The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • Nigeria and Artificial Intelligence Phenomenon

    Nigeria and Artificial Intelligence Phenomenon

    Artificial Intelligence refers to the ability of computers to perform tasks traditionally expected of humans.  The rapid rate at which Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing and its impact across ecosystems and value chains is so fast that Countries and organizations that do not take the advent of AI seriously will not only be left behind in development but will suffer the devastating consequences of its threats and risks. 

     In terms of opportunities and impacts, it is expected that AI will be a key growth and development driver of defense intelligence, business intelligence, business processes re-engineering, cost efficiencies, operational efficiencies, increased productivity, profitability, security, sustainability, resource allocation optimization, value chains optimization, etc.

     The emergence of AI is so important that on 2nd November (about 56days ago), some world leaders met in England, UK, where the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, hosted a two-day inaugural AI Safety Summit with leaders from 28 nations, including the United States and China, in attendance. The leaders agreed to work towards a “shared agreement and responsibility” about AI risks, with plans in place for further meetings to be held in South Korea and France shortly after. The summit has agreed on the importance of mitigating risks posed by rapid advancements in the emerging technology of artificial intelligence. It is worthy of note that one of the key game changers for a global paradigm shift is the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a precursor to the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

    While the 4th industrial revolution is unraveling, Nigeria is grappling with socio-economic headwinds occasioned majorly by corruption and critical infrastructure deficit. Therefore, the following posers came to my mind as I pondered about the current and future situation of Nigeria at this critical phase of global evolution: 

    •What is Nigeria’s strategic outlook with regard to the production and digital economy,  and based on that;

    •What is the position of AI as a strategic enabler for the security, and socio-economic development of Nigeria, going forward? 

    •Will the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu leverage AI by laying the foundation and setting up the strategic pillars to build on? This is so, especially with the growing number of our youths going into the tech space with high levels of skill sets and potential. 

    •How is Nigeria currently positioned as a Country to leverage technology and key into the AI phenomenon in defense, manufacturing, financial services, transportation, logistics, Oil and Gas, Telco, Health, education, etc. in both Public and private sectors? 

     With the current momentum at which AI is growing, it is imperative for Nigeria to position itself properly for that reality. Therefore, the timing for the baby steps is very important at this point in time before the major steps are taken. Otherwise, AI will just be a mantra in Nigeria while the world continues to move on. If that happens, Nigeria – the African Giant will continue to stumble with disastrous consequences. 

     Ongoing AI Initiatives in Nigeria via NITDA

    I commend ongoing AI research and development initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy through the Nigeria Information Technology Development Authority (NITDA), which includes the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics – in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).

     Furthermore, in addition to some other AI initiatives, three months ago; NITDA unveiled the Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme, which provides up to N5 million in grants to tech startups and researchers. The initiative is aimed at fostering a vibrant and sustainable AI ecosystem in Nigeria by providing financial support and facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration among individuals and organizations in the AI industry to enable the building of a sustainable AI ecosystem. I hope that such initiatives will be more robust and sustained in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner across the entire Country with a level playing field and equal opportunities for all so that we can get the best.

    Some challenges and risks Cybersecurity

    Basically, AI algorithms rely heavily on the quality and diversity of the data. Therefore, the growth of AI will further complicate and endanger our Cyberspace unless drastic, sustainable steps are taken by the Government and all concerned. In essence, it is either we fully control AI or AI will take on us in ways and means that could be beyond our control. Cybercriminals and cyber terrorists will leverage and upscale their machinations to further escalate our current multidimensional insecurity situations. Securing AI models and ensuring data privacy will be key to maintaining trust in AI-driven solutions. Therefore, AI should be a key consideration by the stakeholders in Nigeria in trying to contain, anticipate, pre-empt and proactively deal with all the risks e.g. criminality, terrorism, etc. 

     Intellectual Property Protection

    AI presents a threat and risk to the intellectual property of humans in areas of patent, trademark, brand, copyright, etc. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations (public or private) formulate policies that will effectively protect the intellectual properties of creators, and innovators (individuals and entities). Otherwise, there are potential negative outcomes including the de-motivation to create and/ or innovate. The values that are created/ innovated MUST be PROTECTED to assure SUSTAINABILITY, and SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY.

     Strategic imperatives

    Trends and Outlook

    According to Statista:

    •The market size in the Artificial Intelligence market is projected to reach US$241.80bn 

    2023.

    •The market size is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2030) of 17.30%, resulting in a market volume of US$738.80bn by 2030.

     According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Research: $15.7 trillion is the projected global economic growth that AI will provide by 2030.

    Read Also: Artificial Intelligence: What teachers and students need to know

     The above-mentioned data underscore the importance of AI in national development. I am also of the opinion that one of the critical success factors to achieve the strategic objective of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to make Nigeria a $1Trillion economy in 7 years is the application of AI in Defense, Financial Services, Digital Economy, Manufacturing, Creative sector (which include art, crafts, design, fashion, music, advertising, architecture, performing arts, games, TV, Radio, etc.), the blue economy, etc. The availability of critical infrastructure, especially power with AI will be key to the achievement of this audacious objective of President Tinubu. Hence, it is very important to lay a solid foundation at this point in time, in terms of strategy, legislation, policy formulation, funding, and implementation. The AI phenomenon is a reality every Country and society should prepare to face, albeit Nigeria is far behind even in consolidating the 3rd industrial revolution phase.

     I hope that organizations in the private sector have already factored AI into their ICT and Corporate Strategic Blueprints as of 2021 or at worst from 2024. Otherwise, in the next 3 years Companies will not be able to cope with the speed of changes and the consequences of this strategic mistake will be dire!

     Critical infrastructure:

    The key inhibitor to Nigeria’s socio-economic growth remains infrastructure deficit particularly, Power, Intermodal transportation, etc. For decades the issue of infrastructure deficit has bedeviled Nigeria with negative impacts on the Digital and production economy thereby stunting the growth of the Digital Economy. So, addressing the Power issues as a matter of priority is critical for any meaningful progress.

     Governance: Legislation, Policies and Regulations

    I advocate that the 10th National Assembly and the Executive Arm of Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will fast-track the enactment of relevant legislation and policies to enable the entrenchment of AI into our national development strategy, going forward. However, it is also very important that we domesticate some of the policies to suit our national and subnational peculiarities. 

     With the increasing use of AI, there is a need for a comprehensive governance framework for AI strategies and operations. There should be a robust impact assessment, risk assessment, and management framework, established legal concepts, operational controls, and regulatory frameworks. Regulations must be in place to identify risks and issue guidelines and procedures on the usage of AI and the consequences for non-compliance. This should apply to the public and private sectors 

    Education

    The need to inculcate Machine Learning and other key skill sets in our schools’ curricula, especially from the Senior Secondary School level is very important.  So, from an Education/ human capital development perspective, inculcating the Machine Language, OPEN AI, ChatGPT and other AI tools at an early stage of the education of our youth will further increase the skillset opportunities for our youth to compete in the AI ecosystems. Domestically, we need those skillsets encrusted and to be part of our development plan going forward. While the G20 Countries are synergizing and collaborating in looking at the benefits, challenges, and threats of AI while contemplating how to contain the reality of AI from strategic, operational, and policy perspectives, Nigeria needs to consider, as a matter of national priority, the place of AI in our national development strategy. 

     Conclusion

    What should remain etched in the minds of Nigerians, especially leaders, is the fact that AI is a reality; the earlier we seize the moment to deal with the fundamentals and the building blocks, the better our chances of catching up (if possible) with the rest of the world.

  • Social obligations of lawyers

    Social obligations of lawyers

    • By  Peter Ige

    Many times, lawyers complain about bad laws. If one can be exonerated during military rule on the ground that citizens were not being consulted before decrees or edicts were enacted, the same cannot be said under civil rule. 

    Lawyers have every opportunity to come together and facilitate the making of good laws that will be beneficial to the members of the larger society. This is squarely within the purview of the duties and responsibilities of lawyers. 

    Lawyers can tremendously assist the National Assembly to pass laws or Acts that will drastically ameliorate the general suffering of the masses and pervasive hunger starring the majority of Nigerians in the face. 

    Obedience to court orders 

    It is the bounden duty of all legal practitioners to ensure compliance with the rulings/orders /judgements of the courts in the course of their practice, even if such orders, rulings and judgments are against them. 

    It is imperative because the consequences of aiding disobedience to court orders or judgments are grave. 

    Learned Senior Advocates of Nigeria and senior lawyers as leaders at the Bar must continue to lead and guide the Bar and give NBA helping hands at all times.

    Comments on matters that are subjudice

    For a very long time now it has become a dangerous vogue for parties and non-parties to cases in court particularly high-profile cases, election causes and matters to make derogatory comments and sometimes very curious statements concerning election matters that are sub judice. 

    Many times they go on analysing and evaluating cases pending in Court to suit their purpose. 

    Most often, the comments and conclusions reached by the said commentators are designed to threaten, cajole and sway the adjudicators to their side. 

    It is appalling that some of the commentators who are well respected and educated, do it to mould public opinion to cause resentment and disaffection among the populace against the judges handling such cases and their opponents and to whip up sentiments. 

    There is no doubt that the myopic aim of those peddling such slanted opinions only intended that the Judges should decide the matter or cause in issue in their favour at all costs.

    People’s reputations and public life have been ruined and endangered for no just cause in many instances through such baseless comments.

    To add salt to the injury, this is embarrassing if not depressing that some members of the noble profession have joined the train and the crowd of misguided elements who are in the habit of expressing jaundiced opinions to the newsmen and various media houses (broadcast and print media) claiming that the strength of their clients’ cases show that ”there is no way for the opponent”, “we have called very formidable evidence that no Court can ignore” And you see some Lawyers and their clients nodding in approval!

    A lot of incalculable damage had been done to the administration of justice as any judgment given contrary to their perceived “formidable evidence” would be taken to have been purchased’ from “perceived corrupt Judiciary that has been purportedly captured by their opponent. 

    But anytime these commentators and litigants win cases, they boast about that – ‘a Daniel has come to Judgment and the best has happened to the Judiciary’. ‘It is the hope of the common man’!

    To the lawyers who engage in media trials, one can say – ‘even you Brutus?

    Social responsibilities of lawyers

    The social responsibilities of Lawyers are numerous and onerous. They can only operate and come to the aid of society within the confines and perimeters of the law. Notwithstanding some obvious impediments, I still sincerely believe that Lawyers can give back to society within their means and through the involvement of well-meaning Nigerians, the executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

    The lawyers can as a body give back to society by providing social services and bringing justice, particularly to people in the suburbs, towns and villages. They can also fare in areas of provisions of potable water, and aid the building and rebuilding of dilapidated schools and classrooms in Primary Schools and Colleges. Identify with those who cannot feed their families or send their children to school due to no fault of their own. They can offer scholarships to children of the poor.

    Help to provide support for those who are sick in the Hospitals, old people’s homes and infirmaries. Give help and assistance to patients who require surgery or transplants who cannot afford the expenses. Offer scholarships for academic excellence in universities or tertiary institutions. 

    Partner with the National Assembly to enable the passage of enactments of good laws that can aid economic growth and self-employment to team restless youths who have no jobs. 

    Challenge various governments to direct resources of the nation to buildings and reconstruction of roads and other infrastructures. Make suggestions to the Government on provisions of electricity and amenities necessary to give the populace a new lease of life. 

    The lawyers can assist indigent persons who are awaiting trials in various correctional centres by providing them Pro bono services.

    Training of young Lawyers or Juniors to acquire experience and desired knowledge that can assist them in setting up their chambers. 

    The Learned Senior Advocates of Nigeria and Senior Lawyers should endeavour to increase the remuneration of young lawyers who need help and prepare them for trial in litigations so they can conduct trials on their own.

    Assist in the appointment process of Magistrates and judges so that the exercise could be completed with minimum delays. This requires synergy between the judiciary and the executive.

    There are so many ways of collaborating with appropriate authorities and persons to give back to society out of the abundance and grace that God had bestowed upon you. It is my solemn prayer that your cup will overflow with the blessings of God and His mercies.

    Do not forget to be your brothers’ keepers at all times. I would like to recall the sad episode and the pathetic case of the Late Dele Giwa and the brave and brilliant efforts to find his killers by that inimitable, indomitable, astute and outstanding Legal Practitioner, Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN in the case against Col Haliu Akilu and Anor in RE-ODUNEYE (1987) 4 NWLR (PART 67) 797 at 832 F-H where Obaseki, JSC of blessed memory profoundly held thus:    

    “The peace of the society is the responsibility of all persons in the country and as far as protection against crime is concerned, every person in the society is each other’s keeper. Since we are all brothers in society, we are our brother’s keeper. If we pause a little and cast our minds to the happenings in the world, the rationale for this rule will become apparent…”

    Conclusion

    All lawyers ought to practice cause lawyering. 

    You must be actively engaged in promoting the cause of justice and vindication of human rights where the government or its agencies violate the Constitution and the law in our society. 

    You must challenge dangerous policies of the government or its agencies which could bring untold hardship to Nigerians particularly the downtrodden. 

    Read Also: Tinubu expanding horizon of entrepreneurship in Nigeria – Alake

    Take for example, the thoughtless introduction of the new naira notes policy in November 2022, just a few months before the general election when the Central Bank knew very well that the new naira notes were not available in banks to enable members of the public to operate their accounts and yet the old Notes were prohibited as legal tender. 

    Thank God, lawyers and civil society organisations came heavily against the policy. The rich also cried profusely to the extent that some governors approached the apex court to stem the tide of chaos and near anarchy that the policy engendered. The apex court saved the situation. 

    Businesses and the economy almost collapsed under the strain of a cash crunch. Parents found it difficult to feed their children and many died in the process. Workers found it difficult to go to work.

    There was also the issue of continuous strikes and the grave threats to the nation by Boko Haram and bandits. The tremendous insecurity and killings by unknown gunmen still linger. Farmers can no longer go to their farms. Those involved in mechanised farming have abandoned their farms due to kidnapping, murders and threats from brigands. 

    Where do we go from here? Who will bell the cat? There are no roads; petrol, gas, diesel and kerosine are no longer affordable. Salaries can no longer accommodate the needs of the families.

    I believe there is a lot the lawyers can do to ameliorate the situation and take the nation out of the cul de sac and the economic doldrums we are in. 

    The Body of SANS, the Nigerian Bar Association and its members collectively and individually can always intervene on behalf of the society. 

  • Stoning to Death

    Stoning to Death

    Laws are like spider’s webs. If anything small falls into them, they ensnare it. But large things break through and escape. By Solon, Athenian statesman and poet (638-559 B.C)

    Europeans who likened law to an ass may have generalized that opinion but they are surely not far from the truth after all. Laws generally are what human beings make them through  interpretation. No law in any given society is naturally controversial. What brings about controversy is interpretation. All human laws, written or conventional, emanate from societal norms. Those norms only become laws when they are backed up by governing authorities.

    In Islam, the body of the laws that govern the lives of Muslims is called Sharia. This constitutes what is known as Islamic law or culture. It is derived from the following four sources:

    •Qur’an, the direct words of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through the Arch-Angel Jubril

    •Hadith, the divinely guided but personal expressions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which give interpretations to the contents of the Qur’an.

    •Ijma’, the consensus of opinions of the learned Muslim scholars which must conform to the first two sources above.

    •Qiyas, a scholarly analogy deduced from the first three sources above.

    These sources are in sequence of authority. Qur’an is the first and foremost among them. No other source can supersede or equal the authority of the Qur’an. If any other source contradicts the Qur’an, that source automatically becomes null and void.

    Because the Qur’an was revealed in coded language, the need to decode it for the purpose of understanding necessitated the adoption of Hadith as the second source of Islamic law. No one was as competent to give accurate interpretation of the Qur’an as the Prophet who received its revelations from Allah through Arch-Angel Jibril. The Prophet himself acquired the knowledge of interpreting the Qur’an through informal interactions with Arch-Angel Jibril who gave him tutorials as well as the informal revelations he received while sleeping which are called ‘Hadith-ul-Qudsi’

    The third source is the consensus of opinion of highly informed Muslim scholars (Ijma’) based on the provisions of the Qur’an and Sunnah. It came into being as a result of scholarly understanding of the first two sources by credible Muslim clerics. This source became necessary for the harmonization of Islamic jurisprudence even if environments and circumstances would still leave room for variations in language and presentations.

    The fourth and last source is analogical deduction (Qiyas) which arose from peculiar situations in which clerics might find themselves at certain times and in certain places. This source allows for logical deductions that could be derived from the first three sources without contradicting any.

    In sequence of authority, therefore, it becomes clear that only in the absence of Qur’anic provision can Hadith become the supreme legal authority in Islam. And, neither ‘Ijma’ nor ‘Qiyas’ can become a point of reference where the Qur’an and Hadith are available. (Hadith is the collection of the divinely guided utterances of Prophet Muhammad while Sunnah is his exemplary conducts that Muslims are supposed to emulate).

    Classification of Shari‘Ah

    Like any other law, Shari‘ah is classifiable into civil and criminal aspects. As relevant here, adultery is within the criminal aspect of Sharia. In Islam, it is a crime which incurs a severe sanction. And the sanction is clearly prescribed in Qur’an 24 verse 2 as follows:

    “The woman and the man who are guilty of adultery, give each of them one hundred lashes of the cane. Let no compassion in their case prevent you from obedience to Allah, if you truly believe in Allah and the last day; and let their punishment be witnessed by a number of believers”.

    The above quoted verse is Allah’s prescribed punishment for adulterers and adulteresses as well as for fornicators (male and female). In Arabic language, there is no distinction between an adulterer and a fornicator. The word for illegitimate sexual intercourse generally is ‘zina’ which is a crime in Islam. An adulterer is called ‘zani’ while an adulteress is called ‘zaniyah’. And those are the precise words used for the two respectively in the Qur’an. The two words are equally used for fornicators.

    As is general with all laws, the interpretation of this verse of the Qur’an varies from scholar to scholar and from school of thought to school of thought. While some scholars believe that the quoted verse refers to unmarried people others contend that since the word zina applies to both fornication and adultery, the verse must be in reference to the two categories of people (married and unmarried).

    Proof of Law

    As for stoning, no specific chapter or verse of the Qur’an can be cited as evidence for its application. In other words, the Qur’an does not prescribe stoning as punishment for adulterers and adulteresses as it is in prescribing flogging.

    Islamic law, as mentioned earlier, is a combination of sources. And we had been warned by Allah that:  “It is not for true believers, male or female, to have a choice (but to abide) when Allah and His Apostle decree on an issue. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Apostle has strayed far indeed”. (Q. 33, verse 36.)

    There are many narrated versions of how and when stoning as punishment for adulterers and adulteresses became a law. All the available evidences advanced in favour of this law are based on Hadith and Sunnah. But when did the Prophet’s expression or action authorise stoning vis a vis the Qur’anic revelation on flogging quoted above?

    Was it before or after the revelation? If it was after, could the Prophet have given a verdict that would contradict the contents of the Qur’an? If it was before, shouldn’t such Hadith or Sunnah be superseded by the Qur’anic revelation that came after it? Yet, there is the issue of homosexuality and lesbianism and the punishment prescribed for them by the Qur’an and Sunnah.

    With good knowledge of Islam and thorough understanding of Islamic jurisprudence, the issue of stoning as punishment for adulterers should not, ordinarily, generate any controversy. The position of the Qur’an on this issue, as revealed by Allah, is very clear. What brought controversy into it is the interpretation of that revelation as attributed to several Hadith relayed in various versions.

    Given the antecedence of the record of Hadith, any informed Muslim must be careful in using Hadith against the contents of the Qur’an especially as a legal code in Islam. Statutorily, Hadith is meant to complement the Qur’an and not vice versa. Where the former seems to conflict with the latter, the Qur’an prevails.

    If any of these two major sources of Islamic law was ever controversial it could only have been the Hadith and not the Qur’an.

    And, it was for this reason that Hadith was subjected to such serious scrutiny that led to scholastic separation of the wheat from the chaff in what came to be known as science of Hadith.

    Documentation of Hadith

    It must be remembered that the official compilation and documentation of Hadith did not take place until several decades after the demise of Prophet Muhammad. And what led to that exercise by great scholars like Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Maja, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai and a host of others was the rampant fabrication of statements attributed to the Prophet by some mischievous elements.

    Unlike the Qur’anic revelations which were promptly documented officially as instructed by the Prophet himself, Hadith and Sunnah were not authorised for documentation by the Prophet. His (Prophet’s) position was that such documentation could lead to a conflict of Hadith with the contents of the Qur’an and therefore cause confusion among the Muslims. That fear was never fully allayed after all, despite the efforts of the mentioned scholars. And, today, we still have thousands of Hadith classified as ‘weak’, ‘unauthorised’ and ‘rejected’. Yet, they bear no names other than Hadith.

    In such a melee, it will be foolhardy to depend exclusively on Hadith in giving a verdict as fundamental as stoning to death especially when the Qur’an is silent on it. Though I am not a Mufti, I personally believe that if Allah had intended stoning as penalty for adultery, He wouldn’t have left its pronouncement to the Prophet since He (Allah) was categorical in respect of flogging for adulterers.

    Categories of Adultery

    In Islam, adultery is not limited to married men and women alone. The acts of homosexuality (i.e. man to man sex) as well as lesbianism (i.e. woman to woman sex) are equally treated as adultery. And this is where the logic of stoning becomes questionable. It is through the Qur’an that we came to know of a whole city of the people of Prophet Lut (Lot) which Allah wiped out for committing homosexuality otherwise called ‘sodomy’. The Qur’an does not tell us of a similar punishment meted out to any group of adulterers in history. Yet, homosexuals and lesbians are still given the opportunity to repent with a promise of Allah’s forgiveness.

    This is how the Qur’an put it: “Against those of your women who commit adultery (lesbianism), call witnesses, four in number, from among yourselves; and if they bear witness, then keep the women in confinement until death release them or Allah shall make for them a way out of it. And if two (men) of you commit it (homosexuality), then punish them both; but if they repent and show remorse, leave them alone. Verily, Allah is forgiving, compassionate. Q. 4:15-16.

    Fabricated Hadith

    Many versions of Hadith were relayed in respect of stoning. One of them was that of a married woman once reported herself to the Prophet confessing adultery. The Prophet pretended not to hear until the woman repeated herself three times, saying she had become pregnant as a result. The Prophet thereafter asked her to come and repeat the confession after delivery. It was thought that the woman would never come back having known the implication. But surprisingly, she came back after delivery and repeated the same confession three times.

    There and then, the Prophet was said to have ordered some of his disciples present to pelt her with stone. This act was carried out as the woman took to her heels. When those disciples returned to inform the Prophet that they had stoned the woman to death, he was alarmed and scolded them for carrying out such a dastardly act saying he did not send them to kill her.

    One would wonder why the Prophet who was so compassionate and cautious about anything life would rush to give such a verdict without investigating the matter conclusively. For instance, nothing in the referred Hadith tells us anything concerning the woman’s sexual partner (i.e. the man who impregnated her) before the judgment was allegedly given. That is not the exemplary Prophet described by Allah in the Qur’an thus: “you have a good example in Allah’s Apostle for anyone who looks to Allah and the last day and remembers Allah always” (Q. 33: 21).

    Relevant Questions

    Some questions can be raised in respect of the process of applying the penalty for adultery. Some of the questions are as follow: when can a man or a woman be pronounced an adulterer or adulteress? How can such a person be tried? Who should pass judgment on him or her?

    To ascertain that a man or a woman has committed adultery, there must be convincing evidence. One such evidence is for the married woman to be pregnant outside the wedlock. Another is for the woman or the man to voluntarily confess to adultery. However, the sexual partner must also voluntarily admit that adultery was actually committed between both of them. The third is for other people to prove catching them in action. Anybody who came up with such allegation without proof must bring four male witnesses or eight female witnesses. Each of the witnesses must have seen the accused duo in action. This means they must have all seen the physical insertion of the male organ into the female organ. And they must be made to swear to on oath that they actually saw the act. This is to avoid any possibility of conspiracy.

    Anything less than that should be considered mere suspicion which cannot warrant any penalty because adultery is not committed in the open.

    If, through open evidence (like pregnancy outside wedlock) or voluntary self-confession by both sexual partners, a man or a woman is found guilty of adultery, the next step is prosecution in a Shari‘ah court. In the absence of an official Shari‘ah court the accused person should be tried by a judicial committee of a Mosque headed by a Mufti.

    Such an accused person must have attained puberty, he or she must be sane and the act must have been committed with his or her consent.

    In the case of the woman becoming pregnant, the court or the Mosque must allow her to deliver the child before any judgment is executed.

    Read Also: Prioritise your health, strengthen bonds with loved ones, God – First Lady tells elderly Nigerians

    And if she alleges rape, she is automatically free if her claim is found to be true. But the best is to defer the judgment till after delivery to avoid any psychological complication that may affect the child in her womb. Such deferment will also allow for thorough investigation before judgment is given.

    As for the male partner, the penalty may be carried out as soon as the judgment is delivered, if enough evidence is established against him.

    That penalty as prescribed in the Qur’an is flogging which should be done publicly and witnessed by members of the community in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

    However, banishment from the community for one year after flogging may be waived, according to Imam Hanafi, if the culprit repents sincerely and promises never to repeat the crime, depending on the discretion of the judge or the Mufti.

    Essence of Punishment

    The essence of any punishment in Islam is to enable people repent and desist from evil deeds. But what is amazing about the application of Islamic punishment for adultery is that only the lowly people in the society are caught and punished for it even when it is obvious that adultery is more rampant among the makers and shakers of the society especially the law givers. Why is it that no single highly placed person has ever been caught and punished for adultery either in Nigeria or elsewhere?

    Besides ‘shirk’ (associating something with Allah), no act is more annoying to Allah than miscarriage of justice, especially against the helpless people. Adultery is a very grievous crime in Islam and no true Muslim will solicit for adulterers or adulteresses. But, in applying the law against this monstrous crime, due process must be followed without any discrimination. Justice is the hallmark of Islam.

    Let those who administer justice fear Allah.  Like many other Hadith fabricated and credited to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for authenticity, the commonly quoted Hadith about stoning sounds very much fabricated because it contradicts logic and misrepresents the just personality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

  • Youths and corruption – notes for the EFCC chairman

    Youths and corruption – notes for the EFCC chairman

    “There are approximately 130 million Nigerians between the ages of 15-35. This is a vast army of able, energetic and willing people capable of putting this nation on the path to its finest destiny. From our first day in office, our administration will partner with them to make this happen.” …Page 57 of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Manifesto

    The above quote from the Renewed Hope Manifesto will be the thrust of my topic of reflection today. The appointment of Barrister Ola Olukayode as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in October this year, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, came with a lot of expectations of performance and high impacts under the new Chairman. Accordingly, Nigerians are looking forward to the new administration at the EFCC, hitting the ground running – but not running to nowhere, instead running to somewhere, because there is a dire need for quick action. Nigeria’s economy is in dire straits.

     It is against the background of the above-mentioned expectations, that most Nigerians read and heard with dismay, through the mass media, about a week ago, the statement credited to the EFCC Chairman, said “….. It is worrisome that seven out of ten students today are involved in cybercrimes,”. The EFCC spokesperson later denied that the Chairman made such a statement, and corrected the statement by stating that Mr. Olukoyede “did say that reports and intelligence available to him indicated that, unless this trajectory of youth involvement in internet fraud is addressed and reversed, the future of their leadership of our great nation may be threatened and if it continues in the next 10 years, 7 out 10 of our youths may be getting involved in cybercrimes’’. Indeed, the correction did not paint any better picture, especially because the projection is also not backed up by credible/verifiable data. The statement has left a worrisome negative impression, which in my humble opinion Mr. Olukayode should neutralize with action more than rhetoric.

     Notwithstanding the denial of the statement by the EFCC Chairman, the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ engagement, Hon Asefon Sunday, and other Nigerians expressed concern over such a negative remark credited to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Nigerian youths.

    Read Also; Our transformation efforts on economy succeeding with NASS cooperation – Tinubu

    Given the fact that the youths of any Country are the bedrock of development, critical national assets, beacons of hope, and the pride of that Country, I was really taken aback by that weighty statement. Even more so by the “correction” which gave a projection of what may happen in the next 10 years if the “trajectory of youth involvement in internet fraud is addressed and reversed”. Therefore, in essence, even if  Mr. Olukoayode’s statement is a projection; it pre-supposes the possibility that 70% of Nigerians could become criminals in the next 10 years. I couldn’t help but retort with “Seriously!?”. Because if so, then we wouldn’t have a country in the next 10 years. 

     I totally agree with the EFCC Chair that there is a need to create a sense of urgency for action, but I believe that it should be done based on empirical data, and evidence while taking into cognizance our current socio-economic realities in terms of the enablers and drivers of corruption as well as the critical success factors for fighting corruption in the short, mid to long term. Indeed the youths are also a reflection of that society.

     To put things in context, Nigeria currently has one of the largest populations in the world and a median age of 18.1 years. About 70% of the population is under 30, and 42% is under the age of 15. The World Bank, in a new report, states that 74% of global growth of the youth population aged 18–23 will be majorly in Nigeria and nine other countries from 2015 to 2035.

    The World Bank also reiterated that such a high number of young people is an opportunity for the continent’s growth – “but only if these new generations are fully empowered to realize their best potential. It is especially important that young people are included in decision-making and given appropriate opportunities for work and to innovate.  Involving young people in politics and society is not merely a question of inclusion, but one that is vital for economic growth, innovation, peace and security.”

    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. 

     Furthermore, may I refer Mr. Chairman to the EFCC Strategic Plan 2021 to 2025, in which the following strategic objectives should serve as reminders for the EFCC to be proactive and not all the time reactive:

    • 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 are proved in the EFCC”

     Additionally,  I expect that Mr. Olukayode will have some contributions to make to the Nigerian National Youth Policy, which was activated in 2019, especially in the following areas: partnership building and effective collaboration to fight against corruption; promotive and protective environment for youth development; participation, inclusiveness equitable opportunities for all youths; etc – basically enhancing youth development in the context of sustainable development – such that the youth will be more empowered and further dissuaded from crime and criminality.

     Indeed, the assertion of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his Renewed Hope Manifesto build-up to the 2023 Presidential elections is the total opposite of the EFCC Chairman’s claim. In page  57 of the Renewed Hope Manifesto, Mr President (then a Presidential candidate) stated as follows: ”Youth will not be exploited to do the bidding of the government. Instead, our administration will work with and for the youth, providing them with a platform where they may fulfill their greatest aspirations. We shall do this by embarking on a coherent, structured policy of social, economic, and political empowerment of young people… The quoted excerpt on the Renewed Hope Manifesto encapsulates the truth about the Nigerian youth, recognizing the value that the Nigerian youths bring to the table of our political and socio-economic development today and more so in the future. Mr. President has also been consistent with his respect for the team of good youths of Nigeria and his readiness to work with the youth to build a better Nigeria. I recall an excerpt of his acceptance speech after winning the 2023 Presidential speech, in which he said; ”to the youth of this Country, I hear you loud and clear, together we shall chart the path”.

     It is also worthy of note that President Tinubu went on to appoint a federal Executive Council, with almost half of the Ministers being young, dynamic, and diverse in terms of gender, religion, and geographical spread. Therefore, there is no gainsaying that it is not correct that 70% of Nigerian youths may become criminals in the next 10 years. Granted that there is a small percentage of young people in Nigeria who are engaging in crime and criminality, and the number is indeed increasing, but the tendencies and the character of Nigerian youths do not support them in any way.

    Some key points to note:

    • Some of the negative impacts of such a damning projection coming from the Chairman of Nigerian EFCC is that it could demonize, de-market, the good hard-working, and patriotic Nigerian youths whence the international community of countries takes the assertion of the EFCC Chairman as credible in their considerations of young Nigerians applying to study or work in such Countries – this is counter-productive to our national image and international standing. If the situation of Nigerian youths could be so bad, what then becomes of other Nigerians could be worse.

    • The strategic focus of the EFCC should be to identify the root cause of the rising number of youths going into crime and criminality in Nigeria and what can be done to turn the tide in the short to long term. Otherwise, the statement could seem like the EFCC Chair is already making excuses before even spending 6 months in office. 

    •Based on the foregoing, I urge the EFCC Chairman to encourage and motivate the youth in rhetoric and action, rather than doing the opposite with the doom and gloom message which could further demoralize a lot of youth that are in dire need of inspiration, motivation and appreciation of their patience, perseverance, determination, and patriotism despite the societal challenges which are not created by them. The importance of a shared vision between the EFCC Chair and Mr. President cannot be over-emphasized.

  • Sir Ahmadu Bello’s Christmas Message

    Sir Ahmadu Bello’s Christmas Message

    His is the month of December, the month of paradoxical trade fair in which lies, fabrications and falsehood are, invariably, the wares displayed for exhibition. This is the month in which ostentation displaces faith and deception replaces conscience. How and why did these become cases of concern especially in Nigeria? Please, read the related story of facts and fictions below.

    Preamble

    An axiomatic Yoruba adage came to mind, recently, when a so-called National Christian Elders’ Forum (NCEF) published a fabricated statement in the media and falsely credited it to the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello some years ago. The statement which was quoted verbatim from a false publication by some Biafra agitators of Igbo extraction, as a justification for their thoughtless secession bid. The adage goes thus:

    “Any slave who is desperate to forcefully usurp an estate bequeathed to an innocent orphan must fabricate a rootless history to justify his/her inordinate desperation to illegally usurp other people’s properties”. For people who can read between the lines, this adage needs no interpretation. It is self-explanatory.

    Record of History

    Here is a season in which recalling certain aspects of Nigerian history, if only to put the records straight, is a sine qua non.

    History is a living phenomenon that is common to all people around the world, in time and in space. No matter what interpretation or misinterpretation is given to it, in certain quarters, the fact remains that history is not anybody’s personal property and can, therefore, not be anybody’s enclave of monopoly.

    Memory Lane

    Sir Ahmadu Bello, the first and only Premier of Northern Nigeria was not just one of the foremost political icons in Nigeria’s First Republic. He was also a patriarch of the ruling political party called Northern People’s Congress (NPC). This man of colossal status became the Premier of Northern Nigeria in 1954, the same year in which his political counterparts and arch-rivals, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, became Premiers of Eastern and Western regions respectively. The trio assumed office as Premiers, in 1954, through party-based elections. They were later joined by Chief Denis Osadebe as the fourth regional Premier in Nigeria. The latter became the Premier of Midwest region, in 1963, when that region was created. However, barely five years after Nigeria’s independence, Sir Ahmadu Bello was callously killed, as Premier, on Saturday, January 15, 1966, by some Nigerian military coup plotters whose real intent was to obliterate all traces of Islam in Nigeria. Virtually all those coup plotters were of Igbo extraction and no single one of them was a Muslim, an indication that the coup was religiously and tribally motivated.

    Read Also; Our transformation efforts on economy succeeding with NASS cooperation – Tinubu

    That devilish coup was led by one Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, an Igbo man from the present day geographical area of Nigeria, called Delta State.

    Those coup plotters had killed the Muslim leaders in government, including Premier Ahmadu Bello, Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premier Samuel Ladoke Akintola and several other political leaders from other tribal extractions, in that year’s sacred month of Ramadan, before they started looking for reasons to give as a justification for their heinous termination of those leaders’ lives. The three reasons that they (the coup plotters) gave after killing those leaders were corruption, tribalism and religious bigotry. It was a matter of calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

    Analysis of Their Reasons

    Among the four Premiers in Nigeria during the first republic, only Ahmadu Bello, was a Muslim and he could not, in any way, be evidently linked to corruption. Unlike the three other Premiers who lived opulently in expensive affluence, Ahmadu Bello was an ascetic personality who served his people diligently and patriotically without an iota of blemish. At the time of his gruesome murder, that Northern Premier had only a small residential bungalow in his home town of Rabah in Sokoto Province, which he built with a loan and nothing more has been traced to him as property till today. He had not even completed the payment of the loan he obtained for the building of that bungalow before he was murdered.

    Who else among his peers can be said to have left such a flank behind?

    Sir Ahmadu Bello, the only Premier from the North, at that time, could also not be singularly accused of being tribally inclined because tribalism was the basis of all the existing political parties of the time. No Premier, in Nigeria, from 1954 to 1966 could be exonerated from tribalism directly or indirectly. They were all guilty of it.

    Genesis of Tribal Politics in Nigeria

    It can be recalled that certain tribal groups such as Ibiobio State Union (IBU), Ibo Federal Union (IFU) Egbe Omo Oduduwa (EOO) and ‘Jam’iyyar Al-Ummar Nigeriya ta Arewa’ translated as Northern Elements Progressive Association (NEPA) which later transformed into Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) were all tribal socio-cultural organizations that metamorphosed into political parties. All those parties preceded ‘Jam’iyyar Mutane Arewa’ meaning Northern People’s Congress (NPC), to which Ahmadu Bello belonged. Many other ethnic-based political parties later emerged to broaden tribalism in Nigerian politics. If anything, therefore, Ahmadu Bello was the least tribally inclined Premier of his time. If he was actually a tribalist and religious bigot as he has always been maliciously painted in Nigeria’s political history, by the Southern Nigerian media, he would not have appointed Sunday Awoniyi, a Yoruba Christian, from the present day Kogi State, as his Private Secretary. Which other Premier appointed his private secretary from another tribe or from a religion other than Christianity? And, why did his killers link him alone to tribalism and bigotry?

    His 1959 Christmas Message

    Among the four Premiers in Nigeria’s first republic, only Ahmadu Bello was bold and sincere enough to allay the fear of the minority groups in his (Northern) region by making a public policy statement about his government’s stand concerning tribalism and religious bigotry. Here is an excerpt from what he said while sending a Christmas message to northern Christians at the time of Christmas in 1959:

    “…We are people of many different races, tribes and religions, who are knit together by common history, common interests and common ideals. Our diversity may be great but the things that unite us are stronger than the things that divide us. On an occasion like this, I always remind people about our firmly rooted policy on religious tolerance. Families of all creeds and colours can rely on these assurances. We have no intention of favouring one religion at the expense of another. Subject to overriding need to preserve law and order, it is our determination that everyone should have absolute liberty to practice his belief. It is befitting on this momentous day, on behalf of my ministers and myself, to send a special word of gratitude to all Christian missions”.

    “Let me conclude this with a personal message. I extend my greetings to all our people who are Christians on this great feast day. Let us forget the difference in our religion and remember the common brotherhood before God, by dedicating ourselves afresh to the great tasks which lie before us….”

    That was the Christmas message that Sir Ahmadu Bello delivered in a radio broadcast on Thursday, December 24, 1959. And, it remained intact in Nigerian historical archive until 2002, when a Yoruba agent of the Lucifer came up with a fabricated statement that is now being devilishly quoted and circulated spirally by mischievous elements in Nigeria, who have been crediting it to Sir Ahmadu Bello.

    The Fabricated Version

    Decades after Sir Ahmadu Bello’s unjustifiable assassination, some evil elements in the media, in active conspiracy with certain political demagogues, who were passionately pregnant with morbid hatred for Islam, went to fabricate another ‘Christmas Message’ and credited it to the late Northern Premier as a justification for his murder. The concocted statement was purportedly culled from a non-existing newspaper called ‘The Parrot’. Below is the fabricated Christmas Message:

    “…The new nation called Nigeria should be an estate of our great grandfather Othman Dan Fodio. We must ruthlessly prevent a change of power. We use the minorities in the north as willing tools and the south as a conquered territory and never allow them to rule over us and never allow them to have control over their future….”

    Now, should that senselessly fabricated statement said to have been made by Sir Ahmadu Bello on October 12, 1960, be quoted blindly by any sensible individual or group? How can a Christmas message by a Premier of Ahmadu Bello Status, be delivered in October, two months before Christmas? Haba! Is that not a confirmation that liars never think of the implications of their lies before they fabricate them?

    Truth and Falsehood

    “Truth has come and falsehood has vamoosed; surely, falsehood is meant to vamoose in the presence of the truth”.  Q. 17: 81 

    Comparison

    Now, looking at both (genuine and fabricated) statements quoted above very carefully, shouldn’t any sensible person be able to distinguish between truth and falsehood? The Premier’s original Christmas message, earlier quoted above, was made on the eve of Christmas on Thursday, December 24, 1959, through a radio broadcast and it was published by all newspapers in the country including the vociferous ‘West African Pilot’ owned by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the boisterous ‘Tribune’ owned by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the clamorous ‘Daily Times’ jointly owned privately by certain prominent Nigerian individuals at that time. That original statement was equally published by many other smaller newspapers in Nigeria. All those newspapers are identifiable in Nigeria’s media history even though most of them are now defunct.

    On the other hand, the place and occasion of the fabricated statement credited to Sir Ahmadu Bello was not indicated and cannot be traced in any Nigeria’s newspaper history.

    Evidence of Fabrication

    The first time any genuinely existing newspaper ever made reference to that fabricated statement was on November 13, 2002 (42 years after it was purportedly made by Sir Ahmadu Bello. And, ‘The Tribune’ newspaper which published it on that date only claimed to have culled it from an online column published on October 24 2002 by a fraudulent Yoruba Journalist (name withheld) who entitled it ‘The Northern Agenda’. The referred online was actually named ‘Nairaland’, and it can still be found on the internet today, if googled.

    It can, therefore, be confirmed that the statement was actually fabricated, not in the 1960s but in October 2002, by the so-called online columnist who credited it to a newspaper that never existed. The objective was to give it an undeserved credibility. What a country! What a people! What a shame! This is a typical case of an obvious mischief by heartless mischief makers just to fetch ephemeral fame and illegal income.

    The belief of such fraudsters was that once such a fabricated article appears on the internet and is ignorantly quoted by some inconsequential mercenary writers, it would automatically become a document of fact. And, true to that assertion, a self-acclaimed Nigerian Christian Elders Forum’ (NCEF) has shamelessly quoted that fabricated falsehood, as usual, to justify its baseless allegation of ‘Islamization’ of Nigeria. That is Nigeria for you.

    The 1966 Coup Episode

    January 15, 1966 was a Saturday like no other one in the history of Nigeria. It was on that day that the bitter political seed which germinated and grew into the thorny political tree that is now feeding Nigerians with bitter political fruits, was planted. The evil planting of that seed marked the beginning of an agonizing voyage of destiny on which Nigerians embarked without a compass. Coming up in the sacred month of Ramadan, the day, (January 15, 1966) actually came to confirm the axiomatic thought of an Arab poet who once asserted in a couplet thus: “Nights are heavily pregnant; they give birth to wonders in the days….”

    The Major Casualties

    The real target of the heartless coup plotters in  military uniform, who struck on January 15, 1966 coup was Islam. Although they (the coupists) killed virtually all the major key players in the then Nigerian politics except those of Igbo extraction, most of the victims of that coup were Muslims and some non-Igbo Christians who were then in prisons. The Prime Minister, Alhaji Sir AbubakarTafawa Balewa and the Minister of Finance, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh were killed in Lagos. The Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was killed with his wife and some other people in Kaduna, the then Headquarters of Northern Nigeria. The Premier of Western Region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, was killed in Ibadan, the then Headquarters of the South Western Region, while some military top brass of non-Igbo extraction were killed in different military barracks across the country.

    Except for Lt. Col. Arthur Unegbe who was killed for being too close to one Brigadier-General Zakariya’ Maimalari, a top Muslim military officer from the north, and could not be trusted, no other Igbo man of note, civilian or military, was killed in that coup. As a matter of fact, if there was any feeling of the coup in Nigeria’s Eastern Region at all, it was that of victory and heroism. The top military officers who were killed in the senseless coup included: Brig. S. A. Ademulegun (South West); Brig. Zakari Maimalari (North East); Col. Kur Mohammed (North West); Lt. Col. J. Y. Pam (North Central); Col. S. A. Shodeinde (South West); Lt. Col. Largema (North Central); Lt. Col. A. G. Unegbe (South East); S/Lt. James Odu (Mid West) and a host of others.

    The False Allegations

    After the dust had settled, it became evident that virtually all the planners of that coup as well as its executors were soldiers of Igbo extraction and Christians. Thus, other Nigerians whose relatives were severely affected saw the coup not only as tribal but also as religious, the killing of some Christians like Chiefs Akintola and Okotie-Eboh notwithstanding. This was because the then Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Sir Francis Akanu Ibiam was as deeply involved in religious matters as Sir Ahmadu Bello. The one was a Vice-President of the World Council of Churches. The other was the Vice-President of the Muslim World League. If religion was therefore the reason for the coup, the two of them not one ought to have been killed for bigotry. But history entails a variety of interpretations especially in a society where conscience hardly plays any meaningful role.

    Beneficiaries

    It is historically notable that the chief beneficiary of the coup (Major-General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi) was also of Igbo extraction. Almost all the military appointments after the coup were for men of Igbo extraction. Among those appointees, only Hassan Katsina and Muhammadu Shuwa were Muslims. How else could a coup be tribal and religious? After all, as far back as 1953, a frontline Igbo politician (name withheld) had set such agenda for his tribe’s men when he reportedly said that “Ibos’ domination of Nigeria is a matter of time”.  That statement was allegedly made at a cocktail party in Lagos. If this remains the yardstick for driving democracy in Nigeria, for how long can such democracy last?

  • Managing expectations from Cop28

    Managing expectations from Cop28

    We need to remember that the indigenous worldview teaches us that we are all connected. Not only as human beings but with all living things and all that sustains life. As part of this grand and sacred system, harmony with Nature must be maintained. The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.” …. His Majesty, King Charles III, at the opening of COP28, Dubai, U.A.E – 1st December, 2023

    The ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 

    COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 30 November to 12 December 2023, is a decisive moment to act on climate commitments and prevent the worst impacts of climate change. 

    The World Climate Action Summit (WCAS), hosted by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, convened Heads of State or Government on 1st and 2nd December 2023 when the first part of the COP28 high-level segment took place. A resumed high-level segment will take place on 9th-10th December 2023. 

     The WCAS provides Heads of State or Government with the opportunity to set the stage for COP28, build on decisions from previous Conferences of the Parties, raise climate commitments, and promote coordinated action to tackle climate change. With over 150 world leaders present in Dubai at this year’s climate conference, it is clear that countries and continents are taking the climate change challenge seriously  

    It is worthy of note in this year’s Climate Conference, that a major milestone of the conclusion of the first assessment of global progress in implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement will be achieved.

     The findings so far are unambiguous; the world is lagging behind the target of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of this century. This is notwithstanding the fact that countries are developing plans for a net-zero future.  In my opinion, the key indicator shows a positive disposition of Countries, deliberately moving towards clean energy, albeit the current speed of the transition may not meet global warming containment aspirations.

    A report recently published by UN Climate Change shows that national climate action plans (known as nationally determined contributions, or ‘NDCs’) would collectively lower greenhouse gas emissions to 2% below 2019 levels by 2030, while the science is clear that a 43% reduction is needed. With almost 200 world leaders attending this year’s Climate conference, is an indication of the seriousness with which Countries around the world are taking the issue of climate change and its various negative impacts – short to long terms.

     However, I hope that the conference will not just be about the optics, i.e. handshakes, backslapping and photoshoots. I hope that the strategies and action plans that will be drafted at the end of the conference will be executed timely and sustainably measured by countries, individually and collectively to ensure all the needful are done in order to contain the clear and present dangers of one of the biggest threats in the history of to humanity – climate change.

     In the face of rising conflicts and tensions worldwide, there is a need for collaborative efforts to combat climate change, an area in which nations can work together effectively to ensure a sustainable future both for people and the planet.

     “We don’t have any time to waste. We need to take urgent action now to reduce emissions. At COP28, every country and every company will be held to account, guided by the north star of keeping 1.5°C within reach,” said COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.

     Funding imperatives

    Climate Funding, increasing financial resources for adaptation, and operationalizing the loss and damage fund are key to keeping 1.5°C within reach while leaving no one behind.

    The reality is that there is a need for more funding to developing countries to support their climate change containment initiatives and renewables revolution in line with the United Nations Climate Change Strategy, otherwise, the aspiration will not be realized. 

    The Progress on climate finance at COP28 will be crucial to build trust in other negotiation areas and to lay the groundwork for an even more ambitious “New Collective Quantified Goal” for climate finance, which must be in place next year. It will also set the stage for a just and inclusive transition to renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels.

    Read Also: COP28 Dubai December 2023

     The Africa context and efforts

    The 2023 Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) Conference which took place at the African Union Commission Conference Centre, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 6th to 10th November 2023, underscores the importance of the GGWI in combating climate change and desertification in Africa, as part of a global initiative. The GGWI is in lockstep with the United Nations Climate Change Strategy and Action Plans. The core objective of the African initiative is to build; “a Pan African approach to combat desertification, climate change and the dryland of the continent”.  

     Accordingly, the COP28 coming up days after the GGWI Conference buttresses the focus of countries and continents on collective action to stop climate change with critical attention on more financing and investment in the low-carbon transition. With the active participation of global stakeholders, I am optimistic that investors and other capital markets participants see what’s ahead and back climate commitments with action. In this regard, there is an urgent need for more finance for developing countries to support climate change initiatives and renewables revolution, otherwise, the global climate change strategy will not be impactful.

    Climate Change and Food Security

    Climate change and desertification have been making devastating impacts on our Agriculture, Environment, and Social well-being. Climate change and desertification management should be key elements of the Agriculture and environmental sectoral reform strategy, especially in the risk assessment and mitigation as well as the sustainability modules of the stratagem. Climate change and desertification management from the point of view of early warning systems, disaster/crisis mitigation management, proactive countermeasures, and processes that should cover dependencies and counter-dependencies are critical to the existence and sustainability of our entire agriculture value chains, amongst others

       ”The goal of the Great Green Wall for the Sahel and Sahara Initiative (GGWSI) by 2030 is to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs. It is envisaged that this ambition when it becomes reality will transform the drylands of Africa from threat to livelihoods to provider of livelihood. It will transform the lives of millions of people living in poverty and suffering the effects of the climate crisis. It will also help to break the cycle of migration and conflict prevalent in the Sahelian areas of Africa among other positive effects and impacts.”

     Some Key Points to Note for Nigeria

    •As part of his critical initial steps to revamp Nigeria’s economy, President Bola Tinubu has initiated a plan to resolve the country’s food crisis by declaring a state of emergency on food insecurity.

    • To contextualize the topic of today, so that we can appreciate where we are coming from, where we are, and my perspectives on the way forward, I share some statistics:

    •According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2016; In the 1960s, the Agriculture sector contributed 85% of foreign exchange earnings to Nigeria, 80% to employment, and 90% to the GDP.

    •According to the Oxford Business Group (OBG), a global publishing, research, and consultancy firm; the Agriculture sector in Nigeria is currently contributing 25% to GDP and 70% to employment.

    •Recently, the President of the Africa Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, stated that Africa currently imports about $ 70 billion worth of food that we can produce. 

    •In the case of food insecurity: According to Dr. Adesina, currently over 280 million Africans go to bed hungry. 

    •According to 2022 UN-funded statistics on food and nutrition projection; by August this year, over 25 million Nigerians will be food insecure. 

     Climate change has been having a devastating impact on our Agriculture. Climate change management should be. A key element of the Agriculture sectoral reform strategy will be risk assessment and mitigation as well as the sustainability modules. Climate change management from the point of view of early warning systems, disaster/crisis mitigation management, and proactive countermeasures and processes that should cover dependencies and counter-dependencies are critical to the existence and sustainability of our entire agriculture value chain.

     In specific terms, we must be proactive. We saw what happened last year when the Cameroun Dam crisis impacted River Benue with devastating consequences on all the farmlands along the entire farming corridor of the middle belt, the flood also wreaked havoc on the farming, fishing, and food logistics and supply chain throughout north to the southern part of Nigeria was brutal. 

     I expect that all the necessary support will be given to the relevant institutions that are charged with the statutory responsibilities for containing the threats and vagaries of climate to Nigeria, the Sahel region, and the continent of Africa as a whole. 

     I expect that Nigeria will sustain all our climate change initiatives and be better prepared in 2024 to further strengthen our resolve to protect our ecosystem. 

  • Fiscal discipline key to Budget 2024 success

    Fiscal discipline key to Budget 2024 success

    Baba Yusuf (Pix)

    “If people cannot trust their Government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and promote their welfare – all else is lost” … Barrack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America.

    On Wednesday 29th November 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the 2024 Budget proposal to the National Assembly for consideration. Mr. President requested for expedited passage of the Budget within the next month so that the January to December budget circle will be maintained, going forward. This is the first budget of his administration, having inherited the 2023 Budget from the administration of his predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Therefore Mr. President and his team will take ownership of the 2024 Budget when passed, which Mr. The President calls the “Budget of Renewed Hope”. Nigerians will appraise the performance of this administration as wholesome with regard to the promises made.

    Notes some of the key assumptions and

     projections of the budget

    •An aggregate expenditure of 27.5 trillion naira is proposed for the Federal Government in 2024, of which the non-debt recurrent expenditure is 9.92 trillion naira while debt service is projected to be 8.25 trillion naira and capital expenditure is 8.7 trillion naira.

    •It is instructive to note that Mr. President presented a N27.5 Trillion Budget which is slightly 10% of the GDP of Nigeria with a target growth of 3.76% per annum. Therefore, in my opinion, the strategic objective to make Nigeria a $1Trillion economy in the next 7 years, without the requisite government waste management and cost containment initiatives will not be achievable.

    • This is especially so given the IMF projection that Nigeria’s economic growth rate will contract from circa 3% to about 2.9% and also considering the projected overarching global economic rate of about 3%.

    · The crude oil revenue benchmark of $77 per barrel is conservative and more realistic than the assumptions of the immediate past administration.

    •However, the N750 per US Dollar rate assumption may be somewhat aspirational given the current galloping inflation rate of over 24% and rising without other attendant variable impacts like effective monetary policy, quick turnaround management initiatives of the economy from an import-dependent to production economy, etc.  

    • I applaud the priorities given to Defense/ Security, Education, Health, and Poverty Alleviation 

    • Let us not forget the key elephant in the room of the over 133 multi-dimensionally poor citizens of this country with a struggling informal sector that accounts for 80% of the economy.

    Read Also: Tinubu committed to fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, says Shettima

     Accordingly, for the 2024 Budget to meet set objectives and make the intended impacts, there is a dire need for alignment between fiscal policies and fiscal discipline which have been a key failure factor of successive administrations.

     In addition to what I term Mr. President’s “boldness of assertions”, I advocate for the inculcation of what I term, “the practicality of discipline, and the political will of execution”. By this, I mean that there should be an immediate alignment between Fiscal Policy and Fiscal Discipline. Budget performance is dependent largely on Fiscal discipline, without which; increased revenue, increased foreign direct investment, and investment in critical infrastructure will amount to nothing. Without Fiscal Discipline, the strategic visions of government and action plans will either fail or will not be sustainable. Therefore, Fiscal discipline is a critical success factor for the effectiveness of the 2024 budget.

    Insecurity

    The insecurity situation in Nigeria needs to be dealt with as a matter of priority so as to engender more confidence and trust in FDIs and domestic investments. The insecurity issue must be addressed for the productivity of the country in terms of increased crude oil throughput, agriculture, and other non-oil sectors. 

     Monetary policy and fiscal policy

    There is a lot of ongoing conversation about monetary policy (and rightly so) in terms of getting the balance for the Naira, etc. But I believe that unless we critically consider the overall national fiscal policy vis-a-vis our fiscal discipline, the balance we are looking for on the monetary side will not happen. That is why I appreciate the decision by President Tinubu to set up the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms as part of Mr. President’s strategy to turn around the economy of this Country. Factors like fiscal discipline, cost of governance, catalyzing the productive sector of the economy, etc. will be critical success factors. Critical stakeholder engagements and a smart communication strategy are also very important at this point in time in our nation.

     I urge the Federal Government, The National Executive Council, and other key stakeholders to also have a critical look at the fiscal policy to Pari-Passu the monetary policy for optimum impacts on the economy.

     Curbing rising inflation

    The galloping inflation rate, currently at over 27% and projected to rise above 30% by the end of the year is a worrisome situation that if not addressed will certainly affect the achievement of the stability of the Naira. Even though the CBN has a critical role to play in curbing inflation, it will be a function of an overall government strategy with regard to how the Government intends to move forward and for all relevant arms and organs of government to move lockstep to curtail the inflation. Unless that is done all the work that will be done by the CBN will amount to naught, i.e. the CBN could be building and other arms and organs or government will be inadvertently or deliberately destroyed. Therefore, the leadership has to come from Mr. President. 

     Revenue generation imperatives 

     In my opinion, Nigeria’s revenue and debt doldrums are beyond increasing tax collections. According to the Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria, Nigeria’s total public debt could rise to 37.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) this year, nearing the government’s self-imposed 40% limit. If the current debt-to-GDP trajectory continues unchecked the consequences will be dire because the Government is almost at a standstill. Running the Government with 4% of total revenue while consistently in debt is a disaster about to happen.

     Therefore, while Tax is a key revenue source, the issue of revenue collection and management should be expanded beyond tax. The economic diversification strategy and the expected impacts of the Foreign Direct Investments which Mr. President has been actively pursuing where he has secured Billions of US Dollars in investment commitments which we hope will be fast-tracked to bring in US Dollars in the short to mid-term are also critical success factors. 

     Our revenue generation strategy should be all-encompassing. Some of my thoughts are as follows:

     •Apart from increasing tax collections, the entire fiscal discipline framework must change going forward.

    •Quintessential leadership at the top

    • Cutting/ containing the cost of governance

    •Prudence in government spending at the top, across, and to be cascaded down the structure and system of governance

    •Blockage of leakages and wastages in government

    •The more you get money and throw it into a bottomless purse, you can retain anything. Therefore, if we do not take seriously the issues of leakages/ wastages and prudence and Government behavior with regard to governance. 

    •Sincere, objective, result-oriented, and transparent fight against corruption. 

    •I would also like to see creativity by the revenue-generating government agencies and departments with regard to reigning in more revenue for Nigeria

    •Zero tolerance to non-performance across all MDAs

    •Total stoppage of budget padding between the Executive arm and the legislative arms of government at federal and sub-national levels, whereby, according to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); in the 2021 budget, a budget padding of about N300 Billion was inserted in the Budget, while a budget padding of about 100 Billion was inserted in the 2022 budget by MDAs.

    • In the case of the Private Sector, for the Government to ensure that those in Government who play with operators in the private sector circumvent the system to help “big businesses”, including the multinationals who do not pay tax or undercut the tax they pay and rein-in our revenue.

    •Zero tolerance to all forms of economic sabotage

    • The regulatory and law enforcement agencies like the EFCC and ICPC should be more result-oriented so that they move from the days of continuous prosecutions without tangible outcomes due to defective investigation, case-building, and prosecution strategy and operations. The fight against corruption should no longer be lip service but actionable and more impactful.

      The Communication Strategy of Mr. President and the MDAs should be transparent, show clarity, and be concise on what they are doing with revenues collected. That will engender confidence and trust in the citizens which will encourage citizens to see reasons why they should pay taxes

    Transparency and Accountability: Here again, transparency is critical, impactful projects and initiatives are critical, and constructive engagements with the citizens are key. If the big businesses and corporations pay the appropriate taxes people know that they are paying, and the government is delivering dividends or democracy, it is easier to make individuals, Nano, small, and medium-scale enterprises (NSME) pay taxes. 

    In all, I hope that the 2024 Budget will be effectively executed for the much-needed betterment of Nigeria and Nigerians because Nigerians are really suffering and in dire need of a quick and sustainable socio-economic turnaround.

  • Who owns the Schools?

    Who owns the Schools?

    There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we (should) fail to protest (against injustice).”  By Elie Wiesel

    Preamble

    his is one of the very rare occasions when this column, ‘The Message’, is compelled to serialise an article. The last time that such occurred was about seven years ago.  That this article is being serialised now is a child of necessity. Ordinarily, professional Journalists who know their onions often strive to avoid serialisation of articles except if it becomes a necessity like on this occasion. Generally, serialisation of articles which often enables good readers to distinguish between professional journalists and mere writers has the tendency of leaving a sour taste in the mouth.

    However, the seriousness of this article and the referential importance of its contents are the factors that necessitate its inevitable serialisation. Surely, some serious-minded readers of this column who are intellectually inclined will appreciate the assertion here especially when the implications of the Appeal court in Lagos on the related case vis a vis the provisions of Nigerian constitution is taken into consideration. The delicate case of hijab wearing by Muslim female pupils in public schools, whether in Lagos State or elsewhere, cannot be separated from the big but unnecessary question of who owns Nigerian public schools in the 21st century.

     Problem of Diversity

     One good thing about life generally is the ability of the phenomenon called environment to conveniently accommodate the positive angle of life along with the negative angle despite their seeming incompatibility. This means that diversity may not be an oddity after all. It may serve a more purposeful end than humanly perceived. Perhaps that is why the Almighty Allah created all living things in twins of males and females as well as in couples of colours and hues. Yet, despite their natural differences they manage to cohabit without any visible rancour.

    Of all the creatures on earth, only human beings believe and emphasise the problem of incompatibility. At least we know that on a single farm land, all sorts of plants ranging from sugarcane to bitter leaf trees grow and cohabit without any visible rancour. And in the ecosystem, (forests or oceans) both the herbivours and carnivours coexist without threatening their habitats. It is only among human beings that the well fed rejoice in preventing the hungry ones from feeding even on remnants. With regard to this manifest situation, what is true of human beings in temporal life is equally true of them in spiritual life. Otherwise, how can some people who are claiming to be of faith insist on preventing others from covering their heads according to the tenets of their faith in a co-financed commonwealth affair when those of others do not prevent the half-naked ones from walking about in nudity despite the natural eyesore that the latter constitutes?

    Genesis of Schools Takeover

    According to Dr. Amiel M. Fagbulu (quoted copiously in the first leg of this article last Friday), “the take-over of schools has not been reported upon sufficiently for most people to understand the nefariousness and Machiavellian dimensions attached to it. To start with, it meant loss of income to some proprietors who were actually milking the people while pretending that they were magnanimously making sacrifices for them. Next is the falsehood that the governments did not pay compensation to proprietors. Another was that it was the federal government’s decree that made takeover final and legal. Last but not the least is that by retaining their names government had conceded that take-over was just in name alone. There are other false assumptions that will be dealt with as they are made”.

    Fagbulu continues thus: “the takeover of schools was a final act of dissociation of former proprietors from ownership of their schools. The schools no longer belong to them. To talk of Muslim or Christian schools that are run with public funds is absolute nonsense. Any school that is run with public money is a public school. All others are private institutions at whatever level and by whatever name.”

     The Question of Compensation

    Also as a continuation of his expert treatise on education in Nigeria, Fagbulu further elucidated on the question of compensation for proprietors of old missionary and privately owned schools in Nigeria as follows: “the question of compensation was raised by the proprietors of most of the Christian- and Muslim-based schools. In the West (of Nigeria), the only bodies I clearly remember as handing over schools voluntarily and with no conditions attached were the Seventh Day Adventist group and Adeola Odutola who owned a fairly good secondary school at Ijebu-Ode. The noisiest ones were sole proprietors who individually owned schools. The discussions were preliminary and informal exchanges to advise both sides before the final decision was taken. The government of the Western State was glad to oblige but what silenced the demand were the conditions put to the proprietors based on government’s sense of fairness to the taxpayers whose funds had been utilised”. They were as follows:

    1.            “Proprietors would calculate their investment on all structures in the school including the land (x) which by the education laws of the time must be registered in perpetuity in the name of the school (at least in the West)

    2.            Proprietors would compute the total amount they had incurred in running the school from inception to date of takeover (y)

    3.            Proprietors would compile a list of the value of all gifts and donations the school had received (p)

    4.            Government would compile the value of all grants (general and special) that it had paid to the school up to the time of takeover (q).

    5.            Compensation to proprietors would be C = [(x + y) – (p + q)]”

    Fagbulu’s Personal Comment

    When the discerning proprietors among them did the Arithmetic and found out that they would be seriously indebted to government at the end of the exercise, they blinked and went silent. A funny footnote to the exercise was the demand of one or two proprietors who wanted to be paid for their ‘brand’ name. Government had no use for their names anyway and when they eventually lost, they pleaded with government to kindly retain those names, a demand which was graciously granted.”

    His Further Comments

    “Heritage has at least two dimensions. Your child can only make claims to what belongs to you. That is one form of heritage. The other like UNESCO’s heritage, relates to values. The pleasure derived from listening to Sonny Ade’s music or reading Achebe’s books are golden gems they have bequeathed to the world. Achebe collects his royalty forever, which means that it is a heritage of his children. We who acclaim and cherish the books are not beneficiaries of the pecuniary offerings. Similarly UNESCO helps preserve those monuments in Egypt say, but it is the Egyptian government and people that own the monuments. The government, when it took over schools took over the land, the structures on them, and the responsibility to continue to run schools. Those who are capitalising on Heritage can be assured that it is their’s to cherish and share with the world. They are free to do so.”

    Analytical Deduction

    In his analytical deduction on the unwarranted controversy over the ownership of public schools in Nigeria, the Octogenarian education expert revealed an eye witness account as follows: “A few students imported the Dancing Club from the Higher College, Yaba to the University College, Ibadan. We started the Bug and later others started the original Cult that was not malevolent. They are part of the history of that institution. The good things keep going from generation to generation and those who cherish them regard them as part of things to be retained forever. Heritage in the sense people who are talking about it will survive on its own if the generations want them. There is no law that new influences cannot add their own quota before they pass away. There is nothing stopping those being locked out today from leaving their imprints that will be cherished behind”.

    He continued: “The form for the annual census of schools provides for three categories of ‘girls only’, ‘boys only’ and mixed schools. It is the responsibility of government to determine which of its public schools will be designated in any of the three categories. As a part of the process of development if it becomes necessary to alter the gender status of any school especially from a mixed to a single gender and vice-versa, it may be necessary to do some juggling of names. For instance a St. Agnes Girls’ School cannot become mixed and still retain its name. However it could become St. Agnes High School or something equally appropriate without much loss of identity. While the use of adjectives like Junior, Senior, Middle, High, and Primary are helpful indicators of level, those of gender like boy’s, girl’s, and mixed are pointless tautologies as names go. A St, Agnes should have no trouble ministering to both girls and boys, or doing whatever saints are supposed to do for both genders.”

    Elderly Advice

    “Government should not exert any serious effort to take on the trivial exercise of changing the names of schools for the mere fun of it. There must however be rhyme and rhythm in naming schools. Changing the name of an institution will always generate some heat. University of Ife alumni protested to the heavens but UNIFE is today OAU and the heavens have not fallen. It should be possible to reconcile all views with no ulterior motives through dialogue.”

    False Claim

    According to Pa Fagbulu, “the claim that the federal government enforced the takeover is false. Those who are old enough will remember that the exercise was not uniformly executed across the country. The Catholics put up a very tenacious resistance in the East and that slowed implementation. Some states only half-heartedly carried it out simply because Education has always been on the concurrent list and no central government could successfully enforce such a complex maneuver at a swoop even under the military. Decrees merely backed the intention of governments and the people who had spoken through Asabia.”

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    He went further thus: “One lingering and unfortunate consequence of the takeover of schools is the undeniable fact that standards of education have fallen over the years since the takeover. It is in no way a direct consequence of the proposal but one of implementation by government. In fact the takeover was to be a new beginning whereby the following would take place in the spirit of Adefarasin and Asabia (recommendations): “

    1.            All existing and new schools would be registered: that implied that the basic minimum requirements for providing good education would be provided in all schools irrespective of who was the proprietor. That would satisfy the demand of the NUT that all educational institutions should provide equal facilities for the children to learn and the teachers to teach

    2.            All schools would be bound by the same rules and treated equally when being assessed in respect of management, number and quality of staffing, and other areas that deal with the evaluation of the outcome of learning. I had the unpleasant duty of writing to the government of the Western State to give notice of closure in respect of the famous Government College, Ibadan of which I was by law the stand-in proprietor on behalf of the government, due to poor accommodation and general neglect. That decadence as it developed had shown that governments could default in providing fully for their schools and that any measure to avoid that unfortunate situation must be a corner-stone of any changes.

    3.            All schools would have properly constituted Boards of Governor to oversee the management of the schools as outlined in law. That body would be independent and good enough to get governments to act appropriately in funding schools.”

    Naked Truth

    “At the primary school level in particular, the Local Education Authorities have been greatly handicapped to the extent that it is difficult to believe that they exist at all. The (naked) truth is that governments have increasingly been unable to fund education adequately and though the rates might have been perhaps slower, the rot would have set in anyway if even schools had not been taken over.”

    Undeniable Fact

    Commenting on the recent hullaballoo over hijab and ownership of schools in Osun State, the sage observed as follows: “It is regrettable that a respected body like CAN can display so much ignorance in respect of education in Nigeria. To start with, the State of Osun like the rest of Nigeria cannot discriminate in the provision of educational facilities on the basis of gender or religion. Secondly CAN is operating from a false premise that some schools are Christian schools. All public schools belong to all the people irrespective of their religious beliefs.

    “If we Christians want to have schools over which we will have full control, the constitution provides for that. Finally the history of the take-over of schools credited to Gowon is also false. The take-over of schools was a direct consequence of the Asabia Commission and I was the originator of the idea with my colleagues who served after me as advisers to that body.”

    Reason for the Brouhaha

    “A main reason for that action was that the proprietors who received grants from government and fleeced parents through high fees made education very expensive. In spite of not investing their own money in education they failed to pay teachers on time if at all; they tyrannised teachers; they even went as far as not promoting teachers on merit especially if those teachers belonged to other denominations. CAN should please do its research and acknowledge that Adefarasin emancipated teachers and Asabia, its sub-committee recommended the procedures for achieving that end, If CAN needs being educated on this issue, I will oblige. In the meantime, it should stop spreading falsehood.  Aregbesola may or may not be guilty of wanting to Islamise Osun; that is not my concern here. Accusing him of using education is however not true.”

    Conclusion

    Concluding, Dr. Fagbulu said: “it should be reiterated that public schools belong to the people and that government as the representative of the people has the responsibility to determine the future of education and the direction and shape schools take. There is no problem of education that cannot be solved through dialogue if those involved are sincere and have no hidden agenda. And for the sake of our children, let us take interest in education and make constructive inputs. Government should take the lead and we should walk and work with it all the way.”

  • City key for ‘Nomadic’ Scholar

    City key for ‘Nomadic’ Scholar

    One good turn, according to an adage, deserves another. Perhaps nothing encourages good deed as much as appreciation. To show appreciation for good deed is to ask for more. This is what Ilorin indigenes did to the delight of all well-meaning people on Sunday 7  June 2013 when they came together from all walks of life to treat an intellectual ‘settler‘ to an appreciative reception.

    The occasion was a sort of gala night in royal regalia. It was a rare gathering of the crème de la crème of Ilorin indigenes who uniquely clustered the Kwara State Hotel Banquet Hall to clad one towering non-indigenous scholar in a historic wreath of honour. The cynosure of the august gathering was an international household personality whose contribution to the development of the city in the past two decades has remained non-such.

    Whether in Africa or even in the world academic circle, Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede the past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin is like a golden fish which has no hiding place. But it takes only men of worth to recognise a vertical man of worth with special reverence.

    The Relevant Question

    The relevant question here is not who and who attended the occasion but who and who were not there? Where you have colossal names like those of Governor Abdul Fattah Ahmed; former Governor Bukola Saraki; the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Sulu Gambari; the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Alfa Belgore; the former President of the Federal Court of Appeal, Justice Mustapha Akanbi who chaired the occasion; the former Special Adviser to the President on security matters, Major-General Muhammed Abdullah Adangba; an erstwhile Grand Khadi of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdul Kadiri Orire; the past Grand Khadi of the State, Justice Mutallib Ambali; the Grand Khadi, Alhaji Harun Idris who was eminently represented by Justice S.O. Muhammad; the Kwara State‘s Doyen of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Alhaji Salman Alarape; the 2011 Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Alhaji Dele Belgore (SAN); the thenVice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Abdul Ganiy Ambali; the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdul Raheem; the former Vice-Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Professor Abdur-Rasheed Naala; the former Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Saka Onimago who stood in for the Governor; Alhaji Saka Sa’d a former Chairman of the University of Ilorin Council and coordinator of the reception; Prominent city indigenes like Alhaji Sa’d Belgore; Justice (Mrs.) Raliatu Elelu-Habeeb; Alhaji Usman Ajidagba; Arch. Faworaja and Professor Kuranga. Of course, there are several personal friends and associates of Professor Ishaq Oloyede such as Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali, Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmus, Professor Wahab Egbewole, Dr. Aliu Badmus, Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba and Alhaji Jamiu Afolayan were all there to grace the historic occasion. Besides, the rank and file of Ilorin Muslim Clergy including the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Al-Fulani, the Imam Gambari Alhaji Said Al-Gambari and Imam Imale, Alhaji Abdullah Abdul Hamid, as well as a retinue of other important personalities too many to mention here.

    Invitation

    Though, admission into the Banquet Hall was strictly by invitation, virtually all sectors of Ilorin society including the professional, the economic and political groups, the social and traditional communities, as well as the academic and religious bodies were proudly represented. In the citation of the honouree eloquently read by Professor Yusuf Lanre Badmus, Professor Oloyede was virtually described as a signpost of guidance beaming light to all directions of the environment to the benefit of all and sundry. The hallmark of his achievement is in the education sector where as a former Vice-Chancellor, he was generally acknowledged as an exemplar.

    Professor Oloyede is not the only non-indigenous scholar of international repute resident in Ilorin. But his selfless service to humanity in that city without thinking of the factor of indigene-ship stands him out of the crowded pack. In recognition of his unique service and in acknowledgement of his indelible legacy therefore, this Professor of Islamic Studies, whose ambition then was to become a fellow of African Academy of Letters which was recently fulfilled has added a further step to his footprint.

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    Socially, Ilorin is a highly civilised city with a fertile soil of profound knowledge on which towering intellectuals in various fields of learning grow uninhibitedly. A realm of oriental and occidental diffusion though, Ilorin still maintains her cultural and traditional trait. These are manifest in the people‘s marital life style, extended family affairs, economic and moral conduct, maintenance of cultural chastity and veneration for the Emir, the Galadimas, the Chief Imams and other elders.

    Intermarriage

    Intermarriage and tribal interaction through urbanisation has shown the old city as a typical example of an isogloss. And today, it may be very difficult to know by conduct or by appearance who is not a true son or daughter of the soil.

    All the people irrespective of their tribes, tongues and creed automatically acclimatize and acculturate in the perennially peaceful environment created by the ancestors of the city. Hospitality, chauvinism and radiation of ecstasy, are entrenched in the culture of Ilorin inhabitants. However, an average Ilorin son or daughter is allegedly trained to be crafty and this earns the inhabitants the appellation .‘Ilorin mesu jamba‘‘ meaning Ilorin the custodian of craftiness.

    Religious Life

    Religiously, people see Ilorin through the spectacle of Islam. This is hardly disputable since more than 85 per cent of the in-habitants are Muslims. One can attribute the overwhelming beam of Islam on the city to the early romance by courtesy between Alimi and Afonja in which the earlier converted the latter to a Muslim. And today, Professor Oloyecde is not just a JAMB boss but a Secretary General for the Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs. More may be said about Ilorin in the future.

    By virtue of the key to the city offered him by the assembly of indigenes, Professor Oloyede can genuinely claim to be an indigene of Ilorin. That is the fruit of education. Or what else can one say?

  • Notes for opposition political parties

    Notes for opposition political parties

    The recent call by former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar GCON, for the merger of opposition parties to form a formidable team that will provide constructive opposition is a welcome development. I also commend the support for the merger by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), through its Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Abba Kawu-Ali. What remains to be seen is how the merger will emerge, given the inability of the political gladiators to form a coalition prelude during the 2023 general elections, in which case the opposition could have been more formidable and effective during the elections. More so after the 2023 elections, almost all the key political actors have lost control/grip of their political party structures due to intra-parties wrangling. 

     Accordingly, I hope that the merger will be formed based on lessons learned, being the reasons why politicians are abandoning their political parties to either the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or other political parties, in some cases, they go away with fragments of the parties they leave, while the other fragments will most likely be subsumed into the ruling party – the APC. I hope that the key politicians will be able to form a merger that will be based on common objectives, for our common good as a nation. Otherwise, the coalition may not be an effective opposition or may not happen at all. In my opinion, the opposition, should learn from the APC model of 2014, the constructive alliance by the then Deputy President of Kenya, Mr.  William Ruto with the newly formed United Democratic Alliance Party that led to his winning the Presidential elections to emerge as the President of Kenya in October last year, as well other trends of effective opposition coalitions in Europe and other democracies that achieved success in putting the ruling parties in check and effectively upstaging incumbent political parties and leaders despite the strong power of incumbency. 

     Political parties’ merger should be based on a strong foundation with critical pillars for success. Otherwise, it will be just one of those failed alliances that we have seen in Nigeria in the past. Some examples include During the Second Republic, the failed alliance in 1979, between late Mallam Aminu Kano’s PRP with UPN, NPP, GNPP, and NAP. Mallam Aminu PRP was initially a member of an alliance in opposition to the NPN. But the PRP under the leadership of Mallam Aminu Kano, based on principles, quietly withdrew from the alliance just before the general elections; The ineffective alliance between All People’s Party (APP) (of which I was founding and active party operative at that time) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) whereby the Alliance was formed a bit late too close to the 1999 Presidential elections and the APP/AD  Presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae could not win the PDP Presidential candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo – the rest is history; The failed attempted alliance between former President Mohammed Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria during the buildup to the 2011 Presidential elections; The failed attempted alliances between Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s NNPP and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s PDP and/ or Mr. Peter Obi’s Labor Party (LP) despite the obvious need for the alliance a as critical success factor to upstage the incumbent APC. The past experiences should guide the visions, aspirations, thoughts, and missions of the merger promoters.

     Experience has also shown that in Nigeria, almost all mergers and alliances of political parties are formed as platforms to win incumbent political parties, albeit the alliances and mergers were mostly formed late, and too close to elections. This is so much so that fundamentally, political parties are mainly used as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for politicians to win elections. Today, only a few politicians can boast of consistency in terms of political ideology and/ or party loyalty. Therefore, obviously, alliances are formed with underlying parochial interests and not national interests, in which case the mergers are either never achieved or fail to meet the intended objectives. 

     Furthermore, carry-overs of lack of intra-party democracy, intra-party bickering, etc. into merger discussions are also recurring deal-breakers. Basically, politicians want to form mergers in order to achieve individual selfish interests rather than based on a shared vision and common national interest. These faulty foundations make the merger/ alliance talks dead on arrival. We have a classic example in the 2023 Presidential elections. Interestingly the combined number of votes garnered by the three major opposition party candidates, i.e Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of PDP, Mr. Peter Obi of LP, and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of NNPP were more than the votes garnered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is a typical example of the idiom, ”United we stand, divided we fall”. The rhetorical question is, “Will most of our politicians ever rise above their selfish and parochial interests to actually do the needful?” Your answers are as good as mine. 

     It also is worthy of note that after the 2023 general elections, except for Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the leader of the NNPP, almost all the hitherto Presidential candidates appear to have already lost control of their party structures and machinery. That is a key indication of how weak opposition political parties will be except if they genuinely get their acts together. In addition, the call for the merger is also evidence of already weakening opposition political parties’ ecosystem, and if the situation is not salvaged, we could most likely move to a semi-one-party state as a nation. By the way, I wonder aloud how the merger will be effective if respective political leaders do not have firm grips and balance on their current political parties; with unabating warring factions, and unending litigations while those that have won elections on the platform of the political parties have since either decamped to other the APC or have abandoned the Presidential candidates who are supposed to be the party leaders and are already pushing their own political agendas which are obviously parallel to the agenda of the political parties and their leaderships – to paraphrase the late venerable Chinua Achebe’s aptly titled popular Book, which also the opening stanza of William Butler Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming,” from which the title of the novel is taken, as an epigraph to the novel.

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     A bit of perspective on opposition politics

    During the build-up to the 4th Republic, as a founding member of the All People’s Party (APP), I was privileged to be part of a seminar organized by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, as part of the events preparatory return to democracy and the 1999 general elections. Some incumbent Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom at that time gave us some high-level lectures on the tenets of democracy and party politics. It was an honor to have attended that seminar with the likes of some of Nigeria’s finest and foremost political leaders like the late Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Bola Ige, Late Senator (who was the Chairman of the PDP), Mahmud Waziri (who was at the Chairman of the APP), late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, late Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf, late Chief Olusola Saraki and other notable leaders. One of the topics of discussion during that seminar was, “How to be an effective opposition party”. A key takeaway for me from that seminar is the value that opposition parties add to democratic ideals, practices, and evolution by keeping the government in power on their toes to ensure good government, providing constructive engagements, while acting as potential alternatives should the ruling party fail to deliver its mandates. I hope that going forward Nigerians will experience valuable opposition– constructive, mature, and forward-thinking. 

     Furthermore, let us not forget that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in the opposition for 16 years. Mr. President was also in trenches with other vanguards of democracy, fighting for the return of Nigeria to democracy with some of them paying the ultimate price with their lives, some were detained and tortured, while some had to go into exile including President Tinubu. So, to be in opposition is to be bold, resolute, determined, resilient and value-adding.

     In conclusion, I am interested to see the strategy and counter-maneuvers of the opposition parties beyond the call for the merger. Would their strategies be based on constructive engagements, forcing the hands of good governance, holding the government of the day to account: Or would the opposition parties be preoccupied with intra-party quarrels and parochial interests? Would they be effectively united to face the very important issue of nation building by putting the government in check by focusing on issue-based opposition rather than mud-slinging and social media bullying? Would they also be proactive in what they preach within their parties or would they be selling us what they cannot consume? The answers to the rhetorical questions I raised will be the key determinants of how the opposition parties will fare in the next 4 years, especially given the fact that Nigerians are more politically conscious than at any time in the history of Nigeria.