The Nation Newspaper

Category: Nnedinso Ogaziechi

  • The semantics of legislative allowances/salaries

    The semantics of legislative allowances/salaries

    Democracy has been touted as the best form of government as it is the type of government that is of the people by the people and for the people. The political philosophers that created the three arms of government; the executive, the legislature and the judiciary understood the human proclivity to abuse any form of power and advanced those three arms for effective checks and balances in a democracy. Ideally, everything should work out well for the people if the three arms carry out their duties effectively and transparently.

    African countries had pretty much effective forms of government before the colonial powers brought their influences to the continent. The influence of colonialism on the continent cannot be over-emphasized. Then there were the fights for independence by the people of Africa and the second battle to abolish apartheid in Southern Africa.  So Africa has been through a lot politically and must do better for themselves.

    The introduction of military coups and governments in some post independent African countries brought another destabilizing impact in the politics of the continent. It seems that the impact of military rules in Nigeria, the most populous African nation somewhat impacted the brand of democracy being practiced in the country.

    In a way, the Nigerian brand of democracy seems to be one big learning curve but examples from other African democracies shows that Nigeria might be lagging behind in the practice of democracy. There is lack of inclusivity and gender justice. The executive at all levels almost operates like emperors. Most of the governors hide under the federal government to abdicate their responsibilities while usurping the financial allocations to the local governments, thankfully the power seems to have been returned to the local governments through the recent Supreme Court verdict for their financial autonomy.

     The legislative houses at  local, state and federal levels often do not understand their duties and bend to the executive in the guise that they are either being loyal party members or advancing some legislative/executive  loyalty. It is not hyperbolic to say that the legislature is the strongest arm of any democracy. We see the power of the House and Senate in the United States after which Nigerian democracy is fashioned. We can see how the parliamentary system in the United Kingdom works too. The people hold their  parliamentarians very accountable.

    As a developing nation, Nigeria needs the three arms to work in sync for a viable democracy. Failure of any to perform effectively impacts on the development of the country. It is therefore ironic that most Nigerian politicians who vie for seats in the various legislative houses do not always have a firm grip of what the functions of a legislator are to their constituencies.

     In some ways, the some legislators tend to see themselves as having executive roles. They often campaign alongside those vying for executive positions and begin to make promises on general policy issues.  This often stems from lack of a full knowledge of legislative functions. This fundamentally impacts on the output of legislators at all tiers of government.  Mostof them win elections and begin to learn on the job literally.

    Ironically, the Nigerian National Assembly members are allegedly some of the highest paid in the world but some of the least productive in ways that the people are even agitating for a part time federal legislature. The Nigerian citizens feel that the National Assembly (NASS) members often only care for their welfare and little for their constituents. Beyond the accusation is the fact that most of the legislators at that level do not seem to understand fully their roles in a democracy.

    The three functions of the legislative arms are, law making, Oversight functions and lobbying for their constituencies. On a general level, each of the NASS members ought to operate as a national representative given their status as federal law makers  but more often than not, they tend to pander to personal, regional and party sentiments which are all very divisive sentiments that breed rancor in the general house and turn out very unproductive.

    Invariably then, the people feel that the NASS members only care for their welfare because their Oversight functions on the executive seem very ineffectual as most ministries, agencies and departments  have a free reign. The tagging of the 9th assembly a ‘rubber stamp’ assembly sums up the perception of the NASS during the 8th years of former President mohammed Buhari. The 10th assembly is however being evaluated but their salaries and allowances have stirred a lot of controversies as most of  the senators, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the agency that fixes their allowances and salaries and the National assembly members have continued to give figures different from what some senators claim they get.

    A few years ago, Senator Shehu Sani had claimed that as a senator, he earned about N13m monthly, an amount some of his colleagues denied then. There was outrage from the public given that at the time, civil servants were being paid between 18,000 and 30,000 naira minimum wage. This happened in the 8th senate.

    Read Also: Tinubu signs judicial office holders’ salaries, allowances bill into law

    The controversies surrounding the real earnings of Nigerian politicians including the National Assembly members is a great source of mistrust between the people aand those in government. There is total lack of transparency in the payment structure that the people continually feel that those in leadership are not being transparent. The Revenue Mobilization allocation and Physical Commission has not heped matters as their figures are often at variance with what some senators claim they receive.

    They issue then is, who pays the NASS members, how much do they all earn at both chambers? Which agency is responsible for allocations and payements?

    Recently, the Chairman of RMAFC, Mohammed Shehu claimed that senators get a total of N1, 06m in salaries and allowances every month. On the contrary, Senator Abdurahmankawu, senator representing the Kano South senatorial district under the NNPP aprty told the Hausa service of the BBC in an interview that, “sincerely, our salary amounts to N21million monthly.

    The Senate Spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu refuted senator Kawu’s claim that senators are paid N21m monthly saying the claim was far from the truth. He said that the, “…the funds referred to by Senator Kawu are neither his salary nor personal allowance”.  This leaves the Nigerian people with more questions than answers. Former President Obasanjo had recently upbraided some lawmakers who visited him for fixing their allowances and salaries themselves and alleging that that wa immoral.

    The controversy rages across the country because there seems to be no clarity to the issues and this has been on since 1999. The question people are asking seems to be, why should senators who have owned up to how much they receive as salaries and allowances be disbelieved? Who allocates money to the NASS members? Why are mere lawmakers some of who have no professional of personal pedigrees be earning so much in a country with 133m plus living in multi-dimensional poverty?

    Why are there discordant tunes from the RMAFC, the senators and the Spokesman of the Senate? The senate which is the senior arm of the NASS seems to be mired in controversy over financial matters especially in this 10th assembly. The President of the Senate, Godwill Akpabio had at some point jokingly told the Senators that monies had been sent to their accounts for a festivity. When the people showed outrage, he recanted and said he meant email. On sevral occasions, there had been allegations of largess extended to the seantors like the Senate President getting so much for his constituency.

    The lack of transparency in the allocations for the salaries and allowances of Nigeria’s legislative house in a country with so much poverty and where the minimum wage was just recently upgraded from 30,000 to 70,000 naira must worry the upper legislative chamber. It is a sign of lack of sensitivity to the issues that bother the people. With huge economic issues on the table of most Nigerians the NASS must be seen to be sensitive to the yearnings of the people for transparency and discipline.

    It is an irony that the National Assembly trends most times for their welfare related issues than for their legislative duties. The leadership of the house must get its act together and present themselves as true reprsentatives of the people. In a country with 70,000naira minimum wage and where pensioners are often owed their pension payments, how does the NASS explain their alleged huge allowances and emoluments?

    Refuting the claims of a sitting senator on paper or through press releases is in itself neither here nor there. Does it mean that the both Senators Shehu Sani and Abdulrahman Kawu are liars or incapable of calculating their allowances and salaries. The world is a global village now and it is not to the best image of either the NASS or the country that such controversies are perennially in the public domain.  It is a sign that the country seems unserious.

    The discrepancies in the amount with no efforts to present the true facts can only continue to fuel the trust deficit between the people and those in government. Nigeria is a leading country in Africa and should be in a position to like Ceasar’s wife be above reproach.  It is very disturbing that 24 years after the return of civilian democracy, the saries and allowances of political office holders including the National Assembly members are shouded in mystery.

    Many now believe that most Nigerian politicians see elections as do-or-die affair because it is the easiest routes to huge salaries where there is no way of evaluating the input of the earners.  There can be no development without official discipline and total accountability. What can the NASS do to redeem itself?

    • The dialogue continues…
  • Beyond Akpabio’s apology to Natasha Akpoti – Uduaghan

    Beyond Akpabio’s apology to Natasha Akpoti – Uduaghan

    The Nigerian political space has for decades been dominated by men. The executive, judiciary and legislature at local, state and federal levels seem to have more men. There has never been a female governor so elected on any major political party. There has never been a female Vice Presidential or Presidential nominee of any major political party in Nigeria. Appointments at state and federal levels have never hit the 35% affirmative action mark even when Nigeria was a signatory at the 1995 Beijing Conference.

    The origin of the poor representation by women in Nigeria’s political space is not farfetched. There are fundamental causes of the gender exclusion in modern leadership structure in Nigeria. Modern because in pristine times, Nigeria always had a dual leadership structure where men and women played complimentary leadership roles. With colonialism came the western patriarchal leadership structure that empowered more men than women. But even colonial Britain has moved on. Kier Stammer’s 19-member cabinet has eleven women.

    With the independence of many African countries, power was handed over to men. The men got the financial empowerment and so even political parties were formed and funded by men. Beyond the colonial legacy of mono leadership, the socio-religious issues of culture helps to promote gender inclusion. In most Nigerian cultures, there are gender biases. Religion is also a powerful factor in the ways women are regarded in almost all religions.

    It is therefore not surprising that the political space is monopolized by men who often assume, even if wrongly that leadership is a male exclusive. This then explains why in the Nigerian democratic journey, women have been more or less outsiders. From the structure of the political parties, executive leadership positions seem a male exclusive with mere ‘Women Leader’ positions often left for the women not as an empowerment position but as a politically expedient  position for the mobilization of women and youth voters.

    The gender injustice in Nigerian political space can only be solved through a constitutional amendment and the enabling laws passed  by  the National assembly but none seems to have happened. The 9th National Assembly that had seven female senators and about 22 House of Reps. members threw out about five Gender Equity Bills as more men  voted against it. Sadly, in the 10th Assembly, there are even less female senators during the 9th assembly so it gets progressively worse instead of getting better.

    The National assembly has just 4 female Senators out of the 109 senators which is about 2.7% while the House of Reps went from about 22 female senators to 19 representing 4.2% of the 360 house members. State House of Assembly even have less women. Some houses of assembly especially in the northern part of the country have no female members. What this implies is that issues like reproductive health and other women issues have no female imput.

    Conversely, Rwanda has the record of having more female parliamentarians than anywhere in the world with more than  61%. Kenya had a constitutional amendment in 2010 that made it unconstitutional for any gender to have more than two third representation. That amendment led to the election of three female governors and the number went up to seven in the 2022 elections.  These are smaller countries than Nigeria  but the seeming giant of Africa seems to be lagging behind in gender justice.

    It is a known fact that countries with fewer opportunities for women are often the underdeveloped countries. Nigeria has more than 133million people living in multi-dimensional poverty with more than 20million out-of-school children. The non-formal sector of the economy contributes a great percentage to the country’s GDP and the disempowerment of the key drivers- women shows in the economic strength of a country.

    In the light of these political existential realities therefore, it is curious that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio have had series of verbal tirades against a few women in public offices. First it was the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joy Nunieh, a lawyer when he was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. Both had faced the House Committee on Niger Delta over some allegations of financial scandal in 2020.  The then minister had alleged that the woman had married several husbands while the woman had alleged sexual harassment by Senator Akpabio.  She was in office for less than a year.

    Read Also: Gatemen, drivers, apprentices can’t earn less than N70,000 – Akpabio

    Recently again, the Senate President had intervened in the verbal exchange between the Senator Representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike by advising the minister to ignore ‘detractors’ after the Senator complained that there were urgently needed infrastructure in the FCT that the minister should address and that she was not being carried along as a representative of the people. The statement was seen as undermining the status of Senator Kingibe.

    Just recently, the Senate President was trending on the social media for shutting down Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan during plenary and telling not to speak without him recognizing her to do so. He had added, “…the senate is not a nightclub”. Many Nigerians saw that as very derogatory and assumed that the statement had some gender-based biases. The outrage was expressed loudly enough to attract an apology from the Senate President.

    Many feminist groups alleged that the Senate President was being sexist and recalled the previous times he had insulted women. He was forced to publicly apologize to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan but he claimed that the interest in the social media shows that “we have enemies”.  He added that, “the people should concentrate on things that will move this country forward”. He cautioned social media users, “to practice with decorum, we won’t out of anger regulate social media” , he concluded.

    He went further to say that he has four daughters and would not intentionally denigrate women, “I will not intentionally denigrate any woman and I will always pray that God will uplift women”, he added.

    While the Roundtable Conversation feels the Senate President did the right thing by apologizing to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, we view his behavior as shocking but not surprising. Most men see women in public offices as ‘intruders’ in some ways. Women are often muscled out of political participation across the country. It is particularly worrisome that the same Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had to retrieve her mandate from the courts after what seemed like a long tortuous odyssey in politics in her home state of Kogi.

    Her 2018 attempt at contesting for the senate seat to represent Kogi Central under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) saw her go through a lot including the burning down of her office. She was bruised but not defeated. In 2023, she re-contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was alleged that the then governor, Yahaya Bello in a bid to hamper the transportation of electoral materials to her Senatorial district, influenced the excavation of parts of the road and allegedly claimed that it was to prevent access by hoodlums.

    Being popular with her people, she won the election even though her opponent was declared winner. She retrieved her mandate from the courts. She is a metaphor for what most women experience in politics in Nigeria. In a way, she can be said to have been lucky to escape all the violence against her. Another woman, Salome Abuh, a PDP Women Leader was burnt alive in her home in 2019 by assailants alleged to be from the opposition. The killer, Ochoi Edicha was sentenced to 12 years in jail.

    Many women in politics have reported various degrees of abuse from their male counterparts. Some are even taunted as prostitutes just because they attempt to access leadership positions at various levels. Beyond the monopolization of party executive position seen as very powerful for electoral victories, women suffer financial handicaps because the Nigerian political system is not structured for transparent financial accountability and this leads to money playing a huge role in who accesses political positions either at party primaries or general elections.

    Even though the Senate President apologized to the female senator, the impact of his remark remains. It is very stereotypical of many male politicians to pass snide remarks on women who share the same space just to mentally defeat the women. This is not good for our democracy. Nigeria with a population of more than 200 million cannot develop without its other population. There must be a level field and women must be given their due respect at all times.

    Public office holders like the senate President who is getting more notorious for his public gaffs must realize that certain positions are like a lamp on the mountain top. Younger men and even his own daughters are watching and he ought to know that with positions of power come certain responsibilities. Too few women are in the senate in Nigeria. A  Senate ratio of 4:105 for women Vs. men is very discouraging for a country like Nigeria with the class of intellectually sophisticated women that can contribute to national development.

    Gender equity and justice must not be mere rhetoric. Politicians in Nigeria must realize that the underdevelopment in the country is often linked to the absence of women in strategic political positions especially in the legislative houses where laws are made and oversight functions carried out on the executive.

    The fact that many women occupy leadership positions in the financial sector, academia, businesses and agriculture shows their capacity and the political space can benefit from the brilliance of many Nigerian women. Is it not interesting that in the recent UK elections, of the eight British-Nigerians elected into parliament, six are women? Nigerian men must understand the idea of a bird being unable to fly with just one wing. The poverty level in Nigeria says something about gender and youth exclusion.

    • The dialogue continues…
  • Rwandan Kagame and the foibles of African democracy

    Rwandan Kagame and the foibles of African democracy

    Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has won a record fourth term election with an alleged 99% of the votes of the nine million registered voters in his country. He does seem to get progressively more votes since the year 2003 when he won with 95%, in 2010, he won with 93% and won with 98% in 2017.  Even though there seems to be an opaque account of the voting statistics, he has won the election and is ready to lead the country for another term.

    However, global political analysts and the opposition parties claim that what they have in Rwanda is a pseudo democracy where there seems to be no viable opposition. Democracy as practiced in other more established jurisdictions means more than elections and lone victories. It is about healthy and competitive democratic process that gives every candidate the freedom to vote and be voted for.

    President Kagame is a child of circumstance having grown up in exile in Uganda after the parents fled with him to a Ugandan refugee camp when he was barely out of diapers at the age of two. The historical issues that pushed him into rebellion in exile are well documented. He had served earlier as Vice president and defense Minister but has led since 2000.

    As leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), he had set forth on a reunification journey after the 1994 genocidal war that claimed about 800,000 lives of Rwandans of both the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. His government had made efforts for unification by insisting that all Rwandans identify as Rwandans rather than the divisive ethnically charged ethnic tags.

    Truth be told, the President has largely been successful in reuniting the people, improving gender inclusiveness and eschewing the divisiveness that has claimed lives along ethnic lines. The Rwanda economy has attracted admiration globally. It is relatively stableand the people united. The functionality of their system is admired across the world. Education, healthcare, housing and other socially relevant amenities are provided for all the people. The hospitality industry is growing and Rwanda seems to be attracting more foreign direct investments than most other countries in Africa given a system that seems well monitored, barely corrupt and with improved ease of doing business. Technology is thriving and young entrepreneurs and intellectuals in the diaspora all feel free to return to their country to help rebuild the nation.

    While many criticize his stranglehold on a freer democratic space, given that he is alleged to have muscled down opposition and ruled with an iron hand, many applaud his efforts at building a united Rwanda where young people are given a chance to bring their industry to nation-building. The average age of his cabinet is said to be 40 years. Women make up 50% of his cabinet, Rwanda has the global highest number of women in parliament at 61.5%, women make up 50% of Supreme Court judges. Many credit his relative success to the gender inclusive policies he has maintained.

    His popularity is not in doubt in his country but while the economic and social sides are progressing, there is mixed feelings about his understanding of democracy and its credentials. He quickly counters that the circumstances of a Rwanda post genocide is like no other system and must carve out its own strategies for success and development. Many argue that he must not violate the tenets of democracy hiding under the special circumstances in his nation.

    The beauty of democracy is freedom, justice and social inclusion. These issues call for strict adherence to the tenets of democracy. The freedom of choice is at the root of democracy and as such, the idea that there are allegations of the repression of opposition cuts at the heart of the concerns of his critics. Opposition in and out of the country alleges that there have been no a level playing field since he came to power. Multiple tenures that he is alleged to have usurped at the expense of the opposition seems a signature of most African leaders past and present.

    To have had merely two weak opposition parties like the Democratic Green Party and the Independent Phillipe Mpayimana who all together could not even muster 1% of the votes in the recent election appears comical. The very vocal opposition female candidate, Diane Rwigara was barred from taking part in the elections despite all her efforts to be given a chance. She had told the media that the allegations that her paper works were incomplete were spurious.  There are other allegations of some opposition members being hounded out of the country.

    What is democracy without freedom, without viable opposition, no true freedom of speech or transparent justice system? A Prof. Reyntjens claims that; “The problem in Rwanda is with political governance, there is no level playing-field, there is no space for opposition, there is no freedom of speech, [which] risks undoing the achievements of good technocratic governance. Although Rwanda fell short of its middle-income country target by 2020, Prof Reyntjens says “this is a well-run country”.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke to Dr Sam Amadi, a lawyer and the Executive Director of Center  for Public Policy & Research on his views about President Kagame an his brand of democracy. He said that democracy is more robust and multi-dimensional than the Rwandan experience presents.  Democracy presupposes the availability of choice and freedom. Free and fair elections are vital in validating electoral victory he insists.

    In his view, President Kagame has tried in creating economic freedoms, social cohesion but the lack of democratic rights of every single citizen seems to stain the banner of the Rwandan democratic experience.  He believes that authoritarian rule in no way equates economic freedom. He cited the Chinese model where there is economic freedom but we all understand the political system there.

    In Rwanda, Kagame may be popular given his role in reuniting the people but his democratic credentials do not necessarily align with the functional democratic precepts across the developed democracies. He has managed to lay a good foundation for a national re-orientation and value that has built confidence and trust in the people. The social psychology of the people might be better than a palce like Nigeria because there is no ethnic discrimination but the election process must be better.

    The important thing in every democracy is the freedom that the people enjoy. He believes that there are three fundamentals for a viable democracy, the freedom to choose the leaders, the ability of people to organize their events and the state must protect fundamental economic and political freedoms of the people. The human development dimensions are not one sided. The Rwandese people might have other freedoms or other high levels of satisfactions with social developments but democracy must be in a free space.

    He believes that the President can develop the economy but he must optimize plans for its sustenance. He recalled the disintegration of USSR in the past where the leaders were able to mobilize resources for development but could not sustain the country. The Rwandan people might be enjoying some attachment to their country because of the existing national re-orientation and national pride given the recent history but they must have functional democracy.

    The human development dimensions in Rwanda is possibly very high because there are some basic social freedoms that might not exist in other jurisdictions but that does not necessarily imply that the brand of democracy of a Kagame is sustainable in the long run. He hopes to see a Rwanda where the core democratic principles in all its many facets can thrive. The freedom to exercise basic human rights is important for the sustenance of democracy.

    There is economic development but no democracy in the real sense. Elections must be seen to be free, fair, inclusive  and credible. The Rwandan experience must be credited for their embrace of national unity more than Nigeria for instance but it does not define democracy. Other dimensions of human development must go beyond economic development. Rwanda is high on rule of law, there is no overt discrimination and the economy is stable but the totality of this can be replaced with a pseudo democracy. There must be competitive elections that would be seen to lay the groundswell for sustainable democracy.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Paul Kagame secures 99% votes, wins fourth term as Rwanda president

    The Roundtable Conversation is concerned that the African model of democracy where some leaders tend to sit tight cannot develop the continent. It is intriguing to hear President Kagame attempt to justify his long hold on power by telling the West to mind their business because the African story is not their story. The interesting thing is that democracy as he seems to benefit from has rules so it would appear like speaking from both sides of the mouth to pretend to practice democracy when it is expedient and try to carve out a Rwandan model where he is almost monarchical.

    The young Africans in the Rwandan cabinet must be shown the values of freedom of choice through practice. We understand the journey of the Rwandan people but there must be no messianic syndrome as we had seen in some other countries.  The growth and development process of any country is often dependent of leadership.  The President might have done well in social and economic terms but without true political freedom for everyone, the future might not be as progressive as one might assume.

    Rwanda is proudly known as the nation of a thousand hills, this implies that they are on a pedestal if not for the East and Central African nations, then for the rest of Africa. They must then be like the biblical light on the hill top that other countries might just see as a beacon.  We propose that President Kagame begin the process of dismantling messianic complex that is pushing him into assuming that he is the only one that loves Rwanda enough to take it to the axiomatic Promised Land. Democracy thrives on basic freedoms and he can bring the verve he brought to unifying the country to enthroning real competitive elections.  

  • Malnutrition in Northern Nigeria: The implications for development

    Malnutrition in Northern Nigeria: The implications for development

    Nigeria has had a history of paying little attention to the children/youth and women. In theory, there is always the rhetoric about women and children but in real practice, little is done by all tiers of government, local, state and federal governments to address in concrete and consistent terms the issues that concern that vulnerable group. The results can be seen all over the development indices across the length and breadth of the country.

    With a population of more than 200million, the country has more than 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty.  It has one of the highest out-of-school children at more than 20million and counting given the dire economic climate. There is record unemployment and double digit inflation. Over the past few years, insurgency, Boko Haram, banditry, farmer/herders conflicts and other socially repugnant  activities have impacted the food security in the country.

    The Northern part of the country has the land mass and farming population that have over the years provided for the country and some for exports. However, due to a number of factors, the agrarian North has seemingly lost its capacity to produce to capacity and the whole country is suffering the effects. Farmers in the North are finding it very difficult to do their jobs as banditry especially in the North West has become a very huge problem.

    The loss to the social menace of banditry and other security breaches in the North West has resulted in less productivity in the agricultural sector as farmers continue to stay away from their farms to avoid being kidnapped, killed or asked to pay ransom to be able to even work for the bandits who in some areas like Zamfara and Kaduna seize their lands from them. The implications of this are diverse but the most overwhelming is the fact that a huge number of under-fives, the demographic at most risk of the effects of malnutrition and women who birth and nurture them are either chronically malnourished, physically/mentally retarded dead or dying due to chronic malnutrition.

    The human resources of any nation is unarguably the most priced so nations that are developed have functional systems that nurture its citizens to be maximally productive. Part of the plan includes investing in health, education and shelter as basics. Under healthcare, nutrition and reproductive health take prime positions. This is because like one who expects bumper harvest, the seeds planted must have manure and water to grow and flourish.

    The United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), claims that about 6 million children aged 0-59 months in North West and North East Nigeria are likely suffering and expected to suffer acute malnutrition from May 2022-April 2023. This includes 1,623,130 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) cases and 4, 308,404 Moderate Malnutrition  (MAM) cases as at November 2022. Since the statistics, the situation has worsened as physical and food insecurity has negatively impacted families not just in the northern region of Nigeria but across the country.

    Generally, about 6.5% of children in Nigeria under five years experience wasting, this according to UNICEF is above the global average of 4.6%.  31.5%experience stunting which is above the global average of 19.9%. UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) all agree that malnutrition in the Northern region must be tackled to save generations of children and by implication their mothers who go through reproductive phases that require their being well-nourished.

    From all indications, the number of malnourished children especially in the North is almost equal to the population of some countries. The implication is that there would be an impact on the population. Some might die and even those who survive could be battling with some developmental challenges that would impair their productive capacity. In processing issues of child-malnutrition, a lot of developmental variables surface. We look at the causative factors which must be carefully sorted if there must be progress. Poverty and illiteracy are core causes of malnutrition. Poor, illiterate parents are in a more disadvantaged position to raise healthy well-fed children. Information and availability of funds are needed for young women who become mothers to be well-nourished through feeding, they must be aware and have the nutrients available.

    In most cases, young malnourished mothers would most likely not survive the rigors of pregnancies/delivery and even if they do, the chances of giving birth to healthy children and nurturing them past the age of five is subject to a lot of factors; what disposable income is available, what foods are available, what information does the mother who is the primary care giver have about nutrition and hygiene? How concerned are the tiers of government to make those basic requirements available?

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    It is in the light of the above implications of chronic malnutrition in the Northern Nigeria that the Roundtable Conversation joined in the dialogue on, “Malnutrition Surge in Northern Nigeria: Addressing a Looming Humanitarian Crisis”, hosted by the Chancellor of Anthena Center for Policy and Leadership, the former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Thursday.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke with Osita Chidoka and asked him why he thought such a conversation is necessary at this time. He pointed out that the people are the pillars that hold any country and as such their welfare must be rooted in sound health, mind and body must be a priority for all tiers of  government. To him, the children are the future of any nation and must be fully nurtured to develop the country. In his estimation, he thought that starting the conversation is a good step towards addressing what he feels needs an emergency action.

    The North West/North Central parts of the country unarguably used to produce the bulk of the food Nigerians in all regions consume in large quantities. The number of malnourished children and women in the region is to him an ill-wind that blows no one any good. The human resource must be well-nourished, developed and educated for maximum productivity to be achieved. He believes that beyond every other thing, a healthy mind in a healthy body must be the goal of any nation and he feels that the country must not wholly depend on development agencies and global institutions to supply the country with data, funds and statistics before actions can be taken.

    To him, the Minister of Health, Mohammed Ali Pate showed passion and leadership in rallying some of the state governors like that of Zamfara, Dr. Dauda Lawal, Niger, Mohammed Umaru Bago, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kebbi and Katsina sent representatives. The ministers of Agriculture,  Senator Abubakar Kyari sent a representative seeing that the issue of nutrition is rooted in agriculture and its ancillary products.

    The health minister told the audience the inter-ministerial and agency collaborations aimed at tackling the health challenges especially the emergency situation caused by malnutrition which of course is a culmination of factors over time and therefore would need a lot of strategizing and collaborations being addressed by the Tinubu government. Osita Chidoka maintained that the serious collaboration of governors, the health, agriculture and defense ministries must work together with other relevant agencies to create a conducive, accountable and dedicated attitude if the region must address the issue of chronic malnutrition.

    He believes that as a nation, we must look inwards and identify the strengths of each regionand invest in the strengths of each region. The inter-dependence of the constituent regions would flourish the moment the country addresses the fundamentals of systemic functionality. Each regional bloc must work on its areas of comparative advantage for the success of the nation. The Northern region to him has the land mass for agriculture and so the issue of malnutrition is a paradoxical misnomer. It must be addressed by all stakeholders in ways that each group can be assisted and held to account for functionality. He cited the example of Singapore stating that because of the cost of water production to the country, they rely on Malaysia and as such makes sure the relationship is mutually beneficial and functional.

    The governors of Zamfara and Niger states, Dauda Lawal and Mohammed Umaru Bago were impressive in their presentations. The governor of Niger was proud of the fact that the state with its massive land mass was investing seriously in agriculture through mechanized farming. It remains however for the federal government to tap into the  advantages of the state. The Zamfara security challenge that has been scaring farmers away must be holistically addressed in a state known for its agricultural production and solid minerals.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that the issue of malnutrition in the country must be treated as an emergency  so that the country doesn’t end up with a generation of Nigerians that are stunted mentally and physically.  Beyond the inter-ministerial, agency and state government collaborations, there are pertinent issues that must be addressed too. There must be more inclusiveness in governments at all levels. The women who are the nurturers must be educated. An illiterate mother has a higher chance of being blind to nutritional requirements of herself and her children.

    Child marriages must be discouraged. Sierra Leone has just passed a law banning child marriages. Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of child brides in the world. A child cannot raise a child. The Northern governors must collaborate with the traditional and religious leaders to educate the populace. No development comes to any nation where women are not empowered with education. It will amount to winking at a woman in the dark to make all the official efforts then leave out the women who are the hands that rock the cradle. That is a challenge the Roundtable Conversation would want the various state governors and the National assembly to address. Chronic malnutrition decimates a nation’s population the likes of which are only seen during wars. Nigeria cannot afford to fail her children.

    The dialogue continues…

  • 2026 World Cup: Wither Nigeria?

    2026 World Cup: Wither Nigeria?

    Nigeria just marked the 31st anniversary of June 12 and the 25th anniversary of unbroken democracy. The symbol of June 12 who former President Buhari  honoured by changing the democracy day from May 29th to june 12 in 2018 is late MKO Abiola the winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election under the Social Democratic Party ( SDP). Abiola broke all Nigeria’s electoral records.

    The electoral process was pretty much transparent because of the Option A4 System adopted by the then National Electoral Commission headed by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu whose comical social mantra then was, “No wuruwuru, no Magomago” a colloquial way of saying there won’t be any form of cheating. Indeed the election was a watershed in Nigeria’s electoral history. An MKO even defeated his opponent, late Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in his home state, Kano.

    An Abiola was not just a businessman or mere politician, he was different things to different demographics not just in Nigeria but in Africa. He was the Pillar of Sports in Africa, an accolade he earned because of his love and investment in sports in Nigerian and the continent. He owned the Nigerian club, Abiola Babes FC that made waves continentally at the time. He was a lover of sports and invested in FIFA competitions in Nigeria and Africa.

    As Nigeria struggles to see if they can qualify for the 2026 World Cup that would be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, the fate of Nigeria’s Super Eagles seems to hang in the balance presently as the Nigerian team has played about four marches with no wins yet. They are presently making permutations about how to qualify for the Mundial. As the country celebrates the June 12 memories, it is pertinent to recall the efforts an MKO Abiola made to promote football both as a club owner an proud African. He was inducted into the African Football Hall of Fame and honoured by the Confederation of African Football with an Order of Merit in Gold Award, the highest honour by CAF. He got posthumous honours in his home state Ogun and nationally  as two Stadia have been named after him in Abeokuta an Abuja Abuja.

    Even though Abiola Babes football Club was the most vibrant in his lifetime possibly because it bore his name, he equally had the ITT FC possibly named after his business with the international telecom giant. There was also the Concord FC of Lagos named after his newspaper and airline.  His love for football has been unequalled both in Nigeria and Africa in terms of demonstrable interest and investment with full active participation. The spread of his magnanimity and huge personal activism in promoting football not just in Nigeria but in Africa stands as his legacy. He intervened occasionally in helping some African countries with financial assistance and physical presence.

     His generosity was not just in football, other sportsmen and women got his material and cash gifts after winning medals in competitions in and outside Africa. He was almost obsessed with Nigeria’s attempt to qualify for the World Cup and he was sadly not alive to witness that in 1994 when the Dutch coach, Clemence Westerhof led the Nigerian team to the World Cup in the United States where they ended up with a stellar first-timer performance after which Nigeria rose to the 5th position in FIFA ranking.

    It is important to delve into the man MKO Abiola’s role in the promotion of football in Nigeria as Nigeria commemorates the June 12 anniversary while Nigeria ironically struggles to attempt to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The RoundTable  Conversation believes that now more than ever, the game of football deserves similar if not better attention and investment made by late MKO. He walked the talk and the ministry of sports and the Nigerian Football Federation must be ready to do the needful to see that the qualification for World Cup 2026 can be remedied.

    Football is for Nigerians almost a religion in the real sense. It is positive opium that unites and intoxicates the people. Politics and politicians have over the years divided the people along ethnic and religious lines causing conflicts and disharmony that seem to be going from generation to generation. It is only football that truly unites the people in ways nothing else does. The one programme that comes close is National Youth Service Corps but even its unifying factor seems to be waning with time given various socio-political variables.

    Football is more unifying than any other event in Nigeria, a merit-based sport and unlike in politics, only some of the best across the country make the team and every Nigerian has equal stake and the joy of the game cuts across political, social, class, religious and economic demographics. Football has become a multi-trillion dollar global business and countries that understand this are leveraging on that.

    While Nigeria struggles to alter their 2026 fate, it is instructive to understand that football and all the summersaults is not an isolated case. There have been multi-sectorial negligence by successive administrations in the country and because all eyes seem to be on football, it often escapes our consciousness to understand that a lot is invested by countries that reap the benefits of the business of football.

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    Qualifying for a global competition like the World Cup needs a lot of work and planning to succeed. Nigeria is presently at the crossroads in Group C African qualification table that includes;  Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Benin and Lesotho. Nigeria is presently 5th on the table with a paltry three points from four matches.  They have drawn three matches and lost to Benin in their last match. The situation is dire and everything possible must be done to reverse the situation if Nigeria’s flag must be flown at the 2026 World Cup venues. Nigerians have not recovered from missing out on the 2022 world Cup in Qatar where the likes of Morocco and Saudi Arabia showcased excellence and have since been reaping the benefit of their investments. Morocco’s football playing and administration have since improved and they are presently the best ranked in Africa having done really well in Qatar 2022. Saudi Arabian League is fast developing and attracting world best players like Ronaldo, Mane, Mahrez, Benzema, Neymar, Karim and many others.

    The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and coaching crew are being urged by Nigerians to be more proactive through valid actions to see that Nigeria qualifies for the next World Cup. The Roundtable Conversation spoke to veteran Sports journalist, who was honoured by FIFA in Qatar2022 for having covered nine World Cups. He describes the World Cup as the biggest Worldwide spectacle that he started  has covering  since Italia 1990 

    Mr. Solaja believes that a lot of fundamental works need to be done in Nigerian sports generally but as a veteran World Cup attendee and a Nigerian, he wants a reorientation of the people who run sports in the country. He believes that Nigeria needs to work better on sports development like what obtained in the past. It very rewarding to develop grassroots football.  He recalls that in the past, it was very intersting to go as young people to watch matches between Igbobi College and St. Gregory’s college and other school competitions. That to him was when the country invested in school sports where young ones are groomed for better and progressiveachievements.

    He believes that Nigeria must get back to the era of investing in school sports so that there can be a admirable growth like in other countries. Academies are good but the Nigerian system cannot totally give the best results in the development of football. There must be serious planning for football from grooming young players to the people that are employed to manage football. Everything must work in sync for the country to achieve the desired results at the home league, continental and global competitions. He made reference to the likes of Kanu, Babayaro, Osimhen, Iheanacho, Chukwueze, Awoniyi etc. all products of the under 17 World Cup competitions who went on to achieve phenomenally on the global stage in different leagues.

    The country must learn to put round pegs in round holes if Nigerian football can achieve its potentials given the human and material resources available in and out of the country. Nigerian Leagues he insists must be run professionally run and this includes but not limited to the administration of football.  There must be attention to details  including the officiating in league games that must be free of inefficiency and corruption that could taint the results of league matches.

    He believes that Nigerian football officials at different levels must like Ceasar’s wife be above reproach so that a CAF competition like AFCON cannot be organized without Nigerian officials like what happened in Ivory Coast at the last AFCON. Managing National teams to Solaja must be by very competent and knowledgeably savvy coaches and technical crew that have the passion and attributes of great managers across the world.. The NFF must the difference between a brilliant student and a good teacher. To him, Pele was a good player but cannot be described a a good coach, Maradona was a football legend but was not a successful coach tried as he did. Nigeria must understand this.

    On the contrary, some other very successful coaches across countries, clubs and leagues might not have been excellent players but ended up as successful coaches with trophies to show. He believes then that the NFF in seeking to grab a 2026 ticket must be sure to understand the dynamics of modern football coaching/management and have the determination to do right by the game and the people. Beyond the 2026 World Cup qualification struggle as it appears now, the government, the sports ministry and the NFF must rejig the plans for football development in the country in a holistic way that would cover investment in infrastructure. training, human resources and making efforts to professionally run football starting from the grassroots. No country skips any of the processes.

    • The conversation continues… 
  • Ministers and the people’s assessments

    Ministers and the people’s assessments

    Nigeria was a colony of the British Empire. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. The British coveted cash crops like palm oil and palm kernel and export trade in tin, cotton, cocoa, groundnuts, palm oil and so on (Graham, 2009). The British accomplished the colonization by using its military might. Although the people fiercely resisted colonialism, the British used military power to crush all opposition.

    Chinua Achebe’s iconic novel, Things Fall Apart documented the cultural shock of the people against the British. The story of the banishment of the 35th Oba of Benin, Oba Ovoramwen Nogbaisi from his kingdom to Calabar over trade disputes with the British in late 19th century is equally instructive. The piecemeal return of Benin priced Benin artifacts stolen by the British during the colonial era is testament to the effort by the British t to strip the people bare not just of their language and culture but of resources whether human or material.

    Colonialism, apartheid and the transatlantic slave trade were three crimes against the African continent for more than four hundred years. The continent has not fully recovered from the effects of colonialism either mentally of in cultural and physical structures. The colonial legacies of political chicanery continue to exist even after  independence in most of the African countries.

    However, even with all the minuses that came with colonialism, independence for most African countries has not created any Eldorado. The democracies that the independent countries have adopted have not fully been of much value to the people. Military incursions into politics continues to plague the continent, wars and conflicts have had their impact on the countries. Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast , Rwanda etc. have all had and till date, continues to impact the people in very grave ways. 

    The indigenous African political leaders seem not to have purged themselves of the colonial legacies of being somewhat insensitive to the needs of the people. The development of African countries has been at snail-speed despite the human and material resources available in the continent. The continent paradoxically keeps losing its human and material resources to the West. The war in Congo has lasted decades for a country that has the highest deposits of some of the most priced natural resources like uranium.

    Somalia is made up of people of same ethnicity, language and religion but the guns and bullets still speak loud and clear.  Pope Francis had at one point knelt down to kiss the feet of some Sudanese leaders in an effort to remind them of the need to care for their people. The war still rages. Niger, Mali, Gabon and Burkina Faso are all under military governments. The African National Congress (ANC), Africa’s oldest political party at more than a hundred years recently lost its majority in parliament. The people seem dissatisfied with the government.

    Nigeria, with the largest black population and many natural resources like oil and other solid minerals is the poverty capital of the world with more than 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty, more than 20 million out-of-school children, unemployment, high inflation and other developmental challenges got independence in 1960 but with military taking a huge share in the leadership of the country, all has not been well with Nigeria in 64 years.

    As the administration of President Tinubu clocked one year, Ministers were urged by the President to present their report cards to the people.  He had after their inauguration last year told the 47 cabinet members during a retreat  that any of them that does not perform creditably would be shown the exit door. In fact for the first time in the country, the president appointed a Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman. Her role is to ensure there is coordination across ministries, departments and agencies. She actually got the Ministers to sign a Performance Bond with President Tinubu.

    The bond was expected to contain certain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with a consequence management framework.  Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the outcomes of the evaluation after the ministers faced the media to reel out what in their view are their key achievements since taking oath of office even if they will clock one year in August.  As they say, a ripe maize does not need to be opened to confirm.

    After listening to most of the ministers, many analysts have been giving their opinions about the performance of some of them. Ministers like the that of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo , Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani,  Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, Minister of state for defense,  Dr, bello Matawalle are deemed to have performed fairly well either through assessable efforts in physical structures or their laid out plans and or commitment to improve their sectors.

    On the other hand, many other ministers have been very loud in their performance silence. This to the Roundtable Conversation is worrisome because the sub-total of the performance of cabinet members in any government can be best described as akin to that of a football team. The wingers, defense, mid-fielders, attackers and goalkeepers must all play their roles perfectly for the team to record victory. The team working with any president must work at their peak for any impactful progress to be made by the administration.

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    AS we assess the performance of the ministers in Nigeria 25 long years after the return of democracy, The Roundtable Conversation is quick to draw attention, again, to the colonial period. Despite the huge minuses of colonialism, there are certain pluses that post independent democratic leaders especially in Nigeria seem to have forgotten even when most of them were old enough to have seen and benefitted from the governance structure then.

    Across Nigeria, no matter how remote the villages, one can still see the relics of colonial administration. In the remotest of villages, one can see; roads, schools, judicial quarters/courts, hospitals or health centers and taps that have been dry since independence. Most people grew up seeing running taps across villages and towns. The roads even if narrower than modern roads were built to last and in most cases their replacements don’t last very long. It is curious that successive governments after independence have not planned long term projects bearing in mind global economic realities and population growth. There are often zero environmental impact assessment of capital projects making them susceptible to early dysfunction.

    Nigerians born a few decades ago cannot tell what a running tap looks like because they have never seen one. The country is suffused with boreholes and wells and even governors and the legislators brandish boreholes and water wells as achievements without consideration for the long impact of non-functional water sources in a country with a huge population. Year on year, budgetary allocations are made to the ministry of Water Resources, what changes have they made to the water sector? Has Nigeria given up on the supply of pipe born water for her citizens?

    The food insecurity in Nigeria coupled with inflation is causing a lot of hardship on the people. Since the present President of African Development Bank (AFDB), Akin Adesina left the agriculture ministry, not much information or innovative actions have been seen to be taken by the ministry of Agriculture in a country with many mouths to feed, arable lands and which imports even perishable food products from less endowed countries. The ministry must do more to put food on the table of Nigerians through improved yields and encouragement of farmers.

    The women in the cabinet seem not to be pulling their weights productively. While women advocate for inclusiveness, we want to see more from the female ministers who have been given the chance to contribute to national development. Performance is not mere rhetoric, when any minister performs, the people blow the trumpet of commendation. An Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and a late Prof. Dora Akunyili of National Agency for drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) left indelible marks of performance as Finance Minister and Director General of NAFDAC becoming global figures and making Nigerians proud of their dedication and patriotism.

    Nigeria’s entertainment industry is one of the most vibrant in Africa and the world. That sector is making waves across the world and more work needs to be done by the minister to maximally gain from that sector in national interest. Nigeria can benefit from the soft power that the sector gives nations like the United States and India. Our population is an advantage and with Nigerian musicians at home and in the diaspora making Afrobeat a global anthem and winning grammys, the benefits can be tremendous if the sector is fully productive. The employment opportunities are huge.

    Nigerian youths are setting trends in music, acting and sports. The Ministers of Sports and Youth development must see the potential of those two ministries. Nigerian Victor Osimhen of Italy’s Napoli, Ademola Lookman of Italy’s Atalanta and Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen in the last two seasons have stamped their excellence in the game in their clubs winning the Italian, Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League titles recently. Tobi Amusan and others are still making waves across the world in athletics. This is just a reminder of the Nigerian youth potentials in sports. How far are the ministers going to invest in the grooming of young talents through grassroots sports development?

    Any minister can take the liberty to reel out achievements or goals but the truth is that the people have their own report cards. Nigerians must not be forced to look back and reminisce over the colonial period flawed as that British policy was across the Commonwealth. The people expect democracy to be about them and their welfare. There must be no room for vacuous self-platitudes. The taste of the pudding is in the eating. The legacies of performance are always eveident and outlive individuals no matter how short the time of service. The people know all those putting in the work with patriotism.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Executive/Legislative independence : truth or farce?

    Executive/Legislative independence : truth or farce?

    “There can be no liberty where the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person or body”.

    -James Madison (father of America’s constitution).

    Democracy seems to be admired as a system of government because ideally it is a government of the people by the people and for the people. Elections seem to be the pillar of democracy because it is the process through which the people choose their leaders and the expectations are that each elected candidate is a deliberate choice of the people who might have considered certain variables before voting. This is why voting at elections is considered a civic duty of citizens. In some countries, voting during elections is made compulsory and failure to do so punishable.

    Only two arms of government, the executive and the legislature are the elected representatives of the people and their loyalty ought to be to the people. In Nigeria sadly, the political system is different and as such there is a flawed type of democracy and with this comes a myriad of other problems. When the loyalty of the elected is not to the people, there is a dysfunction that adversely affects the people.

    Nigeria claims to practice the American brand of democracy on paper but the structural practice seems to be purely ‘homegrown’ in ways that had stunted the growth of democracy. The political party structure is so dysfunctional that it affects the whole system. The political parties are not run in ways that the administration is properly structured to deliver politically viable processes. The financing of the political parties is often left to those who have the money and because he who pays the piper dictates the tune, there are often influences that impede the democratic processes.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that there must be a restructuring of political party administration in ways that the financing of the parties would fall on the public and members of the political parties and donation of campaign funds strictly regulated. This brings accountability because stakeholders become the gatekeepers. The idea that ‘party chieftains’ fund political parties makes the parties vulnerable in ways that affect the whole political process.

    The Nigerian post-independence military incursions into governance seem to have negatively impacted the democracy practiced in the country. The authoritarian nature of the military, the lack of accountability in governance, the command and control structure seem to have damaged the foundation of Nigerian democracy and the impact continues even after more than two decades of  civilian democracy.

    The military after every coup first suspends the legislature and rule by decrees. This process seems to have weakened the legislature even as the country has practiced uninterrupted civilian democracy since 1999. The executive in Nigeria seems to have ‘inherited’ the military style of looking down on the legislative arm of government and this has been the case since 1999. The governors seem to wield too much power that it appears they control the legislature at all levels,

    Nothing since 1999 so eloquently points to this than the description of the 9th senate led by former senate president, Ahmad Lawan as a ‘rubber stamp’ assembly. These two words define the trust deficit the people felt about the 9th assembly. There was a feeling amongst the people that the 9th senate was not as independent as they ought to have been and in being so flouted the basic democratic principle that all elected people must maintain the separation of powers for democracy to really live up to its tag as a government of the people.

    The Roundtable Conversation has always maintained that there must be a general overhaul of the system if Nigeria can make progress. The political elite must make deliberate efforts to be self-cleansing. The independence of the three arms of government is sine qua non to development. Those who fashioned the democratic system understood that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The three arms of government are supposed to be independent and act as each other’s watchdog on behalf of the people.

    Somehow, the executive over the years has acted as monarchy at different levels. The governors in Nigeria wield so much power that they often determine who gets elected to the to the state houses of assembly, local government chairmen,  the national assembly and who gets to be nominated as minister and other federal appointments in the spirit of federal character. They muscle their ways through the political space and do some undemocratic things.

    But it is curiously the norm in Nigeria that the executive often behave as though the legislators are only accountable to them. Sometimes when analysts point out the aberration, the politicians claim party loyalty or in some cases, executive/legislative harmony. The people however often see through the façade and try to call them out but more often than not nothing happens as self-interest often trumps patriotism with politicians.

    It is against this backdrop that what is happening in Rivers state should worry Nigerians. The no-love-lost between the former governor of Rivers state, now minister of the federal capital territory, Nyesom Wike and his anointed successor governor, Sim Fubara and the factionalized legislators come to the fore. Wike was a very ‘strong’ governor and an influential politician in his own right. His two term as governor of Rivers cannot be forgotten in a hurry and no Nigerian dreamt that there would be a fallout between him and his successor so early in the day.

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    The Rivers state house of assembly had a few week ago experienced a series of chaotic events, first was an alleged attempt to impeach the new governor, then an arson attack on the building, then the struggle over speakership, then decamping of about 27 members of the house of assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) party. Then just yesterday, the state government allegedly  demolished  the state house of assembly building claiming it was due to a professional advise owing to the previous arson attack on the building.

    The two factional speakers of the house both claim to have a court judgment supporting their speakership, one from a federal high court and another from a state high court. There seems to be a judicial cull de sac at the moment. The governor  however present the 2024 budget to the few legislators supporting him in a venue different from where the decamped legislators sat. There seems to be total confusion in Rivers state.

    The question the Roundtable Conversation is asking however is, in this whole chaotic situation in Rivers state, how are the people being served? How does the fight between the two elephants, the former governor and his successor serve the interest of the people of Rivers? Both the legislators alleged to be loyal to the former governor and those loyal to the new governor are representatives of the people. How does the muscle-flexing fit into their legislative functions?

    These and other questions are hanging because there are fundamentals we seem to forget. This chaotic state of affairs is rooted in the type of democracy we have been practicing since 1999. How is it that we are talking of ‘legislators loyal to one personality or the other’? In other climes, elected individuals are accountable to the people and in the case of legislators ether at the state or federal levels, to their immediate constituencies with loyalty to party principles. Legislators hold regular town halls to give accounts to the people. It rarely happens in Nigeria.

    There are basic questions to ask, how is it that the executive elected by the people are not accountable to them? How do governors exercise so much power over the legislature at state and federal levels? Why do governors literally ‘install’ their successors across the nation and in most cases of incompetence goes from a predecessor to a successor and the people suffer the consequences.

    Nigerian democracy must be re-evaluated by all stakeholders if progress is to be made. The different arms of democracy must maintain their traditional roles for a cohesively functional governance to happen.  Power must not be abused by the executive and the legislators must understand that they are an independent arm meant to represent the interest of the people not themselves.

    If Nigeria has chosen the democratic system of government, they must be prepared to obey the tenets laid down for functional democracies. We could pretend  that we can ‘domesticate’ our brand of democracy by infusing our own traditional nuances but obviously they are not working. The country since 1999 has been struggling and is now the poverty capital of the world with 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty and more than 20 million out of school children with dilapidated infrastructure fueling insecurity and unemployment.

    Nigerian political class must not play the ostrich. The problem in Rivers has precedents and they were not tackled and here we are with the mess in Rivers. Each country with a functional democracy got there by working the ropes and obeying the democratic rules. The political elite must realize that destruction of the values of democracy in the name of ego and selfish interests is an ill-wind that blows anyone any good.

    There must be some efforts at returning the democracy to its original form where the people have the power to hire and fire. The era of imposition should be over and there must be a deliberate attempt to curtail the excesses of the executive and to get the legislature and judiciary to be functional. There must be an effort to restructure the political party system for positive outcomes. What the country presently practices cannot develop the country.

    ●This article was originally published on December 16, 2023

  • Air Peace and the Isi Agu imagery

    Air Peace and the Isi Agu imagery

    The management of Air Peace recently conducted its inaugural flight to London Gatwick airport in what seems a successful end to years of negotiations for the Nigerian privately owned airline to break into aviation’s most profitable route. Ironically, Nigerian passengers have been sustaining the other foreign airlines like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, KLM etc. sometimes at very high costs in comparative terms.

    The aviation industry is a trillion dollar industry globally. Beyond just ticket sales, ancillary investment  earns countries and private investors billions of dollars annually. Duty free shops, local culture, fashion, transportation, culinary services, hospitality and tourism industries are all built around aviation. So in the real sense, it is not just about ticket sales, the industry is multifaceted and a huge employer of labour and a great foreign exchange earner.

    The fact that Air Peace got the approval to ply that route has changed the dynamics in the industry. Before their entrance, the foreign airlines were charging between 13-15 million and 3-5million naira for business and economy classes respectively. Within days of the announcement of a 4million and 12million naira fares  for business and economy class tickets to London, the other airlines crashed their own fares by more than half.

    Beyond the airfares, Air Peace also announced an additional 15% rebate for Nigerian students abroad who can now take advantage of low fares to come and join their families during holidays. This had been hitherto a huge challenge for most parents due to the depreciation of the local currency, the naira.  Many parents are ecstatic and thankful for the offer. Nigerian students’ enjoyment of student rebate sadly ended with the now defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways.

    Most people are glad therefore that a private airline has offered such a relief to Nigerian students studying abroad who wish to travel home to reunite with their families. This is also a reminder of the magnanimity of the management of Air peace that has been consistent in bailing out Nigerians across the world from the start of the Russia-Ukrainian war, Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, encouraging the Super Eagles during the last AFCON,  Covid-19 lockdown to the war in Sudan. The airline’s management has always shown great patriotic spirit.

    However, the Roundtable Conversation finds it strange that despite the milestone achievement and the value that the airline has been adding to the aviation sector and the employment the airline has added to the country’s labour market, the Isi agu clothing associated with the Air Peace’s Chairman and CEO Allen Onyema’s ethnic lineage became an issue and has been trending on the social media.

    Some Nigerians have accused him of regionally dressing the crew members in the Isi agu cloth as a sign of his ethnic jingoism.

    The world is now a global village so the viral discussions, social media vitriol after the inaugural London flight in a way tends to  expose the level of ignorance and lack of emotional  intelligence of those who feel that engaging in such a distractive discussion is worth anything at all.

    However, the people that are pushing the warped narrative about the crew’s attire are victims of a socio-political environment that empowers the mindset of most Nigerians along tribal and religious lines. Truly the politicians are to blame.

    This is exactly why the Roundtable Conversation insists that we as a country must address certain anomalies in our body politic that have continued to impede development. The conversation must transcend the political platforms. There is a dire need for national re-orientation and a recreation of the sociology of politics and politicking in Nigeria.

    We must seize certain opportunities to address that which ails our nation.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke with Dr. Omoniyi Ibeitan, head Media Relations Managements of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), a scholar  and a frequent flier who in his bid to contribute to the African aviation development deliberately always chose to fly Rwanda Air from South Africa to London as a student in South Africa. To him, the success of Air Peace on the London route ought to be celebrated by Africans even beyond Nigeria. It is an African success story and the economic benefit is unquantifiable.

    According to him, first and foremost, it is a thing of joy that Air Peace, a Nigerian brand is flying to London and Nigerians flying public now have options rather than being left the only option of flying other foreign airlines on that route. It takes away some foreign exchange from our economy to continue to fly only foreign airlines.

    Air Peace to him is a proudly Nigerian brand that is complying to the government plea to the private sector to create jobs for the teaming unemployed youths in the country. What has happened is a credit to Nigeria. Their Gatwick destination is a non-issue as Rwanda Air also flies into Gatwick and they are doing well. Every Nigerian should be enthusiastic that the Nigerian Flag carrier is expanding its operation to London which provides more jobs for Nigerians.

    Read Also: Triumph of Air Peace

    Dr. Ibeitan insists that he is too excited with the choice of clothing for the crew. To him, as a communications scholar, the Isi agu attire for the crew by his reckoning is a masterpiece, it promotes an aspect of the Nigerian culture given that Nigeria is a multicultural society . It brands the organization in a more distinct and artistic manner. It is a beautiful imagery out there. Isi Agu particularly itself speaks to something that is profoundly evocative. It does not matter which aspect of the Nigerian culture it projects,  it is ceremonial.

    The idea of even getting the route is entrepreneurial and historical which is is associated with Isi agu so that imagery in communicating a brand essence is not something anyone should be discussing in the negative. It is an achievement every Nigeria should celebrate and no one should undermine the milestone and contribution of Air Peace to the aviation sector at national, continental and global levels.

    We equally sought the opinion of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, another frequent flier on the international routes, a lawyer, an entrepreneur and  Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. She too like Dr. Omoniyi is over-excited about the achievement of the management of Air Peace especially in expanding their operations to London.

     To Amb. Bianca, if Nigerians are complaining about insecurity fueled by poverty and unemployment, any private sector investment that creates even a single job is an addition and must be applauded. In the case of Air Peace, they have created thousands of jobs and the value chain is huge so the applause ought to even be louder.

    The global aviation market is one that is a great part of diplomacy, trade and politics so it’s a huge step into pushing Nigeria deeper into more economically profitable multilateral engagements. As a player who has been over a decade in the business, the London route at this time of economic distress can help Nigeria earn and conserve and the much needed foreign exchange.

    To Bianca, the distraction being caused by the argument over the crew attire, the popular Isi agu design is just a storm in a tea cup. No one should dissipate energy diverting attention to that. Aviation is about tourism, entertainment, fashion, culture and hospitality amongst others. The Isi agu cloth is a cultural brand that speaks to who we are and the deeper essence of our culture and it does not really matter which region it comes from, Air Peace is flying the Nigerian flag carrier, period.

    As Nigeria’s Permanent  Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, any aspect of Nigerian culture and tradition being projected to the global community speaks to a deeper essence of our being as a people without the divisive rhetoric of those who only see negativity in our differences.  So really, we should and must avert our energy to the value an Air Peace brings to the Nigerian travelling public and the impact of the chairman, Allen Onyema’s vision and his efforts at putting Nigeria more on the world trade and tourism map.

    Each Nigerian carries a Nigerian passport and at all international destinations,  that is the identity we all carry. We are not identified by our ethnicities or languages that is more than 350, but any piece of the culture of each of the ethnic groups projected to the world becomes a Nigerian art piece in its totality so it is all a plus for everyone.

    We all should be excited that we now have our flag carrier  that is adding value to our lives through creation of employment and other value added services. The testimonies from passengers on the flight is so heartwarming as they talked about the excellent customer service and the Nigerian dishes and drinks served during the flight. All the culinary delights go to tell us how many jobs have been created for our people across the country. We can only wish the airline and its management success and future foray into more destinations across the world.

    Dr, Omoniyi and Amb. Bianca  each feel that it is time for Nigeria to shed the excess mental luggage that does not contribute to development and see the beauty and progress that always emerge from better managed multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nations across the world. The United States is a country of immigrants but the constituent ethnic nationalities have been able to unite and build a united nation bound by the constitution. Nigeria can take a cue and build a more united and prosperous nation for generation to come.

    • The dialogue continues…
  • Kidnappings and the tragedy of out- of –school children

    Kidnappings and the tragedy of out- of –school children

    Education is the best legacy parents and the state can give to any child. There is the informal and formal education which when combined effectively arms every individual for a lifetime of positive productivity. The informal education is the one given from the family the community, religious and traditional institutions where values, ethics and cultural norms are passed from generation to generation. An effective combination of the two often results in maximizing the productive capacity of individuals and this in turn engenders development.

    The way each nation manages the informal and formal education sectors of its citizens determines the difference between development and underdevelopment. Each society is guided by values and ethos they have in a way adopted to be their guide through life. That is why cultures and traditions differ as much as human physical features tell our differences from continent to continent, nation to nation tribe to tribe, community to community.

    Before the advent of formal education, humanity existed and there was a seeming peace even if development and globalization were not impacting the world. However, because humans have the capacity to dominate and impact (positively or negatively) on their environment, formal education has brought with it huge strides in education. Science and technology have positively impacted human lives. This value-adding aspect of formal education has been continually horned by advancement through education in technology through ideas that are fueling innovation and research.

    The difference in nations therefore is obviously dependent on the value they place on formal education given that the informal education seems to be a given. Nations where education is given high value are beacons for the underdeveloped nations saddled with poverty and its attendant socio-economic problems like insecurity, conflicts and other sundry problems.

    The global need for people to get maximum benefit from education is why the United Nations through its agencies like UNICEF and UNESCO emphasizes the need for education across the world through treaties that most countries have signed. Through education, inequalities and gender equality can be reached. That is why the UN Sustainable Development Goals are vigorously pursued . To the United nations,  education plays a holistic role in the lives of individuals and our shared global community.

    The idea for qualitative education is to facilitate learning, the acquisition of skills, values, beliefs and habits. The goal of UNESCO for instance is to contribute to the building of the culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

    The UN has a minimum benchmark for countries to allocate to education in their annual budgets which is at least 26%. This is to ensure that the sector gets enough funding to give qualitative basic education to citizens. Sadly however, Nigeria has never reached that benchmark.  The budgetary allocation has never been up to 20% in the last 24 years.

    The result is not far-fetched, public schools have been on the decline and private investors in education have taken over. Sadly, not many parents can afford the cost of private education for their children. There seems to be little incentive for children to go to school because of a plethora of reasons. In the Northern region of Nigeria, illiteracy is very high because of the system of alternative education like the almajiri system which even though good  can still be effectively combined with western education in ways that the children’s potentials can be realized with through balancing.

       The long period of lack of qualitative and consistent but affordable education has many implications. Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world at more than 20million and many of them are in the Northern region with series of security problems. The child -bride syndrome in the region makes it impossible for most of the young girls to be in school and as such many of them start bearing children early and the obvious implication is that the female illiteracy rate affects the children they bear. There are always chances of having too many children and the danger again of high maternal and child mortality rates.

    The country is saddled with more than 133million people living in multi-dimensional poverty. Their emergence cannot be divorced from the lack of qualitative education that can empower for productivity. The implication is the preponderance of uneducated, unskilled and frustrated young adults who in any case would strive for survival by all means including criminality. So it is not surprising that today, there are high incidents of terrorism in the country in such a dire level that at some point Nigeria became the third most terrorized nation on earth.

    The scars of insurgency, terrorism, banditry and sundry crimes like kidnappings and arson can be seen all over the country. The insecurity problems have reached monumental proportions in ways that even the Federal Capital Territory has been experiencing the audacious invasion of terrorists some of who even ambushed and killed some of the National Guard Troops during former President Buhari’s tenure. In the last few months, there have been series of killings and kidnappings of citizens either travelling or in their houses in Abuja.

    There is heightened insecurity and many are thankful for the efforts of the military and police but believe that more can be done to stem the tide of insecurity in the country. It is therefore very heartbreaking that the abductions of school children continues to be on the rise especially in the North West states of Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and the North Eastern states of Bornu, Yobe and the ones in the North Central states of Nasarawa and Niger. Jos has been a theatre of war for many years and that does not seem to have stopped at all as killings happen frequently.

    Even though the Chibok girls abduction garnered international attention, the February 25, 2014 Buni Yadi massacre of 59 boys in their dormitory at the Federal government college in Yobe state preceded the Chibok abductions. Not much has been heard the perpetrators of that heinous crime from the security agencies.

    Read Also: Kidnappings: There’ll be no ransom payments, says Tinubu

    However, the kidnap of the Chibok girls in April 2014 seems to have opened the floodgate of school arson and kidnappings that now seems to have become a very lucrative business. About a hundred of the kidnapped Chibok girls are still unaccounted for. The lone hostage of the Dapchi School girls abductions, Leah Sharibu is still in captivity since February 18, 2018. More than hundred girls were abducted.

    About ,1,680 school children have been kidnapped in Nigeria as at August 2023, more than 180 school children have been killed, almost a hundred injured in about 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022. The School children are not the sole victims, some of their teachers are always abducted along with them and school buildings often destroyed or burnt down totally.

    It is curious that these North Western school abductions always involves hundreds of school children especially girls with no trace of the criminals.  In February 2021, about 279 female students aged between 10 –17 were kidnapped from their school even though later released. This was just few days after the Kagara kidnappings in Niger state. It is just futile recounting all the school abductions in recent times  but this year alone, school children and some of their teachers have been taken from Ekiti, Kaduna, Sokoto and Bornu states.

    Presently school children as young as 7 are in the kidnappers’ den and there seems no end in sight to the terrorist acts that seems to have turned a lucrative business and an agonizing ordeal for parents. However, the implications of this tragic turn of events are that the terrorists who vowed to discourage education seem to be succeeding. For a region with the least literacy rates in Nigeria, the prognosis is dire.

    What it means is that the school enrolments would continue to decline drastically  as any sane parent would rather have an illiterate child than an abducted, wounded or dead one. Most parents might be forced to withdraw even those they had enrolled earlier. Teachers might begin to migrate away from the danger zones in a way that even if some parents decide to brave the odds to send their kids, there might be no teachers willing to risk their lives.

    Education is the key to unlock the future, Nigeria must own the education of her children by making better efforts to defeat the terrorists. For a country like Nigeria on the poverty and illiteracy chats, there are no options than defeating those endangering the future. The children have constitutional and human rights that the state must protect. An illiterate population in a 21st century world is a ticking time bomb because that is a sure recruitment space for the social misfits perpetrating the heinous crimes on innocent and vulnerable children.

    Governments at all levels must work hard to invest in security, intelligence and communication technology. There is no country in the world that is crime free but every country invests in the security of its citizens through various sectors. The internal affairs and defense ministries must work harder to secure the borders of the country through intelligence gathering. An uneducated population in a country with millions in multi-dimensional poverty is the worst tragedy in a world rule by ideas and technology. We cannot let terrorists win.

    • The dialogue continues…
  • Herbert Wigwe: Tributes, paradoxes and revelations

    Herbert Wigwe: Tributes, paradoxes and revelations

    In the literary world, the greatest dirge ever written has to be that of Mark-Anthony in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar.  The power of figures of speech was evident in the funeral speech of Marc Anthony as he stirred the people to mutiny through the powerful and effective use of words. The irony was that the conspirators that killed Julius Ceasar had warned him not to indict them in his speech. His effective use of sarcasm, metaphors, personifications and repetitions stirred the crowd and helped him emotionally connect to the people so powerfully that the conspirators were run out of town.

    It is therefore on record that in death in most cultures around the world, the living pay tributes to the dead through poetry, prose, music and dance. The intensity of any of the chosen art forms is determined by the status of the dead. As Shakespeare again wrote, “When beggars die, there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”.

    This Shakespearean idiom was in full display as the family, friends, workers, business partners, colleagues and staff of Access Holdings and other companies the late Herbert  Wigwe had interests in pulled all stops to honour his memory, that of his wife Chizoba and their son Chizi’s in an almost week-long funeral obsequies.  Very few tragedies come close to the loss of three members of the same family in such a tragic circumstance. Herbert was well known in the financial circles due to his work ethic and patriotism.

    And so the tributes poured in from across the globe and many were held spellbound by the depth of his friendships, love, kindness, generosity, financial acumen, diversity and as many noted, fearlessness. However, the tributes formed a bouquet and have been as inspiring as it has been awesome. The Roundtable Conversation cannot remember any Nigeria that has been mourned with such intensity and whose influence and humanity was so borderless they expose the deepest hypocrisies of most of the Nigerian political class.

    Nigeria last year emerged from one of the most polarized elections in the country’s history. In Lagos state especially, there were instances of bigotry seemingly fueled or tolerated by politicians. Some tribal sentiments were easily whipped up and manipulated for electoral victories. Some people were stigmatized for their ancestry which of course stems from lack of wisdom as no human chooses where or who to be born by or what tribe to come from. There were exclusions, beatings and killings due to ethnic bigotry. Some voters were even prevented from voting for their preferred candidates in certain areas of the country.

    Even in some states like the South East, things as seemingly insignificant as geographic sub-communities like Enugu East Vs Enugu North were weaponized and have always been weaponized by politicians.  In states like Imo and Anambra, innocuous issues like Christian denominations of Catholicism and Anglican are manipulated by politicians to divide voters and set them against each other for the benefit of politicians.

    In the Northern part of the country that is predominantly of the Islamic faith, there is often a manipulation based on the religious sects. So sometimes, there are skirmishes between Sunnis and Shiites that in some ways, it baffles the world. In the Middle belt, there are issues between so called indigenes and settlers. The present bloodbaths in Jos has a long history traceable to socio-political manipulations by politicians. In the South South,  the struggle for the control of oil wealth pits the minority tribes against each other with some political colorations.

    And so, a Herbert Wigwe from the diverse tributes seems to hold a mirror even from his grave to each Nigerian of any tribe, religion, gender or even status. What value do you bring to humanity? What value do you bring to your professional and private lives? Wigwe is from the Igbo speaking area of Rivers state. He was born in Lagos island maternity and in governor  Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s tribute, he said that having been born in Lagos island, if there was a system of granting citizenship, a Wigwe would have been granted the citizenship of Lagos. In his words; 

    “Herbert was my friend, my brother, my adviser. He told me, we believe in you, we trust you, go ahead and change the face of Lagos, that’s my brother Herbert Wigwe…Herbert was one of the very first people that supported my ambition generously. We are all one big family now, Herbert has indeed transcended beyond borders, completely detribalized having the Nigerian story in his heart…we will cherish what he stood for, what he believed in and Lagos will not forget Herbert Wigwe”. He recounted their long friendship that preceded their individual successes in banking or politics.

    Read Also: NLC to Fed Govt: let salaries, wages be commensurate with cost of living

       Another remarkable tribute was that of the 14th Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.  Wigwe’s death seemingly brought out the human in him. Decked in his royal regalia, he was overpowered by emotions as he delivered his very heartfelt tribute. Again, a dead Herbert holds a mirror of our shared humanity to us. Corporate positions, political offices, tribes, religion, royalty, peasant, gender and all other ‘manufactured differences’ seemingly disappear when our/others’ humanity comes first.

    The tears of the former Emir came from a deep sense of grief from losing a very dear friend turned ‘brother’ who was there at his highest and  lowest. He recounted how over the years they had become family. It was not a predatory relationship. It was a mutually beneficial relationship beyond the corporate financial world. He recounted his admiration for the professionalism of Herbert and his business partner, Aigboje Aig-imoukhuede who have shown capacity and leadership from their days as mangers at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) till now.

    Emir Sanusi put value to a friendship that defied religion, region and tribe. The story of how Herbert and Aig-Imoukhede his closest friend showed friendship after he was deposed as Emir of Kano in 2020 by then governor Abdullahi  Umar Ganduje. Herbert  and his partner had displayed real friendship by rehabilitating the family in Lagos and provided the emotional support money cannot buy to both him and his children. The bond of family was so deep that his expectations were that he would likely die before Herbert being his senior in age. He was hoping that his kindness has shown him that his children in the event of his passing would be taken care of.

    Some people might erroneously assume that the kindness shown to the former Emir was based on corporate reciprocity but the diverse tributes from even beyond Nigeria shows the human and humane angles of the late Wigwe. There are still people who do not appreciate friendship no matter how much they had benefitted from others. Politicians easily forget the voters once elections are won and lost. They merely come back during the next election.

    The Roundtable Conversation feels that tragic as death is always inspite of the status of the dead, it brings our mortality closer and should make us more introspective. Primarily, Wigwe is of Igbo ancestry despite the political boundaries of state creation.  But moving tributes came from more people from other parts of Nigeria and even outside than anywhere else. The  stories of his interactions and love for family and friends where all similar.

    His humanity shone through. His humility and empathy ran through most of the tributes. It’s quite ironic that while most people knew him for his professional banking accomplishments, his death even endeared him to more people because he was not advertising his accomplishments, his actions of love spoke for him. His behavior again gives credit to his aged parents. His father, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe was popular for his sterling public service at the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

    Most public officers in Nigeria especially politicians tend to have dysfunctional families because of the lack of personal values of most parents who often feel that material provisions are all children need in the 21st century.  Herbert himself has demonstrated that he is a chip of the old block. His admirable family orientation prepared him to become a good son, brother, husband and father. The testimonies of almost everyone included how dutiful he was as a son, husband and father.

    It was not therefore surprising that he succeeded both professionally and in his private life. He showed exceptional sense of leadership that most public office holders lack, reason why poor leadership is the bane of Nigeria’s development.  He equipped himself for all the tasks he accomplished academically and otherwise. On the contrary, most people just waggle through their ways and leave a trail of incompetence and inertia behind.

    The Roundtable dedicates this page to the memory of Herbert Wigwe and his wife, Chizoba and son Chizzy. Their tragic deaths should leave us the living with eternal lessons about the choices we make in our little corners. It is not just about Herbert’s humanity, that of others shone through too, he had loyal and loving family, friends, partners, colleagues and subordinates and it is uplifting to see that most of these people were very humane, loyal and loving as well.

    The tributes from all classes of people remind us of our own humanity, no office or position imbues anyone with certain values like empathy, charity, love and patriotism, it is the individual who makes choices and impacts on their world starting from family to community and nation. Wigwe’s love for humanity and  education inspired his philanthropy and the establishment of the Wigwe University, a project many of his friends and family have vowed to see to fruition. It is a legacy that remains his epitaph.

    The Roundtable hopes Nigerians especially  politicians, many of who were at the various Nights of Tributes would have a change of heart and understand that at the end of life, the only thing that stands in your name are the actions that positively impacted humanity not your tribe of religion.

    May the dead find peace and their families and friends, comfort. Adieu.

    The dialogue continues…