01/10/2024

TUESDAY | OCT 1, 2024

10 Missing oil palms of Nigeria W HEN chief Victor Nana, head of Pamol Nigeria, visited the Pamol plantation in Johor in 1978, he could see how well the palms were doing. use as cups. It was of course an experience to convince the staff as they were quick to rebut, a common trait I found in many countries. A T E M A N A G E R W R I T

outside Sapele. Victor was tall, with close-cropped hair, and I could not forget that he had the bearing of a major chief. He had joined Pamol Nigeria and moved up rapidly because of his knowledge and personality. All gave him respect. I had heard that even the expatriates in his day would address him as “Sir”. Elizabeth, his wife, was a delightful hostess. She had the touch so that all went well, just like at a bungalow in a Unilever plantation. It was after dessert that Victor came down with a wood carving of a chief made from ebony, with a certificate from the law to allow it to leave the country. The wooden chief looked back at me solemnly. It was an impressive work. “A present for you,” he said. I was most surprised but also pleased as I placed it back in the box, and Bassey took it to the car. It turned out that at every roadblock, the police officer checking the boot would ask to open the box, and studied the certificate, but could not find a reason to take the statue away. At one roadblock, the officer ordered Bassey to close the box. Although he was silent at lunch in the presence of Victor Nana, he had now found his voice, and shouted back. “How do I know at the next roadblock some stupid officer will not ask me to open it?” I knew I could not speak to a police officer in that way. We were in Lagos and we went to the

office of the United Africa Company, a part of Unilever. It had started as a small trading arm that grew into a major business. The head was chief Ernest Shoniken. He was a big man, in a suit and tie, and many levels higher in the corporate structure. He was also a chief of high rank. I was conscious of that even to the end of the meeting. He did not raise any points about investing in oil palm. He would know that many things would need to happen for the country to be a big producer again. Neither did we touch on politics. Eventually, the situation was such that he had to leave his job to be the head of state for a while. On the last day, Bassey saved me at the airport. For a moment when he was away, a man with an airline badge appeared and asked for my passport and ticket to check me in. Bassey caught him before he turned a corner and came back waving the papers in his hand. “You nearly lost these,” he said. “He was not a staff.” I was so grateful and when I got safely on the plane, my hands patted my boarding pass and my passport many times. As I sat back with my drink, I began to change the words in my mind about Bassey. The writer has extensive experience in the management of oil palm plantations. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Bassey Edem, the managing director, was no different. He was a short, feisty figure, slim, and an accountant, and he did not agree with my views as we travelled in his Mercedes, until I felt he did not fit into the role we wanted as a managing director. My mind worked on some words to say about him later when back in London. He also leased a rubber factory near Sapele. I found that out when we reached there. He said he did not break the rules; if he had applied for approval to buy as a capital expenditure, he was sure he would not get it. Leasing it was not the same as buying. When I stepped into the old factory, I saw it was clean and each centrifuge was humming, and producing concentrates from latex bought from the growers. His production had increased, and so had his revenue. He was also protective of me and saw that my hotel room in Sapele was big and the air-conditioning worked well, while he stayed in a smaller room. At the police roadblocks, he could get into a tantrum when more than a few questions were asked about my passport, and he ended up shouting at the police officer. “He wanted to give us trouble, so I had to speak louder.” He had already called Victor Nana. On the day we arrived for lunch, he was waiting at his gate in the village of Koko

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He was silent for a while, but I guessed he was thinking of the reasons why in Nigeria, Pamol plantations only had rubber trees. The palms were gone in the four estates that Pamol had in Calabar, Sapele and Sapoba. By the time I got to work in London at Unilever House and visited these plantations, he had retired. But I still wanted to see him again in his home in Koko, which was possible when I visited the estates in Nigeria. The first one I arrived at was in Calabar. I could hear all the problems that the plantations had. For many years the country had been an exporter of palm oil. Unilever had ships that brought the oil to the soap factories in Liverpool. But since then, the government had put in some measures. When the industry was doing well, it set a scheme to hold some of the funds to give them back to the growers when prices went down. But the ensuing situation led many growers to replant with rubber, as did Unilever, and that was where I had found it when I arrived in 1985. Times were getting worse, as it was hard to get dollars to buy tapping knives or latex cups. Even rubber productivity had declined. I had suggested that the management should cut bamboo and physical and sexual abuse of children in welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan have shocked the nation. One cannot imagine the horrors these children have endured, and to think that this may just be the tip of the iceberg. In such situations, it is easy to point fingers – at the parents, the authorities and even the society at large. However, this is not the time for the blame game. Even as investigations are ongoing, the subsequent findings must form the basis of meaningful reforms, laying the groundwork for comprehensive child protection – physical, psychological and emotional. Children are born with the same dignity, citizenship and rights as adults. Put simply, child rights are the human rights of children. Every child, regardless of their age, race, gender, wealth or birthplace, has rights. Every boy and girl deserves a childhood free from violence and exploitation – a childhood in which they are nurtured and encouraged to live and experience life in all its fullness. Yet, half of the world’s children experience some form of violence each year, including war, child labour, child marriage, trafficking and impacts of climate change. What happened in Malaysia is but a glimpse of the violence against children worldwide.

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“Unilever had ships that brought the oil

to the soap factories in

Liverpool. But since then, the government had put in some measures.

The Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport needs a thorough review of its spatial design to ensure proper access to planes and the inclusion of international standard facilities for individuals with disabilities.

Children need our protection THE recent revelations of LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Despite much progress in recent decades, millions of children are still living without their basic rights. Globally, an estimated 400 million children live in fragile and conflict-affected areas where child rights are often denied and childhoods are stolen by abuse, exploitation and slavery. Violence against children destroys their dignity, their rights, their potential and their future. This is not right and cannot go unchecked. Poverty, exploitation and violence are not inevitable. Many of the problems that children face are a consequence of exploitative practices and education gaps in developed and developing communities. In a protective environment where children’s rights are respected, the world’s most vulnerable children can flourish and reach their highest potential. We, as a nation, must be resolute and committed to pursuing these rights so children can enjoy a full childhood. We believe that every child deserves a childhood in all its fullness, surrounded by protective families and communities, free from violence and with the opportunity to thrive as other children do. Together, we can make a safer world for children. Terry Leong CEO World Vision Malaysia

Make Subang airport disability-friendly AIRPORTS are integral to the travel industry, providing connections to local and international destinations. Their sole function is to serve passengers and facilitate air freight. However, the design and aesthetics of airports primarily cater to the needs and preferences of passengers. provisions for individuals with disabilities or those who use wheelchairs. In Malaysia, the level of support for disabled passengers varies significantly between ground services and airlines. Some local airlines charge

no aerobridges or elevators available to assist with boarding. Additionally, the concrete path along the perimeter of the building leading to the tarmac is uneven and bumpy, exposing passengers to the deafening noise of airplane engines, as well as turbulence and dust. The Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport requires a comprehensive review of its spatial design to ensure proper access to planes and the implementation of international standard facilities for individuals with disabilities. It needs to be upgraded from a kampung -style airport to one that meets global standards. This is not merely a charitable gesture but a fundamental responsibility of an efficient airport operator. Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin School of Arts Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang

substantial fees for wheelchair use while others provide this service free of charge. If you use your own wheelchair, you will need to push it all the way to the boarding gate, and the same applies when disembarking. While some airlines do provide assistance for wheelchair-bound passengers, the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang lacks adequate facilities for individuals with disabilities. Passengers flying on ATR planes face the challenge of climbing six steps while those on Boeing flights must navigate nineteen steps as there are

Most countries take pride in the architecture, interior design and facilities of their airports as these serve as the first point of contact for tourists and business travellers, creating a favourable first impression of the nation. Therefore, airports must offer facilities that accommodate the needs of all passengers, including children, the elderly and individuals with disabilities, to ensure a comfortable, safe and enjoyable journey. Most airport facilities are designed for the general passenger population. However, many airports do make