May 26, 2014 by The Nation

THE NATION MONDAY, MAY 26, 2014

COMMENTS

Y all indications, Nigeria is now home to terrorism. Similarly, its dire manifestations: killings, destruction, shock and awe have come to stay with us. Even with international coalition to fish out and release the abducted Chibok school girls, the terrorists have in the last couple of days, shown beyond unmistakable terms that they will not let go. They appear determined to demonstrate their capacity to strike in any state of their choice especially in the northern part of the country. That ought to be the proper reading of the twin bombs that killed over 120 people in Jos, Plateau state with scores of others inflicted with varying degrees of injury. Before then, there was another successful bomb attack in Kano that wreaked unmitigated havoc in human lives and property. The message which the renewed bombing and killing of innocent citizens is meant to convey is the terrorists’ unlimited capacity to inflict pains on our people beyond Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states where local and international attention is currently focused. Therefore, the target of the terrorists and their sponsors is not just about the abduction that has been accomplished but how to enforce their devious and wired agenda on the rest of the country. Campaigns and demonstrations that seek to focus on the abducted girls may miss the point if a holistic perspective of the phenomenon is not undertaken now. It is even possible that having been put under pressure in the north-east axis, the terrorists will begin to focus on other areas of less attention. There is therefore the compelling imperative to evolve measures to prevent terrorism from spreading to other parts of the country. And because of the very unlikely prospect of the scourge fizzling out very soon, our citizens should brace up for a long drawn battle with terrorists. Matters are not remedied given that we are confronted with an asymmetrical warfare. For a country that is battling with high level poverty, ignorance and disease, the effects of the current war on high defense budgets will leave very little if anything for the pursuit of our development programme. We are thus left with a vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment. That is the sad fate those who promote this evil scourge have consigned this country to. Already we have been forced to allow foreign countries into our territory on account of this self-inflicted problem. As desirable as

Emeka OMEIHE 08112662675 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Living with terrorism foreign intervention may be at this point in time, it comes with its own shortcomings. It has its repercussions for a sovereign nation irrespective of the fact that international cooperation has been a major feature of the fight against terrorism due to its peculiar nature. Those who are helping have come with their own terms. The days ahead will witness a massive deployment of resources to fight terrorism. It will involve the acquisition of sophisticated technology such that the foreign countries offer. It will entail a comprehensive security network through out the length and breadth of the country to reduce the relative ease with which terrorists penetrate vulnerable segments of our communities. All these will take a lot from the national purse. The defense industries of the advanced countries will have patronage. Yet, this is a problem this county could have avoided but for greed, self-serving and sectional promptings. And for a society that lacks the basic data on its citizens and foreigners as well, the situation can be that hopeless. With the uncontrolled influx of neighboring African countries, the inability to differentiate some of them from Nigerians, it can only be imagined the difficulty to be encountered keeping a tab on movements and suspicious elements. Our society is at the moment very porous with security counting for little in the daily calculations of the ordinary people. It is therefore to be expected that such a society will harvest plentifully from the evil machinations of these purveyors of terror. The fact that even the most sophisticated and highly advanced countries have not been able to rid themselves of terrorism is a sufficient

HEN the history of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic is finally written, one man, a public administrator of uncanny acumen, will tower highly on the pages of that account. He will be so specially recognised not on account of his volubility or seeming Spartan lifestyle. Reasonably, Governor Rauf Aregbesola will attract a huge focus in that chronicle because of his sterling performance and consistent delivery of good governance in Osun State, a once economically drab, socially sick, and politically explosive landlocked state. While not neglecting the evident changes taking place in other sectors of the state since the Aregbesola administration began in 2010, I must confess that I have been more dispassionately concerned with what happens in the education sector of the state. From the reforms, the innovative initiatives, to the hefty sum being sunk in the public education system of Osun, there can be no doubt that the interest of the Aregbesola government in the advancement of education as a vital element of enduring human and physical development is not superficial. Specifically, the vastly improved Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, famously regarded as Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS) is one of the areas in the education sector of the state that the incandescent light of good governance has been determinedly beamed. The success of this programme brings to mind the indisputable fact that the sector-wide development being witnessed in Osun is a product of the robust resourcefulness, rugged will, uncommon prudence, and practicable vision of the Aregbesola administration. OMEALS has been sustained for two years. It is a stirring testimony to the inspiring ability of the administration to provide invaluably enduring programme. This free school-feeding programme covers some 500,000 pupils enrolled in grades one to four of all government-owned elementary schools. It is firmly founded on the objectives of alleviating hunger and malnutrition among school children; addressing specific micronutrient deficiencies in school-age children for better school performance; motivating parents to enrol their children in school and have them attend regularly; and stimulating job creation, local goods production and to boost

‘The government in Osun understands that nutrients are quite critical for optimal brain development, hence its unwavering commitment to the free-feeding initiative and uncompromising provision of functional education. Those who steer the ship of governance in Osun understand that it is with well-fed, well-groomed, well-bred, and welleducated minds that society attains great heights in development’

indication that we are in for hard times if those who sponsor Boko Haram do not have a change of heart. Since bad habits die hard, it is safer to assume that terrorism has come to stay with us. It will not quickly disappear in the same manner armed robbery, kidnapping and militancy have not. Apart from any comprehensive programme the government may put in place to detect and make terrorism a very risky endeavor, we must begin to prepare our citizens to brace up for the scourge. It is time to commence very aggressive and comprehensive sensitization programme to acquaint our people with the necessary precautions and safety valves against terrorism. The high casualty recorded in the Jos incident would have been avoided had the local population been properly schooled on the right responses when bombs are detonated. For now, such campaigns are not on and not many know what to do in such circumstances. Plateau State commissioner of police Chris Olakpe captured the above scenario very succinctly when he warned the public against rushing to bomb blasts scenes as the possibility of another primed to explode soon after was very high. As it turned out, it was a second explosion that wreaked much of the havoc in the Jos incident. He also gave another tip on what people should do immediately they hear a blast near them. He advised that when such blasts occur, people close by should lie down to avoid being hit by flying objects. Another security expert Dr. Ona Ekhomu has also come out with a piece of advice on

how to detect the making of improvised bombs and the materials that go into them. He said “accumulating gas cylinders or bags of fertilizer are terrorists’ attack pre-incident indicators which could signal the imminence of a bomb attack”. He also spoke on monitoring people who behave in very suspicious and secretive ways as it fits into the characterization of terror agents. These tips are very useful and needful given that terrorism is unlikely to disappear from our shores so soon. We must therefore brace up for the reality it has become, educate and sensitize our people on how to detect the making of bombs so as to aid in apprehending culprits. And since the possibility is there that some of the terrorists will still succeed in their devious endeavors, we must arm the people on the right responses whenever there is a bomb explosion. The Jos experience has shown clearly that the message of keeping off bomb blast scenes is yet to be internalized. It therefore calls for a more comprehensive sensitization approach, deploying modern means of mass communication including the traditional ones to drum these messages into the ears of the ordinary people. These are the measures that will add value to the current fight against terrorism and not endless street demonstrations. We must proceed beyond the current euphoria to institute and internalize measures not only to detect terrorists but reduce the pains associated with their activities due to ignorance on the part of the public.

‘The Jos experience has shown clearly that the message of keeping off bomb blast scenes is yet to be internalized. It therefore calls for a more c o m p r e h e n s i v e sensitization approach, deploying modern means of mass communication including the traditional ones to drum these messages into the ears of the ordinary people’

Appraising Osun’s O-Meals programme By Lanre Oladeji local farmers’ incomes. On every school day, these pupils are fed with highly nutritious meals made up of yam with fish stew and orange; rice and beans with chicken; beans porridge and bread with whole egg and banana; and cocoyam porridge with vegetable soup and beef, with a slice of pawpaw. This initiative, as reports indicate, has seen to the gainful empowerment of over 3000 women who serve as food vendors in all the schools across Osun. The disbursement of about N3 billion annually by the state government to sustain the programme is itself a marker of the power of vision and what only a responsible government can do. The O-MEALS programme is a resoundingly well-restructured idea. And this is no frivolous claim. This assertion can be substantiated by looking at the quality of international supports and acclaims the programme has engendered, its implications on the education of children in the state, and the economic spinoffs. All of these prove that the programme is not a misbegotten idea. With respect to genetic predisposition to intelligence, good nutrition plays an immeasurable role in cognitive development of children. Studies have shown that nutrient deficiency in children often affects the development of their brain, the engine room of the human body. Children who are deficient in nutrients and are poorly fed will not only be sickly and look terrifyingly gaunt; they will equally have weaker brain power coupled with a demeaning lack of confidence. In class, they will do everything but give meaningful attention to learning. They will listen to teachers desultorily. Rather than remember the salient thrusts of their lessons, they have the rumbling worms in their stomachs to remind them of the pang of hunger. This is the hell from which the Aregbesola administration has rescued the school children. With the nutritious meals, provision of modern learning facilities, conducive learning atmosphere, and qualified teachers, there can be no doubt that sound and round education is the lot of these children. The children now look healthier, more robust, and more confident. Their brains are being energised for effective performance on a daily basis. It now matters little, if any at all, that these children attend public schools. The government in Osun understands that nutrients are quite critical for optimal brain development, hence its unwavering commitment to the free-feeding initiative and uncompromising provision of functional education. Those who steer the ship of governance in Osun understand that it is with well-fed, wellgroomed, well-bred, and well-educated minds that society

attains great heights in development. As a full package, the O-MEALS programme has positive impact on the economy and agricultural sector of Osun. Cocoyam farming (aptly tagged ‘Cocoyam Rebirth Farming’) has taken a new dimension and many hands are already being gainfully engaged in that area. Cocoyam, especially the pink species, is said to have higher nutritional value than yam. Its inclusion in the menu of the school meal is a sensible decision. Similarly, poultry, livestock and catfish farming now thrives in the state, improving the quality of life of farmers and reinflating the domestic economy of Osun. It can be safely concluded that the quest of Osun for economic development benefits richly from the active involvement of its people. They not only benefit from government’s programmes, they also play important roles in their execution. That is evidence that people-oriented government is what subsists in Osun in the last three years. It is equally noteworthy that the restructured O-MEALS initiative under the watch of Aregbesola has attracted international attention. The international acclaims and backing from organisations like the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) UK, the World Bank, and the World Food Programme are strong proofs that out there in Osun is a responsive and responsible government. Given that the Osun State government has by action shown it is responsible, serious and prudent in the management of resources, it will be good judgement on the part of these international organisations to further support and help to expand the coverage of the programme to include both Middle and High School students. This will make for a complete programme. This is a programme that will do all of Nigerian children good – not only those in Osun. It is, therefore, a welcome development that the federal government has found the need to copy this programme and make it an essential part of the Universal Basic Education programme. It is even more encouraging that roundtable discussions are being organised on how to get the programme going in all the states of the federation. Nigeria needs the kind of revolution that has reshaped for good the public education system in Osun. Let those in charge rouse themselves to action, demonstrating the right will, translating vision into reality, and providing good governance through prudence and creativity – all of which are the hallmarks of the Aregbesola administration. They should know, as Confucius enlightens, that ‘[n]o nation goes bankrupt educating its people’. Every naira spent to make the Home-Grown School Feeding programme work would be worth it. • Oladeji writes from Ede, Osun State.