Public Affairs Analyst

“In a world that is ever more digitally connected, each of us has the power and responsibility to inspire our fellow human beings to act to help others and create a more humane world” – UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon Last Wednesday, August 19, was the United Nations’ World Humanitarian Day. This year’s theme was, “Inspiring the World’s Humanity.” According to the UN, the World Humanitarian Day is a time to recognise those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the UN General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the globe. ADVERTISEMENT In Nigeria, the day was observed with seminars, conferences and roundtables. At one of such events organised by the National Emergency Management Agency last Wednesday in Abuja, the UN Resident Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Daouda Toure, raised a...

“In the 2015 admissions applications, while UNILORIN recorded 107,491 candidates to come tops, UNILAG had 62,473 applications. It can admit just 9,000 candidates. But private universities like Obong University, Ntak, had 16, Southwestern University, Okun-Owa, received two, Wellspring University, Ogbaneki, had seven and Kwarafa University, Wukari, had five. The highest number of applications among private universities was the 3,042 received by Covenant University, Ota. Clearly, something is wrong here” ADVERTISEMENT – The PUNCH editorial, August 5, 2015 It costs a fortune to establish higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. According to the National Universities Commission’s guidelines for the establishment of higher education in the country, there is a litany of requirements to be met. Among several other things, the applicant has to supply a concrete and guaranteed source of financial support for the university to the tune of N200m, N100m for Polytechnic or Monotechnic,...

Going by the paltry votes he got in most of the Niger Delta states during the March 28, 2015 presidential election, one can say that President Muhammadu Buhari is very unpopular in the region. Perhaps, if ex-President Goodluck Jonathan were not to be from that region, he would have fared better there at the polls. Be that as it may, Buhari is demonstrating by his actions in recent time that he is the President of the entire country, including those who did not vote for him. In his about 70 days in office, Buhari has done the following for the Niger Delta region: Appointment of Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas from Cross River State as the new Chief of Naval Staff. This is in spite of the fact that the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, who is from Edo State, is from the same South-South zone. The appointment of a Niger Delta son from Bayelsa State, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.) as the new Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme. Prior to this appointment, thousands of ex-milita...

Did you know that nearly 1.3 million people are killed on the world’s roads each year? That up to 50 million people are injured, and many remain disabled for life? That 90 per cent of casualties from road deaths occur in developing countries? That the annual road traffic deaths are forecast to rise to 1.9 million people by 2020; and that road traffic injuries are the number one cause of death for young people worldwide? The United Nations projected that this year alone, road traffic injuries will be the leading health burden for children over the age of five years in developing countries like Nigeria and that the economic cost to developing countries is at least $100bn a year. Road traffic injuries place an immense burden on hospitals and health systems generally. Road crashes are preventable and a global action plan includes practical measures which, if implemented, could save millions of lives. These 10 aforementioned nuggets prompted the United Nations General Assembly to proclai...