“Ha, my brother. Thanks for being observant. I have been trekking.”
“Trekking?”
“I went to buy fuel at that fuel station by the Estate gate. I had to abandon the car there. On my way back home, I could not find okada or any other form of transportation.”
“No wonder you are sweating.”
“All the tricyclists and the okada people claim they have no fuel.”
“It is good for you big men to have a taste of what poor people go through. This fuel scarcity is an effective leveler. It is no respecter of persons.”
“I can’t wait for April 7 to come.”
“What’s special about April 7?”
“That’s the day we are told this scarcity will end, and there will be no more scarcity of petroleum products.”
“You mean a government official actually made such a promise?”
“Yes”
“Then, that official still has a lot to learn. In this kind of matter, you must never give a deadline because you never know. Nigerians will record the date, pretend to be optimistic and wait for you. If you don’t deliver on the said date, you will be branded an incompetent liar!”
“Really?”
“Trust me. Never set a deadline. Never say things such as we will put an end to the Boko Haram menace by June ending. We will deliver 10, 000 MW of electricity by December, and there will be fuel across the country by so-so-and-so date?”
“But I think April 7 is a sure date”
“I like your optimism. You mean by April 7, the pipeline vandals would have stopped stealing?”
“Some concerned Nigerians, particularly Pastors, I understand have been helping the Federal Government to appeal to vandals. They have been telling the vandals that it is not a good thing to steal petrol that belongs to all of us.”
“You want to stop oil theft and pipeline vandalism by preaching? Does anyone know who the vandals are?”
“You know we are a religious nation. When everything fails, we preach. I won’t be surprised to hear that any pipeline vandal who repents will be recommended for a National Honour!”
“In that case, what are you still doing here? You too should become a pipeline vandal, repent and get honoured. Or you don’t want a national honour?”
“Actually, I’d rather ask the vandals to give me fuel from their private depots, so I won’t have to face the stress of looking for fuel.”
“But I thought we were depending on the importation of refined petroleum products. Where are the major marketers?”
“They are there, but they say they can’t help because market forces are now obeying command-and-control, centralized orders which are not good for business.”
“I know. I know. The climate has changed. There is no more free money to share in the name of subsidy. Let the marketers continue to grumble. You know, sometimes I actually feel that if the NNPC can quickly get its acts together and Nigerians can endure a little, this may actually be our opportunity to free Nigerians from the threat of oil marketers.”
“What threat? The marketers are doing business. If the refineries work and fuel supply across the country is well managed, we should not be in this situation. If you frustrate the marketers, whose crime is that they feed off state inefficiency, and you have no alternative in place, this is what you get. The issue is also one of ideological confusion between capitalism and socialism.”
“It is a shame that at a time the international price of crude oil is dropping, Nigerians are having to pay an arm and a leg to get fuel. Right now, a litre of fuel is about N250”.
“It’s more. That is if you get it to buy.”
“Wait a moment. You are panting. What’s that wheezing sound? You may need to see a doctor.”
“I can’t remember when last I trekked.”
“Fuel scarcity is good for you then?”
“How can this suffering be good for anybody? Do you know how many families are now treating heat rash? Not to talk of hundreds of Nigerians who have died looking for fuel?”
“Just see a doctor. If you trek for about 1,000 metres and you are now looking like you want to pass out, then for you fuel scarcity is a major help. If you didn’t have to look for fuel, you’d be dying slowly and you may never know. I think every big man should in fact go look for fuel and trek a little, and listen to the people on the street. Good exercise.”
“You must be joking”
“Well, as it is, it is the poor who are benefitting from the crisis. Many lower class Nigerians now trek to work. They can’t afford the high cost of transportation, so they just hit the road with their feet.”
“You must be kidding me”.
“Two days ago, I saw a long stretch of trekkers, returning from work, moving from Victoria Island to the Mainland, looking like they have accepted their fate.”
“Too much trekking can kill.”
“Looks like that former Minister who once recommended that Nigerians should use the bicycle is about to be vindicated at last. The bicycle will be our best bet under the circumstances.”
“Stop being funny. Families will use the bicycle to take children to school? Or Madam will go to the market riding a bicycle?”
“Nigerians must learn to embrace change. Our problem is that we don’t always see the good sides of everything. Are you aware that this fuel scarcity crisis has created many jobs?”
“You mean it has resulted in many job losses. With the rise in the cost of goods and services, many companies have had to lay off staff. If you spend half of your profit on generating electricity and buying fuel at cut-throat rates, you’d have sooner or later to cut costs. The first casualties are the workers. Even big companies can no longer pay salaries. Small and medium scale enterprises are folding up.”
“In your estate?”
“What do you mean in my estate?”
“Because you see in this life, when some people are crying, some people are smiling. All those boys selling black market fuel in jerry cans by the roadside, I hear they are praying that there should always be fuel scarcity. Many of them are now multi-millionaires.”
“Profiting from other people’s agony. Is that your understanding of how a proper economy works?”
“I am an optimist. Those boys selling fuel are very happy. If there is regular supply of fuel tomorrow, they wont’ be happy.”
“Please stop this cynicism.”
“Cynicism? Look, if this thing continues beyond April 7, don’t be surprised if you see me by the roadside also hawking fuel in jerry cans. I will add some swag to my own; organize the jerry cans nicely and put up a visible sign-board with the inscription: NNPC Mega Station! I have been making enquiries.”
“Your mates are aspiring to own fuel stations, become major marketers, or even own oil fields, your ambition is to sell fuel in jerry cans.”
“Some of those boys selling fuel in jerry cans are university graduates. I did my research. You do yours.”
“You are exaggerating”
“No, I am not. You mean you have not seen Ph.D holders in this country who are working as drivers or running pepper soup joints or selling pure water? You better change your mentality. My friend, try and change.”
“It is not that bad, please.”
“Okay. Are you aware that many graduates are ready to join the Nigeria Police as constables? And they will be glad to be posted to checkpoints where they can check vehicle particulars, and the pockets of motorists.”
“Pockets?”
“Yes. Why do you think there has been such a massive rush for jobs in the Nigeria Police. The Police recently placed an advert asking for applications. The two websites for online application crashed within 4 hours.”
“Wonderful.”
“They are looking for just 10, 000 new recruits. They received more than 8, 000 applications within one hour. If the portals did not crash, there would have been over a million applications.”
“Na wa o”
“Na wa ya o. We really need a miracle to happen.”
“No fuel. No electricity. No rainfall, either, as if God is holding on to the rains. Everywhere is so hot. I hardly sleep at night.”
“I still think you should see the doctor. And luckily for you, you may not have to pay the hospital.”
“How do you mean?”
“The Minister of Health has just directed all teaching hospitals and government-owned hospitals to treat patients free of charge.”
“Indigent patients or every patient?”
“We are all indigent, my friend.”
“But I don’t know why you take the Minister serious. You and I know he is just talking. No hospital will listen to him. And by the way, is he in a position to give such directives to state-owned hospitals? Even the ones owned by the Federal Government, do they have enough funds to embark on free healthcare? Government officials just must talk.”
“You can’t say that until you find out.”
“No. I don’t need to find out. I know.”
“Just take care of your health. I don’t want it said that you slumped while looking for fuel.”
“I’ll be fine”.
“Nigeria too will be fine. You remember that baby girl who was shown looking malnourished, and emaciated four months ago. Adacheka. And the boy now called Hope who was found in Akwa Ibom, left for dead, emaciated and sickly, in January. When I see the pictures of both children and how they have been saved, I think of our country, Nigeria. Miracles still happen.”
“I don’t believe in miracles any more.”
“Why not? Nigeria will soon start operating on nuclear energy level.”
“Really? People look for miracles when they are desperate or losing hope. In football, for example, Nigerians are looking for miracles right now. The Super Eagles have disappointed the nation. Indigenous coaches have failed us. From Stephen Keshi, to Austin Eguavoen, Samson Siasia and Sunday Oliseh, no hits, back to back, all na failure.”
“You don’t become a successful coach and manager just because you once captained a team. You need technical skills. You need the right people.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians in Washington DC that his government is working hard to correct the mistakes made in the past as a nation.
“We are working diligently to correct our mistakes as a nation. We will rehabilitate and expand national infrastructure, and move forward as quickly as possible.”
Speaking at an audience with a group of Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various professions in the United States, President Buhari said that the present administration is fully committed to correcting the errors that have hindered Nigeria’s progress as a nation.
“We are determined to get things done properly this time and God willing, we shall succeed.
President Buhari said that his administration will maintain contacts with Nigerian professionals in the Diaspora and see how they can be best placed to contribute effectively to national development if they choose to come back home.
The President congratulated the five Nigerians he met with for their exceptional accomplishments, saying that he was very proud of them all.
The Nigerians received by President Buhari included Professor Austin Esogbue, the only African to have served on the board of the United States’ National Aeronautical Space Agency.
Others were Jelani Aliyu, a leading car designer with General Motors, Prof. Nwadiuto Esiobu, a renowned Microbiologist and Biochemist, Dr. Yemi Badero, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and 13-year old Muriel Oduwole who has interviewed 18 world leaders. [myad]
Vicki Marsha Uniforms, a California-based school uniforms company has donated school uniforms, worth $48,000 to the disadvantaged young girls in the Yola-Jimeta community attending the literacy scheme of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), tagged ‘Feed and Read Program.’ The University confirmed in a statement today that it had taken delivery of the school uniforms, worth $48,000 in wholesale value, at the Yola campus. The clothing was said have been freighted free of charge by FedEx international couriers. FedEx’s in-kind donation is valued at $11,000. “We appreciate being included in this incredible effort to help fellow humans and to make our world a better place for those so in need,” said Mrs. Diane Cologne, whose husband, Tim, co-owns the Huntington Beach-based clothier. The donated items include new high-quality trousers, short pants, skirts, sweaters, shirts and dresses. The uniforms will be available for use in other AUN programs. AUN President, Margee Ensign said while receiving the donation: “this generous gift from the other side of the world will make such a huge difference to the children we are seeking to educate here in Nigeria. “All of us, and particularly the girls and their families, are enormously grateful to the Colognes.” The new literacy program was launched on February 11 with a financial donation by the Irish government. It targets at-risk, out-of-school girls and orphans ages of 6 to 17. Some of the beneficiaries were orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency. AUN’s Feed and Read program, which kicked off with 70 girls, has seen the number already double. The program’s Coordinator, Executive Director of AUN Schools Mrs. Nkem Uzowulu, reported that the number increases daily as parents are encouraged by their children’s improved performance and tell their neighbors about it. The literacy program provides basic literacy and numeracy skills to the girls, with a feeding component that provides one meal per day. The meals are cooked by local vendors. Besides education, the program has a local economic impact as it is a source of livelihood for community women serving as volunteers or facilitators in the program, as well as for the food vendors. At the launch of new program, AUN President Dr. Ensign stressed the need for Nigeria to educate girls, noting that when girls are educated, everything in the country changes, from infant mortality to decline in infectious diseases and family size. AUN also has a literacy program that targets Almajiri boys. Both programs follow the same fundamental pedagogy and include a free meal for participants. The new uniforms are also available for the boys. AUN also runs a USAID-sponsored literacy and numeracy program Technology Enhanced Learning for All (TELA) which is exposes 22,000 vulnerable boys and girls in the local community using radio and tablets. [myad]
Things were going wrong under the watch of a Christian President. So, I asked myself, ‘Are we really praying well? Are we praying right? Is it that there were things God was telling us that we were not willing to listen to’? So, that changed my perspectives and I started balancing things. I came to the conclusion that we needed someone that will be able to deliver the dividends of democracy. Leading a nation is not running a church. Church has the Bible as its constitution but in a nation, you have heathens, Christians, Muslims and you have to carry everyone along. You have to protect the interests of everybody. You have homosexuals. So, I must not want a President to impose his religious views on everybody. No, no, no. He has to be able to protect the interests of everyone. And to be able to do that, the only way is to deliver the dividends of democracy. Nigeria belongs to everyone and everyone is entitled to practise whatever he or she wants without fear of molestation. I started advocating them but my views were not popular. I stuck to my guns anyway. I kept insisting that in our very eyes, we have seen the failure of a Christian presidency and we should have a rethink. To me, Christianity should be sincere enough to admit when something is not working and not to play to the gallery, becoming sentimental that we must support a Christian. Doing that will mean the nation will continue to be in limbo.” These were part of the remarks by the presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr. Mike Okonkwo, when he granted an interview to SUNDAY OGUNTOLA of THE NATION recently. Excerpts: You have been labeled a supporter of the government of change… (Cuts in)… But everyone should love change. Everyone should work for change. For me, my interest politically is whoever will deliver dividends of democracy for the nation. Regardless of that person’s religious persuasion, as long as he can deliver, he has my vote. Even if he is a heathen, I will vote for such a person. But people are asking ‘is this is the change we voted for’? That is the issue I keep talking about. Nigerians are naturally impatient and we chicken out once there is a little pressure. We will say we don’t want again. I read somewhere in the social media a young man who said we should go back to corruption since things appear not to be working out well. I said so we should go back to the vicious cycle? I replied the young man and said he was talking nonsense. Yes, things are not too stable but that is to tell you the rot the nation has degenerated to. You see, we are not fighting corruption. Nigeria is corruption. Everywhere you turn, every sector you turn, you find corruption. From the messenger to driver to the boss, everyone is involved. Corruption has become a second nature to us. The truth is you hardly find anyone that has not been dragged into the industry of corruption. It is as bad as that. Corruption has become the biggest industry in the nation. Now that Buhari is there, it will be foolhardy to say things will change overnight. Buhari will not completely eradication corruption because it’s been with us for decades. If anyone is expecting Buhari to change this even if he stays for 15 years, the person is not being sincere. I believe the current administration is fighting so hard to put things in place. The things we are seeing is corruption fighting back. We have saboteurs in the system that will take time to be detected and flushed out. There are people enjoying where we were. They were making it with the situation we had then. They have a lot of money in their hands so they can do anything; they can create problems. But if we endure a lot, I believe things will be better. Do you believe this administration will deliver? I believe so with all my heart. I believe the current crop of leaders will fix this nation. That is why some people are fighting them back. It is because they know within themselves that they can deliver. What is the basis of that belief? Why not? They have wonderful programmes. The budget has just been passed. So, let’s watch between now and end of the year for things to start taking shape. Do you share the belief that government should declare amnesty for all corrupt Nigerians? I believe that we should but with stringent conditions. If you have stolen money and you are willing to willingly refund, you can access amnesty. But amnesty does not mean we should not run after all the looters of our treasuries. They have been able to accumulate too much, even more than the nation. The government has recovered so much of the loots and they should go even after more looters. But we haven’t felt the impact of the loots reportedly recovered… …That is because government has not declared how much was recovered. Besides, they cannot spend monies without passage of the budget. I know that a lot of these monies will be channelled towards projects that have been outlined. But there is the concern that this government seems only interested in spending the next three years chasing thieves. Will that be a good direction to face? Government is not chasing thieves. It is EFCC that is chasing looters; it has just been suddenly awoken. The government is working; the ministers have just been appointed and things are running. It is not Buhari that is running after thieves. The system in place will pursue the looters. We cannot leave them to enjoy our commonwealth. I mean, they have stolen monies meant for us and must vomit them by force. In few weeks, this administration will be one.
How do you assess its performance so far? My performance appraisal is that at least people are running away who stole money. There is an awareness that impunity cannot continue. If nothing, that is a great step forward. I agree there are certain indices that are still expected but I believe that we have gone passed the period where people just did anything and got away with everything. That was what happened with the last administration. The nation just got to a point where it was more or less a banana republic. People could do anything and government cared less. But now, there is a little bit of sanity. There is restraint that you cannot get away with illegalities. I don’t want to run into troubles but that is a good thing for us. In an atmosphere where there is no impunity, you can move the nation forward within a year. In an atmosphere of peace with people aligning and you put structures in place you can get results in six months that should have taken three years. So, I believe in the next one year, we will see results that will shock us. So, Nigerians should be patient? Yes, we should be patient. I mean we have no option at this state. We have to allow the government put things in place that will last and deliver dividends. There is no Nigerian that does not believe that the President and his Vice mean well. We know they won’t steal and want to change the nation. So, we should just be patient. We should bear the little inconveniences that will lead us to the Promised Land. You were one of the few men of God that supported this administration during the electioneering campaign. Many of your colleagues are still angry you supported a Muslim against a Christian. Why did you do that? Two or three years before the elections, I got completely disgruntled and dissatisfied with what was going on. I mean, we had a sitting Christian President yet more Christians had been killed. More churches had been destroyed, yet no compensations for anybody. Things were going wrong under the watch of a Christian President. So, I asked myself, ‘Are we really praying well? Are we praying right? Is it that there were things God was telling us that we were not willing to listen to’? So, that changed my perspectives and I started balancing things. I came to the conclusion that we needed someone that will be able to deliver the dividends of democracy. Leading a nation is not running a church. Church has the Bible as its constitution but in a nation, you have heathens, Christians, Muslims and you have to carry everyone along. You have to protect the interests of everybody. You have homosexuals. So, I must not want a President to impose his religious views on everybody. No, no, no. He has to be able to protect the interests of everyone. And to be able to do that, the only way is to deliver the dividends of democracy. Nigeria belongs to everyone and everyone is entitled to practise whatever he or she wants without fear of molestation. So, you mentioned these to fellow church leaders? I didn’t just mention; I started advocating them but my views were not popular. I stuck to my guns anyway. I kept insisting that in our very eyes, we have seen the failure of a Christian presidency and we should have a rethink. To me, Christianity should be sincere enough to admit when something is not working and not to play to the gallery, becoming sentimental that we must support a Christian. Doing that will mean the nation will continue to be in limbo. So you have no regrets at all? I have none at all. I was glad when Buhari came on board. I mean I could have said we should support a fellow Christian but the interest of the nation should supersede all other considerations. Are you bothered you are called a Buhari apologist and an APC supporter? Why should I? It is my personal opinion, which I am entitled to. Everyone is entitled to his or her political ideology. I want somebody who can deliver dividends of democracy. The other person had tried for six years and didn’t deliver. Why shouldn’t we have someone else? You just started a full-fledged Mike Okonkwo academy. Is that because you love football? Many of your colleagues will say football is not a spiritual activity. Why should a man of God be involved in such ‘carnal’ venture? You see, it is important that you put your ears to the grounds and know what interests people. Football is like a rallying point for millions around the globe. It is an area of interest to many. You see, there are people who will never go to universities. I always have it in me that life is not just about going to schools and acquiring certificates. Many people have other interests in life that will take them to the top. So, the academy is about looking for young people with potentials in football and nurturing them to greatness with the fear of God. The scholarship scheme keeps getting bigger. Are you getting overwhelmed? I cannot because there are many people who wouldn’t have gone to schools without assistance from others. That is the truth of life. Many are stranded but brilliant. It gives me joy to be able to lift somebody up to become what he or she can be. It is always a joy in my heart. I remember a young man, a good musician with vast knowledge of the keyboard. He had been trying to improve his skills in schools to no avail. I met him one day and asked what he was doing. He said he was trying to get into a music school in South Africa. They were asking him to send some of his works to him and I asked what was delaying him. He said he didn’t have money to pursue the admission. So, I said, ‘You concentrate on your works, while you let me know how much everything will cost’. To cut the long story short, the young man is graduating this year. I didn’t do it for anything but because someone has been helped. It is not about training him so that he can play instrument for me. But he could become a mighty instrument in the hands of God and our nation because of his gift. It gives me joy to be able to do all of these.
Manchester City has sent Bournemouth packing with 4-0 in the Premier League match played at the Vitality Stadium today, Saturday. The Citizens were three goals to the good inside the opening quarter of the match, as a side boosted by the return of Kevin de Bruyne ran riot against their below-par opponents. Aleksandar Kolarov came off the bench to help earn City just a third win in eight – keeping them in fourth place and now three points clear of their closest challengers. The visitors were up and running just seven minutes as a result of a fine individual strike by Fernando, who got on the end of Jesus Navas’s corner which skidded through to the Brazilian 12 yards out. City supporters did not have to wait too much longer for a second in the South Coast sunshine, either, as De Bruyne – back after two months out – rounded off a fluid one-touch move by simply passing the ball into the back of the net. David Silva and Sergio Aguero were involved in that attacking play, and it was the latter who essentially sealed the points 19 minutes in when nodding the ball across Artur Boruc at the back post when picked out by Navas. That third goal forced Eddie Howe into action, with Joshua King dropping into a five-man midfield to match City, and the move appeared to pay off as the Cherries finally wrestled back some control of the previously one-sided match. It could have got even worse for the Cherries, however, after Fernandinho picked up the ball in some space and fired a shot back off the crossbar to let the home side off. The closest Howe’s men came to a consolation prior to the break arrived on the half-hour mark, as Steve Cook met a corner which forced deputy City stopper Willy Caballero into a decent stop from close range. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are still yet to confirm their top-flight status for a second season following successive 3-0 defeats either side of the international break. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear about his determination to exploit agriculture and solid minerals to make Nigeria more productive again. “We have great potentials for agriculture and solid minerals. We are now determined to exploit them to the fullest. “Addressing the past neglect of these two sectors will help to reduce unemployment and make us a more productive country.” President Buhari spoke at a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mr. Lars Rasmussen in Washington DC. He stressed the move his government has been making to significantly reduce the high bill for importation of food products to Nigeria, saying that his administration is committed to the rapid diversification of Nigeria’s economy. “We developed a mono-product economy and lost opportunities to diversify in the past. “We will welcome more investment in our agriculture and solid minerals sectors from countries with expertise in the two sectors. We abandoned them for petroleum. Now, we have to go back. “Our bill for the importation of food and dairy products is very high. We want to cut it as much as possible by developing our local potentials,” the President told Mr. Rasmussen. President Buhari assured the Danish Prime Minister that his government will continue to work in partnership with other countries to further improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. The President said that his administration is determined to stop the huge loss of revenue from crude oil theft and has received assurances of international support to curb illegal shipments of Nigeria’s crude oil. The Danish Prime Minister responded by saying that Denmark is a major shipping nation, even as he commended President Buhari for Nigeria’s current efforts to enhance security in the Gulf of Guinea. He assured the President that Danes will be very interested in investing in the development of Nigeria’s agricultural sector if the right policies and conditions are put in place. “We are quite experienced in agriculture. It is an area in which we can cooperate. If you pave the way and remove the obstacles, we will like to come in,” the Prime Minister said. [myad]
Nigeria’s Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun has faulted the universal use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to measure economic progress of the country, which she said often conceals inequalities. The Minister emphasized that there has been excessive focus on GDP as a measure of economic progress, which often concealed vulnerabilities, particularly inequalities. Adeosun spoke at a high level G20 Finance Ministers seminar in Paris on Thursday night. The Finance Ministers met to discuss current challenges to the international financial architecture and ways of combating macroeconomic volatility. The high-level seminar also assessed volatility in capital flows and their impact on global economic conditions. She noted that the first line of defence is sound macroeconomic policies, which Africa in general and Nigeria specifically, is trying to tackle with a series of fiscal housekeeping initiatives. Speaking at the opening plenary, the minister highlighted the risks associated with international capital flows and warned that African economies need to be insulated from the disruptive effects of volatile short term portfolio flows. According to her, Africa can build the necessary resilience, saying that there must be more careful management of capital flows and a move towards long term and sustainable growth. Minister Adeosun said that an essential component of more careful management of capital flows was to build better economic mapping and surveillance to manage risks and spill-overs, which she said should be a priority for G20 Finance Ministers. She called for more understanding and flexibility for Africa to grow and protect key markets, as developed countries had done while at Africa’s current stage of development. She highlighted the need for long term partnerships and foreign direct investment into African economies to deliver the necessary investment, particularly in infrastructure, to unlock sustainable growth. The meeting which was called by China, the current chairman of the G20, was attended by Michel Sapin, Minister of Finance and Public Accounts, France; Wolfgang Schäuble, Minister of Finance, Germany; George Osborne – Chancellor of the Exchequer, United Kingdom; Pietro Carlo Padoan, Minister of Economy and Finance, Italy, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund; Valdis Dombrovkis, Vice President of the European Commission; Zhou Xiaochuan, the Governor of the People’s Bank of China; François Villeroy de Galhau and Governor of the Banque de France. [myad]
A Pakistani, Sahid Mahmood has been caught after sneaking into Nigeria on motorcycle through a bush path in Calabar, the Cross River State.
Sahid, who reportedly entered Nigeria through a bush path in Etung, a border community with Cameroon is being thoroughly screened by the Nigerian Immigration Service and other security agencies to ensure that he is not on the wanted list of any country before he is repatriated.
The Cross River State Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs. Funke Adeuyi told newsmen that Sahid was smuggled on a motor cycle through bush path into Etung from where he went to Ikom and was on his way to Lagos when he was intercepted by border Immigration officials at the village of Yahe, in Yala Local Government Area of the state.
“We are collaborating with other security agencies to thoroughly screen the man to make sure he is not on the wanted list of any country before he is sent back to his country because we have to be vigilant during this critical time in the country why should somebody from Paskistan want to come into the country through bush path.”
Mrs. Adeuyi said that the man was arrested along with a Cameroonian accomplice, Nji Hagis Chi who said he met Sahid at the bus station in Ikom and decided to function as his guide to Lagos where he was going for an undisclosed reason.
“He was not found with anything incriminating but had enough hard currency on him to do anything he wanted to do so we are wary of his movement in Nigeria because he has no reason to be in this country.”
She said that the man only had documents that took him to the Duala Airport in Cameroon but was smuggled into Nigeria suspiciously therefore thorough security checks would be carried out on him and his accomplice, the Cameroonian before they are repatriated to their countries. According to her, there are several illegal routes through which people access the country and warned motorist to desist from adding and abetting those who come into the country through illegal routes owing to obvious security risk. [myad]
South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma has pledged to refund the sum of $16 million taxpayers’ money which he allegedly stole to upgrade his rural home. President Zuma, though insisted that by using the money for his private project, he had not acted dishonestly but that he would pay back the money. Zuma addressed the nation on television a day after the Constitutional Court ruled that his failure to accept a recommendation from the public protector that he repaid part of the money was a violation of the constitution. “I did not act dishonestly or with any personal knowledge of irregularities,” Zuma said. He admitted that “there are many matters that could have been handled differently” and apologised “on my behalf and that of the government.” However, the speech disappointed many South Africans who had expected Zuma to announce his resignation. [myad]
A 21-year-old girl has been rescued from an attempted suicide as a result of the fact that her boyfriend had dumped her to marry another girl from his village. The girl, whose name was given simply as Ifeoma, was rescued at Berger Camp, Phase 2, Site 1, Kubwa, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) almost lifeless by good Samaritan and handed over to police. It was gathered that Ifeoma had been dating a customs officer, for about three years before they broke up and that she later heard that her lover, while away in his home town, got engaged to another woman. It was gathered that when the news got to Ifeoma, she vowed that she would not be alive to see her lover marry another woman. “When it became obvious that the man was bent on dumping her for the other woman, she drank a poisonous substance suspected to be an insecticide.” But Ifeoma, who was rushed to the Kubwa General Hospital where she was resuscitated and discharged earlier in the week, attempted taking her life for the second time before she was rushed to the same hospital a second time. This is even as the Kubwa Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Chief Superintendent Nuruddeen Sabo, confirmed the incident and that the lady would be charged to court as soon as she is discharged. [myad]
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President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians in Washington DC that his government is working hard to correct the mistakes made in the past as a nation.
A Country In Search Of A Miracle, By Reuben Abati
“You look tired”
“Ha, my brother. Thanks for being observant. I have been trekking.”
“Trekking?”
“I went to buy fuel at that fuel station by the Estate gate. I had to abandon the car there. On my way back home, I could not find okada or any other form of transportation.”
“No wonder you are sweating.”
“All the tricyclists and the okada people claim they have no fuel.”
“It is good for you big men to have a taste of what poor people go through. This fuel scarcity is an effective leveler. It is no respecter of persons.”
“I can’t wait for April 7 to come.”
“What’s special about April 7?”
“That’s the day we are told this scarcity will end, and there will be no more scarcity of petroleum products.”
“You mean a government official actually made such a promise?”
“Yes”
“Then, that official still has a lot to learn. In this kind of matter, you must never give a deadline because you never know. Nigerians will record the date, pretend to be optimistic and wait for you. If you don’t deliver on the said date, you will be branded an incompetent liar!”
“Really?”
“Trust me. Never set a deadline. Never say things such as we will put an end to the Boko Haram menace by June ending. We will deliver 10, 000 MW of electricity by December, and there will be fuel across the country by so-so-and-so date?”
“But I think April 7 is a sure date”
“I like your optimism. You mean by April 7, the pipeline vandals would have stopped stealing?”
“Some concerned Nigerians, particularly Pastors, I understand have been helping the Federal Government to appeal to vandals. They have been telling the vandals that it is not a good thing to steal petrol that belongs to all of us.”
“You want to stop oil theft and pipeline vandalism by preaching? Does anyone know who the vandals are?”
“You know we are a religious nation. When everything fails, we preach. I won’t be surprised to hear that any pipeline vandal who repents will be recommended for a National Honour!”
“In that case, what are you still doing here? You too should become a pipeline vandal, repent and get honoured. Or you don’t want a national honour?”
“Actually, I’d rather ask the vandals to give me fuel from their private depots, so I won’t have to face the stress of looking for fuel.”
“But I thought we were depending on the importation of refined petroleum products. Where are the major marketers?”
“They are there, but they say they can’t help because market forces are now obeying command-and-control, centralized orders which are not good for business.”
“I know. I know. The climate has changed. There is no more free money to share in the name of subsidy. Let the marketers continue to grumble. You know, sometimes I actually feel that if the NNPC can quickly get its acts together and Nigerians can endure a little, this may actually be our opportunity to free Nigerians from the threat of oil marketers.”
“What threat? The marketers are doing business. If the refineries work and fuel supply across the country is well managed, we should not be in this situation. If you frustrate the marketers, whose crime is that they feed off state inefficiency, and you have no alternative in place, this is what you get. The issue is also one of ideological confusion between capitalism and socialism.”
“It is a shame that at a time the international price of crude oil is dropping, Nigerians are having to pay an arm and a leg to get fuel. Right now, a litre of fuel is about N250”.
“It’s more. That is if you get it to buy.”
“Wait a moment. You are panting. What’s that wheezing sound? You may need to see a doctor.”
“I can’t remember when last I trekked.”
“Fuel scarcity is good for you then?”
“How can this suffering be good for anybody? Do you know how many families are now treating heat rash? Not to talk of hundreds of Nigerians who have died looking for fuel?”
“Just see a doctor. If you trek for about 1,000 metres and you are now looking like you want to pass out, then for you fuel scarcity is a major help. If you didn’t have to look for fuel, you’d be dying slowly and you may never know. I think every big man should in fact go look for fuel and trek a little, and listen to the people on the street. Good exercise.”
“You must be joking”
“Well, as it is, it is the poor who are benefitting from the crisis. Many lower class Nigerians now trek to work. They can’t afford the high cost of transportation, so they just hit the road with their feet.”
“You must be kidding me”.
“Two days ago, I saw a long stretch of trekkers, returning from work, moving from Victoria Island to the Mainland, looking like they have accepted their fate.”
“Too much trekking can kill.”
“Looks like that former Minister who once recommended that Nigerians should use the bicycle is about to be vindicated at last. The bicycle will be our best bet under the circumstances.”
“Stop being funny. Families will use the bicycle to take children to school? Or Madam will go to the market riding a bicycle?”
“Nigerians must learn to embrace change. Our problem is that we don’t always see the good sides of everything. Are you aware that this fuel scarcity crisis has created many jobs?”
“You mean it has resulted in many job losses. With the rise in the cost of goods and services, many companies have had to lay off staff. If you spend half of your profit on generating electricity and buying fuel at cut-throat rates, you’d have sooner or later to cut costs. The first casualties are the workers. Even big companies can no longer pay salaries. Small and medium scale enterprises are folding up.”
“In your estate?”
“What do you mean in my estate?”
“Because you see in this life, when some people are crying, some people are smiling. All those boys selling black market fuel in jerry cans by the roadside, I hear they are praying that there should always be fuel scarcity. Many of them are now multi-millionaires.”
“Profiting from other people’s agony. Is that your understanding of how a proper economy works?”
“I am an optimist. Those boys selling fuel are very happy. If there is regular supply of fuel tomorrow, they wont’ be happy.”
“Please stop this cynicism.”
“Cynicism? Look, if this thing continues beyond April 7, don’t be surprised if you see me by the roadside also hawking fuel in jerry cans. I will add some swag to my own; organize the jerry cans nicely and put up a visible sign-board with the inscription: NNPC Mega Station! I have been making enquiries.”
“Your mates are aspiring to own fuel stations, become major marketers, or even own oil fields, your ambition is to sell fuel in jerry cans.”
“Some of those boys selling fuel in jerry cans are university graduates. I did my research. You do yours.”
“You are exaggerating”
“No, I am not. You mean you have not seen Ph.D holders in this country who are working as drivers or running pepper soup joints or selling pure water? You better change your mentality. My friend, try and change.”
“It is not that bad, please.”
“Okay. Are you aware that many graduates are ready to join the Nigeria Police as constables? And they will be glad to be posted to checkpoints where they can check vehicle particulars, and the pockets of motorists.”
“Pockets?”
“Yes. Why do you think there has been such a massive rush for jobs in the Nigeria Police. The Police recently placed an advert asking for applications. The two websites for online application crashed within 4 hours.”
“Wonderful.”
“They are looking for just 10, 000 new recruits. They received more than 8, 000 applications within one hour. If the portals did not crash, there would have been over a million applications.”
“Na wa o”
“Na wa ya o. We really need a miracle to happen.”
“No fuel. No electricity. No rainfall, either, as if God is holding on to the rains. Everywhere is so hot. I hardly sleep at night.”
“I still think you should see the doctor. And luckily for you, you may not have to pay the hospital.”
“How do you mean?”
“The Minister of Health has just directed all teaching hospitals and government-owned hospitals to treat patients free of charge.”
“Indigent patients or every patient?”
“We are all indigent, my friend.”
“But I don’t know why you take the Minister serious. You and I know he is just talking. No hospital will listen to him. And by the way, is he in a position to give such directives to state-owned hospitals? Even the ones owned by the Federal Government, do they have enough funds to embark on free healthcare? Government officials just must talk.”
“You can’t say that until you find out.”
“No. I don’t need to find out. I know.”
“Just take care of your health. I don’t want it said that you slumped while looking for fuel.”
“I’ll be fine”.
“Nigeria too will be fine. You remember that baby girl who was shown looking malnourished, and emaciated four months ago. Adacheka. And the boy now called Hope who was found in Akwa Ibom, left for dead, emaciated and sickly, in January. When I see the pictures of both children and how they have been saved, I think of our country, Nigeria. Miracles still happen.”
“I don’t believe in miracles any more.”
“Why not? Nigeria will soon start operating on nuclear energy level.”
“Really? People look for miracles when they are desperate or losing hope. In football, for example, Nigerians are looking for miracles right now. The Super Eagles have disappointed the nation. Indigenous coaches have failed us. From Stephen Keshi, to Austin Eguavoen, Samson Siasia and Sunday Oliseh, no hits, back to back, all na failure.”
“You don’t become a successful coach and manager just because you once captained a team. You need technical skills. You need the right people.”
“That-is-the-point!” [myad]