The People Talk

Q3 2

Sexual Sin-A Worrisome Implication

PoSodom and Gomorrah were destroyed as a result of unusual sex orgies which the people-influential or low-failed to control and combat.
The situation of Nigeria at the moment is that of sex orgies affecting both the parents and the children-high and low.
this situation is a threat to the fabric of our spiritual state which is highly necessary to drive our individual and collective social desires to manage, administer, lead, and government to develop aright. A loss of goodwill in spirituality will ever wreck the nation and its people. Isaiah 29: 13-19 states,'' My master says that these people love me they show honor to me with words from their mouths. But their hearts are far from me, but human rules they have memorized. So I will continue to amaze these people by doing powerful and amazing things.  Their wise men will lose their wisdom, their wise men will not be able to understand those people trying to hide things from the Lord. They think the Lord will not understand, those people do their evil things in the darkness.
those people tell themselves, 'No person can see us, no person  will know who we are.' You are confused, you think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that something made can tell the person that made it, you did not make me, this is like a pot telling its maker, you don't understand.''
Is this not the present situation in Nigeria? WHEN We disobey God will l impunity, waywardness and frivolities follow, we become bestial with all indecency in the way we go about things.
The Holy Quran declared in unmistakable terms, ''Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily, the killing of them is a great sin nor come nigh to adultery: For it is an indecent deed and an evil way.
The question now is why are we neglecting the essence of good parenting and how responsible are many of us on the issue of taking care of our children. Are we not killing these children, when we shy away from our socio-economic responsibilities?
Leaving our children or wards to engage in street trading and to join bad peer groups is dangerous.
Mathew 5: 27-28 in the Holy Bible corroborates Chapter 17: 31-32 of the Holy Quran, on the magnetic effect to an infectious level of adultery or fornication. Hence we must not come near. The Holy Bible on this refers,' you have heard that it  was said, don't do the sin of adultery, but I tell you that if a person looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, then that person has already committed that sin, with the woman in his mind.''
Sexual sins may make a nation lose the opportunity of the divine, most especially in the period of  need.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

Ni 16

Elders Greed has Negatively Impacted on the Nigerian Youth-Prof. Olagoke

PoMost communities in Nigeria today are inhabited by a sizable number of criminally-minded leadership and followership, which has resulted in the unabating rate of crime and criminality in these communities. Indeed, parents and guardians in several instances, aid and abet their children and wards to commit a crime.
However, Nigerians are hopeful that in the not too distant future, these communities shall produce those who shall make a positive and useful contribution to the advancement, progress, and development of these communities.
 In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head, and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says that privileged elders in the country have impacted negatively on the youth. Excerpts :
Most communities in Nigeria are inhabited by a number of criminally-minded leadership and followership, in what ways do you think these communities shall produce those who shall ensure the positive advancement, progress, and development of these communities?
Deviation from all the universal keys into successes always creates an environment of ethical practices, morality, and institutions of discipline as cultural heritages. Under this circumstance, communities were able to produce people as technocrats and leaders, who used to ensure advancement, progress, and development such as our founding fathers in Nigeria.   The social environment is always serene most especially when one finds himself working and living in the various quarters of tertiary institutions then, brilliance was promoted, the golden fleece was always the target of achievement when there is the opportunity to travel abroad.  The dignity of labor dictated the pace of hard work and prosperity. Unfortunately, this was shortlived after the departure of the colonial masters who gave us independence in 1960 which we could neither manage nor sustain because of our failure in power-sharing. The Nigerian youth has been badly affected by the greed of the privileged elders, who are yet to accept a paradigm shift solution of mentorship for godfatherism to develop a stable political environment for sustainable development. From the spiritual angle, Nigerians, low and high, have refused to understand that deviation from the positive mindset to help others and develop the youth aright through educational rejuvenation and career opportunities make one fall into a deluge of sins which if not well controlled and contained would eventually lead to the emergence of various forms of crime, affecting the psyche of all to destroy the legacies of our founding fathers who collectively fought and vowed to stand, to maintain and sustain the virtues and values bequeathed them, as contained in the national anthem, wherein we declared that the efforts of our heroes past shall are not in vain.
what obtains in Nigeria till date, is the vandalization of our heritage in all senses of it, making us look as if we are deliberately working against what we vowed to protect as been sung the daily-the national anthem.
Today, Nigeria is enveloped by criminally minded people emerging almost in every community as visibly manifesting on the image of Nigeria to the bewilderment of all including people abroad. The challenge, therefore, is in proferring feasible solutions starting from sensitizing all the youth to identify with some role models in the nation and work towards raising their status to be able to achieve for the land as they had achieved for their communities during their time. Anthony Enahoro moved the motion in 1953, which led to Nigeria's independence in 1960. There several other eminent Nigerians, dead or alive, that are worthy to be role models for the youth. Let us give the Nigerian youth a chance but under a reformed environment of zero tolerance to corruption and institutional indiscipline. Say No to allowing criminally minded to attain power from today.

Q 5

A Section of the Media Beautify Govt's Failures-Prof. Olagoke

PoThe Print, Television and other branches of the mass media ought to at all times uphold the fundamental objectives of the real purpose of governance in impartial and unbiased ways. 
Sadly, a number of organizations have failed to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people for pecuniary and related reasons. In this interview with Federationews2day, the Founder, Spiritual Head, and Grand Imam of Shfaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that a section of the media in Nigeria beautify rather than highlighting the Government's shortcomings.

Excerpts: 
Some media organizations have overtime failed to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people. Why is this so?
The golden profession of the pen and other arms of the mass media are powerful communication tools to enliven the primary roles of enhancing education information and entertainment aspects of human activities for the purpose of peaceful co-existence and peoples' wellness and development.
This is why there is a regulatory control board for the proper management of the practice of the profession to avoid misleading the people and the promotion of disaffection among the people of mankind.
Without this profession, the whole world would have been in 'darkness', where waywardness and frivolities without a check would have dominated the scene to the displeasure and disadvantage of the weak and the just.  In the case of Nigeria, we started well with the print and electronic media.  Considering the emerging political scenario, partisanship has dominated the mass media, with reports having slants via tribal sentiments and political party biases.
This became more pronounced when privately owned mass media became prominent.
At a particular point in time, Nigeria relied upon foreign news than the local ones.
The local media have challenges such as the doctoring need either by government or the proprietors of various mass media otherwise employees would lose their jobs.
The role of the mass media is supposed to go beyond that of a watchdog that can only bark without biting.
However, Nigeria is yet to benefit from their competitive nature for any form of improvement need.
For the mass media to be effective, it needs to dwell on issues and objectivity based on facts and figures for their solidarity to check the opposition's overzealousness and critically evaluate the government's activities.
The performance rating and the need to restructure through management ethics need to be used as a tool by the mass media in order that their findings as x-rayed, would sensitize the society into taking decisive action on correcting aberrations in governance for all indicators of development to be improved.
Activities of the media are expected to x-ray the contributions of every individual in the National Assembly while periodical checks through a good performance rating of the executive members as well as the appointees of government into various positions of power.
Publications regarding the truth about the suitability of people in Ministerial portfolios ought to let the public know the people who are responsible for the various fraud and corruption in the land. This approach of the media would assist the government to carry out a periodical reshuffle of the cabinet for the purpose of achieving better performances in other people for the nation.
It is very unfortunate that Nigeria has witnessed cases of erstwhile good union leaders who were found wanting in governance affairs when challenged with management administration issues as they involve transparency and accountability. Also, erstwhile media practitioners of note have usually been found wanting, when given the opportunity to serve the government. One can now understand why the mass media may usually beautify government activities rather than exposing its failures.
However, for the nation to grow and develop, the mass media must be firm through organizational and professional ethics orientation as well as strong editorials and commentaries that must be respected based on objectivity that would not attract insinuations from members of the public that the outbursts were sponsored by the enemies of the government.
Society relies solely on the strength of the mass media in the charging government to be responsive and responsible through the due process of transparency and accountability.


 

Ni 7

Increase in the Number of Illiterates a Threat-Prof. Olagoke

ProfIlliteracy is a major impediment to development in Nigeria. Sadly, over the years, the percentage of illiterates in the country has been on a steady increase due to the strange attitude of the government towards education.
Indeed, the government has to ensure the provision of compulsory and universal primary, secondary, and university education including adult literacy programs. However, successive administrations in Nigeria have failed in this respect.
In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head, and Gran Imam of Shafuadeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the steady increase in the number of illiterates is a threat to society. Excerpts :
 
How do you think the Government can stem the increase in the number of illiterates in the country?
Illiteracy is a relative term with respect to the types of education which an individual does not have access to. For example, one's inability to read through the Arabic language to be able to practice the Islamic religion could be regarded as a state of been illiterate in this respect, while the lettered ones could be regarded as literate.
In Nigeria, we have adopted the English language as our lingua franca and as a tool through which western education is taught, assimilated, and practiced.  Certification follows in the area of the cognitive domain of education to be rated as been scholarly in society. Based on this, Nigeria can be rated as been literate or illiterate.
Education, generally, is expected to build human character as well as reforming the animal called man. Our attitude and capacity level to handle issues within the scope of our areas of jurisdiction and specialization determines the types of certificates an individual receives, the work level one can effectively cope with, and the expected contribution from one on the issue of community service and national development. In 2010, Nigeria recorded 10.5 million out-of-school children and it increased to 12.5 million in 2015 and 13.9 million in 2018.
The various situations of banditry, terrorism, and other violent crimes increased the figure to about 15 million, for the following reasons which are yet to be addressed. Underfunignof education which has always been usually below 10 percent of the annual national budget as against the minimum benchmark of 26 percent of the national budget as rational allocation to education per nation.  The refusal of the Almajiri system of Arabic education which has been made for long to be hostile to the acquisition of western education is another factor that is contributing immensely to the increasing number of illiterates. The predicament of the Internally Displaced Persons(IDP) is also a factor.
Schooling for education looks very much a waste of time to people who are already hopeless with nobody, Fathers, or Mothers including Governments that have no provisions for them.
The inability to read and write creates an environment of ignorance with a consequent barbaric attitude towards societal development. Such people will lack the necessary capacity to contribute and the much-needed understanding to be friendly to the society.
With the number of illiterates on the increase in society, there is a high possibility of building a culture of threats to the society whereby safety and security would be sacrificed for the polity to be heated into a chaotic situation which presently characterizes the practice of democracy.
There is the case of educated illiterates, who though can read and write, cannot perform when given assignments or tasks because they lack the ability to comprehend and process information. 
Such people are graduates who lack the ambassadorial qualities of their alma mater vis-a-vis positive self-image, confidence, self-esteem, and the positive mental attitude to do things the right way.
The situation on the ground in Nigeria is so bad, that informal education from the home cannot impart the basic necessary native intelligence. The spiritual education from the houses of God cannot produce worthy, reliable, and dependable graduates, whose activities are expected to promote sanity in their places of work.  A number of graduates of education inflict injuries on the people, disrupt the system, and see their positions as an avenue for self-enrichment rather than sacrifice. The only solution today is to overhaul the whole process of our educational management of the people by reforming their attitude to suit the target of development and friendly interactions.
Education, therefore, must culturally be regarded as fundamental to human needs and development as a luxury, but as an inalienable right of every child as established by UNICEF.
Education must be processed to nurture the nature of our youths towards leadership essence by practical training that would compel them to be conscious of the huge assignments before them, in the preservation of the heritage of our heroes and heroines and the determination to write their names in the sands of time and in gold, on the issues of peace and sustainable development.
When the foundation of education is made to be strong enough in terms of functionality, the issue of illiteracy must be squarely addressed by ensuring that no child is out on the streets begging for alms or hawking petty things, so also adult education , must be well funded and established to be able to meet up with the United Nations Declaration on Education for All.
If Nigeria is able to have a breakthrough in respecting the international instruments to be domesticated in realizing functional and all-encompassing education, there is a high probability for us to realize maximum achievement in the area of the 17 point agenda of sustainable development goals.
Education is not a luxury, but a right that must be given adequate attention by the government, international donors, and philanthropists in the land to eradicate in all its entirety illiteracy amidst us.

Cc

Restoration of Attitudinal Values and the Change Agent Culture

ProfIn every sane nation, the focus of Government and parents includes, among others, the development of their children with particular reference to the youth.
The Bible states that just as weapons of war are better appreciated in the hands of the warriors, children as precious as they are, are not only the pillars of support of their parents but are sources of joy for that make their parents grow old gracefully if such children have been reared well into to becoming future leaders.
The question now lies on why successive governments in Nigeria have allowed value deterioration in the system to the level of rubbishing the institutions of marriage on the ethical process to from happy homes, which has contributed to the grievous losses in motherhood, essence, good parenting, and series of further value deterioration for us to witness orgies of anti-societal phenomena.
Profanity in the houses of God has disrupted the core value of expected sacredness, making all houses of God to be unsafe for mankind in the 21st century.
Schools that used to reform with glorious added values and which our children attended are no longer bequeathable legacies that cater for the future of our children. The present state of education now dehumanizes society, thus making the certificates to be mere legal tender, but without having the quality of attitudinal value expected from the careers.
In those days, parents always had respite, when their children were living in educational institutions' quarters or boarding schools, but today, prostitution is now a source of livelihood, while cultism and occultism have now taken over the education atmosphere, going to school is no longer a guarantee to secure jobs, making efforts to graduate from the various schools a mere wasteful exercise under the slogan-those who know their way have their way-merit in certification no longer exists, since these days, human survival depends squarely on an individual's ability to operate under quick money-making syndrome-
419, Yahoo Yahoo, and various other ritual methods to be prosperous. Thieves build very mighty houses and use the best of the developed nations' products to be celebrated as people in affluence with influence.
The challenge of Nigeria in the first republic on the issue of contract cost inflationary trend and nepotism for their people to have their way that brought about the first military coup led by Kaduna Nzeogwu is an abandoned correctional factor to the detriment of having peaceful co-existence and sustainable development. The present government stance on the need to be change agents through the restoration of institutional discipline and zero tolerance for corruption to the best of objective and unbiased assessment is equally a failure.
The background influences that are strengthening the menace of jettisoning corporate governance, credible leadership, organization, and professional ethical practices is fundamentally the failure of the agents of socialization, without revisiting all these by rebuilding all our structure of support to meet up with quality and standard embedded in global best practices in the present competitive world will ever make Africa and Nigeria a dumping site of anti-social activities to the detriment of our future and that of our children.
Regrettably, therefore, we are now in a situation of non-bequeathable heritage for the children. Quran 16: 112 give us a vivid picture of Nigeria in the past and present with all the fears of how the future shall look like. ''Allah set forth a parable: A city enjoys  security  and quiet, abundantly supplied with sustenance from every place: Yet was it ungrateful for the favors of Allah:  So Allah made it taste of hunger and terror in extremes closing on it like a garment form every side because of the evil which its people rought.''
Against the above backdrop, we can infer that Nigeria's problem mainly is sourced from the bad attitudinal challenge, as well as deceptive spiritual propaganda, making us be self-centered while in power and highly fraudulent to the amazement of the developed nations that roll out grants for us to be able to seize the advantage of the 8 point agenda of the Millenium Development Goals(MDG) and the 17 point agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG). We have failed as a nation even to produce the raw materials for our sustenance, while we fail to appreciate to have appropriate technology for mass production, with the mental instability of a mentally deranged man we pile up wealth for selfish reasons and we fail to use our commonwealth to go round equitably for us to find ourselves in a messy situation of insurgency and terrorism.
When are we going to wake up to start doing the needful?  The Holy Quran 5: 62-63 x-rays our present beastly nature and challenge the authority of those saddled with the responsibilities. ''Many of them dost thou see raising each other in sin and transgression and their eating of things that are forbidden, evil indeed are the things that they do. Why do no the Rabbis and the Doctors of Law forbid them from their habits of uttering sinful words and eating things forbidden? Evil indeed is their works.''
All of us are stakeholders in ensuring that bequeathable legacies are given our children and our youth for Nigeria not to regret in the future among the committee of nations. My advice, therefore,  is in line with the provisions of Quran 47: 35, ''Be not weary and faint-hearted crying for peace  when ye  are the Uppermost: For Allah is with you  and will never put you in lose for your good deeds.'' 
In conclusion, let us heed this admonition of Prov. 22: 23, '' It is easy t steal from the poor people, but don't do it. And don't take advantage of those people in court, the Lord is on their side. He supports them and He will take things away from any person that takes from them.'' Beware Quo Vadis.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

Good Parenting an Antidote to Social Menace

Prof
The root causes of various social activities threatening  human existence and disrupting the social order need to be squarely addressed through
the resuscitation of all the agents of socialization of which the home plays a primary role through the serial natural challenges of gestation and ante-natal management, child custody and pediatric role, puberty, and adolescent stages of our children in child-rearing and the necessary management through nature nurturing counseling guide.
The eventual parental empowerment of children education into careership level married with the assurance of a happy home formation that would be sustainable. If all these are followed to the letter, the society will have the hope of having through future leaders that would serve society better in return and with passion. For the above to be achieved, therefore, sustainable marriage without threats of divorce or separation must become a culture that must be guided naturally. In this situation, the parental religious inclination will naturally become a matter of scripture compliance which must equally be guided as a bequeathable legacy to children.
A marriage or home that allows the religious curriculum to guide the affairs of their system and the environment will never go astray.
For example, the Holy Prophet Mohammad left behind as a legacy that is bequeathable for mankind, in his collection of Hadith, ''Two things I am leaving for mankind which if you follow to the letter you will never go astray. The Holy Quran which is the voice of God and my Sunnat which are my been scripture compliant in all my dees, thoughts, acts. The HOLY Quran also in 48: 43 describes the voice  and act of God  as eternal(that is without change) and best for mankind to follow, for enhanced socio-spiritual goal attainment,'' such as been the practice of Allah already  in the past: No change wilt thou find in the practice of Allah.''
Parents, therefore, must role model the best characters to instill and enhance the best fo behavior in their children. The Holy Bible expects the parent to have all the authority to rear his or her children in the righteous ways of God.
Prov. 23: 12-21,'' Listen to your teacher and learn all you can. Always punish(discipline) a child if it needs it. It would not hurt him to spank him. If you spank him you may save his life. My son you should become wise, then I would be very happy. I will be happy in my heart if I hear you say things that are right. Don't be jealous of evil people. But always tey as hard as you can to respect the  Lord. There is always hope. And that hope will never be gone. So, listen, my son, and be wise. Always be careful to live the right way. 
Don't be friends with people who drink too much wine and eat too much food. People who drink too much and eat too much become poor. All they do is eat, drink, sleep and so they have nothing.''
In the same manner, the Holy Quran, 31: 12-14 emphasize the need for parents to be responsible for providing for the needs of their children and be responsive to their conditions by giving them attention and that wise counsel starting from instilling fear of God in them to the need to respect one's parents with particular attention to their mother,' We bestowed in the past wisdom on Lukman: ''Show thy gratitude to Allah. Any, who is so grateful does so to the profit of his own soul: but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise. Behold Lukman said to his son admonishing him, 'Oh! Join not in worship others with Allah: For false worship is indeed the highest wrongdoing. And we have enjoined on man to be good to his parents: In travail upon travail did his mother bear him.  Years twain was his weaning, so hear that command of your parents, Show gratitude to Me and thy parents. To Me is thy final goal.''
The emphasis from the above assertions is on good parenting that would go beyond biological responsibility but extend to be socially responsible as a parent who must be able to commit the rearing of the children onto the good care of God, the almighty Allah. 

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

Ni

Overhauling the system is overdue

ProfThe four cardinal stands that are expected to regulate and control human affairs to achieve peace for the society and tranquility of the mind for the people are today, the most disrespected institutions that eventually neglect this roles and responsibilities making human dynamic on the issue of social orderliness to be badly influenced into rot.
The institution of culture headed and managed by traditional rulers is fraught with fraudulent acts throwing the society into a state of panic due to social menace. The headship of traditional institutions fails to role model ideals of ethics to the detriment of giving the youth the right way to live. The educational institution is characterized by sharp practices such as the input of the leadership of the institutions our children attend to the poor or wrong perspectives about how to make it in life.
The dignity of labor is wrongly abused when individuals are chanced to begin professions. Examination misconduct is cultural at every cadre of our educational institutions while teachers and lecturers no longer perform the role of good parenting. Moral decadence has overtaken the fabric of the beauty and glory expected of an educated person. The goal of the Town and Gown has equally already been buried in the rot of this part of the world.
Religious institutions no more prepare adherents to have the grace of divine immunity while these institutions no longer feel concerned about the need for a safe and secure environment not to talk of the need for salvation.
In the present circumstance, the 10 commandments of Moses and the summarized two pillars of surviving life and heaven as professed by Jesus Christ are already disabled to have no alignment with the five pillars of Islam which have equally been trivialized into a mere object of rhetoric. Humanity, therefore, becomes vulnerable in an institution of indiscipline, moral decadence, and corruption.  This situation is making our leaders drift into the arena of politics, Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Government under which there would have been the promotion of poverty, hunger, and diseases kleptocracy and Timocracy, making nonsense of the toil of civil servants, entrepreneurs, and petty traders. The common feature of the cankerworm that negatively affects the four institutions, culture, education, religion, and politics is our inability to appreciate the almighty Allah, who made us believe that there is no compulsion in religion and that no religion teaches evil except when we lack the understanding fo the scripture and we fail to esoterically go deep down to the sea bed of God and godliness in our religious worship, hence we make religion to serve only at the Karl Marx level of religious definitions opium for mankind.
 Contrary to this, religion is beyond the opium that demands our thoroughness in teaching and learning methodology of religion to the comprehension level through internalization of the scripture for ease of application to suit real-life situations. Moses, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Prophet Mohammad followed the good footsteps of Abraham on the concept of the belief, faith, closeness to God, and love at a sustainable level. This is why the Holy Quran declared in 2: 62, ''Those who believe in the Holy Quran and those who follow the Jewish scriptures and the Christians and the Serbians,- any who believe in Allah(God) and the last day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with tier lord, on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.''
Let us appreciate the non-discriminative disposition of God towards each denomination or religion and the emphasis on walking the talk of the specific scriptures of each religion. One would find out that the quintessential point of minimum energy level, that is peace, harmony, and unity of purpose should preoccupy the minds of every worshipper to be able to achieve peace and sustainable development for the community, society, and nation to be achieved through cooperative attitude and togetherness in service. Suffice it now to say that we need to use SWOT analysis to overhaul the present existing arrangement, structure, and architecture of all our systems and sub-systems for us to have an easy way into the expected socio-divine realm that would be value-laden through the culture of organizational and professional ethics, self-esteem and ethical practices which happen to be the focus of all laws- from Moses, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad because without the rule of law, a  fraud-free society with institutional discipline cannot exist.  Mathew 5: 19 refers: ''If a person should obey  any command and teaches  others  not to obey that command then  that person will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven.''
Quran 6: 163 states  ''Truly  my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my  life and death are all for Allah, the Cherisher of the world, no partners hath He: This I am commanded, and I am the first of those who submit  to His will(through the scripture).''
Let us emulate these three pillars of life-Moses, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammad; if truly we are their followers, in using the learned lessons from the scriptures to promote social order, restore natural justice and re-establish institutional discipline and zero tolerance to corruption for poverty to be replaced by prosperity and insecurity to being replaced with equity and development, you can, we can and we must, to have a bequeathable legacy for our children.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

 

Na

The Way Lawmakers were Elected Has Negatively Affected Lawmaking in Nigeria-Prof. Olagoke

ProfNigerians 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. 

 

Change agent

Wake Up to be a Credible Change Agent

ProfThe 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.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

 

Nigeria 24

Govt Policy-Don't push Nigerians into a state of Panic-Prof. Olagoke

ProfThe 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-- Click here-https://bit.ly/3hGRaV2

Children 4

Children deserve all the Care and Attention-Prof. Olagoke

Prof. sabitu olagokeAs cases of child abuse, trafficking and labor continue to increase in different parts of the world,  with not too encouraging response from Governments of different nations, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in this interview says that the day is a wake up call for stakeholders to ensure that children are well groomed for future leadership.

What is your message to children as they celebrate the children’s day on May 27 ?

My worries for Government of several nations over issues of festivals and programs and charters of the United Nations for the purpose of human welfare and general development is that it goes beyond the mere ceremonial terrain. Unfortunately, when nations experience traumatic period of wars or ravaging diseases such as the coronavirus pandemic, Spanish flu from 1918 to 1920 and Hong Kong flu of 1968 experiences show that no lesson is ever learnt in a bid to change our psyche on the need to do the needful to better the lot of humanity.

Specifically , the children’s day is expected to pose the challenge of alertness on all stakeholders, naturally billed to take care of children in modelling as a great foundation that must solidified for future leadership. This immediately calls for the need to accept in principle the 17 point agenda of the United Nations on the sustainable development goals, starting from the issue of poverty and hunger, to nip in the board the scary challenges of economic dichotomy that marginalize a majority of the population. For example in Nigeria into the classes of the poor, abject poverty, destitution and the poorest of the poor, recently derisively identified by the government of Nigeria at all levels of governance.

The area of marginalized women, girl child abuse and people with disabilities are all very much inclusive in the trauma of mismanagement.

Within the rank and file of all these marginalized sector of humankind, the arrows of debacle continue to have such children as vulnerable.

The 13.9 million out of school children are equally inclusive. Are these scenarios of cries of the dead from the grave, worthy of celebration through mere celebration by those in the regime of power, affluence and influence, paying lip service to what they vowed to correct during their political campaigns, before they find themselves in the great positions of power.

If truly we want to celebrate our children,the areas of weaknesses and travails of our children, most especially the marginalized ones, are supposed to receive the kind of attention government is devoting to the coronavirus pandemic, with all keenness, facts and figures and vehement struggle, not only to put a stop to its spread, but to find a permanent cure.

Nobody ever knew that the government of Nigerian can be so serious and energetic on matters bothering on threats to life, with all recklessness backing up the funding.

The lives of our children are more sacred and valuable than the coronavirus pandemic or even if we term them to be of equal value for equal treatment and aggression. Children during this period of public health crisis have suffered so much, but only the effects would be visible in the nearest future, when they are to take over the mantle of leadership, with all the set backs we are creating for them today.

For example, all schools shut as a result for the coronavirus pandemic, shall affect the standard of education negatively. The so called online teaching and learning cannot be said to be effective because the environment cannot be said to be conducive for all of them and the monitoring essence is equally low due to the high percentage of illiteracy and ill education of most parents. The general under funding of education is an insult to the intellectuals to the disadvantage of our children. This period, reports of emotional outbursts into psychological trauma are equally on the increase with cases of pedophilia, incest, sodomy, defilement, homosexuality and other cases of sexual abuses, have resulted in the vulnerability of children, particularly the girl child. Kidnapping of children has equally worsened the situation. Fundamentally therefore, children deserve all the care and attention, whereby all stakeholders starting from government on legislative framework for qualitative education that must be accessible to all irrespective of their social status. Also, the health sector must be children friendly, in terms of policies that would promote the rights of children on the issue of employment.

Ni 1

Review of Political Office Holders Remuneration in Nigeria is Diversionary-Prof. Olagoke

ProfThe Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission(RMAFC) is set to review the salaries and allowances of political office holders in Nigeria. This has attracted condemnation from a cross section of Nigerians.

Interestingly, the issue of the new national minimum wage is yet to be resolved in several states of the federation, while political office holders continue to enjoy very attractive pay packages despite the myriad of challenges confronting the nation.

In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke insists that the pronouncement of a possible review by the Commission’s Chairman without been definitive on whether upward or downward is a diversionary game, considering the fact that several states are still still negotiating the consequential adjustment of the new national minimum wage of N30,000. Excerpts :

The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission(RMAFC) is tinkering with the idea of reviewing the salaries and allowances of political office holders, do you think this is proper in this period of economic crunch ?

The review of remuneration of political office holders in the face of Nigeria’s economic realities is long overdue. Down the memory lane , former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo made an upward review of the remuneration of political office holders, he damned the consequences, since so many were against his action. Chief Obasanjo said that his action was to discourage corruption.

When President Goodluck Jonathan came on board, he asserted that stealing should not be labelled corruption.

When supposed role models throw caution and modesty into the dustbin, institutional indiscipline is fostered, while the culture of corruption becomes endemic.

Hence the present situation of Nigeria becoming the headquarters of poverty and aggravated state of insecurity.

The game changers in the persons of Prof. Wole Soyinka and late Prof. Chinua Achebe became the prophets of our time through their prophetic literature books. For Chinua Achebe, ‘’Things Fall Apart’’ is neither a fiction nor a narration that should be localized for the changing challenges of the Igbo culture. It now directly re-echoes on Nigeria of the present time because things are falling apart, while the center can no longer hold and neither do the Falcons listen to the Falconers again. Who will now rescue Nigeria from imminent distingeration and international ridicule ?

 From Wole Soyinka’s perspective the man died in that person who keeps mute in the face of tyranny, why are Nigerians so docile in the face of various unwarranted persecution by the elite and leaders.

A lot has gone wrong in the nation’s educational institutions, where the rat race to become Vice Chancellors, Rectors or Provosts is not the same as having passion to fulfill the Town and Gown philosophy, but to amass wealth and flex muscles of ego among fellow Professors and Chief Lecturers respectively.

This is because from among the the category of Professors and Chief Lecturers respectively,a Vice Chancellor or Rector emerges, who would earn N2.5 million or N1.8 million respectively, while their colleagues will remain within the range of a little above N500,000 or N400,000 respectively.

One can now see how the political thinking that influenced the upward review has now led to a do or die affair among the people of the pen profession, who are supposed to be the epitome of peace, methods and methodology as well as role models in the area of best practices.

The people of the academia thereby resort to Voodoo power play deviating from the expected role of civility for civilization based on the Town and Gown philosophy.

The negative effect of an upward review would therefor be felt by all within the government circles, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, where the ill policy has thrown erstwhile friends into becoming bitter enemies because usually merit would be murdered, while juicy positions go to the highest bidders. This would have a far reaching effect on the quality and standard expected from the beneficiaries of this review policy.

If we are Godly and we are able to live by the scriptures that upholds our religious beliefs, divine guidance could have prevailed to do things aright because according to Psalm 127 :’’Builders labor in vein without divine intervention’’ and from the Islamic perspective, Koran 8 : 63 : And moreover God hath put affection between their hearts ; not if thou hath spent all that is in the earth, could thou hast produced that affection, but Allah hath done it : For He is exulted in might, Wise’’.

The pronouncement of a possible review without been definitive on whether upward or downward is a diversionary game, in the wake of several states still negotiating the consequential adjustment of the new national minimum wage of N30,000, which is just $98. When one compares this amount with what a Senator takes home, say N14.2 million per month, everybody should be able to see the wickedness in the politicians.

If the cries of restructuring, resource control and secession bids are to be avoided , the downward review of the salary packages and allowances of both the political office class and the MDAs including parastatals must be critically looked into to justify the ethical principles of Democracy as it reflects in its Chemistry of Justice, Equity, in a sane environment for us to have peace, sustainable development and a high level of security which is best appreciated under natural occurrence, that is divine intervention.

Prof

Nigerians must say No to Child Marriage-Prof. Olagoke

A cross section of Nigerians have expressed worry over the increasing rate of child marriages in the country.

Indeed, the elite in society among several others are to blame for this disturbing trend which has gained ground in an unspecified number of communities. Why is this so ? In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that there are a lot of dangers involved in child marriages just as he warns parents to shun the act. Excerpts :

Child marriage is on the increase in Nigeria today, why is this so ?

A minor in marriage is morally wrong, rejected in the religions of the world and considered to be anti-social. It is equally regarded as a human aberration medically.

Fundamentally, marriage is best consummated for sound minds, who can take decisions on their own, and matured minds who can be regarded as rational in decision making.

For a minor in marriage, coercion is the tool, and this does not consider the fundamentals of love as basic to two different people, male and female coming together as husband and wife.

The institution of marriage states that the two to be involved in marriage must have done a detailed assessment in the process of wooing each other, based on certain considerations of natural importance : beauty, parental wealth, academic pedigree and probably religion.

Of any of the four chosen, there must have been a time lapse, regarded as courtship period for the two to understudy their areas of strength,weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

ChildAnd in this modern time, counseling must predominate and extend to personality traits compatibility as well as blood group and genotype class to determine a hitch free union.

Parental consent then follows, before witnesses and people are called for the socio-spiritual ceremony.

Love, passion as well as acceptable character or attitude are equally considered.

However, under a minor involved marriage, the above considerations are absent, while the influences cuts across parental influences based on business consideration.

On the other hand, way ward and reckless lifestyles leading to unavoidable pregnancies could force parents to organize for a minor involved marriage, perhaps to save face of for the girl child to have a good care under the roof of the elderly man.

Minor involved in marriage could lead to Vesico-vaginal fistula(VVF) and in another breadth it could be disgusting to the growing girl child and this could result in serious attempt's by the girl to kill the husband, who she may develop hatred for because of his oppressive tendencies and the lack of love in the relationship.

The health of the minor under forced marriages may result in serious medical conditions and unfortunately, the man involved goes about unhurt in search of another victim.

It is also unfortunate that most of those involved belong to the elite class, who most of the times equally claim to know so much about their religion.

But alas, we must not forget the fact that all religions teach morals and are strictly against one inflicting injuries on the other.

This is a period where the whole world now clamors for equality of access and treatment to the boy and girl child. And that the girl child and women generally, must always be spared from agonies of maltreatment such as domestic violence, are, pedophilia and other forms of sexual abuse.

Proverbially, when we eat unripe fruits, we plunge ourselves into the problem of stomach ache.

So also marriage to a minor is bereft of any pleasure, respect and care. Hence, the right of such a girl to have access to good education and have a successful career life is already in jeopardy.

All women have values which must not be destroyed by the selfish desire of men.

A girl in a forced marriage has already lost a promising future of good growth profile and development.

Her God given talents are already torn into shreds, while society will remain at a loss due to this practice.

This is why several countries that had earlier been into this practice, are making changes by shifting the minimum age for marriage to 18 years old for their girl child.

At this, level of growth, the pelvic girdle is strong enough to carry the load or pressure of pregnancy.

The child at this age is expected to have acquired a minimum certificate of Nigeria’s Senior Secondary School Certificate standard. This implies that she can take decisions that may be favorable to her and her future, even when she finds herself in the web of a love tango.

Parents need to be properly educated on the issue of the need to protect the interest of their children, most especially the girl child.

Child rearing must follow a universal guiding code of value, protection, safety, respect, inclusion, attention and freedom.

If we are able to follow this valuable guidance in child rearing,cases of incest, rape, pedophilia and minor involved in marriage would never arise.

The girl child is a valuable better half and must be treated equally like their male counterparts.

Circumstances wherein men work and women stay at home to cater for the home and children, is no longer in vogue as the running of the home is now a joint responsibility of the husband and wife in an environment of career driven development.

We must therefore, avoid minor involved marriages to respect the divine institution of marriage as supported by our culture and all our religions including Islam and Christianity.

Besides this, we must consider the health challenges that may accompany minor involved marriages, to safe guard the girl child.

Instead there is a need to pursue the cause of women emancipation to be voices to be reckoned with in society and for each nation to be able to achieve in the areas of 35 per cent affirmative action for women at the various decision making points.

Only women, who are not abused, but supported in the cause of their growth and development without truncated period of minor involved in marriage , can be supported to achieve the various international opportunities open for their advancement.

A nation accomplishing this, would be regarded to be fair in the competitive world of global best practices. Nigerians must say no to Child Marriage.

Prof

Today's Teachers are in the Profession to Keep Body and Soul Together-Prof. Olagoke

Nigerians are unanimous in their clamor for the re-introduction of Teacher Training Colleges as part of the efforts to salvage the falling standard of education in the country from total collapse.

Indeed, a sizable number of teachers have overtime exhibited tendencies and behaviors not in line with the dictates of the noble profession, while pupils and students alike have emulated same.

In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Wordlwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke insists that present day teachers are in the noble profession for the purposes of survival not for the love of the profession. Excerpts :

Do you think the re-introduction of Teacher Training Colleges would play a significant role in salvaging the falling standard of education in Nigeria ?

The policy makers over the years in Nigeria have displayed a high level of over zealousness when it comes to adopting to adapt new trends in the areas of advancement in education.

They failed to look inwards, our cultural background and the needs of the society. The basic background that could be traced to 6–5–4 system of education, whereby the five years in the secondary school could be augmented with advanced level classes, before proceeding into the universities. This was far better mainly because it was effectively managed in terms of teachers and the facilities needed on ground. Some people may adduce this to the fewer number of schools and teachers as well as fewer population of students to cope with then.

The greatest advantages then, were the people’s appreciation of the value of education, the immediate opportunity for graduates to be absorbed from the labor market as well as the best discipline on offer as a necessary prerequisite that would enable seriousness in learning.

It was an era when boarding schools were facility laden with trustworthy house masters.

It was also a period when religious houses were sacred for the much needed vitamins of the fear of God for the teachers and the students.

However, with the advancement of education, it was good to discontinue the use of auxiliary teachers, most of whom were more matured and committed in the classrooms, than today’s graduates, most of whom are unhappy with the teaching profession, but for economic survival, take the teaching job to keep body and soul together.

The establishment of the Universal Primary Education(UPE) for which Teacher Training Colleges became popular, was a very good policy in the right direction.

The graduates were basically trained on the methodology of teaching in education, the preparation of lesson notes and the keeping of records in an environment of high level of discipline and respect for constituted authority with a high level of focus on building a happy home in which future leaders for the society in particular and nation as a whole must be brought up.

Graduates of the Teacher Training Colleges were fully committed to the profession and were always time conscious with respect to punctuality and regularity at work. They were always ready to be directed and managed by their Headmasters or Principals, whose instructions must be obeyed and who happened to be graduates of universities, most of whom took courses in education at the post graduate level, with Grade I and II qualifications in their kitty before acquiring university education.

Headmasters and Teachers were then role model parents who believed in working for government for good, holding tenaciously to the principles of transparency and accountability.

Government would have left this phase of our educational institutions when creating the Colleges of Education, rather than phasing it out.

They ought to have restricted the activities of graduates of Teacher Training Colleges to the grassroots level of Primary Schools, while those in Colleges of Education would have been trained for the Junior Secondary Schools in the 6–3–3–4 education system.

While graduates of universities and probably Polytechnics at the HND level all with technical bias towards specific vocations, with some knowledge in entrepreneurship studies would have been prepared to manage our Secondary schools. With this arrangement based on relevant disciplines and subjects, the instructional facet of all segments of our educational levels would have been appropriately captured and fixed. This is because graduates of each sector of our lines of educational development and structure have good opportunities of resorting to, based on their capacity and capability at the time, apprenticeship for artisan ship, vocation and entrepreneurship for possible self job creation ability and promotion of employment opportunities for others, to lessen the pressure on graduates hustle for white collar jobs.

The mistake made in the phasing out of the Teacher Training Colleges, is the present mistake that is about to be repeated in the case of the Technical Colleges, which would have served the nation if well funded and equipped in the following areas :

  1. Foundational step to engineering and other professional technical appreciation needs.
  2. It would have been a technical forum to train our artisans, who control our economy on the need for skill acquisition and proficiency needs. The class would have been for the development of initiative, innovation and creativity as and a center for talent discovery.

Generally, Nigeria’s policymakers, most especially in the areas of education, must always take cognizance of our background and our needs for our graduates to be relevant directly in the areas of community service, society development and nation building.

After all, all our professional bodies have family pyramid structure. For example, craftsmanship, technicians, technologists and corporate membership. All of them are yet to take care of sectors of artisan ship for proficiency needs while their fellow cadres are yet to be specifically saddled with serious assignments of mentor ship, research and development .

Suffice it now to say, that no segment of our educational system like the Teacher Training and Technical Colleges should be phased out or neglected because our developmental needs in Nigeria have not outgrown them.

The two sectors would have assisted us in bridging the gap between the needed strong foundation and the advanced stages of education and development.

In the area of affective education, happenings in our schools, Primary, Secondary and Universities are characterized by examination malpractices, sex-for-marks scandals, cultism, admission racketeering among others. All these portends that the goal of education regarding our attitudinal correction are yet to be effected.

Kleptocracy in governance equally reflects in the activities of these graduates, old or new, as an attestation that there is not no single impact of what they learned in their behavior.

In the area of cognitive education, there is a misplacement of priorities. For example, we have failed to run effectively our Polytechnic system as a result of a lack of facility update for research and development and the training need of students to be in tandem with the necessary industrial essence with what obtains in companies.

Nigerian graduates still need to undergo a lot of training before they can be certified fit for employment in industries.

Why is it that Nigeria is just realizing the need for technical universities ?

To what extent have our Schools and Universities of Agriculture served the nation in terms of poverty alleviation and eradication ?

Why is it that there is still limited spaces for successful candidates, who passed the UTME and post UTME in the educational institutions in the country ?

Recently, China retraced its steps, on the need to survive through the development of technical education and technological development, by converting 600 of its universities into polytechnics while Nigeria is on the verge of collapsing the HND certificate program.

Policy making must go beyond the rhetoric of politics because it is about the life of our people and the future of the nation.

Nigeria 17

Nigeria at 59-We Have not Been Fortunate to Have Good Leadership since Independence-Eze(Dr.)Anozie

Eze dr anozieAs Nigeria clocks 59, millions of citizens across the country lament that discrimination, nepotism, favoritism, injustice and inequality are the hallmarks of governance in the past and present dispensation.

In the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, non-indigenous people who constitute a bulk of the population, have interesting stories to tell of their experiences.

Also, in a sizable number of these states, first term Governors are towing the people unfriendly policies of their predecessors to the consternation of all concerned.

In this interview, the Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo state, Dr. Alex Anozie, who insists that he remains the head of Igbos in the state with particular reference to the matter the the Appeal Court Ibadan Division, opines that the country has not been fortunate enough to have good leadership since independence.

Nigeria is 59, in your views, how has the journey been ?

Well, if one is not careful, one might be tempted to say that he is disappointed, I say so because with the way God blessed Nigeria, I was expecting something better than what we have in this country called Nigeria. Why ? because we are blessed with human resources, we are blessed with natural resources, good weather and climate, God has blessed us with everything. Sadly, God has not blessed us with good, focused, dynamic, corruption free and de tribalized leadership.

Since our independence we have not been lucky to have such leadership. We have been wobbling. Countries all over the world are disappointed.

Nigeria should be a country where everyone is running to, but Nigerians are running out of the country, to engage in jobs that are demeaning.

I believe that we shall make it by the grace of God.

If we had good leadership since independence, we would have gone far.

Nigerians ought to have free education,good roads and stable electricity supply all over the country.

This government that says it is fighting corruption, corruption is in their rooms. Everybody is corrupt.

Africa is not moving forward because of corruption in Nigeria. When Nigeria sneezes the whole Africa catches cold.

We have everything, except good leadership. God will help us to have it.

All our elections have been fraudulent. Even though we have development in some places, this is not enough when you hear of the trillions been stolen away. If these are not stolen, why should we be having graduates without jobs ? Tell me why should we be having armed robbers ?

And we are Christians and Muslims, who claim to know God, but we are not showing signs that we know God. It is a pity.

Let us all begin to practically display the fear of God, not just by preaching, but in practice.

Everyone will give account of his or her deeds.

People will leave all these worldly things to give account of their deeds.

If you claim to be a good Christian or a good Muslim, you must display it practically. People are suffering.

I don’t want to believe that we don’t have good leaders. We will keep on praying for the government. They should take the right from the wrong and do the right thing.

Serious consideration must be given to restructuring.

There is a need for Nigerians to ensure that the next President comes from the South East. All the Political Parties must source their candidates from the South East, this will calm frayed nerves and all the agitations will cease.

Nigeria 18

Once Govt Places Emphasis on Building Strong Institutions Incurring Debts Shall No Longer be the Priority-Prof. Olagoke

Prof. sabitu olagokeNigerians residing in the South West Geo-Political zone are worried over the continued borrowing by State Governments in the Geo-Political zone.

Already, a report puts the total debt profile of the states at N1.3 trillion, even though the debts are not commensurate with the results of governance.

The people express great doubts over the possibility that good governance and economic development shall be achieved in the next four years, as the state Governors continue to borrow.

In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke asserts that if Nigerians leaders concentrate more on building strong institutions instead of strong individuals, the emphasis would shift from incurring debts to generating revenue. Excerpts :

Are you not worried over the rising debt profile of state in the South West Geo-Political zone of Nigeria ?

Recently, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, stated that the major headache for economic development is more revenue generation rather than debts.

Analyzing this within the context of our culture of impunity and corruption, the two are more of threats to the development of the nation and that of the South West because on ground, there is not much to appreciate in terms of development, most especially in the areas of provision of employment, basic amenities and functional infrastructure, apart from the fact that the debts incurred would be more of frictional resistances to the performance of any incoming administration, after the tenure of the borrower must have elapsed.

The general problem of government in Nigeria, both Federal and state, is the lack of continuity in project and policy implementation, most especially when there is a change in leadership. Yet the debts will continue to be an hitch of liability. A notable characteristic of Government in Nigeria, included poor finishing or outright abandonment of projects, no matter how laudable.

Take for example, the way we abandoned vision 2010, for vision 2020, which if it had been well executed would have propelled Nigeria to stardom, placing the country among the 20 most economically viable nations in the world.

Researches were conducted by various institutions in the country with the aim of agreeing to work towards viable and strong foundations for its feasibility on the premise of erasing our Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to $900 billion, power generation to at least 6,00 megawatts and the economic growth rate of 7 per cent, but unfortunately, 2020 is just less than a year ahead, with records of abandonment, lack of visibility, lack of viability and with almost nothing to equitably distribute.

With the sustainable development goals accompanied by with grants from various world bodies, the culture of impunity and corruption have not only weakened governance, but failed us into the mirage of sustainable development.\My advice for debt rate reduction is in the following these guidelines :

  1. Donor agencies need to direct interventions to specific areas of need.
  2. Revenue generation must move up from a status of 55 per cent of 2018.
  3. Judicious use of the interventions with close monitoring mechanism must be in place to ensure it is fraud free.
  4. Nigerian government must avoid imposed programs that are foreign without direct impact on the lives of the people.
  5. There must be coordination of debt management to ensure virement of grants or borrowed money by the network of the Debt Management office, management staff of the Ministry of Budget and Planning, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and the Directors, should be held accountable for any financial shortcoming.
  6. Let the anti-corruption agencies proactively work with the Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Directors, all staff of the ministry of Budget and Planning for wholesome or all encompassing cleansing of the land on the generated revenue, grants and borrowed funds with the programs and projects they intend to execute for the nation’s development using the advantages of the Treasury Single Account, The Integrated Payroll, Personnel Information System and intelligence gathering of the whistle blowers’ efforts.

Generally, the diversified economy and import dependent

economy of any nation cannot sustain such country hence there would be the need to live on debt for project execution.

To avoid this situation, the area of entrepreneurship should be given adequate attention to recover rapid economic growth.

Presently, the inflation is rate is about 11.2 per cent, while the nation operates two digit interest rates on loans.

This economic climate is never favorable to the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises(SMEs), which are currently suffering from the following lackluster factors, despite the presence of Entrepreneurship studies in the curriculum of our institutions-Secondary schools, Technical colleges, Polytechnics and Universities : paucity of funds, dearth of managerial expertise, irregular power supply with high cost for substitution, no homogeneous consensus of quality and standard among SME entrepreneurs with consequent poor products against the spirit of globalization on global best practices.

There is also the lack of patronage because of low policy design and implementation of Nigeria’s SMEs’ products by government and its agencies.

In addition there is the insensitivity to global competitiveness essence due to the use of obsolete technology form, processing.

Furthermore, there is tough government business regulation on ground that are usually unfriendly to businesses and hence discourage start ups.

Government must therefore, invest on the provision of functional infrastructural facilities to thrive entrepreneurship, to increase efficiency and productivity and provide access to available markets and sustainable growth and development.

Above all, Nigerian leaders need to focus on building a strong nation, rather than building strong individuals, for any worthwhile development to come by, through high revenue generation and less of legacy debts.

Continue reading

Prof. sabitu olagoke

Use Good Governance to Address Challenges By Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Nigeria 17Nigeria suffers from poverty and kleptocracy as reflected in hunger, insecurity, corruption and untimely death in the land because of injustice and inequality in an environment of impunity.

Nigerians gave their mandate, through the ballot box, to the occupiers of various political offices in this new dispensation, to rule and govern with the belief that the office holders would end the insecurity in the land.

However, Nigerians are still asking questions :

* Why are cases of kidnappings, ritual killings, rape, pedophilia, armed robbery, banditry, threat of secession and advanced fee fraud, persisting ?

*  Why is the promotion of prosperity through the enhanced provision of basic amenities for the people’s welfare, and infrastructure for industrial development difficult to achieve ?

All Nigerians are stakeholders in this respect. Only good governance, that ensures well funded education and health sectors, while also institutionalizing discipline and zero tolerance to corruption, without bias, is the antidote.

The Judiciary, Legislature and scripture compliant religious bodies need to create an enabling environment for sanity, reliability and sustainable development to be achieved.

 

Mrs olufunke olakunrin

Insecurity : No Yoruba Must Sell Out-Prof. Olagoke

Prof. sabitu olagokeJust last week Friday, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the 58 yer old daughter of nonagenarian, Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fashoranti was felled by the bullets of yet to be identified gunmen at the Ore junction in Ondo state, Nigeria. A cross section of Nigerians have condoled with the family of the bereaved. The Federal Government has also sent its condolences which has now become a tradition in most recent times.

However, the security situation in the country is worsening by the day.

In this interview, Founder, Spiritual Head and Gran Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that no Yoruba son or daughter, regardless of economic status, religious and political persuasions should give in, to the lure of money for any reason. Excerpts :

What is your reaction to the gruesome killing of the daughter of Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fashoranti ?

First and foremost, the general state of insecurity in the country is very disturbing and in history, I have never known any government performing to reasonable expectations, under an hostile environment of insecurity.

The age long of insecurity during the 20 years of our Democratic experience shows our reluctance to develop Nigeria and the high level of unpreparedness of all the emerging leaders till date in Nigeria ; in making us to continue to witness orgies of government commiserations in the face of non performance.

The essence, under rationality theory, of changing government through electing new leaders is to maintain or improve upon the areas of strengths and opportunities for development to appreciably emerge while the new leaders are expected to restrategize to minimize or prevent the areas of the weaknesses of the successive governments of the past and to seriously help the entire population in taming and replacing the areas of threats which fundamentally would have caused a viscose friction in the will of the progress and efforts of the past movement.

However, for Nigeria’s history, contrary has been the case.

The various security summits, for example, by the Yorubas, has always been like the barking of a dog already chained to a place because even that of the State Governors was not only ceremonial, but without adequate preparation to save the Yoruba nation from the embarrassment of the day.

It is very unfortunate that Mrs. Olufunke Olakunrin, the daughter of Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fashoranti became another victim, it affects every Yoruba in particular and Nigerians in general because Pa Fashoranti has for long been at the forefront in fighting the cause of the advancement of the Yorubas in the area of unity and freedom and equity and justice in the wider Nigerian society.

No amount of commiserations from all of us can wake up the innocent victims of insecurity, including Mrs. Olakunri.

Suffice it now to say, that the Yorubas must be the first in the vanguard for the promotion of inclusive society where those who can walk the talk should be given the chance to come together to place the Yoruba agenda above other considerations.

No religion, no ethnic group, political persuasion must have a place under the goal of promoting inclusive society, but credibility, commitment to Oodua nationhood and the determination of purpose to have safe and secure Yorubaland, with right territorial integrity.

No Yoruba person, therefore rich or poor, aggrieved or otherwise, must allow him or herself to be bought over through the evil spirit of money mania which has been the root cause of our value erosion.

Internally, we have more than sufficient paraphernalia of authority to manage and defend the cause of Yoruba unity; if the heroic spirits of our fore fathers, whose heritage we must not allow anybody to destroy, is to be above every Yoruba son and daughter’s considerations.

In unity, the Yorubas can make it without any external considerations.

Continue reading

Nerc

Poor State of Electricity Supply : Fashola is Technically Unfit to Fix Power-Prof. Olagoke

Prof sabitu olagokeNigerians are not happy about the poor state of electricity supply all over the country.

They lament that lack of regular electricity supply has crippled their businesses and affected various economic activities.

The challenges confronting the power sector cuts across transmission, distribution and generation.

Nigerians buy their own transformers, cables and other relevant inputs to enjoy electricity supply, only to be told by the distribution companies to sign off same to the companies.

South Africa with a population of 56.7 million people, generates 51,000 megawatts, Nigeria with a population of about 200 million people generates below 7,000 megawatts. 

Interestingly, the distribution companies make Pre paid meters unavailable to promote their profit driven agenda.

The agitation by Nigerians presently, is for the Federal Government to take over the functions of the power distribution companies because the distribution companies have not performed up to expectation. In this interview with Federationews2day, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the problems of the power sector are too technical for the Minister in charge, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who is a Lawyer of note, to understand and fix. Excerpts :

What do you think is the solution to the persistent lack of electricity supply in Nigeria ?

The major problem we have in Nigeria is that the common man , our leaders and decision makers do not buy and sell in the same market, otherwise a direct pulse of the nation would have informed them of the true economic situation and the very poor living conditions of a large percentage of the Nigerian population who constitute the masses and the middle economic class.

The issue of power in any nation is central and pivotal to the development in the home, community and the nation at large.

Where there is no regular supply of electricity, preservation of food for a reasonable period of time becomes impossible.

Apart from some other forms of discomfort that could make life to be unbearable, where there is a generating plant for the supply of electricity, it is usually run at a cost that would be unbearable even for the middle economic class.

What of the accompanying noise pollution that is responsible as the major causes of partial deafness for most people ?

But for the ruling class-elite and political class- most of these things are got free of charge without realizing that they are scarce commodities for the greatest population of people in the low economic class. At the community service level, development would rather be very slow in the area of road construction, transportation of people and farm produce from villages to the urban centers, resulting into another poor living condition.

At the national level economic growth is stunted, industrialization becomes a mirage, mass exodus of experts in various field of human endeavor depletes the strength of the nation.

Company relocation from Nigeria to other countries like Ghana and South Africa as had been experienced in the year 2007 to 2009, when more than 849 companies collapsed here only to resurface elsewhere, leading to Oedipus complex of unemployment.

It is unfortunate that year in year out, we churn out graduates from our higher institutions into a threatening world of unemployment due to epileptic power supply that has crippled the industrial sector.

The major problem confronting the power sector is about the people’s sincerity of purpose as a necessary condition to power our industrial sector.

Corruption of the highest order, starting at the point of contract award, riddled with insincere quotation, poor job financing due to poor quality of materials that depleted the funding package are all highlights of the present situation.

When a nation is confronted with these kind of problems and challenges, governance demands for periodical reviews to expose the weak areas and the areas of threats that are responsible for the failure of this all important sector with a view to correcting the anomalies and with the determination of purpose, re-pursue the projects to activate it from comatose state to a sustainable service level that would in effect resuscitate all dead areas of development.

Various allegations relating to the cost of N16 billion on the power project during the administration of Chief(Dr.) Olusegun Obasanjo ought to be Nigeria’s primary concern.

Furthermore, the improvement assessment of the performance level of when the power sector was functioning as a flow line and that of when it was unbundled into generating, transmission and distribution units, need to be compared.

So also, the added advantage level of when government was running it before it was privatized needs to be reviewed.Electricity

The outcome of all the results would help us to take the right decision.

However, it is my opinion that the power sector couldn’t have performed better under the present arrangement, whereby the Minister in charge is a Lawyer although of very high status and a one time Governor with records of dynamism, even though technically he is unfit to fix the power sector, most especially while working with people of doubtful character.

Equally, of importance is that he is saddled with more than what a non-professional in this specific field-Power, Works and Housing-could chew, even an angel and a professional will never be able to cope in an environment of working with people of doubtful character, who are not also patriotic.

We all know the right thing to do in sanitizing this sensitive sector of our lives, but sentiments and over politicization of the issue will never help us to resolve the mysteries around the eternal record of epileptic supply of electricity.

Government itself has never encouraged us to build our generating sets despite the number of technically biased schools or Ivory towers that could have encouraged production of generating sets here in Nigeria.

The cost of running a generating set both at the home front and, Municipal and Industrial sector, is always on the high side compared to the craziest estimated billing.

Why is government then so slow in bringing offenders thwarting the cause of Nigeria having stable supply of electricity ?

Politicians are supposed to be skill based and under inclusive government, merit is supposed to override parochial sentiments of nepotism in employment and contract awards.

There is nothing wrong in searching and looking for experts in the various fields as may be relevant to any particular political party.

TcnElectricity 1

In the new dispensation of the emerging transition, one expects to have new hands on the deck that must be ready to correct the anomalies of the past, so that all Ministers are accountable and should be instantly removable when records of performance are not impressive.

Unbundling the Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN) flow line is the wisest thing to have been done, contracting power generation level through privatization is to ensure that the wrong hands of inefficiency, laziness and low productivity are avoided, for the people to be well served.

We need to remember that the search outcome of vision 20–20–20 continue to lay fallow in our higher institutions as well as research institutions, with no successive government bothering to look in this direction again.

We waste energy and materials as we sacrifice them for mere political sentiments.

How do we then move to develop, when we fail to generate the minimum of 6,000 megawatts of electricity and a minimum of $900 billion as Gross Domestic Product(GDP) for Nigeria to be able to break even into an economically stable nation to be one of the first 20 nations that could be classified s environmentally stable, economically viable to accommodate project feasibility.

The new government must wake up in the areas of effective corruption control and prevention of institutional indiscipline for all ideas, initiatives to transform the fortunes of the nation into serving all Nigerians, starting from resolving the issue of Pre-Paid Meters and the bringing of offenders that sabotage the glory of dignity of labor to book without fear or favor as of when due.