Another N60m for grass cutting!
Since the scandal-prone Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative [PCNE] understands its mandate to be cutting grass instead of catering for displaced people, could someone kindly step in and show it the door? PCNE has budgeted N60million in its 2017 budget to cut more grasses and trees in the insurgency ravaged region. It learnt […]
Since the scandal-prone Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative [PCNE] understands its mandate to be cutting grass instead of catering for displaced people, could someone kindly step in and show it the door? PCNE has budgeted N60million in its 2017 budget to cut more grasses and trees in the insurgency ravaged region. It learnt nothing from its predecessor the Presidential Initiative for the North East [PINE], which squandered N250 million to cut grass instead of feeding refugees. No wonder, the Grass Cutter to the Government of the Federation [GCGF] is still at his duty post.
Mama Taraba, turn on your lamp
Several times last week and this week, Minister of Women Affairs Mrs. Aisha Jummai Alhassan failed to appear before the House of Representatives’ Women Affairs and Social Development committee to defend her ministry’s 2017 budget. Her reason is that there is no power supply in the Federal Secretariat. She said “sometimes, the secretariat will stay for three, four, five weeks without light. Right now, this is the third week that we have stayed without light. The perm sec and I had to raise money personally to buy diesel at the Women Centre.” Minister, who told you that women across Nigeria rely on power supply from discos to prepare their families’ budgets? We would have all starved by now. Come on Mama Taraba, turn on your local lamp.
President’s wife as Vice President
The former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan has found the perfect antidote to discontent within the First Family. Unlike Mrs Aisha Buhari, who complained that her husband’s regime has been hijacked by outsiders, Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva has no reason to complain because her husband, President Ilham Aliyev has appointed her to be the country’s First Vice President. Before Madam’s elevation, the country’s constitution was amended to increase the president’s term in office from five to seven years while the powers of the Vice President’s office were strengthened in readiness for Mrs Aliyev’s stepping into it. Nigeria should borrow a leaf from Azerbaijan so that there will no more surreptitious BBC interviews.
Welcome, Indian made garri
Why are some people complaining just because we recently heard that garri is being imported into Nigeria from India? In fact it is long overdue. It is part of our national program to get rid of every local produce and replace it with an imported one. Match sticks once made in Ibadan have since been replaced by imported ones. Toothpicks that Nigerians once plucked from the backs of local trees have been replaced by ones made in China. Nigeria sent palm kernels to Malaysia five decades ago and we now wonderfully import palm oil from there. So, Indian made garri is highly welcome. We should please forge ahead and outsource all our kamu to Australia.
Between NCE and Grade Two teachers
Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu recently told the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Secondary Education that today’s National Certificate of Education [NCE] holders are worse than the Grade Two Teachers of old, whom they replaced as part of the upgrading of minimum teaching qualification. It is not only in the education sector. Today’s holders of engineering degrees are worse than the mechanics of yester years. Buildings made by engineers of today are collapsing faster than those built by local builders who had no certificates. In our own interest, Nigeria should fast forward to the past.