The Acknowledgment of your Sin brings you Salvation by Eguriase S. M. Okaka

Corruption, Nigeria’s Major Problem By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Corruption has seriously retarded the development of the country and Nigeria cannot afford to treat it as business as usual, Sen. Bella Muhammed, the then Minister of FCT, has said, Muhammad stated this on Thursday in Abuja during a sensitization program organized by the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) Anti-corruption and Monitoring unit for the senior officers of the administration. Corruption has remained a major enemy of progress as a people and a nation: and with the determination to rid us of these unwholesome practices and problem, FCT administration will continue to work to ensure zero tolerance on corruption, the Minister said. According to him, ‘it is in this vein that Mr. President has continued to demonstrate clearly his intention to rid the country of corruption; for instance, the on-going trial of those involved in oil subsidy scam among other cases, is a clear testimony and an indication of the Buhari’s administration’s commitment and determination to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance: and we cannot afford to lag-behind’. According to the Minister, the critical policy thrust that FCT is pushing is the government’s commitment to maximizing those benefits the citizenry derive from transparent governance through proper use of public resources. He said that the five-man committee set up last year by FCTA was saddled with the responsibility of anti-corruption. The Minister identified some of the responsibilities of the committee to include checking corruption in FCTA and liaising with the anti-corruption agencies with a view to evolving sustainable ways of eliminating corruption within the FCTA. The commitment will carry out enlightenment activities aimed educating FCTA staff on the negative consequences of corrupt practices.

It has been observe that runaway corruption is having a negative impact on the country’s economy as well as its image abroad. The massive oil subsidy scam, the pension scam and the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company’s N 2.1 billion scam are just a few of the corruption scandals that have dogged the nation over the past few years. Today corruption is an undying monster which often resurrect with every administration. The Buhari’s administration declared a zero tolerance against corruption yet there were still many corrupt leaders in the administration, that is why, at the end of the administration, they did not record much success against this monster plaguing us as a country because we are still talking of corruption among our leaders. No wonder, the citizens are the ones suffering the effects of this ‘evil spirit’ called corruption. Our leaders are making big budgets and buying big cars, houses and many other luxurious items why the citizens cannot afford three square meals a day; this is the effect of corruptions. ‘If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us,’ according to the former President Buhari. The fight still continues against corruption. If we want this fight to be successful then we must fight against those leaders who are encouraging corrupt practices in their administrations and some persons are gaining from these corruptions going on in this nation we must fish out such persons and bring them to book. That is just my suggestions to this fight. Comprehension questions • Mention three cases of corruption cited in the passage. • What is regarded as the main enemy in the passage? • What is the ultimate aim of the FCT administration concerning corruption? • Give one responsibility of the FCTA committee on the issue of corruption. • What is referred to as ‘the present administration’ in the second paragraph? • What word in the second paragraph means ‘unpleasant’? • How has corruption affected Nigeria according to the first paragraph? Let us consider Fishing Fishing Fishing dominated the economics of communities living among the coast, lagoons, delta and big rivers. Many people in the Niger Delta, the Yoruba along the lagoons and the riverine Igbo on the Niger, were professional fishermen. In the north, there were also the Nupe, Hausa and Borno, especially the Wurbo and Jukun along the Benue River and the Kede and Kakande along the Niger. Professional fishermen could leave their localities for distant areas to fish. For instance, the Gunyawa and Sarkawa left their Kebbi homeland for four months every year to go on fishing expedition. The Ijaw could also be found in Epe, Lagos and Badagry on fishing expeditions. Besides searching for fish, many professional fishermen engage in the allied activities of making or repairing nets and canoes. The most important implements were traps of different types, nets, paddles and dugouts. Most of these implements were manufactured in these fishing communities. The major techniques used involve settling and throwing lines and nets, poisoning the fish and using different traps. The fish they caught were sold to traders who in turn sold them to consumers. Those not immediately consumed were preserved by smoking, drying or salting. Summary Questions • The fish that were not eaten immediately were preserved not by a. Salting b. Smoking c. Drying d. Scaling • What happened to the fish caught by fishermen? a. They were sold to traders by the fishermen b. They were sold to consumers by fishermen c. The fishermen consumed them immediately d. They were cut into pieces. • According to the passage the major occupation of people living along the delta is a. Smoking b. Salting c. Fishing d. Repairing canoes and nets. • According to the passage, which of the following does not belong to the fish communities? a. Riverine igbo b. Kede and Kakande c. The Yoruba d. The Tiv • An alternative title of the passage could be a. The fishing activities of Nigerians. b. The types of fishing methods among Nigerians. c. The fishing activities of the delta people. d. Techniques and implements used in fishing. Vocabulary of Fishing The words listed below are all associated with fishing. Check your dictionary for the meaning of each one of them and then answer the questions that follows using the under listed words. Fisherman gills shoal Angler bait commercial fishing Gill-net hook trawling Float mast salmon Sinker harbor line Mesh trawler cast • A large group of fish swimming together is a -------------. • A ------------------ is a fishing boat. • The act of using a trawler to catch fish is known as -----------. • A curtain netting suspended vertically in water to catch fish is a ------------. • A ---------------- is a person who catches fish as a sport or as a job. • A fisherman who catches fish as a sport in the river and lakes rather than in the sea is an --------------. • ---------------- is a type of fish. • A fish uses ----------------- to breathe. • The ---------------- is any of the open spaces in a net. • A ------------------ is a strong thin string with a hook on the end for catching fish. • A ------------------ is a weight used to take a fishing line or net to the bottom. • A piece of food used in trapping fish is a ------------. • A light object attached to a fishing line that floats on water surface is a ---------------. • Fishing for the purpose of selling in large numbers is --------------. • A ---------------- is a vertical spar that supports sails or flags on a ship. • --------------- is a verb meaning ‘to throw something that is light in weight.’ • A ----------------- is sharp piece of metal for catching fish. • The part of a body of water near a coast to which ships can anchor safely is a ------------------. By Eguriase S. M. Okaka