THE DEMISE OF FORMER GOVERNOR OF NIGER STATE IN NIGERIA: ALHJI. ALDEKADO ABDULLAHI KURE

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI has commemorated on the people of the Niger State in Nigeria on the passing away of their former governor of the state ALHJI. ALDEKADO ABDULLAHI KURE. In a statement president Buhari also extended his condolences to the wife of the deceased SENATOR ZENDOF KURE, the family and the Nupe people on the unfortunate incident, he described the two term governor of vibrant political leaders and great promoters of co-peaceful existence, development as well as unity of Niger state. The president prayed that almighty Allah will receive his soul and comfort owed to mourn him.

Similarly, Governor ABUBAKAR BELLO of Niger state said that the Government and the people of Niger state promised the wise counsel of the late former governor of the state ALHJI. ALDEKADO ABDULLAHI KURE. He stated this when the commander training and inductor command of Nigerian Army Minna MAJOR. GENERAL HASSAN ALLERO, paid him a condolence visit in Minna.

Also according to reporter of this incident from Minna, the capital Niger State in Nigeria, stated that the sudden death of the former Governor of Niger state ALHJI. ALDEKADO ABDULLAHI KURE was a shock to the people of Niger state, the late Governor who died on Sunday 8^th of January 2017 in Germany after a brief illness was a great elder statesman who had general concern for the growth and development of the Niger state.

Governor ABUBAKAR BELLO who said nobody passes his ex explained that God has the reasons for taking him at this moment. According to the ABUBAKAR BELLO, he expressed his concern over his demise and grieved for his counsels which he missed despite the difference is that they are from different political parties but he enjoys his wise counsel in matters of leadership affecting his state and tenure.

Also governor ABUBAKAR BELLO, said that efforts are being made to transport the remains of the deceased from Germany to Nigeria for burial, which will arrive by today being Wednesday 11^th of January 2017, and  according to him, he said that the protocols and procedure in it are tedious but the embassy is working hard on it.

According to reporter who said that earlier than this the commander training and  doctrine command of the Nigerian Army MAJOR. GENERAL HASSAN ALLERO who condoned the government and the people of the state over the irreparable loss of the former governor prayed God to grant the deceased peace into his rest. According to him he also expressed his concern and grieve over his demise as well consoles to those he left to mourn him.

Also a special prayer section was held for the deceased led by the Chief Imam Cantonment LIEUTENANT COL.  ALLERO MUSA. The late former governor of Niger state in Nigeria ALHJI. ALDEKADO ABDULLAHI KURE was greatly missed by the people of the state died at the age of 61 Years.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD TITLED: “CHARACTER DEFAMATION”

Defamation can be defined as an act of damaging someone’s reputation by saying or writing bad or false statement about the person which may lead to suing the persons involving in this act to Court for damages. It is an act of sedition which harms individual or government as to oppose their powers to duty or activities.

We have series of defamation that exist in different sectors of life and economy in Nigeria. And it is a crime to unjustly defame someone’s reputation in the society as this will go a long way to damage his/her career as well as slow down his progress in life. This is a call for serious case because if the victims to this act should stand out for human right abuses; the instigators to the act are liable to punishment of imprisonment according to Nigerian constitution or they pay fine to consolidate the damages they cause the victim.

We have had people published defamatory statements against opponents or political opponents in the past especially in Nigeria, out of ignorant of constitutional law governing this act. And this is where we centre our discussion of Character defamation. Once again, we can say that defamation is any publication of a statement which tends to lower a person in the estimation of right thinking members of the society, generally or which tends to make them shun or avoid that person. It is also any publication that points out and bring down a person’s prestige in the society resulting to that person’s exposure to hatred, contempt, ridicule and as well as make people to avoid and shun the victim or victims. It includes any expression that exposes individual to be shunned or avoided as this will go a long way to cost them, damages to their business or careers in life. Defamation is any statement or publications that make people think worst of you.

Now, People had been defamed in one way or the other without given fairly justice to their plight due to corruption ravaging the nation. Some others are even being defamed with their photographs and video records as these are being displayed before the social medias like Facebook.com, twitter.com and whatsup.com, yet the bodies in charge of these media are doing nothing to stop the molestation and ignorant of these touts that engage in indolent corruption.

Like in Nigeria, it is an offense and equally unsafe to publish the photographs of an accused person or mere suspect who has not yet been charged. But today, teenagers between the ages of 12-18 years use social media to insult dignitaries. There is urgent need for the government officials of nations to look into social media as well as warn the managements of social media to sanction illegal and unsupported pornographic pictures of innocent people being uploaded to the media for mockery and shame. There are series of illegal publications with intention to defame in the facebook.com especially. If proper arrest will begin from Nigeria, People will stop this nonsense because Nigeria remains the backbone to these corrupt practices.

Finally, a lot of people were unable to attain to their future goals due to character defamation. One thing is to destroy someone’s reputation in the society, and another thing is when the law catches up with the suspects and found guilty of the accusation. The punishment to this wickedness is in line with the human right infringement, just like personating   which means using someone’s name or position to receive something without proper consultation of the person for permission from such person is criminality. This act is liable to 14 years imprisonment according to chapter 46 section 484 of Nigerian Constitution which state:

“Any person who, with intent to defraud any person,

falsely represents himself to be some other person,

living or dead, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to

imprisonment for three years. If the representation is

that the offender is a person entitled by will or operation

of law to any specific property and he commits the

offence to obtain such property or possession thereof,

he is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.”

I am not specifically saying that defamatory statement is 14 years imprisonment as personating but it is treated as infringement on human right which should be reported for high court of law for subsequent arrest of the culprits but as specified in the Nigerian constitution is as follows subject to Chapter 33 section 375-376:

375      “Subject to the provisions of this Chapter, any person

            who of publishes any defamatory matter is guilty of a

            misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for one year;

            and any person who publishes any defamatory matter knowing

             it to be false is liable to imprisonment for two years.

376      Any person who publishes, or threatens to publish,

         or offers to abstain from publishing, or offers to prevent

         the publication of defamatory matter, with intent to extort

         money or other property, or with intent to induce any person

         to give, confer, procure, or attempt to procure, to, upon, or for,

         any person, any property or benefit of any kind. is guilty of a

         felony, and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.”

To this end, I am encouraging the federal government officials to set up anti defamatory strong bodies that will look into Social media publication, News paper Publication, Bloggers, and Broadcasting services etc. to wipe out unsupported publication with intention to defame personalities rather than curbing corruption and encouraging peace and unity in our Nation Nigeria. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria, Long live nations of the world.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD TITLED: “AGENTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN NIGERIA”

Anytime there is a change, you must follow the trend of the change for effective performance of task ahead. Based on this platform, we are to define a social change as transformation of Political, economical and cultural values in society to the benefits of men and women in existence. So, you do not depend on the glory of past efforts to transformation, rather we depend on the future glory that we have invested our efforts to a maximum social change. Social change or reform can also be connected with society and the way it is organized.

In Nigeria economy, we are striving for improvement on our economical, political and cultural background to suit the western culture or ways of doing things or even be better than them. This is why we must welcome change or innovation in Nigeria. And there is no way a change can take effect if Nigeria as a nation did not wake up to fight corruption. This is the centre point that hinders effective social change for better standard of living in Nigeria as a society.

We as a nation are blessed with numerous resources to create a change. But lack of proper management has created a big vacuum that cannot be occupied due to lack of expertise, untrained skills and endemic corruption. Should we wake up from our slumber and make this nation better? Yes, that should be our priority, we can do that but the main fact is that we have what it takes to do that but the managerial skills and efforts are blunt because of corruption, and they need to be sharpened.

Why must we continue to employ the services of western world like importation of foods, drugs, cosmetics, scraps, cars etc? When shall we rise to produce these things by ourselves and export our own products? This is a call to hard work of research to development and advancement.

The western world like Europe and United State does not have two head. But they achieved what they are today because they eradicated corruption in their society. Nigeria is one of the nations that its citizens cease political position for embezzling public and government funds. Most of Quota assigned for federal, State, and Local government during budget of each year are sometimes not properly accounted for at the end of the day; not to mention but few are roads and infrastructural developments are still not organized. Our roads to rural areas are very crude and bad, yet those that are in charge of these developments are sleeping with the money. The federal tenders are now managed by the upper class that will influence the issuing of contracts to suit their whims and caprices to the detriment of the wellbeing and development of the nation.

Think of when unqualified and uneducated sets of people manage the development of the nation? It is a ball game to embezzlement and to enrichment of their pockets. At the end of the day, no work is executed or carried out. This is why our roads are not well tarred, workers salaries are not paid leading to industrialized strike action, lack of medical care facilities in our government hospitals especially for emergency rescue of lives. And as a result, attitudes of staff to duty are not encouraging, as some of them will cease bribery as the main vice to perform their duties.

Now, correcting these errors is simple, if the head of the nation will wake up from slumber. The time of Air Condition executive leadership should be over now. Let us set up panels to monitor the expenditure of every Quota to each year budget starting from the Concurrent to Residual list; irrespective of who is in charge of each Quota. Apart from the states and federal house of Assemblies and Representatives, there should be external bodies monitoring this process for effective performance of duty.

Nigeria today is a bit free from fake drugs because of NAFDAC which was appropriated by former late minister of information and Communication Technology PROF. DORA AKUNYILI; she rendered selfless service to the nation helping to curb corruption in the society. We still encourage strong government bodies like National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) and Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in other sector of economy to curb corruption and create positive change as well as boost the economy of the nation Nigeria.

To achieve these, we have to call it a tactful task knowing that our loophole to development is endemic corruption. And fighting this from the leaders will help position and restructure the political arena which today serves as the major wing to corrupt society

Finally, for effective social change to take shape, we need the right leaders, because when the leaders are right, the masses can be corrected to follow the trend but when the leaders are corrupt, the corruption will continue to grow like wild fire in the nation. With these points, I think we can make a better change to Nigerian economy. Long live Nigeria Economy, long live Federal Republic of Nigeria, and long live Nations of the World.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD TITLED: “POLITICAL THREATS IN NIGERIAN POLITICS”

Nigerian Politics is surrounded by threats and pressurized dehumanization to death as a result of aspirants struggling for political position in the country to the detriment of their health and lives which is not important to them as politics and quest for position prevails for the moment.

The election period is a critical period in Nigerian politics as the aspiring candidates dabbles into all sorts of gimmicks and tricks campaigning and canvassing for vote; even to the extent of threatening the lives of Political opponents. Before I proceed, one will ask: what is a threat? A threat is a statement in which you tell somebody that you will punish or harm them, especially if they do not do what you want. So this is what is governing Nigerian politics. There are threats letters to some political opponent contesting for election into one position or the other that says something like “give up for that position or you  pay with your dear life” and also some others threats will say: “Declare this candidate a winner or lose your position in that office”. The worst thing about some of these threat letters is that, no identity. And you cannot trace those that send it. But it due come with strong impression of upper class influence in the society.

Also these threat letters is sometimes coming indirectly from the upper class personalities in the society, who will not relent to serve the nation as watch dogs that cease every political position to suit their whims and caprices. These threats issue is never a thing to joke with; because sometimes it is the bourgeoisies (middle class) personalities that receives and bears the burden secretly for their own safety and security. But will Nigerians fold hand and watch corruption ravaging from political arena to our economy? No, we must have to do something to stop political threats.

Imagine where the executive wings who are supposed to be receiving order from legislative body is now sanctioning and commanding the duties of legislative wings under threats sometimes. This is not Democracy, it is dictatorship. If Nigeria is a democratically nation, then the executive should seek approval from both house and not to sanction or give order. The duties of legislative remain the watch dog of the nation by making rules and amending constitution to suit the system. But the upper class citizens in the society have taken over their duties indirectly. Instead of the electoral body which should absolutely independent in decision making after election, are now influenced, manipulated, bribed and sometimes intimidated beyond their powers to favor the executives and upper class citizens to the detriment of Law makers and legislative who will always promulgate punishable laws against offenders like impeachment of executives.

To still sort out these issues of political threats, there is need for separation of powers in Nigerian three arms of government for proper check and balances. The legislative should be diligent to make laws and pass the laws after approval of the executive body. Also the executive should monitor the law to see that it is operational. Any appointment by executive must go through the legislative for approval else it is against the law.

Finally, the Judiciary which comprises the judges and courts of law must give interpretation to these law made and executed by legislative and the executive arms to be able to find out those guilty for breaking the law as well as free those non guilty for keeping the law. Offenders should be prepared to face the consequences of breaking the law while the security body like Nigerian Police Force and Nigerian Civil Defense Corps are there to maintain peace and order in the society.

With proper coordination of these bodies through proper checks and balances, the nation Nigeria can be secured from endemic corruption trying to turn Nigerian politics in to a fraudulent Arena. Long live Nigerian Politics, Long lives Federal Republic of Nigeria, Long lives the Nation of the world.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD TITLED: “SENTIMENT IN NIGERIAN POLITICS”

Politics as it were nick named “a dirty game” in developing countries because of endemic corruption ravaging and surrounding the events of politics had made it difficult for the Elites in the developing society to participate in the game.

Nigeria is never an exemption as we are approaching Civilization; people had been unjustly victimized in the past as candidates to electoral process because of the sentiment or believe that this process is corrupt and dirty.

Nigerian Politics is believed to be dirty as a result of fraudulence canvassing for vote and rig of election due to bribery and corruption. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria was inaugurated from National Electoral Commission (NEC) as a result of monopolizing this body as a leader or president of the country to rig election. And in order to ensure the security and transparency of the electoral body (National Electoral Commission NEC) in Nigeria from influence of contestant for election and other prominent leaders who will cease the back door to illegally favor their candidates. And as a result, making this electoral body independent has solved a big problem and destabilized every doubt that there is rig to any election process.

Still on sentiment towards Nigerian Politics, we still need to rebuild the foundation of electing leaders. Let out appointment of leaders base on merit, competent and Excellency; And to achieve this, the contestant for election need to undergo scrutinizing test based on educational background, political views, career achievements and life records free of criminality.

Nigerian politics is nick named a dirty game because of the awkward nature of selecting and appointment of candidates for election in to political position. Because of endemic corruption people bribe their ways through the process. All in the name of God’s fathers being the upper class personalities in society who chooses the bourgeoisies (Middle class personalities) to achieve their purpose in government , they influences the system with their wealth electing leaders to political position through back doors as watch dogs. We have such people as the emirs, sultans of sokoto, Alaafins, predecessors to presidential position in Nigeria etc, all these can operate at the state and federal levels because of their powerful influence in the society and they sometimes have the final say in their parties.

Nigerian politics is 90% sentimental to compare what is stipulated in the constitution. Our appointment to leadership is based on “Who knows who that will stand him on that position” rather than “merit to that position”. This issue is getting out of hand as propaganda surrounding this sentiment is trying to push the nation to a state of Anarchy (Confusion), people will cook up ideas and stories just to assume leadership and at the end of the day, not even one out of 100% promises they made are being executed, instead public fund are being embezzled, when will such stories end in Nigeria? The state and Federal House of Assembly and Representatives are now influenced by the executive bodies towards their duties of scrutinizing every appointment by the executive properly. Approval should base on merit, not on tribalism and IM. So to save this nation from corruption

Finally, it is up to me and you to end the false story behind assumption of leadership by trick and that are achieved, when we open eyes to see the right and qualified candidates by merit to the detriment of bribery and corruption to the throne. Nigeria is blessed. And we should do things as blessed nation to curb the negative sentiment affecting and bringing down political arena to degradation of dirty game. I think we have arrived at the point of shunning political sentiment of dirty game to make our country the best place for accurate leadership to emulate. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria and Long live the Nations of the World.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD TITLED: “THE PRIME STANDARD OF EDUCATION TO EMULATE IN NIGERIA”

Still on education, the Global challenges on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) demands an improvement in the standard of education in Nigeria. We have in recent years experienced improvement in computer technology as the only source of global development in Job creation, dissemination of information and communication made easy in the world class today. And as a result, we need to inculcate information and Technology as a basic foundation for grooming the future citizens of the nation Nigeria.

I thought as much as the techniques had worked in China which is today amongst the world’s best producers of electronic gadget just because they made technical their basic educational foundation for expansion of their economy. And it really worked out for them.

Nigeria is blessed even more than China with diverse mineral resources but poor management due to lack of expertise. Why must we go to outside Nigeria to employ labor force for rescue of our own citizens? Look at Nigeria begging United State to come and help them fight their battle of “BOKUHARAM INSURGENCY”, during the abduction of the 276 Chibok girls on 14th-15th day of April 2014. This is as a result of lack of competency in ICT world.

If United State can program Robots to go for war in order to protect their soldiers from death in the war front. Nigerians should advance to do the same. We are in the world where science and technology has taken every spheres of life. Time of shooting guns as human soldiers is phasing out. The Global technology is adopting a new system to accomplish their missions without stress. If Nigerians are well loaded in ICT, saving the Chibok girls would have been a cheap case because some well programmed Robots can go for war and rescue the girls without being harmed. But because we are still far in technology, we are not capable of meeting up with demands and that is why we went and source help from United State of America in 2014 which they turned us down because we cannot pay for their services with oil.

For these reasons, it is time for Nigerians to wake up from their slumber and pick up ICT as well as technical Science and technology to face the global development challenges. And these can only be achieved through our educational background. The problem in Nigeria is not only in management but also to include lack of trained expertise as well as sophisticated equipment to execute the task.

The proper standard in ICT should be like this in Nigeria: at primary education, a student should have at least master basic computer operations in computer practically as well as Hardware Maintenance for computer assemblage, while at the Secondary Education, they should have mastered the programming languages and how to use it to build applications before getting into university to further their educational career. This will embrace automation as a system of execution of task in the nation as well as reduces division of labor and redundancy in the labor force of the nation to improve development: as people will cease these strategies to develop the nation as private companies.

With these prime standards, we are due for a change in our nation Nigeria as it affects other developing countries with our product.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD TITLED: “THE STRIDE STANDARD OF 6-3-3-4 SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA”

Education is the life wire of a nation, but education without basic foundation is dangerous to economy of any nation. A nation without adequate educational system is heading to disarray system of government. Whereby tyranny becomes the order of the day compared to countries like Uganda ruled by INDIAMIN and Libya governed by LATE MUMMAR GADAFFI. Tyranny is demonstration of illiteracy; a well informed personality can never rule people with iron hand and hot temper because those people he/she is leading are not animal but human who had undergone disciplines that supposed to be given attention before promulgation of any law that will abide. As a result, a nation suppose to look into the system of education in practice to see if it is well executed in the system as specified in the constitution governing the nation.

Using Nigeria as a case study, we practice 6-3-3-4 system of education. This is to mean that every legal citizens of Nigeria must go through Primary education for six years and obtain a certification named FIRST SCHOOL LEAVING as evidence that he/she has attended and graduated from primary school education. After which he/she is now qualified for the secondary education. The secondary Education is of two categories in Nigeria which comprises: The three years in the junior secondary (JSS) and the three years in the senior secondary (SSS). When one must have concluded both, the person will receive what is called TESTIMONIAL CERTIFICATE to prove he/she has completed the secondary school and are qualified for the next four years in the University or tertiary institution.

But due to corruption in the country what we see today is contrary to the system of education in practice, people no longer complete the phases of educational system in Nigeria before writing external exams like General Certificate Examination (GCE) and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam. This is improper, it should be a mandatory rule that anyone applying for external exams must provide FIRST SCHOOL LEAVING and TESTIMONIAL CERTIFICATE as a requirement that he/she has completed both system and are now eligible to finalize in the higher institution. I think these two requirements will make every student to be more serious in education.

But due to negligent, every dick and harry enter Universities, more especially tertiary institutions anyhow, even after hiring machineries to write exams for them. I have seen a stack illiterate whom was a notorious bus conductor that was a drop out and at the end of the day Jump into University after successful malpractices in writing JAMB and GCE. Government had to look in to this issue; as this forms the major basis of corruption in the nation.

Before you know it, a bus conductor will graduate with sorting lecturers to pass exams. After graduation, the aspiring position for such a person is politics. This is where these touts will like to feature their career, in order to display their thugs of war activities. Contesting for election becomes the order of the day. And this is the problem in this country. When people with empty brain become our leaders, we are doomed, because they must abuse power out of Ignorant and embezzle public funds anyhow to the detriment of their assignments.

So let us monitor our 6-3-3-4 stride standard of education as a basic foundation for grooming future leaders of this nation Nigeria who will bring about change, innovation and development in the society as well as instigate peace and unity to the detriment of war in the nation.

Education is priority prize for every good citizen of country to achieve for the success of his life, community and the entire nation. But it is not like that in the developing world like Nigeria due to corruption. Let us emulate from other western world like Europe who has maintained standard till date due to enlightenment and literacy in their society. They are successful in leadership more than we do because they made their education priority to leadership. For them, you cannot amount to any leader more than what is in your brain. You have to undergo series of interrogation through panels in the white house or House of Lords and Public media to prove that you are eligible and capable to the proposed position. They achieve these based on what is in your brain, and this comes up after verification if your certifications are genuine and other social life affairs as well as police clean records free of crime in the society. If you don’t meet up to their standards, you will not be a leader in the community, states or nation.

With these I think we are due to check corruption in Nigeria System of education to ascertain future delivery and success in the society. Long live Nigeria system of Education, Long Live Enugu State, and Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria; long live Nations of the world.

Written by

ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

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