Open letter to President Buhari on kidnappings

My frail heart continues to break and my eyes reduced to tears with every passing day as tens of hundreds Nigerians continue to wallow in an unimaginable life of hopelessness, helplessness and haplessness; thousands of them have long forgotten the meaning of ‘happiness’, innumerable died and continue to die of  the unending physical and emotional […]

My frail heart continues to break and my eyes reduced to tears with every passing day as tens of hundreds Nigerians continue to wallow in an unimaginable life of hopelessness, helplessness and haplessness; thousands of them have long forgotten the meaning of ‘happiness’, innumerable died and continue to die of  the unending physical and emotional trauma and several other  family ties of the victims  torn apart basically due to incessant cases of abductions.

Never in the history of Nigeria  has such rising wave of the menacing social monster of kidnapping been witnessed, so prevalent that the media outlets have begun to treat reportage on it with levity so worse that it no longer makes a hot breaking news as it used to be. The problem therefore continues to be a commonplace, with cases of wanton abductions across Nigeria becoming widespread like a wildfire. Yet, a plethora of cases would go underreported or unreported at all. Everyone’s life is at stake (insecurity to one is insecurity to all) with the exception of those  few sacred cows who ply our deplorably dreaded roads in heavily armed convoys. Why must we therefore, remain silent and feign ignorance of this wholesale calamity? Why can we not battle and combat harder until the criminal underworld and their masterminds are rooted out and prosecuted accordingly? How much longer should we continue to bow to the wanton sacrilege meted out by these marauding villains called kidnappers? The presidency has to bring forth the most effective and lasting solutions to these societal ills before the situation degenerates into an intractable phase. The time is now, and it is now or never for the presidency to pursue the much needed counter-kidnapping operation!!

The ICRC has condemned in strongest terms the murder of Saifura Husaini Ahmad and demands the unconditional release of the other two ladies still in captivity.

We, concerned Nigerians, have vociferously condemned the diabolic act and demand same from the presidency in addition to the compelling needs to swiftly set the necessary machineries to motion in bringing the savages to their heels. And, if truly the protection of lives and properties still remain the top item within the purview of the CHANGE government’s key priorities as is equally its statutory duty, and, if it cares and has concern over this human tragedy, the federal government, then, ought to dispatch a delegation to Maiduguri to condole with Saifura’s family in kind and in cash, so also the Borno State government; otherwise, many would come to the conclusion that only the protection of the lives of the ‘chosen few’ can be genuinely guaranteed in Nigeria – which therefore, adduces enough testimony to the country’s flagrant disregard for her citizens.

From the look of things, ruthless kidnapping is assuming not only endemic shape, but also becoming a burgeoning lucrative and money-spinning venture with many invisible profiteers. Despite all the military operations and other security agencies’ patrols going on, the menacing social monster keeps flourishing with every single minute that elapses – the good job these security agencies are doing is not good enough and thus the need to work harder and make new strategies by injecting more financial and technical commitment into the operation and forging a robust media-security synergy and efficient mode of information handling and reporting.

And, may I have the honour to remind his excellency of the promise he once made shortly after the release of the University of Maiduguri lecturers and policewomen at Presidential Villa, that his administration would do everything humanly possible to rescue all abducted Nigerian citizens – I feel enlivened any time I remember this covenant  due to the fact that I never doubt the president’s sincerity and integrity. We still hold on to the hope instilled by your promise.

On the final note, my prayer goes to the deceased, her family and all those afflicted by the menace of abduction, we therefore implore your excellency sir, to bring together all the necessary tools to rescue Nigerians in captivity and to fish out all perpetrators and bring them to book, so as to reap what they sow and as a deterrent as well.

Abdurrahman Ashiru, MBBS (BUK)

Benue, stop over-screening retired teachers

I wish to appeal to the Benue State government to please stop the frequent screening of retired teachers who risk their lives travelling long distances to designated centres and Makurdi for screening. Though one cannot rule out the importance of such screening in the battle against fraudulent activities, it has been observed that they come too often, especially as the retirees are quite old and have to face the rigours of screening very often.  Imagine for instance, an 80-year-old teacher travelling from Aleide, Utonkon, Owukpa or Orokam to Makurdi for screening in long queues for just a pension of N8,000 a month.

Christopher Adakole, Otukpa

Much ado about minimum wage

While the Nigeria Labour Congress is right in mobilizing workers to embark on strike over minimum wage, I am of the view that new minimum wage without checking the inflationary trend would mean nothing. No matter your salary, if prices keep rising with poor purchasing power of the naira, we will still remain where we are. Efforts should also be made by the relevant agencies or organizations to strengthen the naira and check arbitrary price increases to give any wage a meaning.

Damilola Braise, Badagry, Lagos

France showing more commitment to Africa

I am pleased with the news that French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to remain committed and increase French aid to less developed countries, especially in Africa in order to assist in developing the continent. This is coming after recent efforts by France to assist Africa, especially with the recent visit of President Macron to Africa. He  said recently that France would be increasing its grants from $10 billion to $15 billion in 2020 to 2030. This is like a challenge to other former colonial masters, especially Britain, to reawaken their consciousness to Africa’s contemporary challenges, especially as those challenges appear to be growing. Britain should take more interest in her former colonies as does France.

Stephen Duru, Apo, Abuja

FG, please check kidnappings

I write to appeal to the federal government to please, step up effort against kidnapping, as there is increase in kidnap cases especially on the nation’s highways. Nigerians now travel with many fears-accident, armed robbery, kidnapping, bad roads, dilapidated commercial vehicles, all making trips quite horrendous. I strongly appeal to the government to repair the many bad roads and increase security surveillance to check armed robbery and kidnapping on our highways.

Aminu Yakasai, Kano