Category: Nigerian Tribune

As a follow-up to earlier visits by a delegation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) towards establishing facilities to encourage the study of Science, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and skills development in public schools across the state, a team from the Agency has arrived the state to facilitate take-off of programme.

The Executive Chairman, Benue State Universal Basic Education Board( SUBEB), Dr. Grace Adagba, who conducted the delegation around selected pilot schools for the initiative to carry out research and survey, explained that the intervention was made possible through goodwill from the Agency which she said had identified the drastic revolution being implemented in basic education schools by the Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration.

The SUBEB boss, according to a press statement by the board’s information officer, Emmanuella Akese, stated that the intervention which is targeted at improving learning environment in schools as well as facilitating STEM and vocational education, with particular focus on the girl child would further complement efforts by the government to reposition basic education schools.

Adagba thanked Governor Alia for his sustained support for the board and his vision to change the narrative of public schools and thanked the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the intervention.

The Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Margaret Adamu in her remarks acknowledged the SUBEB chairman for resilience in attracting foreign investment in the education sector for the overall growth and development of the younger generation.

She assured the foreign donors of government’s commitment of providing the enabling environment for partnership and thanked the delegation for the willingness to invest in Benue’s education sector.

Consultant for the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Kenji Kawazoe who led the team of architects for the research and survey works said they were in the state for environmental assessment of the selected schools for determination of the appropriate facilities according to the needs of the beneficiaries.

The Programme Coordinator, Education and long-term training Programme for JICA, Stephen Nwanya emphasized that the grant aid project was interested in contributing to the growth of basic education with particular focus on Infrastructural design and construction, equipment support in ICT and vocational training to encourage STEM education.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency delegation team visited St Theresa ‘s Primary School Makurdi for the survey mission and is expected to travel to Otukpo to carry out research and survey at St Francis Primary School, Otukpo.

The schools are the selected pilot schools for the takeoff of the intervention programme.

Youths from the Irekari axis comprising Idoani, Idogun, Imeri, and Afo communities in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday staged a peaceful protest to express their frustration over the deplorable condition of roads and other decaying infrastructure in the area.

The protest, which began on Thursday, has continued for days as the demonstrators vowed to remain on the streets both day and night until government authorities address their grievances.

Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions such as ‘Fix Our Roads Now,’ ‘We Deserve Better,’ ‘No Development, No Peace,’ and ‘Irekari is Part of Ondo State,’ the protesters lamented years of neglect by successive governments despite their contributions to the state’s economy.

They condemned the alleged exclusion of the Irekari Local Council Development Area (LCDA) from the recently announced Operation Emergency Road Construction programme of the Ondo State Government.

While appealing to both the federal and state governments to urgently rehabilitate and reconstruct the roads to revive economic activities and safeguard lives, leaders of the protesting youths specifically called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to remember the axis in his developmental plans.

The youths also accused a marble company operating in Afo of worsening the condition of the roads through the movement of heavy-duty trucks. They urged the government to channel part of the taxes and royalties collected from the firm into road rehabilitation projects.

Beyond the issue of roads, the protesters decried the lack of electricity supply, dysfunctional health facilities, and the inactivity of the local magistrate court all of which they attributed to the poor road network discouraging workers and service providers from staying in the area.

They noted that good road infrastructure is essential for socio-economic development, as it facilitates the movement of goods and people, but lamented that Irekari communities have been largely cut off.

They pointed out that the two main access roads the Ipele-Idoani-Isua Federal Road and the Oba-Ikun-Afo-Idoani Road have deteriorated over the years, leaving commuters, including students and parents of the Federal Government College, Idoani, and the Navy Secondary School, Imeri, in excruciating pain.

They maintained that the worsening road conditions have crippled economic activities in the axis, as neither the state nor the federal government has responded to the community’s repeated pleas for intervention. Years of neglect, they said, have left the once-thriving communities as shadows of their former selves.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, one of the youth leaders, Mr. Sunday Akinsehinwa, said residents of the four Irekari communities have suffered untold hardship due to the poor state of the roads linking their towns to other parts of the state.

He added that economic activities have almost been crippled, while access to healthcare and education has become a daily struggle.

According to him, indigenes of the communities have resorted to self-help by contributing money to carry out remedial works, particularly on the Ipele-Idoani-Isua road, but their efforts have proven inadequate given the extent of the damage.

The ongoing protest, according to him, was triggered by the continued silence of the state government, especially Governor Aiyedatiwa, who had previously passed through the same route during a campaign visit to Idoani in October last year.

They also recalled that Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami travelled through the dilapidated Oba-Ikun-Afo-Idoani road earlier this year to attend an event in the area.

While appealing to the Federal and Ondo State Governments to urgently rehabilitate and reconstruct the roads to protect lives and revive economic activities in the LCDA, leaders of the protesting youths specifically appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to remember the axis.

‘For many years, we have been abandoned. The roads from Idoani to Idogun and from Imeri to Afo are completely impassable. Farmers cannot take their produce to the market, and commercial drivers are avoiding our routes because of the terrible condition of the roads,’ he said.

Another protester, Miss Tinuola Adeoye, decried the lack of basic amenities in the area, including potable water, electricity, and functional healthcare centres.

She urged the state government to intervene urgently, saying the communities feel cut off from the rest of the state. ‘We are not asking for too much. We only want good roads, light, and schools that work. Our people are hardworking, but the neglect is killing our motivation,’ she said.

The protesters called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to visit the area and see firsthand the level of infrastructural decay, urging his administration to include the Irekari axis in ongoing rural development and road rehabilitation programmes across the state.

Meanwhile, efforts to get a reaction from the Ondo State Ministry of Works were unsuccessful as of press time, but a senior official who spoke off the record said the government was aware of the situation and that plans were underway to rehabilitate some critical roads in the Ose axis.

Responding to the development, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, said the state government was committed to addressing the situation as a matter of urgency once the rainy season subsides.

Ajanaku explained that the Irekari axis was discussed at the last State Executive Council meeting under the Operation Emergency Road Construction programme and expressed optimism that rehabilitation would soon commence on the Idoani, Idogun, Imeri, and Afo roads.

He added that both the federal and state roads serving the area had already been brought to the government’s attention and assured residents that the affected roads would soon receive attention.

However, the protesting youths remain sceptical, citing previous unfulfilled promises by successive administrations. They vowed to sustain their protest until tangible action is taken to address their demands.

A Nigerian-UK-based institute, London Til Career Institute, has launched a scholarship initiative for Nigerians in the United Kingdom and the diaspora to commemorate Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary.

In a statement signed by the Director of International Affairs of the Institute, Dr Kunle Alegbeleye, the initiative was described as an opportunity to empower Nigerians with global skills and professional certifications.

Alegbeleye explained that the initiative offers a 100 per cent training scholarship for Nigerians in the UK and the diaspora, adding that beneficiaries will be trained in data analysis, IT skills, nursing assistance, and other professional programmes.

He stated that the scholarship is aimed at equipping Nigerians with industry-relevant skills, enhancing employability in healthcare and technology sectors, and strengthening Nigeria’s global reputation for professional excellence.

Alegbeleye further emphasised that the initiative reflects the Institute’s mission to bridge opportunity gaps and ensure Nigerians globally have access to quality certification and career advancement.

‘In celebration of Nigeria’s Anniversary this October 2025, the London Tilcareer Institute (UK) has officially launched a Fully Funded Scholarship Initiative for Nigerians in the UK and across the global diaspora.

‘This scholarship is designed to equip Nigerians with skills in high-demand industries, enhance employability across healthcare and technology, and strengthen Nigeria’s global reputation for professional excellence.

‘This initiative reflects the Institute’s mission of ‘bridging opportunity gaps and ensuring Nigerians everywhere have access to quality certification and career advancement.”

The earliest example of personal rule gone awry in the world was given in the biblical account of Eli, the prophet. Personal rule has become prevalent in Africa and other Third World countries. In the account, Eli was High Priest and Judge of Israel in the city of Shiloh. Kindhearted to the troubled and oppressed, the prophet’s renown for kindness became weightier in the narrative of his comforting words to Hannah, one of the hitherto barren wives of Elkanah. When Hannah eventually gave birth to a son named Samuel, Eli extended his affable disposition to Samuel’s upbringing at the tabernacle. Powerful man of God that he was, Eli was however irredeemably lax in the upbringing of his two children, Hophni and Phinehas, who served as priests at the tabernacle. The children were corrupt, wicked, greedy and morally bankrupt. They abused their father’s priestly office and authority at the sanctuary.

Hophni and Phinehas deployed their positions for personal gains and in the process were embroiled in acts of adultery with women who served in the sanctuary. Again, whenever sacrificial offerings of meat were being offered to God, even before the fat was burned, Eli’s sons stormed the venue, forcefully appropriating the best portions of the meats for themselves. In Israel of the time, this was a profound contempt for God’s law and a grave sin. Eli’s rebuke of his sons was tepid and weak.

In His wrath against this selfish use of personal rule, God’s judgment on Eli was fierce. Hophni and Phinehas were both killed in battle. When he heard the news, Eli fell headlong from his chair and died. Worse still, his lineage was forever de-linked from priestly reign.

Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegal’s first president from 1960 to 1980, co-founder of the Negritude movement, poet and cultural theorist, gave an apt definition of personal rule. According to him, it ‘is not. the art of governing the State for the public welfare in the general framework of laws and regulations. It is (a) question of politician politics: the struggle. to place well oneself, one’s relatives, and one’s clients in the cursus honorum, that is, the race for (benefits).’

Personal rule, otherwise known as presidential monarchy, is a plague in Africa. It is another variant of despotism. It operates where institutions are replaced with persons and systems with individuals. Arising from another plague called the Big Man syndrome, the state is ruled by a strong man who informally distributes offices to friends, relatives and associates, according to the dictates of his whims. The state is then informally captured by patronage and a distribution network of spoils of office. Individuals who are not formally recognized take over the formal functions of the state. What we then have is widespread corruption, impunity and abuse. This leads to the atrophy of public institutions, thus severely limiting the ability of public officials to make policies in the general interest of the people.

In Nigeria’s 65 years of self-rule, either under military or civilian, personal rule has been very prevalent. In it, government is run like a monarchy or, in the lingo of lawyers, as chattels personal. Personal rule has little or no demarcation of private and public domains, or even purses. Apart from giving official responsibilities to cronies and family members, being a relative of the Big Man opens doors, vaults and commands attention.

The first publicly known instance of the familial brand of personal rule in Nigeria was under General Sani Abacha. Before him, little was known in the interface of the families of military despot leaders and the public. For instance, little was known about the excesses of families of Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Muhammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari or even Ibrahim Babangida. Under Abacha, however, familial impunity reigned. It came in the form of usage of Nigeria’s presidential aircraft by children of the military leader.

On January 17, 1996, for instance, Ibrahim, son of the late despot, was on a jolly ride in the Nigerian Air Force presidential Falcon jet. He was headed to a party and private family engagement in Kano. Lagos being his departure, he was flying with 14 other friends, including his Yoruba girlfriend, Funmi; Bello, younger brother of Aliko Dangote; and a wealthy young man called Dan Princewill. The jet was almost landing in Kano when it mysteriously exploded mid-air, swallowing all and their dreams.

Obasanjo was particularly loath to this deployment of public assets for personal use. So also were there no public examples of such deployment during Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s time in office. Perhaps taking a cue from their parents’ personal rule disposition, children of successive Nigerian presidents have made this a pastime. Deploying public assets and office for private advantage resurfaced in 2020. Late President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter, Hanan, flew the presidential jet on a private photography trip to Bauchi State. By convention, only the president of Nigeria, the First Lady, Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria, ex-presidents and a presidential delegation are authorized to use the presidential jet. The convention does not grant the president any powers to transfer his right of usage of the presidential jet to any of his children.

Following in these footsteps, in October 2023, First Son, Seyi Tinubu, flew the presidential aircraft to attend polo games in Kano State. Before him, children and spouses of Nigerian leaders and top government officials who should have no business with the aircraft had become forerunners of this aberration. This provoked the question: is this an endemic problem that should bother us as a people, or is it a mere frivolity that we have allowed to detain us over time? Why do Nigerian public officials always fail to see the divide between the public and the private?

Of particular interest have been the two children of the current Nigerian president, Seyi and Folasade Tinubu-Ojo. In a May 4, 2025 piece entitled Tinubu’s Ajantala Son, I articulated how, if indeed all those democratic flowery words ascribed to the Nigerian president are not cosmetic, Seyi Tinubu must be a pain in the neck of his father, as he is to responsible parenting. I wrote, ‘In Nigeria’s history, I am not aware of any president’s child who has threatened public peace, public decency and the public space as Seyi. His name has come out in every socially distasteful national issue.’ I also wrote further: ‘You will recollect that this same young man was one who, but for his father’s peremptory scold, would probably have been attending Executive Council meetings with ministers. Seyi has no precis in illicit behaviour, so much that he outperforms himself in irresponsible public acts. He is reputed to have nominated ministers and behaves in socially anomalous manner that baffles. He causes so much stir with his long convoys of glittering automobiles and is chaperoned to occasions by Nigerian security apparatuses.’

Around the time when he paid ‘official visits’ to northern states early this year to donate billions of Naira to victims of Nigeria’s social malady, an allegation by the NANS President that Seyi ordered him tortured, beaten and his nude pictures taken for his voyeuristic pleasure took over the stratosphere. There are allegations that he will be put forth as the next governor of Lagos State. I do not see any ooze from Seyi’s mind that justifies a mental fit for this task. In personal rules where there is no distinction between public and private purses of state runners, the question people ask is, where do the billions Seyi spends come from?

The president’s daughter, Tinubu-Ojo, who christened herself ‘Iyaloja-General of Nigeria’-whatever that means-is another sore thumb pointing at the evil of deploying personal rule for familial advantage. The eldest daughter of Nigeria’s president, from inception of her father’s presidency in 2023, Tinubu-Ojo has positioned herself as ‘godmother’ of Nigerian open-air markets. Immediately her father came into office, in a baffling manifestation of an inflated hubris, she was said to have updated her Twitter bio with the title, ‘First Daughter of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN).’ She thereafter sent tongues wagging when a viral video of hers, with Nigerian flags flying behind her, positioned her as addressing what looked like a national broadcast. It was seen as pointing at a desire to appropriate all the perks from her father’s presidency.

Capitalizing on the low capacity to stick to rules that is Nigeria, Folasade catapulted herself from Lagos market headship where she made herself Iyaloja. That position was appropriated by her after the passage of Mama Abibatu Mogaji who occupied the same position. After this, she then made herself the market godmother of the whole of Nigeria. She was apparently yielding to an earlier call for a Hobbesian flee after power by her father in that famous counsel, to ‘fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run with it.’ Folasade has made a pastime of positioning her representatives in various markets across Nigeria. The ultimate aim, it is said, is to protect her personal financial interests. In a Nigeria where genuflection before public office is widespread and public officials are like gods, the president’s daughter, with the panoply of power and wealth at her disposal, is dreaded and worshiped.

Edo State, it will seem, will prove a fatal limitation of this hubris. In 2024, Folasade was said to have begun an attempt to impose an ‘Iyaloja of Edo State markets’ on the ancient city of Benin. Last Tuesday when she visited the palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, the president’s daughter however met her match in the impregnable culture of the Edo people. She must have assumed that, like other states, Edo palace bows before ineptitude dressed in the garment of political power. Either out of stiff-necked resistance or inability to mentally penetrate, appreciate and understand the ancient culture of the Benin, the president’s daughter had continued in her imposition gambit which seems to have become a familial trait. At the palace, she told Oba Ewuare II that a Pastor Josephine Ivbazebule would be her surrogate for all markets in Edo State.

After she was done talking, the palace taught her a lesson with words that were harmless on the surface but lacerating in deed. Not only was she taught that she couldn’t recreate her power drunkenness in Edo, she was told in plain terms that the cultural and historical foundations of market leadership in Edo State were far different from what obtains elsewhere in the country. Speaking through an interpreter as he does whenever he considers it demeaning to exchange verbal reply with a guest, Oba Ewuare told Folasade that in Benin culture, market leadership is not a political creation nor is it an external imposition. It is the product of tradition and is under the suzerainty of the Oba of Benin.

If Nigeria’s No. 1 citizen is not embarrassed by the activities of his children, parents all over the world are. The Yoruba, deploring this grotty descent in character of the First Family, say when an elephant trumpets, its child should not too. They also counsel that if one’s barn posts a bountiful yam harvest, a wise man would cover it from prying eyes.

Apart from the raw power to browbeat and be kowtowed to, as well as illicit funds and majesty associated with being the president’s children, Nigerians will be glad to harvest what these ones’ parents planted inside their skulls for national benefit. Certainly not the cunning that produces quick wealth and unearned advantage. Folasade Tinubu-Ojo could have earned more umbrage from the people of Edo State for her audacity if not for the decency of the palace. Let the little darts from the Bini palace remind the president’s daughters that it is the overripe orange that invites the throwing of stones.

The Niger State Government has entered into a multi-billion-dollar agreement with the Republic of Benin for the large-scale production of cotton, maize, and soybean.

In what is being described as a groundbreaking move to transform West Africa’s agricultural landscape, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Cotonou, with Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago representing Niger State, while Jean Patrick Yekpe, CEO of Sonama AG Mech Ltd., signed on behalf of the Beninese government.

The initiative, titled the ‘Cotton Common Platform Project,’ aims to boost cotton production to 450,000 tonnes in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State by 2030. Benin Republic will provide technical expertise, drawing from its successful agricultural model to ensure high-yield cultivation.

In addition to cotton, the project will cover the production of maize and soybeans across an estimated 550,000 hectares of land, with a phased rollout beginning at 20,000 hectares and expanding to 450,000 hectares over the next five years.

Governor Bago described the agreement as ‘remarkable and unprecedented,’ expressing gratitude to the Beninese government for its collaboration and commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for empowering sub-national governments to engage directly with international investors.

He emphasized that the project is expected to create over one million jobs, promote mechanized farming, and establish a sustainable agricultural ecosystem through crop rotation and irrigation.

The partnership will also include the establishment of 55 technical centres to train agronomists, mechanics, and drivers. Benin Republic will leverage Niger State’s vast land resources to initiate joint agricultural research and enhance market systems.

Farmers are expected to benefit from subsidized quality seeds and fertilizers, soil conservation techniques, and modern irrigation schemes.

Jean Patrick Yekpe stated that the project’s objective is to unlock Niger State’s agricultural potential and strengthen trade between both countries.

Chairman of Niger Foods, Mr. Sammy Adigun, described the initiative as a nationally significant project that will reduce food importation and generate an estimated $739 million annually. He added that plans are underway to identify suitable locations for crop production and engage with host communities.

Meanwhile, Governor Bago was warmly received in Cotonou by Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, and Minister of Agriculture, Gaston Dossouhoui, marking a new chapter in regional cooperation and agricultural development.

Armed men suspected to be bandits on Friday stormed a family residence in Isanlu in Yagba East local government area and abducted a woman and her two children while the husband who tried to escape was shot.

Tribune Online gathered that the husband, in an attempt to escape abduction, sustained gunshot injuries.

The attack, according to a member of Kogi State Vigilante agency, happened in Isanlu, headquarters of Yagba East local government in the state.

The source said, ‘one Tokpe Gody at Bareke-Egbe in Yagba West was attacked by unknown gunmen in their family house at about 2am Friday morning and abducted his wife and two children.’

While medical personnel in Egbe Hospital are trying to save the husband’s life, the kidnappers are said to be demanding a ransom of N100m from the family for the release of the wife and two children.

A Kogi Vigilante source who pleaded anonymity said, ‘One of us received calls from the kidnappers this morning, they used one private number to call us, they asked for N100 million before they will release the victims.’

The local security source hinted that the health condition of Tokpe in the hospital was very critical and might require to taken to Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Lokoja.

In a related development, seven travellers were abducted along the Itobe-Anyigba highway in Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State.

The victims were ambushed in the Ojuwo-Olijo forest, a known hotspot for criminal activities.

According to police reports, one female passenger managed to escape during the attack, providing a glimmer of hope amid the distressing situation.

The authorities have since mobilized security forces, including troops, police, and local vigilantes, to conduct bush combing operations aimed at rescuing the captives and tracking down the kidnappers.

As security forces intensify their efforts to locate the kidnapped individuals and apprehend the perpetrators, the community remains on high alert, hoping for a swift resolution to this distressing incident.

However, the Kogi State Command is yet to issue statements on the two kidnapped incidents as the Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ayah of the Command, could not be reached as of the time of filling this report.

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has urged Corps members to embrace self-reliance by cultivating a savings habit and investing in themselves rather than waiting for government jobs.

Speaking during his visit to the 2025 Batch ‘B’ Stream ‘Two’ Corps members at the NYSC orientation camp in Iseyin, Oyo State, he told the Corps members that their monthly allowance could be the foundation for future financial growth if managed wisely.

He explained that the key to creating wealth lies in discipline and prudent spending.

The NYSC DG said that by saving a portion of their monthly allowance, Corps members could accumulate enough capital to start small ventures that may grow into sustainable businesses.

‘Create your own wealth, create your own start-up? How do you do that? Save out of your allawee. As soon as you open your bank account, open a savings account also,’ he said.

Nafiu pointed out that NYSC provides an equal opportunity for all graduates regardless of their family background, emphasizing that financial success depends on personal choices, not privileges.

He said, ‘And that’s why NYSC is giving all of you a level playing field. You’re all sitting here now, you don’t know those that are from wealthy families. You don’t know whether you’re ever sitting next to someone that was getting N500,000pocket money.

‘As far as we are concerned, 77K can maintain all of you. When you cut your clothes according to your size, choose your style according to the available fabrics. Save 20% of your 77K, that will give you N15,400 every month.’

The NYSC DG also encouraged Corps members to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset and not rely solely on government for employment. He cited examples of past Corps members who started small side businesses during their service year that eventually became their main source of income.

He reminded them that the NYSC scheme was established to build national unity, leadership capacity, and civic responsibility among young Nigerians, urging them to view their service year as a launchpad for their personal and professional development.

‘With diligence, commitment. passion, you can start a business or businesses. Instead of everyone waiting and sitting at home for many years.

‘Don’t wait for government. Employ yourself and help government out by employing others. The people that have been coming to your SAED training, some of them thought it was government who would help them, but they started a side hustle, and the side hustle has turned to main hustle,’ the DG stated.

Nafiu, therefore, advised Corps members to conduct themselves responsibly in their host communities, avoid negative social media commentary about the state, and maintain respect for local customs.

He said, ‘The NYSC is not to waste your time. It’s designed to help you to integrate. It was instituted 52 years plus ago. To foster national unity, build bridges, foster national cohesion, contribute to development, and build leadership skills into the young graduates. All the country look forward to, or look up to, as the leaders of tomorrow.

‘You are the leaders of tomorrow. It’s a matter of fact, you own this country. With your population, with your intellect, with your skills, with your voice, you can shape the future of this country and make this country greater than it’s been handed over to you.

‘Be good, responsible, and respectful guests of the Oyo people. Don’t go on social media talking about the state.

‘Believe in this country. If you don’t believe in this country, it’s going to be difficult for things to work for you. Because when you see opportunity, you will not even trust it, and you will slip up.’

On his part, the Oyo State NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Peters Kayode, briefed the DG on the smooth conduct of the ongoing orientation course involving 2,363 Corps members.

He noted their good behaviour and enthusiasm toward camp activities and commended the Oyo State government for its consistent support, including improvements to camp facilities, but appealed for additional bunk beds to address accommodation needs and reaffirmed the staff and corps members’ commitment to the goals of the NYSC scheme.

‘So far, this set of leaders are discharged in the most exceptional way. It is also imperative to bring the attention of the Director-General that camp officials are on top of the assignment. Camp facilities are adequate and functional,’ he said.

The state coordinator informed the NYSC DG that the state government had already taken steps to improve camp infrastructure. He explained that the government had requested a cost estimate for flooring the camp’s multipurpose hall, adding that the project would soon be completed.

He also noted that both the state and local governments had pledged to supply between 1,000 and 2,500 plastic chairs to make camp life more comfortable for corps members.

‘This camp continues to enjoy the support of Oyo State government and our various stakeholders, which make things much easier for the operation of the scheme.

‘It is my belief that at your next visit, these facilities will have to be put in place. Equally, I am pleased to inform the Director-General that I will continue to maintain the operational models of the scheme in Oyo State, as I have been doing since my assumption of duty as the State Coordinator. Challenges and needs of the orientation camp,’ he added.

AKIN, a 4-year-old boy, was struggling in school to read numbers and alphabets. The parents assume that he must be dull. His sibling, in the same school, reads very well. Despite home coaching, Akin’s grade was falling behind, and his self-esteem was suffering.

Over the news, the parents heard that poor academic performance is one possible indicator of poor vision in a child. They brought the child in for an eye check, and a pair of glasses was prescribed. That child became the best in mathematics.

Unfortunately, avoidance behaviours, low self-esteem, and discontent can arise from vision problems if they are not treated. For example, the child may talk throughout class because she is asking a classmate what the teacher is writing on the board. She might be reluctant to speak up or read aloud.

A child with visual impairments might act irritably, which could lead to disturbances at school. Since they have never had good eyesight, these children are unable to communicate that they have vision issues.

It is sometimes assumed that a child who has impaired vision is impulsive or distracted since he finds it difficult to focus on any subject for an extended period of time.

The clumsiness, lack of interest in academics, or squinting are not examined to determine whether the cause is a vision problem.

Inability to comprehend visual information can lead to frustration, low self-esteem, and avoidance behaviours. Important processes, including identity formation, emotional regulation, and self-confidence, might be hampered by untreated visual problems.

In a talk titled ‘Vision Begins Early: Building Statewide Systems for Paediatric Eye Care’ at the farewell event honouring Professor AderonkeBaiyeroju’s 70th birthday and retirement, Professor Ademola-Popoola said that a child’s eye may be normal despite having extremely severe visual impairments.

Ademola-Popoola, head of the Ophthalmology department at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, explained that a child is unlikely to complain of a vision problem. Someone needs to find it because vision contributes about 83 per cent to learning in early life.

‘But if the child is not seeing, eating will become problematic. Expressive language and other learning skills, including walking, are delayed. Phonation is by watching an adult whom the child likes to speak to. So when vision has a problem, many things will be delayed,’ she added.

Many things may indicate that a child is having difficulties due to a vision problem. According to her, some indications of this include holding a book too near to one’s face, being distracted, isolating oneself, having poor handwriting, and engaging in abnormal behaviours like persistent frowning.

When they discover how hard school is and that their grades are worse than other classmates, some children become agitated or act out in anger. In fact, visual problems could even lead to an inaccurate ADD or ADHD diagnosis.

Recent research reveals a startling connection between vision impairment and mental health issues, particularly in children. A study reported that children with visual impairments are at a higher risk for mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.

Unfortunately, poor vision cuts across children of all socioeconomic classes. Also, from a child born premature to the older child, all can be affected by poor vision. And there are consequences when it happens.

In addition to what a child can see, vision abnormalities such as strabismus, or eye misalignment, can also impact how the child interacts with the outside world and how they see themselves. In addition to physical blindness, these illnesses often result in mental difficulties that hinder socialisation, academic performance, and self-worth.

Furthermore, almost 90 per cent of blind people do not go to school. Furthermore, we will be sustaining the cycle of poverty based only on one child’s visual impairment because someone needs to be there to mentor and care for them while they are not in school.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that child blindness contributes to one-third of the total impact of blindness in the world, and so they make it important.

Ademola-Popoola added, ‘Eight out of 10 individuals who have been blind since childhood never had an eye examination to prevent needless blindness. Moreover, approximately 80 per cent of the causes of their blindness are completely avoidable.’

She listed the causes of preventable blindness in children, including cataracts, glaucoma, trauma, and retinopathy of prematurity.

‘Children who are born prematurely are eligible for screening. Between four and eight out of every hundred will become blind if nothing is done to treat the condition within the first two months of life. When we examined paediatric cataracts, we found that about 38 per cent of the cataracts we operate on in children result from trauma,’ she said.

Prof. Ademola-Popoola stated that vision screening to catch vision problems and eye diseases should leave no child behind, from premature babies, immunization and well-baby clinics, and regular schools to schools for children with special needs.

She added, ‘Everyone should be aware of this problem and trained to perform simple actions that can help get a child to the hospital quickly. Our studies show that in over 85 per cent of cases, the family already knew there was a problem.

‘Childhood blindness steals both sight and future. Prevention saves them both. It costs less to preserve a child’s sight than to rebuild a lost future.’

No doubt, there are many cases where children have been referred to all kinds of doctors, from neurologists to psychiatrists, when all they needed was vision care. Sometimes, these are subtle signs for glasses or other vision care!

I have become dependent on painkillers for the past three years due to my long-standing back ache. I want to know what to do about this.

– Gregory (by SMS)

Painkillers such as paracetamol, among others, are safe and very effective when used in moderate doses for specific periods of time. However, when used in higher doses over a long period, they can lead to gastritis, liver damage and even kidney failure.

Luckily, in addition to moderate amounts of painkillers, your chronic back ache can also be treated in other ways such as exercises, weight loss, and the use of comfortable beds and mattresses, among others. This way, the amount of painkillers that will be required for your back ache will be significantly reduced.

Garba Shehu, former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has dismissed claims by former President Goodluck Jonathan that Buhari was once nominated by Boko Haram to mediate peace talks with the Federal Government.

In a statement titled ‘Boko Haram Did Not Nominate Buhari As Their Mediator’ issued on Friday, Shehu described Jonathan’s comment as ‘a false start’ ahead of a possible 2027 presidential bid.

Jonathan had made the remarks at the public presentation of ‘Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum,’ a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd.), where he said Boko Haram insurgents once named Buhari as their preferred negotiator.

According to Jonathan, ‘One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.

‘So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them, and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.’

Reacting to the comment, Shehu accused Jonathan of attempting to distort facts for political gain, urging him to ‘look for another story to tell Nigerians.’

Shehu said, ‘Muhammed Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau, the deceased leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist group, never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, and their ideologies were in direct opposition.’

He recalled that in 2014, Buhari narrowly escaped a bomb attack allegedly orchestrated by Boko Haram in Kaduna, which left some of his personal staff injured.

‘In 2014, Muhammadu Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury.

‘Buhari’s campaigns focused on fighting Boko Haram and restoring security to Nigeria whenever he became president, putting him in direct opposition to the terrorist group’s leader.’

Shehu further explained that reports of Buhari’s alleged nomination were based on misinformation spread by a faction of the terrorist group, possibly sponsored by political opponents, who held a press conference in Maiduguri claiming Buhari and other northern leaders had been chosen to mediate with the Federal Government.

‘What led to the misleading information was that a faction of the terrorist group, possibly sponsored by Buhari’s opponents, staged a press conference in Maiduguri, Borno State, through a certain Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who claimed to be the Boko Haram commander in charge of Southern and Northern Borno, saying that the sect would prefer the former military leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Yobe State governor and the then Senator, now late Bukar Abba Ibrahim, first Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Shettima Ali Monguno, also late, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Insecurity in the North-East, Ambassador Gaji Gatimari, and other prominent members of the Borno Emirate to mediate between them and the federal government.

‘Abdulaziz was roundly condemned by the leaders of Boko Haram, who claimed that he had ‘no mandate of their leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau.’

He also cited the response of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which immediately denied the claim, quoting the party’s National Secretary, Engr. Buba Galadima, who said Buhari ‘has not even heard about it’ and described the report as mere speculation.

Shehu urged Jonathan to seek a more credible campaign narrative ahead of 2027, stating, ‘To win in 2027, Dr. Jonathan should look for a better story to tell Nigerians.’