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Friday Sermon: The Population Bomb 2

Published

6 years ago

October 12, 2018

Eric

By Babatunde Jose

“Nigeria can produce food for 600million people through the application of the right technology. Commitment is needed by stakeholders dedicated to increasing food production for the country, as well as regaining her position as a net food exporter.” Danish Ambassador

For thousands of years famine has been humanity’s worst enemy. Until recently most humans lived on the very edge of the biological poverty line, below which people succumb to malnutrition and hunger. A small mistake or a bit of bad luck could easily be a death sentence for an entire population. Misfortune or stupidity on the collective level resulted in mass famines. Human history is full of horrific accounts of famished populations, driven mad by hunger. Some say it is nature’s way of correcting the population. During such events provisions become scarce; and governments are far too weak to save the day or provide for the people. We see it happening today, especially in this our clime where governments abdicate their roles and the masses are usually left in the lurch.

At such times people cry to God to ‘Deliver them from hunger’. But God does not send down ‘manna’ anymore. The ‘sinful’ nature of man has made God to withdraw to the high heavens and we should not expect such prayers to be answered today. Now it is ‘work and eat’ as we read in Psalm 128:2 “For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”

What this means is that governments should look out for the welfare of their people; not the Church or the Umma. During the last hundred years, technological, economic and political developments have created an increasingly robust safety net separating humankind from the biological poverty line; except here in Africa where we are being left behind.

At the first World Food Conference held in Rome in 1974, delegates were treated to apocalyptic scenarios, particularly about China and India. Then, Deng Xiaoping just started opening up China and there were 700 million Chinese living in extreme poverty. The conference concluded that there was no way for China to feed its billion people, and that the world’s most populous country was heading towards catastrophe. But they were proved wrong; China performed the greatest economic miracle in history by lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty, not by divine intervention, occasioned by fasting at the ‘Camps’, or ‘prayer cities’ or reading copiously from Chairman Mao’s ‘Little Red Book’ but by the dint of far reaching socio-economic policies and micro-management by successive Chinese leaders. In 1974, China had only 8million university graduates: Today, she has more than 300 million graduates, roughly the entire population of the United States of America. Yet China is not an Islamic or Christian nation.

Are we prepared to do what China did to conquer the debilitating consequences of the population bomb? Are we prepared to stop the obnoxious social and cultural practices that still prevail among some sections of our society such as child marriage; a most ungodly and unholy practice which is not supported by any scripture known to man. The same goes for the institution of polygamy which the faithful usually attribute to an injunction of the Quran but which in context, is about doing justice. “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly [with them], then only one, or [a captive] that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.”(Quran 4:3)

Permission to have more than one wife is not a substantive law in the Holy Qur’an, but a remedial or emergency law. It should not be brought into operation unless circumstances justify it, such as times of war when many men lose their lives, women are widowed and children are orphaned. The objects of marriage are four-fold: Protection against social, moral, and spiritual maladies (2:187; 4:24); secondly, a source of progeny (4:1); thirdly, a source of a loving companion providing peace of mind and comfort (30:21); and finally, the social and economic protection of orphans and widows of war (4:127).

To discourage polygamy, the Holy Qur’an first limits the number of wives to a maximum of four, before imposing a strict condition of equality: “If you fear that you will not be able to deal equitably then (marry only) one.” Later in verse 129 we are told, “It is not within your power to maintain perfect balance between wives, even though you are so eager.” To deal equitably is an injunction; any violation of this is a significant sin and against Quranic law. Thus, this permission of a maximum of four wives nonetheless imposes considerable restriction and severe conditions on males that makes taking another wife almost impossible.

Apart from proclivity to polygamy and child marriage, there are other hindrances to concerted population control, one of which is the Christian attitude to birth control and contraception.

The Church and Population Control

Despite the changing attitude of other churches, Catholicism maintains its traditional opposition to population control. The Church holds contraception to be sinful and contrary to scriptural teaching. Thus, St. Augustine declares that “intercourse even with one’s legitimate wife is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is prevented”. Onan, the son of Juda in the Bible, did this and the Lord killed him for it. See Genesis 38:3-10. The punishment for breach of the levirate marriage law however, is laid down elsewhere in the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10). The Old Testament also contains the general injunction to “increase and multiply”: Licence to procreate. Contraception, Catholics maintain, is corrupting to the individual, since it reduces self-control and its employment in the majority of cases will be for selfish reasons. Marriage will be degraded to a legalized form of prostitution. Furthermore, contraceptives undermine public morality by removing the fear of pregnancy, which is a powerful deterrent against promiscuous intercourse.

There is however an argument which stands to reason and cannot be easily faulted: “We must strive to multiply bread so that it suffices for the tables of mankind, and not rather favor an artificial control of birth, which would be irrational, in order to diminish the number of guests at the banquet of life.” This imposes an immense responsibility. And whose responsibility is it to multiply the bread; our governments of course by their policies, which in the end might entail some social engineering.

Can we trust our leaders to make enough bread available on our tables? Can we guarantee schools for our children and employment after graduation? What of those who for one reason or the other could not get to the Uni, are we making provisions for them to become artisans and self-employed technicians? Are we making provisions for girl-child education, instead of sentencing them to early, premature marriage or as gifts to their father’s friends? Are we encouraging the nomads to get educated instead for roaming the forest and destroying the farms of innocent people and in the process provoking mayhem and communal strife? Are we expanding the base of healthcare for our people and making provisions for improvements? Are we investing in the future; when only 350 Nigerians are responsible for more than 80 per cent of the N5.4 trillion debt portfolio of AMCON?

Presently, the figures are not good: Rise in the number of internally displaced children and a corresponding increase in birth rates have led to a surge in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. A Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted by UNICEF and the Nigerian government revealed that the number of out-of-school children rose from 10.5 million in 2010 to 13.2 million in 2015. Terry Durnnia, education chief, at UNICEF said 45 percent of out-of-school children in West Africa are Nigerians, 60% of them are in the North and majority of them are girls due to early marriage. Azuka Menkiti, UNICEF education specialist, said 50 percent of pupils in the north do not further their education. According to Femi Falana; “Having failed to fund public education, the children of the poor are roaming the streets, hawking goods while the rich are educating their children in private schools at home and abroad. But to the detriment of the society, the abandoned children of the poor are being recruited to criminality by terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal gangs.”

By some estimates Nigerian tertiary education institutions produce up to 500,000, half of these graduates are sentenced to the unemployment queue. What will then happen when we become the third most populous country in the world? These are unimaginable scenario to contemplate.

By 2050, 80 per cent of all the poor people in the world will live on the African continent; 50% of that will be in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two countries will account for 40 per cent of all the poor people in the world. Yet, in 1960, the per capital income in Nigeria was higher than what it was in South Korea, and China.

Currently we are not making serious efforts to expand and improve education and health and create enabling environment for employment nor are we making strenuous efforts to invest in the future? Yet, some people have enough money in their war chests more than some states. If care is not taken, says the Emir of Kano, we risk the chance of becoming the poverty capital of the world. Those countries that escaped the poverty trap achieved the feat because they planned for the future. We too can avert the coming eruption if we start now, but we need leaders who are committed to the Nigerian Project and not sectional and ethnic demigods and jingoists.

O Allah; “Guide us to the straight path.” Quran 1:6

Barka Juma’at and Happy weekend

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Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Prioritize Existing Unfinished Projects, Peter Obi Tells FG

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Eric

Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has advised the federal government to prioritize existing unfinished projects spread across the country instead of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

Obi, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, stated that the project was a misplaced priority given the numerous unfinished roads throughout the country.

The former governor of Anambra State mentioned that the budget allocated to the Ministry of Works is insufficient for significant progress on the country’s various unfinished roads, much less their completion.

Obi therefore, advised that the government prioritize the existing infrastructural projects in the country before embarking on any new and colossal projects like the Lagos-Calabar super highway project.

“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion.

So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years?

“To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.

“Therefore, while acknowledging the potential benefits of coastal superhighway infrastructure, I urge prioritization of our existing uncompleted projects. We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure.

“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years,” Obi said.

Back in March, the Federal Government began constructing the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, designed to extend through 9 states with two spurs leading to the Northern States.

Recall that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier described the project as a fraud.

“Umahi had announced that Hitech would fully fund the project, and based on this, there was no competitive bidding. He (Umahi) then said that Hitech could only raise just 6% of the money for the pilot phase. This smacks of deceit,” Atiku said.

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2027 Presidential Race: Opposition Parties Under Attack

Published

3 days ago

April 21, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

While it is still a whole three years before the next general election in 2027, The Boss has learnt that opposition parties in the countries are being muffled to pave the way for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to, and retain power.

From the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the Labour Party (LP), and down to the New Nigerian Peoples Paty (NNPP), crises have engulfed the rank and files, in what a source told this paper was the attempt and making of the ruling party, APC, to decimate, destabilize and make redundant the machineries of the opposition parties.

It is believed that by 2027, the apparatuses holding together the various opposition parties would have weakened irredeemably to the extent the country would seemingly nosedive into the inglorious one party state that every civil right advocate and democrats abhor.

It is alleged that all the crises in all the opposition parties are being engineered by the President Bola Tinubu-led ruling APC, with the hope of getting the fibres of their system weakened, thereby luring the members of the crisis-ridden parties into the APC.

Slightly one year after the last presidential election, the two major opposition platforms, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, have separately been embroiled in a crisis of confidence which has diminished their capacity to provide viable opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The crises in both opposition parties got to a head. The Labour Party led by its national chairman Julius Abure held its much-opposed national convention which was boycotted by its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; its only governor, Alex Otti of Abia State; federal and state lawmakers elected on its platform, and the organised Labour.

In the Labour Labour, members have been embroiled in endless battle of supremacy with a faction led by Mr. Apapa steadily contesting the leadership of Julius Abure.

Consequently, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, reverence as a leader in the fold, noting that whatever the party faces presently, that Nigeria’s problems are far bigger than the crises in his party.

The LP has been embroiled in crises — ranging from allegations of misappropriation of funds, and leadership tussle, to calls for the resignation of the party’s national chairman.

TheCable reported that “On March 27, the LP conducted a national convention in Anambra state where Julius Abure was re-elected as its national chairman.

Obi did not attend the convention, fuelling speculations that he may be mulling over ditching the LP for another platform.

Speaking during an appearance on HaveYourSay247, an interactive online session hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo over the weekend, Obi said he is confident that the crises rocking the LP will soon be resolved amicably.

“Whatever is happening in the Labour Party is so minute compared to what is happening in the country,” Obi said.

“So, for me, it is something we will resolve amicably, and it is not anything to worry about. Let us worry about the country.

“Let us worry about how the average Nigerian would be able to have a means of livelihood to be able to eat, that should be our worry.”

Obi said he has no interest in being the party’s leader but only to make sure things are done properly.

“I don’t see what I do in politics as being the leader of any place or not. My position is that just like I always say, I am not desperate to be president of Nigeria, I am desperate to see Nigeria work because I know it can work,” he added.

“We have a more desperate situation. Parties are just a means to be able to contest elections. What is important is that being a leader of a party does not reduce the price of food.

In the PDP, the shenanigans of former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has practically kept the party in constant crisis with many observers concluding that the now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is working for the APC, and is just a mole in the PDP. Wike has denied the allegation, however,

But news filtered in last week as that the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, and Minister may have concluded plans to attend the much advertised National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), billed to hold on Thursday, in Abuja.

Impeccable source, who is in the know, told The Boss that the minister, whose membership of the PDP is yet to be revoked even as he frolicks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and serving in the President Bola Tinubu government as a minister.

The Source told The Boss that Wike’s impending presence at the NEC meeting on Thursday was not unconnected with plans, already hatched with some governors, to weaken the opposition PDP.

“Yes, we have on good authority that FCT minister, Wike is planning to attend the NEC meeting tomorrow all in a bid to weaken the fabrics of the PDP, and pave the way for the continuation of the Tinubu administration come 2027, and by extension, relapse Nigeria to a full blown one party state.

“From every indication, Wike and his co-travellers, are bent on unleashing the same crisis ravaging the third force, Labour Party, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Nigerian National People’s Party (NNPP) on the PDP for the APC to remain the only political party in the country, and ensure that Tinubu has no challenger, come 2027,” the Source said.

It would be recalled that Wike has boasted over and again that there’s no opposition against Tinubu’s re-emergence in 2027, and that they have made sure of that. He has been compensated with the Ministerial job after he withdrew support for his party, and supported the APC and Tinubu to emerge as national government.

The Source further revealed that in the attempt to actualize the intended one party state, a lot of funding is ongoing to ensure that concerned stakeholders are ‘settled’ handsomely.

Wike, prior, during and after the 2023 general elections, has been floating in between the two major political parties; the APC and the PDP. While he claim to still be a member of the PDP, he is functioning as a minister in an APC government, mocking the inability of his party to discipline him.

While political stakeholders concluded that the outcome of the Thursday’s PDP NEC meeting will determine the path Nigeria’s political trajectory will take, and that it may portend the end of multi-party system and political democracy if Wike succeeds in his plan; every page of what finally transpired at the meeting pointed to the fact.

The much touted removal of the party chairman, who is believed to be a crony of the Abuja minister, Damagum, retained his seat, with his executives.

“It is very clear to everyone that a lot of money politics is being played to cajole many loyal members of the party, forcing them into frustration, and eventually it of the party. The option afterwards, will be the APC. This, will for all intent and purpose actualize the intended one party state as an APC agenda.

The Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso-led NNPP is not faring better either. The only governor under their ticket, Abba Kabir Yusuf, just had the confidence of their party on him withdrawn. He was fighting for his political life until suddenly it was announced the the APC in Kano has collapsed its structure into the NNPP.

“This is just another APC strategy to actualize their hidden intentions. Time will reveal the very sinister agenda they harboring,” an analyst said.

Much as 2027 is still three years away, but intrigues are in play to render Nigeria a one party state, and perpetuate the APC in power. The three other opposition parties are basically under attack to bring to pass this unpopular agenda.

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Akwa Ibom Government, Governor Umo Eno Receive Top Honors at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

Admin

The Akwa Ibom State Government and Governor Pastor Umo Eno were recognized with Travellers Awards at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos for their sustained enhancement of infrastructure, support for local talent, and dedication to investment in the tourism sector. The ceremony took place at the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos.

While Akwa Ibom won the Most Active Tourism State of the Year, Governor Eno was adjudged the most Tourism-Friendly Governor of the Year at the event that had Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade John in attendance.

According to Amb. Ikechi Uko, Founder/Publisher of ATQ Magazine, the organizers of the event which is in its tenth edition, Akwa Ibom State won the top prize “in recognition of its valiant and resourceful efforts to drive and sustain domestic tourism by promoting the industry.

‘In 2023, Akwa Ibom was one of the states that hosted World Tourism Day (WTD ) events. The state also organized the famous Christmas Unplugged, which featured music, food, and cultures from all 31 LGAs as well as ensured friendly policies.”

While hoping that the Travellers Awards would spur Akwa Ibom to do more to dominate the domestic tourism industry, the organizers hoped that the state would gradually evolve into one of Nigeria’s top international tourism destinations.

That was not all, the state Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Sir Charles Udoh was also recognized as one of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria for demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in the travel and tourism industry, while other Akwa Ibom indigenes and entity were also celebrated: Mrs. Ime Udo, Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor( Tourism) won Tourism Promoter of the Year, Favour Udo won Tourism Photographer of the Year, Loretta Effiong and Prince Uduak Sunday (Qua Tours) were listed among the Tourism Personalities of the Year and Ibom Air won Airline of the Year International.

In his remarks, Sir Charles Udoh, who represented the Governor at the event, thanked the organizers for the awards and noted that Akwa Ibom is certainly enjoying the golden era when it comes to tourism development. He stated that Governor Umo Eno is very keen on making Akwa Ibom a leading tourism destination with his programmes and policies.

He revealed that with the new Victor Attah International Airport nearing completion, the purchase of a ferry for the Oron-Calabar route, new developments along its coastline and the restoration work that will be done at all its major tourism sites, Akwa Ibom is well on the way to becoming the number one destination for all domestic and foreign tourists.

In her speech, Tourism Minister, Mrs. Ade John hailed the organizers for hosting the Expo, where practitioners were lectured by top experts while also rewarding those who have excelled in the past year.

She affirmed that her ministry is open to partnership with public and private sector operators, adding that tourism development can only be successful through collaborative efforts.

The event, which attracted leading and budding tourism professionals, also featured interactive and entertainment sessions.

Apart from Sir Charles Udoh and Mrs. Ime Udo, the Akwa Ibom State delegation, also included: Mr. Michael Effiong James, Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison) to Governor, Mrs. Eme Bassey, Special Assistant to Governor (Lagos Liaison) and Akparawa John Offiong, Deputy Director ( Culture) Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

More photos below: