Corruption as the major challenge of National Development.

Writer: Olayinka Alaya Topic: Corruption as the major challenge of National Development. . One of the great challenges confronting Nigeria is corruption which is believed to be hindering her development as a nation. Today, as never before, the level of criminal activities in the country is on the ascendency. Bare-faced looting of public treasury, fuel subsidy scam, pension scam, money laundering, economic crimes of all sorts, oil bunkering, kidnapping, cold blooded murder, massacre, grand and petty corruption are now common day occurrences and they are all committed with reckless abandonment and impunity. The result is that our nation, which should have been the pride of the black race, has been reduced to a pariah nation and in a state of utter helplessness. The security of life and property can no longer be guaranteed. We are on the precipice of the predicted failed state. Given this frenzied and fluid state of affairs, it is devastating that the country has also built home for Corruption, the mother of all crimes. No day passes without the media headlining cases of serious fraud and embezzlement of public funds. It is therefore no longer news to say that Nigeria has sunk into the lymbirth of corruption or that it has eaten deep into fabric of the nation. The most unfortunate development is that this heinous crime is being condoned by the majority of those who wield political power and authority. How does one explain the cases of some public office holders who have been indicted for corruption or looting of the public treasury and still shamelessly breathing air of freedom. What tenable reason can be given for a man who had admitted taking cash bribe on the pretext that he intended to use it as exhibit, continue to participate in the debates in the house while a criminal case of corruption is still pending against him in court. Thus, the vicious circle of corruption is ever becoming wider and wider while those charged with the arduous task of fighting corruption are not finding it easy to carry out their statutory duties. Many well meaning and responsible Nigerians have been crying foul at the turn of events and apparent cover up of purveyors of corruption in recent times and the lethargic manner corruption cases are being handled. Delivering a lecture titled Corruption and National Development, the Pioneer Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Retired Justice Mustapha Akanbi, said that he always believed that those who keep quite and do nothing when evil is being perpetrated under their very nose, must themselves be evil minded, while men of honour and integrity, patriots and nationalists, great minds and souls, good and believing men and women should not fold their arms and see their country go to racks and ruin. Proffering solutions to corruption in the country, Justice Akanbi said the Judiciary has a key role to play in the fight against corruption and should therefore not be an obstacle, calling for an independent, impartial and informed judiciary which would hold a central place in the realization of an open, honest and accountable government. The judiciary must be independent if it is to effectively play the role of an arbiter and ensure that the rule of law prevails. Judges must be fair and just, and must not allow themselves to be influenced by extraneous consideration and should tower over and above corruption and always be true to their judicial oath. For an anti corruption body to succeed, it must enjoy the support of the populace. Nigerians should form different Non governmental organisations that would focus on the fight against corruption because the fight against corruption is the fight against the numerous problems facing Nigeria Many believe that government lacked the political will to fight corruption. The nature and manifestation of corruption in Nigeria portend a great danger to the stability of the country. Political Will from the top by the government and leadership can make a world of difference in our determined effort to make Nigeria the pride of the black race.

Professor of Physics calls for cross fertilization of ideas and robust debates on Science related issues

A Professor of Physics, Professor Isaac Abiodun-Adimula has stressed the need for Academic communities to be cosmopolitan to allow for cross fertilization of ideas and robust debates on Science related issues. Professor, Abiodun-Adimula, said this while delivering the One hundred and twenty ninth Inaugural Lecture of the university of Ilorin, on the topic ' The Mandate: “The Radio as an instrument of Dominion” held at the University’s auditorium. The University Don also advocated the development of University curricula in conjunction with relevant industries, local communities and stakeholders He was of the view saying that a situation where somebody will provide generalised curricula for all Nigerian universities could not hold in this age if there should be accelerated match towards growth and development. Professor Abiodun-Adimula who is of the department of Physics of the University said teaching of the sciences should be experimentally based and called for general overhauling of sciences curricula in secondary schools, Polytechnics, and Universities. The Inaugural Lecturer urged the Federal Government to allow competent scientists with proven records to head agencies on science and technology for them to function effectively.

Retired civil servants protest in Kwara State

Retired civil servants under the auspices of the Nigerian Postal Service Pensioners this morning picketed the Ilorin office of Nigerian Postal Service over what they called insensitivity to their plights. The furious pensioners were protesting the non-payment of twenty months pension arrears owed them by the Federal Government. They accused the Accountant General of the Federation of withholding their money and vowed not to shift ground until their demands are met. They pasted the following inscriptions at the entrance of the post office; "Accountant General of the Federation release our pension money for payment. No payment no work throughout the Federation in all post offices till further notice. This action of yours is uncalled for, it is killing, inhuman and totally outrageous. It was gathered that workers of the Ilorin office of Nigerian Postal Service were locked out by the angering pensioners. Speaking with our reporter, Olayinka Alaya one of the pensioners, Mr. Samuel Odeyemi, decried the pitiable condition of pensioners, saying that many of them are dying. He alleged that government has not been forthcoming on the several talks held with the leaders of the union. Another pensioner, Mr. Stephen Mebaniud insisted that they would continue with their action until their demands are met. Efforts by our reporter to speak with the chairman of the pensioners were unsuccessful, as Policemen from 'B' Department operation whisked away some executives of the union around quarter to eleven, this morning. Also, the Area Manager of the Ilorin office of Nigerian Postal Service could not be reached for comment.

TACKLING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN NIGERIA

WRITER: OLAYINKA ALAYA TOPIC: TACKLING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN NIGERIA Over the past one and half decades, medical experts have focused much attention on the subject of hypertension and other dreadful diseases such as Measles, Cancer, meningitis, diabetes mellitus among others. There investigations, treatments and complication. It was discovered that hypertension and diabetes mellitus are closely associated such that thirty to fifty percent of diabetic patients are also hypertensive. Indeed, diabetes mellitus has long been recognised as a very important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Besides, co-existence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus predisposes the sufferer to increase risk of developing complications such as stroke and heart attack. Hypertension, simply put, is abnormal high blood pressure. Technically, it can also be defined as the level of blood pressure where the benefits of action out -weights the risk and causes of inaction. According to researchers, hypertension afflicts over a billion people world wide. It was reported that nineteen point three to thirty-four point eight per cent of Nigerians live with hypertension, translating into a total figure of about forty-million people. The disease is said to be no respecter of race, gender or age. Cardiovascular diseases of which hypertension takes the lion share in Nigeria are a leading cause of death and disability today, accounting for over seventeen point three million deaths annually world-wide. Eighty per cent of these deaths occur in the middle and low income countries of which Nigeria is one. The World Health Organisation reports that Sub-optional blood pressure accounts for over sixty per cent and about fifty per cent of stroke and heart attack. The World Bank has already alerted that until and unless the war against non-communicable disease, cardiovascular diseases inclusive is elegantly fought and won, all attempts at improving the world poverty indices, would remain a mirage because of the toll on overall productivity of nations. According to a Professor of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Professor Ibraheem Katibi while delivering a lecture at the University of Ilorin Auditorium on, “The choice is yours and the burden is ours”, traced the genesis of hypertension to the free choices we make during spouse selection, pregnancy, delivery, events in early childhood and adult life. Professor Katibi noted that the risk could be reduced through proper pre-marital counselling and choice of partner saying that it has been reported that babies from mothers who consumed a lot of alcohol during pregnancy or who suffered intrauterine growth retardation or both asphyxia have increased propensity to develop hypertension. Proffering solutions and preventions, Professor Ibraheem Katibi said one of the reasons for inadequate blood pressure control is non compliance to drug therapy which he said was high as in forty of hypertensive patients at the teaching hospital and however stressed the need to strengthen the department for non-communicable diseases in the Federal Ministry of Health with policy regulation of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking through heavy taxation, limited ban and restricted use in public places. Religious bodies or congregations, cooperative societies, civil servants, market women and men, road transport workers, barbers and other similar organisations and groups should be empowered to screen for high blood pressure through basic training. There should be provision of more recreational and sporting facilities in the communities and working environment in order to encourage increased physical activity. Government should also improve budgetary allocation to health and prudent management of available resources as well as improved funding for cardiovascular research in particular.

Equipping State owned Broadcast media in Nigeria towards meeting Digitization deadline.

Writer: Olayinka Alaya Topic: Equipping State owned Broadcast media in Nigeria towards meeting Digitization deadline. The term broadcasting refers to the totality of the communication and technological process that allows for the transmission of audio-visual signals to a large, heterogeneous mass of people, simultaneously. As of today, and strictly speaking, only radio and television, meet the requirement of this definition. The inclusion of Radio and Television media under the generic term mass media is justified because of their ability to reach large parts of the population. According to scholars in mass communication, mass media are those means of communication that use technology to reach large parts of the population almost simultaneously with the kinds of news and entertainment that ordinary people find attractive and at a price that ordinary people can afford to pay. The merging of social, economic and technology inventiveness that characterized the nineteenth century greatly pushed broadcasting to a place of strategic importance in world affairs. Today, radio and television technology is one of the significant human ingenuities ever evolved in solving human communication problems. In Nigeria today, since the advent of redifusion in 1963, an arrangement between the colonial government where programmes originating from the British Broadcasting Corporation in London were transmitted to Nigerians, Radio has been playing pivotal roles towards the independence of the country and sustainability of the country's democracy. It is very devastating that however after the roles played by the broadcast media towards the growth of the nation, many state owned media outfits had been suffering due to lack of government's commitment and neglect. Many of these state owned media outfits are crying of lack of maintenance and equipment to meet international standard. Even their workers are also affected despite the fact that they work round the clock without observing public holidays or festivities, they are also poorly paid. Some stations had become moribund while majority of them only improvise. Their working tools and equipment have become obsolete and out fashioned begging for replacement for it to meet up with the broadcast digitalization deadline date. Therefore, it is pertinent to appeal to all the thirty six state governors to as a matter of urgency pump money into their electronic media to enable them meet up with the deadline set for their digitization for them to compete favourably with their counterparts all over the world. Nigerian governments should rise up to the challenges of the twenty first century by making extra efforts in investing in radio and space research. Harassment of media practitioners by law enforcement agents, politicians or anybody should be stopped and there should be strict penalties for anybody whatsoever who obstructs journalists from carrying out their primary responsibilities. The Nigeria Union of Journalists should also wake up to its responsibilities by ensuring that all state broadcast media don't suffer government's neglect and protect the right of their members from any form of violation. It is only when Nigerian journalists are given the enablement to operate Independently without any influence from governments or owners of media organisations that Nigeria can be free from corruption and crimes. The Freedom of Information Act should be a reality for journalists to unravel what is being covered up and allow Nigerians to have undiluted information. While delivering the one hundred and twenty ninth inaugural lecture of the university of Ilorin on ' the mandate : Radio as an instrument of Dominion', Professor of Physics, Professor Isaac Abiodun Adimula, said there should be adequate funding and maintenance of Nigeria mass media and development in information communication technology if there should be accelerated match towards growth and development. Therefore, government at all levels should wake up to their responsibilities by ensuring that the media sector does not suffer from government's neglect any longer.

Oloyede calls on Muslims to contribute to the propagation of Islam

Oloyede calls on Muslims to contribute to the propagation of Islam Olayinka Alaya, Ilorin The Immediate Former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, North Central Nigeria, Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede has called on Muslim faithful to ensure they contribute their own quota in the propagation of Islam. Oloyede who made the call at the fifth quarterly public lecture and 1434 Jihad Week , organise by the University of Ilorin Muslim Community in collaboration with the Muslim Students society of Nigeria (UNILORIN Branch) urged Muslims to find a way of packaging Islam in a good way. According to him, “ it is high time that Muslims put their heads together to ensure that Islam is put in the right perspective. I want to advise them to do things in the right way in accordance with Islamic injunctions”. He noted that Allah will not accept any thing from Muslims that is not pure. In his opening remark the Vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganyi Ambali who was represented by Professor Yasir Kadri said the programme was meant to re-awaken the Muslims from their slumbers. He urged them to ensure the work hard and do well in their studies. Professor Ambali also advised them to be of good conduct and behaviour in their actions and dealing with others. In his lecture titled "Why we are here" the Guest lecturer from Kogi State University , Doctor Abdul-Qadri Sambaki said Quran has already answered the question why we are here. He said the reason for our creation is to recognize and serve Allah. Doctor Sambaki said in Islam worship is the complete activities of man towards seeking the face of Allah. In his lecture titled "the signs of Apocalyptic Era "Ustatah Abdullah Bulama Bukarti said all Muslims should do well in preparation for the life after death. Ustatah Bulama said Muslims should know that the punishment in the hereafter is real. END