Public Affairs Analyst

Over the weekend, I watched a newscast on the Kwara State’s planned International Vocational Centre being done in collaboration with the world-acclaimed vocational education institution, City and Guilds of London. The news fascinated me a great deal. It is a good thinking on the part of the state government, I reasoned. There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is in dire need of qualified, competent, skilful and productive artisans. Yes, there are many bogus and dim-witted persons with sign-posts and labels everywhere claiming to be master artisans. Last December, I needed to change the lock on my door and thus went to the market to purchase a replacement. I thereafter called on a welder near my house to come and replace the lock. Lo and behold, the apprentice he sent down could not fix the lock; the master himself came, fumbled with it for a couple of hours without success and thereafter promised to summon a colleague to help out. It took another “master” welder to fix the lock after two ...

For some time now, news has been making the rounds that some unemployed Nigerians pay huge sums of money to secure employment in some Ministries, Agencies and Departments of government, especially at the federal level. Top on the list of these MDAs and paramilitary organisations are the Nigerian Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Prison Service, Federal Civil Service Commission, among others. The entire saga peaked with the compulsory retirement on January 15 of Mrs. Rose Chinyere Uzoma as the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service.  Media reports had alleged that the forced exit of Mrs. Uzoma was not unconnected with allegations of nepotism levelled against her. However, it must be noted that job racketeering is not a federal issue alone. It happens in state MDAs and the private sector too. Senator Atiku Bagudu had during discussion on the floor of the Senate on January 16 said a state...

On Thursday, January 10, 2013, the Nigerian Police authorities launched a new code of conduct for the Force. The policy which the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, referred to as an article of faith is meant to instill discipline and ethics in the officers and men of the Force. According to the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, “The Code contains standard policing rules as well as contemporary international best practices in law enforcement as available in various United Nations Conventions, the Nigeria constitution, Police Act and Regulations and other domestic statutes. It is intended to be used by police officers in determining what is right and proper in all their actions.” Furthermore, Mba intoned, “The Code is designed to promote efficiency and effectiveness of Police services by promoting transparency, accountability and a deeper sense of civilian oversight on police activities. It is further intended to promote discipline, professionalism ...

November to March is the traditional harmattan season in Nigeria; however, with the severe climate change being experienced around the world, it is difficult to say exactly when the season starts and ends. The season otherwise called dry season in our part of the world comes with dust and mist. As a result of the haze, visions are blurred as drivers cannot see far; even flights are delayed because of poor visibility. It is the time of year when children and adult alike suffer most from cold, cough, catarrh and conjunctivitis (an eye disease popularly referred to as Apollo in Nigeria). The weather is extremely hot during the day and harshly cold at night.  The phase is also the harvest and pre-planting season. When there is bountiful harvest, food becomes cheap. It is also the time of the year for festivities. Because there is no likelihood of rain disturbance and since it is a post-harvest period, many social functions such as marriages, burials, house warming and chieftaincy tit...

2012 was indeed an eventful and terrible year for Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF). Not only did the Forum lost one of its own, Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State to the cold hands of death via an helicopter crash on December 15, 2012; no fewer than four of its members are also facing serious health challenges. They are Governors Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, Danbaba Suntai of Taraba, Liyel Imoke of Cross River and Idris Wada of Kogi State. While Sullivan is purportedly receiving treatment in India, Liyel is reported to be undergoing Medicare in United States of America, while Danbaba and Idris are receiving medical attention in Germany and Nigeria respectively as a result of injuries they suffered in plane and car crashes. Governor Suntai had a plane crash on October 25 while Governor Wada’s had a car crash on December 28, 2012. Indeed, the unexpected do happen which is why Nigeria’s grundnorm (the 1999 Constitution as amended) has provisions on what to do when the unforeseen...

For many years now, Nigeria’s Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), otherwise known as the benchmark interest rate has been at double digit. In 2012 it was largely at 12 per cent. By the time deposit money banks charge their own lending rates to prospective customers wanting to loan money, it’s usually between 15 – 20 per cent and more. This has made nonsense of government’s effort at stimulating the real sector of the economy. Even the aviation, textile and entertainment intervention funds set aside by government to revitalize these ailing sectors have been difficult to access by the target beneficiaries. Banks, apart from charging high interest rates on loans, also add all manner of administrative or miscellaneous charges which make the burden of borrowing unbearable. What obtain in many other developing countries are low interest rates of between 5-8 per cent with a moratorium. What cheap loans do for entrepreneurs are that it makes take off and expansion of busines...