THE NATION MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2012
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CARTOON & LETTERS
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IR: The public hearings which attended the constitutional amendment process has revealed the anxieties amongst citizens many of whom have been thinking aloud on whether the National Assembly would live up to expectation. This is in the background of the entrenched notion that the Assembly is not so much in tune with the yearnings and aspirations of the people of Nigeria. This sad but painful perception must be corrected in a deliberate manner. I am yet to see any Nigerian who wishes for the country to continue on this path except those who are making a fortune from this skewed arrangement. In the past, many have advanced logical and highly convincing arguments for the re-structuring of Nigeria in such a manner that will make it work to the delight and reward of all and sundry but regretfully that is yet to receive government attention. The challenge is how to build Nigeria without fear and without grievances? It might appear simplistic but with every blast from indiscriminate killings and maiming of innocent Nigerians, rancour and flare of ethnic acrimony which has remained a recurring decimal of our history, it is evident that the national fabric is under strain. We must all rise up before this house caves in. The failure to live true to our claim to principles of federalism has made a mockery of us. The pains and frustrations are ever mounting and if all men and women of good conscience do not act and do so in a deft manner, then we all might be consumed in the
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How to make Nigeria work looming anarchy. Nothing is more fundamental for us at this moment than for us to answer without any deceit if what is obtainable is the best for Nigeria. I nurse no doubt that we are not at our best given the enormous mineral and human deposit which abound within our national frontiers. Given that we have travelled this road before without much success, it will do no hurt but rather a lot of good if we can be courageous enough to candidly answer the question of how to organize Nigeria that the best can be gotten from the composite nationalities under a stable and virile government. It is not a presumption that the vast majority of Nigerians want a functional and
stable polity. Given that fact, the National Assembly should not foreclose any option in its task to fashion a living constitution for the benefit of all our country men and women. The agitation to address the nationality question is not, and should never be misconstrued as calling for the balkanization of the country. The fire of the nationality question which was lit shortly after independence in 1960 has continued to grow in intensity simply because the relationship between the nationalities has remained one defined by fears of domination, some real, others imaginary. In such a foul atmosphere, it is only rational for us to seek a truce in a potentially charged arrangement. The best way
in my candid opinion is for all nationalities that make up Nigeria to step forward with a road map that will assuage their fears. We must be bold to make a necessary change. The reason why every nationality within Nigeria makes desperate push to control political power at the centre at all cost is the absence of considerable autonomy for all to flourish at own pace. Many Nigerians have been killed or maimed and many more face a grim future in our country for no fault of theirs, perhaps simply because of their mode of worship, place of birth or economic status and place of birth. Whatever motivation that propels this rabid intolerance should be addressed rather than
IR: It’s only a man whose’s consciousness has been riddled with bullet’s of blind mentality and incurable irrationality that can confute the axiomatic submission of Claude Mekay’s magnum opus titled“if we must die”. Claude was right when he told us in his poem that “if we must die, let it not be like dogs, hunted and penned in inglorious spot. If we must die, let us nobly die”. Merchants of sudden death and
death-defying ogres invaded Saint Theresa Catholic Church last Christmas and killed their fellow men like dogs during Christmas mass. Men and women, boys and girls who left home for the Church to celebrate the birth of Church, never returned to home, as they were sent to Golgotha in unimaginable pieces by despicable death hawkers. I understood John F. Kennedy when he said “forgive your enemies
but never forget their names”. Others may choose to forgive and forget those monstrous gallowbirds’sflying like vultures in search for harmless prey, but I will never forget. As I urge Nigerians to stay on alert this Christmas, please let’s make it a solemn duty to give useful information about those irredeemable agents of unthinkable criminality to security agents nearest to you. I think the best way to celebrate this season is to assist our
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• Rotimi Opeyeoluwa, rotbaba@gmail.com
Remembering Madallah blast victims
Oyo SUBEB should get its priorities right IR: The continuous building of classrooms for our primary schools in Oyo State despite the dwindling population of pupils in these schools and the fact that the classrooms built by past administrations, local governments, constituency project of members of Oyo state House of Assembly, ETF and PTA are underutilized has continued to be a source of concern for me. Does Oyo SUBEB have any agenda for our primary schools aside provision of classrooms? As at the time of writing this piece, construction
fold our hands until the entire country slips into a bloodbath. Clearly, the fissures generated by such a potentially destructive path continue to grow with each passing day simply because of the erroneous believe that a section of the country holds the master key or is actually the master in a lopsided arrangement. It has not worked in the past and will never work if we are sincere enough to face the truth. We must re-examine our perceived “settled issues” with a view to making our country truly functional. It is an ethical issue which if well handled will usher us to a more purposeful living. There is ample example to point to the fact that we have breached universally known face of federalism and compounded problems of harmonious ethnic coexistence for so long. The greatest gift we can give to our country men and women is to be guided by this historic mission to alter for good our reality of today.
works are on-going in various primary schools in the state. While there is nothing bad in providing classrooms for our pupils, what I frown at is the policy which gives priority to building of classrooms for building sake. In other words, building of more classrooms when the available ones are underutilized is a misplaced priority. As such, most of the playing grounds in many schools have given in to new classrooms, thereby crippling sporting activities in various schools. In relation to the above, there are many der-
elict classrooms buildings in many schools that are craving in and need urgent maintenance I believe it is more reasonable to maintain the old classrooms than building new ones in view of economic problems staring the nation in the face. My position is that it is high time that Oyo SUBEB review its policies as concerned our primary schools. Aside classrooms, there are many innovations that could be introduced to make our primary schools conducive for learning. As an example, the schools can be fenced,
well drained with modern toiletries and boreholes. Aside, solar powered street lights could be created at strategic places in the schools to illuminate the school compound at nights. This will stop hoodlums from using these schools as hideouts to perpetrate evils. Lastly, library facilities could be provided for our primary schools as this would promote reading habits among our pupils early in life. • Adewuyi Adegbite Apake Ogbomoso
security agency with credible and timely information so that we can have a peaceful celebration this year. Remember security is the duty of all. We should never submit to fear and together we can defeat our fear. Therefore, I urge you to resist the temptation of forsaking the house of God this Christmas. We should be in church if we wish and do not forsake the church because of those monstrous characters, who come like the biblical thief in the night to kill, steal and destroy. Let’s remember the victims of Saints Theresa Catholic Church tragedy in our silent prayers. May God grant them eternal rest and comfort their families left behind. Certainly, the time to end the groundless and senseless violence is now. Since they say “it is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war”, because after war-war, we will still go to the table of ‘talktalk’ to discuss, why not discuss and avoid war-war? To Christians I say keep faith, for the abyss of darkness awaits those despicable ‘ganakos’ who invade places of worship. • Godfrey Ehi O. Benin City