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The challenge we have is in producing god citizens to the maximum level to overwhelm the 'bad and crazy guys' even into extinction. The Holy Quran refers,'' Therefore, stand firm in the straight path that hath commandeth-Thou and those who with thee turn unto to Allah(the almighty God)); and transgress not from the path(honor): For He seeth well all that you do and incline not to those who do wrong or fire will touch  you; and ye have no protector other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped.''
In the same vein, The Holy Bible stands firm on the goodness of purpose. In Prov. 12: 3-9 in its comparative narration of good and evil, ''Evil people are never safe. But good people will be safe and secure. A husband is happy and proud of a good wife. But if a woman makes her husband ashamed then she is like a sickness in his body. Good people are fair and honest in the things they plan to do. But don't trust the things an evil person tells you. Evil people use their words to hurt other people, but the words of a good person can save people from danger. Evil people are destroyed and there is nothing left. But people remember a good man long after he has gone. People praise a wise man but don't respect a stupid person.  It is better to be a person who is not important but works hard  than to be a person who pretends to be important but has no food or value.''
In the same vein, the Holy Quran emphasizes every nation to produce good people than bad people through the network of the homes, community, state, the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and Government. For the nation to be able to be strong enough in defending the course of its people and protecting the multitude of the youth at a sustainable level.
Presently, it is imperative to work on our value systems to remove the stigma of worthlessness and international ridicule due to our actions and inaction dictated by the mass population of bad people.
The Holy Quran 14: 24-26, refers, '' Seeth thou not how Allah set forth a parable ?-A goodly Word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches reach to the heavens, it brings forth its fruits at all times by the leave of its Lord so Allah set forth parables for men in order that they may receive  admonition and the parable of an evil Word is that of an evil tree: It is torn up by the root  from the surface of the earth: It has  no stability.''

For Nigeria and Nigerians not to lose credibility,  let us decide to be good people to produce good people by shunning bad mannerism, greed,  wicked acts, and games of deceit for true development to emerge through collaborative and collective efforts.

In 1898, the then administration in Nigeria commenced the construction of the railway and between 1901 and 1909, the railway line had been constructed up to Niger at Jebba-302 miles from Lagos to Jebba.

This was followed by the Western line running from Lagos to Kano, which was constructed between 1898 and 1913.

In addition, the River Niger bridge, the major link  between Lagos and  the North, was constructed and opened for traffic by Lord Lugard in 1916, while a railway line from Port-Harcourt  to   Enugu was also constructed in the same year.

It is to be noted that the railway was extended to Kaduna in 1926 and Nguru in 1`936. Also, the River Benue bridge was constructed and opened for use in 1932,  while the railway lne from Jos to Maiduguri was constructed and opened for use in November, 1964.

In all, during this period there were 2,500 miles of railway in the country.

Interestingly, the discovery of mineral resources in the different locations greatly influenced the construction of the railway lines. Today, the debate among Nigerians is the failure of the present administration to justify the rationale behind the humongous amount of money collected as loans from China and the issue of invisible projects all over for the benefit and well being of the people. 

Most often we call for divine intervention without considering the fact that the creator is set the standard to attempt the caller's prayer.
Religion is established as a school for humankind to have an opportunity of having a deep knowledge about their creator to be able to build a cozy rapport environment for a perfect God/man relationship. All the prophets of God have been made to make the work of teaching and learning easy for all humans to purge themselves of all evil thoughts and acts. And to be able to refrain from committing sins and crimes, for worshippers to be wholesome and qualified to relate, without hindrance, with their creator, the almighty Allah.
The essence of sermons and lectures by religious leaders and scholars through the role modeling approach is thereby emphasized.
Quran 10: 57,  refers, ''  Oh mankind there hath come to you an admonition from your Lord and healing of the diseases in your hearts,-and for those who believe, a Guidance and Mercy.''
2Tim 3: 16-17,'' All scriptures are given by God (as a curriculum to drive the vehicle of religion) and all scripture is useful for teaching and showing people the things that are wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right. Using the scriptures the person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs for every good work,(management, administration, and governance).
For such a prepared individual, the opportunity to call on God for personal reasons or as an intercessor between God and man for the wellness of others and fairness of the state is already to his or her advantage.
This is why the scriptures emphasize that prayers must be based on the sincerity of purpose and just call for God to intervene in any affair.
Quran 13: 14 refers,'' To  Him is due, the true prayer and others that they call upon besides Him, hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not: For the prayers of those without Faith is nothing but vain prayer.''
James 5: 16-18,'' Always tell each other the wrong things you have done(the essence of confession and transparency) then pray for each other. Do this so  God can heal you. When a good person(the just) prays hard, great things happen. Elijah was the same as us. He prayed that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed that it should rain and the rain came down from the sky, and the land grew crops again.''
Countries and their religious leaders must work on the following operational modules of prayer for the efficient and timely outcome as contained in  Olagoke hierarchy of needs for prayer efficacy. They are nine elements  :
1) Body preservation from sins and crimes.
2) Soul purification from evil thoughts 
3)Compacted thoughts that concentrate and focus on the mightiness of God for dialogue(Niyat).
4)Requests based on statements of fact.
5)Positive mental attitude for good behavior as extended to the forgiveness of others.
6) Reflection on perfect leadership and followership essence. that are scripture compliant to have the favor of God(Khubat).
7)Firm and absolute belief in God as sensitive and benevolent.
8) Actionable attitude towards the goal.
9)Prayer outcome at realization and actualization realm, as a sign of prayer efficacy for all time glorification.
It is therefore essential that  every adherent is sensitized o the nine elements for prayer efficacy through religious leaders exemplary lifestyle to the level of attaining the total personality attributes of a quality value-laden elder statesmanship.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

The Federal Government has reviewed the years of service for teachers in Nigeria from 35 to 40 years and also the retirement age from 60 to 65 years of age, while at the same time introducing a new salary structure.
Even though a cross-section of Nigerians applauds the decision, several others believe that the new salary structure would be difficult to implement in several states. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,  Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the Federal Government should make public the details of implementation and also introduce a Special  Teachers Pension Scheme. Excerpts :
Do you think the new salary structure for teachers in Nigeria, recently announced y the Federal Government and the adjustment of years of service and retirement age are realistic?
The new national teaching policy assigned and approved by President Muhammadu Buhari is an indication that better days await us in Nigeria, probably starting from this government. This is because the teaching service sector has been neglected over the years, making this crucial, fundamental, and primary mainstay of life to mankind highly unattractive for the lack of motivation for teachers, the profession has for long been producing the poorest of the poor of our population with the consequence of the graduates becoming touts and social miscreants.
Components that absorb half-baked products of our schools always go into the loss of goodwill except for train the trainers' cycles of workshops, seminars, and conferences. If the government now feels that it as imperative to sign and approve the new national teaching policy all of us must applaud them and stand by them for proper implementation otherwise it may become another white elephant project.
For example, the introduction of the special teachers' salary scale is long overdue, various governments had always given Nigerians a false sense of hope.
The posers that follow range as 1)Feasibility of executing the project without discontinuity, considering that many states are yet to start paying the new minimum wage of mere N30,000. Gratuities of many teachers are yet to be paid in several states while pension challenges have led to the suffering of many with the consequence of losing some fo them.
This is why the Government must intimate Nigerians on how it plans to go about this policy to give the citizenry maximum assurance.
On the issue of the retirement age from 60 to 65, the government ought to have conducted an opinion poll for correct statistics to justify the new policy.

Suffice it now to say that the government must reconsider the benefits of retiring at 60 or 70 as the nation may benefit from these human resources potentials in the face of the dynamics of activities expected in service. The teaching profession is glorious and fundamental to human growth and development which would affect positively,  proficiency in community service and active participation in national development. The new special salary scale for teachers will automatically ned to be supported by also introducing the Special Teachers' Pension Scheme.
Perusing all these,  if the government is determined to do it, the present allocation structure needs to be revisited to be in favor of the states and the Local Governments, considering the fact that the number of Primary and Secondary schools are far higher than the number of tertiary institutions we have in Nigeria for them to be able to cope Afterall.
The whole world is clamoring for Education For All(EFA) in the face of global best practices that demand standard quality.
The Federal Government has to put in place an effective monitoring mechanism that would give it the assurance for transparency and accountability through due process in procurement and every transaction.
The government must equally ensure that the teachers and students/pupils justify the new gesture that demands merit in certification. This is to allow our graduates to be attitudinally fit and professionally capable in the competitive market of labor justification.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Members of the Day Old Chicks Association of Nigeria(DOCAN) in Oyo state have lamented that all efforts to access the  Small and Medium Enterprises(SME) loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) to cushion the harsh effects of the coronavirus pandemic have proved abortive.

The lamentation of the members of DOCAN was made known by its chairman, Alhaji Asimiyu Oyetunde in a chat with Poverty Line.

''All efforts to get the loans have proved abortive, we only hear that they are giving out loans, we don't know those they are giving it to'', Alhaji Oyetunde disclosed.

In the same vein, a cross section of worried members of the association have called on their  leaders to put an end to the sharp and unbecoming practices going on in the centers of trade.

60 years after Nigeria's independence, Nigerians have expressed divergent views on how the country has fared in all the spheres of life. In this interview, the Founder Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says that the only reason why Nigerian have to celebrate is for been alive. Excerpts :

Do you think there is any good reason for  Nigerians to celebrate the country's 60 years independence anniversary ?

Nigerians, no matter the grievances we may have against successive  governments' performances, for reasons of been alive we need to celebrate. The form of celebration will, however, determine the level of our seriousness and soberness. If at 60, Nigeria is know to be bedeviled with  various problems of poverty and insecurity, there will be the need to compare notes, bot with our past and with other nations, on the issues of growth, progress and development for the present situation the areas of wastefulness in the management of government business must be analyzed critically and objectively for us to know the very weak areas that need correction.

For example, Nigeria was used to various constitutional  process of law that supported federalism with concentrated wealth with the federating units with weal center.

The Parliamentary system of government upheld this for Nigeria to realize at the regional level, accelerated development that promoted healthy competition among the three regions then. Human development index was very high when you assumed that your socio-economic status was poor, but today, we are operating on the 1999 constitution that sourced its strength from the 1979 constitution, all of which were based  on the concept of governance by the military.

The 1922 and 1946 constitutions supported a weak center and upon this, the 1954 constitution was drawn to promote and facilitate development.

This led to the strong 1963 constitution which was, however, truncated in January, 1966 by the first military coup in Nigeria and hence put an end to the strong regional government with a weak center that allowed rapid development that were directly felt with high impact even on the grassroots people.

Presently, the Federal and state Governments operate at 52 per cent federal hold and 48 per cent for the states and Local Governments to manage with. Under the present arrangement state Governors would have to go cap in  hand  to collect money from the Federal Government to be shared among the 36 states and 774 Local Governments to pursue the goal of development.

Worse still,  under this arrangement, leakages in financial transactions, allow very many to be corrupt, this gives room for the abuse of public offices, which is now the order of the day.

Government in the process became a luxurious tantalizing mirage to the very large population that directly need selfless service or visionary leadership which has continued to be elusive.