• Warn Number Of School Dropouts May Rise
• Blame Subsidy Removal For Hike In Fees
• Lament Fees Increase In Govt-Owned Schools
• ‘Palliatives Can’t Douse Current Tension’

As primary and secondary schools resume nationwide for a new academic session this September, parents have expressed distress caused by the pressure they are grappling with in their bid to send their wards back to school following the hike in fees and the prices of sundry necessary items.

Although the parents acknowledged that September of each year is always laden with heavy expenses associated with school resumption, they lamented that the removal of petrol subsidy barely three months ago by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu immensely contributed to their current ordeals.

A tricycle (keke) rider in Asaba, Delta State, Mr. Jude Nwajei, told The Guardian that he would have loved to have the resumption date extended because “each time I remember the new fees I am going to pay for my three children in primary and secondary schools, and the fact that there’s no money for that yet, or in the nearest future, I feel I am not meeting my responsibility as a father.”

He lamented that the increase in fees came at a time his income was dwindling.

“I am a keke rider and since the increase in the price of petrol, the number of passengers has reduced and we have to spend more for petrol for the same distance, whether it’s full load or not. Now, I don’t go home with the kind of money I used to make in the past before the removal of subsidy.

“Upon that, schools have increased fees and the cost of books and everything about school has gone up. Many of us cannot send our children to school again. Some parents are thinking of changing their children’s schools, to take them to where school fees are less, though the quality may not be too good. The number of school drop-outs will increase and we hope this does not lead to increase in crime in the country.”

Another parent in Asaba, Ben Onyeji, said he had resolved to change school for his children because he could not afford the current fees announced by their school.

“The fees are now out of my reach and I cannot kill myself. Where do they expect us to get the money? Do they want us to steal? They don’t consider the common man in this country. Maybe they don’t want us to send our children to schools again, so that only their children would be educated.”

Onyeji, who is a trader, lamented that though the prices of his wares depend on the amount he bought them, patronage has nose-dived as customers complain of “no money.”

“They are not buying as they used to. We are making less profit, yet the cost of education is going high. How do we cope? It’s not everybody that has access to free money, so they should consider us. To feed now is even a problem and people are cutting down on luxuries. It has never been so bad for most of us in this country,” he lamented.

A parent, Mr. Marcel Echinile, said the subsidy removal was a big blow and had put unnecessary tension and pressure on him. He argued that the removal of subsidy by President Tinubu without putting any measures in place to cushion its effect was a serious setback to him and many other vulnerable Nigerians.

He said: “I was unable to pay school fees of my children last term. The school management would have sent my children back home because of the demonic removal of the fuel subsidy if not the understanding I had with the proprietor.
  
“School would soon resume, perhaps in two weeks time, I am only trusting in God to do miracle for the payment of my children’s fees. The unexpected fuel subsidy removal has really thrown me off balance in meeting the basic needs of my family.

“As I speak, I am planning to pull them from private school to public school, ditto other parents, to avoid unnecessary high blood pressure as a result of the satanic removal of the fuel subsidy.”

Another parent, Mr. Okafor Ogedima, said: “The situation is affecting me so much, considering my very lean resources. The subsidy removal issue is telling on all sectors of our lives. I’m not sure the palliatives will douse any tension emanating from this subsidy removal.

“For now, I’m not thinking of sending my children to school, but how to feed them. Have you been to the market of recent? If you have, you will know what I mean. In fact, this government should go beyond scratching the surface in dealing with the hardship caused by the subsidy removal.

“This is because income has remained virtually constant, as our small-scale businesses are not helped by the epileptic power supply, which still boils down to the use of fuel to run our generators, both at home and our places of work. It all results to square one.” He said the country’s economy had become inelastic and something has to be done urgently to ameliorate the hardship being suffered by the people.

A civil servant in Calabar, Cross River State, Mr. Emmanuel Itu, lamented that the thought of school resumption had been giving him sleepless nights.

“In fact, I have been grappling with how I am going to cope with payment of school fees, books and other charges for my four children.

“As a civil servant with a salary of under N100, 000 a month, how on earth can I pay school fees for my two children in Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, now that the Federal Government has increased fees in unity schools across the country by over 100 per cent?
  
“Before now, I was struggling to pay N45, 000 each for two of them per term, including other charges, but with this increase, I am required to cough out over N200, 000. As it stands now, I may be forced to move them to a public school before I completely grow grey hairs.”

A widow with three children, Mrs. Grace Iwuala, also stated: “I don’t want to think about school resumption, because I don’t know where to start from. With this very difficult economic situation in the country, worsened by the removal of fuel subsidy, I may resort to selling some of my properties to be able to meet up with payment of school fees.
  
“If the Federal Government can declare free education at all levels for just one year, it would go a long way in cushioning the effect of this hardship, instead of this N5 billion given to politicians to do what they like with it.”

A mother of one in Calabar, who identified herself as Sandra Igiri, said her daughter’s school sent her a hefty bill to pay as first term fees. According to her, all SS1 students of the school, which is her daughter’s class, are being charged N133, 000 each for the term, which includes tuition of N5, 000; N55,000 for listed books; two pairs of uniform cost N15,000; sport wears, N7, 000; day wear, N7,500; N3,500 for laboratory; N3,000 as development levy and N300, 00 for the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) fees. I can tell you that most parents are not finding it easy to raise money to foot the new bill,” he lamented.

In Abuja, 45-year-old mother of three, Roseline Agboola, said she was looking for about N500, 000 to pay school fees of three children.  Another parent, Amos Bulus, lamented that the situation was pathetic and overwhelming. 

“One of my daughters has been promoted to senior secondary class and the tuition of N120, 000 has been hiked to N180, 000 while the fee for the other one in junior school has been increased from N80, 000 to 120, 000. School bus fees was increased by more than 100 per cent, from N30, 000 to N65, 000,” he said.

Another parent in Abuja, Samuel Ogbu, called on the federal and state governments to provide affordable and accessible education options to alleviate the overall economic burden on families. He explained that his family was facing increased financial strain leading to difficulties in paying school fees and purchasing essential items for his children’s education. 

“The proprietress of my children’s school called to inform us that their school fees have been doubled. Honestly, I was very dumbfounded when she broke the news to me.

“As I am talking to you, I really don’t know when I am going to get that kind of money by the time the children will be resuming this September. I have three of them in that school. We are considering moving them to a government-owned school just outside the estate where we live.

“To cope with the escalating costs, I have had to cut down on other expenses, reduce non-essential spending and sometimes borrow money from friends or family members,” Ogbu lamented. Awoniyi Salau said: “My worry is that the escalating costs may increase the educational inequality gap. Nigeria currently has about 20,000,000 children who are out of school. If the current economic hardship continues, a lot of parents may have to withdraw their children from school to ease the pressure on them.

“The administration really needs to live up to expectations of the people. The hardship in the land is real and is biting hard.”In Ekiti State, residents also expressed concerns over increase in school fees and the cost of textbooks, among other sundry expenses. 
 
Some parents who spoke with The Guardian said that in some cases, fees had been increased by over 50 per cent, while the cost of textbooks and school bus had also been jerked up.

A civil servant, Mr. Oluwatuyi Thomas, said that the private school attended by his two kids raised the fees from N45, 000 per term to N70, 000 even when salaries of workers have not been increased.

A trader at Kings Market, Ado Ekiti, Mrs. Oguntuase Monisola, said apart from increase in fees, textbooks prices had gone up by about 50 per cent. “I used to pay N20, 000 per term but now it has increased to N30, 000,” she said.
 
In Ondo State, parents disclosed that they were also facing mounting pressure due to the increase in expenses associated with their children’s education.

 
Checks by The Guardian showed that virtually all the primary and secondary schools in Akure, the state capital, increased their fees. The situation is more evident with schools that offer shuttle bus services and those operating boarding facilities.
 
For instance, some schools increased their fees by an additional N10, 000 to N35,000, while the bus shuttle, which used to cost around N30,000 per term, now costs as much as N83, 000 in most of the schools.

A parent, Mr. Wole Fadipe, who has two children in one of the top secondary schools in Akure metropolis, stated that he was yet to figure out how he would cope with the situation.

“My wife and I already knew that the school would definitely increase the fees, but we never thought that they would be this high. Do you know the funny thing the school did? We used to get the amount to pay for the following term on the last day of the term. But while we went to get the results of the children’s last session, we were surprised that the school did not include the fee to be paid for the next term.

“It was just last week that their class teachers sent the fees to be paid to us through a WhatsApp message. Those that I even pity most are those who have their wards in the boarding facility. It is just too high,” Fadipe said.
 
In Osun State, a parent, Olaide Olatunji lamented the rising cost of education, noting that everything is getting out of hand.

“My daughter’s school fees has increased from N40, 000 to N45,000. I’m yet to know the cost of books because we haven’t been given the list of their textbooks for this new session,” she said.

Another parent in the state, Seyi Adeniji, also said: “Everything is expensive; we are not happy with the situation. It is a very difficult period for me as a parent in this country. I have spent a lot of money on getting new things for my child in secondary school. Where do I start? The elder sister is also in the university.”

As a consequence of the hard times, the proprietor of a private secondary school in Ibadan, Oyo State, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that there would likely be low turnout of students this term. “As you can see, only a few students are here for summer coaching because of financial difficulty being experienced by their parents. How is it going to be when the students resume new session?”

In Enugu State, Mr. Mike Nweze, who was spotted in the premises of one of the new generation banks at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, said he was running around to settle some fees for his son who just gained admission into the university. He said he still had the bills for three of his children in secondary school to settle.

“This is where the challenge is. The last time, the fees were below N80, 000.00 for each of them. Currently, they have increased it to N110, 000 per person. The books for each of them is not less than N30, 000.

“So I have decided that they will no longer be joining the school bus. I will be doing the school run and any other alternative that we may find. So, paying school the fees is now the greatest challenge.

“Remember, they will eat. You need to buy food even for the one entering the university. So, even when my salary and that of my wife who is a civil servant has not increased by one naira since they removed fuel subsidy, our expenses have continued to stare us in the face. That is the way it is,” Nweze bemoaned. Mrs. Joy Chukwu, a mother of five, is frantically looking for another school for her children.

“We decided to change schools for them when the management of the school they were attending increased the fees. They were living in the school. It is not something that we can afford any longer. But the problem now is that almost all the schools have increased their fees. So, how to meet up with the fees is making me lose sleep. There is no money anywhere. Everything in the market is on the high side. I am seriously looking up to God to come to our aid,” she said.

In Lagos State, many parents are weighing their options, following the hike in fees amid the high cost of living. Mr. Alex Bamidele has three children in a private school in the state. Though the increase in their fees was moderate, the cost of the school bus was hiked by over 150 per cent.

He explained: “The fees didn’t get a significant increase, I think they are also being considerate with the economic reality. But then, the school bus, which was N35, 000 per child, now costs N95, 000.
  
“As much as it is beyond their control, it is a huge burden that we will have to start living with. My income hasn’t increased. In fact, expenses have only continued to be on the rise. I wonder if there will be a way out of this situation. I look forward to palliatives in the educational sector.”

[Guardian]

Liverpool have rejected a £150m offer for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

The bid for the 31-year-old forward was for in excess of £100m, with add-ons taking it up to £150m.

Liverpool remained insistent that the Egyptian international was not for sale, and that was final as far as the club was concerned.

Salah, who joined the Reds from Italian side Roma in 2017, signed a new three-year contract last summer.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said last week that Salah was “100% committed” to the Anfield cause, and on Friday, he reiterated the club’s stance that the player was not for sale.

“The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that. That’s how it is. Nothing else to say,” said Klopp.

Liverpool would have little time to react to Salah’s potential departure, with the transfer window closing at 23:00 BST on Friday for incoming deals involving Premier League teams.

However, Al-Ittihad will still be able to sign players as the Saudi Pro League transfer window is set to close on September 7.

The Nigeria Labour Congress will commence a two-day warning strike on September 6, 2023, in preparation for a total shutdown which will commence in 21 days.

The decision was taken at the end of its National Executive Council meeting which was held in the early hours of Friday morning.

A communiqué released by the labour centre and jointly signed by its National President, Joe Ajaero, and Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said it decided to take the decisions following the failure of the Tinubu-led Federal Government to dialogue and engage stakeholders within the organised labour on efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol on the “poor masses”.

Already, the organised labour, in August, staged a one-day protest which grounded activities in major cities across the country.

While listing some of the other reasons why it would mobilise its members for the nationwide shutdown, the centre accused the police of laying siege to the national headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, alleged exploitation of the rights of workers in Imo State, interference in trade union matters by the Abia State Government, proposed demolition by the new minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among others.

On the resolutions it took, the NLC NEC resolved, “To embark on a total and indefinite shutdown of the nation within 14 working days or 21 days from today until steps are taken by the government to address the excruciating mass suffering and impoverishment being experienced around the country.

“To commence a two-day nationwide warning strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 5th and 6th of September, 2023, to demonstrate our readiness for the indefinite strike later in the month and to also demand that the state vacates the illegally occupied National Headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.

“To embark on a mass protest and rally in Imo State within this month of September 2023 in preparation for a major shutdown of the state to compel the state government to stop the abuse and violation of the rights and privileges of workers and trade unions in the state.

“To begin the shutdown of the operations of Air Peace Airline and other companies in the aviation sector that are involved in serial violation of the rights of workers in the sector.

“To call on communities around the nation to stop taking laws into their hands but report to the authorities for amicable resolution any matter involving members of the Amalgamated Union of Food Stuffs and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria which is one of our affiliates.

“To demand that the new Minister of the Federal Capital Territory desist from threatening poor masses in the FCT with demolition of their properties built from their years of toil but should focus more on making houses available to the people.”

Efforts to get the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Simon Lalong, and the spokesperson of the ministry, Olajide Oshundun, failed as messages and calls to their phones remained unanswered as of the time of filing this report.

Union Berlin technical director, Michael Parensen acknowledged Victor Osimhen is a “very good player” but claimed his team is not afraid of the Napoli striker.

The Capital club, who are making their maiden appearance in the UEFA Champions League, have been paired with 14-time champions, Real Madrid, Scudetto winners Napoli and Sporting Braga of Portugal in Group C.

Osimhen is expected to be one of the difficult opponents for the Bundesliga side in the group.

Parensen insisted that his players will do their best to stop Osimhen when they confront the Nigerian in the competition.

“Not scared. I think, of course, he’s a very good player who has scored a lot of goals and we’re not scared of him. We will try to do our best to stop him,” Parensen told Omaports.com.

“To stop him will be hard. We know this, but we will try.”

The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League will commence on September 19.

[DailyPost]

In the light of the escalating coups in Africa, with the West African subregion having the highest, the Federal Government has dismissed any fears of coup in Nigeria, saying the country has gone past a forceful takeover of government.

It stressed that Nigerians had fully embraced democracy and that the country’s democratic institutions were becoming stronger. It said the fact that some African countries, including neighbouring Niger Republic, witnessed coup in recent times did not put Nigeria under any form of fear.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, noting, “I can tell you that there is no fear or apprehension at all. We have gone past that, and we have been a democratic country all this while with the institutions of democracy getting stronger.”

Meanwhile, some retired generals in separate interviews with our correspondents warned that the only way to avoid coups on the continent was for elected leaders to respect constitutional provisions and ensure good governance in their respective countries. While not justifying the military takeovers, they said leaders must be accountable and desist from repressive rule if coup must become a thing of the past.

The continent witnessed its latest coup and the second one in 2023 on Wednesday when some military personnel in Gabon seized power and placed the ousted President, Ali Bongo, and his family members under house arrest. Gabon is in Central Africa.

After the forceful takeover, which brought to seven the number of coups on the continent within the past three years, the soldiers announced the annulment of last Saturday’s presidential election that renewed Bongo’s prolonged rule, bringing to an abrupt end the Bongo family’s 56-year rule in the country.

Ali’s father, Omar Bongo, ruled the country from 1967 to 2009, and after his death, his son took over and remained in power until Wednesday.

About one month earlier, some soldiers in Niger Republic on July 26, 2023, also seized power and placed the ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum, under house arrest. The junta has since asked for a three-year transition period, which the Economic Community of West African States rejected, insisting that the junta should return the country to democracy or be forced to do so by its task force. Niger is in West Africa.

Also, on January 24, 2002, the military in West Africa’s Burkina Faso ousted the then President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, while soldiers in Sudan, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, sacked the civilian rule in place in the country and arrested political leaders while declaring a state of emergency. Sudan is in North Africa.

About two years ago, September 5, 2021 precisely, the then President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, was sacked by the military and was replaced by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. After his sacking, he wasn’t declared “free” by the military until April, 2023. The junta promised to return the country to civil rule by the end of 2024. Guinea is also in West Africa.

Prior to this, Mali, also in West Africa, witnessed two coup within a year. On August 18, 2020, the then President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, was ousted by the military and a transitional leader installed. But by May, 2021, about nine months after, the military arrested the President and the Prime Minister, after which they inaugurated one of them as the transitional President. They also promised a return to democracy in 2024.

Independent of these, the military also retained its hold on power in Chad after its President, Idriss Deby, was killed on the battlefield on April 20, 2021. His son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, has been in power since then despite a promised two-year transitional period. Chad is in Central Africa.

Out of the seven countries, West Africa, where Nigeria belongs, has recorded four coups, which is the highest; Central Africa has recorded two while North Africa recorded one.

No pressure –FG

On account of the intensifying coup and growing apprehension that it could spread to other countries on the continent, the Federal Government has said Nigerians have nothing to worry about.

Speaking further, the information and national orientation minister stated, “Nigeria is a different country. Nigerians will no longer accept such, so it will be difficult for anyone, at this point of our national development, to come out to do that or for us to start nursing any apprehension. We have very strong democratic institutions, so it is very difficult for anybody to just take up arms against the state. So, there is no apprehension at all.

“We have to stand up against military takeover anywhere on the continent. That does not mean we are afraid that such could happen in Nigeria. The fact that something like that happened elsewhere does not mean we have to live in fear. No, we have gone past that.”

…dismisses military shakeup

In what appears to be a swift response through shakeup in their military hierarchies, Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Paul Biya of Cameroon, both of whom have spent decades in office, retired a total of 1,029 senior military officers on Thursday. While Kagame has spent 23 years in office, 90-year-old Biya has been in office since 1982, making 41 years.

The Rwanda Defence Force, according to a local national newspaper, News Times, approved the retirement of 12 generals, including two four-star generals, James Kabarebe and Fred Ibingira, two three-star generals, Charles Kayonga and Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, and several officers.

Among those retired are two four-star generals, James Kabarebe and Fred Ibingira, two three-star generals, Charles Kayonga and Frank Mushyo Kamanzi. Kabarebe and Kayonga have previously served as Chief of Defence Staff of RDF, while the other two have been service chiefs previously.

“The President has also approved the retirement of 83 senior officers, six junior officers and 86 senior non-commissioned officers, 678 whose contracts ended and 160 medical discharges,” the statement added.

In Cameroon, the President reshuffled the military with new appointments to the Controle Generale des Armees. The new controllers are Capt Ajeagah Njei Félix Colonel and Colonel Nguema Ondo Bertin Bourger. Appointments were also made to the positions of Technical Advisers, Bureau Commissariat, and Air Force Technical Inspector.

When asked if there would be any shakeup in Nigeria, the minister said government did not have such plans, adding that Nigeria’s democracy remained stable and peaceful. He added, “That does not even arise. Let’s not talk about what does not even exist at all. Nigeria is stable and peaceful, and all our democratic institutions are very strong and are getting stronger. Like I said, there is no fear or apprehension at all.”

‘Tinubu wants peace’

The minister also emphasised that President Bola Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, is not interested in any war with Niger.

Many Nigerians had rejected the initial threat by the Tinubu-led ECOWAS that it would consider military action against Niger if it failed to reinstate Bazoum and revert to democratic rule within seven days.

Meanwhile, after persuasion and several peace moves, ECOWAS appears to be considering peace moves, a position adopted by the subregional Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff.

Tinubu on Thursday proposed a nine-month-transition period to the junta.

The minister however stressed that Tinubu remained committed to peace in Niger.

He said, “The President is interested in the peaceful resolution of this conflict. Of course, he has maintained consistently that there is nothing off the table, but the preference and number one choice for Mr President is that there should be a very peaceful resolution of the conflict there or the return to democratic order.

“The President is a democrat and there is no way he will not support democracy anywhere in the world, particularly on the African continent. So, discussions are ongoing and the fact that something has happened in Gabon does not in any way take away the President’s eyes from the issue in Niger.

“We are not beating the drums of war and war is the last resort for anybody. The President is not interested in war; he is interested in the peaceful resolution of the constitutional disorder there.”

He stressed that consultations were ongoing on the Niger coup.

The minister added, “People are aware that on two occasions, a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was there and of course, we know that they didn’t really get through because of some reasons for which the military authorities there have explained and apologised.

“They went back there for constructive conversations. You also know that there are efforts by the Council of Ulama that went there two times now. You are also aware that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs was with the President yesterday to keep appealing for dialogue and calm.”

Ex-generals caution politicians

To halt the resurgence of coups on the continent and avoid it in Nigeria, some retired generals have said the only way out is for democratically elected leaders to respect the constitution and ensure good governance.

They noted that while coups were not desirable, people no longer wanted to be taken for granted.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia, stated that the coups were a reflection of how the elected leaders ruled their countries.

According to him, no one would have any moral justification to support a coup against a government that keeps its campaign promises and has respect for the country’s constitution.

He stated, “You can’t use what happened in Gabon as a template for what happens everywhere else. For Niger, have you seen the pictures of the country at all? For how many years has France been collecting nuclear materials from that country, and the country is one of the poorest in the world?

“In my place, we have a saying that if you do anyhow, you will see anyhow. So, whoever was ruling Niger, if he was teaming with foreigners to ruin their country; that is doing anyhow. So, if you have a coup now, it is seeing anyhow. I have no advice.

“Every politician knows what is right. Before resuming office, don’t they campaign? If they stick to those promises why would they have a problem? If I say this road to your place is not good, I will fix it for you, and when I get there and I fix the road, will anyone have the moral justification to support a coup against such a person? Those who are planning coups have their reason for planning it, I can’t speak for them.”

Also, Brig.-Gen. Phillip Ashim, said the way to stop coups in Africa was to ensure that the people enjoy good governance. “That is common knowledge, it is good governance. That’s all,” he added.

Similarly, a former Commander, 1 Division, Brig.-Gen. John Sura (retd.), in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said for coups to stop in Africa, leaders must respect their constitution and democratic structure.

He added, “There are some basic things African leaders should pay attention to. First, the constitution of every nation must be highly respected. People agitate when they are disenchanted or there is an unacceptable change in the constitution. If the people enjoy good governance, I believe there will be no coup.

“If you look at the developed nations, no matter what happens, they respect their electoral laws and other laws, so people feel at home that their interests are protected. Once countries are well governed and there is respect for the rule of law, we will not be talking of a coup.”

A former Commander of the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Henry Ayoola (retd.), also noted that the coups were instructive enough for politicians to change their style of governance. He added that the practice of democracy should be done in accordance with the rule of law and that the surest safeguard was governance.

He stated, “Let’s practice true democracy and not just civilian rule. Let it be that it is a democracy where we keep to the rule of law, follow due process and procedures or the tenets of democracy. That is the surest way of keeping soldiers out of governance.

“The answer is for the politicians to play the game according to the rules. I give soldiers no reason and no excuse to tamper with the democratic rule. Let us practice democracy.”

He said further that the style of governance on the continent had entrenched impunity such that people don’t like processes and procedures. “We want to do what we like, when we like it and how we like it; that is what is playing out,” he stated.

“I mean how do you explain the Gabon case where the father spent about 27 years ruling the country and the son came spending another 13 years and he just won a fraudulent third term, tampering with the constitution? The best way is not to give the room for it. I don’t like to discuss the issue of looking up to the international bodies to solve our problems for us. It is a shame that we cannot rule ourselves.”

Kukah reacts

In a related development, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has also said military intervention was not an option for the country.

Speaking with journalists on the sideline of his 71st birthday celebration, the cleric stated, “I don’t think anybody in this country who is thinking right can contemplate or even make mention of the military; it’s totally out of the question. We have seen the best they can offer us, and we have seen the worst they can offer us.”

He restated that Nigeria remained a great country, adding, “I am confident that if God spares my life, I will see a great Nigeria. I just want to call on Nigerians, let’s be patient with ourselves.”

LP blames impunity

Also speaking, the Chief spokesman for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party, Yunusa Tanko, blamed the resurgence on impunity by leaders.

He added, “I am a strong democrat who believes in democracy, but now you can see that democracy is being balkanised and held in high levels of decay and disdain. It is now almost making the people themselves hopeless as regards what they believe in. Those were the things that necessitated these coups around the continent.”

Tanko called on the judiciary to live up to expectations of being the last hope of the oppressed.

Meanwhile, efforts to get the reactions of the National Publicity Secretary of the governing All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, and the Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, were unsuccessful.

Similarly, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party was yet to respond to an enquiry by Saturday PUNCH.

Fayose applauds coup

Meanwhile, a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on Friday night expressed delight over the coup in Gabon, saying while he did not endorse military intervention in politics, the recent surge in coups in Africa was a mark of sit-tight syndrome.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, Fayose stated, “I am very happy with what happened in Gabon. I don’t like military incursions into politics but I want to say to you that Nigeria is different; we have a reasonably stabilised democracy. We have our flaws but you can see the uninterrupted democratic process.

“Nigeria has gone from one party to another party and one person to another, but in a country where one man is spending 30 to 40 years, you have to boot him out of the place in whatever way. That’s different from the Nigerian setting.”

[Punch]

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said it had begun investigation into a petition it received from the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, Yusuf Gagdi, regarding job racketeering.

The anti-corruption commission disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, on Friday, adding that it also received a petition from Premium Times, an online newspaper.

It read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has commenced investigation into petitions received from Premium Times and Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee on the Investigation of Job Racketeering and Gross Mismanagement in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, over bribery allegations against the probe panel.”

Recall that the House of Representatives had issued a warrant for the arrest of a former desk officer at the Federal Character Commission, Haruna Kolo.

Earlier, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities denied paying money to bribe members of the House Committee investigating the job racketeering in Ministries Departments and Agencies.

The Vice Chancellors at a panel hearing on Friday noted that they paid money into a particular account in order to get some foreign currencies needed for their travel.

The Vice-Chancellor, the University of Jos, Prof. Ishaya Tanko, who spoke on behalf of the vice-chancellors when they appeared before the committee, said the money that was sent by some vice-chancellors was meant for foreign exchange for them to attend an international workshop organised for them in Birmingham, the United Kingdom beginning from Tuesday, September 5.

He said, “During our last meeting, we requested for two weeks because some of the universities did not come with some of the documents required from them.

“But we read the very disturbing media publication and I can say that the vice-chancellors are not part of that. The vice-chancellors have not provided any bribe to anybody.

“What I recalled happened was that the next day, there was a workshop for the vice-chancellors and because there is another international workshop organised for the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, I recalled that a number of people were looking for estacode in the form of foreign exchange that will enable them to travel.”

Tanko added, “We are looking forward to this committee concluding its work so that the challenges relating to employment in Nigerian universities are addressed so that we can continue to provide the quality manpower we need for the development of this country.”

On the morning of August 30, 2023, a group of high-ranking officers of the Gabonese armed forces appeared on national television to announce that they had taken power and annulled the results of the August 26 elections, in which incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who had held office since 2009, was re-elected for a third term. Altogether, various countries across Africa have experienced more than 90 coups d’etat since 1952. Here are the most recent coup that occurred across Africa since 2017.

Zimbabwe – 2017 coup d’état: On November 15, 2017, Zimbabwe’s military placed President Mugabe under house arrest, after he fired his vice president, Mnangagwa, who had the support of the war veterans. The ruling party, ZANU-PF, ousted Mugabe from its leadership on November 19 and nominated Mnangagwa as his successor. Mugabe resigned on November 21, ending his 37-year rule, and Mnangagwa was sworn in as the new president on November 24. The Supreme Court upheld the legality of the military’s intervention on November 25.

Sudanese – 2019 coup d’état: On the afternoon of April 11, 2019, in response to widespread mass demonstrations demanding his removal from office, President Omar al-Bashir was ousted from power by the Sudanese Armed Forces. During this critical moment, the military, led by Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, took decisive action to overthrow the existing government and dissolve the National Legislature. Subsequently, a three-month state of emergency was declared across the nation to restore stability and address the prevailing crisis. Following this tumultuous turn of events, a two-year transitional period was initiated, marking a pivotal phase in Sudan’s political landscape. Over time, negotiations and diplomatic efforts ultimately led to the successful agreement that paved the way for a more stable and inclusive government in the country.

Mali – 2020 coup d’état: On August 18, 2020, a mutiny within segments of the Malian Armed Forces escalated into a full-fledged coup d’état. This sudden and dramatic turn of events resulted in the detention of numerous government officials, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who ultimately decided to resign from his position and dissolve the government. Notably, this coup marked the second instance of political upheaval in Mali in less than a decade, with the previous one occurring in 2012.

Malian – 2021 coup d’état: On the evening of May 24, 2021, the Malian Army, led by Vice President Assimi Gota, carried out an operation to apprehend and detain President Bah N’daw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, and Minister of Defence Souleymane Doucouré. This marked a troubling development as it was the third coup d’état to disrupt Mali’s political stability in just a decade. The previous military takeovers occurred in 2012 and 2020, with the latter taking place a mere nine months before this latest incident.

Tunisian – 2021 self-coup: On July 25, 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied orchestrated a dramatic overthrow of the Hichem Mechichi government. This extraordinary move included the suspension of the Assembly of Representatives of the People and the removal of immunity from its members. Termed a self-coup, this action came in the wake of a period marked by political turmoil, which was punctuated by a series of protests against the Ennahda party and the deterioration of Tunisia’s healthcare system amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guinean – 2021 coup d’état: On September 5, 2021, President Alpha Condé of Guinea was captured and detained by the military. In a televised address on state television, Mamady Doumbouya, the leader of the special forces, declared the dissolution of the government and the constitution, signaling a significant political upheaval in the country. In a separate incident, on October 25, 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Sudanese military staged a coup against the sitting government in Sudan. This coup resulted in the initial detention of at least five top government officials, further contributing to the political instability in the nation.

Burkina Faso – 2022 coup d’état: On January 23, 2022, Burkina Faso’s military staged a coup and ousted President Kaboré. The coup leaders accused the government of failing to stop the Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced millions. The international community condemned the coup and demanded the return of constitutional order and the release of the president and other officials. The coup is the ninth in Burkina Faso’s history and threatens its democracy and stability.

Burkina Faso – 2022 coup d’état: On September 30, 2022, a coup d’état took place in Burkina Faso, resulting in the removal of Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba from office. The coup was primarily driven by concerns over Damiba’s perceived inability to effectively address the nation’s ongoing Islamist insurgency. Remarkably, just eight months prior to this coup, Damiba himself had come to power through a previous coup. In the aftermath of the recent coup, Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed a temporary leadership role to manage the situation.

Nigerien – 2023 coup d’état: On July 26, 2023, Niger’s presidential guard staged a coup and detained President Bazoum. The coup leader, General Tchiani, claimed to have dissolved the government and the parliament, citing the president’s failure to address the security and constitutional issues. The international community condemned the coup and demanded the release of the president and the return of democracy. The coup is the second in Niger’s history and jeopardizes its security and development.

Now, that’s a new one wouldn’t you say? But bear with me and come along. We know of the employment index. We also know of the unemployment index. There is then, again, the underemployment index. These indices have become convenient devices for masking a frightening democratic fact, namely that we ought to also take inventory of that active, perhaps too active, part of our population that is absolutely unemployable. But can someone really be absolutely unemployable?

We speak of the employed as people who are engaged in some type of employ, for wages or profit. They may be working for an individual, an organization or for themselves. The unemployed would be generally taken to be “those who have nothing doing”. But that is incorrect, in my view. A person may have nothing doing out of choice. So, the unemployed should strictly refer to those with some skill or capacity for which they could earn pay or make profit, but which is not put to use; even though such parsons are able, willing and available to be employed or deployed. As for the underemployed, it is perhaps best to explain that with a telling example.

Imagine that you spent six years to obtain a university degree in architecture. Imagine also that you are willing and ready to either work in an architectural firm, or open up your own practice. Imagine, further, that you have no way of doing either for two reasons. The first reason is that there is no architectural firm willing and able to hire you. The second reason is that even if you would like to set up your own firm, you are not able to do so. So, there you are starving. You cannot buy soap for a bath or fend for yourself in any way. Fortunately, you run into a friend who knows of a vacancy in a small hotel, which needs a receptionist. You jump at the job, lest you perish.

You are then underemployed in two distinct senses. In the first sense your capacities completely outclasses every demand the hotel will ever make of you as a receptionist. In the second sense, the hotel does not even have enough room, or human traffic, to task just your ability to be awake and alert in the hotel’s front office. 

As for the underemployed, they are simply too many today. They range from graduates who cannot find what to do, to artisans and workmen whose skills are not being sought by a weather-beaten populace that is writhing in economic anguish and gnashing of teeth.

As for the unemployable, they include graduates and non-graduates. A student who obtains a university degree by paying his teachers from start to the point of graduation cannot be employed for anything in his field of study. If, in addition, he also did not acquire any vocational skills, or even develop muscles in order to serve as a bouncer or load bearing tout in the market, then he is truly finished. Such a person must be “retooled” for value, or he will remain eternally useless to the society – and also to himself -in terms of engaging meaningfully in his immediate and remote economic environment. But he can be a criminal, because of the low entry requirement.

Let us leave the university graduates and such others and look at the graduates of the Almajiri school system. Many observers and commentators make the mistake of saying that Qur’anic education is useless; and that graduates of the system are useless dullards and that it should be abolished. These claims and assumptions can be traced to a misunderstanding of the real challenge facing products of this system. To begin with many graduates of the Almajiri system prove their intelligence, measured as the ability to memorize and reproduced presented data the way it is done in the average classroom in the Western educational system, by scriptural recitations, etc. 

What they lack is the tools with which they can engage meaningfully, and also at the level of values. Without economic survival skills, in terms of the ability to provide goods or services that could earn them income, they remain a troublesome demographic group to any development planner. They need to be retooled at two levels: the economic and the axiological. But the axiological is a matter for another day.

Our limited intention here is simply to show that the ignored unemployability index is not readily acknowledged in clear terms and it not being planned for. Yes, there are government “empowerment programmes” and job creation agencies and platforms. But is anyone tracking their impact or trajectory in real terms? Is anyone relating the number of people they reportedly empowered economically to the unemployment figures? Is anyone tracking job losses and juxtaposing them against claims about job creation, to be sure they are not all cancelling out each other? Just asking. 

It would seem that not much will change around here in the short term. If anything, matters are likely to get much worse, before they get any better. The security situation is not getting better, but let us hope that the 8-point Agenda will do something about that. I am not sure how; as oil theft is still thriving and poverty is walking the land; and holding hands with fuel price hike and rampaging rise in food prices. 

The facts staring us in the face today, for which the blame does not necessarily lie with the three months old government, include the following: “ (1) The problem of increasing national productivity in the face of insecurity and other negative factors; (2) The prevalence of consumption patterns and product preferences that negatively impact Nigeria’s Balance of Trade, especially from the angle of accruing deficits, (3) The fact that the Nigerian State, and the political and economic elite, consume mostly what they do not produce and are not in a hurry to change; (4) The tendency to mistake policy statements and records of expenditure for positive impact on lives, and (5) The challenges of an operating environment that flagrantly undermines the best policy initiatives and economic intervention programmes. 

All things considered, and taking us back to our subject matter for today, unemployable Nigerians have become an absolute majority today. This includes intelligent graduates who actually studied for, and got, their academic qualifications. Their “unemployability” stems from a moral handicap. In their education, socialization and engagements, they internalized the wrong values about leadership, public office, service delivery and much more. If you “employ” them to manage the common till, via an electoral process, they go there to serve their personal interests. Thus, they are a danger to the state and are the wrong mentors for those coming after them.

See what unemployability has morphed into? So, look around you again and answer this question: Is it correct to say that the major crisis facing the Nigerian State today is the failure to work out, and be guided by, the unemployability index in everything it is doing today? Just asking.

Values create the right mindset for substantive citizenship, rather than nominal citizenship. In our New World Order, wherein anyone with a cell phone and a social media handle is automatically a media owner, broadcaster, Editor-in-Chief and even a television station, we need a rallying call for a gathering of wits. But who will make the call? Who is making it? Who even thinks that such a call is necessary?

The issues and problems raised here demand some reflection. Other issues not raised here are also alive and well. Some are cheerfully mutating, and not disappearing. Many more are even popping out of every street corner as I write. That is why weariness walks the land. But let the weary not thump their chests and point fingers. The space is being progressively taken over by aggrieved indigenes – not citizens – who are withholding loyalty from the Nigerian State. This is perhaps understandable when we consider that, in many cases, we have official marauders and state-decorated insurgents passing themselves off as leaders and statesmen. 

As observed on this page, under “The Call for Authenticity” nearly a year ago, “Inauthenticity walks the land! In Aso Rock, in the National Assembly, in the judiciary, in state government houses, in state Houses of Assembly, in local government headquarters, in churches and mosques, in institutions of higher and lower learning. We walk through a maze and claim to be walking under bright lights. Debauchery has been given a new name, in the hope that the discerning will no longer keep watch over disappearing values. No, the relevant eyes are still wide open, even if fewer in number than hitherto. The call for authenticity is real”. Enough said!

NIPR Gets a New President

Last week, Dr Ike Neliaku emerged the new President of the Nigerian Institute of Public relations. It was a victory well deserved and for an organization that he has tirelessly helped to build and nurture for so long.

Always in the background and almost desperate not to be seen, Ike has been the backbone of some of the most highly celebrated and successful national events. He has worked in government at the highest levels, but has never focused on anything else that adding value to the nation and to his principals. Ask any former minister about him and you will always get the same nostalgic and grateful note in the voice as they speak of a man without whom they would not really have had a meaningful tenure.

Ike was central to the conception, and successful execution, of the recent NIPR powered Nigeria Citizens Summit that moved from the Zonal Level to a well-attended Grand Finale in Abuja. In all of that, he was only concerned about ensuring that every demographic group and stakeholder platform had visibility, representation and voice. Those that were not forthcoming were approached specially. Ike’s argument in all instances was consistent: “We are not complete if we are not complete. The very idea of inclusivity in national discourse implies the absence of observers, of whatever coloration. So, those who have not said anything should be specially briefed on the subject matters on the table and their input taken”.

Need I say anything from the personal angle. I had better not. We leave it a this: NIPR has got the good man it deserves at a time like this.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will bounce back to deliver Nigerians from economic hardship.

The presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election spoke in a statement released by his Media Office in Abuja on Friday.

Abubakar is challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

The tribunal has reserved judgment in separate petitions filed by Atiku, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to overturn the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

PDP marked its 25th anniversary on Thursday, August 31 but the party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 consecutive years from 1999, when the country returned to civilian rule, has been out of power for eight years, from 2015.

Atiku said, “I have every confidence that the PDP will bounce back to give Nigerians a responsive government.

“PDP is the progenitor of our contemporary democracy and shall ensure that democracy did not only survive in Nigeria, but that the country thrives through it.

“Being one of the founding fathers of our great party, the PDP, I take great pride in having participated in the process of nurturing the party from infancy to a deliberate agency of socio-political and economic development in Nigeria.”

Atiku, who served as vice president to former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2003, described the achievements recorded by the party in the 16 years it was in power as the ‘benchmark’ for economic development in the country.

“In the 16 years that the PDP was at the helm of affairs in our country, the party offered quality leadership through various administrations and the achievements recorded in those 16 years have remained the benchmark for positive growth in our economy and other critical areas of our national life.

“Of course, the PDP took leading role in the deconstruction of military rule in Nigeria, and the peculiarities of our contemporary experiences both within Nigeria and other countries in Africa demand that the PDP should once again, rise to the occasion in cancelling the economic hardship and other structural deficiencies that directly bear negatively on our people in the past nearly eight and half years.”