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Following the
October 1st bombing in Abuja, and subsequent bomb threats in the Three
Arms Zone of the Federal Capital Territory, the National Assembly
management has heightened its security check.

The security checks
and restrictions commenced on Monday, as shuttle buses were barred from
the Assembly premises. The acting deputy clerk in the National
Assembly, Olumuyiwa Adejokun, confirmed the new security measures,
saying he was informed that the Assembly is one of the targets for the
bombers.

Mr. Adejokun said
the decision to stop the shuttle buses from coming in was to control
the inflow of visitors into the Assembly. Other measures which the
management has planned to deploy include restriction of visitors’
movement and a log to monitor the frequency of visits to every office.

Henceforth,
visitors would not be allowed to drive their cars into the premises
too. “They will park outside,” Mr. Adejokun said.

With the new
arrangement, non driving staff and visitors would trek about 500 metres
from the gate to their various offices. However, Mr. Adejokun said the
measures are in the best interest of everybody.

“For the safety of every human being communing in here, we need to do this,” he said.

He also stated that
some strategic offices in the Assembly complex would henceforth be
closed to the public, including restriction on the use of personal
laptops to access the free Internet facilities provided by the
management.

National issue

Meanwhile, the
Senate will, today, deliberate a motion on the October 1st bomb blast.
The debate will be led by Anthony Manzo, of the People’s Democratic
Party, Taraba State, drawing the attention of the Senate to the
incident, which he described as a national embarrassment, for necessary
legislative action.

The Senate is
expected to come up with resolutions condemning the act and to urge the
government to tackle the rise in insecurity in the country. It might
also hasten the passage of an anti terrorism bill, which is currently
before the legislators.

The blasts, which
the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, allegedly
claimed responsibility for, have been roundly condemned by Nigerians
and the international community.

The area where the bombs went off, about some hundreds of metres to
the Eagle Square, has been cordoned off since the incident occurred.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
has embarked on the process of enlightening politicians who may want to
win elections at all cost, its chairman, Attahiru Jega, said yesterday
in Abuja.

Mr. Jega spoke at a lecture titled,
‘Elections and Democracy in Africa: Restoring Nigerian Leadership,’
organised by the United States Embassy.

Responding to concerns raised by some
Nigerians about the 2011 elections, the INEC boss said the commission
has been engaging politicians in discussions to intimate them on the
provisions of the electoral laws, so as to bring civility into the
process of political contestation.

Mr. Jega regretted that the political
terrain has been tainted with the desperation to win elections, but
insisted that it has to change if the nation must have credible polls
next year.

“In this engagement, the underlying
point is bringing civility into the process of political contestation
and campaign, and I think the parties are responding,” he said.

“The terrain has been infused with the
mindset of do-or-die attitude. But it has to change. It is something
that is deep-rooted and so it will take time to change,” he added.

Mr. Jega said that the commission is re-orientating politicians “for them to have the right mindset to accept defeat.”

On the voters register, the INEC
chairman said it was one of the reasons the commission asked for time,
and assured that the commission would satisfy the needs and aspiration
of Nigerians. He explained that so many flaws were discovered in the
previous register, hence it demanded for more time so as to have
credible polls.

“We are working hard now to have a new
voter register. We are going to satisfy the needs and aspirations of
Nigerians. It is a bit slow, but it is going on. The thing is to get it
right,” he stated.

Mr. Jega said the commission is
prepared to collaborate with youth groups in the country that have the
agenda of change, but admitted that it is facing the challenge of
identifying the genuine ones.

According to him, some of the groups
are being misdirected and, therefore, cannot fit into the commission’s
agenda to bring about credible elections in the country.

Repeat June 12

Earlier in his lecture, Richard Joseph,
a professor of International History and Politics at the Northwestern
University in the United States, said the bomb attempt by a Nigerian,
Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab, last December, and last Friday’s incident
have implications for the political security of Nigeria.

He noted that something must give way
in order to sustain democracy in the country, just as he asked
politicians to do away with pursuing electoral victory at all cost.

Mr. Joseph said Nigeria could embark on
the journey of claiming democracy, mandate protection, and enthronement
of accountability, adding “we cannot run away from what happened on
June 12, 1993.”

While praising the leadership qualities
of the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, the professor said the
2011 polls should be used to repeat the credible election of 1993.

The seven newly appointed Deputy Inspector Generals
of Police were inaugurated yesterday in Abuja, amidst a frank admission
by the chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Parry Osayande,
that he almost quit the police force.

Mr. Osayande, while decorating the seven DIGs, charged the officers “to see the new promotions as an act of God.”

He further urged the new leadership of the Force to
understand that “only the President has the power to appoint people he
can work with effectively and, therefore, they should work as a team
during their tenure.”

The former police officer said he almost resigned his
appointment two months ago due to “certain issues”, but was vague about
his reasons.

“It’s due to certain things,” he said. “I was trying
to exercise my fundamental human right of freedom of movement and
association. Nothing more or less.”

The acting Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim,
had earlier told the new management of the Force to prepare for the
great task ahead of them so that what happened to their predecessors
would not repeat itself during their tenure.

“We are aware of the circumstances that brought us to
the fore today. I urged you all in the new management not to behave
like in the past, so that we will not fail,” Mr. Ringim said.

New offices

Immediately after their decorations, the DIGs were
assigned offices. Ivy Okoronkwo, from Abia State, made history by
becoming the first female Deputy to the IGP in the history of Nigeria
Police.

Azubuko John Udah, also from Abia, takes charge of
the administration department. Ganiyu Dawodu, a Lagos indigene, heads
investigations. Sardauna Abubakar of Sokoto State is to take charge of
the E department, training; Audu Abubakar from Kebbi State will be in
charge of the B department, operations.

Others include Saleh Abubakar, Bauchi State, who will
be in charge of the C department, works; and Mohammed A. Yesufu, Delta
State, will occupy the office of F department, planning, research, and
statistics of the Force.

Mrs. Okoronkwo, who responded on behalf of the newly
decorated officers, thanked the Federal Government for giving them the
opportunity to serve in the present capacity and pledged their loyalty
to government and the new IGP.

Some of the
international journalists drinking at the hotels in Abuja were knocked
off their bar stools when they heard the announcement that the First
Lady of the world’s 6th largest oil and gas producer was donating bags
of rice, not for the millions displaced by floods in Jigawa or Cross
River, but to anybody that cared in the capital city, Abuja.

Nigerian colleagues
helped out with explanations – it was to mark the 50th anniversary of
Nigeria’s independence. Why did the present from Mrs. Patience Jonathan
cause a stir, or commotion, the foreigners drilled deeper. But, they
did not get satisfactory answers to their questions.

Food donations by
royalty and the rich are made globally to refugees and populations in
disaster areas as an ameliorative expedient. In Nigeria, the poor are
often fed by the rich, especially during festive occasions.

Rice is presently
expensive in Nigeria. The country is not one of the leading global
producers, but a net importer of the commodity, despite the existence
of a Cereals Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN, the West African Rice
Development Agency, WARDA, and the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture, IITA.

A third and
neglected factor in that “bags-of-rice,” debate, is the decency or
decorum of the idea and distribution process. Nigerians relish in
throwing money at beggars from the windows of their massive cars, which
is demeaning and in some way, a form of self-abuse, not self-esteem.

First of all, Mrs.
Jonathan must be congratulated for confirming to the world at Nigeria’s
golden jubilee that the country is stunted in econimic growth, despite
its oil wealth. She has definitely taken cognisance of the fact that
fish catches at her home-town, Okrika, are no longer what they used to
be. Finfish landings are drastically reduced by post-harvest losses,
thanks to poor refrigeration from regular power cuts. Levels of
pollution through industrial and domestic waste in shellfish, shrimps,
oysters, and periwinkles have increased.

Instantaneous pity
and generosity are common with women, but should the Jonathans return
to Aso Rock next year, the First Lady will have enough time to study
the causes of poverty in Nigeria. Patience Jonathan’s charity and
kindness are meant well, but must be planned for effectiveness. It is a
problem also faced by international aid organisations. Administrative
overheads of aid assistance often overshoot the actual poverty
alleviation on ground.

Open the door

Mrs. Jonathan may
perhaps then initiate the adequate funding of rural development, food
security initiatives, agricultural research and environmental
management in Nigeria.

Our development is
erroneously skewed in favour of urban areas. If 70 percent of Nigerians
are rural dwellers mostly living on below a dollar a day, is that not
where food aid should be directed, and not at the Blackberry-carrying
city people in Abuja?

The villagers that
provide the bulk of our grains, tubers, vegetables, and fruits are
dying of malnutrition, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. We take their statistics,
receive international donor assistance on their behalf, and then spend
the money buying project vehicles, installing air conditioners and
computers in the city, and paying a horde of incompetent consultants.

Poverty will never
vanish through hurling rice bags at people. The successful democracies
on earth are based on a free market economy backed by institutional
pluralism. Within this structure, opportunities are created for people
to feed themselves.

James Brown used to sing, “I don’t want nobody to give me nothing. Open up the door, I’ll take it myself.”

President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration came under severe fire yesterday after two
groups accused his government of bullying and victimisation in an
effort to destabilise his political opponents.

The Ibrahim
Babangida campaign organisation said they will remain resolute and firm
in the face of what they described as “executive brutality and
intimidation” from the presidency.

The Northern
Political Leaders Forum, known as the G-15, yesterday, asked President
Jonathan to resign, in the wake of the October 1st bombings.

Following the
arrest of its coordinator on Monday, the Ibrahim Babangida campaign
organisation also said they remain resolute and firm in the face of
“executive brutality and intimidation” from the presidency.

The group called a
press conference in Abuja, yesterday, to address the allegations
leveled against Raymond Dokpesi, who was briefly arrested by the SSS on
allegations of complicity in the twin bombings.

The deputy
coordinator of the team, Kanti Bello, said the only reason why Mr.
Dokpesi is being hunted is because he rejected the appointment as
director general of the President Goodluck Jonathan campaign
organisation.

“In rejecting the
appointment, Dokpesi informed the world of his belief in the zoning
arrangement of the PDP, where the presidency stays in the north,” Mr.
Bello said.

Resign now

The northern
group, in a statement signed by Adamu Ciroma, also called Mr. Dokpesi’s
arrest a “desperate attempt to validate President Jonathan’s hasty
investigations and prove his predetermined theory right.”

The lengthy
statement rounded off by denouncing Mr. Jonathan’s administration,
saying he was “incapable of leading the nation fairly and that he is
desperate enough to want to hang mass murder around the neck of unnamed
Northerners to achieve his second term.”

The group said Mr. Jonathan should, therefore, resign or face possible impeachment proceedings in the National Assembly.

Last week’s bomb
blast in Abuja has taught residents of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) to learn to take extra security measures by sleeping with one eye
wide open, such that they would not hesitate to push the panic button
at the slight suspicion of any threat to their safety.

Yesterday, there
was massive panic around the vicinity of the NNPC Towers, the
headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, following
rumours of a bomb scare within the imposing edifice, located along the
ever-busy Herbert Macaulay Way, in the Central Business District of the
city.

Most commercial
vehicle operators and other motorists who saw a huge build-up of
vehicles and human traffic around the NNPC building went to town with
the information that the masterminds of last Friday’s bomb blast had,
perhaps, relocated their trade to the building.

According to the
rumour, work had been forced to hastily close for the day, while staff
were being hurriedly evacuated as a result of the “incident.”

Majority of the
people around the vicinity of the building did not wait to confirm the
veracity of the speculation, as they made frantic turns in the opposite
direction in the bid to escape.

Security drill it was

Words spread fast,
as the whole town was engulfed in palpable panic, with some people who
may not have gone near the area telling others they met heading in the
direction of the NNPC building to make a detour to other places.

But NNPC’s
spokesperson, Levi Ajuonuma, in a terse response to NEXT inquiries,
asked members of the public to disregard the rumour for what it is.

“Please, disregard
such rumour. We did a simple routine security drill and people see it
as a bomb threat,” Mr. Ajuonuma said in a text message.

NEXT gathered that,
as part of the need to prevent a repeat of last week’s ugly incident,
most key government establishments and organisations have taken extra
precaution by carrying out various measures to update their security
systems, to prepare them for any posssibility, including a bomb
incident.

It was learnt that
as part of its security precaution, the security department of the
corporation had organised a programme to reinforce its security system
to ascertain safety of staff and members of the public.

Part of the measures, NEXT learnt, was to ensure that all vehicles
attempting to enter the premises were subjected to a thorough extra
security checks, an exercise that caused a long traffic snarl around
the entrance of the headquarters building.

The Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) has advised President Goodluck Jonathan not to jump to
conclusions over Friday’s bomb attacks in Abuja, demanding that
investigators must be allowed to do a thorough job so they can fish out
the culprits.

This is coming just
as the Lagos State House of Assembly passed a resolution on Monday
demanding the apprehension of the perpetrators of the bomb explosion in
Abuja that almost marred the nation’s 50th Independence celebrations and
claimed about 10 lives.

The resolution,
passed by the lawmakers after deliberating on the event under matters of
urgent public importance, argued that many criminal acts have been
perpetrated in Nigeria with impunity and it is becoming a norm.

ACN’s national
publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, in a statement, warned that “hasty
conclusions, like the one in which the President said the attacks were
not perpetrated by MEND but by a small group of terrorists outside
Nigeria, is capable of hindering investigations.

“This reminds us of
what the then President Olusegun Obasanjo said when Alfred Dikibo was
murdered on February 6th, 2004, that armed robbers killed the PDP
stalwart, even when no investigation had yet been conducted into the
murder! Such statements from highly-placed personalities as the
president are diversionary and have a way of prejudicing
investigations.”

The party also
expressed the hope that the federal government would not capitalise on
the bomb attacks to target the opposition, especially in view of the
kind of the strong rhetoric emanating from the presidency.

It said there is no
doubt that Nigerians were unanimous in condemning the killing of
innocent people for whatever reason, “and we join them in condemning in
the strongest possible terms the senseless killings in Abuja on October
1st. Nothing in the world can justify the mindless shedding of innocent
blood,” the ACN statement read.

The party, however,
expressed concern at the complacency of the country’s security agencies
which, despite admitting being alerted by foreign intelligence agencies
and with a prior warning from MEND, still failed to prevent the
explosions that spoilt the country’s 50th independence anniversary
celebrations.

Expressing worry
over the nation’s poor security, the party wondered that “if they
(security agencies) cannot ensure the protection of lives and property
now, what assurance is there that they can do so during the 2011 general
elections and help provide a conducive atmosphere for the conduct of a
free, fair, and credible elections?

“While it is
reassuring that the president has promised to overhaul the security
system, we must warn that overhauling the system does not necessarily
mean engaging in cosmetic changes like the recent change of guards in
the military, the police, and the SSS. It must involve issues of
training, equipment, and conducive work environment, among others,” it
said.

The lawmakers advised the federal government to enhance its security
systems and also called on Nigerians to condemn the incident and demand
nothing short of a thorough investigation that will yield a logical
conclusion.

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday
asked Babatunde Fafunwa, former minister of education, to apologise to
Nigerians over the failure of the 6-3-3-4 system of education.

Speaking during an interactive session
at the opening of the Presidential Stakeholder’s Summit, at the
Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, he said the system has failed to provide the
solutions to the Nigerian educational system.

From Mr. Jonathan’s position, there are
strong indications that the Presidential Summit may recommend reverting
the educational system in the country to what it used to be.

Self reliant youth

The 6-3-3-4 system of education came
into being in 1983 with the primary focus of meeting the educational
needs of its citizenry and equipping the youth with skills that will
make them self reliant.

Twenty-five years after, a new
educational system called the Universal Basic Education (UBE), otherwise
known as the 9-3-4, has been re-introduced, whose curriculum is
expected to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2020.

Florence Fabian, a participant at the
event, said the problems associated with education are not only peculiar
to education alone, but a general problem that affects the Nigerian
society, which can only be solved with good leadership.

She rhetorically asked if the president
was prepared to provide the required leadership that will transform the
system, since this was the solution the educational system needed.

Contributing to the debate, Ovie
Emmanuel Sideso Abe, corroborated Ms. Fabian’s view and urged President
Jonathan to do something different in moving education out of the
doldrums.

A traditional ruler, who spoke on the
need to “de-politicise education so that proper quality education is
handed down to Nigerians,” also dwelt on the need for comprehensive data
collection and quality access and equity in education, saying that this
may go a long way in improving Nigeria’s education system.

He called for a joint funding of
education and streamlined quality of education, suggesting that this was
one of the ways of repositioning education in Nigeria.

Faruk Lawan, chairman, house committee
on education, also supported joint funding, and went ahead to advocate
parental contributions, lamenting that the value of education and the
curriculum that is taught in higher institutions have become irrelevant
to the overall needs of the country.

The lawmaker discussed the issue of corruption in the education sector and called for accountability in the system.

Julius Okojie, the executive secretary,
National Universities Commission (NUC), spoke on the low quality of
entrance into universities, and the need for strict regulations.

Mr. Okojie said morality on the part of
higher education administrators is very important, stating that without
“morality there can’t be standard in the system.”

He further spoke on the quality of
lectures in the different institutions, and noted that “no system in the
world can develop when those doing the teaching are not qualified.”

Pitfalls of education

Dibu Ojerinde, JAMB executive secretary,
spoke on the factors militating against education in Nigeria,
especially the issue of space availability, discrimination in course
choices, and the quality of teachers, stating that “if these issues
aren’t resolved, education cannot move forward.”

He also spoke on the inconsistent
academic calendars and the years of graduation, and said “government
must do something to regularise it.”

Mr. Ojerinde further lamented the level
of examination malpractices in the education system and noted that
adequate punishment must be meted to culprits. He further attributed the
mass failure in the school system to lack of adequate teaching and
teaching infrastructure, adding that most teachers do not cover the
syllabus.

“It is difficult to curtail exam
malpractices when they can giraffe in open halls. If exams are well
conducted, we will get the best results,” he said.

He added that public exams bodies, like
WASEC and NECO, which are the gate keepers, would have the best results
if the right things are done.

Addison Wokocha, registrar, Teachers
Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), blamed teachers at all the tiers
of education, as been responsible for the poor education foundation in
the country.

He lamented that state governments do
not employ qualified teachers to teach in the respective state schools
and noted that in most cases, the state governments resort to deploying
members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to teach in state
schools, even when they are not qualified to teach.

The TRCN scribe further said they have
taken the decision to stop the deployment of unqualified teachers to
teach in any Nigerian school.

Tobacco industry watchdog, Corporate Accountability
International, and its allies, on Monday, released a report documenting
widespread tobacco industry interference in the implementation of the
global tobacco treaty (formally known as the World Health Organisation
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control).

The report’s release kicks off a string of grassroots
actions in dozens of countries leading up to November’s treaty meeting
in Punta del Este, Uruguay. At stake are nearly 200 million lives – the
number of lives the World Health Organisation projects would be spared
by 2050 if the treaty takes full effect – and the tobacco industry
interference remains the single greatest obstacle to this objective.
During this year’s 10th International Week of Resistance to Tobacco
Transnationals, which began on Monday, the anti-tobacco groups say that
their actions will expose industry obstructionism in countries around
the globe which they hope would build momentum going into the November
meeting.

Showing solidarity

The Week is also an opportunity for the global
community to speak out in solidarity with Uruguay; Philip Morris
International is suing Uruguay for implementing a treaty provision
requiring stronger cigarette pack health warning labels. “Big Tobacco
first tried to bully the global community out of advancing this treaty.
Now it’s attempting to bully countries out of enforcing it,” said Gigi
Kellett, the Director of Corporate Accountability International’s
campaign Challenging Big Tobacco. “Still, our findings indicate that the
industry’s resolve to defy the law is matched only by civil society’s
resolve to end industry intimidation,” he said.

The report cited some of the tactics used by the
tobacco industry to undermine treaty implementation to include the
donation of $200 million to the Columbian government by Philip Morris
International following the adoption of treaty implementation
legislation to “address areas of mutual interest;” the appointment of a
former British American Tobacco executive, Kenneth Clarke, as Justice
Minister – he would oversee a recent lawsuit by BAT and its competitors
against a new law cracking down on tobacco product displays; and
engaging in a string of lawsuits regarding tobacco product displays,
packaging, and health warning labels from Australia and the Philippines
to Norway. All of these tactics, the groups say, are in direct defiance
of the treaty, specifically its Article 5.3, which deems such industry
interference to be in fundamental conflict with the treaty’s public
health aims.

Slow progress

The report also finds that Article 5.3 is being used
to great effect globally to insulate the treaty’s implementation against
the tobacco industry. Action ranges from Mauritius becoming the first
country to ban all tobacco industry “corporate social responsibility”
schemes to Panama’s prohibiting government agencies and officials from
accepting tobacco industry contributions. “Those countries, large and
small, that refuse to be intimidated, are emboldening others to follow
their lead,” said Philip Jakpor, spokesperson for Environmental Rights
Action in Nigeria and the Network for Accountability of Tobacco
Transnationals (NATT).

“The success of the November treaty meeting will be
measured by the number of Parties that return to their countries with a
plan to root out industry interference. Millions of lives are on the
line,” Mr Jakpor said. In Nigeria, the Senate Committee on Health held a
Public Hearing on the Tobacco Control Bill in July last year and the
bill is still awaiting passage into law at senate’s plenary. Each year,
tobacco kills more than five million people and 80 percent of those
deaths are in low-income countries, where treaty implementation
represents some of the first efforts at tobacco control.

One hundred and seventy-one countries have ratified the global
tobacco treaty since its entry into force in 2005. Today, the treaty
protects more than 87 percent of the world’s population.

A former chief of defence staff and retired general, Andrew Azazi, has been appointed as the new National Security Adviser.

Mr. Azazi replaces
Mohammed Aliyu Gusau who resigned his position last month to contest the
2011 presidential elections. He takes over from Kayode Are, a retired
colonel who had held the post in acting capacity after Mr. Gusau’s exit.

In a statement
yesterday, the spokesperson to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ima Niboro,
said the appointment is with immediate effect.

Rich military career

The spokesperson said Mr. Azazi joins the present “administration from a rich and illustrious career in the military”.

Mr. Azazi was the
chief of army staff and later chief of defence staff under the late
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration.

The new presidential
aide, who hails from Bayelsa State as the President, was commissioned
into the Nigeria Army as an intelligence officer and rose to the
position of Director of military intelligence, DMI, from where he was
appointed General Officer Commanding, GOC 1 Infantry Division before
becoming chief of army staff. He retired from service on August 28,
2008.

According to the
spokesperson, Mr. Jonathan thanked the outgoing acting NSA, Mr. Are, a
former director-general of the State Security Services, SSS under the
Olusegun Obasanjo administration for his services.

The appointment of
Mr. Azazi as new chief security adviser is coming a few days after a
twin bomb exploded in Abuja during activities marking the country’s 50th
anniversary celebrations. The Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta (MEND) had claimed responsibility for the bombings. However,
Mr. Jonathan blamed the attacks on a foreign terror group with local
backings.