Nigeria needs N600 billion annually for roads – Minister of Works

 

Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen says the country needs about N600 billion to build 14,000km of roads annually if it is to meet the Vision 20:20:20 goals.
The Minister, who stated this during a one-day public lecture organised by the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Abuja, said there was need to increase the network of roads in the country.
He said, “for Nigeria to move towards a sustainable economy commensurate with Vision 20:2020, there is the need to increase the total road network from the current 200,000km to 300,000km by 2020 and the paved network also needs to be increased from the current 65,000km to over 200,000km by the year 2020”.

Onolememen noted that the situation would require the construction or paving of an average of 14,000km of roads every year at the cost of N600 billion per year.
The point has been made several times that Nigeria cannot overcome its road infrastructure development challenges unless necessary reforms are embarked upon to reposition the road sector to meet up up with the developed world.
“The Vision 20:2020 requires that Nigeria attains a GDP of at least, 900 billion dollars by the year 2020 and GDP per capital of at least 4, 000 dollars; experience has shown that there is a direct link between economic growth, the size and condition of road networks.
“Thus, for every one dollar spent on road maintenance, there is a corresponding increase in the nation’s GDP. The nexus between road development and economic growth made it imperative for the improvement of road network in new ways”, he stated.

FG to spend N160.7bn on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction

by Rachel Ogbu 

 

The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has claimed that the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will cost the Federal Government N160.7bn.
Speaking in an interview with Punch reporters on Tuesday, Okupe said the road would be made up of three lanes on either side from Lagos up to the Sagamu interchange, and two lanes from there up to Ibadan.
“The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was awarded on Monday at a total cost of N160.7bn.
“The multi-lane road project, which will be handled by Julius Berger Construction Company and the RCC, will consist of three lanes on either side up to Sagamu junction, and two lanes up to Ibadan as well as a flyover and inter-change at the Redemption Camp to solve the perennial traffic gridlock on that portion of the road.”

He also said that there would be a flyover and inter-change at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to solve the traffic gridlock on that portion of the road.

He promised that the Federal Government would pay attention to the road, which he described as major.
Okupe also said the contractors had started mobilising to the site, adding that the government was determined to solve the crises on the road once and for all.
“Government is serious on infrastructure. You can see that major roads like the Kano-Maiduguri, Benin-Ore, Abuja-Lokoja, Owerri-Onitsha, Katsina-Daura and East-West roads and many others are being rehabilitated or reconstructed. The second Niger Bridge has been given out on concession and work is in steady progress,” the presidential aid said.
It will be recalled that the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, told journalists on Monday that the contract for the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway had been awarded to Julius Berger and RCC.
He, however, did not disclose the cost of the project.
Like the minister, Okupe also did not disclose the duration of the project.

FG determined to create vibrant private sector – VP Sambo

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has said that the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan led Administration is determined to create a vibrant private sector in the country.

Vice President Sambo stated this Thursday, May 23 when he performed the ground breaking ceremony of the Idu Industrial Park in Abuja.

Sacked Workers Of Mainstreet Bank Besiege National Assembly Complex In Protest

Retrenched workers of the Mainstreet Bank Limited, on Tuesday, protested at the gate to the National Assembly complex, calling on the lawmakers to intervene in their case.
The workers were protesting the non-payment of the entitlements of about 670 staff members sacked across the country by the management of the bank since June, 2012.
Mr Usanga Eyo, a representative of the workers, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the protest was organised to call the attention of the National Assembly to their plight.
He said that they were sacked without any reason.
“We are not saying that the management does not have the right to disengaged staff members.
“As at the time our appointments were terminated last June, Mainstreet Bank forced many of our members to sign an undertaking not to take the bank to court before the balance of the car loans we got were written off as ex-gratia.
‘‘The bank subsequently gave wide publicity to the payment of the ex-gratia in the newspapers, making the whole world believe they were magnanimous.
Eyo said that when they were paid their gratuity, the bank deducted all the already written off car loans and Afribank Nigeria PLC shares loans, ‘in order to put our account in debit.’

“We find it difficult to understand why the bank’s executive management decided to take this hard and unkind stance, knowing full well that we were all forced by the executive management’s predecessors to take the loan and buy the Afribank shares,” Eyo said.
He said that the group had written letters to the National Assembly Committees on Banking and Finance, the Minister Labour and Productivity, informing them of their plight.
Eyo also said that letters of complaint were also sent to the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSUBIFI).
“Up until now, we have not had any reply to the letters we wrote.
“It is more sad that even ASSUBIFI that is supposed to protect us, turned its back on us.
“Keystone and Enterprise, the other nationalised banks have paid their sacked workers all their entitlements.
“We are asking Mainstreet Bank to pay us our entitlements to enable us pay the outstanding loans to the bank.”
When contacted, Mr Nduneche Ezurike, the spokesman and Head, Corporate Affairs Department of Mainstreet Bank, said he would get back to NAN with some information on the matter in 10 minute, but he later switched off his phone.

PDP Has No Excuse To Lose Any Election Again In South West – Bode George

Former Deputy National Chairman, South-West of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Tuesday in Lagos, called on leaders and elders of the party across the zone to ensure that PDP wins the 2014 gubernatorial polls in Osun and Ekiti states.
He made the call when party bigwigs met at his Ikoyi residence to deliberate on the way forward for the PDP.
Bode-George, who spoke on the theme “Yoruba People: Time for Action,” tasked the party stalwarts to ensure that PDP clinches all elective positions in the zone in the 2015 general election.

He remarked that for the party to regain its glory in the region, it must win all the available positions, including Lagos State.
“We have no excuse to lose in any position again in the South-West. We must all go back to our wards, local governments and senatorial districts to rejuvenate our party structures to ensure victory for the PDP both in Osun and Ekiti and for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015,” he said.

Sacked Workers Of Mainstreet Bank Besiege National Assembly Complex In Protest

Retrenched workers of the Mainstreet Bank Limited, on Tuesday, protested at the gate to the National Assembly complex, calling on the lawmakers to intervene in their case.
The workers were protesting the non-payment of the entitlements of about 670 staff members sacked across the country by the management of the bank since June, 2012.
Mr Usanga Eyo, a representative of the workers, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the protest was organised to call the attention of the National Assembly to their plight.
He said that they were sacked without any reason.
“We are not saying that the management does not have the right to disengaged staff members.
“As at the time our appointments were terminated last June, Mainstreet Bank forced many of our members to sign an undertaking not to take the bank to court before the balance of the car loans we got were written off as ex-gratia.
‘‘The bank subsequently gave wide publicity to the payment of the ex-gratia in the newspapers, making the whole world believe they were magnanimous.
Eyo said that when they were paid their gratuity, the bank deducted all the already written off car loans and Afribank Nigeria PLC shares loans, ‘in order to put our account in debit.’

“We find it difficult to understand why the bank’s executive management decided to take this hard and unkind stance, knowing full well that we were all forced by the executive management’s predecessors to take the loan and buy the Afribank shares,” Eyo said.
He said that the group had written letters to the National Assembly Committees on Banking and Finance, the Minister Labour and Productivity, informing them of their plight.
Eyo also said that letters of complaint were also sent to the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSUBIFI).
“Up until now, we have not had any reply to the letters we wrote.
“It is more sad that even ASSUBIFI that is supposed to protect us, turned its back on us.
“Keystone and Enterprise, the other nationalised banks have paid their sacked workers all their entitlements.
“We are asking Mainstreet Bank to pay us our entitlements to enable us pay the outstanding loans to the bank.”
When contacted, Mr Nduneche Ezurike, the spokesman and Head, Corporate Affairs Department of Mainstreet Bank, said he would get back to NAN with some information on the matter in 10 minute, but he later switched off his phone.

Sacked Workers Of Mainstreet Bank Besiege National Assembly Complex In Protest

Retrenched workers of the Mainstreet Bank Limited, on Tuesday, protested at the gate to the National Assembly complex, calling on the lawmakers to intervene in their case.
The workers were protesting the non-payment of the entitlements of about 670 staff members sacked across the country by the management of the bank since June, 2012.
Mr Usanga Eyo, a representative of the workers, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the protest was organised to call the attention of the National Assembly to their plight.
He said that they were sacked without any reason.
“We are not saying that the management does not have the right to disengaged staff members.
“As at the time our appointments were terminated last June, Mainstreet Bank forced many of our members to sign an undertaking not to take the bank to court before the balance of the car loans we got were written off as ex-gratia.
‘‘The bank subsequently gave wide publicity to the payment of the ex-gratia in the newspapers, making the whole world believe they were magnanimous.
Eyo said that when they were paid their gratuity, the bank deducted all the already written off car loans and Afribank Nigeria PLC shares loans, ‘in order to put our account in debit.’

“We find it difficult to understand why the bank’s executive management decided to take this hard and unkind stance, knowing full well that we were all forced by the executive management’s predecessors to take the loan and buy the Afribank shares,” Eyo said.
He said that the group had written letters to the National Assembly Committees on Banking and Finance, the Minister Labour and Productivity, informing them of their plight.
Eyo also said that letters of complaint were also sent to the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSUBIFI).
“Up until now, we have not had any reply to the letters we wrote.
“It is more sad that even ASSUBIFI that is supposed to protect us, turned its back on us.
“Keystone and Enterprise, the other nationalised banks have paid their sacked workers all their entitlements.
“We are asking Mainstreet Bank to pay us our entitlements to enable us pay the outstanding loans to the bank.”
When contacted, Mr Nduneche Ezurike, the spokesman and Head, Corporate Affairs Department of Mainstreet Bank, said he would get back to NAN with some information on the matter in 10 minute, but he later switched off his phone.

PDP Has No Excuse To Lose Any Election Again In South West – Bode George

Former Deputy National Chairman, South-West of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Tuesday in Lagos, called on leaders and elders of the party across the zone to ensure that PDP wins the 2014 gubernatorial polls in Osun and Ekiti states.
He made the call when party bigwigs met at his Ikoyi residence to deliberate on the way forward for the PDP.
Bode-George, who spoke on the theme “Yoruba People: Time for Action,” tasked the party stalwarts to ensure that PDP clinches all elective positions in the zone in the 2015 general election.

He remarked that for the party to regain its glory in the region, it must win all the available positions, including Lagos State.
“We have no excuse to lose in any position again in the South-West. We must all go back to our wards, local governments and senatorial districts to rejuvenate our party structures to ensure victory for the PDP both in Osun and Ekiti and for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015,” he said.

FG Blames Low Passenger Traffic In Kano Airport On Insecurity

 The federal government has dismissed reports by a newspaper that the re-modelling of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano is responsible for low passengers’ traffic at the airport, saying the present security situation in the city was responsible.
Reacting to the report, General manager, Corporate Communications of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the transformation of the airport ought to open it to floodgate of patronage and not the other way round.
According to him, the low level passengers’ traffic into the airport can be traced easily to the security situation in Kano, fuelled by the activities of the fundamentalist Islamic group, Boko Haram.
Dati noted that improved security in Kano would boost air travel in the city.
“The newspaper also alleged that there was sabotage by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and the Ministry of Aviation to make the terminal and perhaps the airport dormant, but this is not true.
“We wish to state that Kano has been and will continue to be one of the major airports in Nigeria and it is because of the importance attached to the airport that FAAN embarked on rebuilding the domestic terminal which was commissioned in early 2011.
“When the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah visited the Kano airport and was shocked at the decrepit state of the international terminal, she immediately embarked on its remodelling. In addition to that, the Minister immediately designated the airport perishable cargo airport and embarked on building a perishable cargo terminal as well as another international terminal at the airport. Work on the projects would soon be started as contracts for them have been awarded,” Dati said.
“Ironically, no airport in this country has been so improved; yet this newspaper which styles itself as the voice of the north is misinforming Nigerians and showing so much ignorance.
“If the terminal or the airport is alleged to be dormant, it means that there is low passenger movement and it is not the responsibility of FAAN or the Ministry of Aviation to attract the passengers to the airport.

“The under-utilisation of the airport could be explained by the security situation in Kano and we believe that if the state government is working effectively with the Federal Government which has made efforts to eliminate insurgents in the north, air travellers will start coming to Kano and airlines which had already been designated will feel safe to operate from the airport.
“The report cited other airports such as the ones in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Enugu as airports that are active and supposedly with completed remodelled airport terminal facilities. The newspaper exposed crass ignorance in the report because there is no international terminal at Enugu airport.
“The project that was commissioned recently in Enugu was the remodelled domestic terminal and work is still going on for the installation of such equipment as conveyor belt, electronic check in counters and others.
“We also wish to say that in terms of facilities, the Kano airport is ahead of others in this country; that Port Harcourt terminal project is yet to be completed and that for now, the remodelled terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is designated for domestic operations but both international and domestic services are still emanating from the facility until the international terminal is built.
“The problem of Kano airport is the issue of security in Kano. If this newspaper is actually the voice of the north, it should almost on daily basis write editorials on how to restore Kano to its glorious past. It is when this is done that the airport would begin to witness increased passenger movements that will boost the utilisation of the airport.
“We also wish to say that although the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos provides over 80 per cent of FAAN’s revenue; yet the Kano domestic and international airport terminals were completed before that of Lagos. In fact, work is still going on at the international terminal of the Lagos airport and it is hoped it will be commissioned later this year.
“It is also mischievous for the newspaper to choose to interview anonymous persons who showed so much ignorance about the workings of the Kano Airport, instead of talking to professionals who would give the reporters accurate information.
“Such accurate information that the conveyor belt installed at the Kano airport, will take five minutes and not two hours to move bags from the airside to passengers and that all equipment it mentioned, including X-ray machines have been installed and that the terminal is ready to facilitate passenger movement.
“The unseen hands influencing such subjective and decisive editorials claim ignorance of the fact that the airport remodelling projects began in the North with the commissioning of the Hajj Terminals in Kano and Kaduna Airports by no less personalities than the Sultan of Sokoto and speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
“They could claim more “northerners” than this highly respected Northerners, including the Governor of Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who commissioned the remodelled International terminal of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and commended President Goodluck Jonathan, especially for transforming the airport after many years of neglect.”

FG Bans Civil Servants From Accepting Chieftaincy Titles, Engaging In Private Practice

Civil servants have been banned by the Federal Government from receiving chieftaincy titles and “other sundry awards”, until after their retirement or disengagement from service.
In a circular sent to all ministries, departments and agencies of government on Tuesday, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji, however, directed that where the traditional titles were mandatory by inheritance, “due clearance must be obtained from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
A statement in Abuja by the Director of Communications in the Office of the HOS, Mr. Tope Ajakaiye, said, “It has come to the notice of government that some civil servants are in the practice of soliciting for chieftaincy titles and sundry awards, an act, which is inimical to the principles of anonymity, integrity and political neutrality, which are the core values of the civil service.

“Federal civil servants have been banned from accepting chieftaincy titles and other sundry awards until after their retirement or disengagement from the civil service.
“The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, however, directed that where a civil servant must hold a traditional title bestowed on him or her by inheritance or receive any awards, due clearance must be obtained from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.”
The HOS had also recently said that, henceforth, any civil servant who engaged in private practice to the detriment of government’s job, except farming, would be deemed to have committed misconduct under the Public Service Rules.
The government specifically called on civil servants to adhere strictly to the provisions of the law, which forbids public officers from engaging in private practice.

Opposition’s Bid To Reclaim South-West Will Never Succeed – Tinubu

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) national leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described past administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West states as  examples of bad leadership.
Tinubu spoke on Tuesday during the inauguration of Mokola Flyover and the Neighbourhood Market at the Scout Camp, Molete, Ibadan by the Oyo State Government.
While describing the former administration in Oyo State as “rotten and reactionary,” Tinubu likened the present governor of the state, Abiola Ajimobi to the Biblical Moses whom he said “is taking us from Egypt” adding, “The ship of Noah is ship of salvation.
“When we were campaigning, we asked the people not to be frustrated. We told them not to be disillusioned that help is one the way. Help is here now.”
On the recent spirited efforts by the opposition to take over the South-West, he said, “I read recently that some of them are collaborating. The old enemies, who chased themselves out of office with cudgels, cutlasses and guns, said they want to collaborate again. They failed before and they will fail again.”
He said attempts by the PDP and Accord Party to reclaim the state from ACN would fail, adding that he helped a former governor of the state to retain his position but was betrayed.

He said, “I helped him before, what did he do? He went back to his vomit.
He added, “We are not a government of share the money. The radical transformation of infrastructure will bring food to all, the petty sellers, the mechanic and so on.”
In his remarks, Governor Ajimobi said, “In the past, political officeholders failed in their responsibilities.
“The responsibility of a governor or officeholder is Herculean and should be given to a serious-minded person. We are standing on the threshold of history.
“We have built another bridge 35 years after the first bridge was built by the military. The construction of this bridge is a testimony that we desire good and robust life for our people.”
Prominent personalities that graced the occasion were the National Chairman, ACN, Chief Bisi Akande; Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State; and deputy governor of Lagos State, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

Opinion: Why Nigerians should save OJB Jezreel

Anyone can be OJB. Anyone can need financial assistance. This man has not been lazy. He has worked. He has paid bills. He has not looted treasuries…

Saving a planet starts with saving a man, a single soul embedded in one man. He lives, procreates and then a new world is in existence. A lot of people die in Nigeria daily. Sadly, we will all die someday. But the process and means of death will vary. Some people will die in the hands of their lovers, in bed cuddling each other. Others won’t have such honourable luxury of having a roof over their heads and a caring partner who would hold them close, even in death. Some will perish on the road, in plane crashes or of hunger and rejection. Others may even die of having so much to eat. It is sadly true but death is inevitable after all.
OJB Jezreel is a young man who represents a resilient generation. He represents a flock of young people seen as the outraged, because we pursue entertainment instead or law or medicine. He has worked with countless Nigerian musicians. He has served us as a musician and an idol. It is unfortunate that he is not rich enough like many of us who take trips to Germany to treat our headaches. If memory hasn’t failed me, I recall there was once he lost a relation, either his daughter or a sibling due to financial constraint. So Sad! In Nigeria, if you are talented, you are as well doomed to die wretched. You need more than talent to live a comfortable life, at least to drink and pay for your own beer.
No preacher has thought it wise to advice a congregation to save this dying soul. No mosque has held prayer and fund raising ceremony for him. No free-thinker has considered his ailment important for special attention and assistance. Sad, poor people have no hope, after all. OJB may not be directly linked to our immediate families but he is ours now that we can hear his cry, now that his tears, shaky smiles are all over our computers and mobile phones. It is only rational that we save him.
I’m restraining myself from mentioning the government. I am also withholding an urge to call on the super rich Yoruba community, of who throw massive parties and declare uniforms for even the celebration of a successful tooth removal. Anyone can be OJB. Anyone can need financial assistance. This man has not been lazy. He has worked. He has paid bills. He has not looted treasuries or impregnated a whole clan of women. I assume that if the required sum were to be less than or within a million naira, he would have afforded it. It is sad that he can’t afford this one.
Some well-meaning Nigerians have supported him. I understand others will. I will not forgive Nigeria, if a young man like OJB cannot get help and ends up dead. He has done good music. Every kind of good work counts, but his works isn’t the bedrock of my plea to everyone who is a friend of Nigeria; it is our grace that I seek.
There are countless of churches in Nigeria that preach salvation every day. It is sad, again, that when Europe introduced the church, it gave scholarship to Africans and encouraged them, thereby justifying their ‘loots’. The churches in Nigeria can save OJB from numerous donations and tithes. I know about churches that bring an entire music crew from America just for a praise concert in Nigeria. I know of families that throw birthday parties for their 3 year-old and invite American superstars. We can save a life. NTA, STV, Channels, MTV, Sound City, can all put up documentary films to solicit for assistance from the public.
Those of us who are not millionaires can still assist. If we can give a thousand naira (N1,000.00), it would be satisfying knowing that we are taking part in a process of keeping a man alive, enabling his dreams and making Nigeria better. This country is ours. When we save a young man we are saving the future. I expected that investigations would be done to ascertain the actual state of health of OJB and what has been requested. A governor can single-handedly give OJB a life same way we bought 2Face Idibia luxury cars worth millions. A student can give OJB some hope. NGOs can raise funds. We are better as a people, with a kind heart.
Save OJB today and give young Nigerians hope!
We deserve to live!

Thousands Of Fulanis Flee Zamfara Over Kizara Village Massacre

The acting chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Zamfara State, Allhaji Buba Dangaladima has stated that over 10,000 Fulanis have fled the state in the wake of the crisis between them and vigilante groups in the area.
Dangaladima based his assertion on a day he counted more than 70 trailers loaded with Fulanis fleeing the state for the safety of their lives and property.
He added that on a daily basis, Fulanis flee Zamfara to neighbouring states of Katsina, Kebbi and Adamawa.
“We received reports that Fulani men are being killed here and there, and we don’t know what is happening. We woke up on Tuesday and heard that some gunmen invaded Kizara village and killed about 50 people residents. Only a proper investigation can unravel the mystery behind all these killings.

“We also received information that two renowned Fulani settlements have been torched. There are; Wakili Dogu and Shage settlements, all in Keta district, and this is apart from the reported killing of four people in that area”, he added.
In his reaction, the state police commissioner, Akila Usman Gwary, denied knowledge of the mass exodus of Fulanis from the state as he just returned from Abuja.

Vessel Laden With Petrol Explodes At Atlas Cove

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in Lagos today that a vessel carrying petrol exploded at the Atlas Cove at about 7a.m. on Wednesday.
The Public Relations Officer of NEMA in the South West, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the explosion to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone.
Farinloye said rescue operations were ongoing and that the NNPC and other specialised agencies were also being mobilised to the high sea.

KASTINA ASSEMBLY: CPC carpets Assembly over minority leader’s suspension

LEGISREPORTS NG – The suspension of the Minority Leader of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim Mahuta, for accusing the executive arm of government for poor performance in budget implementation has sparked off heated reactions resulting in a war of words between the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and the House Leadership in Katsina State.
Mahuta, who represents Malumfashi state constituency was quoted as saying that the average performance of the Katsina State Government on budget implementation stands at about 36 percent for 2011 and 37 percent for 2012.
He also slammed the Assembly for failing to live up to its constitutional duty of oversight, one that he stated would have otherwise improved on the performance level of the 2012 budget.
This irked the lawmakers who immediately reconvened midway from a recess period embarked upon for a special sitting to deliberate on the matter.
The House sat on June 3, 20113 and suspended Mahuta from his position as minority leader pending the outcome of investigations by the House committee on ethics and privileges.
The decision to suspend the minority leader of the House however did not go down well with CPC in the state, as the Party’s interim chairman, Alhaji Farouq Adamu Aliyu, faulted the decision, saying proper procedures were not followed by the lawmakers.
Aliyu described the suspension as illegal and unconstitutional, saying “there is no way you can move a motion, refer the matter to the ethics and privileges committee and at the same time arrive at a conclusion to suspend an accused member without giving him a chance to defend himself before the committee.”
He said the suspension of the lawmaker has indicated that the House lacks capacity to perform its duty professionally.
On his path, Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ya’u Umar Gwajo-Gwajo, on the contrary defended the procedure adopted by the House to suspend the lawmaker saying, “every House has its own rules and traditions.”
According to him, “there is no way you can investigate him while holding his position because there is every tendency of tampering with the investigation through the influence of his position. So the lawmakers unanimously agreed that he should be suspended and we suspended him pending the completion of the investigation.”
The Speaker further said that if Mahuta is found to be innocent, his suspension will be lifted, but if found otherwise, the House will look at the recommendations of the committee and decide on the type of punishment that should be applied on the lawmaker.

Kuwaiti Court Sentences House Help To Death For Killing Bride On Her Wedding Eve

An Ethiopian domestic helper was Wednesday(today) sentenced to death by a Kuwaiti court, for killing a Kuwaiti bride a day before her wedding.
The court said that it found the helper guilty of slitting the throat of her employer on November 17, 2001 at her home.
She was arrested at the airport as she was about to leave Kuwait.
According to reports in Kuwait, the helper said that she committed the murder as an act of revenge against the family for ill-treating her and for planning to repatriate her.
The helper had planned the killing for one month, but wanted an “auspicious” opportunity in order to ensure she was not caught, local media said.

She was eventually able to carry out her plan when the woman was alone in the house.
The helper said that she took a cleaver from the kitchen and sneaked into the victim’s bedroom where she struck her.
The Kuwaiti woman reportedly fought back when she understood the gravity of the situation, but she was overpowered by the attacker who killed her.
The helper then looked for her passport, took 220 dinars (N124,090), took a shower and left the house to ride a taxi to the airport where she sought to buy a ticket out of the country.
She was, however, arrested by the police and she confessed to committing the crime.

Clashes In Lagos As Ex-militants Slap Female Student, School Official

Some students of Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos State and 80 Niger Delta ex-militants running a one-year programme at the institution clashed on Monday.
Trouble started in the school after an ex-militant allegedly slapped a female student. A school official who attempted to intervene was also allegedly slapped by another ex-militant.
Students of the school were infuriated by the action of the ex-militants who sources say have been clashing with students over the past few months, all of which have been contained by quick intervention of the police. Monday’s clash however went out of hand as many sustained varying degrees of injury.
The registrar’s office was also said to have been vandalised .
As at the time of filing this report, policemen attached to MOPOL 2 are still stationed at the entrance of the gate.
Speaking to newsmen, secretary of the Student Union Government of the school, Saheed Ridwan, said the students had decided that they no longer wanted the ex-militants on the campus.

“The ex-militants joined our school in February and initially, we were not having problems. However, a few weeks ago, there was a fight between some students and ex-militants over alleged stolen money and we settled it.
“On Monday, a female student was eating at a restaurant at Aluta Ground when an ex-militant told her to move because there wasn’t much space. An argument ensued and he slapped her. An official, one Mr. Segun, was slapped by another ex-militant.
“A fight broke out and there was bloodshed. The police have however restored sanity but the students have said they no longer want the ex-militants in the school.”
Meanwhile, it was learnt that one of the ex-militant, identified as Dudu, has been arrested by policemen at Bariga Division for allegedly harassing an employee of Lagoon Hotel, Akoka where sources say they were lodged by the Federal Government.
Confirming the incident, spokesperson for Lagos state police command, Ngozi Braide, said peace had been restored in the school, adding that the militant was arrested for making s*xual advances at an employee of the hotel.
“The ex-militant was arrested for making s*xual advances at an employee of a hotel near the school,” she said.

DIBIAGWU VS OKOROCHA: MATTERS ARISING

The Breaking News from grapevine is that the 29th June election into the Oguta State Assembly seat has become a battle between Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu and His Excellency Governor Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha. According to reports, Imo State Government has realized that Ogbuaga Walter Uzonwanne is not a match for Eugene Dibiagwu who is highly revered and loved in all the corners of Oguta Local government Area.

The brawl between Eugene Dibiagwu's campaign train with the Governors convoy may have dragged the governor into the frail. The Governor now sees the Oguta Assembly election as a challenge to his new APC coalition forces.

Reports have it that all political appointees in the Imo State Government have been mandated to flood Oguta from this passing weekend until the elections of the 29th June is held. I personally confirmed this development by the revelation from a top Imo exco member who informed me he was in Oguta as at Saturday on a specific detailed assignment by the Governor to go and deliver Walter in Oguta. The recent onslaught may have followed a meeting of the PDP bigwigs in the state at the home Chief Arthur Nzeribe, wherein they made donations for the campaign of Dibiagwu. In the meeting Chief Hope Uzodimma and others were quoted vowing to fund Dibiagwu's victory in the Oguta re-run.

Despite this recent onslaught by the APGA/APC led Imo State government, opinion polls show that Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu is poised to win the Oguta Assembly re-run by a landslide. Eugene Dibiagwu is projected to win in Aborshi, Umunwama, Obeabor (Izombe), Ndiuloukwu, Ejemekwuru, Orsu-obodo, Mgbele, Nkwesi, K-Beach, Ezi-orsu, Obudi, Mgbala, Umuekpo (Agwa), Awa, Abiazem, Oguta, Nde oyibo, Ossemoto, Egwe, Egbuoma. This projection is however based upon a free and fair polls.

Walter Uzonwanne has been enjoying an almost limited access on air in the Imo flagship IBC FM. Are you from Oguta? Please let us know who would win your vote and who you think between the two would win your boot, ward etc?

Bus load of abducted school children discovered in Imo

Police from Imo and Rivers states have intercepted a bus conveying 18 abducted pupils of Umuohie Primary School in Ngor-Okpala area of Imo, while en-route Rivers.

The school children said they were on their way home when a bus stopped and their teacher, whose name they could not recall, asked them to board the vehicle. At a police checkpoint, the driver of the bus failed to stop when flagged down and sped away.
The police pursued and alerted their counterparts in Rivers when the bus was approaching Eleme in the neighbouring state.
The police in Rivers were said to have cordoned off the bus and nabbed the abductors.
The suspects were taken to the Imo State Police Command, Owerri, where they have been detained since the incident; while the children were released to their parents who besieged the police station after calls were made to them.
When contacted, Joy Elemoko, the Imo State police spokesperson, said the suspects’ identities could not be disclosed yet, adding that investigation has commenced on the matter.

ANAMBRA 2014: THE HARVEST OF GOODWILL, SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT BY ANDY UBA

ANAMBRA STATE GOVERNOR, PETER OBI (L) & ANDY UBA


Perhaps if Governor Peter Obi had not kick started the Zoning debate in Anambra State, the good people of the State may not have had the opportunity of evaluating and putting Zoning in proper perspective. That is, they will not be asking the fundamental question of:  If Zoning is done to ensure Equity or to correct Injustice, as they are currently doing. The political maneuvering in the State, particularly the media propaganda deployed against Andy Uba after his unjust removal from office in 2007, will still be alive and kicking.

Specifically, the plethora of solidarity and support coming Uba’s way arising from the goodwill he has purchased via Peter Obi’s blunder on zoning would not have been if Anamberians have not been offered the opportunity of juxtaposing Peter Obi’s position with the injustice done to Andy Uba in 2007. Possibly, Nigerians may have now realized that opposition to Andy Uba’s quest for justice after his removal from office was in-fact, born out of sentiment and inferior argument in the first place. Events after 2007 in Nigeria have made people to conclude that injustice was actually done to Andy Uba.

Anambra 2014 and the Andy Uba factor

By DENNIS SAMI
The electoral edge between Senator Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba, also called Andy Uba and other contenders for the Anambra 2014 governorship election appears to be widening by the week as the countdown to the crucial exercise unofficially takes the front seat in the scheme of things.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC was sworn in as Anambra governor after 2007 election, but he was removed a few days later through a court order, which faulted INEC for conducting the poll in the state when current Governor Peter Obi’s tenure was still running. The tenure now expires next year.

My trip to OJB’s house

By Victor Enengedi OJB Jezreel . Filed photo On Thursday night, June 21, 2013 when the news of producer OJB Jezreel filtered social media, it was no surprise to me since about two weeks before, I had initially gotten wind of it and chased the story only to meet the denial of the producer’s friends and manager. On Friday morning when I got to the office still with the intention to revisit the story by just making a few calls to people that might actually be honest about it. I tried calling OJB’s manager, Taiye Aliu once again to confirm or dispel the story but his phone number was switched off and so I decided to embark on my journey straight to the producer’s 4, Gbaja Street, Surulere residence and Studio. Got to OJB’s residence at exactly 3:20pm hoping to find him at home or at least get to find out which hospital he was in, if he was in one. As soon as I entered the gate, the first person I met was OJB protégé and singer, C’mion . We talked for a while about his career, the music industry and finally, about OJB’s health. Probably the first to speak-out about OJB’s kidney…

State of Emergency: Cameroonian gov’t grants Nigerian refugees unlimited stay

Nigerians gathered to register as refugees in Bosso, Niger (photo: Punch)

More Nigerians are said to have fled the northern part of the country seeking refuge in neighbouring states since the state of emergency was declared in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. Most recently about 1,500 Nigerian refugees are reported to be in Cameroon, Nigeria’s ambassador to that country has said
According to reports,

Lagos State Government Justifies Need to Toll Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge

It is the general belief that a government has certain responsibilities to its citizens some of which includes the creation of road and healthy means of transportaion and that the citizens has a responsibility to the state of paying thier taxes as at when due. so the intension to toll the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge was greeted with a lot of opposition that why would a government toll a facility provided and developed by state funds, over the weeked the Lagos State Government explained its decision to toll the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge, saying it was a strategy for developing and maintaining roads either built by the public funds or not. The state government justified the decision to toll the newly unveiled infrastructure amid stern controversies, which trailed the concessioning of the bridge to Lagos Tolling Company at the state House of Assembly. The state

Jonathan’s Loyalists May Control New PDP NWC

There are strong indications that President Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists may dominate the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee after the party’s special convention in July.

Already, supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party leadership have initiated moves  to ensure that some  immediate past members of the PDP  National Working Committee do not return to the committee.
Investigations by The  PUNCH  on Sunday  revealed that the President and Tukur’s loyalists have also identified  some prominent PDP members  who lost out during the party’s 2012 national convention as aspirants that must be stopped from being elected into the NWC at the forthcoming convention of the party.
Such politicians  are those said to be against  Jonathan’s   2015 ambition and Tukur’s  continued leadership of the PDP.
According to a source in Abuja said that the loyalists decided to move against such politicians on learning that they had  started reaching out to see if they could be favoured  in the forthcoming special convention of the party slated for July 20.
The source boasted  that the ambition of some of the eight NWC members who resigned  during last Thursday’s  61st committee meeting of the party, to return to their former offices  would not be feasible.

#SoE Update: Air, land, (and sea)? Borno is locked down

New land and air patrols by the Defence Headquarters are trying to contain new terrorist threats in Borno. The army says that Boko Haram insurgents have sent threat letters to residents of Bama and Gwoza, forcing them to flee their homes. In the letters, written in Kanuri and Hausa, the terrorists warned the residents that there would be a bloodbath in seven days and they should resign their jobs, burn their employment letters, and flee.

POLITICS: PDP will survive crisis, emerge stronger – Senate Leader

LEGISREPORTS NG - Senate Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, has debunked insinuations that the crisis confronting the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, could possibly lead to its disintegration and subsequent fall from supremacy.
He said that the party had all it takes to survive the crisis majorly caused by the outcome of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, election, and emerging even stronger.
The Senate Leader said: “When you don’t have crisis in a political party, it means that the party is dead. A living party should anticipate crisis, the important thing is that do you have the mechanism of resolving the crisis and I say yes.
“The PDP has the mechanism for resolving the crisis than what we are seeing now and all the crisis in the past were resolved and I believe that we have the resilience and the facility to resolve crisis as they confront us and this will not be an exception.”
Speaking on the legitimacy of association of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Ndoma-Egba said, “the Constitution allows them to come together as an interest group, so they are at liberty to associate under whatever law.”
The Senate Majority Leader also expressed optimism concerning the PDP retaining its supremacy at the 2015 general elections, stating that insinuations suggesting attempts by the opposition to unseat it had a high possibility of not happening.
This report was prepared by our reporter in Abuja.

POLITICS: North divided over Jonathan’s 2015 bid

LEGISREPORTS NG – Indications emerging  have it on good authority that northern leaders are engrossed in severe conflict of interest with one another, a development which has ushered into their circle, a deepening rift over President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid to seek re-election in 2015, LEGISREPORTS has gathered.
While a faction considers President Jonathan worthy of a comeback in 2015 given the zoning arrangement of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party which makes him entitled to a second term, some on the other flank insist otherwise that seeking to re-contest office in 2015 amounted to using the zoning formula against the interest of the north, who they believed should produce the President in 2015.
Against this backdrop, there is a brewing crisis ensuing amongst members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Council (NEC), some of whom have vowed loyalty to President Jonathan urging him to contest in 2015.
LEGISREPORTS investigation revealed that some members who have their allegiance fixed on President Jonathan are already working to frustrate the efforts of the other faction who they believe are unnecessarily sentimental about the president’s wish to seek re-election.
A source within the Arewa Consultative Forum who spoke in confidence told LEGISREPORTS that it was only fair for President Jonathan to be given a chance to contest in 2015 since the zoning formula allows him to so do.
He said any northern leader who worked against President Jonathan on the premise that he was using the zoning arrangement against the north was not only being “mischievous” but working against the interest of the entire northern region of the country.
The source said: “There is just to much fuss made about Jonathan’s wish to return in 2015. I wonder why some leaders would not work in the interest of Nigeria as a whole.
“When it was the north in control, then the zoning formula was okay to be applied, but because it is south now, then zoning is now been used against them.
“In the interest of peace, let the South-South get their second term and go. It wouldn’t help anyone if the country is thrown into chaos over who should oir should not rule.
“It has happened that the President came into power through certain circumstances which we all know he did not create. So why make an issue out of what does not exist?
“I believe as leaders of a region, we should make choices on behalf of the people that will benefit and serve all their interest not to do what will not lead us anywhere. Anybody insisting against the President coming back is just trying to be mischievous and has an agenda that is selfish and not in the interest of the north.”
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Alhaji Mohammed Aliko on his path accused some members of both the ACF and the Northern Elders Council, NEC, of betraying the north by endorsing President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term in office.
Aliko spoke in Kaduna yesterday during the opening ceremony of ACF’s annual general meeting.
According to the National Chairman of the ACF, some ACF and NEC members betrayed the North by meeting President Jonathan by giving their support to him to contest the 2015 general elections.
Aliko said: “It is very sad that the Presidency has employed the divide and rule tactics against the North. It is very glaring, because we noticed with dismay that some members of this organisation have gone to the President and assured him that he must contest for 2015 election.
“We are really surprised that some northerners that went there are also members of ACF. I am speaking particularly of two gentlemen. The two gentlemen I am referring to, one is a member of the ACF and the other is of the Northern Elders’ Council. The ACF member is General Lawrence Onoja, rtd. He was actually part of the group that went to see the President (with elders of the South-South). Also, one of the Northern Elders Forum, is Senator John Wash Pam. He was there.
“We are surprised that they have really gone to see the President. We are particularly sad because General Onoja is here with us in ACF. We went to Maiduguri together when we went to see Dr. Ahmed Datti, (the President, Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria, SCSN) and Onoja was with us.
“He (Onoja), also made it possible for us when we went to Maiduguri to meet the leaders of the Joint Task Force, JTF, and we had a long discussion with them till the early hours of the morning. The military had problems with the Maiduguri people and we thought that if we intervened, things would be better.
“That is not all, we have gone with Onoja to every meeting we have held and he knows what the North wants. Now for him to turn round to say the President must contest in 2015, using the word, must, is very sad for us in ACF.”
This report was prepared by our Political Reporter in Abuja.

This will inspire you: MKO Abiola’s daughter wow investors on Dragons’ Den UK (WATCH)

inShare

by Rachel Ogbu

31-year-old, Modupeola “Dupsy” Abiola, daughter of the late MKO Abiola  is a British (non-practising) barrister, entrepreneur and businesswoman.
She recently appeared on the Thomson Reuters Power List as one of the most influential black businesswomen in Great Britain in 2013.
In this video recorded last year, Dupsy who is also the founder and CEO of Intern Avenue, an online internship website is hailed for her incredible business pitch on last year’s series ten of BBC television show Dragons’ Den, attracting an investment offer from business tycoon, Peter Jones.
People believe that there’s so much of her father in her and she gives the investors a peek into her life’s struggle after he (Abiola) died. Her story and how she handled her situation was really inspirational.

Okada ban: Auchi residents fear possible spillover effect

Auchi (Edo) -  Residents of Auchi and its environs in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo have said that the ban on commercial motorcycle in Benin metropolis could pose a security challenge to other parts of the state.
The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Auchi, lamented that with the ban, the motorcycle (okada) operators would find a safe haven in other urban centres such as Auchi, Ekpoma and Uromi.
They noted that unless urgent and alternative sources of income were made available to the displaced okada riders by the government, the crime rates in these areas would increase.
It will be recalled that the Edo government last week banned the operation of private and commercial motorcycle in Benin metropolis.
The governor said that the ban, which took effect from June 17, was necessitated by security challenges.
Reacting to the ban, Prof. Ben Egede, a resident, said the ban was too hasty, stressing that an alternative arrangement should have been worked out before placing the ban.
“Judging by the enormous weight of hardship the ban would inflict on the masses, one will be forced to say it is a bad policy; but if one considers it from the angle of security reasons, then the policy will be described as timely.
“What we are saying, however, is that palliative measures ought to have been provided before coming out with the policy,” he said.
Another resident, Mr George Okosun, condemned the ban, saying the hardship on the people would be enormous.
He said that the policy amounted to chasing shadows if the evil was chased out of Benin, it would end up in places like Auchi, Ekpoma and Uromi.
“If you give the reason for the ban as security problem, and the okada riders end up in places like Auchi, you have not succeeded in achieving whatever reason for the ban in the first place.
“I think what government has succeeded in doing is chasing these people (okada riders) from Benin to Auchi and other areas; this will pose serious challenges in these areas.
Mr Bartholomew Edigan, also a resident, said the ban was long overdue “considering the nuisance the commercial motor cyclists constituted’’.
Edigan, however, frowned at the ban placed on private motorcyclists.
“I really applaud government for the boldness because okada has not only been used in perpetuating crime, it has also constituted a nuisance on our roads.
“A lot of persons have ended up in hospital beds as a result of the nuisance of the riders. I think the government has done well to ban them.
“But, I am, however, not comfortable with the ban being extended to the private motor cyclists. These people use theirs to transport themselves to offices.
“I have a friend in Benin who bought his with a loan from a bank for the purpose of riding to work. The government should be magnanimous and look at it (ban) again from this angle,” he said.
Mr Paul Onosuru, another resident, said the ban would have been appreciated if palliative measure were put in place for the displaced okada riders and the people that were using the service.
“As it stands, it has placed serious hardship on the people, especially the commuters.
“Even the riders themselves will be a problem to the society as their means of livelihood have been taken from them.
“Government must work out urgent solution to forestall any possible security challenge the action will pose,’’ Onosuru said.
However, Mr David Jimwang, the police officer in charge of Edo North Area Command of the Nigeria Police, has assured the people that the ban would not pose any security challenge to the area.
He said that a strategy was being worked out to arrest any security challenges that would arise in Auchi and its environs as a result of the ban.
According to him, the police and the local government authority are working together and a by-law that will regulate the activities of commercial motorcyclists in the area will be out soon.
“I really do not foresee any danger as a result of the ban; even if any will arise, we are putting in place a strategy to curtail such,” he said. (NAN)

Killing our polytechnics

SHOULD our polytechnics continued to be relegated to the background? This question has been asked times without any consensus as to whether the answer should be in the affirmative or not.
This confusion is worsened by government’s inability to be decisive and make up its mind on what it hopes to do with polytechnic education. This inconsistency in public policy formulation and implementation could largely explain why our polytechnics will have to be on strike for several weeks running without anybody really doing something concrete to end the imbroglio.
What dominates our national life is politics. It is politics galore – left, right and centre. Sure, politics is important but it becomes counter-productive if good governance is sacrificed on the altar of party politics.
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics have down tools over the non-constitution of governing councils for polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of technology; non-release of government white paper of the visitation panels to federal polytechnics and non-commencement of the NEEDS Assessments of the Nigerian polytechnics.
Other grievances include need for the changing of the deplorable conditions of state government-owned polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of technology; the continued appointment of unqualified persons as rectors and provosts by some state governments and the failure of most state governments to implement the approved salary package (CONPCASS), and 65- year retirement age for their members.
The union is also aggrieved by the insistence of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in implementing the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, module; continued delay in the amendment of the Polytechnics Act;  the appointments of principal officers on acting positions in some polytechnics,  monotechnics  and colleges  of technology beyond the approved periods; the review of the polytechnics’ scheme of service; and the non-commencement of the re-negotiation of the Federal Government/ASUP agreement as contained in the signed agreement.
To any discerning mind, the agitations put forward by the workers are legitimate and reasonable. What is worrisome, however, is the inability of the appropriate agencies in addressing the issues raised but this is not happening maybe because it’s about the polytechnics.
It is saddening that polytechnic education in Nigeria is being treated with disdain, culminating into why their graduates are regularly stigmatized in the labour market and seen as mere educated-illiterates.
Going back the memory lane, this system was originally adopted from the British. It was designed not to be more than intermediate institution to train technologists and middle-level manpower. That is, the Higher National Diploma certificate was never meant to be equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree as erroneously being claimed here over the years.
This disparity has continued to create acrimony until it was abrogated in1992 under the British Higher Education Act, in which all the polytechnics in the United Kingdom were elevated to conventional universities.
Despite what critics claim that polytechnics have outlived their usefulness, the strategic importance of polytechnic education – as enunciated in the Nigeria’s National Policy on Education – to provide for practical, technical knowledge and skills that are necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic transformation – cannot be over-emphasized.
Unfortunately, most students seeking admission into higher institutions in Nigeria would hardly pick polytechnics. The reason is simple: Why choose polytechnics when the universities are there? Many students that end up in polytechnics are those who could not secure university admission coupled with the pressure and influence of parents and guardians, who always prefer that their children and wards attend universities.
IN the late 1970s, when there was an effort by the Federal Government to scrap HND, with the hope of creating a pool of technicians that will be different from engineers, as produced by the universities, but this attempt failed due to the poor implementation of the policy that merely replaced HND with a lower certificate; National Technical Certificate, NTC, which was vehemently resisted by the students.
To redress the anomaly, an attempt was made by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration to end the discrimination between HND and BSc graduates. In a 40-page paper, the Presidential Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments had discovered that entrants into the public service with HND are barred from reaching the highest grade even when they were found competent.
Before the removal of the ceiling on the salary grade level/rank, the promotion of HND holders in the nation’s public service terminated at Grade Level 14, while their counterparts holding university degrees were allowed to reach level 17.
Other bias meted out to them include inequality in salary Grade Level (HND – GL 07 & BSc – GL 08), security personnel – Bsc (Commissioned), HND (Non-commissioned), promotion; HND (maximum of GL 12), while BSc (Unlimited), banks and other financial institutions treat HND holders like outcasts while BSc holders are employed as administrative staff, as HND holders are confined within the executive cadre.
Ironically, the frustration had led not a few into all kinds of unemployment, social vices, criminality, non-chalant attitude and complete frustration by those unfortunate young men and women who are groomed to be technically-versatile products, self-employed and job-creators.
What we should do is to strengthen our polytechnics, realising that although the university strives to impart a particular kind of education by teaching ‘why things work’, the polytechnic on the other hand teaches ‘how things work’ thus, they complement each other.
Therefore, non-technical courses that are irrelevant to the core mandates of the institutions should be limited to the barest minimum in the polytechnics to allow them maximize their capacity to train technicians, technologists and middle-level managers.
Over the years, the nation has been experiencing imbalances and disconnect between the actual manpower needs of the economy and the educational system, resulting in dire structural imbalances that are inimical to national development.
As I have observed in an essay, Why HND Should Not Be Scrapped, “The elite should be blamed for policy failures because as policies are being formulated, they also build landmines in order to take the advantage of such loopholes for their selfish interest when eventually the policies fail” (The Vanguard, 27/06/2008, page18).
The nation now needs well-orchestrated objectives that will harness its many talented manpower to produce the synergy that will drive it to development that is not made possible under the present arrangement.
The bitter truth is that inasmuch as we have university graduates who are better than polytechnic graduates, there are also polytechnic graduates who are also far better than the university graduates. So, polytechnic graduates are not mentally inferior in anyway.
And to the UK example, we should not kill our polytechnics. The needs and aspirations of the nations may be similar but the structure and the peculiarities of the two societies completely differ.
The National Board for Technical Education, which supervises these institutions that currently stand at 110 for tertiary technical institutions and 159 technical colleges, should urgently review the curricula of polytechnics to make them go in tandem with modern day reality.
It should be appreciated that the real sector of the economy is the engine room for attaining envisaged development, hence a well-managed economic system requires technical hands that propel the industries to run to optimal capacity.
Without delay, government should pay less attention to party politics and end the ongoing strike by embarking on dialogue with the angry workers. The workers too should be responsive, bearing in mind that all their demands may not be met at a go. This is the right thing to do.

Mr. ADEWALE KUPOLUYI, wrote from Federal University of Agric., Abeokuta, Ogun State.