General Usman is a fine Spokesman By Emmanuel Onwubiko

In my over two decades and half of media and media related professional careers, I have encountered dozens of media relations' spokespersons in both the public and private sector. 

These persons have during these exhilarating encounters exhibited characters ranging from being professionally competent to the most absurd. I have met some who saw their briefs as attack dogs who only concerns themselves with nosing around for perceived adversarial materials for the purposes of only marketing their chief executive officers as near-infallible public office holders which at nest can only be found in a typical utopian setting far removed from existential realities. But i have also met refined and robustly focused professionals who run very open and accountable media reputational management departments and who treat researchers and media workers with the highest quality of courtesy.  I have met some who care less about professional ethics of media reportage and so can do anything including hiring hatchet WRITERS to attack perceived opponents of their bosses. But there are those who believe in constructive criticism and feedback mechanisms that they busy themselves constructively putting out official positions that aren't so nakedly illogical to the hearing of the listening and reading public. 

As we all know, Nigeria being one of the fastest growing economies in the developing world, the urgency of the now to fashion out great brands and manage reputations of institutions and businesses remains the focal point of administrators of public and private institutions. Heads of institutions know too well that the media can both build them, make them and unmake them or demarked them. 

During my days as a full time newspaper reporter at both the regional and national platforms, I had the uncommon privileges of coming close to many media managers of government offices by the virtue of the fact that a dominant percentage of all business done in Nigeria are domiciled within and amongst public funded institutions.

In terms of institutional strategic pride of place, the military is one of such publicly funded institutions that cares so much about its reputational management in the most efficient of ways.

Over the past two decades, the military and indeed the Defence headquarters have had dozens of serving military officers who were delegated the duty of managing the media reputation of this establishment.

The military of Nigeria has every strategic reason to remain adorable and respected in the eyes of the public because of the constitutional role assigned to them as the defenders of the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

Integrity and credibility therefore are key words that the specific officials delegated the functions of spokespersons are charged to promote and protect. The military have a stake in fixing the broken perception of some Generals who had misused their high offices to help themselves from the public treasury. It is not strange to hear commentators blame the military dictators that took over political power in the past against constitutional tenets for the expansion of corruption amongst public office holders. General Abacha who governed Nigeria with brute force died many years ago but the public fund he looted from central bank of Nigeria are still being recovered from foreign banking jurisdictions where he concealed them.

Also, the less than impressive role the military played in scuttling and then restoring democratic process and system of government in Nigeria means that all the segments of the Armed forces are expected to play by the rules of constitutional democracy by always striving to be the beloved peoples military of Nigeria.

I must repeat that as a media professional, I have never truly seen any private or public institution that understands the role and place of the media than the Nigeria Army and/or the Armed Forces which is the reason for maintaining very elaborate and professionally administered media directorate.

Two distinguished media experts, Michael O’shaughnessy and Jane Stadler did so well to provide us with a working understanding of what the media means even as they proceeded to highlight the different ramifications of objectives and the place of the media in the society. The duo expertly authored a book titled aptly as: “Media and Society.”

What then is the media? If we may ask. The above mentioned authors answered us thus: “The media is a commonly used term, but what exactly does it refer to? The media include a whole host of modern communication systems, for example cinema, television, newspaper, magazines, advertisements, and radio. They also include video games, computers phones and mobile phones, pagers, texters, iPods, interactive multi-media, and most importantly, the internet. Defining the media is not easy because the media are constantly changing with the development of new forms and technologies but there are a number of characteristics, historical developments, and determining factors that delineate what the media are, and these can lead towards a definition.”

For these authors these are Media characteristics namely that "the media are human communication systems; the media use processes of industrialized technology for producing messages; the media generally aim to reach large audiences or to be used by many people and hence have been referred to as ‘mass media’ operating through ‘mass production’ leading to ‘mass communication’ their success is often built on popularity; the media usually aim to facilitate communication across distance (and/or time) between people, or to enable communication in which the sender does not need to be present as the communication in which the sender does not need to be present as the communication is recorded and then transmitted; the media are called ‘media’ because they are literally in the middle, or are the middle chain, of this communication (media means ‘middle’ in Latin), they are the mechanisms that connect the senders and the receivers of messages; the development of the media has been affected by commercial interests that recognize that the media are potentially highly profitable industries."

In the recent history up until only few days back, the Nigeria Army had a thoroughbred professional soldier and a good communicator as the spokesperson of that vital institution in the person of Brigadier-General Sani Kukesheka Usman.

General Usman who was recently sent to school for further professional advancement by the chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai and replaced by General Jude Ezecukwu, is a refined gentleman of the best qualities. 

A jolly good fellow who is loyal to the Nigeria Army and Nigeria to a fault.

His tenure as the spokesperson of the largest Army in the black world humanized and transparently opened up that institution that was once seen as opaque and clandestine and he used his time richly to market that institution as peoples friendly and human rights friendly. Even when some of us in the civil society community disagrees with some of the tendencies of some operatives of the Army in the area of human rights enforcement and promotions, one character you couldn't take away from the ever smiling General Usman is the charisma and grace and also passion with which he proceeded with giving out the official sides of every story. He took on so many battles in his determined effort to properly manage the reputation of the Army and the Chief of Army Staff who as a very strategic officer is always reported in so many ways from so much dimensions. Take the encounter of the Army with the members of the Zaria based Islamic movement of Nigeria or Shiites or the encounter with the unarmed members of the now proscribed indigenous people of Biafra, General Usman was always in top of his game speaking to present the official positions that are favourable to the Nigeria Army. Hate him or like him, General Usman was never found sleeping on his duties. He made his telephone lines available 24/7 to always respond to media inquiries. He remains one of the very few publicly funded media manager that can wake up by 1am to answer a call from a journalist just so he can defend his boss and the Army robustly. His office also publishes beautiful and highly informative magazine stylishly called the Army magazine which seeks to humanize the perception of the Army as being friendly, open and transparent. He is a good spokesperson. If not that he is a typical soldier whereby postings can be done at discretion of the Chief, one may be tempted to ask why such a great spokesman is being transferred to another beat. I concede to the right of the Chief of Army Staff to rejig his staff as best as he thinks for maximum performances. Usman reminds me of the characteristics of a great spokesperson identified in many seminal pieces. 

In a beautiful piece titled “What makes a great spokesperson?” by Adam Fisher, the writer stated thus:

"Every organization, big or small, needs spokespeople who can promote its achievements and defend its reputation in a crisis."

The author said the strength of these spokespeople has a huge impact on how their organization is covered by the media.

"After all, there is a big difference between talking to the media and your customers and actually getting your key messages across effectively, gaining good coverage and protecting and enhancing your reputation."

Adam Fisher said a spokesperson is the voice, and for television, the face of the business. "They have a vital role and businesses should have more than one."

The writer asked, but what makes a good spokesperson? Is it a natural flair for public speaking? Or, perhaps, the confidence to think on their feet?

To help answer that question, we asked five of our expert journalist tutors who deliver our media training courses to each list the top three things they look for in a spokesperson. For brevity, this writer will quote just one of such experts who listed out attributes that make for a great spokesman. 

From Lawrence McGinty – former Science and Medical Editor for ITV News: a great spokesperson must have Conviction. "Do they really believe what they're saying or are they just mechanically parroting a prepared script?"

Secondly, a great spokesperson must represent a spark of something - humour, determination, apology - whatever emotion sits well with what they're saying. And lastly, a great spokesperson has humanity. "Do they really care about people affected by the issues? Do they talk from personal experience? How will what they say be received by those affected? "

General Usman possesses these great qualities. As i stated, one may not completely agree with the official versions that he dished out but he does the dishing so professionally well and much better than his colleague who was then the Director of media in the Defence Headquarters Brigadier General John Enenche who lacks professional charisma and skills of a great spokesperson. 

*Emmanuel Onwubiko is the Head of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) andblogs@www.emmanuelonwubiko.com; www.huriwanigeria.com;www.huriwa@blogspot.com.

Rights Violations: HURIWA backs Amnesty International: *May drag FG to ICC if:

“The recently released yearly human rights reports by Amnesty International, the London based International Non-Governmental body which decried the high rates of extra-legal executions carried out by armed security forces amongst sundry gross human rights violations in Nigeria is the true reflection of the poor human rights record of the current Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.”

With the above statement, the pro-democracy and non-Governmental organization – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has backed the United Kingdom’s based group even as it has asked the Nigerian state to rein in the killing machines that the armed security forces and police have become and ensure that alleged perpetrators of widespread extrajudicial killings amongst the security forces are named, shamed prosecuted and punished in the competent courts of law. 

HURIWA alleged that there are killing machines operational amongst the different segments of the armed security forces mainly because these cells are underground and not accessible to credible and independent local and international organisations. The group said it wrote a letter recently to the minister of justice and the National Assembly to compel law enforcement authorities with detention facilities to open them up for inspection at no notice by independent non governmental bodies but tje Rights group got no response. 

HURIWA reiterated her condemnation of the two kangaroo presidential panels set up by the Army and the then Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbanjo on human rights violations against the security forces which turned up a choreographed and highly fraudulently pre-determined outcomes in which the military were absolved of blame in the large scale cases of extralegal killings of both the unarmed members of the hurriedly proscribed indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and the detained suspected members of the boko haram terror group. The group therefore expressed joy that Amnesty international despite all threats, intimidations and hiring of amorphous groups of hungry unprincipled Protesters to blockade their national office in Abuja could muster courage to write a thoroughly researched and scientifically provable reports of grandscale human rights violations in Nigeria last year and this year. 

The Rights group has in a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and National Media Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf  faulted the criticism by the military's high command of the well thought out and factually researched human rights violations by members of Nigeria’s armed security forces as reported by Amnesty international just as the Rights group lamented that the current government had embarked on a sinister plot to completely undermine the independence and powers of the National Human Rights Commission by failing to inaugurate a governing council and disobeying the statutory provisions on funding autonomy.

HURIWA recalled that AMNESTY International Nigeria had accused the Nigerian Armed Forces of killing civilians under the guise of fighting herdsmen invading farming communities across the country.

HURIWA further recalled that the organization is demanding that: “The Nigerian authorities must investigate these attacks and, where these investigations indicate criminal responsibility, prosecute those responsible and bring them to justice.”

HURIWA quoted Amnesty International as affirming correctly that the Nigerian authorities’ response to communal violence is totally inadequate, too slow and ineffective, and in some cases unlawful as clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Ondo and Kaduna have resulted in 168 deaths in January 2018 alone.

HURIWA quoted Amnesty as saying thus: “The government must totally overturn its response to these deadly clashes to avoid this crisis getting out of control. They need to investigate and bring suspects to justice".

HURIWA recalled that the UK group through her Nigerian office had claimed rightly so thus: “Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard. Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and lays bare the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect,” said Osai Ojigho, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. Hundreds of people lost their lives last year, and the government is still not doing enough to protect communities from these violent clashes. Worse, the killers are getting away with murder.”

Amnesty observed that in some cases where the Nigerian security agencies did respond to communal violence, they used excessive or unlawful force resulting in even more deaths and destruction.”

HURIWA said that a press release made available to it amongst others stated that : "on 4 December 2017, Nigeria’s air force sent fighter jets to fire rockets at villages as a “warning” to deter spiralling communal violence, as hundreds of herdsmen attacked at least five villages in Adamawa state to avenge the massacre of up to 51 members of their community, mostly children, the previous month in Kikan. An Amnesty International team visited the villages in the aftermath of the air raids and gathered witness testimony from residents who described being attacked by a fighter jet and a military helicopter as they attempted to flee. The organization condemned the frequent deployment of soldiers to areas where there are communal clashes and pointed out that this has resulted in many cases of excessive use of force, unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions throughout the country as a well as undermine the police."

HURIWA noted that Amnesty International stated in the report that the Nigerian military is currently performing security operations in 30 out of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, often taking over routine policing duties; and frowned at government’s reliance on the military for help in handling what should be public order situations has also seriously undermined the role of the Nigerian police.

HURIWA said the group correctly faulted contradicting statements attributed to the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) Director of Public Relations, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, even as Amnesty International called on the Nigerian air force – which has received intensive training from the UK and US militaries in recent years –to hand over the footage of the incident and all relevant information to the authorities, including the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for investigation."

HURIWA said it aggrees with the UK founded group that the step by the Airforce of Nigeria is unlawful and amounted to excessive force on a catastrophic scale. 

"HURIWA aggrees with Amnesty International's  disclosure that the air raids occurred in the villages of Lawaru, Dong, Kodomti, Shafaron and Nzuruwei, where Amnesty International interviewed a total of 15 witnesses.Satellite and aerial imagery secured and analyzed by Amnesty International confirm the devastating cumulative effect of the herders and Air Force attacks, with at least eight villages heavily damaged or completely destroyed by fire".

HURIWA notes with satisfaction that the video footage shot by Amnesty International shows the widespread destruction of homes reduced to charred rubble, twisted metal and ash in areas where the villagers said the rockets landed. Amnesty International’s team also filmed shrapnel gathered by villagers.

HURIWA therefore asked the Nigerian Attorney General to prosecute offenders or risked being reported to the international criminal court in The Hague Netherlands so the relevant military commanders responsible for these killings are prosecuted for crimes against humanity. 

Senate President speaks on evil of human trafickingtrafficking

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and other stakeholders during the Senate Roundtable on Migration and Human Trafficking in Benin City, on Monday resolved to do more action to end irregular migration and human trafficking across the country.

The stakeholders include the Minister of Interior, Abduraman Dambazzau, the European Union (EU), United Kingdom, International Organization on Migration, the National Agency for the Prohibition on Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Civil Society Organizations.

Governor Obaseki in his remarks commended Saraki and the Senate for the initiative of holding the sensitization session in the Edo State, and said that the state will continue to fund programmes aimed at protection, prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked victims. 

President of the Senate, in his address, lamented the worrisome dimension the illegal migration and trafficking has assumed and said that the Senate will collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to tackle the issue. 

Saraki said: “Nigeria currently ranks 23 on the Global Slavery Index of 167 countries with the highest number of slaves. Human trafficking is third in the ignoble hierarchy of the commonly occurring crimes in Nigeria, according to UNESCO.

"We are losing sleep over irregular migration and human trafficking; and we are determined, as representatives of the people, to do something about it," he said. 

He lamented that Nigeria has lost too many young people - who have died in the desert and in the sea - on the unpredictable treks who otherwise would have led productive lives in their home country.

"We have seen the bleak images of coffins of 26 Nigerian girls who were laid to rest in Italy last November. This is what brings us today to ancient Benin. The trafficking of young males has overtaken females in this state for the first time, and now stands at 63 per cent," he said. "I thank Governor Obaseki for his determined leadership in the face of the crisis, and for being our gracious host for this Roundtable.”

He stated that it is the expectation of the leadership of the Senate that the Roundtable would serve as a springboard to efforts to stem the tide of illegal migration and human trafficking. 

"Clearly, something is wrong in the way we manage citizens’ security, border security as well as international cooperation and collaboration," he said. "This Roundtable is designed to help answer some of the niggling questions. To identify root causes and the various dimensions of the problem, and work out a way forward."

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and U.K. Deputy High Commissioner pledged to support efforts of relevant stakeholders aimed at eradicating the menace. 

"It is wonderful to see democracy in action, with this lively discussion here. Many European countries can learn from this, said Kettil Karisen - the EU Ambassador to Nigeria during the panel discussion of the subject. 

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY: BETTY ANYANWU – AKEREDOLU, PILLAR BEHIND GOVERNOR AKEREDOLU’S TRAJECTORY SUCCESS

Beside every successful man, there is a woman who inspires, motivates, drives, encourages and walks down the aisle of life with him amidst enormous challenges and accomplishment, perhaps most men who are mentally and psychologically stable draw inspirations from the support of their wife and this relentless support will equally enable the women to accomplishment their wishes on earth.

The Wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, supported her husband a Civil Rights Activist in every step of his career and at the same time carrying out other programmes to support the campaign of her husband, even after the death of her husband. Similarly, Dolores Huerta, the Wife of the Labour Leader, Cesar Chavez, created the National Farm Workers Association with him and she did much in approving the ideas of her husband that enable them to make more fortune. Also, Freda Kelly, Zelda Fitzgerald – Wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Rachel Robinson, Wife to Jackie Robinson and Hillary Clinton, Wife of former President of the United States of America are examples of wives who support their husbands to achieve their goals.

In the same manner, the resolution of the Wife of Ondo State Governor, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu, to support the administration of her husband through series of programmes and projects that impact positively on the lives of the people of Ondo State can be likened to the women soldiers of Dahomey, who supported their husbands during wars and contributed to the kingdom’s military power and thus they were respected for providing great support to their husbands and never running away from danger.

Therefore, to better understand the reason for the ongoing successful execution of new dawn in Ondo State there is need to look inward and x-ray the woman behind the anchorman, the “bedroom inspiration” of the Architect of new Fortunes for Ondo State people, through activities done to support her husband which include exhibiting and extending her motherly care to the people of Ondo State through numerous unprecedented achievements and activities in the State.

At the beginning was the unique celebration of International Women’s Day 2017 in Ondo where a pleas was made to Governor Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu for more women involvement in the governance of Ondo State, which has since been embraced by the Governor through the involvement of more women at the helms of affairs in the State. To this end, Ondo State today has more female political appointees unlike what was obtainable in the time past.

Her Excellency, who is also the Ada Emeabiam II of Emeabiam in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo state, believes in more women participation in governance, women liberation and equal-gender inclusive governance that will protect the rights and liberty of the women and children. With this goal in mind, the First Lady therefore brought in various programmes that support her husband towards achieving good governance for all in Ondo State.

The first lady fondly known as Digital Mama organized Solar4Girls training programme, Ondo State Girl Child ICT Training, distributed 100 tablets to Girls at the Girl Child ICT training – all aimed at impacting into the lives of women and girl-child in the state. She also established the Ondo State Tennis Clinic for young ones where children are trained on Tennis so that the children of Ondo state can have opportunity to compete on the world stage. It will interest you to know that the Governor and his wife are sport loving family and the involvement of experts to assist in developing of Youthful potentials in Tennis game is one of the heart desires of Mr. Governor and his wife for Ondo State, specifically, making it the hub of Tennis game in Nigeria.

Desperate about care for the underprivileged, the Wife of the Governor donated materials for children at the Ondo State Children’s Home, where she called for the promotion of community and humanitarian services among the people in order to propel the Home to a befitting status. The Wife of the Governor also donated items to Inmates at the Nigeria Prison, Owo, Ondo State Correctional Home in Akure, thus, giving life to the hopeless and forsaken people in the society. Items donated to them includes but not limited to mattresses, pillows, foodstuff, first aid box, food ingredients, mosquito nets, toiletries, gas cookers, burners, among others that worth millions of naira. 

Other donations include cash and gifts to the widowed mother of triplets; first three babies born in Ondo State in year 2018; the father of a triplet, Mr. Chukwuma Eze, who lost his job few weeks to the delivery of a triplet by his wife (new motorcycle to the father, cash gift and baby foods as well as pampers). Cash gifts, toiletries and food items were also donated to another set of quadruplet and triplet, who were born in the state.

The parents of the quadruplet and triplet, Mr. and Mrs. Okechukwu Paul and Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Onyeama were full of joy and appreciation to the Wife of the Governor for her gesture, as they believed the donation would in a great way change their standard of living and further create a reliable source of income.

It can be said that the Wife of the Governor has gained the support of her female counterparts by encouraging them to support the needy and the less privileged through donations and other things that can improve their lives.

These programmes coupled with the campaign against Breast cancer brought the First Lady of Ondo State who is also the Founder of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu to the public domain like the Wife of some notable Presidents and world leaders in history. She was therefore found to be among the great women behind successful men, earning her several awards within and outside Ondo State.

The awards include but not limited to: decoration of Her Excellency as the Grand Matron of Sunshine Queens Football Club of Ondo State, the Matron, Akure Diocesan Mothers’ Union, the Cluster Advocacy Change Champion, the Patron of Imo State Boys’ Brigade of Nigeria, IT Community Builder - National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA), Award of Excellence by the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Award of Excellence in recognition of her contributions in the fight against cancer by International CSOs Cancer Conference 2017 and most importantly installation as the Ada Emeabiam II of Emeabiam in Owerri West local government area of Imo State.

The Alumna of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, always gains the support of her husband and understands the kind of heart her husband holds and thus affirmed her determination to improve the standard of Ondo State Women, towards making them accomplished personalities who are at the helms of decision making. Example of the mechanism to achieve this is the “Be More” initiative introduced by Her Excellency.

The First Lady, an Apostle of equity, fairness, transparency and prudency can be likened to the Wife of Martin Luther King Jr, Coretta Scott King, who supported her husband’s vision till it was accomplished, as such, just as it is known, a golden fish cannot hide itself, so is the case of unveiling of various programmes and projects that unconsciously revealed the inner mind and motherhood of Her Excellency and all has been geared towards creating room for better governance in Ondo State through Mr. Governor.

In the continued drive of the Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu to see to the success of her husband’s tenure in office, many are still optimistic that her quest for a Cancer Control Centre in Ondo State will soon be a reality. In her words, “the government of Arakunrin needs to prioritize Cancer control. We need a Cancer Treatment Centre equipped with radiotherapy and mammography machines. Most of the Centres we have across Nigeria are not working. It is a shameful thing and we are pleading with the state governments to be alive to their duties other than waiting for the federal government”.

Accordingly, in order to mitigate death and misconception about breast cancer, the Wife of the Governor launched the Ondo State Chapter, Oyo State Chapter, Lagos State Chapter, FCT chapter, Imo State Chapter of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, to further propagate and enlighten the people, particularly the women and girls about early detection and timely treatment for breast cancer.

It will interest you to note that in Ondo State and Nigeria in general, the women are now increasingly informed about breast cancer and they no longer see it as a death sentence and this has been achieved through the mission of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, an organization that has earned Arabinrin wide acceptability, even overseas.

The First Lady has also embarked upon series of empowerment programmes for the women in Ondo State, by training them on various skills like how to make shoes, hair, wigs, sewing, etc. The empowerment programme is being taken from one local government to another and today several women, specifically the vulnerable are now skilled in their households. This has helped to put smiles on the faces of the less privileged in the society and given life to the lifeless. Many have since commented on some of these initiatives, for example, the Caretaker Chairman, Okitipupa local government, Mrs. Morenike Alaka, affirmed that the support given to the women through the training exercise is unprecedented as it would go a long way in equipping them towards contributing their quota to their family’s development.

The Wife of the Governor has also visited several stakeholders, support organizations like Malaysian High Commission in Nigeria, Pathfinder International - a global non-profit organization that focuses on Reproductive Health, Family Planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care and maternal heath, the British Deputy High Commissioner, on how to assist in empowering Ondo State women and as a way of facilitating these objectives, the First lady championed the establishment of the Forum of Wives of Ondo State Officials (FOWOSO) which serves as a round-table for all wives of political appointees and female appointees in the State to create programmes that are impactful and capable of empowering the women in Ondo State. The platform has since started yielding good fruit and sequel to this is the empowerment programme carried out for women in some local government areas of the State, like Akoko South East local government, Isua, where several women, youths and special needs people in the local government were trained on how to make shoes, handcrafts, bags, beads, etc. 

Thereafter, the participants were presented certificates and presented sewing machines, hair dryers, grinding machines, laptops and many more that could enhance their trade. According to the First Lady, there is need for the women to support their husbands in their service to the people and this can only be done through their little contribution, therefore FOWOSO has come to stay to support governance in Ondo State and change the lives of many women for better.

According to the Secretary to the Kogi State Government, Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, FOWOSO is a great platform that would help the spouses of the officials in the State to compliment the efforts of their husbands; as such resounding the objectives of establishing FOWOSO by the Wife of the Governor.

The Arabinrin equally initiated the idea of Olori Connection in Ondo State to serve as bridging gaps in the healthcare system of Ondo State. This is unprecedented in the State, as it marks the first time wives of monarchs are directly involved in governance and will equally create a database for Accelerated Birth registration of children between the ages of 0 – 17. The Olori Connection according to the First Lady will support the Arakunrin administration in actualizing the goals of Reproductive, Maternal, newborn, child, Adolescent, Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) initiated by the Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, thus, making Ondo State the first State in Nigeria to domesticate the maternal policy of the Wife of the President, for the benefit of the women in the state. In her words, “…throughout Nigeria, this is happening here for the first time. We are kick starting registration of children … and that will ensure that no woman in this state find an excuse for nor registering her child. …our Akowe Abiye will also use the opportunity to get some other information that will help us to know where we are having problems and that will help us to know where to direct our intervention”. These activities have equally encouraged the women at the grassroots to provide necessary support for their spouses where need be.

Many have commended the activities and support the Wife of the Governor is giving to her husband, and it has been noted many time that the Wife of the Governor is a woman who has strong love, care and passion for the underprivileged, not only in Ondo State, but as many who came across her way in Nigeria and around the globe.

The Wife of the Governor is very visible and accessible in areas she’s needed, irrespective of party affiliation, maintaining that she is a humanitarian par excellence and will support her husband to ensure the people feel the good impact of the government. A tireless and vigorous woman who fights for the cause she believes in.

Flowing from the above, it is necessary to conclude by stating briefly that Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu is not running parallel activities against the programmes of her husband but she is providing necessary support, as done by women whose husbands have excelled, that would assist her husband towards delivering the dividends of democracy to the good people of Ondo State. It is necessary to state that husbands are always at the centre and wives are supposed to support them, correct them, advice and inspire them where need be so as to be emotionally stable to achieve desired goals

By Oluwatobi Omosalewa Fademi

When Legislators Debate Drugs and Sex By Emmanuel Onwubiko

The national legislature in Abuja has been busy embarking on high profile policy interactive sessions in different parts of Nigeria on the vexed twin societal evils of hard drugs and trafficking for sexual enslavement. Kano and Benin City have played host to two of such important interfaces. 

These topics of sex and drugs reminds me of a track in one popular dance hall songs of the mid-eighties which asked that 'people should talk about sex'. Afterall sex and drugs when combined is rated above a mere billion dollar business. Sex and illicit drugs are multi Billion Dollars industry collectively.  

Both of these two thematic areas touches the fundamentals of our social life as a nation especially because the universal fact that illicit drugs and sex affects the youth's population. 

The younger persons of Nigeria’s descent constitutes clearly the majority of the entire population of well over 160 million. 

By some calculations, demographers and statisticians are known to hold the view that youth constitutes at least 65 percent of Nigeria’s population.

Another interesting dimension from the sudden spike in high policy meetings by legislators at the national level is the fact the legislators have found themselves completely wedged in by a double edged sword. They are in between the river and the deep blue sea. 

By this I mean to say that the members of the political class are to be blamed for the unprecedented manifestations of these twin evil practices of illicit sex trafficking and drug addiction by the youth of Nigeria. 

They (the legislators) also hold the key towards fundamentally providing real time panacea to these vices that threatens the foundations of our nation state.

Also, the politicians, most of whom have been found wanting and are caught looting the resources of their states as governors and cabinet level officials of all levels, have also been accused of being deeply involved in exacerbating and escalating the scale and scope of these vices.

Politicians are known to run sex trafficking rings that ironically are funded from public treasury. Some who hold diplomatic passports and frequently junkets globally are known to be involved in part time human trafficking for cash and sexual gratifications. 

This is because virtually all executive and legislative and even judicial offices maintain juicy departments they colloquially call protocol department and people with deep discerning minds know that most protocol departments of these persons in top level government offices in Nigeria are deployed to hire and pay for the sexual gratifications of the holders and wielders of political powers. The shocking fact is that even NAPTIP that institutionally drives the fight against human trafficking also maintains an elaborate protocol department. 

There is no hiding the fact that whenever and wherever public office holders go to on official duties locally and internationally, they do always dispatch these state sponsored 'pimps' who wear the official toga of protocol departments to pre-arrange young school girls and boys to sexually entertain these government officials. Pathetically, it is from our collective treasury that these illicit deals are funded. 

This lifestyle is not new because even professor Wole Soyinka in his book “We must make haste at dawn”, alluded to the wayward lifestyles of some government officials of the immediate post-independence period who were on scholarship abroad. I read even in an old literature that the first republic politicians who frequented abroad were engaged in wild sex and drugs. Although only small percentage of these people did participated. 

This is one area of assignment that we have particularly recommended to the management of the anti-human trafficking agency (NAPTIP) to develop and evolve ways of checking these evil trends that go on amongst government officials including legislators and NAPTIP itself.

Thankfully, the Senate president has taken the gauntlet to face this menace. 

But he may have over looked the deep rooted problems of payment for sex that go on in the official quarters because it is easier to chase after the ills that others do but too easy to overlook that which occurs under our roofs and noses.

In terms of drugs, politicians are the worst offenders because many of them are alleged to be hooked up in that habit which explains why someone elected as a state governor can dip his filthy hands into the treasury of his state and cart away nearly 90 percent of the entire financial assets of his state leaving the rest of the population to perish in hunger and poverty. By the way drug addiction is a very expensive habit. 

It is also only a drug addict that can when elected as state governor but fail to pay old pensioners but instead continues to launder the resources of his state to God knows where.

The Emir of Kano Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was right to recommend to the Independent National Electoral Commission to subject political aspirants to the scientific drug tests to ascertain their drug status.

The recent interventions of especially the senate in the two areas of illicit drugs and illegal sex is therefore the most important of all that they have done since the last three years. But like the Kano monarch stated, these political office holders should do deep introspection. Let them remove the speck of wood in their eyes so as to see clearly that which is in the eyes of the rest of us the commoners. 

That notwithstanding, it is important to understand the perspective of the monarch of Kano State regarding the effects of drug addiction amongst members of political class vis-à-vis the manifestations of tendencies such as looting of public fund and perpetration of other criminality such as murder of opponents during elections. 

Incidentally, the Emir of Kano made his remarks during an interactive session on illicit drugs staged by the Senate of the Federal Republic.

His Words: “I am ready to submit myself for drug test. I suggest that ministers, governors and traditional rulers should go for drug test because when youth understand that they cannot be governors, ministers or senators if they are drug addicts, they will be into their senses.”

“The country is facing a great danger because the fight against drug abuse has to be taken seriously if we are to succeed,” the Emir of Kano was quoted as saying by News Agency of Nigeria.

The Emir of Kano perhaps captured the mood of most thinkers when he looked the senators in the eyes and affirmed categorically thus: “We are deceiving ourselves if we don’t believe that we are part of the problem.”

This outspoken Emir who was once in the corridors of political power as the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria spoke from the perspective of someone who has seen it all.

To reecho his sentiments, it is logical to imagine how on earth a holder of the office of a Cabinet level Minister in any of the sensitive beats can steal and divert financial resources meant to fix broken infrastructures like roads which inevitably leads to an unprecedented rate of road accidents which may even claim the life of such a looter. Igbo have a proverb that one shouldn't kill whom you will shoulder the responsibility of organizing the funeral. But contemporary politicians apparently hooked up in drug habits don't care if their entire community is swallowed by flood by his action of stealing the Ecological fund sent to his office to do the needful. 

Only a politician hooked up in drugs can do that.

Let us look at another example. 

How can you explain that a public office holder can dip his hands into public treasury to steal fund meant for the provisions of relief materials that should be distributed to the millions of internally displaced persons? NEMA is embroiled in N19 billion alleged theft of cash meant for victims of disasters. 

Only a person highly engaged in the criminal habit of drug addiction can do that because scientifically, drug addiction has a way of twisting the abuser’s mindset.

A quick check at some pieces well written by psychologists and uploaded on the website known as drugabuse.com can authoritatively tell us that once someone in public office is a drug abuse victim, the mental, psychological and emotional state of such a person are comprehensively twisted therefore making such a person to lose the proper use of his/her rational faculties which should have prevented him/her from looting public fund.

The researchers stated that addiction is frequently intertwined with other mental health issues, but this relationship doesn’t always have clear directionality. 

For example, people who suffer from mood or anxiety disorders are almost twice as likely to also suffer from a substance use disorder, and people who suffer from substance use disorders are approximately twice as likely to also struggle with a mood or anxiety disorder. 

The researchers stated that it isn’t clear which issue is causing the other, but the relationship is strong nonetheless.

The psychological distress associated with substance abuse and drug abuse can range from mild to serious, they observed. 

"At any level of severity, this distress can have a profoundly negative impact on the life of an addicted individual. Among the most common long-term mental health issues associated with drug abuse and addiction are: depression; anxiety; paranoia; and mental disorder."

Let us even ask ourselves why for instance a serving General in the Nigeria Military who is placed in charge of finances for procurement of weapons should engage in the criminality of buying substandard weaponry which exposes his troops to avoidable risks in the hands of external and internal aggressors?

Again, let us ask ourselves why on earth will a human being with total faculties will be doing amassing illicit wealth as to buy up an entire housing estates for himself? In how many beds shall a man sleep and how many of such will accompany such a person to eternity? 

The other day, we were told to our shock and amazement by the United Nations office on Crimes and Drugs (UNODC) that public officials in Nigeria have in the last 50 years stolen over $400 Billion off the revenues that Nigeria made from exportation of crude oil resources. This is why the communities in the crude oil producing states are so criminally neglected that the people are so impoverished. 

Few months back, a global investigative platform issued a report whereby even some of Nigeria’s Senators who give talks in some of these seminars and public officials were said to have concealed massive amounts of assets in some tax havens far away from Nigeria. Drug addiction is capable of inducing this satanic sense of hypocrisy. 

However, the focus of the Senators in the area of the sophistication of the crime of illicit drugs and trafficking for sex, is on the youth. This is understandable.

First, in the last few years, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has consistently issued annual drug abuse reports whereby a chunk of the indicted abusers of drugs are known to be the younger persons.

There is however a new trend whereby some prescriptive drugs (codeine) that are used to cure coughs are now being abused by mostly young girls especially in Northern Nigeria.

Before touching on the other leg of my discussion which is the menace of human trafficking, it will be good to say that Nigeria must upgrade the fight against drug trafficking beyond the media drama of arrests and confiscation of hard drugs at air ports and border posts. The courts are also very lenient with drug offenders because the laws are too weak. 

The state of the government agency battling the scourge of drugs needs to be re-examined. 

Is NDLEA professionally administered? Right now the hierarchy is made up of persons appointed based on nepotism. 

What is their scope of funding and operational independence? 

What is NDLEA doing in the area of rehabilitation? 

How many rehab centers do they have and why are they not being read and seen in the media spreading enlightenment to Nigerians except occasional release of some poorly circulated reports funded by the United Nations? 

Why does NDLEA needs to go cap in hand to the justice ministry to pick up crumbs as yearly budget? 

What is the status of the drugs confiscated and why are these exhibits not publicly burnt after forensic examination by an independent expert to ascertain if the things been burnt are actually the drugs seized?

To the Senators who are now showing outward or media passion to tackle the hydra-headed monster of drug abuse and trafficking, what is on the pipeline to consolidate the legal frameworks to combat these crimes? 

Why have the legislators not made a law to subject all aspirants for public offices to regular drug tests by NDLEA? 

Now on the issue of illicit sex, when will the senate and federal house clamp down on the so-called protocol offices used for procurement of girls/boys for sex?

Whilst we reflect on all the above posers, it is good that the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and other stakeholders during the Senate Roundtable on Migration and Human Trafficking in Benin City, on Monday resolved to do more action to end irregular migration and human trafficking across the country.

The stakeholders include the Minister of Interior, Abduraman Dambazzau, the European Union (EU), United Kingdom, International Organization on Migration, the National Agency for the Prohibition on Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Civil Society Organizations.

President of the Senate, in his address, lamented what he called the worrisome dimension the illegal migration and trafficking has assumed and said that the Senate will collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to tackle the issue.

Saraki said: “Nigeria currently ranks 23 on the Global Slavery Index of 167 countries with the highest number of slaves. Human trafficking is third in the ignoble hierarchy of the commonly occurring crimes in Nigeria, according to UNESCO.

"We are losing sleep over irregular migration and human trafficking; and we are determined, as representatives of the people, to do something about it," he said.

He lamented that Nigeria has lost too many young people - who have died in the desert and in the sea - on the unpredictable treks who otherwise would have led productive lives in their home country.

"We have seen the bleak images of coffins of 26 Nigerian girls who were laid to rest in Italy last November. This is what brings us today to ancient Benin. The trafficking of young males has overtaken females in this state for the first time, and now stands at 63 per cent."

He stated that it is the expectation of the leadership of the Senate that the Roundtable would serve as a springboard for efforts to stem the tide of illegal migration and human trafficking.

"Clearly, something is wrong in the way we manage citizens’ security, border security as well as international cooperation and collaboration," he said. 

"This Roundtable is designed to help answer some of the niggling questions. To identify root causes and the various dimensions of the problem, and work out a way forward."

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and U.K. Deputy High Commissioner pledged to support efforts of relevant stakeholders aimed at eradicating the menace.

"It is wonderful to see democracy in action, with this lively discussion here. Many European countries can learn from this, said Kettil Karisen - the EU Ambassador to Nigeria during the panel discussion of the subject.

In all of these, the legislators must make good laws and provide oversight so all the laws meant to promote good governance and block leakages through which public fund are stolen must be pursued vigorously. 

If we speak from morning to 'thy kingdom come,' if we don’t implement laws to promote good governance, we are simply beating about the bush. 

The generations unborn will be eternally grateful if these Senators and representatives walk their talks and do much more than they are saying.

Emmanuel Onwubiko; heads HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs @www.emmanuelonwubiko.com; www.huriwanigeria.com; www.huriwa@blogspot.com.