• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Nigeria Last Week

Shi’ites

Nigeria’s victory over S/Africa that buried tribalism

Last Wednesday in faraway Egypt at the ongoing 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the Super Eagles shot Nigeria into semi-final with 2-1 against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the Cairo International Stadium.

Today, Nigeria will be taking on Desert Foxes of Algeria, seeking a place in the finals. One thing about the exploits of the Super Eagles in the competition is that it has helped Nigerians back home to forget their sorrows, albeit momentarily.

The zest with which Nigerians, home and abroad celebrated the victory last Wednesday attested to what Nigeria can become if the political governance side of the country is working well. Regardless of who scored the goal and notwithstanding the part of the country such a person comes from, all that Nigerians are looking for and what they celebrate is “Victory for Nigeria.”

For peace to reign in our country, let the goals continue to pour; for as long as the competition endures and as long as the Super Eagles continue in their winning streak, our unity will remain sacrosanct as Nigerians hurdle in viewing centres across the country to catch a glimpse of the fiesta, without as much as remembering who is Hausa, Igbo, Efik or Yoruba.

The finger-pointing at the Senate committee

That Senator Elisha Abbo from Adamawa State assaulted a married woman and mother at a shop in Abuja is no more news; that he has since been arraigned by the Nigeria Police and granted N5million bail is also not news; what appears to be news and remains on the lips of many Nigerians, including Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is why Senate, the highest institution that makes law in Nigeria should sit in judgment over a matter that is before a competent law court.

The body language of the man in the eye of the storm, Abbo himself, indicated that he was pissed off at the apparent lack of understanding on the workings of the law and where the powers of the Senate should end and where that of the judiciary should begin.

Then, the statement by Senator Oluremi Tinubu that the Senate had the right to suspend Abbo struck a wrong cord, as the embattled lawmaker bared his fangs and went wild. He repeatedly pointed a finger at the committee and members appeared livid with anger. The consensus among analysts is that Senate should and must be circumspect in handling the matter.

Shi’ites’ angry moves at FCT

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, known as Shi’ites, moved angrily against the Nigerian government on Tuesday, violently attacking security personnel at the National Assembly.

Since 2015, their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, and his wife have been in incarceration by the Federal Government. Although there have been several court orders asking the Department of State Services to release the leader of the sect, the orders have not been obeyed.

The Islamic sect protested on Tuesday, Wednesday and reportedly on Thursday also, meaning that they were determined to die this time around. Their violent disposition may have sent a warning that if nothing positive is done; they could become a serious threat to peace and security in the country.

Members of the House of Representatives have also seen this dangerous emergence; hence their advice to the Federal Government to do whatever is necessary to save the country from another emergence of security threat of the Boko Haram hue.

Senate warns S/Africa over increasing murder of Nigerians, but…

The Nigerian Senate Wednesday read a riot act to the Government and people of South Africa to ensure that the lives of Nigerians living in that country were secured.

The Red chamber of the Upper legislative arm was irked by the number of Nigerians said to have been murdered in South Africa. While the Senate deserves commendation for this, the legislators must also be reminded that such killings are rude reminder to the burden placed on them to ensure that Nigeria is conducive for her citizens to live in.

If Nigeria was a country that holds high hopes for her citizens, not many people who travel to such countries would do so. They would have preferred to stay here, because home will always be home. But where people are killed and life is becoming generally unsafe in Nigeria, people vote with their feet. On a daily basis in Nigeria of today, over 20 people are killed while in a month hundreds. How do we begin to cry over people killed in foreign lands where we have no control over, whereas we have not checked the carnage going on under our nose? The killing of our brothers and sisters in S/Africa and elsewhere may have continued because those who kill our people there know that life does not mean anything to Nigeria. If indeed, they are not correct by thinking so, let’s show it by the quality of leadership we bring and the legislation we make. Warning does not help, but action does.

Oh Sniper, this Sniper!

In the last few years, a number of Nigerians have taken their own lives by drinking the insecticide, Sniper. This thing was made for small insects, but the level of frustration in the land has forced Nigerians to seek “easy escape” from pain by drinking Sniper.

Recently, following the increasing rate of suicide through Sniper, the Nigerian government, through National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) placed a ban on the manufacturing of small bottles of the product.

Just the other day, a Youth Corps member in Osun State, Ayomikun Juliana Ademorayo, in preparation for her birthday billed for July 18, had gone to her hairdresser to rid her hair of lice. The hairdresser reportedly applied the insecticide on her hair which was said to have triggered a hemorrhage from Ademorayo’s mouth. All efforts to save her life proved abortive. But it remains shocking that the young woman died even though she did not drink the Sniper, it was only applied on her head and it touched the scalp.

Adrenaline rise as Nigerians, investors wait on Buhari’s ministerial list

Last week witnessed avalanche of rumours cascading from the Aso Rock Villa. Stories made the rounds on the pages of newspapers and social media platforms regaling readers how President Muhammadu Buhari had transmitted the ministerial list to the Senate and how the Senate had determined to call off its recess to screen the nominees.

There were also insinuations over whom among the immediate past ministers that have been retained and some of the new ones likely to join the cabinet. But it emerged that the President is still compiling the list.

He even said that there was enormous pressure on him to release the list. The President was also quoted to have said that some of the ministers that worked with him in the first tenure were totally strangers who were forced on him by the powers that be in the party.

So, was he saying now that he has learnt his lesson and would not allow such a thing this time around? But truth be told, Nigerians are looking forward to seeing this list. Investors want to see this list. Everybody wants to see this list for whatever it is worth. Please, delay no longer, Mr. President.

Disturbing ratings and painful deaths

It emerged last week that Nigerian lawmakers, police, judges were the most corrupt institutions in Nigeria. Transparency International (TI) alleged in the report of a survey it released Thursday. The TI, in the publication of the 10th edition of the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – Africa, said corruption in African countries was hindering economic, political and social development. Another sad news came from the 2019 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, which stated that “multi dimensionally poor” Nigerians increased from 86 million to 98 million between 2007 and 2017. The report was released in New York Thursday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. It was also heart-wrenching, the report that seven members of a family perished in Port Harcourt through generator fumes. It was indeed an amalgamation of, a potpourri of negativities, all in one day, Thursday.

 

Zebulon Agomuo