NiST CONDEMNED THE QUIT NOTICE ISSUED BY SOME NORTHERN YOUTHS AGAINST THE IGBOS LIVING IN THE NORTH

NIGERIAN STUDENTS OF THOUGHT (NiST)

NiST CONDEMNED THE QUIT NOTICE ISSUED BY SOME NORTHERN YOUTHS AGAINST THE IGBOS LIVING IN THE NORTH

Calls for immediate Restructuring of Nigeria

A nation can endure with unbelief, it cannot endure with injustice Uthman Dan Fodio

The recent call by some charlatans, daft and faceless elements who callously issued their so-called Kaduna declaration asking the Igbo nationales leaving in the Northern Nigerian to quit within 3-months of their self serving notice. We in Nigerian Students of Thought (NiST) having painstakingly studied the situations as events unfolds concludes that the reactionary quit notice is only good for the waste basket, the unwarranted utterance from these elements is highly insensitive and provocative not even at a time like this when over 60% of Nigerian are suffering from abject poverty as a result of the mismanagement of the country's natural resources and primitive looting of our collective treasury by the capitalist ruling class.

We are by this statement warning these elements to desist from any act that can undermine and jeopardize the peace of this country and allow every ethnics group to pursue their normal lives undertaking without fear as we await the emergence of a genuine socialist revolution in due time.

We in NiST are of the opinion that instead of the youths dissipating energy in making reactionary declaration against a particular ethnics group, the corrupt ruling class who are responsible for the concomitant problems and mutuary of wreckages in the country rather should get quit from public office or face mass action which will yield a more pragmatic and patriotic result.

We hereby call on the security agents as a matter of exigency arrest these northern elements that tends to undermine the laws of the country with their baseless declaration and quit notice,  the signatories to the unintellectual Kaduna Declaration should be arrested for questioning and prosecution for treason with immediate effect. We also salute the efforts of the progressive and well-meaning Northern youths, Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, some Northern elders, State Governors and other Nigerians that has voiced out in condemnation of the unfortunate Declaration against the Igbo's. We call on The Nigerian National Assembly to immediately initiate a process for constitutional amendment for the restructuring of Nigeria to pave way for decentralization of power and even distribution of resources for collective national development.

In the meantime, the genuine revolutionaries are hatching plans to convene a meeting/ press conference to discuss the way forward on  some national issues of Paramount importance.

The Igbo's and other peace loving Nigerians should ignore the baseless declaration and go about their normal duty peacefully as responsible and Law abiding Nigerian citizens.

... Do accept our revolutionary regards at all time

Signed
AYO TOLUWALASE S.
IKUDAYISI JOHNSON O.
OJO BRIGHT I.
NJOKU CHINEDU
NWEKE JUDE
AGALA ILESANMI S.
ADEKUNLE JELILI A.

TAXATION OF RELIGIOUS BODIES

INTRODUCTION

Tax can be viewed as synonymous with the words, ‘duty’, ‘levy’, ‘toll’, ‘dues’, ‘excise’ and ‘monies’, to be imposed on every citizen, corporate person, etc residing within a particular jurisdiction or control of the government of a state.
The term ‘TAX’ is popularly defined in the landmark Australian case of MATTHEWS V CHICORY MARKETING BOARD (1938) Vol 60 CLR 263 as:

‘A compulsory extraction of money by a public authority for a public purpose of raising money for the purpose of administering government budget by means of contribution from individuals’

Tax is enforced by the government as a means of funding its activities. Tax imposition, collection, enforcement and Utilization are authorized and draw validity fundamentally from the stipulations of the generally accepted grundnorm being the Nigerian constitution 1999 (as amended 2011). It is a federal offence not to pay taxes and in many instances tax returns are demanded of an individual to ensure taxes are being paid.

Religious organizations are viewed as unique entities under the law because of their nature, purpose and activities. They are entitled to special protections and exceptions. Some of the exceptions have existed for much of the nation’s history, originally devised for Christian churches but expanded to other faiths as the nation has become more religiously diverse.

From time immemorial, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of taxation and religious institutions (religious institutions in this situation referring to churches and mosques). The current situation of their exemption from paying taxes has been debated by a scholars. How come churches do not pay tax and yet they earn so much? Would taxing the churches amount to double taxation? Would lifting the blanket of tax exemption be inequitable and unjust? Or would the economy be bedevilled by this action? Would taxing the religious institutions cause be seen as a victimization of these religious bodies? All these and more are the questions arising from tax exemptions of religious institutions.

The Pointer Newspaper of Saturday, September 12, 2015 in a story entitled “RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS TO PAY TAX ON INVESTMENTS,” Barrister Frank Nwugo, a member of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue stated thus:

“Sometimes I hear people ask whether it is lawful for religious institutions to pay tax, why not? The personal income tax law of the Federation, Section 73 talks about the exemption clause which specifies ecclesiastic industries- their earnings; offerings, tithes and perhaps donations. But a church that owns land, for instance, must pay tax for that land. The reason is because that land by law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not belong to that church, but the government. Ground rent again, for instance, is an indirect tax. If you have land whether it is for an individual or corporate body, then, you must pay tax for that land. The exemption clause, as I told you earlier that applies to the ecclesiastic, has nothing to do with ground rent. Any church for instance, that owns a school must pay tax for that school and the earnings of that school must be paid for. Even the bible records that Jesus Christ Himself paid Tax”

He concluded that churches will henceforth be taxed for investments such as school, vehicles, business outfits, and land acquisition. He added in his last paragraph that, “even Jesus Christ himself paid tax.”

Also A former Minister of State for the Interior, CHIEF DEMOLA SERIKI, says that churches and mosques that own businesses should pay tax to the government. He said religious bodies, especially churches, had built large business empires including universities but many of them were not paying tax.

The ex-minister said:

“the wealth being made from these businesses was used in buying private jets with the government losing out”.

“Places of worship such as churches and mosques should not pay tax but when they go into investment outside their main focus, they must pay tax. For example, there are some churches that are into importing and exporting and they are benefitting from the economy.”

Argument for the retention of Tax exemption for ecclesiastical bodies has been that the tendency to impose double taxation on Nigerians is unacceptable. This is so because individual members of churches and mosques pay their taxes to the government. How will they now pay tax a second time at their places of worship? If we go by what was published in The Pointer Newspaper by the tax agent, it becomes double taxation. This is so because people give to the Church or Mosque out of their gains or profit and this is certainly after tax.

Also, religious institutions support the government and complement its effort to make the society safer and better for all and tax exemptions should be seen as a form of encouragement from the government.

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

The Nigerian constitution which is the ground norm for which all laws of the land gains its legitimacy, provides in Section 24 the duties of the Citizen. Specifically Section 24(f) provides that:

It shall be the duty of every citizen to declare his income honestly to appropriate and lawful agencies and pay his tax promptly.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria has one major law that regulates taxation which is the Personal Income Tax Act. Section 19(1) of the Act read together with the Third Schedule thereto provides clearly that:

“The income of any ecclesiastical, charitable or educational institution of a public character in so far as such income is not derived from a trade or business carried on by such institution, shall be exempted from taxation”.

Similarly, Section 30 of the Tax Code states that:

“Non-stock corporations or associations organized and operated exclusively for religious or charitable purposes shall be exempted from income tax provided that no part of its net income or asset shall belong to or inure to the benefit of any member, organizer, officer, or any person”

Also, some International legislation also specify Churches and other religious organizations, like many other charitable organization’s qualification for exemption from federal income tax. The INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 501(C) (3) provides that generally ecclesiastical bodies are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. To qualify for tax-exempt status, the organization must meet the following requirements:

The organization must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, educational, scientific or other charitable purposes

Net earnings may not incure to the benefit of any private individual or shareholder.

No substantial part of its activity may be attempting to influence legislation.

The organization may not intervene in political campaigns.

The organization’s purposes and activities may not be illegal or violate fundamental public policy.

Conclusively, it would be legally wrong and inequitable to ask churches to pay tax not considering exemptions provided for them by law, in the United States of America (USA), when a church buys anything as a body or when people donate funds to a church, such resources are given tax exemptions. This is also the practice in Britain. By this concession, the government gives support to churches.

The laws should then be followed strictly especially in the Nigerian state where all these religious institutions contradict all these statutory guidelines and still lay claim to tax exemptions. Institutions established by the church solely for income generation or Organizations who are just acquainted to religious organization should not be included in such Tax exemptions, they should be made to pay Tax and punished when they fail to comply except their Organization is a non- profit entity as held in the case of American International School vs FIRS . However Religious institutions cannot be asked or forced, or punished for non-compliance to tax payment as they are rightly exempted by law.

Aka Oluwatimilyin Akintunde
Social Director,
Law Students' Society,
Faculty of Law,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
07030486236
[email protected]
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THEATER OF THE ABSURD:The Nigerian senate

THEATER OF THE ABSURD:The Nigerian senate   by Jimoh Rashidat Efua

Looking at the Nigerian senate in recent times,i remember the drama-text called Fate of a cockroach by Tewfiq Al-hakim,it talks about absurdity and that is clearly portrayed in the now Nigerian senate. A senate structured to represent the interest of Nigerians,make laws,over see the excess of the executive amongst other responsibilities. but looking at the Nigerian senate these days one would wonder exactly what they are doing apart from earning millions monthly and billions annually, well that's aside from all their shady side business income,no one really knows how much they earn exactly!

The senate has become an unnecessary joke,their consistent dramas in the house makes it look more like a theater than an actual house where laws are supposed to be deliberated on. Cases of killings happening all around,and a high rate of insecurity in Nigeria,and the senate is more concerned about Hammed Ali wearing a uniform,and then we have the Dino Melaye;s case who happens to be a 'senator'apparently,when this dino's case came up,it was simple as releasing a solid proof to silence critics,but no! he had to make a bizarre video which made him look and sound like a clown and then released some debatable certificates,well like the popular 'joke' goes,"if Buhari can show the Nigerian people NEPA bill as certificate and still become president,then Dino Melaye apparently has no case". Well apparently Dino went to Harvard according to him,but that's another different topic,the senate recently accused Magu of terrorizing them,they apparently don't even know how to use the word 'terrorize'.

Nigeria has become a meme,because of people who were voted-that's if they were actually voted,in my candid opinion,the senate shouldn't even exist,a referendum should be put forward for the Nigerian people to vote whether they want the senate or not,but i'm guessing a referendum for the continuation of the senate was never a bone of contention in the provision of the constitution,and there's no way those 'senators' would revise it now to add something which can take them out of 'business'. So we are pretty much stuck with them,well it's up to the electorates to decide if they want to continually keep up with a house of comedy full of unfunny clowns ...

JIMOH RASHIDAT EFUA
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY
LLB1

BUYING THE COUNTRY, SAVING THE COUNTRY

BUYING THE COUNTRY, SAVING THE COUNTRY

We live in a ‘world’, where we solely depend on another ‘world’ for survival.
Can a country that can’t swash off any tangible product fabricated perchance have a flourishing economy?
Will a country where 95% of products found on it are imported (foreign) have a developed economy? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Why will a country who hinges on one source of revenue and imported goods not possibly drift into recession?

We assert to be the ‘Giant of Africa’ but fail in all ramifications to live up to the ballyhoo.
Think of it, why will Nigeria be importing toothpicks (of all things, chai!!!), Biros, books etc. when we have able-bodied citizens with all the potentials in the world both intellectually and physically to produce this?

Why should Nigeria be importing rice when we have locally made rice here in Nigeria e.g Abakaliki rice , Lagos rice  etc which are less hazardous to our health compared to foreign rice .
We’ve heard cases of ‘plastic rice’ being imported from China …

We shouldn’t stoop so low as to be importing fruits, plants, and animals when we have copious of them here.

Citizens are fast to blame the government, but NO, for it’s not entirely the faults of the government but the citizens also have some flaws on this issue (I’ll get to that)

I feel importation should be ostracized totally from the country as we have both all source of natural resources and able-bodied youths to start our own production and exportation.
We all have roles to play in order to achieve this feat

My Suggestions:

The Government should ply producers enough fund to produce. Before anything could be produced, enough capital must be put in place.

They (government) also should organize seminars, special training for the youths on how to produce things.

The Citizens on their part should patronize the locally made products. One of the reasons production in Nigeria is minimal, is lack of patronization, citizens should stop looking out for foreign goods and buy the locally made ones which is cheaper.
When we depend on foreign goods, we lack that ‘Independent identity’ and are on some sort of neo-colonialism, but depending on our locally made goods give us our ‘independent identity’.

I don’t see anything wrong in us dropping corporate wears and wearing our traditional wears to our respective associations, organizations , hospitals, court of law and even on our ‘white wedding’ days etc. since that has been our identity from the beginning of our existence. There’s even a bible verse that says “but from the beginning it was not so”

We can even have our ‘own English’ called ‘Nigerian English’ with examples like jacko (bookworm), hammer (successful), whining (playful tease) etc., as our own official and formal language instead of using the British language (English). We all know of U.S.A which was colonized by England and was taught the British English but immediately after gaining their independence, ‘kicked’ out the British English and formed theirs.

One thing I respect most about our past four civilian presidents [Obasanjo, Yara dua, Jonathan and Buhari] is the fact that no matter where they are, they always (or mostly) show the true identity of Nigeria by wearing our traditional wear even at international events such as U.N.O, ECOWAS etc...

Furthermore, the producers of these locally made goods should abstain from producing substandard goods. This is, in fact, one of the reasons for lack of patronization.
We’ve heard stories of large scale production of substandard goods, from sale of fake drugs to use of special chemicals in order to quickly ripen food products e.g. plantains, bananas, tomatoes, inter alia for quick sell.
With past stories like this, people have lost complete trust on Nigerian products, as no one would like to make the ‘same mistakes over and over again’.

These manufacturers should turn a new leaf and produce standard goods which are long-lasting and less hazardous to human health.

Conclusively, if we take all these points to work, we would be self sufficient, be out of recession and possibly have the best economy in the world.
Nigerians, let us embrace our own.

David Sidney,
     100 Level,
Law Students' Society,
Faculty of Law,
OAU.
09026166812.

Who is lying to the Igbos and to the rest of Nigeria?

Who is lying to the Igbos and to the rest of Nigeria?

Nigerians need to be more discerning. In a country filled with special interests and rapacious individuals who would stop at nothing to safeguard their predatory lifestyles, one must always analyse and think critically about political statements: who benefits?
This should be the question on everyone’s mind whenever any issue is raised in Nigeria. Does the political elite in the South-East truly support the idea of Biafra, of secession, or is the issue of Igbo marginalisation funded, used as propaganda to derail an administration which has made fighting corruption one of its central objectives?
It is interesting to note that under a South-South President, a time which might have been the best to raise and finally address all issues of marginalisation for the South-South and the South East, many politicians of this extraction chose to blindly support their “son” and partake in many of the scandals which have come to define the era. Why did the politicians of Igbo extraction not raise their voices to call for more development in the South East under President Goodluck Jonathan? Why didn’t they speak on behalf of the poor Igbo or Niger Deltan?
“Marginalisation” only becomes a trending issue in Abuja when political appointments don’t seem to favour Igbo politicians. The idea, sadly, has little to do with the average Nigerian. In truth, all Nigerians are marginalised. The well-being of the poor and middle-classes, from the North, to the South, has hardly ever been a political priority. It is therefore all too easy to manipulate sentiments of desperation and hopelessness thus benefiting, yet again, the same selfish politicians who squander their chance at leadership on comforts for themselves and their immediate families alone, rather than acting on behalf of their communities and the country as a whole.
It is ironic that the anti-corruption fight is also viewed through an ethnic lens. Because the past President is from the South-South, any attempts at unveiling corruption which occurred under his watch is viewed as an attack on the entire region and its indigenes which is curious because whatever money left Nigeria’s coffers illegally, as the many cases and corruption allegations which are now in court show, did not serve to develop the region. It landed instead in private pockets. It was easier to participate in the “sharing” of the national cake than to come up with plans to deal with the environmental issues of the South East and the South-South (from erosion to cleaning up oil spills etc.). Nigeria needs a counter-Biafra movement, a counter ethnic-manipulation movement, a truth movement, one which asks real questions of those politicians and their stooges who are suddenly very vocal: where were you when a Niger-Deltan was the President? What did you do for the region then? Besides congratulatory messages and promoting an empty Ijaw agenda which only benefited those in power, what did South-South and South East politicians do to bring development to these regions when they had the chance?
Beyond the Federal Government, greater blame should be laid at the feet of the state governors of the South East and the South-South. Despite the NDDC budgets (in fact, where is the OMPADEC money?) despite derivation, where did all the money go? Who are the contractors if not cronies of these same South-South and South East politicians? Nigerians need to ask real questions rather than hiding behind the spectre of wars which happened before many of those currently agitating were born. Unfortunately, the mind-set in today’s Nigeria, has it that only acts of violence produce results. After all, we only seem to pay attention to people’s demands or suffering in this country once groups turn to violence. When do we get serious?
We mustn’t only demand seriousness from our leaders. We the people need to think deeply and critically about the issues. Our short-sightedness is consistently manipulated by politicians who know exactly what buttons to press to get the right reactions from us. We keep talking about restructuring as if it were some sort of magic wand after which all our ethno-religious problems would suddenly disappear. Our wobbly zoning arrangements hardly allow the best man (or woman) to contest for office, further trapping us in a cycle of corruption, public anger and disappointment when the “son of the soil” doesn’t develop his region (or the rest of the country for that matter) because he never proved he had the intellectual capability or ideas necessary to come up with a real blueprint for progress.
We are yet to honestly answer the question of what truly went wrong with our regional system of governance, before the military coups. It was, in part, the inefficacy of those in power, their greed and corruption which served to justify the coup culture. What would be different if we returned to the regions of old? Wouldn’t it be the same crop of politicians we currently complain about who’d be up for elections? Let’s not deceive ourselves, they wouldn’t perform any better. We’ve heard all the arguments about “feeding bottle federalism” and encouraging competition between the regions and I’ve written quite a lot about them in previous articles available online.
The truth is, if not for corruption, which Nigerians, both rich and poor have curiously defended by shielding their ethnic kin from prosecution, even under our current structure, we could have attained far higher levels of development. We can’t account for two-thirds of the budgets at the federal level since 1999. Corruption is the true root of marginalisation, not ethnicity or religion. The next time you hear the word “marginalisation” ask yourself what the political motives behind the term truly are. Very few of today’s politicians are capable of leading viable stand-alone nations (or areas roughly the geographic equivalent of the South-south or South-East regions for example) without the help and support of the rest of Nigeria.
Many politicians have neither the credibility, the ideas or capacity to do so, without the Federal government propping up their structures. The most urgent form of restructuring should be at the party level, where candidates begin their journey. Greater scrutiny to ensure that only the best are fielded to represent us can only happen if we the people get involved at all levels.

National Assembly
It has the power to approve appropriated funds, not to decide (which is a function of the executive) what funds should be spent on. If legislators want to decide the specifics of budget line items, then they are in the wrong arm of government and should have pursued careers under the executive branch. The unspoken allegation here is that the running battle between the National Assembly and the Federal Government is in fact over constituency projects and other such amendments which allow many legislators leeway to spend money as they please.
The number of uncompleted and abandoned so-called “constituency projects” and fanciful donations of sewing kits, motorcycles etc. which are far below the monetary equivalent of the amounts the legislature claims its spends on its constituencies, are a bone of contention and represent just some of the issues Nigerians should be up in arms about. These are the wasteful, allegedly corrupt practices holding us back, not our ethnic origins or religion.

Goodluck Jonathan
Three former officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority and a former special adviser of this former President were recently named in a Swiss corruption case involving a company whose top officials have already been convicted. According to Swiss prosecution, Mohammed Adoke, the former attorney general, claimed there were no grounds for prosecution in Nigeria.
Yet, the Swiss case alleges that the company in question was awarded $70million worth of contracts every year without any public bidding, cornered jobs worth around N717 billion and bribed Nigerian officials copiously. How much did the Nigerian state lose? Nigerians aren’t poor because of ethnic marginalisation, we’re poor because of corruption. It’s time we face up to reality and stop hiding behind ethnicity to excuse the enrichment of some at the expense of the majority.

Source: Vanguard

Demands of a Concerned Student from the New Vice Chancellor

Demands of a Concerned Student from the New Vice Chancellor

From my childhood, I have learnt that If you want anything done, you have to make some noise -Malcolm X

Revolutionary greeting to the incoming vice Chancellor of this community, in person of Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, on your swearing in ceremony today, Ad multos annos, may your tenure bring  development to us.

    However, it will be pertinent to note that our university community is been faced with myriad of problems that have not been solved, or either not looked into by previous administration which however needs your urgent attention. Issues bothering on poor welfare condition (which  has been a general bane of Nigeria communities) among others.

    The Issue of improved welfare of students should be an utmost concern of your good will, improvement in the state of our hostel where we live like livestocks, our hostels have been too crowded as a result of the numbers of students admitted compared to the spaces available, as if that is not enough, poor maintenance have also breed bed bug as hostel mate, bushy environment breeding mosquitoes , scorpions and even snakes.

    Our Class rooms and laboratories are not left out of these mess, where most of our students could not receive lectures, as class of more than 1000 students uses a 500 seaters capacity hall or even less for classes, and underfunded lab.

    Our roads which naturally should be a fun route, have now become a death route, where students in their numbers have met their end, or even sustain a hard to recover injury.

    Other social amenities like  water, which cannot even be deferential  from urine in Taste and colour, is what is been supplied to students. Even the water in this form is most atime unavailable.

    We also call on the vice Chancellor, to look into the date of the close of registration, as lot of students have not paid up their fee as a result of the economic hardship that have greeted our nation. (Non or untimely payment of salaries and increased cost of living). We plead that more time is given to students to enable them pay up.

RECOMMENDATIONS

#The Management should erect more and better speed bumps and street lights

#Provison of adequate, and portable water

#Improvement in the state of hostels, class rooms and Laboratories

#Extention of Registration date

No amount of element can break the collective strength of students

Amadla Awethu  - Power to the People
✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊

BENARD Samuel [ BENARD P ]
A penultimate year student of the prestigious faculty of Law
&A Concerned Great Ife Student

FIRE! DANGER!! FIRE!!!

There is fire on the mountain, and nobody seems to be on the run.

Greatest Ife, Articulate Ife; evil will continue to triumph when good men sit back and do nothing. This is not meant to scare anybody but to tell students, the truth, nothing but the truth, the whole truth.

If we decide to keep mute, we will all go down, as we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder. While our solace ought to be the Student Union executives, they have only succeeded in drawing us back with their own unseriousness and irresponsibility.

At a parliamentary sitting early this semester, I learnt of a student that wore a customized jersey of ‘Supreme Eiye Confraternity’. While I did not believe it initially, I was dumbfounded when I heard it from several other people. When I reported the case to a member of the Security Committee, they dismissed it and took the issue with levity.

There are other issues of guys clawing in Angola where I personally took some of them up aggressively and made them regret at the spot. These cult elements are getting emboldened due to the silence of the Union leadership and its weakness. But anyway, many of the members of the illegal team (that has never been ratified by the Parliament) but refer to themselves as the Security Committee are also suspects. Then, I start to wonder where else our solace lies.

For the sake of records, the occurrence of July 10, 1999 where Afrika and others were massacred was a turning point in the history of security consciousness on this campus. The then President, Lanre Legacy summoned a Congress immediately and a Security Committee was set up right there. That was the starting point of democratic setting up of a security committee. It was never imposed by the President as they are not the President’s bodyguards but meant to serve the security interest of Great Ife Students.

The bitter truth remains that our consciousness lies in our hands, and if some set of students continue to hold us to ransome in flushing these set of people out, then students should take over their leadership.
The issue of welfare cannot also be disconnected from their unseriousness.

Freshmen, especially are exposed to worrisome situations as most of their rooms do not have doors, nor fans and accommodate 17 or more students (at average); a room initially supposed to be for four. Our hostels have turned into refugee camps, and the President of the Union and others had the gut to follow the Dean DSA who have turned deaf ears to our plight to Osogbo to celebrate her political appointment and elevation to another MMM office (Money Making Machine).

As if their romance with the ruling APC is not enough, they summoned a pseudo Symposium where gubernatorial aspirants and proven corrupt politicians who come and rebrand their names and dish out lies to unsuspecting students.

These same corrupt politicians despite seeing our plight on social media and other platforms have turned deaf ears to our cry. While Freshers and other students have decided to ground the occasion if these looters are eventually invited, the tactics of postponing the Congress where such decision will be made official and standing till after the money making symposium is a tactics gone wrong, as students are wiser.

If you see beyond the surface, you know the implications of inviting corrupt politicians to an occasion, especially when there is a launching of a book on the same day. The Great Ife Magazine (who I envisage that it would contain a lot of distortions as to the rich history and traditions of the Students’ Union alongside many errors) would be launched same day, and the only millionaires who could give them the amount they need to loot and enjoy in Forks and Fingers are these same set of politicians. But alas, it is bad market already, as students are ready to move.

Finally, ours is not to lament but to proffer practical wayforwards. The sacrosanct constitution of the Great Ife students’ Union has envisaged a situation where the President of the Students’ Union would be unserious and irresponsible and has delegated the power to summon a Congress on the Parliament. All that is needed is 75 signatures.                           Honourables and members of the Parliament can only save their own heads from the impending doom on all corrupt union officers if they act fast and use their powers to summon a Congress. Remember this Union has once impeached all Union officers save only the Clerk of the Parliament who acted as President (Jasper).

Pending the time the Parliament acts, students should continue to agitate at every opportunity and take up their Union Leaders. They are responsible to students, and if they cannot bear the heat of the kitchen, they can honourably leave.

Emman O. Emma (EOE)   (is a penultimate year student of the Faculty of Law and the Ag. Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign. He can be contacted on 08126999227)

Intellectual Property: The Way Forward

Ronald and Dotun are both close friends. Ronald loves to write because he feels that’s the best way he can express himself while Dotun is an aspiring musician. On the 1st of May, Ronald had just completed his book titled ‘Virgins in the Maternity World’ while Dotun had just finished composing his lyrics of the song ‘Shake it, don’t break It’. They were both happy about the outcome of their work but they had no money to sponsor their career. They both decided to collect a loan of one million naira each to finance their work using their house and other properties as collateral.

Ronald said to Dotun one day, “I can’t launch my book here in Nigeria, once I launch it here, it would be all over the internet where people have free access to anything and I won’t be able to repay my loan; I am going to use my money to travel to America where I would launch and repay my loan and I also want you to join me’. Dotun laughed hysterically, “Ronald, do you want to put me in trouble, they will just arrest you. You can make it here in Nigeria. Artistes are making it here in Nigeria. I also want to be like Davido and the likes. I am making my money here and then I would travel to America.”

Ronald then travelled to the United States of America where he launched his book with the help of an institute in America and fortunately for him, he sold a million copies and more. He eventually paid off his loan.

Dotun also recorded his song and also made a music video. His song was on the internet the next day and he was unable to make music sales. Eventually, he sold his property to offset the loan.

What may come to the mind of an average Nigerian may be that Dotun wasn’t smart with his choices or he could have gone to America like his friend Ronald and make more money. It could be shocking to know that people still want to do great things in this country, however we are just prevented and restricted by the circumstances they find ourselves in and the laws which govern our country.

God had blessed man with intellect far greater than all of his creations. The utilization of this intellect is the source of civilization today and beyond. Some of the richest men who have amass wealth overtime like Mark Zuckerberg is as result of intellectual property.

Imagine you taking out time to create some form of technology like a solar Television and you have sacrificed your time, energy, sweat and of course money to make your dreams come true; suddenly, a company steals the idea and makes their own solar television. It’s the same with music; when you download music from the internet for free, you are devaluing the artiste’s work. Unfortunately, most people do not even know the essence of intellectual property much more the laws which protect the intellectual property rights of another.

Intellectual property lose their value when they are not protected. One of the tenets of the Natural Law theory is that law is made for man not man for law. There are certain laws which have been enacted to protect intellectual property rights, they are generally referred to as Intellectual Property law. They include Copyright Act 1988, Trade Marks Act 1965, Patents and Designs Act 1971 among others. Unfortunately, these laws have not been reviewed or ratified.

Intellectual Property and Intellectual Property Law

Intellectual Property is the intangible creation of the human mind. It could also be defined as the product of human reasoning. Intellectual property involve the use of the human intellect to create usually in form of an idea or in form of a solution to a problem.

According to ManBul Gomwalk , “intellectual property comprises of creations of the human mind and intellect”

Catherine Colston had this to say about Intellectual property, “it is all about the results of human creativity. Its subject matter is formed from new ideas generated by man. New ideas may be applied in as many ways as the human mind can conceive. Their application to human needs and desires can be of considerable benefit to mankind” .

Intellectual property, very broadly, means the legal rights which result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields. Countries have laws to protect intellectual property for two main reasons. One is to give statutory expression to the moral and economic rights of creators in their creations and the rights of the public in access to those creations. The second is to promote, as a deliberate act of Government policy, creativity and the dissemination and application of its results and to encourage fair trading which would contribute to economic and social development.

The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), concluded in Stockholm on July 14, 1967 (Article 2(viii)) provides that “intellectual property shall include rights relating to:

•literary, artistic and scientific works,
•performances of performing artists, phonograms and broadcasts,
•inventions in all fields of human endeavor,
•scientific discoveries,
•industrial designs,
•trademarks, service marks and commercial names and designations,
•Protection against unfair competition, and all other rights resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary or artistic fields.”

Generally speaking, intellectual property law aims at safeguarding creators and other producers of intellectual goods and services by granting them certain time-limited rights to control the use made of those productions. Those rights do not apply to the physical object in which the creation may be embodied but instead to the intellectual creation as such. Intellectual property is traditionally divided into two branches, “industrial property” and “copyright.”

Industrial Property includes patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.

Copyright covers literary works (such as novels, poems and plays), films, music, artistic works (e.g., drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures) and architectural design. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and broadcasters in their radio and television programs.

Why promote and protect intellectual property?

There are several compelling reasons. First, the progress and well-being of humanity rest on its capacity to create and invent new works in the areas of technology and culture. Second, the legal protection of new creations encourages the commitment of additional resources for further innovation. Third, the promotion and protection of intellectual property spurs economic growth, creates new jobs and industries, and enhances the quality and enjoyment of life. An efficient and equitable intellectual property system can help all countries to realize intellectual property’s potential as a catalyst for economic development and social and cultural well-being.

The intellectual property system helps strike a balance between the interests of innovators and the public interest, providing an environment in which creativity and invention can flourish, for the benefit of all.

Nigeria and Intellectual property law

Nigeria offers protection for a range of intellectual property rights including copyrights, trademarks, patents and designs. Being largely an importer of technology and finished products, trademark rights remains the most significant and more commonly deployed form of intellectual property protection in Nigeria, attracting significant value in the form of royalties and licence fees and increased application for registration at the Nigerian Trademarks, Patents and Designs Registry (IPO).

Although Nigeria is a member of international organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and signatory to a number of international treaties connected to the protection of intellectual property rights, the majority of these treaties are yet to be domesticated into the local laws. The effect being that majority of the local laws, particularly in relation to trademark law, are yet to fully evolve and align with international developments in the intellectual property world.

Civil litigation remains the traditional form of enforcement of IP rights. However, enforcement by administrative procedures and remedies is increasingly being resorted to through administrative bodies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC), the Nigeria Customs Service and other special requirements related to border measures.

In conclusion, the essence of intellectual property law cannot be underestimated as it provides that legal framework and shield whereby individuals and corporate bodies can express their creativity and also encourage national development. Referring back to the scenario, it is the opinion of the writer that if the intellectual property laws were enforced and strict compliance with the law, Dotun would have made money from his music career.

The laws which govern intellectual property in America and most developed countries are more advanced and enforced compared to Nigeria. In light of the economic challenges in Nigeria, it is almost difficult to enforce these laws. It is suggested that legislature enact laws which would reflect the changing realities of the country regarding intellectual property and there should also be an awareness of intellectual property law. Relying solely on tangible properties like land, oil, cocoa etc may not sustain Nigeria in the long run but arguably intangible (intellectual) property. 

Until this is done, we can only sit back and watch as other countries amass wealth and progress with intellectual property.

ADEWOLE LAURA
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW CLUB (IPLC)
FACULTY OF LAW
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY
ILE-IFE, NIGERIA

OAU WATER AND MY CRY: MESSAGE TO GREAT IFE CEC; UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

“Without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living; without the cry, there is no soothing.”

I am not an activist. I am not a human rights advocate. I am just an innocent student being pushed to the wall. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, is my institution of learning and I will do everything within my power to protect her integrity and promote the good image of the institution. It is my duty. It is our collective responsibility. However, it is also our obligation to cry out when things are going wrong and when situations are becoming unbearable. We need to be consoled. They call me The Smiling Man and here is my cry.

Water is known to be a universal basic resource. Daily, we utilise water for one thing or the other. We drink water. We use water for cooking, cleaning, washing, laundry and so much more. Water is important for daily health and sanitation.

Source of water being supplied is a key factor to the overall wellness of an individual. As a student of Great Ife, the major direct source of water supplied runs through water tanks and pipes. Day-to-day, students rely on the water supplied through those channels from OAU Dam in order to carry out various domestic activities such as bathing, cooking, washing, among others. Sadly, some even drink this water.

Although it is not news that the water being supplied from the University dam is devoid of characteristics of purified water, i.e. colourless, odourless and tasteless. It is deplorable that the mechanism employed in supplying water to the various halls of residence keep getting from bad to worse. Unfortunately, the management is just folding their arms and instead, watches as the ‘OAU water’ keeps flowing to various halls of residence and the university community.

Using ETF Hall as a case study. At the commencement of 2016/2017 academic session, the water tanks supplying water to the hall of residence have been in deplorable conditions. The storage tanks are very dirty. Some have no covers. The drain valves are in a state of disrepair. The water inlets are faulty. Consequently, students are left with dirty and noxious water. Equally, the faulty drain valves lead to constant wastage of water which thereby causes occasional scarcity of water supply. Surprisingly, the porter’s lodge is located directly in front of those faulty storage tanks. Members of ETF Hall Executive Council act as onlookers while students’ lives are in danger.

For cooking, residents of the Hall rely on these water reservoirs. Regrettably also, some students with “humble” backgrounds drink cassava flakes with the water supplied from those tanks. And the stakeholders are watching.

In a report of an international workshop jointly organised by WHO and InWEnt (Capacity Building International), Health as a Cross-Cutting Issue in Dialogues on Water for Food and the Environment, a table of the list of health issues associated with lack of (safe) water supply was drawn:

Health IssuesEnvironmental
DeterminantsSocial
Determinants
Truly Water–borne
diseases
Typhoid, shigellosis, cholera,
Hepatitis A, AmoebiasisLack of safe water supply
Lack of proper storage system
Improper handling of water at the level of household
Improper sanitation systemSocioeconomic status
Low health awareness
Behaviour

Water-related Diseases
Malaria, WNV, Filariasis, DengueImproper irrigation
Storage system
Improper SewerageImproper housing
Sleeping behaviour
Social status
Water-based diseases
Schistosomiasis, DrancunculiasisLack of safe water supply
Lack of proper storage system
Improper sanitation systemSocial status
Water-washed Diseases
Skin Diseases, TrachomaShortage of water supplyCrowding
Hygiene behaviour

Clearly, our lives are in danger.

MESSAGE TO THE GREAT IFE CEC

“To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” – Louis L’Amour

I voted.

As much as I respect the OAU Students’ Union; being our leaders, it is quite unfortunate that the vibrant Central Executive Council has turned into a departmental executive council. Issues affecting the welfare of Great Ife Students are being addressed on WhatsApp pages. No more megaphone announcements. No more deliberations. No more congress.

A Students’ Union is meant to be a pressure group that is meant to consistently keep the school management on their toes. Being a pressure group does not mean we have to be aggressive and rude thereby leading to school closure. We can simply be diplomatic and open to consultations, though adamant. It is our lives, and remember health is wealth.

Accordingly, I urge Great Ife CEC to put their house in order and lend our voice to the OAU management. You are our leaders and through our votes, we entrust, to a reasonable extent, our wellbeing on this campus in your hands. You wanted it and we gave it to you. Wake up and live up to the task.

MESSAGE TO THE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Thousands of Great Ife Students have been severely affected by the poor condition of OAU water. I have spent more than four years on Great Ife Campus and I have witnessed students being rushed to the University’s health centre based on the poor condition of OAU water. Students are really suffering and their health is in jeopardy.

We are admitted into OAU to study one course or the other. However, the cost of living extremely transcends the cost of learning: overcrowding is a characteristic in various Halls of Residence; bed bugs are our closest pals; classrooms meant for 300 students are being allocated to 1,000 students; parents’ salaries are being withheld; yet, we are still being supplied with unhygienic water; among others. To make matters worse, the corporate world is demanding for a first class graduate. It is simply unfair!

I can’t just continue this article. The pain is just too much. However, I will close with this: water is colourless, odourless and tasteless; we use OAU water for bathing, cooking, and regrettably, some students even drink it . . . SAVE US!

OLABODE Oladapo Samuel
Faculty of Law,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

11 grammatical mistakes that instantly reveal people's ignorance

11 grammatical mistakes that instantly reveal people's ignorance

Don't make these mistakes.

All it takes is a single tweet or text for some people to reveal their poor grasp of the English language.
Homophones — words that sound alike but are spelled differently — can be particularly pesky.
Regardless, you should never choose incorrectly in these nine situations:

1. 'Your' vs. 'You're'
"Your" is a possessive pronoun, while "you're" is a contraction of "you are."
Example 1: You're pretty.
Example 2: Give me some of your whiskey.

2. 'It's' vs. 'Its'
Normally, an apostrophe symbolizes possession, as in, "I took the dog's bone." But because apostrophes also replace omitted letters — as in "don't" — the "it's" vs. "its" decision gets complicated.
Use "its" as the possessive pronoun and "it's" for the shortened version of "it is."
Example 1: The dog chewed on its bone.
Example 2: It's raining.

3. 'Then' vs. 'Than'
"Then" conveys time, while "than" is used for comparison.
Example 1: We left the party and then went home.
Example 2: We would rather go home than stay at the party.

4. 'There' vs. 'They're' vs. 'Their'
"There" is a location. "Their" is a possessive pronoun. And "they're" is a contraction of "they are."
Use them wisely.

5. 'We're' vs. 'Were'
"We're" is a contraction of "we are" and "were" is the past tense of "are."

6. 'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
"Affect" is a verb and "effect" is a noun.
There are, however, rare exceptions. For example, someone can "effect change" and "affect" can be a psychological symptom.
Example: How did that affect you?
Example: What effect did that have on you?

7. 'Two' vs. 'Too' vs. 'To'
"Two" is a number.
"To" is a preposition. It's used to express motion, although often not literally, toward a person, place, or thing.
And "too" is a synonym for "also."

8. 'Into' vs. 'In To'
"Into" is a preposition that indicates movement or transformation, while "in to," as two separate words, does not.
Example: We drove the car into the lake.
Example: I turned my test in to the teacher.
In the latter example, if you wrote "into," you're implying you literally changed your test into your teacher.

9. 'Alot'
"Alot" isn't a word. This phrase is always two separate words: a lot.

10. 'Who' vs. 'Whom'
Use who to refer to the subject of a sentence and whom to refer to the object of the verb or preposition. Shortcut: Remember that who does it to whom .
Example: Who ate my sandwich?
Example: Whom should I ask?

11. 'Whose' vs. 'Who's'
Use "whose" to assign ownership to someone and "who's" as the contraction of "who is."
Example: Whose backpack is on that table?
Example: Who's going to the movies tonight?

Source: Pulse

IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT CLAMOUR FOR A YOUNG NIGERIAN PRESIDENT

It is now stale news from the African experience, the spree of “old” leaders at the helms of affairs in several countries. Personalities who have enjoyed political positions over and over again still linger around the presidential chairs of these African States. In light of this, for instance, Nigerians have begun casting aspersions to the competence of our 73 year old president amidst his unstable health conditions. Zimbabwe is not left out, with her president, Robert Mugabe (93 years), being Africa’s oldest Head of State as well as the world’s second oldest Head of State and also having many of his policies questionable even by his people. These are just a few instances from a host of others in Africa.

There has therefore arisen, the clarion call for a youth president in Nigeria. The question then is "Who is a youth?" Generally, youth age refers to the time of life between being a child and an adult. The Nigerian National Youth Policy (2009) as well as the African Youth Charter refers to youths are persons between the ages of 15 and 35 years. This clamour is majorly premised on the fact that the average youth is highly spirited and vigorous. Evidently, the most vibrant Nigerian leaders before independence were youths below 40 years. Although, as they grew older, they refused to let go of power, denying actual youths the opportunity to rule as well. They also redefined the term "youth" to mean "youth at heart". Youths must therefore rise and claim what is rightfully theirs.

We must however ask ourselves one salient question. Is there an assurance that such “young president” will not eventually take up that which we so much condemn in our contemporary leaders? We constantly hear of the rise in crime rate among Nigerian youths ranging from rape, stealing, robbery even to fraudulent practices, with the most common referred to as "Yahoo", an ill which has become really worrisome. In fact, this cankerworm called "Yahoo" is beginning to gain a mainstay in our society, evident, for example, from the way some persons actually lavished wealth on a boy, merely 10 years of age, who revealed in a viral video that he was willing and ready to delve into Yahoo, if that was what it took to make money. If such a young child can possess such mentality, how much more the average youth?

We are always quick to say our leaders are corrupt when this same corruption is indeed lurking in our midst. We must take a critical look at youth leadership on different pedestals like the local government, student unions, trade unions et.c. and ask ourselves if is there a big difference between their leadership tactics and those of our politicians? Vices like corruption, election rigging and so on are recurrent among them. With this kind of attitude, are the youths ready to lead?  

Another issue is the dwindling rate of political participation and literacy among youths. Political participation ranges from as little as casting of votes, down to vying for positions and beyond. Well, there might be some level of youth political participation, but in the wrong way. Politicians use youths to orchestrate a number of vices during elections, thuggery and so on. The bone of contention here is not mere participation but a meaningful one. Meaningful participation covers the involvement of youths in responsible actions which affect the democratization process. Also, during elections, one finds mass apathy especially among the youths who somerimes claim their votes will eventually be irrelevant as a result of electoral malpractices, a mentality must equally be changed. Yes, many politicians rig elections but abstaining from casting ones vote, a civic responsibility, is definitely not the soluion!

Also, there is the age limitation imposed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For instance, the person vying for the positions of the governor or president must have attained the age of 35 and 45 respectively. The rationale for this provision still unclear and questionable. Does it mean persons below such ages lack the capacity to rule? Speaking on the constitutional age requirement for elective positions in the country, the head of Research Policy and Advocacy for Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), Samson Itodo, said that the consequence of the minimum age requirement is that it automatically excludes the youth from contesting for the positions of the president and vice-president, and this ought not be so.

In my opinion, for this call to be effectively and genuinely made, there is the need for a re-orientation of the average Nigerian, especially the youths. We need to have a change of mentality and talk to ourselves in a bid to understand the true meaning of patrotrism. Youth candidacy, participation and awareness must be encouraged at different strata of the society. The press also has big role to play in the re-orientation of Nigerian youths. There is as well the need to pester the legislature in amending the age barrier imposed by the the constitution. Without this action, the realization of youth leadership will be unrealistic.

With these put in place, I see a better Nigeria. In a nutshell, according to the declaration of the African Youth Charter, "Africa's greatest resoucre is its youthful population and through their active participation, Africans can sumount the difficulties that lie ahead."

©Tayo Fabusiwa
400L Student,
Faculty of Law,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

BIAFRA, 50 YEARS LATER, LESSONS LEARNT AND THE FATE OF THE YOUTHS.

The Nigerian Civil War, popularly known as the Nigeria-Biafra war, lasted from 6th July, 1967 – 15th January 1970. It was a war fought to counter the secession of Biafra, an area dominated by the Igbo. Many people believed that the war became inevitable because the Igbo people felt they could no longer coexist with the Northern-dominated federal government. The conflict resulted from long period of alleged political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious deprivations, which preceded Britain’s formal decolonization of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963. Before the full blown war, there had been a military coup in 1966, a counter-coup and persecution of Igbo living in Northern Nigeria, forcing them to return home.


The young military officers who carried out the military junta of january 15 1966 which was the foundation of the later to come civil war was one of the first major impact of youths on the Nigerian political scene which unfortunately lead to the death of over 500,000 Nigerian youths during the course of the 17 month bloody war.
During the civil war the priviledge few who had the means to take their family abroad did so and eventually became citizens mostly those that travelled to the united kingdom among the offspring of these migrants are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nonso Anozie and many more. However the same cannot be said for the majority who didnt have the means to run away during the time of a bitter discord between the Nigerian government and the secessionist, the youth and even children were compulsorily conscripted into the army. Child armies were trained and matched into the battle ground to face the men of the Nigerian military.
The political class and the elite which mismanagement of fund led to the military intervention and consequently the civil war fled with their families, the rulling military officers sent their families abroad and forcefully conscripted the children of the masses to join a course to which the promise of a better future if they won was all they could cling to.
The youth who had to drop out of school to fight to protect their families and for their own survival were the major casualities of the war. Today veterans of the war who were conscripted forcefully at the tender ages of 14 to fight have been abandoned to fend for themselves despite the various injuries they suffered that incapacitated them from been fully functuonal.
Today The lack of education in the north and the inability of the political class in the Arewa to ensure high level of literacy amongst the indigenes have led to the BOKO HARAM menece where millions of life and property had been lost and once again the youths have been the major victims due to their inability to earn a good living and the damage to which the violence have done to the trade and commerce of the state living youths unemployed, roaming the streets and becoming willing tools for the evil mechanisms of man. This is yet another short coming on part of the political class of which the youths are yet the victims. Yet lessons have not been learnt.

Nigeria’s main problem is widely attributed to governmental failure to manage ethnic diversity. Without finding that elusive social contract, and given current cases of massive violence, especially growing tension and violence between Nigeria’s geographically associated ethnic groups, North (Muslim) and South (Christian), not restructuring the state system could lead to the country’s breaking into at least two regions.
Today, within our nation, it seems that the events of the day, to wit, the large-scale polarization of the polity, the increasing heinous attacks and wanton killings by the Fulani herdsmen, the rise in insecurity fanned by ethno-religious misunderstanding and the queasy sense of marginalization with attendant calls for restructuring and breakup, the inability if the government to tacke this menace will sooner or later led to a bitter battle between the parties involve which might led to another form of civil war which only goes to show that Nigeria as learnt nothing from the civil war.

The cheer unwilligness of the political class to inprove the country and make it a better place if not than they met it or atleast to give the Nigerian youths the same levels of opportunity that they had is another civil war on the young and most vibrant group of people than makes up over half of the nations population.
The country that once flow with milk and honey now flows with struggle, struggling and nothing but more struggles. It is becoming more difficult for the Nigerian youth to get opportunities to acheive their hopes and aspirations. The defiance of the rulling generation to care about the Nigerian youth is nothing but a civil war on the youth population a psychological and economic war which leaves the youths desperate and frustrated.

Tomorrow which marks 50 years since the declaration of the failed state of Biafra perharps the clamouring yet for the actualization of Biafra might indeed be the catalyst for opening the door to real and notable transformation in the democratic dispensation of the country. Perharps the call for Biafra which is becoming more popular by the day and the hero statues with which the IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu had been ascribed in various parts of the country will bring every stakeholder to their toes. The thoughts of another secession and likelihood of the violence that comes with it which will destabilize and shake this country to its very core looks like a strong call to bring all stakeholders back to the negotiating table.
The Nigerian system as it is is not favourable to the Nigerian youth, it serves no purpose if at all it has any. It is not beneficial in anyway to the younger generation as it does not give us a better today neither does it guarantee a better tomorrow.
The opportunities other youths have in other part of the world cannot be compared with that in Nigeria, the youth have been robbed of our today and there is little hope for tomorrow if the status quo remains.
The agitation for Biafra might however be a welcomed development as Nigerian youths are frustrated and desperate for a change that will see them move away from the backdrops, from been promised and consoled as future leaders of which the future will never come, from living in a country in which their hopes and aspiration might never be acheived, in a country were we pray for a better tomorrow that never comes.
But we are not frustrated to the point to which we will pick up arms and give our life in defending a system that as never worked for us. We wont fight for the political survival of our greedy fathers and grand fathers, we wont fight only for the promise of a better tomorrow or for the placating title of the leaders of a future unknown.
When and if we take up arms again it will be for the total elimination of the political class, our guns would lead to a marriage and union of which every part will be included and with which we will live on terms that serves the purpose of the masses and the creating for posterity a future in which they will never have to carry arms again to guarantee a better place for themselves.



*But until then the issue at hand is the May 30, 3017 planned anniversary of the war in remembrance of those who lost their lives. Fears are already been entertained on what is likely to happen on that day as there were feelers that Nigerian security operatives may not be favourably disposed to allow uninhibited celebration. However it is necessary that in honour of all those that lost their lives during the 17 month civil war should be given a respected remembrance 50 years later by notable and peaceful significant programes that would draw back our attention to how devastating the war was and how undesirable a repetition would be for all quarters of the country.*

Adebiyi Adeayo Isaac
Obafemi Awolowo Univeristy Ile Ife, Osun state Nigeria.
08146169428.

An epistle from an infant of Law to his embryos*

*Dear Freshers;*

*I heartily felicitate with you for having the privilege of gaining admission into this prestigious faculty of Law. It's a privilege even if you were admitted on meritocracy as a result of hardworking. If you could think intensively about the storyline of your success, you would recollect quite numbers of your colleagues who strived to attain this academic feat but failed in their mission.*



*Besides, your dream of gaining admission into Law was fulfilled because you are a living soul. A privilege, if you knew how death had transformed the dreams of thousand souls like you into nothingness. With this, your unfathomable gratitude should be accorded to God or Anyone whom you think is the divine allocator of privileges to human beings not to your personal efforts. Ascribing your success as a Law student to a divine being not solely to your efforts is a panacea to hubris which precedes a downfall. Cornix Scorpium Rapuit.*



*Empirically, it's incontestable that some of you are highly spirited to achieving greatness in your academics, but it's pertinent to avoid the quench of this motivation for learning due to academic and social frustrations from the University and your fellow students. Amat Victoria Curam.*



*It's important you respect everybody including those you think you are superior to, be it through the course of study or general knowledge. Don't disrespect or belittle someone' else through actions because you are higher than them today. You only know today, but ignorant of what tomorrow holds for whom you downgraded. Change is permanent in the race of life.*



*Also, Gregariousness is the foe of parioh. Endeavour to associate and hold academic or intellectual discussions with people especially your course mates. This would broaden your thoughts and sense of relations, while isolation would expose you to more danger than it could protect you from it. This doesn't connote affiliating with persons and groups which aims are harmful to your success.*




*Lastly, worship your creator, be prayerful, be industrious, be resolute, have good minds to others and be compassionate. In a nutshell, "work and pray." If anyone wants to drum for your downfall and hope that the drum will sound then the person is a nincompoop and morally bankrupt because the aforementioned truly make you larger than life.*


*You have started the journey, surely, you will encounter many hindrances but you must not be defeated. Audentes Fortuna iuvat. I rejoice with you for joining the imminent custodians of the effigy of justice.*


*Fideliter tua;*
*Bin Zak*
*[email protected]*
*22/05/2017*

I HOPE YOU GO ALL THE WAY

The 30th day of April was another remarkable day- you ask why? I answer "a new breed of freshmen made it into the bosom of our jungles" and being a fresher myself ( a lover of fresh things), the dictates of brotherhood suggest that I share my opinions of the jungle with you.

Undoubtedly, it's not just customary that I welcome you to this community of great and strange things rather it's more in the spirit of identity with your particular challenges. Challenges which are in no mean negligible.
Meanwhile, I do not fancy myself a 'patroniser' but I think I like the sound of a 'recognizer'. I do believe I have an inkling of the sentiments espoused by Camara Laye in his "African Child" where he 'blah-blahed' about the beauty and peculiarity of a child initiation into adulthood. I like to presume that our freshmen are currently in that stage of initiation to university life.I hope I won't be misconstrued.

When i close my eyes, i can effortlessly recall that I came into the walls of this jungle after my anxious spirit, and that of many others, has been subjected to series of resumption postponement a development which I suspected testified to the ineptitude that decorates virtually all governmental outfits in our nation. Well, as you rightly guessed, the leprous hand of confused leadership and followship can be seen in public display in this jungle of ours even after we resumed and as I write. But I digressed.

Providence was kind to me, He planted me in a field of rainbow differences and in spite of the 'nakedness' of imitation I can truthfully conclude that I found my robe of many colours in the heydays of 'fresher's orientation.

Whether you agree or not is a matter for philosophical discourse but I'm moved to believe that once again, in His traditional manner, Providence has dealt you spades of aces. How about you count your blessings and brace up for a simulation of life within the jungle walls?

O fresh king and queen, what are you worried about? Is it the absence of privacy in those rat infested enclaves? Or the stress of having to manually repeat your digital registrations? Perhaps you are tired of the long queues and the coldness of admission officers and there comrades? Oh no yours is a more romantic dilemma,where are the 'hotties' my admission into the jungle gurantees? No, yours is a spiritual concern, should I attend Lagbaja's fellowship or Bongo's traditional ministry? But your cash is dwindling? No, it's your foodstuffs? Just calm down and put things in perspective. It's dilemma, our drama. Enjoy!

The life of a freshman is undoubtedly filled with expectations and for those who decided to blaze new trails, lots of ambitions. So, I resign myself to commenting chiefly on what I believe to be king among these thing's and the 'antidote' to some of dem! I'm not Dino bruhv. Thanks.

The Jungle is filled with practices begging for abolition or reformation and king among these practices is the "Aro Establishment" I'm not ashame to state that a freshman needs to come to terms with the realities of the aforenamed. True, there's no tattoo indicating your freshness on your forehead but as a result of environmental circumstances, majority the freshmen of  identify you hence, some of them can hardly resist the temptation to pass on the legacy of absurd remarks, expensive jokes and to crown it all demeaning cat calls, especially for the offspring of Eve. Let no daughter of Eve nor son of Adam take any of the vexatious remarks of his forbearers to heart. I like to think that such remarks are outward expression of a community of persons with so much energy and insignificant outlets to burn them.

Again, I think the fresh compatriot should guard all his/her faculties jealously for it's a truth that the proverbial Owl of Cultism is struggling to rise from its cold ashes.

Well, God forbid that the seed of wicked men germinate in our time. Let me move to a less controversial footing, I humbly suggest that in line with earlier suggestion, our fresh man should take the caution of making proper enquiry before saying "yes" to the clarion calls of any ideological, intellectual and religious groupings. I voice these sentiments because I have seen and learnt that the substance of a group cannot be conveniently separated from its leadership and membership; there's often more to the written articles, aims and objectives of groups. Pay attention.

In another vein, I encourage the freshman to take diligent care of what he or she takes to heart or brain in the contents of any article he comes across. I write this with the innocent presumption that my freshman belongs to the awakening breed of political heir, my bird sings with the innocent presumption that our freshman is a fan of common sense and common sense in this regard is enamoured in the political awareness of persons. The understanding that all and sundry need to get involved!

Therefore, i pray that our freshman will be wary of 'activists and comrades' that are in the habit of either oversimplifying occurrences or exaggerating frivioities. I pray that my freshman will guard the sanctity of his humanity from the campaign of vitriolic elements who can only offer the most unedifying criticism while neglecting the need to apply the dual test of morality and reason without malice to circumstances.

I sincerely hope that our freshman will not by accident or design be a pawn in the game of persons so consumed with an entitlement mentality such that they have forgotten that the world owes us nothing since it was here before us, in order for him not to ever forget that he's a king, a bishop, a Knight in this chess of life and if only our freshman will decide, he can be the best freshman that ever traveled the intricate labyrinth of our jungle.

The freshman should always bear in mind that the best investment a man can ever make is to contribute all of his essence to the prevalence of justice for times without number situations have proven that at the end of everything the struggle is between right and evil, good and bad, justice and tyranny. Let no man decieve you otherwise. It's my heart desire that you go all the way and that freshness will forever punctuate your love for justice and your fellow men. We are fresh together!

Wole Zangani
Part 3

As We Resume: My Address to the Generality of Great Ife Students, the Noble and Progressive Parliamentarians of the SRC and A Stammering and Divided CEC

As We Resume: My Address to the Generality of Great Ife Students, the Noble and Progressive Parliamentarians of the SRC and A Stammering and Divided CEC


In a day, the school would be filled with staleites especially those who have acquired bedspace through the illegal black market. We will return to our bedbugs space that the management has refused to fumigate and when they were eventually forced into it, they did a poor job that on the exact spot where the fumigation spray landed. Some bugs came out to do Shedrach, Mesach and Abedenego before entering the peace of the foam again to wait till the owner of bed lies down. We are resuming soon to the conditions prevalent and a new Vice Chancellor.

If rumors are anything to go by, the new Vice Chancellor sponsored the emergence of a particular notable figure in the CEC. I am predicting that the SUB will become Senate Annex under this dispensation. They will come out to shout with megaphones but do a lot of under-table affair. Great Ife Students have entered one chance! But all hope is not lost, our mass and our strength must stay alive.

We must not let our spirit be broken because OAU is the last ground of activism. If this ground is desecrated, we will as a generation have destroyed a legacy and stained a spotless banner that was handed over to us.

Two articles have been sponsored against my person from quarters I have a good idea where it is coming from. These people having found nothing tangible to attach my name to in form of blackmail and propaganda which are their stock in trade, decided to claim I was involved in the impeachment proceedings of the President and that I am also a Bedspace Honourable. Bedspace honourables are those who contest by investing 200naira to buy form and then get a Bedspace in return. They never attend sittings afterwards. I am not qualified to be described as such. But I am not disturbed if that is what they wish!

On the issue of bedspace, it is the right of parliamentarians as Union leaders to be given Bedspace(in order of priority, management lists Student Union leaders as number 4 in bedspace allocation). In event of actions, interventions and emergency, the SRC is the first point of call. 

The mobilisation ALWAYS begins with Parliamentarians before it spreads round the school. Thus, parliamentarians cannot stay off campus. They need to be close to those they serve and also understand their pain.

I took a position on the issue of bedspace because I am reliably informed that a cabal behind the President intends to collect the spaces and after doing so in the name of honourables proceed to sell it in the illegal bedspace market. So, for instance, if they collect 50 and sell each at 40k that's 2million naira for them. They want the return on their investments for supporting him.

They will ensure their loyalists in the SRC are accommodated but they will make sure and go to any length to sell what should ordinarily belong to Parliamentarians. This is a plan I have decided to whistle blow so that people will understand why they have run to the village square to scream my name.

On discovering my objection and foreknowledge of this plan, they ran to the market half-naked to write articles that were hastily composed and poor in depth. 

On the issue of impeachment. I will never plot anything against anyone because I have been on the receiving end of conspiracy several times in my life. I know the pain of people conspiring to do evil. I am not aware of it and upon my honour, if at all there is an impeachment plan, I will support it only if there is something concrete. My goal has never and will never be vendetta. I appreciate Francis and Taiwo whose real identity will be exposed like the anus of the fowl when the wind blows. 

One of these articles links me with Emerald and Izzieman. Emerald who until recently, we rarely spoke. Izzieman is an "hello friend". The Speaker is someone I knew in my first year, but our friendship never reached a stage where we would plan impeachment. It is very funny that they will raise such an issue.


I also want to inform the Honourables who want to follow the permutation they draw up not to turn our Union to an SUG, we run an SU and it is a pressure group. It is not and will never be a government. Not in my time. If we can't make it better, we will not leave it worse than we met it.

These people emerged through promise and fail. They promised four people the same thing and then pick one person and give him. It was what brought them to power and it is what they intend to keep using. If you think they owe you some sort of permutation. They are traitors. It is what they have always done and what they will continue to do. You owe your loyality to the Generality of Great Ife students alone. Don't let them drag you in the mud with them. Most of them don't even have a good name. They are Union Pensioners.

If they could go as far as releasing propaganda against me and using the office of the PRO to further "pepper dem gang". They will stop at nothing against others. We may have our mutual hatred and dislike for ourselves, but I will not spoil the name of anyone to prove a point. That's where we differ. They soil names to prove points and if they have not come for you yet, someday they would. Like Jimmy Cliff sang "When they kick at your front door, How you gonna come? With your hands on your head, Or on the trigger of your gun?". Don't wait till they ruin your name. Be ready!

"The CEC is always United" that's the lie they make whenever another dirty linen of theirs gets washed in public. We have a President who never attended any Congress or even parliamentary sitting before suddenly finding himself in power. Of course, he should have teething problems and we should help him through this. Not the circle around him filled with opportunists and comrades of robbery. We should help him by letting him know this is not some Polytechnic where he can do as he likes.

I implore members of the CEC to keep remembering that they did not contest on a party platform. They contested individually. Thus, they should blow whistle whenever they see anything strange so that students can separate the wheat from the chaff. On a day when anger and annoyance shall reach its peak, so that they will be passed over. Don't hide under "CEC is forever United" and put yourself in trouble.

Let us remember traditions and remember also that they make us who we are and make our name what it is. We should never forget! Our strength as a Union is in the ability of everyone to take a stand.

A Union leader should be loved by students and this in turn will make him feared(hated) by the management. In this arena, do not look for a middle ground. There is none.

The CEC members should continue in their duty and godwillingly, irorun igi ni irorun eiye. Their success is that of everyone and not a section of us alone. 

Before I step aside, I want to raise that some urgent things need to be done such as the codification of the modalities for scientific maximum shishi, a review of the parts of the constitution which are in conflict, an appraisal of where the Union is and where it is going. To steal the Maxim of one of the CEC members, it is an all-inclusive project work. 

In finality to the President, I may be one of your best supporters and friends but if only you're doing the correct things. I want to see 11 buses this session, bought and owned by the Union. On the construction of hostels, I say it is an idea that portends either laziness or lack of ideological standing because it will not solve the problem of accommodation. You are a Doctor in training, you cannot use paracetamol for a brain tumor. Accommodation problem is expansive and much more serious than what the hostel can solve. Personally, I will not trust a leadership like yours to execute the project even if I trust other leaderships and I someday concede that the Union can execute such a programme. Why? The stench of your administration is that it has its foundation on corrupt and olojukokoro elements that we were thanking God were leaving the system but you somehow brought back through your victory.


We should tell no lies. We should claim no victories. We should tell it to the people as it is. We should build and not deconstruct based on personal grievances.

Till some other day when my pen writes again. This is quiet for a long time to come. I have run out of ink.

Koye-Ladele Mofehintoluwa
Obafemi Awolowo University,
Parliamentarian representing the prestigious Faculty of Law.