ASUU Strike: Governments Should Either Fund Education Or Build More Prisons.

By Sulaiman Kazeem.

Caveat: If you can't build good schools and provide adequate funds for them, then, beef up security and build more prisons.

For the umpteenth time, I wish to share my thoughts provoking opinion and reiterate my concerns about the nonchalance of past and present State and Federal Governments to education and the resultant industrial actions embarked on by the Academic Staff Union Of Universities and other concerned Unions. Again, it is not for EVERYBODY but for people who care to listen and maybe act right. At least, I will be absorbed in history and it will be kind to me.

FYI, neither am I expected to partake in the buck passing between the Unions and their paymaster, nor am I expected to discuss the ingenuity or otherwise of the Union's demands and the position of the Federal Government. Instead, my keen interest should be the failures of State and Federal Governments to grease the wheels of education in my country. No doubt, you will agree with me that the conspicuous failure of this organ is a flash point for the dangers ahead of us and a threat to our future as a people.

Once upon a time, I wrote about how public schools in Nigeria keep the poor in poverty and deny them of the necessary ingredients and the needed recipes to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rich. Unfortunately, only a few people were able to synchronize with my thoughts and fears for the known and the unknown. Today, the government must make a choice to either fund education adequately or build more secured prisons for the 'monsters' they have created.

Hey guys, is it cheaper for the government to build more prisons and renovate the existing ones, get them equipped, recruit more prison warders and deploy adequate security to them, than to build good schools, get them well equipped, provide continuous funding for them, and encourage our young people to get education? Let's ignore the economic importance of the duo.

Today, the Nigerian Prison Service can boast of 144 Prisons including farm centers and 83 Satellite Prisons. Recently, the commission reopened 8 out of the 9 Satellite Prisons that were closed down in the wake of Boko Haram insurgency, built 12 new satellite prisons and 3 Prison hospitals and went further to commission 133 Assistant Superintendent of Prisons who have just concluded their six months training at the Prison Staff College.

Interestingly, there are 40 Federal Universities, 44 State Universities in Nigeria and 68 private universities in Nigeria as approved and released by the Nigeria Universities Commission. The total number of Government owned Universities is far below the total number of prisons and slightly above the number of private universities alone. Please ponder on this.

A government that fails to build good schools and provide adequate funds for their running should not bother to build hospitals and other health care facilities for the people because the facilities will need trained health officers, such a government do not need to support or invest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics because it will be in futility, such a government should not invite or welcome foreign investors or encourage locals to invest in the country because businesses thrives only in an enabling and safe environment.

Instead of wasting the crumbs in their 'self-looted' treasury on construction of white elephant projects that will eventually get consumed by the 'monsters' they have created, such a failed government should expect unprecedented terrorism, the government should expect a brain drained country, such a shameless government should expect a sharp rise in unemployment rate, such a myopic government should expect to see a steady rise in prostitution, such a retrogressive government should be ready to welcome kidnapping on a larger scale and should also expect a rise in the rate of theft and armed robbery in the country. Above it all, a country with such attitude towards education can never be in the league of great nations.

Logically, the most suitable infrastructure such a government should provide for the people are not airports, not state of the heart trade zones and definitely not manufacturing industries to mention a few but security vans for regular patrols, feared prisons, satellite prisons and prison facilities, because the monsters they have created must be in chains or caged, else the safety of the ruling elites can not be guaranteed. Mind you, a congested prison with un-sentenced detainees leads to prison break.

On a final note, let me remind them that a majority of the miscreants we have in our present day society are grown up kids of the poor, who were denied education and a future. FYI, never will they stop to make the country ungovernable for the ruling elite.

Tweet at: @MrSteam_
17/08/2017

Stop separating politicians from their political parties, for they are inseparable.

 

By Sulaiman Kazeem

In 2015, a majority of the Nigerian voting population stood against the then ruling political party, evicted its members from the country's presidential villa and ended the party's dominance in our political sphere. The decision to cause defects in the then ruling party's vision to stay in power for 100 years, deflate the party's dominance and ego in our polity and terminate their keenly pursued strategic plan to become the biggest political party in the African continent, was taken by the people, at the polls.

The seeming 'untimely' rejection by a majority of the Nigerian voting population was as a result of the mindless mismanagement of resources, unprecedented state of insecurity, crass impunity and epitomic financial recklessness. These claims and allegations of financial recklessness and abuse of office during the last administration has been substantiated with numerous evidences and solidified with a stream of exhibits in the public domain.

For the first time ever, as a people, Nigerians were in unison against failed incumbents in their respective levels and locations but this was obviously done with thoughts and with respect to interests. Yes, their decision was influenced by the poor leadership as exhibited by some ambassadors of the then ruling party and not necessarily by the competence of those in the then opposition party.

Just as an exercise to differentiate between a score and twenty is an exercise in futility, it will be morally corrupt to prove that there are no good ambassadors who have displayed exemplary leadership in the PDP or that those in the APC are saints. But what seem more evident is that some Nigerians voted on perceived ethnic sentiments and sheered nepotism, by throwing away the bathing water with the baby.

Interestingly, you will have to agree with me that the turmoil in our political terrain is as a result of our collective failure to separate the wheat from the shaft, during the 2015 general elections. Unfortunately, EVERYBODY was allowed to ride to power, on the platform of the then emerging political party, All Progressives Congress. This avoidable mistake has left us with conspicuous scars and will definitely remain indelible in our memories. Today, many ambassadors of the ruling party have underproduced or failed in their leadership capacities.

Fast forward to 2019 general elections, it is pertinent for Nigerians to be very careful with a majority of their politicians, who obviously are extremely deceitful and probably the craftiest of all, especially, has we prepare to begin another political campaigns. We must not repeat the mistakes we made in 2015, for as much as we must separate the wheat from the shaft, we must also separate sentiments and thoughts from what is ideal.

Nigerian politicians are very manipulative and deceitful that they have been able to keep the people in 'unconscious' starvation and mental slavery, for a time that beats humanity and may decide to keep them in perpetual abject poverty, if they choose to. These has been made possible through whipping political sentiments and aged mediocrity.

Today, as the people of Osun State, Ekiti State and Oyo State prepare to meet at the polls to elect their leaders, the people must be ready to reject 'rogues' from clinching political positions, disallow failed leaders from installing their stooges and from continuing in office. The time is now.

Going by the leadership performance of some individuals in public offices, particularly, those with political identities, to believe that Nigerian political parties have ideologies and manifestos that guides their ambassadors is nothing but fallacious and delusionary. Don't be swayed by their political machinations, political parties with ideologies and manifestos will always make good ambassadors and make contributions that will leave their footprints on the marble of time.

Dear friends, political parties with failed ambassadors are not worth getting our votes.

Times have changed, and so the people must also change.

Think about this.

Tweet at: @MrSteam_
15/08/2017.

The Attack On Charly Boy, at Wuse Market - Abuja: Stop Thinking With Your 'STOMACH', Use Your Brains.

By Sulaiman Kazeem.

Firstly, you will agree with me that both great nations and unprosperous nations are products of thoughts and actions, of their leaders and undaunted supports from a majority of the people. Specifically, great nations are not products of political mediocrity, bad leadership, distorted loyalty, ethnic rivalries and religious hypocrisy.

Today, again, the Nigerian layer in the social media sphere has been filled with opinions and comments from concerned Nigerians, on the recent attack on Charly Boy at Wuse market, Abuja. Interestingly, these opinions and comments have again further substantiate my submission that we are our own very problems and that we are not ready to change our ways of life and lines of thoughts for better. Thus, we are yet to begin our journey to sustainable greatness.

You have the suffrage to choose to be either on the side of those uneducated miscreants who almost lynched Charly Boy to death because he is of the opinion that President Buhari's return from his medical leave is long overdue and then go further to criticise him for taking his 'protest' to a market dominated by Northerners or choose to applaud his decision, share in his concerns and demand that those involved in the inhuman action are arrested and dealt with accordingly. The choice is yours.

Mind you, neither am I interested in whose side you have chosen nor am I ready to criticise you or give accolades but let me reawaken your brutalised brains and sentiment-filled minds that violence is neither a sexist nor a tribalist.

Today, a majority of you guys are always battle ready to shout down and cast aspersions on anybody seen or perceived as an antagonist of the present day President Buhari led government and remind them of where they have erred in the past and how their forefathers misjudged. Unfortunately, your preys knows no bound and includes senior citizens and those who have made meaningful contributions to the growth of the country, if they dare say anything against President Buhari or his led government. Issorait, tiri gbosas for you pipus.

Hey guys, this is definitely not loyalty or patriotism at any level, but stupidity, gullibility and crass illiteracy at its ugliest form. Let me remind you that speaking the truth to power and redirecting the cameras of the ruling class to matters that affects the downtrodden is patriotism and revolutionary. This new trend of jungle justice on suspected criminals and attacks on anti-government protesters will boomerang very soon, if not well checked.

Grab your internet enabled device and write as many fantastic and appealing words as you can, all to show your unflinching loyalty to the incumbent administration and to castigate people who refuse to align with your thoughts and opinions. It is very fine, but be reminded that something unprecedented will hit the ground running sooner than you may think, and change the rhetorics forever. You may just be consumed or completely paralyzed by the monster you have joined to create or by your own very shadow.

Guys, read about democracy, and how it is practiced in great countries. However, democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people, until proven otherwise.

Tweet at: @MrSteam_
16/08/2017