NYSC-gate, Certificates and lack of due diligence

The Security Agencies in Nigeria are supposed to vet some categories of public functionaries before their engagement by the F.G. However the reverse seems to be the case as different public personalities have been found wanting per their documentaries over the years. Sanusi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator Tinubu, Mrs. Adeosun, former Minister of Finance, and recently Adebayo Shittu the Minister of Communication.

        What these scandals go to show is that the vetting agencies are sitting on their hands when it comes to the issue of proper vetting of candidates to political offices. How the simple issue of checking the authenticity of the presented documents by these agencies can't be properly dealt with beats one. Checking the purported educational background if potential public office holders shouldn't be rocket science. In the recent case of Adebayo Shittu no NYSC or Discharge  Certificate was presently and apparently not asked for. If I were the president heads will roll as a result of the agencies concerned lack of due diligence. It is this type of shoddiness and tardiness that is responsible for the sorry pass Nigeria is currently in.

The Octogenarian and the Nation

A Prof retires before 76 years while a civil servant must retire by 60 years. Why is this so? For the simple reason that humans are not wood. They get old and get tired both physically and mentally.
     By next year our President would be 76 officially. So why are some still rooting for him to continue making hard decisions for them. It s a wonder to see that some  youths are calling for the octogenarian to continue ruling them. The president may be willing to do great things for the nation but his health clearly is in the way. He continues to go for medical care every so often, leaving decisions untaken and costing a huge amount of money.
    The nation should allow the old man to rest. He has done his shift and should be allowed to enjoy his life in blissful retirement. An energetic person should be  saddled with taking Nigeria to the next level. The electorates should look for someone across party platforms to lead the nation. The nation must match in sync with the rest of the world.

Democracy Day: Buhari's Greek Gift

 

 

    My take on Buhari's Greek gift of June 12 as the new Democracy day is best summed up with this anecdote: You are owing your friend some amount of money. One day you both went to the bank where you were both caught up in a bank robbery. You now decided to give your friend the money you've been owing him right there in the middle of the bank robbery.  To all intent and purposes you paid back your loan. BUT is it the right place and occasion  to  pay it? 

You can actually do something good albeit with  a bad intention. The proprietary of Buhari's act is not in doubt, but the timing. Coming,  as it were, during the time of politicking makes it suspect. 

Buhari was part of the junta that annulled the freest and best election ever conducted by the nation's electoral body. By the way Buhari still believes late Gen Abacha was not corrupt. Even though his stolen cash are still being repatriated home periodically. The APC cried blue murder when the Federally owned  University of Lagos was renamed Moshood Abiola University,  in honour of the fallen democrat. After much pressure from those now championing Abiola's course now, the decision was reversed. The Buhari overture and volte face  is not lost on discerning Nigerians. With elections just round the corner more of this about turn can be expected.

Democracy Day: Buhari's Greek Gift

 

 

    My take on Buhari's Greek gift of June 12 as the new Democracy day is best summed up with this anecdote: You are owing your friend some amount of money. One day you both went to the bank where you were both caught up in a bank robbery. You now decided to give your friend the money you've been owing him right there in the middle of the bank robbery.  To all intent and purposes you paid back your loan. BUT is it the right place and occasion  to  pay it? 

You can actually do something good albeit with  a bad intention. The proprietary of Buhari's act is not in doubt, but the timing. Coming,  as it were, during the time of politicking makes it suspect. 

Buhari was part of the junta that annulled the freest and best election ever conducted by the nation's electoral body. By the way Buhari still believes late Gen Abacha was not corrupt. Even though his stolen cash are still being repatriated home periodically. The APC cried blue murder when the Federally owned  University of Lagos was renamed Moshood Abiola University,  in honour of the fallen democrat. After much pressure from those now championing Abiola's course now, the decision was reversed. The Buhari overture and volte face  is not lost on discerning Nigerians. With elections just round the corner more of this about turn can be expected.

Of Institutions and Men

  Nigeria is going through a difficult patch. The Executive is non-performing while the National Assembly is impotent. The National Assembly ordinarily should stand for the collective will of the people. For one reason or the other, those invited by the NASS have found one way or the other to abstain from facing the heeding the call of the NASS. Examples are   the I.G of Police. The latter had been invited severally but refused to come before the Senate. He refused to come again yesterday. The Senate has given him another week to honour the invitation. This is the same person who defied the President’s order to relocate to Benue state. It is instructive to note that the President had not reprimanded him in whatever way, at least not publicly. The I.G is either acting the President’s script or is a lord unto himself. Institutions must be respected whether one likes it or not. The chief of the police institution should not be seen as being disobedient to the law of the land. He would have no reason to say Dino Melaye is disrespecting the law when he himself is guilty of same. Our nascent democracy would not be deepened when people respect individuals more than the Institution. Flouting court orders is strange to democracy. One calls to mind Col. Dasuki, the erstwhile National Security Adviser, Sheikh el-Zakzaky,  the Shiite sect leader, among others who have been ordered released by the courts but are still being kept in detention some three years after. The separation of powers should be maintained and respected by the Executive, else the government would be a pseudo-military one where jackboot dictatorship holds sway. Civilian rule is way different from Democracy. The latter entails the upholding of the rule of law, separation of powers, respect for national institutions, freedom of expression, right to  peaceful protest, upholding of people’s Fundamental Human Right, etc. the earlier the government retrace its step to real democracy the better for the nation.