Nigeria’s “Safe School Initiative Project”: A poorly conceived lame duck idea!

by Eze Eluchie

As part of its response to the several cases of mass killings and mass abductions of students in educational institutions across Nigeria North East zone, the Nigerian Government has in a move which defies logic and common sense, embarked on a novel plan to relocate students from such war-torn areas to other parts of Nigeria where Boko Haram is not perceived as ‘strong’ to enable the children, who are willing, to continue with their education.

Who in heavens name conceived the so-called ‘Safe Schools Initiative’ Project?  Was it ex-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown or Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala?

You want to provide a ‘safe school’ in a war-torn environment?

Whatever happened to efforts to end hostilities as soon as possible?

The perfidy has been upped by moves to send students in the war-torn areas to schools outside their native environments, where the war has, as at yet, not extended to? Really?

And what happens if Boko Haram activities overrun the various ‘unity schools’ to which these children are transferred? You relocate them to yet other schools in other locations? Certainly, this idea is worthy of not just a Global Prize but also an Inter-Galaxy or Inter-Planetary Prize@#%

Relocating these children without taking into consideration the welfare and upkeep of their parents and other family members exposes a fatal flaw in the thought process of those who conceived the ‘safe school initiative’ project. Is the main idea merely to appear to be supporting ‘formal education’? Even where such efforts are at the detriment of the youngsters’ emotional, psychological and social development?

As this piece was about being published, news of a deadly bomb blast targeted at students who were convening for daily morning assembly at the boys-only Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School in Potiskum, Yobe state, North Eastern Nigeria surfaced - already, the death toll has surpassed 50 (students) with over 70 injured. Perhaps we have one more group of students to relocate under the ‘safe school initiative’ project.  But for how long will this continue?

Have these guys thought about a SAFE SOCIETY PROJECT?




Picture: Corpses of some of the 59 students killed by Boko Haram terrorists at the Government Secondary School, Bunu Yadi, Yobe State. . 

Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives Vacates Seat.

by Eze Eluchie

By announcing his membership of another political party prior to the expiry of the tenure of the House for which he was elected, in the absence of either a division or factionalization in the party which sponsored his nomination into the House of Representatives, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tumbawal, has vacated his seat in the House of Representatives as a Member representing the people of “Sokoto Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency” of Sokoto State, north-west Nigeria!!

The provisions of Section 68{1}(g) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution is explicit and requires nothing else to ensure its enforcement – the pronouncement, by ex-Speaker Tumbawal, of joining the membership of another political party suffices for law enforcement and other agencies of government charged with the enforcement of the Constitution to ensure that the spirit and letters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic is respected and enforced.

Mr. Tambuwal's continued pretense at occupation of the revered position of Speaker and membership of the House of Representatives, after his public pronouncement of becoming a member of another political party other than the one which sponsored his election into the present House of Representatives must be swiftly corrected and visited with the necessary legal and penal consequences, least of which are for impersonation and fraudulent misrepresentation.

An excuse that this explicit provision of our Constitution had not been previously enforced is a non-starter. We must enforce clear cut provisions of our Constitution to avoid the stigma of being regarded/treated with disdain and nonchalance by other actors in the international community and perceived as a ‘banana-republic’.

If we do not begin to take ourselves and our Constitution serious, we may wake up one day down the road from now, only to discover that the President of the Federal Republic, the President of the Senate, a State Governor or other high ranking elected public official has ditched his Nigerian citizenship in favor of a foreign nationality and we will be ruled over by a non-Nigerian, in violation of our Constitution, and be stuck with the lame excuse that previous violations of constitutional provisions as the qualification for contesting or remaining in elective positions had previously been violated without any consequences to the violator.

For starters, the various security agencies must withdraw the retinue of operatives previously attached to Mr. Tambuwal by virtue of his previous position as Speaker of the House of Representatives; the Clerk of the National Assembly must ensure that all properties attached to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives are recovered and kept in safe custody pending when a new Speaker emerges.

Again, where is the Federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation?

Let us begin to take ourselves and our laws serious for once!

Picture: Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tumbawal.

Punishing the Heroes: When Politicians Make Public Health Decisions.

 by Eze Eluchie

The unimaginable scenario of a Farmer making decisions as to when and where to conduct an appendectomy or other medical procedures; or a Medical Doctor having the final say of how many floors to add unto a multi-storey complex, is vividly transformed into a real life horror when persons versed in extracting votes from a hard pressed population take upon themselves the arduous responsibility to, without any recourse to available science or relevant professionals, make decisions which adversely impact public health.

The recent decision of some State Governors in the United States (Governors of New York, New Jersey and Illinois States) ordering a mandatory quarantine of all health workers who traveled to work in countries overburdened by EVD upon their return to the States controlled by these Governors, is a most unfortunate and irrational public health decision taken by those who are apparently solely concerned with pandering to the whims of pedestrian fears and posturing to be ‘protecting’ a population scared by misinformation.

The mandatory quarantining of returning health workers is morally and practically equivalent to applying same quarantine policies to US soldiers and military servicemen returning from military operations overseas.

The reality is that these health workers who traveled to EVD ground-zero countries to assist in tackling the disease at source are heroes who are contributing their quota to ensuring that EVD is contained and does not spread around the globe. Actions, such as the knee-jerk policy being implemented in the 3 States of the US mentioned above, which stigmatize and virtually criminalize these health workers upon their return to the United States will directly serve to dissuade professionals whose expertise is greatly needed to stem the spread of EVD from volunteering to serve in countries where they are most required. The mandatory quarantining will serve to dissuade many professionals who are willing to participate in confronting EVD in the countries where it is attaining near endemic status, thus allowing the disease to further proliferate, eventually and ultimately becoming a greater danger to entire humanity, inclusive of the States taking the unhelpful ‘mandatory quarantine’ decisions.

Oddly enough, the small island State of Cuba, by deploying over 400 health care professionals to EVD ground-zero countries, is taking global leadership in the field of humanitarian and medical assistance, a field where the US once reigned unchallenged.

I do urge a rethink and eventual cancellation of the mandatory quarantine policy presently adopted by some States in the US.

Picture: Quarantine