Nigeria

The relevant law enforcement agencies are well aware of the reign of crime and criminality at Molusi, Solanke, Oyegbami, Olorunsogo, Molete, Oshodi, Aluko, Scout camp, Felele and several other communities in Ibadan, Oyo state.

But probably due to the involvement of some of the law enforcement agents with the cultists who perpetrate heinous and grievous crimes, little or nothing has been done to reverse the worrisome situation. This is even as there as several unreported heart rendering cases.

 Since the law enforcement agencies have the responsibility to ensure the safety of lives and property, the unending reign of terror by these cultists, who openly threaten to kill those who question their activities leaves much to be desired-  a point of reference is one '  Samba', a barber, whose barbing shop is among the block of shops located in front of a building at the Aluko/Barracks, Felele/Scout camp/Oshodi Street junction. He openly threatens to kill people while at the same time boasting of his connection with some officers and rank and file of the Police.

Indeed, owners of beer parlors, Ogogoro joints, hotels, and a sizable number of shops in these communities are ready accomplices of these cultists in these communities.

Nigerians have are of the consensus that the legislature at both the Federal and State levels have done very little to address the country's challenges that revolve on peace, order, and good governance. In this interview the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that it would be difficult for the present crop of lawmakers at the Federal and State levels to make laws that would ensure, peace, order, and good governance due to the circumstances surrounding their elections into the legislature. Excerpts :

In what areas do you think members of the Legislative arm of government in Nigeria can make laws to ensure peace, order, and good governance?

The shift from premiership or the parliamentary system of government to the present colossal waste form of the presidential system has been found to be an eternal error for Nigeria. 

During the parliamentary system, the regional government was favored, making each region to develop at their own pace, based on the wealth of resources on the ground.

For the west, the areas of commerce, communication, transportation, mining, agriculture among others led to the birth of radio and television, which was the first in Africa. This equally beamed their searchlight on other areas of development to the benefit of the welfare of the people including their environment.

The presidential system on the other hand only succeeded in impoverishing the people and retarding development leading to a series of challenges and problems. The replication of the achievement in the west enriched the North at the expense of other areas to the threat level of the unity of the nation, under the cover of federal character that favored only the acclaimed states or regions.

During the parliamentary system, wisdom and experience were crucial factors that determined those who were elected, unlike in the present circumstance wherein only the money bags have their way.

Assistance for the rich only goes to the elite class who earn their pay for the services rendered to the politicians in power.

Educational and professional institutions are made to languish under the whims and caprices of the moneybag politicians who dictate the tune.

The religious sector under the presidential system is managed through divide and rule tactics to segregate the religious leaders, wherein most of them are been used as megaphone propagandists to deceptively make it look as if God is supporting the oppressive and wasteful rulership approach of the politicians in power.

To the saints, who are very few in number, the whole scenario implies impunity in the houses of God, contrary to the sacredness essence of the houses of worship.

Spiritism drives the engine of political vehicles affecting our system of integrity, objectivity in policymaking, and implementation! Since the presidential system in vogue, anti-societal clauses and phrases have continuously emerged in the form of budget padding, making the implementation to be fraught with fraud.   Institutional indiscipline simultaneously cropped up with various allegations and accusations against political office seekers. This has manifested in the various cases of perjury and forgery of certificates just to be able to get the juicy positions of power, not for service but to make money.

There are also several cases of members of the National Assembly involvement in corruption scandals through contract awards and constituency projects scams that are being reported by the media. Is it not an irony of life that most projects meant to emancipate the masses are always hijacked by the political class that is inside or outside government, most especially the members of the National and State Huse of Assembly as bait to parley with the Executive on issues of jeopardized public interest. Examples are the 774,000 jobs that are expected to be executed through the Local Governments and the National Directorate of Employment(NDE). It is a source of concern that the National Assembly shall have a share of these jobs, including the fact that a former Lagos state governor, his daughter, and a caretaker chairman of the NURTW are to manage the Lgoas state share of the jobs. Secondly, the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC)corruption probe equally indicts several legislators who are expected to concentrate on their constituency projects and their oversight functions. Unfortunately, most of the projects as contracts from the NDDC and as oversight functions are seen to overlap in the presentation! With all these antecedents of bad records for many of the legislators,  one cannot but become skeptical about the possibility of having lawmakers that would be patriotic enough to sacrifice his or her time, body and wealth to the level of thinking for Nigeria and the people through whose mandate they are able to get to the positions of power.

Thoughts of domesticating some international human rights issues, most especially in the areas of women's human rights, always send jitters down one's spine, whenever one remembers how it was first rejected, then ridiculed. The bill to be passed had issues due to the issue of bribery which was not forthcoming. One can easily infer therefore that making laws to ensure peace, order and good governance would continue to prove difficult, considering the way and manner the lawmakers got elected through several group interests, political parties will always seek to have the majority in the House not to be able to serve the masses who gave them the mandate, but to be able to satisfy possible evil romance with the Executive that must have had some clandestine meeting of the oath of allegiance for the parties to remain in power and to be able to resist a possible outcry from the public or opposition parties for the removal of their colleagues. A downward review of the salaries and allowances of the legislators is long overdue. The nation, therefore, needs to develop a  feedback mechanism that would be measurable to assess and evaluate the impact been made by the policies formulated and implemented. The people's voice on the actions and inactions of political office holders must be used the pulse of the nation on the quality of the laws made and passed by the lawmakers using the parameters of peace, good governance, and sustainable development to justify people's voting participation and the salary been earned by the political officeholders. A paradigm shift from the business as usual approach to that of sacrifice and service in office is not only desired from the executive but from the lawmakers as well. 

President Muhammad Buhari is reluctant to send the Service Chief packing, despite the fact that insecurity in Nigeria has got to un unbearable level. Read this-Insecurity underpins property rights in Lagos – no matter what class you are-click here-https://bit.ly/3157BmF

Parents and Guardians have been advised to take very good care of their children and wards as the positive cases of Coronavirus increase in Nigeria on a daily basis.

This advice was given by Pastor Opeyemi Ajayi in a chat with Federationews2day.

‘’Parents and Guardians must ensure that they take good care of the children and wards and must also ensure that they cater for their needs. In addition,children must be conscious of the happenings around them and abide by all the guidelines to prevent the corona virus disease. Self preservation is the watchword,’’ Pastor Ajayi stated.

The Federal Government is in the process of recruiting 774,000 Nigerians through the National Directorate of Employment(NDE). Those recruited shall come from the 774 Local Governments in the country-1,000 per Local Government. The jobs are direct labor in nature and the beneficiaries shall receive N20,000 per month for three months.

However, Nigerians have have expressed worries that Senators, House of Representatives members, Ministers, State Governors and political party stalwarts may influence the recruitment process.

They lament that the jobs are temporary and the number of those to be recruited is insignificant considering the very high unemployment rate in the country.

In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the N-Power, Tradermoni and the Direct Labor schemes are not remedies for the worrisome state of unemployment in the land. Excerpts :

Do you think that recruitment of 774 Nigerians as direct labor workers shall address the high rate of unemployment in the country ?

Unemployment saga in Nigeria as it affects mostly the youths and graduates has aggravated sinister development in terms of banditry, insurgency, armed robbery and rape for rituals to mention just a few, leading to the general state of insecurity even amidst the panic of the coronavirus pandemic.

The partial pittance of distribution of palliatives which was highly short lived exposed Nigeria’s poor state of welfare and high poverty level in terms of our population as if we are just recovering from famine and war.

Unfortunately, there is no sense of remorse or state of regret on the part of the elite, whose contribution to the impoverishment of the masses are obvious and with no place to hide as in billions of Naira worth because of the advantage of either been in government or the corridors of power. Nigeria today is known as the world headquarters of poverty and corruption, instead of addressing this, they care less about the North which could be said to be the epicenter of poverty.

The great challenge before government is to redouble their efforts in working on this for Nigeria to be more habitable.

 Government pretends to be responding to the cries of the people by rolling out a plan to solve the problem of poverty by initiating employment opportunities for 774,000 Nigerians with 1,000 candidates per Local Government.

However, the feasibility study for its effectiveness is yet to be done while the modalities for identifying the poorest of the poor continues to be a game of political jingoism because during the palliative distribution to cushion the effect of the lock down in the scanty and selected areas, even within each state’s geographical contraption.

The faces of most of the people who received the pittance of token were known to be working class and well fed. The society is yet to know how government was able to fish out the poorest of the poor.

During the N-Power program meant to reduce poverty by cushioning the effect on the unemployed youth in the society, most especially the unemployed graduates, research statistics showed that most of the beneficiaries were already engaged in various places of work, making a jamboree out of the exercise.

After two years of benefiting from the program, the beneficiaries flooded the already saturated labor market, thereby making the exercise to have no impact, while their counterparts with lesser certificates and grades, who happen to be offspring of the elite and people in government easily get absorbed into choice places of work-CBN, NNPC, NSE etc.

Government’s gesture of employing 774,000 Nigerians, though of very low impact, would have been commendable, if not for the fact that it is menial in nature, the wage of N20,000 is not impressive and the number to be recruited is too small compared to the number of unemployment youths, graduates and artisans alike.

This situation makes one wonder why successive governments have always been failing to promote the cause of our future leaders.

Unemployment became an issue in Nigeria in the year 2006 when it rose to 6 per cent, by the year 2011 it rose to 11.6 per cent , 2014 it was 19.6 per cent, in 2016 it rose to 23.9 per cent.

Despite all policies leading to the emergence of various economic interventions like OFN, Family Support, Better Life for Rural Women, DFFRI and Sure P, policy somersault rendered all of these ineffective and useless in the face of institutional indiscipline, corruption and lack of patriotism for Nigeria.

Till date our attitude has never changed, but grows worse under every government despite their campaign for positive changes.

The areas of international embarrassment included the recruitment process with over bearing influences of the State Governors, Ministers, Senators, House of Representatives members and party leaders.

Since the poorest of the poor are expected to reside in the Local Governments and communities that are remote, one should expect in a sane society therefore that the responsibility of recruiting candidates should be that of the Local Government chairmen, but for their questionable autonomy. Sadly, in Nigeria the masses are only relevant during the voting period, but are inconsequential after the elections by the people who they voted into power. Is this not a costly paradox of life ?

For this project to be of any meaningful impact, the Federal Government must increase the numbers to key into satisfying at least on third of the verifiable number of people suffering from the saga of unemployment, while their remuneration must be to the least value of the minimum wage or that of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) members. N-Power, Tradermoni and the direct labor schemes are not remedies to our state of poverty and unemployment in the face of the gruesome level of the challenges of insecurity confronting the nation.

Much as the number of universities are not sufficient enough, the number of graduates who are unemployed should be reduced drastically either by providing jobs or establishing vocational training centers under TIVET to accommodate large numbers of people who are unemployed and to justify the teaching of entrepreneurial courses in our institutions of higher learning while government must revisit the poor state of our Technical colleges for facility update in order that we are able to produce more craftsmen, whose graduates would be able to source for loans through accredited people’s banks for the purpose of becoming job creators for others to patronize and for them to be self employed.

Besides this, most of our artisans are highly unskilled, they have caused a lot of damage on projects assigned to them.

Revived Technical colleges equally come to the rescue of giving them short term courses that would improve their proficiency with some elements of rudimentary level of managerial skills.

Only such holistic approach which is youth focused and centered can solve the challenges of the dependents which every expected working class should bear to satisfy their socio-spiritual responsibilities for peace to reign.

Above all, the issue of stable and regular electricity supply is equally germane to the survival of small and medium scale industries for the realization of genuine industrialization to be realized. 

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has advised parents and guardians in Nigeria to  physically assess and evaluate schools before allowing their children and wards to resume. 

The AWC gave this advice through its National  Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze. 

''The AWC advises parents, guardians, Parents Teachers Associations(PTA) and the civil society at large  to challenge the purported  reopening of schools in order to save our future. They should physically  visit the schools to ascertain if these schools have complied with the guidelines for resumption  before releasing and allowing their children and wards to resume. The idea to reopen schools is the  most dangerous step to take at this critical period, when the positive cases of coronavirus pandemic  is on the increase all over the country.'' Our Government  is attempting to experiment  with the lives of our children, especially  when schools  eventually reopen'', Comrade Emelieze  noted. 

 Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that coronavirus  is becoming endemic.

The University College Hospital (UCH) has declared that since the Oyo state Government did not pay any money into its  Treasury Single Account(TSA) no money was received by the hospital.

The UCH made this declaration last Saturday, through its  Public Relations Officer, Mr. Toye Akinirinola(PRO)during a radio program monitored in Ibadan, Nigeria.

''If you are paying any money to the UCH, you have to pay into the UCH TS Account and send us a financial pay advisory. Since this has not been done by the Oyo state Government, the state Government should not say it has given the UCH  any money.''

''We still  insist that we  have not collected  any money from the Oyo State Government. There are no contradictions about this. On the N118  million, the UCH  in anyway, should not be connected. We must take every step to make sure that the UCH is not roped in. We received 250 pieces of Protective Equipment valued at N800,00. The Oyo  State Government said that we should do a shopping list  for them, but as I speak, it is only 250 pieces  of Protective  Equipment they have given to us,'' Mr. Akinrinola disclosed. 

Remembrance- Chief D.A Adewumi (1924-1994)(B.A Econs. Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone/Electoral Commissioner, Lagos State Electoral Commission-1979-1983).

26 years gone by, you are still in our minds. Bisi, Nike, Funke, Tayo

A number of State Governments are desirous to reopen schools, even though there is already an unusual increase in the positive cases of the coronavirus in several states of Nigeria.

Already worship centers have been reopened, with a sizable number of them contravening the guidelines for reopening. Sadly government officials are among the several personalities who have violated the guidelines put in place to check the spread of the virus, while several common Nigerians have been prosecuted for same. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke warns that reopening schools at this time may be catastrophic. Excerpts :

Do you think it is reasonable to reopen schools now, considering the increasing positive cases of the coronavirus ?

Across the lines of the three spheres of life, namely educational, religious and government institutions, only the last is functional-playing the big daddy role overbearing authority of instructions. Expectedly, it is the power house of society because the wealth and the might of the nation rests squarely on its shoulders under its control. But disappointingly the spread of the coronavirus pandemic is going on at such an alarming rate as if to say that no efforts have been made to curtail the spread. The first question is why are the educational and religious institutions rendered inactive in the control of the pandemic both in the areas of spread prevention and in the areas of cure for victims. The reason is not far fetched.

The religious institution has lost bearing of its focus in taming the wildness of the evening times, empowering adherents to have immunity against hunger and poverty as well as against spiritual attack which the coronavirus represents. Religious adherents and their leaders are more into rhetoric and entertainment part of religion because of their economic driven commercial focus and without readiness to sacrifice for fellow human beings. Qualification to meditate or supplicate on to God, for divine intervention is therefore lacking, may be this is why government has the audacity to close down acclaimed houses of God, without repercussion or remorse. With the daily increase in the number of positive cases, which has now gone beyond an international contagion to that of community based transmission, reopening of the houses of God may be regarded as a costly mistake of the century by government, more so when they can bear witness that houses of God can become havens for fraudsters, prostitutes, kidnappers, drunkards, drug addicts and those who are spiritually dead and socially decadent, contrary to the demands of the scripture on the issue of integrity, fear of God, soul purification and body preservation from sins and crimes correct adherent illumination and radiation as preconditions to effect divine intervention on matters concerning humanity.

Government ought to have capitalized on this by instructing the religious houses to do the needful for acceptable religious relevance in the scheme of sanitizing the society and developing the nation.

A critical monitoring of the reopened houses of God so far, reveal partial compliance with the guidelines for their reopening, while most of their adherents are yet to believe that the coronavirus is real because their immediate neighbors are yet to die.

The basic question is that are the religious leaders ready to replace profanity with sacredness to ensure value restoration into the houses of God ?

A clean body without sincerity of purpose and purified souls is more of a time bomb that may aid further spread of diseases of which the coronavirus is a current case study. The coronavirus like HIV has come to stay with humanity, its proper management to prevent it becoming a terminal disease is what matters most now.

2021 has been slated for the reopening of schools in the United States of America, when it is most certain that the environment must have been free from the pandemic. Working on how the community transmission would stop and how to prevent congestion at the home front to be able to avoid been infected with the disease is what should preoccupy everybody as stakeholders, while government should facilitate urgent reforms in the education, health and religious sectors, since they all have standards of practice based on the sustaining curricula. Most religious organizations are now resorting to virtual learning through zoom and some other internet facilities including Skype. The rigorous pursuit of these internet facilities would be a good adoption by government and owners of schools as a functional social educational interaction between the teachers and parents for the students not to be unnecessarily idle at home. However, parents must be on guard to instill discipline and prevent waywardness of their children.

Opening of schools under whatever pretense during this period may be catastrophic. Government must avoid a situation whereby some people would start insinuating that it is aiding and abetting the rapid spread of the virus as a modern day sacrifice to appease some diabolic cults. The present situation calls for caution in reopening schools as well as religious houses considering the rapid spread of the virus.

The grand design of God and how best to keep humanity and our societal interaction in a state of equilibrium and peace, is the best for mankind but our different attitude and disposition towards the set objectives of God on giving him just worship in an environment of love suggests otherwise.

The scriptures provide right inferences on this — Quaran 51 : 56 ‘’ I have only created Jinns and men that they may serve.’’

1 COR 13 ‘’ So these three things continue, faith(religion)hope (derived from just worship) and love(enabling environment for the realization of hopes and desires).

The design of God spans through the unions of education for civility and development, religion for character formation, good moral code and institutional discipline and the loop of government through various political formations, dispositions and dispensations. 

Al these are planted on the seat of cultures which vary from one tribe to the other, races and other in-built social virtues.

For humanity to be groomed into ethical practices, the three unions must be built on trust for generations to be able to ensure its value continuity.

Unfortunately for mankind, we are divided into opinions to lose focus of the scriptures in building for us right attitudinal values even within the same denomination of religion, we lock horns. making sects to rise against sects through antagonistic teachings that lack the backing of the scripture for various religious adherents to disagree and lose the battle for unity which education, religion and politics are supposed to give us to have respite in the land.

In this 21st century, adherents must not allow their venom of hatred for others to override the true scriptural teachings which are addressing the same issues of love and harmony, morality and discipline, if we want God and Godliness to be truly served, to serve us.

No religion teaches evil and all religions co-exist in concept and principles, at the point of quintessence that promotes minimum energy with love and harmony in addition to moral discipline resulting in peace.

Every religion, has the potential to give adherents tranquility of the mind and the peace of the environment for the society, but only through just worship dictated by the upheld religion, with the fear of God which ultimately provides Godly protection and immunity against life’s hazards.

The epitome of belief are Jesus Christ and the Holy Prophet Mohammed, who we all profess as Christians and Muslims to follow, in humility we learnt of them as they served humanity through sacrifice, visions, transparency and exemplary lifestyles of discipline and beneficial development for others. For example the Holy Quaran states ‘’ Oh ! ye who believe enter into Islam wholeheartedly and follow not the footsteps of satan, for he is to you an avowed enemy.’’

John 4 : 34 ‘’ Jesus said my food is to do what the one God who sent me wants me to do. My food is to finish the work He sent me to do.’’

Quaran 33 : 21 ‘’Ye have indeed in the messenger of Allah, an excellent exemplar, for him who hopes in Allah on the final day, and who remember Allah much.’’

With all the advantages and facilities for correct learning , let us emulate our religious holy prophets or true masters to resuscitate the already eroded ethical values to be able to promote an environment of institutional discipline, active and reliable change agents, as well as a corruption free society for true development to emerge.

The Nigeria Police Force  is determined to shield some of its personnel, who have for long worked hand-in-gloves with some members of the public to intimidate, threaten, attack, blackmail and terrorize the Editor-In-Chief of Governance(https://bit.ly/2YHRGt8)  
 
The officers and men attached to the Iyaganku Area Command and the Felele Police station,have always acted the scripts written by residents of Olorunsogo, Molete, who remain solidly behind their actions. On two occasions, one of which was on Sunday, 25 May, 2008, Mrs. Koloko in connivance with the then Divisional Crime Officer(DCO) the Challenge Police station, Orita Challenge, facilitated the arrest of the journalist. While in the office of the DCO, the journalist was repeatedly  harrassed, intimidated and threatened.

In another plot against the journalist,a letter titled” A Petition Against Solomon Adewumi” and dated 20 November, 2008, was received by the Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP), Iyaganku Area Command, Mrs. Abiodun Ige on 30 April, 2009.

On Saturday 9 May, 2009, Mrs. Ige ordered the arrest of Solomon on trumped up charges,through one Simon and four other heavily armed policemen from the same command. During the detention of the journalist for eight hours, the policemen repeatedly provided situation report to Mrs. Koloko through the phone.

Curiously, one Chukuwuma Joseph, Bola Adeniran and Mrs. Taiwo Owoeye, a pastor’s wife, who Adewunmi had reported a case of malicious damage against in August, 2008 at the Felele Police station, were now used as witnesses in the case generated by the Police.

Even though the worried journalist informed the then Commissioner of Police, Baba Adisa Bolanta, about this development through a letter titled”Attempts To Pervert Justice” and dated 11 May, 2009, and even made verbal protests, the police response was carefree.

Indeed, the letter was referred to the Provost Marshall’s office at the state police command, under the headship of a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Oseni and one Sergeant I.Oladejo was assigned to handle it. Surprisingly, both opted to cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship with those the letter was written against.

Now desperate to pervert justice, the police moved the duo out of reach, while Joseph Ale, another policeman attached to the Felele Police Station, who midwifed the forceful entry into an apartment in the journalist’s residence, was subtly given the go ahead to instigate Chukuma Joseph and four others against the journalist. Joseph Ale was the Investigating Police Officer(IPO) in a case of mailicious damage reported by Solomon, in August, 2008.

Not done with their sinister plot, on Sunday 9 August, 2009, the police influenced a false report of threat to life by one Mrs. Olawoyin against the journalist at the Felele Police station. One Kehinde was assigned the case to investigate, but she compromised her position as a police rank and file. Mrs. Olawoyin’s husband, a cooperative officer with the Oyo state Ministry of Trade, Investment and Cooperatives, conspired with, a carpenter, Ale and some other policemen to forcefully gain entry into an apartment in Solomon’s residence, while he was being interrogated at the Iyaganku Area command.

 Although this was brought to the notice of the police, the headship of the Felele Police station decided to look the other way. The Edo born Divisional Police Officer (DPO) had always displayed signs of bias in handling cases brought before him concerning the journalist. Interestingly, the DPO has always maintained a symbiotic relationship with all those against the journalist.

In order to actualize a well scripted plot, the journalist was detained from 4.00pm in the evening to 9.30pm in the night, with plans to put him in the cell till the next day. This was, however thwarted by the then Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), Bisi Okwuobi, who called the DPO to justify his action.

Although the journalist informed the Commissioner of Police of the incident in a letter dated 31 August, 2009 and titled ”Denial Of Justice”, and even met on two separate occasions with the Police Boss, mum is the word from the police.

Greatly disturbed by the attitude of the Oyo state Police Command, the journalist wrote a letter to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone11, Osogbo, Osun state, Yesufu Mohammed, titled ”INJUSTICE” and dated 3 December, 2009. After the IPO in charge of the case, one Inspector Odelade, took the statement of the journalist, various excuses characterized his subsequent reactions.

Again on Saturday 14, August, 2010, the same Chukwuma Joseph and his wife, Blessing, in connivance with some night guards in the Olorunsogo, Molete area, brought false allegations against the journalist, physically assaulted him and forcefully gained entrance into his apartment. Forty thousand naira cash and a number of his personal belongings were stolen. After which a report was made at the Felele Police station.

The same Joseph Ale, who has always played a role in the travails of Adewunmi was assigned the case. Ale took Chukwuma Joseph’s statement and conducted a search of the journalist’s apartment alongside the CRO of the police station. Also present were the night guards and the coordinator of the night guards.

Surprisingly, a plain paper without the Nigeria Police Force logo and name was presented as a search warrant. Indeed, Solomon’s request to be shown a search warrant, was met with a forceful entry of his apartment by the policemen. No search warrant was presented by the policemen.However, nothing incriminating was found in his apartment.

Again, another search was carried out on the journalist’s apartment, the same day, by Kehinde, another police man- Olayiwola Ibrahim, Chukwuma Joseph, a night guard and the coordinator of the night guards. Sadly, no search warrant was presented again, while some items were, secretly removed from his apartment. Again, nothing incriminating was found in the journalist’s apartment.

In quick succession, he was detained from 7.00am on that saturday morning, 14 august, 2010, until 2.00pm on Sunday, 15 August, 2010, and hurriedly arraigned before the Iyaganku magisterate court 7 on Monday, 16 August, 2010. With active connivance of the D.P.O OF the Felele Police Station, Solomon was remanded in the Agodi prisons for three days.

Again, he wrote a letter to the AIG, zone11 dated 23 August 2010 and titled”INJUSTICE PART 2”. In the letter, he recounted his experience in the hands of the police at the Felele Police station.

 However, the letter was referred to the Oyo state Police Command, which in turn sent it to the Criminal Investigation Department(CID), Iyaganku. The Investigating Police Officer, Femi Ajibade with the assistance of the journalist invited Chukuma Joseph and others mentioned in his petition. But curiously, after obtaining their statements, Ajibade only searched the apartment of the principal suspect, without visiting the scene of the incident and inviting another principal suspect, Blessing Chukuma.

On saturday, 8 october, 2011, at about 8.45pm, one Yemi Ajala of Kehinde Aderibigbe street, Olorunsogo, Molete, Ibadan attacked and robbed the journalist. The journalist reported the matter at the Felele police station the next morning. When the policewoman on duty would record the entry, she recorded assault as against the robbery the journalist reported. She said that the suspect’s brother, who is a Superintendent of Police and Divisional Traffic Officer of the Police Divisional Headquarters, Iyana Offa, was her ‘Oga’. Indeed the senior police officer eventually showed up at the station to bail the suspect. And eversince the authorities of the police station have refused to act on the matter.

Most recently, a man in his mid forties, Daniel Offiong, who rented a room in a three bedroom flat, pretended to be a taxi driver, to get the accommodation. Although his owns a golf car, painted in Oyo state Taxi colours, he does not use it for that purpose.

 For long, the man, Offiong had been living a suspicious life, while receiving visitors, who are mostly ‘okada riders, in his apartment. Despite the fact that the journalist intimated the Divisional Crime Officer of the Felele Police station of the ways of the man, other considerations beclouded his sense of reasoning. These days Offiong and his cohorts hide motorcycles of suspicious origins in his apartment, with the knowledge of the Police.

While the Landlady of 5 Kehinde Aderibigbe street, Olorunsogo, Molete, has converted the journalist's residence and the drainage in front to a refuse dump, a tenant wh owns a shop at No. 6 of the same street, Mrs. Adesanya(Mama Tobi) on 30 December, 2015 alongside are family members at about 8.30pm in the night, attacked and robbed the journalist, on his way into his residence.

Indeed, the Landlords and Tenants Association Iin Olorunsogo, Molete, Ibadan, led by one Alhaji Adetayo, have for several years played criminally suggestive roles in the Journalist’s travails. Indeed, most house owners in the community are not meticulous, when they want to take in tenants.
 Even, as majority of the youths have been brought up to take crime as a means to an end.

Till date, the Oyo state Police Command have devoted their energy towards ensuring that the journalist does not get justice, while residents of the above mentioned community continue in the vicious cycle of crime and criminality, encircling them.

The unanswered question now is, if the police is incapable of ensuring that a law abiding citizen such as the journalist get justice, who does this helpless citizen turn to ?

The Federal and State Governments in Nigeria are already tinkering with the idea of cutting the salaries of workers in addition to reducing the size of the workforce. This is coming at a time that a sizable number of labor leaders in Nigeria prefer government patronage to pursuing the cause of workers. Sadly, workers have continued to lament that the meager salaries they earn do not take them home at the end of the month. A cross section of Nigerians believe that any attempt to cut salaries and retrench could have very negative effects on the various sectors of the economy. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines

The Federal and State Governments are considering cutting workers’ salaries and also reducing the size of the workforce. Is this the right time for such ?

Cutting salaries can be necessary, if government can transparently publish the details of the expenditure so far of managing the coronavirus pandemic which is yet to be effective for people to sympathize and identify with government.

Equally, government needs to show us various foreign grants given the country as interventions from international sources as well as the donations from sympathetic Nigerians.

This attitude will boost transparency essence in governance for the people’s loyalty and trust to be enjoyed. Suffice it now to say, that the lock down , stay-at-home directive and the partial palliative measures from government as well as the skeletal services rendered by workers must have amounted to a lot of waste on the part of government.

It would be against the natural law of social justice to effect any anti-workers policy, this period when the coronavirus pandemic is yet to abate. What Government should preoccupy itself with presently, is how to get more effective measure in curtailing the alarming rate of the pandemic.

Presently, government's handling of the pandemic without the accompanying positive results from the members of the public must also be of serious concern.

Government has the responsibility of encouraging stakeholders in the religious sphere to promote a Godly state of piety and sacredness of the houses of worship for the clerics to be able to seek and have divine intervention over this matter, with a lot of work that is yet to be done on this by government and all in the religious sphere.

Government policy must not drive Nigerians into another state of panic through unwarranted cutting of salaries of workers and retrenchment. Nigeria is yet to reach the sustainable development line as defined by the United Nations. The whole world has tagged Nigeria as the international headquarters of poverty and corruption, while both the Federal and State Governments attest to the fact that most Nigerians are in the pathetic class of the poorest of the poor. An attempt to cut salaries or downsize will ever aggravate this pathetic economic condition, which may spur most people into anti-societal norms and the breakdown of law and order; as is been experienced across the country-insurgency, armed robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, pedophilia, rape and defilement. The source of all these could partly be traced to the physiological needs of the people which government is yet to address, even under a democratic principle of equity and justice.

If government is to make up for its losses during the coronavirus pandemic, the sacrifice must include the drastic downward review of the salaries and allowances of the political class in government and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, while it could be extended to the salaries of workers in a lower proportion.

Instead of retrenching workers, reforms based on accounts of misconduct,as must have been reported through Service Compact with All Nigerians(SERVICOM) and The Anti- Corruption and Transparency Unit(ACTU) over the years, such workers that could be classified as the dandruff of the system, are to be revisited without prejudice or favor.

Retirement age could be revisited for fresh graduates to be able to have employment in multiples to fill the vacuum of vacancies that must have been created through the exercise. This shall restore sanity in the system.

The aspect of reviving the existing Technical colleges and the re-orientation need to produce capable craftsmen, who would become job creators with the assistance of the Bank of Industry should be given priority.

 Above all, Nigerians must be ready to make sacrifices, that would not open the way for avoidable hardships. To this extent government should embark on cutting all wastage and also blocking all leakages.

Also read-Nigerians No Longer Trust Their Leaders-Prof Olagoke- Click here-https://bit.ly/3hGRaV2

The attitude of Nigerians has been cited as one of the factors responsible for the formulation of oppressive policies by Government.

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

''Nigerians are coping and managing poverty, why ? because our attitude is encouraging government to oppress us because we fail to speak out and until Nigerians realize that they have a futuristic  duty to challenge bad governance, poverty will continue to be endemic. The citizens should blame themselves for their woes", Comrade Emelieze noted.

In 1975, the reign of terror was directed and supervised by the Ministry of Interior, where a comprehensive list of action was domiciled in Montevideo.

However, events later showed that what befell the helpless citizenry had little or no direction or supervision.

Masterminded kidnappings, torture and elimination were the trend, with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDA) becoming active while those saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property were always available to carry out the unimaginable.

The separate arms for the state competed for dubious glory of apprehending more subversives and creating a system of sponsored mayhem.

As crime and criminality became the culture, unfortunate relatives of victims met a stone wall at the law enforcement and government offices.

Green Ford Falcon cars became a symbol with different interpretations, while the unexplainable continued unabated. Indeed, the deliberate absence of street lights in most communities across the Nigeria encourage crime and criminality, even as traders, artisans,barbers, craftsmen, market men and women were co opted to do the unthinkable.

Wholesale disappearance of people from all walks of life sent the wrong signals to all and sundry, with the general belief that same had erased any trace of good governance.

Lawlessness and impunity are now the order of the day everywhere in Nigeria as anarchy gradually creeps into prominence. Threats, blackmail, harassment, intimidation and attacks are all tools used to achieve sinister motives in this clime, while fraudsters now play prominent role in government. and governance. Community leaders, Landlords and Tenants Associations and criminally minded residents  also play prominent roles in crime. For instance,  vulcanizer and a woman in her mid thirties, who sells second hand clothing located at a make shift shed beside the gate of the Nigeria Baptist Convention quarters along the Scout Camp road, opposite the neighborhood market in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria, are among several traders who perpetrate acts of criminality on a daily basis with impunity, with the knowledge of law enforcement agents. Indeed, a sizable number of shop owners in residential areas such as Molusi, Olorunsogo, Molete, Felele and several other communities across the country are now involved in grievous crimes in these communities, with the full support of government appointees, elected officials, public and civil servants. The motive which goes beyond the surface appearance is wove around property matters.

Already, the future of most children and the youth is now a subject of debate, as crime and criminality systematically overwhelms their consciousness and existence.

Teachers and the schools have since abandoned their responsibilities of imparting knowledge for obvious reasons, as the country moves farther  and farther from good governance.

Churches  have been advised to abide by the guidelines rolled out by the Presidential Task Force(PTF) on the Coronavirus pandemic for the reopening of Churches and Mosques in Nigeria.

This advice was given by a christian cleric, Pastor Opeyemi Ajayi.

''I advise the church and its leaders to abide by the conditions for reopening. We should all call on the Lord as other nations did at different points in time. God will save the situation, with time peace would be experience worldwide. Let us all call on the author and finisher of our faith and all would be well'', Pastor Ajayi concluded.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has described the actions of the Federal Government in the face of the public coronavirus pandemic as a manifestation of its confused state.

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

''Nigeria is no likened to a film, where the people and the Government are together confused, nothing is ever real but superficial. Unforutnately, the people are more coonfused that the Government.  Everything is upside down and confusion is the order of the day in Nigeria. Al that has been happening in the ast five years is apologies galore for the failures of Government'', Comrade Emelieze lamented.

The Federal and State Governments have been called upon to enforce the use of face masks in public places to stem the increasing cases of coronavirus in Nigeria.

This call was made by the Ezendigbo of Ibadan and Oyo state, who also doubles as the Vice President (South) Ezendigbo in Diaspora.

‘’The Federal and state Governments should enact an executive order to ensure the effectiveness of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. It is a welcome development that the Federal and state Governments have relaxed the lock down a bit, but I suggest that the Government should enforce the use of face mask by anyone leaving home for the public’’.

 ‘’Anyone going to the market should put on face mask. Okada riders and their passengers should also put on face masks. Nobody should be exempted, all Nigerians should be compelled to put on face masks, given the fact that they are out in the public. Anyone caught in the public without face mask should be penalized, irrespective of the individual’s status in the society‘‘.

 ‘’This is for the good of all and sundry. It is noticeable that the coronavirus cases are on the increase daily all over the country, therefore urgent measures must be put in place to curtail the spread. A fine of between N1,000 and N5,000 should be made for those who violate the order, this will ensure full compliance. Anybody that is not ready to pay the fine should be prosecuted in the law court. The restriction of movement of people from one part of the country to the other, and one state to the other is still on, but thousands of able bodied young men, excluding women and children, are on a daily basis, been secretly moved from one part of the country to the other. This is suspicious. People are gripped with fear all over the country, all is not well’’.

‘’The Federal Government should allay the fears of Nigerians that there is no hidden motive behind this movement of able bodied men from one part of the country to the other, by making a nation wide address. It is not the best for Government to be silent during this period. State Governors should continue to address people in the states on a weekly basis, appealing to them to see the need to obey the orders for the good of everyone, until the coronavirus pandemic is over. They should do this with maturity and with firm resolve to remind the people of the dangers inherent in flouting the order and the consequences for flouting the order. Look at the streets, only very few people are moving about in the public with face masks, majority are out there without face masks, this is very dangerous’’.

‘’In Rivers state, I like Governor Nyesome Wike for been a Governor of action and discipline, but I also feel that the bulldozing of two hotels by the Governor is an action taken too far.

It would have been better if he had acted with human face by either sealing up the hotel or seeking legal redress, the bulldozing of the hotels is unchristian like. If he had sealed up the property or sought legal redress, it would have been better’’, Eze(Dr)Anozie concluded.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has called on the Federal Government in Nigeria to give cogent reasons why the looming sack of Federal workers cannot be postponed.

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

‘’The question workers in Nigeria are asking in all these notification of the implementation of the Oronsaye report, is that the workers that shall be affected are they not working ? Is Nigeria broke ? Where is the billions of Dollars in the foreign reserve ? This is the period that Government is supposed to be protecting lives and livelihood. Why should it now focus on the implementation of the Oronsaye report. Workers in the country need answers to all these questions’’, Comrade Emelieze concluded.

Sense of responsibility means the duties or work assigned to an individual is done properly and promptly.

People who occupy public offices must ensure that all they are entrusted with, is properly taken care of.

Work is done carefully, whole heartedly and efficiently.

Those in public offices should realize that their acts of commission or omission could affect others, either negatively or positively.