Pendoctor

Recently, it was announced that the federal government would give each state 5 billion naira as palliative to cushion the burden of removal of fuel subsidy on the residents. It is obvious that 5 billion naira for each state is not a fair distribution. Lagos and Kano with very high populations get same amount with Ekiti and Osun that have lower populations. This defeats the principle of equity. Truth is, there is no perfect method to share the money. Any program that involves human beings can be corrupted. However, some methods are more prone to misappropriation than others. This post is not about what is the ideal palliative (financial, infrastructural, etc) for Nigerians. The federal government has taken a decision on financial palliative. My concern is how the aid could be distributed appropriately. In my opinion, the use of the BVN would allow for an equitable sharing of the palliative. It will also reduce misappropriation greatly. Some days ago, during his interview on Arise News, ...

It is documented that civilization started in Africa (Ancient Egypt) and Mesopotamia (now Iraq). Unfortunately, while the forebears of development snoozed, peoples of other races took over. Now the historical originator is being tutored on what to do and not do. According to Lamarck's law of use and disuse: you lose what you don't use. This has been the fate of developing countries. It doesn't matter if one was the first to discover something. What matters is if one optimizes what was discovered. Time and tide wait for no man. Many developing nations have lost trust in themselves. They are just waiting for a "Messiah" to sort them out. As we have seen, the "Messiah" has only been offering Dutch gifts; ultimately, they take back what they give. What is the realistic and sustainable way forward? Acculturation. For developing countries to grow at a commendable and sustainable pace, they have to adjust foreign or western information and practices to suit the...

One of the laws of physics says, "To every action, there is (an equal and opposite)/a reaction."  The expression above does not apply in all areas of life. Sometimes, the right reaction to an action is to do nothing. A doctor was in a bus sometime ago when a passenger began to vomit. Some passengers poured water on the head of the person who was vomiting; some made sympathetic expressions to the ill person. The doctor looked at the vomiting person for some seconds and turned to continue reading his novel. The doctor's friend in the bus with him suggested that he (the doctor) should do something to stop the vomiting. The doctor shook his head in disagreement as he expected the vomiting would stop naturally. His friend was disappointed. As a doctor, he should have done something. The doctor did the right thing. In silence, he assessed the situation and was convinced nothing meaningful could be done inside the bus that would help the ill passenger. Rather than cause more har...