The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • Islam in the Eyes of Nigerian Media

    Islam in the Eyes of Nigerian Media

    Preamble

    In response to a particular question coming incessantly to this column from every conceivable angle in Nigeria, yours sincerely decided to recall an article published in this column in 2007 which answers the recurring question.

    The enquirers wanted to know why Muslims and their activities are not as vivid in Nigerian media as those of their Christian counterparts. The article that served as an answer to that question goes thus:

    “Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also how to do it. These are the attributes that can qualify journalists as professionals in their calling.

    Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering and news reporting alone. It is also about dissemination of genuine information, transmission of valuable education and even presentation of meaningful entertainment. That is why a journalist is perceived as a professional who knows or should know something about everything in existence.  To be a thorough professional, a journalist must be knowledgeable in various fields of discipline no matter how little. For instance, a journalist cannot report space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of war areas as well as the social history of the involved warring groups or nations. Also, no journalist can report a religious festival without knowing some jargons of the religion in question.

    And, of course, in the process of filing his reports, a journalist must be conscious of the technical reportorial sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as ‘five W’s and H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) What? Where? When? Why? And How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot claim to be a professional in the practice of that noble profession.

    Thus, from whatever angle journalism is viewed, knowledge remains the main axis around which journalists’ activities rotate. In a nutshell, no charlatan can claim an enclave in that noble profession without the required knowledge.

    Prophetic Foresight

    Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen the effect and implications of positive or negative information dissemination before he implored Muslims to seek knowledge in what became one of his divinely guided prophetic saying (Hadith). This is how he put it: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to as far a place as China”. He made that divinely guided statement at a time when China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia.

    Essence of Knowledge

    Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life is worthwhile only if it is based on knowledge.

    That was why the revelation of the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge n 610 CE. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen, He taught man what he (man) did not know…”.  And, to further emphasize this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is a missing substance and advised Muslims to search for it wherever they could find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to religion. Without knowledge, there can be no right information.

    Origin of Journalism

    Contrary to the falsehood documented and disseminated by the Western world that journalism started in Germany in the 15th century, it was the Muslims who actually started journalism in Arabia about 1500 years ago. Though they did not call it journalism, it was they who started what we now call journalism through the process they followed in documenting Hadith (the prophetic tradition and rightly guided statements of Prophet Muhammad).

    In order to prevent false documentation of any fabricated statements in the name of the Prophet, some Muslim researchers took up the task of ascertaining what the Prophet actually said or did as against what some prominence-seekers were trying to attribute to him after his demise. It was a thorough investigative job voluntarily done by certain individuals to retain the authenticity of Islam. Foremost among such great researchers were  Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud, Anas Bn Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai, IbnMajah and a host of others.

    For the purpose of authenticity, these great scholars introduced what they called ‘Chain of Narration’ (Isnad). Through that Chain, they endeavoured to trace the source of every Hadith quoted and credited to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Such narrations were graded as: Sahih (indisputably genuine); Hasanun Sahihun (perfectly authentic); Hasanun (genuine); Dai‘f; Munqatiu’ (broken); Gharib (strange) Mawdu‘ (fabricated) and so forth. Thus, from the final documentation through this process, Hadith was transmitted from generation to generation just as we transmit news stories today in professional journalism.

    Without the great efforts of the above mentioned researchers, the world would have been flooded today with all sorts of fabricated expressions falsely credited to the Prophet. And such fabrications would have thrown the Muslim Ummah into total confusion even as Islam itself would have been shrouded in doubt.

    Prophetic Recognition of Information

    The very first Minister appointed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as Head of State was that of information.

    The black man called Bilal, who was charged with informing Muslims of the time of Salat by making ‘Adhan’, was the appointed Minister of Information. That shows how important information is to Islam. 

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    However, when journalism as we know it today was introduced to Nigeria in the 19th century, it was through the perception and mentality of the Christian colonial masters. Although the earliest Nigerian journalists were quick to realize the power of the Press which they used to fight for Nigerian independence, they nevertheless inherited the Christian colonial traditions which are still causing disharmony in our society today. One of such traditions is religious perception. For instance, an average Nigerian journalist does not see anything positive in Islam as a religion because he/she is blatantly ignorant of its tenets. This is not to say that journalists cannot understand Islam if given the opportunity, but the colonial orientation they inherited is such that they must not see anything good in the religion called Islam. And to ensure the effectiveness of that obnoxious indoctrination, most of Nigerian journalists who are based in the Southern part of the country were enlisted on the pay roll of various Churches. And for this reason they had to follow the dictates of those Churches by imitating the Western reportorial orientation which must paint Islam and its adherents in black colour and portray that divine religion as a hub of trouble.

    Facts in Retrospect

    For well over a century after the introduction of journalism to Nigeria, the word ISLAM and MUSLIMS were reported in Nigerian media, like in European media, as Mohammedanism and Mohammedans respectively. It took the few Muslim scholars and journalists in Europe at that time to counter that obnoxiousness which was deliberately hung on the neck of Islam before it was changed. Even as of today, and against the ethics of their profession, most Nigerian journalists take pleasure in writing or pronouncing word ‘MOSLEM’ rather than ‘MUSLIM’ knowing fully well that the earlier is derogatory to Islam and abhorrent to Muslims.

    Editorialisation

    In news reporting and even editorials of many newspapers, some journalists have ridiculously embarrassed themselves, their media outfits as well as their Muslim readers by confusing EidulAdha with Eidul-Fitr during Muslim festivals out of deliberate refusal to want to know anything about Islam. On the other hand, no Muslim journalist will ever confuse Christmas with Easter or make reference to Jesus Christ or even Christianity in a derogatory manner. It is rather shameful and ridiculous that most Southern Nigerian journalists behave as if they enjoy special immunity in freedom of expression even as they arrogantly bask in the euphoria of a non-existing monopoly of religious hysteria.

    Another instance is the seeming malicious manner in which some Southern Nigerian journalists do report the outbreak of events and occurrences in the country particularly at very sensitive times thereby compounding any problem at hand. It has virtually become a tradition particularly in the Southern axis of   Nigerian media to describe youths who engage in any disturbing activities in the north as ‘FANATICS’ or ‘FUNDAMENTALISTS’ or ‘ZEALOTS’ even before the details of whatever happened become known. And in other parts of the country, such restive youths are merely reported as militants or bandits. The implication here is that any disturbance in the Muslim dominated areas of the north must automatically cloaked in garb of Islamic religion which is criminally perceived as the breeder of fanaticism. And when the trend of such restiveness is seen as tortuous to Islamic and Muslim images, the Christo-journalists of Southern Nigeria turn their back by refusing to report the incident.

    These and other religiously insensitive reporting can be potentially dangerous for the corporate existence of this volatile country. We had witnessed crises precipitated by such insensitivity in the remote and recent past. But the big question is: why are Nigerian Muslims apathetic to media engagements?

    Muslims in Nigerian Media

    Muslims in the media generally must have good knowledge of Christianity and the culture of its adherents just as Christian journalist must know the dos and don’ts of Islam and the Muslims. Arabic is not a language meant for the Muslims alone. There are Christian Arabs who speak no language other than Arabic. And, there is no record anywhere to show that Prophet Isa (Jesus) ever spoke English which is the main language of the Bible in Nigeria today. Both Islam and Christianity came to meet us here in Nigeria. Why must we use them to destroy ourselves on the pages of newspapers or on radio and television stations?

    One of the responsibilities of the media is to ventilate a peaceful atmosphere for harmonious co-existence of the people. Thus, any educated and civilized professional journalist in Nigeria must not shirk such a fundamental responsibility at this age of internet. For the sake of our collective survival, no combative or provocative journalism should be extended to religious sphere. 

      Jihad against Corruption

    From time immemorial, man has learned through experience that it is better to prevent a disease than to cure it. One old disease which still remains young in contemporary time, despite its age, and keeps growing on the palm of man is corruption. This monstrous human ailment is like an implacable virus constantly threatening to metamorphose into full blown cancer as it eats deeply into the fabrics of its victims. Once it is allowed to so grow, its cure becomes impossible. And, coping with it in that circumstance, is like chasing a mirage.

    Corruption is a much more deadly disease than what can be fought with hand in glove. As the mother of all crimes, corruption will be better prevented from growing than to be fought after growing. Incidentally, the societal disease called corruption is not limited to embezzlement and theft of public funds. No abuse or betrayal of public privilege bears any name other than corruption. And the subjective practice of journalism in Nigeria is one of such diseases. That is why the tentacle of the corruption-fighting organs like EFCC and ICPC should be expanded and strengthened. So far, EFCC and ICPC can be called offices without authority.

     And this is casting a shadow on the acclaimed genuine intention of the government to fight corruption in Nigeria. The first boss of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was able to put up some bravado while in office because of unlimited financial resources made available to him by the then President Obasanjo for whatever agenda. When Mallam Ribadu left office, the bravado left with him and the scorching EFCC became a subject of unwarranted scrutiny.

    On the other hand, the first Chairman of ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, had to quit office when he observed that the intention of the initiators of that institution was at variance with the mode of operation put in place. And in that situation it would take a miracle to function as effectively as expected by the well-meaning section of the public. His successor, Justice Emanuel Ayoola, had to ensure that some amendment was made to the act that established ICPC before he could make up his mind to accept the job of its Chairman. The summary here is that if we must seriously fight corruption, we must seriously fund the agencies set up to face the task. Corruption is not about money alone. Neither is it limited to public office holders. Fighting the monster should therefore be a matter of national orientation which should be taught in schools. Corruption is as incurable as cancer. Concentrating on merely arresting public office holders who stole public funds alone is like scratching the skin of the monster on the surface.

    The seriousness of the government in fighting corruption will be better acknowledged in the area of prevention than that of cure. And that requires not only adequate funding but also sincere mobilization which must be done with all hands on deck now and not later. And the role of Nigerian journalists in this is unlimitedly vital.           

  • Kano emirate crisis and the future of traditional institutions

    Kano emirate crisis and the future of traditional institutions

     “A nation is great not by its size alone. It is the will, the cohesion, the stamina, the discipline of its people and the quality of their leaders which ensure it an honorable place in history.”- Mr. Lee Kuan Yew – the First Prime Minister of Singapore.

    The Situation in Kano

    The ongoing game of thrones in the emirate of Kano is a symptom of ailing traditional institutions across Nigeria, that is gradually eroding its value in the scheme of governance in Nigeria. The traditional institutions are fast becoming political collateral damages in the feud between political titans at the state and federal levels. Sadly, the traditional rulers have either deliberately or inadvertently allowed themselves to become pawns in the chess game of politicians with devastating short- and long-term consequences on the institutions. Interestingly, the decline of the power and influence of traditional institutions in Nigeria started circa 1840 during the colonial era – for economic reasons, and then more prominently in the 1950s up to this day. I will discuss this trend further in this missive.

     The ongoing feud within the royal house of Kano, amongst brothers, cousins, and in-laws leaves much to be desired, especially given the fact that they allowed politicians to infiltrate their ranks, divide them, and have now turned them against themselves.  It is a sad period in the history of Kano. 

    As a son of Kano, as a child of traditional institutions, I dare say that Kano has significance in the scheme of things; traditional, spiritual, religious, and cultural, for almost over 1,000 years (over a millennium). It is a critical and strategic location that hitherto bestrides arguably the biggest emirate in West Africa, in terms of land mass and population; because, currently, Kano State has 44 local governments with a growing population of over 14 million people. It is also the second most important state in terms of electoral value with over 6 million registered voters, competing only with Lagos. Therefore, handling the sensitivities and sensibilities of the Emirate crisis is key to the political stability of the State and consequently the region. 

    Lagos is launching the Blue Rail transport system, initiating the Red Rail system, and planning to set up a new airport that will be the biggest and best in West Africa, it is one of the largest economies in Africa, etc. But in Kano State, we are struggling with social media influencers, and we are struggling with the throne of Kano. I don’t feel happy about it. It is ironic that we have a traditional institution and a royal throne that is about 1,024 years old and yet, instead of blazing the trail on the positive side, we are becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of everybody. It’s unfortunate. I do hope that there will be a way forward for us in Kano as soon as possible so that we can put the issue of the royal tussle behind us and face a bigger and more important issue of governance so that citizens can get out of brutal current national and sub-national socio-economic problems. Indeed, what will remain a fact is the huge political uncertainty, and build-up to the 2027 elections because, truth be told – there will be political consequences for the actions/inactions of political gladiators at the Federal and state levels.

    Historical perspectives, trends, and impacts assessment of traditional institutions

    I recall that as far back as around 1840, the basis and processes of the removal of the likes of King Jaja of Opbo (deposed in 1887), the likes of Oba Ovoronwem of Benin Kingdom (deposed in 1897), Oba Akintoye who was the Oba of Lagos (deposed in 1845), and Sarki Ali Ibn Abdullah Maje-Karofi (aka Alu Mai Sango), the Emir of Kano(deposed in 1903), were more for economic reasons, whence, those kings were removed and exiled and how some of them returned to their thrones. However, the basis and processes of removal of traditional leaders became more political than economic from the 1950s, particularly around 1955 when the then Premier of the Western region, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo Oba Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo (deposed in 1955)  and exiled him to Lagos; in 1963, the Emir of Kano Sir, Muhammdu Sunusi I had to abdicate the throne due his feud with the Premier of the Northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and then in 2005 when then Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Adamu Aliero deposed the Emir of Gwandu. Recently, at the twilight of his administration, in January this year, Governor Yahaya Bello deposed two Emirs in Kogi State who hitherto have been critical pillars of traditional institutions in Kogi State and exiled them out of Kogi, they are His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isah Koto, the Ohimege-Igu Koton-Karfe, and His Royal Highness, Sam Bola Ojoa, the Olu Magongo of Magongo. Governor Yahaya Bello also suspended indefinitely His Royal Highness, Boniface Musa, the Onu-Ife in Omala Local Government Area Therefore, from the 1950s the removal of traditional rulers became more for political reasons than any other reason. 

    The traditional institutions also became more politically motivated when some progressive elements like the late Mallam Aminu Kano in northern Nigeria, and the like of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, etc in southern Nigeria felt that some of the traditional institutions were becoming more politically involved and less value-adding to the masses they were ruling and were leading more towards the ruling political parties that were more inclined to conservative political ideals.

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     The pivotal moment for the traditional institutions in Nigeria, from around 1967 A law was subsequently passed during the military region that reduced the powers and status of traditional institutions in Nigeria and basically cornered the traditional institutions to the local government level.

    A call for the preservation of our traditional institutions

    My humble contribution with regards to how our traditional institutions will be well preserved and protected in a way and manner that they will be more value-adding and impactful is that we start having conversations amongst leaders of thought, interest groups, and stakeholders within the traditional institutions, academia, and political leadership particularly the executive and legislative arms of government; to come out with a policy framework that will protect our traditional institutions in the interest of the preservation of our identities and core values. This is because, all Nigerians and indeed Africans come from somewhere where we all have traditional institutions that are the custodians of our cultures, traditions, history, and even in some cases spiritual values.

     Accordingly, the preservation of traditional institutions should be of concern to us in the interest of the conservation of our identities, albeit with some modifications so as to put the traditional institutions on their toes to be more impactful, rather than the current “sense of entitlement” mentality of most of the traditional rulers, which has made them be considered more parasitic than symbiotic by progressive elements of our society (and rightly so in some cases).  This topic should be important to all of us because we all come somewhere that we call home, or our roots – those are our identities. We can see how our brothers and sisters in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, etc. are trying to trace their genealogy from centuries ago to understand who they really are and where their forebears came from. This is because, in my opinion, whoever does not have a root or does not identify with his/her root is a lost soul. 

    Based on the foregoing, I use this opportunity to speak directly to the traditional institutions. With profound respect, the traditional institutions became the pawns in the game of politicians. They should recognize that respect for themselves, and that they are better and stronger when they are united than when they allow politics to polarize them. I recognize the fact that even the previous traditional leaders were involved in politics because indeed every human being is a “political animal”. But I believe that they should be more strategic and play more frontally neutral political roles, and not allow themselves to be used as political cannon-fodders which is what led to this sad situation in Kano where the traditional leaders are losing their mystic powers, charisma, popularity, respect and reverence in our Country. 

    Another key issue is the issue of materialism and greed. With due respect, most of our traditional leaders are so materialistic that they kowtow to politicians – it is a gory spectacle! As custodians of culture, tradition, and core values, traditional leaders who know their worth will have core values and standards they should not go below. By the time politicians start depositing them, one after the other, the value and relevance of the traditional institutions will diminish and most likely die over time. From time immemorial, traditional rulers used to be masters of strategy, warriors, and sometimes philosophers. Therefore, strategic positioning, integrity, emotional intelligence, and genuine love for their people and not just themselves and their children, will be the critical success factors to their sustainability. If they maintain those ideals, the politicians will have no choice but to focus on the delivery of good governance especially at the state level.

  • 25 years of the Fourth Republic in Nigeria

    25 years of the Fourth Republic in Nigeria

    The 25 years of the 5th Republic democracy in Nigeria have been bitter-sweet. On one hand, we have enjoyed 25 years of an uninterrupted period of democracy during which Nigerians experienced so critical transitions from one democratically elected administration to another, at national and state levels across the executive and legislative arms of governments. In addition, Nigerians also witness not just a change of power from one hand to another within the ruling party, but also the upstaging of incumbent Presidents, Governors, and Legislators by opposition parties or coalitions of opposition parties, which hitherto was considered almost impossible.

     Importantly, the fundamental rights of citizens of freedom of expression, movement, and choices as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution have been largely enjoyed and sustained by citizens far more than what was obtained during the military juntas, even though there should be improvements, going forward. The ability of citizens to engage government in politics, economy, social justice, unity, justice, etc., has increased significantly in the past 25 years because Governments have been consistently put on their toes by citizens, civil society organizations, etc. – questioning strategies, policies, actions, and inactions, etc. These are all in my opinion dividends of democracy. Looking back to the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s during the military interregnum, when citizens would not dare freely express themselves and challenge the government the way they are doing now – directly or indirectly, in fact, just a gathering of 4 or 5 people having hush-hush conversations could lead to their arrest and detention.

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     Therefore, we have come a long way as Nigerians and we must appreciate how far we have come. That being said, there is still much left to be desired in terms of what we are expecting from democracy. Because in my opinion, democracy is a process that should produce dividends like peace, unity, equity, justice, economic growth and development, social justice, value and cultural re-orientation, etc. Those should be some of the by-products of a good democracy. I am saying that much is still left to be desired because, looking back 25 years, there is still a lot of work to be done. Citizens are still not happy and to that extent, going forward, citizens especially their elites must influence a change in the attitude and behavior of our political class of this Country so that they will be more productive, and impactful for the betterment of Nigeria.

    Furthermore, the political landscape is broadening and the political consciousness of Nigerians has evolved in the past 25 years reaching its highest during the 2023 general elections with citizens demanding good governance and increasingly knowing the power of their votes. 

    KUDOS

    The Press and News Media – The Fourth Estate of the Realm

    The history of the evolution of Nigeria and the successes achieved thus far is incomplete and I dare say would have been impossible without the contributions of the Press and News Media who for over 150 years have been informing, influencing, and also pressuring governments for positive impacts and change during and post-colonial era right from 1859 when the first newspaper in Nigeria was published by the British with the CMS Press at Abeokuta that published Iwe Irohin, the first newspaper in Nigeria. Importantly the advocacy work of the Press started during a period termed the proto-professional era of journalism which spanned between 1914 to 1921 which is the period that initiated campaigns for constitutional development in Nigeria – which was a critical success factor that led to our independence. And then the watershed moment was in July 1921 when the Nigerian press commenced operations with professionalism introduced by the late Mr. Ernest Sisei Ikoli, the first Nigerian newspaper editor. Ever since then the fourth estate of the realm has been a critical pillar of our achieving independence and subsequent pursuit of a better Nigeria and indeed democracy with vanguards like the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, late Mallam Sa’adu Zungur, late Mallam Aminu Kano, Chief MKO Abiola, Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Nduka Ogbaibena, Chief Bisi Akande, Mr. Ray Ekpo to mention a few paying heavily,  with some of them in some cases paying the ultimate price with their lives for us to be where we are today as a nation.

    Therefore, I thank the media for their contributions and sacrifices, not just for democracy, but for our evolution as a Country and as a nation. All the activism and advocacies wouldn’t have been effective and successful without the support of the media. I give kudos to the notable pillars of the noble profession of journalism for their achievements in our democracy.

    The Indelible Contributions of Activism on the return to democracy

    I give kudos to the vanguards of our independence and also that I call the vanguards of the contemporary democracy we are enjoying, some of whom have paid the ultimate price with their lives. These eminent Nigerians are the true patriots whose contributions to our nation-building will be etched in gold in recorded history. These vanguards were men and women of valor including intellectuals, journalists, academics, medical doctors, engineers, etc. The space allowed for me is not enough to pen their names and the accolades. But in the past days, their names have been variously mentioned in writing and verbally as their names echo and reverberate across Nigeria and globally. Notwithstanding I will mention a few: Chief MKO Abiola, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Segun Osoba, Chief Nduka Ogbaibena, Mr. Ray Ekpo, late Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, late Mallam Lawal Dambazau, Senator Shehu Sani, Senator Uba Sani, late Chief Frank Kokori, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Mrs. Sarah Jubril and I can go on and on and on. The contributions of those I have not listed are in any way no less than the contributions of those that I have listed.

     Points to Note

    What remains a mirage in the past 25 years since the return of Nigeria to democracy in 1999, is that the Country has yet to achieve a consistent and sustainable socio-economic growth trajectory. Peace,  stability, and prosperity are further threatened despite efforts to contain the ugly trend by the government and the citizens.  The Country is further polarised along tribal, ethnic, religious, and regional lines more than ever before, while our demography is increasing exponentially.

    Therefore, in my opinion, the way forward to better our democracy is if there is more citizens  participation, especially the elites in our democratic processes and evolution. I believe that good governance is not just about waiting for politicians to do as they wish while we lament about how things have been going worse in the past 24 years since the return of Nigeria to democracy, but good governance is a process which includes citizens making demand and actually setting the parameters, standards of the kind of leadership their want and the accountability and performance framework based on which they will measure their leaders at all levels and hold them accountable.

    I dare say that except for the 2015 and then 2023 general elections, the elites of this country have been serially and unfairly undeserving of the political evolution of Nigeria by not being actively part of the political process. We mainly engage in “armchair “criticisms and cynicisms. The question is what are the contributions and sacrifices we are making to better the political process? It is not good enough to just lament and pontificate. What solutions are we offering and how are we part of the solutions? As the saying goes, talk is cheap! It is time for action. Take note that not participating in the political process is also a vote of confidence on the status quo. And if we don’t participate, then we lose the moral ground to challenge and hold our leaders accountable because we would have a really failed ab initio in our roles as citizens. 

    We, the elites have been failing the masses of this Country by not really taking tangible actions that add value to our political process. Only when things affect our relatively comfortable lives do we try to gaslight the situation and make it look as if we are all in it together! That is what I call the “hypocrisy of our expectations “. It’s not good enough to carry placards, because the elites don’t even carry the placards anyway. I urge us to actively and consistently engage the leadership of this country at national and national levels so that we can all “own” the outcomes or collectively “disown” the outcomes of our political processes in the overall interest of Nigeria. LET US BE PART OF THE PROCESS.

    God Bless The Federal Republic Of Nigeria

  • Islamic solution to Leadership Problem

    Islamic solution to Leadership Problem

    Monologue

    Like in any other week, the competition for attention by emerging issues, for this column this week is extraordinarily intense. The choice of one of those issues by any columnist must thus become a problem capable of causing confusion. The case of yours sincerely cannot be an exception. That is a confirmation that the dilemma of any worthy columnist is not a dearth of ideas but a deluge of them. For instance, which national or international contemporary issue in today’s world does not deserve attention of ‘The Message’ column now? Is it the sudden demise of the former Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi in a suspicious circumstance or the implacable tension between Trump’s American government and the Islamic Republic of Iran or the severe persecution of Muslims in China and Myanmar or the seemingly endemic plight of the Kashmiri people who, as Muslims, are being forcefully subjected to Hindu rule in India or the callous murder of an American based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in cold blood in Istanbul or  the         frightening menace of banditry and kidnapping across Nigeria or even the incessantly ravaging atrocities of certain voluntary agents of Satan called Boko Haram? Looking at all these issues and many more, not mentioned here, the tendency is to conclude that the modern world is fast approaching its end. Yet, the role of leadership in making success of most of these issues cannot be underestimated. Without leaders, there are no nations.

    Preamble

    The title of today’s article in this column is not originally a coinage of ‘THE MESSAGE’. It is rather the theme of a public Ramadan lecture organised by Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) in Ilorin to which yours sincerely was invited as the guest lecturer on August 29, 2010.

    Who is Mustapha Akanbi?          

    The name Mustapha Akanbi cannot be strange to any educated Nigerian of contemporary time. That was a household name in Nigeria and beyond especially for those who are familiar with the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other related offences) Commission (ICPC). The first Chairman of that Commission was Justice Mustapha Akanbi, an erstwhile President of the Federal Court of Appeal of Nigeria. For the entire 35 years of his service in the judiciary, all that can be called his property was just a modest three bedroom bungalow in which he lived in Ilorin till his demise recently. 

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    The MAF Foundation

    Established in September 2006 shortly after its founder (Justice Mustapha Akanbi) voluntarily resigned as the Chairman of ICPC despite the overwhelming pressure on him to continue his service, MAF is a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation dedicated to the uplift of mankind and to the enthronement of justice, equity and fair play as well as the promotion of the quintessential virtues of honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability in all human activities.

    The Foundation is committed to being in the vanguard of revolutionary changes aimed at reforming and transforming our society from being a body of self-serving individuals to a nation that places high premium on selfless service for the common good of all. MAF Foundation, therefore, has, as its focus, the building and sustenance of a great nation founded on sound ethical values and good governance capable of holding its own in the comity of nations. It is in line with its focus that the Foundation chose the theme of today’s article and invited yours sincerely as the guest lecturer.

    At the occasion which was held in the month of Ramadan, I alluded briefly to the significance of Ramadan in the life of an average Muslim.

    Point of Reverence

    This is a period of relevant reference in Nigeria. This is a time when history displays its duty as the teacher of man. The current trend of dirty banters in the country is both a reminder and a point of reference for men and women of decent pedigree and impeccable dignity. This is a time when disciplined parents and patriotic citizens are identifiable. This is the time in Nigeria’s contemporary history when human wheat can be separated from human chaff. This is the time of distinguishing between shame and shamelessness on the one hand and decency and indecency on the other. This is the time when lovers and haters of Nigeria can be known. It is the above mentioned issues that make this article a point of reference. And the reference is the lecture that yours sincerely delivered at the MAF Foundation in 2010.

    The lecture

    As a preamble, I told my audience that thinking of leadership in terms of those who are privileged to govern the country alone can never solve the problem of bad leadership in Nigeria. Leadership does not start from the top. It is rather a matter of good home management and excellent upbringing of children. Leadership is like a pyramid which has a base and an apex. Whoever wants to assess leadership in a society must start from the base rather than the apex. It will be unreasonable to start sighting major faults at the roof of a house when the foundation of the same house is evidently faulty. Generally, children learn from their parents’ actions much more than from the latter’s preaching.

    Any parent who starts the upbringing of his or her children with lavish celebration of birthday without teaching such children the act of legitimate money making early in life has initiated such children into the cult of reckless spending spree. The tendency for such children when they grow up is to look for money to spend from any source including pilfering, stealing, kidnapping and ritual killing for money. What will be virtuous to such children is to get money to spend. It will never matter to them how they come about such money. And that is the root of corruption in a society like Nigeria where parents assist their children to cheat in examinations or to get admitted into higher institutions with fraudulent pre-requisites.

    Leadership in Islam

    In Islam, leadership is so sacrosanct that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) never relented in warning all leaders and aspirants to leadership about the delicate nature of ruling the people. In his farewell sermon in 631 CE, he reminded the Muslim Ummah that leadership is a great responsibility entrusted to an individual by the society as ordained by the Almighty Allah. The Prophet also admonished the people on their responsibility to both the state and leadership quoting Qur’an 4, Verse 59 thus:

    “Oh you, who believe, Obey Allah, obey the Messenger (of Allah) and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the last day. That is best and most suitable for final determination”. Quran 4 verse 59.

    However, he did not stop there. He went further to explain that obedience to those charged with authority is conditioned by their (those in authority’s) own obedience to God in their deeds as well as the rule of law that governs them. In one of his statements, he said there is no obedience or loyalty to any human being, ruler or otherwise, who is not himself, obedient to God and the rule of law. He concluded that: “Whoever entrusts a man to a public office, where, in his society, there is a better man than this trustee, has betrayed the trust of God and His Messenger as well as the people of that society”.Hadith.

    The Prophet’s Exemplary Leadership

    The exemplary leadership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his great teachings were scrupulously followed by the Caliphs who succeeded him in office. When, shortly after the Prophet’s demise, Abubakr was elected as the first Caliph, his primary objective was to continue the pious administration which the Prophet left behind. He took the mantle of leadership with which he was saddled as a responsibility to Allah.

    In his acceptance speech as new Head of State, he addressed the people as follows: “Oh people behold me charged with the cares of government. Yet, I am not the best of you. In carrying out this great responsibility, I need your advice and assistance. If you find me doing well, please support me. If I make mistake, counsel me.

    To tell the truth to a person commissioned to rule is faithful allegiance. So long I obey God and act according to law, obey me. But if I neglect the law of God and His Prophet, I have no more right to your obedience. The strong among you shall have no right over the weak on the basis of his strength. Neither shall there be any room for sycophancy, nepotism or undue favouritism. Authority, power and sovereignty belong to Allah alone in whose hand is dominion over all things….”

    Comment

    From the foregoing, and contrary to what is happening today, especially in Nigeria, it is clear that leadership is a privilege rather than anybody’s right. It is a public trust which should not be betrayed under any circumstance. It is a responsibility to be carried out, not just with human face but also with human heart. It is a covenant between God and rulers on the one hand and rulers and the ruled on the other. It is a measure of conscience, piety and discipline. No one who is bereft of these traits should be entrusted with leadership.

    Other Caliphs after Abubakr followed suit and lived ascetic lives despite their access to unlimited state resources. Ali Bn Abi-Talib, in particular, did not limit those qualities to himself. He extended them to his appointed Governors.

    While appointing Malik bn Ashtar as the Governor of Egypt he gave him certain instructions in writing and admonished him to follow those instructions to the letter in his governance in that country. Those instructions were not about the executive arm of governance alone. They also touched legislation and judiciary morally and legally.

    Parable of Governance

    Governance in Islam is like pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The duration of such pregnancy is naturally defined barring any anomaly or aberration. Its delivery depends on the safety of its carrier and the circumstances of her wellbeing. And, after delivery, the baby is claimed, not by the carrier of the pregnancy but by the impregnator.

    There is no pregnancy without semen firmly planted in the womb of a woman. And the semen planter is a man who will eventually be called the father of the baby. For this reason, children bear the names of their fathers rather than those of their mothers as surnames.

    By analogy, one can compare governance to a pregnant woman who could not have become pregnant without an impregnator. The impregnator in this case is the populace that gave those in government the mandate to rule them. And just as the product of the womb (the child) belongs to the impregnator as a matter of legitimacy so should dividend of governance be the property of the governed populace. A child who bears his mother’s name as surname is nothing but a bastard. 

    After life, security, law and justice, nothing else is held as sacrosanct in Islam as governance which can be compared to a magnificent shade under which people are supposed to take cover during torrential rains or burning sun. In a democratic setting, such a shade is owned by the citizenry. Those who claim to be its custodians are just servants holding it in trust for the people.

    Democracy in Islam

      In Islam, democracy is not about voting and power alone. It is fundamentally about justice in all its ramifications according to the rule of law. It is about tending the lives of others for the overall good of the nation. It is about providing the needs of the people according to the available resources in the nation. It is about protecting the interest of the weak against the oppression of the strong. It is about managing the wealth of the nation with diligent sense of accountability. It is about securing the lives of the citizenry in terms of jobs, feeding, shelter, health and education. It is about boosting the horizon of the youths and sharpening their hope for the future. It is about guaranteeing adequate income per capital and ensuring a standard life expectancy. Any government that claims democracy without all the aforementioned is oppressive and hypocritical. That was Nigeria’s lot from the beginning of the Fourth democracy in 1999 till now, the continuity of which we fervently prayed Allah to forbid.

    Governance, like culture, has a variety of colours, flavours and tastes. What is called democracy in a State may amount to despotism in another State. Governance, whether democratic or monarchical, is fundamentally a function of culture. That is why a country like Britain claims to operate politically on a constitution that is partly written and partly conventional. Borrowing a foreign culture to practice democracy through a constitution written in a foreign language is like borrowing another man’s mouth to eat. Into whose stomach will the food go?

    If those entrusted with authority and power with which to care for the masses are the ones stealing public funds with audacity and reliability on ethnic or religious inclination, what moral right do they have to govern? Nigeria has now reached a stage where justice, the last hope of the common man, is for sale even as the citizenry continue to be impoverished. For a country that hopes to progress, to where does this lead?

    Justice Mustapha Akanbi was an exemplary judge with an exemplary template in delivery and administration of justice with the fear of Allah. He lived a clean life and groomed some others to follow suit with the expectation that Nigeria would be great.  We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss. As for those who have deviated from the path of decency left behind by Justice Akanbi, we pray Allah to guide them aright and rescue them from the manacle of Stan to which they are sternly tied. However, such people should know that:

    “Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change the evil acts in their hearts. If Allah decides to afflict them with a calamity, no one can ward it off. Besides Allah, there is no protector for them”. Q. 13:11.

  • Nigeria’s Democratic Cobweb

    Nigeria’s Democratic Cobweb

    “….Whoever deviates from my (divine) guidance will surely live a hanging life and he/she will be resurrected as a blind person on the Day of Judgment”. Q. 20 verse 124.

    Monologue

    Besides being man’s natural teacher, history continues to serve as man’s principal reminder about the past occurrences and human experiences in handling those occurrences. Such is for the purpose of shaping the future,in proper perspective, to the benefit of mankind. This is a period in Nigeria when history’s role as a reminder can be most active.  

    Memory Lane

    At the main entrance of the University of Cordoba in Spain, a unique, historic   inscription was conspicuously hung. The contents of that inscription are as follows:

    “The world is sustained by four formidable pillars: the wisdom of the learned; the justice of the great; the prayers of the righteous and the valour of the brave”.

     For centuries, that inscription served as an impeccable template that guided people seeking knowledge acquisition through academic prowess and exemplary conduct in the ivory towers of all other Universities subsequently established around the world.

    University of Cordoba was the very first University ever established in the world. It was established by the Muslim Arabs of the second Umayyad dynasty in Spain, in the 9thcentury. After its establishment, that University came to partner with another tertiary research institution that had preceded it existence and named Baytul Hikmah (Home of Wisdom).

    BaytulHikmah was established in the early 9th century, by the Abbasid dynasty, in Iraq.

    However, It was the University of Cordoba that opened the eyes of the entire world to tertiary education and enabled the Caucasian race of the West to attain unthinkable pinnacle of technological heights in human history.

    Read Also: How Nigeria we hail thee can shape pupils’ values, by stakeholders

    It must be remembered that the three oldest Universities in the world today are offshoots of the University of Cordoba. They are the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; the Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and the Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia. Those three Universities were established about the same time in the 10th century. Each of them had celebrated 1000th years of existence in the 1970s.

    If the managers of Universities around the world had held on tenaciously to the contents of the mentioned inscription hung at the entrance of the University of Cordoba or anything similar to it, perhaps, the world would not have become as restive intellectually,politically and economically as it is today.

    Democracy of Doom

    Philosophers who came up with the idea of democracy and defined it in the primordial time as the government of the people by the people and for the people, might be right, relative to their time and their cultural situation. But in contemporary time, that definition seems to have become obsolete and inconsistent with the reality of today.

    In theory and in practice, the aims and objectives of initiating  democracy as an alternative to monarchy have so drastically changed  that the original meaning of democracy has been stripped of the real civilized value.

    Democracy by Manipulation

    Apparently, because of the situation in their own time, the originators and definers of democracy did not consider the changing nature of man vis-a-vis the possible manipulation that democracy could pass through in its implementation by man’s innate desperation and greed for power. It is therefore clear now that with the frequency of change in eras as well as in the nature of man, the definition of democracy has been rendered practically unsuitable for the cultural situation of the 21st century. And this is not peculiar to Nigeria or Africa. It is evidently global. The point here is not that democracy is bad for the contemporary world. But its handling by the selfishly desperate people is its calamitous bane.

    Evidence of Rigging

    In the United States of America, where democracy is globally believed to be referentially entrenched, the fierce political battle between George H. W. Bush junior and Anold Al Gore, during the 1999/ 2000 election in that country, remains an eye opener of historic reference. In the political logjam that ensued and lasted about six weeks, unbelievably, at that time, Al Gore of the Democratic party, who had been Vice-President to Bill Clinton, scored much more votes than Bush. 

    But the latter was declared the winner and sworn into office as President for two undisclosed ambiguous reasons:

    •Bush’ younger brother, Jeb, was the Governor of  Florida, where the raging controversy over that election was most pronounced and he was firmly on ground to manipulate the results of the election in his State in favour of his brother.

    •The father of both Bush, ie: Bush the Presidential candidate and Bush the Governor of Florida, was the 41st US President that preceded Bill Clinton as President. What else is called hegemonic democracy? It was that unpalatable historic election that brought a new political paradigm called ‘too close to call’ into American democratic dispensation for the first time since that country’s declaration of independence in 1776. And incidentally, the outcome of that volatile election was said to be in the overall interest of America as a nation even at the dawn of the 21st century.

    Also, in 2015, the fierce presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton which put the latter ahead of the former by over three million votes, ended up with a historic award of Presidency to Trump of the Republican party through a controversial international manipulation that   allegedly involved a  clandestine Russian hand under the watch of Vladema Putin. And the deed was sealed and justified with the claim of ‘national interest’. Yet, it is the same America that some Nigerian political demagogues are banking on to reap political fortune. If we may ask, in whose national interest was the mentioned 2016 political abracadabra in America upheld by an unbeatable cabbal? And with that, who says democracy, even in the United States, has no hegemonic window?

    The June 12 Saga

    Here in Nigeria, after some decades of post- independence political rigmarole, the Almighty Allah deliberately guided the citizenry aright and showered them with a rare political mercy in the name of Option A4 which came with only two political parties: Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC). Besides instilling unprecedented political discipline in all the citizens of Nigeria that ingenuous political invention had no better alternative in economic management of politics anywhere in the world. And nothing else has, since June 12, 1993, shown Nigerians any factor of peace and harmony in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society other than that year’s election. Even the weather of that day, throughout the country, joyously came with an unfathomable clemency to bear witness to the impeccable serenity of the day. It was one special mercy from Allah which the supposed beneficiaries refused to acknowledge with gratitude. That was an election that cost the government virtually nothing as there was no need either for polling booths or for ballot boxes or even ballot papers. The voting pattern was such a clear evidence of discipline and political tolerance that most foreign observers started to think of selling the idea of recommending it to their home governments for adoption.

    At the voting centers, the candidates’ posters with their parties’ logos and their photographs were displayed side by side and the electorates were asked to queue up in front of their preferred candidates or parties. The system was so apt that it required no heavy security.

    After queuing up in the open, the voters were counted openly and everybody knew the results immediately while those results were promptly endorsed by the party agents  without any controversy.                

    On that historic day, the two presidential candidates were Bashorun Moshood Kashimowo Olawale (MKO) Abiola for SDP and Alhaji Bashir Tofa for NRC. It did not take more than three hours before the final results were known throughout the country, even though, the official announcement of those results were delayed for the reason of a hidden agenda which the designers of the system had surreptitiously kept in secrecy like a land mine meant for an enemy.

    The suspicious lull that followed that historic exercise after some days turned the psychological cloud of the nation into an unpredictable pregnant womb.

    Exactly 11 days after that historic election (on June 23, 1993, a flimsy radio announcement was made which claimed to have annulled the Presidential election. It turned out that the same self-acclaimed military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida who had acted as the giant spider that weaved the democratic cobweb was the destroyer of that cobweb.

    That was how Nigeria’s democratic mercy was rejected by the military cabal without a replacement. Now, after spending almost 300 billion naira and losing so many lives, will tomorrow’s general election pave way for hope or for despair? That is a major question for today awaiting a major answer in the near future. More will be written about June 12, 1993 election in this column, in a foreseeable future in sha’Allah.

    Analysis

    Anybody who is well familiar with the contents of the Qur’an will understand that that Glorious Book of divine Law was revealed, by Allah, to mankind, through Prophet Muhammad (SAW), in coded language. And to decode that language for the purpose of meaningful understanding, the need to resort to expository analysis is a necessity. But since such expository analysis can only be obtained from the words and actions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) the adoption of Hadith and Sunnah as supplementary divine laws is a sine qua non.     

    That is why the analysis of every verse of the Qur’an requires deep and thorough analysis

  • Local government autonomy key to national development

    Local government autonomy key to national development

    The bold step taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of going to the Supreme Court of Nigeria to confirm – if, or not, state governments have the right to have direct access and control of funding that is due to Local Governments Administrations (LGAs). It is trite in law, that local governments are supposed to be credited worth funding directly from the Federation Account. But for over 40 years since the second republic, Governors have been taking the funding allocations on behalf of the local government administrations, which in my opinion is a violation of Section 7 and other relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Surely, the suit instituted by Mr. President will settle this Constitutional logjam/lacuna, and clear the way for accelerated growth and development and the grassroots of Nigeria.

    It is instructive to note that President Tinubu is living up to his campaign promises as outlined in his Renewed Hope campaign Manifesto build-up to the 2023 presidential elections. In Page 69 of the manifesto, Mr. President promised to, “Embark on a review of the federation revenue allocation system to recalibrate the division of funds amongst the three tiers of Government: Federal, State and Local. More funds should be allocated to the States and Local Governments so that they can better address local concerns and fulfill their expanded constitutional obligations to the people……. This promotes stronger governance at the state and local levels, thus reducing political congestion and competition for resources at the federal level. The performance of federal, state, and local governments shall improve while the people will benefit by having more political democracy and economic development more closely at hand.”

    It is also timely, that recently, the 10th National Assembly has commenced the process of the amendment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as they are deliberating on about 44 Bills which will include; devolution of powers, state police, local government autonomy, transition to parliamentary system, etc.

    Taking development closer to the people

    It is worthy of note that according to the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the current revenue-sharing formula is as follows: The Federal Government takes 52.68 % of the revenue share, states get 26.72 %, while local governments get 20.6 %. So far, Governors have taken 46.78%, i.e. 26.72% + 20.6% – with no commensurate tangible impacts to show for the masses of Nigeria, i.e. the grassroots.

    A very worrisome situation in Nigeria is the lack of deepening commitments and impacts at grassroots levels where the majority of Nigeria reside and live.

    A good example of the importance of the role of local governments is that local governments remain the critical platforms for our Agricultural value chain and its socio-economic contributions. There is currently no active development process flow between the Federal Government interventions and direct local government initiatives. 

    The acceleration of the provision of basic infrastructure like pipe-borne water, basic roads, waterways, culverts, etc. has eluded our people at the local governments and hinterlands due to a lack of direct funding to our local governments. Therefore, we must ensure effective financial and operational autonomy at our local government levels, going forward.

    Read Also: Tinubu inaugurates another road in Abuja

    I am very glad to hear that the perennial issue of undercutting or stifling the cash flow of local govern The bold step taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of going to the Supreme Court of Nigeria to confirm – if, or not, state governments have the right to have direct access and control of funding that is due to Local Governments Administrations (LGAs). It is trite in law, that local governments are supposed to be credited worth funding directly from the Federation Account. But for over 40 years since the second republic, Governors have been taking the funding allocations on behalf of the local government administrations, which in my opinion is a violation of Section 7 and other relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Surely, the suit instituted by Mr. President will settle this Constitutional logjam/lacuna, and clear the way for accelerated growth and development and the grassroots of Nigeria.

    It is instructive to note that President Tinubu is living up to his campaign promises as outlined in his Renewed Hope campaign Manifesto build-up to the 2023 presidential elections. In Page 69 of the manifesto, Mr. President promised to, “Embark on a review of the federation revenue allocation system to recalibrate the division of funds amongst the three tiers of Government: Federal, State and Local. More funds should be allocated to the States and Local Governments so that they can better address local concerns and fulfill their expanded constitutional obligations to the people……. This promotes stronger governance at the state and local levels, thus reducing political congestion and competition for resources at the federal level. The performance of federal, state, and local governments shall improve while the people will benefit by having more political democracy and economic development more closely at hand.”

    It is also timely, that recently, the 10th National Assembly has commenced the process of the amendment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as they are deliberating on about 44 Bills which will include; devolution of powers, state police, local government autonomy, transition to parliamentary system, etc.

    Taking development closer to the people

    It is worthy of note that according to the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the current revenue-sharing formula is as follows: The Federal Government takes 52.68 % of the revenue share, states get 26.72 %, while local governments get 20.6 %. So far, Governors have taken 46.78%, i.e. 26.72% + 20.6% – with no commensurate tangible impacts to show for the masses of Nigeria, i.e. the grassroots.

    A very worrisome situation in Nigeria is the lack of deepening commitments and impacts at grassroots levels where the majority of Nigeria reside and live.

    A good example of the importance of the role of local governments is that local governments remain the critical platforms for our Agricultural value chain and its socio-economic contributions. There is currently no active development process flow between the Federal Government interventions and direct local government initiatives. 

    The acceleration of the provision of basic infrastructure like pipe-borne water, basic roads, waterways, culverts, etc. has eluded our people at the local governments and hinterlands due to a lack of direct funding to our local governments. Therefore, we must ensure effective financial and operational autonomy at our local government levels, going forward.

    I am very glad to hear that the perennial issue of undercutting or stifling the cash flow of local government administrations in Nigeria will come to an end soon. Because this has been one of the key banes of the progress of this Country. For over 40 years, the State Governors have been holding the local government administrations hostage, and rendering them at the beck and call of the Governors. Suffice it to say that the refusal of successive state administrations from the 2nd republic to date to allow the autonomy of local governments as enshrined in Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which recognizes: “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils.” is a testament to the hypocrisy of our expectations as a nation.

    The sustained choke-hold of the Local Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by State Governors is not just for the control of the financial inflows of the LGA, but also to ensure continuous political control of the local government areas to perpetuate their control of the political structures of the local government areas for political supremacy, while and after leaving office as governors. The choke-holds on the LGAs have further stunted the growth of local government areas across Nigeria, and more importantly the assurances of good governance. Over time, the local Government administrations have become voiceless, powerless, and almost useless. The local government management and operations have been almost comatose, and therefore, they have not been able to add tangible values to our political evolution. The LGAs are mere appendages of the State Governors, while their offices are more or less liaison offices of the Governors. That is why the local government chairmen/ sole administrators sit out their tenures without making any impacts on the communities. 

    Due to the aforementioned reasons, there is so much opaqueness in the administration of local government administrations in Nigeria. Most of the local government chairmen also end up helping themselves from the remnant of funds credited to the coffers of the local government – that is what bad leadership at the top does – i.e., “when the head is rotten the body subsequently rots away. In the end, the citizens of Nigeria are systematically and consistently short-changed. Consequently, year-on-year we do not see any serious developments taking place at local government levels; rather, what we see are multi-dimensional retrogression and poverty.

     Indeed, a visit to local government headquarters around Nigeria will evidence how bad things are; the offices are shadows of themselves, the operations are comatose and there are basically no serious structures for people to lean unto in demanding the delivery of good governance.  Therefore, I am very happy to hear that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is ready to deliver one of his campaign promises to ensure that local governments do not just get autonomy on paper, but that the autonomy is actualized and made fully operational. 

    Furthermore, one of the key reasons why we do not witness major and tangible developments at state levels is because the inactivates at local governments are due to undue interference by the state Governors to the extent that, it is only the local governments that are of interest to the Governors that experience of measure of development. 

    It is an established fact that “politics is local”. That is why everywhere democracy has thrived, and everywhere leadership has been effective and impactful; it is because the local governments are autonomous and fully operational – across the three arms of government at that level, i.e. Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary. It is because politics is local and where the votes are garnered to ultimately achieve political success, which is the reason why the grassroots should not be abandoned after campaigns and elections. The people at grassroots levels MUST be catered for, if we want this Country to make any form of progress, and the only way growth and socio-economic development can be achieved at grassroots levels is to eliminate poverty and strife by fully operationalizing the independence of local government. 

    Sadly, most of the projects we see at state levels are around the State capitals with a lot of “white elephant” projects situated at the local government levels. This is why most of the Counsellors are almost non-existent but by title and by the little “change” and “crumbs” they pick out of whatever remains from the “financial leftovers” that trickle to their pockets from the coffers of the local government administration.

    However, just operationalizing the local government administrations and giving them full autonomy is not enough to ensure the delivery of good governance at the grassroots level. Citizens should also actively demand for good governance from Governors and local government administrations – to put the local government chairmen on their toes so that they do not feel entitled and take things for granted.

    We look forward to successful legislation to further activate and operationalize the provisions of the 1999 Constitution regarding the autonomy of Local Government systems, and the successful execution of the laws especially the role that the Supreme Court will play in ensuring that the local government administrations are rescued from the stranglehold of the State Governors of Nigeria. I am very hopeful that when that is done, we will see better performance of President Tinubu and subsequent administration, while as citizens we will directly hold the local government administrations to account. 

    Thank you and God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. ment administrations in Nigeria will come to an end soon. Because this has been one of the key banes of the progress of this Country. For over 40 years, the State Governors have been holding the local government administrations hostage, and rendering them at the beck and call of the Governors. Suffice it to say that the refusal of successive state administrations from the 2nd republic to date to allow the autonomy of local governments as enshrined in Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which recognizes: “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils.” is a testament to the hypocrisy of our expectations as a nation.

    The sustained choke-hold of the Local Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by State Governors is not just for the control of the financial inflows of the LGA, but also to ensure continuous political control of the local government areas to perpetuate their control of the political structures of the local government areas for political supremacy, while and after leaving office as governors. The choke-holds on the LGAs have further stunted the growth of local government areas across Nigeria, and more importantly the assurances of good governance. Over time, the local Government administrations have become voiceless, powerless, and almost useless. The local government management and operations have been almost comatose, and therefore, they have not been able to add tangible values to our political evolution. The LGAs are mere appendages of the State Governors, while their offices are more or less liaison offices of the Governors. That is why the local government chairmen/ sole administrators sit out their tenures without making any impacts on the communities. 

    Due to the aforementioned reasons, there is so much opaqueness in the administration of local government administrations in Nigeria. Most of the local government chairmen also end up helping themselves from the remnant of funds credited to the coffers of the local government – that is what bad leadership at the top does – i.e., “when the head is rotten the body subsequently rots away. In

  • EFCC building momentum under Olukoyede (2)

    EFCC building momentum under Olukoyede (2)

    “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” … Sun Tzu…A Chinese Military General, Strategist, Philosopher and Writer;

    In the last week’s episode on my Column on 17th May 2024, (last Friday), I started a discussion titled “EFCC is Building Critical Momentum Under Olukoyede-1”, wherein I reflected on how Mr. Olukoyede has been building critical momentum on the war on the war on corruption since his assumption of office as the Chairman of the Economy. I also promised to continue with Part- 2 which I wish to continue reflecting on today.

     Dimensioning the socio-economic impacts of corrupt practices on nigeria over the last 10 years:

    As you are aware, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is currently facing multiple challenges including:

    • Debt stock of over N77 Trillion; Debt to GDP ratio of over 23%; interest rate of over 20% and rising, Economic growth rate is currently at about 3.1% but projected to contract to about 2.9% next year (according to IMF), over 133million (about 65% of the national population) of Nigerians multidimensionally poor, etc.

    •Nigeria now spends about 96% of its revenue servicing debt, with the debt-to-revenue ratio rising from 83.2 % in 2021 to 96.3 % by 2022. It is also worthy of note that out of the entire Nigeria’s 2023 budget.

    •Only 30% of total expenditure will be spent on critical capital projects. The non-debt recurrent expenditure (NDRE) of over N8 trillion is the largest expense in the budget (amounting to about 40%), i.e.,16% higher than the 2022 revised budget of N7.11 trillion. This includes an overhead cost of N4.99 trillion, which accounts for over 60% of non-debt recurrent expenditure, etc.

     I am of the strong opinion based on facts and evidence that corruption contributed significantly to the current socio-economic malaise we found ourselves in Nigeria. This is especially so given how the corrupt practices of political leaders have battered the economy and social fabrics of Nigeria to extent of the Billions of US Dollars in Debt, Billions of Naira uncompleted, abandoned, and substandard projects in various sectors including multi-dimensional insecurity, Power projects, Health, Agriculture e.g. (NISRAL), the ongoing prosecution of the erstwhile CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele opened and is still opening Pandora’s boxes or slime of corruption, Aviation, etc.

     Therefore, the effectiveness and impacts (or otherwise) of EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies will be critical success factors to the economic recovery of Nigeria or the further plunge into the abyss of backwardness.

     That is why some of us, as citizens of this Country, are solidly behind the fight against corruption in all its ramifications. Leading the charge from the front as Mr. Olukoyede is doing is the best way to face the monster of vested interest. 

    Based on the above-mentioned data and more, I expect that rather than the gloomy picture he projected, the EFCC Chair should have reeled out a “Call to Action” based on a strategy and action plan, in line with the mission statement of the EFCC, i.e. “To eradicate economic and financial crime through prevention, enforcement and coordination”; to ensure that the EFCC delivers its mandate under his leadership, in such a manner that the number of young people that are going into crime is significantly reduced while the good and patriotic youths who are in the majority, should be encouraged and supported, for a better Nigeria.

     Strategic considerations and ways forward (continuation from last week).

    From the foregoing, the judiciary has sadly become an enabler/ promoter/ partaker of corruption,  erosion of our value system, and degradation of our society, and part of the reason why the executive and legislative arms of government in Nigeria have been underperforming with no consequences.

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     EFCC’s Strategic Plan 2021 To 2025

    One of the Critical Pillars for success for the EFCC and all Anti-graft institutions is the power of their strategy in the area of prevention of such crimes. This is especially so given that the empire of corruption is powerful with a huge war chest of the monies and properties they have stolen coupled with their vast network of affiliations within and outside government and even internationally. It is therefore imperative that the EFCC lean more on the pillars and levers of prevention which is cheaper and more effective than fighting the process of investigation, arrests, prosecution, and convictions which take years and cost a lot of money, time, and personnel, without guarantee of success. Mr. Olukoyede has been very vocal about the importance of prevention and I am glad that he has been recently very engaging in advocacy and also the set-up of a unit that focuses on prevention in the recent structural reorganization he did two weeks days ago. I am optimistic that it is a step in the right direction. What remains to be seen is how effective the execution will be by the operatives and officials who are tasked with the responsibilities.

     May I refer us to the EFCC Strategic Plan 2021 to 2025, in which the following strategic objectives I believe are germane to the EFCC’s strategy:

    •Strategic Objective 1: “To increase public engagement in the fight against Economic and Financial Crimes”

    •Strategic Objectives 2: “To improve systems and processes for the prevention of Economic and Financial Crime”

    •Strategic Objective 4: “To improve Law enforcement coordination and collaboration with relevant stakeholders”

     The above-mentioned strategic objectives within the subsisting strategy plan of the EFCC align with the principle of crime prevention. This is especially given the fact that the cost of successfully prosecuting (or otherwise) is much higher than the cost of prevention.

     Importantly, the prevention of economic and financial crimes is more strategic. This is because the issue with being reactive in the fight against corruption is that the deeds have already been done. The monies have already been lost, the monies would already be in the lands of the vested interests, which they will use to fight back and defend themselves. Therefore, be prevention, the EFCC will be proactive by stopping wastages, blocking leakages, and shielding the national assets and financial capacity of Nigeria from being misappropriated. You will agree with me that this strategic plan which is very good is solid on prevention. Accordingly, I totally agree with Chairman Olukoyede’s call last week for the review of the Public Procurement Act of 2007 in particular and “rework the laws that established the Bureau of Public Procurements in order” which are actually bereft of loopholes that inadvertently give lee-ways for circumvention of the procurement act to perpetrate economic and financial crimes amongst other corrupt practices. I agree that the review of the immediate review of the Public Procurement Act will be a Critical Success Factor to achieve Strategic Objective No. 2 of the EFCC’s Strategic Plan of 2021 to 2025.

     EFCC’s Strategic Objectives 2: “To improve systems and processes for the prevention of Economic and Financial Crime”

     In my opinion, Strategic Objective 2: “To improve systems and processes for the prevention of Economic and Financial Crime” is the most important strategic objective amongst the list objectives in the strategic plan because we have seen, based on over 20 years of existence of the EFCC, that EFCC lost some of the notable cases that the EFCC should have won and secured conviction or more traction without achieving success. Those losses were largely due to issues of process. I am saying this without prejudice to the cases that were compromised due to collusion between the vested interests, their lawyers, and the judiciary. The process is critical in law enforcement. The process is critical in risk assessment. At this juncture, I dare say that the EFCC should also note that part of its mandate is risk assessment and risk management. Corruption is a type of risk and also a type of threat. So when you are doing a risk assessment and you look at corruption from a risk mitigation perspective, you will ensure that your processes, procedures, and systems are proactive to timely detect anomalies. When the crimes are committed also, your will processes are water-tight and followed strictly, in adherence with the rule of law to ensure that the “bad guys” do not escape justice. Because the vested interests take advantage of loopholes in our process of investigations and/ prosecution or administration of our criminal justice system to escape scot-free of without the kind of convictions that will deter people from committing such crimes. So compliance with rules and regulations, and ensuring you follow the processes are key to success.

     I will continue to elucidate more of my insights and perspectives on this very important topic of judicial reforms in subsequent episode(s).     

  • The beginning of the end

    The beginning of the end

    Here is the period of life against which we had been warned through the words of Ubayyi Ibn Ka‘b and those of Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud. Here is the predicted era in which truth is to be totally rejected while falsehood and rebellion are to be loftily upheld. Should this period linger further without any change, the world might zoom into a stage where the bereaved would rather smile than cry over the demise of a deceased relation and parents would rather cry than rejoice over the birth of a newly born baby”. By an Arab poet

    In retrospect

    The title of this writing was culled from the late Dr. Tai Solarin’s style of writing. In his heydays as a versatile newspaper columnist in the Nigerian Tribune, Tai Solarin, a renowned educationist and atheist, had a way of casting the titles of his articles to suit his ideas and thoughts. One of such titles was the one adopted here. It was the title of an article he wrote in 1974 as a reaction to General Yakubu Gowon’s renege on his earlier promise of democratising Nigeria in 1976. (In that year General Gowon suddenly told Nigerians in a nation-wide television broadcast that his promise of returning power to civilians in 1976 was unrealistic after all. He did not mention a new date. That audacious military assault on the populace prompted Tai Solarin to write his famous article entitled ‘The Beginning of the End’.

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    And, incidentally, that article was the premonition that culminated in a military coup which swept General Gowon out of power in July 1975 after nine years in office as a military Head of State.

    I will bomb Lagos

    The same Tai Solarin wrote another article in 1975 entitled ‘I will bomb Lagos’ which led to the change of Nigeria’s capital city from Lagos to Abuja. In the latter article he did not only condemn Lagos as the most unbefitting capital city to any civilised human being in the world which he said he would have bombed with an intention to rebuild it if he was the Head of State, he also gave a vivid physical, geographical and environmental description of a place called Abuja and recommended it as the country’s new capital. Through that famous article, Solarin could be called the founder of Nigeria’s new capital city and that was why he was appointed as a member of the Aguda panel that worked out the modalities for the establishment of a new federal capital that was Abuja.

    Season of letters

    This writing was to be entitled ‘Yuletide Season of Letters’ because of the barrage of tendentious and damning letters flying across the wishes and interests of certain political, economic and religious demagogues who seem to be married to ephemeral politics or courting transient power. First among those letters was from the Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who, for a patriotic reason wrote a probing letter to the Presidency on September 25, 2013 reporting the failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to remit 19 months proceeds of oil sales to the Central Bank as statutorily required by the constitution.

    According to him, the total quantity of Nigerian oil sold between January 2012 and July 2013 was 594.02 million barrels and the unremitted amount accruing from the sale of that figure was $49.8 billion amounting to N8 trillion. He said the total amount of money remitted so far within the mentioned period constituted only 24% of what ought to be remitted while 76% could not be traced by the CBN.

    Speaker’s Observation

    Based partly on Sanusi’s revelation and partly on his own observation, the then  Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, accused then President, Goodluck Jonathan of reluctance or unwillingness to fight corruption. Many other well-meaning Nigerians spoken in the like manner.

    Those who dogmatically believe albeit ignorantly that religion and politics are incompatible and should not be lumped together can now see why Islam is rather a total way of life than a mere dogmatic religion. In Islam, the theory of ‘giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’ holds no water because both Caesar and whatever he portends to own belong to God alone who never slumbers nor dies. Thus, in a situation where public funds are brazenly stolen with impunity in public glare, Muslims cannot and should not keep silent. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) once counseled Muslims about this kind of situation through Hadith. He said: “Whoever sees something obnoxious among you should change it (physically) with his hands. If he is incapable, let him change it with his tongue (by condemning it). And if he is still incapable, he should then endeavour to change it with his mind (by praying for its stoppage)”. He however added that “the last option signifies the weakest faith”.

    In a situation like the one currently being witnessed in Nigeria, should religious people, especially the Muslims, keep silent and watch their future being eroded by those who do not care about other people’s lives? It is rather a sin for Muslims to keep silence in the presence of tyranny and oppression. Speaking out is in tandem with the above quoted Hadith. And whoever keeps silent is dead person waiting to be interred.

    The second letter

    The second letter was written to President Goodluck Jonathan by Ex- President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on December 2, 2013. It was a kind of epistle loaded with undisguised missiles of allegations that came frontally to the nation through the media. The main gist of the letter contained allegations of corruption, bad governance and insecurity. It was heavily pregnant with political bile the summary of which can be called tit for tat. The contents of the letter are a bundle of message that conspicuously outweighs the messenger. And reading carefully between its lines, the letter can be compared to a pot trying to paint a kettle black. In a nutshell, the addresser and the addressee can be described as two sides of an un-spendable coin.

    Though the letter has generated a loud brouhaha across the land, it remains a mere rhetoric with which Nigerians are quite familiar. If anything sounds strange in that letter, it is the allegation of a killer squad allegedly being kept by the Presidency against the list of about 1000 political opponents and other perceived enemies of the government. We hope it is not true for such will only remind us of Germany in the time of Adolf Hitler.

    The only seeming benefit of the letter is the washing of the supposed leaders’ linens in the open which the populace watched with unbridled embarrassment. It gives the impression that the only expected legacy from this crop of leadership is nothing more than despair in spite of the rare opportunities they have in preserving the tranquility of the country. What lesson can the youths learn from such a political rancor engendered by calamitous grid based on selfishness?

    For politicians, political drama can never be strange. But the peculiarity in this case is the tacit mobilisation of the suffering masses as archers deployed to forage ahead on foot while the gladiators remain on horses. Like an accursed nation, Nigeria has the misfortune of engaging misfits in the name of leaders to pilot their affairs, especially in a very cloudy environment. Or how can one classify a situation where two supposed national leaders decide to strip naked for competitive dance in a market place and expect sellers and buyers in that market to clap for the winner. Isn’t that shameful? If these leaders are not ashamed, we are.

    Like in the past, Nigerians have once again found themselves in a hollow ship wandering through an implacable Atlantic Ocean. Its destination remains unknown. Its pilots have lost the compass. An urgent need for a Noah to sail this drifting ship to the Cape of Good Hope should now be a matter of priority if Nigeria will continue to be called and known as Nigeria.

    The third letter

    While Nigerians were kept busy tossing around the ball of economic and political trouble surreptitiously kicked into their court by the combatant leaders, as they debate the two letters mentioned above with jabs of verbal pundits, a third letter emerged from a rare corner.

    It was written by a cluster of Bishops to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. The letter was written in protest against what the writers perceived as spiritual trespass.

    According to media reports, “it would be recalled that the Bishops and Clerics Forum of Nigeria (BAFCON) from the Niger Delta, under the aegis of Global Peace Relief Initiative, led by its President, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, visited the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the Adamawa State Governor, Muritala Nyako seeking to broker a peace deal between the G7 governors and the presidency”.

    That was in September 2013.

    That visit did not seem to go down well with the President of CAN who reacted by slamming suspension against them in the name of CAN. The CAN President had thought that the concerned Bishops’ action was partisan, especially when the CAN Chairman of the South-South took exception to the mediation visit without consultation. In his immediate reaction to that visit, the regional Chairman reportedly said: “There is nothing wrong with clergymen initiating or brokering peace process between two factions but for some bishops to do so in the name of a body that I head without consulting other executives gives a wrong signal and suggests a dangerous trend in the body of Christ.” Thus, about 11 Bishops were consequently suspended. This provoked the protest letter that has now constituted ripples in the brook of CAN.

    All these are confirming that things are not well with Nigeria. One can understand the turbulent economic and political situations in the country. The expectation is that when those two spheres go turbulent it is only the religious sphere that can pacify them through spirituality. But if the religious sphere too goes turbulent where will tranquility come from?

    The Message hereby appeals to CAN to please close ranks and show the usual example to the other spheres that the hope of Nigerians can once again be kindled. Religion is the last bastion of peace in Nigeria. It cannot afford to go berserk, especially at this crucial time when Nigeria needs it most. God save Nigeria that this may not be ‘The Beginning of the End’ for our dear country.

    This article was published in ‘The Nation’ newspaper of Friday, December 20, 2013

  • Efcc is building critical momentum under Olukoyede (1)

    Efcc is building critical momentum under Olukoyede (1)

    As a certified strategist, an apostle of the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade TRACIT (TRACIT is a global private sector initiative to mitigate the economic and social damages of illicit trade), an advocate for good governance and policy coherence in governments amongst other skill and experiences; I am able not just to appreciate the importance of a sincere and objective fight against economic and financial crimes in societies and Countries; I am also able to dimension the depth of the issues that the Economic and  Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria is facing, the trajectory so far achieved, and proffer some ways forward for an efficient, effective and impactful EFCC.

     Barely seven months after his appointment as the 5th Executive Chairman of the (EFCC) since the commencement of her operations in April 2003, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyode had hit the ground running and has so far, built critical momentum in the right direction in the fight against economic and financial crimes which is the fulcrum of the bane of our progress as a nation.

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     Momentum of high-profile cases

    Within the last 7 months, the status of ongoing high-profile graft and other corruption cases at various stages of investigation and prosecutions – with a scope and scale of cash and assets amounting to whopping Billions of US Dollars (Trillions of Naira); are indicators of the critical momentum that the EFCC has built in such a short time under the leadership of Mr. Olukoyede, especially with the seriousness and fearlessness, the EFCC is currently executing her mandates.

     Such high-profile cases include:  those of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele and his co-suspects, the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and his co-suspects, former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Senator Hadi Sirika and his co-suspects,  suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, her predecessor and other co-suspects, suspended Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Board (REA) Mr. Ahmad Salihijo, the suspended Executive Directors of the REA, and their co-suspects, etc.

    Economic and financial crimes are major crimes against humanity and sabotage to nation-building; which is part of the reason why some countries around the world legislate capital punishments as stringent as the death penalty or life imprisonment for such heinous crimes.

     Love him or hate him, The EFCC under the leadership of Mr. Olukoyede is building critical momentum for success. Are there rooms for improvement with regard to the operations of the EFCC? The answer is YES. But what we cannot take away from the current leadership of the EFCC is that they are improving and are certainly moving in the right direction and already making impacts. Therefore, Kudos to Mr. Olukoyede and his team.

    In this series of episodes, I also will advise the EFCC on some important points to note in order to sustain the momentum and make significant impacts not just in prosecutions and convictions but more importantly in curtailing and preventing economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.

     The level of pushback that is deployed anytime are attempts to stand up against vested interests or fights against corruption, tells any right-thinking person that indeed we are in trouble in Nigeria. I therefore do not envy the situation that Mr. Olukoyode has found himself in. Indeed, the task is enormous, the enemies are formidable and the risks are high.

      Accordingly, I wish to encourage Mr. Ola Olukoyode and the EFCC that the first casualty in the fight against Corruption is the truth and therefore he should expect a bigger campaign of calumny against him and the EFCC. Some of the Critical Success Factors focus on Process and tenacity of purpose which Mr. Olukoyede should imbibe not just in himself but across the EFCC as an institution because indeed, “no tree can make a forest”.

    The political will of mr. president has been a critical success factor

    Indeed, it is worthy of note and commendation, that the momentum so far achieved by the EFCC in the last 8 months is due to the unalloyed support by President Bola Tinubu, who first of all made a “round peg, in round hole” appointment of Mr. Olukoyede and Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda as Executive Chair and Secretary of the Commission respectively.

     Furthermore, from all indications, Mr. President has not been interfering with the works of the EFCC in this administration. This is based on the fact that the aforementioned high-profile cases under investigation or undergoing prosecution are all of the members of the ruling political party the All Progressives Congress (APC) who held public offices during the immediate past administration of President Buhari (who is of the APC), and also officials at the highest level of the current administration of President Tinubu. Hence, so far, President Tinubu has shown the political will to fight corruption with the way he has been allowing the anti-corruption institutions to perform their duties. Accordingly, if the dragnets of the anticorruption war go beyond APC members, the President should not be accused of witch-hunting!

      Strategic considerations and ways forward

    While I agree that we should critique the operations and performance of the EFCC, it will only be objective if we, as citizens, civil society organizations, arms of government, etc; also take note of the key strategic and operational impediments and challenges that the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies face in the discharge of their mandates, and support the removal of those impediments. Only then could we effectively support critical institutions like the EFCC to succeed for the betterment of Nigeria. Otherwise, our actions/ inactions as citizens, civil society organizations, arms, and institutions of government will amount to asking the EFCC to chase criminals with her hands bound behind her back, which in my opinion is sheer hypocrisy. Let me share some classic examples of such impediments:

     •Judicial Impediments: Plethora of Exparte Orders and conflicting judgments

    As I have elucidated in my two past episodes where I added my voice to the need for reforms in the judiciary in Nigeria. It is relevant to regurgitate this point which I made in those episodes about how the judiciary in some cases deliberately or inadvertently constitutes impediments to the effective administration of criminal justice in Nigeria. One of the classing examples of how the judiciary enables wanton corruption in Nigeria is the ugly trend of how persons and organizations lean/ hide under section 46 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, to secure injunctions/ judgments to stop investigations, especially on matters of corruption, other forms of criminality, and even terrorism; to the extent that judges grant orders to stop statutory bodies from performing their constitutional responsibilities, which leave much to be desired. This is a serious issue that is becoming an anathema to the progress of Nigeria. In most of the cases where such injunctions or judgments are given, it is very clear that the prayers of the applicants are out of place at no moment. Additionally, some of the injunctions are granted in clear violation of the constitutional provisions given those Arms or agencies of Government, for example; the National Assembly in line with Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, or the provisions of the Acts of the EFCC, ICPC, Nigeria Police, DSS, etc. In any case, it is elementary to note that anyone trying to stop an investigation into criminal allegations is actually indicating that he/ she is trying to avoid investigation and possible prosecution, and therefore, such applications should not be granted by the honorable justices. This is because innocent parties will set the records straight and clear their names when they face an investigation. Unfortunately, we are all witnesses to this ugly trend which if not stopped, will certainly legitimize corrupt practices, and all forms of criminality including terrorism and acts that could threaten our territorial integrity. These are serious issues with potentially serious consequences on our polity, and should not be entertained by any well-meaning judges or citizens of Nigeria.

     Accordingly, on the basis of legal reasoning, the judiciary should allow and support statutory institutions to perform their duties, rather than prevent valid investigation or obstruct the principles of separation of powers that they- the judiciary should protect! Legislative, regulatory investigative, and prosecutorial institutions should be allowed to undertake their mandates as enshrined in the Constitution. If some judges continue the habit of forestalling investigations under the guise of fundamental human rights, as long as the investigation (civil or criminal) does not violate any constitutional provision; then that Judge, in my opinion, is supporting the obstruction of justice.

     I will continue elucidating more of my insights and perspectives on this very important topic of judicial reforms in subsequent episode(s).

  •  Letter to Nigerian youths

     Letter to Nigerian youths

    Dear Nigerian youths,

    This letter being addressed to you through this medium (The Message)is not by design but by accident. Nigerians of my age and beyond (70+) never had an opportunity to be so addressed. Let it be known to you that except life and sound health, none of Allah’s bounties to man is as treasure-able as youthfulness. The definition of youth varies from place to place and from faith to faith. But generally, youthfulness spans from the age of puberty (at 16) to that of reasoning (at 40).

    That is the second stage of human life as it follows that of adolescence. It can be said therefore that the juiciest part of human life is what people call youth. And whoever is blessed with it is blessed with all hopes of life.

    Youth is the spur of ambition and risk. It is the period of determination and resolution. It encourages attraction between genders and engenders association across boundaries. All efforts in human life that yield results in old age are made at youthful age. To an average youth anywhere in the world, the sky is never the limit. There are still many other firmaments beyond the sky. Youth is the stage of hard work. It is the stage of planning. It is the stage of vision and mission. That is why the youths of any nation are seen as the bone marrow of such a nation and the beacons of the future. And fortunately, youths invariably constitute majority of the existing people at any given time in any given nation.

    Youths before now

    In the years past when life had meaning and culture had value, youths were seen as the pride of the nation. They were the natural arrows fixed to the parental bows which were often shot through the iron gate of life. This was the case in Nigeria before and during the colonial era. And after the country’s independence, the youths constituted the glory and hope of their parents. Their role in the family encouraged the bearing of many children as they partnered their fathers in tilling the farm land and harvesting the crops. In short, they formed the live wire of their families.

    When a father was said to be rich in those days, it was only because he had many children (male and female) who constituted the workforce of the family. The father’s pride then was not just the number of children he had but the volume of contribution made by those children to his wealth. Thus, children were considered as wealth.

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    In those days, youths were not just helpers of their parents on the farms or in   their trades they also assisted them in training the younger ones. Yet, they had the highest esteem for those parents in their utterances and in their conduct. The level of discipline in those days was such that boys were handled by their fathers while girls were mostly handled by their mothers. And the mothers dared not utter a word while any child was being subjected to discipline by the father. In a nutshell the upbringing of a child was the main key to societal serenity.

    Change of trend

    Today, Nigeria is a different story altogether. The youths of yesteryears have become the elders of today. They have left the chord of discipline that escorted them into the world of decency to the new train of indecency. And that chord is no longer suitable for either today or tomorrow as the trend has changed dramatically. The current trend began in January 1966 when some uncultured youths in military uniform, spurred by blind ambition, threw the value of age and experience to the winds and killed the then leaders of the Nigerian nation in what was called a military coup d’état. By that unfortunate act they plunged the nation into a precipitate civil war that rendered the youth wild and eroded the value of youthfulness.

    For 13 years thereafter, the vagabonds remained in power using whim in place of experience. And when a brief civilian interlude came on board in 1979 for only four years, the vagabonds perched on the governance again and like hungry vultures, they fed on the carcass of democracy to their fill. Through that unbridled usurpation of power, the so-called Nigerian military weaned themselves from the ladle of integrity and destroyed whatever was left of their nomenclature.

    Here we are today, looking desperately like a starved hawk and hanging restlessly in the balance like a gagged hyena. Virtually every Nigerian has forgotten the real cause of our calamity. The cry everywhere is now about the effect of that calamity on the nation. No one endeavours to look back and see where the downfall started from.

    And without looking back, there can never be any correction as to how to rise again. A Yoruba adage states axiomatically that when a toddler falls down he looks forward (to see if there is any adult around to lift him up). But when an adult falls he looks backwards (to see the cause of his fall). That is the difference between experience and potential.

    Banking on potential to govern a nation that requires experience as did the eaglet Nigerian military can never bring any meaningful result. Both potential and experience have their roles and chances in any society. But neither can take the place of the other.

    The difference

    You the youths of today are different from those of yesteryears in many ways and the differences are clear. The youths of the past were very hardworking and dedicated. They served their parents diligently and stood by them in all circumstances. They sought their parents’ advice and learned from the latter’s experiences. You the youths of today are very lazy, slothful, time wasting and lackadaisical in your attitude to life even as you are served by your parents from infancy to old age. Yet you despise those parents and treat them with disdain like nonentities. You believe that those parents had worked on your behalves and that you are only in the world to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

    The youths of the past were patient, contended and full of respect for the elders. They were humble, obedient, always eager to know as they queued up to learn.  You the youths of today are very inpatient, greedily ambitious and you see yourselves as masters of knowledge when in actual fact you are slaves of ignorance. Unlike the youths of the past, you the youths of today are mostly empty-headed, very arrogant, highly materialistic and hastily avaricious.

    You always want to start your lives from the peak of your parents’ achievements without asking about what those parents had gone through before reaching the peak.

    You spend money lavishly without working for it and you never think of bearing any responsibility either in the homes or in the society. You are generally characterised by all the conducts that were classified as shame in the past. To you shame has its price. And as long as you can pay that price in coins by whatever means, you are important in your own estimation. Thus, shame, as far as you are concerned, is a vital aspect of culture which has no negative effect on your lifestyle. As a matter of fact you have taken shame for pride.

    If a few youths of the past can be described as a bunch of problems for their society, due to their misbehaviour, majority of you today’s youths are the real cogs in the societal wheel of progress. To you, life has no meaning except it is heavily coded in money.

    Your slogan that “long life is irrelevant in the absence of money” is a testimony to this assertion. That life span in Nigeria has dropped so drastically is due to your disappointing lifestyle which often creates hypertension for your parents and leads to their early death. Few parents talk of heirs nowadays because those of you who are supposed to be their heirs have long thrown away the toga of worthy heirs. In the past, mothers were not known for staying with their daughters in the latter’s matrimonial homes while leaving their husbands behind without care. This strange but new trend that has almost become a part of Nigerian culture arose because of the incompetence of today’s young women, even after many years of training, is questionable. Thus, despite the ubiquity of young men and women, there is scarcity of husbands and wives just as there is dirge of fathers and mothers.

    Virtually everything that matters to you today’s youths is devoid of our known core value. By your measure, the value of life can be found only in the volume of naira.

    Causes of generational change

    Whenever there is cause to review the generational trend with the intention of righting the wrong, you the youths of today are often quick in pointing accusing fingers mischievously at the generations ahead of you saying they caused the debacle. But while pinching the back of the elders you often forget that sooner or later you may become elders whose back will be pinched by the youths who succeed your own generation.

    You have forgotten that most of the scientific discoveries and technological advancement of your age which lured you into roguery were not available for the past youths. There were no such things as hard drugs, cyber crimes, armed robbery, sophisticated fraud through manipulation of figures and forgery of signatures. There were no cases of rape, child and human trafficking, audacious prostitution and day light murder with impunity as are rampant among you today.

    To you, all these crimes are either professions or callings in which you   actively engage. Thus, you do not believe in the existence of any demarcation between decency and indecency an indication that ‘family name’ which was highly valued in the past has no meaning to you. Unlike most youths of the past, you were sent to school but your goal was mere certificate rather than knowledge. And what you acquired in those schools in the name of education is hardly worth the paper on which your certificates are printed. For most of the years you spent in school, your preoccupation was either cultism or other frivolous activities that have no bearing with education. That is why most of you turn out to be unemployable University or Polytechnic graduates. A few of you who secured public employments have been discovered to be sheer misfits on those jobs as your competence remains questionable.

    Implications

    The implications of all these are many. While most of you are not quite useful to the present you are also not hopeful about the future.

    There is hardly any major crime in Nigeria today that is not principally committed by you today’s youths all in the quest for money.

     It seems that the only language you understand is money and only those who can speak the language of money command your respect.

    Many centuries before our time, an Arab poet intuitively came up with a sonnet fits perfectly into today’s Nigerian situation. He said: “Here is the era against which we had been warned through the admonitions of Ubayy Bn Ka‘ab and that of Abdullah Bn Mas‘ud; an era in which truth would be totally rejected while falsehood and insurgence would be glorified and held aloft; Should this era linger without any change (of attitude) neither cry at a funeral nor smile on the announcement of a new birth would be experienced”.

    Which of the situation expressed in the above poem is not applicable to Nigeria today. What impact does religion have on the society again?

    We used to know of motor spare parts. Today, spare parts are no more of motor but of human beings. And the most active merchants of this queer business are you the youths of today. When we talk of illegal oil bunkering, it is the business of the youths. When we talk of kidnapping, it is the business of today’s youths. When we talk of suicide bombing and terrorism, it is the business of today’s youths.

    And all these are for money and nothing else. Where is Nigeria going from here?

    Conclusion

    The aim of this expository article is not to malign or denigrate the youths of today. All the children of this columnist are today’s youths who do not constitute a separate island. But preaching is like a mud surrounded by men and women in immaculate regalia. No one of them will be spared if the mud is splashed. As a onetime youth and now a father qualified to be called an elder, it is not expected of my type to start throwing stones while residing in a glass house. But truth knows no boundary. It cruises on like a surging train without minding whose ox is gored. To rekindle Nigeria’s old hope or create a new one for the future, the youths of today must return to the established values of the past. It was through those values that the tranquility of the world was solidly upheld. And it was through deviation from it that the world became as restive as it is today. If tranquility must return as wished by many, you the youths of today must change your loins. And that is the only atonement that the world requires to return to tranquility.