Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America last Friday, is undoubtedly a very outspoken man who does not bother about how anyone receives his comment. Indeed, why this trait in Trump offends the establishment, it appeals to the vast majority of the “forgotten Americans” who voted him into power.

Last week in continuation of my examination of the huge potentials of Agriculture as a means out of getting Nigeria out of the current economic crisis, I focused on the advantages of the River Basin Development Authorities established in 1976 by the regime of the then General Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR. I concluded by calling on government to to revisit the river basin schemes in order to improve agricultural fortunes of Nigeria.

LAST week in continuation of my discussion as to how Nigeria can get out of the current economic recession by reviving the agricultural sector, I advocated that government encourages mechanised agriculture.

“The picture of agriculture with which many Nigerian youths including university graduates are familiar is that of the subsistence farmer toiling away with a hoe and a cutlass on his farmland. Without a doubt this is surely not a scenario or position to which most youths, least of all, university graduates will aspire.”

LAST week I stated how over reliance on oil revenue by successive Nigerian governments had contributed to the current economic crisis in the country. I highlighted how Nigeria had failed to prepare adequately for the slump in the price of crude oil despite the fact that similar slumps had occurred in the past and how despite the warning signs, the country had undertaken measures such as creation of more states all of which have contributed to the present state of the economy

Before the discovery of oil, Nigeria which is blessed with mineral deposits of all types including tin, gold, coal and many other minerals earned appreciable income from the aforementioned minerals. The tin, gold, coal fields were abandoned following the discovery of oil. During the first Republic Agriculture was the mainstay of the economy.

A recession has many attributes that can occur simultaneously and includes declines in component measures of economic activity (GDP) such as consumption, investment, government spending, and net export activity.

“It was always a matter of time before we would realize the dangers of an economy that is largely based on oil revenue. This dependence coupled with the huge cost of running and maintaining our political structure was always a recipe for disaster.”

It is with the above in mind that I recommend the following:
a.Build and strengthen institutions that will outlive individual governments – Governments will come and go but strong governmental institutions will last forever. Government should therefore strengthen institutions such as the NJC to further enhance its capacity to perform its constitutional duty.

Does the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) confers legitimacy on the conduct of the DSS?

Furthermore it must be understood that the ACJA is not substantive law. It is actually procedural law. It was promulgated to make provision for criminal procedure in our Courts. Indeed the long title of the Act tells as much. Same reads:

DECREE No. 1 of 1999Also in 1999, in order to give the service more bite and reposition it for greater efficiency, Abdulsalami ABUBAKAR (Gen./retd) in exercise of his powers as President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by virtue of Instrument No. 1 of 1999 relating to the general duties of the SSS as set out in Section 2-(3) of the decree’s objectives, the SSS at this point, was mandated to carry out the following functions amongst others :

In the early hours of Saturday, 8th  October, 2016, Nigerians awoke to reports of the invasion of the houses of several judicial officers by officers of the State Security Service or Directorate of State Services (DSS).