The oddities of our present day elites as regard education.
   By Onyeka Emeka.

Down with awful and disgusting feelings that come with fever, emanating from the rise and fall of my expectations as regard ending the ongoing ASUU strike.
Lying in my self contained wooden bed and vividly gazing at my fast aging parents in thier room, as i have tête-a-tête with my inner man on my plans and how they are being thwarted by the lingering strike. I number my plights not just as a student but also a citizen of the awry nation called Nigeria. When i was growing up as a young boy and as a student, i wasn't only taught, i also read little of Nigeria's history. How she got her independence, how the nationalists formidably strived & harnessed one another's efforts towards ensuring that Nigeria was emancipated from the hand of the colonial masters. This was done irrespective of tribes and other back drops that's why Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir. Ahmadu Bello, to mention but a few. Are 4eva young" in our memories today for their selfless services & noncabalism & if any of them had the chances of making updates on face book, they wouldn't have been getting huge insultes even as our present leaders whom debased themselves are getting. As at late 70s, things were reletively much better compare to the present day realities the poverty line was less than 30% and the exchane rate was 0.894 ₦1 to 1USD in 1985. Agriculture was much regarded as it contributed to the bulk of the country's revenue but with the romance between the FG & Oil at its discovery earlier on, led to the jilt of Agriculture which was now looked at as an old "woman".
The Education sector was equally erudite before things fell apart, infact the Nigeria today is the shadow of the then Nigeria and this brings to my main point. I was reading an online news page where i came across a statement made by Wike the acting minister of Education. Wike was quoted as saying that "for education sector to be rivived, toes would be stepped on". I see this as politicking the education and toying with the future of millions of vibrant youths who struggle through school. From the statement, it is quite conspicuous that there are hands holding the sector captive & i wonder who these cabals who are in all sectors of the economy are. Our educational system is in the state of shabby and dangerously precarious as such, needs herculean efforts geared towards reviving it and a whole minister has the courage to talk about cabals, this is freakingly aghasting! When Wike became acting minister of education after the president jettisoned Mrs. Rukayat, i completely lost hope knowing fully well that Wike is a frivolous man who has found pleasure in bicker & calumniating against Amaechi the Rivers state governor. Those who listen or read trending issues in the polity will affirm to this, Wike was obvioulsy reward by GEJ whom he for his sake, antagonizes Amaechi for. Now tell me, is GEJ serious with delivering on the monumental challenges &demands on developmental activities particularly as it affects human capital dev't? I veciferusly lapoon Mr. Wike's appointment whether it's interime or not! Perhaps his appointment justifies the saying that birds of the same feathers, flock togther cos if GEJ was wise & intelligent enough, he would have armed himself with like minded people. Even if ASUU strike is called off today, it is even belated, yet nothing gratifying is heard of it lately. Gov't under GEJ has neglected its priority of developing human capital which is a bane for spuring the general dev't. If i were GEJ, i wiould have done much better to end this embarrassing situation to minimally obscure his mediocrities & to win the hearts of the youths who are now leaving him at the mercy of the so called G-7 governors cos with the present realities, i doubt his survival of his political crucification. Often time i hear in the news of gov't borrowing to facilitate some programmes that are no where close to education on the scale of preference so why can't the gov't borrow to mitigate this vital sector if really it's broke or if it really mean well for the future leaders? I am looking forward to seeing a better Nigeria, where there will be no cabals, no corruption, no poverty, with accessible and qualitative education.

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Cashless FCT! Are you ready?

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a new policy on cash-based transactions which stipulates a ‘cash handling charge’ on daily cash withdrawals or cash deposits that exceed N500,000 for Individuals and N3,000,000 for Corporate bodies. The new policy on cash-based transactions (withdrawals & deposits) in banks, aims at reducing (NOT ELIMINATING) the amount of physical cash (coins and notes) circulating in the economy, and encouraging more electronic-based transactions (payments for goods, services, transfers, etc.).
   The policy was first introduced in Lagos sometimes last year and was met by outright complaint by majority of lagosians who sees the policy as another means by both bank and CBN to start deducting from their hard learned money.
    Abuja are you ready? The CBN is planning to role out the second phase of the cashless policy in Abuja and other selected states come July 1st, 2013. So as from July 1st, FCT would witness a change in its cash policy,daily withdrawals and cash deposit that exceed N500,000 for individual and N3,000,000 for corporate bodies will now attract a service charges. So with the new policy, bank customers will have to let go N100 for every N1000 withdrawn or deposit above the stipulated amount(i.e if you want to withdraw N600,000 you will have to pay N10,000 for the extra N100,000 above the N500,000 daily limitation).
      Alternative Banking System
       Banks in the country are now coming up with alternative means of banking without stepping into the banking hall, some of these means are the ATM, POS (point of sales machines), standing order, internet banking, National Electronic Fund Transfer(NEFT) etc, yet these alternatives still have there own short form. These shortfalls  come in the area of infrastructures like electricity,internet connection and the rest.
    Now tell me which  would you rather go for? Is it the 10% deduction on every kobo above the daily transaction limit or the high fraud risky available alternatives. The choice is yours.

Abuja Traffic light

the state of traffic lights in and around the FCT is uncalled for. A drive around the town will surely be a shame thing for a regular vistor to abuja( mostly those that knew abuja during the period of @el-rufai) virtually all the traffic lights are not in a good working conditions. From Area1 to Area11, from Zone 2 to Zone 8 to central area even to the high resident areas(asokoro,maitama etc). A personal investigation shows that atleast 80% of the available traffic lights are not working at all,even the remaining working 20% can't operate for 24hours. A common thing now is to see traffic officers controlling traffics at this major junctions,which are very hard to control. No statistical figure is available on how much have budgeted for maintenance of this infrastructure but available statistic shows that huge amount of money are been made available each year for maintenance of infrastructures in the FCT. Hope the present administrator find a lasting solution in bring back the lost glory of our great city, not only on traffic lights, but also on issues that affect the general populist.   Written by Adepoju Ademola