The current corruption commentaries coupled with the prevailing insecurity and harsh economic situation in the country, a state of depression (or is it a recession) that has been designed by yet to be established architects, takes me back, though with nostalgia, to a conversation I had with a friend amidst euphoria triggered by the declaration of the 2015 presidential election result. This friend of mine cautioned me with these few words; ‘’men will change their ruler expecting to fare better; this expectation induces them to take up arm against him, but they only deceive themselves, and they learn from experience that they have…
Author: JEROME-MARIO UTOMI
The reported remark by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin at the just concluded 47th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, calling on Western countries to reflect deeply on their own human rights abuse, has again brought to our consciousness the troubling realty that despite the widening strides by pro-democracy advocates to advertise the virtues and attributes of democracy over other forms of government, the balance of power within the last decades appears to be shifting. The Envoy said in parts; I want to stress that it is these Western countries that are using human rights as an excuse to exert pressure…
Aristotle reportedly noted in his poetics, that stories should have a beginning, middle, and an end. They should have complex characters as well as a plot that incorporates a reversal of fortune and a lesson learned. Well said by Aristotle but definitely, such rule cannot apply when writing a story about the Nigeria’s 9th National Assembly ably headed by Senator Ahmed Lawan. The reason for this assertion is barefaced. The 9th NASS is reputed for visiting Nigerians with conflicting and unexpected answers each time demand for good governance is made. As an illustration, when the Nigeria’s Senate recently, in response to public…
It is not by any standard a palatable news report that the Federal Government made a total of N3.25tn in 2020, and out of which spent a total of N2.34tn on debt servicing within the year. This means, the report underlined, that 72 per cent of the government’s revenue was spent on debt servicing. It also puts the government’s debt servicing to revenue ratio at 72 per cent. According to the report, a review of the budget performance of the 2020 Appropriation Act In 2019 shows that the Federal Government made total revenue of N3.86tn. Within the year, debt servicing…
The GbaramatuVoice newspaper has announced that Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, former president Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State will be among dignitaries expected at its forthcoming 6th Anniversary Lecture/Niger Delta Awards. The event is slated for Tuesday, August 10, 2021, by 10:00am, at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos State. This was contained in a recent statement personally signed by Jacob Abai, the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer and made available to newsmen in Lagos. According to the statement, the anniversary/lecture has its central theme dubbed: “Dwindling State…
Recently, I stumbled upon the speech by the renowned Nigerian Historian, Professor (Senator) Banji Akintoye, delivered at an event held in Lagos to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of Nigerian civil war. It reads in part; ‘It sounds absurd that instead of shared prosperity and national cohesion, oil has brought Nigeria conflict and poverty, inequality and oppression, dependency, recurrent economic recession, and environmental dilapidation. Noting that despite the abundance of oil and gas, hydro and energy resources, guarantees for the most part, Nigerians live in darkness, and businesses atrophy for lack of power supply’. For sure, while Professor…
Going by the wisdom of the sage, great leaders are characterized by their ability to create positive impacts on the lives of their subjects. They achieve this feat by placing heavy emphasis on the understanding that the economy would look after itself if democracy is protected; human rights adequately taken care of, and the rule of law strictly adhered to. In effect, their nation’s affairs are centrally planned over a period of time with their actions outlined for both normal and contingency conditions. By contrast, for Nigeria, like other nations with not-too-impressive leadership, in addition to non-possession of these attributes,…
‘I believe that when the plundering and debilitating hands of the military are removed from governance and the country’s infrastructure, educational and health system are reconstructed, Nigerians will enjoy a boom of creativity and productivity- Ola Vincent’, Former CBN Gov.Sept. 27, 1998. For G.K. Chesterton, an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic, Democracy is like blowing your nose. You may not do it well, but it’s something you ought to do yourself.” To others in his class, Democracy, taken objectively signifies the right to choose. What is, however, doubtful of this arrangement is the quality of people making…
In the words of James Tar Tsaaior, Professor of Media and Cultural Communication, School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, the circle looks harmless and innocuous’ but it is not. It is guilty of a certain politics, inclusionary and exclusionary politics. Every circle has its centre and margin, its core and periphery. The centre is the point of attraction because of its strategic position. Anything outside of the centre does not validly belong to the circle. It exists as a tangent, beyond its orbit or circumference. It is interesting how the mathematical sign of the circle has become…
Recently, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) announced that it would commence the demolition of illegal structures constructed under high tension cables and others. The demolition exercise is expected to affect owners of structures constructed under power lines, which contravene the state’s Physical Planning Laws. Significantly, there is no doubt that the present administrations in Lagos state, south west, Nigeria, have a sincere desire to move the state forward through fair and far-reaching policies that bothers particularly in creating an organized and livable environment for the citizens of the state. Out of so much evidence, the above move by the Lagos State…
To move this nation forward both politically and socioeconomically, there are reasons for our leaders to visit Singapore as Nigeria has a lot of lessons to draw from the documented evidence of performance in the following areas; economy, infrastructure, job creation, electoral practices and fight against corruption, by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the pioneer Prime Minister of Singapore. A man that understood clearly that; public order, personal and national security, economic and social programmes, and prosperity is not the natural order of things but depends on the ceaseless efforts and attentions from an honest and effective government that the people…
There is no way one cannot describes as welcoming the reported call by Non Governmental Organizations, NGO, the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, CCD, on Lagos State Governor, Mr. Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, to ensure immediate implementation of the State Special People’s Law 2010, which was signed into law by the then Governor Babatunde Fashola, SAN, but had remained dormant, 10 years after passage into law. Aside the awareness that Lagos State House of Assembly for speedy amendment of section 9(1), (4), 17(1) and 24(3) of the bill on the 30th May 2011 which gave the impetus for the signing of the…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recent declaration with excitement that it has received 42,211 online applications nationwide within the 24 hours of the resumption of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), naturally jogged my memory of a reported comment credited to President Muhammadu Buhari, few days after 2019 general election. Mr. President had in Abuja while declaring open the 25th Nigeria Economic Summit (NES) with the theme: ‘‘Nigeria 2050: Shifting Gears’’ stated that the peaceful conduct of the 2019 general elections was a clear proof that Nigeria’s democracy was maturing. ‘The elections he said have come and gone. Our country, once again,…
As both the Federal and state Governments in Nigeria continue to allow the rate of out of school children, especially in the northern part of Nigeria, to swell in number, even when it is obvious that the streets are known for breeding all forms of criminals and other social misfits who constitutes the real threat in the forms of armed robbers; thugs, drunkards, prostitutes and all other social ills that give a bad name to the society, Nigerians are beginning to view Government’s approach to the challenge as not yielding the targeted result. The latest of such worry came from…
That was back in the days and the event was recorded one Sunday morning during the celebration of the holy mass in one of the Catholic churches in Delta state(please don’t ask me of the town). For better understanding of the piece, Holy Mass is the Catholic order of worship. One of the major high points of the mass is called the prayer of the faithful. This is a time when carefully and well-rehearsed lay faithful, usually about five in number, are invited before the altar to pray for different intentions on behalf of the entire people attending worship. On…
Essentially, this recurrent mismanagement manifests itself in acts opposed to demands of the modern educational sector. And its work impedes lecturers from carrying out scholarly researches, leads to fallen standard of education, brings about policy inconsistency and somersaults, truncates academic calendar with strike actions, lace Nigerian schools (primary, colleges and universities) with dilapidated and overstretched learning facilities- with the universities producing graduates devoid of linkage with the manpower demand by the nation’s industrial sector. Majorly, the consequences of this malady can be spotted in two major areas; the high unemployment rate in the country, which going by the National Bureau Statistics…
President Muhammadu Buhari, Pursuant to section 58 ( 2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), recently, transmitted to the Senate, a harmonized retirement age for teachers in Nigeria Bill, 2021 for consideration. This latest move is geared towards formalizing the promise made few months ago by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to review upward the retirement age of teachers and their years of service. While reading the new letter to Members on the floor of the Senate, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan explained that the harmonized retirement age for teachers in Nigeria Bill 2021 seeks to increase the retirement age for teachers from…
The latest report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNICEF that the number of children in child labour has raised to 160 million worldwide is not by any standard a palatable one. The report titled: “Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, Trends and the Road Forward’’ was released on Thursday, on the sidelines of the virtual ongoing 109th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, “The new estimates are a wake-up call. We cannot stand by while a new generation of children is put at risk,” the report concluded. While we lament over this news,…
Similar to the 2030 Sustainable Agenda which calls for smart partnerships, collaborations, ecosystem thinking, co-creation and alignment of various intervention efforts by the public and private sectors and civil society, creative and innovative thinking by all strata of the society-public and private sector and civil society-to promoting sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development and environmental protection, this year’s World Environment Day 2021, held at Pakistan, with the theme is ‘ecosystem restoration’ – a global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea Celebrated on June 5,…
—Calls For Policy Reversal As Nigerians continue to express shock and disbelief over Federal Government’s indefinite suspension of the operations of microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in the country, the Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), a Lagos based Non-Government Organization, has described the Federal Government’s decision as obnoxious, undemocratic and a pronouncement in bad light and therefore demands an immediate and unconditional reversal of the directive The Group spoke recently in Lagos via a statement signed by its Programme Coordinator, Media and Policy, Utomi Jerome-Mario, and made available to the media. According to SEJA, the development has more…
It is now pedestrian information that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State recently dissolved the State Executive Council- an exercise that affected about 25 commissioners, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the Chief of Staff, Government House, Senior Political Advisers and other advisers. It is equally a common knowledge that while explaining the reason behind his decision on Wednesday 19th May, 2021, the Governor among other things stated that he dissolved the State’s Executive Council to check distraction in governance. What is however sketchy as it is newsy about this development is demographic considerations that will be accorded highest…
With the House of Representatives recent invitation to the general public, executive and judicial bodies, traditional institutions, political parties, civil society organizations, professional bodies and all other stakeholders, to public hearing on the ongoing amendments to the nation Nigeria 1999 Constitution, the process has graduated from mere rhetoric to reality. According to the statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, Umar Puma, titled ‘Constitution review: Reps to Begin Zonal Public Hearings 1st June,’ It is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in the six geopolitical zones. The Senate had already begun a parallel exercise. While this awareness is…
This particular piece stemmed from a new awareness gained while reflecting on the message by His Holiness, Pope Francis, to mark the 2021 World Communication Day which was celebrated on Sunday May 16. As we know, the celebration was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 as an annual celebration on the Sunday before Pentecost day to among other aims; encourage media professionals and stakeholders reflect on the opportunities and challenges that the modern means of social communication (the press, motions pictures, radio, television and the internet) afford the Church to communicate the gospel message. Essentially, given that the celebration/message is from…
Recently, Youths in the South-West region of the country endorsed the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello as the next President of Nigeria, stating that it is time for a youth to lead Nigeria starting from 2023. Speaking at a conference held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the convener of the group known as Afenifere for Collective Transformation, said the Kogi Governor represents the expression of the youths who are ready to take over leadership from the older generation. In its communiqué, the youths unanimously declared and presented Bello as their presidential candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress…
Two separate and conflicting arguments about how a nation can entrench masses- focused leadership and public institutions devoid of corruption/transparent governance stemmed this piece. The first came from Kurt M. Campbell and Jake Sullivan. While writing on the topic; Competition without Catastrophe, the duo authors among other concerns argued that the best defense of democracy is to stress the values that are essential to good governance, especially transparency and accountability, and to support civil society, independent media and free flow of information. Together, these steps could lower the risk of democratic backsliding and improve in the developing world. The second…
At the present moment, no nation best typifies a country in dire need of peace and social cohesion among her various sociopolitical groups than Nigeria adding that over the years, myriads of sociopolitical contradictions have conspired directly and indirectly to give the unenviable tag of a country in constant search of social harmony, justice, equity, equality, and peace. Without any shadow of the doubt, the country has become a hotbed for all manners of violence. This challenge, however, is by no means unique to Nigeria as a country but cuts across Africa as a continent. Bearing the above fact in…
The Act (the Harmful Waste (Special Criminal Positions etc), Act 1988, referred to in part 1 of this piece, it was argued only focuses on the commission of any action or omission by persons without lawful authority. Thus, where an organization has a licence to store waste resulting from production, they are seemingly omitted from the ambit of the Act, but the law failed to take into consideration the inadequate storage or inadequate waste management system by licensed firms or groups. The above defect is by no means unique to the Harmful Waste (Special Criminal Positions etc), Act 1988 as similar oversights or…
It has not been an easy road for Nigerian workers. Since May 1999, when democracy re-emerged on the political surface called Nigeria, it has been a tough and tumble ride. Even the practice of democracy in the country, contrary to earlier beliefs, have not helped to stop the pangs of socioeconomic challenges experienced by Nigerian workers or reduced strike actions to the barest minimum. However, before diving into propagation of solution, it is germane for this piece to underline that one major problem standing in the way/preventing Nigerian workers particularly those in the education sector from enjoying piece as it…
Similar to Chinua Achebe who in his booklet entitled; the Trouble With Nigeria, noted that the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership, Raymond Anoliefo, Priest and Director, Justice Development and Peace Commission,(JDPC), Lagos, a social justice arm of the Catholic church that monitors social, economic, political and public leadership-related activities in the country, seemed to have made a comparable but prophetic statement on Saturday, October 22, 2018, in Maryland, Lagos, during the celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace, when he remarked that the greatest tragedy of our time without a shadow of…
There was a report by ONE Campaign, an International organization which keeps track of progress on Millennium Development Goals and development financing in Africa, submitted May 29, 2013, to the African Development bank, during the Bank’s annual General meeting in Marrakech, Morocco. The report, it was noted, among other concerns accused Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, DR, of dragging the continent backward, as a result of the two countries inability to spend 15 percent of their budget as agreed by African Union, for the health and education sectors, unlike countries which have made progress. A key aspect of…
