Blog

The Kenyan government has disclosed that about 2.6 millon citizens face starvation in 23 arid and semi-arid locations in the country.

The government made this disclosure through it spokesperson,Mr. Cyrus Oguna.

The government said that of the number  623,000 were children  while 69,000 were  pregnant and lactating mothers, who were at risk of malnutrition as drought ravages the regions.

It noted that Turkana was the worst affected, with 250,000 children aged under five in Turkana North, Turkana South and Laisamis sub-counties experiencing acute malnutrition,while Another 200,000 in Turkana West and Turkana Central, Baringo, Tana River, Samburu and Moyale were  faced critical malnutrition.

“Eight out of the 23 counties are severely affected by drought and require urgent enhanced relief food assistance. They include Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Tharaka-Nithi, Isiolo, Embu and Kitui,” the government spokes person stated.

Nigerians have expressed disappointment over the failure of the Federal Government to check the soaring prices of food stuff in markets across the country.

They lament that the high cost of the food items such as rice, tomatoes, pasta among others have made most citizens to opt for items like ‘’garri’’ in particular, coco yam and maize among others.

Millions of Nigerians are now of the belief that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration in the country is nonchalant and insensitive to the hunger and poverty situation in millions of homes in Nigeria, even though most political office holders and government officials are currently benefiting from the closure of the country’s borders in a sizable number of states.

They passionately appeal to the powers that be to reverse the present order of things in the markets, as a step towards rescuing millions of Nigerians living in hunger and poverty.

The All Workers Convergence has berated the Federal Government for commencing the payment of the new national minimum wage to workers on Grades levels 01 to 06 while negotiations for other grade levels are still ongoing.

According to the National Coordinator of the AWC, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, ‘’the labor movement in Nigeria has been challenged and so they must wake up from their slumber, the recent payment of junior officers in the core civil service, is a wake up call to the Nigeria labor movement.’’

‘’Apart from the fact that what is paid is more of an award, reason been that labor does not have any agreement with government on the final template, therefore the payment is just like an award to the Nigerian workers. It suggests a government that is trying to rubbish the labor movement in Nigeria and divide the rank and file of the Nigerian workers, therefore labor must wake up and face reality and equally stop all forms of romance with government’’, Comrade Emelieze concluded.

The get rich quick syndrome has caught up with Nigerian youths and adults alike, and this has resulted in an unspecified number of unresolved cases of advanced fee fraud, ritual killings, armed robberies and other get rich quick crimes.

Distraught parents and guardians are helpless, even as law enforcement and security agencies, who are saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property, have rather been more or less accomplices in these criminal acts

Indeed, a section of the elite and the political class are a different set of accomplices, whose roles in these crimes have heightened the insecurity in the land.

In this interview the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafuadeen-in-Islam Wordlwide, Porf. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the elite in society are,to a very great extent, to blame for the get rich quick syndrome among the youth and it would only take a miracle to reverse the ugly trend.

Nigerians. most especially the youth are increasingly getting involved in get rich quick crimes. What do you think is the cause ?

The get rich quick syndrome has been with us over the years and it featured some bad elements of the then Nigerian decent society, in an environment of the era of discipline. At this period we began to learn about some elderly people becoming wealthy in society without commensurate work value in their hands.

The society’s suspicion drove them to realize that such people must have joined some secret societies, which makes it imperative that after death certain parts of their bodies are severed for recompense.

Another version, is the use of human beings for rituals, most especially one of their children or kinsman.

The cat would eventually be let out of the bag, either after protracted illness or sudden death after a short life span.

The reaction of members of the society to the mysterious end of these people

resulted in the placing of emphasis on the essence of discipline in their children, with the traditional philosophy of work as an antidote to poverty.

This was the basis upon which our educational foundation were built, with the hope that graduates even of secondary schools, who might not be capable of furthering their education would be able to support their lives with ready made work to justify the little knowledge acquired.

Unfortunately, people in high places started the bad culture of self-enrichment syndrome, against all odds of possible heavy penalties for breaking the ethics of the profession or the organization.

This was what led to the first coup in Nigeria, led by 29 year old Kaduna Nzeogwu, whose team struck because of what they term as 10 per cent corruption, in government and business circles.

The profile of poverty indices due to corruption and state of impunity xrayed by experts, put them into rising profile of 15 per cent in the first republic, 28.8 per cent in the second republic.

Babangida and Abacha era put it to the maximum of 65 per cent, while the fourth republic failed woefully to control and checkmate these orgies of corruption, to start at 70 per cent, which attracted people’s attention because of its uncontrollable nature, despite all the state apparatus on anti-graft exercise.

Psychologically, human beings are born robotic as education is for refinement, at least 20 per cent level from the classrooms, while the environment take 80 per cent charges to make or mar the animal called man.

If negative influences overwhelms man, he returns to the beastly level of operation.

Unfortunately in Nigeria, education is dysfunctional, with all the domains of education rendered ineffective.

For example, apart from the literacy advantage of education from the realm of affective domain, attitudinal rectitude is supposed to be critically addressed to be responsible for character building of any graduate produced.

Unfortunately, it is paradoxically ironical, to note that the so called enlightened elite, who we regard as educated, are to a great extent responsible for all the fraudulent acts in the society, not minding the oath of allegiance, loyalty and discipline already sworn to before taking up any appointment in the scheme of action building.

Equally unfortunate is that corruption and impunity have for long found their ways into the Judiciary, where the era of incorruptible Justices seem to have gone for good and profanity has replaced sacredness on matters concerning the house of God making justice, equity and divine interventions to elude the society. Hence the travail of poor practices in governance.

For our youth, they are products of these unfortunate circumstances and except through miracles, it would be very hard to produce children, who will not inherit the blood of timocracy and the culture of get rich quick syndrome. This is because the environment is hostile and all agents of socialization for the support of even growth of children have been broken down to pieces.Again, unfortunately, whenever we want to have any change of government, political manifesto is always absent with no ideological goals in place. Hence, our failure to address all these problems.

Sad, enough, vote buying has replaced the ethical principles of the conduct of elections, making the society to remain pawns in the hands of any emerging government, that would prefer self enrichment at the expense of the welfare of the people.

For sanity to reign therefore, we must put in place visionary leaders, who will be ready to sacrifice everything it takes to deliver.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation  has ranked Kenya second  in Sub-Sahara Africa, behind South Africa in its Global Innovation Ratings report.

The report also state that Kenya has overtaken  other countries in matching  their level of innovation to general economic development.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKuat), Moi University, Kenyatta University, Strathmore University and University of Nairobi  are among other private and public research agencies  in the contributors list.

Both Jkuat and Moi University’s technology assembling plants are two major  innovation milestones achieved by the country. The plants have earned the two institutions multi billion-shilling international and local tenders.

These institutions are saddled with the responsibility of  assembling and configuring  of the digital devices currently being used in the 2019 national population census.

The institutions also pioneered the implementation of the Government’s digital literacy program and are key to the achievement of the Big Four Agenda.

The report ranks  Switzerland as the leading innovation hub in the world., while Sweden ranks above the US at second position.

South Africa, number one in Africa are ranked 63rd in the world while  Kenya is 77th and Mauritius 82nd globally. 

The National Assembly/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja on Friday ordered fresh elections in the  Kogi West Senatorial District.

Senator Dino Melaye is the Senator representing the District.

The three-man panel led by Justice Anthony Chijioke   upheld the arguments of counsel to Senator  Adeyemi  that irregularities, over voting and non-compliance with the electoral acts negatively affected the outcome of the election.

In his reaction, Senator Melaye urged his supporters to calm down, saying “No cause for alarm at all”.
 

Reports indicate that the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Abba Kyari, sought explanations from the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr, Babatunde Fowler, over the unimpressive tax revenue from 2015 to 2018.

However, Nigerians have continued to groan under the multiple taxation policy of the Federal Government, even as they insist that the activities of the Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS) should be thoroughly scrutinized. 

In April nine senior officials of the FIRS, mostly from the finance and accounts department including its Director, were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) for diverting N6 billion tax funds that were supposed to be remitted to the coffers of government.

In this interview, the Founder Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the fact that government officials have their own receipts, negatively affects revenue generation. Exceprts :

The Federal Government has expressed worries over the dwindling revenue from taxes, what do you think is wrong ?

Nigeria became worse under the civilian regime, than under the military for two major reasons : under the civilian rule, privileges are always accompanied with abuse, coupled with daylight collaborations, even to cheat in government.

The issue of discipline has not been addressed in most civilian regimes. Discipline that ensures that the citizens do the right thing.

Perhaps,. because our institution of Democracy is always accompanied with no due process and various maneuvers to constitute the executive, legislature and even in the appointment of Judges at all levels.

This is why poverty indices and tax evasions accompanied with various corrupt practices are always on the increase.

With a direct consequence on government’s poor performance in the areas of the provision of basic amenities for the people, employment and functional infrastructure. The poor signal of virtual independence challenge of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and the Judiciary alos contribute a lot in the areas fo regulation and control.

Under the such a situation, the whole Nigeria and every sector of the economy wallow in them murky waters of endemic corruption that will never allow us to meet our budgetary targets.

Apart from the foregoing, salary structure of the civil servants, most especially at the state level, is appalling and to meager to sustain the average Nigeria worker. This is another source of challenge that would ever facilitate the thriving of corrupt practices.

Successive governments till date, have not been able to explain the reason why there is disparity in the wages of the state workers and that of their counterparts at the Federal level.

When issue of social justice is to be considered, bearing in mind, that we all visit the same market to buy and sell for survival.

Equally, government is yet to justify the jumbo pay of the political class, which is on the very high side, when compared to that of the civil servants.

Are these not established channels to to support corrupt practices in the land ?

It is on record that political office holders were once members of the civil societies, little wonder then, that they feel comfortable without any concern for the poor remuneration of the civil servants.

However, if these defects are not corrected in good time, the efforts of the anti-graft agencies will never meet the expectations of the government and people alike.

It is also on record, that in all tiers of government, Local, State and Federal, some officials, low or high, do have personal receipts which are always carbon copies of the ones government issues.

This is why we have been having cases of workers on Grades levels 04 to 06 in government service, having fleet of cars and several mighty structures, kept in secret with fictitious names.

The question now is, why is it that government operatives always fail to discover this kind of sharp practices, before the thieves complete their projects ?

Why is it also, that offenders judgments, are always delayed and in most cases, influenced by nepotism and ethnicity to bail them out ?

Lack of punitive measures for offenders is dangerous and would continue to make corrupt practices very attractive to those who believe in material things while shunning decency and exemplary lifestyles.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service needs to be properly scrutinized and the outcome made public.

The nine FIRS officials arrested not long ago, is an indictment of the service and an affront to the executive.

The government will therefor, do Nigerians a great favor through be thorough, firm and blunt to be able to use the case of this government agency as a reference point for the search light to penetrate through all government ministries, departments and agencies which equally have skeletons in their cupboards and unprintable rot in their environment.

Besides this, government itself, needs to be transparent and accountable for Nigerians to trust it because Nigerians expect period checks on the activities of the Ministers, aides of the President and state Governors as well as each of the policy makers.

If government wants a high revenue turn over, from taxes, diversification of the economy is sacrosanct to boost production most especially in agriculture, mining and other areas of infrastructural importance.