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 The rapid spread of the coronavirus across the world  and the great danger it constitutes to public safety are concrete  grounds for the Powers the Be in Nigeria to declare a state of emergency.

Sadly, other unknown considerations and lack of sound judgment could be stumbling blocks  in addressing the  public health  crises, most especially when the leadership is very slow in coming up with a decisive response plan to safeguard citizens.  Social distancing is key to curtailing the spread of the pandemic, but this can only be achieved by restricting the movement of people.

With the ambiguous nature of Nigeria's constitution, only a declaration of a state of emergency  can make Nigerians to be law abiding in an environment where the leaders disobey court orders and lead with impunity.

Even though there is already  in existence a 1.3 Trillion Naira intervention fund from the Federal Government, enlightenment and sensitization of the citizenry about the pandemic is non-existent in most parts of the country, while the general attitude towards curtailing the spread of the dreaded disease is passive. 

Situations  abound where Government has continually ignored the cries of residents about an imminent public health crisis.  

For example in  Olorunsogo, Molete, Ibadan, Oyo state a Landlady and her tenants  of No. 5 Kehinde Aderibigbe street in the community have converted the building beside theirs, No. 3, to a refuse dump, were they also throw excreta. This and several others in different parts of the country have proven that even though Government means well its officials might be sabotaging its efforts.

Also  read -WHO  Director General's Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID 19-23 March 2020-Click here- https://bit.ly/2UgZZet

                   -Pass the Message- Five Steps to Kicking out coronavirus- Click here-https://bit.ly/2UeOOD7

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) who decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in recent times have been advised to retrace their steps before it is too late.

This advice was given by the Chairman of the Oyo state chapter of the PDP, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha in a chat with Federationews2day.

''My advice is that our members  who still remain in the ruling party should come back now, if they don't come back now it may be too late for them. Things are changing, if we don't stand up to our duty, they will destroy the country.  Considering  what happened in Oyo state in the last election, we want it to go round the South West. They don't know how to run government. Almost all of us have resolved to come together to slavage the party'', Alhaji Mustapha stated.

Perhaps disturbed by the worrisome performances of political office holders in this dispensation, a bill by one of the lawmakers is,presently before the Senate that seeks to make the minimum qualification  to vie for the position of  President and Governor, Higher National Diploma or its equivalent, while for other elective positions the minimum qualification  Ordinary National Diploma or its equivalent is been proposed. Nigerians are already expressing divergent views on this proposal. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of  Shafaudeen-in-Isalm Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says the bill is a welcome development, but government must ensure it does a background check on the past of holders of certificates. Excerpts :

A bill  presently before the Senate  seeks to make the minimum qualification  to vie for the position of  President and Governor, Higher National Diploma or its equivalent, while for other elective positions the minimum qualification is Ordinary National Diploma or its equivalent. What is your reaction to this bill ?

Positions of power under democratic norms largely depends on  concept understanding, moral discipline, patriotism  and rudiments of administrative sagacity cum management technical know how.

 All these characteristics  are expected to be in-built virtues of any aspirant vying  for positions of power. Luckily for us, the three domains of education expected to reinforce aspirants as a necessary tool for capacity building   in this respect apart from the literacy and numeracy advantage of the affective domain, the attitudinal building  is equally embedded in this domain.

Unfortunately emphasis on character building is very low in our educational pursuit to the detriment of the desired development  as a goal of education. This vital aspect of human life happens to be the basis upon which the fate based houses of worship are built. Unfortunately, the wrong attitudinal value that humbles education into effectiveness allowing corruption to dominate the lives of the elite and scholars is the same virus that has eaten into the fabrics of sacredness  expected  of the houses of God into that of profanity making the man to become a misfit in the game plan of political activities to the detriment of the desired goal of sustainable development. In this Nigeria, we have seen excellent performances of holders of standard six certificates, that was during the era of an environment of institutional discipline. Promotion exercises were based on in-service training attendant higher efficiency at work and consequent higher productivity with lots of goodwill in terms of profit. Pupil-age was equally appreciated while mentor-ship took the pride  of replicating  hard-work and dignity of labor.

The then Head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon ruled this nation as an holder of School Certificate, he equally succeeded in executing  the fratricidal civil war of 1967-1970, that was when sincerity of purpose, ruler-ship by conscience  and a high level of the fear of God were in vogue. Training, pupil-age and mentor-ship used to have direct bearing on the assessed needs for planning to have a right direction of purpose.

However, today we insincerely depend on the certificate worth usually based on the theoretical realm of education, where researches may not necessarily have direct bearings on the need of the people. Despite the various observed anomalies in the cognitive arm of our educational institutions, the nation continues to hero worship holders of certificates .The three tiers of education viz Primary, Secondary and Tertiary are equally badly affected  by the challenges of facility update and dearth of experts in some areas of specialization. At the secondary level, challenges of appropriate  and adequate laboratory and workshop equipment are equally there. When certificates are obtained in an environment of under funding, the worth of such certificates may not necessarily reflect on the holders, hence the challenges of effective performances would be there, therefore Nigeria should be ashamed of itself, considering the fact that  our Senior secondary school certificates-WAEC or NECO- are no longer relevant in the scheme of our political system.

The HND/B Sc.  minimum qualification  to vie for President and Governor bill in the senate is a welcome idea, but this might not give us the expected results, if the holders' past records are not critically looked into, such certificates held by future treasury looters would only justify what brought about terrorism in Nigeria. The expectation is that the holders of HND/B Sc. and above  must be creative enough  for them to be able to tap into the psycho motor domain of education which clearly stands for provision of basic amenities using appropriate technology and establishment of functional infrastructure to solve the myth surrounding employment issues and our economic management challenges. High worth of certificate will never be productive without the right attitudinal approach to issues based on the fundamentals of positive mindset towards the nation and the expected  service demanded by the positions of power, the  holders of the certificates may assume, because in this lies the core value of self esteem and integrity, self confidence, positive mental attitude for ease of making right, accurate and precision prone decisions to move the nation forward.

The  bill presently before the senate that seeks to ban the use of generators in Nigeria  has been described as an indication that leadership in the country is in a state of confusion.

This  submission was made by the All Workers Convergence(AWC) through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''The bill proposing the ban on imported generators is a clear indication that the leadership and Government are confused and have lost a sense of direction.  This is also to prove that the present crop of leadership in Nigeria has nothing to offer Nigerians, this is so because electricity is a necessity and if government has failed to provide electricity do you now ban the importation of generators ?''.

''What is the reason behind the bill, when government officials constitute the majority of those patronizing imported generator sellers. The proposed bill is a product of a confused leadership which has nothing to offer Nigerians'', Comrade Emelieze declared.

The National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) scheme has been weighed down by several challenges over the years. The scheme seeks to promote unity and integration among the diverse peoples of Nigeria. However, a cross section of Nigerians insist that the scheme has outlived its relevance while stressing that efforts should be geared towards repositioning the scheme. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says that the management of the NYSC must be above board, for the scheme to serve the purpose for which it was established.

Is the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) still functioning to provide for the the unity and integration needs of Nigerians ?

The National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) scheme was established in 1973 as an aftermath effect of sanity restoration into Nigeria after the harrowing experience of the fratricidal war of Nigeria/Biafra of 1967/70, as part of the follow up of reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation. One of the aims therefore is to foster unity among Nigerians of different tongues and tribes. The hope was to integrate people through their children, most especially the youth into different communities that constitute Nigeria.

Above all, the curriculum expectation is to inculcate in Nigerian graduates, a sense of discipline and integrity to become assets for development rather than been liabilities. The assessment of the NYSC scheme as programs and projects for Nigeria based on the above set of objectives, shall therefore be the criteria through which our assessment and evaluation shall be based.

Postings are influenced arbitrarily without considering the set of objectives for which the NYSC was established. When this happens, affected candidates are denied their rights of familiarity to areas of opportunity to learn different things like culture, tradition and languages that would have made them to understand better, the different nationalities that constitute Nigeria; for the purpose of of knowing the reasons why we must allow peaceful co-existence.

Presently, the South-South and the South East to me are still alien, if not for some opportunities of attending conferences of professional importance around the areas. The same thing happens to many of us having myopic views about regions beyond the areas of our race forcing ourselves to consume the lies and the truth about people from the races. For example, the Middle Belt and the North in general. On the security point of view, the NYSC has been badly affected. There are several cases of violence involving Corps members. The phenomenal cases of kidnapping and road hazards also contribute enormously to parental fear, making them to prefer their wards serving in near by states and in some cases their states of origin.

One expects the Federal Government to pay particular attention to the security needs of the nation and the safety of the Corps members while on service in any part of the country. The scheme is supposed to enjoy some level of immunity and privileges which could be appreciated in the Military services. When this kind of environment is guaranteed for the NYSC scheme, parents and their wards will have no alternative option to official posting procedure to be followed to the letter without any excuses or need for any influence.

Progressively, in terms of the NYSC at 10, during my own time, it paid us 200 Naira as monthly allowance, although then, the purchasing power of the Naira was equal to the Dollar and even then, jobs after the scheme were guaranteed.

However, graduates going for national service are already wallowing in an environment of poverty, inflation and unemployment, making them to live in a state of uncertainty for economic survival. Under this condition the tendency to misbehave to a state of indiscipline is very high, unless they are truly religious with very good upbringing. The NYSC scheme is therefore faced with how to regulate and control the exercise, effectively manage the incoming graduates as well as as how best to sustain the exercise not to lose track of the set objectives.The issue at stake therefore, revolve on the huge management cost for the scheme with the ever increasing number of graduates every year.

The remuneration for the NYSC participants is another issue of great economic interest. For example, we are in an era of the need for a living wage. Th status of corps members is highly above $98. Government must therefore live above rhetoric, but pay as appropriate with immediate effect, the corps members remuneration that is attractive and sustaining . If Corps members take home is about 50,000 Naira, nobody will thank the Federal Government for this. These graduates in the active service of the nation need motivation because the government forced them into the entrepreneurship scheme while they were in school most especially during their final year.

Instead of making them roam about the streets, government ought to create a saving scheme for them whereby they manage N25,000 monthly and save the remaining N25,000 for the 12 months they are to serve the nation for them to be able to establish a vocation of their choice based on the entrepreneurship scheme already acquired while they were in school. In the spirit of TIVET, such graduates must be made to have easy access to loans to complement the amount already saved. Such loans must attract very low interest rates with single digits, to be able to meet up with the agreed pay back period. An environment of this kind of hope would make the scheme continue to be relevant, while parents and their wards would be ready to accept any area of offer for the service. 

Our hope to have true integration of the people to accept other people’s culture in the spirit of one nation, lies in the success of the NYSC because only the youth filled with love for togetherness and service can achieve at sustainable level the set objective for which the NYSC was established. Finally, a scheme aims at promoting unity, system integration and production of assets rather than liabilities like the NYSC must be managed without fraud, while it must not equally be underfunded. In the spirit of Democracy that stands on justice and equity principles, the NYSC management must be above board hence people with impeccable character are expected to be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring peace and sustainable development in an environment of high respect for the fundamental human rights of the people. The youth constitute the NYSC, knowledgeable as they are, the nation must rely on them because apart from serving the nation through the primary and secondary duties assigned them, they equally promote friendship and intermarriages which Nigeria needs to be truly united.

Applicants fopr the 7,000 teaching jobs in Oyo state have appealed to the state Government to ensure that the recruitment process is not characterized by personal and political  considerations.

The applicants made this appeal at the Teaching Service Commission zonal  offices across the state, during the submission of their completed application forms.

''Government  should not allow the recruitment process to be colorated by political and personal considerations. , but it should be based on merit'', the applicants stated.

Sadly, the questionable recruitment process in the past had resulted in the worrisome attitude  and behavior of students in public schools in the state, with those  in the private schools also in focus.

Cultism, rape and armed robbery are now past times of a sizable number of secondary school students, while parents, guardians and school authorities watch helplessly.

In his views, the Chairman of the state Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Tojuade Adedoyin disclosed that the recruitment was a welcome development saying'' it has been long overdue. However, we are believing that they will follow due process by recruiting qualified teachers on merit and not for political patronage''.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria(CBCN) has called on Christian faithful to wear black, or at least black armbands as a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes, on ash Wednesday. The first day of the Lenten season.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has also thrown its weight behind the Catholic Bishops.

A statement by the President of the  CBCN, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze invited  Christian faithful to join to join a “Day of Prayer Procession” to kick off the Lenten season, to protest the state of insecurity in the country while 

describing the procession as a part of the Church’s moral responsibility.

The march, scheduled for Ash Wednesday, is against “the repeated barbaric executions of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom linked to the same group.”

The statement condemned the public show of impunity by the perpetrators of these crimes on social media, the constant threats to many communities, and the lack of arrests of the criminals by the government.

No peace/growth without Security

Emphasizing the importance of peace, the statement reads: “May we, once again, remind all the arms of the government in Nigeria and all whose responsibility it is to protect Nigerians that without security there can be no peace, and without peace, there can be no development or national growth.”

The CBCN also called on the international community to come to the aid of the Nigerian government in its fight to restore security and stability in the country.

Nigeria has been on a constant fight against the Boko Haram insurgents who in 2014 kidnapped girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Northern Nigeria. In recent times, there have been multiple instances of kidnappings and violence against local communities linked to the same group.

Similarly the AWC through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze called on workers in Nigeria to join the protests saying ''we should not wait until we are personally touched, for an injury to one is an injury to all. We at the AWC commend the Catholic Bishops for this initiative and we cal on all workers in Nigeria to show solidarity for the clarion call. Workers should join the protests on Wednesday by putting black to show that they are not happy with the spate of kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes.''

Staff of the National Identity Management Commission(NIMC) Enrollment centers in Ibadan, Nigeria, including the center at the University College Hospital(UCH) now reject Pre-Enrolment slips from Nigerian desirous of obtaining the National Identity Number(NIN) for undisclosed reasons.

The employees of the NIMC advise these category of Nigerians to discard the Pre-Enrolment slips for the registration forms for fees that vary from one center to the other.

Indeed, it shall amount to double registration, if people should discard the Pre-Enrolemt slips for registration forms, since their data are already in the National Identity System(NIMS).

It is now obvious that the National Identity exercise has come under heavy sabotage from those who believe pecuniary benefits is the destination.

Sadly, the recruitment process of the employees of the NIMC has become a subject of debate among concerned Nigerians.

The NIMC Pre-Enrollment slip states ‘’Print this slip and take it to any NIMC Enrollment office closest to you’’.

Towards the end of 2019, the NIMC had organized a Bid opening ceremony for about 586 local partners who submitted their expression of interest (EOI) for the provision of Data collection and Issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN) services at the NIMC Headquarters, Abuja.

The NIMC Director-General/CEO Engr. Aliyu Aziz who was represented at the ceremony by the General Manager, Corporate Services Department, Abdullahi Ibrahim stressed that stakeholders’ collaboration for accelerated delivery of digital identity in Nigeria was critical.

Ibrahim had stated ‘’“NIMC will be partnering with public and private sector service providers including Federal, State, Local Governments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organizations and others as well as qualified private vendors for the provision of data collection services and issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN) under the National Identity Management System (NIMS) programme,” 

Government at all levels in Nigeria have been charged to put in place conducive environment before the recruitment of Teachers.

This charge was given recently by the Rector and Founder of ADECOM Institute of Business and Management, Ibadan, Nigeria, Dr. Adewale Adshina.

‘’If Government is so much interested in education it should put in more efforts. It is a good thing for government to employ Teachers, but the environment must be conducive, let us put the facilities in place. There should be motivation and incentives also’’, Dr. Adeshina stressed.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has declared that the non inclusion of the budgets of key government agencies in Nigeria in the national budget for 2020 is tantmount to shielding corruption.

The AWC made this known through its  National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''It is funny to realize that some key agencies of government budgets were not captured in the 2020 national  budget, rather a special budget has been prepared to cater for agencies such as the Central Bank, Customs and several others. This to us amounts to high profile corruption.What government is attempting to do is basically to use this medium to divert public funds for sinister motives. This is not in the people's interest. With the poor state of governance and decisions of government such as this, Nigerians have been pushed to the wall and would soon explode, having budgets outside the national budget is an attempt by government to shield corruption'', Comrade Emelieze stated.

About 60 agencies of government budgets were not captured in the 2020 national budget.