Public Affairs Analyst

In 2000, a World Education Forum was held in Dakar, Senegal. There, 164 governments, including Nigeria, pledged to a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all children, youths and adults by 2015. At the forum, six goals were set. They are: Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children; ensuring that all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality; ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes; and achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. Others include eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary edu...

The importance of legislature in a democracy cannot be underestimated or over-emphasized. The parliament is the linchpin on which democracy rests. Populated by the elected representatives of the people, parliaments make laws for the peace, order and good government of the country; approve annual and supplementary budgets of the government; oversee the performance of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies; approve nominations into key government positions, etcetera. Aftermath of the April elections, Nigeria’s national and state house of assemblies were inaugurated in June 2011. As the lawmakers settle in, it is important to remind them of the need to work in the national interest rather than pursuing their personal aggrandisement. Truth be told, Nigeria parliaments at the federal, state or local government levels need to redeem their soiled image. At present, many Nigerians see them as ‘members of legisla-thieves ‘or ‘legislooters’. They are perceived as corrupt, inept, incre...

For the umpteenth time, the nation’s security was threatened with the 16/6 bombing of the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja by terrorist group called Boko Haram. The Islamic fundamentalist group had, prior to the attack, raided many police stations, prisons and few other public institutions particularly in the North-eastern part of the country, killing and maiming people and destroying properties. The 16 June attack on Force Headquarters is significant in two ways. It was the first suicide attack on the shores of Nigeria. Second, the assault on the police head office is the first of its kind and exposes the docility of Nigerian police in counter-terrorism. I do not envy President Jonathan or the heads of the various security agencies in Nigeria. Truly, uneasy lays the head that wears the crown. Terrorism has become a global phenomenon no doubt; however, not many countries have witnessed the kamikaze act of suicide bombings. It is regrettable that Nigeria mostly hugs international new...

The appointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank in June 2009 was one of the laudable things the administration of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua did. His appointment during the time of global financial crisis was a well taken decision as the man has left no one in doubt about his mission to rescue the Nigeria’s hitherto comatose financial sector. In the two years that Malam Sanusi has been in the saddle as the Central Bank Governor, the apex bank has taken many critical, unpopular but needful decisions. His first major assignment was the initiation of CBN and NDDC forensic audit of the account books of all the 24 operating banks in Nigeria. The audit report, which he could have swept under the proverbial carpet or used to extort money from indicted Managing Directors, if he had wanted to corruptly enriched himself, was rather made public and formed the basis of the removal of a total of eight bank Managing Directors who were found to have abused ...

Nigeria is a blessed country. One of her many natural endowments is the human capital. About half of the population is made up of female gender many of whom are of ‘timber and calibre’ having distinguished themselves in their chosen careers. In politics, women form the bulk of the electorates and campaign mobilizers. Unfortunately, when it comes to elective and appointive positions, they are never given serious considerations. There are several policies, protocols and conventions that have been put in place to address and redress the age-long marginalisation against women in politics. However, many of them are observed in breach. The fulfilment of Nigeria to the principles of gender equity and equality in all spheres of national life remains a far cry decades after the United Nations (UN) declaration of the year 1975 as the International Year of the Woman, and 1975-1985 as the decade of the woman. The UN had adopted the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination a...

The supremacy battle by the different factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Ibadan branch must be halted by Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi. For some time now, the Iwo Road axis of Ibadan has become a hotbed of intra-union crisis with many lives lost and properties destroyed. The affected area happens to be the melting pot of people from different parts of the country as it is a major motor park and gateway to many States. Needless to say that many victims of this disturbance were innocent commuters and passers-by who are not in any way involved in the Union’s activities. It behoves the new governor, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, the State Director of State Security Services (SSS) as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (both national and State) to restore peace to the troubled areas. They must promptly arrest and prosecute the arrowheads and foot soldiers of these heinous crime. Oyo is a pace setter state but it must not be in crime and crimina...

The April general elections are over and encomiums have not ceased to come the way of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ably led by the indefatigable Professor Attahiru Jega. The European Union Observation Mission (EU EOM) presented its final report on the April polls on Tuesday, 31 May 2011. In the opinion of the Mission: “The legal framework, the general performance of the Independence National Electoral Commission INEC and of other stakeholders provided for the 2011 General Elections an overall democratic foundation for further democratic development in accordance with international principles and with international instruments ratified by the Federal Republic of Nigeria”. This positive remark by Alojz Peterle, the Chief Observer of the EU EOM is heart-warming considering the fact that in 2007 the EU Observer Mission had said that the polls were so flawed that it was below regional and international standard. With the democratic foundation already laid by INEC, wi...

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan made a lot of promises during his nationwide campaign for the office of the president. The fulcrum of his campaign was his solemn pledge to transform Nigeria; to give our long-suffering motherland a breath of fresh air. Nigerians believed in his capability to deliver on his electoral promises hence the ‘landslide’ and ‘moonslide’ victory he recorded in the April 16 presidential poll. He scored over 22 million votes to emerge winner. On Sunday, May 29, 2011, during his inauguration, the President reiterated his vow to transform Nigeria. Newspaper editorials, opinion moulders, actors and stakeholders in the Nigerian project have been setting agenda for the president on how best he could go about the onerous assignment of engendering good governance in Nigeria. In continuation of the counselling sessions, I want to call the president’s attention to the immortal word of section 14 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It reads: “The Federal Republic...