Why history matters

By Bankole ‘SijiAwosika
The synopsis of circumstantial events that literally compelled me to write this book I am the Nigerian Nation can be traced back to January 7, 1968. When I woke up that Sunday morning in New York, where I was working at the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, I had wanted to buy my favourite New York Post when the screaming headline of ‘I am the Nation’ in the New York Times caught my attention and aroused my curiosity. The personal pronoun beginning the word “I” am was repeated over 20 times in the one-page article.

This is indicative of an autobiography. It was also written in the present tense which emphasised its timeless genre. It was all about the history of the United States of America; the founding fathers, the historical personalities; the swashbuckling heroes of great adventures; the war heroes of the Alamo, the Maine and the Pearl Harbor and the titanic struggle against colonialism and for Christian religion were predominantly highlighted. The genesis of the educational system that gave birth to thousands of universities including the universally renowned ones got prominent mention. The popularity of sports, the prowess and achievement of sporting personalities and clubs also featured in it. Popular playwrights and actors heralded the birth of Hollywood. Various places of interest that enhanced the growth of tourism and culture were featured.

With this article in mind, it dawned on me, years later that I have been destined and well equipped by my background and experience, particularly in the Nigerian foreign service to join the campaign for the resuscitation of history as a subject within the school curriculum.

I served in New York, Cairo, London, Edinburgh and Tokyo. Most importantly I was seconded to the International Secretariat of the festival of African arts and culture, popularly known as FESTAC ’77.

This gave me, as the Deputy Director of Protocol, the opportunity to be elaborately involved in the hosting of the global fiesta popularly referred to as FESTAC. Indeed, I travelled extensively throughout Nigeria arranging for accommodation, feeding, entertainment and tourism identifying places that may be of tourism interest. I attended many local festivals and entertainment venues. These included the thrilling Eyo festival in Lagos; the enormously popular and indigenous Ojude Oba in Ijebu-Ode, the historical Olojo in the “source” city of Ile-Ife, the hilarious Osun Osogbo in Osogbo; home-beckoning Azu-Ofala in Onitsha, the age-long Igue festival in Benin, the cultural parade of horse riders and gaily attire participants at the Durbar festival in Kaduna, the jubilant participants and throngs of spectators at the Ogun festival in Ondo, the highly cultural Igogo festival in Owo, the New Yam festival by the Nri people in Igbo land, the picturesque drums and songs of Regatta participants in the riverine areas, the fishing extravaganza at Argungu, and the Mmanwu festival featuring about 2500 masquerades in Awka, Anambra State. All these festivals were mentioned and described in the book.

I witnessed and participated in some epochal events which bear relevance to our nation, Nigeria. It is, therefore, incumbent on me to narrate in details my experience and observations in furtherance of my quest and campaign for the reawakening of interest in the study of history and its restoration to the curriculum in schools in Nigeria.

The importance of the study of history as a subject in schools can hardly be over-emphasised, History will broaden ones perspectives about life and society. It is a pity that nowadays, people, particularly parents are not aware, or couldn’t care less about whether their children and wards are taught the subject, History. People do not seem to understand the implication of ignoring history. It is like a winding river whose source has not been traced. The river runs the imminent risk of drying up.

History teaches morals. In the past, we used to be taught morals on the assembly grounds in the primary and secondary schools. History explains and defines the past, gives direction to the present by way of repairs, adjustments and damage control and gives the opportunity to plan and map out strategies for the future.

The Bible says “people perish for lack of knowledge”, where there is no sense of history, there will be no moral. Where such is lacking there will be anarchy. Perhaps this explains what is happening today in our country. The study of history should not be merely to appreciate the past but also to draw useful inspiration and lessons for the future. The mistakes and pitfalls of the past should be identified, corrected and eradicated to enable progress into a buoyant future.

Charity begins at home for instance some of the causes of Nigeria’s ethno-religious discords are located in our neo-colonial past. If today’s youths do not fully understand the history of their country and Africa, then one can imagine the type of leaders they would turn out to be in the future.

Certain historical details should not be consigned to the dustbin of the forgotten past. People, the youths in particular, should know the history of how civilisations and empires rose and fell in many parts of the country in centuries past. They should know about the causes, course and effects of Nigeria/Biafra Civil War from 1967-1970. What about the study of Ife, including its arts and architectures, of Benin civilisation, or Nok, Esie and so on? It is important to let the younger generation know the history of men and women whose activities and sacrifices challenged colonialism and laid the foundation for independence and self-governance. We should recall the religious crusading zeal of Ajayi Crowther and Othman Dan Fodio. We should teach the younger generation about the front-line activities of Herbert Macaulay; the colourful and vivacious Nnamdi Azikiwe; the leadership qualities of Ahmadu Bello; the innovative and pioneering zeal of Obafemi Awolowo, the spectacular image of Festus Okoti-Eboh, popularly known as Omimi Ejoh, the bombastic expression of “man of timber and caliber” K.O. Mbadiwe and “the King of boycotts”, Mbonu Ojike. By extension, what about the Aba women’s riot or the 1945 general strike which was the major political action that defined Nigeria as a Nation because it united workers from across the country who joined the fray to better their lot. They should go to Badagry to see the first story building in Nigeria, the first dug-out well and first Bible translated from English to local language.

In other spheres, youths should know about the history of sports and entertainment. They should draw inspiration from the 1949 “UK tourists” in soccer. They should know about the football wizardry and messmerising ball control of the master dribbler, thunder bolt Balogun, the inimitable Henshaw and his fierce shorts, the unerring and accurate passes of “Golden Toe” Titus Okere and Patrick Noquapor whom the legendary Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana daubed as “that dangerous number 11” because of his speed and ball control.

The entertainment industry is now on all lips. But history should recall the pristine and home-grown efforts and performances of the doyen of Nigeria theatre and cinema, Hubert Ogunde, Duro Ladipo and Kola Ogunmola. They were there before the advent of Nollywood.

At the risk of sounding imperious or alarmist, I aver that any country without a past would have no future. All the aforementioned facts are the essential ingredients of the country’s history that must be taught. They include the steps taken through Labour, solidarity and sacrifices.

• Being Awosika’s remarks at the launching of his book “I am the Nigerian Nation”

Budget 2016

Again, Budget 2016

By: Olatunji Dareon

It is probably just as well that the National Assembly has suspended discussion and deliberation on President Muhammadu Buhari’s budget proposals for fiscal 2016. There is simply no way to move forward on a document so gravely flawed and so lacking in the basic integrity with which Buhari is widely credited.

The more one learns about the budget proposals, the more one is distressed that it was ever presented as a Budget of Change. For it is nothing of the sort. It is in many ways a budget of Continuity – continuity of the feeding frenzy, the financial recklessness and the sheer rapacity of the Jonathan years. And it tests sorely the public’s faith in the capacity of the Buhari Administration to set Nigeria on a new path.

A budget of change would have questioned rigorously the fundamental assumptions on which previous budgets were grounded. A budget prepared at a time revenues from oil exports had fallen by more than 60 per cent would have rejected out of hand the business-as –usual approach in favour of something lean, even mean, if only to signal indeed that hard times are here and will be with us for quite a while.

It would have scrutinised every proposed expenditure unsentimentally, cutting out whatever is not absolutely necessary and demanding, if an expenditure is warranted, that it be met at a cost that takes into account the nation’s diminished financial circumstances. It would have resonated with a call for sacrifice and prudence.

Thus, it would have questioned whether the President and Vice President and their families should for all practical purposes be wards of the Nigerian state, with their every need and desire and fancy met from the public purse, in a country where the anaemic minimum wage of N18, 000 goes unpaid for months.

But what do we find?

To take one scandalous example: The budget makes outrageous provisions for the kitchen equipment and cookware and ancillary stuff on which the previous year’s budget – and the one before it – had received outlays that bordered on the obscene.

What happened to all the kitchen equipment and cookware and related stuff provided for in the State House budget every year Dr Jonathan was in office? Were any purchases made? What happened to last year’s purchase, and the previous year’s? Was the material ever inventoried?

They probably did so much cooking and preparing cassava bread in the place that at year’s end, the equipment purchased only the previous year for tens of millions of Naira – junk stuff most likely, like the military hardware acquired during the same period, were no longer serviceable.

But with a new resident in the Villa, one not given to the bacchanalia and the gastronomic proclivities of the previous resident and his train, there is no excuse for such profligacy.

This is indeed the time to consider privatising the entire catering operation at the Villa, in keeping with the public-private partnership strategy that has become obligatory for solving national problems. That way, the government pays a charge on the catering, without having to buy a new set of kitchen equipment every year.

Take, as a second example the more than N4.9 million earmarked for books for the office of the Vice President for fiscal 2016. It is considerably less than the previous year’s outlay of N7.5 million, though the incumbent is a legal scholar and practitioner of the first rank, unlike his predecessor, an architect who never pretended to be a bibliophile.

Though relatively small, the expenditure on books for the former vice president’s office for fiscal 2015 year cries out for justification, as does the proposed expenditure in the 2016 Budget for the current vice president.

Were books actually bought in 2015? Who determined what books should be bought? What subjects do they cover? Where are the books now? Are they in safe custody, properly catalogued and available to staffers of the Vice President’s office and officials in other bureaus of the Presidency? Or did the former vice president take them away as personal effects, to be read in the leisure he never enjoyed in office?

Who determined that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s suite should boast a library crammed with books worth nearly N5 million? What subjects will the volumes cover? Even if he is inclined to read them all, he will never have the time. They may even constitute a distraction. So, whom are the budget planners trying to impress?

But the puzzle does not end there. A cable linking one part of the Presidential Villa to other drivers’ rest room is to be installed for some N322 million, and another linking a Guest House to the generator room is to be installed for N213 million.

How did these come to be budget priorities in these hard times? If they had hitherto run the place without these cables, why install them now when the cost could serve more urgent needs?

Then there is the allocation of N618.6 million for electrical lighting and fittings at the Villa, and another N37.7 million for electrical distribution boards and other cables. What happened to the electrical lighting and fittings and distribution boards and cables that previously served the Villa? All of them went bust in one fell swoop? Or were there none to begin with, in which case it is necessary to ask: What then makes them so urgent now?

In testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Professor Isaac Adewole stopped just short of calling the budget document for his ministry a forgery. He disavowed it, saying that it had been doctored in such a way as to upend the ministry’s priorities.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, discovered a “strange” provision of N230 million and N168 million for the purchase of computers for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the Film and Video Censors Board.

The budget proposals for the Investments and Securities Tribunal, it has turned out, were copied word for word from the previous year’s submission.

These are just some of the willful errors, duplications, inflated prices, misplaced priorities and shoddiness with which the 2016 budget documents are strewn. The Federal Government blames it on a “budget mafia,” entrenched civil servants who have made a career of gaming the system for corrupt self-enrichment.

This will not do. Members of the so-called mafia report to superior officials who in turn report to the President, who is on record as saying that he took so long to name a cabinet because he wanted to be sure that he had the right officials in the right places.

With regard to the 2016 budget, this seems not to have been the case. By their negligence, indifference and complicity, Buhari’s senior officials have caused him and the nation great embarrassment. They have also undermined public faith in his commitment to change, and in his administration’s capacity to break away from the failed habits of the past.

They should not go unpunished.

What this budget fiasco has revealed is in a fundamental sense a failure of auditing. Public institutions operate for years on end without being audited. Errors, witting and unwitting, go undetected and become self-perpetuating.

No effort to combat official malfeasance, however spirited, can succeed without a strong and responsive audit mechanism.

http://thenationonlineng.net/again-budget-2016/

Disparity: The Rich and the Poor; Nigeria as a case study.

Disparity: The state of the Rich and the Poor; Nigeria as a case study.

by John Pam

The man’s stomach gurgles, he gets up from his bed and looks at the clock 2.am: unable to sleep due to hunger pangs. He decides to stroll around maybe he can get some food. He gets to the junction and sees some flashy cars parked in front of a night club people popping Moet in the parking lot. Yaron Maikudi had not been able to sleep because he had just moved into his new flat and the touts in the area made him jittery because he could not mingle with them neither had they installed his electric fence yet so he felt unsafe. So he went to the club where he felt a bit safer among the crowd. Maybe even pop a Moet or two. This is our country of today. The margin between the haves and have-not(s) continues to increase.

 

The poor man cannot sleep because of hunger for he has no fear of being robbed of possessions he does not have; the rich man cannot sleep because he knows the poor envy his lifestyle and the moment they get the opportunity they will harm him to get what he has. A child who says its mother will not sleep will itself not sleep says an African proverb. How long until we open our eyes and see that because someone else refuses to take responsibility it does not excuse us from doing something to remedy a terrible situation. All the trouble in Nigeria has never been about ethnicity, religion etc. but it is merely is result of the privileged taking advantage of those who have nothing of their own.

The status quo has become chopping and let me chop. In the Niger delta oil saga it was merely greed that led to the youth carrying guns to demand their right to be treated as humans when the oil companies would never act in such a manner in a first world country. Religious and ethnic crises boil down to the privileged paying off certain individuals to create discord when a situation is unfavorable to them and for someone who has to live from hand to mouth, five thousand naira is a lot of money to give someone to let out his frustration at how the country is on someone even though it’s an innocent.

But are any of us really innocent? for at each point when we choose to look the other way rather than do something or act like a sycophant to gain some advantage we inevitably become guilty of the next blood bath. Heaven helps those who help themselves it is said. You do not have to love your neighbor but understand that its natural for your neighbor to feel envious if you are driving two hummers and he can barely afford to feed. You don't do good to your neighbor because you are a saint but because if you don't he/she might become bad. Your act of goodwill might be what prevents that person acting in a way which creates the kind of society we do not want. So be good to your neighbor so he or she does not turn bad for in the long run society is a reflection of our collective actions cheers.

Pics courtesy Google.

Meet this incredible 11 year old Nigerian journalist

The 11 Year Old Nigerian Journalist , Youngest Person Ever Interviewed by Forbes Magazine

Zuriel Oduwale

SHE’S AN award-winning documentary filmmaker who has interviewed some of the world’s top leaders and just last month made history by becoming the youngest person to be interviewed by Forbes magazine.

But Zuriel Oduwale maintains she is a regular 11-year-old girl who enjoys nothing more than to play her Nintendo Wii and board games with her family.

“I do all the usual things like go to the mall with my mum and sisters and ride my bike with my neighbors,” she says, although she is more than aware her life differs slightly from most girls her age. “I am in a home school-based curriculum, so that allows me to get ahead in my school work and then I have some time to travel for my extra curricular programmes like my Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up programme, or interviewing leaders for my documentaries.”

Touted as the next Oprah Winfrey, Zuriel is committed to rebranding Africa by showing the positive things about the continent, and campaigning for education for girls.

Some of the high-profile names Zuriel has enjoyed exclusive one-to-one time with include Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan and her personal favorite, Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson.

“She held my hands and prayed for me and then she put me on her lap to take official pictures with her, which was very different from all the other 13 presidents and prime ministers I have interviewed.”

Zuriel with Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson

Zuriel, which is Hebrew for ‘God is my Rock’, believes by leading by example, girls may be inspired by her journey and do the same. That, she believes, can show her peers and the world the need to educate the continent’s often forgotten girl child.

Zuriel’s vision for her Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up programme is to inspire girls to “accomplish their dreams like me” by using it as a platform to push the influential work she is doing around the globe.

When talk moves to the future of the 200 girls kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Nigeria last month, the 11-year-old said she was both “sad but relieved at the same time.”

She explains: “Sad because I can’t imagine being taken to some strange place by some strange people, but relieved because the whole world is talking about it so maybe something can now be done.”

Keen to prove age is nothing but a number, Zuriel wants to show parents – and the world – by “using me as an example, what their children can do”.

Zuriel began pursuing documentary-making and journalism when she was nine after entering a competition in the United States, where she resides with her Mauritian mother and Nigerian father and three siblings – two sisters and one brother. The competition asked applicants to produce a documentary “about a revolution or reaction in history”.

“I knew right away what I wanted to do even though I was only nine. It was my opportunity to find a successful revolution and show the world that Africa is not all bad.”

In a typical day, Zuriel and her nine-year-old sister are made to watch an hour of news and asked to write – and later discuss – what they have heard with their parents.

“When I watch the news, I find that most of the news about Africa was always negative, so I thought I could show something that was positive like a successful revolution.”

She then began research on the Ghana revolution, the 1979 uprising which arose out of a combination of corruption, bad governance, lack of discipline in the army and frustrations among the general public. Her research took her to the African continent where she was able to interview flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, who led a coup and later became the country’s head of state.

“I had to take my own camera to interview President Rawlings, set it up, write my own questions, shoot the clips and do the editing because that was the rules of the competition,” she says. “It was hard, but I did it. Sometimes I was working late after doing my homework to complete it.”

But her hard work has paid off. Last year, aged 10, Zuriel made history by becoming the youngest person ever to be interviewed by the prestigious Forbes magazine.

“[At the time] I didn’t understand why they wanted to interview me,” she says coolly. “It wasn’t until they said even though the work I was doing for girls’ education in Africa was not about wealth creation, it was too special to ignore. They wanted it in their women’s future leader edition.

“I think it’s pretty cool now. I understand what it means and more importantly, a few months before, Mr Aliko Dangote, the richest black man in the world, who I have interviewed, was featured in the magazine. I feel really special.”

Though Zuriel hopes to explore her chances in basketball and robotic engineering, her life-long goal is to become president of the United States.

“People always ask why I don’t want to be the president of an African country, but I feel if I am president of an African country, I might be able to affect one or two other countries, but if I am president of the United States, not only would I be able to affect the United States, but most countries in the world including those in Africa and the Caribbean region. That way, I can change the way girls are educated around the world.”

Written by Dionne Grant

( http://www.risingafrica.org/success-stories/politics/the-11-year-old-nigerian-journalist-youngest-person-ever-interviewed-by-forbes-magazine/ )

UN on Boko Haram

UN plans to rehabilitate escapees from Boko Haram

A team of United Nations (UN) Human Rights experts would be paying a five-day visit to Nigeria from Monday to assist in the rehabilitation of women and children that escaped from Boko Haram’s captivity.

The UN Human Rights office of the High Commissioner said this in a statement released in Geneva, Switzerland and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.

The statement said that the experts had been mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to promote comprehensive strategies to prevent and protect the rights of women and children.

“ Some United Nations human rights experts will visit Nigeria to assist in the rehabilitation and reintegration of the women and children who escaped or were liberated from Boko Haram captivity.

“During their five-day visit, the experts will gather information on the various initiatives adopted by governmental, international and non-governmental actors to support these women and children,’’ it said.

The statement said that such information would assist the women and children in coping with their suffering, trauma, and stigma and possibly return them to their normal lives.

It also said that the UN Special Rapporteurs, who were invited by the Federal Government, would meet with representatives of ministries, civil society and relevant UN agencies.

The Special Rapporteurs, who would present a report of their visit to the UN Human Rights Council later in the year, would also be visiting some detention centres.

According to the rapporteuers, all measures will be taken to ensure that the right care, recovery and reintegration of these women and children are carried out in line with international human rights standards.

“In that regard, we look forward to engaging all parties and put our expertise at their disposal,” the Special Rapporteurs said

Chibok girls, have they been forgotten?

A ray of Light on Chibok Girls - Shehu Garba

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, wrote this piece on hopes of finding the missing Chibok girls. Read below...

"At a time when the issue of accountability has emerged as the most talked about subject in public discourse, the theft of the 219 girls from a government school in Chibok has, expectedly kicked up questions about how far,so far, and whether this is going to be an endless wait for their return.
A government that says it would be respectful of the people's mandate would be willing to give a snapshot of the continuing efforts to find the girls and free them.

When the government of Muhammadu Buhari gave strict directives for the Nigerian armed forces to root out Boko Haram and bring an end to the insurgency in our country’s northeast, the kidnapped girls from the Government Secondary School in Chibok were foremost in his mind.

The issue remains one of great significance to Nigerians at home and abroad, and to the international community, and finding the missing girls is still a priority of President Buhari’s government.

Over the past months, the Nigerian military has recorded major victories against Boko Haram, reclaiming territory that had previously been occupied by the terrorists and dislodging them from their strongholds deep within the Sambisa forest. Throughout these operations, special care has been taken by the military to not harm any abducted persons in the terrorist’s captivity.Our armed forces are under instruction to withhold invasion rather than endanger the life of any Boko Haram captive. Various reports giving alleged information as to the whereabouts of the missing girls have also been received by the army, but these have all turned out to be false or misconstrued.
Unfortunately, things were left too late. The previous government wasted precious time questioning the veracity of the abduction rather than going in search of the girls when the trails left by their kidnappers must have still been fresh and easier to follow. In addition, after almost two years, there is a big questions out there among the experts ifall the over 200 missing girls are gathered in one spot, in one location, sitting and waiting to be rescued.

When he spoke honestly and truthfully on the issue in his maiden Media Chat, the President drew criticism from some members of the Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG movement when he answered in the negative, a question on if he knew specifically where the girls were being held.

The President equally faced criticism for offering unconditional talks to Boko Haram leaders to secure the release of these girls, criticism that ignoressufficient record in history in the United States, Russia and even Israel. As illustrated by security consultant and author, Brian Jenkins in a 2014 article, if a safe rescue is the objective-which truly it is in this case-a negotiated outcome is always better than an armed rescue operation. In his words: "Armed action should never be ruled out completely, but negotiations are the more practical course to bring the girls safely home."

That article strengthens the argument that, while the government must not abandon military efforts, it should carefully consider the complexity of such operation, especially given President Buhari's emphasis that delay is preferable to errors, especially where the getting the girls unharmed is the ultimate goal. Don't forgetthat after the 9-11 terrorist attack on the United States by Alqaeda, it took ten years of careful planning to bring Osama Bin-Laden to a final, Hollywood-style finish.

For President Buhari, there is no place for the overdone political posturing over the sad incident. He is not seeking applause because this problem is far more serious than most people think.

From everything the Defence Headquarters has been saying, our troops are ready, able and willing to storm anywhere at anytime to secure the girls once that needed intelligence is available.

The last battle-ground, the Sambisa forest is large and expansive. It covers about 3,000 square kilometers of Nigerian territory and it ideally harbors the remaining terrorists and their captives. But Sambisa presents a number of challenges not only to our own fighting forces but to the terrorists themselves. The place has been heavily mined. The terrorist operatives who planted the mines are believed to be mostly dead or have fled, so they too fall victim to them as they move in the forest because the remnants of their fighters don't know where the mines are planted.

With recent military procurements by the present administration, mine-sweeping equipment have been deployed to pave the way for our soldiers. The Air Force is doing its duty of providing air cover and the Navy is active in Lake Chad waters. Our neighbors, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin are collectively standing with Nigeria to deny terrorist a foothold on their soil.

In addition to these efforts, there are daily intelligence reconnaissance flights by our Air Force,the U.K, U.S and France which are partnering with the Lake Chad Basin Commission Countries.

In the light of all these, a serious advance is being made towards liberating the forest and hopefully, government will be laying its hands on whatever is left of the terrorists and their hostages.

However, the issue goes beyond the Chibok girls. The incident which took place at the Government Girls School in Chibok, as horrific as it was, merely provided a glimpse into a darker horror that had gone largely ignored by both the Nigerian media and the previous administration: Girls being kidnapped every day from their homes and schools in northeast Nigeria.

The Chibok kidnap was merely an indication of a much larger problem, in which the Nigerian government has already recorded great progress. Although military invasions of the Sambisa forest have so far not yielded the missing Chibok girls specifically, they have led to the rescue of hundreds of women and children from various other parts of northeast Nigeria, who had been in Boko Haram captivity usually for several months. Between April 2015 and today, about 2000 women and children have been rescued by the Nigerian military from deep inside the Sambisa forest. Just last month, over 200 people, mostly women and children, were rescued from Boko Haram captivity. Without the BBOG outcry that followed the Chibok kidnapping, the world may have remained unaware of the distressing plight of those hundreds of missing women and girls.
These hundreds of women and girls may not be the focus of any major advocacy or media frenzy, but they are equally important.Their rescue and welfare are just as crucial as that of the famed Chibok girls.Their safety is as much of a priority to the Nigerian government.

The President sharesempathy,solidarity and sympathy with the BBOG and other stakeholders. He may not be a man of many words. But as his actions suggest, he understands the loss by the parents, stakeholders and the nation very well. That's why he keeps saying, " you have to secure the nation to govern it well." Security is the number one priority of this administration.

In the last few months, the government has run a very energetic and a very successful campaign that has diminished greatly, the terrorists, and has engaged the neighbors and the rest of the international community. These efforts have very much translated into a concerted and coordinated action. Yet for all these to succeed, stakeholders, especially those under the BBOG movement who, to their credit have served the nation selflessly to make Nigeria a more conscientious country need to rally their support behind the armed forces and the President. That is a critical ingredient for the girls to be found and returned and for the country to be safe from terror.

By the end of 2015, the Nigerian armed forces had succeeded in containing the insurgency in the northeast.All this is part of the ongoing effort to, not just rescue missing women and girls but ensure that they stay safe afterwards, that incidents such as the kidnapping in Chibok never reoccur. When kidnapped girls are rescued and returned to their families, the communities in which they live must be secure. They should be able to sleep without fear of being kidnapped again.They should be able to resume their education, to go to school in peace of mind. No more kidnappings should be allowed to take place.
If a repeat of this horrible incident is to be prevented, there must be corrective steps incumbent upon Nigeria.President Buhari remains committed to taking these corrective steps. He remains committed to finding the missing Chibok girls.He is also committed to annihilating Boko Haram and to bringing an end to terror in the northeast and in other parts of Nigeria. We must not lose hope.

Missing Budget palaver

Senate Leader Ali Ndume responds to rumors of missing budget

Senate Leader Ali Ndume has responded to rumors of the missing 2016 budget. Speaking to National Assembly correspondents, Ndume said 'The budget cannot be missing. A copy can be laid, it is a symbolic copy, the budget will be in custody of both Chambers. It cannot be stolen, it cannot be missing. Once the budget is laid in the National Assembly, it has become the property of National Assembly,'' he said.

Speaking on why the Senate President, Bukola Saraki visited president Buhari immediately after reports that the budget was missing, Ndume said: ''Saraki's visit to Villa is for Senate to know the President's priority. We want to see how we can fast track the passage of the budget before the end of February. What is before the Senate is proposal, once the president signs it, it cannot be amended, we can turn the budget upside down, it cannot be missing” said Ndume.