The Physically Challenged and Crime
Two physically challenged persons, a man and a woman are now in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA inAkwaIbomStatefor alleged possession and sale of dry weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa. The names were given as Idim Akpanudofia Afangideh and Ekom Okon Akpani, a 25-year old single mother with two children.
The Akwa Ibom State NDLEA commander, Josephine Obi revealed this stated that the man was arrested at his family home, Okana Ikot Ntuen village in Essien-Udim local government area of the state where 1.8 kilograms of cannabis were recovered in two parcels. His female partner, Mrs Akpan was picked with 100 grams of the same weed hidden under her legs. The NDLEA boss hinted that the two have confessed to the crime and would remain in the NDLEA custody until investigations were completed.
In 2012, a single mother of three was apprehended at theMurtallaMohammedInternationalAirport, Ikeja about to board an international flight with 60 kilograms of narcotics. When interrogated, she attributed her involvement on hard drugs to hardship. In a related incident almost about the same time last year, a man and two women were caught with 316,65 kilograms of the same weed in transit along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The trios confessed their involvement in inter state distribution of the hard drug.
It is indeed worrisome that mothers have become drug barons ruining or destroying in the process other people’s children because of one personal reason or the other.
The engagement of single mothers in particular in the cannabis trade is understandable. A woman with no husband ought to have been very cautious in having babies in view of the most likely concomitant hardships about to be encountered as soon as she becomes less attractive through child birth and poor maintenance. Her repellant personality deffeminizes her causing men to desert her and her numerous domestic problems.
On the other hand, the involvement of the physically challenged in drug trade poses a very serious challenge to law abiding Nigerians who habitually close their eyes to lucrative but immoral sources of making quick money and becoming rich. By such undertakings, the physically challenged brothers and sisters crave for more Nigerians to become handicapped or physically incapacitated. May be they are not aware that their choice of this particular life style in bound to drain away public sympathy hitherto lavished on them. It will also force others largely undecided to be insensitive to appeals to assist them find their feet in a competitive world.
Some how, the incident goes a long way to validate the often held view by extremists that some of the physically disadvantaged could have been a lethal threat to the society without their deformity.
Letter
Sir,
Renaming of UNILAG
Recently, the federal government changed the name of theUniversityofLagos, Akoka toMoshudAbiolaUniversity. Opposition to the executive action grew like wild fire across the states. Students of the university were at the fore front fanning dissent. Demonstrations were organized to sensitive the public and enlist the support of Nigerians.
While I endorse the students’ action that the university should not be renamed, a new name other than theUniversityofLagosought to be adopted to detribalize the university in ethnic politics in education.
ProMoshudAbiolaUniversityactivists are fuming with rage why the university has not been renamed as directed by President Goodluck Jonathan. Happily, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Rahamon Bello in a recent statement explained that the university will not change its name without an amendment to the 1962 Act of Parliament which established it.
Does it mean President Jonathan and his team of advisers are not aware of this legal knot? I think the array of advisers in governments should advise properly and in keeping with the law.
Jonas Egbe
Okigwe
Letter
Traffic Jam in Owerri Metropolis
The scenario of pedestrians getting to their destinations faster than a vehicle in a queue along some major highways notablyControl Post/Bank Avenue/Douglas Roadis no longer a fairy tale but a reality. This is why hordes of pedestrians daily trek from the Control Post to either Bank Rd or Douglas Rd to keep their engagements.
Government should reduce the congestion on these roads by prescribing the class of vehicles for the busy highways within the peak hours of the day. I suggest that heavy duty vehicles such as trailers should be given a red card not to ply these roads within certain hours of the day. The present situation in which they compete for a right of way with smaller vehicles ought to be prohibited. This has led to occasional loss of lives in the past because these heavy duty vehicles are too prone to break failures. The chances of this happening are great because of the perennial traffic jam and slow movement of vehicles along these roads.
Obioma Ude
Works Layout, Owerri.
