Dr. Adetolu Ademujimi

  Today’s text is in honour of two distinguished Nigerian bureaucrats of Ondo State origin: Pastor Niran Adeyemo, mni, Head of Service (HoS) of Ondo State, who gloriously retires from service on the 2 nd day of August, 2022 after a remarkable tenure; and Mr. Dare Aragbaye, his immediate predecessor, who as at today is the Special Adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Labour Unions Matters & Special Duties.   Mr. Aragbaye commendably initiated the Ondo Service Improvement Programme (ODSIP) while he was HoS and Pastor Adeyemo laudably perpetuated this public service reform agenda during his tenure all in a bid to stimulate in every civil servant of the State, a burning desire to live up to ODSIP’s mantra - “ to give my best to better the society .” Profusely, I thank my teachers at Kings College, Lagos, who taught me, among other things, never to leave the various little things undone while in pursuit of the very large stuffs. While canvassing for a reform of our governance

  It’s time to ‘think aloud’ against Nigeria’s pervading insecurity that has nearly collapsed our social architecture. Check it - our children can no longer just socialize with other children in the neighbour’s house without parental anxiety over their safety. To even have them ride their bicycles within your well-fenced and gated compound makes you pray, fast, pant and keep vigil an extra minute. It feels like the next person is until proven otherwise, either the kidnappers’ informant or the unknown captor. Sadly, armed robbers, ritual killers, bandits, insurgents and other clusters of non-State actors appear to have the leeway and ‘master key’ to lock or unlock, truncate or elongate, and wage or cage at will, our public peace & security under the watch of security agencies. Here’s an urgent brainstorming effort at security restoration and the implied “recovery of our social architecture”. Of course, to fight insecurity, please tell the 2023 Presidential candidates in Nigeria to

The gory flashbacks from the murder of tens of innocent Christian worshippers in Owo few days ago withhold my Happy Democracy Day greetings to Nigerians on this 12 th day of June, 2022. Definitely, there’s just too little to celebrate, although I join all democracy-loving Nigerians to acknowledge President Muhammadu Buhari’s twin designation of the day in commemoration of the country’s return to civil rule and in honour of late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, GCFR (a.k.a M.K.O). The deceased businessman-cum-politician, who was believed to have won the later-annulled 1993 Presidential election, mu st be unhappy about the delayed democratic development of a country he passionately fought to administer. To immortalize him, I dispassionately write to draw attention to one potential antagonist of Abiola’s peaceful rest in the grave that also suppresses my hearty chant of Happy Democracy Day . It’s about the slow pace of political party evolution in Nigeria that deteriorates democratic d

  Section D : Remodeling of Political Culture A patriotic attempt by Nigeria’s next democratically elected President to reform the country’s dysfunctional governance structure for decentralization/federalism, revamp her moribund physical infrastructure, and recover her lost social architecture can be thwarted by the present-day culture of Nigerian politicians. The fact that our country’s political space is dominated by a self-serving, money-wasting, oppression-loving, violence-prone, ideology-deficient and ideas-bereft political class would prevent a well-meaning President from achieving economic revolution & security restoration for Nigeria. If a saintly President takes oath of office on 29 th May, 2023 and appoints politicians who bear the above-stated traits as cabinet members, there’s no miracle that can bring out the best in them. Since ‘charity begins at home’ and sitting Nigerian Presidents are automatically referred to as leaders of their various political parties

  Section C : Recovery of Social Architecture Various forms of social insecurity manifesting as cybercrimes/Internet fraud (yahoo yahoo), Olosho syndrome (rising incidence of teenagers-turned-commercial sex workers), kidnapping, banditry, bank robberies etc. arise mainly from lack of productive engagement/employment of the high number of Nigerian youths, which is in turn daily worsened by population explosion. The fixation of our federal entity on social schemes that transfer a meagre N 10,000 cash to the individual bank accounts of each of 2 million Nigerians on a monthly basis doesn’t improve the social security rating of these beneficiaries and wouldn’t deter them from ventilating their consequent anger & hunger through indulgence in dangerous acts that compromise national insecurity. Although the penchant for quick monies (e.g, through money-seeking ritual killings) among the young generation is infamously fueled by religious doctrines promising mysterious wealth regardl

  Section C : Recovery of Social Architecture Since 1999, political actors appear to have paid lip service to curbing acts of social indiscipline among Nigerians such that the younger generation (especially those born between then and now) are not even aware that the following actions are abnormal and should be regarded as social maladies; ·          Public use of marijuana (e.g., as seen in motor parks); ·          Streets-littering with dirt (e.g., winding down the glass of a moving car to throw out garbage to the roads); ·          Indiscriminate creation of unguided refuse dumps; ·          Anti-queue attitudes/refusal to take turns (e.g., jumping of queues in banks, supermarkets, ATM points, gas stations etc.); ·          Road side urination; and ·          Open defecation Upon being sworn in as democratically elected on May 29, 2023, should our next President prioritize the recovery of public discipline & sanity by leading State Governors and Chairman of Lo