The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • An Orphan‘s Legacy

    An Orphan‘s Legacy

    Who shares his life‘s pure pleasure and works the honest road; who trades with heaping measure and lifts his brother‘s load; who turns the wrong down bluntly and lends the right a hand; he dwells in God‘s own country and tills the holy land.. Louis F. Benson

    No man in history has ever been as fitting to the above poetic description as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) the undisputable greatest man that ever lived.

    His legacy is the solid foundation upon which the contemporary civilisation is built. But despite the vivid visibility of that legacy it remains invisible to many eyes that are alien to Islam. Thus, the Prophet‘s legacy is like the beaming sun which no blind can see and no seeing eyes can perceive in its natural nakedness. Yet, both the blind and the seeing feel the burning effect of the sun ‘Willy nilly’ even as it photosynthesises the plants around them.

    This article is not meant to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for which a public holiday was declared in Nigeria.

    As far as ‘The Message’ is concerned, what is to be celebrated about this great Prophet is by far much more than his birthday. His achievements clearly transcend his birth. Thus, there is no need wasting time on his birthday here.

    Read Also; Kidnapped Benue commissioner freed

    The Prophet‘s Biography

    From the creation of Adam, the first human being created by Allah, till date, no man‘s biography has been so much written and read as that of Muhammad (SAW) the son of Abdullah and Aminah. This man‘s biography has been written from all perspectives, positive and negative, by various men and women of diverse races, tribes, ideologies and religions in the past 1500 years or there about. And the biography is still being written and re-written authoritatively and un-authoritatively, today, in uncountable languages.

    Through the writings of the Prophet‘s biography, some people have zoomed into un-dream-able fame. Others have sunk into the abyss of a permanent oblivion. But virtually all the writers have benefitted from their writings directly or indirectly in coins and in kind. No other Prophet‘s biography has attracted as many writers from believers and non-believers, from friends and foes alike as that of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

    Every aspect of this Prophet‘s life including the dresses he wore, the food he ate, the way he spoke, the wives he married, the children he bore, and the wars he fought, has formed the basis of his biography. In short, next to the Qur‘an, no book is as much read daily in the world today as the biography of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in one form or another.

    Question

    But there is a vital question: why is global focus so much on this unlettered Prophet from Arabia? The answer to this question is not far-fetched. The world has not produced any other personality like him. And it will not. He is the seal of all Prophets and the epitome of human exemplariness. In him alone are found all the traits of what a perfect gentleman should be in all ramifications.

    If Prophet Muhammad had not been an orphan, he would not have been able to guide humanity on how orphans should be treated especially with regards to inheritance. If he had not been a husband, his marital life would not have been an excellent example for others to emulate and women‘s rights would have been permanently ignored. If he had not been a widower the world would not have realised the plight of widows and learnt how to provide for them. If he had not been a father, the proper care for children by parents would have been relegated to the background in Islamic doctrine. If he had not been trustworthy, the value of trust would have been totally lost on mankind.

    His migration from Makkah to Madinah paved way for the culture of hospitality universally imbibed today and the wars he was forced to fight engendered the law of war, armistice and peace. Without the conquests he achieved, the word magnanimity would not have found a place in the dictionary of man and if he had not suffered defeat in war, the vanquished would not have learnt the act of gallantry. If the Prophet had not been a judge, the virtue of justice would have been globally thrown to the winds and survival in all societies would have been for the fittest.

    If he had not been a democratic ruler, the relationship between the ruled and their rulers, all over the world, today, would not have been dissimilar from that of slaves and their masters and dictatorship in governance would have known no bounds. If Prophet had not been poor despite being a Head of State, the policy of social welfare adopted in civilised societies today in favour of the poor, would not have been possible. If he had not been an illiterate, the world would not have known the difference between literacy and education. And, if, despite all these qualities in him, he had not been humble and affable, arrogance would have been the main character of all privileged people in the world today.

    His Qualities

    Who else can be compared to this man in history? And, in which any other single person have all the aforementioned qualities ever been found in history? There can be little wonder then why so much attention was and is still being focused on the personality of this extra-ordinary human being. That is Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for you, the like of whom the world has never seen and will never see again. If this man is celebrated anywhere in the world, anytime, therefore, it is definitely not because he was born. His achievements transcend his birth.

    But for him, the world would have remained in the dungeon of ignorance and primitivism and humanity would have remained at the level of crude beasts. It was he who brought back the manual of life to mankind after it had been lost in the search for sheer vanity. Manual of life is the divine instruction which came gradually from Allah to mankind according to the growth rate of human intellect. But such manual is not peculiar to man alone. All other organisms have their own instructions from Allah which in a way constitute their own manuals of life.

    The Path and the Path Finder

    However, due to the intellectual superiority of man, the various divine instructions to other organisms were incorporated into man‘s own manual of life. This is to enable man understand the complexity of his environment vis a vis the essence of his own existence and thereby act effectively as Allah‘s vicegerent on earth. Although because of the differences in times and methods, Allah’s message is perceived differently, the fact remains that the message is only one coming from only one and same God. This message is the ‘RIGHT PATH’ to salvation which came to mankind after several millennia of wondering in the wilderness of ignorance and vainglory. And the man, Muhammad (SAW), through whom that message reached us is the ‘PATH FINDER’. There are many attestations to this.

    Attestations

    For instance, after many years of scientific experimentations, a German-born American physicist and Nobel Laureate, Albert Einstein, the inventor of atomic bomb who is generally known as the 20th century creator of special and general theory of relativity, compared his works with the contents of the Qur‘an and concluded as follows: ‘Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.. He then called on fellow scientists to endeavour to read the Qur‘an without bias in order to know the true origin of science in human life.

    And as if responding to Einstein‘s call, Professor Tagatat Tajasen, Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University in Thailand accepted Islam on the strength of just one scientific sign accurately mentioned in the Qur‘an. He had spent a great amount of his time, as a Professor, in search of pain receptor. When his attention was drawn to the Qur‘an, he did not believe initially that such a highly sophisticated aspect of science could have been mentioned about 1,500 years ago. But when he confirmed it by himself in the translation of the Qur‘an, he became so much impressed that he purposely attended the 8th Saudi Medical Conference held in Riyadh where he publicly embraced Islam.

    Another leading scientist, Professor Marshall Johnson, the Head of the Department of Anatomy a Director of Daniel Institute at the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, USA, was asked to comment on the verses of the Qur‘an dealing with embryology. In response, he said it was probable that for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to have given such vivid description of foetus, he must have had a powerful microscope. But when he was reminded that the Qur‘an was revealed about 1500 years ago and that the invention of microscope took place only a couple of centuries ago Professor Johnson laughed and made the following remark: ‘I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that Divine intervention was involved when Muhammad recited the Qur‘an……

    Yet another Embryologist, Professor Keith Moore of the Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto, Canada, after carefully examining the translation of the Qur‘anic verses presented to him admitted thus: ‘most of the information concerning embryology mentioned in the Qur‘an is in perfect conformity with modern discoveries in the field of embryology and does not conflict with them in any way..

    Professor Moore had no prior knowledge of anything leechlike about embryo until he read chapter 96 of the Qur‘an where Allah says ‘Read! In the name of your Lord who created. He created man out of a leechlike clot…. He then went to verify this fact in an embryo under a powerful microscope and compared his observation with a diagram of a leech. He was astonished at the resemblance of the two. That prompted him to go fully into studying the Qur‘an and Hadith to acquire more knowledge until he was able to answer about 80 hitherto unanswered questions in that field.

    That prompted him to correct the contents of his book ‘The Developing Human‘ which he published earlier and he re-published it in 1982. It was with that revised edition that he became the recipient of an award for the best medical book written by a single author in the 20th century. That book has been translated into many major languages of the world and is mostly used as textbook of embryology today in the first year of medical studies in various Universities in the world.

    Sciences and Signs

    Yet, despite talking about all sciences, the Qur‘an is not a book of Sciences but that of ‘Signs‘. Those ‘Signs‘ invite man to realise the purpose of his existence on earth and live in harmony with nature.

    Judging the above verses of the Qur‘an revealed close to 1500 years ago with the wonderful reality of scientific civilisation of today what further proof does anybody need of the genuineness of the Qur‘an? And who else can give better guidance than the Supreme Creator Himself? And who else can be better called the ‘PATH FINDER‘ than Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who showed humanity the way to that all time guidance?

    Perhaps, this was why Michael Hart, a Jewish American Astrophysicist, named Prophet Muhammad the greatest man that ever lived in his famous book entitled ‘The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History‘.

    Further Testimonies

    If all the descriptions given above about Prophet Muhammad (SAW) sound exaggerated because they are given by Femi Abbas, a Muslim and an ardent follower of that Prophet, and if Michael Hart is seen as crazy in his judgment let us read the views and impressions of some other non-Muslims about this great Prophet. One of them (Alphonse de Lamartine of France) had the following to say in his book ‘Histoire de la Torque‘:

    ‘Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim since this aim was superhuman; to subvert superstitions which had been interposed between man and his Creator; to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing.

    Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he (Muhammad) had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other, except a handful of men living in a corner of a desert…. If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled before their very eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. On the basis of a book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race…..As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured we may well ask, is there any man in human history greater than Muhammad?.

    On his own, Napoleon Bonaparte, the great 18th century French conqueror of Europe was so much amazed by the traits of Islam which he saw in Egypt during his military expeditions that he made the following historic statement about that divine religion and its great Prophet:

    ‘Muhammad, in reality, was a great leader of mankind. He preached UNITY among Arabs who were, till then, torn asunder due to internecine quarrels, sometimes resulting in bloody war fares. He brought them out of the obscure world in a short time and the discipline which they maintained under his leadership was simply marvellous, and so was their bravery, courage and devotion to the cause which they loved and cherished. This, coupled with the contempt for death, as taught by their leader, made them great soldiers and fighters like of whom history rarely produces. I simply marvel at the achievements of this great ‘Son of the Desert’ within a mere period of less than 15 years; a thing which Moses and Christ could not do in 15 centuries. I salute this great man; I salute his qualities of Head and Heart…..

    George Bernard Shaw

    And, in corroboration of the above statements, variously made by renowned men of letters and intellect, another foremost Orientalist, playwright and dramatist, George Bernard Shaw, had the following to say about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in his book ‘The genuine Islam’ (vol. 1 No 8 of 1936):

    ‘The Christians and their missionaries have presented a horrible picture of Islam. Not only that, they also carried out an organised and planned propaganda against the personality of Prophet Mohammad and the religion he preached. I have carefully studied Islam and the life of its Prophet. I have done so both as a student of history and as a critic. And I have come to the conclusion that Mohammad was indeed a great man and a deliverer and benefactor of mankind which was till then writhing under a most agonizing pain. I have always held Islam in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing face of existence which can make it appealing to every age. I have studied him-the wonderful man and in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the saviour of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.

    I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today. For confirmation of Bernard Shaw‘s remark quoted above, see ‘The Genuine Islam, vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.

    Conclusion

    These are just some of the facts that make an orphan, unlettered Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), the greatest human being that ever lived on earth. None of the attestations above made any reference to his birth or birthday because they knew that his birth had nothing to do with his achievements. If non-Muslims could go as far as shown above to benefit from the greatness of Prophet Muhammad‘s mission on earth what is expected of Muslims for whom that mission is primarily meant?

  • Agriculture sector from security and climate change perspectives

    Agriculture sector from security and climate change perspectives

    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.

    How did we get here?

    •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. These projections were made before the policy missteps of 1st quarter this year by the erstwhile Mr. Godwin Emefiele-led CCBN with regards to the brutal monetary policy and the cashless policy, the Agric anchor-borrowers scheme missteps, the increase in climate change, etc. Therefore, the current number of Nigerians who are suffering from food insecurity is certainly more than 25 million.

    FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES

    Critical initial steps have been taken by President Tinubu for the short term. Now that he has a functional Federal Executive Council which includes the Honorable Minister and Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, in persons of Senator Abubakar Abba Kyari and Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi respectively: There should be a formulation of an Agriculture sectoral reform strategy that will cover insecurity, climate change, critical infrastructure, improving production, value-addition, storage, logistics and supply chain, etc. Unless there is a strategy that covers the short, mid to long terms, the short-term interventions will not be sustainable. 

     I appreciate the initial steps taken by Mr. President, albeit they are taken on the spur of the moment to address the pressing challenges. Therefore, the President needs to have a robust national agriculture strategy so that we can have sure-footed and sustainable progression with regard to food security and support for the production economy. It is worthy of note that Agriculture provides food, medicine, and pharmaceutical support, and over 50% of the critical raw materials for the production sector across the entire economic value chain. Therefore, it is a critical sector. Agriculture, if well harnessed and managed, has the capacity to enable the turnaround and drive the economy of this Country as it happened in the 1960s and make Nigeria far less dependent on hydrocarbons. I hope that in the next few months moving into 2024, we will be more clear-eyed with regards to how, where, or what Agriculture should be doing to our socio-economic development as a nation.

     The way and manner the industry was administered in the past 8 years is a classic example of “HOW NOT TO RUN AN AGRICULTURE SECTOR”. Looking back eight years, and considering the huge sums of money budgeted, appropriated, allocated, and disbursed is mind-boggling. I hope and pray that during the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the sector will undergo genuine and proper reforms in the Agriculture sector. I also look forward to strategic and critical thinking, professionalism, creativity and value innovation, achievement of operational excellence, integrity, attention to the welfare and wellbeing of staff, and importantly significant contribution to the national economy; over and above the transactional attitude to leadership and work which has become a corporate cultural malaise in the sector.

    Read Also: Mohbad: Police never invited me, says Primeboy

    THE IMPACT OF SECURITY ON FOOD SECURITY 

    Despite the huge financial investment in Agriculture in the past 8 years, the performance of the sector has been overall marginal insecurity and poor policy implementation. Therefore, the administration of President Tinubu needs to formulate an Agriculture sectoral reform strategy that should inculcate security as fundamental, with an all-encompassing approach to the things that need to be done to turn around this sad insecurity situation. 

     The critical success factor to turn around the socio-economic malaise in Nigeria is first and foremost tackling insecurity. Otherwise, any other initiative will be a “flash in the pan”. This is because the recent escalation of insecurity around the northwest, north-central, and even southeast is hampering food production, otherwise, we are taking two steps forward and three steps backward. This has significantly impacted food security. The northern part of Nigeria is the food basket of the nation and is arguably some part of the West African sub region. Farmers have gone to the farm late this year. Climate change is impacting, and the danger of food insecurity is looming. There is a need for quick actions

    An example of the impact of insecurity on our Agric value chain:

    GB Foods is an investor from Spain that came to Nigeria and set up in Kebbi State Nigeria; the second largest Tomatoes processing plant in Nigeria, and the only fully backward integrated tomatoes processing plant in the West African sub-region valued at over 20 Billion; employing over 1,000 Nigerians, including 500 farming jobs, 150 factory jobs, and 150 construction jobs. The plant started production in March last year when over 500 Bandits attacked the plant, kidnapped some expatriates, killed some Nigerians, and desecrated the processing plant. This caused the parent company in Spain to close the plant and lay off staff with negative socio-economic impacts on the country. There are also a lot of farmers who could not go to farm last year and this year unless they succumb to the blackmails of the bandits and terrorists before they can go to their farms in some cases the bandits and terrorists either seize the entire food produced of tale almost of the production and take ransom for the food that they leave behind for the farmers.

    Accordingly, insecurity needs to be tackled head-on before significant progress can be achieved. Mr. President has a critical role to play in providing leadership, especially with regard to inter-institutional strategy and synergies.

    CLIMATE CHANGE

    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. 

     Therefore, the institutions that are managing our early warning systems should be proactive and consistently pragmatic so that the impacts of climate change can be mitigated and ensuing crises and disasters like floods, desertification, animal and plant diseases, etc. can be better anticipated and managed. Climate change is a phenomenon, a global issue, and a threat to national development.  As part of the Agriculture intervention rolled out in July this year, Mr. President is targeting the cultivation of 500,000 hectares of land for the production of Rice, Corn, Cassava, and Wheat. This noble objective and the protection of the small, medium, and large Agricultural value change cannot be achieved we do not have a safety plan to contain insecurity and climate change.

    SOME CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

    ·               The contribution of State Governments with regards to the development of Agriculture is a key. To that extent, the full involvement of the National Executive Council is a critical success factor.

    •A well-articulated strategy that is all-encompassing and has the buy-in of critical •High execution quotient, with a transparent dashboard that will drive our Agricultural interventions in areas of finance, critical infrastructure

    •Policy: What is glaringly an issue is not the lack of policies. In my opinion, the issues are the policy gaps and lack of policy coherence – there is a lot of it. Agriculture bestrides other sectors. We are talking about production, quality control, storage, logistics and supply chain, storage, value-addition, export, etc. Therefore, there are a lot of inter-agency synergy and policy cross-pollination requirements for the sector to thrive and make sustainable critical impacts. 

    •Policy implementation and Regulation enforcements are also critical success factors

    •War against Corruption.

    •Risk Assessment and Mitigations

    CONCLUSION

    All Nigerians, especially the critical stakeholders in the Agriculture sector should support the building of an institutionalized, professional, purposeful, resilient, and impactful Agriculture sector with strong pillars to support socio economy growth and development sustainability. 

  • Expectations for new cbn leadership

    Expectations for new cbn leadership

    I am impressed by the choice of Mr. Cardoso as the Governor of CBN and also his deputy, because together, I am of the opinion that they are round pegs in round holes. Together, the new team have combined diverse still sets cumulative vast experiences that will complement each other in delivering their mandate. As a team leader, Mr. Cardoso is bring onboard an excellent academic and professional pedigree of competence and capacity. A track record in Board room of leadership and corporate governance excellence, high level of integriIty which are seriously needed in the person of the Central Governor which have been lacking for a long time in the CBN. I am optimistic that the team will reclaim the integrity and credibility of our Central bank, going forward. I also commend the Senate of the of the National Assembly for for a robust screening process of the Governor and his Deputies with hours of questioning questions spanning different sphere of the economy, leadership, corporate governance, accountability, strategy, respect for institutions, respect for the rule of law, etc.

    We look forward to a positively impacting new administration at the CBN, that will hit the ground running, but not running to nowhere but running to somewhere. This is because is dire need for quick actions. I look forward to seeing the new CBN blueprint soonest. Naira is free falling, the economy is in dire straits.

    Meanwhile, there is currently a lot of leaning on tasking the CBN by stakeholders to focus a lot on the monetary policy part of the CBN mandate. I urge the new CBN and the stakeholders to also have a critical look at the fiscal policy to pari-pasu the monetary part of the mandate for optimum impacts

    While a lot of Nigerians are interested and even most times fixated on/about the number-crunching aspect of where we are I terms of the economics of the foreign exchange stabilization viz-a-viz strength of the Naira, I am of the opinion that we should also consider other critical success factors to have a successful CBN which are corporate governance, integrity, credible data/evidence driven strategy and policy formulation, policy coherence, transparency and accountability, and the synergy between fiscal policy and monetary policy. There is a lot of ongoing conversation about the monetary policy (and rightly so), getting the balance for the Naira, etc. I believe that unless we critically consider the overall national fiscal policy, the balance we are looking for on the monetary side will not happen. That is why I appreciate the decision by President Tinubu setup 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. It is on the basis of the aforementioned logics that I advise the CBN Governor and his team to consider the overall governance framework and policies, corporate governance, integrity, firm compliance with the provisions of the CBN Act, to be as far less political as possible  and rather be more strategic and technocratic, to be far more sensing, engaging, emotionally intelligence and result-oriented – those were clearly lacking in the immediate past CBN leadership which significantly contributed to woeful performance over the past 10 years. Critical stakeholder engagements and a smart communication strategy are very important at this point in time due to the situation in the Country and the high expectations. Therefore, managing expectations is key.

    As a thoroughbred strategic thinker, banker, administrator, and doer, I expect that the Governor will lean on the skills and competencies of the economists in his team to add value to robust critical thinking and practical and pragmatic strategy and policies formulation and execution for optimum socio-economic impacts. I believe with this balance the CBN will be more productive and impactful.

    Managing expectations

    As I noted that Mr. Cordoso is very much aware (as he stated suring his screening process at the Sentae two days ago, credible data is the foundation of sold strategy that will be result-oriented in any situation especially at this point in time in our Country when the CBN is bedeviled by about 10 years of rot. Therefore the only way for Cardoso to make sense of his appointment is rely on credible data to drive the thinking of the team of the CBN and build the strategy of CBN based on that so that they will achieve the set objectives. If they work on wrong or false data they will be completely off-course and lead Nigeria into the abys of the backwardness that we have been sliding into in the past years. Importantly, the credibility of Mr. Cardoso, his track record of achievements has triggered high expectations and hope that we will see a 180 degrees turnaround from what we have been seeing coming out of the CBN in the past 10 years which leave much to be desired.

    I also note Mr. Cardoso’s response to a distinguished Senator’s question with regards to corporate governance. His response was apt, very re-assuring and commendable. One of the critical failure factors with regards to the CBN and in a wide context with regards to Nigeria is leadership at the top. In the case of the CBN, corporate governance capacity, the capacity to say no to vested interests, the ability to comply with acts and ethics of the CBN acts and the rule of law and the ability to operate at the highest ethical professionalism, standards and performance. To have a Board of the CBN that will be strategic, robust, thought provoking and constructively engaging than transactional, impulsive and meddlesome policies and actions is very important to the CBN in moving Nigeria’s economy forward.

    Read Also: How I will tackle inflation, naira, forex crises, by Cardoso

    My thoughts with regards to exchange rates stabilisation strategy:

    First of all, it is to face reality, be very transparent with regards to what the CBN leadership tell Mr. President and Nigerians. Transparency and accountability will aid to manage expectations because there is no silver bullet to get out of our current economic doldrums. We look forward to see short to long term strategies with practical and pragmatic pathways to get out of the doldrums. For the short term, we talk about the monetary policy, the foreign exchange stability is a function of other factors such as the productivity of the economy, our ability to bring in Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) which we President Tinubu has deftly done in the last 2 weeks from his trip to the G20 in India, his stop-over in UAE and his engagements at the just concluded United National General Assembly Summit at the USA where he has secured Billions of US Dollars investment commitments which we hope will be fast-tracked to bring in US Dollars in the short to mid-term.

    Some critical work need to be done which will not be the focal point of the CBN, for instance the issue of insecurity. The insecurity situation in Nigeria need to be dealt with as a matter of critical priority so as to engender more confidence and trust for FDIs and also the domestic investments and productivity. The insecurity issue must be dealt with  for the productivity of the country in terms of agriculture and other non-oil sectors and also interms or stoping Crude Oil theft. These are all factors that will impact on the stability of the Naira. Unless the criritcal works are done, theories, rhetoric and mantra with regards the stabilization of the Naira will no make any positive impact.

    Ours Macro and micro economic tactics in the short to mid-terms are also critical and facing those realities are important. The solution has to be multi-dimensional and natonal security is one of the critical pillars for success, others are credible data, anti-corruption, a sure-footed strategy that will based on our realities and peculiarities. Fiscal diesoline is also very jey to the stabilization of the Naira. There should be fical disciple at federal and subnational levels of governance and also impact our monetary policy.

    End to Round tripping scam

    Almost all Nigerians of age knows about the canckerworm of roud tripping that became worse in the history of Nigeria during the immediate past CBN leadsership. For any progress to be made to shore up the value of the Naira, the round tripping scam must be stopped at and by the CBN forthwith. And This is not just CBN, I use this opportunity to call on Mr. President to take a drastic action on he stoppage of rund tripping. I also call on Mr. President to esnre to retun all of all the millions of US Dollars that have been fretted away  by and through the CBN and any other institution are returned soonest so that we can have crititcal oimpacts of the value of the Naira in the short to mid terms.

    But for us to be sure footed, we need to allow the new CBN to formulate a new staregy and blueprimnyt to exit out current situation and get us out of the words.

    Curbing rising Inflation Informa; sector value

    Focus on the core mandate of cbn and avoid distractions anchir borrowers, turf wars and infighting, meddling, etc

    The CBN team have their jobs cut out for them. The tasks ahead of them are enormous and the expectations are high. I wish Mr. Cardoso and his team well, and I hope that these are signs of days to come for Nigeria.

  • What the Judge Said?

    What the Judge Said?

    Experiences of life keep informing us of what people and institutions really are against what they are presumed to be. It is quite unfortunate that Africans especially Nigerians whose livelihood still depends heavily on the imitation of the misconduct of European colonialists without considering the implications of such imitation are the ones proclaiming civilisation in Nigeria’s contemporary times. The Yoruba elite of the Southwest of Nigeria are particularly guilty of this cultural bastardisation.  They are the ones who believe that the ability to speak and write the colonial language called English is what constitutes civilisation. With the foreign languages permanently on their tongues, they have battered their African brains for European brains.

    Unlike the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria and the Hausa people of the North, the Yoruba elite have become a serious embarrassment to their cultural pedigree through the relegation of their linguistic heritage. To them, the legacy of their ancestral lineage is a primordial shame not worth to be called a modern heritage. Thus, in their homes as well as in their public and private discussions, the language of communication is invariably English. And whoever is incapable of speaking Queen’s English or writing Shakespearean prose is considered primitive and unfit to live in cities and towns. Watch out for an important occasion at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan today and note the formal language of communication on that occasion.

    It is, culturally, a laughable orientation attributable only to a tribe of black people who prefer to substitute their naturally endowed culture for that of the wild white people and thereby getting lost in the wilderness of cultural confusion. How can such people who are deeply engrossed in colonial mentality believe in the cultural emancipation of others? Today’s article is not meant for discussing the details of this fundamental aberration that chains a people to the apron of perpetual colonialism. Another day in the near future will do.

    Appeal Court Ruling in Lagos

    Reactions of various colours and hues have been trailing last week’s ruling of the Appeal Court in Lagos State in respect of a litigation over hijab wearing in public schools by Muslim female pupils in that state. But every reaction seems to be an exhibition of antecedent and level of civility on the part of those who have been reacting to it. Last week’s ruling was not the first to be pronounced by a Nigerian court of competent jurisdiction concerning hijab wearing in public schools. It was preceded by a High Court ruling in the same state three years ago and we can still vividly remember the reactions that trailed it.

    When a Lagos High Court ruling that prompted an appeal by the litigants in hijab case was pronounced in 2013, there were various reactions which have not lost on us. The affected Muslims, at that time, who got the wrong side of the judgment, did not bring fanaticism into it. They did not take the law into their hands by threatening fire and brimstone. Rather, they simply exhibited civility and adherence to the rule of law by appealing to a higher court. That is civilisation in all its ramifications.

    Precedent   

    The unnecessary controversy over the right of wearing hijab in public schools by Muslim female pupils in those schools is not peculiar to Lagos  State. A similar court pronouncement was made in an Osun State High Court recently and we know the reactions that trailed it. So we cannot be alarmed by any inflammatory reaction to last week’s ruling from any quarter since we are familiar with its trend as far as such quarters are concerned. The original aim of writing on this topic today is neither to celebrate any victory nor to vilify any recalcitrance. But to congratulate the Lagos State Muslims on their civilised behaviour throughout the period of the case and to further encourage them to stick to the upholding of the rule of law in all circumstances including one of unwarranted provocation.

    Meanwhile, the outcome of that case has thrown open a fundamental question which had for long remained tacit. Who owns the public schools in Nigeria generally and in Lagos State in particular? This question becomes germane not because of last week’s ruling that was more about freedom of religion and dressing but because of the future of our children who may have cause to ask questions and want to get the relevant and appropriate answers. The fundamental question of ‘who owns the schools’ deserves a fundamental answer that may become a reference point for our children in future. Luckily, yours sincerely needed not labouring much before answering that question. A foremost Nigerian educationist of Yoruba extraction, Dr. Amiel M. Fagbulu (from Ilesa in Osun State) who incidentally happens to be a Christian has provided the right answer in his (unpublished) professorial book entitled  ‘DEFINING THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN EDUCATION’ which he wrote about November 2012. In chapter 2 of that book, Pa Fagbulu traced thoroughly the history of schools take-over in Nigeria. The chapter was titled ‘THE OWNERSHIP OF SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA’.

    From the Book:

    An excerpt from the book may be of useful reference to any intellectually endowed Nigerian who may be in need of such a reference now or in future. It goes thus:

    “Certain events in recent days make it imperative to clarify the issue of who owns schools in Nigeria. This search is complicated by the antecedents that define the history and development of Western education in the country. It is useful therefore to open the search with a brief digression into the history of that type of education with the view of gaining an understanding of the forces that shaped their development from their inception till today.

    It is pedestrian to repeat that Western-type education was an import of European missionaries and that the environment in which they propagated their type of education was entirely their personal or collective business, that is until government started meddling in the missionaries’ affairs. That movement started in England where some mainly rich do-gooders felt greatly concerned about the appalling conditions in which children of the poor worked and lived. Coupled with that was the horrendous imagery of the inhuman trade in slaves that filtered to these Christian countries to disturb the serenity of their conscience and awaken the humane elements in them that drove some to seek redemption in Christian deeds that included stopping the slave trade and making legal provisions to assist missionary schools at home and abroad. It must be acknowledged that saving the souls of those poor children was a professed and serious reason of those do-gooders who were so damn serious about that fixation that derived from the fervor of their religion.

    Historical Background

    Education in England was not planned. Ordinances and education codes that were enacted as when needed were the main sources for policy formulation over a period of about 130 years from about 1820 to the time of Nigerian self-government. Some years after they were established and applied in England these bills, codes and ordinances found their way to the colonies where the colonial governments were obliged to adopt and apply them.

    Concerned and interested missionary and other groups took the initiative to establish schools and government’s concern was that the purpose for which they were established should be fulfilled. This development implied that sufficient assistance needed to be given to the schools to ensure that they survive to fulfill their dual role of harboring those freed from slavery along the West Coast and providing skills that would serve more the needs of the missionaries than the provision of life skills for those who were lured to go to, and who stayed long enough at school. The children in these institutions provided the fodder for missionaries to use in order to benefit from the fiscal intervention of governments in the form of badly needed grants”.

    Source of Funds in Public Sachools

    “Whichever face one puts on it, the bottom line was that governments became the major sources of funds without which the missionaries would have to go begging at home or abroad. They never adopted the option of closing schools; they persevered and made do with whatever they had. Under those conditions ‘schools’ could sink to any depth of badness. It was to obviate that possibility that governments at home and in the colonies accepted responsibility for ensuring that what was offered to the children especially of the poor in England and the converted in Africa would at least be of some benefit to them. That was how government got dragged into the business of assisting schools.

    The promise of grants-in-aid ensured that schools had reliable sources of funding if they attained defined standards.  So the giving of grants was a crucial factor in the rate at which new schools were opened and old ones expanded or improved qualitatively. The fact that schools did desperate things to get listed for grants speaks the obvious that grants have always been the lifeline of almost all missionary schools.

    We are lucky that the whole grants-in-aid saga is properly documented in the Phillipson Report. However, since that document is not widely available to the generality of people, I have taken the liberty to use some segment of my writings (Chapter 2 of my unpublished book DEFINING THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN EDUCATION, November, 2012) here.

    The Grants-in-aid Report

    “This brief highlight is about the financial assistance that government gave to schools across West Africa as an instrument for improving the quality of instruction being offered to the children in those areas.

    Read Also: Soludo announces free, compulsory education in Anambra

    The first purely Nigerian Education Ordinance was enacted in 1887. The Board of Education that assumed prominence at this time was empowered to use certain criteria to give grants to different levels from infant, through primary and secondary, to industrial schools. The Board even had the discretion to offer the sum of £10 to poor students to further their education at the secondary level. This and most of what follows come from the Phillipson Report.

    Phillipson Report

    As early as 1890, the familiar problems arising from the use of untrained ‘teachers’ in schools had become pronounced and problematic. Not only did demand outstrip supply, but many areas that also wanted schools could not be serviced. The consequence was that government had to step in to fill some gaps by establishing its own schools in areas where missionary influence was negligible. By so doing those schools became ‘models’ for the fund-strapped mission schools to copy.  (The Education Code of 1908)

    There were therefore generically three types of schools; the government, the mission, and the assisted schools.  Although the so-called government schools were government ‘owned’, the reality was that the local chiefs and Native Courts as appropriate were responsible for the buildings and their maintenance.  In fact, the recurrent cost for which government was supposedly responsible was covered in part by public funds.

    The 1916 Regulation abolished the ‘payment-by-result’ procedure of making grants to schools. That was replaced with a better one that took cognizance of the overall efficiency of schools. The immediate effect of this change was a rapid increase in the number of assisted schools. The carefully spelt-out conditions included visit(s) from inspectors. This in turn led to the increased and improved capability of the Department of Education to monitor the appalling and dubious quality of schools in the regions that the Governor-General had commented upon Important Information

    What is of importance in this narrative is that from as long ago as 1887, public fund had gone into the running costs of assisted schools. Second, government had actually transferred some of its own schools to the missions in the mid-fifties of the 19th century as contained at p.24 of that very authoritative report. This information has been ignored or denied by the missions when government had cause to reverse this trend more than 80 years later when the grant-in-aid system was being grossly exploited and abused mainly by private proprietors.

    After a thorough review of the grants-in-aid system which included one of the best documented and most authoritative writings on education for the period 1842 to 1946, Phillipson made his landmark and well received recommendations under the following heads (pp.93-98):

    Division of the grants-in-aid vote

    A national teaching profession

    Separation scheme for non-Government certificated teachers

    Staff and organisation of the Education Department in relation to the new grant-in-aid proposals

    Procedure in connection with the report: implementation.

    Documentation

    He (Phillipson) then went out specifically to make the following recommendations (p.99):

    That, in suitable areas and as an experiment, Native Administrations should be encouraged to introduce local education or school rates. (Paragraph 41 (b)).

    That the Native Authority Ordinance, 1934, be amended so as to allow of local education or school rates being applied to the support of approved Voluntary Agency schools (Paragraph 41 (b)).

    iii. That Grants-in-aid of the recurrent recognised expenses of schools and teacher training institutions under regulations 1 to 32 and 34 of the grant-in-aid regulation be classified as Nigerian expenditure and that grant-in-aid of capital and “special purposes” expenditure under regulation 33 should be classified as regional expenditure. (Paragraph 41(f)).

    That, subject to further consideration in connection with the first allocations of revenue to the Regions due to take place in July next, the special vote ( E150,000 in the 1948-49) Estimates) for Northern Educational Development should also be classified as Nigerian expenditure.

     That the provision in the Nigerian Estimates for grants-in-aid of recurrent recognised expenses of schools and teacher training institutions should constitute a division of the Nigeria Estimate under Head 32-Education, the arrangement being as proposed in Paragraph 48.

    That the question of establishing national scales for certificated teachers, whether employed by the government, Native Administrations, Local Authorities or approved Voluntary Agencies, should be considered by the Director of Education in consultation with the authorities concerned.(paragraph 49)

    vii. That the general procedure after the publication of this report should be as outlined in Paragraph 52

    viii.   That for the better administration of the scheme proposed, the Senior Service establishment of the Education Department should be strengthened, particularly at the Provincial level. (Paragraph 51)

    That the method of payment of grants in aid of primary schools should be as outlined in paragraph 45 (n) and that action should be concerted accordingly between the Education Department and the Accountant-General’s Department as part of the work preparatory to bringing the regulations into effect on 1st January,1949.

    That the Government should definitely accept liability for the retiring benefit of non-Government teachers under the proposed superannuation scheme. (Paragraph 50)

    “The most relevant part of the Phillipson Report for the 1960s was that the question of establishing national scales for certificated teachers, whether employed by the government, Native Administrations, Local Authorities or approved Voluntary Agencies, should be considered by the Director of Education in consultation with the authorities concerned. (Paragraph 49).

    Further details on the ownership of schools will be published in this column next Friday in sha’Allah.

  • Revenue crisis and task before FIRS

    Revenue crisis and task before FIRS

    “A hero is judged by his or her performance and by the positive impacts achieved” …Professor Ali Mazrui.

    Dimensioning some of economic the challenges:

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is inheriting the following situation:

    •Debt stock of over N77 Trillion; Debt to GDP ratio of over 23%; Interest rate of over 20% and rising; Economic growth rate is currently at about 3.1% but projected to contract to about 2.9% next year (according to IMF); 41% unemployment rate; over 133 million (about 65% of the national population) of Nigerians multidimensionally poor, etc.

    •Additionally, according to the President of Africa Development Bank, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria now spends about 96% of its revenue servicing debt, with the debt-to-revenue ratio rising from 83.2 percent in 2021 to 96.3 percent by 2022. It is also worthy of note that out of the entire Nigeria’s 2023 budget; only 30% of total expenditure will be spent on critical capital projects. The non-debt recurrent expenditure (NDRE) of over N8 trillion is the largest expense in the budget (amounting to about 40%), i.e,16% higher than the 2022 revised budget of N7.11 trillion. This includes overhead cost of N4.99 trillion, which accounts for over 60% of non-debt recurrent expenditure, etc.

    The above-stated statistics amongst other negative indices paint a gory situation. Therefore, urgent and drastic institutional reforms which hitherto could not be done by previous administrations of the past 10 years must be undertaken as a matter of priority, for any meaningful progress to be achieved in this dispensation.  The commendable decisive actions taken so far by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu such as; the setup of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, the appointment of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy of Nigeria, appointment of a new Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the appointment of the new Acting Chairman of the FIRS are part of the steps to institutional reforms in the right direction, that could ensure that we get out of this socio-economic logjam and the best way forward for Nigeria. 

     Dr. Zacchaeus Adedeji’s appointment as the Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came at a critical time in the history of Nigeria. 

     Upon his appointment, Dr. Adedeji was very succinct, further reiterating what almost all Nigerians know; that we are facing the vagaries of having to use about 96% of national income on payment of a rising debt stock of over the past 10 years culminating in where we are today which largely due to corruption, lack of fiscal discipline and wasteful style of government which leads to our inability to manage our resources and budgets and spending. Therefore, Dr. Adedeji has his job cut out for him to bring in a significant increase in tax collections considering the fact that only about 40% of Nigerians and Nigerian businesses are taxed. I wish you success in your tenure.

     However, 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.

     So far so much has been said about the dwindling revenue and rising debt profile in Nigeria. I think all Nigerians (leaders and other citizens alike) should start talking about solutions.

     Dr. Adedeji has rolled out an action plan for his administration at FIRS, which includes the following:

     •Key into the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms mandate

    •FIRS to embrace efforts being made to design a tidy fiscal landscape

    •address some of the obstacles impeding the effective operations of the FIRS

    •Innovate and build operations on foolproof technology

    •Block leakages, we need to strengthen internal processes and control mechanisms 

    •To surpass Africa’s average tax-to-GDP ratio of 16.5% and achieve an impressive 18% within three years.

    •To reduce our nation’s reliance on borrowing and ensure financial sustainability,” 

    •To go after tax defaulters in his resolve to aggressively drive compliance. “For those who deviate from their tax obligations, rest assured, we will enforce our responsibilities judiciously,” 

    Read Also: Lagos Assembly names standing committees, chairmen

    •Implement a robust enforcement model that effectively defers tax evaders while maintaining fairness and transparency in the processes of the service.

    •Simplifying Nigeria’s tax system, making it accessible and comprehensible, with a focus on facilitating voluntary tax payments and fostering a sense of civic responsibility.

     The above action plan looks good, though, I reckon that the above action plan could be expanded as the Acting Chairman settles down and things become clearer and more practical to him from inside the FIRS.

     Tax collection will not be enough

    It is worthy of note that the issues of revenue, debt, and resource management are beyond the FIRS. Therefore, to my mind, the issue of revenue collection and management should be expanded beyond tax. This is because when we focus so much on tax, it will appear that in the end the downtrodden citizens of this Country will be made to pay more. The strategy should be all-compassing. Some of my thoughts 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

    •Blockage of leakages in the entire government (Federal and State levels). Because the more you get money and throw it into a bottomless purse, you cannot 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. Because if we do not deal with these fundamental issues, all the efforts of Dr. Adedeji and his likes in this Government will be insignificant.

    •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 by Mr. President for non-performance by the regulatory agencies/ agents that are found to be in cahoots with the culprits that allow our revenues or incomes to leak away which is a form of economic sabotage.

    •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.

    •Increasing the tax net to go beyond the current 40% of the population, but by applying the principle of equity, fairness, and justice in considering the informal sector which constitutes almost 80% of Nigerians, albeit they are constrained by the current global and national insecurity and socio-economic headwinds. And to also note the over 133 multidimensionally poor Nigerians.

     Expectations

    Dividends of Democracy: People need to see that the Government is actually using the taxes collected and other national and state incomes to add value to the quality of life and properties of citizens, add value to governance, and to and for the progress of and for the growth and development of Nigeria.

     The Communication Strategy of Mr. President and the MDAs in this case the FIRS 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

     Deployment of Technology. Dr. Adedeji was on point with regard to leveraging technology to ensure total collection, monitoring, and evaluation. Technology will also capture and block leakages. I do hope that there will be robust integration of the relevant platforms of ALL the agencies of government so that we will be able to harmonize and have a common-user platform that will ensure that we capture all the people who should pay taxes, track their activities, effectively value and tax and collect accordingly. 

     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.

  • Nigeria’s triangular axis of evil

    Nigeria’s triangular axis of evil

    History is not just a teacher of all times for all living human beings. It is also a permanent school that constantly reminds mankind of the lessons to learn from the various events and experiences of the past as a means of guidance towards the future.

    About 900 years ago, an Arab poet of the second Umayyad Dynasty, in Spain, came up with a bewildering stanza that is now more relevant to Nigeria than his own nation and his own time. An  excerpt from the poem went thus: “Here is the period in human life about which we had been seriously warned in the words of Ubayy Bn Ka’b and those of Abdullah Bn Mas’ud; Here is the period in which truth is meant to be totally rejected; And falsehood as well as evil machinations are to be warmly accepted and upheld as societal norms; Should this period continue to swing dangerously (like a pendulum over our nation) without any positive change, the world will surely forage into a stage in life when grief over deaths will become an aberration even as rejoice over the birth of new babies will become an anathema”.

    Observation

    Today, judging Nigeria’s situation, by what we can see and feel against what we are yet to witness or experience, can any prediction be more accurate and more appropriate for our country than the above quoted poem?

    With the seeming ongoing resistance to positive change and persistent entrenchment of evil machinations as we are witnessing today, how can there be any hope for a better future? Yet, the charlatans who use religion as an instrument of threat and intimidation through propaganda and blackmail refuse to see the possible danger ahead.

    Axis of Evil

    Today, Nigeria is dangerously entangled in a triangular axis of evil, the consequences of which cannot be foretold with precision. That axis is like a crushing pendulum swinging restlessly over Africa’s most populous country with a threat of ruins. That triangular axis consists of three dominant, vocal  blocks of evil. Each of them is an implacable enclave serving as an abode for its designers. One of those enclaves is the abode of politicians, another is for the palace of the clergy and the third is for the igloo of the media.

    While the Politicians stand out as the engine room of virtually all the evils afflicting our country, the clergy represents the dangerous chimney through which the polluting smoke of that evil oozes out to suffocate the populace spiritually in the name of God. On its own, the media serves as the megaphone for both the politicians and the so-called clergy through the instrumentality of satanic propaganda.

    Disappointing Leg

    Of the defined evil axis above, the most disappointing leg is the clergy. From time immemorial, religion had stood out as the societal salt used as a preservative for all other ingredients with which to prepare a delicious soup of life for the consumption of all and sundry at any stage. But with the sudden adoption of ‘ashes’ to replace salt as the main ingredient of preservation in the 20th century, courtesy of the capitalist West, how can the soup of life be tasteful anymore to its consumers?

    Ordinarily, Salt should be salt in its natural form. To pour ashes on it in the name of spiritual preservative is to deprive it of its natural value and render it totally useless to its consumers. Thus, with the importation of a hitherto unknown brand of a religion from the West, which is bitterly coated in capitalism, Nigeria has dangerously become a polluted country with a suffocating smoke. Those who are responsible for this situation are the fraudsters parading themselves as prophets and are issuing satanic statements with which they deceptively rationalize their claim of prophet-hood.

    The Role of Money

    Incidentally, the bottom line for all these evil machinations is nothing other than the vanity called money. Let money be removed from Nigeria’s mode of worship today and sanity will return fully to our society with required serenity.

    Today, with importation of ashes as a replacement for salt, religion, like politics, has become a big business in which greedy merchants and charlatans are desperately engaged for unbridled avarice and unlimited aggrandizement at all costs without consideration for decency and even conscience. In that case, of what use is the claim of religion without conscience?

    Commercialization of Religion

    Commercialization of religion which enables private individuals to invest in building of castles, as business ventures, has seriously diminished the value of religion in taste and in substance. In Nigeria, today, our only respite, as Muslims, is that Nigerian Imams are not engaged in hateful sermons and public incitement to boost their religious businesses that fetch them private, executive jets illegally at the expense of their congregations.

    Were Nigerian Imams also to commercialize Islam and preach hatefully like some self-hipped charlatans in the name of religion, Nigeria would have ceased to be a country by now.

    Read Also: How Nigeria can develop, Kaduna Deputy Governor

    Warning

    Those who take religion as a ‘do or die’ business that must fetch them luxurious lifestyle should know that they do not have monopoly of provocation and threat as the patience of Nigerian Muslims is getting exhausted.

    Elasticity has its limit.

    Yellow Journalism

    When journalism was a real profession in Nigeria, its practitioners knew that they were like Eskimos living in Igloo. If anything happened to Igloo, the Eskimos’ lives became exposed to danger. Today, however, it has become evident that journalism is just a matter of nomenclature.

    What matters to the journalists of today, especially in the Southwest of Nigeria, is the conspicuous immoral padding that reportorial entails. That profession is now virtually a matter of cash and carry in favour of the highest bidder. That is why news reports these days are mere expression of wishes and fabricated stories with which to justify the brown envelopes that serve as padding for most of those parading themselves as journalists.

    As for the politicians, nothing is strange. It is a common knowledge that the enclave in which they dwell is the real home of the Lucifer. But to think that their ruinous actions can continue unabatedly is nothing other than self-deception. Where are the politicians of yesteryears? To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Long live Nigeria!

    Shehu Shagari: The Demise of a Presidential Icon Following the announcement of the demise of Nigeria’s first elected Executive President, Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari last Friday, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) issued a press statement with which it condoles with all Nigerians including the family of the deceased. The full contents of the statement are as follows:

    When the media waves came up with breaking news announcing the demise of a Nigerian political icon, Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, last Friday with a reverberation effect across the world, many Nigerians with rich experience in various aspects of life began to dust their diaries for a recount of the episodes that propelled the deceased to have made history as much as he was, himself, made by history.

    Like an Elephant

    The late President Shehu Shagari’s life was like a huge elephant surrounded by blind men and women of letters and substance.

    To describe the features of that proverbial elephant, each of the persons that surrounded it would only be able to give an account of the area he/she is able to touch on the body of the mammoth animal and not the whole of it.

    Besides, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was such a household name, that no serious political operator or aspirant can afford to discountenance in Nigerian history without incurring an expensive cost.

    Religious Concern

    However, the aspect that concerns the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) most in Alhaji Shagari’s life’s odyssey is religion.

    It can be recalled that it was he (Alhaji Shagari) as Nigeria’s first elected Executive President, that approved the sum of N10 million each for the commencement of building a National Mosque and a National Ecumenical Church in Abuja at a time when naira was really strong and the foundation of Abuja as a city was just being laid.

    That Presidential gesture, which no religious group rejected, was a confirmation that Nigeria is indeed a multi-religious and not a secular country as being mischievously peddled in certain quarters for selfish reasons.

    Today, the two houses of worship are conspicuous in Abuja with their grandiose postures to the finite attraction of foreign tourists who see them as symbols of national unity.

    Maitatsine Crisis

    It is historically unforgettable how the late Executive President tackled diplomatically and militarily, as then warranted, a frightening national crisis engendered by one Cameroonian charlatan called Muhammad Marwa Maitatsine in most parts of Northern Nigeria in the guise of religion during the country’s second republic. It was his presidential determination to keep the unity of Nigeria intact that checkmated that devastating menace.

    Alhaji Shehu Shagari was, though, a quiet and easy going personality, nonetheless, he never wavered in taking necessary decisions in the interest of national unity in the country.

    His Lifestyle

    As a Muslim, Alhaji Shagari never hesitated in upholding the principles of justice, fairness and equity which his religion (Islam) emphasizes.

    As a teacher in the early part of his life, he was exemplary in touching the lives of his students positively and in grooming those students for future leadership.

    As a politician, he displayed such a special trait that distinguished him as a template designer and a dark horse in Nigeria’s political racecourse.

    His Political Sagacity

    This man’s political sagacity was like a major Faculty in the University of Life, into which many forward-looking leadership aspirants in Nigeria were eager to seek enrolment for specialization in African political education.

    Alahji Shehu Shagari was the eminent Dean of that faculty even as the vibrancy of his tenure which remains unequalled till date is a testimony to the template he set for Nigeria’s democratic dispensation.

    Lesson to Learn

    For Nigerian generations of the colonial era as well as those of the first and second republics, a major falcon of reference has flown away forever leaving some of his surviving peers to mere dreams in communication encounter.

    The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President General and Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, and the entire Nigerian Muslim Ummah hereby commiserate with the Federal and Sokoto State governments as well as all the citizens in the country imploring them to learn from the exemplary lifestyle of this icon and emulate it for the progress of Nigeria.

    The NSCIA particularly condoles with his family and Chieftains of the Sultanate of Sokoto State among whom he was a front liner in his life time.

    We pray the Almighty Allah to repose the soul of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in etrnal bliss and grant his immediate and extended families the fortitude with which to bear the agony that may arise from his demise.

    “Surely we are all from Allah and to Allah we shall all return”. “Inna Lillah, wa inna ilayhi raji’un”.

  • Take outs of 2023 G-20 summit for Nigeria

    Take outs of 2023 G-20 summit for Nigeria

    “We will improve existing industries and sectors. We will be brave and innovative enough to see how new economic vistas powered by today’s technology can create jobs and provide goods and services that will propel us towards greater prosperity and development.” ¯ President Bola Ahmed Tinubu… Renewed Hope Manifesto, 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria.

    • Building critical momentum

    With the excellent steps taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu build-up and during the G20 Summit with positive outcomes and great potential; it is becoming clearer that President Tinubu understands that the socio-economic situations that we are in today in Nigeria require constructive disruption by the top-level leadership of the Country, for us to make any significant progress as a nation. 

     According to the World Bank, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) profile of Nigeria plunged to almost 60% within 11 years between 2010 to 2021 from about $5.8Billion to about N2.8 Billion, and to make matters worse, Nigeria’s FDI inflows plunged further down to about $840million last year (according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The woeful FDI track record of the last 12 years is a clear indication of our dire need to reverse the trend in order to turn around the socio-economic situation of Nigeria and subsequently put it on a progressive trajectory. So far Mr. President is moving in the right direction.

     Last week I wrote about the expectations from the 2023 G20 Summit which was attended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Recall that Mr. President and his team left Nigeria on Tuesday, 5th September 2023 for India to attend the G-20 Leaders’ Summit amongst other engagements. Barely 48 hours after his arrival in India (Asia’s 3rd largest economy) President Tinubu secured over $ 14 billion in investment commitments from various Indian Companies across sectors like Solid Minerals, Steel and Mines, Digital Economy, Agriculture, Defense and Security, etc. Furthermore, by the end of the summit, Mr. President had also gotten the attention of top world economies, namely; Germany, (Europe’s largest economy), and South Korea (Asia’s 4th largest economy), who also made investment, trade and economic development pledges. To further buttress the commitment, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz proposed to visit Nigeria in the next month. In addition, President Tinubu also met with Mr. Joe Biden, the President of the United States of America (the biggest economy in the world) on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, where both Presidents had discussions on critical bilateral matters. I reckon that apart from bilateral economic conversations, other strategic discussions with regard to the support of the United States of America in the fight against terrorism and insecurity. I believe that Mr. President will follow through so that we can have good traction and outcomes in that regard.

     The icings on the cake are the “low hanging fruits” move by Mr. President when he stopped over at Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)  where he and this team met with the President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan where Mr. President was able to melt-down the lingering diplomatic and bilateral economic logjam that of the past over one year between the two countries which lead to the stoppage of flights to and from Nigeria by Emirates Airlines, the ban of the issuance of Visas to Nigerians, and other diplomatic soft issues that were allowed to crystallize into hard issues by the immediate past administration with negative impacts. Consequently, the UAE Visa ban on Nigerians will be lifted immediately, and both Etihad and Emirates Airlines will also resume regular flights to Nigeria including the resumption of other bilateral economic engagements. The UAE visit is a big quick win for President Bola Tinubu’s administration. I am of the view that if President Tinubu sustains the current trajectory, amongst other critical socio-economic foundation-laying and pillar settings, we will witness an economic turnaround in the mid-term starting from the first quarter of next year. 

    Read Also: Brazil ’ll invite Russian, Chinese leaders to 2024 G20 Summit, says Lula

     It is worthy of note that President Tinubu reiterated the importance of effective execution of bilateral agreements sealed or which will be sealed. This note of caution Mr. President is very important because the content and execution of bilateral agreements and the materialization of the benefits of the partnerships will lead to the achievement of set visions and objectives. Therefore, the President is telling Nigerians, and his team that he will ensure that bilateral commitments are executed for the betterment of Nigeria. Based on that, the team of Mr. President on the public side and the captains of industry and businessmen and women of Nigeria, all have to do the needful to ensure success. The important point is that Mr. President is forward-thinking and front-facing with a high level of political will and execution quotient. Therefore, he will ensure that he works the talk. We look forward to the days when we don’t just have FDIs coming through foreign investors that come with portfolios and agreements that are lopsided in their favor, but FDIs that will have an overall significant impact on the socio-economic growth and development of our Country.  Mr. President has a skill set that is different from the previous Nigerian Presidents. As an Accountant, Consultant, Businessman, and Political leader, he has the mix of skills to ensure the vision, strategy, numbers, and execution fit for Nigeria and all critical stakeholders. This is part of the overarching strategy of this administration to achieve a quick and sustainable turnaround of the economy especially in the mid to long-term

     In the case of defense and security, it is a very clear item of the agenda of engagement between President Tinubu and President Modi of India. It was an all-encompassing national development conversation. Execution is key and Mr. The President is saying that he will ensure that Nigeria benefits immensely from all the engagements- short to long term.

     Mr. President has indicated his interest in returning to the glory days of a thriving manufacturing industry in Nigeria to boost our production capacity and reduce import dependency. His intent is not just to bring in transactional investment portfolios that will bring the foreign exchange in the short-term but to bring in investments that will boost the economic stay power of Nigeria, and its consequent growth in the mid to long term, which will largely depend on our production value chain across sectors. The glory days of the textile, car assembly, plastic industries, etc. are what Mr. President is trying to bring back with the Power sector as the nexus and driving force to catalyze the return. That is why his discussions with Germany and South Korea with regard to manufacturing, Fintech, Digital economy, etc. are key. 

    It is also worthy of note, that in the past 4 years, major investors have left Nigeria due to the aforementioned challenges. Examples of such investors include Shoprite, one of the major oil and gas companies Exxon Mobil is moving to Egypt, and recently GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced plans to discontinue operations in Nigeria, ending its 51-year existence in the country. It is my view that Mr. President wants to reverse this ugly trend immediately, and his achievement at the G20 will boost investors’ confidence, not just in the case of injecting capital for the short term but to secure “patient” investments for Nigeria for the long term; To build critical infrastructure and catalyze production, value-addition, standardization and competitiveness in the domestic and export markets. Therefore, I am very excited about the developments. 

    In the last week, Mr. President has taken major strides to achieve major milestones. He needs the big numbers to set up a solid foundation and set up strong pillars for the administration’s socio-economic drive and also importantly with regard to security, and that is exactly what he is doing. Germany and South Korea have critical technologies needed to support the fight against insecurity in areas of equipment, intelligence gathering, surveillance, etc. capacities. While we are at it, let us not be fixated on only the US Dollar and Naira conversations. The importance of strategic investments in terms of security (even though the summit is basically an economic summit), and foreign relations are very critical and I dare say that foreign relations is the nexus of any nation’s progress in terms of national security (external and internal), investment and trade, economic diplomacy and our stance in the committee of nations. We saw what happened two days ago in UAE, just a few hours of discussions between President Tinubu and President Mohammed Zayed Bin Nahyan turned around a hitherto diplomatic stalemate that had lingered for over a year. How you are respected and the outcomes you achieve is a factor of how you present yourself and your value proposition and that starts with your leader and that is what President Tinubu did at the 2023 G20 Summit. I commend Mr. President for his achievements.

    Points to note

    The next critical steps are to come back home and put our “house” in order, in terms of our behaviors, dispositions and how we run our public service and security agencies going forward with productive institutional reforms with regard to law and regulation enforcement, and genuine and impactful fight against corruption are critical success factors. Without the aforementioned critical success factors, all the good efforts of Mr. President, his team, and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians will go down the drain. I am of the view that Mr. President will not let all the ongoing huge efforts go to waste.

  • Expectations from 2023 G.20 summit

    Expectations from 2023 G.20 summit

    “With each new day in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing he must outrun the fastest lion or perish. At the same time, a lion stirs and stretches, knowing he must outrun the fastest gazelle or starve. It is no different for the human race. Whether you consider yourself a gazelle or a lion, you simply have to run faster than others to survive.” ¯ Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Monarch of Dubai and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirate (UAE)…

    The essence of good vision critical and strategic thinking

    When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team left Nigeria on Tuesday, 5th September 2023 for India to attend the G-20 Leaders’ Summit amongst other engagements, some people were claiming that Mr. President went too early and had embarked on a wasteful journey, while others claimed that he was dodging the outcome of the Presidential Elections Petition Court judgment. I believe that it is a strategic move, because it turns out as of close of business yesterday, that barely 48hours after his arrival in India, President Tinubu has already secured over $ 14 billion in investment commitment from various Indian Companies across sectors like Solid Minerals, Steel and Mines, Digital Economy, Agriculture, Defense and Security, etc. “Now, that’s what I am talking about!” The feats achieved by Mr. President demonstrate his sure-footedness in building critical momentum by resolutely pursuing his agenda to turn around the economy of Nigeria. As a good strategist, he arrived days ahead of the Summit in order to achieve some key business and economic milestones for Nigeria, even before the Summit began. One could imagine the potential opportunities and deals that Mr. President will close during the Summit! This has shown clearly that Mr. President has a master plan, has already activated the blueprint, and is already marking the milestones for mid to long-term impacts.

     Against what happened in the past, Mr. President’s visit to India and the attendance at the G20 Summit is not just about handshakes and talk shops, it is about closing deals for Nigeria – securing investments and trade commitments and volumes; amongst other national development objectives.  Performance is not only measured by events but ultimately, performance is measured by results and outcomes! Mr. President is already demonstrating performance with this visit and the outcomes achieved so far. These engagements will be catalysts to changing the current negative economic fortunes of Nigeria to the return of injection of Foreign Direct Investments, production, value-chain improvements, exports, and create jobs with positive impacts on our GDP. Strategic partnerships, win-win alliances, and ultimately international economic and financial cooperation will be forged and consolidated by Mr. President and his team at the Summit. Meanwhile, the G20 has not even started! This is a sign of days to come – Moving Nigeria from potential to prosperity.

     One of the key statements that stuck with me is Mr. President talking about “breaking down the barriers of investment” in Nigeria and his commitment to “working the talk”. This is a critical success factor. It is delightful to hear such a statement coming from our President because it will further motivate and encourage not just the Indian investors but investors from all over the world to come/or return to Nigeria; which will bring to us the much-desired FOREX while bolstering the value of our Naira. As a man who has a track record of achievements in public and private sectors – as a political leader, business leader, and Consultant; President Tinubu is in familiar territory and is already upscaling his capacity to deliver bigger and better performance at national and international levels. I believe that the take-outs of the Summit will be impactful. Increase the volume of Nigeria’s trade to match and surpass her volume of imports to target a significant reduction of imports in the mid-to-long term. Beating that curve and changing that balance is a critical success factor 

    Read Also: I ran for President to fix leadership deficit – Tinubu

     Like every other Country around the world with no exception, Nigeria is not insulated from the global security and socio-economic headwinds. Therefore, it is strategic that Mr. President went ahead of the commencement of the Summit as we can see the impacts he is already making.

     In an increasingly interconnecting world, our national security, international trade, and investment strategies should synergize with our foreign policy for quick, sustainable, and maximum impact, going forward.

     How can nigeria key into the opportunities and rein in the benefits? 

    Considering the fact that the G20 is composed of most of the world’s largest economies finance ministries, including both industrialized and developing countries; accounting for around 80% of Gross World (GWP), 75% of international trade, two-thirds of the global population,  and 60% of the world’s land area; it remains a critical platform to signpost, standpoint and leverage the platform for the achievement of our national development objectives.

    The G20 was founded in 1999 in response to several world economic crises.  Since 2008, it has convened at least once a year, with summits involving each member’s head of government or state, finance or foreign minister, and other high-ranking officials; the EU is represented by the European Commission and the European Central Bank, other countries, international organisations and non-governmental organizations are invited to attend the summits, some permanently.

    It is worthy of note that, this year, the G20 India has put forth six agenda priorities for the G20 dialogue in 2023, namely: 

    • Green Development, Climate Finance & LiFE

    • Accelerated, Inclusive & Resilient Growth

    • Accelerating progress on SDGs

    • Technological Transformation & Digital Public Infrastructure

    • Multilateral Institutions for the 21st century

    • Women-led development

    Interestingly, the African Union’s inclusion in G20 may happen, giving it voting rights. From all indications, the G20 nations support this proposal If this happens this will be a game-changer for Nigeria and Africa. African leaders should individually and collectively harness this huge opportunity that will result in benefits that include debt restructuring through the G20’s Common Framework for debt, and a strategy for regulation of global cryptocurrencies. This is part of the main agenda in the 2023 Delhi G20 Summit. I am optimistic that during the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria will be better primed to tap and benefit from such strategic game-changing opportunities.

     Points to note

    • New data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that FDI in the country fell by 33 percent in 2022. This is more worrisome due to the fact that the trajectory has been dwindling since 2015, as foreign direct investment (FDI) to Nigeria has plunged to $468.91 million, the lowest in at least nine years, according to official data. This has been having dire consequences on socio-economic growth.

    • The lack of a purpose-driven foreign exchange management framework has weakened investors’ confidence over the past 9 to 10 years and is one of the key de-motivations for investors. For example;  

    • Over $500million of foreign airline funds are trapped in Nigeria, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 

    • In addition, in the past 4 years major investors have left Nigeria due to the aforementioned challenges. Examples of such investors include Shoprite, one of the major oil and gas ‘companies Exxon Mobil is moving to Egypt, and recently GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced plans to discontinue operations in Nigeria, ending its 51-year existence in the country 

    • Nigeria is in a critical situation that requires urgent actions to be taken at the highest level of decision-making in the Country. Attendance of the 2023 G20 Summit by President Tinubu and the action plan he rolled out is a step in the right direction.

    • The way forward for Nigeria, is to as a matter of priority improve and upscale our competitiveness in terms of our critical infrastructure i.e., intermodal transportation network; power; logistics and supply chain platforms i.e. the airports and the entire aviation value chain; seaports and the entire maritime value chain, land borders; products value addition and processing.  Therefore, our preparedness domestically is very critical. There should be a holistic approach in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to formulate an overarching strategy to achieve the key objectives and importantly reining in the benefits for Nigeria and consequently for Africa. To improve our trade volumes and increase incomes, we need to improve the state of our not-so-competitive manufacturing and industrial sectors that are struggling under multiple global socio-economic variables, it is a major red flag. Multiple taxation and leakages; and tax policy incoherence are other major barriers to success. 

    Some other critical success 

    • Upscaling our logistics and supply chain capabilities by improving and  upscaling our airports, seaports, intermodal transport  network, and land borders infrastructure and management capacities

    • Modernising customs and border processes: Streamlining intra-Africa crossings 

    • Technology

    • Improvement of our laws through Legislation, Policy, and Regulation reviews

    • Standards and Quality Assurance – Monitoring, Compliance, and Enforcement

    • Building in-country Trade Facilitation capacity

    • Sensitisation strategy for the critical stakeholder

    • Harmonisation of standards and regulations

     Based on the aforementioned, Nigeria’s over-arching national strategy needs to change, especially with regard to Finance, Economy, Foreign Policy, Defense, Trade and Investment, etc. with our Foreign policy as the nexus. Therefore, the economic diplomacy trip by Mr. President is a welcome development. We look forward to deepening the relationships and actioning win-win commitments for the betterment of Nigeria.

  • Notes for ministers

    Notes for ministers

    The opening remarks of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inaugural meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) four days ago, gave clarity as to the quality of FEC deliberations and the impacts Nigerians should expect. Mr. President’s 8-point agenda to achieve his overarching vision for “economic growth, prosperity for all, and ending poverty” in the next 3 years is quite significant; especially considering the current security and socio-economic challenges in the country. With the inauguration of the FEC, the clock is already ticking as Nigerians eagerly (if not desperately) look forward to getting out of the current multi-dimensional national doldrums. As Nigerians from various strata are adding their voices in trying to set the tone for the administration, especially in this case of the Honorable Ministers; I wish to respectfully speak to the Honorable Ministers follows:

     Mr. President has made it clear that he intends to drive a performance-driven FEC with a performance management and consequence management framework and processes. This is a welcome development. What remains to be seen is the performance of the FEC, individually and collectively in living up to the expectation of Mr. President and Nigerians.

     I commend the initials steps already taken in the last 48 hours since you resumed duties, with some bold and impactful policy statements and actions taken by some Ministers, particularly, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Minister of Finance, and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Minister of Works, and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory. These Ministers have started building critical momentums. I am also aware of the top-gear action planning by other Ministers. I hope the critical momentums that are building up will be maintained for sustainable and productive outcomes 

    Read Also: ECOWAS denies approving transition proposal for Niger

     However, it is worthy of note that while momentum is good; a thorough sectoral situation analysis is a critical success factor for the achievement of sustainable success. This is especially so in the case of those of you who are holding portfolios that are not your areas of specialization. While I do not doubt the capacity of all of you to effectively head the Ministries that have been assigned to you, I advise that a thorough situation analysis should guide your strategy and blueprint formulation, while you are making the quick win moves.

     In addition, you should also be cautious and listen to the “right voices” of critical industry stakeholders in the various sectors. Each sector has professionals of proven integrity and track records of achievements from the public and private sectors; and as you are aware, they will surely be key contributors to your success. Be that as it may, let me remind you to be wary of what I call the “entrapment of the conspiracy of corruption”. The conspirators are a most likely combination of a few unscrupulous civil servants and some industry stakeholders (from the private sector) who deliberately/ inadvertently connive to mislead political appointees through misinformation and/or sycophancy for their parochial interests. Indeed, as we have seen time and again, whenever political officeholders get into trouble, they mostly face those troubles alone. Ironically, most of the so-called advisors or supporters who basically “escort” the political office-holders to their exits/downfall (as the case may be) will be the same people who will criticize them/ blame them for failure/ corruption after they must have benefitted from whatever schemes they have plotted. Interestingly, they do not waste time rushing to the next Minister/Political office-holder to set up shop for the next scheme. I am sure that you are all senior and experienced enough to detect such industry/ sector “booby traps” and avoid them.

     Furthermore, I advise that you use credible premises, data, and information to craft your strategies and formulate your policies so that you can achieve set objectives. Your communication strategy should also be clear, engaging, empathetic, professional, far-reaching, and importantly sensitive to the situation that we, as Nigerians, have found ourselves. Gone should be the days when Ministers will speak outright fallacies to Nigerians with no regard for the consequences of such actions. I commend the inaugural speech of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, wherein he stated clearly and on record, that he will not lie to Nigerians. I hope that all Ministers are on the same page on this assertion. Because Nigerians are watching and taking notes.  The political consciousness of Nigerians is at its highest in history, with citizens in dire need and demanding good governance more than ever before. Mr. President has unambiguously demonstrated consciousness of this fact in his actions thus far, I hope this consciousness has already permeated into the entire FEC.

     You are all tested and accomplished men and women in your various areas of endeavor. You all have demonstrable capacities and competencies. This is yet another opportunity to serve your Country with integrity and make positiveimpact. I am also of the view that all of you have the good intention to perform excellently based on your antecedents, premised on which you are today members of the FEC. Nevertheless, power sometimes makes us forget our promises and/or mandates; not because we don’t know, but because of the allure and trappings of power. I, therefore, advise that you have periods of introspection so as to guide your steps, as the Hausa proverb that literally translates; “Reflection of the past, aids to guide movement into the future”. The mistakes of the past FECs can also guide the current FEC to upscale performance. This is because, for the past 15 years, Nigerians have been lamenting that the previous administrations were better than the ones they are experiencing, at every point in time; sadly, so. It is the fervent prayer and expectation of Nigerians that the vicious circle will be broken by this administration. This can only be achieved by taking lessons from the mistakes, oversights, and/or impunity of the past administrations and ensuring that the mistakes are not repeated or the worst decisions are taken – This is a critical success factor. 

     Accordingly, it is also important to admit to mistakes when they are made and make decisions to address them. So far Mr. President has demonstrated this virtue, by retracing some steps and also reversing some critical decisions he took since he resumed office as Mr. President. While some people see such actions as signs of weakness, I see his actions as a reflection of a sensing leader who is not afraid to take critical steps/actions and also indicating he is not ego-driven or arrogant to quickly take corrective actions if and when it is necessary. It also shows that he is a President who listens and is sensitive to the feelings of his people. I recall that Mr. President reiterated this point during the maiden EFC meeting last week. I commend Mr. President for that thinking and disposition. His action reflects the high level of situational awareness and the readiness to learn and take corrections while being bold and decisive. We hope that this leadership style will be sustained by Mr. President and emulated by the members of the FEC.

    Other critical next steps/critical success factors

     Quick wins (starting immediately and to be achieved within the next 3 months)

    •Political Will and high execution quotient at the top starting with Mr. President to all leaders at all strata of governance

    •Immediate tangible downward review of expenditures by topline leaders (the cost of running their various offices and institutions – Leadership by example

    •Cost reduction/ containment/ blockage of operational and transactional leakages

    •Reduction of operating costs of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

    •Streamline Capital expenditure through prudent costing, while balancing cost with quality

    •Enforcement of laws and regulations 

    Mid to long-term (starting from the next 3 months)

    •Elimination of Budget Padding by the Executive and Legislature

    •Elimination of procurement malpractices

    •Streamline MDA structures and functions to eliminate duplicity of functions and costs

    •Ensure collection of all revenues that should accrue to the Government

    •Zero tolerance to sharp practices of non-remittance of revenues by revenue-generating entities of government and also by government private partners, i.e. Concessionaires and other PPP partners 

    •For revenue-generating MDAs to be creative by generating diverse revenue pipelines

    •Ensure collection of all taxes due from the big businesses (local and foreign). 

    •Zero tolerance to all forms of economic sabotage

    •Transparency and Accountability in public service, resource allocation and utilization

    •Anticorruption Strategy and value reorientation: Beyond mantra to action through realistic, practical, and pragmatic plans and actions with the requisite strategy, management, and execution.

    •Cultural change and value re-orientation

    •Transformation of the Civil Service to be in tune with global best practices 

    •Performance management and consequence management (reward and punishment in line with public service rules).

    •Entrenchment of the culture of meritocracy, competence, federal character, and performance.

     As Nigerians, we will continue to commend good governance and also make constructive criticisms if and where necessary. I expect that you all take onboard such contributions in good faith, with a sense of service and understanding of the dire situation we are currently in as a nation – so that they add value to your performance and consequently this administration. This is so due to recognizing the fact that, nation building is a collective responsibility of all citizens.

     I wish you all well. May Almighty God Continue to Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Welcoming the other  

    Welcoming the other  

    The theme of this writing is based on the title of the 9th Conference of ‘Religions for Peace’ held in Vienna, Austria. The year’s World Assembly of Religions for Peace (RfP) focused on building bridges and greater social cohesion amongst the world’s religions. The theme also imports a focus on religious repression among and within the world’s religions.

    After two days of intensive deliberations, in Vienna, the Assembly resolved to make a declaration which may serve as guidance for religious leaders all over the world and the declaration was unanimously adopted as follows: ‘We – more than six hundred religious leaders and people of faith representing all historic faith traditions and every region of the world – have convened in Vienna, Austria as the 9th World Assembly of Religions for Peace.

    We have come from the global Religions for Peace family of ninety national inter-religious councils and groups, five regional councils, one world council, and international networks of religious women and religious youth. Our respective religious traditions have called us to work together for Peace.

    Previous World Assemblies of Religions for Peace have discerned positive elements of Peace, common threats to Peace, and a multi-religious consensus expressed through shared values for Peace. We commit to common action based upon these deeply held and widely shared values, as a foundation for affirming the imperative of ‘welcoming the other’. as the heart of our multi-religious vision of Peace.

    Re-affirmation

    We reaffirm the positive elements of Peace shared by our respective religious traditions:

    Peace is central to our respective religions, and our diverse faiths compel us to work together to build it;

    Love, compassion and honesty are stronger than hate, indifference and deceit;

    All men and women are endowed with human dignity, share common humanity, must care for one another, and are called to consider the problems faced by others as their own; We accept the call to stand on the side of and raise up the most vulnerable, and to promote just and harmonious societies;

    We value women and men as equal partners in our efforts to build peace;

    Children are a paramount concern; the special state of childhood deserves our protection and care, and should receive priority from among our societies’ resources;

    Non-violent conflict transformation through dialogue and reconciliation are central to peacemaking. The use of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass and indiscriminate destruction is immoral; and

    Advancing human development and protecting the earth are part of the struggle for Peace.

    The positive elements of Peace we share are inextricably linked to our shared calling to confront common threats to Peace. These threats include:

    The misuse of religion in support of all manner of violence, including violent extremism; An ongoing spiritual crisis that erodes values that support life; Violent conflict and the proliferation of arms; Extreme and growing inequality, including widespread violations of basic rights;

    Violence against women, abuse of children and weakening support for families; Extreme poverty, preventable diseases left untreated, and broad scale lack of opportunity; and Environmental degradation, natural resource depletion, and climate change, all of which threaten civic order and human flourishing.

    Confession

    While we confess that some religious believers betray the peace teachings of their faiths, we continue to commit ourselves – and our communities – to a culture of Peace that advances shared well-being, grounded in common healing, common living and shared security.

    Rising hostility

    The 9th World Assembly of Religions for Peace calls attention to a new threat to Peace – rising hostility.

    We are deeply troubled by this rising hostility, in society and within and among religious communities. This hostility toward the ‘other’ is an extension of intolerance, and too often takes the form of violence. Victims of hostility are often vulnerable populations, including members of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced and stateless persons….

    1. Religious communities can work to reverse the rising tide of hostility toward the ‘other’ by advancing a multi-religious vision of Peace and through multi-religious action. Specifically, the Religions for Peace World

    Assembly calls on Religious leaders and people of faith to:

    Honour and protect human dignity whenever and wherever it is under attack;

    Foster more active collaboration between women and men in exalting the dignity of women and girls, and work together to prevent violence against them;

    Speak out on behalf of vulnerable individuals and groups, and all people persecuted, or whose existence is denied, because of their faith;

    Recognize that the well-being of immediate and extended families, as well as of communities, are a prerequisite to the well-being of children;

    Address issues of responsibility and accountability for the causes of climate change;

    Acknowledge the value of youth-led, grass-roots initiatives aimed at welcoming the others and promoting sustainable Peace;

    Advance spiritual values essential to shared well-being;

    Reinforce acceptance of diversity in our communities;

    Welcome the other through prayer and service; Engage in multi-stakeholder partnerships to welcome the other; and Leverage the power of multi-religious networks to ‘welcome the other’ by advancing human dignity, shared well-being and citizenship through concrete multi-religious action.

    2. Governments, international organizations and civil society to:

    Promote transparent governance that ensures and protects the development of comprehensive well-being and full enjoyment of universal human rights for all;

    Provide legal remedies for victims of intolerance;

    Promote social policies and legal norms that recognize the dignity of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced and stateless persons;

    Advance citizenship that ensures human dignity while protecting the safety and well-being of all individuals, including freedom of religion or belief, and other rights of individuals and groups, whether in the majority or in the minority;

    Ensure the protection of places of worship;

    Eliminate nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, and stem the proliferation of small arms;

    Promote restorative justice to heal both the victims and the perpetrators of violent conflict; Address threats of nuclear exposure and contamination to protect all living things and future generations; and Support and partner with people of faith, religious leaders, religious communities and religious networks in their efforts to welcome the other.

    3. All people of good will to:

    Call attention to, and work to eliminate, all forms of intolerance and discrimination by states, by non-state actors, by civil society, by religious groups and leaders, and by individuals.

    Welcoming the other

    We, the Delegates of the 9th World Assembly of Religions for Peace, are united in our commitment to resist threats to Peace that take the form of hostility toward the other, and to take positive action to welcome the other by promoting the true flourishing of all human beings. These dual commitments and corresponding calls to action express our multi-religious vision of Peace..

    This Declaration was made in Vienna, Austria this day of 22 November 2013. More will come about Vienna Conference of ‘Religion for Peace’ in the near future.