The Nation Newspaper

Category: Columnists

  • Useful idiots (1)

    Useful idiots (1)

    An Ivy League education without ethics makes a trust fund ‘baby’ an expensive toy without batteries. Substandard education makes the middling youth even worse; it moulds him into a broken toy without appeal. They are both disposable but they enjoy patronage anyway – by the ones Wole Soyinka eloquently described as the wasted generation.

    The Nigerian youth is a breed with all the personality of a paper cup. Thus like paper cups, we are used and disposed by men and women unfit to be elders. Yet whatever callousness we are forced to endure, our elders are not to blame. They shall not be blamed, for we made ourselves unbidden offering on the altar of vultures.

    It is the malady of this age that the youth are too busy preaching that they have no time left to learn. In Nigeria, we are too busy dumbing down that we barely have time left to grow. It is a sad manifestation of stunted growth that we evolve into foetal adults and spend the rest of our lives seeking the comfort of debilitating “life boats.”

    It is even more disheartening to see us adopt as a favourite past time, the pillorying of our elders and the rapacious ruling class. Many a Nigerian youth love to prophesy the worst about our fatherland thus it is never surprising to hear the average Nigerian youth pronounce with emphatic pessimism and relish that “This country is doomed,” and “Nigeria is finished.”

    The Igbo youth laments his persistent marginalization from the scheme of things/bounties. He believes Nigeria is skewed to work against him and fellow Igbo because his peers from other ethnic groups are wary of his towering acumen, industry, courage and political savvy. The Hausa youth believes he has inalienable right to statutorily and heavenly accorded rights to reign supreme and lord it over his peers irrespective of merit. And the Yoruba youth, goaded by sentiments of his higher wisdom, towering depth in diplomacy, culture and politics believes that he is entitled to the best the country has to offer, on a platter of gold.

    Every youth desperately perpetuates his sense of victimhood and entitlement. The idea is to keep whining until he gets lucky and corners an immense portion of the proverbial national cake – with minimal exertion and at no cost.

    We used to be regarded as the promising youth, the gifted generation that would rescue Nigeria from the brink of irredeemable ruin. But that spell of hopefulness has dissipated now. Our “wasted” elders have seen through the swollen belly of our pride. They know we are increasingly handicapped by greed and lack of creed. By creed, I mean a coherent and specific set of goals, a consistent series of norms according to which society is to be remade.

    Since we have learnt to blame the ruling class for everything, what is it that we want from the ruling class? We don’t need their permission to make something of the world where they have failed but we still live our lives seeking their permission to evolve positively and mature.

    It takes courage and an enormous reserve of decency to evolve a humane ideology and establish it. We haven’t the courage and will, and this interferes with our ability to accomplish progressive change. More worrisome are our violent attempts to be radical; eventually they resonate too feebly as a kind of rudderless activism.

    We identify all that is wrong with our society but we are never specific about what must be done to correct them. It is relatively easy to join a picket line and tirelessly castigate our elders and ruling class for everything that is wrong with our lives but these actions, while they demonstrate frustration, in some instances even heroism, deal generally with symptoms of· our problems and not the solutions. All the picket lines in the world will not resolve ills of fraudulent and impatient youth, perverted values, greed, racism, disillusionment with study and substandard education.

    A broad wave of disillusionment and darkness persists above the silver linings we desperately wish to succeed our darksome clouds. Yet with precision and unfaltering devotion, we work ourselves up into such a state that we can only see the volcanic flare of our destructive acts as glitters of grandeur. We have perfected the art of standing on barrel-heads to spout and be seen, while we engage in pursuit and acquisition of mostly unearned wealth and greatness. Eventually, we luxuriate and spread out like a green forest with sour fruits and severed roots.

    Apparently, we suffer a throwback to the 70s – the era that launched a trend in which Nigerians became preoccupied with themselves more than the survival of the nation. Self preservation has become an inexorable obsession of many youths seeking to escape the slow, steady path with its craters of mishap and socio-economic vagaries. What Joshua Lubin identifies as the “Me” decade has indeed, recoiled inward rather than concern itself with crucial national issues, like national progress and ethical rebirth. Therefore, popular culture attracts dubious labels such as “narcissistic” and “decadent” from critics and the “wasted”older generation.

    The Nigerian youth has become so self-involved that almost every action and train of thought perpetuated by him serves as an instrumental resource to situate this generation in historical context, as perfect illustration of the much-hackneyed and over-exploited “Lost Generation.”

    Our inordinate quest for self-fulfillment further establishes us as the worst that could possibly happen to a heavily endowed nation like Nigeria.

    But we aren’t actually so bad. If we could look inwards to summon latent will and channel it towards the rejuvenation of outdated mores of morality and simple decencies, our lot might yet change, for better.

    It shouldn’t hurt to evolve faith and be steadfast in it. If we could discard our sentiments about the lifestyle of Tuface Idibia, we would find in the musician some worthy anecdote about the quality of faith. Tuface Idibia believed in his dream of stardom. And he relentlessly pursued it through the stark streets of Festac, the wilderness of hunger spasms and institutional adversities to become whoever he is and whatever he is today. If I had used Soyinka, or Late Babatunde Jose, many would claim they grew up when Nigeria neither smothered dreams nor murdered hope. Hence my choice of Idibia, the minion who managed to become a poster icon for generations of Nigeria’s music hopeful.

    Yet many would read this and consider it “Pollyannaish.” To this lot, any hearty lunge at hope or belief in a brighter tomorrow manifest as blind optimism and a pathetic attempt to be patriotic even while it’s absolutely idiotic to do so. They would love to see the nation ruin in order to justify their inordinate cynicism and yearnings about the pointlessness of the Nigerian dream. They continually affirm their ill will and prayers of doom for the nation by tirelessly projecting separation and insurmountable bleakness on the Nigerian state. Individually, their contribution towards nation building is virtually non-existent or abysmally low, they are amazingly adept at sowing seeds of doubt and disillusionment amongst their peer and younger generation. But they love to be seen as heroes of truth and the new world.

  • Presidency, Amaechi and the zero-sum game

    Presidency, Amaechi and the zero-sum game

    It was the late M.K.O Abiola, (may his soul find peace) who popularized the Yoruba saying about taking cover behind a solitary finger. Of course this saying exemplifies self-deceit of the most confounding type. There you are ducking behind one finger, knowing that the whole world can see you and the follies you indulge in yet you revel in the pretence that we cannot see you. The whole watching world cringes and suffer painful embarrassment on your behalf, yet you simply stoop there, behind one finger, perhaps stark-assed just doing your thing. It is a state of mind that must have severe psychological underpinnings.

    This is the picture that comes to mind as we watch the unfolding drama between the presidency and Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. It is without doubt, all about 2015 presidential election, it is all so obvious and apparent that even babies in diapers can see it. But the Presidency insists it is not, it lives in denial and tries to convince the rest of us that the new-found Amaechi-hounding is an aspect of its so-called Transition Agenda. And in what is clearly becoming a most undignified motor park brawl, is a zero-sum game. The Presidency seems to be stuck with the mindset that so long as this fellow, Amaechi remains standing, it cannot rise or achieve its desired objectives therefore Amaechi must fall.

    However, for fear of sounding like Amaechi’s advocate-in-chief, the Rivers State governor, it must be said, is not the problem of the Presidency; not by a long shot. True, the governor is not particularly an easy to like fellow. He is given to being brash and self-assured to the point of cockiness. He is not your diplomatic kind and over the years, he has proven to be a man with a mind of his own who can also stand his ground. Remember his public tiff with the wife of the president, Dame Goodluck Jonathan a few years back during his first term. During an inspection of the Port Harcourt dingy Waterside which Amaechi had proposed to bring down, Mrs. Jonathan had practically wrenched the microphone from the governor and reprimanded him to tread softly about demolishing the shanties right there before the television cameras, all and sundry. Of course Amaechi had gone on with his outlined programme as the elected governor of the state and naturally, to the chagrin of the Presidency.

    Since then, close watchers had noticed that there has not been love lost between the first family of Nigeria and the first family of Rivers State. The dam however bust when the first signals emerged that Governor Amaechi who is on his last term as governor, had presidential ambition. To drive home the message, soon enough, posters of Amaechi, appearing as presidential running mate to Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State. Lamido, considered one of the up-and-doing governors from the north combining with Amaechi, a much touted champion performer would unsettle any sitting president who still has an ambition to continue in the top job.

    Though Amaechi has denied that he had no such ambition but the fact of his denial can be said to be true to type for the Nigerian politician (they keep denying until “after a far-reaching consultation with their families, associates and the good people of their constituency who would insist that they are God-sent for the job.”) Since then, the line was drawn, so to speak, between Amaechi and the presidency. Amaechi also sat atop the all-powerful Nigerian Governor Forum (NGF) which could swing not a few important national decisions especially on the political realm. When Amaechi’s first term of two years as NGF chairman ended early in the year, the Presidency made its first decisive move against ‘enemy’ Amaechi by making sure he never returns. The move remains stalemated till date. Even the hurried formation of the ruling party’s own governors’ forum (which makes up the majority of governors in Nigeria) has not won the Presidency any silverware yet in the ‘war’ to oust Amaechi and claim the soul of Rivers State.

    As the day draws by, the Presidency gets frantic if not desperate, getting itself deeper and deeper into an affray most murky. Today the States party executive instigated to turn against the governor and its leader in the State and render him ineffectual and impotent. It has never happened before; it is just like the ruling party sidetracking the president, its very heart and leader at the centre. Can the tail wag the dog? As this move did not seem to work, another day breaks and the Task force (one wants to wager that there must be a Task Force to Rein in Amaechi sequestered somewhere ‘working’ frantically on this important national ‘project’) throws up the Rivers State government jet shenanigan. All of a sudden the big men’s private jets have become a matter for due process and all that jazz. I want to wager again that no big man’s jet in Nigeria can stand any thorough due process check: yes, from the Presidency to the men of God; hardly any of them craft can stand a serious scrutiny.

    Yet another gambit seems to corral the State House of Assembly to ‘putsch’ the governor out of office. When that one too collapsed around their bumbling ears, they seek to ostracise the pro-Amaechi honorable members which happen to be in the majority. Left with remnants that cannot constitute a majority, who can tell what the next move would be.

    Make a note of it, this fight will be like the fight of the eunuchs: long, bloody and sustained. The Jonathan’s Presidency has continued to pinion itself as unforgiving especially at the president’s home-front – ask Ibori, ask Timipreye Silva and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to some extent. How this particular sword fight will play out is uncertain but let us remind also that Amaechi is hard-headed, a dogged fighter, along distance runner and somewhat cerebral to boot. He has also not done badly in running the affairs of the state even though this column thinks he has not adopted the right template like most other Nigerian governors of today, but on a scale, he has been outstanding.

    While this fight simmers, Nigerian are the ones caught in the cross fire, picking up the stray bullets. Need it be repeated that Amaechi is not the problem of the Presidency. The presidency is simply a victim of its own inefficiency and inability to deliver on its election promises. We think that the Presidency can simple choose to ignore Amaechi and Rivers State to ‘death’, pull a few strategic triggers and have the entire citizenry campaigning for it. I think Nigerians wish for a Presidency that will simply see Amaechi as the distraction he truly is and face the crucial job at hand. Nigeria is in crisis, very deep crisis. If, therefore, a dozen Amaechi’s are brought to their knees or even put down, the president will not stand taller than he is. In fact, in the midst of all this, the president seems to grow smaller while Amaechi grows larger.

  • Oshiomhole and burden of leadership

    And they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”

    “And the people murmured against Moses….. and the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger”.

    The above explained the burden and challenge of leadership Moses faced in the course of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. It wasn’t an easy task. I am sure Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is presently in this quagmire. Like Moses, Oshiomhole is on my mind. A misunderstood activist, he is almost becoming a victim of his own creation – One Man, One Vote. A champion of the democratic struggles in Nigeria, a selfless labour leader who sacrificed personal comfort for the common good, he is now being derided over the recent local government election in Edo State.

    Like Moses led the children of Israel from bondage, so did Oshiomhole Edo people. He, with others struggled for a democracy that would guarantee Nigerians access to quality education, healthcare and good physical infrastructure. These heroes struggled for a country where every Nigerian would have legitimate means of livelihood. They fought for a country that would enhance the productive capacities of every Nigerian. They fought for a country where every Nigerian will live in dignity.

    Oshiomhole is one patriotic Nigerian struggling for a united Nigeria and a society where every vote will count. As a Governor, just as in labour unionism, he is still in the struggle for a society where the will of the people, not godfathers, would be the basis of governance. This is the nature of the society Oshiomhole is fighting for. And he hasn’t betrayed this trust.

    Beside Moses, Jesus Christ on my mind. He saved the world but the world rejected him. The world preferred Barabas. Needless to remind us of those miracles God wrought through Moses yet, they complained. Remember the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

    Isn’t this a resemblance of how Oshiomhole came to Edo politics to rescue us from the political bondage we found ourselves since 1999? And we believed him? And we thanked God? Can we deny this fact?

    There is no doubt he meant well for Edo people. He preached One Man, One Vote like a puritan politician. He cannot be governor and the same time be commissioner. He cannot be EDSIEC chairman neither can he pretend to be. He cannot sit in Osadebey Avenue and at the same time in Uromi for the election. He has told us time without number that he cannot rig election for anybody; what shall it profit him?

    And so, during and just after the local government elections, some elements best described as criminals, hijacked the political space. Edo State was in their hands before Oshiomhole came in. It was a state where poverty, inequality, under- and unemployment were on the increase. The majority of our youths and graduates were unemployed. But the situation, since Oshiomhole came on board, has since changed. They would be foolish, if they don’t fight back. And so, the opportunity presented itself; late arrival of electoral materials by EDSIEC- they seized it, cashed on it and politicized it.

    However, let me quickly remind us that we must not forget the general acknowledgement of the decline of education system in the state before Oshiomhole came. We also know that this decline was partly due to the neglect of the education sector by successive governments at the state and local government levels. And that these politicians who shouted hoax masterminded the coup against Edo people in the past. We must not forget so easily.

    Be it in terms of road infrastructure, Oshiomhole opened our eyes. We were in a parlous state but today, there is no local government that has not benefited from Oshiomhole’s road gesture. Some will argue, ‘it’s our collective patrimony’ but don’t forget that some diverted same to private pockets in the past and heavens didn’t fall.

    We now see extra lanes being constructed along Uselu, Ugbowo, New Benin, Airport Road, and Akpakpava road. We now see street lights in Ring Road, Sapele Road, Sokponba Road, Siloko Road and the magnificent glittering sight to behold in Five junction. We now see red roofs in our public schools across the 18 local government areas, water in difficult terrains and employment of jobless youths. We’ve not had it so good before and we must do everything possible to sustain this tempo.

    In Oshiomhole’s enlightened self interest, he freed the political space and brought governance down from its Olympian height to the ordinary people. Today, anybody can go to Edo State Government House, access the governor, the commissioners and even lead one man protest to Osadebey Avenue.

    Even Oshiomhole’s worst critics attest to the fact that we now have a purposeful and visionary leadership in the state. The governor is not oblivious of this fact that except good leadership, the political and economic leaders will be consumed by the rot they have created in the country.

    In effect, good governance and improved social and physical infrastructure as well as inclusive political participation, wealth creation and distribution and retooling of our educational facilities as well as conducting a free and fair local government elections are not only needed by Edo people, but some appreciating and encouraging minds can yield more of democratic dividends.

    Or else, our political Pharaohs will say of us, “they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in”. Lest we forget that it was also in this wilderness that the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. This is the burden of leadership and that’s why I sympathise with Oshiomhole.

     

    • Dr. Deacon Abulimen writes from Uromi, Edo State

  • Nigeria’s quest for drinkable water

    Nigeria’s quest for drinkable water

    ‘Water is the driving force in nature’
    – Leonardo da Vinci

    This week, I have found it irresistible to shun the lure of political discourse in preference for an area we have often ignored – happenings in our environment – at our collective peril. There is hardly any pointer to the fact that most governments are deeply concerned about our environment despite significant admonition signals from environmental disasters that have become a recurring decimal in countries around the world. In Japan, China, India, Afghanistan and others, earth tremors/quakes and other related disasters have become routine. While one is not praying for such misfortunes in the country, it is pertinent for our government at the federal and state levels to take proactive steps to prevent such catastrophes from happening in their domains in future.

    My fears for the country’s environment are not misplaced, and have indeed been reinforced by Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe, Minister of Water Resources. She raised the alarm last weekend on the peril posed by indiscriminate drilling of boreholes in the country. And in reiterating the obvious, she said such a habit could have shattering effects on our environment if not checked. The negative impacts of such a trend according to her, could result, now or in the foreseeable future, in over abstraction of ground water-which effects include salt intrusion, aquifer depletion and water quality degradation amongst other environmental hazards.

    The minister seems to know the panaceas when she said: “The need for proper and effective regulation of groundwater abstraction is of utmost importance. The public needs to be sensitised on this.” But it is doubtful if the federal government is doing anything to stop the habit in form of regulation or awareness campaigns. Obviously, this reality would not have officially become a public issue if not for the courtesy visit on the minister by members of the Association of Water Well Drilling Ring Owners and Practitioners in Abuja.

    It would not be inconsiderate to say that the states, and especially the federal government, are the worst culprits in this increasing land degrading attitude because of their tongue-in-cheek approach to environmental and water issues in the country. The truth is that the impact of the Ministry of Water Resources and even water corporations of most states in the nation, unlike in the past, is not being felt by inhabitants of this country despite the billions of naira officially budgeted and claimed to have been spent on potable water provisions. Where is free flow of drinkable water in most parts of Nigeria? The tradition of public water supply that used to be enjoyed by the citizenry until the mid-80s in major towns and cities has suddenly disappeared in states across the federation. It is, to say the least, unsettling and ridiculous, seeing states, and even federal government, sink boreholes and go ahead to shamelessly celebrate such with disturbing pomp and ceremony. And it is worrisome that no one seems perturbed by these curious happenings!

    Yet, water is so important to human existence. It remains a key component in determining the quality of lives of citizens of any nation. Those in the corridors of power could not claim ignorance of the fact that water is one of nature’s most important gifts from God to mankind. Human survival depends on drinkable water which is why people, anywhere, are concerned about the quality of water they drink. Water remains the most essential elements of good health because it is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food; it rids the body of wastes, it possibly remains one of the most noteworthy factors in weight loss; water can serve as appetite suppressant since it contains no calorie and thereby could help the body metabolize stored fat. It also serves as a natural air conditioning system. Water supplies oxygen and nutrients to body cells and helps to maintain proper muscle tone among other important functions. Why will serious governments that are genuinely interested in protecting lives of the citizenry, anywhere, not be committed to providing or fail to provide drinkable water in nooks and crannies of its corporate jurisdictions?

    Perhaps, it is sad to note that virtually all governments across the country have abandoned this responsibility of providing, in abundance, drinkable water for the citizens to enjoy for a healthy living. It has been scientifically proved that water covers over 70 per cent of the earth’s surface, but despite the fact that only one per cent of the earth’s water is available for drinking by human being, governments in responsible countries take provision of portable water as a serious matter. Why can’t Nigeria’s government?

    Government’s failure in this regard has compelled Nigerians to take the bull by the horns by forging ahead to provide water for their domestic needs. Ab initio, most households dig wells for their water needs but now, boreholes digging, perceived to be better that well’s water are in vogue. In the street where yours sincerely lives with less than 100 houses, close to a third of the houses there have boreholes dug for their personal domestic uses. Yet, a single standard borehole would have served the entire street or even more. This trend has become the norm in different parts of the country simply because governments are not doing enough to make public water system to work. Even if they failed to provide water, they ought to see the danger of indiscriminate digging of boreholes by every Tom, Dick and Harry and should have come up with legislations to moderate such menace.

    The chaotic boreholes are proved to be capable of causing earth tremor/quake. Also, since underground water is linked through percolation, the contamination in one borehole could lead to contamination of others in a particular area thereby causing devastating effects on the health of people within the vicinity. This would have defeated the purpose of providing drinkable water that is odourless and tasteless by individual households. Also, very few of borehole water are treated with chlorine that is meant to destroy disease-producing contaminants that are likely present in the water through contact with many different substances, including organic and inorganic matter and chemicals. Even the supposed public water system that is expected to provide clean, refreshing and healthier water wherever they exist could not be trusted in this regard.

    The continuing indiscriminate digging of boreholes does not guarantee clean and healthy water for the populace anymore. There should be preconditions and condition subsequent to be spelt out by government for digging of boreholes. The public are not aware of these conditions because our governments are not alert to their responsibilities. At any rate, if water is indeed considered by government as vital to human existence, quality water treatment solutions and facilities should be provided for free. The government should stop treating them as a luxury under the guise of scarcity of funds when corruption in corridors of power and other high places loom large. The president, through his minister of Water Resources, and state governors in the country, need a wake-up call in this regard and this piece should serve that essence!

  • My wife Abiodun in my thought

    It has been 10 years since the cold hands of death took my beloved wife away and there is no way life can be the same. Marriages are made in heaven; this from my experience is the truth. I met the young lady who later became my wife in a multitude of people at Apapa Port when I and other members of my family went to welcome one of my brothers who was returning from the United Kingdom in 1963. As soon as I saw Abiodun something told me she was going to be my wife. I was a very shy person when I was young and in my generation boys and girls were educated apart unlike what operates today. Most of us boys were indoctrinated to feel that it was unethical and a waste of precious time that should be devoted to our academic work for young boys in secondary school to begin to fantasise about girls. So young people in my generation were rather shy and uncomfortable with girls. Unless it was absolutely necessary we did not relate with people of the opposite sex and when we did, it was most of the time adversarial. We also felt that only bad boys had girlfriends at least at secondary school level and somehow most of my classmates in Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti who had girlfriends did not do well either because they wasted precious time writing love letters instead of studying or they were just not smart enough.

    So even as a university student and at 21, we were still quite shy and uncomfortable in the company of ladies. So when I met the young lady who was to be my wife, I had to summon up courage to approach her. Her initial response was to say no and to put obstacles in the way of the relationship but I knew she was going to be my wife and the Almighty approved and six years later I married her. She brought a lot of joy to my life and also gave me four children, three girls and a boy all doing well in the profession of Medicine, Engineering, Psychology and Banking.

    The purpose of marriage from my own experience is three fold namely for procreation, and without sex there can be no procreation and thirdly for companionship in that order. When one is old the children will go away and have their own families, the desire for sex will wane and what would be left is companionship. This is the divine order because when God created Eve, he told Adam that he was giving him a helpmate. A helpmate is also probably the same thing as a companion. Someone who complements another person is a helpmate. The bible also says that a man shall leave his family and shall be joined to his wife and both of them shall become one. When a man loses his wife or when a woman loses her husband, half of the person is gone and the one that is left is like an eagle that is flying with one wing. It will certainly not be able to fly high and it may not be able to feed itself; what it will be able to do is continue to soldier on. This is the nature of things. No couple no matter how much they love each other will pray that they should die together. But it is usually easier for the woman to survive the man than the other way round. Who can query God? God in His omnipotence does whatever He wants to do and His decision is final.

    It is very hard to live alone especially when you have lived with someone for over 30 years and it does not make sense to me to want to start all over again with another person. Somehow one gets used to loneliness and being alone. What has helped me all these years since my wife’s transition is to bury myself in my work. But then no one can work for 24 hours, one still has to go to bed and sleep at night and then it hits you when it seems you are holding somebody but then you wake up and there is nobody and it is just in your mind. There is immortality of the soul no doubt and one knows even if one is not a Christian that the soul never perishes. But as a Christian, I believe my wife is in another realm and that all the pains of this life can no longer touch her but she will always continue to live in her children and grandchildren and in the love that I had for her and I still have for her.

    Diamonds are forever and love is imperishable. There is a sobering thought in all these that all men and all women have their appointed time. My wife was only 54 years old when she passed on. The consolation is that she had accomplished her mission. She was an ordained Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and had founded two parishes one in Europe and one in Nigeria and she has been engaged in the labour of love for God and man and God never forgets and my prayer is that she will have her just reward before God Almighty.

    Life for me has been full of ups and downs since her demise, more downs than ups but I have kept on in spite of the vicissitude of life because I have faith that my mission on earth will be accomplished. This piece is written to solicit prayers by all those who read it and to give comfort to all those who may be in the same position with me that all will be well. If Biodun had lived, she would have been growing old gracefully along her grey headed husband sharing with me my ups and downs. Finding someone to share your inner feelings, fears and hopes of the future and your children and children’s future is the big absence in my life. But the memories of what we shared, the laughter and the joys of husband and wife would linger in my mind until the end and until the heavenly divide separating me and my wife is eventually lifted as it is the lot of all humanity. It is well.

  • Before police bungle Funsho Williams case

    Before police bungle Funsho Williams case

    The public outcry against his murder was awesome. The public was aghast that he could be killed right inside his bedroom with his police aides not too far away. Where were the policemen when their charge was killed? Were they in the know of the dastardly act? Who could have done it and why? These were some of the questions people asked. We also asked the same questions in this column on August 1, 2006, five days after Funsho Williams was killed in his Ikoyi, Lagos home.

    We warned then that the case should not be allowed to go the way of similar murders like those of Chief Bola Ige and Dele Giwa, to mention a few. Seven years down the line, what we are now hearing about the case from the police is not edifying at all. Despite our warning six years ago, the police may fail to bring the suspected killers to book, going by the latest development in their trial. On Monday, the police told Justice Adeniyi Adebajo of the Lagos High Court that some evidence vital to the prosecution of the case had been destroyed. How?

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ovie Oyokomino, who is in charge of forensics at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, told the court: ‘’The perishable evidence such as blood samples as well as the vitreous humour of the eye went bad due to interrupted power supply in the course of refrigerating’’. What a way of prosecuting a case. The police like every other establishment in this country know that we don’t have a reliable power system. This is why organisations rely on generators in carrying out their operations. So, the police should have looked for alternative means of preserving this vital evidence. Why rely on the unreliable public power system when they could have used generator 24/7 to preserve this proof?

    What the police have done shows that they are not serious about unmasking the killers. They are just paying lip-service to the matter so that the world will see them as working. For God sake, this is a murder case, which should be proved beyond all reasonable doubts. The police should not give room for any doubt, because any iota of doubt will be resolved in the favour of the accused. If tomorrow, the court frees the accused, we know who to hold responsible. As if we knew, we warned against toying with this case in this piece entitled : Who killed Funsho Williams? Seven years ago :

    The outrage against his assassination is understandable. In his lifetime, Funsho Williams, an engineer and politician, was a gentleman to the core. He was one of the few politicians around who played the game according to the rules: no hard tackles and no mudslinging. His disposition made many wonder what he was doing in the shark – infested pool of Nigeria politics. Williams was always cool, calm and calculated. Where many were losing their heads, he usually kept his. He was a perfect gentleman who gave a lie to the claim that politics is not for refined people.

    A well – heeled gentleman who reached the apogee of his career as permanent secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Works before he retired, Williams’ ambition was to govern the state. But each time he tried to achieve this dream, he failed. These failures did not deter him, rather they emboldened him to pursue his ambition with renewed vigour. His passion to govern the state of his origin knew no bounds. Williams was not ready to allow any other post stand between him and the office of governor. No other office mattered to him. Because of his passion for the gubernatorial seat, he rejected offers of senatorial seat and ministerial appointment. That was the extent of his love for the governorship post.

    As a patient person, Williams was ready to wait for God’s appointed time to be governor. This was why when he lost the governorship ticket of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 1999, he refused to accept any form of compensation when elders of the party locked both men up in a room and asked them to resolve their differences. Where some in his position would have come up with a long list of demands, Williams reportedly asked Tinubu for nothing. He was said to have maintained that the only thing he wanted was to become the governor of the state. When Tinubu reported the outcome of their meeting to AD elders, they advised that he should make some of Williams’ supporters commissioners. And this was how Dr. Leke Pitan and Mrs Kemi Nelson found their way into Tinubu’s cabinet.

    Another politician who benefited immensely from his relationship with Williams was former Works Minister, Mr Seye Ogunlewe. Williams had after losing to Tinubu been offered a senatorial seat. Expectedly, he turned it down and asked that Ogunlewe should take up the offer. In 2003 when he again lost to Tinubu in that year’s governorship election, Williams was offered ministerial appointment. Again and not quiet surprisingly, he rejected the offer.

    The lot again fell on Ogunlewe to pick up the job. Williams’ was not prepared to allow any other position distract him. Perhaps his dream might have come true in 2007. Nobody can say. Suffice to say now that this is not going to be as Williams was killed last Thursday in his Ikoyi, Lagos home.

    His assassination falls into the same pattern of killings that we have witnesssed in the country in the past five years. Bola Ige. Marshall Harry. Aminasoari Dikibo. Barnabas and Amaka Igwe. A common thread runs through the way these people were killed. Their killers finished them off and just vanished into thin air. Up till today, the killers remain at large and these assassinations remain unresolved. Will Williams’ case go the same way? The police are in a better position to answer this poser. This, however, should not be another unresolved murder case.

    The only honour we can do the memory of Williams is to find his killers and the earlier this is done the better. By October 19, this year, it will be 20 years that Dele Giwa was killed by parcel bomb and we are still asking: who killed Dele Giwa? We hope we will not be asking who killed Williams 20 years after?

    Jonathan vs governors

    May is going to be an interesting month. It is the month we have been waiting for to see how President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors will resolve their differences. Jonathan wants a change of guards at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. The president is not hiding the fact that he no longer wants Amaechi in the saddle.

    He has some governors with him, but they don’t have the number with which to achieve the president’s aim. Many of the governors are with Amaechi, at least, up to this moment. Amaechi enjoys the confidence of his colleagues, whether of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or of the opposition parties. For now, the president is finding it difficult to get all the governors, especially of the PDP on his side.

    The opposition governors have made it clear that they are for Amaechi, come what may. The president is not relenting. So, it is going to be battle royale if the NGF election holds. Will it hold or will Amaechi be allowed to serve a second term without standing for election just as his predecessor, former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki? Well, we wait to see what happens. Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu has given us an insight into what to expect.

    He was quoted by a paper as telling his colleagues who are backing the president to remove Amaechi that : ‘’Let me tell you, 10 of you, even 20 of you cannot remove Amaechi. Go and tell him’’. You and I know who the him is. It is no other person than the president. As the adage goes, if you wish to talk to the deaf, you do so through his child, just as Muazu has done in this instance. But will the governors walk the talk or will they chicken out when the chips are down?

  • A battle plan for 2015

    A battle plan for 2015

    Politics is in the air.

    Despite its resolve to address some topical issues – the Baga bloodshed, kidnapping of prominent citizens (for cash) and ordinary people (for rituals), armed robbery, unemployment and corruption as well as other ills that ail the nation – Editorial Notebook succumbs today to the pressure of politics. Why?

    There is a flood of inquiries on how to run and win the 2015 race. In particular, a fellow, who claims to be a close pal of a man who is an uncle to an aide of the Oga at the very top (pardon the colloquialism), has asked me to design a strategy that will guarantee the big man his party’s ticket and victory at the subsequent election. This, says the fellow, who pleaded that his identity should be shielded because of what he called the security implication of the matter, will end the incumbent’s hem and haw, giving him the confidence to proclaim his political future. Here is the handbook for electoral victory, which was compiled after a 12-month rigorous research. It is guaranteed to work.

    The first point is for you to admit that an election is a war. Tell your party chairman to mount a road show, highlighting this and rallying supporters. People will accuse you of beating the drums of war. Never mind. Isn’t that the reality? What else do you call a contest of daggers, axes, cutlasses, bullets and bombs?

    Remember, it is not enough to defeat the opponent; he must be crushed. Your statesmanship and magnanimity end when you have allowed others to run. That is democracy. Running, for you, is winning. Others can simply run.

    Many will grumble and accuse you of using state machinery to rig the election. They will threaten to go to court. Do not panic. It is normal here. It is their right, especially in these rule of law days. Ever seen an incumbent of your stature being asked to quit? Never.

    Keep shouting that you are yet to take a stand on your political future amid speculations that you are getting set to run. There will be posters of yours, smiling excitedly and waving like royalty, in some major cities; tell the world that you know nothing about them. They may not believe you, but that doesn’t matter. How many of our leaders do we believe? Warn that those behind the posters should stop their shenanigans and that you will brood no distraction because the execution of the present mandate is your priority.

    A few busybodies will even go to court to demand a pronouncement on your eligibility. Relax. These are party people goaded on by your genuine admirers who are trying to ensure that no legal obstacle is allowed on your path. Besides, should you care about such distractions?

    There will be so much noise in town about corruption. Many will shout that the menace has an official stamp and that the anti-graft agencies have fallen off. That is their opinion. Yours is clear: corruption is being fought as never before. In fact, you will say, when there are such protests, it is corruption that is fighting back.

    They, the uninformed critics that is, will cite some unproven cases, such as the one that fetched a civil servant a bench warrant the police chief had perfected a grand strategy to execute before a court of competent jurisdiction stepped in to stop the show. That official, who got away with a slap on the wrist after admitting to stealing billions of naira in pension cash, will also be cited. Fair enough. But the pertinent question is: Are you the judiciary? When will people learn to place their complaints in the right box? Why didn’t those crying now stop the thieves? Do not be distracted. Keep your eyes and mind on the goal.

    Look around for people who can drive your ambition. Unleash a flood of contracts. Roads. Canal dredging. Pipeline protection for ex-militants and loquacious ethnic militia chiefs. Some elderly critics, without any research whatsoever, will deride your action as mere chop chop. The euphemism is clear but it is not your business to reply to such distractions. Your goal is as clear as day. Develop a pertinacious resistance to such irritants.

    It is true that the electricity problem has assumed an emergency height, with artisans snoring away their days because they have nothing to power their machines. Factories spend a fortune on diesel to run their generators. Manufacturing is losing its attraction, unable to contribute to your genuine intention to create jobs for our teeming youths. Your opponents will latch on to these to lash you. Reporters will badger you about such problems. Do not fret. After all, all these were there before you came into office. No president or governor or council chief or traditional ruler or family head can solve all the problems in one term or in one fell swoop.

    Keep reminding the public – the listening public that is – that before the end of the year, there will be a surge in power generation to no less than 10,000 megawatts. The insincere ones will say: “All we’re saying is, give us light; we are tired of hearing about megawatts.” Ignorance. Anyway, you need to forge ahead. Such distractions are the hallmarks of a vibrant democracy, such as ours; the salt that enriches the system.

    There may be some uprising in some states. Boko Haram . Criminals posing as ex-militants. Kidnappers. Oil thieves. And so on. Plead with them to stop. Urge them to pull off their masks and show up for dialogue because yours is an administration that listens. There will be so much criticism of your style. Employ a carrot-and-stick approach, some will say. Others will counsel you to be decisive, send in the military and smash the insurgents.

    Be careful. You have a lot at stake. Should you decide to send in soldiers, know that they will raze the place. Children and women will die. Homes will be on fire. Bloodshed. The world will cry genocide. Do not panic. Tell the military to go in there and investigate. You will discover that the casualty figure has been ballooned. Stay firm. Remember, all that matters is your goal.

    In some states, there may be some suspicion between you and the governors. Never mind. Tell your strategists to set governors against one another. Encourage a new association of governors. Get a prominent politician – Abuja politician the opponents will derisively call him – to challenge such a stubborn governor. In no time – and thanks to our ever dutiful judiciary – a new party executive will rise. It is the new executive that will begin to dictate the pace of events, organise some lawmakers (no matter how few), import a mace and organise a sitting of the minority lawmakers to impeach the governor. Victory. At last.

    You can also use the OBJ formula; seize the state’s allocation. If it is an oil-producing state, especially one that may have been involved in a dispute with another, losing some oil blocks may not be a bad idea.

    As governors and politicians fly up and down, attending graduations and funerals and book presentations and weddings and chieftaincy ceremonies, they use such occasions to talk not just politics, but 2015. Direct the authorities to audit all private aircraft. Anyone without an updated paper should be grounded. No grace period. If you, despite the pressure, have refused to talk 2015, why must anybody do so?

    People will call you a dictator and label you an intolerant ruler. Those are the people who do not know you. Those who really know you are sure that you are no Nebuchadnezzar. Neither are you a Pharaoh. In any case, such distractions are to be expected as 2015 nears. What is important is that you keep your eyes on the ball.

    As success beckons, the opposition will gang up –again, this is to be expected – and form a party to fight you at the polls. Send confusion into their midst, erect an obstacle for them at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and ensure that a group of people with no visible political colouration comes up to claim the same name as the opposition’s new party. The thinking, you should realise, is snatch the name and kill the party. To a party, an unpopular name is like Barcelona without Messi; it won’t help.

    Amid the din, continue to shout that all you care about is service delivery. Keep your joker close to your chest as your opponents exhaust themselves. Remember, 2015 is a marathon.

    All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording, photocopying or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner, Editorial Notebook. You have been warned.

  • Reflections on OATUU @ 40

    Yesterday was May-Day. It offered an opportunity to assess the working and living conditions of the working people globally. But also importantly, on the occassion, we are encouraged to critically examine the performance of trade unions, organisations formed by workers with the main aim of ensuring dignity of labour at national and global level. Organisation of African Trades Union Unity (OATUU) is a pan-African organisation of African workers. The inaugural congress of OATUU held in Addis Ababa in April, 1973 under the auspices of the OAU and chaired by Nigeria’s diplomat Peter Onu. Delegates were drawn from 31 countries in the continent including Nigeria. OATUU’s formation was a product of legitimate ideological contestations as well as cooperation between African trade unionists dating back to 1940s. The premier continental labour movement, marked its 40th anniversary recently .

    The formation of OATUU brought to the fore the significance of trade unions in Africa. In contemporary Africa, some anti-democratic governmnents take delight in keeping labour at arms length and even dare to undermine unions as a whole. For instance, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) executive was illegally dissolved by Nigerian military dictatorships in 1988 and 1994 for resisting arbitrary fuel price increases and for demanding democratization. Just last year, in Swaziland, the only national trade union centre was outlawed by government for demanding for multi-party democracy. Africa history however reveals different dispositions of post-colonial African governmnents towards trade unions. Irrespective of their ideological persuations, Africa’s founding fathers (and mothers too!) appreciated the role of labour in anti-colonial struggles. They saw unions as valued patners in post-colonial development agenda.

    Remarkably too, scores of nationalists and patriots who fought for independence were tested trade unionists in their own rights. Notable historic figures included late Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea, a trade unionist turned a political activist. He singularly mobilized the Guinean people for independence and terminated French colonialism in 1958 in a French Referendum. That was a heroic feat given that the likes of the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Ivory Coast voted for continued French rule. The late President Julius Nyerere and former President Kenneth Kaunda, were all unionists who fought against British colonialism in Tanzania and Zambia respectively. Late Tom Mboya led Kenyan Trade Union Movement but was also in the fore front of the struggle for Kenya’s independence. Late President Modibo Keita of Mali, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Hamani Diori, the founding President of Niger, late Nnamdi Azikwe, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mallam Aminu Kano and of course, late Pa Micheal Imoudu were all union organisers who brought to bear their respective trade unions skills in contestation and negotiation to lower the British Union Jack. Even in later day liberated territories of Nambia and South Africa, trade unions were the touch bearers in the battle for freedom.

    In recognition of the historic positive roles of African Trade Unions in 1973, OAU enouraged and consumated the formation of the OATUU. The government of Osagyfo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was even exceptionally appreciative by building a six-storey-building, “Hall of Trade Unions” for the Ghana Trades Union Congress. It is not by accident that OATUU has it’s secretariat in Accra until recently headed by Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu, the founding President of NIgeria Labour Congress, NLC.

    The selling point of OATUU is the unity of Africa’s trade union centres. African workers had always desired a continental organization as countervailing force to governments and employers who were equally organised at continental levels taking decisions that impact often negatively on jobs, wages and pensions among others. Trade unions were not immune from the ideological divisions of the Cold war era. Indeed they were ideologically opposed into the defunct All-African Trade Union Federation (AATUF), the African Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), and Pan-African Workers’ Congress. OATUU is an offshot of these centres.

    Sadly none offered discernable perspectives on OATUU at 40. Not long ago, African media uncritically downloaded the mantra according to President Barack Obama: Africa needs strong institutions not strong men. How can we build strong institutions in Africa, when we even lack knowledge of our institutions? OATUU with its secretariat in Accra (interestingly where the American President delivered his sermon in 2009) had been a strong and tested institution with committed selfless working men that included, Denis Akumu of Central Organisation of Trade Unions COTU (K) in Kenya, Hassan Summonu of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) among others.

    OATUU, despite challenges of governance (military dictatorships in many countries until the latest democratization) and unfavourable economic climate (SAP) had made positive impact on the lives of African working men and women. Proudly African, it has helped affliates ( South Sudan reportedly being the newest 55th member) to build capacity, especially in economic literacy. We must credit OATUU and other progressive organisations with the African debt cancellations and debts write-offs at the turn of the century. As far back as late 80s, at a time it was fashionable for SAP imposed military regimes to outdo each other in slavish diligent repayments of dubious debts (even as they denied minimum wages and employment at home!) to it’s credit, OATUU, called and pressured for the unconditional and total cancellation of Africa’s debt. It has also been counted on the labour market institution building in the continent. OATUU played a decisive role in the transfromation of hitherto top-down OAU Conference of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs into a more participatory present day tripartite OAU/AU Labour and Social Affairs Commission. Structural Adjustment programmes (SAPs) of the 80s collapsed due to the great struggles of OATUU’s aflliates notably NLC of Nigeria and TUC of Ghana. In particular NLC since 1988 had been resisting incessant fuel prices increases and leading “SAP riots” even at the risk of the illegal dissolutions of it’s executive twice under IBB and Abacha dictatorships.

    With the support of the Chinese, OATUU has also built a Labour College in Ghana. Many would question the independence of OATUU if African workers and governments cannot build it’s infrastructure. If OATUU’s affliate unions independently built their offices, why not OATUU? There must certainly have been some disconnect!

    OATUU should avoid the pitfall of the dependency mentality of African leaders who preside over capital flight and corruption in the continent yet still rely on the Chinese government to rebuild AU secretariat in Addis Ababa. Let’s us copy the OAU founding fathers who, based on self-reliance, built the old scretariat on African resources. Let’s us copy not ape China. Cooperation and partnership, not servitude! In the next 40 years, OATUU must consolidate on unity of actions in defence of rights of African workers. OATUU must also deepen it’s internal democracy. It’s last Congress in Algiers recently was more of hear say and murmurs compared to the open democratic contestations and participation that characterised the election of Comrade Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu in late 80s. OATUU that was loud in the struggle for enthronement of democracy in the continent must reduce it’s own internal democracy deficits. Brinkmanship, alien to trade union movement, must give way to comradeship and continental solidarity. Long Live OATUU!

    • Comrade Aremu, is Vice President and Chairman, International Committee of NLC

     

  • Amaechi and PDP’s fad for private jets

    Amaechi and PDP’s fad for private jets

    Owning private jets have become a fad among PDP governors who have access to free state money and their rich friends in the oil and financial sectors. The only thing that has changed in the 13 years of PDP administration is our new status as the third or fourth nation with highest number of private jet owners in the world. Our record as a nation where about 80% of the citizens live below two dollars a day remains unchanged.

    The curious thing however is that neither the presidency, said to control between 9 and 11 aircrafts in its presidential fleet, nor government body such as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been able to tell us the exact number of private jets owned or operating in Nigeria.

    Forbes publication for instance claims the figure of privately owned jets jumped from 20 in 2007 to 150 in 2012. The Guardian, on its part, quoting a top official of the NCAA claims that the ‘ownership of the state-of-the-art jets in Nigeria had grown to over 200 in 2012 from 50 in 2008’. The figures of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, (NIESV), a body that insisted it is trained to assess properties, agrees with that of The Guardian.

    But as far as the NCAA is concerned, there are only 10 private jets registered in Nigeria. According to Sam Adurogboye, the body’s spokesperson, all others including the Canadian-made Bombardier jet with US registration number N431CB, a gift to Ayo Oritsejafor, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), are not owned by Nigerians because ‘they carry foreign registration credentials rather than Nigerian registration’.

    The only fact not in dispute however is the claim by Bombardier, the

    Canadian aircraft manufacturer that Nigeria ranks behind the United States, United Kingdom, and China among countries that top their orders for the supply of its aircraft type.

    Tragically, the concern of ACN that has been behaving like a mourner who weep louder than the bereaved has been to defend Rotimi Amaechi.

    First we are told, as if we didn’t know, that the grounding of his private aircraft by NCAA was “a glaring case of political witch-hunt”. Amaechi as a PDP star does not need Lai Mohammed or any outsider to tell him the consequences of anyone crossing the path of President Jonathan.

    Amaechi as a veteran of many PDP family wars, starting with Obasanjo who insisted he was then not a PDP material for governorship, the verbal battle with inpatient Patience Jonathan over his demolition of houses for schools in Okirika, the Rivers and Bayelsa battle over disputed oil fields, and the ongoing battle of wits between him and the presidency over the chairmanship of the governor’s forum, knows his enemies.

    Those who are setting him up against an unforgiving President Jonathan by attempting to sell his record of performance in power generation, infrastructural development and security in his state are only going to increase Amaechi’s nightmare. Such achievements count for very little among PDP leaders where ex-PDP governors who stole their states blind moved on to become senators, member of kitchen cabinet of a new president or received state pardon after an indictment by the judiciary.

    In any case, Ahmed Gulak, the president’s adviser on political matters has summarised the PDP government position on one of its stars: “If you are a governor and you are flying a private jet, you must do it within the extant laws. There are laws governing the usage of private jets in this country and the world over and because you are a governor does not give you the license to flout the laws governing your country”.

    I don’t think anyone should pick a quarrel with the presidency for saying ‘no governor is above the law’. Jonathan has after all, not said PDP governors and individuals including obstructive journalists cannot fly their private jets. I think it would have been more helpful if ACN had merely appealed to the presidency and PDP to live by their precepts.

    But I think the Amaechi case has thrown up a more fundamental issue that should be of concern to Nigerians. This is why those defending him should look beyond personality and focus on what has become a national malaise. It is bad enough we have some Nigerians who acquired their private jets by exploiting government weak institutions, some ‘self proclaiming’ prosperity prophets who buy theirs through exploitation of fears of their congregation and through sales of grace to fraudsters, but it is a national embarrassment when there is no one to call to order our elected political leaders who junket around the nation while those they were elected to serve wallow in poverty.

    It is therefore a disservice to the nation for anyone attempting to separate Amaechi, a man who in spite of his disagreement with his PDP family shares the same PDP predilection of freely spending the taxpayer’s money as if they are answerable to none.

    It is on record that Rivers State owns an AW139 helicopter, which it leased to a commercial airliner. It is also on record that Rivers State sold its Embraer Legacy 600, claiming it was too expensive to maintain. It has also been said that Rivers State government last year sold its Dash 8-Q200 aircraft to Cross River State for $6 million which the later then leased to Aero Contractors to undertake commercial flights to and from Obudu airstrip. It was also reported by the authoritative Guardian on October 7, 2012 that Amaechi acquired a brand new Bombardier Global 5000 (N565RS) from Bombardier Canada for $45.7 million (N7.3 Billion) through the Bank of Utah Trustee account.

    Defenders of Governor Amaechi should tell Nigerians what the poor people of Rivers State who coughed out N7.3b benefited from his last flight to Akure before being caught up in PDP family war often fought over sharing of posts and spoils of office. Perhaps they should also tell us the immediate benefits of the poor people of Taraba where Suntai Danbaba’s near suicide left five other Nigerians dead. The flight that led to the crash of a Nigeria Navy executive Augusta 109E helicopter, which killed Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa, former NSA Andrew Owoye Azazi and four others, was not undertaken to better the lives of the poor who live on polluted waters of the Niger creeks or the people of Kaduna confronted at all times by religious and political strife arising from economic deprivations. Like Amaechi’s last flight in his state-of-the-art jet, it was undertaken to join presidential aide Oronto Douglas, a mere presidential aide who was burying his father. It is an embarrassment that while leaders of advanced economies use commercial flights for their official engagements, huge resources needed for development are tied up by PDP stars like Amaechi, Danbaba and their tribe joined by even fraudsters who clog our air space with private jets. Our greatest tragedy is that we have no leadership that can call them to order by leading by example.

    In this regard, a cursory survey of the list of private jet owners as published by the authoritative Forbes will show very clearly that PDP has failed our nation. We have on the list some indicted by the House committee probe on privatization The report which recommended that some privatized firms fraudulently bought by these con men be returned to the state was buried by PDP and the presidency. On the list also are some of those involved in fuel importation scam that in a sane society should be in jail Both the Farouk and Ribadu committee recommendations were rubbished The favoured Aig Imokhuede’s report has been sabotaged by the presidency, PDP and the judiciary. And featured prominently on the list are also some merchants of ‘grace for sale’ patronized by fuel and financial fraudsters.

     

  • What will our non-children inherit from us in Nigeria? NTA Nigeria Map again! ExxonMobil/malaria

    What will our non-children inherit from us in Nigeria? NTA Nigeria Map again! ExxonMobil/malaria

    Can we think for a moment about what our ‘non-children’, the rest of Nigerians, will inherit from us, as people and government in Nigeria? We inherited powerful images of ‘life after colonialism’ from our Independence parents dancing around a flagpole with descending British and rising Nigerian flags. At the Governor’s Mansion, in 1962 as a Boy Scout I served medi medior hors d’oeuvres to retiring colonialists and budding Nigerian-ists. Those images turned into schools without books, taps without water, switches without power, police with blood stained corrupt checkpoints, elections without votes, education without scholarships and finally the fear factor. A parent even in a village is mindful of the inheritance laws and what will be left to the children –farmland, a hut, a house, trinkets and beads, clothes.

    What is the splendid legacy we shall leave for all the wealth and good weather God has endowed us with? When you visit countries across the world, the citizens are at pains to point out public and private buildings, monuments to great thoughts, ideas and events. Often they were built ‘before our time’ like the Pyramids and the Sphinx, The Taj Mahal, The Houses of Parliament, the Red Fort, the Kremlin, the Forbidden City, The Tower of London, The Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall, the castles and fortresses, the great Cathedrals and Mosques and Temples and mansions. These were built for war, peace, love and hate and many were built under ‘extreme anti-human rights conditions’ with slaves and slave trade profits.

    Many others have been built ‘in our time’: The Eiffel Tower, The Burj Khalifa Building, The Gherkin, the Great Bridges, The Three Gorges Dam, and the Sydney Opera House. These have been built for development. Though not always owned by government, governments take ownership to showcase their primary place ‘all the world is a stage’. It is these magnificent structures which make the countries a focus of eyes. Did I forget the White House? Of course not! Everyone knows the White House. None of these buildings is a white elephant. And in Nigeria what will we leave our non-children? The CBN building in Abuja, The Villa or that boat-shaped building in Abuja, so far from the ocean? Or Jos and Boko Haram corpses? A negative budget, a huge debt and many thieves loaded with Nigeria’s naira?

    Na wa O! NTA on Sunday 28-4-2013 News at 9, at 9 .03pm, put out a map of Nigeria without the Rivers Niger or Benue showing. Perhaps NTA has withdrawn the previous adulterated maps while awaiting authentic space age NigSAT 2 infrared maps? Good, but this confirms the magomago going on by ‘some people’ with the map of Nigeria in the national media, a media paid for by the taxes of all Nigerians, North and South of the aforementioned rivers. The result of this ‘Geo-investigation’ should be publicised. The ‘some people’ found responsible for trying to alter the course of history and the topography of Nigerian geography should be brought to book before Nigeria is irreversibly changed or actually disappears as a country! It seems ‘some people’ and their backers are praying for Lagos and all states south of ‘The Rivers’ to disappear under an as-yet imaginary tsunami from the Bight of Benin. Imagine crossing the Onitsha Bridge and finding no land South except the Atlantic Sea. That would be the fate of Nigerians if ‘some people’ had their way! We no go gree O!

    Not everyone who declares ‘I love you’ wants you to live or actually ‘loves you’. I tell my female patients to look in a mirror and realise that the person in the mirror is the only one who has their genuine maternity interests at heart. So their being neglected, beaten, deprived of ante-natal care or good delivery facilities is manifestation of a warped an useless ‘love from their husband’. No one can love them more than themselves. No one can love you more than yourself. Nigerians should each look in a mirror, before it is too late!

    Is Exxon Mobil’s publicity campaign in the newspapers ‘fair to all concerned’? It admits to just $15m spent ‘over 10 years to malaria prevention in Nigeria’. Hurray, I suppose! Some companies do nothing, so ‘doing a little’ is ariwoable,abi? Ariwoable means noisemaking-able. You may think that $15m over 10 years is a lot, worthy a national honour for the Managing Director or Chairman because ‘money talks’. It is actually just $1.5m a year or N2.2b or one tenth of the money stolen from the Police Pension Fund. It is only $4109.5/day or 41 barrels/day at $100/barrel. Wow!!!! Check how much averagely ExxonValdes, I mean ExxonMobil, landed daily during that time out of the two million barrels/day produced in Nigeria. The ExxonMobil campaign was through adverts across newspapers, each costing probably over N150,000 and in total perhaps N1.5-N2million plus. Small, abi? It is unfortunate that in all that advert space, there was not a single instruction to the thousands of readers on malaria prevention tips or strategies.

    If Exxon Mobil had put out such a malaria prevention ‘life skill message’ in the adverts and included a comment on ExxonMobil’s contribution, it would have been wonderful, cost-effective, use of money, space, and attention span and saved lives. This advert should have been a dual message, the primary advert about ExxonMobil’s contribution and the secondary message – ‘Be Warned’ anti-malaria strategies. Yet another wasted opportunity.