The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • Will the elections hold?

    Will the elections hold?

    The presidential election is a week away, that is, if it is not scuttled by the frenzied call for postponement. As strident as those calls are, there have also been boisterous demands for INEC to conduct the elections as scheduled. The Chief Justice of Nigeria has weighed in on the side of reason with his mature counsel to judges to avoid being used to scuttle our hard-earned democracy. It is indeed disheartening to witness another June 12 in the making, and from the same set of characters or their offspring. Gene really matters. What is surprising, however, is the successful recruitment of the victims of past assaults on democracy to the camp of the assaulters. Fully aware that the present agitation for postponement has followed the very same script used in 1993, I don’t see how anyone can be so fooled as not to detect the real motive behind the call.

    The Council of States was called to weigh in, but since its meeting was still going on as of the deadline for submitting this piece, I cannot factor the resolution of that body into my reflections today.

    What is clear to me is that the drummer to whose beat this mad dancing is a response is somewhere close to the Rock. But let us examine the issues dispassionately. First, in the matter of the distribution of PVC, with INEC’s latest release that over 45 million voters (about 66 per cent of the registered electorate) have collected their PVCs and the extension of the deadline to February 8, it should be a reassuring piece of news. The election agency also confirmed that all PVCs are available for collection at designated centres. It is then the responsibility of individuals to find time to collect. Some state governments have taken the initiative to make it easy for their residents to discharge this patriotic responsibility by declaring work free days. One would expect the Federal Government as well as the state governments to follow this example if in fact they are serious about avoiding the disenfranchisement of citizens.

    Second, it has been alleged that INEC has neither recruited nor trained the over 900,000 workers that it plans to use for the elections. If this is true, it is troubling. However, the veracity of the claim is doubtful since INEC has been consistent in its assurance that it is ready and determined to conduct a successful election.

    Third, a preposterous claim by election fear mongers is that the contract for the printing of ballot papers had not been awarded for an election that is only a week away. I find it very difficult to believe this in view of the fact that INEC Chair, Professor Attahiru Jega, is not a new kid on the block. He conducted what everyone agreed was a successful presidential and general elections in 2011, and has had other successes in the various off-time elections since then. If ballots have not been printed by now, then of course there is a serious problem. Bear in mind, however, that this allegation has come from a group that has stopped at nothing to convince us that the elections are bound to fail unless we yield to their demand for postponement. I would rather hear from the horse’s mouth concerning the readiness or otherwise. What I am hearing from INEC is a confirmation of its readiness.

    Lastly and most unfortunately, the issue of security has been added to the pack. We are now being told that security forces need two to three months to mop up the Northeast and take back lost territories. What has eluded them in four years, they plan to achieve in three months! How realistic is this? And does it matter to the plotters of this scheme if there is a constitutional crisis?

    Jonathan’s score card

    It is really sad that the president has found himself in this pathetic situation for which he has only himself to blame. Leadership has its demands, the most important of which is strength of conviction and firmness of purpose in pursuit of the right and just. This is what Jonathan lacks and this is turning out to be his undoing should he lose the election. But since miracles do happen, should he win by some magic, it is what he has to pay attention to in a second term.

    A few weeks ago on this page, I identified three major issues at stake in this election as security, corruption and the economy. To be as charitable as possible, given the prevailing conditions, it is clear that Jonathan cannot receive a pass mark for his handling of security and corruption and only a below average on the economy.

    We are told that under Jonathan’s watch, Nigeria has become the largest economy in Africa and he has claimed that he has created more millionaires in Nigeria than at any time. Yet our poverty level is sky high. There is mention of the resuscitation of railroads. But industrialists and business people have to provide the train cars to move their goods. In the matter of energy, his supporters would not like us to remember Jonathan’s 2011 declaration that if he can’t improve on power within four years, it means that he cannot do anything even if he’s there for additional four years.

    On security, our president did not initially take the menace of insurgency seriously, choosing to blame imaginary sponsors, an unforgivable shirking of the most important responsibility of any government. Between 2011 and 2013 the president and his team didn’t know what to do as they played the ostrich. It was this mindset that led to the denial of the kidnapping of over 200 Chibok girls, still the nation’s worst nightmare. With the terrorists’ control of swaths of the national territory, it is clear that the president has violated his oath to protect the territorial integrity of the country.

    Evaluating Jonathan’s non-performance in tackling corruption is a nausea-inducing exercise, since for him we shouldn’t be unduly concerned about corruption because what ails the nation is stealing and not corruption. Presumably, this is why there hasn’t been any high profile indictment since Jonathan took over as president and why he has been reluctant to fire cabinet members and other government officials implicated in shady deals. But Dr. Jonathan didn’t have any hesitation removing Justice Salami and CBN Governor Sanusi for doing their jobs! And while security forces lack funds and equipment to execute the war on terror, militants receive huge contracts for the supply of weapons.

    Beside corruption in terms of material acquisition to the detriment of the state, there is moral depravity. While a number of people close to him have adjudged the president a good-natured person, it is unfortunate that he has not applied his good nature on behalf of good cause, especially with regard to impunity within the ruling party.

    The moment that the president lost me completely was when he approved the blatant disrespect for democratic values by the PDP governors pursuant to the well-publicised Nigerian Governors’ Forum elections. How any right-thinking person, let alone the President of a nation, can support the grossly irresponsible conduct of those PDP governors and their co-travellers in shame is beyond me. How can I ever again trust my president to make a morally sound judgment in cases in which his selfish interest is at stake? The precedent set by that perfidy was recently followed to the letter by Ekiti PDP lawmakers. But unless you are an unrepentant egoist, the idea of rational morality is that even in cases where your interests are affected, you must follow the dictate of morality, which may justifiably require the sacrifice of your interests for the greater good. By the way, isn’t this also the dictate of Christianity? That our president accords his political self-interest priority over the greater good of fostering democracy even when it hurts is an indictment of his moral leadership.

  • Atedo’s ataraxia, Ekwueme’s quagmire

    Leaders are unborn Almost exactly 10 years ago, as editor and columnist for the defunct New Age newspaper, I had written a piece titled: “The Ekwueme quagmire” (New Age, Thursday, January 20, 2005). Let’s take an excerpt from that piece as a background to today’s offering.

    “His ultimate quagmire is typified in the Anambra situation since 1999 (but) which came to a head on June 10, 2003, with the abduction of a serving governor of his state and party – a situation that wants to make one hide one’s face in black polythene bag.

    “How could an Ekwueme be in a country where ‘pirates’ would put monies accruing to his state’s treasury on the table (like a loot) and simply share it, month after month, year after year, for four years and for another term kicking off?

    “How could an Ekwueme be alive and for nearly a year, teachers and pensioners were not paid, schools were shut, entire Anambra infrastructure collapsed in the face of huge monthly revenue allocation to the state? How could an Ekwueme be and the president (Obasanjo) stated in public that the problem in Anambra took root because there were no respectable elders in Igboland?

    “Finally, how could an Ekwueme be member of a party, a state and even a country where a governor is abducted, properties razed and votes said to be entirely stolen? None can remember on strong statement he made in condemnation of these abominable acts.”

    Of course, Dr. Alex Ekwueme is former vice president of Nigeria, founding chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a two-time presidential aspirant. More important, he led the Group of 34 (G34) that practically chased the late military junta General Sani Abacha, out of office and which metamorphosed into PDP.

    To drive home the point, Ekwueme is the most influential voice in the land since the Second Republic. But as the excerpts above show, and with due respect to an octogenarian statesman, he has always failed to lend his voice during critical moments of national crisis. It took the conscientious voice of the late Chinua Achebe from his wheelchair in faraway US to call global attention to Obasanjo’s madness in Anambra at that time.

    Just as Ekwueme’s silence reverberated in 2005 when Governor Ngige was abducted, a similar scenario plays out today. While the nation totters, respected elders go on endorsement circuit. While that may be their prerogative, not when they purport to speak for the entire Southeast; but they are not mouthpiece of the Igbo; they have not earned that pip. Recall the mess the late Ralph Iwechue made of Ohaneze in 2011 endorsement season. So sad that Igbo politicians of this era have proven to be poor, poor politicians. Poor as pimps.

    Atedo’s ataraxia While Dr. Ekwueme may be in a quandary as to how to handle the mantle of leadership providence bequeathed to him, Atedo Peterside suffers acute ataraxia, a state of mind in which a man suffers what may be debilitating tranquility. Or to say in plainer, it is a state in which you experience too much of a good thing; where you are permanently in cloud nine, so to speak. For those who may not know, Atedo Peterside boasts of a rich pedigree. He is a silver spoon who did even better for himself. In the 80s of one-man banks, he led a small team to set up an upscale wholesale bank known as IBTC. It was so successful that all the turbulence that assailed and blew away many of its peers never affected it. Today it trades as Stanbic-IBTC, a member of the multinational banking group, Standard Chartered. Atedo remains its chairman.

    With his kinsman, Goodluck Jonathan as president, Atedo naturally found favour with him and has remained a member of the president’s economic team and ‘kitchen’ cabinet in the last four years. His influence in economic affairs has been deep and of course his bank has grown proportionately.

    Unconcerned professional Many will remember Atedo as a well groomed man of culture, a professional and a patriot. In the heady 80s of the Generals (Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha) when the junta sought to extirpate our resurgent democracy, Atedo was one of those who stood up to be counted.

    Not minding the inherent perils, he teamed up with a few other soul mates to found the Concerned Professionals, (CP). Through well-reasoned newspaper adverts CP relentlessly challenged the obdurate military regimes and insisted that the right thing must be done by the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola. In that period of subterfuge and renegades, Atedo’s was an intervention that was at once unique, effective and memorable.

    You must have noticed recently, similar newspaper adverts with Atedo apparently trying to re-enact the activism of those days, using the platform of ANAP Foundation. Sadly, today, he appears to have grown ataraxic and dangerously sentimental. His last installment is titled: “The ugly side of Buhari and GEJ”, (The Punch 31-01-15, page 23). It is a perfect example of negative campaign done with panache and bravura.

     As Atedo purports, it is a preview of an opinion poll bankrolled by him which results show that Buhari and Jonathan are running neck-to-neck. But Atedo’s take on his poll drips with bias and bad blood against Buhari that nobody should bother about the result of his so-called poll. First, it has to be the ‘ugly side” of the candidates that has to be highlighted. But it turned out to be Atedo’s ugly thoughts and sentiments about Buhari.

    There are about 20 ‘negative’ verbal assaults against Buhari on one page of Atedo’s article. Let’s list some.

    One: swing voters will determine the next presidential election. “They want change but see Buhari as the type of change that is both worrisome and alarming.”

    Two: “Many of the swing voters are true democrats who abhor authoritarianism. Buhari was not a benevolent dictator… he was a vicious and wicked one who used retroactive decrees to sentence youths to death…”

    Three: “On the economy, Buhari was a disaster first time around. He was clearly an economic illiterate…”

    Four: Atedo describes Buhari as “an old and infirm “honest” man who is driven by blind ambition to re-occupy a seat from which he was booted out in 1985…”

    And what is GEJ’s ugly side? Hear it from Atedo: “GEJ’s vulnerabilities are from the party chieftains and a few dodgy aides that he accommodates and/or tolerates… he believed too much in assurances from our security agencies… This entire group have (sic) lost credibility in the fight against Boko Haram…” on and on, GEJ is Atedo’s hero and knight in shining armour. Atedo wraps up his ugly campaign thus: “If I vote GEJ in this election it is because his ugly side is less ugly than Buhari’s known and well-documented uglier side and nothing more.”

    One cannot help wondering where the rain started to beat Atedo? I shed tears as I interrogated his metamorphosis; if one had not interviewed this fellow about 20 years ago one would probably blame it on hunger. Today, he typifies the current leadership that sits in its exquisite cabin and would not acknowledge that the ship of state is sinking. Is Nigeria not a pariah state today as in 1994? No serious country would sell us arms. When is a banana republic? Chadian troops and South African mercenaries are on our soil today? What is our exchange rate now? Yet in Atedo’s estimation, Gen. Buhari is Nigeria’s problem.

    Let’s close by informing Atedo that he will go down as one of the un-doings of GEJ. If only the president got proper counsel; if only just one refinery was built in five years (as Singapore and even Niger did) and Nigeria no longer imports petroleum products…what a difference that would have made today?

    In praise of Asiodu’s G – 13

    All it too little too late but as they say, better late than never. Have you seen a recent press release by a group that goes by the name, INITIATIVE FOR MORAL RECTITUDE IN THE SOCIETY? What an awkward name but what is in a name? They say they are for …Promoting Good Governance and we say about time some elders stood up to be counted and rescue this drifting ship.
    They say they are distressed by the situation in our nation Nigeria and call on all political parties to ensure that their candidates stick to issues rather than pointless attacks on their opponents. They also call on all parties to shun violence and seek redress through statutory means of resolving disputes, among other laudable talk.
    But really the news is in the members who signed the news release: Chief Philip Asiodu who appears to be the arrowhead; Alhaji Ahmed Joda, Chief E.J. Amana, Prof Grace Alele-Williams, Prof. T.A.J. Ogunbiyi, Prof. Ibidapo Obe, Alhaji Abba Kyari, Amb. B.A. Clark, Amb. Abdhullahi Atta, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Chief B. Ogunkelu, Dr. G.A. Soyoye and R/Admiral A.O.S. Okoja (Rtd).
    It is so salutary and refreshing to see a group that appears unbiased and truly exists in the interest of our motherland. We hope this initiative is sustained and that it continues to grow in its noble objectives.

  • An umpire’s role

    An umpire’s role

    Here is the period of life against which we had been warned through the wisdom of Ubayyi Bn Ka‘b and that of Abdullah Bn Mas‘ud. Here is the time in life when truth becomes totally abhorrent while falsehood and mischief are loftily upheld. Should this period linger and nothing changes in it, the world may (soon) reach a stage where the bereaved will rather rejoice than grieve over the demise of a close relation and parents will rather grieve than rejoice over the birth of a new baby”.

    By an Arab poet

     

    Preamble

    Read the above quotation once again and compare it with the current social, political and economic trends in Nigeria. In a situation like this where suicide through insurgency is in vogue for teenagers; where throwing away of newly born babies by young, unmarried women is taken for civilisation; where kidnapping has become a lucrative business and oil theft is now a unique profession; where rebellion and terrorism are the order of the day, one can hardly see anything other than the signals of the end of time.

    For majority of Nigerians today, life is so much upside down that the children of textile magnates now walk the streets in rags even as the children of meat sellers of yore now eat bones. The highly valued norms of our society that once constituted the pinnacle of glory in the life of Nigerians have sadly become objects of ridicule while vagabondism and unbridled brigandage have replaced those norms. Like prodigal children of history, Nigerians now live in a land of unrealisable dream and peregrinate aimlessly in the desert of pauperism. And the compass with which to find the way to the Cape of Good Hope has been lost by those who are claiming to be the crew on our nation’s boat. Where are we going from here?

     

    Memorial Inscription

    Whenever I remember an inscription once placed, conspicuously, at the entrance of the University of Cordoba, in Spain, my heart bleeds. In the antiquity of that inscription is the summary of what the world should be as against what it is today. I first saw the inscription in 1985 when I accompanied the late Bashorun MKO Abiola to Spain where he delivered a lecture on ‘Islamic Economic System’. It read thus: “The world is held together by four formidable pillars: the wisdom of the learned, the justice of the great, the prayer of the righteous and the valour of the brave”. (University of Cordoba is the very first University ever established in the world. It was established by the Muslim Arabs in Spain in the seventh century CE).

    At the foundation of the four pillars mentioned above are two key words that link man directly to God. The two words are: TRUTH AND JUSTICE. Without those two abstract but ruling words, it would have been impossible for humanity to remain in peace and harmony.

    Perhaps no scholar in the contemporary world has given a more connotative definition to TRUTH than Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio did. In that axiomatic definition which The Guardian  of Nigeria has adopted for its official insignia, the great scholar described Truth as “an open wound which only the conscience can heal”. And, in Islam, JUSTICE is a corollary of TRUTH. Both are the armour with which two unique persons are fortified in the course of their responsibilities.

    The two persons are the umpire and the witness.

     

    Truth and Justice

    Uthman Dan Fodio’s definition of TRUTH was based on his understanding of Allah’s counsel for mankind thus: “Do not encapsulate truth in falsehood, nor hide the truth deliberately….” Q. 2: 42. And Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also admonished the Muslims thus: “Speak the truth even if it be against you”.

    Truth and Justice are like a pair of scissors. They work together inseparably. And, just as no scissors can function effectively with just one blade so can no building stand without a foundation. Truth is the foundation of Justice. Wherever the two are constantly found, all vices disappear into permanent oblivion.

    In Islam, nothing is more important than Truth and Justice. In 245 places in the Qur’an, Allah talks of the essence of Truth in the life of man with emphasis. Also, in 28 places, in the same Glorious Book, He guides mankind on Justice and frowns emphatically at injustice.

    That is why, (in a genuine Islamic society), no man can become an Imam, a Judge, an umpire or even be accepted as a witness unless there is evidence that he is truthful and just.

     

    Breach of Trust

    The first step towards the breach of trust can be found in a situation where a person who is involved in a case is the one to appoint the judge. This happens in various forms. For instance, injustice is expected to occur where the coach of a football team is responsible for assigning a referee to a match involving his team. A better example is a situation where a ruling party or a contestant in an election is the one to appoint the umpire in such election as it happens in Nigeria. With that alone, the basis of trust has been destroyed, especially if that umpire reports to the same person who appoints him. In such a situation, no amount of verbal assurances or persuasion can convince anybody. And any contest based on that situation is based on injustice.

     

    Down the memory lane

    Students of Arabic grammar should be able recall an episode during the golden era of Abbasid dynasty in Iraq. That was the time when Islamic knowledge flourished almost to its peak and Arabic grammar was taking its final formation. Two famous schools of Arabic language coexisted in Iraq at that time. One was in Basrah. The other was in Kuffah. They were headed by Sibawayh (a Persian) and Kisai (an Arab), respectively.

    The Basrah School specialised in syntax. The Kuffah School specialised in morphology. But both schools were in a fierce competition and none could be said to be superior to the other.

    However, some concerned scholars who wanted to establish the base of superiority between the two schools decided to put both to test. A grammatical question was raised. And the two leaders were invited to answer it analytically. Here is the question: “I have always thought that the hornet was more poisonous than the scorpion”. Two answers were provided for that question. One was “and it happens to be so”. The other was “and it is exactly so”. The examinees were expected to pick only one answer.

    What Sibawayh and Kisai were requested to do in answering the question was to analyse the full complement of any question they picked grammatically. Kisai chose the first answer while Sibawayh chose the second. The panel of judges was divided on the matter but the opinion of the leader of the panel prevailed. Kisai was thus declared the winner and Kuffah School was proclaimed superior.

    Disappointed that the judgment was partial in favour of his rival Sibawayh who was impeccably renowned, intellectually, did not return to his home base in Basrah. Rather, he migrated to a remote village where he spent the rest of his life in frustration and died miserably.

    It was many years after his death that the incident was revisited and Sibawayh was found to be correct while Kisai was wrong. But then, the die had been cast as the demised victor could not rejoice over his victory.

     

    Nepotism

    Going into why the first judgment was faulty, researchers discovered that the head of the first panel was Kisai’s cousin. And so, the judgment was deliberately given to reflect nepotism. Over 1,000 years after that episode, Nigeria staged a similar show in 1993 at a macro level. And it ended in a fiasco called the June 12 debacle. In the show, an MKO Abiola won the freest and fairest election ever held in this country but was denied victory and made to die miserably in prison.

    The result is the ongoing spectre casting a political spell on Nigeria and constituting a pendulum of uncertainty on the citizenry.

     

    Neutrality of an umpire

    Whoever is appointed an umpire or finds himself in such a position must bring his conscience to bear. He must not only be truthful, just, upright and conscientious, he must also see himself as being in the presence of the Almighty God in his open conduct and secret deeds. An umpire can be a judge in a court of law, an arbiter in a dispute, a referee in a boxing ring, a moderator in an election or a ruler of a nation. Each of these is expected by God and by man to be just in his arbitration, rule or dealings. As such, he must not just wear the garb of neutrality; he must also be vividly seen in that garb. It hoped that the INEC boss, Professor Attahiru Jega would read this article.

    As an umpire, pitching tent with an individual or a group against another in a contest can only amount to a breach of natural law, a betrayal of trust and a violation of justice all of which can incur the wrath of God. No man in the position of an umpire has ever betrayed the course of justice without paying dearly for it in the end.

    Where the chief executive officer of a country becomes the chief law breaker through deliberate falsehood, vicious treachery, audacious injustice, treasury looting, and playing of god-fatherism to illegality and gangsterism, it is only natural to expect repercussion in whatever form. A former one time Governor of Kaduna State, Group Captain Usman Jibrin (now of blessed memory) warned Nigerian Muslim leadership against injustice in 1994, at a meeting of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs held in Arewa House, Kaduna, and headed by the former Sultan, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki.

    When some Muslim elders present at that meeting, who were expected to uphold the truth, started to speak from both sides of their mouths on the June 12, 1993 election annulment, Group Captain Jibrin rose courageously to call a spade its name quoting the following verses of the Qur’an: “And guard against a calamity that may descend not only on evil perpetrators but also on their aides as well. And know that Allah’s punishment can be very severe.”

     

    Truth like gold

    Truth is like gold. It can be smelted and panel-beaten after taken through the furnace. But when it becomes an adorned ornament its beauty remains forever. The misfortune of history as a teacher is that people refuse to learn from its lessons. In Nigeria, like in most other African countries, greed is the very basis of injustice. Every action by the so called leaders is measured in terms of dollars and Euros accruing to their pockets from the national treasury. But Allah is patient. He allows unjust rulers and political demagogues to pull a long rope before they end up hanging themselves with the same rope.

    Who can be a better judge of actions and intentions than Allah?

    Democracy is stable in the Western world because greed is not vivid in the culture of that world. The former American President, Bill Clinton, was living in a four bedroom bungalow before he assumed office in 1992. It was to that same bungalow that he returned in year 2000 after serving two terms of eight years as President of the world’s most powerful country. Can the same be said of Nigerian leaders after Ahmadu Bello, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Murtala Muhammed? And, given this situation, in which Nigeria finds herself today, does one need to gaze through the crystal ball to know why the life span in Nigeria came down to 43 years in 2006 from 52 years that it was in 1999 even as winning the coming elections has been declared ‘a do or die affair’?

     

    INEC under watch

    Now, we are going through another acid test in the hands of justice.

    All eyes are on the umpire called Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) even as the world waits to see the direction to which Nigeria will head through the general elections that start in a week’s time. Confidence has been eroded. Fears have been expressed in various quarters. Prayers have been offered by millions of Muslims and Christians in the country. It is our hope that INEC will live by the name of an umpire if for posterity sake. It is also our fervent prayer that the Almighty Allah will allay all fears in the land and rescue Nigerians from the crushing manacle with which Satan has fettered this country to its own stake. Amen.

  • Campaign clowns, zonal zealots and partisan priests (2)

    Before going into today’s topic, I like to respond briefly to a comment posted by an online reader on “Riding out the gathering storm (2)”. The reader was apparently shocked that I made the following statement: “However, if voters don’t care about issues of restructuring and constitutional amendment, we cannot force them and we must be reminded about the inviolability of Lincoln’s wisdom: Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

    The reader commented as follows: “Really? You are sure you believe this? This is a terrible world. But history will record this.” To which I can now respond that it is shocking to me that any democrat can be shocked about a statement that only re-establishes the fundamental principle of democracy, namely, that power belongs to the people and they may choose to use it to their own benefit or detriment. What exactly is so bizarre about this belief that makes this “a terrible world” is beyond my understanding. And why it would be an embarrassment to have history record it is truly incomprehensible to me.

    It should be noted that the quoted passage starts with “however” which indicates that some thought has gone before. That thought is the following: “Fifth, if restructuring is an important issue for the polity, it is not too much to ask the presidential candidates to explain their positions on it to the voters before they (voters) head for the polls. Hopefully, candidates will have opportunities for debate on issues because such is an occasion for the electorate to get to know more about their prospective leaders.”

    It was on the basis of the same belief in the inviolability of the people’s will that it was widely canvassed that the report of the national conference must be subject to people’s referendum.  In light of this, an approach that would have been productive is to have restructuring as a ballot item in the general elections.  This is how democracies give voice to the people.  It is especially important in this case in view of the fact that ordinary citizens were not directly involved in the selection of the conference participants and huge populations were left out. Oke-Ogun is an example. That restructuring is good for the polity cannot justify its dictatorial imposition on the people. I can defend this principle anywhere anytime. Enough said!

    The 1999 constitution doesn’t recognise zones as administrative units. The North has especially insisted on this fact when it is convenient. This time around, there appears to be a competition between the South and the North in the recourse to zonal zealotry. There is a “my zone or nothing” mentality in the air surrounding the 2015 presidential election. It is against logic. It is against reason. It is against morality. And the presidential candidates are not oblivious of the contradictions in the message of their zonal zealots.

    The North cannot by itself produce the ballots that would make GMB president. The South by itself cannot re-elect GEJ. So what is the point of the zonal endorsements and the threats that have been issued ad nauseam? And do these zealots know what damage they are doing to their “candidates”? Can any of the candidates afford to be tagged a “northern” or “southern” president?

    There is a long history of the North-South dichotomy and rivalry, occasioned by the “divide and rule” policy effectively adopted by the British. Pre-independence suspicions mushroomed into post-independence conflicts with wounds still fresh and raw. Innumerable conferences have failed to produce a lasting solution. We don’t have one country and at every point we make it clear that we are irredeemably divided. The North seek a president that is of their stock and the South want one of their own. With the way things are, one of them will have her wish. But will Nigeria have her wish? Where is the president that is of Nigerian stock?

    According to media reports, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) declared that: “It is the policy of the ACF to support any northerner in any presidential election.”  This is not good news for GMB because what it implies is that the North does not support him because of his qualities, which many Nigerians have espoused, but simply because he is a son of the North. Furthermore, it follows that even if any political party presents ANY NORTHERNER no matter his qualities or qualification, the North will support him.

    On her part, the South-South has gone further than just endorsing GEJ. At a January 23rd meeting hosted by the Bayelsa State Government, with the governor in attendance, Niger Delta militants threatened to “unleash violence on the country and take back Niger Delta oil, should Mr. Jonathan lose re-election.” This means that where the zone’s wish is unfulfilled because her “son” loses, Nigeria will be punished for acceding to the dictates of democracy that the minority may have its say, but the majority will have its will.

    Candidates know or ought to know better. However, I have not seen a clear statement from either of the major party candidates dissociating himself from the excesses of zonal zealots as contained in the above-stated declarations. Is it a tacit support for zonal hegemonists?

     Priests have also found their way into partisan mudslinging. To be sure, this is not an equal-opportunity malaise across the religious divide. And it is surprising that the religion that claims to speak to the whole of life including the spiritual and the secular has been the less aggressive in this election cycle. The only prominent voice of Islam that has come out this time is Alhaji Gumi, and he has been as balanced as anyone can reasonably expect. Yet Islam is non apologetic about its incursion into all the areas of life of the believer.

    On the other hand, however, Christian priests have thrown caution to the wind in their campaign for and against the major presidential candidates. There is Father Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry who was for Jonathan before he was against Jonathan, making him the flip-flopper on the altar. And there is Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, CAN President, who has not hidden his partisanship in words and action. Then we have the Prelate of the Methodist Church, Reverend Samuel Chukwuemeka Uche, who conveniently forgot the meaning of his calling and the example of the Master that he chose to follow who reminded us that His Kingdom was not of this world.

    The Prelate, who has nothing to say about Niger Delta militants’ intention to declare war should the President lose, calls on the Federal Government to arrest and prosecute Governor Rotimi Amaechi and others for exercising their constitutional right to free speech and suggesting that they were prepared to form a parallel government should APC lose in an unfair election. The Prelate conveniently chooses to forget that we are in a democracy and freedom of speech is a right under the constitution.

    Not satisfied with his assault on free speech, the Reverend also “tasks the government to quickly come up with legislation that would enable the authorities to jail for no less than 12 years any presidential candidate that “misbehaves.”” For good measure, the legislation, from presentation to presidential assent, must take no more than two weeks.  It doesn’t matter that we don’t have a definition of “misbehaviour”.

    Prelate Uche also delves into the Boko Haram tragedy by painting whole populations with the terrorist brush with the observation that “95% of those fighting our country are of Fulani and Kanuri origin.” He then asks: “Why are they aggrieved? Two, who are their sponsors?” Boko Haram has volunteered information on the first question. They want to establish their own brand of Islam and their victims have been both Christians and Muslims, majority of who are also Fulani and Kanuri. Instead of demonising entire groups, our priests should empathise with terror victims some of whom may belong to their denomination. With priests as partisans, pray who needs politicians?

  • Election flakes starring: Ndigbo, Kerry, Dasuki, Tompolo, Amaechi, etc

    RE: Southeast sinking with Jonathan?

    This question I raised here last week and it turned out it is a sore, delicate point. By noon of last Friday, I had received a deluge of text messages that would have crashed my phone if it were of Chinese mode. While a few saw my point and concurred that Ndigbo must vote with wisdom and open mind, a good number cursed and abused me. One went as far as calling me an ‘Osu’! Gee, what blind passion we exhibit in debates.

    Their concern, or rather grouse, as I could discern include the claim that Goodluck Jonathan is their ‘brother’; that North has ruled for too long; that General Buhari is a Muslim extremist; that Jonathan must have his second term as others have had and that Buhari being instrumental to making the polity ungovernable should not benefit from it.

    To reiterate the point of my article and give omnibus answers to the points raised, I say that Goodluck Jonathan is no more a ‘brother’ of Ndigbo as Muhammadu Buhari. As an instance, Igbo properties were hijacked in Kano during the civil war as they were in Port Harcourt. Two, has the constitution banished people from up the Niger from participating in the polity just because Northern generals ruled during our years of interregnums? That Buhari is an extremist is sheer propaganda orchestrated by his opponents. He is just an average Nigerian persona who would seek to allow his people a little edge at any given opportunity. That is human nature.

    Lastly, that Buhari might be even remotely linked to the Boko Haram carnage in the Northeast of Nigeria is as insensible as it is insensate. It will take an extremely foolish and irrational person to unleash or even condone such killings and destruction of his people as we have witnessed. Need one remind that he too was almost killed; mosques (including the Central mosque in Kano) have been bombed during prayers, Emirates have been sacked and emirs killed in cold blood. It will be unfair to blame these heinous acts on Buhari.

    The questions many chose to shy away from or deflect are whether Jonathan has the requisite capacity to run this country; whether he has tackled some of the problems confronting the country today adequately and whether he has performed well in office to deserve our votes once more? Let’s not also forget that a northerner picked an Igbo man as vice president shortly after the civil war and that there are probably more Igbo who have found home across the North than in the South.More important, Ndigbo must eschew primordial sentiments and vote wisely in the overall interest of the country.

     

    John Kerry to Nigerian leaders: behave or be busted

    No, that is not exactly the message though that is how it eventually came across in the media. It is the problem with this thing called news-peg. It was a most timeous and significant visit. I want to see it as the most symbolic move the US has made in Nigeria in a long while.

    John Kerry, the powerful US Secretary of State, visited us over the weekend. He met separately with the two front runners in the presidential election of February 14. He spoke pointedly to them on the need to conduct a peaceful election. And he urged “all of Nigeria’s candidates to do what is best for their country no matter the outcome on election day.” That is quite profound if the candidates truly understand the import of the statement.

    But when he closed on this note: “So let me be clear: Anyone who participates in, plans, or calls for widespread or systematic violence against the civilian population must be held accountable, including by ineligibility for an American visa,” it became the news and overshadowed the import of the message. But any Nigerian patriot must commend the US for this timely intervention disregarding how it rubs off on us at the moment.

     

    SamboDasuki ricochets in London

    Let me confess upfront that Col. SamboDasuki, the National Security Adviser, NSA, had long disappointed most of us who thought the world of his prowess. We were benumbed enough that his tenure has had little impact on the rampaging terror group, Boko Haram, now he seems to dabble into extraneous matters and throws so many spanners in the works. What is Sambo doing in Chatham House, London telling the world how unprepared Nigeria is for the upcoming election and the need to postpone? Why would he make such sensitive political statement abroad? Would Britain’s chief of security come before a Nigerian audience and suggest to it that a forthcoming general election in Britain be postponed?

    Dasuki’s London bombshell has only led us to the suspicion that he is flying a kite for a jittery PDP that fears defeat at the February 14 election. We expect our security guru to reassure us about the debacle in the northeast of Nigeria. Need we remind him that the Boko Haram has grown in strength under his watch? What on earth was Dasuki doing in London the same period the gang was almost over-running Maiduguri, capital of Borno State!? A man whose house is up in smoke cannot be delivering lectures abroad unless he knows something we don’t know.

    Tompolo, Dokubo, Boyloaf and all that bluster

    Looking at these boys, it is apparent they were not born during the Biafran war or they were not old enough to make it into even the Boys Company. This must explain why they are always full of fitful noise and hot air. Someone must tell these boys that wearing a huge frown and screaming at the rest of us is a telling sign of cowardice and fear. We are not impressed.

    No proper, well-groomed adult would invoke war. No real man who has witnessed real war would insist on war ever again. War and violence are the cheap commodities of idiots and untutored people. We must keep reminding AsariDokubo and his cohorts that Nigeria remains one entity under a constitution; election will hold on February 14 as scheduled, Nigerians will exercise their rights to vote their choice and the winner will preside. No band of boys bearing a few AK47s can change that.

    One’s real worry about the persistent threats of ex-militants like AsariDokubo, Government (Tompolo) Ekpemuopolo, Victor (Boyloaf) Ebika- bowei, Eris (Ogunboss) Paul and the rest of them, is that in their rascality, they are showcasing the innate weakness of president, Goodluck Jonathan. They are showing us that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces requires an alternate ‘army’ to stand erect.

    It is sad that this last threat was made right before an elected governor of Bayelsa State, SeriakeDickson in Government House. Recall too that Mr. Jimi Agbaje, the PDP guber candidate for Lagos State had echoed this threat earlier in his campaign. It was indeed a rude shock that a man of Agbaje’s supposed enlightenment would mount a rostrum and threaten Nigerians to vote his candidate or be damned! Misguided youths who ought to be chided and called to order are now in the counsel of our leaders, governors and presidents. Does that explain why the ship of state is adrift?

    But have you noticed thatthese so-called ex-militants have become so fresh-skinned and bloated that I would wager they don’t want to go into the creeks anymore lest they drown. Besides, have you seen any billionaire fighting in any creek!

    Other flakes

    One, what is Governor Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Bala doing throwing stones at each other from the same (glass) house? What does that say of the PD.Two, that was quite maladroit of Governor ChibuikeAmechi to seek to bar the PDP from using the stadium in his state for campaign. If the stadium is good for his party, it must be good for the other party as well. No excuses, no explanations would hold water. Three, is it for real that a certain NdudiElumelu claimed he bribed some folks in PDP headquarters N750 million to swing the PDP Delta State governorship ticket for him? How come, a mere House of Reps member? Why, there so much money in this country and some of us are cooking our leather shoes to eat at the next meal?

    To Gov. Amosun, game-changer at 57

    This is a salute to Ogun State’s man of steel and bulldozer, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, as he turned 57 last week. He is one of the few examples of what a long time four years can be and what far-reaching achievements can be crammed into a term of office. He also debunks the myth that some states are not viable because they get little allocation from the Federation Account.
    The outstanding, if not astonishing performance of Amosun in Ogun seems so unassailable that even his opponents seem flat-footed and flailing. Anyone who knew Abeokuta, Ota and other towns of Ogun only needed to return there and marvel. Ogun people should never have any difficulty re-electing their governor to complete the job he has started.
    This is wishing the game-changer many more active years ahead.

  • MUSWEN’s General Assembly

    Have you not seen how Allah has presented the parable of good deed like that of a fruitful tree which roots are firmly planted in the earth while foliage sprout gorgeously into the firmaments of the sky, yielding (edible) fruits every season by Allah’s permission? Allah addresses humans in parables that they may be mindful (of their deeds)”

    Qur’an 14 verse 24.

    It was a gathering of who is who among the Muslim leaders of the Southwest Nigeria last Sunday. The venue was the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan. And the event was that of the General Assembly, the first of its kind since the body came into existence seven years ago. Present at the Assembly were leaders and delegates of the Muslim State Councils /Communities, Muslim traditional rulers, representatives of the League of Imams and Alfas, including the Chief Imam of Ibadan as well as the Chief Executives of all prominent Muslim Organisations and professionals in the region.

    Chaired by the Acting President of MUSWEN, Justice Bolarinwa Babalakin JSC (rtd) CON, CFR, LLD who officially declared the whole day session open, the Assembly considered some important issues affecting the Ummah and summarised such issues in a communique that captured the thoughts and feelings of the Southwest Muslims about Nigeria thus:

     

    Communique

    “The first General Assembly of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria was held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, under the Chairmanship of MUSWEN’s Ag. President, Justice Tijani Bolarinwa Babalakin JSC (retired), CON, CFR, LLD.

    MUSWEN is the umbrella body for all State Muslim Councils/ Communities, Muslim Organisations and Muslim professional bodies in the Southwest of Nigeria.

    The General Assembly was well attended by eminent Muslim men and women leaders from the six states of the Southwest Region.

     

    Observations

    Given the current economic, political and religious situation in Nigeria, MUSWEN, through an appraisal at its first General Assembly observed as follows:

    •That the Southwest of Nigeria has a preponderance of Muslim population which forms a great workforce that helps in maintaining the perennial peace of the region despite constant unwarranted

    provocations from certain quarters.

    •That the situation of insecurity in the country today has reached such a dangerous stage where some ethnic groups and individuals are openly threatening the already fragile peace in the land without minding the implications and consequences of such threats.

     

    Religious leaders and politicians

    •That some religious leaders in the country who are supposed to use their good offices to douse any religious tension  as ordained by our various faiths refuse to live above board by clandestinely fueling unnecessary antagonism and mutual suspicion among the populace through their inflammatory utterances to the detriment of peace and tranquility.

    •That the public conducts of some politicians especially in the Southwest of Nigeria has become a serious embarrassment and big threat to the peaceful coexistence of the people in the region.

    •That majority of Nigerian youths, today, especially those of the Southwest, who possess qualitative education  and physical ability to contribute meaningfully to the region’s economic fortune are jobless for no fault of theirs.

     

    Resolutions

    Consequent upon the aforementioned observations therefore, MUSWEN’s

    General Assembly, resolved as follows:

    1.That the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria totally condemned the bloody and destructive activities of Boko Haram insurgents who are masquerading under the garb of Islam to perpetrate unprecedented atrocities in some parts of the country. Islam stands for peace in all its ramifications and the perpetrators of such atrocities can only be called renegades as their actions are grossly antithetical to the tenets of Islam.

    2.That the Federal Government should quickly devise a means not only of addressing the fundamental causes of insecurity in the land (i. e joblessness, poverty and corruption) but also of rescuing the Chibok children criminally abducted by Boko Haram insurgents and thereby bring relief to the distressed parents of those children as well as all the internally displaced people in the Northeast region.

     

    Special prayer

    3.That all Muslims in the Southwest region should organise a special prayer in all Mosques on  Sunday, February 1, for a successful conduct of the forthcoming elections and peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians now and in future.

    4.That all Muslims in the Southwest region should endeavour to obtain their permanent voter cards in order to participate effectively in the current democratic process through the forthcoming general elections.

     

    Self-arrogated groups

    5.That certain non Muslim groups in the Southwest who have been parading themselves as the representatives of the region under different names and disguises to the exclusion of the multitudinous Muslims, (as demonstrated in the case of nomination of delegates to the last National Confab where Muslims were totally marginalised) should stop such arrogation henceforth in order to sustain the existing peace in the region.

     

    Dwindling economy

    6.That in view of the current dwindling income from Nigeria’s mono economic standing represented by petroleum, a veritable and effective agricultural policy aimed at engaging millions of idle Nigerian youths as a way of curbing unnecessary restiveness among those youths becomes a matter of urgent necessity.

    7.That to further advance the country’s economic tentacle, both the federal and state governments should immediately embark on massive training and provision of tools for Nigerian youths of various categories to enable them become entrepreneurial in their own right through artisan-ship thereby propelling their economic wherewithal if only to minimise the spate of idleness that engenders insecurity in the country.

     

    INEC’s neutrality

    8.That the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) should maintain neutrality in the coming general elections and ensure impartial conduct of those elections starting with distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) while politicians should cooperate with INEC by maintaining peace and tranquility in the country before, during and after the elections.

     

    New leadership

    9. That the General Assembly of MUSWEN has elected the erstwhile acting Deputy President, Chief (Dr.) Saka Olayiwola Babalola, CON, FFP, DSC (Honoris Causa), popularly known as Chief SOB, as MUSWEN’ substantive President for a renewable three years tenure. Some Committee Chairmen were also elected while the ratification of the Board of Trustees and membership of the Central Working Committee (CWC) was also done along with the affirmation of the adoption of MUSWEN’s constitution. All the Chairmen, Secretaries of Muslim Organisations as well as the elected and ratified Committee Chairmen are automatic members of the CWC.

     

    Departed souls

    10.That in its deliberations, the General Assembly of MUSWEN remembered and prayed for the souls of the Muslim leaders who have departed this world, including Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa (the first President of MUSWEN); Alhaji Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao (the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland and Deputy President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) who was also a trustee of MUSWEN; Sheikh Mustapah Ajisafe, the President of the League of Imams and Alfas in the Southwest region as well as a host of other demised prominent Muslim leaders. The communique was jointly signed by the new President, Chief (Dr.) S. O. Babalola, CON, DSC and the Executive Secretary, Professor D. O. S. Noibi, OBE, FIAC, FISN.

     

    About MUSWEN

    For those who did not know, Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) is the umbrella body for all Muslim organisations and institutions operating in the Southwest geographical zone. This is the area comprising the present Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.

    The idea of forming MUSWEN as the umbrella body for the Southwest Muslims started in March 2004 at the instance of ‘The Companion’, a Lagos based Organisation of Muslim business and professional youth elite. The body was inaugurated in Ibadan on August 10, 2008 with the attendance of virtually all the front line Muslim Obas and Chieftains.

    His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto was the Special Guest of Honour on that occasion where all Muslim organisations in the Southwest were duly represented not as guests but as full members. Their presence indicated their commitments.

     

    Vision

    MUSWEN’s vision is of a united and effective voice for Muslims in the region under a strong, veritable and collective leadership. This had eluded the region for a very long time but the right time has come.

    The overall aim is not just to raise the profile of the Muslims in this part of the country but also to imbue the Muslim youth of the region with the necessary Islamic ethics that will enable them live as true Muslims as ordained by the Qur’an and Sunnah.

    The present situation of Muslims in which youths are still largely not educated at a benefiting level is quite unfortunate and intolerable. It is in order to end this gloomy situation and ignite a glow of hope that MUSWEN came to life as a formidable platform for the Muslims of the South West to prove their mettle.

    But why is MUSWEN so named and why is it restricted to the Southwest of Nigeria?

    The history of Islam and the conditions of the Muslims in the Southwest Nigeria are so unique that they require a special and appropriate attention. The presence of Islam among the Yoruba people who inhabit the area now called Southwest that even extended to the present day Kwara and Kogi dates back to centuries before the advent of Christianity and the coming of the British colonialists in 1842.

    Islam, being a religion of literature and education, had thus brought civilisation to West African for the first time, which tremendously impacted on the language and culture of the Yoruba people. At that time, Yoruba language was committed to writing in Arabic alphabets.

    Arabic, therefore, became the language of literacy and the medium of communication and scholarly discourse among Yoruba Muslim scholars.

    It is rather a matter of concern and even an irony that the same Muslims are now far behind their Christian counterparts in Western education. How did this irony come about? How can it be reversed?

    These questions will be answered in this column at another time In sha’Allah.

  • Campaign clowns, zonal zealots and partisan priests (1)

    Election seasons never disappoint. There is always something entertaining or distressing, some inspiring words that rise above the fray or some gutter language that defies logic and decency. There are admirable efforts to build bridges and unify, just as there are rabble-rousing charlatans on behalf of maintaining the fault lines and divisions of ethnicity and religion that prevent national advancement.  Add to this the mix of genuinely self-sacrificing motive to solve problems that lead some to present themselves for leadership position and the self-serving and egoistic urge that drives their supporters who fail to speak truth to power but engage in character assassination on behalf of their parties and candidates. All these have been represented in this election season.

    Democracy is an expensive experiment in governance. Resource-wise, it is more expensive than a dictatorship of any kind—military, monarchical, or theocratic. For one thing, with any of the latter, you don’t worry about ballot boxes, PVCs, or trillions in campaign expenses. Democracy is also a system that brings out the best and the worst in human and national character. For many would-be leaders, there is no no-go zone in their bid to win an election. There was the legendary political warlord of Ibadan who upon being solicited for support by a prospective candidate asked the latter if he could lie or kill. For this infamous warlord the real test of political fitness is the readiness of a politician for maximum evil. While this is by no means essential to the democratic system, there is no denying the fact that it has become one of its enduring features. But as Lincoln would say, we may think that this makes democracy a flawed system until we compare it with the alternatives. Putting ordinary folks in charge of making their choice of leaders is an incomparable good. And for whatever this is worth, the system also allows us to see human beings, including prospective leaders and their supporters, as they truly are. And in this season, we have seen a lot.

    On January 15, Governor Fayose of Ekiti was widely reported as having alleged that Buhari has “health problems.” We were not told of the basis of the allegation. Fayose is not a physician. But he issued a statement which was made available to the media. “Why is Obasanjo going after an old horse that may collapse mid-way?” the statement asked. “Nigerians should know the state of health of Buhari. His age and health cannot stand the rigours of the office. Nigerians deserve to know the health status of Buhari,” the statement adds.

    Notice here the combination, in the muddled thinking of a state governor, of a clearly legitimate inquiry about the health status of a candidate for the Office of the President, and a clearly absurd and baseless emphatic statement that appears to answer the inquiry with his own verdict: “His age and health cannot stand the rigours of the office.” If the governor sincerely wanted to know the status of the health of Buhari, like any other Nigerian, he can ask from Buhari’s campaign organization. But Fayose is not after the truth; he is into playing God, as his next move clearly attested.

    Buhari has an invitation from a United States Non-Governmental Organization to discuss his vision of Nigeria to an audience outside the shores of the country. Fayose and his aides, not wanting to miss an opportunity for political blackmail, decided to invoke the proverbial rain on Buhari’s parade. He is sick, they insisted, and the only reason he planned a United States trip was to see a doctor. They even allegedly faked a medical report with a diagnosis of prostate cancer! How much lower can Fayose go?

    At that point, the PDP saw no evil. Indeed, the party apparently embraced Fayose’s aggressive tactic. For shortly after Fayose’s statement and following APC’s rebuttal claiming that “GMB is as fit as fiddle,” the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization called a news conference asking Buhari to “clear the air on issues surrounding his health.” Speaking on behalf of his party, Mr. Fani-Kayode insisted that PDP “would prefer that General Buhari himself clears the air and tells Nigerians himself that he is not mortally ill (my emphasis). Continuing, Fani-Kayode said that “the rumour that he (Buhari) is suffering from prostate cancer is exceptionally worrying and it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to pray for him if this rumour is true.”

    Now, this is of course, hogwash. PDP doesn’t think that anyone believes that it wishes Buhari well or that it is sincere about prayers for him. Note that at the same news conference Fani-Kayode made “reference to the health of late President Umaru Yar’Adua who died in office in 2010″ as reason for the party’s worry. This was on Sunday, January 18.

    Fast forward to Monday, January 19 and Nigerians of various backgrounds were alarmed by the distasteful advert that confirms Fayose’s death wish on Buhari. “Ba ba n ja bii ti ka ku ko” is a Yoruba Omoluabi philosophy which simply means that whatever disagreement there is between us is nothing where death or its potential is at stake.

    Beside mocking past leaders who died in office, Fayose’s advert places a question mark on Buhari suggesting that he could be next. That Fayose is a cad is no longer in doubt. But the party that nominated him and gave him access to political power at the highest level of a state has some explanation to offer. This time, PDP disassociates itself from Fayose’s advert without admitting that it has edged him on and encouraged him all along. There is not a doubt that it is his capacity for this kind of recklessness, perverse reasoning and boorishness that recommended him to the party leadership in the first place. To disown him now is as dishonest as it is empty. After all, he is still on the National Presidential Campaign Committee, isn’t he?

     In the matter of the big deal about paper qualification, it is amazing that with all the well-oiled attorneys at its disposal, PDP can focus for so long on a non-issue. But it is clear why this is a “big deal” for the party at this time. Buhari has a good chance of winning the election and if he can be stopped, God forbid, through death or legal disqualification on account of not possessing a “school certificate or its equivalent” it would be such a relief for PDP.

    The logical question is how is it that it has not occurred to the party that having attended so many professional institutions including the United States War College, Buhari’s paper qualification is not in doubt? And how is it that PDP lawyers have not been able to concede the futility of their course and be reconciled to Part IV Article 318 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides a copious interpretation for terms, concepts, and words that are not expressly provided for in the various sections? One of such is “School Certificate or its equivalent” which has any of four meanings, including the following: “Primary Six School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent and (i) service in the public or private sector in the Federation in any capacity acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for a minimum of ten years; and (ii) attendance at courses and training in such institutions as may be acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for periods totaling up to a minimum of one year—”  Hopefully, the campaign clowns would now focus on issues more serious and ennobling and worthy of the attention of Nigerians.

  • Must Ndigbo sink with Jonathan?

    Time for strategic calculationsIn exactly 18 days, Nigerians will go to what promises to be an historic presidential election in her annals. There is no doubt that this exercise on February 14, 2015 will change the political and socio-economic configurations of our dear country, Nigeria whichever way the pendulum swings. This is the time for geo-political zones to make strategic calculations and pitch for desired positions in the coming dispensation.

    As incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General MohammaduBuhari (retired) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), two front-runners in the coming election slug it out, where does Ndigbo stand? As a proudnwafor, I will be remiss to stand aloof and tell you, my brethren, that it does not matter how we vote on that day or that the outcome would be insignificant. No, Nigeria has a lot at stake and every ethnic bloc has something to gain or lose depending on how it votes. Let no one deceive you about this fact.

    Will Ndigbo swim and sink with Jonathan? In 2011, the Southeast cast the highest per centage of votes for President Jonathan’s election to office. Ndigbo voted him for various sentimental reasons that we all know too well, but understandably so.

    Now, with first term about ending, should Ndigbo vote overwhelmingly for President Jonathan once more? Let us answer by saying that there is need for circumspection; there is need for wisdom and there is need to ask a few critical questions. Let us also add that it is insulting that it is being taken for granted that Ndigbo would blindly throw their votes at Jonathan. That must never be the case.

    Circumspection: It was not Igbo vote alone that earned Jonathan presidency in 2011. Igbo vote alone cannot win presidential election in Nigeria, so since we are a collective, we must be mindful where majority of our compatriots are leaning so that we do not end up being alone and lonely when the votes are counted.

    Wisdom: no one can stop a moving train. If there is a national consensus that the time has come for a change, there is little Igbo vote can do to change that. If the overall mood of the nation is that of an urgent need for a change of dispensations, if there is a groundswell, a momentum sweeping through the land, then commonsense dictates that you cannot swim against the tide lest you sink.

    Critical questions: And if Ndigbo are bent on sinking with Jonathan (assuming he is truly under the water gasping for breath), the logical thing is to ask ourselves: why do we want to sink with Jonathan?One, has he run the country well enough? Two, has he fulfilled his promises to Nigerians and in particular, Ndigbo? If the answer to these questions is yes, then let’s vote him even against the tide of a negative electoral prospect. But if nay, it would be foolhardy, if not sheepish to insist on voting him just because he has asked us to or because he is our ‘brother’.

    One: Has he run the country well? In other words, has he provided leadership; has he shown that he truly understands the import and significance of the number one job in the land? These questions are deeper than they seem. There are leaders but few can truly lead a country well. Few have the capacity, the acumen and the gravitas to hold a country together for four years. My submission is that President Jonathan has not proven that he can lead Nigeria. He appears a man of good heart and gracious spirit (especially when he is not politicking) but leadership is made of “sterner stuff”, to chip in a bit of Shakespeare. President Jonathan’s ability to lead Nigeria or lack thereof is a topic for another day. Let’s note for now, that he has fallen short of our expectations.

    Of leadership and achievementDid he fulfill his promises? It is incredulous when some people outline rehabilitation of railways, airports, Benin-Ore Express road, etc. as some key achievements of this administration. Apart from the fact that these are paltry for a nearly six-year effort, right-thinking people know it is not about the effort but the vision, the strategies, the deliverables, the costs and overall impact on the individual and nation as a whole. It’s about leading.

    For instance, how can a president deign to be at work when under his bemused watch, corruption is ravaging the land and the damn thing is so odious that the whole world covers its nose because of the foul smell wafting from Nigeria? Examples are legion but a few outstanding ones would suffice.

    First, the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke is known to have wasted about N10 billion of public funds shuttling and carousing around the world. Note that this is not mere allegation because every flight is logged. But what is pathetic in this is not that a public officer played around with billions of public funds but the fact that she was buffered by the Presidency, the judiciary was suborned thus the National Assembly was cowed and hamstrung from calling her to account.The chain effect is that She did not only soil her office, she dazed the presidency, damaged the judiciary and the NASS. Why would any other minister subject himself to NASS’ oversight after Diezani’s refusal?

    Second, how can we speak of any achievement when the economy has virtually been run aground? This administration seems dead on arrival with our strategic national asset – oil and gas – in the hands of an errant and uncontrollable minister? Instead of building new refineries and growing the sector, we have witnessed over four years of unmitigated looting and diversion of our oil and gas resources through dubious importation of products, phantom subsidies, opaque crude oil swaps, stealing and such miasma never experienced in the industry.

    Third, one Abba Moro, said to be Minister of Interior organized an employment scam to fleece jobless youths.

    The sheer ineptitude that characterized the exercise caused the death of 19 and injury to scores of hapless Nigerians. One would expect the president to summarily dismiss such a fellow. But he is still glued to his soiled seat, an ugly reminder of President Jonathan’s crippling inertia.

    What about the mind-numbing matter of handing Nigeria’s maritime security to an erstwhile renegade who raised arms against the country? One can list over a dozen sordid cases of unspeakable graft and gross dereliction of duty under Jonathan’s charge.So much for achievement and leadership.

    Two: Did he fulfill his promises to Ndigbo? Let us admit and admonish that it is not about Ndigbo. If Jonathan had been a great president for all, his specific promises to Ndigbo may not matter. His promises to Ndigbo would be a topic for another day but suffice it to say thatNdigbo have not enjoyed any extraordinary benefits or favoursunder Jonathan.

    In summary, Ndigbo must refrain from voting sheepishly; we must eschew the sentiments of four years ago; we must be clear-headed. Also, let us ignore that horde ofAso Rock contractorsposing as Igbo leaders, whosay Ndigbo has endorsed Jonathan;ask the right questions and vote wisely.Igbo wu Igbo, ucheunu o di kwaya e? Kaanyi were ire anyiguoezeanyionumakanaanaghiagwaosintisi agha esule.

    Fayose: who unleashed the dragon?

    To think that this fellow, Ayo Fayose, is the governor of a state with the fate of millions of Ekiti people placed in his hands? One would think he learned some useful lessons from his past stint in office which came to an ignominious and abrupt end. Apparently he neither learned a thing nor changed a bit. Are there no wise and learned people in Ekiti anymore? Why are they living with a bull in their china shop and no one is speaking up?

    Why won’t Fayose face the onerous task of serving the much-deprived Ekiti people? Why does he delight always in playing in the muck? From defiling the courts to routing the State’s Assembly and handing out stomach infrastructure chickens to policemen. Now it’s a morbid advert about heads of state that died in office and a hint that APC candidate, General Buhari might die if voted into office.

    How would families of these demised leaders feel seeing their patriarchs in such grim light on the front pages of national dailies? Besides, death comes to us all… how can he tell he would serve out his term unless he has anti-dote to death?

    Just because Fayose‘won’ election does not make him all wise. He surely needs help. There must be people in Ekiti who must make it a duty to offer him some wise counsel even if unsolicited.

  • Riding out the gathering storm (2)

    Riding out the gathering storm (2)

    As I made clear last week, I do not believe that Pastor Bakare is flying anybody’s kite with his suggestion that “the report of the 2014 National Conference is the Fair Havens in which Nigeria must winter to avoid the storms that are ahead.” But his view of this “Fair Havens” is more optimistic than mine and the reality that I perceive is far from fair. First, we would first have to settle the constitutional question of term elongation for the President and other political office holders. In the present National Assembly (NASS) I don’t see this happening. Then we have to present the report before the same fractious NASS and all the State Assemblies. Meanwhile, the undercurrents of political calculations and scheming for the elections are not going away. Assume we have the next four years, I can reasonably predict that there would be no resolution of the important issues.

    Second, as Pastor Bakare himself confirmed, we have a report of the Conference. In his campaign stump speech in Lagos, Jonathan expressed reservation about presenting the report to the present NASS, which he claimed has some issues. But are there no aspects of the report that he can constitutionally act upon by executive order? Why are we still waiting on his action after about five months since the report was submitted? Assume that the general elections were delayed in order to settle the matter of the Confab report as Pastor Bakare canvassed; will a different National Assembly be created for the purpose?

    Third, Dr. Jonathan’s answer to the above question does not support Pastor Bakare’s proposal. He told his audience that if he was re-elected, he would present the report to a new NASS. Indeed, before the President made this declaration, a good friend who once routed for Buhari but is now in Jonathan’s corner had indicated that he would like Jonathan to be re-elected so that he could be held accountable for the implementation of the Confab report. That is a more defensible approach. Obviously, however, there is no guarantee that Jonathan will be able to deliver on this even if he gets re-elected because he cannot be sure what kind of NASS Nigerians will elect.

    Fourth, we don’t need to postpone the election in order to approve and implement the Confab report. An election is a referendum on the choices of an administration during its four years of service, and in the case of this president, six years. If voters endorsed the decision of President Jonathan to convene the National Conference and to implement its reports, they would consider it in their calculations. I don’t recall that Jonathan campaigned on the convocation of a National Conference in 2011, and it wasn’t until very late in his tenure that he was persuaded about its need. Therefore, voters should have the opportunity to evaluate him on this late conversion, and on his overall stewardship.

    Fifth, if restructuring is an important issue for the polity, it is not too much to ask the presidential candidates to explain their positions on it to the voters before they (voters) head for the polls. Hopefully, candidates will have opportunities for debate on issues because such is an occasion for the electorate to get to know more about their prospective leaders. However, if voters don’t care about issues of restructuring and constitutional amendment, we cannot force them and we must be reminded about the inviolability of Lincoln’s wisdom: “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

    There is another position that has not been canvassed openly, but which has been articulated by those close to the thinking around it: “Let elections be postponed for two years so that Jonathan can have his eight years in office and this would satisfy the Southsouth. Then the North can have its turn with candidates from the major parties coming from the zone.” I have addressed the issue of resolving the North-South tension in particular and ethnic tensions in general via this suggested practice in my submission last week. What is new here is the idea of elongating the President’s term so as to obviate any potential storm coming from a dissatisfied zonal or ethnic constituency, should Jonathan lose his re-election bid.

    The President, being an avowed democrat and intellectual, should be the first to reject this subterfuge as an unacceptable precaution against ethnic tension. There is a reason we have a constitution that prescribes term limit for office holders. No one is guaranteed two terms in office by default. National political offices are not designed for particular zones, but for particular individuals. That was why we all fought against the cabal that tried to prevent Jonathan from taking over as President upon the illness and eventual demise of Yar’Adua. Their argument then was that Yar’ Adua’s presidency was for the North and the zone should be allowed to present a candidate to complete his term. This was rejected by intelligent and patriotic citizens. It is therefore preposterous and outrageous that someone can be thinking in ways similar to the thinking of that disgraced cabal.

    Finally, the most crucial issue raised by Pastor Bakare is the readiness of the electoral umpire, INEC. This matter is also touched upon by The Washington Post editorial. Is INEC ready or not? To this, there is an additional question: Are security agencies ready or not? There have been conflicting reports in the media concerning this important matter. Fortunately, we are now told that INEC has confirmed its readiness and has rebuffed suggestions to postpone the elections. It has also confirmed that it has the “financial and mental” capacity to conduct the polls. This is a relief, but we must be on our guards. For it is still unclear what will happen in the Northeast where territories including several local government areas have been taken over by Boko Haram. How will elections be conducted in such places and in locations with IDPs?

    With respect to our security agencies, especially the Police and the DSS, there is a serious cause for concern. We remember 1983. The Inspector-General (IG) then was most assuredly the attack dog of the ruling party. And from the utterances and body language of the current IG, history is being repeated. It appears that between the Police and the DSS there is a competition for the trophy for the most Loyal Agency to Presidential Desire of Glory (the acronym adequately defines what they are).

    It is unfortunate that knowledgeable people who should be the first to say “No” to police abuse and intrusion in matters of politics cheer on such abuses. When a Minister of Police Affairs publicly declared that he had ordered the arrest of persons who make “inflammatory speeches” in a liberal democracy that we claim to practise, it was beyond the pale, especially since he and his lapdogs get to determine what is inflammatory. That no one in the audience that was full of people who had been brutalised in the past for speaking out their mind raised a voice to call him out was truly mind boggling, to say the least.

    In conclusion then, we can and will ride out the gathering storm if INEC is prepared and security agencies play the role of an impartial umpire, which is the oath of duty to which they swore. For as our experience with recent elections attests, if elections are seen to be free and fair, even if the results are contrary to their desires, the majority of our fellow citizens do not behave like the PDP governors at the NGF Chairmanship elections. Voters are sufficiently reasonable to accept the results they don’t like, provided the election is transparently fair. And with the certitude of a mutually assured destruction that is bound to follow an unjust assault by one part of the country on another, rational citizens who lose out in a fair contest would willingly concede.

    Concluded

  • Islam in the age of anarchists

    f an Alfa (a Muslim cleric) does not live two houses away from mine, I  would be saying the worst things about Islam now. And you would not blame me, going by the carnage and wanton destruction being inflicted on humanity by people who hide under the cover of Islam.

    But the Alfa down my street is the most benign specie of man I know. At a community end of year get-together last December, he prayed so much for us all and country until the congregation got weary.

    Following upon a directive from the Lagos State Government, some residents had complained about Alfa’s early morning call of the faithful, insisting that it infringed on their right to beautiful early morning snooze. Alfa had stopped forthwith to make early morning calls with his megaphone. His little mosque has not closed down either. Yet he remains his wonderful self – amiable, genial and self-effacing.

    And now that the matter has been called to mind, it suddenly occurred to me that many of the people I interact with daily are unbeknown to me, Muslims. Indeed they are not mere Muslims, they are ardent and keen believers; some even sponsor mosques of their own.

    The Community Development Association (CDA) in Alimoso LGA, Lagos that I belong to and in which I am treasurer, has Muslims as chairman, secretary and publicity secretary. The chairman has a mosque in his compound. His faith has never been an issue except when he would take offence if we failed to celebrate Sallah with him and share in his rams.

    Thinking about it now, my closest friend and confidante in the neighbourhood is a Muslim. I would entrust my house to him each time the entire family travelled. He also built a mosque in his compound which he sponsors solely. His wife is a Deeper Lifer.

    Redoubtable Alhaji Salihu Ehimeakhe, a former boss of mine, a statesman in his own right (especially in business circles), is in my estimation a near perfect specimen of humanity. When he employed me as manager of corporate affairs in a bank he headed many years ago, it never mattered that he was a Muslim. Even though he would observe his prayers every afternoon, we never seemed to have noticed. Till today, he remains a mentor and source of inspiration.

    All these people have families. They have children I know they love and cherish dearly and they spend enormous resources training them in schools, home and abroad. None of that balderdash about education (Western or Eastern) being an abomination. These people do not only love life, they cherish humanity by their very relationship with their neighbours. The last thing on the mind of these people I know so well would be to kill and destroy.

    If you suppose my environment of example may be wrong, about three decades ago, I had my National Youth Service in the old Sokoto State, Northwest of Nigeria. It is the seat of the Caliphate and home of the Sultan, the supreme head of Nigeria’s Muslims. It remains one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Sokoto of the 80s was remarkably quiet, indeed serene in a sublime way. There were just one or two mosques in the ancient city and Muslim faithful would pray under the shade of trees most days safe for Fridays when all roads led to the central mosques.

    The people epitomised peaceful living – with themselves and strangers in their midst. Churches flourished in designated areas and there was ample social intermingling.

    Down East, across the Niger, there exist large settlements of Northerners who are predominantly Muslims. In fact, Northern Muslims must be the largest settler population group in Igbo land.. Right from the large trading colony after the Onitsha head bridge to Aba, Umuahia, Ama Hausa in Owerri and Garki in Enugu and every major town of the Southeast.

    Last December, we bought items from two itinerant hawkers right in front of the village hall in our remote part of Isiala-Mbano. We made jokes with them and many were astounded that ndi-ugwu (people of the hills, as northerners are generically referred to by Igbo) could find their way around our forest homesteads. Not a few were apprehensive, but after a brief hearty interaction, we discovered that these were ordinary folks plodding the countryside questing for livelihood. This piece was actually triggered by a photograph on the back page of The Punch of last Tuesday. It depicts a security guard at the gate of an elementary school in Dougirei, Jimeta, in Adamawa State, searching kindergarten pupils (probably between the ages of two and five) with a bomb detector before they are allowed into their school compound.

    The picture strikes home as surreal and violent; it is an image of innocence being violated, as those kids are prodded with that cold, strange device.

     Suicide bombing was the macabre dance of men; then women joined in by desecrating their hijab with IEDs. Today, our innocent little girls are turned to zombies and angels of death by satanists who are erroneously called Islamists.

    I was about to pen harsh words about Muslims and Islam turning innocent little girls into weapons of mass murder when it occurred to me that I would be in serious error as all around me are Muslims who are dignified and impeccable beings.

    Then you wonder: who are these blood-thirsty anarchists engaged in senseless killing spree in Nigeria, Cameroun, Mali, Kenya, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, France and even China? Why is the world suddenly infested with people the media has termed “Islamists” who are intent on destroying humanity and world’s civilisations?

    It is blood for the sake of it; carnage for no reason. Hardly does a day pass without targeted explosions or shooting spree in one part of the world or the other. In market places, worship places, bus and train stations, military checkpoints, just anywhere two or three are gathered, man is under attack – and for no reason whatsoever.

    Evil people are bent on destroying humanity. We shudder at what might happen should they acquire more lethal weapons like gases, biological and nuclear capabilities! This is why the world must rise as one to fight this insipient madness.

    As respected Nigeria’s former head of state, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, cried out recently in a “Letter to Nigerians”: “… we must be able to realise that what is happening has nothing to do with religion; and it should be obvious enough by now that satanic forces are at work to set us against each other.” He described them as “forces of darkness.”

    We want to hear more of such unequivocal condemnation of these hordes from hell. True Muslims, clerics, intellectuals and leaders… everyone must speak up in sustained, strident voices. They must teach their ignorant members that killing in any guise, even suicide, will only earn you a place in HELL. Let us drum it in that virgins are never gifted… here or beyond.

    PDP: This sinking feeling…

    Is night falling on Africa’s biggest party; the one that was recently declared would rule for 60 years? Why is it that one cannot help seeing an image of the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential standard-bearer as some kind of specie undergoing rapid atrophy? The bumbling behemoth seems to have all but crumbled under its sordid weight.
    Most of the big guns of PDP unbeknown to them, are already walking with their shoulders slouched as if they are already defeated. Please take a critical look at them.
    The centre no longer seems to hold for the party. All former leaders and founders have deserted it and are shunning its campaign train. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo now openly supports the opposition APC candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari. Founding father, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, long sidelined, has issued a warning. Retired military President Ibrahim Babangida would not be categorical that he would vote PDP. Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, who is supposed to lead PDP’s campaign in the Northwest, is nowhere to be found as the campaign train chugs on creakily.
    Woe alas, the big, bad monster totters! How will it fall…!?