Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Sir: I write with a broken heart. A heart so bruised it feels shattered. For weeks now, it has been one tragedy after another. One kidnapping case replaced by the next. Little girls taken from their schools. Families plunged into fear. We have reached a point where people whisper painful prayers like ‘may Nigeria never happen to me’, because we have watched the nation turn against its own.

Only last week, schoolgirls in Kebbi were abducted. And even though news has just broken that they have been freed, the joy of their return cannot erase the trauma of their ordeal or the deeper truth it exposes about our country. In that same week, more than 300 students were taken from a Catholic school. These were girls who simply wanted to learn, to grow, to dream, and to build a life. Their only ‘fault’ was the desire to be educated.

There is no way to describe the agony of sending your child to school and then seeing on the news that she has been taken by ruthless, faceless men. You do not know whether she has eaten, whether she is being harmed, what fears she is battling, what pain she is enduring. Is it a crime to be a girl-child in this country? Why must she carry so much suffering on her small shoulders?

The rate of insecurity in Nigeria today is beyond alarming. Those who lead us, those who hold authority, are meant to use every tool within their reach to protect citizens. Yet what do we see? Is ordering schools to vacate the answer?

Sending students home is not a solution. It strips these girls of their right to education. And then what happens when they resume? Will the cycle of fear, evacuation and abduction continue? What truly is the way forward?

Our leaders must seek real, practical solutions to these recurring horrors. They must rise to their duties and be held accountable. Our girls are suffering. They are far too young to bear this kind of trauma. No girl, no child, no human being deserves this. No parent deserves the torment of knowing that their daughter is in the hands of men who may do only God knows what to her.

We thank God for the safe return of the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls, but we refuse to let that relief distract us from the painful truth that no child should ever have been taken in the first place.

Mary Ojulari Foundation, a not-for-profit committed to development and empowerment, has awarded N50,000,000 to eight young entrepreneurs who participated in the second Vanguard Fellowship Cohort and completed its two-week Ignite Bootcamp in Lagos.

The grant was announced by Mary Ojulari, founder and president at Vanguard Fellowship Ignite Bootcamp Awards and Networking Cocktail Night at J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos.

The winners are SafayaIkechuckwu, Oluwakemi Olaniyan, Adaeze Akpagbula, Francis Obanijesu, Olatunde Omotayo Olufunke, Victoria Ogwanighie, Ubok Ameh, and Adebayo Olajumoke. Each of them will receive N6, 250,000.

Ojulari reaffirmed the organisation’s mission to empower young Nigerians with tools, networks, and capital to build their businesses:

‘Our work is about unlocking potential because potential is Nigeria’s greatest asset. These entrepreneurs are solving real community problems, creating jobs, and refusing to be limited by circumstance.

She explained that the Ignite Bootcamp was delivered in partnership with Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria and a network of leaders in finance, manufacturing, media, healthcare, government, and development agencies. It exposes fellows to practical case studies, strategic mentorship, and real-world insight.

She added that through this model, the foundation ensures that fellows continue to receive guidance, access to markets, and opportunities after the boot camp ends.

She said 50 promising entrepreneurs representing Agro-Processing, Fashion, Manufacturing, Technology, Health, and the Creative industries participated in the edition of the cohort.

She further revealed that the participants were admitted into the second cohort following a rigorous selection process that prioritised innovation, community impact, and long-term sustainability and underwent hands-on training delivered by industry leaders, seasoned operators, and policy experts.

Ojulari expresses the Foundation’s gratitude to its partners, mentors, and supporters who have generously shared their expertise and resources to shape the next generation of Nigerian business leaders.

In her keynote speech at the event, Mrs Yewande Zaccheaus, the Chairman and Founder of Eventful Nigeria Limited, affirmed that for entrepreneurship to thrive in Nigeria, there is a need to invest in skills and knowledge, access to capital, digital literacy, supporting policies, mentorship ecosystems, and platforms like the Mary Ojulari Foundation.

‘Let us design a future where young people are not just job seekers, but job creators. To the foundation, I say your work is powerful, your impact is undeniable, even just two years on, and your vision is rewriting destinies. To the sponsors, you’re investing in the future leaders of Nigeria, please do not stop’, she said.

It is worth recalling that in the inaugural edition in 2025, the Foundation admitted 50 entrepreneurs into the Vanguard Fellowship Bootcamp, from which 25 were selected and supported with a total of $125,000 in catalytic grants. Together with today’s ?50,000,000 commitment to the new cohort, the Foundation continues to deepen its investment in grassroots enterprise development across Lagos and beyond.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday gave a nod to the establishment of state police as part of measures to combat rising insurgency and banditry.

‘I call on the National Assembly to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them,’ he said in a statement he personally issued.

The President, who declared a nationwide security emergency in response to the wave of violent attacks, directed the military and the police to embark on massive recruitment of personnel in readiness for a reinvigorated onslaught against terror.

The President also ordered the activation of forest guards and tighter security measures for all vulnerable areas.

Although state police has been on the front burner of constitutional amendment, some states and other individuals have urged caution, saying that the structure could be abused by heads of sub-national units.

Currently, each of the five Southwest states of Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, and Ekiti operates a security outfit, especially Amotekun, in response to the mounting security challenges.

Lagos, which pioneered the idea of a security trust fund, also funds an outfit, neighbourhood watch, to complement the police.

In the Southeast, Ebube Agu was mooted by the governors of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi.

In the North, many state governments have set up the civilian Joint Task Force for the maintenance of law and order.

Yesterday, governors from the Southwest, Southeast and Southsouth met in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to brainstorm on strategies for strengthening the apparatus in their domains.

They said in their communique that state police is non-negotiable.

Acknowledging the imperative of a decentralised policing structure, President Tinubu said the Federal Government would support the initiative at the state level.

He said: ‘Our administration will support state governments which have set up security outfits to safeguard their people from the terrorists bent on disrupting our national peace.’

President Tinubu said to strengthen the current federal police, ‘the police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.’

He directed the police to use the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as police training centres in response to the need to meet the requirements for an expanded capacity.

President Tinubu also ordered that officers being withdrawn from Very Important Personalities (VIP) guard duties must undergo crash retraining.

He said the goal of the exercise is to ‘debrief them and deliver more efficient police services when deployed to security-challenged areas of the country.’

The President said the Department of State Services (DSS) would be empowered to activate the forest security architecture.

He said: ‘The DSS also has my authority to immediately deploy all the forest guards already trained to flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in our forests.’

He added: ‘There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil.’

Describing the prevailing situation as’a national emergency,’ the President said the Federal Government was responding by ‘deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas.’

He appealed to citizens to play their part, saying: ‘The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation.’

President Tinubu commended security forces for the recent breakthroughs, including the rescue of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi and the 38 worshippers seized in Kwara State.

He said: ‘We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage.’

To the security agencies, President Tinubu said: ‘I commend your courage and your sacrifice.

‘I charge you to remain resolute, to restore peace across all theatres of operation, and to uphold the highest standards of discipline and integrity.

‘There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence.’

He cautioned state governments against operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas, urging religious institutions to ‘constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas.’

The President reiterated his administration’s stance on resolving farmer-herder clashes, alluding to the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development.

He urged herder groups to abandon open grazing and embrace ranching, saying: ‘I call on all herder associations to take advantage of it, end open grazing and surrender illegal weapons. Ranching is now the path forward’.

President Tinubu expressed sympathy to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara States.

He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.

The president added: ‘Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness.

‘This administration has the courage and determination to keep the country safe and ensure our citizens live in peace.’

Emphasising the importance of surveillance and intelligence gathering, he said: ‘I urge you not to give in to fear and never succumb to despair.

‘Report suspicious activities. Cooperate with security agencies. We are in this fight together, and together we shall win.’

State police non-negotiable, say Southern governors

The Southern Governors’ Forum said state police is non-negotiable if Nigeria desires to effectively tackle banditry.

The meeting was attended by Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Alex Otti (Abia), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Charles Soludo (Anambra) and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo).

Also there were Deputy Governors Kola Adewusi (Osun), Bayo Lawal (Oyo), Peter Odey (Cross River) and Dennis Idahosa (Edo).

Abiodun, who welcomed the governors, said the abduction of worshippers in Kwara State, school children in Kebbi State and Catholic school pupils in Niger State reinforced the urgency of a decentralised policing system.

He said state police would enable the states to take responsibility for safeguarding their citizens and residents.

Abiodun said a unified Southern position on state police would not only enhance intelligence gathering and early-warning capabilities but also strengthen the region’s ability to secure schools, farmlands, border communities, and critical infrastructure.

He recalled that the South has consistently advocated for a security system that is closer to the people and more responsive to local realities, and better equipped to address the rapidly evolving threats.

Abiodun said the speed at which insecurity spreads also shows that geography is no longer a guarantee of safety.

He stressed that, given the dense populations, major industrial corridors, seaports, airports, and strategic highways, the Southern region faces unique exposure to security risks from non-state actors.

He said the time had come for a shift from a mindset of assumed safety to one defined by structured, preventive, and deliberate security planning.

Abiodun urged Southern Nigeria to adopt a proactive and integrated security framework anchored on intelligence-sharing, border protection, safe-school systems, corridor surveillance, and strong community participation.

He said the gathering would provide a critical opportunity to strengthen the region’s collective resolve, deepen cooperation, and act decisively to protect its people and maintain national cohesion.

He urged the forum to reaffirm its support for state police as each participating state has submitted individual positions on the subject.

Abiodun added: ‘A real-time digital security and intelligence-sharing platform linking all Southern states will ensure seamless communication and rapid threat alerts.

‘A comprehensive safe school programme must be established to protect educational institutions, particularly in vulnerable locations.

‘Joint audits of major transport corridors – road, rail, and maritime – will help identify weak points and inform the deployment of sentinel units and rapid response teams.

‘Community, private security partnerships should be strengthened to bring together local vigilance groups, youth teams, private security firms, and formal security agencies within one coordinated ecosystem.

‘A dedicated regional rapid response fund will also be essential for emergency deployments, rescue operations, forensic support, and inter-state training.

‘At the state level, measures such as mandatory documentation of foreign nationals, dismantling unlawful enclaves, regulating scavenger activities, intensified forest operations, and a crackdown on illegal mining must be pursued with renewed vigour.’

Members of the House of Representatives yesterday sought for a comprehensive action by governments at all levels to address the rising cases of insecurity in the country.

They emphasised their earlier position against negotiating with bandits.

Zonal caucus leaders and members took turn on the second day of the House debate on the security situation in the country to vent their anger and frustrations as Nigerians across the country are subjected to attack daily.

Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Kafilat Ogbara set the tone for the day when she said that the reality confronting the nation was not a distant episode in our national conversation.

She said: ‘It is a deep and bleeding wound in the lives of our children, our families and our communities. And I termed the Papiri and Kamba abductions as a national tragedy.

‘We are facing severe insecurity crises with widespread kidnapping and banditry. When people come to communities to kill them, to traumatise them, this is nothing but terror. Let me be clear, these are not mere security failures. They are breaches of the most fundamental duties of the state, which is the security of lives and properties.

‘When we have security issues, we need our governors to do more because the president cannot be everywhere. He cannot be in Sokoto, he cannot be in Zamfara, he cannot be in Ogun State. He cannot even be in Lagos State at the same time, his own state. We need our governors to do more and this is the right time for us as a house to legislate on the right legal framework of our state’s policy.

‘For me, I may not be a security expert, but I know that every security is local. We need a security situation where our security operators will be communicado, where Nigerians can call any security operative at any hour of the day and they are sure to get the right response.

She praised the President for the empathy he has shown and for the release of the Kebbi girls, saying: ‘The brief relief felt by the families of those that escaped is overshadowed by the agony of those still waiting, waiting for a knock on the door, for a phone call, for any sign of hope.’

She asked: ‘We have seen the children where are the kidnappers? Nigerians are asking. We have seen the children, where are the kidnappers? We need to know.

‘This crisis demands our urgent attention because children are used as deliberate targets. Schools that are once safe havens have become tragic targets.

‘Mothers and female educators bear emotional and economic burdens. Community disruption. And I must say that this trauma lasts a lifetime sometimes. We have to avoid this. Children who escape captivity or witness violence often experience long-time trauma, insomnia, anxiety, nightmare and withdrawal.

She recommended the establishment of a national safe schools protection framework, mandatory deployment of security teams to high-risk boarding schools and also to reinforce dormitories, night surveillance, panic alert systems, invest in early warning infrastructure, cameras, sensors and secure communication links with law enforcement agencies.

Leader of the Northwest, Sada Soli said the current challenges are not just criminal, but structural, rooted in environmental stress, with governance and economic marginalisation, adding that tackling these threats demands a holistic strategy that combines security operations with social, economic and environmental interventions.

Soli said a purely military or kinetic response won’t be sufficient to address the issues in the Northwest, adding that long-term stability will require building trust in state institutions. We must build trust in our institutions, while making efforts to reform land and livestock governance, addressing climate response and pressure, and ensuring that affected communities are meaningfully taken care of in providing solution to our security threats.

Leader of the Northeast Caucus, Mukthar Betara said Borno State and the Northeast has remained the epicentre of insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and communal violence.

Betara advocated adequate funding for the security agencies and the provision of adequate welfare package as a way of encouraging them.

He said:”Nigerian security challenges may be vast, but can be addressed with strategic planning, coordinated action, awareness and political commitment. We c’ stop the spread of violence and restore public confidence.

‘This special session provides us with not just opportunity, but a responsibility to charge a bold new direction. The Nigerian people are waiting. Communities across the Northeast and the nations are watching.

‘History will remember us today. What we have chosen to do today in this chamber, let us rise for a moment together and help and secure the nation. That is our solution.’

The West African Management Development and Productivity Network (WAMDEVIN) has concluded a 3-day High-Level Networking Workshop at the Centre for Management Development (CMD), Lagos, bringing together Directors-General, Chief Executives, senior public officials, academics, and development experts from across West Africa to strengthen collaboration among management development institutions in the region.

The workshop, which opened on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, focused on deepening cooperation, improving leadership capacity, and promoting productivity and institutional excellence among member countries.

Delivering the keynote address, the outgoing President of WAMDEVIN and Director-General of the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA), Hon. Nee-Alah Varpilah, emphasised the need for stronger regional collaboration to address shared development challenges.

He noted that issues such as governance reforms, skills development, digital transformation, and public sector productivity required joint action and sustained networking among institutions.

‘Collaboration is no longer optional; it is a development strategy. Our countries face similar challenges, and the more we work together, the faster we grow together,’ he said.

The workshop featured technical sessions, peer-learning forums, and knowledge-sharing engagements among member institutions from Nigeria, Liberia, The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and other West African countries.

A key highlight of the event was the confirmation of the election of the new President of WAMDEVIN at the joint sitting of the Executive Committee (EXCO) and General Assembly.

Mr. Alieu Jarju, Director-General of the Management Development Institute/Civil Service University (MDI/CSU) of The Gambia, was unanimously elected on July, 10, but had his election confirmed at the event as the new President of the Network.

Jarju expressed gratitude for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to consolidate ongoing reforms while strengthening cooperation among member institutions.

He stated that his leadership would focus on deepening regional collaboration; enhancing institutional capacity among MDIs; improving WAMDEVIN’s visibility and engagement with regional bodies; and expanding resource mobilisation and partnership efforts.

The Executive Secretary of WAMDEVIN, Mr Olaolu Adewumi also lauded the dedication of member institutions and reaffirmed the network’s commitment to driving capacity building and productivity improvement across West Africa.

Participants hailed the Centre for Management Development (CMD), Lagos for hosting the event and for its continued contribution to management development in Nigeria and the sub-region.

Ondo Redemption Front has challenged the government to be prudent in the management of resources of the people.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday, Chairman of the group, Dr. Ayodeji Ologun; Co-chairman, Kayode Mogbojuri and Secretary, Adedotun Ajulo, said the people deserve more than empty promises.

It said the people deserve real transparency, accountability, and prudent stewardship.

‘We have come as the voice of the people to speak the truth without fear or favour.

‘Our duty is to call attention to misuse of our resources, draw the curtain back on administrative inconsistencies, and ensure the people of Ondo State are not left in the dark while those entrusted with power trade in shadows.

This month, we have decided to throw more light on handling of our common wealth.

‘What we see is not prudent governance, but a troubling mixture of opacity, inconsistent planning, impulsive financial decisions, and deliberate misuse of power.

As we close 2025, the people deserve more than empty promises.

‘What they deserve, and what they must demand, is real transparency, accountability, and prudent stewardship of public resources.

‘But what we see instead is mounting fiscal inconsistency, legalistic sophistry, and a growing climate of impunity”.

‘At the end of 2024, the administration forwarded to the legislature a 2025 appropriation bill totalling ?655.23 billion, heralded as a Budget of Recovery.

‘Within it, capital expenditure accounted for approximately 62 per cent, and recurrent expenditure accounted for about 38 per cent.

‘But the story quickly unravelled. The legislature, under pressure and hawkishly optimistic about inflows, revised and passed a 2025 budget of ?698.66 billion.

‘That revision, itself, lacked clarity: what precisely spurred the ?43.4 billion increase? And how much of that extra would go into transformative projects versus inflated recurrent spending?

‘Barely a year later, the same budget was suddenly slashed by over ?200 billion, and repackaged as a revised and restructured version amounting to approximately ?489.9 billion.

This administration insisted that it was not a supplementary budget, but a recalibration born out of unrealised donor inflows and economic constraints.

‘But ask any concerned citizen: when you slash the budget that dramatically, especially after legal passage, what you are doing is admitting the earlier plan was unrealistic or reckless.

‘And yet, by November 2025, barely a week ago, a fresh supplementary request now estimated at ?531 billion has been mooted.

‘How does a state go from a ?698-plus billion budget, to a revised ?489.9 billion budget, only to demand another ?531 billion in the same fiscal year? The arithmetic doesn’t add up.’

The group also called full disclosure of 2025 budget performance, line-by-line, project-by-project, with timelines and cost-to-date; publication of all contracts awarded since January 2025, with details on contractors, amounts, scope of work, and timelines; and an independent forensic audit of Ondo State finances, with civil society participation, to reclaim fiscal credibility and public trust.

It also asked for a moratorium on any new supplementary requests or restructured budgets until audit findings are made public and past obligations verified and legislative reform that ensures greater transparency, oversight, and depoliticisation of appropriation and contract approval processes.

‘The people of Ondo State did not hand over a mandate for cosmetic parks or fiscal juggling. They handed over a mandate for good governance, purposeful budgeting, and meaningful development.

‘If the current administration of Governor Aiyedatiwa cannot meet that mandate, then it has betrayed the people’s trust and must be held accountable. If the legislature cannot exercise genuine oversight, then it must be reformed.

‘For Ondo State to be redeemed in spirit, in infrastructure, and in opportunity, there can be no more cover-ups. There can be no more budgetary acrobatics. The people demand truth. They demand service. They demand accountability,’ it said.

Closed industrial automation systems are quietly eroding competitiveness, costing mid-sized organizations an average of 7.5per cent of their revenue through downtime, inefficiencies, and compliance retrofits every year, according to a new report released yesterday.

The new global research which was unveiled by Schneider Electric, the leader in energy technology, was titled: ‘Open vs. Closed: The $11.28 million Question for Industrial Leaders.’

The research, conducted by Global Analysts firm Omdia, highlights how these costs stem from operational inefficiencies, downtime, compliance retrofits, and delayed production, issues often masked by the perceived reliability of legacy automation systems.

For large enterprises, losses average $45.18 million, while smaller manufacturers face even steeper proportional impacts, losing up to 25 per cent of annual revenue.

Traditional, hardware-defined automation systems, built for static environments, struggle to meet today’s dynamic industrial demands. Their rigidity turns routine updates into costly technical projects, while proprietary architectures limit data access, reducing visibility and responsiveness.

At the core of the challenge is hardware complexity. Most companies operate across 2 to 10+ distinct platforms, each with unique maintenance needs. This fragmentation drives vendor dependency; 30% of issues require specialized support, and this strains workforce efficiency due to niche technical expertise required at a time when companies are facing workforce and skills shortages. Siloed systems also hinder predictive maintenance and fast issue resolution, leading to costly downtime and lost productivity. These inefficiencies scale across operations, limiting agility.

The research underscores an urgent need for transformation. Open, software-defined automation offers a scalable, future-ready solution that modernizes legacy systems, accelerates ROI, and strengthens industrial competitiveness and resilience.

By decoupling software from hardware, manufacturers gain the flexibility to integrate multi-vendor systems, adapt quickly to market shifts, produce small batches efficiently, and close engineering skill gaps. Real-time data becomes actionable, driving smarter decisions, boosting productivity, and reducing costs at scale.

Schneider Electric customers are already realizing these benefits. Many begin with pilot projects or asset-level trials, then expand to full-plant or multi-site deployments, unlocking full data ownership, improved quality control, and greater cost transparency, while protecting existing investments.

Executive Vice President, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric, Gwenaëlle Avice Huet, said the research is an echo of the feedback from customers.

‘This research echoes what our customers tell us every day: industrial systems must adapt as fast as their markets. It’s particularly encouraging that smaller enterprises, the backbone of our economy, stand to gain the most in annual savings that can be reinvested in innovation and growth. Open, software-defined automation is a proven solution that empowers industrial players of all sizes build resilience, drive innovation, and thrive amid rapidly shifting consumer demands, regulatory pressure and market volatility,’ Huet said.

The report noted that key cost areas break down into four critical parts, annually. These are $6.1million in Operational Agility and Resilience losses. Inflexible hardware systems hinder responsiveness to market shifts, as 77.4per cent require physical modifications for functionality updates, while multiple vendor platforms create integration complexity. Modification costs range from $25K-$50K per hour, rising to $250K/hour for $1B+ companies.

Another cost element is $2.28million in Optimization and Efficiency costs. Maintenance burdens, downtime, and talent gaps as hardware complexity drives operational inefficiencies. Companies manage 2-10 different industrial systems on average; 29per cent deploy 10+ hardware platforms, each with unique management requirements.

There is also the $1.2million in Preventable Quality Failure and Costly Data maintenance. Proprietary systems create data silos and limit integration. Only 28per cent of companies access real-time insights; half report that 20-39per cent of critical data isn’t available in real time.

Finally, there is $1.7million in Sustainability and Compliance Costs. Regulatory changes demand costly hardware retrofits, driving up compliance expenses.

Principal analyst, Omdia, Anna Ahrens, added: ‘In response to mounting pressures, industrial leaders are deploying tactical solutions to sustain their core priorities of growth, competitiveness, and trust. In a world where product lifecycles shrink, supply chains fracture, and talent gaps widen, agility and flexibility aren’t optional. They are survival. Every quarter a business delays addressing the cost of closed automation ecosystems is another $1million+ in lost value: the money that could be reinvested in growth and innovation.’

It also showed that rigid infrastructure slows response, adding that 77per cent of systems need physical updates; fragmented platforms increase complexity and delay action.

Open, software-defined automation offers a way forward by decoupling software from hardware; it enables faster decisions, real-time insights, and competitive resilience.

Two of the parents of some of the abducted children of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri in Agwara local government area have died.

One of the parents, identified as Anthony Musa, was said to have died from a heart attack while the cause of death for the second parent was yet to be ascertained.

Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, confirmed the parents’ demise yesterday.

Yohanna said: ‘The man, Anthony Musa died of heart attack but the female we don’t have the details yet because we couldn’t get the family.’

Over 300 people were kidnapped by armed terrorists who invaded the primary and secondary schools in Agwara. So far, 50 of the pupils have returned.

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora on Monday released the names of the abducted children and teachers.

There is no argument about which language of instruction should be used in early education in any serious country other than the mother tongue. The recent announcement by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa that as from now English will be the medium of instruction for education reminded me about his predecessor in the same ministry, Tahir Mamman who suddenly decreed that only children 17 or older will be permitted to write the JAMB admission examination for entrance to Nigerian universities as if there were unchallengeable reasons to bar younger people of admission into university especially in a global environment where Nigerians and others were graduating in British and American universities abroad at ages lower than 17.

It seems the ministers were getting out of step with their positions. They seem to arrogate know-all powers to themselves until they are brought down to the reality of being removed from office.

I wonder whether the current minister was properly advised to take this decision because the research council in the ministry could not have done this because the council’s position and those of most departments of education in our universities are clear on this: they have said and written that one of the reasons for the low quality of our graduates in all departments of learning is that whatever we studied in other peoples’ language cannot be properly absorbed and internalized and if the foundation is not solid, whatever floors constructed on a weak base will be ab initio unreliable.

This fact may be stretching the argument too far but there is no doubt that if the foundation is not strong, the superstructure cannot be reliable. Besides researches by the late Babs Fafunso a professor of education and others suggest that we should study English as a subject in our local languages just as we use English to study many subjects now .This is what great countries like China, India and Japan as well as most of the Arab countries have done and it has not stopped them from making advances in science and technology.

The biggest argument one may have for the minister’s policy of teaching in English to infants is that this is what essentially but unofficially exists in practice among the educated middle class in Nigeria and among most Nigerians in urban centres where people speak a multiplicity of languages. But this does not make it rational to the point of becoming the law. We can also argue about how difficult it would be to translate all existing books in the sciences, medicine, technology and all subjects into our native languages.

Which of our about 300 languages would we choose without alienating the other speakers of languages not selected? This is apparently why the choice of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba as official languages is not strictly enforced in official communication but English which is neutral has remained the lingua franca. The current policy is that early education should be in our local languages presumably in English, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba which have remained the official languages of the country. But what has become the constitutional provision of primary education remaining in the province of states? Then what happens to over 200 plus languages spoken by millions of other Nigerians?

If we can learn from our colonial experience in the North where Hausa was taught to all school children even though people in Northern Nigeria spoke other languages like Kanuri, Shuwa, Bura, Jukun, Chamba, Tiv, Angas, Birom, Fulfude, Nupe, Yoruba, Maguzawa, Igala, Idoma , Ebira and others if taken together may have outnumbered the Hausa native speakers. This policy has successfully knitted together perhaps more than 50% of Nigerians who now speak Hausa. There was no such language policy in the South though over the years Creole or Pidgin English is spoken all over Nigeria by people with a few years of exposure to the English language. This Creole/Pidgin of course cannot be seen as a native language. Some years ago, the late Professor Armstrong of the University of Ibadan in the 1960s suggested Igala as a strong candidate if Nigeria wanted a language to adopt as a national language because according to him, Igala has elements of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. This was based on his academic study of Nigerian linguistics but I am not sure how far his suggestion got in the corridors of power in Nigeria where it was simply laughed out of court.

This new policy cannot be rejected on the basis that English was imposed on us by an outside authority. It has the support of presumably most people in Nigeria who may have taken up arms against government if a local language or group of languages were imposed on the country. The government probably learnt from the experience of the government of India which met stiff opposition while trying to impose Hindi on the vast country and population which had accepted English a neutral language. It also put us within the global medium of English with its abundant development of instructional material at all levels of the educational ladder. The argument of supporters of English is that if we don’t belong to the wide medium of the English language world, we would have to learn English to understand the language of computing and AI.

If we will gain something from early learning of English, and that the better we started early and this does not mean we will naturally not speak our mother tongue at home and in the market, worship places and perhaps as secret language when negotiating with foreigners or when sending what will amount to ‘coded language’ in the wider global world. This is my personal experience in diplomacy when we want to arrive at a quick decision without our opposite party knowing our position, this will depend on if some of our people speak the same language. This experience made decisions maker to insist that any young recruit into our foreign service must have passed at ordinary level a Nigerian language.

One cannot overemphasize the importance of the ability to speak a mother tongue. Inability to do so undermines one’s indigenous personality and character in a world where confidence in one’s skin is an imperative for one to be able to assert one’s personality in a world of competition of cultural sensitivity. In conclusion, studies in mother tongues, many of which we have in Nigeria will continue to be an advantage for those who study for use in politics, business and the market place economics.

The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC) on the party’s cases assigned to courts presided over by three judges of the court.

The judges are: Justices James Omotosho, Peter Odo Lifu, and Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.

The faction described the courts presided over by the judges as ‘Courts of Particular Concern’.

It listed the courts and their judges in a letter, dated November 19 and signed by the National Secretary of the faction, Teofeek Arapaja, and addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

While Justice Omotosho and Lifu issued judgments stopping the party from proceeding with its just-concluded national convention in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Justice Abdulmalalik is currently entertaining a suit against the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Arapaja wrote: ‘I have the instruction and authority of the National Chairman of our Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the entire members of the newly-elected National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our party to write this letter to Your Lordship concerning our fear and apprehension regarding all matters either filed by our party or against our party at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.

‘My lord, it is of great concern to our party that it would appear that all matters for the past few years filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, either for or against our party have always been assigned to the following three judges only, namely: Hon. Justice James Omotosho, Hon. Justice Peter Odo Lifu, and Hon. Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.

‘.There are other judges, numbering up to nine in the Abuja Judicial Division who could have taken up any of these matters, as the Abuja Division has 12 judges.

‘Several of our party members have recently complained bitterly to the newly elected members of the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of the above-mentioned scenario.

‘Indeed, all these three courts are viewed by party members and indeed the public as ‘courts of particular concern’ with regard to matters pertaining to or affecting the interest of the Peoples Democratic Party.

‘My lord, it is trite that justice must not only be done in all cases and circumstances with regard to matters pending and matters filed in the court of law, but justice must be seen to be done indeed by reasonable members of the society including the members of our party.

‘Given the current challenges facing the party, there is a high likelihood of cases being filed for or against the party.

‘It is in this respect that we humbly plead and beg that in no other matters or circumstances with regard to cases that may be filed by or against our party henceforth should be assigned to any of these three judges, since justice is rooted in trust and integrity.

‘Our party wishes to reiterate the fact that we have no iota of doubt with regard to the integrity of the Judiciary, particularly the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, headed by your lordship in dispensing justice in all cases, other than the above-highlighted fears and apprehension of our party.

‘Kindly accept the assurances and warm regards of the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of our great party.’