President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the electorate in his Dumurkol, Daura and the katsina State in general to vote for all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections to save him from shame.
The President, who spoke to the electorate at a mini campaign rally, said: “vote for APC from top to bottom.”
Buhari, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, challenged the people of Dumurkol, Daura and Katsina State to vote for the APC from top to avoid shaming him.
“Whoever comes here after decamping to another party and say he is with President Buhari is lying. He is not with President Muhammadu Buhari, it’s APC all the way.
“Every individual from Dumurkol or Daura or Katsina will market APC and anybody contesting under any other party should not be campaigned for because Nigeria has given Dumurkol, Daura and Katsina state what other states wanted to have and they never get because over 200 million Nigerians choose someone from this domain to lead the country for good eight years.”
He has no doubt that the ongoing campaign is a journey of success.
“I work with some people in the campaign train and they proved that they have capacity and they will never fail.
“Coming to campaign here is just to thank the people of Dumurkol because they need no lecture on whom to vote for to succeed President Buhari in 2023.”
According to him, what President Buhari said is “vote for Asiwaju and Shattima, Dikko Radda and Jobe for governor and also vote for Nasiru sani as your Senator and other legislators.
“Nigerians have done everything to this community, Daura and Katsina State, so nobody can shame him here.
“President Buhari has done everything to Daura and Katsina state. Just yesterday we were in the road when I saw a trailer with load of irons for railway tracks to be laid from Daura to a Katsina to Maradi and by God grace by the end of this admiration Train services will start from Kano to Daura.”
This was even as the District Head of Dumurkol and President Buhari’s nephew, Alhaji Musa Haro assured Nigerians that the people of Daura and the entire Katsina state will vote massively for the Presidential candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 2023 elections.
Alhaji Haro told journalists they will vote Dr. Dikko Radda for governor, describing him as the only credibleble governorship candidate for 2023 election in the state.
“I know Dikko Radda for over 30 years when we were in Kaduna back in 1993, he is humble, honest and a very good person and he values relationships and can govern Katsina very well.”
People from Kogi and Edo States have set in motion the process of demanding for the creation of what they called “Egbira State.” The people, under the canopy of Ohiku Egbira Descendants Union (OEDU), in a Communique issued at the end of the two-day world Ohiku Day convention at Etuno-Igarra, Edo State on December 9 and 10, resolve to go ahead with the demand for the creation of Egbira State. In the Communiqué, the Ohiku Egbira Descendants Union resolved “to revive the demand for the creation of Egbira state as a means to fast track the development of Egbira Nation.” It also resolved as follows: To continuously intensify the promotion and the propagation of our gazetted name Egbira, spelt as E-G-B-I-R-A . To pursue the establishment of a formidable Women and Youth Wings of Egbira Nation as a vehicle for the articulation of our strengths, culture and common values. To inculcate the rich cultural values of the Egbira people as a means for cohesion and to fight youth restiveness, drug addiction, crimes and general insecurity.
To use all lawful means possible to protect Egbira Nation from Banditry, kidnapping and all forms of terrorism and armed attacks whenever, wherever. According to the communiqué, every Egbira son and daughter at, and in Diaspora is a bonafide member of the Ohiku Egbira Descendants union. It said that the unity of Egbira people is sacrosanct to the social-political and economic well being of the Egbira Nation, adding that the Union would tap into the vast potential of the rich, massive resources across the length and breadth of the Egbira Nation. It asked all Egbira people to fully participate and take advantage of the upcoming National Population Census and adopt EGBIRA in all entries and other official correspondences. This is even as it moved to strengthen its existing Internal Conflict Resolution Mechanism to address flashpoints in the Egbira Nation, enjoining respective contending parties to make needed sacrifices and compromises in the interest of Peace and Unity. The communiqué said that the meeting of Peoples of Egbira Nation was attended by Royal fathers and stakeholders from Opete, Miyakan and Etuno, which deliberated on their position among the comity of Ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
The meeting was chaired by justice Suleiman Galadima, a retired justice of the Supreme court and was coordinated by the Ohiku Egbira Descendants union, the Umbrella body of the Egbira Nation. The communiqué said that Egbira speaking people are predominantly in Kogi, Nasarawa,Edo states as well as Federal Capital territory who are of The same Ohiku heritage with some minor dialectical differences.
President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed the secret which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) can adopt to win the 2023 elections at all levels. The President, who received in audience, the Katsina State Governorship candidate of the APC, Dr. Dikko Radda and his running mate, Faruk Lawal Jobe, at his residence in Daura, Katsina State, advised party members to unite and cooperate with one another. According to Buhari, unity amongst members is “a prerequisite for victory in the coming elections.” President Buhari said party leaders need “to sit together,” to avoid divisions and ensure unity in order to avoid defeat at elections. He acknowledged receiving frequent reports on the ongoing campaigns in Katsina State, adding that so much hard work is being put into the exercise. The President reiterated his determination to allow the reign of free, fair and credible elections in the country and that the outcomes in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun were testimonies of that resolution on his part. He expressed the feeling of honour by the visit of the governorship candidate. He wished the party a very good outcome in the electoral contests. Meanwhile, President Buhari willbdepart for Washington, USA tomorrow, December 11, to join other African leaders at the United States-Africa Leaders Summit. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said that the High Level Meeting will hold between 23 and 15 December at the instance of the United States President, Joe Biden. President Biden looks forward to working with African governments, civil society, diaspora communities across the United States, and the private sector to continue strengthening the shared vision for the future of US-Africa relations. “The event is expected to demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to Africa, and underscore the importance of US-Africa relations and increased cooperation on shared global priorities. “The Summit further seeks more pragmatic ways to: foster new economic engagement; advance peace, security, and good governance; reinforce commitment to democracy, human rights, and civil society; work collaboratively to strengthen regional and global health security; promote food security; respond to the climate crisis; amplify diaspora ties; and promote education and youth leadership. “On the first day, President Buhari will speak on the topic: Conservation, Climate Adaptation and a Just Energy Transition, dwelling directly on the ”Just Energy Transition” component. He will also address some of the other sub-themes of the Summit as well as participate in the US-Africa Business Forum (USABF) hosted by the US Department of Commerce which focuses on increased trade and investment between the United States and African nations. “On the sidelines of the Summit, the Corporate Council of Africa will host the Nigerian delegation to a US-Nigeria Business and Investment Forum Business Roundtable during which Nigerian organisations and businesses are expected to sign agreements with their American counterparts. “President Buhari, who will be accompanied on the trip by Governors Bala Mohammed and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Bauchi and Kwara States respectively, some Ministers and other top government officials, is expected back in the country on Sunday, December 18.”
The Army has announced the commencement of the recruitment of eligible young Nigerians into the service for its 84 Regular Recruit Intake across the country.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Army Headquarters Department of Recruitment Resettlement and Reserve, Brigadier General Mustapha Garba today, December 9 in Abuja.
Mustapha Garba said that the exercise, which commenced on December 5, was to select eligible Nigerians from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, based on federal character.
He assured that the assessment tour at 23 Brigade Yola, Adamawa, even as charged the recruitment officers to ensure that they select the best for the Nigerian Army.
He asked candidates to give a good account of themselves to become eligible to be shortlisted into the Nigerian army.
The screening exercise involves documentation, pre-medical and physical phases, among others.
Croatia has sent Brazil out of the ongoing World Cup competition in Qatar through a 4-2 win, via penalty shootouts. The team has now zoomed into semi-final against Argentina or the Netherlands.
The match finished 1-1 after extra time, with Bruno Petkovic cancelling out Neymar’s brilliant solo opener.
The World Cup quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil went to penalties after the match finished 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Neymar scored at the end of the first period of extra time but Bruno Petkovic levelled in the 117th minute in remarkable scenes in Qatar.
Neymar equaled Pele’s record of 77 Brazil goals after scoring against Croatia. The forward fired home from close range in extra time to put Brazil ahead and match Pele’s tally, achieved between 1957 and 1971
It isnot surprising that the recent directive by the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, to the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to expunge Sex Education from the basic education curriculum in Nigeria has been greeted with serious opposition from groups and persons who 0bviously derive some of benefits from the callous sexualisation of the tender minds of Nigerian pupils.
I am sure that many parents and concerned persons who have heard about the minister’s directive are highly relieved and happy and hoping that no amount of pressure from these misguided interest groups will compel the government to have a change of mind. Indeed, this is a major move towards sanitizing our primary and secondary education curriculum and salvaging the moral health of the younger generation which has been badly corrupted and diseased by very pernicious teachings that can only mould them into badly flawed characters.
When some years ago I was shown the topics covered in “Sexuality Education” or “Sex Education” which was being taught as a compulsory subject in both junior and secondary schools in Nigeria, it was shocking to see that mere kids, some as young as ten or even nine, were put in the hands of teachers, who deploy every energy, talent and creativity to saturate their tender minds with every detail about sexual immorality and the use of contraceptives.
When I first raised alarm on this issue in my now rested newspaper column, a concerned parent wrote me to say that the ‘Teacher’s Guide’ given to the Integrated Science teachers (who handled this subject) mandated them “to teach the children that religious teachings on issues like pre-marital sex, contraception, homosexuality, abortion and gender relations are mere opinions and myths! They are also to teach the students how to masturbate and use chemical contraceptives (designed for women in their 30s). The ‘Teachers Guide’ equally lays a big emphasis on values clarification; this empowers teenage children to decide which moral values to choose since the ones parents teach them at home are mere options.”
It was difficult to imagine that any normal person could have the mind to design such a subject even for the children of his worst enemy! In my view, this clearly qualifies as child abuse, which, sadly, was unabashedly endorsed by the authorities. But many Nigerian parents are highly elated today at the intervention of the Education Minister which has put an abrupt end to the whole sickening madness!
How can parents and concerned citizens smother the tormenting fears that some of the Sex Education teachers might aim to deftly deploy this subject to titillate their tender victims instead of giving them healthy education? One can imagine how easy it would be for a teacher who has been targeting a female student to use his creative elaboration of this subject, to get the girl so overwhelmed she would become easy meat.
I am told that there are two main reasons for the introduction of this subject in our schools. One is to empower school children with adequate knowledge about their bodies and how to “safely” indulge in pre-marital sex without falling victims to teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.
The second reason is to demystify sexual immorality, give it a positive image as something to be cherished and enjoyed without any fear, as long as it is done “safely” and consensually. The belief is that with the age-long “superstition” built around sexual immorality which ‘stigmatizes’ it as an evil and sinful activity, some kids tend to go into it with fear and dread, and so develop psychological problems arising from the guilt they feel afterwards.
But these reasons are simply hollow and unconvincing. They are built on the assumption that in the present age, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for unmarried people to abstain from sex. And so, instead of teaching the kids to place appropriate value to their bodies and maintain their self-esteem by abstaining from sexual immorality as our own parents had taught us, they are emboldened to behave like dogs. But the difference between human beings and animals ought to be the ability to reason and determine the consequences of actions, and then exercise discretion and self-control. Why not tell a kid the consequences of an action and use that to dissuade him from indulging in it? Has that not worked for ages?
Looking at the earnestness with which this policy is being pursued despite oppositions from informed parents and other concerned parties, one is forced to suspect that there may also be some commercial angle to it. Are we sure that substantial profit is not accruing to the initiators of this programme and their collaborators in government from the sales of the several books being written and printed on the vile subject? Support may equally be coming from manufacturers of contraceptives and the well-oiled NGOs they are promoting who certainly see in Sex Education a lucrative venture to promote and sustain.
Now, how far has this subject helped in reducing teenage pregnancies and STDs in the Western nations where it has been taught, assimilated and practiced for many years now? It is a fact that these teachings have, for instance, been introduced in both the United States and Britain for many years now, but as I write now, I have before me, a BBC report saying that Britain has the highest record of teenage pregnancy in the whole of Western Europe. Also, another report has it that the United States has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the entire Western world. Again, in the United States, it is reported that new infections of HIV are still on the increase.
That naturally leads us to the contentious issue of “safe sex.” So, what is all this fetish about “safe sex” and how “safe” can sex actually be? The truth is that a lot of studies and findings have effectively punctured the dubious confidence built over the years on condom-use. We know that with an effective magnifying lens, it is easy to see that several objects, especially rubber and plastics, have tiny holes through which very minute micro organisms could pass.
I read somewhere recently that the “HIV virus is only 0.1 micron in size while the naturally occurring holes in a latex condom is of the order 5 to 50 microns in diameter.” So where then is the “protection” we have heard so much about if the deadly virus can indeed pass through the wall of a condom? Is this not why we have often heard reports of people contracting HIV even though they had practiced the so-called “protected sex”? This is the time to rethink all this stuff behind which some fellows have hidden to pollute the minds of kids with ruinous teachings.
Fortunately, we have one precaution that does not fail. And that is the good old abstinence, which has been proven and tested to be the only reliable protection against deadly STDs and teenage pregnancies? We must hasten to realize that what is at stake here is human life, and should not be toyed with, for whatever reasons. It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand this desperation to create an immoral and ungodly society by misleading the youths? Now, if not for reasons that are less than noble and wholesome, why would Nigeria be eager to import a policy that is failing even in more advanced nations?
Okay, here is another point to ponder: HIV is 500 times smaller than spermatozoa, yet research has established that spermatozoa are able to sometimes pass through the wall of a latex condom to cause conception. Now, if this is the case, are we not by this subject leading our youths through the minefield? The example cited earlier of the worrisome rise in fresh infections of HIV in a place like the US where years of successful Sex Education has achieved overwhelming attitudinal change in favour of condom-use should serve to buttress this point.
Now, with this policy in place and flourishing, where is this nation really heading to? What is the use living, if one must live like a dog?
I would, therefore, want to advise the school boy or girl reading this piece to please pause awhile and ask himself or herself what the initiators of this policy hope to achieve in his of her life by giving him or her these teachings? Such a youth should wonder how they still expect him to concentrate on his studies after they have saturated his mind with filthy teachings that only fill his mind with distractive lusts.
Now, if his instructors (who are mostly parents) are encouraging him to freely indulge in sexual immorality at this early stage of his life, what type of future leader do they expect him to become? After “empowering” him to go on the rampage, wouldn’t they have succeeded in giving him a disease deadlier than even the AIDS they are presuming to save him from – which is the destruction of his moral fibre?
What is the guarantee that he would be able to build a healthy family afterwards by shunning the promiscuity that this subject is surely preparing him for, and which, as we all know, results in the proliferation of broken homes which has become the nightmare of today’s world?
It is instructive that The Guardian on Sunday, July 18, 1999, carried a report that a cross section of American college (mostly female) students were regretting the limitless freedom their parents had allowed them and had resolved to devote themselves to pursue a “no-sex” campaign. But in Nigeria of today, sexual immorality has been deregulated and democratized.
But concerned Nigerian parents cannot afford to be intimidated and just watch helplessly as some fellows whose intentions are less than noble go all out to ruin their kids for them. And so, they should be able to ask: To what extent should the government interfere in people’s lives and families?
Where does the government derive the authority to invade somebody’s home with ungodly teachings and inflict them on the person’s kids, just because he gave his kid to the government to educate in its schools? Shouldn’t an open and clear expression of disaffection towards this gross violation by stakeholders have since led to its reappraisal and possible removal from the school curriculum?
Again, and very importantly too; most people have strongly accepted and hold very dear to their hearts the teachings they have received from the religious faith of their choice (which we as civilized people must respect) that sexual immorality which is a grievous sin against God attracts eternal damnation; and they are eager to ensure that both themselves and their kids escape this terrible doom; how then can we accommodate and respect this their belief (which is sacred to them) in this unwholesome insistence on teaching and encouraging their children to freely indulge in fornication? Should we just dismiss and callously tear down a belief they hold so sacred and dear, and with which they have determined to successfully raise their children to become morally healthy kids? As if it does not matter?
It is heartwarming that, at last, the Minister of Education has agreed with those of us who have continued to insist that this policy is ruinous and has ordered its removal from the school curriculum since it denies a large a number of people the option of choice. Many parents are not even aware that such a teaching is being generously forced down the throats of their precious children, thereby destroying all they have taught them at home.
Certainly, there are centres where some NGOs have established to propagate these pro-pre-marital sex teachings. Interested parents can take their children to those centres, while the objecting parents are spared the trauma of watching their kids being subjected to a menu they firmly believe is terribly unhealthy and ruinous. Their right to dissent must be respected.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has advised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers to make Premium Motor Spirit, known as petrol, available for Nigerians. DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum sector said that failure to comply, the DSS will activate its operations across the country. According to Afunaya, the challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country. He said that during the meeting, the NNPC agreed that there is enough product that will serve Nigerians during and after the Yuletide season. For weeks now, vehicle owners, especially in Lagos and Abuja have had a tough time getting petrol from filling stations. Whilst many outlets are closed, the few ones that are open sell the indispensable commodity for as high as N250 per litre from the uniform price of N169/litre. The shortage of supply has led to long queues at the few open filling stations as motorists and business owners jostle to buy fuel while others resort to black market. The situation has also worsened traffic on major roads as vehicle owners block at least one lane to join queues to filling stations. Source: PRNigeria.
Popular content creator and Special Assistant to the Kwara Governor on Creative Industry, Abdulgafar Abiola, has said he shared his first salary in his new post with aged women and widows in fulfillment of his covenant with God.
The aide, who is popularly called Cute Abiola, said that he promise to always make old people happy.
He was appointed Special Assistant by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq after he quit the Nigerian Navy following a disciplinary action taken against him for violating the social media policy of the force.
In a video he shared on his Instagram handle where he was seen handing out sealed envelopes believed to have contained money to widows in his constituency, the actor said that he had made a covenant with God to share his first salary as SA to the governor with widows and aged women.
The content creator extended his love to the people as they in return prayed for him and urged him to keep up the good work he has embarked upon.
“This is in fulfilment of my covenant with God and the people of my constituency, particularly the old women and widows.”
Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari has dropped a hint that nobody can become a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria anymore, unless he or she has a solid ICT background.
”You cannot become a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria anymore, unless you have a solid ICT background.
”The State House is supposed to be an epitome of excellence and that’s why whether it’s the Press Centre, or the ongoing Presidential VIP Wing of State House Clinic, this new Centre is an addition to the standard of excellence expected at the Villa.”
Professor Gambari spoke today, December 8 at the commissioning of the 54-seater State House Multi-Purpose Training Centre at the Auditorium, fitted with state-of-the-art multimedia equipment, renovated ward and three new ambulances at the State House Clinic.
The Chief of Staff said that President Buhari is determined to leave Nigeria better than he met it.
”If everybody does their best to improve on what they find, by the time President Buhari leaves office at the end of his administration, he will leave facilities much better than he found it.”
Professor Gambari said, at the inauguration of the New Ward, housing the Medical Out-Patient Department (MOPD), Dialysis unit, HIV/AIDS unit, among others, at the State House Clinic, commended the significant improvements at the Clinic, saying that the renovated ward would improve the quality of service to staff members and other beneficiaries of the medical centre.
He acknowledged the good style of leadership of the President, saying that the President would be remembered for leaving a legacy of leadership by example and excellence.
He also lauded President Buhari for enhancing the capacity of State House staff and all Agencies of government to deliver to the best of their abilities.
He said that the Buhari administration is committed to promoting excellence in public service, driven by ICT development.
Earlier in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar, said the training centre would enhance the ability and capacity of staff as well as other users, in the public sector, in service delivery.
The Permanent Secretary recalled that the State House ICT Training Centre was commissioned last year, noting that the management recognises that ICT is the driver of development and a positive workforce.
Umar announced that Galaxy Backbone in collaboration with State House has concluded arrangements for a training session on ICT with all Federal Permanent Secretaries at the newly inaugurated 54-seater auditorium.
At the Clinic, the Permanent Secretary told the Chief of Staff that the medical centre has some of the ”best hands in their various fields” in Abuja and around the country, adding that some of the medical staff can compete with their peers globally.
He commended the medical staff for their dedication and cooperation, adding that the management is on the verge of upgrading an ICT-driven system for the supply of drugs, consumables and everything needed to run the Clinic more effectively.
The House of Representatives has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the new policy on the limits of daily and weekly cash withdrawals set by the bank for individuals and corporate entities.
The lawmakers also summoned Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, over the new policy, scheduled to take effect on January 9, 2023.
The resolution was passed during a plenary session today, December 8 following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Aliyu Magaji, a lawmaker from Jigawa.
At the plenary, the lawmakers resolved that CBN should halt the implementation pending the conclusion of probe.
Leading the debate on the motion, Magaji said that small businesses are drivers of Nigeria’s economy and most small business owners transact their businesses, trade and transactions in physical cash and are in most cases, not inclined to the use of electronic banking system as most of them are either illiterate, half-educated or not learned at all.
“These set of Nigerians who are the drivers of Nigeria’s economy will be seriously negatively affected and their business and source of livelihood may be seriously impaired with these new directives of CBN.
“The new policies rolled out by CBN will hurt the already dwindling economy, and further weakens the value of Nigeria as Nigerians may resolve to use dollars and other currencies as a means of trading and thus further de valued Naira and weakens the economy.”
Aminu Suleman from Kano, said that the CBN issued the directive without taking into consideration of Nigerians in remote and rural areas.
He said lawmakers in the national assembly may be voted out by their constituents if they do not intervene and demand that the CBN suspend the policy.
“This could be an exit board for many of us if we allow this radical decision to succeed and there my voice must be heard on this.
“There are several government chief executives in this country that have outlived the essence of their positions because I cannot simply understand how we can wake up one day and introduce this draconian approach to businesses, giving Nigerians one month to adjust their belts.
“I think that beyond rhetoric we should search our books and impose necessary legislation to ensure we arrest the situation, we have more powers and we can look into the powers of the CBN and remove the excess powers for us that we can act on behalf of Nigerians.”
However, Ndudi Elumelu, minority leader, spoke against the motion, saying the cash withdrawal policy will eventually tackle insecurity.
“On the issues of cashless policy, I think that is the best thing that can happen to this country even though the timing might be difficult, we may ask for an extension of time for it to be well implemented.
“If there is a cashless policy and people use their phones to transfer money, some of such things will not happen and that is the truth.”
In his remarks, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house, asked Emefiele to appear before the senate and house of representatives.
“I think you will allow me to speak to the senate president and see whether in compliance with the act we can have a joint session.
“I think this is important enough for him to brief the national assembly but if that fails, appearing before the national assembly does not necessarily mean in a joint session.
“If he appears before the senate separately and appears before the House separately, he has appeared before the National Assembly but to save time, I will ask if that is possible.”
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President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the electorate in his Dumurkol, Daura and the katsina State in general to vote for all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections to save him from shame.
To use all lawful means possible to protect Egbira Nation from Banditry, kidnapping and all forms of terrorism and armed attacks whenever, wherever.
The meeting was chaired by justice Suleiman Galadima, a retired justice of the Supreme court and was coordinated by the Ohiku Egbira Descendants union, the Umbrella body of the Egbira Nation.
Popular content creator and Special Assistant to the Kwara Governor on Creative Industry, Abdulgafar Abiola, has said he shared his first salary in his new post with aged women and widows in fulfillment of his covenant with God.
Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari has dropped a hint that nobody can become a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria anymore, unless he or she has a solid ICT background.
The House of Representatives has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the new policy on the limits of daily and weekly cash withdrawals set by the bank for individuals and corporate entities.
Is Sex Education Not Child Abuse? By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
It is not surprising that the recent directive by the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, to the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to expunge Sex Education from the basic education curriculum in Nigeria has been greeted with serious opposition from groups and persons who 0bviously derive some of benefits from the callous sexualisation of the tender minds of Nigerian pupils.
I am sure that many parents and concerned persons who have heard about the minister’s directive are highly relieved and happy and hoping that no amount of pressure from these misguided interest groups will compel the government to have a change of mind. Indeed, this is a major move towards sanitizing our primary and secondary education curriculum and salvaging the moral health of the younger generation which has been badly corrupted and diseased by very pernicious teachings that can only mould them into badly flawed characters.
When some years ago I was shown the topics covered in “Sexuality Education” or “Sex Education” which was being taught as a compulsory subject in both junior and secondary schools in Nigeria, it was shocking to see that mere kids, some as young as ten or even nine, were put in the hands of teachers, who deploy every energy, talent and creativity to saturate their tender minds with every detail about sexual immorality and the use of contraceptives.
When I first raised alarm on this issue in my now rested newspaper column, a concerned parent wrote me to say that the ‘Teacher’s Guide’ given to the Integrated Science teachers (who handled this subject) mandated them “to teach the children that religious teachings on issues like pre-marital sex, contraception, homosexuality, abortion and gender relations are mere opinions and myths! They are also to teach the students how to masturbate and use chemical contraceptives (designed for women in their 30s). The ‘Teachers Guide’ equally lays a big emphasis on values clarification; this empowers teenage children to decide which moral values to choose since the ones parents teach them at home are mere options.”
It was difficult to imagine that any normal person could have the mind to design such a subject even for the children of his worst enemy! In my view, this clearly qualifies as child abuse, which, sadly, was unabashedly endorsed by the authorities. But many Nigerian parents are highly elated today at the intervention of the Education Minister which has put an abrupt end to the whole sickening madness!
How can parents and concerned citizens smother the tormenting fears that some of the Sex Education teachers might aim to deftly deploy this subject to titillate their tender victims instead of giving them healthy education? One can imagine how easy it would be for a teacher who has been targeting a female student to use his creative elaboration of this subject, to get the girl so overwhelmed she would become easy meat.
I am told that there are two main reasons for the introduction of this subject in our schools. One is to empower school children with adequate knowledge about their bodies and how to “safely” indulge in pre-marital sex without falling victims to teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.
The second reason is to demystify sexual immorality, give it a positive image as something to be cherished and enjoyed without any fear, as long as it is done “safely” and consensually. The belief is that with the age-long “superstition” built around sexual immorality which ‘stigmatizes’ it as an evil and sinful activity, some kids tend to go into it with fear and dread, and so develop psychological problems arising from the guilt they feel afterwards.
But these reasons are simply hollow and unconvincing. They are built on the assumption that in the present age, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for unmarried people to abstain from sex. And so, instead of teaching the kids to place appropriate value to their bodies and maintain their self-esteem by abstaining from sexual immorality as our own parents had taught us, they are emboldened to behave like dogs. But the difference between human beings and animals ought to be the ability to reason and determine the consequences of actions, and then exercise discretion and self-control. Why not tell a kid the consequences of an action and use that to dissuade him from indulging in it? Has that not worked for ages?
Looking at the earnestness with which this policy is being pursued despite oppositions from informed parents and other concerned parties, one is forced to suspect that there may also be some commercial angle to it. Are we sure that substantial profit is not accruing to the initiators of this programme and their collaborators in government from the sales of the several books being written and printed on the vile subject? Support may equally be coming from manufacturers of contraceptives and the well-oiled NGOs they are promoting who certainly see in Sex Education a lucrative venture to promote and sustain.
Now, how far has this subject helped in reducing teenage pregnancies and STDs in the Western nations where it has been taught, assimilated and practiced for many years now? It is a fact that these teachings have, for instance, been introduced in both the United States and Britain for many years now, but as I write now, I have before me, a BBC report saying that Britain has the highest record of teenage pregnancy in the whole of Western Europe. Also, another report has it that the United States has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the entire Western world. Again, in the United States, it is reported that new infections of HIV are still on the increase.
That naturally leads us to the contentious issue of “safe sex.” So, what is all this fetish about “safe sex” and how “safe” can sex actually be? The truth is that a lot of studies and findings have effectively punctured the dubious confidence built over the years on condom-use. We know that with an effective magnifying lens, it is easy to see that several objects, especially rubber and plastics, have tiny holes through which very minute micro organisms could pass.
I read somewhere recently that the “HIV virus is only 0.1 micron in size while the naturally occurring holes in a latex condom is of the order 5 to 50 microns in diameter.” So where then is the “protection” we have heard so much about if the deadly virus can indeed pass through the wall of a condom? Is this not why we have often heard reports of people contracting HIV even though they had practiced the so-called “protected sex”? This is the time to rethink all this stuff behind which some fellows have hidden to pollute the minds of kids with ruinous teachings.
Fortunately, we have one precaution that does not fail. And that is the good old abstinence, which has been proven and tested to be the only reliable protection against deadly STDs and teenage pregnancies? We must hasten to realize that what is at stake here is human life, and should not be toyed with, for whatever reasons. It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand this desperation to create an immoral and ungodly society by misleading the youths? Now, if not for reasons that are less than noble and wholesome, why would Nigeria be eager to import a policy that is failing even in more advanced nations?
Okay, here is another point to ponder: HIV is 500 times smaller than spermatozoa, yet research has established that spermatozoa are able to sometimes pass through the wall of a latex condom to cause conception. Now, if this is the case, are we not by this subject leading our youths through the minefield? The example cited earlier of the worrisome rise in fresh infections of HIV in a place like the US where years of successful Sex Education has achieved overwhelming attitudinal change in favour of condom-use should serve to buttress this point.
Now, with this policy in place and flourishing, where is this nation really heading to? What is the use living, if one must live like a dog?
I would, therefore, want to advise the school boy or girl reading this piece to please pause awhile and ask himself or herself what the initiators of this policy hope to achieve in his of her life by giving him or her these teachings? Such a youth should wonder how they still expect him to concentrate on his studies after they have saturated his mind with filthy teachings that only fill his mind with distractive lusts.
Now, if his instructors (who are mostly parents) are encouraging him to freely indulge in sexual immorality at this early stage of his life, what type of future leader do they expect him to become? After “empowering” him to go on the rampage, wouldn’t they have succeeded in giving him a disease deadlier than even the AIDS they are presuming to save him from – which is the destruction of his moral fibre?
What is the guarantee that he would be able to build a healthy family afterwards by shunning the promiscuity that this subject is surely preparing him for, and which, as we all know, results in the proliferation of broken homes which has become the nightmare of today’s world?
It is instructive that The Guardian on Sunday, July 18, 1999, carried a report that a cross section of American college (mostly female) students were regretting the limitless freedom their parents had allowed them and had resolved to devote themselves to pursue a “no-sex” campaign. But in Nigeria of today, sexual immorality has been deregulated and democratized.
But concerned Nigerian parents cannot afford to be intimidated and just watch helplessly as some fellows whose intentions are less than noble go all out to ruin their kids for them. And so, they should be able to ask: To what extent should the government interfere in people’s lives and families?
Where does the government derive the authority to invade somebody’s home with ungodly teachings and inflict them on the person’s kids, just because he gave his kid to the government to educate in its schools? Shouldn’t an open and clear expression of disaffection towards this gross violation by stakeholders have since led to its reappraisal and possible removal from the school curriculum?
Again, and very importantly too; most people have strongly accepted and hold very dear to their hearts the teachings they have received from the religious faith of their choice (which we as civilized people must respect) that sexual immorality which is a grievous sin against God attracts eternal damnation; and they are eager to ensure that both themselves and their kids escape this terrible doom; how then can we accommodate and respect this their belief (which is sacred to them) in this unwholesome insistence on teaching and encouraging their children to freely indulge in fornication? Should we just dismiss and callously tear down a belief they hold so sacred and dear, and with which they have determined to successfully raise their children to become morally healthy kids? As if it does not matter?
It is heartwarming that, at last, the Minister of Education has agreed with those of us who have continued to insist that this policy is ruinous and has ordered its removal from the school curriculum since it denies a large a number of people the option of choice. Many parents are not even aware that such a teaching is being generously forced down the throats of their precious children, thereby destroying all they have taught them at home.
Certainly, there are centres where some NGOs have established to propagate these pro-pre-marital sex teachings. Interested parents can take their children to those centres, while the objecting parents are spared the trauma of watching their kids being subjected to a menu they firmly believe is terribly unhealthy and ruinous. Their right to dissent must be respected.
Ugochukwu, a Journalist, wrote in from Abuja and can be reached on scruples2006@yahoo.com.