, Sports Journalist/former Team Manager of Stationery Stores FC of Lagos were conducting screening exercises for young footballers for some competitions. The main purpose of my trip to the Agege Stadium was to seek Chief Ilerika's assistance in screening some young footballers who are my contacts with a view to enlisting their services in local clubs if they are found suitable to which he agreed without any hesitation whatsoever.

When one of the private radio stations in Lagos announced some months ago that Chief Haruna Ilerika had successfully performed the Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca, I was happy that he had been able to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam and as we mourn his departure from this rather temporary world, I join the immediate and extended families, Stationery Stores supporters, the Lagos State Government and the entire Nigerian nation in praying that Allah in His infinite mercies should grant the Master Dribbler Aljanat Amen. Adieu, Haruna Ilerika!

Aliyu's thesis on credible elections

ON Sunday, November 30, 2008, Dr. Aliyu Muazu Babangida, Governor of Niger State, delivered a keynote address during a national reception for Professor Maurice Iwu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Okigwe, Imo State. Although the Governor began the lecture entitled ''Challenges facing the electoral process in Nigeria: Appreciating Prof Maurice Iwu's contributions'' with some fairly controversial comments on the achievements of Maurice Iwu as INEC boss, the address nevertheless raises some fundamental questions about both the electoral process and the democratic system in Nigeria.

Aliyu, quite rightly in my view, sets out to make the fundamental point that pillorying Iwu or indeed any electoral umpire for that matter on the basis of perceived poor conduct of elections without taking a holistic look at the entirety of the fundamentally flawed Nigerian electoral process-beginning with even the monetised consciousness and destructive psychology of the average Nigerian voter - is as unfair as it is futile.

In the face of the angst and disenchantment among Nigerians over betrayed expectations arising from the conduct of the 2007 elections, this vital point may be politically incorrect, but problems do not vanish simply because people wish them away. Certainly, as the Governor notes, it is simply not enough to pillory people in high offices and positions on perceived shortcomings within the electoral system, given the determining effects of institutions and structures on the actions of the human agency.

Aliyu, however, does not stop at canvassing a re-thinking of the electoral process but offers some reasonable suggestions that are made even more poignant by the fact that the presidential committee on electoral reforms headed by Justice Mohammed Uwais (rtd) has not yet concluded its work. In the area of voter education, Aliyu canvasses a more sustained involvement by the political parties in the country, and suggests, in addition, that they should be self-sustaining, with a ceiling on the contributions by moneybags, as a way of curbing godfatherism. He states that financial contributions "should be controlled so that no single individuals hijacks the party by overwhelming financial contributions.''

The governor adds that every party member, irrespective of economic status, should be made to have 'a sense of belonging and ownership'. In a terrain where a former Attorney-General once boasted of his party's readiness to tackle the opposition "dollar for dollar'', one suspects that this prescription may yet again be politically incorrect - the Governor appears totally opposed to the vices which have so far defined the PDP's existence - but it can and should be pursued to loosen up the Nigerian political space and facilitate equity. Further, prompt release of funds to political parties, issues-based political campaigns, non-imposition of candidates at local levels by state governors and other powers, minimum academic qualifications commensurate with desired elective posts, effective civic education, resistance to poisonous financial and material inducement by politicians, non-violent polls, and the institutionalisation of ideologically defined political parties are some of the other suggestions of Aliyu's that need to be addressed decisively in order to transform the electoral process for authentic democratic governance in the country.

At the heart of the challenges to free and fair elections, however, lies the seriously flawed 1999 Constitution that has governed the democratic process in Nigeria since that date. Perhaps anxious to provide a constitutional framework to protect their dominance in the nation's political climate, the military despots, through the 1999 Constitution, had recklessly apportioned awesome powers to the office of the Executive President who was expected to take off from where they left off.

While the immediate past President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, no doubt had peculiar repressive traits that so infamously cast ugly shadows on some of the indisputable achievements of his administration, there is no doubt that he enjoyed constitutional backing, however hard it may be to come to grips with this point, for some of his excesses. Although Aliyu's address does not cover this important point of constitutional harakiri, the point needs to be made that constitutional reform should be pursued in more equitable terms. Nevertheless, the fact that a public functionary of Aliyu's status has raised fundamental issues at the very soul and depth of electoral crisis means that with positive and resilient efforts, the nation may be on the way to resolving some of the basic challenges of electoral process and democratic governance in the country.

Another pertinent question to raise is whether Governor Aliyu himself has been working in the direction of the goals which he has lucidly articulated. In this connection, one may note that the governor's declaration that the recently concluded local government election in Niger State were heralded by working visits across the state where agreements were reached to allow the people's authentic candidates to emerge without any manipulations during the primaries, and anchored on a solemn promise by the state government to conduct free and fair polls , is indeed heartwarming. It is only in such a context that his charge that "this approach should be replicated as we prepare for future elections in this country'' can become more realistic.

The recent experience in Ghana, where no fewer than 500,000 names of the dead and people who had done multiple registration, according to the Ghanaian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. George Kumi, during a recent interactive session with journalists in Abuja, had been expunged from the voters' register by the Electoral Commission of Ghana as the nation looked forward to the presidential and parliamentary elections is an indication that things can indeed be made to work where all the stakeholders in the electoral process are politically sensitised on the gains of credible polls. The Ghanaian authorities had assured whistle blowers of immunity from persecution by hegemonic powers. In conclusion, therefore, the propositions by Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu are very relevant in the nation's quest for credible polls, and should inspire a programme for positive action.

My only grouse with his well thought-out address is Dr. Aliyu's strenuous theoretical attempts to use the obvious institutional and structural flaws in the country's electoral and democratic process to extricate Iwu from blame in the grand larceny called the 2007 elections. Both Iwu and the institutions and processes are guilty as charged.

The President and the prisons

PRESIDENT Umar Musa Yar'Adua recently pardoned one Ibrahim Aliyu, a 57 year old man who had languished in the Kirikiri Maximum Prison for the last 25 years, 22 of them on the death row waiting for the hangman who never came. Besides, the President also requested the Rivers State governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, to extend a similar gesture to 90-year old Nze Ikenemawa who, has been in the Port Harcourt prison for nine years including two on the death row.

The President's gesture is in line with his constitutional powers, but it is even more commendable for its humanness. It is unlikely that Governor Amaechi would not accede to the president's request with regard to Nze Ikenemawa. But the stories of Citizens Aliyu and Ikenemawa to all intents and purposes, represent the experience of thousands of Nigerians, young, old, male and female, who are languishing behind prison bars all over the country, some for the most trivial breaches of the law, or, as is often the case for no reason at all, or for the wrong reasons. For example, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Rivers State branch recently disclosed that more than 100 under-aged persons are currently awaiting trial in the Port Harcourt Maximum Prison. The right place for under-age persons is a Remand Home, not maximum prison custody.

The Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ken Chikere says the state government is worried about this. Nigerian public officials are always very good at worrying about things and often so remiss in doing the right thing. A lot is wrong with a justice system that keeps an accused person in prison custody, and without trial for days, weeks, or, in the worst scenario, months, and years. Justice is delayed and denied and the right of the accused person to fair hearing is violated. Nigerian prisons, police stations and detention centres are full of awaiting trial persons who seemingly have been forgotten by the system.

In a fair and just society, where the rule of law holds in words and in deed, no man should be treated so unfairly. This is the spirit and import of Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution. When a person is proven to have committed no offence, to merely set him free after years in detention, cannot be said to have sufficiently served the course of justice, in the fullest meaning of the word.

It is assumed that, in accordance with Section 175(2) of the 1999 Constitution, the President pardoned Mr. Aliyu after due consultation with members of the National Council of State, and the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. But, for every Aliyu who may have been plain lucky or is well connected, there are others who are not so opportune to have their cases brought to Presidential attention. They remain in prison and suffer endlessly. It is in this context that we find more meaningful the President's directive to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to bring similar cases to his attention. Ordinarily, the Attorney-General need not wait to be prompted before identifying such cases. He is the Chair afterall, of the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. That Committee should begin to work.

Before now, there have been reports of state Chief Judges visiting the prisons to ensure the release of persons unduly awaiting trial, or infirm and old inmates. Many prisons are full of under-aged children also who may not be minor offenders, but who may have been born in prison by female inmates. Such children do not deserve to be punished along with their mothers.

Official visits to the prisons should be more frequent. State Governors should also pay close attention to possible violation of rights in their areas of jurisdiction. Few governors exercise the prerogative of mercy and when they do, political considerations tend to be more paramount. So far, however, official attempts to decongest the country's prisons are at best episodic, fire-brigade responses to a legal and moral malaise. They remain mere palliative measures initiated after much damage has been done to human and constitutional rights, and personal lives ruined and dreams broken. Nigerian prisons are exceptionally unpleasant; they are destructive rather than correctional. They need to be renovated and upgraded, and prison officials need to be retrained. The condition of inmates in terms of feeding, sleeping and healthcare arrangements also needs to be improved.

Why are our prisons congested with people who should not be there? We urge President Yar'Adua to sustain the present momentum by doing two things. First, order an audit of Nigeria's prison system in order to have relevant data with which to plan a corrective strategy. Retired judges may be recruited to assist in this process. Prison officials are also in a position to make recommendations to the authorities.

Second, to arrive at the right answers, government must adopt a comprehensive strategy to address the violations of human rights in the prisons and the failures of the justice administration system. A holistic approach would be more worthwhile and yield a longer-lasting solution to the problem at hand.

Ribadu's Growing Travails

It is disturbing that despite the many serious socio-economic challenges facing the country, so much attention is being consumed by the shadow-fighting between some government agencies and the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Nuhu Ribadu.
Since the ouster of the ex-head of the EFCC nearly a year ago, he has been in the news mostly for the wrong reasons. For a man who, many believe, performed reasonably well on the tough task of fighting corruption, Ribadu’s long ordeal gives reason for concern. Whatever might have been his failings, the spate of harassments to which he has been subjected is becoming a national embarrassment.
Apart from the manner in which he was removed from office and then demoted from an Assistant Inspector-General to a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ribadu has received the sort of treatment fit only for common enemies of the state. The latest in the series of what has been rightly described as the "obsession with Ribadu persecution" is the shoddy treatment he received from the powers that be at the recent graduation ceremony of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).It is not our intention to join the long, winding debate on why he was barred from the graduation ceremony. Rather, we are concerned about what such episodes convey to the outside world and what they say about the nation's commitment to the fight against corruption. The general impression right now is that Ribadu is being persecuted for daring to step on powerful toes. The government ought to be concerned about this for two main reasons.
First, it tends to suggest that those who are prepared to render selfless service without minding whose ox is gored cannot be sure of state protection should the need arises. But even more devastating is the erroneous impression it creates that the present government is not serious about fighting corruption. Ribadu, wrongly or rightly, approximates the nation's best effort at fighting corruption. He of course had his weaknesses, but he proved for the first time in the nation's history that it is possible to bring corrupt senior public officials to book.
As it is, not one single person among those charged with corruption by the EFCC under Ribadu can be said to be corruption-free. Understandably therefore, many, if not most Nigerians, see Ribadu's current travails as sheer persecution by some influential people and officials of government who have an axe to grind with him.
If there is any evidence of wrong doing against the former EFCC chairman, it should be made public. The courts are there for such cases. Otherwise, let the harassment and shadow-chasing stop. There are more important issues to engage the attention of the government. Clubbering a man who showed courage in fighting what is decidedly Nigeria's greatest challenge-- official graft-- is certainly not one of them

Post-UME Tests

Given the sometimes abysmal performance of even university graduates, the need for a thorough screening of university undergraduates at the point of admission can hardly be over emphasised. The story is repeatedly told of how some JAMB candidates hire undergraduates or even graduates to sit for the UME examination for them. As a result they score high marks, which easily qualify them for admission into the university system.
Yet their performance, after admission is often woeful, drawing sharp contrast between the pre-admission brilliance and the post-admission dullness. This gap, in a sense, caused the introduction of the post-UME test, now being administered by the individual universities as a way of re-confirming the suitability of the applicant for a place in the university.
But as with most things in Nigeria, it soon got corrupted. Beside the arbitrariness which the new scheme has suffered in several universities, it has turned out to be a fund-raising programme for some universities, given the steadily increasing “administrative charges” of conducting the test. This is regrettable.
Yet, more worrisome is the stress and risk associated with the test. The “cross-country” travelling students do in a bid to go write such tests at the chosen universities is not only a source of financial burden to most parents given the logistics arrangements that go with such travels, it is fraught with needless risk on the part of the students. Several road accidents involving such students have been recorded. This is avoidable.
Much as we believe in and support the essence of the test, we are convinced that the universities can yet achieve the re-confirmation of students’ abilities at the point of registration, by getting each department, to conduct short but credible tests on the students. The result of which finally determines the admissibility of the student.
By this, not only is the delay associated with the present practice eliminated, it will, and more importantly, reduce the risk and hazards the students are exposed to on the nation’s not-very-safe highways.
The reliability of this option, no doubt, depends heavily on the altruistic disposition of the university personnel who will administer the tests. Stories we hear of some lecturers favouring students for cash and kind are disheartening and a threat to this option. But with proper checks and balances, we believe that this will turn out as a far better option.
Students who pass the tests could proceed with the registration process while those who don’t, return home and prepare more rigorously.
We urge both the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), as it marks its 30th anniversary, and the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) to jointly explore more scientific ways of drawing a balance between improving the standard of our university products and preserving them for the challenges of nation building. One cannot be sacrificed for the other.
All said, we urge students to be hardworking and honest in their academic pursuits, as the assured path to ultimate academic success, just as we urge the university authorities to forestall all acts of abuse and circumvention which the present scheme currently suffers.

Congestion at Lagos Ports

Again, there is congestion at Lagos ports. Although some congestion is expected at this seasonal period, the current problem predates the season and has strong semblance with the perennial congestion problem associated with the ports.
The situation is so bad that incoming ships now anchor on high seas for weeks before they get slots to berth. And the many containers that have not been cleared leave little room for fresh ones to be off-loaded.
The situation has its dramatic high points as this: The delay in the distribution of the 4,500 three-wheel vehicles popularly called "Keke NAPEP" approved by the Federal Government to be distributed to all the states in the country including the Federal Capital Territory has been attributed to the congestions at the Lagos ports.
The Director General of the National Agency for Poverty Eradication Programme, Dr. Magnus Kpakol, whose agency is handling the project, said the vehicles would have been distributed to the states if not for the delays, at the ports, in clearing the goods needed.
The negative effects of ports congestion on the economy are enormous. And for an economy that is tottering, desperate for growth, it is sad decisive steps have not been taken to address the problem once and for all. Apart from the demurrage incurred by importers over delays in offloading their goods, it disrupts the production schedule of manufacturers. Both have the unfortunate effect of adding to the already high production cost of manufacturers that have to provide their own infrastructure like electricity, water and even roads in some cases.
We are even aware that out of the fear that such importers incur such costs that make loan repayment difficult some banks are reluctant to lend to importers.
Various reasons have been adduced for the congestion that has refused to go away, and that has made the neighbouring port at Benin Republic attractive. But, even apart from the revenue loss, the use of the Benin port by Nigerian importers tempt them to smuggle some of their imports like cars into the country.
Several other reasons have been adduced for the current congestion. They include: the 30 percent increase in the container traffic between January to date in Lagos; tendency of some importers to use the stacking areas of the port for storage of their consignment; technical hitches experienced in the Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports which resulted in loss of some operational man hour; and the lack of sufficient capacity to handle the number of cargo traffic, especially container, in the nation’s seaports.
But by far, the single most unimaginable problem is the complex and bureaucratic clearing procedure. For decades, the case has always been made for government to cut down on the bureaucracy at the ports, but nothing serious is being done.
Operations at the ports have been privatised and one would have thought there would be some relief by now, but as the Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mrs Irene Chigbue, has said that the 20 government agencies at the nation’s ports should be blamed for congestion, not terminal operators.
We do not see any need for this large number of government agencies at the ports, and the Federal Government should move quickly to reduce the number.
In desperation to ease the current problem, the Nigeria Ports Authority has introduced some palliative measures. They include the directives on “No vessel substitution” policy for any tanker vessel already on the queue to discharge any refined product; a performance parameter which stipulates the duration of time any carrying vessel shall spend at the port, and the reduction in the waiting time for containerised cargoes from 30 days to 14 days and at present nine days.
We commend these efforts of NPA, but it should ensure that the measures are enforced to the letter. As a government agency itself, NPA should work with the other government agencies to improve the situation, even as it continues work on the 25 year development master plan for the nation’s seaports.

Shehu Musa (1935-2008)

Alhaji Shehu Ahmadu Musa who died in London two weeks ago was, indeed, a remarkable person. For a larger part of the 73 years he spent on earth, the late Makama Nupe brought refinement to the public service and politics in this country.
The highest office he occupied was Secretary to the Federal Government, a position that he occupied because of his personal strengths, competence and credentials. At the commencement of the Second Republic in 1979, 13 years after the military intervention that truncated the First Republic, former President Shehu Shagari needed someone who would be the engine room of his government whose functionality was being threatened. Someone who commanded the respect of both the civil service and the political class. And he had no difficulty in picking Alhaji Musa who was at that point Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance.
Shagari's tribute captures the essence of his ex-scribe. His words:" Musa was a man of courteus but authoritative bearing. Shehu Musa was clever, impressively efficient and widely respected by his colleagues. I felt that our new democratic vogage needed as the first SGF someone who needed his way around the federal bureaucracy, how it worked and didn't work. Moreover, as a non-party man, he would not be seen as a rival by ministers or special advisers. As the SGF, Shehu Musa was the single most powerful official in the Federal government."
The fact that he was re-appointed during the short-lived second term of that administration attests to the quality of service and dedication he had put into his onerous assignment. To further validate his sincerity and honour, as the coupists, led by General Muhammadu Buhari, were arresting and detaining top office holders at the time, the 1960 mathematics and physics graduate of the University of Ibadan was left untouched.
It was, therefore, not surprising that the government of General Ibrahim Babangida later appointed him as Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), a post he held until 1992. The late Musa promised that he would count every Nigerian. Although he obviously did not, his commission was able to bequethe to the nation, a reliable head-count. The NPC job provided him the platform to tour the country and appreciate its diverse problems and potentialities. That exercise probably motivated him soon afterwards to seek a presidential berth through the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC).
Although that effort failed, his role as a national player was not eclipsed, as he emerged in 1998 as a National Commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that superintended the Fourth Republic. In that capacity, Musa served as a source of experience and wisdom to the Justice Ephraim Akpata-led Commission.
No doubt, this holder of Masters of Science in Public Administration from the University of Minnesota, USA, Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON), International Mercury Award, many chieftancy titles, several honorary doctorate degrees and other laurels has left his stamp on the soul of the land he has worked tirelessly for.
From a humble background in Bida, Niger State, "Mr. Census" did give an enviable account of himself. He can now take his rightful place among Nigeria's past worthy sons and daughters.

Politics and the Devil's parking space in Jos

JOS North Local Government is a major flashpoint in Northern Nigeria. On April 12, 1994, the appointment of one Alhaji A. Mato as the management committee chairman of Jos North Local Government Council resulted in serious conflict between Muslim-Hausas, considered settlers in Jos, and the indigenes: the Anagustas, the Afizeres and the Biroms, who insisted that they would not accept a non-indigene as a local council chairman in their land. The aggrieved seized the council headquarters and in the outbreak of violence that followed, the Jos market was burnt down; casualties were recorded.

On September 7, 2001, the appointment of one Alhaji Muhammed Mukhtar-Usman as the Chairman of the Jos North National Poverty Eradication Programme also resulted in riots. The indigenes insisted again that they will never accept a non-indigene in that position. The Hausa-Fulani queued up in defence of their kinsman. The exchange of hot words of hate between both parties eventually resulted in the break down of law and order. In 2002, disagreements over ward elections also led to violence in parts of Jos North.

Whereas there have been many recorded cases of violence in all parts of Plateau state, over the years, the pattern and the root causes have all been similar, and they are traceable to power politics, identity, hate and intolerance, so conveniently dressed and fired up with religion. In all the recorded cases of conflict, the basic issues have always been ethnicity and religious politics, and often times, when the catalyst is not struggle over political office, it could be something as seemingly trivial as a Christian woman walking across a mosque, some Fulanis stealing onions from a Birom farm or an indigene having an affair with a settler's daughter.

In virtually every part of Plateau state there is no love lost between the alleged Hausa-Fulani settlers and those who insist that they are indigenes. The last overtly dramatic case of ethno-religious violence in the state was in 2004, when between February and May, thousands of lives were lost and the Obasanjo government had to declare a state of emergency in that state.

Last week, the Devil found a parking space again in Plateau state, and in Jos North Local Government. As at the last count 500 people had been killed, over 60, 000 had been displaced, the cost of lost properties is yet to be calculated. The only difference between this and previous conflicts is that the violence did not spread to other local governments and neighbouring states. In 2001, the killing of Hausa-Fulani Muslims led to reprisal attacks in the city of Kano where Christians and their churches were attacked and burnt down. The casualty figure of 500 in the latest incident is also small by Nigerian standards. As they say, it could have been worse. The mayhem was reportedly caused by local council election. The two main contenders represented the two major ethnic and religious divides in Jos North: Aminu Baba, the ANPP candidate is Hausa-Fulani and Muslim, the other candidate, Timothy Buba of the PDP is Christian and Birom. Politics in Jos North is always a matter of life and death. The indigenes do not want an outsider, the settlers are resolved to gain political power. When the Christian PDP candidate was declared winner by 30, 000 votes, hell, the Devil's abode, broke loose.

The crisis has not been well-handled. On display once again is the Nigerian authorities' lack of capacity to deal with emergencies. Did you see the Indian commandoes taking ownership and seizing control at the Taj Mahal terrorist attack in Mumbai? The Nigerian Police Force proved utterly incompetent in Jos. Consider also the current situation in Ibadan, Oyo state where virtually all the banks have closed shop because robbers have taken over the city and they are targeting the banks. No bank opened its doors for business in Ibadan two days ago! In Ibadan as in Jos, we are confronted with the failure of the Nigerian state and the failure of governance. This is why there have been more casualties in Jos where the combatants used machetes, bows and poisoned arrows, petrol and matches, than in Mumbai where the terrorists used guns, bombs and grenades.

As Jos burned, President Yar'Adua did not deem it necessary to visit the place. He didn't consider the carnage important enough for him to address the nation. Governor Jonah Jang has been widely blamed for proposing to inaugurate the new local government in the midst of the violence. The President had to step in to stop him from doing so. We should thank the President for this. The problem with PDP politicians whether in Plateau or elsewhere is that they do not know where to draw the line. PDP Governors always insist on winning every local government seat, to lose any seat at all is considered a sign of weakness. But when the Plateau state Governor Jonah Jang visited the President later, he was said to have snubbed him. Why? What was that in aid of? President Yar'Adua has now ordered the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of police to relocate to Jos to hold the peace. We need no further evidence about this government's inability to manage national security.

The last time there was a blow out in the Niger Delta, the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Army staff were similarly ordered to move to the war zone like marionettes. But has that solved the problem? The Nigerian government needs to be educated about how to manage emergencies and accept responsibility. In the Taj Mahal incident in India, the National Security Adviser and other state officials have tendered their letters of resignation for failing the Indian people. Where was the Nigerian National Security Adviser, when Jos was burning? Where was the SSS and its local operatives? A deaf and dumb national security apparatus is a disservice to the Nigerian people. In addition, the incompetence of the state electoral body (SIEC) ought to be deplored. The Plateau SIEC Chairman was said to have changed the collation centre and moved the ballot papers from one location to the other throughout the night: that was clearly provocative.

But the more disturbing aspect of the Jos North crisis is the sub-text of indigene-settler politics. What has been re-enacted is the same problem that we have seen, with similarly tragic consequences in Ife-Modakeke and in Warri between the Itsekiri and the Urhobo. It is tragic that in the 20th century, Nigerians are still trapped in primordial ethnic cocoons. It is the ultimate sign of our underdevelopment. The great grandparents of the present Hausa-Fulani population in Jos settled in the Plateau long before the 19th century. The leader of the Yoruba community in Jos claims that the Yorubas arrived in Jos around 1891 and built the first church in the city. The Ibos also probably arrived around the same period. Jos, a cosmopolitan city attracted populations from all parts.

The indigenous populations are also just as diverse. That such a melting pot of Nigerian nationalities could be reduced to an ethic warfare zone is tragic. But it is curious that the conflict is usually between the Hausa-Fulani and the indigenes. Obviously, it is only the Hausa-Fulani, who have gained much political prominence over the years, who insist on wrestling political power from the indigenes. However, the indigene-settler dichotomy is an assault on the Nigerian Constitution, which protects every Nigerian from discrimination. The fact that some Nigerians are considered settlers in their own country and discriminated against for that reason is condemnable.

There are Nigerians who are considered stateless non-citizens, whereas the Constitution is very clear about the rights of citizenship. This is a matter for the Constitution Review Committee in the National Assembly. Once upon a time in this country, Nigerians could run for office in any part of the country, but all that changed before the end of the First Republic, and the recourse to the age of kingdoms and hamlets has continued since then. Politicians exploit this backwardness to gain power although when they are in office, they are not usually interested in group interest but their personal interests and the future of their children. The system of apartheid that exists between the natives and the Hausa-Fulani in Plateau state requires statesmanship and leadership on the part of the Plateau elite. Remember: Barack Obama, in Nigerian terms, is a settler in the state of Illinois, and yet he got elected as a Senator and now President.

The religious cloak that every conflict in Plateau state always wears makes our situation all the more unreasonable. The Christian-Muslim dichotomy exacerbates every little crisis, and it transcends the immediate ethnic boundaries. Ibos, Yorubas and other Nigerians had no stake whatsoever in the conflict; they had no candidates in the Jos North election. They are not contesting the ownership of Jos, or any other part of Plateau with the indigenes. There was no disagreement between churches and mosques. But as violence erupted, places of religious worship were targeted. The terrorists did not spare Southerners if they happened to be Christians. The leader of the Yoruba community says an estimated 113 Yorubas were killed. Ibos and others too, their shops were looted and razed down. One woman lost two of her brothers.

The rioters did not burn down the PDP and ANPP secretariats; they did not attack SIEC officials but they looked for innocent men and women. Three members of the National Youth Service Corps were mowed down. These were young men in their 20s who had gone to Jos to serve their fatherland. Enraged, many parents have been calling for the scrapping of the NYSC. No one can blame them. And yet all of these happened just as many Nigerian Muslims trooped to Mecca on pilgrimage, just a few days to the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice (the Eid el Adha) and just as Christians began to prepare for Christmas.

National unity is increasingly an illusion - now, right inside Nigeria, some state Governors have had to issue travel alerts to warn people from their states to stay away from Plateau state. The least that the Police IG and his men can do is to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the Jos mayhem no matter how highly placed they may be. The election should be cancelled. The state Governor must begin the process of talking to the elders on both sides of the ethno-religious divide.

A medal for Maurice Iwu?

IT used to be said that Nigerian politicians speak first and then think later. Everything Vice President Goodluck Jonathan said about the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Maurice Iwu, last Sunday in Okigwe exemplified the garrulous character of our political leaders. On Sunday last week, Jonathan attended a thanksgiving church service and ceremony which were organised to venerate Iwu, in Okigwe, Imo State. Despite public condemnations that trailed the irregularities that marred the 2007 elections conducted by INEC under Iwu's leadership, it's hard to believe that some people would still find something to crow about Iwu, a man whose name symbolises electoral catastrophe.

What was remarkable about last Sunday's event was not the presence of Jonathan and other prominent people but what Jonathan said about Iwu and the immaculate manner in which the man conducted the 2007 general elections. Those comments, tactless and awful as they were, constitute the subject of this analysis. As a measure of the level of contempt the government holds for everyone who condemned the massive and open rigging of the 2007 elections, Jonathan said the federal government would not be moved by such criticisms. Of course, the government has no regard for public opinion.

Politicians who benefit from elections manipulated to favour the party in government would never admit that there were flaws in the elections. From Olusegun Obasanjo to Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, from Goodluck Jonathan to Maurice Iwu, from Ahmadu Ali (former chairman of the People's Democratic Party -- PDP) to Vincent Ogbulafor (current PDP chairman), the deceptive catchphrase used to validate the invalid 2007 elections is that no election is perfect anywhere in the world. That reckless statement makes electoral fraud seem like an acceptable part of our political culture.

When politicians talk about imperfect elections, they forget to make reference to the degree of imperfection. There were so many irregularities in the 2007 elections that it would be irresponsible to accept the outcomes as normal features of imperfect elections. The blemishes that undermine our electoral processes include audacious hijacking of ballot boxes, criminal manipulation of election results in favour of candidates from a certain political party, election eve stuffing of ballot boxes with illegal ballot papers, denial of voters' rights and privileges through such acts as deliberate late opening of voting centres, absence of authentic voters' registers and deliberate provision of insufficient ballot papers.


When elections are conducted in more organised societies, the citizens go to the polling centres to fulfil their civic obligations in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation and threats to life and property. When we conduct our own elections, the atmosphere is charged with destructive emotion. We hear nothing but war chants signifying do-or-die politics. Certain candidates are marked out for elimination -- a codeword for assassination -- while others openly violate the rules and get away untouched. It is in this environment that some voters approach ballot centres armed with guns and machetes, amulets and other personal protective devices such as turtles, lizards, snakes, monkeys and butterflies.


It is ironic that Vice President Jonathan would suggest that Maurice Iwu should be knighted for the way he (Iwu) conducted last year's elections. How could anyone who witnessed the fraud that passed off as national elections in 2007 recommend a medal for the chief umpire of those elections? On reflection, it is easy to understand why Jonathan praised Iwu last Sunday. The electoral indiscretions committed by INEC in concert with PDP thugs were responsible for the "landslide" victories registered by the PDP in many constituencies across the country.

Unfortunately, Jonathan's assessment of last year's elections is at odds with the facts. Across the country, election petitions' tribunals and appeal courts have been overturning the results of the elections. Most recently in Edo State, the appeal court ruled that the government of Oserheimen Osunbor was illegally hoisted on the people of the state. Consequently, the court ordered the Osunbor government to make way for the enthronement of Adams Oshiomhole, the rightful winner of the governorship election. What this and other judgments exposed was the criminal involvement of INEC in the massive fraud that marred the 2007 elections and subsequently destroyed public confidence in INEC as an impartial election umpire. When Jonathan said that the umpires of the 2007 elections should be lauded because they endured the hardships of the elections in the interest of the nation's democracy, he seemed to under-estimate the intellectual capacity of Nigerians to understand when election umpires have swindled an entire nation. The main reason why Jonathan wants us to extol Iwu in spite of the man's shambolic performance in the 2007 elections is that Jonathan and the PDP are direct beneficiaries of an unsound and massively rigged election.

Jonathan also exposed his shameless role as an apologist for Iwu when he said: "The assignment of overseeing the conduct of election by INEC is quite a challenging one. If you look at the whole of the country, there are 36 states, except Abuja where elections are conducted by the body headed by one man." Of course, elections are always challenging. Of course, Maurice Iwu understood the challenges involved in conducting national elections. Of course, he knew there were 36 states in Nigeria. Of course, he was appointed well in advance of the elections. Of course, he weighed his options carefully and accepted his appointment. Finally of course, the job was not forced on Iwu.

The number of states in Nigeria has never been raised by any election officer (past or present) as a major reason why free and fair elections continue to elude us. Iwu has never mentioned publicly that the number of states in the country was the main reason why the 2007 elections were riddled with discrepancies. Some countries have more people and more voting centres and more states than Nigeria and yet are able to conduct relatively freer and fairer elections.

If anyone is still in doubt about the widespread irregularities that tarnished the credibility of the elections, the report submitted by the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission should serve as a sad reminder. According to Max van den Berg, the EU chief observer: "We feel extremely disappointed that things were worse in 2007 than they were in 2003... Our report contains two clear messages. First, that the 2007 election process was not credible and, in view of the lack of transparency and evidence of fraud, there can be no confidence in the results. Second, that an urgent and comprehensive reform is required to improve the framework and conduct of future elections."


In a more emphatic tone, van den Berg said: "The elections were marred by very poor organisation; lack of essential transparency; widespread and procedural irregularities; substantial evidence of fraud; widespread voter disenfranchisement; lack of equal conditions for political parties and candidates; and numerous incidents of violence." The report of the EU team must have been rubbished by the federal government and the PDP hierarchy because it represented a direct indictment of the election results. There are two more reasons why the federal government would have rejected election reports submitted by foreign election observer teams. The first reason is based on national pride. We are often told that foreign election observers have no divine rights to teach the Nigerian government how to conduct free and fair elections. The second reason is based on the notion that foreign countries which do not invite Nigerians to observe elections in their countries should not expect Nigeria to invite them when we conduct our own elections.

Of all the provocative remarks that Jonathan made in Okigwe last Sunday, none was more ludicrous and infantile than his point that Maurice Iwu should be praised because he made unspecified sacrifices that resulted in a successful changeover from one civilian government to another. We've heard this argument before. Olusegun Obasanjo and other PDP fanatics said so before now. But, there is still no basis for anyone to canvass national honour of any kind for Iwu.

To be sure, it was not Iwu who made possible the successful switch from one civilian government to another. The changeover would have occurred without Iwu. The successful changeover occurred essentially because voters chose to accept the electoral abuses committed by INEC rather than fight for their rights. To attribute to Iwu the successful transition of power from one government to another is to cast further insults on voters who had watched as INEC engaged in manipulation of election results to suit INEC's preferred candidates

Saving the Nigerian child

A TYPICAL Nigerian child is to be pitied. He is not only despised by the society of which he is a part, he is also denied those favourable conditions that could make him thrive successfully in his environment. He is hungry, abused, rejected and abandoned, and with a future too gloomy to be his own. He is incapacitated in relations to others and deficient in education, science and technology. The Nigerian child is not only a victim of circumstances but also of the manifold atrocities and injustices that pervade the Nigerian society.

May 27 annually reminds one of the celebration of the Nigerian child. The day which is earmarked as a public holiday seems to remind him that he is remembered, celebrated and at the centre of attraction. It seems to tell him to have faith in the government, his country and the political system. It tends to assure him that the future is his and that he has nothing to worry about. The usual advice is that he has everything to live for, and that Nigeria is indeed his father's land. This is a big fa?ade, a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth and a mirage!

Indeed, it is hard to say in which area the Nigerian child has his bread buttered. There is no enabling law that makes it compulsory that his teacher will stay in the classroom, or that his well-planned lessons will not be hindered by academic strikes. There is also no assurance that the government's housing policy will not render him homeless, or if he is given a holiday, the Power Holding Development Company of Nigeria (PHCN) will give him electricity for a little comfort. It is hard to say whether in the event of ill health, there would be affordable health care for the lad, or that doctors and drugs would be available to salvage his debilitating condition. Should he be hungry, wouldn't he be reminded that Nigeria only has oil as its mainstay, and that there is a global food crisis? The condition of the Nigerian child is terrible. He deserves a little - just a little - consideration.

If proper stock is taken of the number of governments which have ruled Nigeria successively, it would be alarming to note that these governments had little or nothing for the Nigerian child. Usually so much noise, jingles and so much paper work. The saggy and warped face of the Nigerian child bears testimony to the agony and suffering unleashed on him by the Nigerian society, It is his own toga, a symbol of easy identification and recognition wherever he goes.

It is always very painful and indeed irritating to hear our leaders refer to the Nigerian child as the leader of tomorrow. This appellation is not only misleading but also used deliberately to ease his unending suffering and neglect that will continue ad infinitum. It is he that trades on petty articles: sweet, chewing gum, sachet water, groundnut, oranges, etc because he needs to survive and to keep faith with his dream. He can be found at every spot imaginable and can be beckoned to as an errand child and be settled with tips or leftover food for a job well done. In sum, he is both an outcast and a destitute, and very susceptible to danger and even death.

The Nigerian child is a child on the edge of a precipice. He has long been bruised and battered by the ills of the society not to be given a little space for comfort. He needs to be cuddled, cared for, adequately nurtured and loved. He needs to be closely guided, tutored and disciplined so as to display his talents and be relevant to himself and the society at large. This can only be possible when the government is alive to its responsibility and capable and well-meaning Nigerians can make free-will donations that can alleviate its plight and lessen his burden.

There is need for government to review its agenda with dispatch and to make plausible adjustments where necessary. The Nigerian child needs our support; he needs someone to stand by him, to cherish him, to trust him and to see him through. It is our collective responsibility as a nation to assist in whatever small measure we can, and it pays if we all join hands together to make things work

Phasing out molue buses

Recently, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State hinted that his administration is planning to phase out over 40,000 mass transit buses (molue) currently plying Lagos roads under the ongoing transportation programme of the state government. Given the rickety nature of some of these buses and the hazard they constitute to commuters and other road users, the plan to phase them out is welcome.

Besides giving Lagos a new image that befits its mega-city status, the envisaged plan would, to a very large extent, rid Lagos roads of buses that are no longer roadworthy and spare Lagosians the frequent road accidents caused by some of them.

However, there is the need for the Lagos State Government to carry out the exercise in such a manner that commuters are not subjected to undue suffering as experienced at the inception of the now successful Bus Rapid Transport (BRT). To ensure a hitch-free transformation from molue to modern mass transit buses, we suggest that the exercise be done in phases with a realizable deadline set by the government.

There is also the need to involve other stakeholders, especially members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) who provide the bulk of road transportation in Lagos. The members of these associations should be encouraged to form cooperatives that would enable them participate effectively in the planned new mass transit buses programme.

We believe that carrying them along will make the exercise more embracing and successful. The government must also ensure that there are enough of these new buses for the commuters. They should be made to ply all the routes currently covered by the molue buses. Doing otherwise will defeat the aim of the exercise.

Considering the fact that molue buses charge lower fares, there is every need to compel the new buses to do the same. Any deviation from this would spell doom for the programme and make the commuters long for the return of the decrepit buses.

Beyond the concentration on road transportation, it has also become necessary for the state government to think of developing other modes of transportation like the railways and waterways.
We believe that the introduction of Light Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) and Inland Waterways Transit (IWT) will considerably improve the transportation system in the metropolis. Embarking on water transportation in Lagos would not be difficult in view of the fact that Lagos is surrounded by navigable waterways. A combination of efficient rail system and well-aligned water transportation would definitely take the heat off Lagos roads.

The current traffic congestion in Lagos is largely due to over- dependence on the road mode of transportation. That could also possibly explain why the nation’s roads do not last.
Bringing sanity to Lagos roads should however, not be restricted to the phasing out of molue buses. Commercial motorcycle transportation (okada) is another transport mode that has of recent constituted the greatest danger and a nuisance to other road users in the state. The government can curb the excesses of okada riders by banning them from major highways.

Another impediment to free flow of traffic in Lagos is the presence of many uniformed men, all involved in traffic control. Specifically, the ubiquitous and often intimidating presence of officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs), Ministry of Transport (MOT), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and all manner of motor park touts has impeded rather than enhanced the smooth flow of traffic in the metropolis. More often, some of these men constitute a law unto themselves and extort money in the name of fines from unsuspecting members of the public for flimsy traffic offences. For sanity to prevail on Lagos roads, the government should dislodge all motor park touts from the roads and streamline the activities of the uniformed men