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This article was published on BBC<18March’08> and has been placed here
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After lurching from one military coup to another, Nigeria now has an elected leadership. But it faces the growing challenge of preventing Africa’s most populous country from breaking apart along ethnic and religious lines.Political liberalisation ushered in by the return to civilian rule in 1999 has allowed militants from religious and ethnic groups to express their frustrations more freely, and with increasing violence.
Thousands of people have died over the past few years in communal rivalry. Separatist aspirations have been growing, prompting reminders of the bitter civil war over the breakaway Biafran republic in the late 1960s.
The imposition of Islamic law in several states has embedded divisions and caused thousands of Christians to flee. Inter-faith violence is said to be rooted in poverty, unemployment and the competition for land. The government is striving to boost the economy, which experienced an oil boom in the 1970s and is once again benefiting from high prices on the world market. But progress has been undermined by corruption and mismanagement. The former British colony is one of the world’s largest oil producers, but the industry has produced unwanted side effects. The trade in stolen oil has fuelled violence and corruption in the Niger delta – the home of the industry. Few Nigerians, including those in oil-producing areas, have benefited from the oil wealth. Nigeria is keen to attract foreign investment but is hindered in this quest by security concerns as well as by a shaky infrastructure troubled by power cuts.
President: Umaru Yar’Adua Umaru Yar’Adua of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won the presidency following the April 2007 elections which were condemned by local and foreign observers, who alleged widespread vote-rigging.
He had served as governor of the remote northern Katsina state since May 1999. A little-known figure in national politics, he was chosen by outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo as his successor. He comes from a prominent political family. His father was a minister in the first government after independence and his late elder brother was an army general who served as deputy to President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was Nigeria’s military ruler during the 1970s. When he was elected governor of Katsina in 1999, he immediately declared his assets. In his bid for the presidency he promised to fight corruption. Mr Yar’Adua’s health has been the subject of media speculation and during the election campaign he travelled to Germany for treatment. He was born in 1951 and was a chemistry teacher until he went into business, then politics, in the 1980s. Mr Yar’Adua took over from Olusegun Obasanjo, whose election in 1999 came at the end of a period of military rule. Mr Obasanjo won a second term in 2003. A bid to keep him in office for a third term was blocked by parliament. Mr Obasanjo began his first leadership stint in 1976 after the assassination of Brigadier Murtala Mohamed in a failed coup. In 1979 he earned the distinction of becoming Africa’s first modern military leader to hand over power to civilian rule.
Nigeria’s media scene is one of the most vibrant in Africa. State-run radio and TV services reach virtually all parts of the country and operate at a federal and regional level. All 36 states run their own radio stations, and most of them operate TV services.
Licences have been granted to private broadcasters; there are around 17 private radio stations. There is substantial take-up of pay TV. Private TV stations in particular are dogged by high costs and scarce advertising revenues. Moreover, legislation requires that locally-made material must comprise 60% of output. Viewing is concentrated in urban areas. Radio is the key source of information for many Nigerians. International broadcasters, including the BBC, are widely listened to. Rebroadcasts of foreign radio stations were banned in 2004. There are more than 100 national and local newspapers and publications, some of them state-owned. They include well-respected dailies, tabloids and publications which champion the interests of ethnic groups. The lively private press is often critical of the government. Media freedom improved under President Obasanjo, but restrictive decrees remain in force. Citing high levels of violence, the media rights body Reporters Without Borders has said Nigerian journalists operate amid a “prevailing culture of brutality”. The press
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NIGERIA:A COUNTRY PROFILE
March 18, 2008 at 200800000031p00000031: 2:19 p03 (Community, NIGERIA, business, create the change, education, god is not a lie, health, investment, leadership, niger delta, politics)
NIGERIA TELEPHONING CULTURE AND THE SHADOW CAST
March 17, 2008 at 200800000031p00000031: 2:19 p03 (Community, NIGERIA, business, create the change, god is not a lie, investment, leadership, niger delta, politics)
When the Global System of Telecommunication<GSM>,telephoning was allowed to come into operation,a few people numbered among the first to get connected carried on with varied public mannerism.The people who could afford the GSM handsets and the mobile lines then were seen as rich people because it was expensive per time to own a mobile line.
These people and the majority of others that got connected exhibited what is commonly reerred to an GSM madness. While some shouted so loud making or taking calls,others, unknowingly, walked into moving vehicles while on the phone.The nature of ring tunes;so loud,were also manifest enormous public neasance.
As the number of users increased, a very disturbing trend become noticeable.This is the problem of poor receptions making it difficult to rely on one operator’s service.This means that an average user is compelled to carry at least two phones with seperate lines. So, multiply handsets were acquired by users, thinking that it would reduce the difficulty associated in telephoning without dropping of calls.
But these problems have not stalled the growth in the number of subcribers base of users. This is because GSM networks have sprend services across the country which has changed the telephony attitude of Nigerians.
At least the telecommunications,<GSM> sector has come to be reckoned as the fastest growing telecommunication industry in the world today.This is pushing the fixed network to an obscure angle.It now gasping for survival.The fixed lines network have been in used for a long time ,performing similar tasks as those performed by its mobile lines because of the successes in most of its protocols.
The access to telephone services<GSM> by the majority of the people is a reverse of the picture created in the nineties when the present senate president, Senator David Mark, while he was still a serving military officers told Nigerians that telephone was not for the ordinary citizen. Then it was seen to be for the highly placed in the society; a status symbol of a sort.
But the situation has changed tremendously with the telephone now a dominant means for an increasing number of people to communicate with each other.Experts attribute this growth to the mobile nature of Nigerians which increases the demand for mobile services.
The pick point of pain experienced by Nigerians is the daily loss of money to poor quality of service characterised by dropped calls and undelivered SMS. Operators still deduct money for services not rendered.
The Nigeria Communication Commission, NCC, worried by this extortionist tendencies, has in January 2008,directed the operators to compensate the subscribers for these lapses. The expected defraulded sum amount to N4.7 billion.
The operators had at several times failed to meet the NCC specified Key Performance Ind-icators average for network quality of service on the national average.While NCC said Glo mobile telecommunications passed the performance indicators test,MTN and Celtel did not.
The two GSM operators are to pay N175 to each of its active subscribers as at end of January 2008.The amount will be paid to subscribers in form of credit.But the directive is yet to be adhere to a month after the directive was given.
A breakdown of the figures determined by the NCC shows that MTN needs to compensate subscribers 15,873,000 x N175 =N2,777,775,000, while Celtel owed subscribers 11,098,500 x N175 = 1,942,237,500, bringing the total to N4,720,012,500. The operators, however, kicked against the decision by the NCC and took it to a Federal High Court in Lagos to challenge the determination but lost the case.
Thess are indicators that it is time for the operators to have a rethink and instal a reliable refund mechanism to subscribers for services not rendered.Already subscribers want NCC to be more forceful to make the operators comply.
Since complaints of poor service delivery by subscribers was raised all over the nation, the regulatory body for the telecoms sector had come under fire with some stakeholders blaming the commission for being inactive and not wielding the big stick to call the operators to order.
But the NCC said it had made moves at curtailing the excesses of the operators but with no avail as regards restoring normalcy to the QOS.The NCC in a bid to ensure that operators keep up the QOS made a number of moves that has pitched it against the operators.
The first move was NCC’s recent order stopping promotions by the operators until they expand their capacity to carry the additional subscribers that the promo’s will attract to their networks.
The NCC also fined one of the operators N5,000,000 for not meeting the quality of service parameters set by the commission.The direction by the NCC to operators to pay subscribers on their networks between N50 to N175 every month for as long as poor quality service delivery persists will cost operators between four and six billion naira.
The NCC has also promised the operators further sanctions if more than five per cent localised congestion is experienced on their networks.When the operators commence refunds to subscribers, Nigerians who had expressed frustration on the poor quality of service will be glad of the opportunity to at least get something back for all the monies they’ve lost to the Quality control Service.
MATCHING THE THREATS POSED BY RENAL DISEASE
March 14, 2008 at 200800000031p00000031: 2:19 p03 (Community, NIGERIA, Nephrological society, business, create the change, education, god is not a lie, health, leadership, niger delta)
If a twenty five per cent of any particular secondary school’s enrolment is diagonized to have kidney related problems,then it is time to have a national out look on the forward thinking imperative that 2008 world kidney.org day presents.It was in this spirit, probably, that a team of medical students and practitioners embarked on a road show.
They resounded their voices through the loud speakers on a moving van excorted by other vehicles.The team urged members of the public to eat right,drink right,play right,live right,sleep right and consult the medical practitioner regularly.It is just about time for a new health orientation.
These urges being the content of the sensitization messages,the team was poised to be a awakening of the consciousness of the public.This is the second time such team of Nophologists were at such activity in the three years such world day was declared by the United Nations;13th March every year.
Such world day, no doubt, is intended to be used to raise the knowledge level of the members of the public to watch against this Chronic kidney disease that has increased glomerular filtration rate in people. Many other inconveniences suffered include crush injury, hypertension, and uremia.
The team, at different stops, endeavoured to stage pieces of playlets to give a more verve to the awareness campaign.But beyoud that, there was the need for some hand bills to have been produced .Such would have been given to members of the public.
It could provide a more long lasting information tool giving necessary details concerning the disease.Handbills’ descriptive information is invalueable.The absence of any handbills suggested that the road show was ill-planned, impromptu or not well budgeted for to cater for the production of handbills.
A kidney ‘either one of a pair of organs in the dorsal region of the vertebrate abdominal cavity, functioning to maintain proper water and electrolyte balance, regulate acid-base concentration, and filter the blood of metabolic wastes, which are then excreted as urine. An excretory organ of certain invertebrates.’
But taking a shot at the 2008 theme; looking back, thinking forward, it is obvious that the snags previous years have witnessed would be taken in stock and a road map drawn for a more ordered action.This resolution should be concerted and well targeted to drive at a change and raise hope.
Medical practitioners and well meaning individuals at the vanguard of such self less campaign must keep at it.To equip the people with the requisite information that directs the people on how to adhere to preventive measure against Bright disease; diabetes mellitus; hypertension; kidney failure; nephritis.
The more lack of access to Lots More Information by the people on appropriate manner to live on balance diet on all the food classes plus adequately Maintaining Water Balance and regular exercises the more distanced the needed reversal of the attitudinal would be.
If this is allowed to stream the wheel be clogged in adhering to the ‘…thinking forward’ process imperatives.This would continue to place people at ‘kidney danger’.
In Nigeria, the statistic figure of people who come under the danger of kidney failure number thirty thousand adults and one thousand children.This poses enormous fear. To tackle this, Nephrologists are set at a regular campaign targeted at children in secondary schools.
Nephrology concerns itself with the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases including electrolyte disturbances and hypertension, and the care of those requiring renal replacement therapy, including dialysis and renal transplant patients. Many diseases affecting the kidney are not limited to the organ itself, but are systemic disorders, and may require not only a whole patient approach, but also special treatment, such as systemic vasculitides or other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus.The believe is predicated on the fact that most kidney related problems diagonized in adults actually starts at child hood. So many reasons subsist to have caused chronic kidney failure which include Diabetes mellitus Hypertension. kidney cancer, kidney stones,pyelonephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, amyloidosis, Alport syndrome, and oxalosis. In a society where there is a prevalence of poverty,consulting a medical doctor is not a first thought.People can also, scarcely, live right.They indulge in acts inimical to good health, and do not take to heart what should constitute adequate and balance diet.
If they, at least, could consult the health practitioner,the likelihood of early dictection of the presence of kidney disease is possible.This done the patient would need not to die without medical succour.There could also be the possiblilty of a dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Each of these options is very limited, medically expensive and unaffordable. This makes it more imperative that members of the public stay away from junk food,eat more fruits,quality food,drink proper water and do exercise, at morning and evening time.
The chairman,medical advisory committee, Dr Aaron Ojule and Professor Felicia Oke said living right and providing useful information on kidney related problems to members of the public is a more worthy way of thinking forward.
UNDERSTANDING AFRICA PEER REVIEW MECHANISM [APRM]
March 2, 2008 at 200800000031p00000031: 2:19 p03 (Community, NIGERIA, business, create the change, education, god is not a lie, health, investment, leadership, niger delta, politics)
Africa countries are now on the move to break away from the the notorious position often held by other members of the global community that it is a backward continent in every way to development.The continent has been noted for its perennial pockets of regional conflicts, unstable government; poorly managed democracy and economic upheavals that lowers living standard of the people.There is a manifest poverty.
The collaboration that is festered among Africa countries to harness the Africa resources to develop the continent by peer review can work .A positive change that will come about because Africa counties are willing to learn from each other in the area of politics,democracy, economics and other social activities.If they learn are apply what has been learnt what is there to dampen?.
Such comparism only makes each Africa country watch the back of the other. The greatest challenge facing the Africa Peer Review Mechanism [APRM] is for the acceding countries to define the road maps on public participation at country level.Such that establishes and publicise feedback mechanism between levels of government and non-state stakeholders.
The stakeholders need correct and regular information; unimpeded assess, that will help them to understand what is going on in other countries and that of the indegenous country. It is not unlikely that most Africa countries restrict access to information or publishes an incorrect one to put the people in a rather difficult position to understand going-ons in the Government .
It is the thinking of APRM that stakeholders should also be involved in gathering information and data for the formulation of Country Self-assessment Report [CSAR] and the formulation and implementation of National Programme of Action [NpoR].
It is the difficult in having the leveled ground for this unguided, volition propelled participation as well articulated by the vice chancellor of Rivers State University of Science of technology,Nkpolu, professor Barinene Fakae who was the chairman at the sensitization seminar on APRM In Rivers State on February, 2008.
He sued for sincerity and transparency and truth on the part of the government in coordinating and encouraging the citizens to speak out their observation and contributions to good governance without intimation. The transcendation of all embracing Africa programme as the APRM and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development<nepad.org> are, this commitment is primal so that all the partnering Africa countries, especially, the individual country’s citizens and levels of government to understands the nitigrity of the programme.
As flagship programme of NEPAD,APRM wascrafted to good governance countries.As an Africa programme mutually acceded countries as an instrument to self monitor themselves.Agreed Africa and international standards have been streamlined to enthrone and foster good governance in the continent.This good governance is encourage and not forced upon member countries who voluntary; African Union [AU] Has ascented membership.
The mechanism does not intend to import external assessment to judge or rate the performance of a country on predetermined scorecard.It is not also a punitive foray.The APRM is built to become a catalylist for advancing reforms in governance and socio-economic development as well as build capacity in the continent.
As a representation of the collective expression of all Africa leaders for sustainable good governance.APRM primary mandate is to encourage the adoption of policies and practice that conform to the agreed political, economic and corporate governance values,codes and standards. These also include the socio-economic objectives as spelt out in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development declaration on democracy,politics, economic and corporate governance document.
NEPAD has remained the spring board on which APRM stands.As a strategic policy and socio-economic framework of the Africa Union,it elicits obedience from the members states. At the 6th summit of Heads of states and government implementation committeee of NEPAD held at Abuja,Nigeria on March 3,2003,APRM core documents were adopted and signed as an memorandum of understanding [MoU] which now stands as APRM accession document.
APRM foster the adoption by Africa government of the policies,standards,values and practices that leads to improved governance.It encourage inter-country experience sharing,comparism,capacity building and peer learning by exercising constructive peer dialogue and persuasion in order to achieve improvement in all aspects and at all levels of governance.
The principle that propells APRM is the elicitation of demonstrable commitment at the hieght level of political leadership of an acceding country,national ownership and popular participation.There must be openness, transparency,inclusiveness, accountability and technical competence. A credibility and independence that should be gained from political manipulation.
Stakeholders participate in the APRM.The APR Country Review Team,during the country support mission[CSM] interacts and consults extensively with gover officials,partiamentarians representatives of political parties the business community and representattives of civil society organisations. This foster suport and deepens interpretative understanding of APR process.
