Nigeria's giant 'nether screens' which have been placed at strategic locations all over the world have become a mega hit particularly amongst Nigerians in the Diaspora and international businessmen as well as bankers who have to keep up with news from Nigeria ' free of charge.The overzealous and over passionate have turned the screens to a tourist attraction while the rest of the world marvels at Nigeria's demonstration of a free and vibrant press ' thanks to the bold initiative of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.Sample: (i) 'THE NATION' newspaper (July 31 2011)Headline: 'MURTALA MUHAMMED INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ROAD: A NATIONAL SHAME'THE worsening scourge of street structure and deplorable route of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport road, popularly called 'NAHCO-Airport road is indeed a colossal shame and disgrace to the giant of Africa at home and abroad. Of course, it is very disheartening and a complete show of our failed, non-challant and moribund government that the most prestigious and very busy Nigerian International airport cannot boost of a standard accessible road.I could not hold back my tears and shock over this route on Tuesday at 11.30pm when the Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron had to use this same deplorable route in complete darkness as most of the street lights were completely off. The Prime Minister who flew into Lagos from Johannesburg must have witnessed a complete difference between Nigerian deplorable roads to that of South African state of art roads, especially the Johannesburg international airport road, which prides itself of 24hrs constant electricity supply to street lights, dedicated call centre for street light complaints amidst other commendable structure.What a monumental absurdity and failure on the part of concerned authorities who are practically unable to judiciously utilize the generated billions from the international airport to save several vulnerable lives that have died on the road due to the deplorable potholes that are often not seen at night because of the non functioning street lights, along-side with the rampant armed robbers that usually waylay unsuspecting commuters in the dark. Well thanks to the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola whose renovation of Oshodi with state of art lighting facilities swiftly display a different Nigerian roads. At least, that will a little change the Prime Minister's perception of our street structure.Indeed, this must have spurred David Cameron's comment at the Pan African University Conference that 'Here in Lagos, Governor Fashola has shown what strong and accountable governance can achieve. What I have seen in London, I have seen a hundredfold here today. From Eko Atlantic City and Balogun Street market to the biggest port in the most populous country in Africa, you are transforming your state.'Hence, concerned authorities like FAAN, FERMA should borrow a leaf from Lagos State Government by adapting its rehabilitative tactics employed in Oshodi and Lagos Island which enhanced 24 hours electrical supply to street lights and dedicated a call centre for street lights complaints.Also, the highly innovative CCTV security camera on Lagos State roads should be adopted for this international route, alongside introduction of constant anti-robbery patrol.(ii) Headline: FOOLISHNESS IN HIGH PLACES'( Brian Brown ) The Soviets were felled by a nigh intractable problem; the system could not produce enough wealth and opportunity to maintain itself. Lenin's prophesy against capitalism boomeranged. His system collapsed from internal contradictions well before the capitalist system.Today America verges on casting the family jewels into the sewer because it tires of the rigor needed to keep them safe. Never has the world seen the predominantly global power toy so rudely with its economic future because of a self-imposed restraint that serves an imaginary prudential function. The American debt ceiling is such an ornament. It has only a psychological function that has now been turned morbid. It is as if a captain halts his vessel on the high seas because the map indicates the vessel should have touched land. Although the land he seeks can be viewed on the near horizon, the stubborn captain refuses to sail another knot. Instead, he orders the crew to disembark and cargo offloaded as if at port. Those who obey the macabre order perish by sinking to the bottom.The debt ceiling fracas provides an acute caution to all. One must be very careful in casting one's vote. It is unwise to vote based on emotion, especially anger. It is always better to vote with the mind not from the gut; it is more prudent to vote in furtherance of one's own objective interests instead of voting to impede the interests of others. The enemy could eventually be your foe as well. Danger lies in placing power in the hands of angry, ignorant people whose minds are capable of only one notion at a time. This is how America afflicted itself in 2010 when it elected numerous Tea Party Republicans to Congress. These extremists are one dimensional to a fault; their adherence to small government is not the child of reason. It is a worldview founded on subconscious fears and biases. Arguments voiced to support their position are but intellectual wrappings to conceal an emotional core. Consequently, this group fails to understand the proper role of ideology. When ideology cannot meet this function, it should be set down. Ideas were meant to serve man and not man to be a blind slave to the ideas.(iii) 'COMPASS' (July 31 2011)Headline: LUNATIC HACKS PROPHETESS TO DEATH' Set ablaze by mobHe was simply called Clement. That was enough nomenclature for anyone suspected to have been mentally challenged.What is more, he had lived peacefully in the community for about 20 years, minding his business and not being disturbed by neighbours.It was, therefore, more than puzzling when, without provocation, the selfsame Clement descended on a songbird and mother of three, and dealt several machete cuts on her.The victim, a Prophetess, had no known interaction with Clement, who was believed to have hailed from Calabar, Cross River State.The puzzle of the killing, on Friday, June 17 2011, has continued to unsettle the residents of Ibiade, a sleepy town in the Waterside area of Ogun State.What has been more worrisome is that Clement is reported to have lived in that state of insanity for almost 20 years and had blended well with that community, without hurting anyone, not even a fly.The deceased, Lady Evangelist Ibilola Akintante was one of the wives of Superior Evangelist Gabriel Akintunde Akintante, the Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Central Parish in Ibiade.The man of God built the Church, after bidding bye to his engineering career to begin full-fledged Christian ministry.For Superior Evangelist Akintante, the cold blooded murder was one calamity too many: The wife of 13 years and mother of his three children was a very unique helpmate in his ministry, being the Choir Mistress who was believed to have been supernaturally endowed with singing prowess. But, all are the least of worries for him as at now. His in-laws, the Ashogbon family at Ilutitun in Ondo State have flatly rejected the corpse, more than one month after the incident.They believe that it is a sacrilege for their daughter to be killed by a lunatic.The remains of the Prophetess are still lying in the morgue at the General Hospital, Ibiade.They are demanding spiritual investigation of the incident before any burial can take place.It was learnt that three different delegations of chiefs and the clergy from Ibiade to pacify the family were rebuffed and manhandled.The incident happened on Friday June 17 2011. That fateful day, the deceased who is also a fashion designer had no premonition of her death. Accompanied by two of her apprentices, she went to a nearby Farm Settlement in Sowore area of Ibiade to fetch some firewood for her domestic cooking. On her way back, while carrying the firewood on her head, the lunatic, appeared from the bush and dealt several blows on her, inflicting multiple cuts on the body. She died on the spot.The mortified apprentices fled in different directions, shouting: 'Clement, Clement,' The alarm attracted sympathizers to the scene. It was at this stage that the lunatic apparently regained his sanity. Seeing the pool of blood that had formed from the woman he had struck several times, Clement fled into the nearby thick bush.In anger, scores of angry youths gave him a hot chase. Eyewitnesses told the Nigerian Compass on Saturday that the search for the lunatic took almost three days until he suddenly appeared from a bush and tried to flee the town. A mob was said to have caught up with him and immediately clubbed him to death. They burnt him to ashes on the spot.Since the past one month, the event has been the talk of the town, with eerie silence particularly at the CCC, Central Parish where the over 100 congregation are still mourning their departed one. The Prophetess is mother of Gbenga who is in Primary Five, Ayo in Primary Three and six-year-old Funmi. In an interview with the Nigerian Compass on Saturday, Akintante said: 'the sudden death of my wife has been a great sorrow to me. She was a major boost to my ministry, particularly the choir. When she sings, it's like you are hearing an angel singing. But now, the music is gone, I asked God why all these have happened and God said I should not weep; that a leaf cannot fall to the ground without His knowing. I believe she was destined to die. It was time appointed for her by God. All efforts by me and the church to give her a decent burial have so far proved abortive. Her family members said it is strange for a lunatic to kill their daughter.'Miffed by the action of his in-laws, Akintante has gone ahead to obtain a 'warrant to bury' at the Death Registry, even though he would still give one week grace for the family to rethink, failing which he would execute the warrant in such a way that his own grief and those of his church members would no longer lie in suspense.Autopsy report obtained from the Ibiade General Hospital issued and signed by Dr AN Oladayo linked the primary source of the death of the deceased to Hemorrhagic shock and injury and secondary cause as 'severe multiple lacerations sustained from a lunatic till death'.Reports have also been made at the Divisional Police Station at Ibiade by Akintante who has also written statements at the Eleweeran Headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command.(iv) 'SUNDAY CHAMPION' newspaper (July 31 2011)Headline: 'DAME ABIMBOLA FASHOLA'Question: What gives you joy'Answer: 'I love giving values and talking to children about how best to attain their calling in life and mentoring them. Let's keep mentoring and communicating to children values and help them succeed tomorrow. Touching lives, making others smile and putting smile on the faces of my neighbour. That is my joy in life.Question: There is growing incidence of social ills among youths. What is responsible'Answer: THE high incidence of drugs, drinking, dropping out, pregnancy, gangs, violence in the schools, sexually transmitted diseases, poverty, racism, running away, suicide, AIDS, illiteracy, truancy among youths are due to failure on the part of parents to teach children to embrace patience and industry in the pursuit of excellence and prosperity. Parents who fail to inculcate the spirit of hard work in children are responsible for promoting social ills among youths in the society. Parents should teach their children that success can be achieved through patience, humility and diligence. (iv) 'WEEKLY TRUST' newspaper (July 30 2011)Headline: 'ABACHA IN ALUKO'S EYES'IN a recent interview with a national daily, Professor Sam Aluko, the chairman of the National Economic Intelligence Committee under the late General Sani Abacha, said he had no regrets serving the administration of the demised military ruler. According to him, General Abacha deserves more credit to his memory than his hate-laden critics would have the humility and courage to admit. The erudite scholar argued that the late Abacha had a clear vision of leading Nigeria to progress and prosperity. In particular, he noted that General Abacha was never a know-all dictator that could dominate discussions at a cabinet session and that, once he was convinced that an idea was in the interest of Nigeria, he wouldn't hesitate to endorse it.Professor Aluko recalled Abacha's patriotic commitment to encourage the local production of bitumen on explorable scale and that he set Nigeria on the path of achieving the objective. According to him, Abacha never hesitated to release the funds for this purpose to avoid the needless costs of importing what Nigeria could abundantly produce locally.The Professor of Economics also explained how the Abacha administration was able to stabilize the value of the naira and contain inflation.(v) 'THE GUARDIAN'newspaper (July 31 2011)FrontPage Headline: 'LAND OF DEATHTRAPS''I wonder if it is a crime to be a citizen of Nigeria.The government cannot provide mere roads for its citizens!God save us.'Agony Unlimited' Lagos' Enugu' Benue' Taraba' Rivers' Ogun' Jigawa' Plateau' Bayelsa' All over the countryHeadline: JIGAWAIf It Is Bad, Abandoned And Distressed; It Is FederalGov Lamido Accuses FG Of Giving Jobs To Unqualified ContractorsTHOUGH well known for being the least in many development indices, Jigawa has lived above board in terms of road network across the state. If not the best in intra-state road network, it is among the best states as attested to by many visitors, including Prof Dora Akunyili, former minister of information.Hence Governor Sule Lamido has always told whoever cared to listen that any bad road in Jigawa could not be a state road but a Federal motorway. It was on this premise that he expressed his frustration over the condition of Federal road that passes through Dutse, the Jigawa capital city, which had been neglected despite the governor's efforts to ensure the 25km road between Shuwarin and Corner Unguma was constructed.The governor indicated that the delay in ensuring that the stretch of road is constructed has caused obstruction on the plan of his administration to give Dutse its befitting outlook as one of the emerging new capitals.He indicated that the Kano-Wudil-Birnin Kudu-Kari-Potiskum and Kano-Wudil-Gaya-Shuwarin-Katagum have encased the capital in between.'It is about 25km stretch between Shuwarin and Corner Nguma. I brought the Minister of Works here and made him to know that there is nothing like you putting us in between two federal highways,' Lamido said.'I said, look, we are doing so much here to develop the state capital, Dutse, to transform it into a first class city in Nigeria, but Lamido, however, noted that bureaucracy had made it difficult for him to achieve his dreams, adding that it was frustrating because by his nature, he does not believe in leaving things that are supposed to be done undone. Headline: ARABA'Neglected For Decades' Even FERMA Office In Jalingo Is In DistressTHE Guardian investigations show that Federal roads in Marraba-Baisa, Sunkani-Garba Chade, Marraba Balefi-Karim-Lamido, Gashaka-Gembu, to mention but few, had not been given facelifts since the creation of the state 20 years ago.Worst among the roads is the Jalingo-Wukar road, which the staff of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) admitted.A construction firm contracted by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to rehabilitate some of the roads, especially that of Jalingo-Wukari, reportedly backed out of the job due to lack of funds.'Why won't they disappear'' said a staff member of the agency to The Guardian. 'If you are in their shoes, would you be working without funds'' How do you expect them to pay their labourers and maintain their trucks''The staff continued: 'Frankly speaking, oga journalists, I think it is high time we told ourselves nothing but the truth in this country because it is only the truth that can set us free.'All I am trying to say is that our leaders, especially those at the national level, are not fair to the masses. What will it take them to construct or rehabilitate these roads' Tell me for God's sake; is it too much for them to expend the nation's resources on these roads in order to save lives''The staff did not spare members of the National Assembly from the state, especially those in the Senate, identified by the staff as the major factor hindering work on the roads.'To be frank with you, I don't know what our representatives at the National Assembly are doing. While their colleagues from other parts of the country are busy lobbying to draw attention to Federal Government roads in their states, ours are busy amassing wealth'.Headline: BENUE'Tales of Abandoned, Unending Patchwork'FEDERAL roads in all three senatorial districts of Benue State are generally in a state of disrepair.Only a few of the federal roads in the state are motorable, while most of them are undergoing unending maintenance yet to translate into good roads.The Otukpo-Otukpa stretch of the Makurdi-Otukpo-Enugu federal highway is in bad shape.Last year, contract for the construction of the road was awarded to Bulletine Nigeria Limited, but the company failed to meet up with the demands of fixing it.After months of inaction, motorists plying the road cried out over the non-performance of the company and they called for the termination of the contract.This road runs through the constituency of the Senate President, David Mark. During his campaigns, constituents appealed to him to intervene and ensure that the road was handed over to a reputable contractor.Senator Mark, seeing the plight of motorists, intervened and the contract was terminated. It was re-awarded to a reputable company, Rockbridge Nigeria Limited, which has started work on it, though the road is not as comprehensive as users expect.Headline: LAGOS'Apapa-Oshodi'Gateway To HellTHE Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is one of the busiest roads in Lagos State, in terms of vehicular traffic. So when there is a little problem on the route, like a vehicle breakdown, which is a constant incident, it obstructs free flow of transportation and movement of vehicles, which easily leads to slow traffic, and sometimes a gridlock with the attendant issues and stress that come with lock-jam.The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Ejike Mgbemena, an engineer, said Nigerians were to blame for the state of the road.He maintained that they were the ones responsible because they abuse their use in varied forms, labelling Lagos residents as the most lawless State in the Federation.He disclosed that the Ministry of Works had been working to ensure that all the roads were in good state in the coming weeks, as government had awarded six contracts for the re-construction of roads in Lagos and the process for the seventh one, the Airport road, has started.He said the rain is responsible for the delay in moving to site fully. He assured that in few weeks, things would start working. But to remedy the situation temporarily, the ministry has decided to fill some of the potholes with boulders, he said.Headline: E N U G U'Tale Of The Abandoned, Dejected Enugu-Port Harcourt Route'''In Distress In Past Two YearsEnugu-Abakaliki, Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Makurdi Not Better'TTRAVELLING from Enugu to Port-Harcourt, Enugu to Abakaliki, Enugu to Onitsha or Enugu to Makurdi evokes the feeling of a rejected and abandoned people owing to the poor state of the highways. They are potential deathtraps with various degrees of gullies and potholes, which hinder movements, especially in the rainy season.Some daily features on these roads include their level of damage as well as the fact that men of the underworld have capitalized on the situation to add to the burden of Nigerians by robbing and killing them regularly.Headline: R I V E R S'East-West Road, A Promise Unfulfilled''At times, I wonder if it is a crime to be a citizen of Nigeria.The government cannot provide mere roads for its citizens. God save us.'WHEN the Niger Delta governors met last week in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, one of their cardinal demands was an appeal to the Federal Government and its agencies to fast-track the construction of the coastal and East-West road.The appeal was borne out of the recognition that a good highway, which they desire for the and East-West, would indisputably play a vital part in the economic development of the states in the south-south and the respect of the country.Owing to the strategic importance of the road and public outrage over its deplorable state, the Federal Government in 2006 awarded contracts at N211 billion, for the construction of the 387-kilometre road. The job was intended for completion by August 2010.The contract was divided into various sections, with Section 1, which starts from Warri (Delta State) and ends at Kaima (Balyesa State), awarded to Setraco while Section 2 (Kaima-Port Harcourt) was given to Julius Berger. Section 3 (Eleme junction in Port 'Harcourt) to Eket (Awka Ibom State) was awarded to Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) and Section 4 (Eket-Oron road) to Gitto Construzuoli Generali.Due to insecurity and abduction of its expatriate staff by Niger Delta militants, Julius Berger had to abandon the project, which was in 2009 re-awarded to Setraco at the cost of N75 billion. When this happened, many people in the South-South had anticipated expeditious completion of the road, but to no avail.The Port Harcourt-Ahoada-Kaima section, which was supposed to be completed in 30 months, is in near deplorable state. This is not only making driving difficult, uncomfortable and costly for motorists, but is also imposing a high economic cost on tax-payers courtesy of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), which has often done shoddy jobs on the road.When the Guardian drove through a section of the road from Elele to Port Harcourt, it was discovered that Setraco had only completed about four kilometers on one of the single lane beginning from Emouha to Evekwu.A considerable section of the single lane from Ahoada to Emohua had stone based foundation waiting to be asphalted. Sand was piled in some areas, particularly from Emuoha to the Choba Bridge.At the time of filing this report, Setraco was yet to commence work beginning from the University of Port Harcourt to Eleme junction. This stretch of road has some of the most dangerous potholes and craters in Rivers State.RCC has done remarkably well on its section of the project, especially between the bridge separating Akwa-Ibom and Rivers State. The company is approaching the Onne junction.Efforts to reach officials of both companies were fruitless. Workers at the various project sites declined to make comments, as they were not authorized to speak to the press.Bashorun R `andle, OFR, is the CEO of JK Randle Professional Services. 'E-mail: jkrandleintuk@gmail.com
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