THRILLER FROM THE VILLA By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
08098639161
There is no doubting the fact that if the challenges threatening the peace, unity, progress and continued existence of this country are listed today, the Boko Haram insurgency would come first. Aside the fact that it has led to the death- in gruesome circumstances- of numerous men and women as well as children, it is also causing the economy of the country an incalculable damage, which few people are even paying attention.
Inestimable economic damage in the sense that people in the states that are worse hit by the Boko Haram bombings and shootings are even afraid to move out, let alone remember to visit cinemas and other fun spots during weekends and festivities. This is accompanied by immeasurable economic damage in the sense that because all the government institutions destroyed in Kano, Kaduna, Damaturu, Abuja, Maiduguri and other hot spots have to be rebuilt at tax payers’ expense; in fact properties of individuals that have been ruined will have its own effect on their wellbeing. Limitless economic damage because both local and foreign investors thinking of doing something in any part of the country may be having a rethink now.
This is aside the fact that the current security challenges have made the country invest in the sector monies that would have been spent on the power sector, infrastructural development, education and other critical areas.
Though, one must sympathise with President Goodluck Jonathan for being the leader of this troubled nation at this terrible times. This is because I am sure he was not responsible for the factors or the failure of governance that threw up militant groups like Boko Haram. In fact, almost all the economic woes the country is facing right now are the handiwork of bad leadership of the past. It is just that critics will not spare Dr Jonathan if he doesn’t demonstrate the capacity to deal with the issues and take the country along new routes, other than the familiar ones that usually lead to nowhere.
So, at a time the government has even said it is cutting cost to save more money for critical infrastructure and meet the promises made to pro-subsidy protesters last month, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday jetted out to London. with First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, National Security Adviser (NSA), General Andrew Owoye Azazi (rtd), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru and others to honour an invitation from the British government. The invitation was meant to provide a meeting of minds for about 40 heads of governments or their representatives to jaw-jaw on the way forward for crisis-ridden Somalia.
Critics argue that this was another sign of misplacement of priorities going by what the country is going through right now. Afterall, what Somalia is now is what Boko Haram and similar dissident groups seek to turn Nigeria into. So, why carry another man’s burden on the head and hold your own in the hand?
No one is disputing the big brother role Nigeria has been playing in Africa since the beginning of time but we dare ask what exact way have our people benefitted from the time, energy and resources we expend on this vainglorious thing called ‘Big Brother.’ I am also aware that this country’s foreign policy direction was few years ago changed from wasteful big brotherism to the sort of diplomacy that emphasises enlightened self interest western nations like USA is known for.
To the rescue of government was the Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Senator Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, who, in London on Thursday told reporters that aside helping to find solution to the problem in Somalia, Nigeria’s presence would also help the country find an international solution to terrorism in the country.
According to Tafida, since there were suspicions that Boko Haram may have drawn inspiration and support from al-Shabab and similar organisations like al-Qeada, Nigerian government too need to participate in global forums aimed at finding international solutions to similar problems.
“The Somalian Conference will therefore afford Nigeria the opportunity to exchange information and strategies on ways of tackling the menace of terrorism in the country,” he stated.
President Jonathan had on arrival in London met Prime Minister Donald Cameron and both of them reaffirmed their commitment to end terrorism in all parts of the world.
Now that the President and his team have come back to the country yesterday, we wait to see what exactly the trip added to their collection. We wait to see if the government would change tactics for once and stop this annoying, unproductive blockage of expressways by gun wielding soldiers.
Five more universities: Another joke?
The more the challenges facing this nation stare us in the face and reduce our rating in the comity of sane climes, the more people who constitute the body of governance in the country continue to demonstrate their gross incompetence and lack of simple grasp of basic issues. It is so baffling, because the solution to the rot in the education system is so clear that even a primary school pupil should know that we do not need more higher institutions to add to the current under-performing ones already existing across the country.
While the present Federal Government is yet to ensure the take-off of the ‘political’ universities Dr Jonathan built for us prior to his election in April last year, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo on Wednesday approved licenses for the take-off of five new private universities.
Even when the President announced his intention to establish 9 more federal universities last year, some of us had told those who cared to listen that it was a white elephant project or at best a political gimmick meant to woo voters into given the PDP votes. The question we first asked was; what about the existing federal universities? Won’t you strengthen them and make them turn out quality graduates? Won’t you expand their capacity in terms of quality and quantity tomake them not to admit more people but also to be able to bake them properly. In the years preceding this ill-conceived decision, Nigerian universities had lost their respect and pride of place in all global educational ratings and instead of government to put on its thinking cap and rescue the decaying citadels of learning, it decided to build more empty structures in strategic geo-political regions of the country just for political expediency!
Now, despite the billions claimed to have been invested in the project, the universities did not take off in September last year as promised. The one my people are supposed to have in Lokoja, I understand, doesn’t even have a properly demarcated landed property yet. I learnt it is struggling for space with a secondary school in the town.
But to underscore the fact that the government is more interested in quantity rather than quality, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku told State House correspondents that: “FEC took into consideration the fact that Nigeria was under-served by the existing number of universities which had ensured that most prospective university students were not able to gain admission into the higher institution.”
Same day, the council also approved the disbursement of N15 billion revolving loan to various transporters in the country for the purchase of 1,240 high capacity buses for the nation's mass transit scheme.
The Minister said the beneficiaries would have a two months moratorium before the commencement of the repayment of the loan over five years.
Maku added that apart from credible transporters who would benefit from it, the transport organisations of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and that of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would get a total of 450 and 150 buses respectively.
So, amidst a number of pro-subsidy promises that had been broken by government, it deserves a rare commendation this time for stepping up efforts to boost public mass transportation system.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
