There is no denying the fact that since I actively got involved in the advocacy for gender equality that some individuals that come across as misogynists have started profiling me as feminist. Be that as it may, it is equally expedient to enlighten them that feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women.

Without doubt, these critics had unarguably betrayed their collective ignorance on what feminism is. This is as their actions have revealed to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is. Explanatorily put to them in this context, “Feminism is about giving women choice, voice and a place to stand. Like Archimedes said, “Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.” Yes, many a woman in Nigeria need a place to stand even as she equally need a lever.

The reason for the foregoing view cannot be pooh-poohed as it is high time the world stopped being a man’s world. Again, from the very beginning God made us male and female. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (Gen. 1:27). God created “man” – that is, human beings. But He created man in two kinds: “male” and “female”. The Fifth Commandment, which deals with all our relationships to one another as human beings, recognizes this male/female distinction: It is not “Honor thy parents” but “Honor thy father and thy mother”. Great differences exist between men and women, but only together do they make up mankind – or humankind. The human race would be incomplete without either.

At this juncture, permit me to say that feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It is about freedom, it is about liberation, it is about equality. I really don’t know what their angst against about women’s fight for freedom from age-long stranglehold of gender inequality is. To this end, I must confess that it is very confusing. I’m confused just as most people are confused.

Be that as it may, let me express how I feel as a woman in this context, and highlight the fact that I’m proud to be a woman because women’s instincts are strong. The instinctual power that we have within us guides us and protects us. I’m proud to be a woman because the female bond is so strong, when women support anyone; irrespective of gender, incredible things can happen. I’m proud to be a woman because we go through so much and deal with so much but come out stronger and more resilient. I’m proud to be a woman because I love the community that women create for each other – we are each other’s cheerleaders and it’s amazing how we can build each other up. I’m proud to be a woman because we literally grow other humans….I mean that is pretty amazing!

In the same vein, permit me to beat my chest and say once again that I’m proud to be a woman because my twin sister and my late mum are two of the strongest people I have ever met, and I’m so lucky to have such incredible women as relatives. Most glaring of all is that I’m proud to be a woman because we are beautiful inside and out, even as I’m proud to be a woman because we are fighters!

Still in the same vein, I’m proud to be a woman because we are kind, compassionate and have loving souls. I’m proud to be a woman because we aren’t afraid to show emotion. I’m proud to be a woman because we love to love.

I’m proud to be a woman because we are incredible at multi-tasking. I’m proud to be a woman because we are fantastic at dealing with anything; throw anything at us and we can handle it. I’m proud to be a woman because we bring out the best in each other, our friends are like our family. I’m proud to be a woman because it’s not easy… I’m proud to be a woman because my mother raised me and my mother is the most wonderful human being. I’m proud to be a woman because all the women who fought for our rights have enabled us to enjoy endless opportunities. There is no better time to be a woman than now. I’m proud to be a woman because I feel empowered. I’m proud to be a woman because our bodies are amazing- we can grow babies inside of us and push them out of our bodies! And lastly, I’m proud to be a woman because we are nurturing and caring.

At this juncture, it is germane to enlighten all those that are belittling or undermining women that a woman means being a valuable member of the society.

They need to be told that being a woman means that one is opinionated, articulate, and strong-willed. It means working to destroy the disgusting double standards that can be forced upon us. You can like wearing makeup and sundresses while also being intelligent and deserving of powerful positions. It means refusing to accept the words “prude,” “slut,” or “bitch.” It means supporting fellow women, when society ceaselessly pits us against each other.

Above all, it means being unapologetic for who we are, what we want, and what we deserve. We’re real human beings like everyone else, and we deserve to be heard. Society will be better for it, not worse.

To me, being a woman means being myself unapologetically. Through sharing my ideas as I am wont to do in this context, pushing boundaries, and finding my own voice, I can prove that although gender is part of anyone’s identity, it should never restrict them to cultural boundaries of how a woman is expected to be. Women are all unique, and that’s the beauty of it.

When faced with the question ‘What does being a woman mean to you?’ there are about a million answers, and every day, the answer changes.

Being a ‘woman’ is multifaceted, complex, and often unfair. It’s a difficult gender to identify with. Society holds us to ridiculous standards, outdated gender norms are pervasive in our daily lives, gender pay gaps are still rampant, and the patriarchy, although facing criticism, is still a force to be reckoned with. Often I find myself frustrated and angered at the situations that still confront us.

Despite this, I, Sandra, take so much pride and hope in knowing that there’s never been a greater time for women. Facing the spread of feminism, and strong feelings of solidarity, despite the wide and intersectional diversity of issues faced by women, I am beyond glad to be part of this collective force of womankind.

Being a woman to me is a lot about strength, mutual support, and love. The women I choose to surround myself with are always there to back me up, to rely on for whatever and whenever with unwavering levels of support. I feel so much comfort in this.

There is certainly far to go, but the tides are changing. I often see this phrase stuck on laptops, bags, or on signs littered all over campus, and every time I do, I feel a little more empowered by the knowledge that ‘the future is female.

The only way I can describe what being a woman means to me is to say what aspect of my life makes me most proud of who I am: being a sister. I have biological sisters who are my best friends. When we’re together, I’m both my best and worst self. I’m supportive and supported, loving and loved. It’s the deepest and truest relationship I know. Having expressed myself on this platform, I’m proud to reiterate that I’m proud to be a woman, what about you? I am poised to always engage in the fight for gender equality whenever it becomes exigent to do so.

Iftār Mubarak Ya Sheikh. And congratulations on your disengagement as the Imam of the Apo Legislative Quarters Mosque. I understand that this is coming after you criticised the Buhari–led administration for their irresponsibility and timidity in handling the lingering insecurity in the North.

Ya Sheikh, I congratulate you because a voice of reason, conviction, and truth like you does not belong to an environment where the alleged custodians of reason observe [anti]social distance with the truth.

Ya Sheikh, it’s true that if you’d accepted your place and remained silent amidst the irresponsibility and timidity of our leaders, there would be peace and you wouldn’t be disengaged. But it would be a peace boiled down to stagnant complacency, deadening passivity; and if peace means this, then we don’t want peace.

Ya Sheikh, If peace means keeping your mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, we don’t want peace!

Ya Sheikh, they can disengage you or anybody all they want but they cannot disengage the truth, they cannot disengage you from the truth. Because basic truth do not change. What was true then [before your disengagement] remains true today — that the Buhari–led administration is an abject failure. This is a truth that has been embraced by everyone. It’s a truth that lies in the heart of every Nigerian whether Muslim or Christian, Northerner or Southerner.

Ya Sheikh, the country needs a few good people like you. People who are as true to truth as the needle to the pole. Ya Sheikh, with your truth, you’ve set the tone why standing with the truth is necessary in tragic times like these not only for our religious leaders but for every influential voice out there.

Ya Sheikh, conscience is an open wound which only the truth heals. And truth, like a water course, always finds its way. Ya Sheikh, your ability to say the truth no matter whose ox is gored and irrespective of who bears the brunt makes you a rare find.

Ya Sheikh, the harvest of truth and justice is plenty but the labourers are very few. Ya Sheikh, because you have spoken honestly and with conviction, may truth always be your shield.

Ya Sheikh, like millions of Nigerians, I stand with you today and always. May Allah continue to guide, protect, and bless you.❤

On a last note, to Sen. Dansadau, it’s midnight in Nigeria, and at midnight colors lose their distinctiveness and become a sullen shade of gray, like how moral principles lose their distinctiveness. Be reminded, Senator.

Muhammed-Bello Buhari (MB Buhari) is a human rights activist and public affairs commentator, he writes from Kaduna and can be reached via embbuhari@gmail.com

The railway used to be a very important part of transportation in Nigeria during the colonial era up until the collapse of everything that once worked in this country. The collapse began, suspect, with the civil war and its aftermath and the introduction of a Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in the 80s which turned the country into a waste-land of poverty. As young students, knowing the rail lines of Nigeria was a compulsory assignment if you were studying Civics or Geography. I recall how we were made to draw those winding lines with double bars across indicating the lines from Lagos to Nguru and Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. We also memorized all the destinations along the line. We were taught that the first railway in Nigeria was opened between Lagos and Abeokuta in 1898 by the colonial authorities using the Cape gauge, a very narrow gauge.

In Abeokuta, Ibadan, Kano, Maiduguri, the train terminal was a major cultural and social icon, a bustling centre of economic activity. Along the route to the major terminals, small communities developed along the rail routes, the trains linked towns and communities – Ifo, Ilaro, Mokoloki, Minna, Kaduna, Kaura Namoda, Kuru, Jos and the people in such places found jobs and opportunities. During the civil war, the rail line was a ready route of escape from the pogrom in parts of the country as Easterners fled to their ancestral homeland. After the war, the railway was also useful. It provided not just a reliable alternative to road travel, it was also useful for the transportation of goods and services. As a young lad, I travelled with my step mum from Abeokuta to Ibadan and to Lagos. At every major train station, hordes of sellers would knock on the windows and sell sugar cane, bean cake, maize, corn matte, and all kinds of fried materials. The signal that the disembarkation of passengers and the boarding of new ones had been completed was always signaled by the loud horn of the train and the clanging of bells to announce the continuation of the journey. I found the movement of the train especially intriguing. I preferred to look out of the windows to soak in the sight of moving houses and trees. In my innocent mind, I thought the houses and trees moved along with the train.

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) was one of Nigeria’s biggest public sector employers at the time. We used to hear of such things as Railway Yard, and truly, it was quite prestigious to be a Railway Staff. In Dugbe, Ibadan, Lafenwa in Abeokuta, Iddo in Lagos, Kafanchan, Jebba, Minna, the Railway station was a 24-hour melting pot of culture, commerce and engineering. The NRC could also boast of many rich assets. The trains were so slow it usually took about three days to get to Kano from Abeokuta. But the people were happy with the services. The routes were safe, day and night. There were no regular accidents, and if any, very minor, but the most fatal that occurred was at Langa-Langa in present day Nasarawa State on February 16, 1970. The train was on its way to the South East from Jos, when it suddenly derailed at Langa-Langa, resulting in the death of about 150 persons. It was a tragic accident. Many had to be amputated before they could be rescued from the wreckage. But this did not deter people from patronizing the services of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC). In due course, Nigeria happened to the Railway. Hereis what that means: the Nigeria Railway became inefficient. Its coaches collapsed one after the other and they were not replaced. Many of the train stations from Lagos to Nguru, from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri were abandoned.

Many of the train communities lost the commerce that the trains brought along. In the few places like Lagos, where a few coaches still moved between Agege and Iddo, rail transportation had become an expression of madness. By 1990, the NRC could only boast of about 15 coaches in its entire national network. In many parts of the country, vandals stole the iron on train tracks and melted them for their own selfish purposes. The tracks were already overgrown with weeds in any case. The most shocking illustration of the failure of the NRC was the conversion of the rail lines into trading posts. In Lagos, at Agege, and in Yaba, Oshodi, and Mushin, as the rickety surviving coaches approached, the traders moved their wares out of the way. As soon as the train passed, they would set up their wares again: tomatoes, pepper, second hand clothes, chin chin, puff puff. Late in the night, the rail tracks were turned into public toilets! The dispossession of the Nigerian economy due to bad economic judgment, bad leadership and corruption within the public sector led to the collapse of the Nigerian Railway: unpaid salaries and allowances, un happy pensioners, abandoned yards. As the railways collapsed, Nigerians moved to the roads. The roads would also soon collapse under the weight of abuse. Air travel has always been elitist. The majority of the people travel on the roads and by rail. In the 80s, the Lateef Jakande administration in Lagos, thinking ahead, tried to build a Metroline in Lagos. Jakande meant well, but the Buhari administration that came to power in 1985, aborted the project. About 40 years later, Lagos is still struggling to revive the dream.

Indeed, it has been long recognized that a multi-modal transportation system and a railway system in particular was crucial to Nigeria’s development process. This explains why since the return to democratic rule under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo, concerted efforts have been made to strengthen transportation infrastructure in the country with the rail system as part of the design. Other administrations have followed suit with efforts and programmes to deliver efficient and solid railway infrastructure.

In 2006, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) was brought in to build the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway. Before the Obasanjo Government left office in 2007, there had been an attempt to further expand railway operations in the country. In 2009, serious attempts began to restore the rail lines beginning with the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, on the Eastern line. At both state and Federal levels, efforts were also made to re-build Nigeria’s railway infrastructure. In fairness to the Buhari administration which assumed office in 2015, it has done a lot to sustain infrastructure projects that it inherited from its predecessors, including the Jonathan administration, the railway, included. These include the Abuja-Kaduna rail line of 187 km, officially commissioned on July 26, 2016, the Warri-Itakpe line completed in 2020. It took 30 years to finish that particular construction. The Lagos-Ibadan line was launched on June 10, 2021. The administration has also constructed major railway terminals in Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta and parts of the East. In a sense, what the Buhari administration has done with the Railways, in terms of structure, branding, reinvention, and promotion of communal ownership is meant to be one of its major legacies.

Unfortunately, all of that is coming unstuck in a very bad manner. The rail lines cited above and others are in place, and others are works in progress, but the efforts of the Buhari administration in taking the revival of the rail infrastructure in the country to a strong end is undermined by recent revelations and incidents about the integrity of railway operations in the country. The most shocking development would be the attack on an Abuja-Kaduna bound train by terrorists last Monday. As reported, 398 passengers bought tickets, 362 boarded, but some media outlets reported that a total of 970 persons were on board. How? Nigeria is one country where basic statistics is a ghost affair, we are a country where nobody knows how much crude oil is produced, how much is refined or imported, how many students are in school or out of school, how many policemen the country has, there is even no reliable data on retail sales, we don’t even know the country’s exact population! Almost a week after the attack on the night train to Kaduna, Nigeria remains in a state of confusion. The only people that are most affected are those who lost their beloved ones- their only sin is that they belong to a country that does not care enough for its citizens. The Abuja-Kaduna train tragedy speaks to all that is wrong with Nigeria: we have revived the railways, but in the very effort that has been made is the seed of failure. Who is going to explain this failure to the affected families? Who is going to tell them that it is okay to die needlessly in Nigeria? The big lesson from the Kaduna-Abuja train tragedy is that the country is not safe. Not even in the Langalanga incident was there a report of bombing. The rail tracks at the worst of times in the past used to be safe. Today, terrorists plant bombs either in trains or on rail tracks.

I painted the picture of a time when the Railway was considered one of the safest modes of transportation in Nigeria and the decline that followed. Despite all the investments and the attempts to revive the railway sector, it is sad to note that the best is not working. A loud statement was made about the insecurity in the land when the Abuja-Kaduna train was bombed. There have been other cases of train bombing in the world: the Minsk Metro bombing of 2011, the Chennai train bombing of May 2014, the Istanbul Metro bombing of 2015, the Brussels train bombing of March 2016, the Saint Petersburg Metro bombing of April 2017, all of them linked to terrorist attacks. What rankles in the Nigerian case is that there was prior intelligence. Nobody acted on the intelligence. Both the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai and the minister of Transportation have disclosed that the tragedy was avoidable, because it was foreseen.

El-Rufai accuses the military of failing to do its duty by blatantly refusing to attack their hideouts of the terrorist despite having enough information about their location, identity and operations. El-Rufai barely stopped short of accusing the military of complicity. He plans to see the President to make specific requests: he says military formations should be established in the North West, that the military should show greater determination, and that the NRC should stop night operations henceforth. The Minister of Transportation says the problem is money: if only he had been given N3bilion as earlier proposed to address security and surveillance issues and to purchase sensors and other surveillance equipment, nobody would have been able to go near the trains to plant bombs or attack travellers. The Inspector General of Police now says he has deployed security men to protect the engineers who have been directed to make sure the trains start working again forthwith. He also wants to deploy drones. The Nigerian Air Force says it will use aircraft to provide back up security for trains in Nigeria. Minister Rotimi Amaechi has talked about engaging villagers along train routes to provide information to the security agencies.

Please where on earth does anyone build strategic railway lines across vast, ungoverned spaces of the country without working out a security arrangement, only to wait for tragedy to occur before considering security as an add-on? Only in Nigeria! We act first and think later, after a familiar fashion. The terrorists in the North West and the North East have become more audacious because they know that Nigeria is negligent. They understand the weakness of the state better than the state itself. One whole week after the incident, with the President giving the Service Chiefs marching orders, nobody has been arrested, nobody has given us any positive information, no victim has been rescued! But we have evidence of cosmetic visits to the hospitals and promises made. The House of Representatives acting patriotic asked the Service Chiefs and other stakeholders to show up in their Chambers to give account. The Service Chiefs and other stakeholders, with the exception of the DG of the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) sent Representatives! The President has directed that services should resume. The Nigeria Railway Workers Union has sent back a rebuttal: its members are not going back to work unless their safety can be guaranteed. I doubt if many passengers would have the courage to travel by rail again, either along the Abuja-Kaduna route or elsewhere. The problem is that the roads are not safe, air travel is expensive, and there are no other ready options. We are under the siege of bandits and terrorists and hapless security agents. Apart from the bombing of the Abuja-Kaduna train, the Kaduna International Airport was also attacked by terrorists who according to a certain Army General were just passing by. Passing by! Communities have also been tacked in Niger State, close to the Federal Capital Territory.

Governor el-Rufai says if the Federal Government would not do anything, he will arrange to get mercenaries to fight the terrorists. He is speaking out of frustration. He has no such powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic. The Nigeria Air Force says they are now prepared to deploy the Super Tucano jets which Nigeria bought from the US in 2021. When we see the jets in action, we will say so – seeing is believing as Nigerians would say. But all of this is reactive rather than pro-active. Insecurity remains the biggest problem Nigeria faces today. It is the same problem that any Presidential aspirant in the 2023 Presidential election must talk about with clarity and sense. On this subject, the outgoing administration must eschew the temptation to abuse, harass, insult or intimidate anyone who chooses to speak truth to power either from the pulpit or from lecture halls at home and abroad, whether that person be a Sheik, an Overseer or a former President. We need to make the trains safe: leverage technology, put the best hands in charge and place a higher priority on the observance of best practices. In 2019, the Nigerian government reportedly reviewed the National Security Strategy (NSS) to find lasting solutions to security threats. It was the first time since 2014 that such a review would take place. Three years later, where are the gains of that review?

Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos.

Each passing day, terrorists and bandits are getting bolder and more strategic in their attacks in Nigeria. Nigerians are so used to the terror that it takes a terrorist’s act of great intensity and maximum impact to get our attention. Recent events mark a watershed in terrorists’ activities in Nigeria. Terrorists invaded Kaduna International Airport and killed a security guard attached to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA; an attack by scores of armed terrorists, who invaded an Abuja community, Gurara, bordering Niger State and the FCT; and a terror attack on Abuja- Kaduna train, which left at least eight passengers dead, 41 injured and scores kidnapped.

These few weeks have witnessed these gruesome attacks that have deflowered our collective sense of security and peace. Attacking our critical transport infrastructure will affect our economy and people’s movement and alter our way of life if we do not stem the tide now.

Persistent attacks on trains and rail infrastructure is only symptomatic of a nation in distress. These attacks have been increasing in frequency and intensity, and citizens’ lives and rail assets are in peril. Less than six months apart, we witnessed two attacks on trains and rail infrastructure. Last October, bandits operating on Kaduna- Abuja axis destroyed a portion of the rail track with explosives. Last Monday’s attack on a train by suspected bandits or terrorists left a sour taste in our mouths.

We can no longer afford to play the ostrich; instead, it is time we admit the urgent need for sober reflection and step up our determination as a people to confront terrorism in all its ramifications. It is self-evident that the Kaduna- Abuja train bombing has brought a few issues to the fore. These issues need urgent attention by all stakeholders to make a meaningful difference in the fight against bandits and terrorists targeting our gateways and transport systems.

Although new to Nigeria, terrorists have always targeted trains to inflict panic on the people. Madrid, London, and Mumbai are big cities that have witnessed ugly incidents of train attacks with devastating impacts. They have risen above those incidents and created a security system that has stopped further attacks in their cities. What can we learn from them?

The first issue we must acknowledge is that trains and airlines are new targets for bandits and terrorists. Interestingly, they are focussing on Kaduna state for their operations. Kaduna is the microcosm of Nigeria. It is a melting pot for Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversity and has historical significance. Its nearness and link with Abuja give it access to the seat of power in Nigeria. Little wonder, in recent times, Kaduna – Abuja express road is the epicentre of terrorist and bandits’ activities in Nigeria. The train travel was succour to many residents and visitors to Kaduna as it offers the safest route to enter and leave Kaduna.

This terrorist attack on the train has tainted the only safe route to Kaduna for many people. Many people wonder what next to travel with if terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers attack the roads, trains, and airports. This is the strategic nature of these attacks to inflict much panic and alter people’s lives, even if momentarily.

Like what people living in the big cities of London, Madrid, and Mumbai, who were affected by the train bombing, did, Nigerians should not allow terrorist to achieve their aim of disrupting our way of life. We should not be deterred from using trains and other forms of transportation to send a clear message to terrorists that we are united in defiance of their reign of terror. This is only possible when the government proactively puts in place, systems, structures, and processes that will militate against terrorists’ activities in the trains.

The second issue is the need for a general concern for public safety. It behoves us to work collectively and collaboratively to ensure public safety. Security is not just the job of security officers; everyone should be involved. I do not believe in the conspiracy theory making rounds. It claims that security has become big business, and security personnel and their cronies are feeding fat on the proceeds of money meant for our collective safety.

However, I believe that our security systems have not done enough work in convincing and mobilising all of us to be security savvy and engage in security surveillance and intelligence. People must be asked to report anything they feel is a security concern to the appropriate authorities. The slogan should be “if you suspect it, report it”. This intelligence-gathering helps the security officers to prevent such dastardly attacks. These terrorists are not spirits; they are humans and engage in various activities within communities. If everyone is vigilant and ready to play a role in the security ecosystem of our trains and railways, we will succeed in checkmating these ugly terror incidents on our rails.

The third issue evident in this attack is the importance of data. When the incident happened, it was difficult to ascertain the actual number of passengers that boarded the train. Some media reported that about 970 people were on board the train when the incident happened. However, I must note that the train capacity was far less than that and the number of tickets sold was also less than the number of people on the train. The implication is that the data or personal information of most people on the train was not captured. It becomes challenging to know precisely how many people were rescued, kidnapped, or killed in this ugly incident. There was insufficient data to plan for an adequate rescue mission, and the challenge of data is real in our country.

The fourth issue is our emergency response. In cases of emergency, time is of great essence, and it means life and death. We need to evaluate how long it took security officers to get to the scene of the incident. What about the medical emergency regime, is it fit for purpose? How many lives were saved because of medical emergency response process in place? This is a germane issue that requires greater attention now. The proactiveness of an emergency regime ensures a more significant percentage of survival and lesser serious health complications for the victims.

The fifth issue is the government’s overall proactiveness to the train. Was the government response swift and adequate? The Minister of Transportation and the Governor of Kaduna state quickly went to the scene of the incident and condoled with the victims of this dastardly act. The minister made some remarks about how all Nigerians must work together to improve the security situation in the country. It also came to light that the minister of transportation initiated preemptive action against this anticipated terrorist action by taking a proposal to the federal executive council . The finer points and details of cabinet debate do not concern a public preoccupied with basic safety and security . It was unfortunate that this issue did not get priority attention it deserved at the cabinet level.

The last issue is the porous borders, especially in Northern Nigeria. Many victims claim that the terrorists were not Nigerians but foreigners. They must have crossed into Nigeria through the various porous borders in many parts of the North. It does not help too that we have too many illegal immigrants who may have access to light weapons and explosives that are all over the place in these areas due to the security crisis there. It is time Nigeria took it seriously to enforce substantial border restrictions and monitor extensively the illegal immigration crisis the country is facing. It should also work hard to stop the proliferation of weapons all over the country.

A critical look at the issues above reveals that we need to do a lot to curb this menace of terrorism, , especially by protecting critical transport infrastructures like trains, railways and our airports. It is crucial to have well qualified and better equipped armed guards on every railway couch. Based on the incident, the few police men in some of the coaches gallantly engaged the terrorists in a gun battle and at least repelled them for a while before help arrived. Imagine what would have happened if they were not there at all.

The use of technology to drive security in the trains and railway station is essential. Last Wednesday, Nigeria’s transport minister, Chibuike Amaechi, said that the train services would resume “with aerial security from the Airforce” when the damaged rail track is fixed. This promise will help reassure passengers of adequate protection on the train. The collaboration with the Airforce is essential because repelling such terror incidents require multi-agency and multi-sectoral engagement at all levels to ensure the safety of passengers. I am in no doubt that if this had been in place before now, this attack would not have been successful.

I will add that there is a need for electronic surveillance of the entire route to avoid terrorists hiding in some areas to perpetrate their evil acts without detection. This surveillance system will help detect the terrorists far earlier before they attack. It will also help the security team to respond in time and save lives . Globally , security is dependent on actionable intelligence driven by technology.

Every thing considered , Freedom of movement is a constitutional right. The state must guarantee Freedom of movement, and it is a serious responsibility. Failure to protect lives and property by the state means that it has failed in its duty in the social contract with its people. I will assume this will be the last attack on trains because all must work to ensure it never happens again. If it happens once or twice, as it did this time around, it can be discounted, but it is not discountable when it happens a third time. People in authority must bear the responsibility and be accountable for all preventable terror incidents to the government and people of Nigeria.

Peterside PhD., is former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)

It has been a year since the passage of Innocent Chukwuma, my friend, brother, and Comrade. It looks like yesterday when I got that devastating response from Professor Chidi Odinkalu saying, “We may have lost Innocent.” I had called in response to a barrage of WhatsApp messages from Chidi, which started with, “Good evening, sir. How are you doing? Family? Have you heard about Innocent…?”

Innocent Chukwuma, or Innoma, as I called him, was 55, and the immediate past Regional Director (West Africa) of Ford Foundation. He was full of life and ideas. His death was devastating in many ways. It depleted the ranks of civil society and human rights activists in Nigeria, which has suffered severe blows in the last two decades from the death of the inveterate organiser and leading democracy activists, Chima Ubani, in 2005, to the consummate scribe and Principal Private Secretary to former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Olaitan Oyerinde, in 2012, to lawyer and human rights activist, Bamidele Aturu, in 2014, to former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and Executive Director of Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), Emma Ezeazu, in 2015, to radical communication scholar and activist, Dr Yima Sen, in 2020, to the political activist and national publicity secretary of Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yinka Odumakin, on April 3, 2021, and many others.

Innocent Chukwuma died on Saturday, April 3, 2021, 24 hours after he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), three days before he was due to travel to the University of Oxford to commence writing his autobiography after eight years in charge of Ford Foundation, West Africa.

Innocent and I had life-long friendship, which started in the late 1980s as student activists — he at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and I at the University of Calabar. We both served in the same orientation camp in Maiduguri, Borno State, for our NYSC and would later connect in Lagos after service. As young men trying to find our feet in our different endeavours — he worked at Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Nigeria’s foremost human rights organisation, while I was a reporter at the TheNews — his flat which he shared with two of his Mbaise kinsmen, Okey Nwaguma, the Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) and Dr Geoffrey Anyanwu, was a weekend getaway for me.

In my friendship and collaboration with Innocent Chukwuma, which spanned more than three decades, what has remained with me, beyond the banters and social engagements, are the conversations we had about the future of Nigeria. These conversations started from what Innocent and I have in common: 1966, the year of our birth.

As with everything about him, it started as a joke. He had teased me about the fact that he was two months older than I. I ignored him. Then he got serious, reminding me that 1966, the year of our birth, was a pivotal moment in the history and political evolution of the country. Of course, I knew that, but it wasn’t something I had thought about deeply in terms of how historical coincidence could trigger an attempt to confront the Nigerian malaise. Innocent had suggested the formation of a group, the “Class of 66,” to undertake that task.

On January 15, 1966, barely six years after independence, the country witnessed a military coup, which truncated the First Republic with the assassination of the country’s first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Belewa, the Premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Ladoke Akintola, and the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, among other high-profile casualties. On July 29, 1966, there was another coup, which overthrew the government of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s first military head of state. He and his host at Ibadan, the first military governor of the Western Region, Lt. Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, among others, were assassinated. The ugly consequences of these two events would spill over leading to a civil war, which lasted from July 1967 to January 1970.

Fifty-two years after, the country has yet to make any meaningful effort at national redemption. It is no surprise, therefore, that the leadership is rudderless and the country remains comatose. Innocent would be shocked at what the country has become in the last one year, a veritable killing field awash with the blood of compatriots spilled daily courtesy of ruthless kidnappers, bandits and terrorists who have capitalized on unexampled poor governance to share coercive powers with the state and carve out territories of their own in the forests and highways.

Innocent Chukwuma, indeed, was many things to different people. One of his legacies is the Oluaka Institute in Imo State, a technology incubation village, which he set up to bridge the technology gap and tackle youth unemployment.

As part of the first-year remembrance, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, Innocent’s widow, and CLEEN Foundation, the organisation he founded in 1998 and led for many years before joining Ford Foundation, have lined up several activities befitting a man who was at home with creative ideas and solutions. “Impact and Legacy. Those are the two words that best define Innocent’s life on earth,” notes Josephine Effah-Chukwuma. Anyone who knew Innocent or even met him for a few hours would agree.

On Thursday, April 7, in Abuja, there will be an official launch of a foundation in honour of Innocent Chukwuma, the Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Empowerment Foundation (ICCEF). This will be followed by the official launch of an academic chair and fellowship, the Innocent Chukwuma Social Impact Chair and Fellowship (ICSICF) on Friday, May 13, the day he was interred a year ago. The chair and fellowship are being hosted by the Lagos Business School with support from Ford Foundation. On that day, there will be a reading of excerpts of Innocent’s biography being written by Dr Nduka Otiono, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator at the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. This is being done with support from Ford Foundation.

It is heartwarming that Josephine Effah-Chukwuma and her children, Chidinma, Amarachi, and Nkechi, as well as CLEEN Foundation, Ford Foundation, friends, and associates, have come together to remember and celebrate Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma. He would be proud.

Truly, #InnocentChukwumaLives!

​Onumah, co-host of @90MinutesAfrica, can be reached via @conumah

17 years ago, the Obasanjo administration reached an agreement with the Paris Club on a comprehensive treatment of Nigeria’s debt. Although it was a multi-stage, multi-covenant agreement, local newspaper headlines focused on the bit where, in order to “obtain a debt cancellation estimated at US$18 billion (including moratorium interest) representing an overall cancellation of about 60% of its debt to the Paris Club of around US$30 billion”, the Obasanjo government agreed to pay its Paris Club creditors “US$12.4 billion, representing regularisation of arrears of US$6.3 billion, plus a balance of US$6.1 billion to complete the exit strategy”.

Much was made then of the possibility that the Obasanjo government could have deployed the US$12.4 billion paid to the Paris Club more usefully: Building more and better schools, hospitals, bridges, new roads, etc. Today, this argument undergirds much of the justification by the Buhari government of its extensive borrowing. Given how serious the nation’s infrastructure deficit is, isn’t there a trade-off to be had between more debt and investment in trains, bridges, and roads? Without doubt, yes. Especially if such investments boost domestic productivity, and by extension the country’s ability to meet its diverse obligations on an ongoing basis.

But there were far more serious other considerations in 2005. Not many Nigerians commentating on the decision by the Obasanjo government to reach that agreement with the Paris Club so many years back remember that it was only in 2006 that the country received its first sovereign credit rating. According to Fitch Ratings, its decision (published on Monday, January 30, 2006) to assign “the Federal Republic of Nigeria Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings of ‘BB-‘ (BB minus), both with Stable outlook” was underpinned by a clutch of reforms undertaken by the government, all of which “enabled the Nigerian government to reach agreement on resolution of outstanding debt obligations with the Paris Club (‘PC’) of official creditors on 20 October 2005”.

… it is easy to presume that the burden the economy faced in the first few years of this century was a sovereign one. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Big corporate organisations found access to credit lines bunged up because of the country’s poor debt position. Banks had problems setting up credit lines with correspondent banks for the same reason.

In other words, before the agreement reached by the Obasanjo administration with its official creditors, Nigeria was in a bad fiscal place. Fitch estimated, then, that because of the debt agreement, “the government’s public debt burden will be equivalent to just 17% of GDP by end-2006 compared with 66% in 2004”. It also believed that with “public foreign debt of just US$5.1 billion, (including US$2.9 billion of mostly concessional debt owed to multilateral institutions), compared with US$42 billion of international reserves forecast for end-2006, Nigeria will be a net public external creditor while the public external debt service ratio will fall to just 1% of exports of goods and services in 2007”.

Against this background, it is easy to presume that the burden the economy faced in the first few years of this century was a sovereign one. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Big corporate organisations found access to credit lines bunged up because of the country’s poor debt position. Banks had problems setting up credit lines with correspondent banks for the same reason. And the agreement with the Paris Club simply lifted a chokehold on the nation’s finances and economy.

Essentially, the agreement was completed in two phases, in keeping with the provisions of a Policy Support Instrument (PSI) that the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund agreed for the country in October 2005. Under phase one of the agreement with the Paris Club, Nigeria was to obtain cancellation of 33 per cent of eligible debts after paying all the arrears due on all categories of debts. Phase two involved Nigeria paying “amounts due under post-cut off date debt”, and the Paris Club granting an additional 34 per cent cancellation of all eligible debt, after which Nigeria bought back the remaining eligible debt.

If a public debt of US$46.2 billion threatened to throttle the economy so many years ago, what are we to make of the US$95.78 billion that the country owed at the end of last year? Remember that in naira terms, the country’s public debt moved from N12.60 trillion in 2015 to N39.56 trillion last year. Worse still, poised to take advantage of softer external financing conditions which prevailed until this year, we had moved the ratio of our external debt to domestic debt from 17:83 in 2015 to 40:60 last year. It gets worse. Even as the external component of government debt rose from US$11.41 billion in 2016 to US$38.39 billion last year, the commercial part of this (Eurobonds and Diaspora bonds) rose from US$1.5 billion to US$14.69 billion.

Not just do we now owe more. We owe it to the wrong set of people. Unlike with the Obasanjo government’s counterparty, we will have to pay this set of creditors back. Unfortunately, we cannot point to what we used the money for. And what is there to point at cannot pay for itself, not to talk of helping to pay down parts of this humongous debt.

Ifeanyi, journalist manqué and retired civil servant, can be reached @IfeanyiUddin.