Back to old tricks in NNPC

The fuel stations are getting dry again. The recurring December national disease is on the prowl. Thanks to the tanker drivers and the recent meeting of the retired GMD with the current GMD in NNPC. I can't wait to see GEJ do something immediately.

Re: Charge Northern leaders for treason – Okpozo

Arresting anybody on the basis of unaltruistic utterances is not a mark of democracy. Let our leaders speak and run their campaigns. That is how we can know who are ethnic chauvinists and who are true nationalists. If Nigeria will survive, nobody who rides on ethnic or sectarian salvo must get anywhere close to national authority or control. Democracy must ensure that such people are excluded from national leadership positions. Awareness of the need for a new brand of leaders is clear and obvious. If you don't allow the politicians to speak, how are we going to know them? The national sovereign conference is already taking place. Every Nigerian is redefining his or her stake in Nigeria. If there is no national etiquette, there won't be a nation. Who is a Nigerian and who is a slave in Nigerian? We are getting to know and the freedom of all Nigerians must be won peacefully

We have bursted the fuel cartel (Vanguard Newspaper)

This is a wonderful revelation that the fuel cartel was bursted. The cartel is bursted, but not dead. These enemies of the Nigerian economy who are fired by their greed must be carefully watched and managed. They never relent and often employ new strategies to achieve their goal. The new approach is to build a debt burden in the sector and later call for servicing of the debt from increased internal revenue from downstream sector. The President wants to fall for it by going for the loan when it is only a trap. The loans will be mismanaged certainly and the burden will fall on the Nigerian people. The sector is looking for foreign investors who will be committed to optimum utilization of their funds and realization of operational efficiency of the project.

The new antic is to build up debt in the sector.Foreign development partners only need to come in as investors in joint ventures. Government cannot manage any loans on our behalf because of corruption. GEJ will not take any loan if he wants our votes.

Wisdom from your old friend!

Emma Okoro sent this by e-mail. Enjoy it with me.

Reading in the dark: The pictorial story of our university

I took these pictures today at 8.30 pm when I visited students reading for examinations. There has been a persistent power outage on campus for several days and I wondered how the students were coping with the situation. They were calm and looked determined to overcome their limitations. They were reading with candle lights and battery-powered lamps in crowded hot classrooms invaded by mosquitoes. Some of them were seen outside sitting on concrete slabs with torches or lamps and burning mosquito coils.

See the other pictures: Click Here

» Atiku accuses Jonathan of polarizing the nation::Vanguard (Nigeria)

Beating regional and ethnic drums cannot elicit national integration. We should find common grounds and seek solid political arguments that favour developmental politics. What do we do to transform Nigeria to a virile state? A politician that cannot answer that question is missing the spirit of a new Nigeria. The new face of Nigeria must become visible, not as a battered monster, but as a lovely figurine embraced by all irrespective of tribe or religion. ".....our tribes and tongues may differ, but in brotherhood we stand....." We are bound in freedom, peace and unity.

» UBEB blames lack of textbooks for mass failures in NECO::Vanguard (Nigeria)

Researches into the reasons for poor academic performances in Nigerian educational system are rare. Everything about institutional or system evaluation should be empirical. We are always guessing the answers. This is a wrong approach. Answers should come from repeated and reproducible studies so that we can find lasting solutions. UBEB should have a database and monitoring system in order to pre-empt anticipated failures with concerted actions to achieve success. No need for medicine after death. A post-mortem approach must have a diagnostic component with the mind to formulate new strategies.

» Jega, party chiefs okay polls for April::Vanguard (Nigeria)

Any changes in time line by INEC must be made legal in order to avoid issues of voiding the actions of INEC for illegality. Let us not give room for legal mischief-makers. Remember June 12, IBB, Humphrey Nwosu and those judgements that challenged the election giving a devious justification for its annulment. We must get it right this time.

Training for ICT-enabled teaching and learning: a call for action.

LINK TO FULL DOCUMENT

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is increasing in Nigerian universities. Communicating via e-mail and accessing information over the Internet are now key elements of academic life. This has brought enormous benefits to the academic and research communities in our universities where the internet resource is available and efficient. Unfortunately, many senior academics have missed out on the opportunities provided by the internet because of poor understanding of the applications of the computer and the internet for research and updating lecture contents. Also, creative use of ICT-related facilities to improve learning opportunities and effectiveness has eluded a lot of lecturers in universities. The National University Commission (NUC), therefore, should engage in a policy of deployment of ICT training of senior academics, especially the professors, to enable them adapt to this digital technology. The need for an ‘e-learning action plan’ is obvious if higher education in this country must open up to the global virtual information system, harvest from it and contribute to it through digital networking. The “E-Learning Action Plan” defines e-learning as: “the use of new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and services as well as remote exchange and collaboration”¹. The plan presupposes that there is a pool of competent academic staff to create the teaching ‘resources and services’ in the digital national network. Nigerian universities have a low population of self-trained senior academics that can drive the digital e-learning revolution which entails delivering updateable learning resources or materials through the use of computer technology (e.g, intranet, internet, interactive TV, CD-Rom). There is, at present, no deliberate attempt to train senior university teachers on the pedagogical use of ICT. The professors are, undoubtedly, the pivot of dynamic pedagogy and must be the instruments of transformation of the universities as trained trainers in content teaching and transmission. ICT-enabled teaching implies that teachers and learners have some specific ICT-related skills. Students are offered ICT courses in General Studies in the first two years of their curriculum, but long-standing senior academics who had no such training as students are faced with ICT illiteracy. Without ICT-enabled learning system supported by trained hands, we lose its potential to allow larger numbers of students to enrol and attend classes. The NUC should recognise that the quality of university education depends on the internal capacity of academics to engage in virtual research, learning and teaching. This is the time for an e-learning action plan for our universities. The place to start is in staff training:

“Staff development for effective use of e-learning has been identified by almost all studies of the challenges in e-learning implementation as the most important barrier to progress. All universities will develop more comprehensive and effective training and support mechanisms and processes to ensure that they deploy staff efforts (both from support as well as academic staff) in the most efficient way.”¹

¹ ICT in European universities: trends and perspectives. Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission. http://www.spotplus.odl.org/downloads/Context_report_final.pdf

Which type of police do we want?

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/08/20/deaths-plus-n20b-from-police-check-points/

I saw the kind of discomfort caused by police checkpoints on Lagos street and Bama road during hours when traffic was heavy and wrote the poems appearing on this blog about Nigeria's tokens at 50. I am busy to write a long essay now, but watching the news and reading the Vanguard Editorial on this issue, I believe we need to address this topic. The national assembly and police service commission are keeping quiet. Even Goodluck has not shown we might be lucky to see some action. At 50, is this our brand of Police Force?

What Nigeria wants: Benevolent dictatorship?

The case for benevolent dictatorship in Nigeria(3)

Benevolent dictatorship? No way! We want firm, assertive and forceful democrats who know how to act with resolve when popular consensus is reached. Nigeria is complicated and too politically alive for a dictator to emerge without being shot in the foot. I have waited for the meat of the argument for benevolent dictatorship, but have not found any flavoured munch so far. We have survived dictatorship, and as a united Nigeria, any ill-conceived benevolent imposition will be an anachronism destined to annihilation at conception.

Nigeria's tokens in the east (at 50)

We cannot swallow saliva

because the jaws are in

stationary parade of decadence

openly begging for trifles

when the mobile force of swift agility is required

to bring coarse behaviour to a fine one

In the east

we must stop going

to check the teeth at 50

In the east

the teeth are not baby's

and must not pretend again

In the east

wise men come

at the golden time of 50

In the east

aren't we weary of checkpoints

when we wale for agile force

In the east

shall we give the cheetah

so that our peace keeper may move with blazing eyes

In the east

shall we give the digital tokens to communicate

not the crumpled tokens for the grumbling belly

Nigeria's tokens at 50

You don't see

a new born baby

empty-handed

You don't see

a baby's new teeth

empty-handed

You don't grow

teeth that don't bite

only to champ

At road blocks

we go with tokens

for the teeth of babies

A token of chicken

A token of soft liver

With eyes to see dissidence

Born 50 years ago

the teeth are milk

not strong for the bone

A token for the teeth

never mobile for the crunches

only stationary for open menace

The teeth have come

of age but presumed young

because of stunted growth

May the jaws

move and bite with teeth

grown with 50 years strength

May the jaws

forsake and lose the milk

for wisdom teething to crush

A token for the wise ones

an honour to them bestowed

for they are the heroes to emulate

P. h . D

Fine poetry on Nigeria

I have a P. h. D.

Persistent hope Developing

Jega is here now

digging out the jiggers in our feet

so that we can stand painless

NNPC and the national threat.

Shadowy Oil (I)

Senate: NNPC Fails to Submit 10-Year Annual Budget

When the heart of a nation has a threatening tamponade from a suffocating malfeasance, everything (to the rescue) must be thrown into the emergency room. NNPC cannot be allowed to toy with Nigeria's destiny. This is possible with a very meticulous legislative oversight. Over to the National Assembly!

NNPC is a national threat when its operations fail to guarantee a sustainable future for Nigerians.

The price for more refineries in Nigeria

The word "deregulation" has come again and the merchants of linguistic abuse have not relented. We hear it is the price for more refineries in this country. Those with clear eyes will see the surrogates of international leeches in the 'oil' waters. These sophists are trying every possible trick to offer our sovereignty on a golden platter to whom they wish for their personal benefits. These controversies are foretastes of the deceits in NNPC. I still believe we have a clout holding NNPC in recurrent pin-fall. Either this clout gets a re-grafted brain or is compelled to have a robotic thinking pattern for Nigeria as a nation. Jonathan will certainly fail if he has weak handle on NNPC. The way NNPC is 'regulated' determines the survival of Nigeria and the national policy defined by law will check the excesses of psychopathic deviants in the oil sector. Let's know what PIB contains!

Read this: NNPC Insolvent? Never! Says Levi Ajuonuma.

Some points to note in the report that stimulated my comment:

“……you will agree that NNPC is the most efficient and transparently set-up in Nigeria.”

“Do you realize that for more than 12 years, the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) on the Kaduna refinery was not done because of bureaucracy?”

“…..the Russians are here for our gas, the Germans are here for power, and the Chinese are investing about N8 billion to establish three refineries in the country.”

“Importation is important but we need more refineries to be built, and the only way more refineries can be built is if the prices are right.”

 

CBN and Petroleum Subsidy!

On these blog pages, I analysed some of the issues around international politics of oil subsidy. Goodluck dismantled the mafia at NNPC and we have fuel in every filling station. I see the Nigeria of my dream again in that sector with fuel availability. What about the sustainability of the policy? With resistant strains like the CBN boss (LS) in a thinly walled sequestration, a recrudescence of the fuel infamy may be possible. Jonathan will lose his good-luck with unrestrained and unrepentant extremist neo-capitalist ideologues on his flanks. Nigeria must survive with the thoughts of real Nigerians.

Post-UTME: a backward journey!

Post-UTME, antidote to exam malpractice – UNILAG Parents’ Forum

Can we really justify Post-UTME examinations. When JAMB cannot be strengthened to increase our confidence in the institution, the poor confidence will spread to NECO and SSE and finally lead to the deprecation of all public institutions conducting examinations. Universities are not free from examination malpractices and it is not a haven to run to. The Post-UTME examination is a move in the backward direction, and it is illegal. Universities can only screen candidates to ensure genuine qualifying certification before admission. The reason for falling standards is associated with poor entry qualifications before admission: fake POST-UTME, UTME, NECO, SSE, two or three credits in two sittings with undertaking to pass others after university admission, lack of interest in the course of study, etc. We should fund researches into institutional performance and higher education strategies in Nigeria. A lot remains to be uncovered regarding why higher education is failing.

The lawmakers should insist on the correct position of the law and be more pro-active in studying the problems of the Nigerian educational system in order to provide lasting solutions.

Up Covenant University!

I love what you are doing through your proprietors. Setting good standards and engaging the people to rise to the occasion! A development-oriented university is research-driven so that students understand problem investigation and seek knowledge-based solutions. A grant system that ensures persistent funding of researches on individual or group basis addressing local issues and problems will guarantee a sustainable future for Nigeria. Teaching from internal knowledge generation and not only from textbooks is what Nigerian universities lack. We teach preconceived concepts without clear validation from local content. Our graduates fail from this standpoint, because they often have tools that don't march local challenges. Your interview did not espouse this viewpoint. Anyway, I believe in your Covenant project- training the new generation that will create and sustain the changes in our dreams.

In defence of Prof. Akunyili

Uproar as Senate screens Akunyili Vanguard

If honest people become the villains in Nigeria, there is no future. In public poll recently, Dora's action and statements were endorsed by a majority of Nigerians. Any member of Senate who plays in a different direction is unpatriotic. Even when Dora was loyal, she was honest. Living by the National Pledge is a lesson senators must learn and they can't afford to fail Nigerians.

Deregulation for who?

Jonathan must move with clear eyes and goals. Deregulation in the petroleum sector is a scam. The sector must be regulated for meaningful sovereignty and national dignity. If Barkindo has no tenacity of purpose on the side of the people who own oil, he should back out. De-monopolizing the sector can commence and continue, but the policy of government to enforce standards and benchmarks in this sector is what regulation is. We cannot watch the international conglomerates exploit Nigerians in a deregulated regime. Let the laws spell out the deregulated landscape and we will know how deregulation can cater for our interests within the law; that is, when the laws are enforceable. Jonathan must not be goaded into putting the cart before the horse. Where is PIB? Can we know the details? Where are the regulations that will make “deregulation” a boon. I am yet to see them.

Jonathan backs deregulation, says NNPC boss