Justice, Development & Peace Movement
Catholic Diocese Of Oyo
+234 (0) 813 438 0797
JDP House, Mobolaje Oyo
P.O.Box 1458,Oyo
Justice, Development & Peace Movement
Catholic Diocese Of Oyo
P.O.Box 1458,Oyo
Justice, Development & Peace Movement
Catholic Diocese Of Oyo
JDP Office, Opposite Ajiga Filing Station, Off Stadium Road, Mabolaje Area, Oyo town
+234 (0) 813 438 0797
Ave Maria Microfinance Bank of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo unveiled a customized ATM Cards for her teaming Clients.
Today being the 19th day of April 2024, at the Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting (DPCM) of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo held at St Thomas More Catholic College Hall, Iseyin. During the reports of JDPM & AVE MARIA MICRO FINANCE BANK, with the endorsement of the Bishop,Most Rev.Dr Emmanuel Badejo,It was announced and clearly explained by Rev Fr Gabriel Adeleke that the ATM CARD of the Bank is now available and ready to use for day to day financial transactions.This is another feat by the bank to address the issue of financial exclusion among the people in Oke Ogun Area of Oyo State
International Youth Day (IYD) is celebrated across the world on the 12th of August every year as a recommendation by the World Conference of Ministers of Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999.
Over the last two decades of International Youth Day celebrations, several innovative and timely themes have been explored, which includes; mental health, intergenerational solidarity, safe spaces for youth and civic engagement. (The United Nations concept note for the 2023 celebration).
According to this year’s theme “Green Skills for Youth”, the world is embarking on a green transition; a shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world. This is critical, not only for responding to the global climate crisis, but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This is also important as it’s been reported that a green transition will result in the creation of 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030. These jobs are called green jobs, i.e. jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment either by supporting environmentally-friendly process or through the production of green products and services. (International Labour Organization).
The objectives of the International Youth Day 2023 will center on raising awareness of green skills and their relevance for achieving the SDGs, equipping stakeholders with the knowledge and information necessary to understand the importance of green skills for young people, showcasing policies and practices that can nurture the development of green skills among young people and, providing an inclusive platform for stakeholders to exchange views on such topics, while highlighting the central role of young people in the green transition.
We, at Justice, Development and Peace Movement (JDPM), Catholic Diocese of Oyo see this as a welcome development and an attempt in the right direction towards preparing the young generation for the future of work.
Over the years, we have worked and will continue to work with youths on initiatives that seek to empower them to be self-reliant while they also contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the environment where they find themselves.
Happy International Youth Day!!!
Determined to enhance growth and sustainability, the Management of Justice, Development and Peace Movement (JDPM) conducted a 2-day needs assessment training to evaluate both internal and external strength of the Organization.
The training which started on Monday 26th of June 2023, was designed to assess the necessary needs that will boost the Organization’s competitive power both in the internal and external environment where it operates.
During the training, it was discovered that the Organization had not done much in increasing its visibility and as such need to take drastic steps in its attempt to be well known in the industry where it operates. Also, it was agreed that it has work to do on some key areas, such as; proper stakeholders analysis, power mapping analysis, staff performance appraisal, developing monitoring framework and costing for its strategic plan, among many others.
The resource person, Mr. Anselm Nwoke, a Partnership/Capacity Strengthening expert from the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) advised that the Organization should build strong relationship with relevant Government agencies, as that would improve its visibility.
The staff showed great level of understanding through their contributions in all aspects of the training, and they also promised to take necessary actions towards bringing to reality everything they have learnt, in order to take the Organization to a greater level.
The Generator Coordinator, in his remarks, stated that “Knowledge is powerful. It has exposed us to some gaps. Let us act on the things we have learnt. Though, we still have a long way to go in our capacity building as individuals and Organization.
The training came at the back of two previous workshops on Organization Strategic Planning and Proposal Writing & Resource Mobilization done in December 2022 and January 2023 respectively. However, the management promised to always identify areas that needs to be developed and invest in them accordingly for the benefit of the Management, Staff and the target beneficiaries.
In line with the identification of and visit to Project stakeholders, a 6-man advocacy team was inaugurated on the 20th of June 2023, under the EU-SDGN project. The team comprises of retired seasoned educationists in Messrs. Ayediran J.A, Adewuyi T.A, Oladipupo J.I, Taiwo D.O, Alhaji Isamat T.A and Mrs. Awotunde P.F.
The Advocacy team is expected to visit about twenty identified project stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, from where the project officer had gotten letter of approval to carry out school outreach on Civic Education and Gender Based Violence in some selected secondary schools in Oyo State.
During the inauguration, the members were made to watch the video content (Animation) on Civic Education and Gender Based Violence, as would be shown to students during school outreach.
Since the members of the team are seasoned experts, it was easier for them to comprehend the animation explicitly. They accepted the offer and promised to put in essential efforts to convey the information to essential stakeholders.
However, several ideas were put forward during the inauguration to improve the content of the animation and the project in general. It was decided that a handout or brochure should be created from the animated video for possible school instructors and students.
Other attendees at the inauguration are Messrs. Azeez Odunuga, Akinwande Enitan, and Balogun Olawale; project support staff.
How do you feel whenever your relatives or colleagues are brutalized and killed by the Nigerian police officers daily? As a car owner, how do you feel whenever you are harassed at the checkpoints despite you have all documents that support car ownership or as a regular commuter, how do you feel when you are being assaulted by the SARS operatives despite you are not at fault for whatever accusation? Did I hear you saying "I am always angry and boiled from within so high that I can use any power within me to retaliate" Yes! The feeling is normal because everyone loves to be respected. Come on! Did you say I wouldn?t mind using any power to fight back? Are you not afraid to die in cold blood in the hand of these killers?
Every day is a different tumultuous experience for Nigerian citizens especially the youth who have often seen as criminals by most Nigerian Police Officers once they were able to make money from hustling or illegally amass wealth from internet fraud. The SARS officers brutalized, assaulted and killed Nigerian youth daily while the government does not blink an eye, an action that has been condemned by many mainstream media, social media influencers and the international community.
How SARS came into existence
According to former Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mike Okiro in an interview with the Daily Post, ?this issue of SARS is dogged by what I call ?policy somersault?. A government official or a government makes a policy and another government comes and changes the policy or abandons it. This is what is causing it. SARS started with me as the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations in Ikeja, Lagos when the infamous armed robber called Shina Rambo was having a field day in 1991. His modus operandi was to snatch cars and begin a shooting spree in a convoy of gunmen. He was so brazen that he even shot at policemen at checkpoints. There was no way to stop him. So, I and the then commissioner, Ademola, came up with the Special Anti-Robbery Squad".
"The idea was that they would be in mufti, and armed, simply for the very important element of surprise. They would take cover, and communicating with walkie-talkies, hit the armed robbers. They did that two or three times, and the robbery attacks went down, drastically, and at a point stopped altogether. Soon SARS started spreading, from Lagos to other states. And I began to notice that at every roadblock, you will see armed policemen, but in mufti. Now, how do you differentiate between a policeman and an armed robber? SARS business is not to investigate, but to hit. It?s a Special Anti-Robbery Squad, not an investigative one".
Recall that around 2009, SARS found its way into Nigerian tertiary institutions especially the Universities as a medium to repress the surge of internet fraud and cultism which had spilt to the streets. This era also coincided with the radicalism of style and fashion evolution amongst Nigerians under 35. It is obvious SARS operatives didn?t come into limelight after the inundation of Nigerian tertiary institutions by the so-called ?YAHOO+ GUYS? the gang were purportedly used as scapegoating circus to nib in the budding internet scamming uprising among the youths.
But a few years later, what SARS became was a national scourge that witch-hunt Nigerian youth with dreadlocks, piercings, cars, expensive phones and risqu? means of expression. This led to the #EndSARS campaign, against the constant abuse of office by SARS operatives. Daily, we hear terrible tales of exploitation of Nigerian youths by SARS operatives. These youths also give in because they don't want to risk time behind bars. The Federal Government ignored Nigerian youths for a while before they finally gave in after years of clamour - at least, it looked like that.
Ultimately, On August 14, 2018, then acting president, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in a statement issued by Osinbajo's spokesperson, Laolu Akande, the Acting President ordered the IGP to shut down the unit "with immediate effect". The Acting President has also directed the IGP to ensure that all operatives in the emerging unit conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to International Humanitarian Law and the constitutionally guaranteed rights of suspects. The operatives should also bear proper identification any time they are on duty?
The Vice President saw that SARS was rebranded under the FSARS name, to be handled by the office of the Inspector General of Police. Yet, nothing meaningful has been done as the SARS operatives continue in their brutality unchecked. As Nigerians continue to yearn for good governance and human dignity, it gains momentum on January 21, 2018, when news filtered in that FSARS was disbanded, but people claimed it was only going back to being SARS under state leadership and not the Inspector General of Police's office. So what happens afterwards?
Call for disbandment or restructuring of SARS
SARS became quiet and heroes were made of Segun Awosanya aka Segalink and figures like rap legend, Ruggedman who were vocal people in the struggle to #EndSARS. SARS went quiet and people went happy, a celebration filled social media and people praised the seeming strategic decision to #EndSARS by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. But the problem with SARS has never been about the organization. The idea of SARS and the corruption perpetuated by it has always been done by the men behind the movement. The wicked cabals in echelon!
The idea of restructuring SARS after months of accruing complaints on the denigration of Nigerian Youth at the hands of SARS operatives always seemed shady. You cannot change the organization if the men remain in the body, alive and breathing. The name might be gone, but the idea was always going to remain. It becomes worse, life-threatening and sadistically nostalgic. On the other part, the 'restructuring' of SARS never seemed a permanent solution to the problem we had because the Nigerian Police Force was already a corrupt organization, abusing power and office at will and for sport, but the story of SARS had been overshadowing their shady dealings.
With the restructuring of SARS and not complete disbandment and other forms of affirmative action to shelve the continued abuse of office and power, and internalized corruption as well as oppression of Nigerian youths, the problem was always going to persist and it was never going away as long as the men behind SARS remained steadfast within the breaches of Nigerian security operations.
Do you still remember Tiamiyu Kazeem, Remo Stars FC assistant captain who was killed by a SARS officer on February 22, 2020, in Sagamu, Ogun State? What about Johnson who was killed on Sunday, March 31, 2019. I hope you didn?t forget Yinka Badmus, a Nigerian freelance photographer who was assaulted by SARS operative because of dreadlocks? How many Kolade, Tiamiyu and others will be killed before we send these rogue officers to face serious trials? Jimoh Isiaq was also gunned down by a police officer on 10th October, 2020 during #ENDSARS protest in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
It didn?t come as a surprise as Nigeria's inspector general of police has banned a notorious unit from carrying out stop and search duties and setting up roadblocks amid growing anger at routine harassment and atrocities allegedly committed by its officers henceforth. An empty proclamation that can?t bring out meaningful change, just like his predecessors! In 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Mohammed Adamu also said members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) must always wear uniforms. SARS and other tactical police units have been banned from "invasion of privacy of citizens particularly through an indiscriminate and unauthorized search of mobiles, laptops and smart devices," Mr Adamu said in a statement on Sunday October 4, 2020.
Three years ago Nigeria's police chief ordered an immediate re-organisation of the SARS after public outcry, but little, if any, changed according to an Amnesty International investigation published in June. The rights group accused SARS officers of using "torture and other ill-treatment to execute, punish and extract information from suspects. It documented 82 cases between January 2017 and May 2020.
Interestingly, after weeks of peaceful protest by the aggrieved youth nationwide, the IGP, Mr Mohammed Adamu bowed to pressure to scrap the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) by claiming that the dissolved unit across the thirty-six (36) State Commands and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will be redeployed to other Police Commands, Formations and Units, only to change the nomenclature to Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT). This is a government that lacks public empathy! This might be the new version of Nigeria uprising/revolution which many youths have been anticipating a long time ago.
My submission is that the problem was never going away if the people behind SARS and who gave SARS that reputation were not tried for crime against humanity.
I feel this issue can be managed if justice is served for all deceased victims of police brutality and adequate compensation for their families, setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct (within 100days) and in line with the new Police Act, psychological evaluation and retraining (to be confirmed by an independent body).
Now, SARS have been disbanded, but inevitably, we still have SARS-problems - nothing has changed! Until we fix the problem with the people who constituted SARS and find a way to understand the era of avant-garde expressionism we live in, with totally no relations to irresponsibility - unless proven otherwise ?there wouldn?t be peace and many innocent citizens and great destinies will continue to be wasted.
ENDSARS; URGENT NEED FOR NIGERIA POLICE REFORM
In the last few days, we have been observing with keen interest how the Nigerian youths have taken to the streets over the police brutality by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police. The action which has been condemned by Nigerians at home and abroad; including the international mainstream media is making waves and generates headlines globally.
No doubt, the resilience and determination exhibited by the Nigerian youths showed that the future of the country is bright if the political leaders give them a chance to voice out their grievances. We did not expect a responsive government to deny these youths just like other citizen?s freedom of speech and expression. Why must the Nigeria Police shoot live bullets at the unarmed protesters who are exercising their rights? We condemn this ignoble action because it contravenes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and some sections of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
The response of the Nigerian Police in handling the matter attests to the fact that our policing systems still have a long way to go. Nigerians are suffering, yet, they still smile and work hard to survive the harsh economic, political and social climate but the heat in the ENDSARS protest is an indication that people are tired of police harassment. We know the state of facilities in our Police Divisions, Barracks and Training Schools are substandard and old, staff welfare packages are peanut, and the quality of the rank officers and the weapons in their divisions are crude, old and need an upgrade. But that doesn?t mean the police officers quest to meet a clandestine mission should be melted on the helpless Nigerians.
The urgent need for police reform is not about ending police brutality or changing the nomenclature from SARS to FSARS and SWAT alone. It is a clarion call for the Nigerian government to look into 21st century policing, training and re-training of the police officers on civility, professionalism and modesty. The operational efficiency and finance should be thoroughly assessed and evaluated by an independent international security outfit to find out why despite the funding over the years, it is yet to be justified in service delivery in Nigeria for Nigerians.
There must be an overhaul of the present structure of the Police nationwide and the reorientation of the personnel to make them more efficient and accountable for their actions.The Nigeria Police must investigate, expose and parade the officers who have killed dozens of Nigerian youths unjustly over the years. The police recruitment strategy should be upgraded to reflect professional conduct through proper re-evaluation which will attract more graduates who are passionate about servicing the nation not necessarily motivated by the financial gains alone and they must be exposed to international standards of training.
If President Muhammadu Buhari has addressed the nation early, the protest wouldn?t have led to the killings of hundreds of youths before the protest and thereafter.
Why must Nigerians beg for the attention of their number one man before he addresses the nation at a trying time like this? The President should learn how to do the needful on time. Nigeria is not an animal kingdom. A civilized society needs visionary, compassionate and purpose-driven leadership to bring sustainable development.
We, however, wish to implore the Nigerian youths to be law-abiding in their protest and channel the same energy, determination and resilience to demand good governance and review of remuneration of elected and appointed government functionaries. This is a disguised opportunity where the youth in our dear nation can use to seek positive change which would ameliorate the suffering of the masses.
The peaceful protest is more than a call on the Nigerian government to end police brutality and reform the structure alone but a clarion call to the Nigerian youths who have been slumbering a long time to arise and demand-responsive governance and better living from their leaders. It is an eye-opener to other areas that needed attention to make the dream of a better Nigeria come to reality.
The Justice, Development and Peace Movement (JDPM) of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo joined voice with Nigerian youths in the call for transformation peacefully and democratically.
Signed: Rev Fr Adeleke Gabriel
JDPM Oyo Coordinator
"The North has repeatedly made a play with the threat of secession from the Nigerian federation. And many people have come to assume that this threat is the measure of its preparedness to team up, whenever confronted by any upset within the federation, with other countries of the Sahara with whom it has at least the same religion and the same faith"
-Drum May 1960
In the beginning
Sometimes the pains associated with freedom outweigh its benefits, especially where there is poor leadership. The bane of such ills spread like a virus so fast that it eroded values orientation quickly. From generation to the other, our dear nation continues to leapfrog on the path to greatness. The hope of a common man is dying daily because our system does not seem to work out. Forced to cohabitate as a nation because of greed and quest to save cost by the colonialist, Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, the ill-fated sojourn of disunity just begun for many years to come.
Unfortunately, our nationalists worked tirelessly for independence not because they care about the citizens but out of selfish desires to rule us after their experience in Europe. So, it seemed the journey to disintegration had begun with the highlight being the Biafra war that occurred from 1967 to 1970.
After the secession attempt was thwarted by the Nigerian military, the possibility of having a single nation still looked bleak. Nigeria was among the countries reportedly listed by the United States to break up into smaller countries and the 2015 election was predicted to be the catalyst for the break-up. Nigeria has however survived the prophetic projection of disintegration and has continued to remain as a single country.
But with present unfortunate national woes, Nigeria is sitting on the bombshell that could explode anytime soon. Still striving hard to survive the hurdles, our policy direction after independence moved swiftly to pursuing a strong foreign policy in Africa and the rest of the world. Nigeria was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity which later became African Union.
"Since the amalgamation of Southern and Northern protectorates in 1914, Nigeria has existed as one country on paper. It is still far from being united. Nigeria united is only a British intention for the country"- Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, First Prime Minister of Nigeria, on the floor of the Federal House of Rep quoted in Hansard, Lagos, March 20 -April 2, 1947
As if that is enough, through its strong military force, Nigeria spearheaded the founding of ECOMOG which oversaw military assistance in Liberia and Sierra Leone and contribute to ending apartheid policy in South Africa. Nigeria has shown zeal to establish a pan African framework that will see African countries develop from within and also attend to each other?s issues. The Ebola outbreak in Liberia which threatened to spread to Nigeria but was quickly managed saw Nigeria deploy 250 soldiers to the affected region to handle the situation.
Ultimately, Nigeria is waxing stronger and living up to its label as the Giant of Africa.The first military coup in Nigeria in 1966 just six years after gaining independence cast shadows on the possibility of Nigeria being able to manage itself. Coups, counter-coups and abortive coups followed until a brief democratic stint from 1979 to 1983. Other rounds of coups followed until 1999 when the country returned to civilian rule.
Significantly, May 29 was declared as democracy day and since then, the country has been able to sustain uninterrupted democratic rule. Electoral reform June 12 is a symbolic day in Nigeria as on the same day in 1993, the country had a presidential election that was adjudged one of the fairest elections in the country only to be annulled by the then Head of State, Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who couldn't justify his action.
Fast forward to 1999, Nigeria now has periodic election after every four years that seems to get better. The 2015 general election was applauded by the international community for its violence-free poll. The introduction of card readers also lent credibility to the votes. Many assume the future also looks bright as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is unrelenting in its effort to make the electoral process in the country more credible. Was the vision not cut short because of the politician?s inordinate ambitions and compromised system?
Our predicament on the lens
For decades, political corruption is so rampant that corrupt officials become celebrated and sometimes accorded the highest chieftaincy title in their states.
This corruption also rooted in small scale engagement like in a school or workplace. Although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been at the forefront of prosecuting corrupt persons, the culture persists. They are used to witch-hunt political opponents instead of maintaining unbiased prosecution.
You can imagine that a lot of Nigerian lives below the poverty line despite the abundant wealth that exists in the nation. Insecurity and corruption are two of the catalysts of poverty in the country.
The desire for money has made cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja overpopulated as these cities offer more opportunities than other places. It is fair to assume that if poverty is well managed and other regions of the country begin to experience growth, these overpopulated places might be depopulated. Until then, the country is still wallowing in poverty. No wonder we have overthrown India as the poverty headquarters of the world. Oh my God! My Country! Our dear country!COVID-19 pandemic brought out many national woes in Nigeria because it exposed our fragile poor health facilities, embezzlement of public funds for projects, organized looting and disregard for human lives.
Interestingly, quite a few of the victims of COVID-19 pandemic are the political elites. Do you say you already know them? Well, whatever comes to your mind, the fact remains that these people are a reflection of their attitude towards the masses. So they paid for it! Just like you and I always do. What are we celebrating? Unsung hero exploit or falling glory?
What about insecurity? It has been a big problem in Nigeria. Boko Haram insurgency has claimed the lives of thousands of Nigerians. While the nation is dealing with this extremist group that gets its support from ISIS, minor criminal gangs operate in the country. Kidnapping, robbery, rape and other forms of crime still happen in the country periodically thereby affecting the peace in the country.
I hope you didn?t forget the Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted by the Boko Haram Sect? What about those who have been killed in Benue State and Southern Kaduna by the Fulani militia to mention just a few. The culture of corruption in Nigeria has been a serious problem that has crippled the development of the country. It is not peculiar to our leaders alone because the followers have played a key role in joining the band-wagon because of timidity and quest for survival on the platter of parochial perceptions towards good governance.
The Nigerian soldiers have been lamenting over the years that they lack sophisticated weapons to fight insurgency. Yet, the service chiefs turned a deaf ear to these claims because they are benefiting indirectly. They keep sacrificing the lives of patriotic soldiers and innocent citizens to the trigger-joy marauders.
Is that a Nigeria of our dream? I am sure the recent attack on Governor Zulum entourage in Borno State by the suspected terrorists is a clear indication of insecurity in the country because no one is safe. Is Present government not ashamed of these killings? Nigeria may explode anytime soon if care is not taken.
All governments in Nigeria since independence have played on the emotions of the Nigerians to get votes. Their hands are filled with drops of blood of the innocent people who are killed by the Boko Haram sect, Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers, police brutality by SARS officers daily as if there are no laws. Farmers-herders crises are escalating daily, yet, the Nigeria government do not care because their families are exempted.
Human lives have no dignity anymore. Some people are benefitting, everyone is behaving as they like, what a shame! 60 good years of emancipation is not a joke. But are we free?
Presently, freedom of expression is now a crime and mirage in the tunnel. Many human rights activists have been arrested and incarcerated unjustly. Citizens are forbidding protesting peacefully while the police that ought to protect the citizens are now being used as an instrument of terror. No wonder police assaulted a Punch Newspaper photojournalist on October 1, 2020, while covering peaceful protesters in Lagos. Isn?t this action condemnable? Isn?t protest part of democracy? These innocent people are exercising their inalienable rights for God sake!
On economic diversity, Nigeria?s economy is still hinged on crude oil so the currency rises and falls with the rise and fall of crude oil in the international market. No wonder President Muhammad Buhari said it is unreasonable to sell fuel cheaper here than Saudi Arabia as if we match in facilities and national capacity with the Saudi government. Our president and other national leaders lack policy direction and might be out of ideas to rule this nation anymore.
People are hungry, frustrated and angry but does this government care? Other natural resources that the country has either remain untapped or irrelevant. Agricultural strength in the country has dwindled as Nigeria now imports food from other countries. On education, although the country has come a long way in trying to develop its academic strength yet the position of the institutions in Africa and in the world still requires a lot to be done.
Our tertiary institutions are churning out millions of graduates every year without employable prospects leading to astronomical increase of unemployment and underemployment in Nigeria.
60 years down the line, nothing significant to show on job creation except escalated social vices among the active youth population. Even though some Nigerian youth are operating small-scale businesses to survive, yet, the environment is not conducive because of government policies. Thank God for COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the Federal government to release funds for business owners because they are the largest employers of labour. The lawmakers and other cabals in the echelon have converted job opportunities for their circus. Npower is for less privilege while the oil and gas, ministries and agencies including parastatals are for the wealthy people.
Our school curriculum needs a complete review to suit the emerging reality in the global classroom and skillsets. Some tertiary institutions in Nigeria are still using an archaic curriculum which is not relevant to 21st-century challenges. A lot of institutions and facilities are in abandoned states due to little financial support wastage of public funds.
Wealthy Nigerians send their children to schools in neighbouring African countries due to the poor state of Nigerian institutions. A lot is still left to be done to build the academic strength of the country. Worst still, the myopic orientation of academic excellence as the surest way to securing a good job continues to deceive the incoming generation who ought to know that it takes more than classroom knowledge to blaze a trail in the saturated global market.
What I am saying is that since the return to democracy, Nigeria has had regular elections every four years which some have argued that they were not free and fair, but others believe they were democratic. Over the decades, Nigerian citizens have lived through tumultuous times due to high unemployment rates, insecurity in more than one region of the country, and ethnic as well as religious bigotry. When considering Nigeria's achievements since independence, there's nothing to celebrate. The country is still struggling to meet the needs of its citizens and become a front runner in developing infrastructure, the economy and the society.
One reason is that disunity caused by ethnic and religious bigotry conditioned the choices available for elective positions within major parties. They have also affected public opinion in selecting who to vote for.
Eyes on the future
"Nigerians must create institutional structures and the relevant social conditions which will make it very difficult for any person to ride into a national power on a tribal horse" ? Chuba Okadigbo (Power and Leadership in Nigeria)
Despite the challenges, Nigerian people are peace-lovers and hardworking. In the world of business, many young Nigerians are giving their best not only to survive but also to provide a livelihood for others working for their companies. While the debate over Nigeria's past achievements is interesting, a more pressing question is: what can Nigeria do to help ensure that its young people can compete on the world stage and how to create an environment where they don't just survive, but can also thrive? At least, transcending from the utopian expectations and aphorism of the olden time that youth are the leaders of tomorrow to the new paradigm shift of inclusive leadership, taking responsibilities for one's action and embracing innovation in various aspect of human endeavours
If the government of Nigeria wants its young people to have a better future than is currently possible, it has to ensure the safety of its population. The country is plagued by insecurity. The permanent feeling of not being safe is crippling, and the situation is not helped by the high number of deaths caused by banditry and violent extremists. The call for an end to SARS is going haywire daily because of Lawlessness. Nigerian youth are brutalized anywhere by these rogues. Many destinies have been wasted with their daredevil actions. They keep killing our youthful population unchecked and all we hear everyday is that these officers are ban from "Stop and Search Patrol" on the highway. Which way Nigerians?
In the world of business, many young Nigerians are giving their best not only to survive but also to provide a livelihood for others working for their companies notably Digital Marketing Agencies, ICT hubs, Fashion Designing, Solar engineering, Cybercaf? amongst others. The truth is that people must survive by doing something, but that doesn?t mean they are fraudsters. Our system is porous, weak, disdainful and unfortunate!
Already, there are preparations for the 2023 elections. It's usually a period that amplifies our differences and brings out the worst in us. Why not has a constitution that allows for the rotational presidency, to settle contentions? How about a constitutional amendment that jettisons the unitary government, for one that espouses true federalism, as it is done in the United States, where Nigeria copied presidential democracy from? Wait a minute, where is the report of the 2014 National Conference! I swear Nigeria is a scam!
Its incontrovertible facts that save for seeing the back of our colonial masters, we have not managed our country better than they did. One person once lamented: "When will this independence be over?" Another wanted Nigeria to be recolonized again. Someone else even joked that since Nigeria is now 60 and 60 is the official retirement age, whether Nigeria can be retired and maybe start afresh. Is a fool at 60 not a fool forever? Oh, did you say stop it! Come on.
No wonder, Aguiyi Ironsi said on a broadcast to the nation on May 24, 1966, that ?one major cause of failure of civilian administration in this country was that our leaders then concentrated on the part and ignored the whole; hence regionalism, tribalism, sectionalism and ethnicity became the order of the day? 60, it?s time for stocktaking. A country is like a machine, it?s how you operate it that determines how it works. It?s also like GIGO in computer: garbage in, garbage out. We must make up our mind to infuse the right things into Nigeria, to work to get Nigeria to move in the right direction ? we must make progress.
But, for there to be progress, there must be peace. But without unity, there can?t be peace. For Nigeria, it?s a cruel catch-22. It then means that we must endeavour to do some fundamental things to now take the other steps. Despite all the problems faced by Nigeria, the country is still struggling to define its identity; Nigeria's has a valuable asset: its young people with their resilience have chosen to fight injustice in new ways and the results are clear for all to see.
Do you remember Kiki Mordi, who was instrumental in exposing the ?Sex for Grades' scandal, where female university students were pressed by lecturers in their schools to exchange sex for passing grades? After the documentary was aired, the Nigerian Senate passed a sexual harassment bill to fight the abuse; there is still a long way to go, but the impact is already evident.
Conclusively, my submission is that until every Nigerian has a sense of belonging to the country until there is a fair way to share political power until there are peace and unity, disintegration will continue to glare at it menacingly ? behind a facade of celebration. Nigeria is great in size, population, handsomely blessed and richly endowed by a kind and prodigal providence with almost unlimited natural resources.
Maybe the question should be, can Nigeria be greater than nature made her? My answer is yes?.if you and I including our leaders have the sagacity of an Otto Von Bismark, the wisdom of a cavour, the adroitness of a mazini, the patriotism of Gandhi and selflessness of Nyerere and until sons and daughters of nobody can be somebody without anybody, without this, Nigeria will continue to wallow in the quagmire of religious bigotry, ethnic distrust and decline in global relevance.
By Alaba Damilare Samuel-COMMUNICATION OFFICER, JDPM,OYO
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It is no longer news that there has been an astronomical rate of rape cases in Nigeria. It doesn't exclude any particular sex. You will agree with me that rape is not a new thing. But the trend needs to be checked before it kills our society. Howbeit, it would soon become a reincarnating monster till eternity.
Recently, the media is awashed with the raping and gruesome murder of Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, an undergraduate of the University of Benin inside a church where she was studying,killing of a teenager, Tina Ezekwe by a trigger-joy Police officer in Lagos and recently, raping and killing of an ND 1 female student of Moor Plantation, Apata, Ibadan, Barakat Bello for refusing sexual assault from her assailant. The social media is blazing hot with many Nigerians vexing their anger on the state of lawlessness Nigeria is currently going through and the government keep deceiving the public.
Eventhough the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Ms. Julie Okah-Donli, disclosed recently that about 40 cases involving domestic and sexual violence, sexual abuse of minors, rape, incest, and sodomy, are presently under investigation, that these cases were recorded during the five weeks lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari because some persons took advantage of the period to unleash violence on their loved ones who are mostly women. In fact, She warned that the agency would not hesitate to invoke the relevant laws to deal with anyone found to be disturbing the peace of the nation at this period. Yet, how effective are this threats? Do rapists even care?
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving having a carnal knowledge, which is initiated by one or more person's consent. It could be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or against a person who is incapable of valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated or below the legal age of consent. The term "Rape" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.
According to Warif Nigeria Africa has the highest prevalence rate of child sexual abuse around 34.4 per cent As at 2004, 60 per cent of children involved in child trafficking from Africa to Europe were Nigerians Between 2012 and 2013, about 30 per cent of women in Nigeria experienced one form of domestic violence or another. Findings from a National Survey carried out in 2014 on Violence Against Children in Nigeria confirmed one in four females reported experiencing sexual violence in childhood with approximately 70% reporting more than one incident of sexual violence. In the same study, it was found that 24.8% of females' ages 18 to 24 years experienced sexual abuse prior to age 18 of which 5.0% sought help, with only 3.5% receiving any services.
Internationally, the incidence of rape recorded by the police during 2008 varied between 0.1 in Egypt per 100,000 people and 91.6 per 100,000 people in Lesotho with 4.9 per 100,000 people in Lithuania as the median.
According to the American Medical Association (1995), sexual violence and rape, in particular, are considered the most under-reported violent crime. The reason is that the rate of reporting, prosecution and conviction for rape varies considerably in a different jurisdiction but the U.S Bureau of Statistics (1999) estimated that 91% of US rape victims are female while 9% are male.
It is believed that rape by strangers is usually less common than rape by a person's acquaintances. Though several studies argue that male-male and female-female prison rape are quite common and maybe the least reported forms of rape. It is most terrifying to note that the frequency of rape incidents today all over the world have skyrocketed beyond human imagination, from India to South Africa, Syria and even Nigeria, the incidence of rape is now so common that it could be seen in public places.
One begins to wonder how this generation has quickly lost its form of moral and societal values despite the proliferation of religious centres, school and even breakthrough recorded in technology and science. Rape against female gender seems to be rampant today. There are 100 reported cases of toddlers and underage children being raped by some randy men who could not control their randy desires. Funnily enough, some grandmothers of over 70 are also being raped, isn't that absurd and mouthwatering? Interestingly, most petrifying is the fact that some of the rape victims have been killed by the rapists having being assaulted. Some victims have also killed themselves much later due to the pain and stigma associated with the act.
According to the Nation newspaper recently, one of the principal actors in championing a safer society on gender-based violence in Nigeria, Mrs Tinuke Olukoya, an expert and Director of Administration, Centre for Women's Health and Information(CEWHIN), noted that sexual and gender-based violence has devastating effects on victims and could result in mental illness.
"Rape cases continue to proliferate and we need to do something about it. One in five women in the world is a victim of rape or attempted rape. Each year, roughly two million girls between the ages of five and 15 are trafficked, sold or coerced into prostitution". She added that women are more vulnerable to sexual crimes than men, noting that sexual violence reflects and reinforces existing gender inequalities.
While urging young people to speak up when abused, she said: "The data on sexual and gender-based violence and its reflecting figures on a nation like Nigeria are most appalling. In the country, sexual violence is increasing at an alarming rate, but with the right help, it can be managed."
SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS
It is not a crime to embrace technology because it makes a lot of complex activities very easier. In terms of business, social interaction, cross-cultural rapport, a Civil and Human Rights causes to mention but a few. Yet it has also fueled some problems because of negative usage by users. Let me bring you back to memory lane. On July 12th, 2012, Cynthia Osokogwu, a Postgraduate student of Nassarawa State University and a clothing retailer was brutally murdered in Lagos by friends she met on Facebook. The rapist lured her to a hotel in FESTAC town, drugged and raped before she was murdered.
Also, the incident when five undergraduates believed to be students of Abia State University conspired and raped a young woman is detestable. Despite the pleadings of the young girl, the young men still took turns to satisfy their randy desire on her. The video of that bad act shook the nation as it hits more than 2 million views on YouTube and Facebook within 24hours culminating in serious investigation forthwith but which nothing substantial comes out of it till date.
You will also recall that on the 16th of December, 2012 in Munrika, neighbourhood town located in the Southern part of New Delhi, India. A 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern who was travelling by a male friend in a private bus was beaten and gang-raped by all the seven men on board including the driver. She died from her injuries 13 days later while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore.
Hardly will a day passed without hearing a headline about rape on our National dailies, television and radio news. Both young and old ones are no longer safe. What is wrong with our laws and government? The young children are more vulnerable than the active female youth's population from assault in schools by male teachers, cleric tutors to acquaintances at home, neighbourhood, and peers.
There are numerous cases of rape and gang rape in Nigeria (the infamous Absu gang rape being the most widely reported to date thanks to the proliferation of social media), yet many go unreported. The few that get reported to the authorities are either not pursued by the police or the victim is advised to keep silent lest she disgraces her family.
Nigeria is still very much a patriarchal society; a society where rules and norms are dictated and governed by men. Women are assigned roles, spaces and our bodies determined by men: the father, the spouse, the male relatives. Any woman who wishes to go against the grain is punished severely. This punishment can take different forms but the most devastating, most intimate and most violent against the female person is rape. Why?
EFFECTS OF RAPE ON VICTIMS AND SOCIETY
Rape could be so injurious in many ways especially serious stigmatization of the victims by families and communities. It engenders depression and suicide because of the strict code of silence among victims for the fear of societal mockery and public condemnation.
It strengthens the spread of HIV transmission. A report by Sinclair et al showed that building self-defence skills of girls in Kenya significantly reduced the incidence of rape over 10 months at a time when the endemic was at the peak.
It also leads to physical injuries and bruises on victims as a result of likely battling for body contact.
Rape leads to sexual dysfunction because of damages to a certain part of the sexual organs of victims. This is made possible by being either gang-raped or individually assaulted. Also, rape could result into emotional stress and disorder on victims, it could make a vast majority of victims very difficult to love again, and such fellows might form a narrow perception about the opposite sex as wicked and unfairly concluded that it is not possible to love unconditionally again.
WHO IS TO BLAME
When it comes to leveling allegation of this magnitude against a certain element, it must be thoroughly analyzed because it is a sensitive issue. Even though I stand to be corrected, yet I will blame the societal norms, weak legislation, and low reportage of cases by the law enforcement agencies and families.
The reason is that on the aspect of our legislation, in the view of Olatunji (2012), rape can only be committed by a man to a woman and it involves only penal and vagina sex. The law does not acknowledge male rape victims nor does it recognize anal sex as part of rape which is unfair. People everywhere in the world have the tendency to commit crime if they are left unchecked but what makes the differences is the effectiveness of laws. Are our laws effective? No!
Secondly, a victim of rape needs to establish that penetration occurred, corroboration of the crime needs to be established and proof must be provided that consent was not given. This limitation with establishing consent is making proving many of valid rape cases difficult. Overall, the low prospect of receiving prompt legal judgment for rape stifles enthusiasm in seeking legal recourse.
What deters people in all parts of the world is that they know that there will be punishment and consequences for action but in Nigeria people believe they can always get away by bribing the police so much that potential victims are worried about going to court because in the end, either justice will not be served or it is delayed that it doesn't make any sense and at the end of the day, the victim may become an objects of mockery.
The Nigerian police are not helping the matter because of unwillingness to make an official report on several occasions. Although, less than one in five (18.1%) of 10,000 girls who have been raped in Nigeria report the offence to the police because of shame and loss of confidence in the security outfit.
Our society abetted the continuation of this crime because the majority of victim's relatives on most occasion prefer to silent the matter by using "gentleman approach" which is not meant to be. The reason is that they don't like community and public mockery and stigmatization for the victim and the sake of their family integrity. As a development officer, we have dealt with most rape cases in my organisation and most times it does not go beyond the police station because either perpetrators are so powerful or the police is compromised or the victims families are intimidated. Isn't that not annoying?
Ebenezer Omajalile, who leads the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, attributes the rising number of rape cases to value orientation about the girl child. "The enabling environment for the girl child is not there, there is so much loss of value in society right now. The value system protecting girls is dead right now if not for activists and civil society organizations who try to sensitive people."
On the part of parents, the majority of them have neglected their responsibility because of their career. They hardly pay attention to the physiological and psychological state of their children. Some parents leave their wards in the hands of "area sisters or inmate tenants" in the neighborhood during the weeks and at times, on weekends. They are exposing these innocent children to many dangers of sexual molestation. We have to teach the male child to respect the female child, the earlier the better. There has to also be stiffer penalties, all states should domesticated the Convention on the Right of the Child Act.
A society that blames the woman for her partner's infidelity and deviance is already validating a needless attempt to nail in the bud many traces of the status quo. We do indeed have a rape culture in Nigeria. When we think it is okay for a husband to forcefully have sex with his wife, we are obliquely perpetrating a rape culture by telling the woman that she is nothing but a pleasure object for her husband.
We are saying she has no right to consensual sex, her body is his to use when and how he pleases. Conversely, when he cheats and we blame the wife, we are inadvertently telling her she made her husband vulnerable by denying him sex, thus creating room for him to be tempted. By absolving the man from blame, we are telling the woman that not only must she be an object of pleasure for her husband at all time; she must also satisfy his needs.
When we look the other way when the "oga" (boss) sexually violates the maid/nanny/distant cousin from the village, we are an accomplice in the act of rape. When we blame the rape victims, we are complicit in an act of rape. When we refuse to punish the victims, blame the devil, watch Nollywood movies where a rape victim is killed/dishonoured/disowned by her husband, family or society at large, we are permitting and encouraging rape culture.
In my line of work as a development officer in the last three few years, I noticed that quite a large number of families prefer to settle the case of rape amicably without involving the government officials. Why? because this society sees it as a normal occurrence. is that normal? A few months ago, I was covering a rape case in one of the southwestern states of Nigeria where a teenager was sexually abused by a 49-year-old man in the neighbourhood. upon investigation, we uncovered other members of the syndicate. it took the effort of our partners and other concerned Heads in my organization before these bad people were tried and imprisoned because the threats from traditional rulers were much to bury the case. imagine that!
Most importantly and less nuanced in our perpetuation of rape culture due to the spread of fundamentalist religions in Nigeria is when we insist that women must remain virgins till marriage. This is because, in this scenario of virgin-till-marriage, a woman is seen only through the lens of procreation and pleasure object for her husband. Value is placed on the purity of the woman instead of on the woman herself. The woman is seen as an object to be collected, desired by the menfolk and only through her virginal purity is her worth validated which is wrong.
SHORTLIST OF REPORTED RAPE IN NIGERIAN MEDIA
SOURCES MONTHLY-YR ARTICLE TOPIC
Independent tv & radio July 2013 increase in rape cases in Nigeria
Gist Ville October 2013 18 yr old girl commits suicide a Gang-raped in Bayelsa
Punch Feb 2014 Tackling the rape epidemic in Nigeria
Hmm Naija.com Feb 2014 12 yr old rape victim: I am glad he had An accident after raping me
Vanguard Mar 2014 Obesere rape saga case transferred to SCID
Nigeria Tribune April 2014 Over 80 rape cases recorded in Edo state In 7 months
Premium times April 2014 checking the high incidence of rape in Nigeria
Channels TV April 2014 Ondo police record 45 rape cases in 2013
Scan News April 2014 ICC moves against rape in Nigeria
The Paradigm May 2014 Two Chibok girls raped and left to die in
Sambisa forest by Boko Haram
Daily Post April 2014 Gunmen invade Benue State University, Rape 20 female students
News 24 Nigeria June 2014 UN:- Nigerian school girls face rape Danger
Naija Standard Newspaper July 2014 Policeman 32, rapes JSS 1 virgin girl
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
IN CONCLUSION
It is worth to note that everyone has a crucial role to play in the eradication of the menace from our society from homes to religious gatherings, schools to events as well as Civil Societies to preach the gospel of anti-rape with all form of vehemence, especially, as it is going beyond imagination from the government to private quarter. Rape should be given serious attention before we lose our female population to a group of persons who have lost all forms of dignity. The fight against rape should be total and there should be no sacred cows.
What am I saying after all? The modesty culture we preach is a rape culture because of our insistence on female purity and modesty. Why is it the sole responsibility of the female to remain chaste? Why isn't the male tasked with chastity? By focusing on the female, we reduce the woman to mere flesh and place control over the female body and sexuality in male hands. When she is sexually violated who do we infer to as "dishonoured"? The victim? Or her family, which means her father or male relatives because as we know in Nigeria, it is the father/brother/other male relatives that are the symbol of a family? Therefore when a family is dishonoured, we say, the father/brother/kinsmen are dishonoured. What about the woman/lady ? is that not selfishness?
We need to do away with this system that espouses the idea of woman as a possession and develop instead a society that sees the woman as a human with rights, consent and abilities. A society where ethical sexuality is promoted and supported. Instead of telling the woman, she is at fault for getting raped, we should teach our sons the importance of consent, that no means no and a woman can withdraw this consent at any time.
Why rape has continued to be a reoccurring decimal in Nigeria is because of the laxity in the law enforcement of laws. We have all sorts of laws to deter people from committing rape and other crimes but those same criminals are aware of the weaknesses of law enforcement in Nigeria so they take advantage of it.
Instead of telling the victim of rape not to speak up so as not the shame her family, we should create a society were victims are helped to overcome the trauma of the assault. Instead of telling the young girl she 'asked' for it because of the way she dressed, we should punish severely and publicly shame rapists. It is not a crime so far it is done rightly not through jungle justice.
Our lawmakers must make stiffer laws whilst the judiciary must dispatch speedy justice to prosecute and punish offenders. Parents must stand firmly by fighting this menace. They should stop sacrificing the well being of their children to the career because that is their future! Time has changed and the world has become a sick place to live. There are many paedophiles and rapists out there. Parents should embrace a PANTS strategy to reduce this ugly trend, at least to a considerable level.
P-Private parts are private. Nobody is permitted to touch it
A-Always remember that your body is yours and yours only.
N-No means no. Never yield to pressure
T-There are no secrets from mummy and daddy. If there is an attempt on you, please report it immediately.
S-Say something, so we can do something about it.
Parents should print out PANTS rule, paste it on a wall in the house, let the kids recite it always until it becomes registered in their hearts. Together we can stop the monster from growing out of hands-on daily basis. Let us protect our children.
WE CAN END THIS UGLY TREND! LETS REMAIN UNITED TO FIGHT IT
BY ALABA OLUWADAMILARE SAMUEL, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, JDPM OYO
The world have been battling with the novel coronavirus since early this year and despite the government efforts in different countries, the scourge has been going viral with no particular day it would come to an end. The pandemic is generating multiple waves of unprecedented global impacts. Epidemics in Europe and the United States are currently in their exponential growth phase, following declines in infection rates in China, South Korea, and Japan.
We have not yet seen major epidemics take off in South Asia, Latin America and Africa south of the Sahara where governments, health and food systems, communities, and households have limited capacity to respond. But we do know they will take off very soon?
Recall that in the first decade of this century, we realized a lot about how the AIDS pandemic interacts with food and nutrition security'including how food insecurity could heighten the risk of exposure to HIV in several ways. AIDS epidemics are long-wave phenomena. In fact, there have been several waves: The first wave of HIV infection in the 1980s was followed by increased incidence of opportunistic infections and, several years later, by the third wave of AIDS disease and death. Beyond this, depending on a host of variables, there was a fourth wave encompassing a stream of economic and social impacts at the household, community, and national levels.
This could also establish direct resemblance between what happened then and now because with regard to COVID-19, the timeline is compressed significantly, with three waves of infection, illness, impact the first two separated by just a week or two probably as a result of different immunity systems. Africa grows much of its own supplies. Some 60% of Africa population is engaged in agriculture, including many small-scale farmers. If food security does become a concern, governments and donors may suspend their drive to integrate small-scale farmers into global supply chains and prioritize the provision of local markets instead. In some cities and Peri-urban areas, urban agriculture remains a vital source of food, dietary diversity and income.
During the crisis, small-scale gardening in towns could be an important source of food, especially if incomes fall as a result of declining employment but how many young people in Africa engage in agriculture because there is no motivation to stay in the rural areas as a result of absence social amenities. It is also the case that farmers tend to be older than average. Africa has a youthful population, but young people tend to be less interested in agriculture and more likely to migrate to urban areas. This leaves a slightly older farming population that could be more vulnerable to the coronavirus and as they continue dying gradually with no active youth population to replace them on farms, food production would reduce.
According to some estimates, 70% of Africa's food is produced by women. In several southern African countries, for example, rural women are the primary food crop producers while men are more involved in animal husbandry or labour off the farm. Women are also often responsible for the care of children, the sick and elderly. This means they could have increased exposure to COVID-19 with knock-on implications for food production, food preparation and child nutrition.
Many people in urban areas already face poverty and struggle to get food. Under COVID-19, these difficulties will increase. The very poorest often depend on casual labour in the informal COVID-19 is disrupting some activities in agriculture and supply chains. Preliminary reports show that the non-availability of migrant labor is interrupting some harvesting activities. There are disruptions in supply chains because of transportation problems and other issues.
What about some part of Nigeria especially the South West where many farmers relied on the services of labourers from Togo, Benin Republique and some part of middle belt where the Egedes emanated from? These people have been barred from coming to Nigeria for now because of community transmission of coronavirus. Our people can hardly practice farming themselves without the effort of these foreigners.
The Ebola outbreak in 2014, for example, led to dramatic increases in the prices of staple foods in countries impacted in West Africa. Furthermore, the food price-spikes of 2007/8 demonstrate that export restrictions, market speculation and panic behavior were, in part, responsible for the dramatic increase in global food prices in that period's measures we are not protected against today.
Prices have declined for wheat, soybeans, vegetables, yams even eggs and other crops, yet consumers are often paying more. Media reports show that the closure of hotels, restaurants, sweet shops, and tea shops during the lockdown is already depressing milk sales. Meanwhile, poultry farmers have been badly hit due to misinformation, particularly on social media, that chicken are the carriers of COVID-19.
When it comes to maintaining food systems during the pandemic, Africa may have some advantages over other parts of the world such as its relatively younger workforce and more robust urban and small-scale agriculture. Nonetheless, it will certainly face significant challenges in the coming months that will require thoughtful attention from policymakers.
Given the links between COVID-19 epidemics and the livelihoods, food and nutrition security of the poor in lower-income countries with relatively weak healthcare systems, I projected that the disease would have serious impacts. As with the AIDS pandemic, the conditions exist for vicious cycles of upstream risk and downstream effects, particularly for the ultra-poor.
Most immediately, COVID-19 has already generated a massive global economic shock. In general, economic downturns and recessions (whatever the cause) hit the poorest households hardest via numerous pathways (higher food prices, less purchasing power, reduced ability to stockpile, higher risk of losing jobs, lack of safety nets, ability to access and afford treatment and care, etc.)Workers from poorer households cannot afford to take time off work if they are feeling unwell.
COVID-19 is already having a major impact on supply chains and logistics, both for producers and consumers as evidenced by closed borders, national lock downs, and the reduction in air traffic. Many African countries are net importers of food, with the continent spending about $65 billion on food imports in 2017. The global trade on which this relies is not expected to be disrupted by the pandemic. Unlike in 2007-2008, high energy costs are not pushing up food prices.
The invasion of south-west Nigeria by the Almajiris from the north is frustrating the efforts of the COVID-19 task force in Oyo, Ogun, Lagos and other places because these outcast set of people are burden to their origin. They were seeking solace elsewhere after migrating from the north not minding the rules of no interstate traveling.
Thank God for Madagascar COVID-Organic tea. May be it could blaze the trail in herbal medicine in Africa and globally if proved scientifically effective. I expected our government to learn from this because until Africans devise solutions to solve their problems in African ways, we cannot be liberated from the western hegemonic neocolonialism. Must we wait till the vaccines pass clinical trials before we make decisions in Africa where possible?
The existing problems will persist during the COVID-19 crisis and still have to be addressed. Many African governments will have to continue dealing with ongoing challenges such as the desert locust infestation in East Africa. These crises must continue to receive the attention they deserve if domestic food production is to be maintained.
Millions of Nigerians may be caught between a rock and a hard place, should federal and state authorities shut down the nation in a desperate bid to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). To adequately rein in the pandemic, health officials urge people to stay indoors. It is a move that has witnessed deserted streets in several parts of the world, as governments enforce curfews. Unlike developed countries, however, the Nigerian society is wired differently.
Expert's opinions
A prolonged stay-at-home, for more than half the population, could mean an invitation to starvation. "Nigeria is not prepared at all for food security during a lock down," warned Prof. Kolawole Adebayo. Should there be a total lockdown, food would become the new problem added to COVID-19, he said.
A farm extension specialist at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and former African Coordinator of the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (CAVA) projects, Adebayo noted: "Variables are many and have all been neglected for too long. When last did we update our strategic food reserves and what was the basis of acquiring the foods stored? Is there a match between population distribution and strategic location of food reserves? Did we consider the security of the food reserves and the road, rail air and water transport necessary to move food around when locating the food reserves? The state of our infrastructure is terrible. Did we take heed and fix them? No!"
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Just one month of lockdown will pose a huge challenge to the population, said Dr Richardson Okechukwu, a cassava breeding and production expert at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He explained that while salary earners might be able to stock up on food (if they get paid), daily earners would face a raw deal.
Prof. Damian Chikwendu is a former coordinator of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Nigeria and Team Lead of Cultivating New Frontier in Agriculture (CNFA) told The Guardian: "If there is a lockdown, how would farmers get seeds? Breeder seeds and certified seeds come from research institutes and seed companies. Getting all the inputs at the right time would be a problem."
The regional coordinator of Africa Rice Centre, IITA, Ibadan, Dr Francis Nwilene, faulted the leasing of strategic grain reserve facilities and urged government to build infrastructure for agriculture such as dams, more storage facilities for emergencies like COVID-19 and boost rice production for export, especially now that oil price is crashing.
A former chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria in Oyo State, Mr. John Olateru, said the closure of schools was already affecting egg producers because sales had plummeted. He said a lockdown would impact negatively on transportation and distribution of farm produce. He added: "Can Nigeria afford salary bonuses for every salary earner like the United States of America? Can we afford other packages being done by some of the locked-down countries?"
My Verdict
What I am saying is that COVID-19 will double the number of people suffering from a food crisis, pushing it to 265 million, estimates the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Announced alongside the release of the Global Report on Food Crises, by various partners including WFP, figures show that taking swift action is vital. Pre-existing food crises will worsen dramatically due to the pandemic, as people in some of the poorest countries will have to face the economic consequences of lockdown if not the virus itself.
The 55 countries and territories that are home to 135 million acutely food-insecure people in need of urgent humanitarian food and nutrition assistance are the most vulnerable to the consequences of this pandemic as they have very limited or no capacity to cope with either the health or socioeconomic aspects of the shock, the report reads.
Last year, food-insecure people were in countries affected by conflict (77 million people), climate change (34 million) and economic crises (24 million), with the 10 worst food crises in Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria and Haiti. South Sudan had 61% of its population in a state of food crisis or worse, followed by Sudan, Yemen, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Syrian Arab Republic and Haiti (at least 35%).
With this, I expect the civil society to play a key role in checking the impact of government's decisions on the citizens. It is essential to monitor food prices and markets and to transparently disseminate information. Governments at all levels should recognize agricultural food system operations and research as essential and provide everyone involved with the protection and support that they need to continue to work, following safety and health protocols.
For instance, the government of Rwanda, for example, has put in place a COVID-19 Food Assistance Program. It is supported by local companies, private individuals and local banks, through the Rwandan Private Sector Federation supporting Government initiatives. I hope this type of idea can be replicated in Nigeria.
African government must act fast because people are dying of hunger virus than coronavirus on daily basis. This is a great challenge on African Development Bank (ADB), African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). All policymakers in these forums must come up with realistic approach in African ways not by receiving all orders from the World super powers or international community or else many lives will be lost here than anywhere in the world.
Our government must be sincere in dealing with the citizens because when it comes to maintaining food systems during the pandemic, Africa may have some advantages over other parts of the world such as its relatively younger workforce and more robust urban and small-scale agriculture. Nonetheless, it will attention from policymakers.
A big part of efforts must be focused on stemming the spread of COVID-19 itself. Crucial preventative measures from promoting hand-washing and social distancing to imposing restrictions on gatherings and movement will be essential to slowing the impacts of the virus including on food systems and producers. Although we seems to face an herculean task now than ever with the community transmission in some part of Nigeria because many people were yet to believe coronavirus is real.
On national debt, some government capacity could be enhanced if debt service is suspended and COVID-19 related multilateral assistance come without unnecessary strings attached. Renewed calls for structural reforms in a period of crisis are not helpful. More broadly, the global community must realize we are all in this together. This crisis represents a dramatic opportunity to re-imagine what our society and economy could be if organized on different terms regardless of either one is advanced clime or low income.
By ALABA DAMILARE SAMUEL, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, JDPM OYO
Development means "improvement in the country's economic and social conditions". More specially, it refers to improvements in the way of managing an area's natural and human resources. To create wealth and improve people's lives. Dudley Seers while elaborating on the meaning of development suggests that while there can be value judgments on what is a development and what is not, it should be a universally acceptable aim of development to make for conditions that lead to a realization of the potentials of human personality.
I am always appalled and bemused when our political leaders discuss issues of Nigeria development. Not only because of the hollow points they marshal to project their arguments but also because of obvious doublespeak congealed in their thoughts and actions.
Our brand of interrogating development is amusing. We always equate development with some physical and gigantic projects. To us, development in impersonal and therefore exist outside of the people. Thus, we locate our brand of development with building roads, big buildings, skyscrapers large motorways, etc. It is not uncommon for a person who visits his village after a long time and seeing multiple storey building replacing bungalows exclaiming-"This place has developed".
What I am saying is that it is the yardstick used in measuring development in the real estate sector that had been imported into measuring development in governance. This is unfortunate as it has defined the whole essence of what ought to be people-centred development. But then, this is a misnomer and where we completely got it wrong. The core of any development effort should be the people- the human element. That is the development of their intellect and their mental capacities. The new craze for private sector participation in the infrastructural development of Nigeria lends credence to this viewpoint.
A people with sophisticated and complex mentality processes can easily create wealth which can be deployed. To this extent, it is imperative for government development efforts to be wholly people's oriented, believing and rightly so that a people with a development mindset would be positively mobilized to affect physical development to make life easier for themselves.
To place Nigeria on the part of development is very easily contrary to what many people beliefs. I will just use one example for explication and we will see how development can be achieved by political actors and by extension how such action will earn any government extensive goodwill, political capital and a large dose of legitimacy.
Recently, the media is awash with news that one hundred (100) employment slots into highly sought Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was allocated to the Senate. We might not have heard about it if the Senate leadership had been less susceptible to avarice and distribute it down the line to every senator. But Senator Ahmed Lawan appropriated about 25 of the 100 slots for himself. The remaining was shared among less than ten ranking senators. This irked many of the other senators that did not benefit from the sharing of the largesse. Till now, the senate president has not explained. I belief political solution is being worked out at the background.
However, what got me in this whole Senate/FIRS employment saga is that the civil society, the opposition, organized Labour, the human right community, Marxist oriented lecturers among others have not risen up either collectively or individually to condemn the act. The Nigerian masses had been seriously pummeled and browbeaten to submission by the political class. At the time this is still raging, the recruitment of 10,000 policemen is generating its furore. The sharing formula which is seemingly at the exclusion and disadvantage of the average Nigerian had pitched the IGP against the Police Service Commission with all manners of drama playing out.
In the list released by the office of the IGP, Nasarawa State, one of the states in Nigeria with the lowest number of local government area and incidentally the home state of the current IGP and Katsina State, the home State of the President got the highest number of employment slots. Yet again, our civil society is not annoyed enough to react. Sharing employment slots among politicians is now the rule rather than the exception. Recently, Senator Remi Tinubu, accused Raji Fashola, the current minister of works and housing of not giving her employment slots during his time in office as minister of power, works and housing.
Recall the immigration employment disaster by Abba Moro where a lot of young people lost their lives in the process of searching for a job to earn a decent living.
Abba Moro is now a senator of the federal republic. Also of relevance to this discourse is the purported head hunting of children of the powerful Nigerian elite by the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele in other to stabilize his position at the apex bank at a time when there was a new sheriff in town in President Buhari who arrived the scene determined to clean the Augean stable.
These are just a few of the very many instances of politicizing employment opportunities and employment politicking in Nigeria. These few that got mentioned made it to press when there is disagreement or exclusion of a member of the elite circles from sharing of political booty. Mediocrity now reigns supreme in our land and meritocracy has been completely orphanized. Ministries and agencies employ people every day yet unemployment keep increasing daily.
The Civil service commissions merely exist in names only. The Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi Esan expressed her frustration with the employment system in Nigeria recently when she said the head of agencies employ at will and bring paper for her to sign later. This sum up the rot in the civil service which has made it impossible for the organization to attract the very best in our midst.
A few months ago, I was discussing an important issue about development in Africa with a senior colleague at work, especially where I felt we got it wrong in this part of the world and he said "Some years ago, I applied for a consultant position in an international organization. After a rigorous but open recruitment process, I did not get the job, someone else did. I did not feel bad about not getting the job and I agreed that the best candidate got it. This is because the selection process was purely merited driven and transparent. We were given access to our test and interview scores with their grading criteria. A few months later, when the organization had another opening, I was contacted". This essentially is what is lacking in our recruitment policy.
Even the so-called recruitment agencies are headhunting job applicants for exploit. They charged these young graduates, milk out the little they earned and eventually downside them upon request anytime because our employment law is very weak, ineffective and porous. Little Wonder, these set of people would place an advert on social media, websites and national dailies with not just unrealistic job targets but also a deadly age limit, elongated years of experience and other forms of unnecessary requirements to limit and kick out job applicants. They forgot not everyone can afford private University education.
The incessant strike by the Academic Staff Union of University, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education is enough to lose hope in our derail educational system which ought to have been completely overhauled with many 21st century courses and modifications by all authorities. Many graduates of Nigerian Polytechnics have continued to be discriminated against by some employers of Labour at Public and private institutions as if they were not contributing positively to the national development, yet all we hear on the news every day is mouth wash and parody of legislation.
Our leaders glorified certificate to the detriment of skills and sideline those who wish to work with dedication to the whim and caprices of unnecessary kowtowing. Wouldn't you rather say without solid networking and referrals, to get a good job for a common man in Nigeria is a joke? No wonder late Aminu Kano once said when he was alive that Nigeria will not know peace until the son of nobody can make it with without anybody. Is this not true?
The present global pandemic of COVID-19 has exposed Nigeria weak health system. Recently a chieftain of Lagos chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Fouad Oki, said it is imperative of the Buhari administration as well as the 36 states governors to start looking at the microeconomic indices in the reflection of local content to stabilize employment after the pandemic. Oki further tasked the government to take a critical look at the country's healthcare system, which according to him, has been badly exposed as being below standard by the pandemic.
Although, he acknowledged that the challenges in the healthcare system are not due to inadequate medical personnel, but a lack of political will on the part of the government to do the needful. "COVID-19 has seriously exposed the dangers our nation is prone to in case of national emergency and it is high time we faced the reality," he said. "For instance, I wonder what would have happened if what is happening in the United States, Italy, Britain and other western nations that are presumed to have standard medical system had happened in Nigeria?" imagine that ! is he not correct? I am very sure if COVID-19 emanates from Africa, some of our bad leaders would have traveled out with their families, leaving more than 120 million Nigerians to die.
Like I said earlier, development is not rocket science. Any serious government that is desirous of placing Nigeria on the path of development can start with our fractured employment process. I appreciate the monetized nature of our politics, so because of that, the government can make about 80% of vacancies to be filled through merit while the remaining 20% by political patronage. The merit driven process must not only be transparent but be seen to be transparent so that every citizen have a fair and competitive chance.
At the end of the day, those that are not even lucky enough to be employed would start having confidence and belief in the system when they hear the testimonies of luckier candidates without political connections or godfather. Let us ask ourselves when last did any government agency conduct a merit driven employment process in Nigeria? I know for a fact that this present APC government has not conducted any, likewise the preceding PDP government. That is the reason why our graduates keep running after politicians and in the process turning to thuggery politicking to the extent of idolizing even half-educated politicians since they know that their survival lies in their hands and they possess the magic wand to de link them from poverty through dispensing of employment slot.
BY ALABA DAMILARE SAMUEL,COMMUNICATION UNIT,JDPM OYO