28042019 - No delaying minimum wage, go ahead and pay, FG tells MDAs, states, others

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PAGE 26—SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019 Ministerial Appointments: Not a party affair The argument that President Muham madu Buhari should bother more about Atiku Abubakar’s petition against his re-election rather than concentrating on forming a government, loses sight of the ‘no vacuum in government’ philosophy. It would therefore be irrational for Buhari to await the verdict of the election tribunal before inaugurating his government. Besides, being the declared winner of the contest by the election referee, gives him confidence to act with the presumption that he is more likely to also win at the tribunal. However, that does not rule out the possibility of another candidate upstaging the earlier declared winner, more so, as election controversies in Nigeria often create room for any contestant to be the lucky one in the end. Either way, by May 29, 2019, a new government must take-off to run the affairs of Nigeria whether the election tribunal has or has not concluded action on petitions. Thus, the current search for ministers who are constitutionally em- powered to implement the policies and programmes of the president is in order. What is likely to be in contention is the quality of persons that would constitute the Council of Ministers. A look at the powers of that council would readily show that Nigeria has never been inspired to pick persons with the requisite strength of character for the job. Can Nigerians in all honesty identify ministers that have, as required by the constitution, been able to question the health status of a president even where the failing health was visible to the blind as was the case with late President Yar’Adua? Instead, there has always been the temptation to appoint malleable persons who would covertly be controlled not by the president but by other persons in the corridors of power better known in Nigeria as cabals. Such appointees can hardly ensure successful execution of projects. Unfortunately, the current search for ministers may follow the old order of appointees with ample deficiencies in courage, vision and integrity. The quantum of noise so far made about the ruling party compiling a list of loyal party members for appointment confirms our contention. A report in the media last week quotes the National Working Committee of the ruling party as impressing on Buhari “to ensure that only members who have been faithful to the party are appointed into executive positions.” With due respect, such criterion cannot be the prime factor for appointment. It can however be an added advantage. The main factor is capacity, made up of competence and track record. While there is no problem with appointing a member of the APC as a minister, he should ordinarily be qualified even if he was not a party member. We also need to make the point that because Buhari is not the president of APC but of all Nigerians, his leadership needn’t be so derogated from. As is seen in other parts of the world, even opposition politicians are invited to serve in government only because they have unrivalled expertise in specific fields. That is what should propel our president especially if he must make a mark in his last opportunity to be president and leave innumerable legacies. For that to happen, Buhari must serve as the captain of our governance national team, made up of the best eleven. Only experts can make remarkable points in governance, not party loyalists with questionable credentials. This is more obvious in a developing society like Nigeria with a gamut of physical and infrastructural challenges that are begging for redress. Today, many Nigerians remember, the excellent performance of Ngozi Okonjo- Any Nigerian president can constitute with ease, a strong, viable and above all, a balanced ministerial team for the good of the nation. All that needs to be done, is to insist on the best hands Iweala as minister of finance. She was not even a party member let alone a loyal one when she made landmark decisions for which the leadership at the time took credit. The same can be said for Obiageli Ezekwesili, Nasir el Rufai, Charles Soludo etc. who served in the past as outstanding cabinet members and left a mark yet to be met thereafter. How to reenact the glories of the past is what should be uppermost in Buhari’s mind now and not how to reward acclaimed worthy loyalists who may end up being in office without value. This point is neither original nor new, following the recent prayer of Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Lattera Rain Assembly that President Buhari should “in his second term appoint the best, the brightest and the fittest, to maximise the potentials of the nation.” Any Nigerian president can constitute with ease, a strong, viable and above all, a balanced ministerial team for the good of the nation. All that needs to be done, is to insist on the best hands. In line with the constitutional provision of federal character, such outstanding hands abound all over the country as there is no part of our nation whose products cannot be among the best. We therefore disagree with those who argue that certain sections of the country which did not vote for the president should be punished. To start with, it has become increasingly difficult these days, to determine which sections belong to which party. For instance, Sokoto voted APC in the presidential election and PDP in the governorship. In Edo, the APC did not win the presidential election but won all the seats in the state legislature. So, which party can we say Sokoto and Edo belong to? Again, at the end of an election, the winner becomes the president or governor of all. If the South East that is more of PDP is shunned today as not worthy to benefit from Buhari, we shall produce a lopsided government that runs counter to the federal character principle in Section 14(3) of our constitution that prohibits the “predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in government or in any of its agencies.” The constitution did not provide for favours to states which voted for the president. An over active leadership of the ruling party should thus not mislead him. Indeed, Buhari should appoint as ministers, competent persons from all over the country made up of a) the APC as the president’s channel to power; b) youths - the undisputed owners of potentials and in line with the ‘not too young to run’ initiative of the president; c) women, in furtherance of the global reality of affirmative action and d) experienced technocrats as drivers of the engines of development. Governors who freely pick their own commissioners should not claim the power to nominate ministers from their states. Buhari needs to remember that if Nigerians are angry over inequity in government, all eyes will look towards him and not the party leadership or governors. In any case, history has shown that any list compiled by a Nigerian political party is not likely to be credible as it usually contains objectionable names such as those who absconded from the compulsory national service and even names of dead persons as we saw in the past. Buhari must change the narrative and produce a viable team. PhD,Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos 08116759758 A philosophical critique of Easter celebration (2) ut even if we restrict our Bselves to the stories in the By eliminating rival deities, the Pharaoh appropriated their powers. Now, Christianity appropriated the powers of its competitors by emulating an ascending Pharaoh’s mythical performance Gospels, there are still two formidable problems to be confronted. The first one is the largely arbitrary manner the books that constitute the Holy Bible were selected in the first place, coupled with the general problem of inaccurate translations, mistranslations and deliberate distortion of the original texts by scribes who put together the scriptures by translating manuscripts originally written in Koiné or “common” Greek into Latin. The second relates to obvious contradictions in the Gospels’ accounts of the purported arrest, crucifixion, resurrection and eventual ascension of Jesus. Beginning with the first problem, it is generally agreed by biblical scholars that the decision as to which books should be included in the Holy Bible and which ones to be occluded was a very controversial and difficult one, oftentimes reached by the casting of lots during the ecumenical council meetings, beginning with the Council of Nicaea in 325. This explains differences in the versions of the Christian bible accepted as authoritative by major denominations of Christianity. Concerning the issue of language, the manuscripts from which the Holy Bible evolved were originally documented in Koiné or “common” Greek. And Koiné is written in what is known as scriptio continua, which means no spaces between words and no punctuation marks. Accordingly, weshouldgoandeatdad can be interpreted as “We should go and eat, Dad” or “We should go and eat Dad.” Sentences can have different meanings depending on where spaces between words are placed. So, Jesusisnowhere can be “Jesus is nowhere” or “Jesus is now here.” The implication of this for assessing the veracity of biblical narratives, including stories about Jesus’ Passion, is obvious and consequential as well. For instance, it opens up the possibility that most of what Christians believe about Easter and on which their religion is founded might be the product of mistranslations arising from the nature of Koiné script. Kurt Eichenwald has brilliantly discussed all this, including the extremely tendentious manner biblical passages were deliberately inserted in the scriptures, in an article published in the 09-01- 2015 edition of Newsweek. Since his essay entitled “The Bible: So Misunderstood it’s a Sin” does not focus exclusively on Easter, there is no need analysing it in-depth here. Nonetheless, the key point made by Eichenwald is that one should be careful in interpreting biblical passages literally because they contain numerous translation mistakes and deliberate interpolations by compilers who had a predetermined theological agenda. On the vexed issue of historical inaccuracies and conflicting accounts of the trial, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospels, an attentive open-minded study of what several scholars have written about it tends to raise doubts about veracity of those very narratives or, at worst, suggests that perhaps the outlandish events they describe never really happened. For instance, Matthew, Mark and Luke claim that Jesus was taken directly to Caiaphas the high priest after his arrest (Mat 26:57, Mark 14:53, Luke 22:54). John says that he was taken first to Annas, father-inlaw of the high priest who, after a while sent Jesus to the high priest. The same Matthew 26:57 affirms that on the night Jesus was arrested the priests and scribes met before Jesus was brought to the high priest. Mark 14:53 says that they met on the night of Jesus’ arrest after he was brought to the high priest, whereas Luke 22:66 reports that the priests and scribes assembled the day after Jesus was arrested. The gospel of John mentions the high priest only: no other priests or scribes played a role in interrogating Jesus. According to Luke, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod who questioned him for a while and returned Jesus to Pilate once more (Luke 23:7-11). In Matthew, Mark and John, Herod was not involved at all. The biblical account of Pilate’s custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover and his offer to free Jesus while the Jews preferred Barabbas is historically inaccurate because the only authority granted by Rome to a Roman governor in such situation was postponement of the execution after the religious festival. Those who wrote the gospels included it in order to exonerate Pilate from Jesus’ execution and put the blame on the Jews. Moreover, the story that Pilate consented to the demand by the mob is at odds with what is known about Pilate’s habitual savage and highhanded methods of crowd control. According to historians, Pilate was recalled to Rome because of his brutality. How could a man with such notoriety be interested in what a Jewish mob wanted, let alone consenting to it? Matthew 27:38 and Mark 15:27 say that Jesus was crucified between two robbers. But the Romans did not crucify robbers. Crucifixion was reserved specifically for rebellious slaves and insurrectionists. Did Jesus speak to his mother and to Peter from the cross during his crucifixion? The gospels affirm that he did. That is extremely unlikely given that during crucifixions Roman soldiers guarded the execution ground, and nobody was allowed to come close, least of all relatives and friends who would actually want to help the person to be executed. Matthew 27: 51-53 confirms that at the moment Jesus died there was an earthquake that opened the tombs and an unspecified number of righteous people were raised from the dead who later went to Jerusalem and appeared to many people. However, none of the historians of the period documented that fascinating event, and it was not even recorded in the other gospels. Some New Testament scholars think that the author of this narrative must be an ardent believer in the resurrection power of Jesus and included the story to vindicate that belief. After the resurrection, who were the first to discover the empty tomb? Matthew claims that it was Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary.” Mark 16:1 gives it to Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Salome. Luke adds Joanna to the list of women, while according to John 20:1-4 Mary Magdalene went to the tomb alone, saw the stone blocking its entrance removed, ran to Peter and returned to the tomb with another disciple. Now, who did these followers of Jesus find at the tomb? Matthew 28:2-4 intimates that an angel of the Lord who appeared like lightening sat on the stone that had been rolled away. Also present in the vicinity were guards dispatched to guard the burial chamber. Returning from the tomb the women met Jesus (Matthew 28:9). Mark tells us that a young man in a white robe was sitting inside the tomb. Luke talks about two men in dazzling apparel, but it is unclear whether they were inside or outside the tomb. In John, we read that that Mary, Peter and the other disciple initially found an empty tomb. Pater and the other disciple entered the tomb and saw the wrappings used to cover Jesus’ corpse. Mary looked into the tomb and saw two angels dressed in white. After a brief conversation with them, Mary turns around and saw Jesus. Other example can be brought forward, but the ones presented already are sufficient to make the case that that the events around which the Gospels’ narratives were woven either did not take place or were so garbled that it is impossible to separate fiction from fact. The first alternative will rankle Christians apologists, but it is not as far-fetched as it seems. Consider one of the best-known stories in the New Testament, precisely in the gospel of John chapter 7, about a group of Pharisees and others who brought to Jesus a woman allegedly committing adultery, and how Jesus escaped the trap set by her accusers by cleverly turning the table against them. Yet the incident reported never happened. It was not even written by John to whom it is attributed. Rather, according to Prof. Bart Ehrman, a biblical scholar at the University of North Carolina, it was fabricated by scribes sometime in the Middle Ages. The story does not appear in any of the three other gospels nor in any of the earlier Greek versions of John. Some researchers believe that the story of Jesus in the New Testament is an accretion of legends popular in Mediterranean communities in the dying years of the Roman Empire. For example, the noted historian, Prof. Arnold Toynbee, explained in his illuminating book, Mankind and Mother Earth, that in the Levant after Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire, and throughout the whole perimeter of the Mediterranean after its political unification by the Roman Empire, there was fierce competition among rival religions for the chance of becoming the universal religion of the region as a whole. Christianity eventually triumphed by a process adumbrated already in Pharaonic Egyptian theology. According to the Egyptians, when a Pharaoh dies his detachable soul ascends into heaven and there devours other gods whom the newcomer encounters. By eliminating rival deities, the Pharaoh appropriated their powers. Now, Christianity appropriated the powers of its competitors by emulating an ascending Pharaoh’s mythical performance. According to Toynbee, in the story of Jesus the religion absorbed Egyptian, Syrian, Anatolian and Hellenic gods and goddesses and thereby ascribed their powers to the risen messiah. To be continued.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 27 “B By Chris Onuoha ut for the rail transport coming as a viable alternative, we would have all been doomed, or at best, we would completely avoid going back home”, says Hajia Bilikisu Sanusi, a senior female civil servant, who works in Abuja, but comes from Kaduna State. Hajia Sanusi, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard newspaper, at the Idu train station in Abuja, was obviously elated as she heaved a sigh of relief on stepping out of the train station, at the Abuja end of the journey. Hajia Sanusi is just one of the many hundreds of passengers who have literally abandoned the Abuja/Kaduna highway for fear of being kidnapped, robbed or, worse, killed by the army of marauders and bandits who have practically seized the soul of the road. In recent times, the Abuja-Kaduna road had been reduced to highway of horror, what with the daily reports of kidnapping, torture and robbery. The senior civil servant was also full of praise for the Buhari-led government which has ensured that the rail transport between Abuja and Kaduna is fully functional and indeed, coming to the rescue of many Nigerians who commute between both cities. According to her, “ we are grateful that, at least, the railway transport between Abuja and my home state, Kaduna, is working effectively; and we have Mr President to thank for this, without forgetting the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi who has been very passionate about rail development in Nigeria”. Although the Abuja/Kaduna rail was started and somewhat commissioned by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, it was the President Mohammadu Buhari administration that completed the rail system between the two cities. Sources in the Ministry of Transport had explained to Sunday Vanguard that the Jonathan administration stopped the rail tracks at Kubwa, in Abuja, because of the Catholic hospital which was on the right of way. It was the present Minister of Transportation, Mr Amaechi who had to negotiate with the Catholic authorities to relocate the church’s hospital before the rail tracks were completed, leading to the rail connection between both points - Abuja and Kaduna. The federal government provided the funds for the building of another hospital, just so the rail line was not obstructed. However, the ministry source remarked that the fact remains that the Jonathan administration initiated the project and drove it to the point it was before the present administration came into office. Completing the Abuja-Kaduna rail had gulped $500 million and it is running. And the Minister of Transportation insists that the government is committed to connecting all state capitals in the country with rail, adding that “it is aimed at making mass movement of people and goods easier across the country”. It is in the pursuit of this agenda, according to Amaechi, that the Calabar-Kano, as well as the Lagos-Calabar rails are conceived and being pursued. The beauty of this will be better appreciated with the plan to extend all rail lines to all the sea ports in the country so cargoes and other goods can be picked directly from the sea ports and taken to other parts of the country, thus saving the roads of the impact of heavy haulages, and at far cheaper cost. Already, the Lagos/Ibadan rail is near completion, even as the Lagos-Abeokuta rail has been completed and running. Amaechi explained that “by the end of the year, the Lagos-Ibadan rail will be up and running. By June, this year the entire tracks would have been laid up to Ibadan. Indeed, work had continued on that corridor, literally, day and night. It is the same passion that also led to the resuscitation of the Itakpe-Warri rail line which had been abandoned for over 34 years. According to Amaechi, the Federal Government’s decision to revisit the Itakpe/ Warri railway is to sustain the dream behind the project at the time it was conceived. Both towns are steel-producing communities, one in Kogi State and the other in Delta State. The rail was thus meant to connect both companies for the ease of transportation of goods and equipment. Already, the Itakpe/Warri rail has fully commenced operation as it daily lifts 100 passengers per trip between both points, even ABUJA/KADUNA COMMUTERS Rail Raises Safety Niche on Road Transport as plans are afoot to increase the number of coaches on the corridor. To ensure that the rail system runs with maximum efficiency, the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engineer Freeborn Edetanlaen Okhiria explained that “Nigeria is gradually tackling the railway challenge as this government (of President Muhammadu Buhari) has shown deep commitment to rail development in the country and with the deep devotion of the Minister of Transport, the sky will be our limit in rail development”. The zeal of the minister in driving the rail project may have received recognition even outside the country. About three weeks ago, the Ghanaian government, sent a team to Nigeria to understudy the strides the Nigerian government is making in rail development. Led by its Minister of Rail Development, Hon Joe Ghartey, the team joined in the tour of the rail construction between Lagos and Ibadan. Hon Ghartey commended the devotion and commitment of Mr Amaechi in the pursuit of the rail project in Nigeria. Commenting on how Amaechi has totally given his time and passion for the rail development, Dr Omenazu Jackson, a consultant with the UNDP and Chancellor, International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights noted that whenever he (Amaechi) is convinced about a project, he gives it his all and that is what we are seeing in his strides in the rail development of the country. Convinced that the rail transportation is headed for better days ahead, Eng Okhiria also explained that the Itakpe/Warri railway transportation will be further boosted soon as the Railway village and Railway yard are completed in Agbor, Delta State. The Railway village was burnt down some years ago but it is about being rehabilitated and will have to boot, facilities like school, hospital and residential quarters for rail workers and their families. In the same vein, the railway yard will cater for the maintenance need of the rail system within that axis. The Itakpe/Warri rail revitalised at the cost of $200 million, was wholly and solely funded by the federal Government. “We did not borrow a kobo to fund the Itakpe-Warri rail project, Amaechi said. Being built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CECC), the rail infrastructure in Nigeria is being funded by loans, largely obtained from China. The cost of the rail projects have accounted for a good chunk of the debt Despite the funding challenges facing the infrastructural development in the country, one thing certain is that the rail development under the management of the present Minister of Transportation is bound to change the narrative of mass transit schemes in Nigeria Nigeria is owing. Speaking on the many benefits of the rail transport system, Amaechi noted that in the areas where the rail has been completed, the economies of those localities have improved significantly citing the cost of land and other landed properties in the Lagos –Ibadan rail corridor, which he said, have remarkably appreciated. Despite the funding challenges facing the infrastructural development in the country, one thing certain is that the rail development under the management of the present Minister of Transportation is bound to change the narrative of mass transit schemes in Nigeria, if the same level of devotion and commitment is sustained in the years ahead.
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