29032020 - El Rufai tests positive as experts insist on Total lockdown

Viewpoint
COVID – 19: A spur for leaders at such a time like this
By Damilare Akinwale
Akinola
will define Leadership <strong>as</strong> the
I ability to <strong>positive</strong>ly influence and
harness a group of people with
capacities to input and apply
resources, into set goals within the
framework of time in a particular
organizational or societal
existential pursuant to the overall
benefit and good of the society or
organization.
The leaders need people and the
people, the leaders, lest
organizations and or societies suffer
chaotic headless lacunae.
When leadership is lacking in any
organization, such becomes a place
of everyone and everybody a lawless
Leader, void of clear cut decency of
known organization, rules, ethics,
values and order.
I wonder outside humans, how
resources would have become
resourceful to meet the needs of the
man. on the long run?
It follows then that the creation
and in essence its purpose will be
too far from each other to meet the
demand of God and what He h<strong>as</strong>
magnificently and graciously hoped
for in the beauty of creation.
From the foregoing, leadership is
of both dignity and service, to
meet God’s purpose and the
intentions for His very creation.
It is also a process of meeting
human longings to galvanize
esteems in fulfilling daily desires
amongst or within daily
expectations.
This process can be delimited into
the government and the people.
The Covid’19 is a playground of
test or examination, for leadership
at such a time <strong>as</strong> this; We also pray
for leaders not to slip into slumber
at such a time <strong>as</strong> this!
Leading a group of people in
nations, corporations, churches,
families among others, is first about
God’s divine appointment and
b<strong>as</strong>ically, for the people.
God told Prophet Samuel that He
h<strong>as</strong> chosen David the shepherd boy
to lead His people, Israel and David
did this to the Bible and people
sufficient accolades, upon his
appointment with p<strong>as</strong>sion.
People are the source of any
relevance to any leader and his
government.
No wonder, democracy is defined
with people, people and the people,
at the very core center of good
governance.
Leadership is indeed a great
industry. It is therefore not a leisure
nor a c<strong>as</strong>ual enterprise. The wellbeing
of the people in security,
provision of b<strong>as</strong>ic needs and
<strong>as</strong>surances of dignity not neglecting
self esteem, are the combined
efficiencies of any great leadership.
Check great leaders of their
respective dispensations, then one
will identify selflessness and
character, laden with strong
principles <strong>as</strong> the platform for service
to humanity.
JESUS Christ serves <strong>as</strong> both the
spiritual and human example of a
worthy and credible leader of all
times.
But <strong>as</strong> strong <strong>as</strong> He w<strong>as</strong> at the
garden of Gethsemane, Jesus
needed a whole lot of
encouragement from His disciples
by <strong>as</strong>king that they will lift up His
hands in prayers, even <strong>as</strong> He drew
SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 29, 2020, PAGE 35
close to the Calvary, to lay down His
life for the sins of humanity.
First we <strong>as</strong> followers owe it a duty
to God and the good of the society
we belong to, with a view to knowing
the depth of leadership
responsibilities and our roles at
encouraging them unto excellent
discharge of their respective
responsibilities.
To this extent, leaders require from
us at such a time of global pandemic
<strong>as</strong> humanity is currently witnessing
unpalatable scourge, in Covid’19.
Leaders require our fervent
prayers. Prayers worketh the
uncommon. I am
fervent believer in miracles,
church lockdown not withstanding.
God is omnipresent to hear and
answer our prayers, because
humans in saints constitute the
church and not the four walls of
cathedrals of the various
denominations.
Leaders require our
understanding, because leaders in
themselves are humans. They are not
Angels and are none spirits.
They are <strong>as</strong> vulnerable <strong>as</strong> we are
to the pandemic. That is why we
have seen the scourge appear at the
Aso Villa of Nigeria and many other
Seats of power in the Other nations
of the world.
Church leaders require our
empathy more than ever before now,
just <strong>as</strong> the fiery Prophet <strong>El</strong>ijah had
required of the widow of Zarephat
in the Bible. If the widow had failed
to show concern to the need of the
prophet, it would have been to her
own imminent peril.
At a time such <strong>as</strong> we are now,
followers must take responsibility
to heed instructions on safety. The
ongoing lockdown which h<strong>as</strong>
affected our right of worship and
work is painful though.
Nevertheless, it requires our
cooperation for it to make the long
run meanings which the authorities
have planned for.
•Akinola, Senior P<strong>as</strong>tor at
APGA, is also the National
Administrative Secretary of the
Pentecostal Fellowship of
Nigeria (PFN)
Read more on
www.vanguardngr.com
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How stuff works in Pay TV
By Yemi Layoonu
am a user of social networking
I platforms, avid fan of
newspapers-physical and digital. I
spend a lot of time on comment
sections, where you sometimes find
very brilliant responses to any topic
up for discussion. Most times,
however, interventions pedestrian,
with so many coming across <strong>as</strong> a
convergence of ignorance and
arrogance. Others are downright
toxic. These are, of course,
interspersed with irrelevancies from
fraudsters offering Dangote Cement
at N500 per bag, phony Customs
officers offering to sell a Toyota
Venza at N650, 000 or some
trickster offering testimony of how
banished diabetes, hypertension and
“stolen destiny”with a syrup made
from okra, ginger and watermelon
seeds.
Every comment category teaches
you something, especially how
much rigour or otherwise preceded
the intervention. A sizable
percentage, I have observed, are
products of utter ignorance
presented with magisterial
authority. They are often
prefabricated opinions (dressed up
<strong>as</strong> facts) and are unoriginal. To be
ignorant is not half <strong>as</strong> bad <strong>as</strong> being
unwilling to learn or rejecting
evidence that sticks a pin in the
balloon of presumed knowledge.
Those in this category never bother
to read or listen to any position
contrary to the prefabricated view
they hold.
One subject I see this displayed
prominently is pay television. A
typical discussion around pay
television service in Nigeria starts
with the <strong>as</strong>sumption that access is
an alienable human right before
moving to one that projects pay
television <strong>as</strong> akin to a public utility
(something we are loathe to pay for
while expecting optimal services)
and onto extravagant claims of how
pay television works not just here
but in the UK, USA, Mexico, Papua
New Guinea et al.
Earlier in the week, I read an article
inflected with a wish (the author’s)
to be viewed <strong>as</strong> knowledgeable
about pay television and some sort
of consumer rights activist. The
article, widely published online, and
by a major print medium, gushed
with ignorance and fizzed. The
author apparently views himself/
herself <strong>as</strong> having the final word on
the subject in addition to giving an
impression that he is agenda-driven,
A sizable percentage,
I have observed, are
products of utter
ignorance presented
with magisterial
authority
<strong>as</strong> he wrote only about Multi-
Choice.
I have issues with MultiChoice,
promoters of DStv and GOtv,
notably reconnection after
subscription renewal. I have found
a way to make it quicker when
confronted with that situation by
simply sending them a direct
message on Twitter. It h<strong>as</strong>
workedwell. The response takes all
of 10 minutes. But I’d prefer it to be
automatic.
Now, back to the article. The
writer claimed that MultiChoice
holds “subscribers to ransom” by
implementing a monthly billing
model rather than a “pay-<strong>as</strong>-yougo”
model “<strong>as</strong>obtains abroad”. He
followed this up with other
allegations such <strong>as</strong> replacement of
certain channels with others,
change of hardware to more
modern ones and the time it takes
the decoder to load, porgramme
repetition, signal degeneration in
adverse weather and, wait for it,
failure to compensate subscribers
when there is power outage.
First, the claim that the pay-<strong>as</strong>you-go
(PAYSG) model is the global
standard is false. PAYSG is often used
interchangeably with Pay-Per-View
(PPV), which is used in the broadc<strong>as</strong>t
of one-off, big-ticket events such <strong>as</strong>
feature films, live sporting and
entertainment events. PPV is far
more expensive and paid for in
addition to your regular
subscription, not in lieu of.
The recent heavyweight boxing
title rematch between Tyson Fury
and Deontay Wilder, for example,
w<strong>as</strong> available on PPV in the US at
$79.99 (approximately N28, 876
using interbank rates). That w<strong>as</strong> the
cost of that bout, not a monthly
subscription fee! L<strong>as</strong>t week on
Facebook, I had to educate a friend,
who claimed that MultiChoice
operates PPV is South Africa.
Admirably,he went online to check
and returned to post that he had
misled friends on his timeline.
* Layoonu is an Ibadan
b<strong>as</strong>ed public affairs analyst
Read more on
www.vanguardngr.com
Another strategic road intervention in Ogun
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By Seyi Bakare with one pull-out section, and a 14-
lane toll plaza for e<strong>as</strong>y payment of
AST week, yet another
tolls. Speaking during the
Lmilestone w<strong>as</strong> reached when
ceremony, the Ogun helmsman
the Ogun State governor, Prince
noted that the road meant to connect
Dapo Abiodun, flagged off the
Epe-Ajah-Victoria Island in Lagos
construction of the 14-kilometer
State would provide a perfect
Ijebu-Ode-Epe road. The road,
alternative to the usually lockeddown
Lagos-Ibadan expressway due
which lies at the border area and
connects Ogun to Lagos, Nigeria’s
to annoyingly ce<strong>as</strong>eless gridlocks.
economic capital, w<strong>as</strong> awarded to
That w<strong>as</strong> not all: Governor Abiodun
Craneburg Construction by
<strong>as</strong>sured that the construction would
Governor Dapo Abiodun in a publicprivate
partnership arrangement
be followed by those of Sagamu-
Ojigo and Sango-Ota-Abeokuta
under the Build, Use and Transfer
roads, among others, provided that
framework. The road, whose
the Federal Government agreed to
construction began with a
cede the roads to the Ogun State
ceremony conducted by Governor
government.
Abiodun, members of the state
The Ijebu Ode-Epe road indeed
cabinet and engineers from the
used to be among the most
Craneburg Construction at Ikoto in
prominent roads during the defunct
Odogbolu local government area
Western Region administration.
of the state, h<strong>as</strong> special features,
But with wear and rear and the usual
including a dual-carriageway with
governmental neglect over the
10 lanes – four lanes on each side
years, it eventually became
essentially imp<strong>as</strong>sable, constituting
an aggravation and a nightmare to
users. But with the pragmatic
intervention by the Ogun State
government, its place <strong>as</strong> a
supporting road to the ever busy
Lagos/Ibadan expressway would
now be enhanced. Many travellers
going to Ikorodu, Epe, Lekki and
adjoining are<strong>as</strong> from Ogun State
would now see it <strong>as</strong> a viable
alternative. Significantly, the
construction would open up the
are<strong>as</strong> that it stretches through for
investment opportunities. Truth be
told, there’s so much arable land for
agriculture and industry, and much
economic gains can be harnessed
looking at the proximity of the are<strong>as</strong>
to Lagos. Although the Ijebu-Ode-
Epe road is a federal road, the
governor apparently believes (and
he is of course right) that since the
residents are Ogun citizens, it goes
without saying that they deserve
good roads. Indeed, when you look
at a place like Lekki, if you are
moving from Shagamu and p<strong>as</strong>sing
through the Lagos/Ibadan
expressway toll gate, you would
usually encounter traffic jams in
are<strong>as</strong> like Mountain of Fire and
Julius Berger bus stop. On difficult
days, people spend hours in that
gh<strong>as</strong>tly traffic, sweating and
lamenting the woes of Nigerian
nationhood, including the lack of
underground metrolines.
Besides, you may not know what
awaits you on the Third Mainland
bridge, before you get to your
destination in Lekki. People moving
from Shagamu to Lagos who have
business to do in Lekki or Ikoyi
spend valuable hours, sometimes
the same six hours that a trip to
London by air will cost, on the Lagos/
Ibadan expressway. By the way,
taking advantage of the situation,
traders in essential commodities
usually fleece hapless motorists of
their hard-earned money, charging
double the normal price. Admittedly,
though, a major re<strong>as</strong>on for the usual
traffic gridlocks in recent times is
the fact that that particular road is
currently undergoing
reconstruction. But that is only part
of the story: the Lagos/Ibadan
expressway is the busiest road in the
country, and so the tense traffic
situation will not automatically
disappear with its completion. This
is why Governor Abiodun’s latest
project is particularly strategic: it
will not only e<strong>as</strong>e the burden on the
Lagos/Ibadan expressway but also
f<strong>as</strong>t-track movement and economic
transactions between the two
contiguous states. Happily, the
project is expected to be completed
in only twelve months. It will provide
empowerment opportunities for
people in the area.
•Bakare, a medical doctor, is
resident in Mowe, Ogun State.
Read more on
www.vanguardngr.com
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A fresh beginning at ASCETA
○
By Ama Abraham
hen two months ago, the
Wtraditional rulers in
Arochukwu Kingdom visited the
Abia State College of Education
(Technical) in the town, they were
<strong>as</strong>tounded that the once glorified
secondary school had been
transformed to a great citadel of
learning with imposing structures
and a serene environment. After a
guided tour of the campus, they told
the Provost of the College, Dr. Philips
Nto to perish the thought of leaving
after the expiration of his first tenure.
They elected to stage a protest to
Government House to persuade
Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu to
reappoint him.
That planned trip w<strong>as</strong> aborted
because Governor Ikpeazu without
prompting from any quarters
renewed Dr. Nto’s appointment
effective March 03, 2020. His
achievements had gone before him
and spoke volumes. Those who knew
what the college w<strong>as</strong> in 2016 when
Nto first birthed there have always
wondered the magic warned he
waved to exorcise the derelict squalor
that paraded the environment and
in its stead imposed structures that
have given a face lift to the institution.
If Nto didn’t know better, he would
have thought that he w<strong>as</strong> sent to
ASCETA in 2016 <strong>as</strong> a punishment.
The infr<strong>as</strong>tructure were run down.
The morale of staff w<strong>as</strong> at its lowest
ebb owing to issues of welfare. The
students’ population w<strong>as</strong> down. In
fact there w<strong>as</strong> a general sense of
abandonment such that only the lion
hearted would have accepted the
appointment. However, Nto, being
lion hearted and a distinguished
Alumni of University of Nigeria
Nsukka and Michael Okpara
University of Agriculture, Umudike
where he obtained multiple degrees,
w<strong>as</strong> not deterred. He w<strong>as</strong> determined
to succeed.
As the then immediate p<strong>as</strong>t
Commissioner for Finance and
Economic Planning and a World
Bank Consultant, Dr. Nto came
prepared. He started from the b<strong>as</strong>ics,
restoring the environment, providing
security, connecting the school to the
national grid, rehabilitating the
dilapidated hostels and motivating
the staff through payment of their
salaries <strong>as</strong> soon <strong>as</strong> the government
rele<strong>as</strong>ed the subventions.
As an academic, working in an
academic environment, he tackled
the issue of accreditation of courses
in the various schools. Approaching
the National Council on Colleges of
Education (NCCE) which h<strong>as</strong>
withdrawn accreditation from those
courses w<strong>as</strong> not e<strong>as</strong>y. But he had a
governor who believed in quality
education, thus, the state government
availed him the resources with which
he employed to secure accreditation
for almost all the courses in the
college. He also resuscitated the
moribund affiliation with Abia State
University and went a step forward
to affiliate ASCETA to Michael
Okpara University of Agriculture,
Umudike.
It is instructive that those very policy
issues gave ASCETA a fresh breath
of life. Students wishing to undertake
a straight four year course can now
do that comfortably because a man
who understands where he is going
w<strong>as</strong> given an opportunity to drive the
vision of the state government on
education. He also strengthened the
academic staff capacity to ensure
that the College produces the best
graduates within the South E<strong>as</strong>t
region.
But the nagging issue of the
inability of the College to issue
certificates to her graduates became
a challenge which Dr. Nto
immediately confronted. Today, for
the first time since the inception of
the institution; graduates are being
issued their National Certificate in
Education and degree certificates
from the affiliated institutions. This
h<strong>as</strong> understandably given the
students the confidence to make
ASCETA their destination College of
Education.
Having firmly secured the
academic front, Dr. Nto turned his
attention to infr<strong>as</strong>tructure. It is
instructive that when he arrived the
College, the Tertiary Education Trust
Fund (TETFUND) had severed
relationship with ASCETA because
the previous administration failed to
adhere to the fund’s rules.
•Abraham is Special Adviser to
Abia State Governor on Political
Affairs
Read more on
www.vanguardngr.com