RE: University Degree and HND disparity in Nigeria Civil Service
August 17, 2008 by 
Guest Writer · Leave a Comment
SOS TO THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ALHAJI UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA
This is to appeal to the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to use his good office to implement the much publicized, recently concluded removal of the existing dichotomy in the conditions of appointments/service of the holders of first degree and HND.
It is a thing of regret that two years after the Federal Executive Council’s recommendation of the removal of the undue dichotomy and ceiling on the Salary Grade Level/Rank attainable by Higher National Diploma holders in the Civil Service (ref: Government White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments in the Public Sector, Chapter 6 Section 6.2 of December 2006 pages31/32 ), the implementation strategies and time fixed at “medium term” are yet to materialize till the present moment.
In a nation where people’s aspirations are directed at serving the fatherland with love, strength, faith, heart and might; calling for leaders to be guided right, helping our youth to know the truth; growing in love and honesty , living in just and truth and building a nation where peace and justice reign and where democracy equally guarantees continuity in governance. One begins to wonder whether all the afore-mentioned aspirations as expressed in the national anthem are mere rhetoric rather than virtues to live by. In the Civil Service,’ Servicom’ was launched to enhance efficiency and right service to the clients. Is it not high time that the same level of efficiency and right service manifested in the public service and similar national executive bodies?
Your Excellency Sir, many technical cadre civil servants(HND holders) attained salary grade level 14 step11( the former ceiling for that level) over 10years ago, officers(Degree holders) on level 10 at that time are right now on levels 15 or 16. Affected officers are annually being exempted from promotion interviews to level 15 even though the Federal Executive Council has accepted the recommendation of the removal of the ceiling since 2004. Paragraph one of page 5 of the quoted white paper states that, ‘On 11th June, 2006, the President set up the White Paper Drafting Committee on the Consolidation of Emolument in the Public Sector, to among others , work out a White Paper or better still, detailed programme of implementation of the accepted parts of the Report so as to ensure that substantial implementation begins in 2007 along with substantial implementation of Public Service Reforms and Right Sizing’. A lot of public service reforms including disengagement from service(right sizing) had been implemented whereas the issue of the removal of ceiling placed on HND holders also covered by the same White Paper still remains a no-go area. Is this not a perversion of justice and fairplay?
It is disheartening to state that the HND holders are still being statutorily and financially dehumanized as follow:
1. The period of study to attain HND is a minimum of five years ( 2yrs for OND, 1Yr of Post OND-Internship and 2Yrs for HND) while some of the first degree programmes require only 4Yrs for Courses in Education, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences , Arts etc. It is a fact to recognize that most Polytechnic students meet the minimum entry qualifications for University admission before choosing a career in the Polytechnic.
2. The point of entry into the Civil Service is Salary Grade Level 08 for holders of both qualifications. They undeniably assume the same responsibilities
3. It is a national shame to see some Nigeria Universities quoting the HND as one of the acceptable Entry Qualifications (into Part One of First Degree Programmes) while at the same time same or some others accept the same qualification (with PGD) for their masters programmes. (the NUC needs to revisit this issue). This waste of human resources and retardation of the national technological advancement need to be arrested forthwith. Some universities need to be aware that tertary institutions abroad afford HND holders from this country admission for post-graduate studies without any discrimination.
4. Technical Cadre staff on the so-called ceiling are being paid same salary (i.e. GL 14/11) year-in, year-out, without any annual increment even if they have to stagnate there till retirement decades after and nobody seems to care. More embarrassingly these officers are being paid the same Duty Tour Allowance of N8,500 with their sub-ordinate officers on salary grade level 07. Where are the so called incentives to enhance staff efficiency and productivity? What are the prospects for tertiary Vocational Technical Institutions in Nigeria ? Where is Nigeria ’s technological drive heading to? A lot of Physical structures are presently rotting away in Polytechnics for lack of students while those of Universities are being over-stretched. Some Departments in the Polytechnics are either without Students or their lecturers outnumber the students’ population. Is this country not loosing her focus on Technological Education? This country has to borrow a leaf from a country like Japan whose philosophy and objective of education is, ‘aggressive survival technology and effective use of adapted technology’.
Right now some Federal Ministries and Parastatals are gathering data for the next promotion exercise but the technical cadres on SGL 14 are completely excluded for the reason that the afore-mentioned white paper does carry with it ‘any directive’ to implement. What other directive is required, going by the Pages 5, 31 and 32 of the quoted White Paper?
Your Excellency, Mr. President, I wish to appeal once again that you use your enviable, and honourable office to save the affected officers the psychological trauma of the predicament they find themselves.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Long live Mr. President.
| 2.5 |
Rethinking the Clean-up Exercise in Nigeria
August 14, 2008 by Guest Writer · Leave a Comment
The practice of designating one day in a month as a general clean – up day has assumed the status of a culture in this country. It is the day we try to do all the cleaning we failed to do in the past one month. On such a day all the rubbish that was dumped inside the drains are scooped out to make room for the ones we plan to deposit there right after the clean-up exercise. All the obscure corners of markets and open places that have served as dump sites are emptied out. On such clean-up days, the roads and streets are blocked with refuse from all nooks and crannies of the city. The original concept is that pay-loaders and refuse trucks will be handy to cart away the refuse as they are being generated. What is on ground however, owing to the endemic corruption in the system is that adequate arrangement for the carting away of refuse is not made before announcing a clean-up day. The result is that the state of the city on clean-up days and many days and even weeks after is indeed a sorry sight.
The problem of rapid generation of refuse is one of the evils of urbanization. The rural communities manage their refuse much better than the urban areas. The reason is simply that the population in such places grows naturally, mainly through birth. They can afford to manage refuse in the same way their forebears managed theirs because the population is stable. Urbanization is characterized by the massive influx of people into an area that is already saturated with inhabitants. This astronomical and abnormal increase in the number of people living in a place affects every aspect of life. Advanced nations of the world are so called because they factor these evils of urbanization into their plans for their cities. They plan these cities to make them truly habitable.
Urbanization takes people out of their natural habitats and forces too many people to complete for too little space. Without adequate planning a lot of catastrophe could result from such an arrangement. This is why the so-called third world countries are grappling with all kinds of man-made catastrophes. Hardly anything is actually planned in these countries. There is no effort made to regulate the number of people that troop into the towns on a daily basis, and yet every public utility sector is in crisis. Power supply, water supply, accommodation, transport sector and road maintenance agencies are all problematic.
One of the worst effects of urbanization is environmental degradation, which directly affects the health status and life expectancy of urban dwellers. Poor management of solid waste, unhealthy disposal of human waste, improper disposal and channeling of liquid waste, misuse and abuse of drains that encourages the breeding of mosquitoes and harbouring of rodents and vermin, all contribute to make urban areas in the third work uninhabitable.
I am strongly of the opinion that governments that are not yet ready to tackle the solid waste problem should stop escalating the environmental degradation problem by conducting baseless, plan less and aimless clean-up exercises. It is obvious that the only people that benefit from the half-hearted fire-brigade approach we call sanitation exercises are those who use such shams to make money from the public treasury.
Nigeria has produced quite a substantial number of experts in the field of environmental health sciences and other related fields. We do not need to hire expatriates to help us manage our environment when we are sincerely ready to undertake this all-important task. In essence, any sincere administration within this nation has at its disposal all the human and material resources required to provide a lasting solution to the menace of solid, liquid and even gaseous waste. What is lacking is the will-power and the sincerity of purpose to do what ought to be done.
It is high time we rethink the way and manner this exercise is carried out. Rethinking it will help toward enthroning a culture of cleanliness rather that the routine exercise which it has become. What do you think?
Guest Writer: Perpetua Ihebom
| 3.2 |
EFCC, Ribadu And The Civil Society Sympathy
August 13, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
As the hues and cries over the demotion of Ribadu hits the Olympus, I am forced to look at the characters of those crying more than the bereaved. These cries have nothing to do with the “ill manner” Mrs. Waziri is running the EFCC. The cry has nothing to do with the effect of this shameless act by the Police on the image of Nigeria. A good number of these are the members of the civil society that benefited from the Civil Society-EFCC partnership under Nuhu Ribadu.
EFCC under Nuhu Ribadu, started a programme tagged FIX NIGERIA INITIATIVE. Under this quasi-NGO, a great number of timber and calibre of the civil society community were drafted in to assist EFCC to spread the message and get an attitudinal change among Nigerians. Under this programme, the likes of Adams Oshiomhole, Femi Falana et al appeared on Fix-Nigeria sponsored adverts on NTA and added their quota to the war. When EFCC under Ribadu was accused of witch hunting Obasanjo’s enemies, the ready answer was “let him run after them, when another EFCC boss comes on board, let him run after Obasanjo’s cronies” So why the hullabaloo all about?
Mrs. Waziri, should look into this Fix-Nigeria Initiative, she will see enough to keep the civil society off her back. A good number of pro-Ribadu Civil society groups benefitted questionably from this Fix-Nigeria Initiative. To further scar them, Mrs. Waziri should conduct a probe into the structure, activities and source of funding of these Civil society groups. In a counter insurgence move, the Civil Society should make available the claimed bail bond for George Akume believed to be signed by Mrs. Waziri.
My headache with Ribadu was that he personalised the war and with the active aid of the media saw himself as the only good incorruptible Nigerian and failed to clone other incorruptible Nigerians to take over should he fall as he has fallen. It is this glorification and refual to build human structure that is behind his travails. Those he ran after are leaving no stone unturned to show that Ribadu has a foot of clay and can of fresh worms.
The owner of Russell Centre Zone 4 Abuja, Chief Nwude had the guts to accuse Ribadu of not selling his properties equitably. In deed the lion has been crippled and the antelope has come to collect overdue debt.
Apart from this criminal confrontation, a “black sheep” in the Civil Society community who was not favourably engaged by Ribadu, wrote a petition to the new EFCC boss, asking how the properties of exconvict, ex-governor of Bayelsa, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha were disposed.
For those crying over Ribadu, my candid advice is to start engaging Mrs. Waziri before she smears Nigeria’s image with indelible ink of unseriousness over zero tolerance of corruption. According to Zik, broken bottle has no mekwaterism. The Civil society should mobilise Nigerians to seek alternative remedy to the trial of those perceived corrupt ex-governors, as it is obvious that the Rule of Law concept can be a flexible tool to perpetuate corruption. But charity they say begins at home. The civil society should look inward, after it’s their kit and kin that is defending Kenny Martins, who have been indicted over his activities in Police Equipment Fund.
In all these Civil society’s cry, which group has risen in defence of the fears raised by the star witness in the lingering trial of Kenny Martins?
| 3.2 |
EFCC Under Waziri: Questions Arising
August 11, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · 1 Comment
The uneasy times facing Obasanjo loyalists took a nose dive for the worst with the arrest of Bode George on the wee hours of Thursday by the EFCC. Of all the zonal chairmen of PDP, Bode George was the most loquacious that often times he was mistaken for the Party’s National Chairman. Despite his predicted political tsunami in Lagos, all PDP could get was the death of her aspirant and an Ambassadorial posting to Ghana as Lagos was not drown by PDP.
Prior to this big bang, the Obasanjo regime’s lapdog was demoted from the exalted rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police. The dismantling of Ribadu started with the removal from EFCC all unit heads “loyal” to Ribadu. The first to be axed was Director of Operations Mr. Ibrahim Lamode. He was quietly redeployed to an obscure Police formation in Bauchi. At the wake of this questionable redeployment of experienced hands in EFCC, the Police spin doctors said that such exercise is procedural.
As Nigerians were coming to terms with the demolition of EFCC structures under Ribadu’s chairmanship, Ibrahim Magu one of the best financial crime investigators in Nigeria, came under the blurred microscope of the new EFCC leadership. Mr. Magu has been a bird of passage in EFCC detention darting in and out at the whip and caprices of those behind the dismantling Obasanjo’s structure. Mr. Magu’s houses (Abuja and Lagos) have been searched. From the lorry load of papers and files removed including a laptop, it is obvious that the new leadership of EFCC is desperately in need of a document in Mr. Magu’s custody. Mr. Magu, an ace investigator, led the team of investigators who investigated the allegations of economic crimes against James Ibori (ex-governor of Delta State) and Bukola Saraki, Governor of Kwara State and Chairman Governors Forum.
A reliable source at EFCC said that the new leadership is searching for the EFCC file on George Akume, former governor of Benue State. It was revealed by national dailies at the wake of Mrs Waziri’s appointment that she is tinted with corruption and indeed did sign the bail bond for Mr. Akume. It was furthermore opined that Mrs. Waziri was forced on Yar’Adua by a team of corrupt PDP ex-governors to dampen the cases against them and find a Rule of Law approach to the problems.
The leadership style of Mrs. Waziri is giving credence to the belief in many quarters that she is an undertaker with the sole responsibility of burying the anti-corruption war. I am not a diehard fan of Ribadu. I have had course to question Ribadu’s style of prosecuting the anti-corruption war. But what cannot be denied Ribadu was that he had the zeal to rid Nigeria of corruption forget that he may not have understood the antics of the old fox in Otta Farm and the political landmines dotted on his way. Because of Ribadu’s zealous courage, Nigeria’s battered 419 image in the international community got a face lift.
Has Nigeria’s corrupt image improved under Mrs. Waziri? Is this current anti Obasanjo movement the best for Nigeria? Must we cut our nose to spite our face? Must the child be thrown away with the bath water? Is there no method of dealing with and atoning for the sins of the past administration (which was also a PDP administration) without dragging Nigeria decades backward?
Let us ponder and attack.
| 3.2 |
NDDC Offers An African Insurance Solution To Development
August 9, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
The Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Mr. Samuel Edem was last night arrested by the Nigeria Police Force in connection with allegation of conspiracy to murder the Managing Director of NDDC Mr. Timi Alaibe. According to the Police, his arrest is also in furtherance of the investigations into the missing N800M meant for developmental projects in the Niger Delta.
According to Mr. Edem he was hypnotized into paying huge sums of money to a spiritualist, one Mr. Perekabowei a.k.a Mathew Sanoma about N350M. The spiritualist in his response to the Police claimed that Mr. Edem consulted him to make good luck charm (juju) and other incantations that will kill the NDDC Managing Director; make the Vice President Mr. Jonathan favourably disposed towards him and secure his tenure at the NDDc.
Things fell apart when the spiritualist’s incantations did not kill Mr. Alaibe on the guaranteed date. Mr. Edem blew the whistle and reported the spiritualist to the Police claiming he is a victim of 419. In the course of investigation, the Police smelt conspiracy to murder and quickly turned the complaint to a suspect.
As bizarre as this story may sound, there is nothing new to it. A good number of Nigerian elite have one spiritualist or a full fledged native doctor working for them. From anointed handkerchief to abracadabra during Election Day, a high percentage of Nigerian politicians are guilty.
Chris Ngige made Okija shrine popular in a bid to get assistance from the “gods” to win election, even if his manifesto is not people orientated.
The Election Tribunal sitting in Umuahia Abia State ruled against Governor Theodore Oji reading that he is a member of a secrete cult.
Most recently, the 18 Ekiti State lawmakers who impeached their Speaker needed African Insurance before they could sit on the legislative seat believed to have been laced with juju during the battle for the impeachment.
In deed Nigeria, should review the place of African Science in our daily lives. The Nigerian Penal Codes, fashioned after that of colonial Britain, has no provision for admissibility of juju evidence.
As hurt as the image of Nigeria will be from this lack of evidence will see Mr. Edem walking away.
| 3.2 |
OLYMPICS: A Battle of Unequal gods
August 6, 2008 by Felix Ashimole · Leave a Comment
As the world goes agog with the opening ceremony of 2008 Olympics in Beijing China, I cannot help but laugh at Christian athletes participating at the obvious pagan ritual in honour of Greek gods and a worship of the Spartan spirit of the Greek. Some may want to refer me to the analogical use of race, bodily exercise etc by Paul in his letter to Timothy, but let me flatly ask, would Paul have participated in the Olympics, knowing that the touch/Olympics flame ritually very four years is lit at Mount Olympus, where Zeus and not Jehovah is the Alpha and Omega?
It is this unclear relationship between Olympics and religion that has made Nigeria among the weeping boys of each t Olympic Games. Nigeria’s greatest feat was in Atlanta 1996, when she netted in 2 Gold Medals. This feat was by sheer personal effort and the hunger for glory by these athletes. Mind you, Chioma Ajunwa, was just dusting off from a drug abuse ban and the Kanu dream team had Japan 1993 victory and an eye on personal contract with major European club sides to spur them on. And above all, they attribute their victories to “God”.
Going by this year’s preparation, one cannot help but predict doom for the contingent. Even the Minster of sports and Chairman National Sports Commission, Mr. Abdulrahman Gimba concurs. In a letter to Mr. President, the Minister wanted Nigeria to withdraw from the Beijing Games, according to the Minister “the litany of woes and underperformance of this sector (sports), has been exemplified…Except for God’s guidance and luck…dire consequences for national psyche and image”
To further buttress the looming national woes, an occasion at the National Stadium Abuja meant for the formal hand over of the Nigerian contingent, ended in a shouting bout between the Minister and Chief Cosmos Maduka. Yes Maduka of the Coscharis fame. Chief Maduka, is the Chairman of Table Tennis Association. In that ill-fated meeting, the minister came late and Chief Maduka wrapped the Minister and said “we have been toiling and doing our best but we are discouraged by the ministry…Olympic medals are not picked on the street…there is no encouragement”
Sure the minster replied and exposed that Chief Maduka, is one of the biggest beneficiaries of contract in the ministry! This is a story for another day but suffice it to be said that Chief Maduka is a confessed born again Christian.
I wonder what a born again Christian is doing, leading a team of Nigerians to a pagan ritual. I have no problem with sports but why must the flame be lit at Mount Olympus? If this cannot be scientifically explained, then I have found a theological reason why Nigeria has been doing badly at the Olympic and the World Cup, despite abundance of talents. It is a documented and incontrovertible that Nigerians do well abroad or when they fly any other colour than green. Francis Obikwelu of Government College Owerri, the son of a retired Nigeria Police officer, now a Portuguese readily comes to mind. If you cast your mind backwards, you will remember Dele Udo.
The theological reason is simple. The Greco-Roman-Jewish god, defeated African gods. View the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympics in Greece. All their gods were on parade. At every Olympics, this painful defeat/mental colonisation are brandished. Till Africans start attending these Games armed with African gods to challenge Onyibo gods, we will remain nothing but an afterthought on the medal table, winning only those games meant for messengers of the gods that require sheer raw strength.
| 3.0 |
Israel Claims Terrorist Attack In Nigeria
August 5, 2008 by Che Oyimnatumba · Leave a Comment
Moshi Ram, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria claims that Hezbollah terrorists have been revealed by Israeli media as planning attack against Israel’s in West Africa, especially in Nigeria.
The Ambassador solicits the IG of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro to provide his embassy with adequate security to frustrate any attack.
The last time terrorist alarm was raised in Nigeria was during the run up to the April 2007 General Election. An oil tanker filed with bags believed to be explosives was abandoned few yards from the INEC office in Mitama Abuja. A team of United States anti-terrorist and bomb unit was drafted in to assist the Nigeria Police Force in the investigation. Over a year now, nothing has been heard about the investigation that had nationwide prime time TV coverage. No “terrorist” have been arrested, despite the abandoned tanker belonging to AGIP (a major oil company in Nigeria)
The Israeli Ambassador also extended an invitation of his government to the IG to visit Israel and learn from the Israeli Police how to manage emergency situations.
While we agree in the light of the tear gas and life bullet fired at the recent Julius Berger auto crash in Abuja, that there is need for Nigeria Police Force, especially the Mobile Unit to be proactive and rely less on AK 47, this invitation by the Israelites is a Greek gift. Nigeria should say no to this colonisation attempt. It should be remembered that the Israeli Government was criminally silent during the tyrannical years of Abacha and provided both training and fire-power to Abacha’s Strike Force.
Nigeria Policemen have excelled in all international assignment under the United Nations. What is lacking at the home front, is lack of leadership among the officers corps to boost the morale of the rank and file.
In most recent past, two IG (Balogun and Ehindaro) have been fingered and stained with massive corrupt practices.
| 3.2 |
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