BabloComment

If I speak, at least for myself alone, there is nothing euphoric about what happened to Minister Wike in his unfortunate altercation with the young Naval officer. It is rather a show of shame that one hopes will not happen again. 

My earlier comment is frank talk about how people exercising civil authority should conduct themselves in public. Unless you are a recognizable  law enforcement agent with the right to use force of entry or similar things, civil servants, regardless of their position should exercise civility and decorum in carrying out their duties. 

Beyond established  legal protocol, due process and code of practice for interactions among organs of government, and particularly in circumstance of conflict, there is common sense and aspects of character which should guide a person in the way they forge through a situation, and how they treat other people they encounter, especially in a conflict situation. There is a place for humility and decency in dispensation of public duty also. 

It is at a crossroad such as this that you  identify a person who was well raised and who learned good discipline from the home they came out of. I know many in government who are embodiments of good character, and who would not throw their work into a dramatic theatre of showmanship or drama in the name of  toughness, but whose competence and integrity is nevertheless undoubted.

Shouldn't public officials allow resolution of conflict and administration of justice through established and peaceful and legal process or procedure, rather than application of brute force and crude mannerisms by officials of government who are not even detailed law enforcement agents. I wish not for my children and the youth of this country to learn those kinds of behaviours perpetrated in public by some government officials. The young Naval Officer in this story is a much better example for our children. He displayed courage and decorum in a physical and very emotionally challenging situation.

As earlier indicated, it is not my business to determine who is wrong or right as regards the underlying issues, though I consider myself somewhat competent to at least analyze both positions, but in the absence of actual details, the matter is better reserved for the conflict resolution apparatus of government or a court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of adjudicating the matter. I choose to avoid making unnecessary assumptions as to what actually happened or did not, leading to the altercations between the two men. If we, the people of the "Autonomous Republic of the Social Media" can restrict ourselves to ostensible truth of what has been revealed, we can safely avoid the unnecessary, and sometimes costly and unrelated side issues intended to blow personal trumpets or show bias for an apparently erring personality.

I know what we mean by selling the civil authority cheap B'éèyàn bá ta ará ilé. ẹ̀ l' ọ́pọ̀, kò  lè ri rà l'ọ̀wọ́n.  But, with due respect to you, the proverb doesn't apply very much here. In consideration of patriotism, it is in fact  better to think of the civil service and the use of civil authority as being terribly messed up and in need of serious repair amidst all the mediocrity, incompetence, drudgery, ineptitude and corruption the system is known for. We shouldn't reinforce incompetence / failure, (as Baba Obasanjo once put it😄) by pretending all is well and should keep the status quo. We are beset with gross abuse of power  and privileges by civil officers. I think it is part of the colonial heritage and mentality. When people find themselves in a high position in public service, they think of themselves as kings that must be served by others. But this is the idea of people who don't know that leadership, particularly in government is about service to the people, and that's why people in civil service are called civil servants. And such people, when they have to inevitably relinquish their so called high position, also inevitably lose the power drunkenness, and all the privileges, to disillusionment.

I'm not surprised that in some legal analysis presented here, the Minister is equated to a state governor, and possessing the authority of the President. Fortunately or unfortunately, they did not equate him to God Almighty😃😃😃.

I'm sure we will see more legal opinions by PhDs and SANs. On an ordinary day you would find, say 10 lawyers with same high qualifications (PhD , SAN etc), 5 each on each side of the argument, attempting to tilt the position of the law - The Constitution and the extant laws of Nigeria, in support of their client. In the end, someone's house would be saved or demolished. But at least let it be that the decision to do so comes through the right channel and authority. We will always have the reality and folly of the capitalist oriented English Law, but at least we should let it operate optimally.

Ju  gbogbo ẹ̀ lọ, the role of civil service is to provide beneficial services and treat people like human beings. And all we want civil servants to do, regardless of their position, is to be an Ọmọlúàbí dealing with citizens, either in ordinary situation or in their professional capacity, as human beings deserving respect and dignity.

We can be a bit more practical and realistic about the matter of this Minister Wike and the Military Officer. Anyone can be asked what they would do if they were the Military man whose house was to be demolished. I'm interested in hearing from people what they would do in the circumstance. Perhaps some people would simply move aside and let Minister Wike and the bulldozer come in to do what they came there to do. But most people I know would not honestly do that, not if they have some big muscle and power   in the system to prevent the demolition from happening. I would prevent it not because I desire to block the path of justice, but because I would at least want to be convinced beyond reasonable doubt, through due process of the law, that I'm in real violation of the relevant laws and a demolition of my house is the right and proper punishment under the law. If I believe or I'm convinced that the Minister is somewhat acting outside the scope of his authority, I would prevent all attempts to demolish my house o😃, at least to allow for a legal pronouncement over the matter. It would be too late to prove anything of real advantage after the Minister has leveled the property, even if the act is later found to be unjustifiable. 

If I don't have the same or equal power like the Military man in this matter, I would just be like any powerless Nigerian victim, who after spending millions and millions of NAIRA to build their dream houses, one exuberant and overzealous public officer would come and demolish it in one single day. For those who may be blamed for building on lands not authorized by government, what was the government looking when those houses were being erected? For some who don't have this paper or that paper, could it be that it is the same government officials who make it a bottleneck exercise for them to get those papers? In our country here, we're used to blaming the victim! The government does not have a formidable housing scheme that can meet the needs of the great population, neither do they have a cogent and widespread policy under which every man can yet hope to own a home. But the people strive in their individual capacity and ingenuity to build houses for themselves and others who need places to stay. People can not sleep under the bridge nau!😃 Demolishing houses in these circumstances does not generally make economic sense. Only in cases where illegal structures obstruct infrastructural plans of the government should houses be demolished, and certainly not at the whims and caprices of a despotic and ruthless public officers.

I'm sure we should leave much of the underlying issues raised here for the court of competent jurisdiction in the judiciary, since the matter involves an interface / a conflict between a public officer and a representative of the military. And in there we will find how each party has actually erred under the law. Abuse of power is a common thing among Nigerian public officers, and one should not be surprised to find errors, as earlier indicated here, in the motive and)/or conduct of the two parties (or their principal) in this matter.

I prefer to look at the practical situation and what I think could have been done right in the consideration of decency and civility in the circumstance.

The Military is a constituted authority under the law, and if its recognizable representative is on guard somewhere (even if he /they are there in violation of some law of political supremacy) , the last thing that should be on anyone's mind is to attempt to force his  way into the place on guard, especially by the military.

There are civil ways for handling conflicts between governmental bodies and for addressing professional          overreach and misconduct in such circumstances. Neither the military nor the civil service is above the law. There are due process for handling things in such a way that mutual public ridicule of public officers can be avoided

A more sensible thing, perhaps to expedite action, as he would normally desire, would have been for the Civil Servant Wike to call those who have authority over the big army officers who placed the officer and his men on guard. He could have done that even before approaching the scene of this incident. If possible he could have called The Oga Patapata, The CIC, to wade in the matter. If he did that, one way or another, there would have been a resolution to the problem.

But the Action Man syndrome/ attitude common with this particular Public Officer often regrettably carry with it a lot of incivility , brashness  consequential abuse of power and uncouth social behaviour.

Thanks for sharing this Red Letter. I saw it before it was posted here, and I would have shared it also, but not without some comments I'm about to make here:

First, I must commend the government for spending money on this and various other projects that are expected to have a good and comforting impact on the people.

I also commend the Minister of health for informing, educating and encouraging the public on how they can get involved to make sure that government's good intentions are actualized.

It is almost apparent that the Minister is deeply concerned of the possibility that the monies released by government may eventually not reach their destinations substantively, and/or may not be used for the purpose for which they are intended. This is because, as we are used to, there are hyenas, foxes and snakes on the way that would swallow the money.😃

We can't blame the Federal  government for doing what they are supposed to do, i.e releasing funds for  running public expenditure in the healthcare system ( if indeed they have released them), but the system meant to ensure that government expenditure actually and efficiently provide basic services like healthcare is inadequate. 

I think it is not enough  to establish the health facilities and fund them, it is important to have an institutionalized intergovernmental community. / People based system for monitoring the movement and use of money for public expenditures and services. Why can't the Ministry of Health with a good National Health System (NHS)  be responsible and accountable for monies churned out by Federal Government. These things have to come with proper corporate organizing and control in order to be assured of the people getting value for money spent by government.

No matter how good the intention is, for me, it is most certainly wrong to expect  traditional rulers, faith based personalities (Pastors and Imams), market women and men ( Iyaloja and Babalojas) etc to gather together without a kind of solid organisational and constitutional framework or foundation for the purpose of tackling people in public service whose hobby and expertise is in swallowing money released by government for public services. It won't work  in the end, as usual. All these people representing their community will split at last to fight individually and selfishly for their own personal interest. 

And since our law enforcement is usually reactionary, we would get to know if cases of embezzlement  by public servants and their private sector collaborators after EFCC or ICPC gets into the picture.

I have the similar thoughts for when the Federal Government or their officials tell or advise the masses / people in states to "hold your governors responsible /accountable". The people are like grasshoppers in front of these governors. By design, they have enormous powers that powerless group of community leaders can not stand up to them. And they can't even be questioned for anything while they are in office. - they enjoy immunity and great privileges under the law 

What we need is a concrete and formidable institutional approach for solving this problem of corruption in our country. May God help us. Please join me in saying Amen.😃

Amen.🙏

Reforms were very necessary, but some of them were wrongly conceived and ill timed. The problem was not with subsidy, but how money was channelled into people's greed and insatiable selfish desire for the nation's Commonwealth. Virtually all countries in the West, including U.S.A, U.K and Germany apply subsidies to their economies in various forms. If the Subsidy had been put into servicing of essential needs of the people, like employment / entrepreneurship, education, health, housing, infrastructure etc (in a meaningful way, we would have been fine. Many would have been lifted out of poverty, the middle class would have been sustained and there would have been more wealthy people in the system rather than suffering people. Contrary to what this man says here, there will always be the need for government to subsidize energy because of the multiplier effect of its cost in the system. This will especially be necessary if we choose to continue with the borrowed cutthroat capitalism and the mismatch of a political system where abuse of power, corruption , cronyism and systematic stylish neglect of the people's interests and well-being are permanent features of governance.

[10/18, 10:34 AM] Alaba Babalola: *NEW INEC CHAIRMAN - ANOTHER CASE OF CERTIFICATE FORGERY* ? 

Were you 15 years old when you attended Kwara Poly?", Rufai questions the New INEC Chairman.

There are a lot of grey areas in this Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan's CV as put forward in the Statehouse Press Release signed by Mr Bayo Onanuga.

Let me speak to just a few of them for now:

1. He was born in 1967. 

2. 'After completing primary and secondary education', he attended Kwara state Polytechnic... from 1982 to 1984.

Just like Tinubu's case, we are neither told the names of the primary and secondary schools he attended, nor the time lines of his attendance.

By 1982 when he was said to have attended the Kwara state Polytechnic; meaning that he was just 15 then. How did he do it? Maybe if we have the details of his primary and secondary schools attendance, we would have checked for his school mates 🤷🏾‍♂️. 

What did he study at the Polytechnic?

3. He attended University of Jos 1984-1987 to study law.

How did he get a law degree in Nigeria within 3 years? Law is 5 years.

4. He got his PhD in 2007.

But he became the Head (of Department) of Public Law 2006-2008, and Dean of the Law Faculty 2008-2014. That means that he became the Head of Department before earning his PhD, and the Dean of faculty one year after his PhD. How did these happen in a federal university, not even in a mushroom private university? 

I have a fair understanding of the academic. Such things don't happen. I believe the people who packaged this CV owe us more explanation of the missing links in the CV."

- Dayo Osifeso, PhD

Lagos Mainland.

There's nothing we haven't seen under APC 🤔🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

#INEC #Nigeria #Corruption

[10/18, 11:59 AM] Alaba Babalola: No. I'm just curious about what's true and what's not true. What do you know for certain about the issue?

[10/18, 1:22 PM] Alaba Babalola: 😃 I'm happy that at least you agree that a good  screening process for public officers should remain in place.

[10/18, 2:19 PM] Alaba Babalola: The new INEC chairman like many people in this country has a very impressive  academic and professional qualification and may very well deserve this appointment, but what we need to know at this point in our national life is that character of persons taking up public offices, especially at such a high and sensitive level is very important. You can not read off a person's actual character from his resume, but if there is an indication that triggers a question of character, then it should be examined. People who are responsible for this kind of screening should be tough, objective and rational in their approach. I'm not holding brief for Rufai of Arise TV, but Journalists who are courageous and unbiased enough to ask tough questions should be allowed to do their jobs. And those of us who can not directly be part of the screening process should appreciate and encourage their efforts and disposition. We are where we are now in this country largely because of corruption in government by unscrupulous public officials and politicians who may or may not have very impressive academic qualifications. I have lived here long enough to know how much we as a people have indulged ourselves in various improprieties which overtime have stalled our progress and development. In my opinion, if we want to see a meaningful change in the life of this nation, we have to focus on the truth of things and hold the virtues of integrity and character as sacrosanct. Also,  we will have to avoid being partisan and ethnically biased in dealing with these things. I understand that this may be difficult for many people!

I pray for the new INEC Chairman to perform well in his assignment, for the good of our nation and her peoples.

[10/23, 5:07 AM] Alaba Babalola: Edo Gov. OKPEOBHOLO enjoying his bad governance

[10/23, 5:21 AM] +234 803 097 8640: How is it his bad governance 🤷‍♂️ please explain 🙏

[10/23, 6:49 AM] Alaba Babalola: Good morning, I see that you have a personal view of what is being said in that video. For me, the thinking here is that the governor is the face of the government and the steward of the people. The buck stops on his table. The people he governs don't have a better person to blame than him for all all government shortcomings, incompetence and ineptitude, including those perpetuated by his predecessors. Of course we may say that obviously he did not personally cause what is being complained about. But somebody has to answer for it!. That's how it is in a representative form of government/ democracy. And that is the real life tendency especially where the people are overwhelmed with lack and suffering that can easily be  attributed to incompetent governance. If you have an alternative viewpoint or suggestion on this please let me know. 

If  Mr Governor here is politically matured and at least moderately sagacious, he would assume or accept the blame, and perhaps use it as a resolve to solve the underlying problem and improve the living experience of people in his state. Personally, I would not have been theatrical and mocking as the guy in the video, but it still would have been in my interest to pass the same basic message the man put out.

Also, we will have to take some of these with a pinch of salt, because we are not even sure if Mr. Okpeobholo is the one in the SUV in convoy. But even that is neither here nor there!😃. This explains how I feel about the video and the reason why I posted it. I hope you understand?🪘

Okay, thanks. I've heard the song and seen the video somewhere else before.The inherent story in the song gives an impression of a Nigerian American singer. I will try and check it out. Long lyrics tend to destroy the structure and melodies of otherwise good songs. Beautiful Nubia and Femi Kuti, in my opinion are culprits in this area. But some writers are highly talented and often overcome this risk. KWAM 1 is a good example with his talk / song melodies - ẹ jọọ ki la wa ṣe nibi na?  Ọmọgbọlahọn, a wa ba wọn gbadun ni o. Mo recognise presence ẹ o Papillo Tunji Ayoade Baba Bummy😄...., and he balances the flow with a good melodious groovy tune. He's quite creative in that sense.

@⁨Tunji Ayoade⁩ 

The ferocious terrain the school exists and lack of cooperation in the relationships amongst the Methodist Boys' High School community and stakeholders have greatly limited the essential involvement of overall potential benefactors for capacity building in the school. 

There must be some truth in the report that the Old Boys involvement in Methodist Boys' High School's development relative to those of most legacy schools mentioned up there is substandard or not as good. Apparently, members of the Alumni association are well placed in society, properly organized into clubs, chapters and association, and have over the years demonstrated empirically the desire and willingness to nurture and richly develop their alma mater much further, but the  hard-nut situation in the school community can not properly engender smooth and formidable educational activities for the benefit of the current students, let alone encourage cheerful participation by the Old Boys association in the affairs of the school. It is not certain if the dispute between Methodist Church and the Old Boys association has been resolved. 

This is all my personal opinion, as an old boy of the school.

[Industry, trade, investment are the "intestines" of economic management and the real "incubators" for wealth, growth, higher standard of living and economic development. True governance must be based on good and consciencous policy formation and planning for present and future well-being of citizens along these lines. Haphazard and piecemeal economics with unhealthy political sagacity will not help the nation in the long run and the people will continue to suffer. Politicians and "powerful" people will continue to unjustly scheme the cream of the nation's wealth as they are mostly disposed to do. When things get worse further and the economic heat and instability hits the system in a way that no one can deny, we would most certainly resort to the usual frenzy management of exchange rate to keep things in balance at a deeper level of hardship.  All of these bad omen are avoidable, but our leaders always discreetly drag us down towards that impending predicament, especially as they cover up the deplorable trend in the context of political expediency and relevance. It is sad that with all the knowledge and wisdom in this land, and with all the resources bestowed on us, this is all we can do with it. There's something terribly wrong somewhere in us as of this moment, no doubt. Hopefully we will lose that malady.

BabloComment🪘

7/14, 8:45 AM] Alaba Babalola: Shameful.

This kind of things happen where politicians only seek power to enrich themselves, and never to protect the rights and benefits that should accrue to the citizens. It shows up in their obvious lack of specific plans and policies to make the lives of citizens better. Four years is not enough for them to steal and combine some other good things that may be useful to the people. Everything they do, some of which may appear to be good, like all the big infrastructure contracts, are often platforms for corruption and self aggrandizement. It all amounts to Aluwala Ologbo in the end. When the new election draws near, you will see their piecemeal tactics to sprinkle erunrun in the hands of the suffering masses, especially the market women, just to show why people should think their reign should continue. So, the cycle continues after the elections. All known politicians in the limelight appear to have the same savage mindset, the ruling and the opposition. Nigeria needs leaders who are radically different from these ones, leaders who are altruistic, conversant and sincere about what their role should be as managers of the nation's resources on behalf of the people who elected them. Unfortunately, at the moment, the political class and thousands and thousands of people involved with politics are hungry people who can be used maliciously by anyone in power that is willing to give or promise them money or juicy positions.

[7/14, 9:53 AM] Alaba Babalola: When will the government remember the citizens in their various forms and characteristics - demographics and economic and social needs; or at least the average citizen as a representative of the plight of majority of people in this country? Every individual citizens need at least basic things to get by in life, much of which is a big struggle for many. Does the government really care if people have jobs or a decent source of livelihood? If they do, where are the serious long term plans and policies to achieve this?  The answer to this is not far fetched if you look around and see what the average honest adult have to do in the city in order to survive. The truth is that people just do what they can for themselves through paid or self employment to get by. To say that poverty is ravaging the land and people are dying in misery is an understatement. We can not even begin to talk about the deplorable state of social services like healthcare and education, or how much useful impact they are having in the lives of people in general. The truth, and which is quite obvious is that most people don't believe there are any such solid things as social services. If we can't do waste disposal and management of waste, I don't know what else is there to see or hope for. People who have succeeded in building their own houses and have some other source of livelihood are somewhat fortunate and should be grateful for the grace of God in their lives. Even those people have areas where the shoe punches them in this economic morras we all find ourselves.

 The good question is when will the average man in this our country, a man without "connections" and privileges, through his honest efforts to improve and develop himself through education and hard work, be able to earn income that is good enough to afford him and his family a comfortable and  decent life? Do we have politicians whose life work and personality can speak for them, that as leaders, the honorable thing to do is to work in order to liberate, comfort and develop the people? Certainly, the God we all serve want good people to run this country, but are there people in this country who are willing to do what God wants, so that the face of the nation can be renewed?

I would like to do this when I feel ready for it. I'm particularly deficient in deciphering Yoruba numerics, though I featured a proverb in my book about Yoruba numbers. But it needs a lot of getting used to. The mechanism for articulating numericals in Yoruba is cumbersome, especially with big numbers. It's hard even for fluent speakers to express big numbers in a jiffy. You have to think deep about it to ensure that your pronouncements are correct. Most people like me who grew up in Lagos would fall short of a good performance on a show like this because growing up we spoke more English than we did Yoruba. My depth of knowledge and proficiency in Yoruba came from personal interest and research, Spontaneous speaking of the language is essential, but learning it can only come from coexisting with indigenous speaker in the natural environment of their location.

A couple of years back I had a number of conversations in text with Dame Karin Barber. We both decided to express ourselves partly  in unadulterated Yoruba language😄. Though I knew how fluently she could speak the Language by watching her back in the day on TV when I was like 12 years old, interacting with her directly gave me a more vivid sense of her mastery of the Language. She benefited much from actually living amongst the locals of Okuku near Oshogbo. She became a professor of Cultural  Anthropology after her very elaborate study of Yoruba oral tradition at the University of Ife (O.A.U). She's currently a Visiting Professor to University of Birmingham, and perhaps University of London too. I wish I could speak my Yoruba like that white woman, and of course like the indigenous people of Okuku or Oshogbo. As I try sometimes to speak Yoruba delightfully without saying a word of English, I say to myself if we unabashedly throw in some foreign words that can help people of contemporary linguistic persuation to understand you better, then may so be it.😄

[3/22, 8:43 AM] +234 811 922 7844: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved ₦10.3 billion for the bulk purchase of Nigerian-made medications and diagnostic kits, ensuring ward-by-ward distribution to all 774 LGAs under the National Medical Relief Programme. Led by Health Minister Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the initiative aims to improve access to essential treatments, boost local manufacturing, create jobs, and support vulnerable Nigerians.

In a major win for local innovation, the programme includes diabetes diagnostic kits from a Lagos-based Nigerian company — a first in Africa. It also funds advanced medical equipment like mobile X-ray machines and CT scanners for regional hubs, reinforcing healthcare delivery and economic growth. For Us, By Us.

[3/22, 9:00 AM] Alaba Babalola: So, when are we going to have a wholesome, formidable, reformed and properly implemented policy on health in respect or by reason of which citizens can confidently go to health facilities near them with assurance that they will get the care they need, so that they can enjoy good health and live longer pleasant lives as citizens of a naturally rich nation?😃

I wonder what the ignoble thing is in our constitution that makes state governors act with impunity. This act of the governor is beyond an abuse of power, it is debased and obnoxious. I don't think there is an exact parallel of such in the history of the world. It is not just crazy, it is laughable to have someone in government behave like that without an immediate crime specific consequences.  People who lack self control and sense of judgment should not be in our government. There are evidently so many of such character in our government, past and present. A person who destroyed a public building in this way can one day order the destruction of a town or village  with people and property. That's mental derangement and wickedness. I think many people misunderstand or think of the political environment as an actual war zone where they must destroy the enemy in the most gruesome way possible without thinking of what that means for the well-being of people and citizens they are supposed to protect and serve. I think people who occupy public offices should be made to have mental and emotional evaluation before they resume work, so that we can avoid electing or appointing people who will one day destroy us out of anger and selfish pursuits. The act in question should have had immediate consequences. I think this should call into question the immunity and privileges that governors are supposed to have during their term of office according to the constitution. That thing needs to be reviewed and moderated. 

All of this is an examination or consideration of an isolated behavior by a public officer. I would not consider the recent suspension of the governor as a veritable consequence, but in itself a somewhat abuse of power and an overall unbalanced solution that may lead to constitutional crises, and hopefully not, further chaos and rancor in the polity.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I must thank you for caring to dovetail all these comments from other platforms. It is interesting to see some servile and mediocre mindset in them, from condoning  a slavish crackdown on freedom of speech, to engaging in uncivil and unnecessary forage into a person's lifestyle in order to justify her lack of right to criticize the government, to undermining a person's creativity to survive a harsh economic environment and labelling it erroneously as a.  licentious and extravagant lifestyle. What the young NYSC did with her video is what content creator do to attract patronage to a business. Before they get the marketing job, they would sometimes shoot a make-believe video to convince their prospective client that the prototype they have is capable of building up clientele for his business. It is not necessarily so that the young NYSC lady actually lives that lifestyle. I was hoping that some Nigerians will see through the situation and understand that this is a possibility. Besides, even if the lady leads that lifestyle, it is nobody's business as long as she's not breaking any laws in doing so, and people can leave whatever blame they have to persons who have moral rights to blame her. It is just amazing to see how much advice some people have about how the girl can further adjust into the "suffering and smiling" mode (Fela Kuti) that has almost become our culture. No wonder the British call us the most resilient or the happiest people in the world!😃. We need to cultivate a different mindset if we want to make progress in this country.🪘

The truth is Lagos is dirty and smelly. I wish it were not so, but that's the truth. The government of Lagos may be doing many great things here and there, they are not doing well with waste management. Residents are forced to put refuse and waste in the open - on dual carriage way road median. This happens almost everywhere you go in Lagos, it is an eyesore and unhygienic, to say the least. And government officials should desist from turning everything into politics by grandstanding and defending the government they serve on account of blatant incompetence and inefficiency in certain areas of their stewardship. Many public officials don't understand their roles  and what their attitude should be while serving the people to whom they should have allegiance. It is important in all spheres of national life to understand the concept of truth and be willing to accept it. Without this the nation or society in which we live can not make real progress. It is necessary to deal with the truth in things instead of going in all unnecessary directions in order to cover our ineptitude or ulterior motives. If the NYSC girl is telling the truth about the state of things in Lagos, the government should look inwards and fix it. It is unnecessary to  go into the girl's private life in order to discredit her message or personality. It is improper for anyone to do it on behalf of the government. The problem on the ground may be very tough, but it is not unsolvable or insurmountable. In fact it may be very easy and and simple to work out. The government just has to be serious about it. They have to show that they believe it is an important task that must be done. If the government is successful at it, we can count it as a battle won and as  real progress we can all benefit from and be proud of.

Good morning. Thanks for your comment.

Of course you're right. The piece was written originally by someone else in the context of the current Lagos State House of Assembly debacle/saga. Though I agreed with much of the writer's beliefs, but I would personally not put it in such a context in a public space unless I intend to pass a particular message in respect of a specific issue. However, because I felt the underlying thought in the piece is truism, i.e that "there is honour amongst thieves" is a phenomenon that is true by 'ethical" standards in that circle, I decided to share it in a generic form, with hope that it can be useful to anyone who cares to think about it. To break this down further, the piece is about how notoriously corrupt the political class in our country is considered to be. But within that class you have to be seen to be doing what is "right" and living by the rules' There's bound to be good conscientious individual politicians in this country who mean to do good, and in fact do a lot of good in our warped, weird and strange systems. For their sake and fairness it's hard for me to speak generally in such context. But we don't know who really means good! I hope you understand. The problem with us as a society, I think, is that  we have not yet constructively, concretely  deeply determined defined and internalized what ethical standards should apply to life in society and whether all  should be bound by them. For some, it does not matter what you do or how you do it. What matters is how smart you can be in traversing your path towards what is considered "success", even though you pretend that others in society who are not as 'smart' as you have certain innate inalienable rights and other rights incidental  to being citizens of a Great Country. We are confused by what we considered normal by reason of our cultural values vis-a-vis imported bequeathed civilization. So, since it appears we don't know what values can lead to real greatness, everyone in their circles tend to determine for themselves, either openly or covertly, what ethics, and good character, is. Every good virtue has its counterfeits. We need  to choose right on that big scale of preference .If somehow we can collectively realize what real honour means, our society will be good for it in great measures. 

Thanks again for your comment.