FACE OF TERRORISM IN NIGERIA

Immemorially, terrorism has become a lingering phenomenon mostly in the developed countries. Gone are the days when l usually pay attention to 12 o clock world news  in my local radio station with the expectation of knowing who are the next victims in the series of terrorist attacks which characterised with suicide bombing and the likes in the then affected countries.

Gradually like a chain process, this unworthy and devastating act diffused its campaign and maintained its stand in some parts of the continents that were not affected before and African was not in exclusion. The story of terrorism attacks were now dominating matter of the day in some African countries such as Egypt, Libya, …..among others in the name of expressing grievances for their respective rights.

In particular, it is highly unfortunate that Nigeria as one of most peaceful and terrorism free countries in the era of 60s has now acculturated to the system. Anxiety on the roads  in exercising daily activities where terrorism and violence are more pronounced in some part of the country, most public or political gathering are now death trap due to the lingering bombing attack in the country.

The security challenges on the need to curb present inimical situation, constitution of investigative committee, invitation of foreign experts for technical assistance to uncover the perpetrators, provision of relief materials to the victims of bombing attacks, daily evacuation of the residents in the problematic areas of the country are considered as the priorities of the present administration even though at the detriment of other substantial agenda in respect of social economic development, yet yielded no positive outcome.

Etymologically on the Christmas day in 2009 ,  a Nigerian Abdul Mutallab, 24, who was accused of trying to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253, which had nearly 300 people on board, seven minutes before arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport by igniting explosives hidden in his underwear, put Nigeria’s name on the dent global map as one of the terrorist countries in the world.

The dust raised by this act is yet to be settled, one year later at the end of 2010 there has been series of blasts in Nigeria from Abuja to Maiduguri to Jos and back to Abuja. Terror now has its grip on the Nigerian nation. At about 5.30pm Nigerian time on the last day of the year 2010 there was a deadly bomb in a busy area in Abuja. Thirty people may have lost their lives with several others injured.

Recently, a car loaded with explosives crashed into the main United Nations' building in Nigeria's capital and exploded, killing at least 18 people in one of the deadliest assaults on the international body in a decade. A radical Muslim sect (Boko Haram) blamed for a series of attacks in the country also claimed responsibility for the bombing, a major escalation of its sectarian fight against Nigeria's weak central government. As usual the Nigerian government is quick to point accusing fingers.

 

Likewise, people have been killed in Jos in violence related to both religious and political conflicts. Up till now the crisis over there is still generating day and night, the perpetrators are still embarking on silent killing as showcased in the recent killing of about 20 people during Sallah festive period after the government attention has been diverted to other part of the country where violence and terrorism is more pronounced.  

Nigerian security forces need to step up and try to stay ahead of these terrorists whether they are MEND or Boko Haram. Otherwise there will be no solution to the oncoming onslaught of violence and devastations that will hit the rest of the country.

The current pattern indicates a clear motive to disrupt the fragile peace in Nigeria. We know we have political problems and we are aware of the massive corruption and unimaginable social injustices in Nigeria: it is therefore easy for a group or groups with selfish ambitions to penetrate jobless extremists and use them to achieve a sort of destabilization that will usher in the final demise of Nigeria. 

 

 The people must know that they have government and governance that works. It is clearing that these set of people are not ghost and they are not out of the country, government should stay aside from its mere policy statement that yielded no positive action by bringing the culprit to book. There is the need to call a spade a spade instead of arresting innocent people as the perpetrators.      

The Judiciary must be independent and have the possibility to work with the police to wipe corruption once and for all by being fair to any of the case in respect of the suspected and prosecuted terrorist with immediate effect.

The constituted committee in all the affected areas of the crisis should expedite action and be more objective in carrying out their assignment as all Nigerians are expecting the reasonability and validity of their report. Also, self determination and attitudinal change of the individuals in wiping away act of violence and terrorism is also inevitable in this regard.

 The nation is sinking because of the actions of a few men and women and the time to put an end to it is now!

Building Collapse in Nigeria: Manmade Disaster

Time without number, the incessant occurrence of building collapses have dominated daily agenda setting of the media on a possible way out to address the situation, yet the prevalence of the phenomenon lingers.

The incident which is in link with series of factors has successfully and continually claiming the lives of the people in the country, while other set sustaining sorrowful live injuries. Despite this tragedic circumstances, government and the law enforcement agent that is directly involved are giving little or no priority to their responsibilities.

To be more realistic, the spate of the recent building collapses have clearly indicated the level of sluggish, shameful and failed government we have in the country. To mention but few in the wake of the year 2010 to this moment, the collapse building in Abuja and a 3 – storey uncompleted building at Ikeja, Lagos claimed 38 and 40 lives respectively. Also in attendance is a four storey building under residential under construction near Ojuelegba which led to loss of lives of construction workers and the people taking shelter from the rain.

 

On a tragedy note, the collapse building of a mosque in Lagos also killed some Islamic scholars likewise the incident of a storey building collapsed in Kano accommodating some Islamic students, in a similar case with the OworonShoki building collapse a few days after where eight people were feared dead. Relatively, the scenario of the collapse storey building behind Federal Capital Territory police command in A Abuja killed 14 people working.

People mostly consider the incident such as flood, earthquake and the likes as natural disaster couple with their belief that nobody can fight nature. So how do we describe the spate of the collapse building disaster, a divine, natural or manmade?

Assembling in the aircraft of this embarrassing situation are the outdated regulations guiding the building industries, non inclusion of some of the Nigeria factors in the regulation, violation of the existing regulations and using of substandard materials among other factors which of no doubt ended in a destructive journey.

 

Most Nigerians are no longer having interest in functions or quality of good materials but the visible quantity for their immediate satisfaction and later harmful to their lives. Priority is being giving to a deal at the detriment of their health and safety.

The problem of quark builders who mostly find it difficult to read and interprete building plan for standard construction is not in absential. Suddenly, contrary to the initial plan of the contractor or owner a 2 storey building may be multiply to four with changing the standard of the building’s foundation.

Nevertheless, it is also observed that the dilapidated buildings in most occasions forewarned the residents by giving signs even by merely looking at it which the problem may have been curbed if giving immediate intervention but no necessary action is exercised by the people concerned.

However, if notable development will be recorded in this sector, government at all level need to review the building rules and regulations to feet the Nation’s Housing conditions rather than the adapted and plagiarised version of some British Standard.  This must go a long way with full enforcement by the authority in charge without tolerating any sort of bias.

Any unprofessional architects involving themselves in the business should be fish out and face the wrath of law according to the gravity of their offence. Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) which saddled with the responsibility of maintaining standard on any product, goods and services should not left any stone unturned in carrying out their assignment.

This is the high time for all stakeholders to strategize better solution to the collapse building which almost becoming graveyard in the country. 

FLOODING DISASTER IN NIGERIA

Unlike before, all the six geo - political zones in the country experienced the severity of the torrential rainfalls which led to devastated floods across the country this year. The disaster has claimed many lives, some sustained injuries, while thousands have been displaced.

According to estimation of the National Emergency Management Agency, about 500,000 Nigerians have been displaced due to the floods disaster as at the time of filling its report. Though, it was prior to the recent Ibadan flooding which as well recorded thousands of victims.

Also, part of the state affected includes Sokoto, Jigawa, Kebbi, Nassarawa, Lagos, Ogun, Cross River and Akwa Ibom among others. Properties and  means of livelihood of the people washed away in the name of this natural disaster.

 

According to the experts, the ecological inbalance is attributed to the extreme whether conditions experienced globally due to the worrisome climate change. Truly, the point is reasonable and genuine but in what ways are the individuals also serve as a contributing factor to this unpleasant disaster.

No doubt, improper care of drainages, culverts by government and the communities, indiscriminate disposal of refuse, violation of building regulations among other human factors added negative value to the problem.  

 

Prevention they say is better and cheaper than cure but people give little or no priority to this regard. On part of the government, pre-empting measures are not in place and no proper enforcement of the environmental rule and regulation to ensure the tidiness of the environment.

It is therefore imperative for government to merge its word with action by reviewing the regulation guiding the management of our environment. Government should also take into consideration and immediate implementation of the resolution and recommendations of the stakeholders in a number of conferences held in the name of combating climate change in the whole world.

UNTAPPED RESOURCES OF KANO STATE

The exploration of mineral resources has, without any doubt, rapidly contributed towards achieving most of the technological advancement in every sector and as well played a major role in human development.

In post independence years, Nigeria has given priority to the mining of mineral resources such as gold, tin, and columbite, copper, diamond, lead, kaoline and silica among others. Likewise, the series of farm products in the agricultural sector has substantially added value to the nation’ economy.

Kudos to the landmark achievement of our forefathers at that period for proper management of the  available resources in providing social amenities and infrastructural facilities that are still existing up till date.

In line with this background, Kano state, apart from being the commercial and industrial nerve centre of northern Nigeria, is also among the states blessed with vast depositors of mineral resources that are of commercial quantity. According to geological surveys in the state, the presence of solid mineral resources discovered in some parts of the 44 local government areas are well defined.

Some of the axis itemised according to the survey include, Sitti-Rimi-Kibiya-Rano which believed to have a huge deposit of resources such as literite rocks that are of sound value for construction purpose. There is also the Riruwai-Dajin Falgore axis endowed with very rich deposits of mineral resources such as lead, zinc, molybdenum, silver, copper and lithium in quantities of economic value.

According to the research which was jointly conducted by Nigerian Mining Corporation and Gold and Based Metal Mines Limited revealed that almost five million tons of mineral ore reserves containing tin and zinc were discovered in the Riruwai community. It was also estimated that over 200 million tonnes of rock containing over 0.5 million tonnes of Niobium and Uranium ore could be found there.

 

Moreover, the Kaolin reserves in Karaye, Gwarzo, Shanono, Tsanyawa axis are enormous. The estimation of Kaolin deposit in this axis with Getso and Danbakoshi was estimated at over four million tons followed by the discovery of feldspar deposits at Karaye which was measured at 50,000 tons.

 

Furthermore, the considerable reserve of good quality glass sand in excess of three million tons which is enough to ensure the production of hollow and sheet glass for forty years at a production rate of 60,000 tons per annum was discovered in Kano metropolitan-Dawakin-Tofa-Bichi-Danbatta axis.

However, in spite of these aforementioned natural endowments which indicated the abundance of great potentials and economic resources in the state, the situation of mining activities almost remains stand still.

The solid mineral resources in Kano which purposely serves as major sources of internal revenue for the then Kano province is loosing its relevance gradually in view of the problem which may be unconnected with over reliance on petroleum resources at the detriment of others in the country.

According to impeccable source, foreign companies were once running the affairs of mining activities in Riruwai but suddenly withdrew their equipments as a result of the communal hostility which led to the vandalization of their machines.

Although, mechanized mining is still in progress in the state but the output of their production is not encouraging. Lack of accurate data is one of the major challenges of the sector in accessing the quantity of available resources to motivate the interested private sector.

However, amid the recent expert alert that crude oil may dry off in the country by the year 2015, expectation is now high on the need for Kano state government to strategize the necessary measures to recover the glory of mining in the state in order to pave way for more economic benefits.

Beside the fact that this action if executed would improve the economic standard of the state, would also serve as a means of tackling the lingering problem of youth unemployment that is contributing to the increasing act of social vices in the country.

“Charity they say begin at home” therefore the state government should make a step towards making a provision for the modern equipment that will facilitate the smooth running of the productions.

Media should not be left out of this campaign in order to speed the of process sharing the gospel of the potential resources of the state to attract the interest of private investors and stakeholders partnership with state government in respect of making Kano mining sites more efficient.        

GHOST CORPS MEMBER’ SAGA

The rapid growth of ghost civil servants is no longer news in government parastatals. This culture is a manifestation of how deep corruption has eaten into our nation’s fabric.

In a desperate mind to either legally or otherwise share in the national cake, ghost workers have for so many years been existing on payment vouchers to the extent that people have acculturated to the situation as normal life.

However, this social misnomer which is one of factors bedevilling the national development has embarked on its unprogressive campaign into the National Youth service Corps (NYSC) scheme. Almost 69 fake members of NYSC were recently arrested at the orientation camp in Keffi, Nassarawa state by Vigilance of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

 

Surprisingly, a nursing mother who people believed should mature enough to differentiate between right and wrong for her child was not excluded in this shameful business

Moreover, the situation seems the same in the Centre of Commerce where a ghost NYSC member was caught claiming the monthly allowance which belongs  to other corps members in three different banks. According to an impeccable source, the suspected corps member participated in the three weeks orientation course, took photograph with NYSC uniform (fully kitted) and he reportedly collected huge amount of money before he was arrested by the police.

Seemingly, the drop-out students in various tertiary institutions also admires the NYSC scheme without following the due process by meeting up with the requisite requirements of serving their fatherland. A question begging for an answer is that do they have the mission of national commitment or in a bid to benefit from the little amount being paid to corps members.

Also, to be more realistic that poverty and the problem of youth unemployment is still the matter of the day in the country, some corps members deliberately served in two consecutive years and were included in the pay roll of serving corps members’ monthly allowance.

It is no doubt that this attitude will not only thwart the effectiveness of NYSC aims and objectives but also tarnish the image of the scheme if proper measures are not put in place to curtail the situation.

However, it has also been observed that the action of ghost corps member might not be successful without the influence of some corrupted NYSC officials. The rigorous screening process during and after registration in three weeks orientation course is enough to uncover these perpetrators if proper supervision is exercised and the staff refrain themselves from any act capable of fuelling corrupt practices.

Therefore, the series of campaign in respect of adopting the developmental strategies to move the scheme forward will be more effective if stakeholders put all hands on deck to curtail any sort of unlawful acts of which ghost corps members’ saga is in attendant.

It is also imperative for the NYSC management to make a provision for the additional sophisticated facilities that will uncover the identity of ghost corps members to avoid giving the agitators a genuine excuse to defend themselves in the name of calling for the scrapping of the scheme.

Pragmatic approach should be given to monthly supervision of corps members by the concerned officials as it is scheduled in the line up activities of NYSC. Any official member found guilty of involving in this social vice should face the wrath of law and be punished accordingly.

Optimistically, the above recommendations will encourage that have meaningful contributions towards the grassroots development without any side attraction from this unprogressive union called ghost corps members.

Under the sun or in the rain, the struggle of selfless service for the nation must continue!