YOU cannot resist fear if you do not know how fear manifests itself. How will you go against fear when you do not know how fear expresses itself? Fear manifests itself through thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Thoughts, ideas and suggestions which are inserted or injected into our minds as a result of our contemplating circumstances, negative or frightful circumstances, challenging situations we are going through; negative news and reports we hear around us.

Satan injects thoughts, ideas and suggestions into our minds, wanting us to cooperate with him. To begin to believe those things, begin to speak them out of our mouths and to begin to act on them. Now when you believe Satan’s thoughts or you accept those suggestions, and begin to speak them out of your mouth – when you begin to act in line with them, you are literarily authorizing the devil and giving him license to fulfill his wicked agenda in your life, which is stealing, killing and destroying. You must understand and get it firmly rooted in your heart and mind that you can stop the devil by stopping the fear.

When you stop the fear, Satan is incapacitated and has no further ability to operate in your life. Open the door to God instead by trusting the truth of God’s word. When you do that, you literarily authorize God to get involved in your circumstance and manifest his blessing in your life. I tell you the truth, there is nothing the power of God cannot do. There is no disease the power of God cannot cure; there is no situation the power of God cannot fix and there is no person the power of God cannot protect, preserve or defend.

This is what we are dealing with in this series: “FEAR NOT, TRUST GOD”. When you understand that Satan’s primary manifestation is through thoughts, ideas and suggestions, you know what to focus on. You are not shooting blindly or guessing, trying to fight the devil. You know exactly where to go to for the battle and that battlefield is in the realm of your thoughts. Your thoughts are the gateway into your life. If you are looking for the way into your life, if you are looking for the thing that influences your life more than anything else, it is your thoughts – how you think.

You live in the world of your thoughts. It is your thoughts that eventually determines how your life ends up. It is your thoughts that determine who is involved in your life, whether God or the devil. Proverbs 23:7 says as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

We must focus our attention on our thoughts, our mind or our thinking; in other words, our thought life. If we want to be successful against the spirit of fear; if we want to trust God and see His blessing in our lives; if we want to win all the time in life’s fight no matter what comes against us, then we must pay attention to our thought life – to the way we think. Again, as a man thinks in his heart, that is the way his life will turn out. That is what the word of God says.

It is so important that we understand how we can conquer the operation of the spirit of fear because as we have observed so frequently in this series, Satan has literarily zero power when you deal with the spirit of fear. Fear is Satan’s foremost strategy, his General and Field Marshal – Fear is that that goes ahead of Satan. It is his advance party to open the door for him to steal, kill and destroy.

When you shut down the operation of the spirit of fear, you shut down Satan’s operation. Just like when you shut or lock properly the doors of a house, it prevents access to all intruders or those who may want to come and cause harm to the residents of that house. When you learn to shut down the spirit of fear, you literarily paralyze Satan and render him impotent to operate in your life.

Instead of operating with fear, begin to trust God. Start trusting God with your life and the way to do that is to trust the words He has spoken to you through the written word of God as you study the Bible, or as He  inspires you when you sit and listen to anointed teachings. When you read the Bible of listen to anointed teachings, you begin to allow God to produce faith in you. The Bible says in Romans 10:17; so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

I tell you the truth that when you learn to shut down fear and start trusting the word of God, it literarily opens the door for good things to start happening in your life. For the blessings of God to come upon you, to overtake you and to manifest in your life.

So, now that we have understood that fear operates though thoughts, ideas and suggestions, we do not need to go looking anywhere else. We do not need to go to our village or our ancestry to look for the operation of the spirit of fear but we go to the word of God. The word of God will pinpoint the problem. Satan operates through thoughts, ideas and suggestions.

The Bible tells us in James 4:7 and 1Peter 5:8-9, to resist the devil and he will flee. The scripture says the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking who he may devour or swallow up. That means he is not authorized to or he does not have a right to. If he could, he would have but he cannot so he goes around seeking whom he may devour. However, the Bible says we should resist him steadfastly in the faith.

Now the roaring of the devil is like the roaring of the lion. He is not a lion but the roar of the lion is used as an example for the operation of the devil. The roaring of the devil is the manifestation of fear. Fear is like a roaring. It roars, it comes at you from everywhere through thoughts, ideas and suggestions. It paints negative pictures in your mind. It creates feelings and emotions of panic concerning your life, your safety, your preservation, your livelihood, your ability to thrive in life etc. But the word of God says we should resist him steadfastly in the faith.

Romans 10:17 says so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So resisting the devil in the faith is standing against him, opposing him based on the truth of God’s word that you know. If you do not have access to the truth of God’s word and you do not practice the truth of God’s word, there is no way you will be able to successfully resist the devil.

Your only defense against the devil is to first become a child of God which then grants you access through Jesus Christ to the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, the ministry of the Spirit of God and to the word of God. Now after becoming a child of God, become knowledgeable in the word of God. This is why we teach and instruct you in the word of God so that you will take the things you hear, rise up, come against the spirit of fear, subdue it, start trusting God and seeing situations start turning around in your favour.

This is where we focus our attention; on our thoughts, on our suggestions, on our imaginations. The moment we allow the word of God to take over our thoughts and imaginations and become the fuel or source for the suggestions that come into our mind, then we have a grip on the spirit of fear. Praise God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions our leaders must pounder on…

By BULUS GAMBO

Nigeria today is basically under enormous pressure even as many of it’s citizens are becoming increasingly overwhelmed by these difficulties. Evidently, the past few months have equally been traumatizing considering the number of our citizens already consumed or are presently sitting on the edge.

More than ever experienced before in the annals of our nation’s history, we are living in a country which is driven by the interest of a collective few rather than that of us all. Unfortunately, in the words of a former United States of America’s President Bill Clinton, though Nigeria is a rich country, many of it’s citizens are wallowing in abject poverty.

Evidently, Nigerians are facing serious problems which if care is not taken would consume the entirety of the nation. Sad enough, we are presently at a cross road with a slim chance of escape as far as our quest for nation building, integration, socio-economic and political

advancement is concern.

This nasty ordeal has prompted most of us to begin to ask essential questions parterning to acts of governance and it’s ripple effects on the polity.

Therefore, yours sincerely is also prompted to ask further crucial questions on hiccups inherent in our quest for nationhood. I am therefore further prompted to ask; are the political leaders of this country really aware that the common man is suffering? Are they in the picture of the reality of the fact that many people cannot afford three square meals a day? Are they still aware of our security problems which have consumed many innocent people and we cannot at the moment travel for an appreciable distance without being molested? Do they know that some parts of this nation are in our authoritative disposition only on paper?

Are this leaders of ours aware of the kind of weapons these ruthless insurgents are using against our defence less citizens and or incapacitated security agents? Is it true that the Nigerian government has been sincere in its fight against some or all of these criminal elements?

If most of these bandits and criminal elements are not the citizens of this country, should we or our government continue to treat them with kid gloves? Since most of these Boko Ha ram members are foreigners, what are we rehabilitating them and which society will they be able to fit into please?

What concrete plans do we have to save this country from total collapse and or what modalities do we have on ground to deal with

this ruthless aggression?

Since we have identified religious extremism as one of the key factors creating these problems, what are we doing about it in the country? What are the federal and state governments doing to sanction these extremists who are hell bend on setting this nation on fire? Come to think of it more properly, how can we disengage our young from being drafted into such a misguided mission at our nation’s peril?

If at all, most of our vulnerable youth who are conscripted into this sect are the jobless ones, what must we do to help them out? In the first place however, has the Federal Government through it’s policies been fair to the youth of this country? Have we been carrying our youth who are our future leaders along in times of letting them believe in Nigeria, their motherland? Can any of our youth and even the older ones be proud to die for their country? Have we really been patriotic to the core in our respective obligations to our motherland?

Have the older generations been real role models for the youth of this nation? Are our leaders in the interest of leading this country, as dreamt and fashioned out by our founding fathers?

Are some of our political leaders behaving normally, and are they really their actual selves? Should I be wrong to say that some of them are highly possessed by demons and no longer in control? Are some of our politicians’ behavioral attitude exhibited by them today that which we knew them did long before now? Will I be wrong to suggest that some of our political leaders in this country need deliverance this very moment?

How many of our political and religious leaders in this country can before God and man swear that all and or most of the decisions and programmes they have associated themselves with or taken are in the best interest of Nigeria? How many of them can confidently look at the citizens of this country in their eyes and boldly declare that since this country started facing some of these ruthless challenges; they have stood their ground on the side of justice, equity, and fair play?

But again, how many of our leaders can boldly say that when wrong decisions in the act of governance were taken, they threatened to quit and or have faced their other political colleagues and told them face-to- face that as far as this strategy is concerned, it will not work for Nigeria?

I want to ask our leaders to tell us with all sincerity of purpose that all the decisions they have continued to take are in the best interest of the citizens and will facilitate national integration.

Are we the ordinary citizens of this country supporting genuine candidates who can remove us from our present predicament or is it that monetary gains and ethnic sentiments have

overwhelmed our sense of reasoning?

Are all these clergymen who chastise us in our places of worship seeing the atrocities our leaders are committing with impunity? Are these spiritual fathers of ours talking to some of these leaders of ours who have derailed from their anticipated obligations? Have our clergymen really not compromised and collected monies from these political leaders hence decided to stay mute even as the country is on the edge of total disintegration and chaos?

Have we learned our lessons and are prepared to change our unpleasant narratives or are still neck-deep toying with our future? Are we tired of what we see and are genuinely preparing to elect good leaders or still test trying our democratic experimentation? Are we still longing for this maggi and salt Greek gifts from our politicians or this time around prepared to hold them to account? Do we know how many months our children have remained at home as universities stay closed or we don’t even care about the prospects of our kids anymore?

We must answer some of these fundamental questions and re­examine ourselves on our expected obligations to our beloved nation.

Incest becoming rampant in our society

By HOSEA NYAMLONG

WIKIPEDIA defines incest as human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This kind of practice, include sexual activity between people in consanguinity blood relations and sometimes those related by affinity marriage or step-famlly, adoption, or lineage.

Incest taboo is one of the most widespread of all cultural taboos, both in present and in past societies. Most modern societies have laws regarding incest or social restrictions on closely consanguineous marriages

A common justification for prohibiting incest is avoiding inbreeding, a collection of genetic disorders suffered by the children of parents with a close genetic relationship. Such children are at

greater risk for congenital disorders, death, and developmental and physical disability, and that risk is proportional to their parents’ coefficient of relationship a measure of how closely the parents are related genetically.

In both Christianity. Traditionalist and Islamic laws, marriage or sex among close relations like parents, step parents, uncles and Aunties are prohibited.

Today, it is disheartening that some fathers had canal knowledge and impregnated their daughters, while some adult males have also mated same kind of crime to their own blood sisters. No any day would passed without recording of incest cases in our communities.

Similarly, some mothers have engaged to have sexual knowledge of their male children.

Reportedly, incest mostly occurs when there is divorce, separation or prolonged sexual starvation within parents, giving room to some sexually active fathers to have sex with their matured daughters.

It was suggested that economic hardship and the shift in the role of women were also contributory factors because fewer women now stay at home and watch over their children. This often translates into pregnancy, abortion and untimely death.

stigma and social shame.

Again, when siblings are raised separately by different parents, because of divorce, they may ignorantly enter into sexual relationship with each other because of genetic sexual attraction.

Incest is a crime in Nigeria by virtue of Section 3, subsection 1, sub-sub section b of the Matrimonial Causes Act. Also, Section 33 of the Marriage Act forbids sexual relations and marriage among people who are related by blood. It is captured as “Prohibited degree of consanguinity.”

Incestuous relationships or marriages are further prohibited in the 1st Schedule (Section 3) of the Matrimonial Causes Act, Cap 220, law of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 1990, where it lists the prohibited degree of consanguinity to include that between father and daughter, mother and son, brother and sister, uncle and aunt, niece, and nephew.

In addition. Section 214 (3) of the Criminal Code Act (a criminal law that is applicable in and covers all parts of Nigeria), Caption 77, Law of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) prescribes a minimum of 14 years’ imprisonment for those found guilty of incestuous liaison, which it referred to as “offence against morality.”

However, the Nigeria legal system seems to prioritize more of the electoral offenses than the cases concerning the vulnerable citizens who are abused on daily basis.

Handling cases of electoral offense and other related matters have a time frame to conclude without delay, within the legal timeframe.

Likewise, most cases of incest, linger in courts for a longer period of time without much attention. Perpetrators of such evil act continue to have field day on the vulnerable.

The effect of incest on the victims includes low self-esteem, trauma etc. Sometimes incest can result to other virginal diseases like. Vesicovaginal fistula (WF), Gonorrhea, Syphilis and Bacterial Vaginosis etc to under aged girls or female victims.

It is a traumatic situation that renders victims into hatred or isolation. Most of the time the offenders of such criminal act do

threaten their victims against reporting them to any relevant authority.

However, the victims are forced to live with the fear and timidity of not exposing the offender for life

To this end, all hands must be on deck to fight this evil practice in our society. Nigeria under the Penal Code Law/Act has provisions for ’incest’ as an offence and it can also under the Nigerian Criminal Laws be termed as rape and criminalized.

Parents, caregivers, guardian etc should be on the alert to ensure that families should avoid things that would cause separation or divorce within the family marriage circle. Children are to be properly cared for, protected from any incest practice.

It is expected that the National Assembly would make haste in passing the Sexual Offenses Bill, without any further delay and that States of the Federation would legislate similar law in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When wrong leaders are in power

By BULUS GAMBO

IN the course of my journalism career straddling virtually three decades now; I have had the opportunity of meeting some prodigious men and women who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers. One of such persons is none other than Prof. Ali Mazrui, the Tanzanian born American political writer on African and Islamic studies, reputable and globally acclaimed scholar who was not only passionate about the underdeveloped status of Africa but the ineptitude disposition of most of our leaders on the continent. Even though Mazruri had separately underlined some humanly created hiccups which had consequently hoven nations of Africa into reversible dilapidation, he was always quick to affirm that our leaders in this part of the world were and still are so selfish to a magnitude that they only think of themselves.

Even when Mummar Gaddafi held sway, building enclaves for himself, even when Mobutu Sese seko was amassing significant wealth, even when many tyrants and despots were tormenting vulnerable oppositions across Africa, not any of us was bold enough to challenge such obnoxious, brutal aggression s, policies and or intrigues.

Today, these acts of administrative ingenuity continuously perpetrated by our successive docile and vision-less leaders have derailed our dreams and developmental projections. In between their freeholds of phenomenal misrule, nations of the continent have been polarized, subjugated and milked with consistent unbearable hardship necessitated by elements of excruciating poverty.

Today, one of this African countries which is presently on its knees is Nigeria presently regarded as the most populous black nation in the world. In the past few months, it has become so evident that this nation is fundamentally sick and incapacitated with no practicable remedy in sight.

One of the most disturbing issues holding this country by its neck is the ongoing precarious sense of insecurity bedeviling the nation. Since the advent of this democratic dispensation, it has not been that worse than this time around. The activities of kidnappers, bandits and insurgents with boldness and impunity are arleady pricking our intellectual thoughts.

For instance, in a recent BBC documentary on the activities of bandits in Northern Nigeria released this year, Nigerians were shocked following the confessional statements offered by some of these heartless criminals. In fact, it became much more disturbing after one of the bandits disclosed that the incumbent government after negotiations gave them a whooping N60 million as ransom for the release of some kidnaped victims.

Surprisingly, while the government has vehemently denied giving such an amount, one bandit who was turbaned with a traditional title in Zamfara State, north western Nigeria openly declared that he does not kidnap but kill innocent citizens. This particular bandit further noted with pride when asked about the number of lives he had killed disclosing boastfully that he could not recount the number of his victims of unnecessary mayhem.

In the aftermath of this BBC documentary, many fundamental questions are continuously being ask by both scholars and members of journalism profession in this country and even beyond. Some of these questions include how was this journalist able to locate these dangerous elements which the nation’s security had consistently failed to locate and ensure that justice is done.  Is it true that the government has been paying ransom to these elements even as they have openly criminalized any of such acts? How workable has been this amnesty programme dished out to the so called repentant Boko Harram sects in our country?

We have also heard unconfirmed reports that some of these repentant extremists have been conscripted into the nation’s security organizations after undergoing several demilitarization programmes to disengage them from their inhuman ideologies. Though one cannot conclude on this assertion, it has become so worrisome and unacceptable by any and every standard that despite the billions of naira spend on the issue of tackling insecurity, the nation is still unable to make any headway.

Just some days past, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno noted that tired of the unabated calamity bedeviling this country, Nigerians have stated seeking for self-help in an effort to protect themselves. This self-help connotes the fact that many communities are militarizing their domains, buying weapons and training themselves to acquire certain elementary skills of physical confrontation in this moment of uncertainty. What this equally means is that the citizens of this country have lost confidence over government’s ability and or capability to protect them.

We have been abandoned in a forest full of loose hungry lions looking for anyone to deplete.  In the midst of this unpleasant calamity, most Nigerians are finding it difficult to have three square meals a day. In this same country, our public universities are closed due to unending fruitless negotiations which have taken us nowhere. Come to think of it, the increasing fuel price in a petroleum producing nation like ours has contributed in no small measure to the sufferings the citizens of this country.

The hike in fuel pump price has continued to affect all facade of our lives. In a situation whereby the government has almost failed in regulating the price of this essential commodity, vulnerable Nigerians are the ones bearing the burden of these excruciating predicaments.

Without any contradiction, many innocent citizens of this country are only but enduring this obvious hardship. In the last few years, government policies have left much to be desired even as people are yawning for any systematic improvement particularly regarding policies affecting the welfare of the entire vulnerable citizens.

Sad enough, the vision-less disposition of the leaders of this country has greatly polarized this nation. Consequently, nothing seems to be working for our good due our pretentious lifestyle coupled with glaring dishonesty which has truncated nearly all our hopes for a better tomorrow.

Summing it up in one of his pragmatic documentaries, Prof Mazuri explains that our contemporary leaders lack remedies to some of these challenges because they cannot give that which they don’t have. For Mazuri, leaders in Africa have not lived up to our expectations because we have always been voting the wrong people into power.

 

Lessons from Russia, Ukraine conflict

By CELESTINE ATTSAR

THE present challenge faced by many households in Nigeria looking at the rise in the prices of food items is considered by many as a result of the country’s bad agricultural planning and policies which were neglected in the past.

Nigeria is a country that is very much blessed with land suitable for farming varieties of crops suitable for human consumption.

Right from ancient time agriculture has been the major source of income in Nigeria’s traditional setting but the search for any meaningful technological advancement has remained a mirage up till this moment. Though governments in the past have introduced policies aim at improving the sector; mismanagement and corruption have bedeviled it which resulted in complete grounding of the various good policies. For example, former President Obasanjo during his reign as a military head of state introduced, Operation Feed the Nation, also; late President Shehu Shagari came up with Green Revolution. All these were government policies that were aimed at ensuring food security for the nation. This vision is yet to be achieved.

During the period of Covid-19 pandemic and now with the Russian Ukraine conflict, the world has learned that every country must produce food it consumes; as nature and geographical tension could cut the supply chain as it did of essential goods from more productive nations to dependent countries with global food prices spiking, and supplies of wheat, oil and other commodities halted   following the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Nigeria is among countries that face a number of threats. Since 50% of the food consumed by Nigerian households comes from purchased source; food price inflation thereby has continued to threaten sources of livelihood. In particular, Nigeria’s dependence on wheat import may lead to high prices of food items that are products of wheat.

At the same time; with Nigeria’s capacity to produce other key items such as, fertilizer and natural gas: one would have expected it to take advantage of global market disruption from the crisis, especially where governments in the past had made frantic efforts toward developing our agricultural sector. Nigeria would have gotten customers in the international market to supply some of these items that the conflict has blocked.

Suffice it to say that attention should be focused on wheat, Nigeria is a huge consumer of wheat products. The Central Bank of Nigeria report has it that wheat is the third most consumed grains in Nigeria after maize and rice with domestic production for only 1% of the 5 to 6 metric tons consumed annually. In 2020, Nigeria imported wheat worth over 2.15 million dollars, a 40% rise from the previous year and ranked as the world’s fourth largest importer of wheat after Egypt, China and Turkey.

It is very clear that Nigeria’s import dependency on wheat is not expected to decline anytime soon, due to fundamental problems such as low adoption of agricultural technologies, slow progress in agricultural research and development, climate driven disasters and armed conflicts.

Though in its efforts toward reviving the already neglected wheat farming in the country the president last year flagged off the first ever rain fed commercial wheat cultivation in Plateau State where he  charged farmers to embrace wheat farming and stop the import of the product which he said gulfs over 2 billion dollars annually. The president also said, the programme, which is in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme would transform the sector.

The launching of the programme is a welcomed development to Nigerians especially those interested in farming wheat as that will go a long way in rewriting the country’s name in gold as a major producer of wheat.

The Russia/Ukraine conflict should give our policy makers in the agricultural sector a rethink as we as a nation must give wheat farming the serious attention it deserves so that we can enhance our source of foreign income.

The conflict has now showcased to the world the capacity of a country of the size of Ukraine which is amongst countries that feed the world, thereby posing a great challenge to other nations to know that, it is time we make use of our God given natural resources to change the fortunes of our country for good.

 

Are we going the way of Arab spring?

By KENNETH DARENG

 THERE is no doubt, by now millions of Nigerians are accustomed to various kinds of human sufferings and have resigned to their faith especially when faced with the stark reality of poverty, unemployment, various labour strikes, insecurity, maladministration and other social vices that have over the years denied them the opportunity to enjoy the common wealth of their beloved nation.

The Afro-beat exponent late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, once described the plight of Nigerians as that of, ”suffering and smiling” which vividly explains the kind of patience and ”godly” people Nigerians are. Perhaps, it has to do with their rich cultures and traditions and that of Islam and Christianity, which the people have swallowed like what Karl Max referred to; ” the opium of the Masses” which might have stuck with their mindset to just say; ”God dey” or it shall be well even when they know it will never be well.

For decades running, the country has witnessed different administrations right from the colonial days to date and yet, it is as if each successive government came with its style, policies and programs that ended up either as a failure or left worse than they met it.

Those who were born in the pre-Independence era up to the 70s would tell how prosperous the nation was and how peaceful it was living in any part of the country without any form of discrimination despite differences in tongues and other factors, yet the people remained resolute in standing side by side with each other under one united Nigeria.

Then came the period of oil boom with vast opportunities everywhere ranging from jobs, education, access to health, housing and other basic requirements of life that also promoted commercial activities and social interaction across the length and breadth of the country.

Unfortunately, these good fortunes began to decline with the involvement of the military in governance which between the 70s and the 90s became the nation’s albatross where vested interests within the elite brought about massive corruption and  retrogression in almost every fabric of the society which has today grown to a hydra headed monster that has turned Nigeria from the economic power house of the African continent to a state of hopelessness and if care is not taken heading to the precipice.

The state of the nation today is like giving birth to a normal child but later in the cause of growing up, the child began to exhibit signs of an ailment that has affected its normal growth which required surgical operation but was neglected and now it has become a full-blown life-threatening disease. This is the pathetic situation the country has found itself with multiple problems it can barely contain.

Some of these challenges are majorly; insecurity bordering on terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities apart from raising an army of unemployed youths, a fractured civil service with an already exasperated labour unions and general public outcry of high costs of living with corruption hitting high volumes while government’s institutions have almost collapsed coupled with nepotism, lack of equity, fairness and justice across board.

What constitutes a seeming national emergency now suggests that the government is bereft of fresh ideas on how to turn things round, most especially with the rising wave of insecurity which has heightened food insecurity with a resultant effect on all sectors of the economy whose devastating consequences can be felt on all spheres of the Nigerian society.

In what appears to be an act of insensitivity, the government had made good its resolve to privatize the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] as well as coming up with the more controversial policies like the one proposed by the National Security Council, such as the nation-wide banning of commercial motor-cycles popularly known as ”Okada” and what it termed ”illegal” mining across the country.

Logically, the Federal Government needed to have weighed the implications of such laws which apart from begging for more answers, have drawn public condemnation from across sections of society. In the light of the present level of hardship and excruciating pains of the general living conditions in a country where nothing seems to work, where poverty is starring the masses right in the eyes, where Universities have remained closed for more than 5 months and where many are experiencing hell on earth could be a short cut to anarchy.

In addition to the costs of cooking gas, endless daily queues at filling stations with the costs of foodstuff and services beyond the reach of the commoners, and where the cost of transportation has turned the poor of the society to perpetual foot soldiers and forceful marathoners, one wonders where the Government is heading to and what it is inviting to itself.

Unfortunately, Nigerian leaders are bad students of history, otherwise, they ought to have remembered that not too long ago, the Arap Spring that led to the downfall of governments in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan and most recently in Sri Lanka, all started with public disenchantment over similar issues.

Although the Government’s idea of banning illegal mining with operation of OKADA might be easier said, lest we forget, this is also one industry that absorb more than 40 percent the army of jobless youths including graduates. Therefore, any attempt to ban such without first and foremost coming up with requisite and realistic measures and palliatives may well be embarking on a risky maneuver with an intention to blow off the little patience left in the minds of majority of its populace.

SMS ONLY 08098181805 kennethd1966@gmail,com

 

Imbibing reading culture

By HOSEA NYAMLONG

Poor reading culture in Nigeria, among Primary, Secondary and Tertiary students has deteriorated over the years.

Research has shown that the causes of poor reading culture in Nigeria include defective education system, reading language problem, lack of well-equipped or functional libraries in schools and low patronage of school libraries, among others have contributed a lot to the poor state of reading in the country.

Recently, it was discovered that the decline in reading culture among the various ages and population segments in the country has reached an alarming state that reading is no longer interesting let alone reading for self-development.

Social media handles such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tik tok, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Snapchat, Skype, imessage, Youtube, Linkedin etc. have taken the day, by pulling heavy traffic of viewers, chats, on the social handle, abandoning information from books and other relevant materials that have served as a major source for information and development.

Reading has been proven to stimulate imagination, encourages curiosity. Reading enhances acquisition of skills for handling complex ideas or issues. It is generally believed that readers are leaders, because of the information they have gathered through reading of books in their life time.

A reading society is a knowledge-based society, by extension, a developed society with adequate information that drives, the process of development.

People who read are more empathetic towards their fellow beings and more willing to be curious and open towards others in sharing information, knowledge, good decisions and the ability to think ahead to plan for the future.

Similarly, the way of life of a nation is influenced by the percentage of its citizens who are literate. Reading bridges the gap between ignorance and knowledge.

Nigeria is rated among countries in the World with the lowest reading culture where the vast majority of the population are non-literate and this has placed the country at the disadvantaged side, which is not good in this 21st century.

This calls for an urgent and pragmatic measures to be taken in order to revive the reading culture back in the country.

Most primary school pupils cannot read to comprehend, attention is not given to improve the capacity level of the pupils in primary schools. The public primary schools are suffering more from this menace.

On this note, reading increases understanding of our own identity, improves empathy, widen our scope to new information and gives us an insight into the world view of others.

In the past, what was common among citizens, students and youths was the number of books, novels, newspapers they were able to read. And many new words, building vocabulary and meaning  through the process of reading.

Indeed, that was the era of reading culture that was invoked, where parents would ensure that they passed down newspapers, books they have read to their children to read and sometimes children reading to their hearing, to really ascertain without comprehending the text.

Unfortunately, it seems we have migrated from that period to a new era that reading of books and other meaningful materials has become an enemy to knowledge.

Today, instead of how many books one has read, to how many likes, viewers, followers one has online.

Although, social media is a means of communication, but many citizens, students, youths, love to spent more time chatting, then using the platform to browse for new materials, books or research that would help in adding more knowledge.

There is a great benefit in building a reading culture in children, it is believed that it is important for children to develop the habit of reading early in their development.

Nonetheless, reading culture is a learned practice of seeking information, knowledge, or entertainment through written words.

However, it should not be limited to reading textbooks for academic purposes! It should involve the news, novels, or even online articles on topics of interest.

Reading, whether for pleasure or for academic purposes, is therefore an essential habit that forms the bedrock of greatness in everyone, regardless of age, gender or status which is hardly disputable.

The truth remains that a nation whose citizens no longer read is sure to face an uncertain and endangered failure. Let us take steps today to save our future by practically reviving our reading culture.

To this end, reading culture can be enhanced through provision of suitable reading materials in schools, including public libraries and the use of readership promotion campaigns.

Parents should also own the campaign process of imbibing the reading culture in their children, instead of buying video games, Android phones. More books be bought and parents should be role models to their children.

Teachers are to be adequately trained on how to engaged pupils, students on how to read books and other materials of learning

Government should ensure that they set up programmes, policies that would help Nigeria to be among the literate society through partnering with authors, publishers to write and publish books that would be affordable, available in schools and public libraries in the country.

Information Communications Technology (ICT), should be used to promote the campaign of reading books.

God bless Nigeria!

 

 

 

 

 

 

NUJ inaugurates NASS aspirants Parley Committee

 

THE Kogi State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Adeiza Momoh Jimoh, at the weekend, inaugurated a three – man Media Parley Committee in preparation for the 2023 general elections.

Adeiza while performing the ceremony at the NUJ Press Centre, Lokoja, said that the essence of the programme was to bring the aspirants to make public their mission and vision.

He said that the parley is also aimed at redefining and deepening the nation’s nascent democracy.

The Media Parley Committee is entrusted with the responsibility of mobilising National Assembly aspirants in the three senatorial districts of the state to honour the programme irrespective of their political parties.

Speaking after the inauguration, the chairman of the committee, Comrade Ocheme Jerry thanked the NUJ Chairman for the opportunity and promised to deliver on the assignment.

Other members of the NUJ Media Parley Committee include the publisher of the Nigerian Post, Mr. Abu Michael and the Secretary of the Kogi State Council of NUJ, Alhaji Ademu Seidu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On national senior secondary education commission

 

EVERY institution has a critical juncture and a special time it considers its moment of glory. For senior secondary education in Nigeria, the establishment of National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), to prescribe minimum standards for secondary education throughout Nigeria and manage national secondary education fund is the turning point and a defining moment.

It is sad to note that senior secondary education in Nigeria follows the same trajectory of life of an orphan and abandoned child. The sector has suffered neglect and lack of political will from the previous governments of Nigeria. Thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu for taking the bull by the horns. They breathe new life into the hitherto moribund National Secondary Education Commission (NSEC) by resuscitating the law establishing it under act No. 47 of 26th May, 1999 laws of the federation of Nigeria.

For over two decades, the education sub-sector in Nigeria has figuratively been walking like a lame duck for lack of an agency to regulate it. ‘’This has had negative impact on the production of competent trained manpower at sub-professional grade in senior secondary school in Nigeria as well as production of non-viable inputs into the tertiary education institutions’’, lamented the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

The establishment of NSSEC could not have come at a better time. While primary and junior secondary education is regulated by the Universal Basic Education Commission, (UBEC), and colleges of education, polytechnics and universities by National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), and National Universities Commission, (NUC), respectively, it is unfortunate that only senior secondary education sub-sector is left to hang on the balance.

With the emergence of NSSEC as an agency of the ministry of education, stakeholders in education in Nigeria, education administrators and the beneficiary students especially, will hope to see in not too long-distant future, a meteoric rise in standards of secondary education in Nigeria.

Dr. Benjamin Abakpa was appointed as the pioneer Executive Secretary to lead the commission in April 21, 2021. The appointment of Dr. Abakpa, a path breaker, water walker, mathematics education scholar, seasoned and thorough bread academic cum education administrator, as the head honcho of NSSEC is apposite, auspicious, and could not have come at a better time than now.

As soon as he took over the management of NSSEC, Dr. Abakpa felt that the Commission will have to get a total buy-in from state governments, traditional institutions and stakeholders in the education sector to succeed in its core mandate. To this end, education stakeholders recently converged under the auspices of NSSEC at an advocacy and sensitization forum from the North-East geo-political zone in Bauchi.

The forum, which examined and discussed issues bordering on resuscitation, repositioning and implementation of the new National Senior Secondary Education Commission and Senior Secondary in Nigeria, will be held at different times at all the zones of the federation.

The task ahead of the Executive Secretary and his staff is herculean as it relates to senior secondary education as the most critical and vital of the three levels of education in the country. The responsibility of nurturing a commission of the magnitude of NSSEC from cradle to maturity is not by any means easy. The commission has to therefore grapple with issues that have to do with poor condition of senior secondary schools such as dilapidated structures, poor instructional and infrastructural facilities including ICT, inadequate number of qualified teachers, low student to teacher ratio, inadequate acquisition of life skills by students, and inadequate funding, among others.

To achieve the goals of NSSEC, management of the commission must invest in staff because the staff are the commission’s most valuable asset. People matter most in both public and private organizations because they are the most essential contributors toward the progress and development of the organization. In today’s dynamic work environment, it is human assets that give edge to organizations.

The sixty staff seconded and redeployed from the ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government to set up the National Senior Secondary Education Commission are well experienced in their various fields, enthusiastic about the job, and are ready to chart a new course for the commission. As NSSEC is structured along the universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Dr. Abakpa and his hands on staff have much to learn and improve upon the achievement of UBEC.

As partners in progress, it is hoped that the collaboration between National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) and State Senior Secondary Education Boards (SSEB) would improve the quality of secondary schools especially in the areas of Science, Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurial education throughout Nigeria.

saleh Bature wrote in this piece from NDIC Quarters, LImpopo Street Maitama Abuja. He is reachable at baturesuba@yahoo.co.uk