Connect with us

society

BEYOND SEX FOR GRADES: A VALUE SYSTEM IN TATTERS

Published

on


BY RAY NKAMA
All over the world, the girl child and and woman are considered to be among the most vulnerable groups when it comes to sexual harassment and exploitation. The United Nations and other international interventionist bodies have continued to cry out against the different forms of sexual violence that these vulnerable groups have been subjected to over time. In developing climes like Africa, some of these aberrations have attained untamed dimensions largely as a result of multidimentional poverty which in itself is a concomitant effect of leadership failure across the continent. Most African leaders are more interested in political power than in the entrenchment of good governance and the building of strong institutions that will outlive them. It is against the backdrop of this misplaced orientation that African leaders have paved the leeway for all sorts of unimaginable problems to find their ways into the continent.
Sex for Grades is a product of a very poor and comatose value system which tries to justify it. Our collective folly of placing higher premium on academic certifications over skills and innate ability has become our greatest undoing. This is the reason you find that most of our graduates are unemployable; they have gone to tertiary institutions to acquire certificates that they cannot defend. And this is why our girls and women would trade their bodies for grades because, as they say, “the end justifies the means”. This jaundiced understanding of the Machiavellian principle has been greatly catalysed by ignorance and desperation. More so, it has remained a malignant social tumour that is eating away our collective reputation as black people.
In Nigeria where we have allowed ourselves to be polarised along ethnic, religious, political and sectional lines, it can only take decades of value reorientation before we can address some of the issues affecting our girls and women. This is so much so because, over the years, we have celebrated mediocrity and downgraded excellence. We have rewarded criminals and punished people of goodwill who carried intellectual substance. We have held innovators in low esteem and have praised imitators to high heavens. The future we ordered is now upon us and generations unborn. We must dance the macabre dance of the drumbeats we paid the monster to play for us. 
How do we reconcile the sad fact that our girls and women would now have to sleep with their teachers before they can pass exams to the sordid reality that even ‘men of God’ are involved in this attitudinal malady. There have been cases of sports women who were dropped from tournamentcamps because they refused to open their legs for their coaches. Even the award of contracts is now a matter which woman is ready to play ball with those in charge.
Sex for Grades is only a miniature aspect of the totality of our collapsing value system. The problem is so severe that it requires  concerted efforts to address. We must tackle certain social concerns like poverty, illiteracy, tribalism and sectionalism before we can get other issues right.  We must begin to recognise and reward excellence and put an end to the practice of celebrating material wealth. We must compel our lawmakers to enact laws that would protect our girls, women and all other vulnerable groups. Our justice dispensation system must be without any form of partisanship so that criminality would be dealt the deadly blow.
We can achieve all of these if we are ready to change our individual mindsets and existential orientations. We can still attain greatness as a state or nation if we work collectively to build sound institutions that thrive on strong value and belief systems just as our amiable Governor Engr. David Umahi is doing through the office of the SA, Attitudinal Change. The mission is that no Ebonyi State indigene will be associated with criminality henceforth. None of our girl children and women will be caught trading sex for grades. And it is our un-monopolistic belief that all Nigerian states would share this mission by setting up value reorientation mechanisms within their territories to help in the war against the avalanche of social maladies that are crippling our youths, especially the girl children and women. The BBC SexForGrades documentary is only a tip of the iceberg. Their are many things wrong with the crawling lizard; only its belly can tell.

Ray Nkama is Special Assistant on Attitudinal Change to the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State.


Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

society

Ramadan: Adron Homes Felicitates Muslims, Preaches Hope and Unity

Published

on

Ramadan: Adron Homes Felicitates Muslims, Preaches Hope and Unity

Adron Homes & Properties Limited has congratulated Muslim faithful on the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan, urging Nigerians to embrace the virtues of sacrifice, discipline, and compassion that define the season.

In a statement made available to journalists, the company described Ramadan as a period of deep reflection, spiritual renewal, and strengthened devotion to faith and humanity.

According to the management, the holy month represents values that align with the organisation’s commitment to integrity, resilience, and community development.

“Ramadan is a time that teaches patience, generosity, and selflessness. As our Muslim customers and partners begin the fast, we pray that their sacrifices are accepted and that the season brings peace, joy, and renewed hope to their homes and the nation at large,” the statement read.

The firm reaffirmed its dedication to providing affordable and accessible housing solutions to Nigerians, noting that building homes goes beyond structures to creating environments where families can thrive.

Adron Homes further urged citizens to use the period to pray for national unity, economic stability, and sustainable growth.

It wished all Muslim faithful a spiritually fulfilling Ramadan.

Ramadan Mubarak.

Continue Reading

society

Underfunding National Security: Envelope Budgeting Fails Nigeria’s Defence By George Omagbemi Sylvester

Published

on

Underfunding National Security: Envelope Budgeting Fails Nigeria’s Defence

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com

“Fiscal Rigidity in a Time of Crisis: Lawmakers Say Fixed Budget Ceilings Are Crippling Nigeria’s Fight Against Insurgency, Banditry, and Organized Crime.”

Nigeria’s legislature has issued a stark warning: the envelope budgeting system; a fiscal model that caps spending for ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) is inadequate to meet the country’s escalating security challenges. Lawmakers and budget analysts argue that rigid fiscal ceilings are undermining the nation’s ability to confront insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence, oil theft and maritime insecurity.

The warning emerged during the 2026 budget defence session for the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) at the National Assembly in Abuja. Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (APC‑Kebbi North), chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, decried the envelope system, noting that security agencies “have been subject to the vagaries of the envelope system rather than to genuine needs and requirements.” The committee highlighted non-release or partial release of capital funds from previous budgets, which has hindered procurement, intelligence and operational capacity.

Nigeria faces a multi‑front security crisis: persistent insurgency in the North‑East, banditry and kidnappings across the North‑West and North‑Central, separatist tensions in the South‑East, and piracy affecting Niger Delta oil production. Despite declarations of a national security emergency by President Bola Tinubu, lawmakers point to a “disconnect” between rhetoric and the actual fiscal support for agencies tasked with enforcement.

Experts warn that security operations demand flexibility and rapid resource allocation. Dr. Amina Bello, a public finance specialist, said: “A static budget in a dynamic threat environment is like sending firefighters with water jugs to a forest fire. You need flexibility, not fixed ceilings, to adapt to unforeseen developments.”

The Permanent Secretary of Special Services at ONSA, Mohammed Sanusi, detailed operational consequences: irregular overhead releases, unfulfilled capital appropriations, and constrained foreign service funds. These fiscal constraints have weakened intelligence and covert units, hampering surveillance, cyber‑security, counter‑terrorism and intelligence sharing.

Delayed capital releases have stalled critical projects, including infrastructure upgrades and surveillance systems. Professor Kolawole Adeyemi, a governance expert, emphasized that “budgeting for security must allow for rapid reallocation in response to threats that move faster than political cycles. Envelope budgeting lacks this essential flexibility.”

While the National Assembly advocates fiscal discipline, lawmakers stress that security funding requires strategic responsiveness. Speaker Abbas Ibrahim underscored that security deserves “prominent and sustained attention” in the 2026 budget, balancing oversight with operational needs.

In response, the Senate committee plans to pursue reforms, including collaboration with the executive to restructure funding, explore supplementary budgets and ensure predictable and sufficient resources for security agencies. Experts warn that without reform, criminal networks will exploit these gaps, eroding public trust.

As one policy analyst summarized: “A nation declares a security emergency; but if its budget does not follow with real resources and oversight, the emergency remains rhetorical.” Nigeria’s debate over envelope budgeting is more than an accounting dispute; it is a contest over the nation’s security priorities and its commitment to safeguarding citizens.

Continue Reading

society

Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin) Celebrates as She Marks Her Birthday

Published

on

Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin) Celebrates as She Marks Her Birthday

 

Today, the world and the body of Christ rise in celebration of a rare vessel of honour, Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba, fondly known as Eritosin, as she marks her birthday.

Born a special child with a divine mark of grace, Rev. Mother Eritosin’s journey in God’s vineyard spans several decades of steadfast service, spiritual depth, and undeniable impact. Those who know her closely describe her as a prophetess with a heart of gold — a woman whose calling is not worn as a title, but lived daily through compassion, discipline, humility, and unwavering faith.

From her early days in ministry, she has touched lives across communities, offering spiritual guidance, prophetic insight, and motherly counsel. Many testify that through her prayers and teachings, they encountered God in a deeply personal and transformative way. Near and far, her influence continues to echo — not only within church walls, but in homes, families, and destinies reshaped through her mentorship.

A mother in every sense of the word, Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba embodies nurture and correction in equal measure. As a grandmother, she remains energetic in purpose — accommodating the wayward, embracing the rejected, and holding firmly to the belief that no soul is beyond redemption. Her life’s mission has remained consistent: to lead many to Christ and guide them into the light of a new beginning.

Deeply rooted within the C&S Unification, she stands tall as a spiritual pillar in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church globally. Her dedication to holiness, unity, and prophetic service has earned her widespread respect as a spiritual matriarch whose voice carries both authority and humility.

As she celebrates another year today, tributes continue to pour in from spiritual sons and daughters, church leaders, and admirers who see in her a living reflection of grace in action.

Prayer for Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin)

May the Almighty God, who called you from birth and anointed you for His service, continually strengthen you with divine health and renewed vigour.

May your oil never run dry, and may your prophetic mantle grow heavier with greater glory.

May the lives you have nurtured rise to call you blessed.

May your latter years be greater than the former, filled with peace, honour, and the visible rewards of your labour in God’s vineyard.

May heaven continually back your prayers, and may your light shine brighter across nations.

Happy Birthday to a true Mother in Israel — Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin).

More years.

More anointing.

More impact.

If you want this adapted for a newspaper page, church bulletin, Facebook post, or birthday flyer, just tell me the format and tone.

Rev. Mother Kehinde Osoba (Eritosin) Celebrated as She Marks Her Birthday

Continue Reading

Cover Of The Week

Trending