THE PROF. SABITU OLAGOKE SERIES 1- INTIMIDATION

Intimidation is an outburst of human aggression to resolve matters without having regards to the rule of law. 

This always happens in an environment that is not orderly perhaps due to the weakness of the leader or the failure to apply the rule of law in the power dispensation. 

Cases of intimidation,most of the times,may create an environment of fear in the individual or people been intimidated. 

Chains of reaction arising from this, may result in anarchy or a state of chaos leading to a breakdown of law and order.

 This is the reason why the issue of intimidation must be addressed with all seriousness. Aspirants for leadership positions must also be sensitized on how best to control their temperament and the effective use of the rule of law to resolve issues. 

Basically,leaders must embrace management by equity and administration by justice to avoid the possible feeling of being cheated or marginalized in order that no one would be tempted into intimidating others. 

Intimidation may come from persons given positions of authority they are not competent to occupy.Leaders by their nature always want to be respected with their views being implemented by their subjects without delay or hindrance. 

However,when policies are rolled outburst considered not feasible due to the poverty of ideas of the leader,people are bound to resist such order. 

This may warrant the leader to exercise wrongly his executive power through intimidation. 

This kind of action exposes the weaknesses and limitations of such a leader making him or her to be vulnerable to serious agitations which may ultimately cause chaos and eventual stalemate in development or if the situation is not properly controlled, it may lead to the eventual removal of the leader. 

Poor governance in several nations have degenerated the fabric of discipline to the point of lack of peaceful co-existence. 

In such a nation, characteristics factors of intimidation would manifestos blackmail that usually create fear of possible shame and the loss of goodwill. 

When this is not properly controlled further intimidation would follow to make sudden wealth,while those who intimidate enjoy illegally acquired money, the victims become indebted or sickly. 

In summary,therefore,intimidation in all forms and ramifications as a process of discouraging or restraining fellow human beings from acting by threats,blackmail or violence must be guided against grooming the people to respect the rule of law in resolving issues as well giving due regards to the fundamental human rights of others for the purpose of enhancing peaceful co-existence. 

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke is the Founder and  Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Isalm Worldwide, Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

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RAMADHAN DIET - DAY 1 by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

The Ramadhan fasting exercise, is a divine construct given by God to mankind as the fourth pillar of Islam, for the purpose of spiritual rejuvenation to improve the state of piety. This is to help the animal called Man to become reformed, decent, modest and disciplined enough to be able to have an easy ride in his pursuit of social desires. The signs of Lent for the Christians and the arrival of Saomu Ramadhan must be seen as a blessing to us in Nigeria to seek Divine Intervention for Government Transition and for our next political dispensation to be fruitful and beneficial to all of us in Nigeria as a nation. Prof. S. A. Olagoke JP FNSE, FNATE, FNIM, FAES Ajagun Esin of Oyo State Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide.

Be Prayerful-Cleric to Oyo Gov

Running for and winning an office as a governor is an accomplishment to be proud of. More importantly, Nigeria’s democratic political sphere, for the first time in history, gave the mandate to the people, through BVAS and INEC Servers, to perfect our voting exercise to have more credible or so reliable results to produce credible leaders in the government of the next political dispensation. However, the hackers' attempt was disturbing, while vote buying was at its worst practice despite the Naira redesign and cash crunch for the Nigerians making the winners, to look like beneficiaries of the highest syndrome. However, we need to congratulate the winners for peace to reign and the transition to be smooth for the emerging leaders to be able to perform in a conducive and peaceful environment. After all, those who feel cheated or unsatisfied with the results have the basic alternative to seeking redress in a court of law. For our Governor in Oyo State, I congratulate Engr. Seyi Makinde FNSE. On behalf of myself as Mogaji Aare Alasa, Arole OgunElu Dynasty and the entire OgunElu Aare Alasa Dynasty, of which Aigbofa Compound among other 35 is your source, we congratulate your Excellency on your second term bid success. The first Road of Oja'ba - Oranyan axis reconstructed by your Government and the Renovation of the First Central Mosque, Oja'ba, Ibadan endear all of us to you and your Government. May your name never be soiled. Join LeadsLeap Every government is responsible to its people in the areas of food, clothing, and shelter. Unfortunately, this is the core around which everything else revolves. It is still a surprise that no Governor in Nigeria, past or present, has quite got this basic tenet of governance right. Only with improved income could people seek to build personal homes, however, when the government goes into schemes for people, the challenge of food and clothing would without much ado be surmounted. Thus, my advice is that the governor take a cursory look into a low-cost housing scheme for civil servants and other people in society with regular incomes to procure. Work on the complaints of the people. In particular, I put forward the following for consideration: At the end of these second four years, what would you be noted for? The first has been known to cater to civil servants. What of other areas? Start with this end in mind. Go back in the history of the first four years, what area or sector was left unattended. Give them attention this time around. The focus should be on good government, not politics, which drains energy and time. Practice management by walking around. Set performance goals, with high priority goals for local governments should be established. Each head should set out how it and its agencies will accomplish the goal. This information should be available in the public domain. Employees more often than not have experience that can improve the administrative environment, but are rarely given the opportunity to air their opinions. Give greater attention to the current state of State Universities and Polytechnic Campuses; give them a suitable look and review their tuition to be affordable to all; attend to the gloomy state of our water works; provide standard road networks that are not coloured with political undertones.

Pay attention to the poor state of major towns in Oyo state; rehabilitate our general hospitals and be fair to all the 33 local government areas of the state. The issue of a high sense of insecurity bedeviling the state is a call for concern and action. As a religious leader who has observed Nigerian politics for some time, the most important advice I am going to give you is to be prayerful. Also, politics is local. I advise you to increase your local presence. On a final note, do not perceive other political parties as arch enemies for peace to reign and accelerated development that will be sustainable and bequeathable to mark the era of Omituntun 2.0 as your second term Blessing. Alh. Engr. Prof. S. A. Olagoke JP Ajagun Esin of Oyo State Mogaji Aare Alasa, Arole OgunElu Dynasty Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide.

Use your PVCs to vote in Credible Leaders-Prof. Olagoke

The much awaited general elections are just 11 days away and preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) are in an advanced stage. However, Nigerians have continued to express mixed feelings about the elections. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke JP outlines the reasons why Nigerians must vote in a new set of leaders that possess the political will to address the country's myriad of challenges. Excerpt: Do you think the outcome of the general elections will usher in a new set of leaders in Nigeria? Credible leadership in the Nigerian context is a farce, if we are to consider the socio-behavioral status of each of the presidential candidates as well as others who are vying for other sensitive positions in the next political dispensation. Each of them, however, have varying degrees of image issues. Without doubt, a winner must emerge among them. The present situation in the country is a reflection of the cumulative deficiencies in our leaders-past and present consequences of poor socio-economic conditions of our people and their environment due to a low level of performance, institutional indiscipline and corruption, as against the main objective of democracy which we are operating as our political philosophy. The justice system remains selective in the dispensation of justice. The legislative arms are weak and usually act out the script written by the executive, resulting in very weak policy formulation and implementation at the expense of the welfare and wellness of the people. In effect, the excesses of the executive remain uncontrollable, resulting in unwarranted marginalization and poor infrastructure that is dysfunctional, making the lives of Nigerians to be at the mercy of deteriorated services. The general elections, therefore, as it will come by God's grace, in this month and in March, is going to be a date with our resolve to take our destinies in our hands. Hence, we must not toy with it and we must let it be free,fair and credible and without acrimony. Nigerians are now more conscious and aware of the importance of good governance to effect peace and sustainable development as observed in many nations where democracy is functional. For us in Nigeria, we are tired of playing around democracy for its dividend to be mere tantalizing mirages. In addition, various indicators of development are at the lowest ebb. For example, human development and infrastructure indexes, high inflation rates, poverty, hunger and diseases, devastating climate change effects and institutional corruption. Nigeria needs credible leaders that will be visionary and proactive with a network of wisdom to passionately solve the problems in the land. The President and other political office holders that will emerge after the general elections must be ready to fix the weak areas and must be very selfless in discharging their duties to be able to minimally deliver the expected dividends of democracy. Above all, we need a detribalized President and a non-religious bigot who will be able to bring sanity into the religious system to be able to spiritually have a united voice in correctin all the wrongs. This is the only way by which good governance can be nurtured through the spiritual drive for accelerated socio-economic development. Various lessons have been going on with respect to how best to vote without wasting the exercise. The only wisdom in collecting the Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) is to use them wisely on the days elections will take place to ensure that credible leaders emerge and correct all aberrations in the land, for Nigeria to become a better place to live in and to prosper at a sustainable level.

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Naira Redesign-Deadline in Order but......-Prof. Olagoke

The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has insisted that the January 31st deadline for the invalidation of the old naria notes remains unchanged. However, the Federal House of Representatives and the Senate want the apex bank to extend the deadline to 30th June, for the benefit of millions of Nigerians. Interestingly, a sizable number of Nigerians who have handled the new notes have expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the quality of the new notes compared to the old ones.

In his reaction, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafasudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu OlagokeJP, opines that the deadline for the withdrawal of the 200, 500 and 1,000 Naira notes is in order, but warns that this could result in negative consequences. Excerpts: What is your reaction to the insistence of the CBN that the January 31st deadline remains unchanged for the invalidation of the old naira notes? First and foremost, we should not lose sight of the purpose of the introduction of the new Naira notes, which which is to curb the excesses politicians and to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) conducts free, fair and credible elections. This will usher in the truly chosen ones for the next political dispensation. Vote buying has always been the bane of our struggle to have genuine representatives in power, making the efforts and the huge amount being spent on the election be without impact. The January 31st deadline by the CBN, therefore, must have been informed by the advice of its in-house economic experts. This advice may revolve around the need to curb the spending tendencies of politicians before, during and after elections. To be fair to the CBN, 80 per cent of Nigeria's money in circulation is outside the box of control of the apex bank. However, the following challenges must be addressed without losing focus of the objectives for introducing the new naira notes: 1)Nigerians, particularly traders across the country on the impact of the unavailability of the new naira notes. 2)There are also challenges to getting old naira notes into the banking system. 3) Businesses are shutting down and markets are operating at a reduced capacity as the deadline for the collection of the old naira notes is near. 4)The new notes are not easily accessible presently. ATM machines are still dispesning the old notes. I believe that the January 31st deadline shoul remain and that Nigerians should bear and cope with the scramble that comes with such changes. Stemming from all the accompanying negative developments that have trailed the naira redesign, further efforts to cushion the effects of poverty and hunger must be intensified to be able to achieve rational changes for whihc the new naira notes are designed.

Use Elections to Establish functional Education-Prof. Olagoke

The general elections have been described as a good opportunity to establish functional education in Nigeria. This assertion was made on Tuesday by the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his address titled, ''SHAPING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA-THE FUTURE IS NOW'' at the 3oth Annual Shafaudeen-in-Islam stakeholders' Conference in Ibadan, Nigeria. ''Functioanl education is deserved by a nation like Nigeria to promote inclusive society, civility and patirotism, credible leadership and good governance driven through zero tolerance to corruption and institutional indiscipline. Education will make us realize achieving this sanity-prone environment for development. Luckily for us, the 2023 general elections will avail us the opportunity to achieve this if we make give the right choice of a visionary leader that would be spirit led to operationalize democracy through justice and equity to propel Nigeria into peace and sustainable development and a safe and secured environment.''

Sports, Nation Building and Sustainable Development by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Nation building involves creating both a sense of pride in one's country and enhancing a country's status in the eyes of other nations, which naturally is one of the ways to build national unity. Sport is one of the ways because it creates a unified goal and brands all differing groups in a nation under one banner.

Sports is an enabler of sustainable development through the growing contribution of sports to the realization of development and peace, the promotion of tolerance and respect, and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives. Realizing the Full Potential of Aport for Sustainable Development Goals The unifying factor of sports notwithstanding, there are still challenges to fulfillment of its true potential. Too often there are incidences of intolerance, racism, hatred and violence during sports events. Like many other areas, corruption also affects sports. Sports organizations, managers, players and fans must do all that is possible to combat this illness and fully harness the positive power of sports. Stakeholders, therefore, should keep fighting abuses, promote the adoption of good governance, integrity and transparency, which places sustainable development goals at the core of all sporting organizations. Harnessing the tremendous potential of sports by bringing people together from mega-sporting events to grassroots activities through its physical activities provides various social and health benefits. Fundamental to the true enhancement of global development and the realization of the SDGs, is the establishment of strong and cohesive partnerships among diverse stakeholder networks committed to the use of sports for sustainable development. The primary focus of extracurricular activities and sports is to teach discipline, focus, dedication, hard work, commitment and team work. And it is our responsibility as adults to value sportsmanship and award the courage to take action rather than focusing on winning or losing. Our slogan, therefore, is that we should all, the youth in particular, say, ''No'' to Thuggery, Hooliganism and Violence, but embrace the spirit of healthy competition for love, unity and improve networking and competence. This address was delivered by Prof. Olagoke at the 18th edition of the Rasool Cup-Under 18 Football Competition

Election- Nigerians are expecting leaders who will lift them out of Hunger and Poverty-Prof. Olagoke

The expectation of Nigerians is that credible leaders with passion to put an end to hunger and poverty in the country will emerge after the general elections. This assertion was made on Thursday by the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeeen-inIslam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his lecture titled ''Leadership and the Three Rings of Life'' at the second Ogunelu Aaare Alasa Dynasty day in collaboration with Shafaudeen-in-Islam Medical Outreach in Ibadan, Nigeria. ''Nigerians are expecting credible leaders at all levels of government, who will lift them out of hunger, poverty and unemployment to emerge after the general elections.Only credible leaders at all levels of government, who are purposeful, visionary, emotionally and passionately patriotic, ready to sacrifice their best to serve the people will all digilence can be goal getters and unifying factors to the people of diverse interest-religious, ethnic divides and gender equlaity challenge. They expect to be loved by the people, for them to buy in Zero tolerance to corruption and institutional indiscipline as a cultural or normal way of life,'' Prof. Olagoke stated.

Our Equal Future ,The Environment and Gender Equality by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

We must be earnest in our approach to drastically reducing the threats to gender equality and provide for the environment of the girl child to thrive and attain her full potential. Empowering the girl child is a silver bullet that will solve age-long snags of alleviating poverty, eradicating feamle gential mutilation, tackling the problem of poor hygiene and malnutrition, reducing maternal and child morbidity, putting a stop to domestic abuse, rape, etc. We cannot over emphasize the benefits of gender equality to national development, and it is pivotal to achieving other Sustainable Development Goals(SGDs). The girl child, most especially in African countries, Nigeria in particular, still suffers various forms of oppression and inequality due to gender discrimination and the vulnerability of her status as a child, some of which include: gender stereotyping, sexual and gender based violence, child marriage, child trafficking, access to technology, healthcare, nutrition and education. All these factors have adverse effects on the life of girls and thus, it is important that their realities are brought to light, now more than ever. It is the duty of the government and the citizens of any nation to ensure and protect the rights of all girls by working to execute the tenets of the global agendas which have been established for the empowerment and protection of girls through advancing their voices for this cause. Lending one's voice also includes criticizing and challenging discriminatory laws, harmful laws and customary practices. It only takes one person's action or inaction for inequality and discrimination to be inflicted on the girl child. Thus, it will be through each person's voice or continual contribution that a collective effort towards a more fair and just society, free of oppression and discrimination, can be formed and lead to an equal future for every girl child. Let us all come together and show our commitment by dedicating resources to girls to realize their rights and fulfill their full potential, because achieving gender equality and women's empowerment is integral to each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals would we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.

Insecurity, Economic Hardships and Uncollected PVCs will affect elections-Prof. Olagoke

The actual population of displaced Nigerians is still unknown. These bonafide citizens were displaced majorly by violent crimes and economic hardships. The suggestion is that the uncollected Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) belong to the displaced Nigerians. In this piece, the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu OlagokeJP warns that the unending insecurity, economic hardships and the large number of uncollected PVCs will impact negatively on the 202 general elections.

  Excerpts: Nigerians are apathetic to matters relating to the collection of their Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) to be able to be eligible to vote in the 2023 general elections because of the perceived disturbing state of the nation. For example, the high prices of consumables and essential commodities coupled with the prohibitive prices of petroleum products has made life unbearable for millions of Nigerians. The result is the hunger, poverty and high unemployment rate in the country. Indeed, the organized attacks on the Independent National Electoral Commission's(INEC)offices across the country by the enemies of the state has not helped matters. The terrible state of security in the South East is also an issue. Nigerians in this part of the country live daily in fear. However, it is wrong for Nigerians to continue to cry over bad governance and the poor conditions of living without working to rekindle their hopes for a real change which the 2023 general elections may bring about, by producing the right leader who will not only transform the nation, but also carry out major reforms. There is therefore, the need for the uncollected PVCs to be claimed to ensure that eligible voters are involved in the electoral process because this is one of the ways we can fix Nigeria. The collection of the PVCs will ensure that Nigerians participate in the electoral process because if we fail to choose a credible leader, a random person will lead us. Therefore, we must all realize that the power of electing candidates of choice depends on the collection of the PVCs by the electorate. The failure to collect the PVCs will negatively affect the coming elections. Efforts should be geared towards encouraging Nigerians to collect their PVCs, by making the collection process easier than the process of registration. The INEC must also improve its communication strategy to ensure that all eligible voters are adequately informed on the need for them to exercise their voting rights.

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The Role of Media Towards Changing Negative Narrative Associated with Persons with Disabilities by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

The language used in the media in relation to people with disabilities, may be an indication of whether social change has or would occur. For example, media stories about graduates or students wit disabilities often focus on the sacrifices of family and caregivers, instead of the students and the challenges there faced getting an education. It is disheartening, therefore, that persons with disabilities are seldom covered in the media and when they are presented, they are typically damaging stereotyped and not properly epitomized. It is not uncommon to see persons with disabilities treated as objects of pity, charity or medical treatment that have overcome a tragic and disabling condition or conversely, presented as champions who have accomplished great feats, to inspire the non-disabled. The Editors, producers and programmers are influenced by their own thoughts of disability and what they trust will attract listeners. Equity and Equality challenges indeed! The media, therefor re expected to: * Map out and circulate information to the masses-educate, entertain, act a platform for public service announcements. However, the influence that the media holds over the society has not always been used for the benefit of society, particularly in relation to disability, where the media has continued to add to the discrimination of disabled people. *Be a dynamic tool in creating awareness, refuting stigma and misinformation. It should be an authoritative force to change societal misconceptions and present persons with disabilities as individuals that are part of human diversity. * In addition, to media coverage of issue of people with disabilities, access of people with disabilities to the media is equally an issue of concern. For example, most television programs do not have sign language interpretation. The implication of this is that people with disabilities rarely watch non-signed television programs. The Way out Though there have been some steps forward in removing social barriers to accessing the media, and fighting against unethical coverage of hidden impairments in the media over the last few years, there still remains a lot to be done. The following should be addressed: a) Focus on the Barriers Disability is sometimes covered as if it is remarkable that someone with a disability has been able to do the regular things like get education or job, or get married. This reinforces stereotypes that these things are not typical for someone with disabilities to do. Hence, viewpoint need to be integral to the story of the person and not disability. b)Increase the percentage of people with Disabilities in Media Employment The under-representation of people with disabilities within the media workforce has seeming consequences on the control of the PWD community to influence how they are portrayed within the media and society. Increasing the percentage of people with disabilities in employment within the media industry would be a huge step towards removing stereotypes and empowering disabled people in the general community. c)The digital revolution has opened new possibilities for Persons with Disabilities, we, therefore, need to ensure that access for them includes technological access. Assistive technologies could be explored in this regard. d) Explore Opportunities International commemoration and other public events can offer outstanding opportunities to create awareness and conduct outreach to promote and highlight the concern of persons with disabilities. e)Partnerships It is vital to include persons with disabilities and their organizations in preparing for any media and communications strategy or event. A with all social change which needs drivers, and until there are more constructive representations of persons with disabilities living regular lives comparable to 'everyone else', there will continue to be incorrect, inappropriate portrayals. It is sacrosanct for the media to play effective roles in influencing public opinion about Disability. You can and should.

Derecognition of 50 Schools in Oyo-My View by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

The Oyo state government recently announced the derecognition of 50 secondary schools in the state for examination malpractices. 26 of the schools are government owned while 24 are privately owned. The Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in this piece expresses his views on the development. Excerpt: Examination calls for a process of strict invigilation and supervision underlined by the highest level of discipline to protect the integrity of the alumni of every school. The desire of parents to have their children in a choice of professions and universities, the pressure on children to pursue courses in which they have no aptitude, pressure on teachers who want to gain favor, overcrowded sitting arrangements, parental upbringing, peer group effects, mushroom schools promising good results among others all contribute to examination malpractices. These fundamental causative factors need to be addressed properly by stakeholders-parents, teachers, counselors and the media. If sensitization on the need to instill discipline in the conduct of examinations had been thorough, the shameful act would not have been so embarrassingly great. However, the truth of the matter is that mushroom private schools are endangering the quality of education in Oyo state. They go into partnership with registered schools to register WAEC candidates for examinations without thoroughly taking care of the needs of the students, rather they promise them assistance while writing examinations. Such schools end up indicting the host school that accommodated their students through their inappropriate measures to make their students pass WAEC conducted examinations and other examinations. Another area of serious concern which WAEC itself needs to tidy up is that these students are able to observe examination malpractices through their unholy association with business centers and web operators who sell WAEC questions and answers online with payments via transfers and recharge cards to have access to such questions and answers online. Host schools taking care of candidates from unregistered schools for WAEC or NECO take the risk of indictment because these schools adorn the uniforms of the accredited schools that have accommodated their students to write their WAEC examinations in their schools, giving no room for excuses that perpetrators of the malpractices are not students of the accredited schools, were the examinations were written. School authorities of accredited schools should learn a lot of lessons from this sad experience by putting in place compliance with the rules and regulations guiding education,-WAEC and others. Unregistered schools and those that are registered ones need to cooperate with the Ministry of Education, the government and WAEC on the guiding rules for conducting worthwhile, fraud-free examinations by sensitizing the teachers,students and members of the public on the implications, consequences and penalties. Generally, there is the need to note that leakages of WAEC questions and answers online usually takes place when school authorities connive and through online links share among students in the examinations. The prohibitive amount charged as fines is enough deterrent for offending schools. This should be a lesson for others who are yet to be detected. In the course of building, our nation we must all recognize with passion that the effect of examination malpractices on national development has always been very negative. This is visible in the quality of the educational manpower the country has produced while the educational system strives to inculcate a high level of discipline, diligence, morale and love for others. A country that has become notorious for examination malpractices loses credibility, as evident in the value of the certificates outside Nigeria. Individuals through fraudulent means in educational pursuit are likely to face on-the-job challenges of dismissal, termination, lose of positions, lack of self-confidence and eventual suffering and embarrassment. Products of examination malpractices offer the nation, prevalent bank failures, budiling collapses, economic sabotage vandalizm, kidnapping for ritual and ransome, drug trafficking, fak drug manufacturing and sales! Are these not practical effects of moral decadence emanating from examination malpractices? The fight against corruption will only be realized if examination malpractices are curtailed. Future leaders equipped with a system characterized by academic fraud and dishonesty would certainly manifest questionable behavior in any organization they find themselves. Those who passed examinations by cheating would cheat to get employed, have spouses and even to win elections through electoral violence or their sharp practices. Finally, we must realize that education is a right according to the United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF). The government must, therefore, realize that education is the bedrock of every society for appropriate development. Let us all do the needful.

Open Defecation-Govt Should Empower Stakeholders-Prof. Olagoke

The government at all levels in Nigeria has been called upon to empower relevant stakeholders in the environment sector as a step toward ending open defecation in the country. This call was made on Friday by the Founder, Spiritual head, and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in an address titled ''SAY NO TO OPEN DEFECATION at the commissioning of the comfort house for the Shafudeeen national headquarters' mosque, Shafautedo, Apata-Omi-Adio road, Ibadan Nigeria. ''This calls for government empowerment of stakeholders-Town Planning Authority(Urban and Regional planning)as well as the Sanitary Inspectors to enforce people's compliance in every built scheme with effective sensitization on the essence of hygiene protocol to keep every place clean to avoid breakout of diseases and add value to the necessary beautification effect of the environment for healthy living. Comfort House is an essential utility for the home and public places to be hygiene protocol compliant. Built houses must respect the sanitary laws of every compound area to be free of open space defecation,'' Prof. Olagoke stated. In another development, Prof. Olagoke has advised media practitioners to discharge their duties with the fear of God and shun all sinful behaviors. He gave this advice at a special Jumat thanksgiving service held at the Shafudeeen national headquarters mosque for members of the Oyo state chapter of the  Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers' Union of Nigeria(RATTAWU) ''Media practitioners should have the fear of God and shun all sinful behaviors. The promise of God would never fail, put your hopes on God. Your work is full of hazards, God shall always guide you and will not leave you. We pray that God will always guide and protect you, '' He prayed. In his remarks, the chairman of RATTAWU,, Comrade Adebayo Aribatise opined thanked God for everything saying,'' we are here to appreciate God for all He has done for us and in addition, I would like to admonish my members and everyone in the media to be devoted to their duties to justify the salaries they receive. On our part, we shall continue to engage with our employers to ensure that the welfare of our members is given the deserved attention.''

Promote Inclusive Society by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

We live in a world where there is an imperative focus on young people and People with Disabilities(PWDs) on the Inclusion Agenda. We, however, need to move from vulnerability to leadership and delivery of a truly transformative agenda. There is a divine need to walk the talk about the promotion of an inclusive society. For youths to be leaders of tomorrow; they must be equipped to achieve their dreams and for PWDs not to be burdensome, they must be positively engaged, thereby giving them the opportunity to participate actively in issues that directly impact their lives, which is literally everything in actual fact. Today, more than ever, society needs precisely this kind of healing to drive out poverty and unemployment. Only when PWDs have the opportunities they deserve, can they generate ideas, products and many more for society at large. Policies without commensurate implementation usually aggravate the hardships of the victims of the circumstance, in the case of PWDs, who deserve our empathy, rather than unnecessary sympathy. Empathy shows most of the walking, the talk of mitigation and prevention. This snowballs into the stakeholders' readiness to work towards realizing the United Nations admonition on every nation to accept the concept of good governance and philanthropy. The wellness of people with disabilities is equally important as an achievable feat by the government and other stakeholders, most especially in the areas of good parenting using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, physiological needs, safety and security factors, social needs, self-esteem and self-actualization for all, including PWDs. The government needs to sensitize the public, including all stakeholders, about funding the causes of people with disabilities in these respects as an antidote to insecurity for all to benefit from the expected dividends of democracy.

Naira Redesign-Government ought to Safeguard Nigerians-Prof. Olagoke

Mixed feelings have continued to trail the announcement by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele that the 200, 500 and 1, 000 Naira notes would be redesigned. A sizable number of Nigerians believe that the action of the apex bank has a hidden motive, considering the fact that the head was once a presidential aspirant of the ruling party. Others however argue that the action would sanitize the monetary system in the country. In this piece, Prof. Olagoke warns of the consequences. Excerpt : To start with, the reasons given by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the redesigning of the 200, 500, and 1,000 Naira notes must be assessed and evaluated based on present realities. The word redesign becomes an issue because it would involve changes that may not likely go down well with our ethnic, tribal, and religious persuasions. Since it had the approval of the presidency various considerations must have been put in place to allay the fears of Nigerians on the suspicion that the symbols might be tampered with. If not let the needful be done, rather than putting the cart before the horse. Indeed, Nigerians had expected these changes in 2015. Sadly, it is coming at a time when the thoughts of Nigerians have been rumpled by several factors. However, it is better late than left undone because presently the focus of all Nigerians is the high rate of unemployment, hunger, poverty, and most important insecurity in the land. The major question now is, this change in the design of the Naira shall it be very effective? What would be the effects of this change in design on small and medium businesses? This is the time when the politicians are on top of their game with various antics to buy votes to attain juicy positions while taking advantage of the above-mentioned. The government ought to do the right thing for the overall benefit of Nigerians.

Peaceful Co-Existence through Unity for Peace by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

For any society to have peaceful co-existence, the people must be united with high respect for humanity, taking all other factors that differentiate our identities to be secondary. This is what the Holy Quran emphasizes as expected of every house of God to dwell their teachings and sermons on. , ''The Holy Quran 49 : 13 refers, ''O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise each other.....'' A high level of respect for these injunctions will make us realize our claim that God is one, as impressed in the same verse above. ''Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things. The Holy Quran 30 : 22 makes us to realize that our differences are creations of God which we must not lose to the disadvantage of others; ''And among the signs is the creation of the heaven and the earth and the variations in your languages and your colors : verily in that are signs for those who know.'' The Holy Bible : Mark 12 : 31 refers,'' And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.'' By extension, therefore, peace must reign in the houses of God for adherents to become epitomes of light and salt. For the world to be habitable and worthy of living. Also, Matthew 5 : 13-16 is a good reference for religious adherents to be worthy of missionary work where they are expected to role model virtues and teach righteousness and peace to the people of the world. ''13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'' The Holy Quran 3 : 104 refers, ''Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is god, enjoying what is right and forbidding what is wrong. They are the ones to attain felicity.'' Proverbs 31 : 8-9 is also instructive. ''Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. 9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.'' In the same manner the Holy Quran 47 : 35 wholesomely submits, ''Be not wary or faint-hearted, crying for peace, when you should be uppermost : For Allah is with you and will never put you in lose for your good deed.''

Technical Education for Technology Advancement : A Veritable Tool for Nation Building by Pro. Sabitu Olagoke

Unfortunately for Nigeria's basic education, there is a dearth of facility to drive Technical Education for our students to be technically sound to meet up with the chakllenges of technology advancement that drives the present ady knowledge economy. Technical education drives the economy of all nations currently, but for Nigeria, our economy is artisan driven to the detriment of our political management which b y polarization is hoodlum driven, exposing us to the whims of quackery in all facets of huma endeavor. This is because of the deficiency of meeting up with the quality and standard expected of every nation in domesticating international instrumnets on global best practices. Quackery and sysem collapse during or after completion has direct correlation based on facility design, specification and materials of inferior quality. Education must prepare our students for the global market. In Nigeria, education is highly underfunded and has resulted in the myriad of challenges confronting the country presnetly. 1)We fail to operationalize the affective domain, producin g literature that are deficient content that can inspire change for the better. 2)we blindly commercialize education to the detriment of effecting a cognitive domain that would have launched us into research appreciation for development. 3)We equally neglect the area of pyschomotor domain to produce graduates of rhetoric in the face of the challenges of desing and construction for infrastrcuturer and real development. 4)Our science lack the intellectual and practical ability of observation, mehtod, procedure and experiment for systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural word to the detriment of our benefit. 5)Our engineering lakc home patronage of our graduates for employability challenge of desing, building that are mathematics driven for our graduates to use with relative ease, enignes, machines and structure with retraing through foreign partners. 6)Wile our technology lacks fulk technical education to develop products and produce for the nation due to poor scientific knowledge base to the detriment of right application to change or transform our society for right and correct management of the people and environment. The whole world,today, goes for quality and standard concept with global best practices. Graduates are trained to be abl;e to compete favorably in the global market. Where are we in the situation of hoodlum hijacked politics/ democracy and artisan driven economy? Professionals must be respected to have regard for orgainzational and professional ethics for sanity sake and must equally be respected to be part of decision making for ease of implementation by the government, which must adequately fund education. The fellows are not effectively utilized by the government while the artisans are not incorporated despite creating a viilage for them. Fellows need to be consulted for services while the orientation of teh artisans need to be changed through short term proficiency courses to benefit the nation.

Leadership and Governance by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Organization and professional ethics are important elements of governance or corporate governance. The elite now trample upon the Fundamental Human Rights of the impoverished masses, who have become mere pawns in their(elite) hands for the ease of manipulation to win elections. The present dividends of democracy include insecurity, poverty aggravation due to unemployment and high prices of commodities beyond the reach of the teeming population, avarice and greed exemplified through the blood of Timocracy running through the system of our politicians driving them crazy into Kleptocrarcy and deceptive plea bargaining; increasing the fold of cabal, cartel and the vicious cycle of the corrupt people's clubs in Nigeria. In all processes involving governance, leadership by appointment, promotion or election, the effective participation of the people matters at all levels of identification, selection, and electoral processes involving voters' registration and the collection of the Permanent Voters Cards(PVC), party manifesto, campaign training and the voting exercise and monitoring, election results, collation of results and the declaration of results. The aftermath of this continues to call for effective participation of people in keeping the environment of peace for ease of governance. Leaders must be above the parochial sentiments of statism, ethnicity, tribalism, ego-centeredness, materialism, but be spiritually rejuvenated in due process without religious bigotry in dispensing power and service.

Governance and leadership cuts across all systems for idea and product generation for the purpose of enhancing productivity and sustainable development. Whatever your professional discipline- religion, politics, media practice, broadcasting, business or entrepreneurship, entertainment, medicine, engineering etc. We must all be skillful as professionals for us to be able to serve with ethical guidance that will eventually give competence in leadership and credence to due process in governance. This will equally enhance effective participation of people for a better society. Leaders must be prepared and trained through the agents of socialization-the home, school, vocation and right empowerment. Our educational orientation must be geared towards realizing this for leaders with all authority and confidence to be on the field when challenged to assume office and with outstanding and credible performance. However, when we take for granted leadership training needs by allowing people to assume leadership duties, roles and responsibilities, they will lack the ethics and procedures of due process to end up disappointing the people in the discharge of his or her duties, as would be evident in the lack of the rudiment of Management, Administration and Governance. Corporate governance under democratic norms is, therefore, recommended since it will instill discipline to enhance efficiency in productivity with high goodwill of peace and sustainable development in an environment that is safe and secured where nobody is denied of his/her right of access and right of justice.

Power for Development by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Divine power is absolute and incorruptible, it is greater and more valuable than terrestrial and subterranean power, which usually are subject to the control of lesser forces from the created objects of beings. For man to succeed in life as a leader and in governance, he must seek the grace of God as bestowed on King Solomon in the Holy Bible. The substance of divine power are knowledge, wisdom and the power of a discerning mind, which makes man dispense with the power of authority with the fundamental respect-a follow up of due process in power dispensation. The Holy Quran 2 : 269 and the Holy Bible Proverbs 1 : 7 attest to this fact. ''He granteh wisdom to whom He pleaseth : and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflown ; but none will receive admonition except men of understanding.'' In the same vein, the Holy Bible Proverbs 1 : 7 emphasizes the need to rely on divine power only, most especially sourced through having respect for the dictates of God in the scripture of one's chosen religion. ''The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.'' The above statement of fact stresses the fundamentals of why human beings usually fail in choosing their leaders through the electoral process or appointments through selection. This is because we fail to allow God to truly appoint our leaders for us. The process of election is always fraught with the human factor of fraudulent practices, while appointments are most often culturally biased. However, if we can offer just worship to God, the almighty Allah, with love in our religion and make our houses of God sacred through the concept of puritanism, where adherents are the vanguard of truth only, electoral processes would be free, fair and credible. Nomination would be through the right guide of God, while the appointed or elected leaders would be set to rule by conscience for democratic norms to be meaningfully managed through the ethics of justice and the equity principle to ethrone peace because nobody would have been marignalized in the scheme of community services or nation building through the effective participation of all for sustainable development to bring about the eldorado of prosperity. Suffice it now to say that the 2023 General elections in Nigeria need to involve all stakeholders to play their roles in the fear of God or due process by applying the sense and sensibilities of the culture of integrity, civility and development of the educational system and moral discipline effects of every religious system for the product of the three spheres of life to rpoduce a relaible, sensible, rational patriotic go getters or polticalgladiators that would make the drivers to be passionate about the people they are carrying in governance.

Repositioning Women for Leadership Positions by Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Religious leaders must avoid scriptural misinformation and misinterpretation, most especially in the areas that discriminate, marginalize and hurt womanhood. Avoid painting the girl child as half a male counterpart as well as avoid Female Genital Mutilation(FGM). Develop the mental capacity of the girl child on par with their female counterparts. Female children should be allowed to choose a career of their choice based on their God-given talents. forms. Avoid minor weddings and other forms of abuse against the girl child. Every male orientation must change from perceiving women as objects of sex. The focus must be on gender equity to avoid partriachal domination through such a policy that will allow women effective participation in all spheres of life. Women must take the chance to lead and not live at the mercy of men(malevolence)but believe in themselves to achieve any feat. The Holy Quran states that they must not tread a path of being suspicious of promiscuity and they must be able to assert meritorious authority when charged with responsibilities or positions of power, such as in the case of the Queen of Sheba, Bilqees. ''O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah , then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.'' Q27 VS. 30-36, ''Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,Be not haughty with me but come to me in submission [as Muslims].She said, "O eminent ones, advise me in my affair. I would not decide a matter until you witness [for] me. They said, "We are men of strength and of great military might, but the command is yours, so see what you will command. She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do. But indeed, I will send to them a gift and see with what [reply] the messengers will return. So when they came to Solomon, he said, "Do you provide me with wealth? But what Allah has given me is better than what He has given you. Rather, it is you who rejoice in your gift.'' The Challenges impeding Women from Occupying Leadership Positions Women across nations face several challenges but African countries particularly experience the following: *Cultural bias favoring male children. *Domestic violence-mentally, sexually, physically and emotionally by their husbands or partners(molestation, assault and battery to rape). *Female child labor, abortion, prostitution, and female genital mutilation. *Child marriage-According to official statistics, 43% of Nigerian girls become married before their 18th birthday and 17% before turning 15 albeit in the northern part of the country. *Exorbitant Candidate Nomination Fees for Election. Prof. Olagoke delivered this paper at a Public Function in Ibadan on Tuesday 23rd August, 2022