FINALLY, BUHARI ADMIT: THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO NIGERIA'S PROBLEM.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday admitted that there are no easy solutions to the mirage of problems bedeviling The country.

He however assured Nigerians that his administration is earnestly pursuing the solutions available to it with a view to repositioning the country.

Buhari said this in his nationwide broadcast to the nation in commemoration of Nigeria’s 56th Independence Anniversary.

Describing economies behaviour as cyclical, the President said all countries face ups and downs.

He attributed the recession being witnessed in the country to shortage of foreign exchange and the violence being perpetrated by the Niger Delta Avengers.

He however assured Nigerians that the problems are temporary.

Buhari said, “Our own recession has been brought about by a critical shortage of foreign exchange. Oil price dropped from an average of $100 per barrel over the last decade to an average of $40 per barrel this year and last.

“Worse still, the damage perpetrated by Niger Delta thugs on pipelines sometimes reduced Nigeria’s production to below one million barrels per day against the normal 2.2million barrels per day. Consequently, the naira is at its weakest, but the situation will stabilise.

“But this is only temporary. Historically about half our dollar export earnings go to importation of petroleum and food products! Nothing was saved for the rainy days during the periods of prosperity. We are now reaping the whirlwinds of corruption, recklessness and impunity.

“There are no easy solutions, but there are solutions nonetheless and Government is pursuing them in earnest. We are to repair our four refineries so that Nigeria can produce most of our petrol requirements locally, pending the coming on stream of new refineries. That way we will save $10bin yearly in importing fuel.”

On the economic crisis facing the county, Buhari said he was aware of the difficulties being faced by Nigerians.

He said he was aware that many families could not afford to pay children’s school fees or buy foods at exorbitant prices while many others are unemployed.

He added that as a salary earner all his adult life, he is also aware of the problem inherent in insufficient salary.

Amidst all these, Buhari assured Nigerians that the economic crisis would not last.

The President said, “I know that uppermost in your minds today is the economic crisis. The recession for many individuals and families is real.

“For some It means not being able to pay school fees, for others it’s not being able to afford the high cost of food (rice and millet) or the high cost of local or international travel, and for many of our young people the recession means joblessness, sometimes after graduating from university or polytechnic.

“I know how difficult things are, and how rough business is. All my adult life I have always earned a salary and I know what it is like when your salary simply is not enough. In every part of our nation people are making incredible sacrifices.

“But let me say to all Nigerians today, I ran for office four times to make the point that we can rule this nation with honesty and transparency, that we can stop the stealing of Nigeria’s resources so that the resources could be used to provide jobs for our young people, security, infrastructure for commerce, education and healthcare.

“I ran for office because I know that good government is the only way to ensure prosperity and abundance for all. I remain resolutely committed to this objective.

“I believe that this recession will not last. Temporary problems should not blind or divert us from the corrective course this government has charted for our nation. We have identified the country’s salient problems and we are working hard at lasting solutions.

“To re-cap what I have been saying since the inception of this administration, our problems are security, corruption and the economy, especially unemployment and the alarming level of poverty.”

The President insisted that on security, his administration had made progress by defeating the Boko Haram last December, leaving the sect resorting to cowardly attacks on soft targets, killing innocent men, women and children.

Besides Boko Haram, Buhari said his administration was confronting other long-running security issues, including herdsmen vs farmers, cattle rustling, kidnappings, saying the government is firmly resolved to tackle these challenges and to defeat them.

He again read the Riot Act to Niger Delta militants who have been vandalising oil installations, saying his administration would no longer tolerate their excesses.

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MEET A GENIUS FROM IKORODU WHO HAD A1 PARALLEL IN WAEC 2016

Who said there is no genius in Ikorodu?

A young Lady as emerge as the over all best student in Ikorodu; bagging home with A1 parallel in all her subject [WAEC 2016]

She was born without a Silver spoon.

She struggle with her parent to make ends meet.

Yet she remained focus.

Her name is: OLUWADAMILARE CAROLINE OMOLOLA

SCHOOL: KEME BALOGUN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IBESHE.

STATE OF ORIGIN: EKITI

She was well received by the likes of Hon Jimi Benson, Hon Sanai Agunbiade, Oba of Ibeshe, Lagos State Commission for Sport. Some of which vowed to make sure that she gains admission into the university and to see her through..

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NIGERIA IS 56, SO WHAT'S NEXT?

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UNILAG CLOSE MAIN CAMPUS OVER STUDENT PROTEST

The aggrieved students were said to be protesting against the rustication of some members of the students' union.

The rusticated students were leaders of the students’ body that led a protest in April over poor electricity and water supply in the community, and the difficulty faced by a large number of students living off campus to attend classes as a result of the fuel crisis.

Members of the suspended University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU) executive had earlier in the month protested what they described as an “unjust rustication” of the union members.

The aggrieved students gathered at the school’s Senate building to demand thorough investigation of the suspensions of the students’ leaders, ranging from two to four semesters, for their role in a protest that led to the closure of the university in April.

It just doesn’t make sense that a Vice Chancellor should have the power to decide that he’d shut down his school every time he feels hot. That’s not why he was appointed. We think that if he attempts to fix the underlying issues, he won’t have to deal with angry protests that will irk him anymore.

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MEET GIRL WHO HAD A1 IN ALL HER SUBJECT IN WAEC AND GOT SCHOLARSHIP UP TO Ph.D

Beautiful Miss Faizal Abu bakar Sani, 17, a former student of Olumawu School, Abuja, is a focused young girl. When she was writing her West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination, few months ago, little did she know that the examination would earn her a scholarship to study any course of her choice in any university in the world of her choosing.

Faizal, who was celebrated by her alma-mater, Olumawu School, Abuja; had nine A1 in the May/June 2016 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). She had A1 in English Language, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Computer Studies, Civic Education and Marketing. The result was adjudged by her school and Kano State government as the best ever in the state.

Faizal who spoke with Vanguard said: “I will like to study Medicine in any of the famous universities abroad. Meanwhile, I have been offered admission by at least seven universities in the United Kingdom and one university in Egypt, to study medicine.’’

On her reading habit, Faizal said: “I have no specific study hour because most times I study until I get tired and often fall asleep.”

She added that, “My mother contributed greatly to my academic success, because she encourages and grooms me. My father is a businessman who paid my school fees.’’

On the early marriage in the north, as opposed to education for some girls, Faizal mum said: “I do not have a problem with early marriage if the girl is already matured. The important thing is that whoever is getting married should be focused.”

She continued, “Even though I got married at an early age, I knew where I wanted to be and education was my primary focus. I achieved a lot in education. I might not have been an A1 student like her (my daughter), but I was good in many courses in school.”

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REINTRODUCE HISTORY STUDIES TO SCHOOL

Paul Obi in Abuja Following the outcry that trailed the suspension of History as a taught subject in schools nationwide, the federal government on Thursday reinstated it across basic schools in the country.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who called for the disarticulation of Social Studies in the current curriculum of basic schools and reintroduction of History as a subject, said this had become imperative given the critical nature of History to the nation’s socio-political development.

The minister made the statement in Abuja yesterday while addressing delegates at the 61st meeting of the National Council on Education Ministerial Session.

The minister also urged the council to consider making the study of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) compulsory for Christians and Muslims to the end of Senior Secondary School.

Adamu said the reintroduction of History as a subject would give the Nigerian child a self-identity of who they really are.

He added that Nigeria owes present and future generations the responsibility of removing all inhibitions against opportunities of acquiring morals and ethics as taught in religious traditions.

“It is only the study of history, our own history, that can explain and give meaning to our very humanity and that is why we must study it and teach our little ones. And it is also not enough that they merely know who they are, we must teach them about their God.

“Since it is said that if you want to destroy any nation, it is said that first the family must be destroyed, then education is destroyed, and the third are social morals that are destroyed, so in Nigeria we owe both present and future generations the responsibility of removing all inhibitions against making our children acquire morals and ethics,” he said.

At the council’s meeting, the minister also launched the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) and the National Quality Assurance Policy (NPEQ).

According to the minister, NPEQ is an assurance system for institutions below tertiary level and expected standards of practice in Nigeria while NTEP identifies the pivotal role of qualified teachers in the provision of quality education at all levels.

“The objective is to produce highly skilled knowledgeable and creative teachers who are capable of producing globally competitive students. The policy also seeks to ensure that teachers are recruited, trained and re-trained based on explicit standards,” he said.

On the school feeding programme and the recruitment of 500,000 teachers nationwide, the Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education, Zakari Muhammed, at the meeting expressed concern over the programmes, saying that legislators might face challenges with programme monitoring and evaluation, as they are not directly domiciled under the Federal Ministry of Education.

The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Shamzu Abubakar, who also doubles as the Commissioner for Science and Technology in the state, called on the federal government to channel all resources to the grassroots across the state and local governments.

He also called on the federal government to concentrate more on monitoring and evaluation to ensure adequate review of the developmental strategic plan.

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Ruggedman reunite with 9ice, Boogey is dark and fiery, illbliss goes hard

RUGGEDMAN FEAT 9ICE:RELIGION
Ruggedman and 9ice got together again after a few years of beef to create this hot song,an exchange between both artistes over time has always been hot,be it their first collabo,their twitter beef and music beef.This new song  titled Religion,delved into d subject of doing music d 9ja way,using pidgin and making Lotta money off it,while they deserve accolade for the song in itself and a dope production,some lines in the song reeks of sarcasm and subliminals. Ruggedman seems to forget that he started his career with this style he's criticizing,note to point,his "What if" song from way back,even though he wasn't patient enough or had belief in it,doesn't mean the people who did are fools. Music is more than making money,fame,awards and endorsements. Music is the tool that a person uses to send his/her thoughts across in more ways than one. There are alot of artistes who don't use English yet are given worldwide recognition because of what their sound represent and what they represent as artistes. Be it trap,rnb,rap or rap n b as Rugged rapped,the content is what keep an artiste going over time,else when u drop the mic,u become a memory not worthy to be brought to life. Doing music with english isnt exclusive to americans or britons,so critizing Nigerians who chose to use the language to pass their thoughts and messages to the world is a lame attempt to judge harshly people who are just trying to rap.
BOOGEY:INCOGNITO
Boogey,the rapper who has always dropped dope and super songs from his endless fountain of knowledge has blessed us rap enthusiasts with another mixtape titled 'incognito', words alone cant describe this tape,its dark,its deep and it's brilliant. Boogey really dug deep to bring this body of work,I wonder his state of mind while recording this tape but one thing I know is Boogey has never failed to impress and this mixtape just increases the respect we have for this man. You can get the tape on www.boogeythat.com
ILLBLISS:FORTEM AND ILLY CHAPO
Illbliss dropped two hot scorching freestyle,titled fortem and illy chapo,in anticipation to his forth coming album ILLIGATY. Gotta say,illbliss hasn't been this hard for awhile and reminds us of his thoroughbred days,when Oga boss chews words and spits lyrics worthy of citation word for word. Seems alot of people think phyno who is under the Goretti management company is bigger than illbliss and more successful,therein lies the narrow mindedness of some people who see money as the highest form of success. Well Oga boss calls himself 'label boss,composer,thought planner'.... He really went hard,well its a good prelude to his forthcoming album.

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Nas:The man, The music, The legacy

When you hear the name, Nasir,the first thing that comes to your mind is,is he Nigerian?...that was what I used to think those years we didn't have a vibrant and robust research platform. Nasir 'Nas' Jones is an American rapper with deep roots in Africa, having made his mark in the rap game for 20 odd years and been one of the few rappers who has positively influenced me,I find it befitting to write an ode to him. Who is Nas? A rap sage,a rappers rapper,godson,Escobar,an introvert,....people have contradicting perceptions about this man,but one thing is certain, He is one of the most intelligent  man you would ever listen to. I remember hearing,"I carry the cross,if virgin Mary had an abortion,I'd still be carried on the chariot",and I wondered,who does this? Over the years,challenges has come his way,from his publicised divorce to his tax evasion problems,but he's always smiling and using every challenge as a wake up call to his fans through his music to always grind hard,never give up.."3:45am can't sleep,cant dream am stuck,money problems pop,how will I survive"?...you wonder just how much the tax problem is weighing on his mind,but then you hear "whatever happens happens" and it uplifts your spirit to not ever give in to the struggles of our daily life.
Nas gives alot through his music,educates,mentors and guides, and through non profit programs for youths with artistic abilities. He is referred to as Contemporary rap's greatest innovator in storytelling, he weaves words together into a basketful of knowledge where you can tap from, a fountain of intelligence, simplicity redefined, a man who accepts his faults. On one of his greatest track, he said "she looking at me like am not the coolest father figure but she rocking with it", an admittance of failure in his fatherly duties. Over the years, Nas has made mistakes,created timeless hits and records,been in dire financial crisis but one thing remains the same, his ability to accept,learn and believe in positivity. With over 7 albums,countless features,collaborative album,charity works, Nas has touched my life in more ways than I count,and words doesn't really do justice to what he has achieved both personally and professionally.
He has cemented his legacy in the hip hop scene by been a visionary, a believer of truth, a man who isn't fazed by riches and fame,awards,plaques or sales. He turned 43 today but still looks 20, on his way to been a billionaire by investing in budding young people who has great ideas but little or no funds to execute these ideas.
Studying Nas is like a maze,with endless tunnels and turns...
All said and done, I hope he lives many more years and bless us with his rich knowledge through his songs.

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PSQUARE REUNION:At what expense?

News filtered in about psquare's reuniting after a bitter quarrel,accusations and counter accusations were put forth by the twins and their manager/producer elder brother. It showed lotta cracks amidst the family biz,with secrets been spilled on the internet,fans were surprised by their action and prayed for an amicable settlement. Fast forward a few weeks,they announced different names, management team and even signed up some upcoming artistes. Well on one hand I am happy they came back because aside the revenue they make as a brand,the music the duo create is beautiful. Something nags my mind tho,at what expense did they make up?what sacrifice has been made?has the bad blood been purged out or is it strictly because of the money?how about the trust issue,the lack of recognition(as said by peter)? I seriously hope they had a thorough understanding of each others role and also handling of their finances. I hope they drew the line between family and business. Thank God for them and hopefully they will churn out hits like they always do.

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R.I.P MAMA BUKKY AJAYI

Multitalented nollywood actress BUKKY AJAYI is dead. The multi lingua actress who features in both English and Yoruba movie died today. Though details are still sketchy concerning the cause of death. Mama Bukky celebrated her 82nd birthday a few days ago.
R.I.P MAMA we will miss you

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Can you imagine! Nigerian soldier and police exchange gun fire because of Ramadan rice and semovita

At least one person was injured Thursday at the Borno State government house when soldiers and police exchanged fire as they fought over food items distributed by the government to mark the Ramadan fast.
The government has since Monday distributed large amounts of rice and Semovita to poor residents.
On Thursday, thousands of people converged at the entrance of the government building in Maiduguri, forming a lengthy queue of men, women and the aged who hoped for either a 25kg bag of rice or Semovita, or both.
As the distribution started, police barred vehicles from accessing the venue, except those on special permission.
At about 11am, a Nigerian Army truck showed up, insisting on gaining access to the venue where rice and Semovita were being shared.
Suspecting that the soldiers were trying to help themselves to the handouts, police officers demanded they turn back immediately.
This led to an argument and an angry soldier allegedly opened fire, injuring a policeman in the leg, witnesses said.
One of the army officers drafted to help control the crowd, identified only as Idris, a lieutenant, did not go free, as angry policemen who accused him of instigating the crisis, beat him up.

read the full gist here
premiumtimes

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I THOUGHT I HEARD WRONG.... OJB JEZREEL IS REALLY DEAD

RIP OJB JEZREEL.....

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Songwriting: An untapped goldmine in 9ja

Writing generally has always been a gift, a way of telling the world that which you feel deeply in your heart. For those of us who ain't gifted with such, we look with envy at those who do it with ease and finesse, putting the right words into sensible sentences. In hip hop, we call it PUNCHLINES, lines that stand out, thought provoking lyrics, that makes one think twice or even thrice as the case may be. In America, writing songs doesn't necessarily mean you are a musician, we have great and wonderfully gifted songwriters who wrote and co wrote timeless and classic songs for icons in the music industry.
Christopher 'Tricky' Stewart wrote the monster hit 'Baby' for Justin Beiber and also Beyonce's 'All the single ladies'. Nadir 'Redone' Kharat a Moroccan co wrote most of lady Gaga's hit singles like 'just dance ',' poker face', 'bad romance' just to mention a few. A Swede named Max Martin is the genius behind most of Taylor swift's monster hits including 'Blank Space', Britney spears song 'hit me baby' which had a number 1 spot in billboard 100 was also written by him.

These are just few examples of people who have "a powerful act of self denial", people who let others take the glory while they stay in the shadows. Using this as a yardstick, its surprising that our own 9ja music scene, things are a bit different. You see an artiste write, produce and exec produce, also arrange and compose his/her songs. A popular saying goes " No one is an island", this is one of the reasons why our music industry seem stagnated even though its more commercially viable. Lyrics is one of the most important component in making music, whether its inspiring or not, it shouldn't be disjointed, disarranged and hastily put together. Writing is a joy to some and a pain to others, we need to have an organized platform where people (ghostwriters) are paid their dues as agreed and everyone knows his/her function. I know we have gifted writers in 9ja,at least have met few and also read about others. Abeg I sincerely ask our esteemed and loved artistes, be yourself, if u no fit write music, no be bad tin, get the services of someone who truly does, have a written agreement that both parties would abide to, pay the person accordingly. Make una spread Una wings so we can all fly.

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Nigeria police force:what Applicants needs to know

Special announcement for those who applied for
Police recruitment.
The exercise is scheduled for JUNE 6th and will
hold at the same time in the whole federation to
avoid political and undue interference and is
planned to be transparent and the best so far.
Be informed that only successful candidates will
be contacted at the end of the Exercise.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW..
1. Check your Mailbox regularly..Gmail or
whatever....a mail will only be sent to
prospective candidates from Police Service
Commission.
2. Check your phone regularly...text message will
be sent to only successful candidates.
3. A computerized selection is done by the
Police Service Commission and weeded away
those with suspicious age declarations,
incomplete school record that did not tally with
original date of birth, those who submitted
incomplete data during logging in.
4. Computerized selected and contacted
candidates will be notified on a specific date for
screening at the state commands level, Only
those invited for a day meant for categories will
be considered..to avoid roundness
5.All contacted candidates should prepare to
face a board comprising Representatives of
federal character commission, Police service
commission, Senior officers from Abuja,Media,
Police commissioner,Other senior officers and
Command PPRO.
6. Candidates should not appear with Luggage as
There will be Dog sniffers, Bomb experts in the
venue.
7. Candidates will undergo aptitude tests and
physical check ups, eyesight, deformities,
portruded bellies, height and chest
measurement.etc
8.ASP and Inspectorate cadres will terminate
their screening at Force Headquarters while the
Specialists will be tested based on their skills at
the Zonal level.
Good luck.
DSP Ahmed Usman
Command PPRO
Gombe State Police Command.

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Graduates don't have a choice... Over one million applicants applied for Police job in Nigeria

It was an irony of sorts when the Police Service Commission (PSC)  recently invited applications from qualified Nigerians for recruitment into the Force based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the recruitment of 10,000 policemen.  The Commission had advertised for the hiring  of 500 Cadet ASPs, 500 Cadet Inspectors, 1,500 Specialist Officers and 7, 500 Constables. Within a few days of the advertisement, officials of the  PSC were astounded, if not shocked, by the response from applicants. According to Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the Commission, between April 24 and May 2, 2016 no fewer than 843,008 applications had been received.

 A breakdown of this showed that  243,327 applications were received for ASP cadre, while 197,990 and 401,691 applied for the Inspector and Police Constable cadres, respectively. Soon after, the figure rose to over one million applicants, leaving many wondering if the Police was indeed as unpopular as generally held. Even the Inspector General of Police could not help but exclaim that he “never knew Nigerians liked the police this much that such a gargantuan number wants to join the Force.” It is, however, obvious that the stampede for police jobs has little to do with “popularity”. 

With an unemployment rate of 36.8 per cent of Nigeria’s over 170 million people, jobless Nigerians certainly cannot be too choosy when positions are advertised by any organisation. This was what informed the response by 6.5 million applicants to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment in March 2014, which ended tragically with the death of 23 job seekers during a recruitment test. The Police authorities have to exercise extreme care in this recruitment drive, ensuring that only people who are suitably qualified with impeccable characters and backgrounds will be brought on board. 

The process of ascertaining this must be very painstaking to keep out bad eggs. The large number of applicants for every job opening, is an enduring warning bell over the worrisome unemployment situation. We urge governments at all levels to come up with radical ideas to put more of our idle youth to work and reduce the social consequences of high unemployment.

Source at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/one-million-chasing-10000-police-jobs/

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LASU VICE CHANCELLOR EXTENDS STUDENTS’ SECOND SEMESTER RESUMPTION DATE

Due to the various renovation works on-going at the University Campus and preparation for the forthcoming 20th Convocation Ceremonies.

The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. ‘Lanre Fagbohun, on behalf of the University Senate has given an executive approval to the resumption date of the Full-Time undergraduate students of the University.

 The new resumption date for the students is now Wednesday, 1st June, 2016, for the Second Semester, 2015/2016 Academic Session.

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I find it hard to comprehend... Jaiz Bank, The First Islamic banking Institution granted licence

On twitter this morning, i read that Nigeria’s first Islamic banking institution, Jaiz Bank, has been granted license to operate as a national bank. Though have been hearing of Islamic banking, this is the first time i hear of it name. but then i ask myself, will segregation promote me peace we so long for in Nigeria? Another Question i need to ask, can a christian who does not care if he is one, bank there too? because when i visited the bank's homepage it say and i quote

"It is an alternative financial service offering which is open to all irrespective of race or religion"

I find it hard to comprehend what they mean since the Name alone {Islamic Banking} is understandable to a layman like me to mean for Muslim only.

If you live around ikorodu, when you're going to Sabo through Anibaba, you will see a sign post saying LOAN, MUSLIM ONLY.

What will be the opinion of Muslims when they see CHRISTIAN BANKING?

Even if there motive is right, tagging the bank Islamic Banking is simply a segregation to me.

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Good Music:Why we need it

It's been a depressing day, more like a depressing week even,decided to take a walk and clear my head. Headphones on, playlist starts and Tupac's 'keep your head up' starts playing, a deep sigh escapes my lips and I imagine how one can achieve that in such dire conditions...fast forward twenty minutes later, after series on songs from Nas, Sade and Timi dakolo, the feeling of hope starts brewing. Dmx's 'slipping' comes on and I wonder again, will this ever end? I imagine what Nas was feeling when he wrote the song 'warrior song' sampling our own icon,Fela but alas at the end of the song I can feel his message when he said,'to everybody that lost their mother or father, never give up'..touching words you would say, Inspiring too. Walking back,I felt free and hopeful,energized and influenced by the deep words of intelligent and creative musicians,whose goal is to touch hearts with their music. Music nourishes the mind,is food for the soul and entertains the spirit. Gives us a sense of belief,walks us through difficulties. In the past decade, 9ja music has grown in tremendously across the globe, our artistes are headlining events in Europe and America,their fame and fortune almost immeasurable but....the content, the growth, the spirituality is almost gone. It's a case of financial gains and fame been the driving force for most aspiring musicians. Listening to Fela,Sunny okosun, Onyeka Onwenu, Tupac, Talib kwali, Proverb, Sade, Timi Dakolo,Bez, amongst others, you get the feeling of succour, a feeling that you are not alone in your travails. Ofcos, we like been entertained, loosening up after an hard week, clubbing and just having fun generally, but that should not be our main source of motivation /inspiration...there is a saying that Thoughts becomes actions and actions becomes habits', if our thoughts centres around money,women,drugs,living the fast life,...it makes us lose the core moral values that makes us better people. A musician can entertain and teach,the content shouldn't always have a negative connotation just because Demand brings supply'...we as the audience deserve better than our Nigerian artistes are giving and if we don't speak up, a time will come when everything will be measured about the number of cars,houses and blings a person has,instead of improving our values that should preach love,unity, togetherness and living a life worthy of emulation. Please say no to the bandwagon of material things and be inspired so you can inspire others. Buy their cd's either physically or on one of the companies that stream them, support these 'worthy' musicians, go to their shows. Life is nothing but a journey, and everyone has a stop, lets make it count.

KEN ALU

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INSUFFICIENCY OF #19,800 AS MONTHLY ALLOWANCE FOR CORP MEMBERS

In an attempt to give the above issue raised a critical coloration, I must start by saying that the begging question of whether the monthly allowance of 19,800 naira for corps members be increased cannot be over-emphasized. The meat of my argument in support of same is in three-fold.
In the first place, it goes without saying that present day realities and pragmatism reveals that there is more finance required for the personal upkeep of corps members. As such, we need not dilly-dally over the fact that the present day economic realities of the country makes it practically impossible for a corps member to go about is activities and upkeep for the month with just such a stipend as #19,800. In this light, the Government should give it a serious rethink.
In another breath, of a truth, motivation plays a vital role in any form of human endeavor or venture. The NYSC scheme is not an exception to this. The corps members should always be financially motivated aside the allowance which, as it even stands seems inadequate. The gist of my argument is this- Corps Members should have other means of cash inflow in which the government will be responsible for same. Though, some may argue on the contrary advancing the argument that Corps Members get some money from their places of primary assignment which helps to consolidate the allowance received from federal government. Well, such an argument is a different kettle of fish. As such, it is crystal clear that some of this private firms seek the services of these corps members all with the apocryphal motive to have them as cheap labour.


In the third place, I pray for an upward review of the allowance given to corps members by the Federal Government on the strength saving habit could be encouraged among corps members as they can start up something as entrepreneurs after their service year. When such upward review is effected, corps members will find it easy to raise capital. Though some may argue that saving habit can be encouraged whether or not the allowance is increased. But, I must ask such persons how realistically possible is it to safe any dine out of #19,800 which is insufficient in the first place? The answer seems to be no. So, an upward review of the allowance will go a long way in encouraging saving habits among corps members.
To this end, I respectfully recommend an upward review of the corps members monthly allowance from #19,800 to #40,000 In conclusion, I am of the opinion that the purpose of Government is to cater for the welfare of its citizenry. In this light, the Government should put its hands of deck to savage the issues of the country as it affects corps members.
From corp member Taiwo Oluwasegun LL.B,B.L


It isn't enough...some of us are posted to organizations dat dont pay corpers and dont provide accomodatn.Itz out of ds 19800 dat we pay our house rents.., transport ourselves to our ppa, feeding too is there&transportatn to our various cds centres and of cos notin is even left for purchase of clothes and toiletries.It is well wt Nigeria
Corp member Omotola from akure batch A 2013


It's never enough. Because no amount can compensate what some some corps members are going through during service year. I remember few years back when the allowance used to be #8,850. And in the future when it will be raised, it will not be enough. The simple answer is-it will never be enough.
From ex corp member batch c 2013

whats your say about this

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