The Jigawa State Government has indicated its readiness to go into massive cultivation of rice, wheat and tomato cultivation during the 2016 dry farming in the state. The state is targeting 150,000 hectares of land for the project. The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Kabiru Ali, who spoke to news men in Dutse, he state capital, said that 50,000 hectares would be dedicated to each of the three selected crops. He explained that the programme would be implemented through the Anchor Borrower Scheme introduced by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria. The commissioner said that the Federal Government has earmarked over N20 billion to millers to serve as up-takers when the farmers must have cultivated, adding that any miller who has good mill can access the loan. “If a farmer produces at the end of the season, the person (miller) that facilitated the loan will up take what he produced.” Ali said that the state government was partnering with Flour Mills of Nigeria and others on wheat production. “We are in consultation with Flour Mills of Nigeria and others; they are coming to partner with us in the production of wheat. “On tomato production, Rot Peller Foundation is also coming to work with us.” He explained that the foundation would give support in tomato production, particularly in post harvest processes and marketing. The commissioner noted that about 35,000 wheat farmers have so far registered for the programme. [myad]
Nigerian information minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has given details of how Boko Haram insurgents thwarted efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari government to ensure safe release of the over 200 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state whom they abducted in April 2014.
The minister, who spoke to news men today in Abuja, said that the swap arrangements were embarked upon since July 2015 but that such efforts failed for various reasons, including last-minute issuance of a new set of demands by Boko Haram elements. He said that in spite of the failure of the past swap agreements, the government and the security agencies have not relented in the bid to ensure that the Chibok girls are released safely, in line with the mandate given by the President who, upon the assumption of office, directed security agencies to urgently fashion out strategies to trace, locate and ensure the safe and successful release of the Chibok girls. Giving the details of the first swap agreement, which he said was the most promising, Alhaji Mohammed said it failed in the last minute because Boko Haram decided to make a new set of demands, even after all arrangements had been made to exchange some Boko Haram fighters for the girls. ”Precisely on 17th July, 2015, the DSS opened negotiations process with the group holding the Chibok girls. However, in return for the release of some of these girls, the group also made some demands. These included the release of some of their fighters arrested including some involved in major terrorist actions, resulting in several fatalities, and others who were experts in manufacture of locally assembled explosives. This was difficult to accept, but appropriate security agencies had to again inform Mr. President of these demands, and its viewed implications. Again Mr. President gave his assent believing that the overall release of these girls remains paramount and sacrosanct. ”Meanwhile, following the above development, Government and the security agencies had sufficient leverage to work out the modalities of the swap. These included creating the safe haven, or necessary place of swap and working out the logistic details. Based on this, the DSS availed other critical sister agencies of this new situation. Immediately, the Nigerian Army and the Air Force sent some specialists to commence a detailed arrangement for the swap. This was during the last week of July 2015 and 1st week of August 2015. The officers representing the various agencies worked out the logistic details, such as the number of persons to be swapped i.e. number of girls and detainees to be exchanged, the vehicles and aircraft, as well as safeguards, i.e. safety of the persons, including the location of the swap. ”When it was finally agreed by all parties, Mr. President was again informed that the preparations were concluded, and the first step for the swap would commence on 1st August, 2015. Mr. President robustly gave his approval. On 4th August, 2015, the persons who were to be part of the swap arrangements and all others involved in the operation were transported to Maiduguri, Borno State. This team, with the lead facilitator, continued the contact with the group holding the Chibok girls. The Service was able to further prove to the group its sincerity, as it established communication contact between it and its detained members. ”All things were in place for the swap which was mutually agreed. Expectations were high. Unfortunately, after more than two (2) weeks of negotiation and bargains, the group, just at the dying moments, issued new set of demands, never bargained for or discussed by the group before the movement to Maiduguri. All this while, the security agencies waited patiently. This development stalled what would have been the first release process of the Chibok girls,” he said. The Minister also gave the details of two more swap attempts that were made following the failure of the first agreement. ”By the month of November, precisely 13th November, 2015, another fresh negotiation process with the group was initiated. This time, there was the need to discuss a fresh component in other to avoid issues that had stalled the former arrangement. There were however some problems that many may not discern, but should be expected in this kind of situation. Some critical persons within the group who played such vital role in August, 2015 were discovered to be dead during combat action or as a result of the emerging rift amongst members of the group then. These two factors delayed the process. ”By 30th November, 2015 it was becoming glaring that the division amongst the group was more profound. This affected the swap process. By 10th December, 2015, another negotiation process was in place, but this failed to achieve results because of the varying demands by the group,” he said, assuring that in spite of the failures, negotiation continued on new modalities to secure the release of the girls. The Minister said since the beginning of 2016, the security agencies have not only remained committed but have also taken the lead to resolve the Chibok girls’ issue, in spite of the current division among members of the terrorist group, which has seriously affected the efforts He commended the security agencies whom, he said, have sacrificed their time and energy, with some even paying the supreme price while fighting for the safe release of the girls, disclosing that many friendly countries and organizations have equally been very forthcoming in providing their human and technological resources to assist in the process. Addressing the parents and relatives of the Chibok girls, Alhaji Mohammed said: ”We are with you; we feel your pains and shall not relent until we succeed in bringing home our girls and every other citizen abducted by the group.” He also appealed to ”all those who have shown concern in resolving this matter” to continue to trust the efforts of Government to deal with the situation. [myad]
R-l: Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Immediate Past Special Adviser to President Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati and former Special Adviser to the Late President Alhaji Musa Shehu Yar’Adua, Mr. Segun Adeniyi during the funeral service for the late Director of Information State House, Mr. Justin Abuah at our Lady Queen of Nigeria in Abuja.
Wife of Late Director of Information State House, Mr. Justin Abuah, Mrs. Nonyem with the Children during the burial at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja today, September 16, 2016: Photo by Sunday Aghaeze. [myad]
The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has announced the immediate release of the sum of N350 billion capital votes into the system as the Federal Government continues to tackle the economic crisis currently facing the nation. The Minister, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja today, Friday, said that the current administration is not backing down on its decision to stimulate the economy.
“With the N350 billion to be released, next week, the federal government would have released the total sum of N770 billion for capital projects this year, having released N420 billion thus far in 2016.” She explained that the bulk of the money so far released went into on-going projects, especially works, defence, transportation, interior, power and agriculture. The minister also disclosed that the administration was working on raising $1 billion Eurobond. The proceeds for this would be used only for capital projects. Giving further clarifications on the Eurobond issue, Director-General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, said, “We intend to raise the money before the year ends. In terms of the progress made so far, more than five weeks ago we put out advertisements for Request For Proposals in local and international media, following due process so that we can allow transaction partners who are interested to compete.
“The closing date of the RFPs is September 19, 2016 and immediately after that we will execute the process of vetting and selection. “We have a directive to make sure we use minimum time to conclude all these activities. So we assure you that we are going to cut the time because of the emergency situation. Before the middle of December, we will have the money. We are very focused on the fact that these monies are needed urgently to turn around the economy and we are working on that.”
On the issue of bidding process and open procurement, the minister explained that what is needed is a balance between speed and transparency, saying that is why we are engaging the National Assembly to support our request to truncate the process.
“We are already talking to members of the National Assembly, explaining to them why this is necessary so that when we release money, it is not just going to be sitting in the TSA account but it will actually be going down into contractors and appropriately utilized,” she stated. [myad]
Governors of the 36 states of Nigeria have unanimously expressed their support for the measures being taken by President Muhammadu Buhari to address the economic recession into which the country has been thrown. Rising from a brief emergency meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, today, Friday, the governors, under the umbrella of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, stressed the need for all Nigerians to cooperate with the government to take the country out of the recession. The chairman of the Forum cum governor of Zamfara state, Alhaji Abdul’Azeez Abubakar Yari, in a terse statement read before the news men shortly after the meeting, said that the governors are determined to key into the federal government to diversify the economy as part of the solution to the economic downturn. The governors’ emergency came a day after a presidential retreat on recession and budget was held and declared open by President Buhari in the same venue. The President had asked his ministers and other stakeholders for whom the retreat was organized, to think-out-of-the-box in an effort to steer the country away from recession. Meanwhile, the governors have declared emergency on polio that had just resurfaced in part Borno state, as well as Lassa fever. The NGE chairman told the news men that state governments would work hand-in-hand with the federal ministry of health to ensure that adequate measures are taken to quickly end the scourge. [myad]
The Chairman of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Transition Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Joda has given reasons why the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) cannot hold the former minister of finance under President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala responsible for any financial misappropriation for which she would be arrested.
He told news men in Yola, capital of Adamawa state that the former minister was very clever because she made sure that President Jonathan gave presidential approval to virtually everything she presented to him.
The retired permanent secretary said that despite the perfidy committed by some persons during the administration, Okonjo-Iweala always sought presidential approval, pointing out that such tactfulness from her made it difficult for anyone, including the EFCC, to be able to link her with fraud.
The elder statesman, who was responding to a question on whether or not Buhari could bring back the likes of the former Finance Minister to help the administration fix the economy, said: “Okonjo-Iweala is a professional and she guarded herself, if you look at what she did. Whenever, they said this happened she was able to produce papers to say, ‘look oh!’ We had a meeting, presided over by the President and attended by the National Security Adviser and others. And we agreed.
“And she would go back and write the President and say, ‘I have received a request to release so many billions in accordance with our minutes. Your Excellency, if you will approve.’ And His Excellency would approve it. So, she covered herself, thus you can’t pin anything on her.”
Ahmed Joda said that he was surprised that the recession in the country was not as worse as envisaged, given the “character of the country which consumes without producing.”
“We were pretending, given our character as a consumer country, even the oil and gas we are not producing; if we are to tell ourselves the truth. We have four refineries. We can’t refine; we are importing. We don’t have enough facilities to import the quantity of fuel that we require. We are badly managing our affairs, we are destroying our economy.
“I’m not surprised that we are in this situation. I’m only surprised that we are not even worse.”
According to him, the current economic challenges should not necessarily be blamed on the immediate past administration and that the problem was traceable to “what we failed to do as a nation.”
According to him, no one can excuse himself from the blame.
He said that Buhari’s presidency as a civilian is bound to face some governance challenges because democracy is a different terrain, adding: “when he (Buhari) was a military president, he could jail people and order people to queue up. But today he can’t; because he didn’t come through the bullet, he came through the ballot box.
“And this ballot box says okay, Mr. Buhari you are no longer a General, if you like you can call yourself Alhaji or Mallam. But here are the courts, here is the National Assembly and this is the way you are going. You cannot jail anybody or even lock them up for even one hour. You have to follow due process.” [myad]
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced the June/July 2016 Senior Secondary Schools results in which 88.51 percent of the candidates got at least five credits including Mathematics and English Language. Registrar of the Council, Professor Charles Uwakwe, who released the results at the Headquarters in Minna, said that 905,011 (84.54 per cent) of candidates got five credits and above in English Language while 812,846 (80.16 percent) got five credits and above in Mathematics. He said that the comparative analysis of candidates performance in the examination for 2015 and 2016 shows that there is one percent (1%) improvement in the general performance of candidates in 2016 (88.51%) as compared with 2015 (87.51 percent). The analysis of candidates’ performance by State has Ekiti State recording the highest of 96.48 percent and Katsina State recording the least with 72.59 percent. Prof. Uwakwe said that 1,022,474 candidates in Nigeria and other countries sat and wrote the examination out of 1,027,016 who registered. He said that 43,905 cases of malpractice was recorded, and the number of schools involved in mass cheating as 194, adding that the results of candidates involved have been cancelled. The Registrar said that the council was able to sustain its timely release of results at the stipulated time from the date the last paper was written. [myad]
Whoever came up with the aphorism that “like attracts like” deserves a special place in the Guinness Book of World Records. How true! Our country Nigeria went to the Rio Olympics and came back with a bronze medal in football, looking really pitiable on the overall medals table whereas countries like Kenya, South and Ethiopia tried to put up some struggle for Africa. But now it is the Paralympics in the same Rio, Brazil, still in the year 2016, and Nigeria’s representatives are suddenly winning medals upon medals and breaking world records. As at the time of this writing, Nigeria has won 11 medals at the Paralympics, and we are 10th on the overall medals table. We have smashed at least two world records thanks to Flora Ugwunwa in Javelin and to Josephine Orji who shattered the world record with a lift of 160 kg in the women’s +84 kg lifting event. I don’t want to imagine myself in the same room with Josephine. Less than 160 kg as I am, she could lift me with a finger onto a bed, do what she likes with me, and no matter how happy the outcome of that imaginary encounter could be, she could still throw me out of the window with another finger. Woman pass man! Res-pe-ct!
But that is not how she is applying her talents; she is winning gold for Nigeria! A country where able-bodied men and women cannot achieve results but special persons go to the world stage and save the country’s face is what country: a country of specially challenged people. We have finally found our level. We are a country of gifted, but challenged people. We have economic recession at home. We are winning medals at a strategically recessed international competition. We fail persons who are physically challenged at home. We treat them like they do not belong. We do not pay enough attention to them. What is going on at the Rio Paralympics is a wake up call on the need for government at all levels to pay better attention to the special people among us: they have always risen beyond their challenges to do this nation proud, but this nation has always failed them.
When our fit and capable men and women went to the Rio Olympics, they came back with not just a face-saving bronze medal, but also with a truck-load of scandals. These include kits that arrived terribly late, flights that had to be arranged through charity, a Sports Minister that perpetually kept his foot in his mouth, hotel bills that could not be paid and just pure shame upon shame, including the spectacle of a Japanese philanthropist, Katsuya Takasu, having to come to the rescue of the Nigerian football team. When the main Olympics ended, the shame was so much, the athletes simply dispersed into thin air. Nobody bothered to receive and thank them for their effort. State officials insulted the Japanese philanthropist who supported Nigeria.
Not even Chierika Ukogu, the courageous lady who represented Nigeria for the first time at the Olympics in rowing was remembered. Samson Siasia, the man who led the Nigerian football team to a bronze medal was so furious he threw in the towel after the event. We can’t say he has given up on Nigeria, but he couldn’t hide his disgust. Golden boy, Mikel Obi used his own money to sustain the national soccer team at the Rio Olympics: he paid hotel bills, but nobody has deemed it necessary to send him something as decent as a letter of appreciation and commendation. In the face of all that Solomon Dalung is still sitting tight as Nigeria’s Minister of Sports. I am surprised he has not uttered a word to encourage our Paralympics representatives. No, I should not be surprised. It must be that he does not consider the Paralympics important. He is too busy attending to the able-bodied athletes, for him the Paralympics must be a parody. It is not like that elsewhere, though, not in Britain or the United States. Dalung must learn to be everybody’s Sports Minister.
The cold shoulder that the Rio Olympics Nigeria team got is unacceptable. Nobody invited the team for a handshake. They were just allowed to disperse without ceremony. This speaks volumes. Could it mean that we no longer consider sports important and strategic? Anyone who has followed the Olympics closely would know that it is an opportunity and a platform for projecting national strength, capability, pride and achievement. Human beings determine the profile and the fortunes of nations. They do so in virtually every field of human endeavour. The British at a point no longer did well at the Olympics and other international sporting events. It was a blow on their national brand. They identified the problem, invested in finding a solution and today, Great Britain is back in contention as a nation of great sporting talents. That is how strategic thinking and diligent policy implementation work. But here in Nigeria, policy flip flops and lack of continuity in policy implementation and the rise of dangerous insularity, exclusion and a me-myself-my people-governance style has produced at all levels a new normal pitched on values different from national objectives and interest.
I’d like to ask for one thing. As soon as possible, somebody in government should arrange for both the Rio Olympics and the Rio Paralympics teams to be properly received at Aso Villa. We also need to say a simple thank you to Delta Airlines, the airline that airlifted the Nigerian soccer team from Atlanta free of charge to Brazil. The boys arrived a few hours to their first match and they went on to win Nigeria’s only medal in the entire tournament. Without Delta United, that would never have happened. They deserve a we-are-grateful handshake, and the earlier the better. I also try to imagine how the first Nigerian to participate in rowing must be feeling.
She had to raise funds to get to the Rio Olympics. Many of her diaspora-based kind are competing for other countries, but she decided to stick with Nigeria and put this country on the map. And nobody has given her a phone call? Haba! I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ministry of Sports doesn’t even have her phone number. When people are treated badly, they give up on their country. They lose hope. They become angry and inconsolable. They feel used. The message of the god of small things is that small things can transform lives, build bridges, strengthen values and provide everlasting hope. In Nigeria, we trample upon small things, we ignore big things because we easily lose sight of things that matter.
When the National Honours List for this year is to be drawn up (there should be a National Honours List- about time!), the recipients should be strictly those persons who have done something significant for the nation. I will put all the obvious heroes and heroines I have mentioned or alluded to in this piece on that list, not the men, women and merchants of accidental privilege who suddenly become important because they have occupied some prominent positions in government. For once, let us honour those who deserve recognition, not some persons who have done nothing other than to benefit from Nigeria at everyone’s expense.
It is ironic that Nigeria’s able-bodied representatives at the 2016 Rio Olympics simply disappeared after the event; that should not happen with our gold-winning special athletes at the Rio Paralympics. They deserve a rousing welcome on their return. All things considered, we need to take sports more seriously. There is a lot that nations achieve with sports. It is a big, brand-building platform that serious nations do not joke with. Sports turn small nations into big nations. Jamaica cannot be described as a small nation, it is the country of Bob Marley, and it also has Usain Bolt, and other impressive and legendary athletes. Jamaica has no crude oil, but it has great sportsmen and women. Nigeria has over 200 million people, talented and capable men and women but see how we make a mess of opportunities and short-change the entire nation. The next challenge is to pull that valuable human resource away from the traps of recession and depression. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and minister of budget and national planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, marching to the venue of a retreat organized by the Presidency to search for solution to the economic recession and sound budgeting. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged his ministers and other stakeholders to think-out-of-the-box in order to lead Nigeria out of the present recession.
The President, who spoke at a ministerial retreat on economy and budget, held at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja today, Thursday said: “the challenges we face in the current recession require ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, to deploy strategies that involve engaging meaningfully with the private sector, to raise the level of private sector investment in the economy as a whole.”
The theme of the retreat is: “Building Inter-ministerial Synergy for Effective Planning and Budgeting in Nigeria,” which President Buhari said is very apt and timely, “especially as we are in the process of developing the 2017 Budget.”
The President recalled that over the years, there had been a mismatch between planned targets and budgetary outcomes at the National and sectorial levels.
He said that the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), have not also benefited significantly from working together and building consensus around common national objectives, a situation which he said had has impeded growth and development of the country.
“It is in this context that this Retreat has been designed to discuss issues around the State of the Economy and build consensus amongst Cabinet Members and top Government officials. The Retreat will also serve as an opportunity to have a general overview of the economy and discuss the framework for the 2017 Budget, its key priorities and deliverables.”
The President said that the retreat is coming at a critical time in our economic history, when the Nigerian economy is in a recession, with significant downturn in performance in various sectors.
“It is with regard to the importance of this Retreat that I decided to sit through the first part of the session to listen to the views from experienced economists and development experts on how best to implement our plans to rid the country of its oil dependence and to diversify the economy and bring the country out of the current economic recession.
“This is in line with our Administration’s determination to lay a solid foundation for growth and development as outlined in the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) of our Change Agenda.
“Given that this Retreat is a lead-up to the 2017 Budget, my expectation is that we will come out of the these sessions with a determination and common position on how to have improved synergy amongst the various Ministries and Departments for the effective formulation and implementation of the 2017 Budget.
“I also trust that the breakout sessions will enable you to discuss extensively amongst yourselves, the details of the four sub-themes and come up with practical solutions on the way forward in order to come out with a set of prioritized projects and programmes that will fit into the 2017 Budget. [myad]
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The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has announced the immediate release of the sum of N350 billion capital votes into the system as the Federal Government continues to tackle the economic crisis currently facing the nation.
Governors of the 36 states of Nigeria have unanimously expressed their support for the measures being taken by President Muhammadu Buhari to address the economic recession into which the country has been thrown.
Nigeria and the Rio Paralympics, By Reuben Abati
Whoever came up with the aphorism that “like attracts like” deserves a special place in the Guinness Book of World Records. How true! Our country Nigeria went to the Rio Olympics and came back with a bronze medal in football, looking really pitiable on the overall medals table whereas countries like Kenya, South and Ethiopia tried to put up some struggle for Africa. But now it is the Paralympics in the same Rio, Brazil, still in the year 2016, and Nigeria’s representatives are suddenly winning medals upon medals and breaking world records. As at the time of this writing, Nigeria has won 11 medals at the Paralympics, and we are 10th on the overall medals table. We have smashed at least two world records thanks to Flora Ugwunwa in Javelin and to Josephine Orji who shattered the world record with a lift of 160 kg in the women’s +84 kg lifting event. I don’t want to imagine myself in the same room with Josephine. Less than 160 kg as I am, she could lift me with a finger onto a bed, do what she likes with me, and no matter how happy the outcome of that imaginary encounter could be, she could still throw me out of the window with another finger. Woman pass man! Res-pe-ct!
But that is not how she is applying her talents; she is winning gold for Nigeria! A country where able-bodied men and women cannot achieve results but special persons go to the world stage and save the country’s face is what country: a country of specially challenged people. We have finally found our level. We are a country of gifted, but challenged people. We have economic recession at home. We are winning medals at a strategically recessed international competition. We fail persons who are physically challenged at home. We treat them like they do not belong. We do not pay enough attention to them. What is going on at the Rio Paralympics is a wake up call on the need for government at all levels to pay better attention to the special people among us: they have always risen beyond their challenges to do this nation proud, but this nation has always failed them.
When our fit and capable men and women went to the Rio Olympics, they came back with not just a face-saving bronze medal, but also with a truck-load of scandals. These include kits that arrived terribly late, flights that had to be arranged through charity, a Sports Minister that perpetually kept his foot in his mouth, hotel bills that could not be paid and just pure shame upon shame, including the spectacle of a Japanese philanthropist, Katsuya Takasu, having to come to the rescue of the Nigerian football team. When the main Olympics ended, the shame was so much, the athletes simply dispersed into thin air. Nobody bothered to receive and thank them for their effort. State officials insulted the Japanese philanthropist who supported Nigeria.
Not even Chierika Ukogu, the courageous lady who represented Nigeria for the first time at the Olympics in rowing was remembered. Samson Siasia, the man who led the Nigerian football team to a bronze medal was so furious he threw in the towel after the event. We can’t say he has given up on Nigeria, but he couldn’t hide his disgust. Golden boy, Mikel Obi used his own money to sustain the national soccer team at the Rio Olympics: he paid hotel bills, but nobody has deemed it necessary to send him something as decent as a letter of appreciation and commendation. In the face of all that Solomon Dalung is still sitting tight as Nigeria’s Minister of Sports. I am surprised he has not uttered a word to encourage our Paralympics representatives. No, I should not be surprised. It must be that he does not consider the Paralympics important. He is too busy attending to the able-bodied athletes, for him the Paralympics must be a parody. It is not like that elsewhere, though, not in Britain or the United States. Dalung must learn to be everybody’s Sports Minister.
The cold shoulder that the Rio Olympics Nigeria team got is unacceptable. Nobody invited the team for a handshake. They were just allowed to disperse without ceremony. This speaks volumes. Could it mean that we no longer consider sports important and strategic? Anyone who has followed the Olympics closely would know that it is an opportunity and a platform for projecting national strength, capability, pride and achievement. Human beings determine the profile and the fortunes of nations. They do so in virtually every field of human endeavour. The British at a point no longer did well at the Olympics and other international sporting events. It was a blow on their national brand. They identified the problem, invested in finding a solution and today, Great Britain is back in contention as a nation of great sporting talents. That is how strategic thinking and diligent policy implementation work. But here in Nigeria, policy flip flops and lack of continuity in policy implementation and the rise of dangerous insularity, exclusion and a me-myself-my people-governance style has produced at all levels a new normal pitched on values different from national objectives and interest.
I’d like to ask for one thing. As soon as possible, somebody in government should arrange for both the Rio Olympics and the Rio Paralympics teams to be properly received at Aso Villa. We also need to say a simple thank you to Delta Airlines, the airline that airlifted the Nigerian soccer team from Atlanta free of charge to Brazil. The boys arrived a few hours to their first match and they went on to win Nigeria’s only medal in the entire tournament. Without Delta United, that would never have happened. They deserve a we-are-grateful handshake, and the earlier the better. I also try to imagine how the first Nigerian to participate in rowing must be feeling.
She had to raise funds to get to the Rio Olympics. Many of her diaspora-based kind are competing for other countries, but she decided to stick with Nigeria and put this country on the map. And nobody has given her a phone call? Haba! I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ministry of Sports doesn’t even have her phone number. When people are treated badly, they give up on their country. They lose hope. They become angry and inconsolable. They feel used. The message of the god of small things is that small things can transform lives, build bridges, strengthen values and provide everlasting hope. In Nigeria, we trample upon small things, we ignore big things because we easily lose sight of things that matter.
When the National Honours List for this year is to be drawn up (there should be a National Honours List- about time!), the recipients should be strictly those persons who have done something significant for the nation. I will put all the obvious heroes and heroines I have mentioned or alluded to in this piece on that list, not the men, women and merchants of accidental privilege who suddenly become important because they have occupied some prominent positions in government. For once, let us honour those who deserve recognition, not some persons who have done nothing other than to benefit from Nigeria at everyone’s expense.
It is ironic that Nigeria’s able-bodied representatives at the 2016 Rio Olympics simply disappeared after the event; that should not happen with our gold-winning special athletes at the Rio Paralympics. They deserve a rousing welcome on their return. All things considered, we need to take sports more seriously. There is a lot that nations achieve with sports. It is a big, brand-building platform that serious nations do not joke with. Sports turn small nations into big nations. Jamaica cannot be described as a small nation, it is the country of Bob Marley, and it also has Usain Bolt, and other impressive and legendary athletes. Jamaica has no crude oil, but it has great sportsmen and women. Nigeria has over 200 million people, talented and capable men and women but see how we make a mess of opportunities and short-change the entire nation. The next challenge is to pull that valuable human resource away from the traps of recession and depression. [myad]