A secretary of a Baptist Conference Says he Never voted Chris Okotie

The body of the Baptist Church in Nigeria is referred to as the Baptist Convention. The Nigerian Baptist Convention which is headed by a General Secretary is fragmented into regional conferences which are headed by secretaries. Reverend Philip Mwelwis Dafes is the Secretary of the Plateau Baptist Conference that has Plateau and parts of Kaduna and Bauchi States under it. Following the re-election of the German Chancellor, Angela Markel under the Christian party in Germany for a second tenure, we approached Reverend Dafes and asked what role the church has played in Nigerian politics and what it still can do.
In his appraisal of the Nigerian democracy since 1999, Dafes said his perception is mixed. The shortcomings of the democracy according to him, is accentuated by political indiscipline that has resulted in Nigeria being placed as the number 137th most corrupt nation out just over 180 countries of the world. Dafes said the root of the problem is in the inability of the nation to evolve into a true democracy where actual winners of elections are announced as the winners rather than the current situation that ensures that losers are actually announced as victorious. Such leaders cannot be held to account by the people since at the back of their minds, they know they were not elected.
Religion is what people believe in and if Pastor Chris Okotie wanted to become president then he ought to have the backing of other Christians since they have the same belief. Contrary to this, Dafes said he never voted Chris Okotie. According to him, he never met Okotie in person and does not know his manifestos. Furthermore, should Okotie win, he will be compelled to have some cabinet members from the secular world of Nigerian politics that will inevitably stain him as a clergy man. The history of clergy men in Nigeria politics has been a source of embarrassment to the rest of them as such politicians failed to live up to their calling as men of God.
Dafes said that not all Christian politicians are truly committed Christians. It is the reason why it is difficult to change them. According to him one of them once said that the church should not mingle into their affairs because the type of oath they take is far different from the type of oath usually taken in the church.
Dafes also explained that it will be disastrous to find a political party on the basis of religion like the Christian Party in Germany because our level of political development is so modest that it will be better for us to just sustain the status quo. Such parties will not find acceptance. Though political parties are not founded on the basis of religion, he says however, some parties are perceived as Christian parties while others are perceived as Islamic parties with the different faiths voting largely along this line. To stress his point, he added that a presidential aspirant once pronounced that all Muslims should vote Muslims and all Christians should vote Christians. He said that until we pull ourselves out of this predicament, we will continue to experience the current political difficulties. The Christians he says cannot separate themselves from the Muslims and vice versa as God knows why he brought us together as the people of one nation.

Black People and the Obama Hype

Had Barack Obama, the democratic candidate in the United States Presidential Election failed to win, it will have dealt a big blow on the psyche of black people not just in the US but also around the world. It would have also resulted in a serious backlash that time alone would have been able to heal. This is because a lot of black people particularly in Africa had already conditioned their minds to believe that Obama is the President in waiting. This is despite the slim margin that put Obama ahead in the opinion polls and previous experience to the fact that black politicians have often been handed big surprises at the moment of decision.

For the sake of Obama alone Africans had wished they had a franchise, which they could exercise in the US elections. Obama’s presidency is important to Africans because Africans are aware of the fact that they are often the underdogs in global issues; be it in politics, economy, science or technology. Thus a black President of the most powerful nation on earth would have reinforced the belief of Africans that they could also do it. Obama’s presidency will give Africans a bigger sense of belonging in global issues.

I personally have heard songs in eulogy of Obama as the black “President of the World.” One is from Ghana and the other from Jamaica. To underscore the significance of Obama’s presidency of the US, a Nigerian woman who happened to be the Director-General of the Nigeria Stock exchange, Ndi Onyiuke Okereke, raised one hundred million naira (N100, 000 000) with the aim of supporting the Obama campaign which Obama however declined to take as it violates portions of the electoral laws in the US. In Kenyan where Obama’s father was born, there are newborn kids that have been named after Obama. Obama’s T-shirts and speeches on DVDs have sold in thousands. There is also the audacity of hope, a book by Obama that are now found on every bookstand.

To African-Americans, Obama’s Presidency will no doubt give them a sense of belonging in their own country. They also hope that it will be an opportunity to address peculiar problems of black people in the US.

Obama however will be a President for all races and an advocate of a better world for us all. In as much as Obama has enjoyed the full support of black folks within and outside the US, he has also enjoyed the support of the other races in the US. As a matter of fact, the earliest indication of the potential of Obama Presidency was made by some white liberals who vowed to support him leading to his eventual declaration of his intention to run for the presidency. Had Obama had only black votes he would have lost the elections. It should not be forgotten that Obama’s mum is white.

Thus Obama’s victory is a physical and tangible actualization of Martin Luther’s dream of a United States were people are judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. Hence Obama is a unifying symbol and the US that made that happen for the first time, is undoubtedly, the leading nation on the surface of the planet.

NUBES Honours Danboyi and Others

Pamson Dagyat

Students are aware that the community will look at them expectantly when they pass out of school. The formation of student unions is to provide them with a platform on which they can nurse their leadership skills and be able to live up to the expectations of the community. The National Union of Berom Students (NUBES) National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom branch is not different. On the October 25, the National Association of Berom Students organized an award and cultural day festival during which they honoured nine Berom sons.

The organization of cultural days and award presentation ceremonies is one of the activities student unions perform. The activities nonetheless have significance to their respective communities. The purpose of a cultural day is necessitated by the threat of western culture on all other cultures including Africa’s. Thus the cultural day was also aimed at fortification of the Berom culture in view of the threat of extinction, which it also faces. Hence there were people dressed in the traditional Berom attires. Typical Berom traditional meals were also served. There were also Berom traditional dances to entertain all present.

The Berom people make up one of the most populous tribes in Plateau State, occupying three of the seventeen local government areas of the state. These three local governments of Jos-South, Riyom and Barkin Ladi happened to form the most developed, urbanized and economically strongest parts of Plateau State. In view of these opportunities the Berom people feel there shouldn’t be poverty among their people but the reverse is the case. Thus a paper that was delivered during the occasion traced the root of the problem to the inability of the Berom people to embrace western education fully. This, the paper stressed, is connected to the fact that majority of the people were blinded by the abundance of the mineral deposits in the land.

The fellow tribesmen honoured are people who have made the Berom proud by distinguished performance in various spheres of human endevour. They include Honourable Emmanuel Danboyi, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Da Gregory Pam Pwojok, the Dagwon Kwata Zawan and Da Choji Balak, the Da Gwon Rwei of Vwang. Others include Amos Dauda Gwom, Reverend Canon Dalyop Gyang Mang, Pam Gabriel Dagyat, Coach Peter Gyang and Tobias Choji

To Honourable Emmanuel Danboyi, the award ceremony is significant because it afforded the elders being hounoured the opportunity to meet with the students and encourage them and the community at large. In an era where people can only forge ahead when they have the relevant education, it will indeed be wrong of any elder to shun an invitation from the age bracket that have often been scolded for refusing to embrace education. When the youths continue to get educated there will be that assurance of continuity for the tribe they originate from. The tribe will in turn be able to move on in a world of competition.

Honourable Danboyi agrees that the Government of Plateau State is determined to change the fortunes of the state for good. It has support but not as much as it should be he said. Thus he uses any slight opportunity to address a crowd to solicit for support for the government.

All members of the Plateau State House of Assembly recently visited Germany. Honourable Danboyi also used the opportunity to talk to the people on lessons the members learnt during the visit. Danboyi said they were led to German schools to see the kind of attention the Germans attach to education. He says it has served as an inspiration and he would use his position as member of the Plateau State House of Assembly to press for changes in the sector in Plateau State. Danboyi also talked about the fact that they were lead to the House of a royal king that was renovated at the cost of eighty million Euros. That to him is a reflection of the significance the Germans attach to their traditional rulers. He called on the people of Plateau State to attach the same significance to their own traditional rulers in view of the obvious role they play as anchors of peace and the custodians of the tradition of the people.

Obama Becomes US President

As early as 4am on November 5 Nigerian time, I woke up and tuned to the BBC. My aim was not to merely keep up with my normal routine but to be able to witness the declaration of Obama’s victory first hand rather than be told by a third party. A BBC reporter was at a venue in Arizona where John McCain and some of his supporters had gathered in anticipation of the results of the elections. The result however, came earlier than I had expected and I had it first from McCain himself. The BBC reporter announced that McCain was on his way to the podium to give a speech and since I have not heard the result declared, I thought McCain was going to speak about something else. McCain on climbing the stage told his supporters that he had just spoken to Barack Obama a short while ago. During the speech the Republican candidate said he congratulated Obama for his victory at the polls. I screamed and jump up from my bed. Obama the African-American had become the next President of the United States of America.

Obama, in his acceptance speech, which came later, underscored the fact that his election has proven that anything is possible in the US. Yes, the US has led the world to understand that anything is possible. The fulfillment of Martin Luther’s dream came earlier than many had thought. Martin Luther foresaw the gradual fading away of the line that divided the races in the US.

The news of Obama’s victory was relayed alongside other stories. There was also the story of suicide bombings in Iraq and the war in eastern Congo. Since the Civil Rights Movements, the US had grown from racial segregation to a stage where white people could vote a black man to become the President of the United States. Thus Obama is truly a symbol of change and whom people from all parts of the world supported. He is hence a global figure that will be expected to lead the world to overcome the problems of sectarian differences that saw people fly planes to buildings and killing thousands, a problem that has led to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Obama could also be that symbol of change that can lead the world to overcome global poverty and hunger. A problem that has led to the type of wars in Liberia, Sudan, Angola, sierra Leone, and many other parts of the world.

It happened that the US, a country whose presidency Obama had won, is largely responsible for the causes of global warming. Obama could also be that symbol of change that will lead the world to overcome this next big threat after terrorism.

Obama’s political victory might be just the first stage in a series of unthinkable changes that will finally remake our world.

Survey of Nigerian Core Values

Given the amount of resources that has been available to the nation, Nigerians admit that the nation has not done enough between independence and toady. It is however common knowledge that if any individual, organization or nation must succeed, he must have certain core values to which he attaches considerable significance. In Nigeria it is generally accepted that the core values of discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, patriotism and self reliance have been eroded
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Nigeria is shouldered with the responsibility of consistently raising the awareness, provide timely and credible feedback, and positively change attitude and values amongst Nigerians. It is also responsible for accurately and adequately informing and sufficiently mobilizing citizens to act in ways that promote peace, harmony and national development. The NOA in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru Plateau State on 20th October 2009 presented a book titled ‘A Survey of Nigerian Core Values. As the name implies, the book is a survey of the level of perception of the values of the nation among its citizens in the 36 states of the nation and Abuja. According to Idi Farouk the Director General of NOA, the 269-page book is an intellectual exercise whose aim is to articulate a set of national core values that would enhance and promote positive value re-orientation, national integration and cohesion. He said that these values have been weather-beaten over the years thereby leaving us in the state of confusion in which we now find ourselves.
Farouk drew a direct line of transmission between material resource and the quality and attitude of human resource. In that wise he says, the level of progress of a nation is a direct consequence of a favorable combination of these two broad factors. He thus played up the significance of the patriotic duty and responsibility of Nigerians to ensure that the vision 202020 of President Umar Musa Yar’adua succeeds. Thus his agency has a twin responsibility of enlightening Nigerians on the significance of the president’s vision and the pursuance of value orientation and attitudinal transformation of Nigerians. NOA is hence delighted that the book will provide the needed reservoir of data to back up its effort towards addressing the specific needs in the attitudinal gaps of the various social spectra of Nigeria.
The collaboration between NOA and NIPSS according the DG was necessity by the common responsibility the two have. While NIPSS addresses the same subject at the leadership level, NOA does the same thing albeit at the grassroots.
Earlier, Nigerian orator and one of its few remaining nationalists, Yusufu Maitama Sule, the Dan masanin Kano electrified the gathering when he addressed the same issue. In his speech, Maitama dwelt on Nigerian traditional core values whose erosion is responsible for the chaos in which we find ourselves.
The Dan Masanin Kano noted that a number of countries which include Brazil and the Asian tigers had about the same level of progress as Nigeria at its independence. Today, he noted, these countries are far ahead of Nigeria on the global development index. He attributed the steady progress of these nations to the reverence they attach to their traditional values.
Despite Nigeria’s diversity he says, there are more similarities than differences in our traditional values and should have served as the basis for national integration and cohesion, core values the nation has not adequately been able to preserve.
The orator did not fail to mention the role of another core value, discipline towards the progress of the nation. According to him, Nigeria’s past leaders have been conscious of the modest level of discipline among Nigerians and the fact that it has contributed enormously to our chameleon speed of progress. That he says explains why every administration since the mid-seventies had war against indiscipline as part of its agenda to building the nation.
The former Nigerian Ambassador to the UN noted that democracy differs from nation to nation even in the western world. This is because there is the need for democracy to reflect local cultures. When this fails to happen, it results in the state of events in which Nigeria has found itself today. Thus he advocates an African derivative of democracy to be known as Afrocracy which must be preceded by a bloodless cultural revolution.

Education Is Indeed Neglected In Nigeria

The primary school I attended in Nigeria was built during the colonial era. It is an eight block structure. Two were actually built during the colonial era while the other four were built in the post colonial era, precisely in the seventies and eighties.

There is no doubt that we lack a maintenance culture in Nigeria. For unpatriotic Nigerians however, the lack of maintenance culture is either deliberate or encouraged as it serves their purpose. The structures have continued to wear away as a result of the lack of maintenance. Those built during the colonial era have been able to stand wear and tear for a longer period of time since they were built with a deliberate aim of ensuring they lasted for a longer period. No matter how strong a building is, it will eventually begin to wear out however. That is what is happening to even the colonial blocks of my primary school presently.

Of these eight blocks only three are adequate enough for the population of the school thereby confirming the suspicion that the classroom blocks are built primarily to get some people rich.

In Nigeria, it is an open secret that authorities hate maintaining school buildings as it is the only way of ensuring that contracts are awarded for the construction of new ones during which money is made by contractors and the members of the administration awarding the contracts.

The other day as I passed around the school I saw the blown roof top of the most solid structure built with rocks derived from the rocks which are available in my community. It has been like that for the past three years. It then dawned on me that the local authority whose responsibility it is to maintain the structure is determined not to undertake that responsibility.

I decided to see certain prominent persons who went to that school hoping that their show of interest in seeing that the structure is rehabilitated will compel the local government education department to see to it that the building is given the desired attention. On arrival at the house of one such individual I first met with his son who is known to me. I then asked if he could arrange a meeting between me and his dad. He asked if all was well. I answered that I wanted to see the man in my position as a journalist. He told me I have to go and come back some other time to enable him arranged the meeting. I responded by calling his attention to the fact that the man is around and people are seeing him and why not me. I then went ahead to tell him the exact reason why I wanted to see the father by revealing to him the situation of the school. He responded by saying that why the school is like that is that people are only trying to get some money for themselves and doubts if his father who happened to be an ex-security official would want to attend to such an issue. The guy who said this claims to be a graduate of sociology. Seeing that he didn’t have any intention of letting me see the man, I left to the house of a second individual who was also educated in that school. I also met with a son of his who was sweeping the yard when I arrived. I told him to tell the father that I am a journalist. When the man came he asked why I wanted to see him. On hearing the subject of my mission, he simply told me he doesn’t talk to journalist and opened the door for me to find my bearing. He actually banged the door behind me. This is a man who had been the chairman of a local government during his period in the service.

Chris Hassan and NAPEPS Successes

Chris Hassan became the Plateau State Co-coordinator of the National Poverty Alleviation Programme just six months ago. Accepting this position automatically placed on his shoulders the responsibility of the implementation of the new blueprint of National Poverty Eradication Council (NAPEC) for the eradication of poverty across the nation. The new policy became imperative in view of the shortcomings of the previous programme where trainees were more interested in the monthly stipends but not the skill, which is necessary if poverty must end.

Challenges

Chris says the biggest challenge on his assumption of office, as the Coordinator of the programme, was the absence of communication between his office and the people the office is meant to serve. According to Chris, a lot of people even in the immediate neigbourhood of his office in Jos South were oblivious of the organization. Those who knew were skeptical of the financial assurances of the organization to help them bid farewell to poverty. His office was then compelled to commence investing huge financial resources on jingles. It also had to create offices in all the seventeen Local Government Areas. There was also the recruitment of the manpower made up of people of grade levels nine to ten to run these offices with the sole intention of reaching all the districts across the states.

Programmes

The Coordinator said the policy guidelines of NAPEP are designed by NAPEC, which is chaired by the President. It has, as its members, seventeen serving federal Ministers, the National Coordinator of NAPEP and the national economic adviser. Two of the programmes of NAPEP in Plateau State are the ones drawn by NAPEC at the national headquarters in Abuja. They are the primary programmes that all states branches must adhere to. These include the Village Economic Development Solutions, VEDS and the Micro Credit Scheme. Having studied the peculiarities of Plateau State, his office decided to bring in additional programmes to compliment those of the federal office. Thus at the state level, the Mandatory Attachment Programme for unemployed graduates, the Skill Acquisition and Widowhood Schemes were added.

Loan Disbursements so Far

Under VEDS individuals are not qualified to apply for loans. A group made up of a minimum of ten people and a maximum of thirty must register as a cooperative group according to the terms stated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. These cooperative groups then apply on behalf of the members. So far 149 cooperative groups have benefited from the loans in the state. The total financial loan disbursement to these groups now stands at N146 million. Under the Widowhood and Micro Credit Schemes, N2 million have been issued out to each of the seventeen Local Government Areas of the state amounting to a total of N 34 million. In addition to these there is also another N6 million from an NGO known as the Grassroots Women and Men that has also been disbursed evenly to the seventeen Local Government Areas. The grand total of loan disbursements now stands at about N186 million.

Repayments of the Loans

In view of the fact that Nigerians have often seen public funds within their reach as a piece of that Nigerian national cake, it could be the reason why there may be difficulties in the repayments of the loans. Chris says there is usually the pre-assessment of potential beneficiaries, which is undertaken by the monitoring department of his organization in addition to that undertaken by the micro-financial institutions nearest to them and through which the loans are issued. They must show an existing venture they intend to use the loan to improve. Besides the pre-assessment, there is also the post assessment usually undertaken using standard means of appraisal such as templates to ensure that beneficiaries remain committed to the ideals of the scheme.

In the event of failure of repayments by beneficiaries, his organization will resort to a memorandum of understanding that involved a legal document singed by the guarantors of beneficiaries.

Funding of NAPEP

Funding of the organization comes primarily from the Federal Government through the Millennium Development Goals office. In addition to that is counterpart funding from the Plateau State Government. There is also the NGO, Grassroots Women and Men. The state branches across the nation never receive allocations in the year 2008 however. The money that has been used in 2008 is a rolled over of the financial resources that was meant for 2007 in addition to the N50 million from the state government. In 2008, the Grassroots Women and Men also gave N6 million.

Plan for the Next Six Months

The next six months is a period during which the organization will continue to give out loans says Chris who pointed a stack of application files at a corner of his office. This however depends on the availability of money to give out to beneficiaries. The Coordinator thanked the Governor for his commitment to the poverty alleviation programme through prompt action whenever it matters. The NAPEP boss says the indication from the 2009 budget is that they may get more than they got in 2008