Militarisation of the South East
Increasingly, the Federal Government is taking steps that portray it is in a war situation with the South East geopolitical zone. Last week, there were reports that the military deployed more soldiers to the zone, particularly in Umuahia, Abia State, in its purported effort to cow the members of Nnamdi Kanu-led Independent People of Biafra (IPOB). The South East is never in armed conflict with the Federal Government. That some groups are agitating for better treatment of South East by the Federal Government does not mean the zone is at war with Nigeria. The presence of heavy military is an intimidation and creates unnecessary fear in people. The South East does not need the presence of federal government in the form of ARMED soldiers, but in infrastructure and companies that can employ idle youths. Whoever that is advising the FG that the best way to cow agitators in South East is by intimidation is missing the mark. Consistently, FG has been reminded that it is futile to treat symptoms of a disease rather than the cause of it. There are reasons for the agitations and it is wrong for government to continue to adopt the ostrich style by burying its head in the sand rather than face the problem squarely with the aim of solving it once and for all. Using brute force to cow people has never achieved a positive result. For years, government at the centre has been deploying soldiers and other security agencies to the Niger Delta under various operations, with the aim of ridding the zone of militancy; but that has not achieved the desired outcome, and there is no indication that it will achieve anything in the nearest future. What government needs to do is to make conscious efforts to address the obvious neglect of the zones. The South-East and South-South Governors’ Forum said this much during its recent meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. We must not create a war situation in time of peace; particularly when government has pledged to address all wrongs done to some parts of the country of which South-East is chief.
Akeredolu gets my kudos
Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo State, recently stepped on a sore point that many of his ilk shy away from. For so long, Nigerians have played religion without righteousness. They have come to believe that religious observances are tantamount to serving God. For many years, the country has been wasting money on sponsorship of pilgrims to Israel and Mecca; without commensurate harvest in changed attitude and spirituality. With the huge amount that is spent on pilgrimage on yearly basis, Nigerians still wallow in corruption and all manner of criminal activities, perpetrated even by those that undertake such pilgrimage. It was against this background that Akeredolu announced that his administration would no longer be sending intending pilgrims to Mecca or Jerusalem. The governor believes it is time to stop using pilgrimages for business. In fact, he made the point while playing host to the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Reverend Uja Tor Uja. Over the years, we have heard all manner of stories about the activities of some of these pilgrims in Mecca and Jerusalem. Some hide under the pilgrimage to do prostitution, traffic drugs; while some get themselves involved in other unholy things in places they call holy land. We also hear that some officials use the avenue to do some racketeering. They help people who have intentions to leave the country to abscond as soon as they touch ground in those lands. Since the programme is not yielding any positive fruit as in helping to up the spirituality of Nigerians and raise the banner of righteousness in the country, government should not waste common wealth for such jamborees. After all, a large percentage of those who undertake these pilgrimages are the political class. They just have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.
Let FEC be ad-hoc then
The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting was supposed to offer government an opportunity to review activities- achievements and failures alike in the previous week and chart a new course for the week ahead- but the meeting has not been holding on a regular basis according to President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice.
Before he travelled out of the country in May for medical treatment in London, FEC meeting was as good as dead. Since he returned to the country on Saturday, August 19, 2017, he has postponed the meeting twice. One would have thought that after spending 104 days outside the country, the FEC meeting should have been regular to bring the president to speed on what his cabinet members did in his absence and what they are doing and planning to do. He has only met with them once, which was dramatised. Last Tuesday, government again announced to a bewildered nation that the reason for cancelling last Wednesday’s FEC meeting was “due to inadequate time to prepare the documents for the meeting.” The reason sounded very simplistic to say the least. Government officials found time to engage in all manner of lavish Salah celebrations andOwambe, yet there was no time for governance. This lack of commitment to important things has ruined the country. Why not try ad-hoc arrangement for the FEC since weekly is no longer suitable for the chief occupant of the Aso Rock Villa?
Talk less Sir, let your work speak for you
Lagos is a microcosm of Nigeria. In other words, it is a mini Nigeria. It houses between 21 and 25 million people- indigenes and non-indigenes alike. For this reason, crime rate is high. It is the richest state in the country and most school leavers dream of making Lagos their permanent base. The reason is not farfetched. It is easier to secure a job in Lagos than in any other part of the country because of the number of companies that are there. In the last 18 years, the state has had the highest turnover of police commissioners. Only last week, Fatai Owoseni was replaced by Imohimi Edgal as the new commissioner of Police, Lagos State. Hardly had he assumed duties than Edgal began to sing. He was quoted as saying that he would not mind dining with the devil to keep Lagos safe.
The gush of enthusiasm is quite expected, but the new top cop should ask his predecessors why they were not able to record the level of success in Lagos policing as expected of them. Everyman dreams big, particularly when a new assignment is given, but not everyman has what it takes to achieve success. Edgal must as a matter of urgency go into a serious research on the things that had transpired before his arrival, at least in the recent past and study the trend. I think, it will be noble of the new police boss in Lagos to keep his plans to his chest and talk less. It will not be good at the end of the day his words will be used against him. Welcome Sir.
Casual doctors for hospitals? This FG sef!
Last week, when it became obvious that the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) was bent on going on strike, the Federal Government through the minister of health, Isaac Adewole, directed chief medical directors of federal hospitals to immediately engage the services of locum (casual) doctors. What level of commitment does FG expect from a casual doctor who knows he/she is just filling in the gap? If the regular personnel are being accused of nonchalance in their handling of patients, is it a causal worker that is confronted with uncertainty that will have the right frame of mind to administer the desired and necessary medication on sick people? It is when we fail to do the right thing at the right time that we begin to reach for anything in sight to grab to play an ad-hoc role. It didn’t work in the past; it has never worked, and never will it work. Unless government realises the need to be proactive, the country will continue to grope in the dark. Government has consistently shown that it does not have the interest of the people at heart. Do we blame them, since we watch like Zombies as they corner everything to themselves; they have all the money to get themselves and their family members good medical treatment abroad? They have destroyed the educational system; they have wrecked the health sector and there is no soundness in any sector in Nigeria, yet we call ourselves the giant of Africa. No wonder some critics say we are indeed in a zoo.
Zebulon Agomuo
