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Ondo Guber Poll: IGP Deploys DIG, AIG and 11 Commissioners of Police

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Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, has warned that no security aides would be allowed to accompany VIPs or political appointees on the day of the guber Elelection in Ondo State, noting that severe punishments would be meted out to anyone who violates the order.

This was coming as Adamu has deployed Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Research and Planning, Adeleye Oyebade to administer the general security arrangement for the election in the state.

Also, to ensure effective coordination and full implementation of security arrangements towards a peaceful election in the October 10 Ondo State gubernatorial election, IGP deployed Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Federal Operations, Department of Operations, Force Headquarters in Abuja, Karma Hassan, and eleven Commissioners of Police.

Adamu charged Oyebade to bring his wealth of experience to bear by ensuring the due enforcement of all electoral laws throughout the period of the election.

The police chief, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said Garba Umar would be in charge Monitoring/Evaluation and would be assisted by Habu Sani.

Other senior police officers deployed to handle other layers of security in the state are: Abiodun Alabi, Bishi Omololu, Ashafa Kunle, Akeera Yonous, Buba Sanusi, Audu Madaki, Evelyn Peterside, Sadiku Gbenga and Abutu Yaro.

Officers and men of the Force as well as personnel of other security agencies deployed for the election have also been charged by IGP to conduct themselves professionally and work in line with best practices as highlighted in the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Elections.

He also enjoined members of the public, especially politicians and their supporters to cooperate with the police and other security agencies in the national assignment of guaranteeing a hitch-free gubernatorial poll.

Idowu Sowunmi

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Restructure Nigeria or Break-Up- Adeboye tells Federal Government

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General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has advised the Buhari-led Federal Government to restructure Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world.

The call was made by Adeboye on Saturday during a symposium organised by RCCG and Nehemiah Leadership Institute to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence Day Celebration, with the theme ‘Where will Nigeria be in 2060?’.

The former lecturer at the Department of Mathematics of the University of Lagos said Nigeria should be restructured “as soon as possible” to forestall a breakup of the various socio-ethnic components that make up the country.

A proposition by Adeboye is the creation of a system of government that is 100 percent Nigerian, and the adoption of a merger of the British style of government and the American system of government as a way to protect Nigeria’s future.

“Why can’t we have a system of government that is 100 per cent Nigerian, unique to us? For example, we started on with the British system of government, somewhere along the line, we moved over to the American system of government,” Adeboye stated.

“Can’t we have a combination of both and see whether it could help us solve our problems because in Mathematics if you want to solve a problem, you try what we call Real Analysis, then if it doesn’t work, then you move on to Complex Analysis and see whether that will help you. If that fails, you move on to Vector Analysis and so on.

“I believe that we might want to look at the problems of Nigeria in a slightly different manner. Some people feel that all our problems will be over if Nigeria should break up. I think that is trying to solve the problems of Nigeria as if it is a Simple Equation. The problems of Nigeria will require quite a bit of Simultaneous Equation and some of them are not going to be Linear either – forgive me I am talking as a Mathematician.

“Why can’t we have a system of government that will create what I will call the United States of Nigeria? Let me explain. We all know that we must restructure. It is either we restructure or we break, you don’t have to be a prophet to know that one. That is certain – restructure or we break up.

“Now, we don’t want to break up, God forbid. In restructuring, why don’t we have a Nigerian kind of democracy? At the federal level, why don’t we have a President and a Prime Minister?

“If we have a President and a Prime Minister and we share responsibilities between these two so that one is not an appendage to the other. For examples, if the President controls the Army and the Prime Minister controls the Police. If the President controls resources likes oil and mining and the Prime Minister controls finance and inland revenue, taxes, customs etc. You just divide responsibilities between the two.

“At the state level, you have the governor and the premier, and the same way, you distribute responsibilities between these people in such a manner that one cannot really go without the other. Maybe we might begin to tackle the problems.”

Further in his presentation, Adeboye decried how traditional rulers have been relegated to the background. He canvassed for the recognition and restoration of traditional rulership in the governance of the country.

“If we are going to adopt the model, then we need to urgently restore the House of Chiefs. I have a feeling that one of our major problems is that we have pushed the traditional rulers to the background and I believe that is a great error particularly for a great country like Nigeria.

“I find it very ridiculous that one will ask a traditional ruler to inform the chairman of his local government before he travels.

“Go to any town in Nigeria, everybody in the town knows the paramount ruler in the town and they respect him (but) many of them don’t even know the name of the chairman of their local government.

“The traditional rulers are the actual landlords, they control the respect of their people. Their people will listen to them much more, I am sorry to say, than they will listen to some politicians.”

“Without any doubt, we must restructure and do it as soon as possible. A United States of Nigeria is likely to survive than our present structure,” he concluded.

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AstraZeneca, Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine may be ready in December

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A coronavirus vaccine may come in a matter of months just as about mkmnnn persons have died of the virus globally.

According to a British media report on Saturday, AstraZeneca and Oxford University jointly-developed COVID-19 vaccine may be rolled out in six months.

The vaccine, which is currently under the last phase of trial, may be given a clearance by health regulators in December.

The Times quoted UK government sources involved in the making and distribution of vaccines as saying that a full vaccine roll-out programme for adults could take six months or less after approval.

“We are looking at closer to six months and it is likely to be far shorter than that,” a government source said.

In line with a protocol developed by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, any approved vaccine will then be given to all over 65s, followed by younger adults at higher risk, which could include those from ethnic minorities as well as those with serious health issues based on their higher risk from the deadly virus.

Next in line will be people over 50, with younger adults at the back of the queue.

The UK government has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine once it is ready for roll-out and the doses are being manufactured before it has been shown to be successful in order to save time once it clears all the regulatory stages, British media reported.

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NSDC Parades 29 Suspects for Illegal Mining in Imo

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The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Saturday parades 29 suspected illegal miners who operate at different sites in Imo.

The State Commandant, NSCDC, Danjuma Elisha who paraded the alleged illegal miners on Saturday said the suspects were arrested following a directive by Gov. Hope Uzodimma to crack down on illegal mining operators in the state.

The suspects, Elisha said we’re arrested by a combined team involving the Military, Police and the Federal Road Safety Commission among others.

Elisha said that he would conduct the profiling on the suspects before charging them to court.

“We are here to work and we must carry out the governor’s directive to its fullest by ensuring that the environment is safe for all.

“Illegal mining is impacting negatively on the lives of people in Imo.

“It is one of the causes of landslide and heavy flooding, so we will not allow it to happen again,” he said.

The arrest operation was a feat achieved due to the existing collaboration and synergy of operations among security agencies in Imo state.

According to NAN, one of the suspects, Kelechi Nwokocha, who pleaded for forgiveness, confessed that he was in the business for seven years.

“I was arrested at Worie River at Nekede Old Road.

“I am aware that we are doing illegal business and our mining activities are impacting negatively on the environment.

“If I am given a second chance, I will not go back to illegal mining again,” he said.

NAN reports that Gov. Uzodimma had recently announced a ban on illegal mining and directed security agencies to crack down on suspects.

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Trafficking in Nuclear Materials Potential Threat to International Peace- President Buhari Warns

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A file photo of Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, when he addressed the nation on 60th Independence Day, October 1st 2020,

Trafficking in Nuclear Materials Potential Threat to International Peace- President Buhari Warns

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday called for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, warning that trafficking in nuclear materials remains a potential threat to international peace and security.

In his video-message to the UN High-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, President Buhari restated Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

He, however, expressed concern about the ‘‘slow pace’’ of States possessing nuclear weapons in disarming and decommissioning their existing nuclear facilities.

”We are concerned about the slow pace of progress by nuclear-weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals, in accordance with their legal obligations and undertakings under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),” President Buhari said.

Reiterating the need for the United Nations to continue engaging Nuclear Weapon States to speed up their efforts in disarming and decommissioning their existing nuclear facilities, the Nigerian leader said:

”The best approach to avoid damage associated with nuclear materials such as humanitarian crisis, accidents, disasters and criminality is the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”

President Buhari told world leaders at the virtual summit that the universalization of the NPT was dependent upon strict compliance with its three pillars namely, disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

He, therefore, enjoined other Member States to ratify the Treaty, noting that Nigeria had played a major role in negotiations leading to the coming into force of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty).

”We will continue to galvanize other African States to abide by the tenets of the Pelindaba Treaty. This is to ensure that the entire continent remains nuclear-free.

”While there are no easy solutions when we confront one of the gravest existential threats to the survival of the human race, we must remain undeterred and committed to a world of safety and security, one without the volatility posed by Nuclear Weapons,” he said.

The Nigerian President said it was noteworthy that this year marks the 75th Anniversary of the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan that terminated the lives of thousands of people with severe long-term damages to the environment.

”The Anniversary is a forceful reminder of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons which undermine global, national and human security.

”Hence, there is need for all states to comply with applicable international laws and conventions to ensure a world free of nuclear weapons.

”We must, therefore, redouble our efforts to implement the provisions of the Nuclear NPT being the basis of Non-Proliferation Regime.

”This is to enable us achieve our desire for total elimination of nuclear weapons,’’ he said.

President Buhari used the occasion to highlight how Nigeria had demonstrated support for multilateral efforts towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The President recounted that as one of the countries in the vanguard of the campaign for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Nigeria signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 20th September 2017 and recently ratified it on 6th August, 2020.

He noted that Nigeria joined like-minded states to sponsor the resolution titled “Taking Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations” which led to the legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

”Nigeria has been involved in the promotion of peaceful application of nuclear science and technology at national and international levels.

”Accordingly, Nigeria ratified several international treaties and conventions in the area of nuclear safety and security.

”We have also expressed political commitment to the IAEA Code of Conduct on safety and security of radioactive sources.

”More so, we have developed and approved the first International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Nuclear Security Plan for the period 2010-2012 with further review to cover 2019-2021 period.

”In this connection, Nigeria commends the continued efforts of the IAEA, particularly its role in monitoring and inspecting nuclear facilities. We urge States to ensure compliance with IAEA safeguards and standards at all times as well as nuclear verification disarmament measures,” he said.

The President added that in order to facilitate the development and peaceful deployment of nuclear technology, Nigeria regulates and implements its energy aspiration through the relevant agencies.

”In addition, we are reforming the National Nuclear Security Sector to make it robust and reliable.

”These reforms involve the domestication of The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism; Review of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act; and Review of Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority Act.

”To further demonstrate our commitment to nuclear security, Nigeria successfully converted the Nigeria Research Reactor (NIRR-1), a 31 kilowatts miniature neutron source reactor from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium fuel.

”Also in 2019, the administration set up Nigeria’s Nuclear Security Support Centre and developed a Nuclear Security Detection Architecture to serve as a sustainable safeguard for maintaining nuclear security and detection of radioactive materials out of regulatory control,’’ he said.

President Buhari also reminded the Summit that the 1996 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice affirms that the threat or use of nuclear weapons constitute a crime against humanity and a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
October 2, 2020

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Video Highlight: Nigeria at 60 Celebration in Abuja

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President Buhari participates at the Nigeria's 60th Independence Anniversary Celebration at Eagle Square Abuja on 1st Oct 2020

60th Independence Anniversary Celebration at Eagle Square Abuja on 1st Oct 2020

Video by @emmanuelanrihi001

Photos:

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Random Musings

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By Dapo Akande

I remember feeling so cool with myself when my headmaster told me during my primary school days that I had a photographic memory. For several weeks after that, I felt like I was on cloud nine. I’d never heard of that term before but boy, did it make me feel clever. The euphoric feeling didn’t last too long though. In fact it came to an abrupt end a few weeks later, when I flunked my maths and science exams, plus a couple of other subjects too, for good measure. So I wasn’t a yet to be discovered genius after all.

As we grow up and as we grow older, it is expected that our understanding will increase. A child who misconstrues what a photographic memory means and mistakes it for genius can easily be excused for his ignorance but an adult who does the same when all evidence says otherwise, may not be described in such charitable terms. I remember that when I was a child, whenever I injured myself while playing (which unfortunately was quite often), my father would get so angry. I couldn’t quite understand it. Shouldn’t he have some pity and feel for me? My mum on the other hand would pet me and sympathize, but not him. It was only when I became a parent myself that I began to understand as life came round full circle. I found that whenever my children injured themselves, though I was very concerned, my initial reaction would be to tell them off. Why? I guess it felt as if they had put me in a position of helplessness and I resented that. If I could somehow remove the pain from their bodies and transfer it to mine instead, I would do so in an instant. That would be far easier to bear than to watch one’s child writhe in pain while feeling completely helpless. Now I know how my daddy felt. The natural instinct of a husband and a father to protect his brood sets in motion. But such instances only remind us of our limitations as human beings.

Someone once said manhood or being a real man is to be a sacrificial servant and a willing partner in a partnership. It has as much to do with recognizing that one hasn’t been called to provide all the answers as it does with assuming leadership. Believe it or not, the two are not mutually exclusive. As Tammy Dollar rightly points out, there are different graces and abilities apportioned to each person and recognition and acceptance of one’s limitations is strength, not a weakness. Such understanding is often the source of making good judgments, itself a physical manifestation of wisdom or if you prefer, is wisdom in action. The good Book says, “the prudent see danger and take refuge (in wisdom) but the simple keep going and pay the penalty”. And if I may add to this, vulnerability is not the exclusive preserve of the female gender; it’s what makes us all human.

It was Andrew Wommack who said many people believe life is all about “Get all you can, can all you get and then sit on your can”. It’s against this background that John Wesley’s words spoken well over two hundred years ago, still continues to reverberate. He pronounced that your primary pursuit in this world should be to, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” I think you get the gist. Don’t stop.

There’s no experience, pleasant or agonizing that lacks value. Like I heard a man once say, we shouldn’t “waste our pain”. It was Friedrich Nietzsche who rightly observed that there are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth.

Use your life lessons to instruct, motivate, encourage, direct and empower others who might be going through or may still go through a similar situation. As a businessman, a career person or a parent, educate others to avoid pitfalls you may have fallen into during your journey. As a leader or a mentor, aim to inspire and ultimately enrich the lives of others by divulging secrets to success from your wealth of experience. Many a time in life, your biggest stories will have less to do with the actual subject matter than with their significance – less to do with all the facts of that situation or even what you did, and more to do with how it affected you and shaped you into who you’ve become. That’s the crucial element that really strikes a chord.

The careless use of so many words, terms and phrases has emptied them of their meaning. Though success goes by many definitions, one which fails to highlight the profound benefit derivable by others, I believe lacks merit. John Calvin said, “all the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors.” We will do well to remember that not all blessings appear as glittering gold, lest we carelessly let them pass us by.

I’m sure the last thing any of us would want would be to find ourselves lumped in the same bracket as the man seen squeezing his face like a smart person who’s thinking of the solution to a problem but who never ever has the answers…Lol. Such a person is of no good to anyone.

Changing the nation…one mind at a time.

Oladapo Akande is a Surrey University (UK) English graduate with a Masters in Professional Ethics. He’s an alumnus of the National Institute for Transformation and a two time author; The Last Flight and Shifting Anchors. He writes from Lagos.

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Breaking: Trump tests Positive to Coronavirus

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The President of the United States, Donald Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump both tested Positive to the deadly coronavirus.

In a Twitter post by POTUS tonight, he shared the information.
The President twitted:
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”

It was reported earlier Hope Hicks, one of aides closest to President Donald Trump, had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The White house however reported that the President and the First Lady will continue to carry out their daily duties while in quarantine. No details on this yet
More details will be coming later

Bunmi Adebayo

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UK record label signs Nigerian teenage sensation

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19-year old singer songwriter Shalom Olaleye has been signed to a record deal by a Manchester based record label.
Shalom who is known by fans as Troy – omo iya ijo was offered what many artists in his position would consider a lifetime opportunity, when his single titled Duro – caught the attention of an executive of the UK based record label on You Tube.

“It wasn’t just the song…there was also something special about Troy, he has what we call in the music business the X factor, and he’s young” says Ms Champagne Jaye – the vice president of Afristar Records (https://afristarrecords.com)
For Shalom though, this whole new development means he would have to make a decision about his education and his music career which appear to have received a boost, but the unassuming and somewhat shy teenager was quick to emphasise that his education was non negotiable and that he is working out an arrangement with Afristar Records that allow him to fulfil his contractual obligations only on weekends and during school breaks.

Shalom is currently studying mass communication at the prestigious Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta, in Ogun State Nigeria.

He credits his music career to the support from his mum and dad, both of whom are church leaders, as young Shalom was born and raised in a church environment and has been singing since he was four years of age and his stage name “omo iya ijo” is a tribute to his mother who is the “iya ijo” of the local church.

His debut EP titled TROY has just been released with hit tracks such as DURO, STAR, IJO OPE and MONEY TALKS and available for sale on iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music and other major streaming platforms.

Omo Iya Ijo on ITunes

Troy Omo Iya Ijo on Kkbox
Omo Iya Ijo on Boomplay For free

According to Afristar Records, local and international tour dates for 2021 will be announced before the end of the year.

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Nigeria at 60: A Dance by the Precipice- Politics, Governance, Policy Making [Part 1]

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As Nigeria clocks 60 years of independence, amidst the struggle to come out from the shock of COVID-19 on its economy, and the recent impasse between labour and the Federal Government over the hike in petrol and electricity tariff, an assessment of the nation’s progress in governance, politics and policy making starting from alleged Interference from international financial organizations such as the IMF, World Bank and AfDB is a good way to begin.

The first duty of any government is to ensure the security, both economically and socially, of its people. Any other consideration should be secondary. Primary duty, ensure that your citizens are comfortable, give them every opportunity to succeed, to have a good life, live a sustainable life, help their living standard. That’s what every government should be bothered about. So when it comes to external influences it should be based on what your people would have to go through to achieve those demands or whatsoever. So it is worrisome that for whatever reasons government deals with international financial organizations, they would have to put Nigerians in a very difficult situation. Nigeria is currently adjudged, if not the nation with poorest people in the world. So with this, why would our leaders want to overburden its citizens with its many policies? Anti-people policies to state it rightly.

There have been several commentaries in the wake of the pandemic that serious nations would rather give palliatives to its people and this issue came up at the time anyway. So there were talks about how much would be given to whom and at what point would they determine who was going to get what? But of course we never heard anything about it again save for N20,000 that was said to have been given to some 10,695,360 individuals in 35 states across the country, the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians they said; an exercise that was alleged to have been largely fraught with embezzlement. Does this government sincerely have the interest of Nigerians at heart? Sometimes that answer is mostly no. And it is not only under the Buhari-led government. If we look back, it’s always been an endemic, where our government, the people in leadership only concern themselves about what they can get from governance and not what they can give to people, or a good legacy of comfort they can leave for the people. By all means, it is morally wrong for you to put your own people in a difficult situation and even worsen their pains just to gain favours from international financial organizations like the IMF, World Bank and AfDB.

A lot of people have insinuated that the leadership of the NLC has been infiltrated, have been bought and that that’s why they are not really pressing to fight for more, for this injustice done by the Federal Government. Questions have been raised, asking should the NLC have gone ahead with the planned strike last Monday despite attempts by the FG to douse the tension.

Over time we’ve always had situations that caused us to believe that the NLC were infiltrated by government officials. However, if the NLC had gone on that strike action, it would have caused Nigeria, more so Nigerians billions of dollars, a loss that would further compound the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. It is believed that if the strike had held, many people, businesses, income would suffer. It would have caused untold economic hardship. Taking a positive look at it, at least a win. And what is that win? That is a backtrack on electricity tariff hike, where within two weeks as agreed by both parties, certain issues that are critical to the negotiations would have been dealt with. It is not just the right time for those hikes. For example, it is outrageous that electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) will not distribute meters to its customers but enforce estimated billing on them. To make the sore hurt even more, electricity tariff was increased. It behooves on the government and Discos to be alive to their responsibility firstly before any other expectations from the masses. They should live by example. So these are the conditions, government and their allies in the Discos should do the needful by not only providing meters but making electricity supply stable, and then we can look at tariff increase and how it would help the power sector and indeed the economy.

It is an obvious secret that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan cheaply gave out the nation’s power holding electricity distribution assets to their cronies.  Just as it had been prevalent over the years even up until October 1, 2020 when we celebrate Nigeria at 60, a trend is constant, and that is always vested interest, not the interest of the people, only theirs and that of their cronies, to the detriment of the larger population. It might not be wrong to assume that officials involved in the sales of the Discos have shares in these companies hence the hypocrisy that surrounds its operational policy. It is always about their interest. If anything, it is high time that a drastic action was taken to hold government to the jugular, look them in the face and demand accountability, to say “we put you there and you must do what we want, what we make us comfortable and not the other way round”. Government should not overburden the people; it should rather get on to think on its toes and be creative.

How can the nation have non-working refineries for years, yet our leaders explore oil, export to Europe to refine and then import the refined product for Nigerians to buy? It is a big shame. How can you have hydro electric dams, yet we do not have power. It is unimaginable the lows we continue to sink to 60 years after independence.

The conversation around true federalism and restructuring is still ongoing. When you sum it up, one of the major problems of Nigeria is its foundational culture, attitude. When you take a careful look, one might not be far from the truth to think that the construct of colonialism had a great impact on our psyche including the way we behave as a people and to one another. We might not be certain what our attitude towards social growth and shared interests was before colonization. However, when you look at the idea or ideals of colonialism itself, it was about a philosophy to subdue and take for oneself. The British colonial construct, we would think left the shores of Nigeria in its entirety after relinquishing administration between 1960 and 1962. But we might be wrong to assume so, as it is probable that the British’s philosophy of ‘subdue and take’ embedded in colonialism stayed with us.

If the ideals of colonialism was to subdue and take for oneself, that is about what we see play out at every level of our society. In an attempt not to paint this as solely a leadership problem and then drop the bag at their doorstep because leaders are just a small fraction of people who emerge from the larger society, they mirror the society’s ills and good alike. More succinctly, the idea to subdue and appropriate for oneself seems to be the default act of most Nigerians. It is mostly about what I can take for myself only. The act of selflessness doesn’t seem to preoccupy the minds of an average Nigerian. This very much feels like the basis of Nigeria’s problems. We just want to amass for ourselves; we really don’t care about the other person. So when you ask an average Nigerian on the street about taking leadership positions, you will be shocked the expectation would be to get to office and take care of him or herself at the expense of the larger society.

In essence, amongst other things, a restructuring of the mind, our value system first and foremost is crucial. When a people do not have a solid foundation as to what their values should be they would misbehave and act out of line. For example, the very first step a serious organization should take is to define their values, objectives, mission and goals. This is what guides the operational methods of the organization. But what is the value system of Nigeria and Nigerians, it is obvious, everyone to himself, herself, an attitude of taking for oneself alone. So a restructuring of the mind is crucial.

Recall in 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan assembled a group of people from across the country for a National Conference- Confab, which he politicized and failed to implement. So while it is ok to give kudos to the Bayelsa-born ex-president for conceding defeat to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general election, even though he had no choice but to leave power anyway, he would have left his footprint in the sands of time had he ensured that 2014 confab was in the best interest of Nigerians, not his reelection bid, and if he took a bold step to ensure that the outcome of the conference was debated and implemented. He lost a very big opportunity there.

The problems of Nigeria had started just about when it began its journey as an independent nation. The ethnic stresses, strife, mistrust, unhealthy competitiveness that currently hold us bound have been there since inception. For example, in 1963, the Mid West region was created with the aim of solving the purported imbalance thought to be a part of the root course of instability in the West at the time. Despite this, the ethnic stresses never abated, they are even much worse in the present time. Even within a political party, ethnic rivalry persists, approaching issues from the prism of ethnicity. So ultimately, we should achieve a restructuring of the mind, our value system, and every other salient issue that are important to us as peoples. Even in some religious teachings, there is a saying that: “can two work together except they agree”? So how can we live together peacefully, achieve development, except we sit together to agree? We need to have a restructuring of the mind, a restructuring of our value system, where we are going to as a people, our goals, mission, and importantly what we want to become together.

By Tobiloba Kolawole

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