The Nation Newspaper

Category: Columnists

  • Terrorism, politics  and the law

    The  bombing of a church in a military barrack in Kaduna in Nigeria and the placement of a bounty of 50m naira   by the army on leaders of the terrorist group Boko Haram highlight  Nigeria’s  intractable and messy problem with terrorism. Unlike Nigeria, however Egypt faces a new problem from the use and misuse  of power from its new president  Mohammed Morsi,  who recently issued presidential orders granting him powers that are not challengeable in any court in Egypt.

    In Nigeria   again ,in a strange concoction of politics and finance,  the nation’s Central Bank Governor Lamido  Sanusi,  the Champion of Islamic banking in Nigeria  asked the Federal government   to  sack 50%  of its civil servants because  it is spending 70%  of its revenue on paying the salaries  of   these  civil servants .In  far away New  York , the UN Secretary General  Ban Ki Moon asked the UN Security Council to approve the sending of an ECOWAS force to Mali to rescue that nation from invaders both Tuaregs and religious militants  but asked the UN body not to provide the funds said to be worth  $50m.

    The issues highlighted above raise issues of terrorism, authoritarianism, economic planning and finan ce;  national, regional and global stability – and I intend to highlight these issues in that light and context today. Let me stress that it will  require a huge   balancing act to do this and it is in that regard that I will make reference  to an article by Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyii  titled – ‘A  Sense  of Balance ‘   in The Economist which stressed  that both peoples  and nations will need to balance their acts to make the world a peaceful place to live in.

    In  that fine article Suu Kyii noted that the end of authoritarianism is not synonymous with the end of dissent or the  demise  of fundamentalism. The  power  impasse  in Egypt is a clear  vindication of that. Dissent she said should be channeled towards   concensus  and compromise  while she stressed that fundamentalism,  which can be volatile in times of change and uncertainty,  is   in reality  the natural enemy of balance .Suu Kyii  identified terrorists as those people lacking in self-respect who are incapable of compassion and restraint when they have an opportunity to deal with those who  they  think put them in a state of incapacity to attain what they perceive as their deserved niche. Such people who lack self respect are incapable of respecting others. The terrorist mentality she   concluded  is spawned by intellectual and social influences that  widen to an extreme  ‘the gap‘ between the terrorist and others   –  and this destroys the essential balance that promotes a common bond of humanity.

    It  is in the light of the wisdom of this  Burmese    Nobel  laureate that I take on the issues raised first on terrorism in Nigeria and the resurgence of authoritarianism in Egypt in the wake  of President Mohammed Morsi’s surprising and bold move to concentrate power in his hands. In  Nigeria,  terrorism  unfortunately is waxing stronger as terrorists  recently  week  bombed the headquarters of the special police unit in Abuja    where terrorists  were  being kept,  and some were said to have escaped. There have been reports that some suspected terrorists were found round the State House in Ekiti  State while Members of the National Assembly are  said  to be apprehensive that the Assembly could be the target of Boko Haram terrorists.

     It  is my considered view  that no government should allow terrorists to operate with such impunity as this weakens respect for constituted authority  and casts aspersion on the sovereignty of the state. It  is ironically to protect such sovereignty that President Mohammed Morsi   in Egypt seized the powers of the courts and decreed they  could not be used to challenge him in his bid to control law and order in Egypt.

    In Nigeria’s case it is apparent that the state is lax in tackling insecurity and terrorism for reasons best known to the authorities.  But  human lives should not be treated with  levity and nonchalance  by the rest of us because we have not had any  relatives killed yet  by terrorists. It is dehumanizing to see churches bombed on a weekly basis while Christians elsewhere  and   those  not directly involved just pause for a moment and move on while the state wrings its hands in futile admonitions and does nothing to deter the terrorist against the next attack. In Egypt where there is no such terror as in Nigeria, President Morsi has seized power ostensibly to forestall such state impotence in the face of expected terror.

    Morsi  is acting proactively  in anticipation of  spurious litigations that could hamstring the state – even though his anticipation and actions  are  decidedly undemocratic. The  difference between the Nigerian and Egyptian situation is that the party  of President Morsi, the Islamic Brotherhood is a Fundamentalist Party and secular Egyptians are afraid that  Morsi and his party will use the power  he has seized to introduce Sharia  Law  in Egypt,  to the detriment of opposition parties  and other religions in Egypt. Whereas in Nigeria the terrorist is rampant and running amok as it were.

    Yet,  there is still some caution and restraint in the way the stakeholders  and  politicians in  the Egyptian state deal with each other. When the demonstrations against  Morsi started, the Muslim Brotherhood  planned its own counter one for   the next week. But it cancelled this to avert bloodshed when it saw the turn out  of opposition  demonstrators  at Tahrir Square against the president’s usurpation of the power  of the Egyptian Courts. This  week the demonstrators in their thousands have piched camp  in front of the Presidential palace in Cairo.

    Unfortunately,  Such restraint is barren in the way Boko Haram bombs Churches,  killing and maiming   Christians and passers by in Nigeria. Worse still the business as usual stance of the security forces as well   as the ‘not my turn yet‘  attitude of the rest of us has  portrayed  Nigeria  as a nation of people thick skinned  to murder and mayhem in their midst. Which simply means that human life is cheap here as in the Hobbessian theory that says that in a state of terror, where  might is right,  human life is violent, brutish and short. Surely that is a sad and unfortunate image for any nation  not enmeshed in America’s war on terror like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq,   nations   where most unfortunately, suicide bombing has made a mockery  of the sanctity of human lives.   Again, it is in that  light that I  consider the call   by the CBN governor to sack half the work force of our civil service as well as the  posture  of the UN not being ready to spend money on rescuing Mali. The  CBN governor’s call reminds one of ‘the shoot the messenger‘ syndrome while the UN uncharacteristic  frugality on Mali’s survival reminds one of the   proverbial  cat that would eat fish without getting its paws wet.

    What  the CBN governor has said is the correct thing for any government spending 70%  of its revenue on salaries to do, but even he knows that no  politician   or  government in Nigeria will do that and survive. Even the host governor at the venue where the CBN delivered his   stricture said it was not possible. So  the CBN governor was just barking at the moon even though every one knows that sacking of civil servants was never part of his schedule of duties and that makes the civil servants happy as they plan his downfall in the full Nigerian retaliatory syndrome. Anyway,  the CBN governor is as impervious to criticism as the politicians in the way he carried through his Islamic Banking  agenda  which is in tune with his Master’s degree in Islamic studies  from the University of Khartoum.  Really what is good for the  goose should be good for the gander.

    Lastly,  Ban Ki Moon has shown that he or the UN does not understand the gravity of the situation in Mali. ECOWAS  states alone cannot fund the reclamation of Northern Mali because they all have financial problems of their own. They  mostly rely on Nigeria   as the Father Xmas  of such military adventures. But Nigeria has problems of its own such as the one pointed out by the CBN governor, the oil subsidy theft, the huge allowances of its legislators as well as the fight against Boko Haram to which huge funds have been committed.

    The UN should not turn the proposed Mali ECOWAS force  into another laughing stock like  the  blue beret UN Congo troops who stood by and watched unconcerned as M23 rebels seized the town of Goma  from government forces  in the  DRC recently. Mali  is a member state of the UN that is in trouble because of regional problems stemming from the growth of militancy and fundamentalism on the northern part of all ECOWAS states and needs help,  especially the financial type to maintain its stability and sovereignty.

    If Mali falls there will be a wrong signal to militants  in the Sahel  that  they can simulate the situation in  Mali  in any state in ECOWAS . That  is one message that is lost to the  UN Scribe  for  now  .  Not  funding the military rescue of Mali can be counter productive and very costly for the UN in the short run not to talk of in the long. A  word is enough for the wise.

  • Samson Siasia’s pains

    Samson Siasia’s pains

    Samson Siasia is an interesting character. He sees things from his cocoon. He doesn’t think others’ views count. Things must be done his way; otherwise, nothing works. He knows it all, making it imperative to ask if he truly needs any employment.

     It’s over one year since Siasia lost the Super Eagles job and he has been very inconsistent in his comments. He threatened to challenge his removal in court but wisely did a recant which many people, including this writer, applauded as a sign of maturity.

     Since that rethink, Siasia has gone about his pet project of identifying future players from the grassroots – this is his area of strength and this writer was impressed, given his feats in the age-grade category that in the past was riddled with age-cheats.

     Since Siasia’s sack from the Eagles job, this writer has met him twice. He was cajoled to take pictures with me during the MTN Football Hub in Lagos last year and I wasn’t surprised. Yet, Siasia showed maturity when he said that all that transpired between us was in the course of doing our jobs. I was impressed. I shook hands with him. While taking the photographs with Siasia, his face didn’t light up. He still had pains; rightly so.

     The second meeting was in Abuja this year. We greeted and walked our different ways. Yet one was marvelled at the fact that he came to the Nigeria National League finals. Indeed, I gathered that he was in Abuja, training young lads. I asked The Nation and SportingLife’s correspondents to track what he was doing and send the reports for publication.

     I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised last Sunday when I read Siasia’s potshots against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the manner of his sack. Not again, was my first response. I wanted to push the report aside. But an inner voice urged me to read it dispassionately. I did and the same voice challenged me to appeal to him to forget the past.

     Siasia is entitled to his views. It appears to me too that each time he throws this salvo; it helps him reduce the pains inside him. I sympathise with him. His sack truncated a promising career. But he should also understand that coaching is about hiring and firing, especially when the results go awry as in his case.

     Siasia should take a cue from what happened to Chelsea’s Roberto d’ Matteo, who won the UEFA Champions League trophy for the Blues, yet was sacked with ignominy because of the team’s poor results, in spite of the fact that they were third in the Barclays English Premier League table, then had a mathematical chance of remaining in the UEFA Champions League, among other competitions ahead of the season.

     There has been global condemnation over Matteo’s sack. Chelsea fans still carry placards voicing their rage. They boo the new man, Rafa Benitez, all through their matches.

     Matteo has not said a word against Chelsea’s owner; nor has he granted any interview to lament his situation. Instead, he has moved on, leaving the club’s supporters to fight his battle. Chelsea is out of the UEFA Champions League, a fate which many have ascribed to retributive justice. Yet Matteo is better off for it. His silence is golden. Need I remind Siasia of the shabby treatment meted out to Jose Mourinho at Chelsea for not winning the UEFA Champions League? He left quietly to lead Inter Milan to lift the UEFA Champions League, the Portuguese’s second as a coach, ahead of the English side, which did theirs last year.

     I urge Siaisa to emulate Matteo since he has age on his side. Shuaibu Amodu said worse things when former Sports Minister Jim Nwobodo sacked him. Indeed, Amodu’s wife granted interviews in which she advocated for foreign sports minister as the panacea for change since Nwobodo preferred a foreign coach to her husband.

     Amodu returned to coach the Super Eagles after a brief stint with Orlando Pirates in South Africa. Again, he was sacked after Nigeria’s qualification for the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup. He made another appearance and Nigeria qualified for her second World Cup appearance, but Amodu didn’t sit on the bench to reap the fruits of his labour.

    levity after the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup. But he moved on. He still accepted to serve in the NFF’s Technical Committee on patriotic grounds. That is the spirit that Siasia should imbibe, more so when his feats at the 2005 U-20 World Youth Championship (WYC) in Holland and at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games still serve as benchmarks to gauge the rise and fall of the beautiful game here.

    The lesson to learn from Amodu’s experience is that time is the healer of all wounds. Siasia should accept all the mistakes he made as a manager and which include the flaws in the contract, which he now feels tied his hands to the advantage of his former employers. What Siasia should do is to get an expert to prepare his contract.

    Secondly, he should never enter into any agreement without a lawyer. He fell into the trap because he was excited and thought that the voice of Nigerians was the immunity he needed to keep his job, irrespective of the results. He has learnt the hard way. It was bound to happen with the Nigerian fan, who is a bad loser.

    Siasia couldn’t manage the Eagles’ big boys. He allowed the Nigerians’ cry to instill discipline in the team get into his head and abandoned the carrot and stick approach. He ought to have known that as a coach, he is judged not by what he says or/and how well he prepares the players for matches, but by the outcome of games.

    He had issues with key members of the team. There was a mutiny. This writer is convinced, even though without sufficient evidence, that Siasia was sabotaged by the players for a breath of fresh air.

    It would interest Siasia to know that Stephen Keshi learnt from his mistakes in instilling discipline in the Eagles. Managing players is an attribute, not a way of life. It is the key to success. If the players are aggrieved, they will ease off the coach. They are like the proverbial “barracks that is static while the coaches come and go”.

    One needs to tell Siasia that part of the lessons he should take from his sack is the need to accept responsibility for his team’s poor showing. He got it wrong each time he blamed the players for poor results only to take the credit whenever the team won. Of course, the coach who picked them for matches that they won did so for those that they lost.

    To err, they say, is human, but to forgive is divine. Siasia should learn to forgive people. It was his albatross as the Super Eagles coach. If he truly forgave those players who crossed his path, he would still be the Super Eagles’ coach. Good luck, Siasia.

     Thank you, The Nation and SportingLife readers

    Last week Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos, I was decorated as the Best Sports Editor of the Year by Hally Sports International, the business and sports conglomerate. It was a well attended ceremony.

    I never knew I would be adjudged as the best. I went there with an open mind and was prepared to celebrate any winner since our two titles The Nation and Sportinglife are seemingly new in the market.

    When my name was announced, I was transfixed. I summoned courage to rise to my feet to receive the award.

    But the award is not mine; it is yours, readers of The Nation and Sportinglife. I promise on behalf of my colleagues on the sports desk to continue to dish out interesting stories to satisfy your yearnings.

    Like I told everyone in the hall last Saturday, I promise to be back to pick more laurels next year, after satisfying our readers with the best of sports.

    Thank you, dear readers, for having faith in The Nation and Sportinglife. Cheers!

  • Iran versus the West

    Iran versus the West

    No sensible educated person will ever limit his life to a permanent habitat; to keep moving and migrating from place to place is the secret of human progress”

    Going by the above quoted poem rendered by an Arab poet, ‘The Message’ today chooses to migrate from the insanity of Nigeria’s political and religious rigmarole to the global political tempest if only for a change. After all, elasticity has its own limit. And by so doing, some relief might come to readers of this column about the economic heat being heartlessly generated by the so-called rulers of this country. Recently, Al-Jazeera Television Cable Network throbbed with breaking news, saying that a United States military aircraft strayed into the airspace of Iran and the latter promptly responded by shooting it down. Iran announced another of the like just three days ago. This disturbing development has further aggravated the tension between both countries which started in 1979 with the Iranian revolution that uprooted the country’s imperial despotism which had caged the citizens for decades. In reaction, the US authorities explained that the destination of the shot aircraft was Afghanistan but its pilots lost control and strayed into Iranian territory. Shortly before that incident, Some Iranian students had besieged the British Embassy in Tehran protesting the meddling of David Cameron’s government in the internal affairs of Iran. And in retaliation, Britain quickly evacuated her diplomats in Iran and sent the latter’s diplomats in London packing despite Iran’s regret over those students’ action. To further complicate the matter, the French government also issued a 48 hour ultimatum to Iranian Embassy to quit France. This was done in solidarity with Britain in the spirit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Things have since moved so fast that it now becomes difficult to predict what will happen next. Most diplomatic observers saw similarity between these developments and the unexpected occurrences of the early 20th century that precipitated both World War I and World War II. Their fear is a possible reoccurrence of those wars. Retrospectively, the genesis of the faceoff between the West and Iran took roots in the latter’s unexpected revolution of 1979 which shut the door against the West’s economic exploitation of her people. It was 33 years last February, since Iran jumped to the world stage with a surprising revolution. February 11, 1979 was the precise climax of a struggle, in that country, which began in 1963 between the oppressed people seeking independence from the shackles of imperialism and the implacable oppressors wanting to keep that country’s innocent peasants in perpetual subservience. The success of that revolution has since changed the grand design of the Western powers for the Muslim world.

    That grand design was first expressed in 1902 by a British Prime Minister, Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman when he observed as follows: “There are people who control spacious territories teeming with manifest and hidden resources. They dominate the intersections of world routes. Their lands were the cradles of human civilisations and religions. These people have one faith, one language and the same aspirations. No natural barriers can isolate them from one another….If, per chance, these people were to be unified into one state it would then take the fate of the world into its hands and separate Europe from the rest of the world. Taking these considerations seriously, a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never- ending wars. It could also serve as a spring board for the West to gain its coveted objects”. Sir Bannerman’s observation was in further pursuit of an earlier demand by Theodor Herzl, a leader of the Zionist movement founded in 1879. Herzl, an Austrian Jewish lawyer and journalist demanded thus: “Let sovereignty be granted us (Jews) over a portion of the globe large enough to satisfy the rightful requirements of a nation; the rest, we shall manage for ourselves…”In response to that clandestine demand, another British Prime Minister, James Arthur Balfour issued a devastating declaration that now bears his name conceded a major part of Palestine to the Zionists as a home has since put the Middle East in an incessant turmoil read thus in part: “His majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use its best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this objective…. The rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country shall not be prejudiced by the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” To facilitate that objective effectively, some other Middle East countries had to be incapacitated economically and politically by excising from them, a juicy chunk of their lands. Thus, Lebanon was excised from Syria and Kuwait from Iraq. The strategy was to cause a dissention among the citizens of those Countries with the intention of breaking the yoke of the Muslim unity which Bannerman had targeted in his infamous observation quoted above. How does Iran come into this picture when she is not an Arab Country? That is the logical question anybody would who is not quite familiar with the Middle East and the intricacies of its political and economic set up would ask. Naturally, Iran is affected by three major factors: Politics, economy and culture. And by culture here, we mean ISLAM. Iran is a foremost Islamic Country even if her official language is not Arabic. And, as an Islamic Country, whatever affects other Muslim Countries must affect her. The case of Turkey is a good example. Turkey was though not an Arab country she was nevertheless the seat of the Islamic Caliphate until 1924 when a diabolical agent of the West came on stage as Head of State. His name was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk; a man who wanted to prove to the West that it was possible for a non-Catholic to be “Holier than the Pope” especially when it came to adopting the so-called Western Civilisation. On March 3, 1924, just one year after assuming office as the ruler of Turkey, Ataturk introduced a bill to the Turkish Parliament seeking to secularise his country by abolishing the office of the caliph without any consideration for the feelings and sensitivity of the people he ruled. Presenting the bill, Ataturk said: “Ottoman Empire was built and existed on the principle of Islam. Islam is Arabic in character and in concept. It shapes from birth to death, the lives of its adherents; it stifles hope and initiative. The Republic (of Turkey) is threatened by the continued existence of Islam in its midst….”With the passage of that bill, Turkey was recognised as a secular state. Politics was separated from religion and Islam was relegated to a personal matter rather than the state religion that it was before then. The caliphate was abolished and Islamic law was abrogated. Ataturk borrowed the new Turkish civil law from Switzerland, the criminal law from Italy and the international law of trade from Germany. The Muslim personal law was harmonised with the European civil law. Religious instruction in public schools was prohibited. Purdah system was abolished and declared illegal. Co-education was introduced to schools. The use of Arabic alphabets was prohibited and replaced by the Latin Script. Adhan (the call to prayer) was no longer to be made in Arabic but in Turkish language while the national costume was changed to that of the Europeans even as the wearing of hat was made compulsory. What Ataturk did not do was to abrogate the tenets of Islam completely. Thus, by one man’s whim, Turkey lost her values and heritage of centuries in a bid to adopt the so-called ‘modernity’ brought by ‘Western civilisation’. One can imagine what Islam would have become today if countries like Iran, Indonesia and Pakistan had adopted the same misfortune. It was this same situation that prompted the late Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatullah Ruhullah Mousavi Khomeini to embark on the liberation struggle in 1963 that culminated in a successful revolution in 1979. Unlike Ataturk, however, Imam Khomeini knew that the greatest virtue that could be lost in the life of man was culture. He knew that without a clear-cut culture man couldn’t be better than a beast. He knew that such values as law, education and religion, which guide man in his peregrinations on earth, are the attributes of culture. He knew that a nation, which surrenders its culture and adopts that of another nation, has enslaved herself permanently to the caprice of the latter nation. Thus, Khomeini saw Islam, (the culture of over one billion Muslims in the world at that time), as the target of the Western imperialists, which needed defence and protection. No one believed in 1979 that a mass protest which started like a small political billow, engendered by the country’s unarmed Mullahs could eventually grow into such a great magnitude of political ‘earthquake’. By the time the foggy dust finally settled, a new Iran had emerged from the debris of the old. Against the wish and expectation of the capitalist West, the secular, monarchical Iran became an Islamic republic. The drama was quite electric. Characteristic of the West, all hands were put on deck, at that time, to ensure that an Islamic republic did not succeed the tyrannical monarchy headed by the Shah Pahlavi, heavily backed up by the oppressive West. America was most active in that ambitious but vain effort. She would not easily allow the massive benefit she had been enjoying for decades in that oil-rich country, under the Shah regime, to slip out of her hands just like that. Thus, under the pretext of wanting to rescue her citizens from the siege laid by Iranian students on that country’s embassy, in Tehran, the US attempted an invasion of the country. The espionage activities by the American diplomats, inside that embassy, against the new Islamic government in Iran had warranted the siege. While a number of US F15 bomber jets were approaching Iran, President Jimmy Carter engaged his country’s press in a chart without giving any hint of the impending military operation in Iran. The tactics was to divert the attention of the press and that of the country from the illegal Pentagon’s military expedition. But no sane person can ever fault the contents of the Qur’an. More than 1,400 years before that incident, a verse of the Qur’an had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) thus: “They (the unbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed. Allah is the supreme schemer”. Q. 3:54. Jimmy Carter’s thought was that by the time he would be finishing his press address, the news would have reached him that America had successfully invaded Iran. He had therefore intended to announce the news of his ‘great’ successful scheme to the press as the epilogue of his address. And that would have served as his impetus for wining that year’s election for a second term in office. But, as Allah would have it, instead of the expected news, what he got was a shocker of his life. Two of the F15 fighters deployed for the operation miraculously collided in the air just at the point of entering Iran crashing with their contents, and consuming the lives of 16 top air force officers while the other jet fighters had to turn back having run into confusion. When this devastating news reached Carter, it was too much to hide and it quickly became a public knowledge. Thus, the mighty America failed woefully, with her technology, in circumstances she has never been able to analyze and explain convincingly. With that scheme, it became obvious that Jimmy Carter of the Democrat Party had dug his own political grave. Of course, he lost the election to the cowboy turned Politician, (Ronald Reagan) of the Republican Party. For about 444 days (well over a year), the 52 American hostages remained under the siege of the Iranian students. It took high-level diplomacy, through third party countries, to get them released. Yet, America was not done. She went ahead to freeze Iran’s foreign reserve of $80 billion in addition to imposition of economic sanctions with the intention of running that country’s economy aground. The only Iran’s offence in this case was to chart an independent political course that could liberate her citizens from the manacles of the Western imperialism. Ever since, the relationship between America and Iran has remained icy. That relationship however, further deteriorated recently when Iran started a nuclear project with which to prop up her economy. America responded with a threat saying the United States would not tolerate any nuclear project in Iran because she could not trust that Islamic nation. And of course, America’s voice was re-echoed by the United Nations, through the mouth of the latter’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon. Only a fool will not know that the UN, as presently constituted, is the greyhound of the US through which the latter barks randomly at the rest of the world. But for the recent Iraqi episode that became regrettable for the self-appointed policeman of the world, and of course, the North Korean case, which has become a cancerous sore on the head of the US, another Gulf war would have either ensued or been in plan by now. The secret of America’s military successes in various parts of the world is neither in technological advancement, nor military superiority per se. The failed rescue mission in Iran can confirm this. That secret is rather in her ability to cause schism among some other nations and races. Iran has never been a prey to America’s direct military aggression, even when the Shah Pahlavi was in power, because she has never played a fool dancing to the sour music of that predatory country in a seeming open market.Now, with the threat of invasion of Iran by Israel on the one hand and economic and political sanctions against her by the Western the NATO allies on the other, will history repeat itself? One fact has become clear about the US political trend ever since that country withdrew from her self-isolationism in 1945. Her internal politics has been regularly dictated by her foreign policy. Thus, many American Presidents have won or lost elections at home due to the foreign policy of the concerned President. Will this also repeat itself? The days ahead will answer this fundamental question as events continue to unfold even as the ongoing crisis between Israel and Palestine also remains a cog in the wheel of global peace. But with the objection by China and Russia to any economic sanctions against Iran, the US and her allies will have to watch their steps carefully especially with respect to any planned invasion of Iran before embarking on a military action. Iran is neither Iraq nor Afghanistan. The world cannot afford another World War now. No one should attempt to plunge it into one. A word is enough for the wise.

     

  • Revolutionary Rascals (4)

    Hell is, charting the future by you and me. Together, we personify the lot that we seek in leadership and then, an aberration of it. Such bleakness and hope should never subsist in a nation’s youth, it would seem. But it does and we have ourselves to blame. ‘Ourselves,’ being the mass of cocky, impotent breed constituting Nigeria’s youth.

    Men like the ruling class we have now thrive by the cowardliness of youth like you and me. We own their meal tickets and the least they could do by us is to treat us with appreciable tact and respect but they don’t because they know that we are undeserving of certain human courtesies like, accountability and deference.

    Yet, to all the monstrosity they affect, we could only sit back and curse the times. This business of cursing the times has gotten old, hasn’t it? It’s time we shed the walnut of the crinkled shell. We have got more serious work to do. But for all the courses we have set adrift, nobody offers direction, all we have are self-righteous louts and purveyors of morals that have learnt to asphyxiate moral, where integrity silences to double-speak.

    All we do is quote dead men of note and recycle wisdom spent in their years of birth. All we do is tout sophistry and over-tasked arguments because it is politically correct to do so. Virulent rant, cynicism and condemnations on social media networks and news pages are hardly the solutions that we need.

    Social media activists and company will do Nigeria a lot of good if they could mature beyond impotent rant and activism on Facebook. So would every other individual qualified to be addressed as a vestige of Nigeria’s dying future and youth.

    I do not despise their lot for having found cause to ventilate their anger and discontent with the status quo; I only pick issues with their lot for perpetually engaging in a never ending duel with themselves and their shadows. It’s somewhat incestuous, brassy and all that vainness, all that cowardice will ever be.

    Facebook, Twitter activists and company should never let so much luster, brilliance and fury go to waste. Anybody could lampoon the ruling class via bitter and condescending vitriol posted as status update on the over-glorified Facebook wall. It takes courage and amazing degree of firmness to marry profitable action to rhetoric.

    If we truly intend to make our lives fruitful, to ourselves and the generation next, we should begin to see in imagination, the things that might be, and the way in which they are to be brought into existence. We should stop squandering time and passion defending and lamenting unjust privileges enjoyed by the ruling class. We should begin to aim at making the world less cruel, less full of conflict between rival greed, and more full of humane elements whose growth has not been dwarfed and stunted by oppression.

    A life lived in this spirit—the spirit that aims at creating rather than possessing—has a certain fundamental single-mindedness and purpose, of which it cannot be wholly robbed by adverse tyranny and circumstances.

    If we could summon the courage and the vision to live in this way, there will be no need for the regeneration of our fatherland into fragmentary parts by political reform or bloodbath; all that is needed in the way of reform shall come automatically, owing to the moral regeneration of youths.

    Let us begin at the grassroots. Let us begin to court the segments of society we would rather not be caught courting. Let us begin to include the “despicable area boy,” “irascible market woman of the metropolitan market and the sidewalk” in our march for freedom.

    Let us begin to value the insolence of the enfant terrible police officer, disgruntled teacher, directionless undergraduate, campus cultist cum political assassin, and respond to it in plan. Let us begin to value the inputs of these human integers that we have learnt to disregard and smother in our march for freedom.

    The evils of power in the present system are vastly greater than is necessary, but they shan’t diminish by any suitable form of activism save our concerted effort to do the hackneyed in ways it has never been done before. No bloody revolution will serve our cause; the ballot remains our next best alternative as usual.

    It’s about time we stopped speaking with divided voices. It’s about time we freed our kind from the leash of the predatory ruling class. I speak of that great bulk, not only of the very poor, but, of all sections of wage-earners and even of the professional classes, that are the slaves of the need for getting money.

    Almost all are compelled to work so hard and covet hand-downs from the predatory ruling class that they dare not aspire to that unimpeachable standard of morality that has as its main objective, freedom and attainment of the common good.

    If we could induce every Nigerian in his youth to desire his own happiness more than another’s pain; if we could be induced to work constructively for improvements which we could share with the entire world, the whole system by which our nation diminishes might be reformed root and branch within a generation.

    Let us begin to build that proverbial bulwark of citizenship whose ideal of patriotism is held untainted by wantonness, ill-bliss and the temptations of power. Let us not be daunted by the prevalence of socio-political unrest and ineptitude in governance. And let our passion not be overcome by the emergence of narcissists and corruption of broadly cultured men.

    We could start by becoming the stalwarts they never want us to become. We could start by exciting dormant will to pulsate where ambition joins with hope to perpetuate, for the love of the good, our common good.

    Let us begin that assemblage of writers, artists, students, lecturers, free readers, thugs, social commentators, militants and labour groups that we love to espouse and yet shy to perpetuate.

    We are done with impotent saw; let us begin to match our threats with action. Let us begin the movement by which we would reclaim our destinies, and will, from the grasp of the lot in whose clasp we asphyxiate.

    If we could so successfully network in thousands and tens of thousands on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter et al; if we could so painstakingly network to dance (SalsaNaija), see movies (S.H.A.R.E Monday movies) to mention a few; how can we not congregate to salvage our lives from machinations of men bereft of heart, and honour?

    We are done quoting Awolowo, Azikiwe, Bello, Voltaire, Bonaparte, Fawehinmi and others. Let us not mock humanity excited by men channeling peace in quilted sleep. Let us begin to propagate such deeds that would become incense for poetry, and history that elevates.

    The odds are great but we who have learnt to navigate the worst of mine-fields with determination and grace should learn to exterminate the ogres that maul our lives to pieces. It’s about time we formed a party of the people, for the people, by the youth.

    • To be continued…

  • OUK-TA tango and Igbo leadership

    OUK-TA tango and Igbo leadership

    Nigeria’s politics of today bears the ugly pockmarks of god-father/god-son feuds. Our political arena is littered with small men who happen upon (read hijack) high offices which only confer on them, a certain notoriety that some of them mistake for greatness. Where are our statesmen; our titans, our men of timber caliber? Where are the new Nnamdi Azikiwes, Michael Okparas, Akanu Ibiams, Alvan Ikokus, Alex Ekwuemes, Sam Mbakwes, Ezekiel Izuogus? Where are our men of stature? Or is Igbo land suffering from a sort of terminal leadership disease, something like Igbolaria? It is true that Igbo abhor monarchy (Igbo enwe eze) but have we grown so regicidal that true leadership can no longer thrive on Igbo soil?

    OUK diminution This swoosh of questions have been triggered by the running tiff between the former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) and his successor and current man-in-the-saddle, Chief T.A. Orji (TA). The story of the twain and the ascension of the latter to Abia State government house are well known to most enlightened Nigerians. OUK had held sway in Abia for eight years from 1999 to 2007. Being quite young at the time he mounted the stool, it was an era that cannot readily be remembered for much of vision or landmarks. It was an era defined by youthfulness of the most exuberant kind and remarkable for its extreme personality cult and a near seamless meshing of family business and the State’s.

    If the lack of vision, rigor and administrative acumen of OUK’s era can be forgiven, how is one to explain his profligacy in frittering away an important political foot hold gained in the politically famished Southeast zone. At the end of his tenure, OUK had ditched the vehicle of his ascension to office – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), floating a new party (Progressive Peoples Alliance) PPA. Providence is sure kind to OUK. He got the opportunity to lead Ndigbo on a platter with PPA winning two states in the Southeast. His contemporary, Senator Bola Tinubu had half that chance in the Southwest initially, with just one State. He took his chance and today, Tinubu is not only the dominant factor in Southwest politics, he is a force not to be ignored in Nigeria’s political configuration today.

    The retooling of TA

    Since the loss of his ‘paradise’, OUK has continued to run from pillar to post seeking relevance and accommodation in the PDP he jettisoned and cursed. Twice he had tried to return to his PDP vomit and twice they would not let him taste even his mess. How callous can politics be? He has been gobbling up humble pie in the last few years and as we all know, that is not the best pie in the world, it tastes like muck. OUK’s desperation to crawl back into PDP conjures the picture of a landlord who sold his mansion and seeks to rent a room in it. What does that betoken? Where is the character? Where are the principles that inspire followership?

    TA is at the vanguard of shutting out OUK from the PDP. Rightly so. Self-preservation remains the first rule of life isn’t it? OUK would do exactly the same to TA, if not worse if the positions are reversed. But the issues go beyond the current skirmishes; it is about leadership, strategic thinking, elevated statecraft, group survival, quiet strengths that derive from knowledge, rigor and communion with the divine. OUK will have to come to terms, sooner than later, with the fact that he is not a leader in the classic sense of it and that he is not going to morph into one tomorrow. Yes, he is a very clever fellow; yes, he may have the touch of Midas and yes, he knows how to get the result he wants out of life by any means possible but LEADERSHIP, the type that is spelt with capital letters, is made of finer stuff.

    Besides, it might just serve OUK better if he allows his protégé some breathing space. In Nigeria’s politics, there are only god-fathers and god-slaves. There are usually no godsons in the true sense of the word. And a god-slave is never allowed to grow up to the father or for that matter, to grow up at all. Such was the relationship between OUK and TA.

    Having worked as chief of staff to OUK for eight years, carrying the cans and covering his behind and even getting incarcerated for it, TA must have been found loyal enough and worthy enough to take over as governor. But he was never good enough to be left alone to run the state. For four years – from 2007 to 2011, the well known OUK dynasty still held sway in Abia. In essence, OUK and his family can be said to have ruled Abia state for 12 years. Without seeming to hold brief for TA, his first four years was like living in bondage; he was in office but OUK and family was in power. TA was a mere stringed marionette dressed like a governor.

    It must have taken a whale of courage, a dose of wisdom and serpentine guile for TA to extricate himself from the vice grip of OUK and family and to ‘liberate’ the State as Abians like to say. TA has only come into his own in the few months of his second term and he has acquitted himself pretty well since then. Apart from the non-indigene civil servants palaver, TA is gradually emerging as the Igbo leader to watch. One is not surprised. Humble, mature, temperate, non-overbearing, all these are attributes that come from sound education (Holy Ghost College, Owerri and University of Ibadan), grooming and a solid track record of work (Imo and Abia States Civil Service). There are few Igbo leaders today who combine all these qualities.

    Shall we say that TA has the game to win or lose? All he needs do is to raise his game by way of more performance, identify and reach out to worthy Igbo sons and daughters across the zone, hone his strategies for delivering collective good and keep an eye on the big picture. He just needs to stay the course, the people ultimately know who their true leaders are. They sure can tell the desperadoes apart from the genuine; the impostors and self-seekers from the real men. We have to begin to rethink and reconfigure Igbo leadership.

    Don’t kill Capital Oil &Gas

    There seems to be a grand conspiracy to ruin Capital Oil &Gas Industries owned by a certain young man, Ifeanyi Ubah. From the indefinite shut down of its vast facilities for nearly one month now, there is only one deduction to be made. Ubah was first detained for alleged involvement in subsidy scam. When that did not seem to hold water, it became loan default. The Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) was drafted into the plot. But a million questions beg for answer in this matter: is Ubah the biggest debtor on AMCON’s list? Has AMCON not given bigger waivers to other well known businessmen? Has Ubah repudiated his debt to warrant the invasion of his facilities? Is it not true that Ubah has the biggest fuel distribution facilities in the country today which is a going concern that can pay back its debts if given time? For transparency sake, we challenge AMCON to publish all loans, waivers and assets of all debtors for Nigerian to judge. In an industry where some people are ranked the richest in the world without a visible office, Ubah should be encouraged for adding value and employing thousands of people. He should not be victimized.

  • Moving Oke-Ogun forward

    Moving Oke-Ogun forward

    As the good people of Oke-Ogun assemble this week-end in the historic town of Tede, I am sure that they understand very well the task of development that stares them in the face and they are determined to move forward with an agenda that privileges the strength of the collective efforts of all.

    There is no denying the truth of the good old axiom that there is enormous strength in unity. Unfortunately, as is the case with the larger Yoruba nation, the all important requirement of unity has been an elusive goal of Oke-Ogun community. All is not lost, though. For it is also very true, as the history of nations makes it clear to us, progress or development has never been achieved on the basis of a hundred percent participation of members. Indeed, a minority of selflessly dedicated citizens and leaders have led the development efforts in the majority of historical cases.

    In the matter of the plight of the communities, including the ten local governments that make up Oke-Ogun, it is an understatement to suggest that there is much work to be done. With poverty on the increase and spreading, everything else follows on the road to decline. Health is an easy prey to the scourge of poverty, and we are seeing an alarming rise in the morbidity and mortality rate among young folks. If it took a statewide free health clinic for many of our people to discover the near-death nature of their bodily conditions, it is not a surprise that we have recorded such a large number of untimely and unexpected deaths in recent years.

    The statistics are far from heart-warming. The response, however, cannot be a mournful resignation to despair. What is needed is a renewed determination to move forward with thought leaders stepping up to the task of generating innovative ideas that challenge preconceived opinions and lethargic thinking.

    Since what ails Oke-Ogun is integral to what ails the nation at large, it stands to reason to stand back a little and reflect on these common ailments. Of course, it is not an original idea to suggest that politics tops the list since the political system is the all-embracing and all-devouring leviathan of our time. If we play the game right, politics should leverage our aspirations and achievements in other areas. For one thing, by ensuring the security of life and limb, we should enjoy the peace of mind to pursue our individual dreams. By providing the public goods that no individual can provide for himself or herself (e.g. good roads) economic activities are boosted for all. If government, whether local, regional, or national, is unable to deliver on these matters, then citizens are in jeopardy of unfulfilled aspirations.

    In the case of Oke-Ogun, there is a double jeopardy. Without the advantage of early recognition and attention during the prosperous times of our national economic advancement, our various communities lived with derelict roads and poor infrastructure for a long time. And second, when the national economy tanked, these same communities bore the brunt of the collapse.

    A glaring if embarrassing illustration of the pathetic condition referenced in the last paragraph is the Ikere Gorge Dam project. Initiated by the Obasanjo military administration prior to its handing over in 1979, the project was inaugurated in 1982 by the Shagari administration. The multi-billion naira 700 million cubic water dam project was designed to provide electric power, irrigate farmlands, and provide portable water for the entire Oke-Ogun communities and beyond. Former President Shagari did not complete the project before he was ousted and the military administrations that followed did not care much about it. The civil administration of President Obasanjo apparently had too much on its agenda to take notice of such an “obscure” project. The consequence is that the dam site is now a safe haven for reptiles. But it is worse. For there is a genuine threat of a tsunami-like flooding of Oke-Ogun should a breach of the levee occur.

    I have not brought this matter up to apportion blame. Rather, the question on my mind is a simple one. If the national government is too far from our corner of the nation to the extent that it has no qualm abandoning a project that is meant to improve the lives of the people, what is the story about our local governments? For Ikere Gorge dam, there is plenty of blame to go round. Where should the blame go for the supply of basic material needs in our local elementary schools, local dispensaries, and for the construction and maintenance of our local roads?

    Local governments have responsibilities assigned to them by the constitution. This is one of the most encouraging aspects of the constitution—that the welfare of the local people is placed in the hands of local leaders. And it is the tragedy of our clime that the sacred expectation of the constitution has not been fully realised in this matter. I do not want to be misunderstood. A good number of local politicians are above board. But there are many that understand their mission in ways that suggest that the people are expendable. There are rumours about the practice of sharing local government allocations by local government chairmen and councilors. How much of this is true and what are community leaders doing about it?

    For thought leaders, traditional rulers, business men and women from Oke-Ogun, there is a need for community forums where the plight of the people and the responsibility of local government are addressed with the sacred authority of the community brought to bear on the decisions taken. Local governments are peopled by local community members. The power that they exercise is from the community. A servant is not greater than the master or mistress. As servant leaders, they are answerable to the community. Should the community, in a non-partisan forum, express its disapproval of the actions or inactions of particular local leaders, such disapproval cannot but be taken seriously.

    Every local community has a community organisation. These organisations have functioned effectively in raising awareness and promoting development. That was until the politics of party affiliation severed the ties that bind extended families of a community. Interestingly, this is one dilemma that only Oke-Ogun people have resolved against their larger interests. In other communities, blood brothers and sisters not only belong to rival political parties; they also hold political offices as senators, ministers or commissioners. Oke-Ogun indigenes have the distinction of elevating party loyalty over and above family loyalty. And when families are split on account of party loyalty, family affairs invariably suffer irreparable damage. In such cases, we are justified to judge such loyalty as blind and unhelpful. There must be a reconciliation of differences such that politics serves the needs of the community and the people. This is how to move Oke-Ogun forward. I extend to all delegates very best wishes for a successful convention

  • The growing discontent with public corruption

    The growing discontent with public corruption

    One of the major sources of discontent and outrage in Nigeria today is the widespread and growing public corruption in the country. Many high profile public figures, including about a dozen federal ministers, and several former governors, are under investigation by the EFFC, the anti-graft federal agency, for alleged financial crimes. The former Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, and his deputy, Mr. Usman Nafada, have been arraigned in an Abuja High Court on multiple charges of financial impropriety, ranging from the award of inflated contracts, in breach of the Procurement Act, to borrowing money illegally from a commercial bank to fund unauthorised and outrageous increases in the allowances of the members of the House. The total sum involved in the charges is about N42 billion. This was done despite the public complaint of the Governor of the CBN that payments to members of the National Assembly constituted over 25 per cent of the recurrent budget of the Federal Government. Bankole and his deputy are now on bail and have both denied any wrongdoing in the matter. We must presume they are innocent until the court determines otherwise.

    The case has fuelled widespread discontent and cynicism about financial probity in public expenditure in Nigeria. Last week, it was reported in some local newspapers that former President Obasanjo had declared flatly at a meeting of the ILO in Geneva that, since he left office, public corruption had grown worse and that he did not think President Jonathan, his former protégé, was capable of dealing with the monster. It would have been better if that damaging criticism, from a former president, had been made at home, rather than abroad where it received wide publicity. It was President Obasanjo who had set up the EFFC and the ICPC to fight public corruption. It had appeared that some progress was being made initially in the fight against corruption. Two presidents of the Senate and a Speaker of the House of Representatives had been removed for fraud. But he was himself so overwhelmed by the large scale fraud in the public sector, involving some of his aides and close political associates that he virtually gave up on his fight against public corruption. His unconstitutional and unsuccessful bid for a third term, in which bribes were openly and freely used, also undermined his credibility and commitment to the fight against corruption. His own daughter, former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo Bello, now being considered for appointment as a federal minister, is believed to have been implicated in some financial scam in the Federal Ministry of Health where funds intended for official use were simply diverted into private pockets. The scandal was swept quickly under the carpet. It was never brought to a conclusion by the EFFC. Many of Obasanjo’s critics thought him to be rather selective in determining those who were to be probed.

    It is a matter for deep regret that many senior officials and public servants get away with their loot without the government being able to do much about it. In some cases, such as the Siemens affair, or the Tarfa Balogun affair, the government accepted plea bargaining to let the culprits off the hook. Some Nigerian lawyers have expressed serious doubts that plea bargaining has any place in Nigeria’s legal system. But this despicable tactic has become the trend now among major public figures being charged for fraud to avoid their prosecution in the courts. Far too many culprits are being treated with kid gloves instead of being made to bite the bullet if found guilty of financial impropriety. And once the dam broke it was inevitable that financial scams would continue to flourish in the country. It is significant that in the campaign before the 2011 elections corruption did not feature as a major issue. The candidates were too afraid to speak openly about it. Most of them had soiled their hands.

    The grave concern about public corruption is not confined to the country. Our major trading partners and potential foreign investors are just as concerned. Nigeria’s financing gap, currently estimated at over $40billion annually, is large and still increasing. We will need to continue borrowing abroad for the foreseeable future. But we are accumulating foreign debt all of which might not have been necessary if we had managed our economy and finances with greater probity. When President Obama met recently with President Jonathan in Washington he expressed grave concern about corruption in Nigeria. Most foreign observers doubt whether our leaders are really committed to fighting corruption vigorously and courageously. In fact, the perception of foreigners who wish to invest or do business in Nigeria is that it is impossible to do good business in the country without getting involved in the prevailing public corruption. Foreign reporting about Nigeria has been generally negative and has centred largely on the mass public corruption in the country with many of these reports placing Nigeria in the bottom league of corrupt countries.

    I recall how in 1981, thirty years ago, at a meeting in Harvard of American and Nigerian businessmen, which included Chief Ernest Shonekan, then Chairman of UAC, the late Chief Jerome Udoji, then Chairman of the Nigerian Tobacco Company, and the late Chief Adeyemi Lawson, their American counterparts complained bitterly and angrily about corruption in Nigeria. As the guest speaker on the occasion, I was obliged to assure the Americans that the Nigerian government was doing something about the problem. I was wrong as the problem has become worse since then.

    In a recent article on Nigeria at page 18 of its edition of May 28- June 3, the influential and respected British weekly, The Economist, observed that ‘Nigerian leaders are so greedy that they have subverted the entire machinery of the state to serve their needs. Every policy is a scam, every regulation a source of rent”. The article went on to say that “Freed from kleptocrats, Nigeria could be an African giant”. This is a devastating and vivid description of the scale of public corruption in Nigeria which we may not like. But very few people here will disagree with the disturbing report of the paper. In most cases, these damaging reports are based on reports in the Nigerian media, particularly the newspapers, the only watch dog on public corruption.

    To further complicate matters, there was some press speculation in the local media last week that the former Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole, and his deputy, may not face prosecution in the court at all over the alleged N42 billion scam, and that the government may decide to withdraw the charges against them; not for lack of evidence, but as a sort of political deal. I was with some friends recently and many of them had expressed the view that a deal would be made by the government on this matter, and that the whole thing would be swept, as usual, under the carpet. I had said I considered the idea absurd and improbable, and that I believed the case would be fully prosecuted. As may well be imagined I was truly horrified by press reports that the authorities might be contemplating such an absurd idea. If Bankole and his deputy are innocent of the charges against them, then let them prove this in court. It is not for the authorities to withdraw the charges against them.

    When this sort of thing occurs, the public is left with the conclusion that financial crime pays and that the culprit, if well connected, will be let off the hook. Some years back the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Patricia Ette, was accused by her colleagues of fraud and was forced to step down from office. To clear the way for her possible appointment as a minister the same House that had adjudged her guilty has now reversed itself on the matter and declared her innocent. How does this encourage or promote financial probity in government? How can we convince potential foreign investors that we are committed as a nation to fighting public corruption in our country? A deal over this matter will be reprehensible and morally indefensible. What kind of legacy are we leaving our children with?

    With the exception of Lagos State, many of the state governments have said they are not in a position to pay the new minimum wage of N18, 000 per month. How can these state governments convince the workers that they are truly unable to pay when the workers read reports in the media about the hefty salaries and wages of public officials, particularly the members of the National Assembly, as well as the huge financial scams in which they are involved? As I write this, thousands of pensioners have not been paid their pension for up to a year, or even longer, on account of the large scale scam in the Pensions Office, where funds meant for pensioners were simply diverted into the pockets of senior officials of the Pensions Office. A former Director of Pensions has been arrested by the EFFC and is now under investigation for salting away some N12 billion. In fact, before his arrest he was rewarded for his alleged misappropriation of such huge public funds by being made a Director in the Petroleum Ministry.

    Regrettably, public corruption is not confined to the public sector. It has spread its tentacles to the private sector, including the banks, many of which are on the brink of collapse, the Stock Exchange and stock brokers, the oil sector, the Universities, and the judiciary. In fact, virtually every facet of life in Nigeria has been badly infested with corruption, the economic consequences of which are very clear. Nigeria’s target of becoming one of the top 20 industrial economies in the world by the year 2020 will not be realised unless we manage our resources better by tackling the problem of public corruption. The wanton disregard for the rule of law and the inability of the government to come down heavily on public corruption is directly responsible for the violence and tension in our country.

    In a poor country such as Nigeria, corruption breeds mass poverty and this, in turn, creates widespread social discontent that spills over into social crimes such as armed robberies, kidnappings, and terror bombing in the country. The dire security situation in the country will not be resolved by creating additional units of law enforcing agencies, many of which have been badly compromised by corruption. Instead of that, we should take practical measures to create more jobs by spending more on health, education, and infrastructure. We need to assure our youths of a better future, a better society that will reward hard work and punish fraud and other social crimes.

  • A nation in denial

    People and institutions hate to hear the truth about themselves, especially when such is not palatable. It is natural to feel that way. We want to hear nice things being said about us because they are what make our heads spin. When we hear negative things we get demoralised and even feel unwanted. At such times, we see the world collapsing on our heads. We become lonely despite being surrounded by people. As it is with people so it is with nations. Nations are at their best when things are going on smoothly for them.

    They are at their worst when things are the other way round. No person or even nation prays to see the hard side of life, but when it comes, some take it as a quirk of fate, others blame it on some perceived enemies. The truth is life is full of ups and downs. This is why the Yoruba say that people’s problems are not the same. The problem which stares some in the face may have its back turned on others. That is life and we have to accept whatever portion the Almighty allots us, just as Job accepted his fate in the Bible. If I sound like a preacher today please forgive me for I am doing as being led by the Spirit. Why this sermon? You will get my drift shortly.

    For over three years now, we have known no rest from the clandestine and sometimes not so clandestine activities of the Islamic sect Boko Haram. To say that Boko Haram has made the country unsafe will be an understatement. The group has simply made the country ungovernable. Yet, the government does not wish to accept this fact. In Abuja and the Northeastern part of the country, the fear of Boko Haram is so palpable that you could feel it in the air. In some Northeast states like Borno and Yobe, government activities have been paralysed. Nothing seems to work in these states again because of the fear of Boko Haram.

    Where they hold, government activities are done in hiding far from the reach of the murderous group. Our government has unwittingly handed over power to Boko Haram, yet it is mouthing ‘’Nigeria is safe’’. Is there any dispute about that? ‘’Nigeria is safe’’; it is safe indeed. Or is it not safe? For two years (2011 and 2012) now, the Independence Day anniversary has been held in the confines of the Presidential Villa and not on the expansive grounds of the Eagle Square, as we used to do in the past, all because of the fear of Boko Haram. Yet, we are told ‘’Nigeria is safe’’. If ‘’Nigeria is safe’’, the government will not move the celebration of that august anniversary to the hallowed grounds of the Villa. It would have stuck to tradition by holding it at Eagle Square. To prove its claim that ‘’Nigeria is safe’’, the government should hold the 53rd Independence Day anniversary at Eagle Square on October 1, next year.

    The issue of the nation being safe or not came about because of the bombing of the Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, and the Force Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Abuja on November 25 and 26. Being military and police formations, these are places, which many thought were out of the reach of Boko Haram. But it scored a bull’s eye when it hit those formations about nine days ago. The military is pained by the audacious attack and it has since moved to ensure that such does not happen again. Nobody prays for that, but we need to come clean with the people about these matters. The government does not have to lie because the facts are obvious. There is insecurity in the land. Even those with police escorts are not safe not to talk of those of us who cannot afford that luxury.

    Presidential aide Doyin Okupe can blab and blab about safety in the land because he enjoys privileges which many of his compatriots are not entitled to. He has round-the-clock security both at home and at work and as such does not know what is happening in town except what he reads in the papers. May I point out to him that the papers, which reported that the country is not safe were not being unduly sensational; they were reporting things as they are. Is Nigeria truly safe? Okupe knows the answer in his heart of hearts. To issue a statement that Nigeria is safe amounts to standing the truth on its head. Nigeria is not safe and the earlier those in government wake up to this reality the better for all of us. How safe is our country when people disappear at will?

    How safe is our country when

    mothers are kidnapped

    while taking their children to school? How safe is our country when old men and women are abducted right in front of their houses? How safe is our country when vice-chancellors are kidnapped in broad daylight? How safe is our country when our leaders flee their home-states to seek refuge in neighbouring states? How safe is our country when the central government suddenly moves the celebration of our National Day from its traditional venue to where it considers a more secure and safer place? Dr Okupe, I am sorry to say, Nigeria is not safe. Oh! wait a minute, you may be right after all that ‘’Nigeria is safe’’. Your claim of a safe Nigeria is strengthened by the relocation of Yobe State government officials to Jigawa State. According to Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu , who is the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, ‘’insecurity’’ forced the Yobians to relocate.

    Said Aliyu : ‘’The (insecurity) situation has reached a situation whereby members of the state Executive Council in Yobe now run away to nearby Jigawa State for their safety. What is happening is very scary…those who are after us have defeated us and have taken over , what is the best way out and how do we address this situation because if the government institution is relocating then it means nobody is safe. We must stand up and say no to terrorism in northern Nigeria. We must tell the government what to do and many of us have access to government’’. Aliyu is not an alarmist as people like Okupe may want to describe him for speaking the way he did. The governor probably spoke out of concern about the way things are going. When we did A nation under siege in this space last week it was to draw attention to the worrisome state of security in the country. Things just keep going down the hill and government seems not to know what to do.

    Those who have ideas about what to do are not ready to avail government of their expertise because they are benefiting from the chaotic situation. These are the people Aliyu is appealing to, to help the government resolve the Boko Haram riddle. As concerned Nigerians, we cannot watch and allow things to continue like this; more importantly, government should admit that it has a big problem on its hand and reach out to those who can help it. All hands must be on deck to flush out the Boko Haram elements and the government must take the lead in this all-important task instead of living a lie.

    Let Sanusi be

    Many Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governors have come and gone. So, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s case cannot be different. When his time comes he will go but he will be remembered as the most outspoken governor in the history of the bank. You may not like some of his interventions on burning national issues, but one thing is clear he will never leave you in doubt on where he stands. His latest intervention, which I find interesting, is generating ripples. There is nothing new in this position; it is the same old position he has held on such matters. Since he assumed office, he has been critical of the high cost of governance; the unviable states and local governments and the spending of the nation’s scarce resources on a few elected public officers and their aides. We know as a fact that a large chunk of the budget is spent on maintaining these officers who contribute virtually nothing to the development of the economy. The nation can ill -afford to continue to maintain them unless we want the economy to go kaput. There is economic sense in what Sanusi is saying. We cannot say that because we don’t like the man’s face we should not listen to him when he talks, especially when he is making sense. Whether or not a CBN governor should talk like that is a different matter. But as a Nigerian, shouldn’t the CBN governor contribute to discourse relating to his area of specialisation in order to enrich public debate? I think he should and when he does we should listen to him for our own good. I don’t think Sanusi is out of line this time because he is not talking politics but economics. As you will notice, I have deliberately kept quiet about his take on civil servants because of the controversy over what he actually said. Did he demand the sack of half of civil servants? He said he didn’t. Having made that clarification, it will be unfair to hold that against him as some people are now doing. Their intention is to pitch Sanusi against the all – powerful labour movement. What a way to deal with a public servant with a caustic tongue, they would have reasoned. But labour should not allow itself to be used against Sanusi in this instance for he has spoken well. As the Yoruba will say, a stubborn child has his own day.

  • Annus Horribilis (1)

    The year 2012 is a leap year and I am ordinarily not a superstitious person but in Nigeria, we always say that leap years are bad years. They are years when horrible things happen. This has been the case in Nigeria this year. There are so many deaths of important people in this country this year. The ones that come readily to mind are the deaths of Professor Tokunbo Sofoluwe the young Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Oba Oladele Olasore, Wole Adeosun, Lamidi Adesina, Hope Harriman, General Muhammad, Peter Agboola Osuntokun, Yemi Ogendegbe and Olusola Saraki. Tokunbo died suddenly in harness without warning and broke all our hearts. He was not only a wonderful mathematician and computer scientist, he was also a wonderful man. He made an impression on everyone who met him and his death was a personal loss to me. Not only because I saw him as a younger brother, but also because his older brothers were my school mates and friends. Tokunbo was like a junior brother that I never had. I still think about him all the time and sometimes wonder why good people die young. But God is a mystery and He alone is his own interpreter and I believe when we get to heaven, he will make it plain to us. Tokunbo’s death created a void in the lives of many people which will be difficult to fill.

    I remember also the late Professor Adebayo Olumide, foremost neurosurgeon who passed on in Ibadan recently. He was a first class surgeon, a gentleman, more like a gentle giant because of his height and disposition. We were together in the USA in 1980 when he spent a sabbatical year in Washington DC. My heart goes to his amiable wife Ronke, a daughter to Sir Samuel Manuwa and to his children who were little when I last saw them. Bayo will be missed for his wit and gentle manners.

    Another horrible loss was the death of Kabiyesi Oladele Olasore, the Ajagbusi- Ekun, Aloko of Iloko who joined his ancestors a few months ago. Kabiyesi was a fine man in everything. A chartered accountant, a banker, a former minister of the Federal Republic, a businessman, an educationist, a philanthropist and a public spirited man. He was a gentle soul, an amiable man who felt concerned about people. He loved people and he tried to draw people close to him. I did not get close to him until he became the Aloko and a couple of times, he invited me to come to Iloko to visit with him. Unfortunately, I was too busy to take up his invitation and I regret I did not do so. I once stayed overnight in his excellent hotel in the sleepy town of Iloko. What is most impressive about him is his commitment to his hometown and its development. When he was Secretary of Finance in the federation, I believe he caused a contract to be awarded for the dualisation of the road between Ife and Ilesha and he insisted that a spur to Iloko must be part of the award. He built an excellent secondary school in Iloko, the facility of which will put to shame several so called universities. One wonders why he never converted this school to a university especially now that all kinds of mushroom universities are springing up daily. Oba Olasore was a Christian. He used to come to the Holy Ghost services at the Redemption camp and when my wife was alive, his sister used to be a guest at our camp house. I believe Kabiyesi was born in Kano, he spoke Hausa well and he had a global view about life. He will be sorely missed.

    Before him another titan in the accountancy world, Chief Wole Adeosun also a former minister and managing director of First bank also passed on to glory. Chief Wole Adeosun worked in NAL Merchant Bank, a foremost merchant bank in Nigeria. He was also involved in economic policy formulation in the country for several years. I remember him travelling with us to the far East when I was in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as special adviser to the Minister. Both he and Oba Olasore were relatively young and in their passing, Nigeria will be the poorer for it.

    Just as we were settling down and digesting the implications of these losses, news broke that the former governor of Oyo, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina had passed on. Lamidi Adesina was a columnist in the Tribune for several years and he was a diehard supporter of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his politics. It was therefore not surprising that he was elected on the platform of the UPN into the House of Representatives during the second republic. Alhaji Adesina’s politics was centrist and a grass roots man. He had his ears to the ground and he knew what the people wanted, he was different from Alhaji Adedibu who belonged to the other side of the coin of Ibadan politics. Adesina was a professional teacher and in whatever he did, the teaching profession influenced him. I remember when he became governor, I had occasion to visit him in his Molete home. I had a personal mission that I wanted to accomplish during my visit. I will not go into details but the gist of it is that I wanted him to reconcile the Awolowo and Akintola’s political factions in Yorubaland and I wanted him to do this through a signal appointment of a young man who in his own marriage had reconciled Akintola and Awolowo’s faction of political tendencies in yorubaland. Alhaji Adesina received me with kindness, consideration, respect and commended me for my action. Even though he did not carry out my request, I know he consulted with the late Chief Bola Ige. I would not know what Chief Ige said, but the appointment did not come through. There wasn’t much money when Alhaji Adesina was governor so in terms of physical achievements, there were no dramatic things that he did as governor under the Alliance of Democracy Party but he maintained peace and civility in the state and brought into governance respect for law. He kept a lid on the excesses of party supporters especially in a situation where Yoruba people felt aggrieved by the persecution they suffered under Abacha and naturally wanted to give bloody noses to those perceived as Abacha’s supporters in Ibadan. It is a pity that Alhaji Adesina took ill and died at a time when the ACN needs his advice especially in these difficult years of preparation for politics of 2015.

    • (To be continued)

  • Talk without tactics; Judicial Performance Record; Emergency electric power; Split road contracts into 10

    Talk without tactics; Judicial Performance Record; Emergency electric power; Split road contracts into 10

    Road officials nationwide should operate 7am to 9pm even on Sundays at every jammed junction.

    Warning about newspaper articles: ‘Agreement without action’, ‘words without work’ and ‘talk without tactics’ are worthless. Those who love Nigeria must take action –like NGOs on the ‘First $12.5b Gulf Oil Windfall’ where their court case was thrown out perhaps for lack of jurisdiction or time lapse or even that the NGOs ‘lack authority to represent the people’. But has the money expired? Has a NGO no right to enquire about the common wealth? More NGOS should follow this lead. Unfortunately the government lawyer relished the moment publically but the moral shoe is on the other foot. Millions of Nigerians wept watching him boasting as yet another opportunity to expose the truth was thwarted ‘legally’. The war against corruption has not started. Judges know they could die without being remembered for ‘moral judgements’ unlike UK’s Lord Denning and Nigeria’s Justice Kayode Eso.

    Eventually the judiciary must learn courage or face ridicule and ‘watchdog’ judicial enquiry. In fact a compulsory monthly updated computer-based ‘Magistrates and Judges Performance Record’ for evidence-based keeping track of ‘sick leaves’, injunctions, adjournments, no shows, wrong jurisdiction courts and technicalities, adjournments, case length, judgements and reversals on Appeal should be created by the Judicial Council or NGOS. Such a performance record will paradoxically help protect judges from corruption pressure. Is it not amazing that from infamous Pol Pot to Pinochet to today, the excuse of ‘sickness’ ridicules the judicial process as an excuse for ‘alternative’ incarceration in VIP hospital or hotel instead of a prison cell? Their dead and murdered victims had no ‘sick-off’ to avoid execution.

    Nigeria should be in a hurry to right the wrongs of decades of incompetent rulership. The pain of a pothole is when it is filled and you remember the needless suffering from rubbish road works. The pain of electricity powerlessness is when you visit those with 24 hour power and discover they are black like you and do not have two heads or a generator at home, office and everywhere.

    Job creation means work in building the 14,000,000 Nigerian homes. Japan replaced all power losses from its shutdown nuclear plant within 3 months using known international emergency electricity companies. Japanese did not starve of power while awaiting a new power station. Nigeria’s multi-billion budget for publically funded generators, fuel and maintenance charges could be better spent on cheaper, large scale, emergency power pending ‘the final solution to power problems’ –the IPPs. So let us remove generators, fuel and maintenance items, except for hospitals, from all government budgets, offices and homes from the presidency, politicians and public officials and PHCN staff. If we do this from Jan 1st 2013 power will ‘flow’. Power is an emergency and a right, not a dividend of democracy. To put our 100,000MW pathetic political power failure in perspective, every single Nigerian from barber to baker to banker would be 10-30% better off financially if power was constant. They would be able to invest in and increase non-oil business and employment by 10-30%. Of course the petroleum billionaires would be 40-50% poorer if Nigeria’s generators dry up as fuel consumption would go down. Hurray!

    A 300 Level undergraduate of Political Science told me today that they have never analysed current affairs in class. It is time for curriculum change to include ‘Application of Today’s Lecture to World and Local Events’. Undergraduates in every discipline need a lecturer guided/ student space to discuss and research Nigeria’s pathetic state every day.

    Potholes are filled year round in countries like Thailand with monsoon rainy season. Nigerian roads are mysteriously abandoned during ‘rainy season’ –disgracing Nigerian professionals. Nigeria must fill potholes 365 days a year and work day and night during the dry season.

    Teachers should teach NASS and government an old mathematical puzzle – ‘If it takes one farmer 10 days to plough a field, how long would it take 10 farmers to do the same field? Answer ‘One day’. So why does Nigeria not divide all roads into sections of 10-20km for 5 or 10 contractors? Road mega-contracts have failed Nigeria, creating 1 or 2 billionaires and millions of road sufferers and failed projects nationwide. A country is not made great by billionaires but by its other classes. Multiple small contracts will produce a quick execution of contracts, healthy rivalry, competitive quotations, more happy contractor families, more spread of wealth, 10 times the employment, fewer exclusive yachts and private jets. Governments must initiate a ‘Split Contract Policy’ of ‘Prove why the contract should not be split’.

    CBN governor Sanusi’s comments about workers reduction require dispassionate thought. The origin of our recent financial problems is the excesses of the NASS ‘Salaries And Perks’ precipitating the ‘Second Nigerian SAP programme’ after Babangida’s First SAP programme. This caused a backlash of supersalary demands among other political appointees, civil servants and states and LGAs. The CBN could deliberately improve the naira at say N1/month over 4 years and bring down the 12% interbank interest rates and the 21-25% bank interest rate. This would have reducing the cost of living. Nigeria is eating its own hands. To save the economy, put politicians on a sitting part-time allowance and target strategies for a naira of N120: $1 by 2015. Strengthening the naira will empower salary earners, create jobs, wealth and halve the number of Nigerians living on $1/day.