Welcoming The Media Imagination In Nigerian Foreign Policy, By Chido Onumah

March 26, 2016

The recent visit of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa to Nigeria presented an opportunity to rehash the view that Nigeria has not been given its due recognition in Africa. Of course, as expected, Mr. Zuma in his speech to the joint session of Nigeria’s National Assembly did touch on Nigeria’s role in the fight against Apartheid and its historical role in Africa. According to Mr. Zuma, “The people of Nigeria provided unwavering support and solidarity to the people of South Africa to unseat the last bastion of colonialism in Africa and enable us to attain our freedom.”

In what appears to be a veiled reference to attacks on Nigerians in South Africa he noted, “I would like to remind especially the youth in our two countries, of the role that Nigeria played in the struggle for liberation in South Africa. Nigeria was very instrumental in establishing, in the 1960s and the chairing, for 25 years, the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid, and further hosted a UN anti-apartheid conference in 1977. From the mid-70s, Nigeria and its people also hosted some of the exiled freedom fighters from South Africa, with numbers increasing after the Soweto Student Uprising in 1976.”

It appears, however, that beyond these formal platforms and speeches eulogizing Nigeria, the image of the country as a “powerhouse” deserving of respect, particularly in Africa, is simply lacking. We must again refer to the repeated xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa and, of course, the way Nigerians are perceived and treated in other African countries.

This brings us to the other side of the debate: whether Nigeria has asserted herself enough to be taken seriously in Africa much less the world. This is what a new book, The Media Imagination in Nigerian Foreign Policy seeks to address. Written by Adagbo Onoja, a former media aide to Sule Lamido, Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister between 1999 and 2003, the author weaves three aspects of his persona into this book – journalist, academic, and participant-observer in Nigeria’s foreign policy – to highlight what Nigeria has still not explored: the postmodern media.

Described on the blurb by one of the academic assessors as “empirically rich, pugnacious here and there”, it would be interesting to see how the myriad of its potential readers react to this book. And they would range from newsrooms across the world assessed on their coverage of Nigerian foreign policy to the civil society that has a whole chapter in the work and then to African statesmen, the great powers, former ministers of foreign affairs and other key actors in Nigerian foreign policy as well as those called “intellectuals of statecraft”.

It would be interesting to see too what readers also make of sharp assertions as the one by Professor Sam Egwu of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) who remarked in the Foreword that “The critical role of the media in the projection of great nations historically provides a warning that the media imagination matters and that the foreign policy elite ignore the media imagination as a power resource only at the perils of the country.”

In many respect, this book is a welcome development not just in media discourse but in framing a comprehensive and workable foreign policy for the country. When it comes to Nigeria, the expectations are really high – both within and outside the country: “The Giant of Africa”, “the most populous country in Africa”, “the largest concentration of Black people in the world”. Unfortunately, the country and its leaders have not come anywhere close to fulfilling the potentials of the country.

Divided into three parts with seven chapters, the book focuses on two main issues: “what the media does to Nigeria’s image and how Nigeria might derive strategic advantage from the media imagination”. Contrary to the generalized belief that Nigeria’s media image is all negative, this work shows that there is also the idea of Nigeria as “the pivot on which Africa and much of the world turn”, a discourse with tremendous constitutive implications which Nigeria has not explored.

Subsequently, the image of a looted and mismanaged country afflicted by a litany of woes: corruption, high degree of poverty, HIV/AIDS infection, a dysfunctional society, authoritarian democracy, criminality, and scams, has overwritten the positive possibilities. Essentially, the author is saying that our foreign policy has underachieved partly because Nigeria has left the discursive articulation of herself unattended by way of her engagement with the media as a power resource. While Nigeria does not seek to dominate other countries, as the author noted, its “asymmetrical diplomacy” or the articulation of foreign policy objectives on the terms of externally framed meaning of the world has left gaps between foreign policy and domestic interests or needs.

For me, this focus by the author on the media imagination in Nigerian foreign policy is the kernel of the book; that is, the strength of the book is the understanding and application of the power of the media in pushing a narrative of Nigeria within which other foreign policy interests can be realized. This is a refreshing perspective that the framers of Nigeria’s foreign policy may do well to listen to. Very few writers and academics in Nigeria have bothered to explore this angle in foreign policy discourse. The work is equally authoritative. As Comrade John Odah, one of those who needled the author to complete the book, was reported in the acknowledgement, very few people with critical orientation have had the opportunity to ply the Nigerian foreign pitch at the level of a close political rather than career aide of the ministers of foreign affairs.

The question emanating from Onoja’s critical ability and close contact with the implementers of Nigeria’s foreign is: how systematically has Nigeria seized the media imagination as a power resource? In answering this question, the author argues that the media as a power resource in Nigeria’s foreign policy can at best be described as work in progress. He concludes by noting that the Nigerian State has not deployed the media the way it deploys the military, diplomacy, intelligence and similar instruments of state power.

The solutions: deliberate development of media infrastructure “with capacity to tell the Nigerian story on a global scale”, taking advantage of the advances in media and information technology, and building a crop of media practitioners with an “Afrocentric appreciation of history”. I think these are brilliant interventions. The shortcoming, if any, of this book is how to put some of these ideas into practice or better still why have these ideas not started taking roots after more than two decades since the postmodern media became a reality? How, for example, can Nigeria build a crop of media practitioners with an “Afrocentric appreciation of history” when history is not taught in Nigerian schools, much less an Afrocentric sense of it?

But beyond our disdain for history is a more fundamental question of the character of the Nigerian nation or state which the author ignores. The author’s lack of attention, considering his pedigree as a progressive scholar and activist, to the fact that Nigeria is an “unformed entity” and that this has a direct bearing of its foreign policy is difficult to fathom. It is not just for nothing that Nigeria has no coherent and workable foreign policy. I think there is a way in which the geo-politics of Nigeria has impacted the way Nigeria projects itself or responds to international issues. There can’t be any genuine understanding of what ails Nigeria, including its foreign policy woes, without a focus or an understanding of the nature of our federation.

In all, this is a provocative book and if we want to understand why Nigeria remains an African paper tiger, then we must turn to the 228-page The Media Imagination in Nigerian Foreign Policy, just published by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD).

This book will stir interest and debates and I think it should. As Dr. Chijioke Uwasomba of the Dept. of English, Obafemi Awolowo University notes on the blurb, it provides “students of international politics, foreign policy analysts, diplomacy, media practitioners and the sensitive general reader a critical entry point into the media in foreign policy formulation and implementation in a post-colonial state like Nigeria”.

*Onumah is Coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Abuja, Nigeria. He is the author of Time to Reclaim Nigeria (2011) and Nigeria is Negotiable (2013). He can be reached at conumah@hotmail.com; Twitter: @conumah. [myad]

Buhari Begs Nigerians: Have Faith In Me, I Shall Deliver

Greenbarge Reporters

March 26, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigeria to have faith in his ability to gradually take Nigeria out of the socio-economic and political woods into which they have been led by the past governments.
“Faith, belief and the fulfilment of expectations,” the President said in his Easter message to Nigerians “are also key themes of the Easter celebration. I urge you all therefore, to continue to have faith in the future greatness of our country and to believe that the CHANGE my administration promised will surely come to fruition.
That CHANGE, which we all yearn for, will certainly occur more rapidly if we all place the love of our country above selfish personal and group interests.”
President Buhari expressed happiness that the National Assembly has just passed the 2016 budget, assuring Nigerians that he will do his utmost best to ensure that the budget, the first since his election as President, is efficiently and successfully implemented towards achieving his objective of faster economic growth and development.
“I thank the vast majority of Nigerians for their patience and understanding in the first ten months of this administration.
“As we go forward, I assure you all that we are working very hard to overcome the challenges we encountered on assumption of office.
“We are moving on with an unshaken resolve and determination to deliver on the mandate you gave us on March 28, last year.”
The full text of the President message is reproduced here:
Fellow Nigerians,
I rejoice with you all, especially our Christian brothers and sisters, as we celebrate Easter.
For Christians all over the world, this celebration is in commemoration of the supreme sacrifice which Jesus Christ made for the salvation of mankind.
The Gospels also tell us that during his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ repeatedly urged his disciples and followers to “love one another as I have loved you”.
As we celebrate Easter this year, I sincerely believe that it will serve our dear nation very well if we all imbibe this essential message of Jesus Christ and truly learn to love our countrymen and women as we love ourselves.
Indeed, we will surely make faster progress towards the achievement of the peaceful, united, strong, progressive and prosperous country we all desire if, as a nation, we eschew all divisive, parochial, ethnic and religious sentiments and rivalries, and begin to live more harmoniously with our compatriots, as Jesus Christ and the founders of the world’s other great religions enjoined mankind.
Our unfortunate notoriety in recent years as a country where the blood of men, women and children are wantonly and callously shed in frequent orgies of criminal, political, ethnic and religious violence has become very embarrassing and utterly unacceptable.
My administration is determined to achieve greater peace and security across our nation by ending the avoidable conflicts and crises that hinder our national progress.
I ask for greater support from all Nigerians in this regard. We must put a stop to politically motivated killings. Our communities must be made safe again for all inhabitants to live together in peace and harmony.
Our armed forces, police and other security agencies are being progressively reformed, repositioned and empowered to win the war against terrorism and make mass killings, abductions and other criminal atrocities things of the past in our beloved country.
Let us all also play our parts as patriotic citizens and do all that we can to ensure that we make Nigeria a safer, more peaceful and happier place for its people and others.
Faith, belief and the fulfilment of expectations are also key themes of the Easter celebration. I urge you all therefore, to continue to have faith in the future greatness of our country and to believe that the CHANGE my administration promised will surely come to fruition.
That CHANGE, which we all yearn for, will certainly occur more rapidly if we all place the love of our country above selfish personal and group interests.
The National Assembly has just passed the 2016 budget. I assure all Nigerians that we will do our utmost best to ensure that the budget, the first since my election as President, is efficiently and successfully implemented towards achieving our objective of faster economic growth and development.
I thank the vast majority of Nigerians for their patience and understanding in the first ten months of this administration.
As we go forward, I assure you all that we are working very hard to overcome the challenges we encountered on assumption of office.
We are moving on with an unshaken resolve and determination to deliver on the mandate you gave us on March 28, last year.
I wish you all very happy Easter celebrations.

Muhammadu Buhari
March 26, 2016. [myad]

I Can’t Be Intimidated, I’m Focused – Bauchi Governor

Greenbarge Reporters

March 26, 2016

While accepting the platinum award by the forum of former Senators and House of Representatives from 1st to 4th republics forum,
Bauchi state Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has made it clear that he would not allow himself to be intimidated and that he is determined to bring real development to the state.
He stressed that some criticisms against his administration’s only 10 months in office by those who are used to the former administration’s style of leadership would not deter him.
The governor spoke when he was conferred with an award for excellence performance from the National Convention/Conference of Forum of Former Senators and House of Representatives from 1st to 4th republics, headed by Senator Joseph Wayas.
Governor Abdullahi Abubakar emphasised that he would remain resolute in his restoration drive, and that the change mantra is working in Bauchi state.
“Let me reiterate here that I remain resolute and committed to changing Bauchi state and no amount of intimidation will deter me.
“I consider this award different from others; it shows that whatever we do we are being observed and therefore is a big challenge for us to remain committed and strive to double our efforts and do more to improve the lives of our people through the change mantra of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
He commended the Speaker and Members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly whom he said support the change and restoration agenda of his administration, adding that one of the areas the administration is focusing attention on is the area of taxing surface activities of solid mineral resources.
He said that his government is also harnessing the tourism potentials of the state and revitalizing agriculture, all of which are geared towards improving internally generated revenue of the State.
The Governor appealed for continued public understanding and support even as he assured that results of the sacrifices “we all have to make for our administration’s policies which are reflections of those of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC manifesto, will be reaped bountifully.”
Meanwhile, an elder statesman and Danmasanin Kano, Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule has commended governor Abdullahi Abubakar for making huge investment in education and health, even as he asked other northern governors to emulate him.
Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule described education and health as the main engine of human development, saying that it is in view of this that the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO recommended the provision of 26% of annual budgets of all developing nations to the development of education sector.
According to him, what governor Mohammed Abubakar has started in the area of education and health is commendable and that other governors, especially those in the northern states to emulate him.
“We must give education priority attention because all developed nations are so developed because they have given sufficient attention to the development of that important sector.”
He stressed that with proper investment in education, half of the problems of all nations are solved.
According to the forum, Governor Abubakar was conferred with the award because of his exemplary efforts to development feducation, health, agriculture, infrastructure and job creation. [myad]

Buhari Sympathizes With Market Fire Victims In Kano, Birnin Kebbi

Greenbarge Reporters

March 26, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sympathy for the victims of the fire incidents in Sabon Gari Market, Kano State and Birnin Kebbi Central Market, Kebbi State which occurred early today.

A statement by senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said the President was particularly grieved by huge losses incurred by the traders and other business establishments in the markets.

President Buhari said that he shared in the pain of the victims knowing that the two fire incidents had created major setbacks for all those that had business outfits in the markets, thereby affecting the livelihood of their families and setting back economic activities in the states.

The President advised the Kano and Kebbi State Governments to find out the immediate and remote causes of the fire disasters in order to forestall future occurrences.

Apart from investigations, President Buhari also called for strict adherence to precautionary standards in buildings and operations of markets to avoid fire out breaks.

He prayed that the Almighty God will comfort and replenish all those that incurred losses in the incidents. [myad]

Easter, Not Time For Mourning But To Celebrate And Re-Commit

Greenbarge Reporters

March 26, 2016

Easter is a time to reflect, a time to re-commit, a time to ‎celebrate, NOT a time to mourn. To fully understand this, it is important that we know or at least have an idea of the socio-political environment at the time of crucifixion, what happened, the role of our Master Jesus the Christ and the message of Easter.
At the time of the crucifixion the Roman conquerors ruled the Jews. Even though they ruled, they were in a state of fear and tumult because they realised that without the cooperation of the subjected race and the Council of the Sanhedrin, those in authority before they conquered the Jewish race, they could not hold down the conquered. Jesus was therefore seen as a threat to the State.
The trial of Jesus was a celebrated trial in the history of the world at that time. He was accused and regarded as a political agitator and a religious reformist who must be dreaded.‎ At that period, crucifixion was the means of military execution by the governing body – the Romans. Unknown to them but known to our Lord Jesus the Christ, the crucifixion was according to the spiritual law and necessary for Jesus to fulfill his mission.
The events before, during and after the crucifixion gave the Master Jesus of Nazareth the opportunity to fulfill the great mission of the Master Christ in the world which is to embed that spirit of LOVE in the heart/bowels of the earth. That physical emblem of crucifixion was also used to bring a great knowledge to the world. The knowledge that the earth is not our home and that death does not exterminate us, because we are one with the force that gave us life. That was the message that the death on the cross signifies. What was it that Paul preached? ” I preach that He arose, that Christ is risen and that there is no death,” Jesus Christ demonstrated that physically by appearing before many people including his followers to prove to others that there is no death, that as Son of Man with the Christ within you, you cannot die. That Christ which is life, light, love and truth dwells in all God’s creation.
So, the message of Easter is for all humanity regardless of your religion. There were no Christians then, so it couldn’t have been for Christians alone. It has implications for all.
As we celebrate the fulfillment of the mission of our Master Divine, Jesus the Christ, let us use this period to reflect on the true meaning of selfless love and to re-commit ourselves to loving our neighbours as ourselves and God above all. In practice this means we should love, care and think of our fellow man before self. This is the beginning of Wisdom.
Imagine a home, a family, a State, a country, a world where Man loves, cares and thinks about others before Self. Just imagine it – there will be no wars, no Boko Haram, no ISIS, no creed, no malice, no hatred, no absolute poverty, no oppression, no religious and tribal tensions, Government policies and actions will ‎ always be in the interest of the governed because leaders will understand that they are privileged and elected to serve. Service to God and humanity will be our valuable coin. Just imagine. That is why Divine Love is the thread that ties all religions together under the same and one God. Divine Love is the only answer to Nigeria’s problems.
Can we create such a society? Ofcourse we CAN and we WILL.
May the spirit of Easter inspire us to love one another and God above all.

God bless Nigeria. Happy Easter‎!!!
Bro Lee. House of Light, Lagos. [myad]

2017 Nations Cup: Egypt Holds Nigeria To A Draw

Greenbarge Reporters

March 25, 2016

The Pharaohs of Egypt made the road for Super Eagles in the African Cup of Nations slippery today when they held the home team to a one-one draw.

Oghenekaro Etebo’s 60th minute goal rekindled Nigeria’s hope of going atop Group G. The Eagles were running away with a victory, until the late minute strike by Mohammed Salah, the AS Roma star player, who took the wind out of Nigeria’s sail.

The Super Eagles need to beat the Pharaohs, Tuesday, in Egypt, to stand a chance to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. [myad]

I Like Buhari, I Pray For Him, He Will Succeed – Oba Of Lagos

Greenbarge Reporters

March 25, 2016

The Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwanu Akiolu has said that he liked President Muhammadu Buhari because the President meant well for the development of Nigeria.

“He has good intention for Nigeria and that was why I like him. I often pray for the President to achieve his campaign promises.

Oba Akiolu Akiolu who made the appeal during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Kebbi State led by the state governor, Atiku Bagudu, to his Palace, called on Nigerians to pray for the President. “

He needs God’s intervention to address the country challenges. He needs God’s intervention to achieve his aim. And I know that if we pray for him, by this time next year, the economic challenges we are experiencing would cease. And we will all have reasons to smile.”

The Oba also appealed to Nigerians to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods because it would help create more employments for Nigerians.

Governor Bagudu had said that the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu facilitated the partnership between Lagos and Kebbi state on the establishment of a commodity value chain and appealed to other governors to adopt the strategy. “Infact, yesterday, he (Tinubu) saw me at the Economic retreat in Abuja, asking the progress made on the partnership. That showed how keen he was to ensure that the partnership works.”
according to him, this is the kind of partnership which the founding fathers of the country clamoured for after the country’s independence and that it helped the country’s economy to grow. [myad]

Insecurity: INEC Declares Rivers Danger Zone

Greenbarge Reporters

March 25, 2016

The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Rivers State as a danger zone, warning it would only conduct fresh elections or any future elections under a guaranteed security. This is coming in view of the violence, brigandage and killing that marred the March 19 rerun polls.
In a statement today, the electoral body emphasised that it would never return for the fresh polls until there is an assurance of security and safety.
INEC made it clear that it would not endanger the lives of its personnel, journalists and observers and others involved in the exercise.
“INEC will, at a date to be decided, conduct fresh elections starting with accreditation and voting in all Local Government Areas, Constituencies, Registration Areas and Polling Units where the exercise was disrupted before voting was concluded on Saturday 19th March, 2016.”
The statement, signed by INEC’s Director of Voters’ Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said that the future elections would be conducted after due consultation with parties involved, and subject to the advice of the security agencies and guarantees by the political parties, candidates and their supporters.
“While the Commission is committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections, it hereby reiterates its resolve not to return to Rivers State (or anywhere else where there was a breakdown of law and order in the cause of conducting elections) until there is a conducive atmosphere for the conduct of credible elections. As a responsible organization, it will not expose its stakeholders especially voters, its officials, observers, media personnel to any danger and even where dates have been fixed and published, it will not hesitate to again suspend the exercise where there is a clear danger or credible threat of a breakdown of law and order,”
This was even as INEC has resolved to uphold results already declared in the March 19 election, saying: “the Commission restates its earlier decision to uphold the declarations and returns made in the Federal and State Constituencies where the exercise had been concluded.
“Similarly, the Commission will conclude and make returns in constituencies where it is satisfied that voting and collation were done in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act and our Guidelines.”
INEC had since admitted that there were some challenges in its operational efficiency, especially as it concerns the production and customization of the result sheets used for the conduct of the election. It however, insisted that no fake result sheet was used, as alleged by both the PDP and the APC.
“The Commission wishes to emphatically state that there were no fake result sheets or any fake materials used in the conduct of the elections.” [myad]

Presidency Disowns #Istandwithbuhari Advocacy Group

Greenbarge Reporters

March 25, 2016

The Presidency has formally dissociates itself from the #Istandwithbuhari advocacy group and demands that the group should immediately stop claiming any alliance with the Buhari Administration.

The Presidency also demands that the persons behind the controversial #Istandwithbuhari group should stop using President Muhammadu Buhari’s name and that of his wife, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari to promote themselves and their activities.

A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said that among other reasons the Presidency found it necessary to distance itself from the #Istandwithbuhari group was the fact that it is premature ostentatious, celebrating the present administration’s achievements which is totally inconsistent with President Buhari’s philosophy of service with humility.

“While the present administration has indeed recorded significant successes in its priority areas of improving security across the nation, ending the Boko Haram insurgency, curbing official corruption and revamping Nigeria’s economy, President Buhari is well aware that his government still has a lot of national challenges to overcome.

“The President prefers to give his fullest attention to addressing those challenges without the unsolicited and unwelcome distraction of untimely praise-singing from groups with dubious and questionable motives.” [myad]

Terrible System Managed by Terrible People, By Haruna Mohammed Salisu

Greenbarge Reporters

March 25, 2016

It goes without saying that a sensible society that is in the quest for development will take seriously its educational system. But for our leaders whose interest is to develop themselves and their immediate relatives on one hand, and to continue to subject the down trodden poor into continued despondency, servitude and bondage on the other hand, emancipating the deplorable education sector in our country is not their priority.

The condition of the primary education with Bauchi state as an example, appezrs to have gone down the drain because of disdainful leadership.

Do you know that in the whole of Bauchi metropolis, only one Primary school is housed with furniture (chairs) for pupils to sit? Yes! I mean one primary school! Do you also know that there are primary school teachers in Bauchi state who have not been promoted for about 9 to 11 years? In fact, do you also know that hundreds of teachers have died of hypertensive related illnesses in the last four years because of unpaid salary rooted from incessant strikes and unnecessary verification? Do you also know that a class room that is supposedly meant to accommodate 35 pupils or 40 at most is housing over 100 and these pupils are sitting on a bare floor to receive lessons? The list of questions is just endless.

Like I mentioned earlier, only one Primary school (Sa’adu Zungur Primary school) in the whole of Bauchi metropolis, the seat of government is provided with the right furniture (chairs) for the comfort of the school pupils. Undoubtedly, even Kofar Fada Primary School, where almost all the Emirs of Bauchi schooled is also abandoned, with its pupils sitting helplessly on a bare floor to receive lessons. The question is, if primary schools in the state capital, the seat of government will appear in this shape, what is the fate of other schools outside the metropolis? And how would they look like?

Let me mention only thirteen primary schools that are not far from one another and that are without chairs, and I challenge the reader of this piece who might think I’ve exaggerated what I wrote to visit these schools and see for themselves. Babban Mutum Science Primary School Shekal, Zannuwa Primary School, Dangikka Primary School Bakaro, Baba Sidi Primary School, Unguwar Barno Primary School, Rariya Primary School, Saleh Manga Primary School Gwallaga, Nassarawa Primary School, and RiminJahun Primary School. Others are: Dutsen Tanshi Primary School, Adamu Jumba Primary School, Kofar Fada Primary School and Kandahar Primary School. All these schools are without chairs. I keep mentioning chairs because in my opinion is the least likely indicator of the terrible state of primary education in Bauchi state.

Other instructional materials such as textbooks are grossly insufficient and are not even in conformity with the current curriculum. Workbooks, literature textbooks, vocabulary and spelling books—all these materials are completely absent. Not to talk of graphic organizers that are meant to depict visual representation of information. It is indeed shameful to recount other indicators if the above teaching aids are completely missing.

To further proof the pharaonic-liked leadership in the education sector which held it retarded for several years by these despots, some primary school teachers spent 9 to 11 years without being promoted to the next level. In the event where some of them are promoted, hardly are they paid their yearly salary increment. There is also the recurrent and unnecessary verification exercise that is often done in violation of due process, which in most cases results to further delay of teachers’ salary and some of them disengaged in the process.

All these atrocities are committed on people who are saddled with the responsibility of not only upbringing children from the scratch, but nurturing and raising them from their stage of insanity to a stage where they understand and give meaning to life and the essence of their existence as human beings. Even the disdainful and anathematic crops of leaders we have today are nurtured by the same people they continuously and recklessly dehumanize.

How could these people be willing to give out their best when they are forced to spend several months without salary? How would they teach with an empty stomach? How would they have the enthusiasm to teach when they spent 9 to 11 years without promotion? How would they teach when their yearly salary increment is out rightly denied? How would they teach with an overpopulated crop of helpless pupils sitting on a bare floor?

It is because of these reasons that teaching today is not considered a profession. The only person who is left teaching is someone who could not bag appointment in another ministry; therefore their last resort is to teach. The continued neglect by the government of this single, but most important sector is an indication of a terrible system managed by terrible people. But who are these terrible people managing a terrible system?

They are people in positions of authority nurtured and trained by the teacher who suffers their insensitivity and despotic leadership. They are people who were given free and quality education from the state’s resources, but are busy milking the state dry. They are people who send their children abroad to get sound education at the expense of the state resources, but pretend not to see the children of the down trodden studying under a tree. They are people who buy cutlasses for thugs to snatch ballot boxes during elections, rig themselves into offices and occupy various positions. They are people who run to Germany when they suffer from headache but refuse vehemently to buy panadol for public hospitals for my sick grandmother to access. They are people whose children attend parties in Dubai and Paris with millions of naira in their pockets but ignore a graduate in Nigeria who cannot afford three square meals.

They are people whose children attend functional and well equipped schools abroad with air conditions, portable drinking water, good toilet facilities and modern teaching equipment, but leave our schools without water, toilets facilities, forcing our children to result to open defecation which unequivocally made them vulnerable to cholera. They are people who award the erection of sub-standard class rooms that cannot last for even five years, when the erected class rooms built by the British invaders still exist.

What consequences are we likely to reap from the downsized educational system? In the last four years, hundreds of teachers have died of frustration and hypertensive illnesses, fuelled by unpaid salary and disengagement letters issued to some of them. It also gave birth to the poor quality of education that is also evident among pupils in primary and junior secondary schools, as majority of them could not read and write. The result of these neglect have also boiled down to senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions especially with the massive failure in WAEC, NECO and JAMB, coupled with the “half-baked” graduates produced by our higher institutions.

What is more worrisome in the case of Bauchi state is that despite the huge money allocated to the education sector in the 2016 budget, there is still no clearly articulated policy by the state Government to revitalize the sector and stop the humiliation of teachers. Many of them are yet to be paid their salary since January; while some newly appointed teachers during the last hour of Governor Yuguda’s administration are still owned salaries for about eight months.

With these bones of contentions still existing, this writer will continue to keep a critical eye on the sector with the aim of keeping readers abreast and encouraging the state government to take the right decisions in revitalizing the sector.

Haruna Mohammed Salisu writes from Bauchi. He could be reached at 08063180608 or harunababale@gmail.com. [myad]

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