The Nation Newspaper

Category: Monday

  • Our churches, schools and Ebola

    The Ebola pandemic has inevitably come with serious challenges. Given what has been said of its mode of transmission and fatality, many people, institutions and governments have reacted to it in different ways all in a bid to halt the spread.

    Though efforts of governments especially in states where there have been an outbreak have been commended, signals emanating from the larger society do not give sufficient cause for comfort. Not unexpectedly, the rumour mill has been agog with all manner of stories some of them leading to false alarm and panic.

    Matters have been such that a sick person now stands the chance of abandonment for fear that he or she may have been infected by the deadly virus. In some pubic institutions and hospitals, people including medical doctors were reported to have scampered for safety as rumours went round that an infected patient had been brought there.

    But in most of these cases, tests conducted on the suspects proved to the contrary. The confusion has been so much so that even the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had to come out clearly to state that it will still cater for accident victims irrespective of the Ebola virus outbreak.

    This statement highlights the problems which sick persons and their relatives are bound to face if a quick handle is not found to the deadly virus which spreads like wild fire. Stories emanating from other West African countries where the outbreak has been most rampant speak of confusion and helplessness on the part of their people. There were even reports of food shortages and all that.

    That is why all the precautionary measures taken by the government, churches and other private establishments to stem the spread must be supported by all. Regrettably, signals from the larger society seem to convey the impression that all are not on the same page on the imperative of these safety measures.

    The federal government’s directive for all private and public primary and secondary schools to remain closed till October 13, to enable them control the virus has been challenged by private school proprietors in Lagos. They drew parallels with churches and markets and contended that if these public places have remained open, it was needless closing the schools. What needed to done in their view was for the government to provide safety measures for the schools to adhere.

    Apparently succumbing to this pressure, the federal government has said it may review the directive for the schools to now reopen mid-September after the minister of education would have consulted with the state commissioners of education. Though there appears to be some point on the issues raised by the proprietors, the comparison with churches and markets as a basis for the schools to reopen is highly circumscribed. For one, the segment of the population that go the school, the activities that take place within the school environment on one hand and the markets and the churches on the other differ very remarkably. For another, the schools in question are attended by very impressionable children some of then yet unable to differentiate between their right and left. Such children will be exposed to grave danger if the schools had been allowed business as usual. They are the intended beneficiaries of the shut-down. There is also no guarantee that

    proprietors would have done the needful if the stark reality of the danger which school children face on account of the outbreak was not forced on them through the shut down.

    Even then, the churches have also taken measures within the very limited time members congregate to reduce physical contacts among members. The Catholic Church which is not known to easily depart from its tradition has suspended the usual sharing of greetings during church services. It went further to introduce the receiving of Holy Communion by hand while giving those who prefer extant practice of receiving by mouth the option to continue. The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos which introduced these measures following the outbreak of the virus was responding to the reality of the emerging situation.

    But just as the proprietors are opposed to the continued shutting down of schools, there are Catholics who find it hard to come to terms with the new reality. Whereas the school owners may have been influenced by the profit motive in demanding the reopening of the schools, those Catholics who oppose some of these changes are propelled by religious zeal and the reluctance to part ways with subsisting practices. Their position can be understood. There was also stiff opposition when the idea of conducting masses in English and vernacular as opposed to the Latin language was mooted. That has since come to stay and all is now history.

    This writer was really touched by a recent article in a national daily by a former junior colleague of mine Ifeanyi Alia. He had in that article kicked against the changes within the Catholic Church. He saw them as succumbing to the will of the devil and would want all Catholics to repose hope in God as His will, definitely will triumph over all evil machinations. Hear him, receiving “Holy Communion by hand is sacrilegious and any serious lay Catholic that resorts to it perhaps is either an agent of the devil or doing so wittingly or unwittingly to imperil his or her salvation” He essentially sees the outbreak of the virus as the handiwork of the devil which Catholics must resist by not abandoning their observances during mass.

    Though he reckoned that those practices have been prevalent in the advanced and developed countries of the world, but he rationalized it on the ground that such countries had fallen in the faith. He would therefore want African and Nigerian Catholics to remain the epitome of pristine observances and practices of the Catholic Church.

    The pains and frustrations of my friend can be understood. As some one seriously attached to his faith, it is not difficult why he sees these interim changes in the manner he has chosen to. He is entitled to his views no matter how extreme they may seem in the present circumstance. Incidentally, those countries he now seeks to disparage for spearheading the reception of the Holy Communion by hand were the ones that brought the religion to our shores.

    There is a limit beyond which this argument cannot be sustained because, it is essentially judgmental. And for all Christians, only God can judge on such issues. The salvation of Catholics has very little to do with the manner in which the Holy Communion is received especially when that practice has been modified by the same Catholic Church. If we do not take instructions from our Church leadership, who then should we rely for guidance? That is the contradiction in stretching this argument far.

    The issue that has been brought to the fore by all these is the kind of resistance that now confronts efforts to stem the spread of the Ebola disease. If we pander to all these dissenting views, we may find ourselves in a situation where the Ebola virus may soon overwhelm us all. Then, the society will turn round to blame the government. Proactive preventive measures taken by governments and all places of worship to stamp out the spread of the Ebola disease must not only be reinvigorated but seriously enforced. It is only a sound and healthy mind that can meaningfully participate in religious and school activities. A dead person neither attends schools nor churches. So if the schools needed to be shut much longer for us to achieve that objective, the end would turn out to justify the means.

  • Chris and Anita

    Interestingly, a public notice published in newspapers obliquely concretised earlier reports of an impending legalised split between Rev. Chris Oyakhilome and his wife, Anita. The 50-year-old charismatic founder of Believers’ Love World Incorporated, a Lagos-based church popularly known as Christ Embassy, was reportedly served with divorce papers in a UK hotel room.

    In the accompanying confusion, a statement by his lawyers, Pinheiro & Company, said: “The attention of our client, (Rev. Chris Oyakhilome and the Church, the CHRIST EMBASSY (“the Church”) has been drawn to the wave of false, malicious and fabricated stories being published in the print and electronic media about his person, the Church and a matrimonial cause between him and his wife.” Also, the lawyers accused “the concerned publishers” of “malicious falsehood”, saying, “It is our client’s instructions to inform the members of the public and particularly warn the concerned media houses that the news or story presently circulating in the media is nothing but a complete distortion of the facts in the pending proceedings in the United Kingdom, to the knowledge of the publishers.”

    It is significantly revealing that the statement referred to “a matrimonial cause between him and his wife” and “pending proceedings in the United Kingdom”, which would appear to constitute a sufficient validation of the reports that things had indeed gone awry between Chris and Anita. It is possible that the development spawned salacious story angles that may have been inaccurately presented; nevertheless, the overriding consideration should be whether there are incontrovertible realities in this riveting drama of love gone cold or frozen romance.

    It is noteworthy that a report said: “According to an online newspaper, The Cable, the divorce case, with Suit No FD14DO1650, was filed on April 9, 2014 at Divorce Section A, Central Family Court, First Avenue House, High Holborn, London, the United Kingdom, on Anita’s behalf by Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors, a firm with expertise in commercial law, family, wills and estate, personal injury and medical negligence.”

    Also deserving of attention is the information that Chris was served with a decree nisi, which is “an order from a court that a marriage will end after a fixed amount of time unless there is a good reason why it should not.”  It is unclear how long the court may have allowed for the pursuit of possible reconciliation, but it is clear enough that in the event of irreconcilability the court will most likely issue a decree absolute, which is “an order from a court that finally ends a marriage, making the two people divorced.”

    Perhaps pathetically, there is a seemingly remote possibility that the couple will kiss and make up. The next episode may well be the working out of the terms of the divorce by the lawyers on both sides, which would be a sad ending to a love story that had the inspiring appearance of a fairy tale. Anita has reportedly ruled out an out-of-court settlement; and PREMIUM TIMES quoted her lawyers as saying that the estranged couple was on such bad terms that there was no chance that the personalities would ever return to the status of husband and wife. The online publication presented a response by Stephen Goddard, Business Development Manager of Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors: “It is with great sadness that our client, Pastor Anita Oyakhilome, has come to the conclusion that her marriage to Pastor Christian Oyakhilome has irretrievably broken down and regrettably there is no hope of any reconciliation.”

    The approaching inevitability is particularly disquieting not only because it involves Christian pastors who are also media magnets; before the storm, Chris and Anita enjoyed the titles of President and Vice-President of the Christian ministry respectively.

    More importantly, the picture of irresolvable conflict is a devastating blow to the noblest virtues of Christian faith and matrimony.

    To go by the reports, Anita’s anger has to do with issues defined as “unreasonable behaviour” and “adultery.”  Given that the details of her charges against Chris are not in the public square, it would be unreasonably and unhelpfully speculative to explore the accusations and even the counter-accusations.

    In the context of Pentecostalism, which Christ Embassy represents, it is useful to consider Biblical teachings related to divorce. First, reflect on the words of Apostle Paul: “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband; and let not the husband put away his wife.”(1 Corinthians 7:10-11) Next, think about the idea of Jesus himself: “And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.” (Mark 10:12)

    The unmistakable import of this background is the unacceptability of divorce in the framework of the faith. If there is a regrettably casual attitude to divorce in the secular world, church leaders whose stance should be informed by spiritual integrity ought to project a better example, especially considering that all eyes are on them. There is no doubt that divorce is understandably an expanding problem in the modern world with its anti-family tensions and tendencies; and it should be recognised as potentially anti-social.

    Of course, a marriage may break down “irretrievably” just as suggested by the Chris and Anita developing story, and priesthood may not automatically confer immunity from marital troubles on individuals. However, the beauty of a matrimonial union must be its capacity for marathonic endurance, among other fundamentals.

    Chris and Anita have two grown-up daughters who must be watching intently as their parents romance the depressing option of divorce; that is exactly what it is, an option, meaning there is possibly another one in the direction of unity. Will they understand how love disappeared, replaced by an intensely frontal and unmediated hostility?  How will this experience shape their emotional relationships, even their spiritual directions? Beyond these, what will happen to the image of the ministry, and even to the personal and pastoral brands of Chris and Anita?

    Why is forgiveness apparently no longer possible in this case? This is the chief reason for its ugliness, the exclusion of the grace of forgiveness, which can always result from charity. Paul again: “Charity never faileth.” (1 Corinthians 13: 8) But pastors in particular should know this, which is why Chris and Anita need enlightenment.

  • The good soldier

    The good soldier

    His wife begs for him. He flees to safety. A foreign leader mocks him. Outsiders not only save him but do his job for him. After a while, the outsider gives up and retreats. He cries out for resources. He endures the image of a bully in one assignment and a coward in another. This is not a riddle, if a ridicule. But it is a commonplace and tragic depiction of the Nigerian soldier.

    This is not the profile of a good soldier. But all of these have happened to the Nigerian soldier.

    Nothing has reflected this more than the rapine and swagger of the militant group Boko Haram. It has been common to blame the Nigerian soldier, to call him a bully when he flexes muscles against puny quarries in elections. When he cannot sack a town like Gwoza where Boko Haram flaunts its flag, he comes off as pathetically weak and cravenly.

    But we miss the point. The Nigerian soldier is a victim. He is not a scoundrel, a coward, nor is his DNA formatted for cruelty. He is human like every Nigerian. He breathes like us, has a mother, father, son, daughter, foibles and virtues. He dreams of a great future and fantasises about a happy life of home and roost after the clatter and ruins of battle. He is a lion and weasel like every one of us. Some can argue he is more lion than  weasel from his career choice.

    Sometime ago, when soldiers mutinied in Borno State, the moral underbelly of their plight was unveiled. It was then that many Nigerians understood that the army was fighting without enough gear, without enough motivation, and without a sense of mission.

    That made some to wonder, what happened to the humongous defence budget year after year, amounting to about a trillion Naira a year in three years?

    We can see that the problem with the army is the same thing afflicting our sports, healthcare, education and infrastructure. It was not for nothing that our football players wanted their allowances before donning the national jerseys in the recently concluded World Cup in Brazil. It is for the same reasons that schoolteachers care less about their wards than their lifestyles and personal survival. Or that doctors shun their Hippocratic oaths in spite of the Ebola rage. Ditto the lawyer, journalist, civil servant, medical doctor, parent, etc. The average Nigerian is not invested in their country. We are patriots as cynics and cynics as patriots. It is the same reason 30 per cent pass WASCE that our soldier fumble in battle.

    The plight of the soldier is the failure of the Nigerian society. We failed the soldier before the soldier failed us. When the soldier cannot have his kit, when he cannot match the arms of his rampaging foe, would he not wonder in his private moment whether his bosses have sent him there, Uriah-like, to die? They see the same people fund fairy tale weddings, survive scandals amounting to billions, hear of military contracts and do not see the effect either in their barracks or in their remunerations.

    Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator John McCain hurled near imprecations at the Nigerian army. The wives of soldiers protested the war on Boko Haram because they saw it as exposing their breadwinners to a meaningless death.

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima once made headlines when he said Boko Haram was more determined and better armed than our conventional forces. If they could raze an air force, take over swaths of land, fly their flags, install emirs and declare a caliphate, and weeks after, our army does not dislodge them, then Shettima was right. He did not utter that statement a week ago. When he said it, Gwoza did not crouch under a new flag, and Chibok played coy of the world map.

    Now the latest drama was a tearful comedy. About 500 Nigerian soldiers fled their country for shelter in an apparently smaller, weaker country. More funny still, it was not the Nigerian soldier but the Camerounian that escorted them back to Nigerian territory. The smaller soldier saved the big one, a David came to a Goliath’s rescue.  Nigerians stood by and admired the soldiery of a neighbour as they saved our own. It was like a scene in the novel, The Good Soldier, where a soldier admires the man making love to his wife. He does not love the scene, but the cuckold envies the skill, brio and virility of the adulterous man. The author, Ford Maddox Ford, almost called his novel, The Saddest Story.

    The same Camerounian army rattled Boko Haram camps in our territory near their country’s border. Normally, what the neighbours did was a breach of international protocols. But we are thankful for their sins. Is it not the same army that once bred men like Adekunle, Alabi Isama and Akinrinade? We forget that General Muhammadu Buhari, as a GOC once amassed his army and, in defiance of his bosses, roared to the same Borno area to defend the same territory now besieged and rattled. Times have changed. Surely we cannot blame the soldier. The blame goes to those in charge of the soldiers. The political elite, that is. In his novel, War and Peace, Tolstoy noted that wars are won not by those who shoot the guns but those who devise them and the policy.

    The Boko Haram militants’ edge also is in belief. They believe in their caliphate and theocratic dreams. The militant group ISIS that is rumbling through Iraq today relies more on the clarity of its ideology than the fractious, ill-motivated Iraqi forces. Hence, it is taking a foreigner, the American, to blunt their edges. The Americans believe in their country.

    We should not blame the soldiers. We should blame those who have not motivated them to battle. Soldiers have honour when the country invests them with it. It is the political elite who makes them bullies in election and retreat against the militants.

    This is the shameful irony of today: that the army soars in Ekiti and Osun polls like an omnipotent. But on their behalf, wives are panting in public. Like the morally besieged Lord Jim in Joseph Conrad’s novel of that title, the Nigerian soldier is one of us.

  • ‘Gold medal for public service’

    In the context of the reality that words have denotative value, it is worth contemplating the import of a particular letter of commendation and its remarkable testimonial quality. It was written by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, and the recipient was Akinwunmi Ambode who had retired voluntarily after a 27-year career in the civil service, including stints as the Accountant- General of Lagos State from 2006 and 2012, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, and Auditor-General for Local Government. This background is striking because it highlights Ambode, who left to pursue other dreams,  as probably the most experienced individual in terms of familiarity with the state civil service operations to seek the position of governor since Lagos State was created in 1967.

    Fashola reportedly wrote: “I write on behalf of the people of Lagos to commend your high sense of dedication, selflessness and integrity which you brought to bear on the civil service. I wish to specifically remark that working closely with you has been of tremendous mutual benefit, particularly in the present administration.” He continued: “You have displayed high sense of professionalism and have been a good team player, guided by the philosophy of a true public officer, who must place himself last while rendering service to the public. We are convinced that your brilliance and zeal will make you excel in your future endeavours.”

    Who wouldn’t be proud of such a glowing portrayal? Unsurprisingly, Ambode, 51, the Chief Executive Officer of Brandsmiths Consulting, made a passing reference to the characterisation at his May 15 book launch at the Civic Centre, Lagos.  The presentation of two books, Public Sector Accounting by Ambode, and his biography, The Art of Selfless Service by Marina Osoba, provided a fitting forum for him to bask in the glory of his recognition.   “The letter of commendation by Fashola is my gold medal for public service,” Ambode said at the event.

    Of course, the letter may be inadequate to catapult him to the high political office of governor which he seeks; nevertheless, it is a sufficient pointer to his competence. Indeed, the writer of the letter himself also deserves commendation. There is no doubt that Fashola was in a position to know and evaluate Ambode’s contribution, and it is to his credit that he was straightforward in his depiction of  Ambode’s worth. He could have chosen to downplay the man’s role and his observed performance, especially given the fact that the letter’s commendatory content could always be quoted to advance the recipient’s interest. A self-absorbed autotheistic leader would not have written in such a manner about someone else; and such leaders abound who go about with a destructive mentality. So, Fashola deserves respect for his demonstration of disinterestedness.

    Did Fashola have an idea of Ambode’s ambition to succeed him as governor? Was the song of praise calculated to help him achieve his aspiration through an implied endorsement?  Or it just didn’t matter to Fashola what Ambode’s next move might be after leaving the civil service, and however he might exploit the laudatory comments for self-advancement.

    It is interesting that Ambode, a would-be governor and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  on August 21 presented a paper  titled “Public Finance: Probity and Accountability” during  a two-day workshop organised by the Lagos State Government and the Lagos Business School at the Pan-African University, Lagos. He spoke to 300 youths from tertiary educational institutions across the state, and told them: “If we take the concept of resource generation, allocation and distribution into cognisance and apply the principles of good governance, we will achieve economic growth and development.”

    He was on familiar turf. Ambode is credited with designing a system that increased the state’s revenue generation from N600 million to N10 billion. A related excerpt from his biography is illustrative of his expertise: “In a popular business newspaper, Business Day, of Tuesday 2nd July 2013, it was reported that Fiscal Management in Lagos State had surpassed that of the Federal Government and internally generated revenue from taxes has touched the 75% mark in stark contrast to the Federal Government’s 20%. Also, the paper further stated that Lagos State makes up to 20% of total Nigerian GDP and 40% of non-oil GDP.”

    The narrative continued: “All these gains from the smallest state geographically (that is in terms of  size) showing that Lagos State which is without any of the rich mineral resources that other states have in abundance can think outside the box and create wealth using what little it has and building on its commercial base.  These great strides are particularly noted to have happened in the last six years (2006-2012) during which Akin headed the State Treasury Office (STO).”

    The importance of wealth creation to “the authoritative allocation of values” cannot be overemphasised; and it may well be good luck for the state to have a governor whose competency in this critical sphere has been established beyond any iota of contradiction.

    However, the megacity would require more than a mechanistic attention to figures; and it would appear that Ambode also has a humanistic appeal. Such a fusion is not always available in the power ring. Ambode’s definition of leadership is enlightening, although it could be said that words are never enough and would always need the potency of demonstrativeness. He said: “A true leader sees his work as selfless service towards a higher purpose. A true leader should be judged by what he has not – ego, arrogance and self-interest.”

    Demonstrable commitment to good governance and ability to deliver what the people yearn for should rank among the uppermost qualifications for the type of progressive leadership that would benefit the state at this juncture. As Fashola prepares to leave the stage next year, the state deserves an exemplary successor who will be focused on excellence in office informed by a mastery of wealth creation and a humanitarian orientation.

    The question of who should rule remains fundamental in the society’s search for leaders who have  not only the  capacity to make a difference but also the enthusiasm to do so; and it is always agonising whenever the wrong individual emerges and works against good governance. A square peg in a round hole would most likely reshape the hole; and it would then require far more effort to recreate a round hole.

     

  • Our military in terror war

    The capacity of Nigerian armed forces to contain the Boko Haram challenge has been a recurring decimal in any assessment of the raging insurgency in the country. Before now, some reservations have been expressed on the morale and quality of armament available to the military to grapple with the complexities and sophistication of the war against terror.

    Matters were not remedied by the suspected complicity of some religious and political elite in sustaining the battle. Issues have been raised about the source of funding for the insurgents with suspicion that Boko Haram cannot thrive in its current magnitude and lethal form without local collaborators. The issue has raised so much concern that President Jonathan had to approach the National Assembly to grant him approval for US$1 billion loan to fight insurgency. The loan option has in turn, generated some criticisms especially from the opposition. But, even when the loan is secured and our soldiers provided with the best of arms and ammunitions, their efforts may still come to naught in the face of the unmitigated sabotage from local accomplices.

    Before now, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima had raised issues on the low morale and obsolete equipment at the disposal of our soldiers. He had warned that if the battle is to be won, our soldiers must be better equipped and trained for the new challenges that go with fighting terrorism.

    Then, Kashim had come under the heavy fire of the government for what was largely regarded as unguarded utterances in such a delicate and sensitive war.

    But within the last one week or so, a number of events have taken place in very quick succession to once again elevate this matter to the bar of public opinion.

    There was the controversy on the purported defection to Cameroon of 480 soldiers fighting the insurgents in the north-east border of the country. Initial media reports had it as outright defection, ostensibly after citing such a large number of our soldiers weary and without arms within the Cameroonian territory.

    But the Defence Headquarters DHQ quickly came out to clarify the matter. It claimed the 480 soldiers “strayed” into Cameroon while making a “tactical manoeuvre”.

    If the clarification from DHQ conveyed the impression that the soldiers faced no mortal threat and that tactical manoeuvre was a normal military strategy, feelers from that country gave a contrary view. The Cameroonian radio had reported that the insurgents made two attempts to attack the soldiers where they were camped but were repelled by that country’s armed forces. It also said that our soldiers were escorted back into Nigeria by Cameroonian soldiers which provided them food, medicine and fuel on the directive of their president.

    Whatever value tactical manoeuvre holds for the military, such an exercise had the net effect of exposing the 480 soldiers to grave risk such that they had to depend on the goodwill of Cameroon to survive. Its outcome was a desperation and helplessness on the part of the soldiers. Our soldiers straying into Cameroonian territory says a lot about the on-going war against terrorism. We shall return to this later.

    If the incident in Cameroon is not enough cause for worry, recent revelations by an international negotiator on terrorism Dr. Stephen Davies have thrown gloomy insights into the nation’s capacity to tame the monster. Davies who was said to have been deeply involved in negotiating the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls must have shocked the world when he revealed that politicians constituted the primary source of funding to the terror group and the only way to stop kidnapping was to arrest the sponsors of Boko Haram.

    Hear him, “That makes it easier in some ways as they can be arrested, but of course the onus of proof is high and many are in the opposition, so if the president (Goodluck Jonathan) moves against them, he would be accused of trying to rig the election due next year. So I think this will run through to the election unabated. These politicians think that if they win power they can turn these terrorists off but this has mutated” he stated.

    He went further to assert that it is no longer a case of Muslim purifying by killing off Christians. “They are just killing indiscriminately and I would say it is almost beyond the control of the political sponsors now”.

    Much of the issues raised here are not really new as they tally with some of the accusations levied and suspicions traded on the Boko Haram menace. But now they are being highlighted by a foreigner whose knowledge of the Boko Haram dynamics is not in doubt, the complexity of the matter can be better appreciated. What this means is that any thought of winning the war against terrorism before the coming elections is nothing but an exercise in wishful thinking. Not with the signals typified by the tactical manoeuvre that left as much as 480 soldiers helpless within the Cameroonian territory.

    The war is now very complex and elections may have to be fought and won irrespective of whatever dimension the war assumes in the days ahead. It comes with serious implications for the states that have been the hotbed of these acts of insurgency. How such states will fare during elections in the face of their insecure environment is bound to turn out another issue of contention.

    More importantly, Davies disclosure further exposed the hypocrisy of such groups as the Northern Elders Forum NEF which had a fortnight ago, issued an ultimatum to Jonathan to end the insurgency by the end of October or forfeit his right to seek election in 2015. In this column, we had deprecated the ultimatum not only because it is unrealistic and impracticable but because of its glaring incongruity in liking Jonathan’s right to seek election with the winning of the war against terrorism. They do not and cannot go together. We also raised serious suspicion on the motive of those making the demand especially their role in the whole saga.

    Now that we have been told by a foreigner with deep knowledge of the workings of the terror cell that politicians are sponsors of the group, is it surprising that we have been receiving discordant tunes on the matter from the very section of the country worse hit by the debilitating onslaught. It also tallies with the very complex dimension which the battle has assumed in recent times such that 480 soldiers had to find themselves in Cameroonian territory helpless courtesy of tactical manoeuvre or mistake.

    There is definitely more to the insurgency than we are being made to believe. Unless we unmask these local sponsors together with their sources of funding, the fears raised by Senator George Sekibo that the nation faces “threat of disintegration” may turn out a self-fulfilling prophesy. Sekibo who is also the Senate committee chairman on defence, brought the stark reality of the war closer when he stated that our military are overstretched, under-funded and equipped with obsolete equipment.

    One other issue that holds the ace in this war is the role of the Cameroonian authorities. Davies spoke copiously of the escapades of the insurgents within that territory including the dropping off and subsequent recapture of 60 Chibok girls in a botched negotiation deal. When this is juxtaposed with the encounter of the 480 soldiers in that country, the stark reality of the challenge is brought closer home.

  • Fayose and Okada riders

    Fayose and Okada riders

    Ekiti State Governor-elect Ayo Fayose has announced that he would not ban Okada riders, but that he would buy them helmets. Is that part of his stomach infrastructure? He may mean well, but he should realise that helmets have never worked as policy in Nigeria. One, it does not save limbs or torsos. Recently, an accident happened when I parked my car on a street in Lagos. As I opened the door, an okada rammed straight into the half-open door. The motorcycle bore a pregnant woman. The bike, rider and pregnant woman tumbled on the tarred road. The grace was that no fatalities resulted, but hospital emergency was inevitable. First, he should have stayed away from a parked car. Two, why was he carrying a pregnant woman against the law? Judging by the speed, why was he in such a hurry?

    Another issue is superstition. People believe helmets bear charms that steal others’ fortunes and brains. We have seen this before across the Southwest. Even claims of vanished genitalia have been brandished. So the Governor-elect should be wary of turning populism into death traps. His PDP counterparts in Akwa Ibom and Abia, etc., have banned the two-tyred tragedy. He should learn from them, if he does not want to learn from Lagos where the restriction has dramatically reduced deaths and injuries. Stomach infrastructure can be pursued with better finesse and better use of public funds.

  • One year of fatherlessness

    God is my father

    Nature is my mother

    The Universe is my way

    Eternity is my Kingdom

    Immortality is my Life

    The Mind is my house

    Truth is my worship

    Love is my Law

    Form is my manifestation

    Conscience is my guide

    Peace is my shelter

    Experience is my school

    Obstacle is my lesson

    Difficulty is my stimulant

    Joy is my hymn

    Pain is my warning

    Work is my blessing

    Light is my realisation

    Friend is my companion

    Adversary is my instructor

    Neighbour is my brother

    Struggle is my opportunity

    Future Time is my promise

    Equilibrium is my attitude

    Order is my path

    Beauty is my Ideal

    Perfection is my Destiny

    For years, these lines greeted anyone who arrived on Frank Olusola Macaulay’s doorstep at Yaba, Lagos. The first-person expressions, which had the quality of affirmations, were unattributed. The paper on which they were typed was framed and the compelling communication hung on the wall near the door. It provided a memorable insight into Macaulay’s make-up.

    Inside the house, various thought-provoking messages enjoyed visibility. Even the lavatory had space for a message. Using the toilet meant the user would see this: “Lesser minds discuss people. Ordinary minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas. Greater minds discuss humanity.”

    Macaulay often said, “Life is interesting, and we are here to learn.” Learning, for him, included but transcended the material world. He was a lifelong truth-seeker and God-seeker, and his spiritual training and practice took him beyond the formal and rigid structures of organised religion. He regarded every man and woman as a brother or sister with whom he shared a common humanity, and was a loyal friend to those he bonded with.

    “He profits most who serves best” is another of his deeply-held beliefs; and his life of service was exemplary. He made and kept copious notes that reflected his intense interest in the fundamental questions of life, especially those that had to do with the place and purpose of man in creation, the earthly journey and life after death.  This quotation from his notes is illustrative: “How do you beautify the Earth?  You do this by the Good Thought, which comes from you, by the assistance you give your brother-man to rise, materially and spiritually, and by the assistance you give other life than man to be more beautiful than you met it – IN SHORT, SERVICE TO MANKIND IN LOVE.”

    He once gave me a small book in which I came across a striking and unforgettable answer to a question on how to remain on the spiritual path. The teacher said: “Give all, love much, speak little, judge not, and keep on keeping on.” His life mirrored this teaching. He was a man of few words who demonstrated tremendous sacrificial love. He was eternally optimistic and unbowed by misfortune. He manifested an abiding faith in the idea, “Trials sent to us as cords of love.” He marched on till the end.

    When he died on August 22, 2013, at the St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, it was 24 days to his 84th birthday on September 16. He earnestly believed that he would attain age 85, and always maintained that his faith was Bible-supported. “Ask, and you shall receive” was his mantra whenever anyone questioned his projection of certainty about how long he would live. On his birthday, he would remind his family and others of how many years he supposedly had left.

    Whenever Macaulay asked, “How are you, today?” he laid an unmistakable stress on the word “today”. That was his way of highlighting the reality of a new day, different from past days, filled with fresh possibilities. The greeting carried a spiritual import, saying to the recipient that the new day brought new grace, new hope, new strength, and new ideas, which could spark a new song and new joy. This unshakable conviction about the constant flux, conveyed through his emphasis on “today”, is a positive lesson for the living.

    He was born in Lagos in 1929, and his grandfather, Frank Gurney Venn Macaulay, was the younger brother of Herbert Macaulay, the illustrious Nigerian nationalist. His great grandfather was Rev. Thomas Babington Macaulay, founder and first principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos, the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, started in 1859; and his great grandmother, Abigail Macaulay, was the daughter of Rt. Rev. Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the acclaimed first African Bishop of the Church of England, and the first to translate the Bible into Yoruba.

    This family background inspired Macaulay throughout his lifetime. He was proud of his roots and heritage without being pompous. His sense of family was instructive, and he was passionate about the Crowther/Macaulay Descendants’ Union and its motto, “In Unity we stand, divided we fall.” He served enthusiastically and energetically as Secretary of the group for many years, and technically retained the position until his exit. He was always aware of the location of family members and their contact details, and was generally relied upon to play a linking role whenever there was a need for family gathering.

    I remember him every now and again; and sometimes the irreversibility of his passing is paralysing. This was the man who shaped my writing life, even if perhaps innocently. He provided a stimulating home for informal learning and made it easy for his household and even outsiders to keep abreast of the news by consistently ensuring a supply of newspapers and magazines. He also kept a useful library. In my secondary school years, I looked forward to a good number of western comics and educational publications every Friday. My father never failed to deliver. This was in addition to supplying all the major newspapers of the period, courtesy of his position in Shell’s Public and Government Affairs department. It was at Shell that he bloomed and he retired after 30 years at the company. As a Shell pensioner, he was a keen unofficial ambassador and projected a positive image of the company.

    He knew when to raise the game; and by the time I completed my secondary education, he introduced Time and Newsweek to me. In these two respected international magazines, I met inspiring writers and saw stirring styles. Till today, the Time celebration of writing in a long-running advertisement remains one of my favourite quotations. The magazine quoted John Sheffield: “Of all those arts in which the wise excel, Nature’s chief masterpiece is writing well.”

    My tears may not be visible, but I am still crying. I lost a gem. I wonder about genetic continuity and how much of his genetic material is active in me.   

  • Acts of Adadevoh

    Acts of Adadevoh

    She has become the city on a hill. Luminous. Heroic. She cast her quixotic light over the pall of a people. But Nigeria was supposed to be a shelter for self-absorbed individuals who cared little for anyone other than their own. Yet when many forswear the country as a breeder of heroes, a heroine emerges. In life and in death.

    We waited for Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh to die, to succumb to the sly finality of Ebola. The germs snatched her before we bowed to the gem that roosted among us. Act one: She met the now notorious Liberian and Ebola carrier called Patrick Sawyer. Act two: She battled him until he rattled in the hospital cage.  Act three: she caught the disease. Act four: Physician became patient.

    But when the physician-turned-patient sighed her last, it was neither the patient nor physician who died. It was a person, a woman, a mother, a wife, a neighbour, a humanist, a heroine, a Nigerian. These incarnations fashioned the story we now know as the Dr. Adedevoh sacrifice. That was act five. Curtains close. The play haunts an ogle-eyed nation, forever.

    She was not supposed to be on duty, could have been ensconced in the safety of home and family. She did not crave death, but death craved her. “Because I could not stop for death/He kindly stopped for me,” crooned poet Emily Dickinson. Adadevoh just wanted to do her job. Sawyer wanted to escape. Death spread its sooty hands.

    If Ebola can pass as a metaphor for Nigeria’s other woes, Adadevoh signified a fighting spirit. The disease at this stage is in its infancy in Nigeria. To kill it now will make a virtue of infanticide. The efforts of the governor of example, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, to contain the spread reflects a reflex of a ready government.

    Yet, we cannot but look at Ebola, especially its capacity to spread, in the context of our non-biological plagues. They start as though they are nothing. When Ebola started ravaging other countries, we presumed national immunity. In spite of warnings, the Federal Government did not step up immigration controls and border monitoring.

    We assumed, in our zest for pious grace, that God would not let it into our midst. That was how our major ailments as a people began. When the Niger Delta insurgents sowed its first seeds, we passed off the militants as irritants. Militancy morphed into a monster. Gurgling our oil with bunker and bunkering mentality. Blustering about justice but seeking none and showing none. Showy in rhetoric and lifestyle. Lapping billions as blackmail and bargains as their megalomaniac frontrunners rolled in the lap of luxury.

    Boko Haram started as featherweight zealots on the fringe. We might have waved them a cynical goodbye, but they grew and grew. Now they have attacked military headquarters, stirred a mutiny, made hermit of our president, immiserated our people, denied God and Satan in the same breath, mocked the first lady’s literacy, vulgarised our vocabulary, installed an emir, installed flags, popularised a bevy of school girls, radicalised a region and a religion, and paralysed governments.

    We can say same of kidnapping. It grew quickly into a high and dark comedy. From school girls to minister’s mother. From about-to-weds to the president’s uncle. One Christmas, travel to the Southeast was a surrender to the net.

    But all of this came because of a perversity of bad governance that pauperised and alienated a people. What pauperised us? Corruption. Yet, Nigeria was never this corrupt. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, corruption was reviled. Today, the term stomach infrastructure has become a plebian way of sanctifying stealing, especially when the president distinguished it by distinguishing it from corruption. Nzeogwu’s coup statement fulminated against those he described as ‘10 percenters’. In other words, the government men, politicians and contractors stole 10 per cent of the contract sum. Today, they steal a lot more, sometimes up to 100 per cent. Contracts are reviewed deliberately to magnet new funds.

    It has infiltrated everywhere. Education is no longer important except as a mark of vanity. My former teacher Biodun Jeyifo lamented in one of his recent columns in The Nation on Sunday about parent apathy to education. He had visited one of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s model schools that he praised for their potential to produce Nobel laureates in science. But the administrators told him the parents of the children were not interested in their wards’ educational progress. Why would they when illiterates basked in billions and barked at educated and urbane people who worked for them!

    The last WASCE results showed only about 31 per cent pass. Yet when a Governor Kayode Fayemi or Governor Adams Oshiomhole insists on standards, the outcry of foul play ensues. When we know that so-called okada riders are a menace to the health and safety of a people, some so-called literate people turn it into a cynical campaign ploy. Or when we know that university education of quality is never cheap anywhere in the world, we holler about elitism without seeking ways to tackle it.

    It is corruption that started by instalments in the 1960s that has rotted the flesh. It kills our cells with the malignant consistency of an Ebola disease. I am impressed with the way the government – both Jonathan’s and especially Fashola’s government – has shown sensitivity to the spread of Ebola. If we had shown such moral gravity in our other challenges, we would be a nation of envy, not mockery.

    Adadevoh represented that vitality. She has shown that all is not dire for us. Albert Camus made the point in his classic novel, The Plague. It is a novel less about diseases of the body but of society. The human spirit triumphs when everyone stops seeing the problem as others’ but everyone’s. That is the legacy of Adadevoh. If hopefully, Ebola is finally behind us, her self-sacrifice will account for why an endemic did not become a plague.

  • Worrying signals from Imo

    Keen observers of events in Imo State in the last couple of weeks are bound to be worried about the rising foul political atmosphere in that state. This perception is further reinforced by the fact that the ban on politics is still in force.

    If signs of political intolerance and bad blood are very palpable even with the ban on politics still in force, it remains to be surmised what the situation will be when the lid is eventually lifted. For a state that has overtime carved a niche as one of the most peaceful in the country, indications that this record is about to be thrown to the dogs do not give comfort of mind.

    Events have taken place in very quick succession to suggest that political actors and sundry personages are about to heat up the political space for their selfish goals. Otherwise how do we account for the intolerance, recurring use of intemperate language and resort to the law of the jungle that have of recent characterized some social events attended by the state governor, Rochas Okorocha and other opposition politicians in the state?

    At least in three different occasions in about a month, we have seen signals that the 2015 elections in that state, may turn out bloody if caution is not exercised by those angling for political offices. It would appear that the turn of events may ruffle the trademark peace that has characterized the politics of the state since the return of democracy in 1999.

    The rancor and bitter politics that have been the undoing of some sister states may turn out a child’s play if Imo politicians do not exercise caution and utmost restraint in their actions, conducts and language of political discourse.

    Though the incident between Okorocha and Charly boy in Oguta during the burial church ceremony of the latter’s father, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa does not aptly fit into this categorization, it however, bears mention here. This is more so because the state government had then blamed Imo politicians in Abuja for being the architects of Charly boy’s unruly conduct. Even then, Charly boy had equally explained that his action was to prevent the burial from being turned into a political campaign ground. Either way, politics was inevitably dragged into the matter by both parties.

    If people did not understand the fears alluded to by Charly boy then or agreed with action, two other social events since that encounter give a glimmer of what he may have foreseen. This conclusion is further given fillip when it is recalled that the key reason adduced by Okorocha’s image managers for linking Abuja politicians to the incident was their desire to prevent the anticipated huge ovation that was to herald the governor’s speech given his popularity with the people. So they had envisaged that the occasion may be taken advantage of to launder political image. This dimension may have been the fear of Charly boy for which he did not allow the governor to speak. Yet that does not make his action right.

    The Oguta incident may not have qualified as an act of political intolerance since Charly boy is not known to be a politician. But the 2014 edition of the Oru Owerri cultural festival held recently in Owerri was all that was needed to tap into the political temperament of the state as the 2015 general elections draw nearer.

    That event had in attendance Governor Okorocha, his deputy and the entire state executive council members. Also in attendance were a female governorship aspirant, Senator Chris Anyanwu, another governorship aspirant and former attorney general and commissioner for justice in the state, Ken Njamanze and some National Assembly members among other dignitaries.

    Okorocha who spoke immediately after he was inducted urged Imo electorate not to allow criminals and 419 people to be voted into leadership positions in the state any more.

    But he stirred the hornet’s nest when he urged the gathering not to allow “a woman who slaps her husband in public to govern the state”. “You must not allow ono na di acho di (married women still in search of husband or worse still women of easy virtue) to govern or represent you anymore”.

    His choice of words did not go down well with the audience which subsequently went rowdy. There was commotion as the governor’s supporters and those of the other politicians at the venue attempted to engage themselves.

    Those who could no longer withstand the charged environment left even as it was reported that Senator Anyanwu sobbed apparently sensing that the allusions by Okorocha were meant for her.

    Okorocha’s conduct at that event has not gone down well with decent minds. Though he did not mention any name in his statement but it was not difficult deciphering whom the allusions were directed at. Worse still, it remains to be imagined why a governor should descend from his Olympian height to embrace gutter language in such a dignified event.

    He may have spoken the minds of many when he urged the audience not to vote for criminals and 419 people any more. That is the prayer of right thinking people of the state. Yet, even as it is an open secret that the politics of that state and the country is dominated by these tainted elements, our laws have not helped the situation. Those that can be so classified refuse to admit that such references apply to them. That has been the problem.

    Again, this schism reared its ugly head last week at the Iri ji new yam festival of the Mbaise clan. This time, the actors were Okorocha and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. Ihedioha while welcoming the governor reportedly remarked that he was going to take over from him next year as Okorocha has run out of ideas. He also spoke of the absence of the state government’s presence in Mbaise accusing the governor of neglect.

    Okorocha who did not take kindly to this, replied that there is nobody in Imo PDP who is his match in electoral contest and that the PDP is worse than the Ebola virus. He tried to showcase his achievements with a promise to cite a campus of the state university in the area but this did not impress the audience.

    The event degenerated to a free for all between Okorocha’s supporters and those of Ihedioha but security operatives were on hand to avert any danger. The governor was said to have been whisked out of the venue even before the traditional kola nut breaking.

    Apparently dissatisfied with the outcome of events, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri who represented President Jonathan lamented that Okorocha was “not interested in the event but only came to create confusion and derail it”.

    Both Okorocha and Ihedioha have since embarked on recrimination on each other’s role that brought about the pass.

    The governor demands an apology for the way he was treated. His adversaries would rather have him apologize to the Mbaise clan for disrupting their ceremony. So the buck passing goes on with tempers highly ruffled.

    The ordinary people of the state may turn out victims if this rancor is taken to political campaigns. It is therefore vital that all those seeking the mandate of the Imo electorate abide by the rules of engagement. And to borrow the words of President Jonathan, their victory is not worth the blood of any Imo citizen.

  • Celebration of cerebration

    It was a phone conversation as narrated by a witty personality who was being celebrated for his services to the world of letters. Ambassador Oladapo Olusola Fafowora, 73, was speaking on behalf of the new Fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) after their decoration, and he told the audience about a conversation he had with his grandchild who lives in England. “I am being honoured today,” he had said to the grandchild. In reply, he got a question: “For what?”  Answer: “My investiture as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters will take place today.”  Response: “So, you’ve been writing letters. And you’ve not written any to us.”

    Unsurprisingly, the tickled members of the audience greeted Fafowora’s brief account with laughter, and he went on to thank the NAL for the greatness thrust upon him and five others at the body’s 16th Convocation and the Investiture of New Fellows, which took place at the Main Auditorium, University of Lagos, on August 14. For clarification, it is important to note that these recipients had achieved greatness on their various paths, and the NAL crown simply represented a further validation.  But it was sufficiently significant for Fafowora who described the academy as a “prestigious club”. He said with convincing feeling: “I felt immensely proud that I had been considered.”

    Inaugurated in 1991, the Nigerian Academy of Letters is positioned as “an apex organisation of Nigerian academics and scholars in the Humanities to promote, maintain and encourage excellence in all branches of humanistic studies”; “and is intended to cater for a very important body of disciplines of vital importance to the development and refinement of Nigerian Society.”

    The ceremony of decorating the stars was marked by serious grandeur, which was fitting for a festivity of cerebral fecundity. The orator and a NAL Fellow, Professor Olu Obafemi, read the citations to an impressed and admiring audience, and each recipient mounted the stage to be dressed in a red-and-gold gown and a black cap reflecting the new status. Two of them, Prof. Festus Agboola Adesanoye and Prof. Philip Adedotun Ogundeji, were honoured as Regular Fellows. Prof. Olabiyi Yai was decorated as an Overseas Fellow.  Three others were categorised as Honorary Fellows: Dr. (Mrs.) Virginia Anohu, Amb. Oladapo Olusola  Fafowora and Olori (Dr.) Olatokunbo Gbadebo.

    The orator highlighted Adesanoye’s scholarship in Communication and Language Arts, and described Ogundeji as a “Yoruba theatre aesthete and theorist.” Yai was called “a veritable and versatile polyglot; literary and stylistics scholar and a global intellectual.” Fafowora was painted as “a distinguished and seasoned diplomat with high-profile intimidating engagements.” Gbadebo’s portrait was that of “a scholar, publisher and an entrepreneur with a chequered professional profile.” Interestingly, when it was her turn to receive the scroll of honour, royal trumpeters spiced the ceremony with significative notes that bespoke her standing as a queen, the wife of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo.  Anohu was not present, and it would have been interesting to know why she was considered for the garland.

    Perhaps appropriately, the ceremonial aspects of the event were effectively underscored by the convocation lecture which provided an unambiguously intellectual flavour. The lecturer and a NAL Fellow, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, focused on the theme, “Ethical Dimensions of Citizenship.” It is a testimony to the relevance of the academy that it came up with such a critical subject matter in the context of centrifugal tensions in the polity. It was instructive that Fafowora described the lecture as “very illuminating”, and praised Egbokhare for his coruscating brilliance and multidimensional method. Fafowora, who holds a PhD and has a History background, said: “I think History is now better approached from a multidisciplinary point of view.”

    Indeed, Egbokhare’s lecture did not betray his specialisation in Linguistics as he traversed various disciplines, including history, political science, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and literature. Fundamentally, he argued that ethnic pluralism has been negatively exploited by the country’s ruling elite and educated elite, and stressed that “the problem basically is not ethnicity.”

    So, what is the problem? Egbokhare tried to establish a relationship between “the citizenship question, the national question and the leadership question,” and arrived at the conclusion that “leadership is the bonding glue, the inspiration that drives nationalism.” He said: “Everything boils down to leadership.”

    Also, he explored the concept of “ethical citizenship,” and argued that it could not be divorced from “the worth of the individual.” He asked: “What is the worth of Nigerian citizenship?” His answer to the question was that the citizenship value was defined by the country’s Human Development Indices, and in this regard the picture is lamentably ugly.

    It is noteworthy and thought-provoking that the NAL President, Prof. Munzali Jibril, made striking remarks on the country’s position on the human development ladder in his presidential address at the event in which he referred to the 2013  Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), a  project of the respected Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Nigeria was disgracefully ranked 41st on the 52-country IIAG list, reflecting a country whose leaders enjoy the flattering tag, “giant of Africa”, without thinking like giants. The country not only scored lower than the continental average (51.6), it also ridiculously scored lower than the regional average (52.5) for West Africa. Assessment was based on four key areas: Safety and Rule of Law, Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human Development.

    It is also relevant to draw attention to the observation by the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim at the April IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, where he restated that Nigeria was among the top five countries with the largest number of the poor. Scandalously, the country ranks third on this list of infamy behind India (with 33 percent of the world’s poor) and China (13 percent). With 7 percent of the “wretched of the earth”, the country is ahead of Bangladesh (6 percent) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (5 percent). Together these countries are home to nearly 760 million impoverished people. The portrait of indigence is a tragically inexcusable irony for an oil-rich country, and puts a huge question mark on the quality of governance at all political levels in the country.

    It is enlightening that Egbokhare identified what he called “the unholy trinity” as a grave impediment to the country’s progress. The unhelpful trio: “lack of knowledge of history; lack of understanding of history; and lack of application of the lessons of history.”  He reasoned that a correction of this chain of retrogression would hopefully bring about “an ethically-balanced leadership and an informed people,” which would result in the country’s transformational glory. What a dream!