If the proposal of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) passes through, unemployed Nigerians will earn N25, 000 monthly in a welfare scheme.

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The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has established a call centre to protect consumer rights. The call centre will also aid tracking of complaints and data collection as consumers are expected to call in and make complaints about products and services.

The centres will be managed by an Abuja-based IT solution provider, Interra networks.

Unveiling the centre yesterday in Abuja, the managing director of the council, Ifeyinwa Umenyi, said access to the centre, by over 140 million Nigerians, is just a dial away.

“Interra Networks is partnering to reach over 140 million consumers across the nation,” said Mrs. Umenyi.

‘Just a dial away’

“You can agree with us that there may not have any better move than this one made by CPC. All Nigerians now carry phones. So it is now easier to complain and get redress for your complaints. We are sure that in 2010, Nigerians will stop crying about not getting their complaints redressed. Now it is just a dial away.

“All Nigerians will no longer sit and complain about all the abuses that are all over the place. There so many adulterated products. Do not buy them, go home, sit down and lament, please do not lament again. It is just a matter of picking up your phone and dialing 0700callcpc or 07002255272.”

Mrs. Umenyi said the new portal is consumer-friendly because it has facilities for consumers to make complaints or give alert in English, Pidgin, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa languages. This is an addition to the existing hotlines.

“It is a lot easy to remember. It is not only for the educated, you can be attended to in all the three languages. Anybody can call. This is cheaper than mailing a complaint or entering taxi to nearest CPC office.”

Interra Network is also deploying E1 lines for the operation to avoid network congestion. E1 lines are believed to be the most efficient means of digital communications between the operators.

Consumer Information Response Centres

She also revealed that the council is establishing Consumer Information Response Centres across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria. This is being implemented in conjunction with the National Orientation Agency which is making some of its facilities and structures available for the initiative.

The project is aimed at providing consumer education services, redressing mechanism and collation of data on consumer complaints. This is in addition to the efforts by the council to expand its programmes to ensure that its impact is felt at the grass-root.

“For our impact to be felt by millions of abused Nigerians consumers, many of whom are in the grass-root, we identified the need for our spread, in terms of presence, across the country. To this end, the South-West Zonal Office, Oshogbo, was established this year to join the four zonal offices.”

The agency further disclosed that a total of 2,300 consumer complaints have been received this year. The Director General said about 85% of these complaints have been resolved. “Resolution of others is at advanced stage. The complaints were resolved through negotiation, mediation and conciliation meetings. In this vein, a total of 30 mediation meetings were held this year to resolve various complaints.”

‘They are in it for money’

A consumer, Christopher Sunday, said the initiative is a welcome idea and hopes it will be sustained.

Mr. Sunday noted that other agencies have made similar moves in the past, yielding no results. “Let me tell you, they are in this thing for money,” he said. “Forget what they are saying, the ones done by other organisations have yielded no results especially the call-in programmes on air. CPC should show that they are serious about this initiative this time around by making this particular one work. It is cheaper than going to their centres but let us hope that they will indeed be fast in resolving complaints from the consumers.”

 Written by Ngozi Sams

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By Henry Kester Ewruje.

Women in Nigeria recently won a major legal battle against attempts to subjugate them and tie them to the men’s every whim.

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, declared as unconstitutional the administrative policy of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), which compelled a married Nigerian woman to produce a letter of consent from her husband as a condition for issuance of international passport.

In his judgement, presiding judge, Justice G. K. Olotu, said the requirement was not only a violation of section 42 (1) (a) of the 1999 constitution but was also against Article 18 (3) of the African Charter on People’s Human Rights which disallows discrimination on grounds of sex.

Dr. Priye Iyalla-Amadi, wife of renowned author, Elechi Amadi filed the case against the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and its director-general, Chukwumah Udeh after she sought a replacement of her international passport and was told by Immigration Officials in Port Harcourt that she needed a written permission from her husband first. She wondered if they wanted to protect the institution of marriage and asked if the husbands were also asked to get letters from their wives, but they could not give her “a satisfactory explanation for this chauvinism”.

Dr. Iyalla-Amadi who was about to travel to Britain then, protested that a mature adult citizen of the country like her should not require the consent of any person before she could be issued a Nigerian passport. She did get her husband’s consent, got her passport and traveled to London. But for a lot of women, that requirement would have had a negative consequence. These kinds of little pieces of discrimination create practical problems in the lives of women. For example, if they don’t get along with their husbands or they are a domineering sort, then they won’t be able to get the passport, so Dr. Iyalla-Amadi did’nt think it was right.

In their defence, the NIS sought to justify the requirement of a letter of consent from the husband of a married woman who wants to be issued a Nigerian passport on the basis that Nigerian married women are classified alongside with minors by government as persons who require consent from the head of the family.
In its argument for the retention of a status quo, the NIS said that the requirement for consent was put in place to perpetuate the authority of the man over the wife, no matter the status she had attained in society. It also said the requirement was set to avoid the unnecessary breakdown of the marriage institution in the country.
Another argument advanced by the NIS was that obtaining a Nigerian passport from the federal government is a privilege; hence any person applying must fulfill all the conditions laid down by the sole agent of the government, which is the NIS. It also contended that married men are the bread winners of their families and therefore do not need the consent of any member of their families, including their wives to travel.

Justice G. K. Olotu, the presiding judge of the Federal High Court, in his verdict reportedly said “this kind of policy has no place in 21st century Nigeria”.
The Court concluded that “the defendant’s classification of married women along with children is a desecration of the provisions of the constitution.
The court held as absurd the defendant’s presumption that all married men are bread winners and so have license to move around the earth without hindrance. It asked, “What about the married women who are bread winners?” The court held the view that such married women should have the same license as their male counterparts.

The NIS was established in 1953.

This is another landmark case. I feel there is hope for the female folk in Nigeria. These kinds of things continue and persist because women only complain, they don’t take action. The discrimination against has been on for a long time.
The issue of men being the breadwinners is simply not true today. Women head quite a significant number of homes in Nigeria. Ways are now open for women to prove their capacity in various fields. Women should speak up and shouldn’t just grumble and let it be, or they will continue to be treated as children.

What do you think????????

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Written By Henry Kester Ewruje

History was made recently in the United States of America, when a 15 year old Nigerian Girl, Kimberly Anyadike broke aviation records to be the first African-American of her age to pilot an aircraft from coast to coast.
She accomplished the feat by flying an aircraft across the US and set a new record by becoming the youngest black female after she landed a Cessna C172 aircraft in Compton, California.

For 13 days, she was on a 2,342 miles flying spree from California on the west coast to Virginia on the east coast and was greeted with fanfare in all the 13 cities she landed. She has by this feat joined the club of women making great strides in the United States.

Since she landed the plane, the American news media like Cable News Network (CNN), Los Angeles Times, CBS and New York Daily News among others have published captivating news stories about her adventure without a mention of her Nigerian background. Kimberly Anyadike is truly a Nigerian from the south eastern part of the country.

Nigerians all over the world are impressed with her uncommon feat. The government of Nigeria should accord her due recognition as a way of encouraging our youths as well as Nigerians in diaspora whose efforts help to promote the country positively.

She began flying at the age of 12, after her parents, Charles and Pamela Anyadike enrolled her at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, a flying school and youth mentoring centre in Compton, California. Before than, she had always wanted to fly. The passion remained with her until she joined the school where she received training under an intervention and mentoring programme. There, she had the opportunity to fully realize herself. This opened the way for her to accomplish her life long ambition.

After receiving her flight instructions, she took the challenge to fly an aircraft across the US. She was able to actualize her dream because she found herself in an environment where opportunities abound and personal dreams are allowed to flourish. If she had been in Nigeria, definitely her story could have been different. Most Nigerian youths at home are angry and frustrated, and prepared to emigrate because they find the situation at home too daunting.

Kimberly Anyadike, received inspiration and support from her introduction and study of the rich history of the Tuskegee airmen, a group of black US military pilots who were discriminated against by the US armed forces during World War II on racial grounds. Interestingly, Moor Levi H. Thornhill, aged 87, flew with her across the US. She was also accompanied by Ronnell Norman, a certified commercial pilot.

Prior to the Tuskegee Airmen, there were no US military pilots who were black due to the extreme racism and prejudice that permeated all aspects of society. During several stops on her flight, Kimberly met the surviving members of the elite class of black servicemen and several autographed the airplane.

There are many Kimberly Anyadike in Nigeria who do not have the opportunity to express their potentials to the fullest. In Nigeria, creativity is rarely recognized or supported. But Kimberly’s accomplishment is a challenge to Nigeria’s most unconducive environment for youth development.

Nigeria must strive to provide opportunities for the country’s youths for without such investment and commitment, the country’s future is compromised. The youths must be included in the national planning and development agenda.

Kimberly Anyadike wants to continue flying as a private pilot. She loves science and one day hopes to become a cardiovascular surgeon.

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By Olayinka Latona

In order to check or eliminate the taboo associated with the social vulnerability of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and to signify a major landmark in the campaign against HIV/AIDS, Mannerism Communications (MACOM) in conjunction the body of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)is hosting the first ever “Miss Positive, Nigeria “beauty pageant.

The contest is unique as it is aimed at developing a national movement for an intensive awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS stigmatisation with primary focus on youths and adolescents.

The event is scheduled for November 23- 28, 2009. Suzan Olori, Project Manager, noted that the eventual winner will reign for one year and will be responsible for executing an HIV/AIDS project in several communities in Nigeria.

Project Director, Mr. Ojo Martins, told Good Health Weekly that the Miss Positive beauty pageant seeks to promote openness, an active lifestyle and tolerance for PLWA in all spheres of life. He said the beauty contest is going to involve both HIV/AIDS positive and negative women, aged 18- 28.

“This contest is going to be an annual event. Our aim is to promote openness and active life styles for those infected and thereby sensitise the populace. The avenue will also provide a unique opportunities for brands to come-up close with the general public through their corporate social responsibilities.”

Apart of the essence of Miss Positive beauty pageant, Ojo said the event is also about networking with PLWA. “Miss Positive is beyond gathering of people and telling them about HIV/AIDS or advising them to use condoms. Rather it is coming out to tell the world that I am positive and how do the people protect me and my interest? It is different from other approach or what we are used to.

“It is an approach where anybody that is positive is proud and once he or she knows that he will not be stigmatised, it will be easier for such person to live an open life.

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A major concern for the Diasporean looking to return home is what kind of Education will be available for their Children in Nigeria. Our local expert is a seasoned Educational commentator with a vast knowledge and experience in this field. She will present an unbiased assessment of the schools, based on result, cost ,ethos, curriculum, extracurricular activities and general overall effectiveness of the school. Your own ratings and experience will also be taken on board to enrich the site.

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