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Agenda for new security chiefs

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Agenda for new security chiefs

By Kayode Adebiyi, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

One of the greatest challenges the administration of President Bola Tinubu faces is in the area of insecurity.

And the burden of tackling Tinubu’s inherited security challenge is not made lighter by Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution – Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.

Section 14 (1) (b) states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”.

Unfortunately, the task of providing security for the citizenry by the new administration is both complex and enormous.

This is against the background of the decade-long insurgency in the Northeast, kidnapping for ransom and other security concerns in various parts of the country.

Although some level of sanity has been restored in the Northeast, security experts say it is not yet Uhuru.

In the Southeast the secturity situation does not help matters  because it has been compromised by Biafra Republic agitators, even as alleged politically motivated attacks remain on the increase.

This is why the recent appointment of new security chiefs was greeted with cautious enthusiasm by a large section of Nigerians.

On June 19, the president announced Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) and Maj.-Gen. C.G Musa Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

He also appointed Maj.-Gen. T. A Lagbaja as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS), while Rear Admiral E.A. Ogalla now serves as the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS).

AVM H.B Abubakar was appointed Chief of Air Staff (CAS) and Mr Kayode Egbetokun replaced Usman Baba as Acting Inspector-General of Police. Maj.-Gen. EPA Undiandeye was also appointed as the new Chief of Defense Intelligence.

During his inauguration Tinubu had hinted at reforming Nigeria’s security doctrine and its architecture.

He also promised to “defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten its peace and stability.

The new Chief of Defence Staff, Musa, is already talking tough.

“Nobody should doubt our determination to bring peace to Nigeria. Anybody, especially the criminals, bandits, terrorists, anyone who thinks otherwise, should be ready to face the music,” Musa said at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja as he officially took over from Lucky Irabor,

The acting police chief, Egbetokun is also spitting fire.

“But if I have to tell you anything, I will tell you that right now I feel like a tiger inside of me ready to chase away all the criminals in Nigeria.

“And, some other time, I fell like a lion in me ready to devour all the internal enemies of Nigeria. That’s my feeling right now”. Egbetokun said on assumption of office.

Although his language may sound hyperbolic, it is, nonetheless, reflection of his desire to perform in office.

Some security experts say the speed with which the president appointed new security helmsmen is indicative of his desire to breathe fresh impetus into Nigeria’s security system.

Mr Usman Mohammed, a security consultant, said positive body language early in the life of an administration has a ripple effect on performance and outcome.

“Remember that the last time service chiefs were quickly replaced was in 1999 during Obasanjo’s administration. We were just coming from military rule, so he wanted to purge the military hierarchy.

“Subsequent administrations took their time before replacing service chiefs but President Tinubu has proved to be an exception,” he said.

Under the new security chiefs, stakeholders say Nigerians want to see the return of age-old best practices, ethical rebirth and reorientation of security personnel in the discharge of their duties.

Ribadu, the new NSA, during his assumption of office promised that insecurity would be subdued by the administration of Tinubu.

“We will stabilise this country, we will secure our country, and we will make Nigeria peaceful because we believe the time has come for this country to enjoy peace, restore order, and uphold the rule of law just like any other country in the world,” he said.

Experts say one way to improve national security is by upping the ante of intelligence gathering.

“In today’s world, intelligence is a key instrument in political domination and warfare.

“In tandem with the importance attached to intelligence, various gadgets, devices and tools have been invented to cope with the various security challenges of the modern world.

“Intelligence is now a highly technical field where only the best of the security agencies operates. Covert gathering of information for use in neutralizing perceived threats is now highly scientific.

“Nations are secure only to the extent that they are on top of possible threats through the gathering of reliable, non-intrusive intelligence,” said Jaiye Akinyemi, a security consultant, said.

Experts also identify synergy and collaboration as crucial to whatever the new security chiefs intend to achieve under Tinubu.

In 2021, immediate-past IG-P, Usman Baba, said unhealthy inter-agency rivalry had been a major issue that limits the capacity to effectively achieve internal security.

Former NSA retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno acknowledged the same and made it one of his cardinal objectives to ensure that the security and intelligence community work together.

As the first NSA with no military background since 1999, Ribadu faces the unique challenge of coordinating national security and making the various security and intelligence agencies work together.

He has to deliver on it.

There is also a need to train and re-train personnel in the Police, State Security Service, Military Intelligence and the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, as well as other paramilitary organisations, including the Civil Defence Corps.

Stakeholders counsel that a proactive, well-equipped, and well-trained security personnel is a desideratum for accomplishing the task ahead.

There also has to be respect for the rule of law and citizens’ rights in the discharge of duties.

It is gratifying that the new police boss issued a directive ordering all police convoys to henceforth, as a matter of compulsion, obey all traffic regulations.

“Let me end this speech by reminding you that those who keep the peace must be the epitome of peace.

“Those whose duty is to enforce the laws of the land must respect and obey the laws of the land.

“Without obeying the laws, the Police lack the moral high ground to interrogate and bring lawbreakers to book,” Egbetokun said at a meeting with Mobile Police Squadron and Commanders at the Force headquarters, Abuja.

From previous experience, many Nigerians have received this statement with a pinch of salt to mean a mere symbolic gesture common when a new security boss takes charge.

The new security chiefs are therefore expected to walk the talk. (NANFeatures)

**If used please credit the author and the News Agency of Nigeria

Features

How prepared is Nigeria for next epidemic?

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How prepared is Nigeria for next epidemic?

Asks Abujah Racheal, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

The outbreak and fast spread of diseases in recent decades are pointers to the need for world leaders to increase public health spending, particularly as it relates to prevention and control of epidemics.

This was further laid bare by COVID-19 which is suspected to have emerged in China but, like a wild fire, swept through countries and regions in a matter of days, leaving 6.9 million people dead and stretching health facilities beyond their limits. For now, it appears the worst is over.

The Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus has, therefore, warned that the end of COVID-19 as a global health emergency should not imply that global health threat is over.

He said this at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland as the UN agency launched a global network to monitor disease threats.

“The world should be prepared to respond to a disease outbreak of even deadlier potential than COVID-19.

“When the next pandemic comes knocking – and it will – we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively and equitably”, said Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopia Minister of Health”, he said.

According to WHO pandemic preparedness means having national response plans, resources, and the capacity to support operations in the event of a pandemic.

It says pandemic preparedness includes programmes that aim specifically at preventing issues that arise from pandemics such as a shortage of personal protective equipment, hospital capacity, and vaccine testing.

Effective disease outbreak response has historically been challenging in Nigeria. Factors, say a team of scholars led by Testimony Olumade in a study published in Aim Public Health

They identified such challenges to include poor healthcare funding, inadequate diagnostic capacity, political instability, insecurity, and personnel shortage.

The international community recognises that some countries such as Nigeria have weak health systems as such they cannot cope with pandemics therefore are taking measures to ensure that this challenge is addressed.

One of such efforts is the International Health Regulations (IHR), an agreement entered into by 196 countries including 194 WHO member states.

Nigeria’s huge population, expansive land mass, and tropical location, make it vulnerable to pandemics. It is therefore expected to be among one of the countries with best pandemic response mechanisms. However, this does not seem to be the case.

For instance, Nigeria was in the frontline when Ebola virus broke out in 2014, and also took a hit from COVID-19. This is in addition to other outbreaks such as meningitis, monkeypox, Lassa Fever, measles and cholera.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is doing its best to ensure that Nigerians do not suffer from future pandemics.

The NCDC leads in strengthening the Nigeria’s core competence in tackling pandemics and diseases.

The agency however points at one major challenge that can work against its efforts and perhaps erode the successes it has recorded in disease control in the country—security

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said this in Abuja, at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) and the International Research Center of Excellence (IRCE) Scientific Seminar the country needs a peacetime health system to be better prepared for the next pandemic.

To live up its responsibilities, NCDC requires lots of funds but shortfalls in public health security expenditure have persisted over the years.

In 2018, the Federal Government of Nigeria developed a five-year National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS)

The NAPHS provides a roadmap to improve health security in Nigeria; from 2018 – 2022. There is also 2021-2025 component to be implemented through a multi-sectoral approach hinged on the principles under ‘One Health’ principle, involving the Federal Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment,

But poor funding has hampered its implementation.

For instance, in 2022 more than N37.8 million was allocated for the project but only N18.9 million is budgeted for 2023., which is approximately a 50 per cent drop.

Among other budgetary deficits there is also a 50 per cent drop in spending for the development of national policies on disease surveillance and response as in 2022 N23.6 million was allocated while N11.8 million is budgeted for 2023.

In a recent report, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI)-funded Prevent Epidemics (PE) said Nigeria’s health financing landscape is characterised by suboptimal government investment with budgetary allocation to health being less than 15 per cent of its total annual budget.

The advocacy organisation said that to reduce the risk and effect of public health incidents, health security should be both proactive and reactive.

“Pandemics, public health emergencies, and weak health systems not only have implications on people in terms of lives lost, but also pose greater risks to the national economy and security.

“It is therefore important to ensure adequate allocation and efficient utilization of resources for health security,” it said.

Dr Gafar Alawode of the Development Governance International Consult said that health security requires a multi-sector approach to be effective.

According to him, it involves collaboration and partnerships among such sectors as health sector education, food and agriculture, water and sanitation, security, and environment.

Alawode said that, it was important to foster a policy direction that would improve the social determinants of health security through effective collaboration between the health sector and other sectors.

Dr Solomon Chollom, a virologist advocates continuous collaboration in preparedness, connecting surveillance, risk reduction and capacity building, investment and commitment by both the private and public sectors to overcome the challenges posed by pandemics.

It is obvious that without the right level of investment and in the right channels Nigeria cannot be said to the prepared for the next pandemic which will happen only as a matter of time.

As Nigeria basks in the euphoria of a new administration under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, it is expected that health security should be a priority through the funding and provision of necessary logistics to pandemic time frontline institutions. (NANFeatures)

**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria.

Features , Health

Anthrax: Dealing with animal-to-human infections

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An Analysis by Dianabasi Effiong, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

 

There is no doubt that Nigeria has recorded notable improvements in healthcare through research and treatment.

This is in spite of notable challenges like industrial actions, brain drain, poor infrastructure, water, electricity, dearth of manpower among others.

A drawback on such improvements often results from outbreak of diseases and infections including Lassa fever, Cholera, sleeping sickness, yellow fever, tuberculosis, leprosy, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and Ebola.

Recently, the threat of Anthrax – a disease transmitted from animals to humans just like some of the aforementioned health challenges, has been reported from countries contiguous to Nigeria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis.

It occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world. People can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

The fear of possible spread of anthrax from neighbouring West African countries to Nigeria, as real as it is, added to the challenges of healthcare in Nigeria coming on the heels of Ebola, COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, the Federal Government, through Ernest Umakhihe, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,  alerted residents and citizens on the outbreak of anthrax disease in some neighbouring countries.

It stated that the disease was widespread in northern Ghana, bordering Burkina Faso and Togo.

It also advised that Nigerians should henceforth desist from the consumption of hides, also known as `ponmo’, `ikpa’ or `kanda’ locally in the country.

“Signs of anthrax are flu- like symptoms such as cough, fever, muscle aches and if not diagnosed and treated early, leads to pneumonia, severe lung problems, difficulty in breathing, shock and death,’’ the statement added.

The CDC explained that people could get sick with anthrax if they came in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products or by inhaling spores.

The CDC also stated that anthrax symptoms ranged from a skin ulcer with a dark scab to difficulty breathing.

It added that although the disease is treatable by a medical professional, the inhaled anthrax is harder to treat and can be fatal.

Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the disease, transmissible from animals to humans, affected ruminants such as cows, sheep and goats.

The federal government also explained that being a bacterial disease, anthrax would respond to treatment with antibiotics and supportive therapy.

However, the alert, especially the advice against the consumption of those products, was not taken lightly in the country.

Some consumers, traders and experts spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews at Onipanu, Ijora, Ebute Metta and Ikorodu areas of Lagos State as to whether ponmo should be banned or not.

They said that banning ponmo would further promote economic hardship on those who could not afford a better alternative.

According to them, `ponmo’ contains and can provide beneficial nutrients to the human body.

Some of them also told NAN that though ponmo contains low nutritional value when compared to other protein sources because it does not contain all essential amino acids, it contained a lot of collagen.

According to experts, collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies.

They also argued that because our bodies produce collagen, it is not essential that we must eat collagen for growth.

They also said that as one grows older, one’s ability to produce collagen reduces leading to appearance of wrinkles.

For the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Nigerians should heed the government’s directive to be wary of consuming roasted cow hide.

According to its National President, Prof. James Damen, this is to avoid contracting anthrax disease

Damen also told NAN that government’s warning would guard against the outbreak of anthrax disease recorded in neighbouring countries.

“In as much as Nigerians love eating `ponmo’, we should be careful with its consumption because one cannot rule out the migration of animals from one country to the other.

“Anyone who eats `ponmo’ from a cow that is infected with anthrax would definitely come down with the disease; so it is in our best interest not to consume `ponmo’,’’ he said.

Damen, who lauded the government’s swift reaction in alerting Nigerians to anthrax outbreak in neighbouring countries, said measures should be put in place to address any possible outbreak in Nigeria.

Also, Dr Salami Akorede, the Director, Dietetics Department at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun, called on NAFDAC to regulate the mode of processing cow hide into `ponmo’ for human consumption.

He told NAN at Ile-Ife that the popular mode of burning cow hide on naked fire to produce `ponmo’ was deleterious to health.

According to him, the process of burning cow hide on naked fire makes the product to become potential source of cancer when consumed regularly.

He said: “Where it is well processed, `ponmo’ is a good source of protein, water, energy and micronutrients which contain fibre that aid digestion.

“In producing `ponmo’, processors should regulate the exposure of the cow hide to naked fire so as to minimise the formation of nitrates on them.’’

He said that `ponmo’ could also serve as alternative to meat since it was affordable.

He also said that consumers should take `ponmo’ alongside other protein-rich sources like meat, fish, crayfish and soya balls to complement their protein supply.

The Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Prof. Babatunde Salako, also told NAN in Lagos that more funds should be made available to enhance health research that would proffer solutions to health issues peculiar in Nigeria.

He added that the establishment of a Medical Research Council would help to scale up health research. (NANFeatures)

**If used credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria**

 

Edited by Vivian Ihechu

Features

Why Nigeria must succeed on its democratic journey

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Why Nigeria must succeed on its democratic journey

By Emmanuel Oloniruha
Since return to democratic government in 1999, Nigeria has continued to witness successfully transition of power from one administration to another. From former President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) to his successor, Umaru Musa Yar’adua (2007-2010), to Dr Goodluck Jonathan (20102015), Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023) and now President Bola Tinubu on May 29.
Following the peaceful conduct of 2023 general elections and successful transition of power on May 29, political analysts believed Nigeria democracy is becoming sustainable.
Although, litigations challenging the outcome of the 2023 president election are ongoing at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, lovers of democracy believed that Nigeria deserves some commendations for not allowing its democracy to be truncated, for whatever reason.
It is an indisputable fact that each time Nigeria goes to poll at every general election circle, global attention shits to the country.
This is not just because the election offers Nigerians the opportunity to elect their leaders, it also offers pivotal opportunity for the Africa most populous country and largest economy to solidify its place as a democratic leader in the continent.
According to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria needs a stable and reliable democracy for her leaders to meet the expectations of the people and adequately address present challenges facing the country.
 “The world looks up to us to get our democracy right and become a force to be reckoned with in the leadership recruitment and governance process.
“We need peaceful elections to give democracy a boost on the continent, especially in our subregion where civil rule is threatened by a wave of unconstitutional change of government.”
In line with the global interest, no fewer than 33 international organisations, including the international observer the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) were accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe the 2023 general election.
Like every other foreign election observation mission, WAEF deployed a pre-election mediation team to Nigeria to interface with major political actors and key stakeholders on the need for credible and peaceful election.
The mission, led by a former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, met with relevant stakeholders including INEC, leaders and candidates of political parties before the elections to ensure credible and peaceful election.
The mission delegates also stayed back after the poll and dialogued with stakeholders including major presidential candidates on challenges witnessed during the election to avoid post-election violence.
The WAEF in a statement jointly signed by its leader for the 2023 Election Mission to Nigeria, who is former President of Ghana, John Mahama; and the Convener of the Forum, ex-President Jonathan urged all stakeholders to exercise their constitutional responsibilities in a manner that would promote peace and protect the integrity of the Nigeria electoral process.
 “We reiterate our earlier statement made after the Presidential and National Assembly elections that Nigeria is a major stakeholder in the sustainability of democracy in West Africa.
“The responsibility of maintaining the nation’s thriving democracy and the general peace of our subregion rests on all our shoulders, especially on the credibility of INEC and other election management bodies in West Africa, during elections.”
The forum also urged Nigerians to be law-abiding and desist from acts that could threaten the peace of the country and the West Africa sub-region.
The elections have come and gone with diverse views on the outcome and performance of INEC in the conduct of the polls. Some analysts argued that the elections were below expectations, others argued that it was fair.
Without prejudice to the awaited decision of the judiciary on the subject matter, elder statesmen and stakeholders have continue to mobilise Nigerians for peace, especially the youth and aggrieved candidates in the election, who are presently seeking redress at the tribunal.
They also beckoned on Nigerians to allow the judiciary to perform its constitutional role on the various litigations and the judiciary to be diligent and firm in handling the cases.
The former President Muhammadu Buhari in his farewell broadcast on May 27 urged Nigerians that irrespective of the outcome of the various cases, all parties involved should accept the decision of the courts and join hands to build a better Nigeria.
Buhari said that as a nation, Nigeria must improve and sustain gains made in the electoral process, on an incremental basis for the country to take its rightful place among Nations.
The immediate past president commended the doggedness and resilience of all the presidential candidates and their political parties for believing in Nigeria judicial system by taking their grievances to court.
“In the course of the campaigns, we had argued and disagreed on how to make Nigeria better but we never disagreed or had any doubts that Nigeria has to be better.
“I call on all of us to bring to bear the strength of our individualism, the power of our unity, the convictions of our beliefs to make Nigeria work better and together with one spirit and one purpose,’’ Buhari said.
The former Military Head of State, Gen.Yakubu Gowon (retired), also urged Nigerians, especially aggrieved candidates to allow the judiciary perform it constitutional responsibility as well accept the outcome from the courts.
Gowon speaking at the 15th edition of Punuka annual lecture 2023 in honour of Chukwunweike Idigbe, a late Supreme Court Justice, in Abuja, said the judiciary played a vital role in nation-building.
He said that as a former military leader, he had seen and know first-hand the importance of the judiciary in maintaining stability and order in the society.
 “As such, we need to allow the apex court, their deliberations, come up with their decisions and as the public to be humble enough to accept their decision as final in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary as individuals and institutions.
“The litigation tribunals that are now ongoing, let us give the judiciary the opportunity to do their work and let us accept their decisions as it is,” Gowon said.
Also speaking during a condolence visit to Gov. Douye Diri over the loss of his father, Pa Abraham Diri in Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Jonathan on March 17 urged Nigerians to maintain peace, irrespective of the challenges including those encountered in the collation and transmission of results during the election.
“Notwithstanding all these, we are pleased and encouraged by the mature attitudes of the candidates who contested the presidential elections.
“We are encouraged by the restraint they have exhibited and their commitment to seek justice through due process. This is in keeping with the spirit of the Peace Accord.
“We, therefore, appeal to the supporters of all parties and our citizens to please follow the good example of their leaders and remain law abiding till the process is brought to an end,’’ Jonathan said.
Jonathan, who has always been a vanguard of peace, appealed to Nigerians not to allow elections to be a source of violence and anarchy.
Similarly, Prof. Anthony Igyuve in the Department of Mass Communications, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, advised youths not to make themselves as available tools for violence on the outcome of the elections.
Igyuve in a keynote address at “The Peace For Free Lecture Series” in Abuja, with the theme “Sustainable Peace Beyond Elections” commended the candidates in the election for towing the path of peace by seeking redress in the court.
He also commended Nigerian youths for their uncommon courage, enthusiasm and active participation in the general election in spite of the challenges, which he described as the demonstration of the commitment to make Nigeria better.
Igyuve tasked young Nigerians to emulate former President Jonathan who sacrificed his ambition for the peace of the country when he lost the 2015 presidential election to Buhari.
He urged youths to maintain peace in the country, saying their dream of a better Nigeria would not be possible if there was no peace.
 “Let no one make himself easily available for politicians to manipulate by causing unnecessary unrest because those who are manipulating you don’t have good intentions for you.
“They are not doing it because they love you. They are doing it because they want to benefit from you,” he said.
To the founder of Peace for Free Advocacy Initiative, Chris Kalu, said that peace, unity, tolerance and dialogue remained the critical ingredients for a healthy democracy without which no progress could be realised in a country.
Kalu said no doubt 2023 general election, unlike previous elections, so far have generated a lot of public attention and increasing youth’s participation in the collective struggle for good governance, hence the need to properly mobilise Nigerians for peace.
“Election is an important part of democracy, which in itself is a process involving human and technological elements not absolutely immune from errors.
“Like all processes, democracy needs to be allowed to grow, to develop to maturity for most of the population to enjoy the promises and gains thereof,” Kalu said.
To the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu, said there was need for all to be committed to peace, even after the general election.
He said the quest for peace transcends the boundaries of elections: ”it is a journey that must be undertaken each day, in every aspect of human lives.’’
Ojukwu called on all Nigerians to embrace the virtues of democracy – equality, justice, and freedom, as well as allow them to guide their thoughts, decisions, and interactions.
 “Individually and collectively, we have a role to play to nurture the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria otherwise we will be adversely affected one way or another.
“The ethnic and religious tensions in some parts of Northern and Southern Nigeria respectively are clear testimonies that peace pays, while war, violence and conflicts bring destruction in terms of human and material resources.
“We can create a world where sustainable peace becomes the cornerstone of our collective existence, transcending elections and permeating all aspects of our lives,’’ he said.
Experts opined that though Nigeria still has a lot to do to make its elections more credible and more transparent, the peace Nigeria enjoyed after the 2023 general election is evidence that democracy is taking its roots in the country.
This they say is something worthy of emulation by other Africa countries to sustain democracy and it gains in the continent.
While Nigerians await the decision of the judiciary, they must not fail the expectations of the world, especially West African countries including those presently under military rule, looking to her to set the pace for a sustained democracy in the Africa continent.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
**If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
**The article is in collaboration with the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation

President Bola Tinubu
Features

Tinubu’s monetary policy focus and the fate of naira

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By Kadiri Abdulrahman, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

One of the major decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu on assumption of office on May 29, after removal of petrol subsidy, was the suspension of the governor Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, who announced Tinubu’s decision to suspend Emefiele on June 9, directed the deputy governor, Operations Directorate, Mr Folashodun Shonubi to act as governor.

On June 14, the apex bank abolished the multiple Foreign Exchange (FX) market.

In a statement by Angela Sere-Ejembi, Director, Financial Markets, the CBN announced that all segments of the FX market were collapse into the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window.

This indicated that the apex bank and its monetary policy functions were integral to economic policy direction of the new president.

Experts are optimistic that the policy decision to unify the exchange rates, experts will sanitise the forex market.

The I&E exchange rate window hit N755 to the dollar shortly after, implying a 21 per cent depreciation of the Naira compared to the previous official rate of N463 to the dollar.

By this development, buyers and sellers of foreign currency in the official FX market were now allowed to quote rates they find comfortable.

This is against previous practice where rates were dictated by the CBN

Some stakeholders, however, interpreted it to imply that the Naira, which has suffered serial depreciation and devaluation over the decades, was being effectively floated.

If floated the value of the currency would be subjected to market forces of demand and supply.

According to the experts, unified and flexible exchange rate regime will help boost investor confidence, increase foreign inflows, reduce import costs, and ease pressure on the Naira.

A financial expert, Uche Uwaleke, Professor of Capital Market at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, said that it was commendable for the CBN to unify the country’s exchange rate.

Uwaleke, however, cautioned against a sudden free float of the Naira.

According to him, the economic fundamentals required to support a naira float are still very weak, especially in relation to sources of forex.

“Let me say upfront that I support the unification of exchange rates, which makes for a more transparent forex market.

“But I think that the CBN should implement it in a way that does not cause massive distortions in the general price level.

“It is rather early to bank on sustainable capital inflows from foreign direct investments due, in part, to insecurity and the overall unconducive environment of doing business in Nigeria,” he told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that sudden naira devaluation may draw foreign portfolio investments, which was part of the reason the stock market was surging.

“But we also know that portfolio investments are not money and do not represent a sustainable source of forex inflows,” he said.

He said that the unification of exchange rates should not be a one step process but should be implemented over a period of time, however short it may be.

According to him, empirical evidence suggests that reforms are more successful when they are sequenced and implemented in phases.

“This is against the backdrop of the oil subsidy removal, which, taken together, can result in galloping inflation and rising poverty level.

“So, while fiscal and monetary policy reforms are welcome, absolute care should be taken to strike the right balance and minimise their unintended consequences,” he told NAN.

Some other stakeholders argue that the disparity in exchange rates provided an avenue for people with access to dollars to buy at the official rate and resell at the black market.

They said that many millionaires were created through that distorted system.

According to Dr Chijioke Ekechukwu, Managing Director, Dignity Finance and Investment Ltd., the unification of the exchange rate and floating of the foreign currency market has come as a welcome development.

“With this, Deposit Money Banks can now go source their own funds and sell to users at their own rate and margin. This is going to bring a rate war amongst them, which will force the rates lower.

“Merging the rates will reduce arbitraging, speculation, and curb multiple malpractices in the market ” he told NAN.

Ekechukwu, however, said that rates would remain reasonably high in the short run before they drop; and for a higher supply of foreign currencies is achieved.

“This may affect the cost and prices of imported products, including petroleum products. It may increase hardships and retain a high inflation rate,” he said

Dr Muda Yusuf, Director, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), explained that FX unification was not a devaluation policy.

Rather, he said, it is a normalisation of the foreign exchange policy regime and an adjustment of rate to reflect the fundamentals of demand and supply.

According to him, in the short term, a depreciation of the currency should be expected in the official window.

“This is because of the huge backlog of demand but as the market conditions normalise and move towards equilibrium, the rate would moderate, ” he said.

He said the new policy regime would boost inflows and strengthen the supply side amidst elevated investors’ confidence.

“The component of forex demand driven by arbitrage, rent seekers, speculators and other economic parasites would also fizzle out, thus restoring stability to the forex market.

“It would be dynamic, and the Naira will appreciate or depreciate depending on the fundamentals,” he said.

The CBN Deputy Governor, Economic Policy Directorate, Kingsley Obiora , however, said the apex bank had no plans to set the naira on a totally free float, as no country runs a completely free float.

Clarifying recent monetary policy decisions of the bank Obiora said countries do not usually subject their currencies to free float.

“There is no country in the world, even the U.S. that has a completely free float. We are allowing the market itself to set a price.

“It may be too early to determine if the Naira’s exchange rate to the dollar has bottomed out,” he said.

He added that the CBN had not intervened in Nigeria’s FX markets since the new policies were introduced.

As Tinubu hits the ground running with major monetary policy decisions, Nigerians are hopeful that the changes will enhance their wellbeing by strengthening the economy. (NANFeatures)

Vice President of Bulgaria, Iliana Iotova ( in blue) stands side by side with Galina Stoyanova (in red) at a ceremony of laying of flowers regarding 147 years after the death of Hrisyo Botev, a Bulgarian revolutionary and national hero
Features

Kazanlak: Echoes from Bulgaria’s Rose Valley

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By Emmanuel Yashim, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

From Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 5 no fewer than 25 journalists from across the world converged on Kazanlak, a city in central Bulgaria, about three and a half hours drive from the capital, Sofia.

They were there not only to attend the 18th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media but to witness the annual traditional Rose Festival in the area.

The gathering also offered the opportunity and the platform for the laying of wreath in remembrance of Hristo Botev who was killed 147 years ago in the course of defending his community.

Botev is considered a Bulgarian revolutionary and a poet. He is seen by Bulgarians as a symbolic, historical figure and national hero.

Having ended the meeting within two days, it was time to witness the traditional annual festival of the Rose flower.

It was the 120th time that the festival was held in Kazanlak, a town of not more than 300, 000 inhabitants, but one with a rich tradition, history, and culture.

The city is fondly referred to as the “Valley of Roses”, the “Valley of the Thracian Kings’’, and “Capital of the Queen of Flowers”.

Kazanlak is famous for its abundance of flowers, especially the oil-bearing and fragrant rose. The city is considered to be the capital of Bulgaria’s Rose Valley.

A visit to the town generates a blissful feeling because of a combination of the weather, naturally beautiful scenery, and majesty of the Stara Planina—the elongated, 130 km-long ridge of the mountain which forms a natural border

Kazanlak’s beauty is made even more dreamlike by the fertility in the valley of Tundza (archeological project) and the warm mineral springs.

The Rose Queen Kristina Popova (middle) leading the carnival at the traditional Rose Festival in Kazanlak
The Rose Queen Kristina Popova (middle) leading the carnival at the traditional Rose Festival in Kazanlak

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Zlatna Kostova, Head of International Relations at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), said the Valley of the Thracian Kings derived its name from being host to tombs where kings of the Thracian tribe were buried.

She said Thracians or Thracian Bulgarians are a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or native to Thrace.

Today, according to her, the larger part of the population is concentrated in Northern Thrace, but much is spread across the whole of Bulgaria and the diaspora.

Ancient Thrace was located in the Balkan Peninsula region, which comprises most of modern-day Bulgaria.

A visit to the Rose Valley reveals the extensive gardens of oil-bearing roses from which the famous rose oil is produced.

In a booklet entitled “120 Years of Rose Festival Kazanlak”, the Kazanlak Municipality said: “The development of rose production has a direct impact on the daily life and culture of the local population.

“The discarded petals were used as food for domestic animals while rose water was used to treat sick eyes, stomach ailments, and more.

“Sugar mixed with rose oil was used to treat gallbladder problems, and rose `rakia’ – a traditional Bulgarian brandy – and rose jam became favourite delicacies not only among Muslims but also among Bulgarians.

“The Kazanlak rose can also be found in the traditional clothing of the population of the Rose Valley, especially on the embroidery.”

While there are more than 300 species of the rose flower with the Roza genus specie originating in ancient times and found in the wooded and moist provinces of India, China, East Africa, and America, there are three unique ones grown in Kazanlak.

“The flowers and the fruits of the rose have been used for the production of aromatic oils, wine, tea, medicines, etc in Assyria, Babylon, India, China, Persia, and Egypt.

“In ancient Egyptian literature, the rose was considered a sacred plant, and during the reign of Ramses II in the 13th Century BC it was cultivated as a cultural plant,” she said.

These attributes of the oil-bearing rose have attracted attention from ancient times to the present day. It was for these reasons and more that the Kazanlak community hold a festival in reverence of the wonderful attributes of the flower considered by many as “the symbol of Bulgaria”.

Some of the journalists who attended the meeting of the 18th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media and also covered the Rose Festival in Kazanlak
Some of the journalists who attended the meeting of the 18th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media and also covered the Rose Festival in Kazanlak

The festival was one of Bulgarian splendour and pageantry, folklore dancing, traditional customs, crafts, and taking pictures in a rose field. This happens on every first Sunday in the month of June.

There was a carnival along the Knyaz Al. Batenberg Boulevard in the city centre by many associations ranging from artists, dancers, hunters, past athletes, fashion designers, make-up artists, mathematicians, and builders.

Others were electricians and computer technologists, personnel of the armed forces, among others – both the young and old, male and female.

It was generally a wonderful, beautiful, and dreamlike sight to behold, no wonder Abdullah Suleiman Salih Al Assaf of Saudi Press Agency (SPA) described the festival “awesome” and “worth celebrating”.

“I am both surprised and not surprised”, he said when asked whether the celebration was worth it. I didn’t know it was going to turn out this big. Initially, I thought it was going to be a small gathering of people, but look at this.

“The display of rich culture, tradition, and history here, and the colours on display are all awesome.

“The rich fragrance of the rose flower, the Rose Queen pageant, even the presence of the country’s president at the festival testify to the greatness of the event, he said.

“I am impressed by the commitment of the people of this community. Look at the participation”, he told NAN.

Also speaking with NAN, the Deputy Director of the Museum of Rose in Kazanlak, Radosalav Petrov said the festival was a celebration of the benefits that the rose flower has brought to the lives of the people in the area.

“The rose industry here is providing jobs for at least 30,000 people. This includes people who cultivate the roses, pick them when they are ripe for picking, and process the petals in distilleries to get the oil from them.

“There is also another aspect of the value chain. We can produce many products from the rose. And don’t forget that we will go ahead and sell them,” he said.

The Rose Festival was first organised by citizens of Kazanlak in 1903. It was dedicated to beauty and flowers as well as charity.

Rich exhibitions were organised and the funds collected were given to poor families, the aged, and orphans. The festival became more popular in the 1930s and by 1966 it had gained nationwide acceptance.

Thus, in 1967, the first national Rose Festival was organised in Kazanlak, and two years later, in 1969, a carnival procession element was added to the event.

The carnival procession was led by the Chariot of Seuthes III and the Rose Queen, who is usually the winner of the city’s Most Beautiful Girl Pageant for the running year.

The Rose Queen for 2023 is Kristina Popova, a high school graduate who was coronated at a ceremony at the Seuthopolis Square in the Kazanlak city centre.

The worldwide recognition of the festival is just one of the big acknowledgements of the Kazanlak people who have made a cult of beauty through one flower.

They have proven that dedication and commitment to work, and charity through the years can lead to the institution of a tradition worth celebrating as the Rose Festival, one which many observers consider to be phenomenal. (NANFeatures)

Portion of road yet to be fixed
Features

Assessing delay on Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot-Ekpene Road reconstruction

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A News Analysis by Leonard Okachie, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

According to the World Bank, by linking producers to markets, workers to jobs, students to school, and the sick to hospitals, roads are vital to any development agenda.

Roads are vital for the development of any nation as they are a significant influence in developing a country’s socio-economic growth facilitating how citizens, goods, and services are accessed.

As such, the perceived delay in the timely completion of Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene Road total reconstruction project has begun to raise a lot of concerns among various stakeholders in the state of Abia and beyond.

While some express worry that the project might be abandoned just like any others in some parts of the country, others are of the opinion that the delay might not be unconnected with the common bottlenecks in the road construction project delivery.

However, a recent visit to the site by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), shows that some portions have already been completed while some places are yet be fixed.

The portion between Ndoru and Okwe has already been fixed and is displaying it architectural beauty, to the delight of the road users and passers-by.

The 49km Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene Road Federal Road project was awarded in 2019 to Hartland Construction Company Limited, at the cost of N13.2 billion, and was expected to be completed in four years.

The federal road linking Abia and Akwa Ibom had prior to the award, become a deathtrap, as people usually undergo some groaning, pains and trauma coupled with the huge economic loss, while plying it.

The project was facilitated by Chief Sam Onuigbo, the immediate past member, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, Abia, when he moved the motion in 2016.

Onuigbo, according to our findings, followed it up with several letters, including meeting with Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), then Minister of Power, Works and Housing in 2016, drawing the government attention to the deplorable condition of the road.

Onuigbo had complained about the attendant colossal economic loss to the nation due to high vehicle operating cost leading to exorbitant haulage charges on the road.

Consequently, the minister had directed the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to do palliative work between December 2016 and April 2017, to allow people ply that road, until it was awarded in 2019.

Unfortunately, paucity of fund had hampered its progress until the Federal Government later approved it for funding by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), through the Road Tax Credit Scheme in late 2021.

Our investigation revealed that the contractor came back to site in 2022, after the funding challenge was addressed.

However, a constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Dr Monday Ubani expressed misgivings, saying that there was no significant improvement on the contract since it was first awarded in 2019.

Ubani, Chairman, Section on Public Interest and Development Law, NBA-SPIDEL, argued that the contractor lacked the capacity and competence to execute the project.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Controller of Works, Abia, Mr Tochukwu Onwubiko, admitted that the work was not moving at the expected speed, but blamed the delay on certain challenges.

He identified cost, compensation, mobilisation and rainy season as some of those challenges, while assuring that the government was doing everything possible to ensure timely completion.

Onwubiko, an engineer, explained that prior to the NNPCL takeover, the contractor was hampered by insufficient fund leading to reduction in activities on the site.

The controller admitted that some areas on the road were bad while affirming that those were the areas they were yet to work on due to the mobilisation challenge.

According to him, the inability of the government to compensate those whose structures are not within the Right of Way (RoW) is a huge challenge to the project.

“You can’t touch some part of the road until this issue of compensation, which runs into billions of naira, for those whose shops, houses, and crops will be affected, is sorted out, because if not, they will take you to court.

“That is why sometimes we do some palliatives – finding a way to patch, instead of the main construction,” he said.

Onwubiko continue: “Let me correct the impression people have about the contractor being funded. There is no money anywhere to be carried. You work, we evaluate and you get paid.

“Before fund is released, the contractor gets Advance Payment Guaranty (APG) from banks.

“The banks have their engineers to evaluate your work and they will be giving you that money in bits, while ensuring that what you get is commensurate with the work.”

He dismissed the speculation that the contractor lacked capacity for the project, saying “A lot of people don’t understand the difficulties involved.”

Already fixed portion of the road between Okwe and Ndoru in Ikwuano Local Government Area
Already fixed portion of the road between Okwe and Ndoru in Ikwuano Local Government Area

However, the Public Relations Officer of Hartland, Mrs Grace Gbagi, said that the company was not slow on the job, rather they had been on the site, working very hard since it started being funded recently by NNPCL.

She also said that those who were complaining about the pace of the job didn’t understand the technicalities involved in construction work.

According to her, between 2019 and 2022, the road was not funded, so we came to site, left and came back again in 2022, when NNPC took over the funding.

Gbagi said: “Our team is currently working at the Ikot-Ekpene axis and because of weather – rain right now, we cannot do earth movement jobs.

“We are concentrating now on asphalt, on drainages at that Ikot-Expene axis, because all the drainages on both sides of the road towards Umuahia had already been done.

“The earth movement section cannot work now because of the heavy downfall.”

Meanwhile, the facilitator, Onuigbo said that some progress was done, but would have loved the contractor to move faster, even as he mentioned the rainy season as a big challenge.

Onuigbo explained that when he inspected the project in April, where he went with a couple of journalists, to also commission other projects he attracted, he saw that the contractor was working.

He expressed confidence in the contractor, saying that the job done between Ndoru and Okwe was enough to make a sincere assessor to know that the contractor had capacity.

According to Onuigbo, I drove to Ikot-Expene the other day, I saw that they were working on that axis and they have asphalted a lot of areas that are stable, just like they have asphalted from FMC, Umuahia axis to Ngozi Filling Station.

He said: “Between Ndoru and Okwe which has now been fixed used to be the worst section that neither cars nor trucks could drive past because it was covered by a pool of water.

“Even after the road was awarded in 2019, up till 2021, nothing much was done because there was no funding.

“I wrote additional letters and met with the minister and that was what led to the road being transferred to NNPC Road Tax Credit Scheme.”

Onuigbo, said that he had convened several meetings with various stakeholders including the traditional rulers, community leaders, the clergy, the contractor and the Federal Ministry of Works among on how the goal could be achieved.

Despite leaving office, the immediate past legislator said that he was committed towards ensuring that the road was successfully completed.

He, therefore, urged the contractor to put in more effort saying, “If they don’t move fast, they will now encourage or create the appearance that they are deliberately delaying the job.” (NANFeatures)(www.nannews.ng)

Nigerian farmers
Features

Food systems and options for safety, sustainability

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By Usman Aliyu, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Inarguably, the development of a nation largely depends on its food system because food security is important to the individual and to the nation; it is one of the basic necessities of life.

Agriculture experts and economists believe that any country which cannot guarantee food security can never be said to be a sovereign nation in other ramifications.

It is, therefore, due to this reality that stakeholders at a recent national convergence and food festival in Benin City, Edo capital canvassed a food system that is safe, healthy and sustainable for Nigeria.

Food system refers to all the elements and activities related to producing and consuming food, and their effects, including economic, health, and environmental outcomes.

The event was organised by the Home of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), to celebrate Nigeria’s food, cultural diversity and rich biodiversity.

At the event, stakeholders expressed serious concern about the high influx of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) into the country’s food production, thereby eroding the traditional ways of farming, which they adjudged healthier, safer and sustainable.

Genetically modified (GM) foods, also known as genetically engineered (GE) foods, or bioengineered foods are edibles produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA.

Genetic engineering techniques allow for the introduction of new traits as well as greater control over traits when compared to previous methods, such as selective breeding and mutation breeding.

Nnimmo Bassey, Director of HOMEF, said it was appalling the way Nigeria’s food system is challenged in recent years, particularly with the introduction of these GMOs into crop production.

“People are planting what they don’t know and they are eating what they don’t know. We believe the health of Nigerians is being compromised this way; also compromising the health of the environment.

“At the end of the day, Nigerians are exposed to the erosion of our culture, of our biodiversity and indeed our heritage.

“The government should take steps to avoid promotion of monoculture or a kind of agriculture that is not based on biological diversity,” Bassey said.

During a panel discussion, Mrs Lovelyn Ejim, a farmer and founder, Network of Women and Youth in Agriculture, said it had been found that GMO activities had impacted on the health of the people as well as the wealth of farmers.

She said GM seeds ranging from maize, beans and rice had permeated Nigeria’s food system as a result of free distribution, whereas traditional seeds remained the healthier and more sustainable alternative.

Ejim, South East Vice-President of Rice Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), urged farmers never to give in, but to return to the planting of indigenous crops that are nearly going into extinction.

Corroborating Ejim’s stance, Prof. Tatfeng Mirabeau of the Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, advocated the revival of traditional seeds.

“I am happy to learn that there are banks where our traditional seeds are maintained. Farmers need to strive to get those traditional seeds.

“We should also get ourselves acquainted with agroecology; which is a natural system of growing our crops; making use of our ecological requirements and our agricultural system.

“We should learn how to fortify our soil; learn how to recycle our crops at every season and so on and so forth.

Prof Mirabeau dismissed the idea that organic farming is ineffective in tackling global food insecurity.

“It is fallacious that through organic farming, we can’t feed the world. We need to explore what God has given agriculture is healthier for us and safer for our environment.”

To be able to sustain the efficacy of organic seeds and seedlings, Dr. Jackie Ikeotuonye of the BFA Integrative Health and Wellness Centre, advocated the practice of crop rotation.

“We know that in the southern region, we have a lot of virgin land.

“The percentage of land under use now in the whole southern region for agricultural activities from the last count of ratio is just 30 per cent.”

Policies on organic farming, Dr. Ikeotuonye said, was not the problem in Nigeria. “We have enough policies; implementation is the problem. So, we are not talking about policies anymore, it is the implementation.”

Stakeholders emphasised an ‘eco-regenerating’ lifestyle, which means general consciousness of our environment and its biodiversity.

They also demanded more information on GMOs so that Nigerians would know what they are eating, saying if they can’t be thoroughly explained then they are not the solution to hunger in Africa.

In his presentation on pesticide use and precautions in Nigeria, Donald Ofoegbu, Programme Manager, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, said over 58 per cent of the pesticides used by farmers in the country are already banned in Europe for health and environmental reasons.

“There is poor regulation, poor monitoring system in terms of how these pesticides are traded; how they are used. A lot of farmers do not even know what they are using.

“It means there is a need for caution. They need to be very conscious about what pesticides should be used in the country.

“Farmers’ associations should do a lot more in terms of sensitising their members. Community leaders and religious groups should also be involved, Ofoegbu said.

Ofoegbu, who is the Lead Coordinator, Alliance for Action on Pesticide in Nigeria (AAPN), said the safest and most sustainable farming system going organic. (NANFeatures)

Features

Acute water shortage: Any hope for Sabongida community?

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In faraway New York in 2019 then Plateau governor, Simon Lalong, made one of the speeches that was expected to define his tenure as the Chief Executive of the state

 

Addressing attendees to the Global Citizens Festival, an event that was held on the sidelines of 74th UN General Assembly, Lalong vowed that his administration would tackle water scarcity, sanitation and end open defecation in the state.

 

A statement issued by his then media aide, Makut Macham, Lalong promised a war chest of N27 billion to achieve the objective which he said was paramount to his administration.

 

He said his government would provide N15 billion out of the amount while the private sector and other stakeholders would contribute the balance of N12 billion.

 

However, several years after that landmark pledge, for the people of Sabongida village in Langtang South Local Government of Plateau, water scarcity remains one of the major challenges they have to contend with.

Some Sabongida community residents scavange for water

 

The concerns range from complete dearth of health facilities, bad roads, very few and poor quality schools while electricity is a luxury they don’t even worry about.

 

But for its leader, Mr Pozing Durfa, the worst headache is the lack of water.

 

“Water is life, but we don’t have it here.

 

“We are forced to rely on far away ponds which we share with animals, especially cows, goats and dangerous reptiles,” a worried Durfa told newsmen recently.

 

He regretted the lack of a reliable source of potable drinking water in the area in spite of various efforts by his people to tackle the menace.

 

Sabongida community school age children in search of water

He says the problem gets particularly bad during the dry season.

 

“The water scarcity gets worse everyday; my people are forced to travel many kilometres in search of ponds where they fight with cows, goats and dangerous reptiles.

 

“We are forced to consume this dirty water in spite of the associated risks of contracting waterborne diseases like cholera, gastroenteritis, among others”.

 

Mrs Christie Ndam, a resident of the community, says that their plight is “excruciating”.

 

“We take basins and move to far away areas; we keep looking around for streams and ponds.

 

“Very often, we have to wait for cows to finish drinking the dirty water before we scoop whatever is available. Unfortunately, that is the only option available to us,” she fumed.

 

She said that some journeys take four to five hours before one could sight a stream or pond as the few available ones keep drying up due to pressure.

 

“The situation is ‘appalling and unfortunate’. But even more traumatic is the scary fact that there doesn’t appear to be any solution in sight”.

One of the ponds that provides succour is fast drying up

 

She said that the absence of potable water was affecting the quality of food Sabongida residents consume, making them vulnerable to various diseases.

 

“We are vulnerable to waterborne and other communicable diseases here.

 

“We sometimes spend hours around a dry well to get water. Herders struggle with us as they also have to care for their cattle. The competition for every drop is usually stiff.

 

”For years now, we have been suffering in Sabongida; it has lingered for long without any meaningful help.

 

”As you can see, we spend hours here just to fetch this dirty water. We try to purify it with chemicals before drinking.

 

”Our hospitals, schools, and other public places don’t have water and this is affecting our personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.

 

”As a community, we have made efforts toward addressing this challenge, but it has not yielded much result; sometimes we dig the grounds in search of water,” she lamented.

 

Miss Jennifer Nimfa, a 16-year-old student, is equally saddened by the situation.

 

She says the acute water shortage is affecting the education of children in the community.

 

“Very often, children spend school hours in search of water.

 

”I have been around this well since 4 a.m. and it is 10 a.m. already.

 

“I haven’t fetched water yet. I am no where any close. It means I can’t go to school today again because school time has past.

 

”Water is life; we need it to take our bath, cook and carry out other domestic activities before going to school.

 

”But majority of children can’t go to school because we spend hours in search of water. Sometimes we go to school without taking our bath and brushing our teeth, but for how long can we keep doing this?

 

”We call on government and concerned individuals to come to our aid, particularly to safeguard our future as young people because if this continues, our educational journey is already bleak,” she fumed.

 

Another resident, Fabong Miri, decried the effect of the situation on farming and other agricultural activities.

 

He said that the absence of potable water is a general problem in the locality, adding that all the communities in Langtang South were suffering acute water shortage.

 

”We are basically farmers; we need water for irrigation and other use in the farms, but we don’t have.

 

”This dirty water you see people struggling with animals to fetch, is here because of the rain that fell few days ago. Without the rain, all the wells and dams would get completely dried.

 

”This is why we are calling on government to come to our aid by dredging some of the dams here so that they can retain water for longer period and ameliorate our sufferings.

 

”We heard that the dredging of this dam has been captured in the budget, so we are appealing to government to expand and make them deeper.

 

“We want to say bye bye to water scarcity in Sabongida and environs,” he said.

 

Mr Goyil Maikarfi, another resident, decried the alarming water scarcity problem in the entire locality, opining that the situation calls for a national emergency.

 

“The situation in Sabongida is scary; people here struggle with animals over the untreated water from the Mabudi and other dams.

 

”The rural dwellers urgently need an intervention that will provide good water in the area.

 

”The problem of water scarcity in the entire Langtang South needs a holistic approach; it requires government intervention with good political will to address the hardship faced by our people.

 

”We call on the new governments at the state and federal levels to address our plight by finding a lasting solution to the perennial water scarcity in our community,” he said.

 

Durfa, the community leader, agrees with Maikarfi that there is the urgent need to assist Sabongida and the entire Langtang South.

 

“Lamgtang South is the most backward and underdeveloped local government area in Plateau.

 

Aside the absence of potable water, all critical social amenities are lacking.

 

“Successive administrations have only paid lip service to the provision of the amenities.

 

”This community and, indeed, the entire local government area, produce varieties of agricultural products in large quantity.

 

“Our people are basically farmers. We produce yam, maize, cassava, groundnuts, among other crops, in commercial quantities.

 

”Unfortunately, the local government area doesn’t have any source of good water. It lacks other basic amenities like road network, electricity, healthcare facilities, among others,” he lamented.

 

Worried by the hardship people are passing through, Mr Timkat Peter, the National Coordinator, Economic Freedom Fighters-Nigeria, recently petitioned the state and federal government to urgently address the problem.

 

Peter copied his petition to Sen. Nora Daduut who represents Plateau South Senatorial District, and Dame Pauline Tallen, the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs.

 

Other notable government functionaries who reveived the letter included Idris Wase, the current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Beni Lar who represents Langtang South/Langtang North in the House of Representatives.

 

Dr Nandul Durfa, a medical practitioner and former Chief Medical Director, Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja, has equally taken several steps to help the community out of the water shortage.

 

“We have made strenuous efforts and approached both the federal and states governments for assistance.

 

“At several points, contracts were awarded, but the execution has always been the problem.

 

“We want the whole world to come to our rescue. We want government and other corporate bodies to assist us.

 

“We also want the media to tell the world what is happening to us. We have a particularly bad case and want all hands on deck toward tackling the water shortage in Sabongida,” he said recently.

 

Like Dr Durfa, visitors to Sabongida say that the water shortage there is threatening to bring the community to its knees.

 

They have persistently emphasised the need for stakeholders to step in to assist so that the community can have a sense of belonging. (NANFeatures)

 

* * *If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria.

Features

June 12 and Nigeria’s struggle for freedom

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By Ephraims Sheyin

As Nigeria marks yet another democracy day on June 12, pundits have continued to evaluate the significance of that day to the nation’s struggle for freedom and representative governance.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had, on June 6, 2018, declared June 12 as Nigeria’s democracy day instead of May 29.

The gesture was to honour of late Chief M.K.O Abiola generally believed to have won the presidential polls held on June 12, 1993.

Analysts have unanimously declared the election as one of the fairest in the nation’s democratic history, but Abiola, the acclaimed winner was not sworn in as the election was annulled by then military leader, retired Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

While fighting for the mandate, Abiola was detained over alleged treason and later in prison.

Buhari’s declaration followed many years of agitations by civil society groups who insisted that Abiola must be immortalised.

According to Buhari, the change was to remind Nigerians of the free election whose presumed winner, along with other Nigerians, were denied their rights and their choices.

The annulment of the election sparked up a chain of reactions with the military hurling many into detention while some were killed in the quest to stiffle every voices that sought justice.

The military boots, however, did not stiffle as many groups continued the fight with many individuals escaping to Europe and America where they continued the fight.

The struggle yielded fruits more than six years later as democratic governance was restored in 1999 with retired Gen Olusegun Obasanjo elected President in 1999.

The representative governance had since then continued to grow with one smooth transition of government after another in the last 24 years.

For President Bola Tinubu, June 12 is particularly significant because it is the seed of current democracy in Nigeria.

“The choice of Nigerians to elect a civilian leader to transit from the military rule was the seed that germinated into the longest democratic institution that the country is enjoying,” he said in a speech to mark the day.

Tinubu, a key player in the struggle to actualise the mandate, said that the date gained a historical relevance “due to MKO Abiola’s sacrifice to patriotically stand in defense of the ideals of democracy and forgo a life of ease and capitulation in the face of tyranny of power”.

‘’For the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter.

‘’We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled.

‘’He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolised in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President.

‘’There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no.

‘’He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself.’’

Tinubu said the country also owed a debt of gratitude to other Pro-June 12 advocates that sacrificed their lives for the future of the people.

‘’Everyday, on this day, down the ages, we will recall the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people.

‘’We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today.

‘’The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel. A people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it,’’ he said.

For Prof. Jerry Gana, former Minister of Information and National Orientation, the annulment of the June 12 presidential election was “a tragic mistake that was not supposed to have happened.

He blamed Babangida’s action on “some powerful forces seeking to champion their selfish interests”.

“It was a tragic mistake; it should not have happened but since it happened, may God help us to get out of it,” he said.

The former minister said that the election was a period Nigerians united against evil forces.

“Unfortunately, along the line, the people that never meant well for Nigeria had their way,” he said.

He opined that democracy was better than any other form of government across the globe.

“Therefore, we must stay with democracy in order to better Nigeria because it delivers freedom, human rights and a good number of other things,” he said.

Gana said that Nigerians must thank God for keeping the people and the country together, especially from 1999 to 2023 because the nation’s democracy had had many challenges.

“What happened since all these years destroyed other countries when it happened there but we are still living together as a people,” he said.

He said that many institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others have been put in place to ensure good governance, fairness, justice and equity.

“But, it is not yet uhuru; we are not there yet although a lot of progress has been made.

“Right now, people still clamour for the right to vote and their votes. So, our democracy is being refined,” he said.

The former minister said that the country had recorded huge success in its electoral reform from inception to date.

“The recent Electoral Act (reform) is a huge success recorded for democracy in Nigeria.

“Now the elections are free, fair and accountable,” he said.

Gana said that the country’s economy improved to the extent that it became one of the best economies in Africa.

“If our crude oil, solid minerals and agricultural potentials are harnessed well, Nigeria will rule the world,” he said.

Gana also said that the communication sector had enjoyed the fruits of democracy.

“I remember when we came on board in 1999/2000, we had less than half a million lines of telephone across Nigeria.

“But right now, we have about 84 million lines, that means that there is a great revolution in the sector,” he said.

Similarly, Prof. Mohammed Kuta-Yahaya, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, has described the June 12, 1993 presidential election as “a moment of political history when Nigerians expressed a hunger for democracy because they were tired of continuous military dictatorship”.

He said that it was unfortunate that the military annulled it for whatever reason.

“That annulment did not go down well with the people because that was when they demonstrated to the whole world that they are one people that believe in democracy.

“This is part of why Buhari recognised June 12 as democracy day in Nigeria.

“It was a day Nigerians came out en mass and freely voted for the leader of their choice irrespective of cultural and religious affiliations,” he said.

He urged Tinubu to recruit competent hands into his cabinet to ensure unity, progress and security of the country, and enjoined the country’s leaders to make education a priority in order to empower the people and make them better persons in the society.

“Quality education will bring about rapid socio-economic advancements because it will make the people self reliant.

“If you make education your first charge, you are going to cause a revolution that will outlive you as a leader to better the people and the country.

“If you don’t educate the people, the youth to become good citizens, they will turn to terrorise you the leader tommorow,” he said.

On his part, elder stateman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has tasked Nigerians to ensure that the country remained peaceful and crisis-free in spite of its numerous challenges.

Clark was speaking on the significance of June 12 to Nigeria’s growth as a nation.

“We all desire that we live in a country that is peaceful, free from crisis, insecurity and corruption.

“Corruption in the country is so high; there is no arm of government that can be trusted,” he said.

The 96-year-old national leader called for a peaceful country were all Nigerians are equal before the law.

“We want a Nigeria where all of us live together peacefully and without any discrimination.

“We should all obey the provision of the Constitution which states there should be no state religion.

“There should be no promotion of a particular religion over and above others.

“When I was in the 2014 National Conference as an elderstateman, we made a lot of recommendations for the survival of Nigeria as a country.

“We craved for a united country free from crisis, where all the citizens are equal before the law and anyone of them can rise to any position by dint of hardwork,” he said.

But as the nation celebrates the day, Dr Bulama Mali-Gubio, an elder statesman believes it would only be significant if the nation had sincere leaders that would make the struggle for democracy worth the efforts.

“Nigeria needs to grow and attain its full potential as the giant of Africa,” Mali-Gubio, spokesperson for the Borno Elders Forum, stated said.

“We can attain that status if elected leaders perform creditably,” he said.

He regretted that the primary goal of many leaders in the country was self-enrichment.

“Leading a country involves making policies and finding solutions to problems, ensuring stability of the polity, and guiding the country to prosperity.

“But a large number of Nigerian leaders lack the vision, passion and the character to effectively govern and deal with the economic situation.

“In order to achieve the Nigeria of our dreams, we as citizens must first change our values, attitudes and orientation.

“This is because values are the building blocks of national development and no nation can achieve its developmental aspirations unless her citizens embrace and espouse the right values and attitudes,” he said.

The elder statesman regretted the collapse of values, saying that
merit was being sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity, cronyism and nepotism.

“Wealth, no matter the source, is now celebrated in place of honesty and integrity.

“It is clear that no nation can make any meaningful progress in the face of these social vices arising from negative values and dysfunctional attitudes.”

Like Mali-Gubio, many analysts believe that democratic governance can only be meaningful if it tackles concerns of the electorate.

They argue that the significance of June 12 struggles will be lost if democracy benefits just the elected while the electorate wallow in abject poverty, insecurity and neglect. (NANFeatures)

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