Browsing: Editorial

The childish chicken fight currently turning the Edo State Government house into a huge theatre of the absurd has called to question the relevance of the post of the Deputy Governor in governance at the state level. In fact, the similar scenario playing out in Ondo State, where the ailing Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, could hardly resume duty before sacking the media crew of his Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, that stood in for him as he observed his medical leave abroad, and the impeachment sword hovering over his head, is telling Nigerians that the post of the deputy governor has never been useful and so should be dispensed with forthwith. In Edo State, just because the Deputy, Phillip Shaibu, has signified intention to succeed him, the Governor, Godwin Obaseki believes he has become a leprous finger that must be cut off outright. In Ondo State, where the deputy had been acting in his stead for three months, the Governor, from his sick bed thousands of miles away, noticed that his seat was at risk and endangered.

Again, Nigeria has suffered from her continuous image, credibility and reputation challenges at the international level. This time, the incident in focus is more pathetic and leaves a big question mark on the reality of the much touted spirit of “Africanism”, which is simply in this case the display of true love and affection towards fellow African nations. Painfully, Nigerian authorities, on their own, have acted below expectations in the current situation which is the reason the perceived diplomatic breaches and lapses in the matter have passed almost unnoticed. This has always been the case with any issue concerning Nigeria, her nationals and critical international issues relating to the country in foreign lands.

Except something is fundamentally wrong somewhere or somebody somewhere is up to something sinister, no single mature and learned Nigerian lacks the knowledge and understanding that as a fresh University/Polytechnic graduate in the country, the Constitution requires a mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps assignment with a discharge certificate issued after its successful completion. It’s also a general knowledge that if a graduate has attained the age of 30, as at the time of signing out from his/her citadel, such is constitutionally exempted and so, NYSC, after being obliged with enough evidence, is expected to without any rumpus issue a certificate of exemption to the concerned. After a sad story of former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun who in the year 2018 was caught and subsequently consumed by the NYSC exemption certificate racket, Nigeria’s public presently has before it, another saga, a drama – fresh NYSC certification controversy, again, from another serving executive – the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.