Nigeria on the March again on the March again, looking for a President, MKO is our Man.

June 12 1993 is watershed in the history of Nigeria.
The vents of that day includes; the freest and fairest election was held.MKO Abiola and Bashir Tofa were two the Presidential Candidates. There were two Parties SDP and NRC.

Prof.Humphrey Nwosu was the Umpire, National Electoral Officer.

General Babangida was President.

It is 17 years ago from today.


That day was symbolic because it was the first time i voted in my life.

It was an overwhelming turnout , Millions of Nigeria turned out to vote for their choice.

The events of the coming days, the annulment, intimidation of the Opposition, arrest and detention of MKO, death of Opposition members notably Kudirat Abiola, wife of the MKO and the eventual death of the symbol of June 12 MKO made the day most memorable in the history of Nigeria.

May the souls of thousands of people who died during the struggle rest in peace. Vengeance is from God, because the very people who perpetuated this heinous crimes still live in Nigeria.

Long live June 12.

The

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding before our eyes on a truly unimaginable scale.

More than two million Pakistanis have fled their homes and villages — often with little more than the clothes on their backs — as fighting between government forces and radical insurgents has escalated.

With only 2 weeks left before the rainy season hits, the UN Foundation and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are working around the clock to provide 150,000 bed nets to hundreds of thousands of people who now face an imminent risk of malaria.
While many have found relative safety in camps set up by UNHCR, some 18,000 families continue to arrive each day and resources are quickly being overwhelmed.

An outpouring of local and international donations has provided critical food and shelter. But the fast-approaching rainy season now poses a grave threat of malaria to these displaced families — with children under 5 at particularly high risk of death.

Libyan leader Gadafhi historic visit to Italy marks a turning point in the relationship between Italy and Libya, which was its former colony.

The Libyan leader is on a three day visit where he will meet Italian President Giorgio Napolitano ahead of talks with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Last year, Italy agreed to pay Libya $5 billion to compensate for decades of Italian occupation during the first half of the 20th century.

In return, Libya agreed to crack down on the thousands of illegal migrants who travel from Africa to Europe each year. International rights groups have criticized the policy under which Italy has repatriated migrants who have been intercepted before reaching Italian shores.

Relations between Libya and the West have improved in recent years, since Tripoli announced it was abandoning efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi is on a three day historic visit to Rome, a trip that demonstrates the recent improvement of ties between the two countries.

The Libyan leader will meet President Giorgio Napolitano ahead of talks with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. King Gadhafi is staying in a tent erected in Rome's Villa Pamphili park.

Last year, Italy agreed to pay Libya $5 billion to compensate for decades of Italian occupation during the first half of the 20th century.

In return, Libya agreed to crack down on the thousands of illegal migrants who travel from Africa to Europe each year. International rights groups have criticized the policy under which Italy has repatriated migrants who have been intercepted before reaching Italian shores.

Relations between Libya and the West have improved in recent years, since Tripoli announced it was abandoning efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Gadhafi has plans to meet with a group of Italian Jews who were expelled from Libya in an anti-Jewish backlash after Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Qatar Charity recently opened a mosque in Mali in the presence of Malian President Amadou Toumani Tour�.

During a meeting with representatives of Qatar Charity, the president commended the efforts of the charity in building mosques and administering development projects in the country over the past several years. A certificate of appreciation was given to

Qatar Charity.

A representative of Qatar Charity said the mosque was built to alleviate the hardship faced by the elderly and the women, as it is the nearest mosque for the

local community.

Qatar Charity also distributed canned meat to widows, the disabled, the elderly and the poor in a number of villages, and also in canteens in several elementary schools. Six schools in four rural communities of the province of Koulikoro and the poor in 18 villages were the beneficiaries.

The distribution was conducted at a ceremony in Bashanvala village. It was attended by a representative of the governor of Koulikoro, an academic director of a university, heads of the beneficiary rural communities and the director of the office of the World Food Programme in Mali.

The World Food Programme official expressed happiness over the initiative taken by Qatar Charity to support the school feeding programme in rural schools. He said this had brought joy to the hearts of children and their parents, as they were exempted from bearing the expenses of the last two school meals.

The initiative is the first of its kind by any charity organisation in Mali and will reduce the burden borne by parents of schoolchildren. It will also encourage students to continue their education and contribute to a high rate of school enrolment in the target villages. The WFP official called for expanding the programme to other schools and continuing it in the coming years.

In recent years, Qatar Charity has implemented a range of health and educational projects in Mali, building five schools, three clinics, two multi-purpose centres and more than 30 mosques.

With Visitors far and wide visiting the city of Doha in the coming days for a number of events, conferences, exhibitions and concerts, one can not be mistaken to describe Qatar as the emerging tourism haven in the Middle East.

With the city's emergence as the Cultural Capital in the region there is need for an improved city taxi service.

Tourism thrives where there are better and improved transport systems apart from the popular means of air, water, rail, the land which is car suffers most because of neglect and poor insight into city taxi service. City service taxi is normally provided by a company under direct government supervision, and its expected to reflect a unique brand about its people and culture.

The main taxi company in Doha is Karwa and the taxis operate on a meter system. The minimum charge is 10QR. Karwa are cheap by the way compared to registered Private car service. However, they are often difficult to find � Karwa taxis are light blue and nowhere to be seen, unless you are really lucky and patient.

Speaking with a number of people if there are enough taxis to meet the needs of customers in Doha, Nadia a regular Karwa user, said its so funny why you can't get a taxi unless its booked 24hours in advance, so where is the efficiency in the service, there are few taxis with so many people.

Apparently the current situation is unacceptable and pathetic; Karwa cabs do not meet demand. One should be able to get a cab within 30 minutes of calling, or an hour at peak times. If that was the case I'd say they were meeting demand, said Nabil Hussein, a visitor to Doha.

If you are anywhere in town and there's no taxi in sight, your only option is to walk into any good hotel and ask them to call you one - which they won't. However they will offer you their limousine service... which costs 4 times more than karwa taxis but which will also get you to your destination fast.

There are so Many issues like Karwa taxis are not available when you need them.

The cars are dirty inside and stink. So are most of the drivers due to exceptionally long hours they work and don�t care about the cleanliness of the cab.

Apart from the fact that a Nigerian was represented in showcasing a film titled Journey to Martydom, about MKO Abiola.I never experienced the frenzy and pride being a Nigerian.

Film Directors from 60 nations nation participated in the festival.Directors fro Brazil, Belgium,Qatar,US,Canada, Norway India the eventual winner,Qatar, US, had great interesst in watching tjis long documentary.
The Salwa hall was almost filled with foreigners watching the every ingenius moves and statements of IBB, Humphrey Nwosu, former NEC Chairman.
The question being asked by everyone was why did it take 15 years for IBB and Nwosu to come out openly to declare that June 12's eventual winner was MKO.Some persons shed tears because of the emotions surrounding the death of MKO.
People liked his courage and will power.

In all its great being at that hall where everybody came asking me and the Film Director about Nigeria. There were handshakes here and there.

Photographs and so many fun that followed after that day.

Its great being a Nigeria abroad for the right reasons.

Nigeria’s ‘Miracle Man’ is in Doha. Niyi Babade, the young film-maker and the country’s ace photojournalist, showcased his tour de force work ‘Journey to Martyrdom’ at the ongoing Al Jazeera International Documentary Festival, today.

Included in the “Long Film” segment, Babade’s 62-minute documentary is a true life story of MKO Abiola, who won Nigeria’s first freest and fairest presidential elections in the political history of Nigeria. After the victory, Abiola was sent to jail and he died there.

Abiola meant different things to different people. To some he was a man they hate to love and love to hate. To others he was a generous man, kind, shrewd businessman. However, by 1992, he won the hearts of many Nigerians and emerged as their hero and idol before becoming a hero of democracy in Nigeria. “My attempt was to document these different phases,” Babade said.

Babade’s film was nominated, amongst other renowned films in the world to answer the puzzle surrounding the death of Abiola. A photojournalist working for the Associated Press in Nigeria and engaged in musical video TV Commercials and Documentary production, Babade has covered most hot areas in Nigeria and named by Reuters TV, the ‘miracle man’. Asked what inspired Babade for doing “Journey to Martyrdom”, he quipped:” I am a beneficiary of Abiola’s generosity and goodwill”.

On the documentary’s entry to the international festival Babade said: “It feels good to be nominated among great film-makers, I will cherish this moment and go back home to project this film about a great Nigerian. My appreciation goes to the Al Jazeera Network for its support for bringing me here”, he said.

Statistics of asylum seekers released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) indicate that in 2008, more Nigerians sought for refuge in Europe and other developed nations.
According to figures made public in Geneva, Switzerland, recently, Iraq topped the list of asylum seekers with 40,500, while Nigeria, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Somalia recorded significant rise in fresh applications. Afghanistan asylum seekers rose by 85 percent, Zimbabwe, 82 percent, Somalia, 77 percent, and Nigeria, 71 percent.

It is both depressing and distressing that Nigeria is listed alongside countries buffeted by wars and severe economic crisis, and whose citizens are seeking sanctuary in other lands. It is a development that should send our leaders into deep introspection, and make them conduct a thorough re-appraisal of their responsibilities.

The fact that Nigerians daily flock to foreign embassies in droves, despite the humiliation they suffer in the bid to leave the country, is a cause for worry. And when they apply for outright asylum abroad, when their own country is not at war or in economic depression, it becomes more disquieting.

A cursory look at the fortunes of countries Nigeria competes with in the bid for asylum paints a more graphic picture of the perturbing development. Afghanistan is at war, and is the bastion of terrorist groups like the Al-Qaeda and Talibans. Iraq equally has not known peace since the invasion of the country by the US in 2003, in the bid to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Somalia, for many decades, has suffered internal upheavals, leading to complete anarchy. And Zimbabwe, in the stranglehold of a sit-tight leader, is laid completely prostrate by economic problems, with inflation hitting a world record. Nigeria is not experiencing any of these travails, yet her nationals compete with people from the beleaguered countries for asylum abroad.

It is sad and regrettable that years of corruption, mediocre leadership, nepotism, poor implementation of policies, and the like, have turned Nigeria into one of the problematic countries of the world. With our massive human and economic resources, we have no cause to be in this sorry pass. The socio-economic condition may be tough, but it has by no means reached a level when there should be exodus from the country, particularly by youths, who should provide the quality manpower and vital energy for our much needed surge into the future.

We have always maintained this position, and it bears repeating once again. Government has not acquitted itself well in providing the enabling environment for the populace, particularly highly skillful and well trained professionals, to thrive. All around, they see parlous working conditions, decay and frustrations. A country as well endowed as Nigeria should definitely make life better for its citizenry.

The UNHCR statistics should send an alarm through government at all levels. The raison detre of government is to provide good living conditions for the people. When those same people prefer to seek asylum abroad, then it should be a wake up call. Our leaders must do a thorough soul searching on what it means to be in government.

Despite our socio-economic challenges, there are still abounding opportunities in Nigeria. The possibilities are quite huge for those who are resourceful and hard working. Government needs only to provide the platform, the pedestal. Fix electricity, roads, healthcare, education, public infrastructure, and other vital necessities, and Nigerians will then tap into the bountiful potentials of their country.
We are, however, not unmindful of those who pathologically have their eyes fixed on foreign lands. To them, the grass is always greener at the other side of the fence. It is a distorted outlook, from which they need to purge themselves. Their fortunes need not necessarily be made abroad, where we daresay they will never be first class citizens, no matter how long they stay there.

By and large, the onus is on government to rekindle hope and confidence in our nation again by applying itself rigorously and vigorously to governance, utilizing our abundant resources to make an impact on the lives of the people.

When Nigerians are given the basic necessities of life, they can be quite patriotic, and won’t need to join the crowd of asylum seekers abroad. We hope government will respond spiritedly to this latest wake up call.

A brand is an idea that exists in the mind. Your mind needs to categorize information that presents its self in order to make sense out of chaos. The human brain cannot function with disorder and confusion. So what your mind does when presented in such situation is to categorize and try to associate it with an idea.

A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artifact or entity. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies"

A brand is driven by vision; it sets its mind on a specific goal and works towards achieving it. To build a strong brand you need to be driven by vision and passion.

What readily comes to mind at the mention of Nigeria?

The thoughts that come to mind are Bad leadership, fraudulent acts (419), corruption, greed, a failed state battling with the reverberation of our past misdemeanor.

These attributes combined together calls for sober reflection in Nigeria. All hope is not lost; you will agree with me that a lot of work needs to be done paramount a perception change about how Nigerians view Nigeria through the re brand Nigeria project.

This when embraced will open doors to a mental and psychological reorientation of our way of life, actions and inactions. It will go a long way to change the way we are viewed outside the country too. The change we so yearn for, must originate from home and that’s why the rebrand project should be given a chance to flourish.

A factor I could deduce to have left us disintegrated is our culture orientation. A situation where ethnic groups organize themselves into a sect of sort and view public policies from the prism of their sectional interest is an albatross that will continue to constitute a clog in the wheel of progress for our dear nation.

Ethnic divide, debauchery, poverty, marginalization, greed, corruption, mendaciousness, to mention but a few are at heart of the putrefaction we have found ourselves as a nation.

Funny as it may sound, the primary school pupil has been infected with this noxious orientation and the long time effect is our today and tomorrow that has been compromised at the detriment of the unborn generation.

We all owe this great nation its continued existence as a strong and viable entity because there is no place like home and as such it behooves on us to begin the salvaging of what is left by lending credence to the re brand Nigeria project embarked upon by the present dispensation

Nigerians must believe in Nigeria for Nigeria to make progress, the Americans will not do that for us. We shout change! We want change! Filled the air in the aftermath of the Obama victory, clearly forgetting that his victory was not an instant phenomenon, it was predicated on years of hard work, trails, challenges and because Americans believed in America that brought about the much deserved change.

Just like the American dream we must have faith in our country and believe in the Nigerian dream that envisage a better standard of living for all, a functionality of social amenities manifest in shelter, electricity, pipe borne water, excellent road network across the federation and a host of others.
We need to exhibit an undying love for one another and for the country. We should not be quick to write-off every government policy, as there is a tendency for humans to become that which we habitually imagine ourselves to be.

The beauty of embracing the above mentioned is that positive event will begin to fall into place, i.e. Good leadership, equal and fair representation regardless of ethnic and religious affiliations.

Nigeria belongs to all and not a select few. The harm that comes our way occasionally comes from our utterances every day. We need to begin to talk positive about our country for the sake of tomorrow.

Those saddled with the responsibility of leading us has to lead by example.

Embracing and supporting government policies gives it an 80% chance of success, which will in turn affect the ordinary citizen on the streets.

The re brand Nigeria project is a project by Nigerians for Nigeria, we must see to it that the intended outcome is archived for the betterment of our country.

Nigeria! Good people….. Great nation!

Travel insurance is usually the last thing on people's mind when they are booking a trip, but can turn out to be the most important thing to have when you are in a crisis situation. Here are some advantages of booking travel insurance:

1. Medical Care: The most obvious advantage is that if you fall sick on your trip, you will be covered for any medical care you need. Make sure you understand the limitations in your policy, as some have upper limits for the amount they will pay.

2. Medical Transport: Most insurance policies will pay for you to be transported to a medical establishment, such as by road or air ambulance.

3. Repatriation: Insurance will also pay for the cost to be returned to your home country after your medical treatment, along with a medical professional. This also covers the transport of your remains if you die while abroad.

4. Medical Evacuation: In the event of you being extremely sick and there not being a good hospital where you are, you will be evacuated to the nearest good hospital for treatment, even if this means taking you to another country.

5. Hospital Incidentals: This covers incidental costs while you are a patient in a hospital. This is only given after a minimum length of stay and also has an upper limit on the amount you can claim.

6. Cancellation or trip interruption: This covers any costs of you having to change the duration of your trip, such as flight changes etc. This includes a death in the family, or something happening to your home, such as fire.

7. Missed Flights: This covers all added costs if you miss your flight back home. This will help you get the first possible flight back, as well as cover any extra costs of changing flights or hotel stays.

8. Personal Liability: This gives you cover in case you hurt a third party or damage any property.

9. Legal Expenses: There is usually some sort of cover provided if you have to get involved in litigation while on your visit.

10. Personal Accident: This means that if you get hurt or die during your trip, you will be given some amount of money.

11. Personal Baggage: This covers your belongings while on the trip. If you lose a bag, a laptop or any other belongings, you can claim compensation for it. This is usually accompanied with information on the maximum amounts you can claim, for instance on jewellery.

All of these are advantages of carrying travel insurance, however, the covers given to you under different policies vary, and so make sure you read the fine print before you sign any documents or pay for your cover. Depending on where you are going, and how long you are going for, you will be required to pay different amounts. So, it may be more expensive to buy travel insurance for a dangerous country, as compared to a country with low crime

THERE is an emergent generation of Nigerians that is enslaved by technology. It is an interesting form of colonialism in which the colonized willingly submits himself or herself to the imperialist. I see the evidence daily each time I open my e-mail box or go to the internet. It is called the new media, this superior reign of all forms of electronic gadgets which has redefined the way we live and our notions of freedom, rights and citizenship.

I had once tried to reflect on the subject in two previous pieces, one in which I wondered about how we ever managed to live without the GSM cell phone, which now dominates our lives, and two, another piece in which I protested about the totalitarian nature of the cell phone, and how it could be such a menacing tool of social terror. But in those two pieces, I probably underestimated the extent of the new media and its uses and abuses. Up till about ten years ago, the new media was a relatively new thing in Nigeria, but today it is the vogue. Nigerians love toys and novelties and it is amazing to see how readily they have embraced the resources of the electronic age, despite the challenges of underdevelopment that they deal with daily. Go around Nigeria, nearly everyone who can push a button has a cell phone. And virtually every young person, if I may so state, has access to the internet, and its various resources: search engines, discussion groups, relationship sites and so on. That this is so in a country with epileptic power supply is paradoxical. I believe that the attraction lies in the convenience and other advantages such as political participation, interactivity and technological citizenship.

With new media, spatial and time boundaries have suddenly shrunk. With a cell phone in your hands, anyone can reach you at any time. Your phone rings non-stop the whole day, sometimes the calls are from strangers who tell you that they got your number from the friend of a friend. And if you do not pick up the phone, they send you a text telling you who they are and why you must send them a text or return their call. Some persons even go about with what is called Blackberry, which allows them to browse the internet on the go and send electronic mails from their cell phones. Even persons who do not have Blackberry can access the internet and send mails from their cell phones. In this age of convergence, it is also possible to receive phone calls on your car's dashboard while driving, or through the computer.

A typically modernist person possesses in addition to this, i-pod, palm tops and all kinds of gadgets that enable him or her to intrude into other people's lives at the speed of light. Speed, that is one advantage of the new technology and it is one reason why it is such a huge colonizing tool of the age. The other reason is the elimination of the fact of isolation in people's lives. The internet is particularly notorious in this regard. Through chatrooms, blogosphere, discussion forums, yahoo messenger and the likes, persons enter into virtual relationships. They make friends with persons they may never see, and share an intimacy that negates the frustrations in their lives. Many of the internet sites also allow the grace of anonymity, with people living out their fantasies and saying things that they will not normally say under their real names.

This is not a Nigerian thing, the world wide web is a global property just as new technology is an aspect of the cultures of democracy and globalisation, and the information revolution. But like all things, Nigerians are abusing the new technology. I am not talking about the more familiar cases of Nigerians hijacking people's e-mails, or using the internet to commit crime, (we are quickly apppropriating these as means of national re-branding), rather I am more concerned about the character of the Nigerian user of the new media, the psychological crisis that I see, the evidence of damaged, troubled lives, of frustrations hidden under the cloak of activism, of inner spiritual crises passed off as objectivity, and the addiction with the internet as if it were a kind of hard drug, and the increasing population of internet upstarts in a classless digitalised sphere. There is a new disease in town, and it is located in how increasingly Nigerians abuse new media. Drug abuse is a bad thing for society. It requires therapy, rehabilitation, and possibly enlightenment.

You must be familiar with the cases of persons who make phone calls while driving, and text message addicts who won't allow other persons to rest; I am concerned about such addicts. Each day I open my e-mail box, I am inundated with at least over 300 messages from all kinds of unsolicited sources. I am required by persons that I do not know, and sites that I have not subscribed to, to read all kinds of comments from all kinds of people on just about any subject under the sun, written from every part of the globe. It is not surprising to see why the internet is hailed for promoting the freddom of information, it accommodates everything including stupid speech.

There are no standards, so any idiot can post his frustrations online and inflict it on others across the world. I try to pay attention to the names or the pseudonyms used by the contributors, and noting the prolific output of some of these characters, I wonder whether they have any serious job at all. Many of them are in virtually every cyber forum, with such spatial mobility and contagious speed that raises questions about their motives. There are at least two Professors whose comments show up in my mail box everyday, the energy that the duo devote to ethnic mudslinging, and commentaries on silly subjects that do not shed light on anything could have been better deployed to academic research. So prolific, so energetic are they, I wonder if their employers are paying close attention to their use of time. Many employers, realising how much time their employees spend on chat rooms and discussion groups on the internet have had to restrict the use of the internet during office hours. The interactive nature of the internet makes all things possible including electronic sex. I am told that there are Nigerian sites where one can pick up a girlfriend, set up a date or arrange an affair online. A fellow once introduced his new girlfriend to me; the moment the lady turned her back, he whispered: "I got her through the internet." She soon became in subsequent conversations: "The internet babe."

On the internet, anyone can say anything, every commentator is a small god, including one lady whose copy suddenly showed up in my mail box, and what was she griping about? How Nigerian men always doze off after a short round of sex! Everyday, there is so much ethnic name calling, marked by an absolute lack of civility. People call each other names, they abuse each other's parents, they malign anyone that crosses their path: they say things they can never own up to in the presence of their priest or their children, or in a court of law, idiots, blackmailers, eavesdroppers, victims of loveless relationships, psychopaths, hyperbolists, mischief-makers, upstarts... the internet allows them all. Most of the defamatory stuff that is peddled on the internet is enough to put many of their authors in jail, but people are protected by the putative nature of the legal framework on cybercrime and the practical difficulties and cost of litigation in an inter-jurisdictional context.

Like many Nigerians whose e-mail address falls into wrong hands, I receive all of these mails daily in spite of myself. I have tried to block some of the addresses, to stop the uncivil terrorists from intruding into my privacy. But it never seems to work. I guess part of the freedom that some Nigerians think the internet offers them is the right to disturb other people, and to insist on doing so. Psychologists would have a lot to chew and discover were they to attempt a study and analysis of Nigerian attitudes on the internet. Ocassionally, however, I get the well-meaning invitations: someone asking me to join Face Book, or Jhoos, or a site where I can possibly track and locate long lost friends, or an alma mater chat room. While I appreciate the good intentions of the authors of such mails, I am often reluctant to accept any such invitation that could further expose me to a lorry load of chain mail or write ups by closet nymphomaniacs. The more annoying ones are those mails inviting me to buy a new version of Viagra or an energy drink or to take a trip to an exotic resort.

Yahoo messenger? That's another pest. Oftentimes, the conversations never seem to end. And just as you are putting an end to one and saying your goodbyes, someone else shows up on the screen telling you he or she is just saying hello. If you take the bait, that hello could stretch into one hour of internet talk. Okay, I can hide behind a Firewall, but some guys are so tech-smart, they'd fish you out: "I can see you, are you there?" The internet may be compensating for the missing links in many people's lives, but perhaps we are all guilty as the temptation to become addicted is easy. Employers of labour in the future may have to ask such questions as: how many hours on the average do you spend on the internet per day? What is your favourite activity on the internet? Which are your favourite sites? An internet addict on the pay roll in a non-internet addicted organisation, could be a liability, an internet crook within the organisation is worse. It won't be long before medical doctors begin to use time spent on the internet for purposes of diagnosis.

Technological citizenship or even of societies is about rights and obligations. Freedom exercised without responsibility is hollow. Freedom comes with a number of preconditions. We all have a responsibility to be decent, civil, and disciplined even as we enjoy the immense resources of the world wide web. The internet must not become a hard drug, nor must it end up obstructing the cultural logic of human relations. The administrators of the various sites must engage in rules-based intervention, and exercise more qualitative judgements. Allowing every subject to degenerate into tribal warfare, blackmail and name-calling defeats the purpose of enlightened discourse. Governing the cybernetic space has clear implications. The failure to do so responsibly strengthens the case for regulation in the areas of content, scope, ownership, taxation, standards and rights. In the end, we are free to make choices. When I open my mail box every morning, I go straight to the delete button and begin to delete all repetitive and meaningless stuff taking up space. I read a few. And I move on. As for yahoo messenger, I removed that long ago. There are only 24 hours in a day, and my work requires the kind of solitude that the new technology makes impossible.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops….Henry Adams

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has stood its ground against what it perceives as unfair and cruel treatment by the Federal Government who has been preventing its members from having the same rights as other people have. NUT is pressing for the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure which basically means more money. But the Federal Government is adamant saying, a teacher’s reward remains in heaven.

Minister of State for Education 2, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku, was reportedly said that even if the Federal Government were to implement the Teachers Salary Structure, not all teachers would benefit from it because “a bulk of them is not qualified to be called teachers”. Dukku, like Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has urged the aggrieved teachers to take their case to the National Assembly or state governments saying, the Federal Government has no powers to fix salaries for states.

According to Dukku, the issue is lingering because the NUT wants a centralised formula for the TSS whereas there is a clear cut of responsibility between the Federal, States and Local Governments. She wants us to believe that unqualified teachers are just hiding under a cover of NUT to push their demands. Brilliant thought! But what of those who are qualified? Or is Madam Dukku telling us that all teachers in Nigeria’s schools are not qualified? And whose fault it is if unqualified teachers remain in the establishment?

It seems to me that whichever arm of the government involved in this TSS is playing hanky-panky with the NUT. Otherwise the case should be so simple that there would not have been any argument over which establishment to be contacted. For the fact that the issue is ‘lingering’ just because the NUT is contacting the wrong arm of government says a lot about how things work in Nigeria. It seems there’s no clear cut policy; no effective communication; no preparation for emergency cases and so on.

Due to the sensitivity of their job, teachers must be prevented from going on strike under any circumstance. But who cares about the quality of education in today’s Nigeria? Who cares whether Ade or Chioma or Muhammad receives qualitative education or not? The situation has even reached a point where one is forced to think that various governments are killing education in disguise for the purpose known to them. Now you know why the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu had so many thugs to cater for.

Part of the problem facing teaching in the contemporary world, according to analysts, is that its status as a profession has been undermined by the contemptible view that only what makes money is desirable. When people lose sight of the invisible rewards on offer in different avocations, many kinds of work that make the world a better place suffer a loss of talent. I believe this statement to be true in Nigeria today. Successive governments have waged war against education system in Nigeria. No wonder many qualified teachers have left the country in search of better offers. Is it that difficult to regulate their living standard?

When teachers go on strike, it’s obvious who suffer. That is why a four-year course now runs for five to six years in Nigeria. That is why many employers are crying that Nigerian students lack necessary skills to integrate them into employment society. That is why most of them have found solace in cultism, armed robbery, prostitution and sugar daddy’s toys. An idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. A serious government would prevent teachers going on strike by all means – at least for the sake of its children.

Gone are the days when Nigerian teachers were teachers; when they naively believed their rewards were in heaven. Today’s Nigerian teachers have woken up, aggressive as their counterparts in politics, police, and the media. Their demand for increase in salary is justified. After all, they don’t get brown envelope or N20. Well, those in the Higher Institutions have hand-outs to sell, but we are talking about primary and secondary schools for now. How could our teachers survive with the current salary structure? I believe the current situation whereby teachers can’t even eat three meals a day would hinder their performance.

It’s simply injustice if a local chairman or a governor or a senator who does nothing receives fat salary and allowances while a teacher receives meagre income. Teachers are not fools. They read everyday how much money their politician counterparts stole from the public treasury. They read how in spite of this act of robbery, politicians still receive honour here and there. They see and read how their counterparts in the media are building mansions. Do you then blame them for demanding their rewards here on earth? I don't.

Of course everyone knows that teaching has never been a highly paid profession despite its importance. Hence the coinage, “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”. Teaching, I strongly believe, is not for the undedicated mind. A teacher must be patient at all times. That’s why “it was once a highly respected (profession), and the status enjoyed by teachers helped compensate them for the dedication and difficulty involved in their vocation,” says one A. C. Grayling in his book, “The reason of Things”.

As for now, I don’t have any solution for the on-going strike. As in many other issues affecting Nigeria, there are plenty solutions but none of which the Federal Government is willing to implement. Maybe it’s a cause on the nation to have people like these at the helm of affairs. They are all pretenders masquerading as genuine and caring leaders. I ask: why do governments treat teachers as people who must be paupers?

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops….Henry Adams

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has stood its ground against what it perceives as unfair and cruel treatment by the Federal Government who has been preventing its members from having the same rights as other people have. NUT is pressing for the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure which basically means more money. But the Federal Government is adamant saying, a teacher’s reward remains in heaven.

Minister of State for Education 2, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku, was reportedly said that even if the Federal Government were to implement the Teachers Salary Structure, not all teachers would benefit from it because “a bulk of them is not qualified to be called teachers”. Dukku, like Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has urged the aggrieved teachers to take their case to the National Assembly or state governments saying, the Federal Government has no powers to fix salaries for states.

According to Dukku, the issue is lingering because the NUT wants a centralised formula for the TSS whereas there is a clear cut of responsibility between the Federal, States and Local Governments. She wants us to believe that unqualified teachers are just hiding under a cover of NUT to push their demands. Brilliant thought! But what of those who are qualified? Or is Madam Dukku telling us that all teachers in Nigeria’s schools are not qualified? And whose fault it is if unqualified teachers remain in the establishment?

It seems to me that whichever arm of the government involved in this TSS is playing hanky-panky with the NUT. Otherwise the case should be so simple that there would not have been any argument over which establishment to be contacted. For the fact that the issue is ‘lingering’ just because the NUT is contacting the wrong arm of government says a lot about how things work in Nigeria. It seems there’s no clear cut policy; no effective communication; no preparation for emergency cases and so on.

Due to the sensitivity of their job, teachers must be prevented from going on strike under any circumstance. But who cares about the quality of education in today’s Nigeria? Who cares whether Ade or Chioma or Muhammad receives qualitative education or not? The situation has even reached a point where one is forced to think that various governments are killing education in disguise for the purpose known to them. Now you know why the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu had so many thugs to cater for.

Part of the problem facing teaching in the contemporary world, according to analysts, is that its status as a profession has been undermined by the contemptible view that only what makes money is desirable. When people lose sight of the invisible rewards on offer in different avocations, many kinds of work that make the world a better place suffer a loss of talent. I believe this statement to be true in Nigeria today. Successive governments have waged war against education system in Nigeria. No wonder many qualified teachers have left the country in search of better offers. Is it that difficult to regulate their living standard?

When teachers go on strike, it’s obvious who suffer. That is why a four-year course now runs for five to six years in Nigeria. That is why many employers are crying that Nigerian students lack necessary skills to integrate them into employment society. That is why most of them have found solace in cultism, armed robbery, prostitution and sugar daddy’s toys. An idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. A serious government would prevent teachers going on strike by all means – at least for the sake of its children.

Gone are the days when Nigerian teachers were teachers; when they naively believed their rewards were in heaven. Today’s Nigerian teachers have woken up, aggressive as their counterparts in politics, police, and the media. Their demand for increase in salary is justified. After all, they don’t get brown envelope or N20. Well, those in the Higher Institutions have hand-outs to sell, but we are talking about primary and secondary schools for now. How could our teachers survive with the current salary structure? I believe the current situation whereby teachers can’t even eat three meals a day would hinder their performance.

It’s simply injustice if a local chairman or a governor or a senator who does nothing receives fat salary and allowances while a teacher receives meagre income. Teachers are not fools. They read everyday how much money their politician counterparts stole from the public treasury. They read how in spite of this act of robbery, politicians still receive honour here and there. They see and read how their counterparts in the media are building mansions. Do you then blame them for demanding their rewards here on earth? I don't.

Of course everyone knows that teaching has never been a highly paid profession despite its importance. Hence the coinage, “A teacher’s reward is in heaven”. Teaching, I strongly believe, is not for the undedicated mind. A teacher must be patient at all times. That’s why “it was once a highly respected (profession), and the status enjoyed by teachers helped compensate them for the dedication and difficulty involved in their vocation,” says one A. C. Grayling in his book, “The reason of Things”.

As for now, I don’t have any solution for the on-going strike. As in many other issues affecting Nigeria, there are plenty solutions but none of which the Federal Government is willing to implement. Maybe it’s a cause on the nation to have people like these at the helm of affairs. They are all pretenders masquerading as genuine and caring leaders. I ask: why do governments treat teachers as people who must be paupers?

TO further tighten the noose on Niger Delta militants, more sophisticated weapons ordered by the authorities are soon to arrive the country to complement existing security network in the oil-rich area.

More warships for Niger delta, more probes in Niger delta state govt treasury's, massive development of infrastructures by FG from excess crude account in line with Niger delta master plan (Niger delta master plan must have been implemented to 40% scale before any military action or JTF presence can be justified byFG. Only recently JTF APC fell into a ditch - I am sure the driver was only reckless even though that road is likely to be as deplorable as Lagos to Benin road) with equity contribution from state and local governments oil companies should be more transparent in recruiting in Niger delta (Shell just did mess with SITP - I bet tat process could have enlisted 100 more militants from aggrived applicants that were enied level playing field in the recruitment process) with specified quota for indigienes, militants to sheath their swords and surrender with guaranteed amnesty or get caught and tried or at worst bombed in the creeks.

The NAVY should block arms inflow through the high sea else Heads should roll. Massive Naval operations to cut off supplies is necessary, with teams of warship and patrol boats in inestimable numbers - even if it is for a short week and on loan or lease supply, with strategic amphibious attacks on previously identified black spots (what is the function of SAT 1 and NARSDA if they cannot spot human/arms movement's creeks and they are bidding for Telecoms license - someone needs to ask the Security Attache in NARSDA what his job specifications are and why he/she should be retained at tax payer's expense).

If Militants can hijack FPSO that is a bad signal for National Development. While, military options is not a sustainable way forward it is needed at this material moment so as to allow the Militants re-assess their negotiating power before all and sundry agree to get back to the discussion round table. Blasting Bonga is quite unacceptable by any standard and the FG must stamp their feet with authority in a way that would stop militants from making further damages to the economy and the country's economic goodwill.


I learn some militants forcefully took skye bank recruitment test - I feel their pains and frustrations, I empathize with them but the only weapon that I know that fights better than Gun is the pen.

Should they be ready to fight by the pen - i would willingly volunteer within their service. When Guns clash, even the victors can't claim victory! Someone needs to tell them no war ever ended with a clear winner, not even desert storm.

Even, while they are unaware or pretend to be ignorant, several erudite scholars and intelligent professionals, including fire brand legal luminaries have genuine affiliations for the cause for which the militants are fighting without necessarily identifying with their attacks/strategies, hence the wide spread media awareness on anomalies in Niger delta and pressure on FG to make amends. Peace and reconciluation strategies by the FG, though slow paced is quite impressive; blasting more installations, would never sway arguments in their favour and I doubt if the have the fie power to confront the State if and when the state is ready to employ the fire for fire option!