The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Zamfara APC: Matawalle, Marafa arm-wrestling continues

    Zamfara APC: Matawalle, Marafa arm-wrestling continues

    The battle for supremacy in the divided ranks of the Zamfara State branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) just got more interesting with reports of the rivals outflanking each other.

    Sentry has just heard that some of the party’s supporters in Maradun Local Government Area, where incidentally Governor Bello Mattawale is from, have jumped ship to Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa’s faction.

    The group led by Captain Halilu Haliru (rtd) and a former Director General in the civil service, Malam S. T. Sale, claim their switching of allegiance was down to the poor performance of Matawalle.

    Haliru at the defection event was full of praise for Marafa who he described as the complete opposite of his kinsman Matawalle.

    The group accused the governor’s camp of trying to buy their conscience. They argued, however, that taking Matawalle’s money meant supporting the worsening security situation and absence of development in Maradun Local Government Area and other rural communities.

    But if you think this raid on Matawalle’s home base is something special, wait until the governor plays the return match by fishing in Marafa’s territory. Sentry doesn’t need further evidence to confirm that Zamfara APC is far from being one happy house.

  • Emefiele for president?

    Emefiele for president?

    Does Mr. Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since 2014, desire to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari as elected leader of the country in 2023? This is from all indications the case. As has become an all too familiar story in Nigeria, all kinds of faceless groups are urging on Emefiele to run, printing campaign posters on his behalf, and even placing advertorials in the media in pursuit of this objective of pushing his candidacy even though the man himself has maintained a studied silence on the issue. The main thrust of their campaign is that he has performed so brilliantly as CBN governor over the last seven years that the governor of the apex bank is best placed to help actualize the ongoing ‘economic consolidation project’ as well as continue and achieve the Buhari administration’s goal of lifting 100 million people out of poverty in the next couple of years. Of course, the dominant reaction has been that if indeed he has this political aspiration, which is his right in any case, Emefiele should immediately resign from his current appointment to pursue this goal in the interest of fairness and fairplay, the credibility of the critical office of CBN governor, the integrity of monetary policy in the remaining years of Buhari’s tenure as well as the health and stability of the Nigerian economy.

    Ace columnist, Sam Omatseye, is one of those who have pointed out the patent immorality of the deceptive antics of Emefiele and his cheerleaders on this matter. With unsparing pungency, he wrote in this newspaper on Monday: “An abuse of office is going on with Godwin Emefiele. His so-called committee of friends failed to protect the CBN governor. Rallies are around town. Posters are everywhere. He is still mum. If he wants to run for president, he should resign his office. He should not hide under pieties about God or Muhammadu Buhari”. Of course, the very next day, the apex bank governor’s shadowy  friends had responded in a full page advertorial. Seeking unconvincingly to distance the CBN governor from the campaigns that he run for the highest office in the land, they argued among others that “Godwin Emefiele without prejudice to how he may feel about the posters, also respects the constitutional right of Nigerians, guaranteed under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, to hold opinions and express them without any encumbrances”.

    This is of course utter balderdash. Anyone who is convinced that Emefiele is unaware of the architects of the campaign and indeed part of the entire game plan will believe anything. One of the arguments of some of these amorphous groups for an Emefiele candidacy is that he has a track record of loyalty, patriotism and performance and is different from the typical politicians “who are well versed in political deception, intimidation and blackmail”. This is a grand irony. For, the very essence of the surreptitious campaigns that have heralded Emeliele’s bid for the presidency in 2023 is deception on a grand and stunning scale. If he wants to contest the office of President next year, Emefiele should be bold and courageous enough to declare his ambition rather than acting by proxy. He should be honest enough to voice his aspiration openly and clearly as well as demonstrate sufficient loyalty and patriotism to the country to quit his current office so as to shield the sensitive institution of the CBN from corrosive political partisanship.

    What we have here is also fundamentally a question of character and integrity. Over the last seven years, Emefiele has presided over the most massive financial intervention by the apex bank in virtually every key sector of the economy. As my colleague, Sanya Oni, put it in his column on Thursday, “Never mind those high sounding programmes of the Buhari administration, the man, Emefiele, – in the absence of an effective fiscal counter -foil from the executive branch – has quite easily become the author and finisher of all developmental activities of the current government”. In other words, the CBN under Emefiele has only seized upon the ineptness of the managers of the fiscal side of the economy to get the Apex bank involved in the humongous funding of diverse sectors of the economy – agriculture, textiles, aviation, tertiary education, power, health, entertainment etc with hardly any mechanism in place for effectively ascertaining the efficacy or impact of these policy initiatives.

    The Emefiele-must-run orchestra credits the CBN governor for whatever may be the successes of the Buhari administration on the economic policy terrain as if there is no Vice President and the National Economic Council, no Minister of Works and Housing, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Power, Minister of Trade etc. They assert that Emefiele is singularly responsible for the vacuous and largely meaningless claim that Nigeria is the number one economy in Africa while studiously ignoring the hardly disputable logic that, if so, the CBN governor should be held no less culpable for the equally valid assertion that Nigeria is currently the poverty capital of the world. To quote Sanya Oni once again, “Yes, Emefiele wants to run. No problem with that. What is problematic is when he prefers to hide behind the fingers – and some dark – forces to proclaim or quite predictably, deny an ambition that bears every hallmark of opportunism and greed! Or when as he seems set to do, willfully convert an office held in trust to further a personal ambition”.

    A man of firmer moral fiber and vertebrae should have come out to declare in clear and unmistakable terms that, given his sensitive and delicate role as one of the key managers of the economy over the last seven years including the disbursement of public funds on a stupendous scale, he has absolutely no interest in venturing into partisan politics – at least for now. That would have stopped all these shadowy Emefiele – for – President advocates in their tracks. In the alternative, he should wholeheartedly plunge into the political waters but immediately quit the CBN job for a politically disinterested successor in the best interest of a country he professes to love. Of course, on the campaign trail, he will be obliged to explain to Nigerians if, given the interest rate, exchange rate, inflation rate and unemployment rate at the time of his assumption of office in 2014 and what these indices are today, he considers his tenure the unqualified success those goading him along this dishonorable path are suggesting.

    In any case, with his hitherto hidden political ambition now in the open, how does Emefiele credibly convince anyone that the disbursement of funds under him as CBN governor through the various sectoral financial interventions was not motivated by his subterranean partisan political interest rather than the advertised reasons for doing so, which should be the overall good of the economy? The office of the CBN governor in Nigeria has tremendous powers of political patronage particularly in the absence of any meaningful executive or legislative oversight. This envisages a man of the highest standards of integrity in that office who will not abuse these powers for partisan or any other type of selfish advantage.

    Those who are championing the cause of Emefiele’s 2023 presidential candidacy have the right to do so. But he has a greater obligation to say a firm no on ethical grounds. If he lacks the moral character to stoutly resist those, possibly beneficiaries of his patronage, calling on him to engage in what is clearly an abuse of trust and power by contesting in 2023, how is Emefiele better than those well- known military and civilian Heads of State in our history who could not refuse the seductive and destructive lure of sycophants who urged them to perpetuate themselves in office even against the stated will of the people and the constitution. This moral lapse was fundamentally responsible for military President, General Ibrahim Babangida’s annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, General Sani Abacha’s life presidency schemes and former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term agenda. What guarantee do we have then that if he achieves his goal and is elected president, Emefiele will not be susceptible to the antics of those ever present sycophants who will inevitably seek to pressurize him to exceed constitutional term limits as the best thing ever to have happened to the country?

    The marketers of Emefiele as a possible presidential candidate in 2023 refer essentially to his role as a technocrat and CBN governor in the last seven years. This column does not dispute that he has some plaudits to his credit in this regard. The not unimpressive 3.4% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth recorded in 2021 and the relatively quick recovery from the COVID-19 induced recession were partly due to the expansionary policies of the apex bank under Emefiele. However, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), this attainment was driven “mainly by Agriculture (crop production); Trade; Information and Communication (Telecommunication); and Financial and Insurance (Financial Institutions), accounting for positive GDP growth”. It is thus dishonest and uncharitable for Emefiele to seek to claim sole credit for what is at best a collective achievement.

    In any case, Emefiele’s proclaimed genius has not helped us to unravel the mystery of how to translate relatively high economic growth rates into concrete improvement in the material living conditions of millions of Nigerians. For, no less impressive growth rates were experienced at various times under the preceding Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan administrations with negligible impact on poverty and unemployment levels. We need a president and economic managers in 2023 who will be able to solve this conundrum. But even as CBN governor, Emefiele’s performance has not been necessarily more superlative than that of either Professor Chukuma Soludo or Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido before him. Those two were also widely applauded and won a number of prestigious awards by professional bodies for their achievements as governors of the apex bank. Indeed, in terms of core CBN functions, it appears to me that the preceding two were more creative, bold and imaginative than Emefiele.

    Even then, given the multifaceted crises confronting Nigeria today; the diverse existential threats to the country’s very survival, the country needs in the immediate post-Buhari dispensation a president who is not just a strait-jacket technocrat; he must be a tested political hand and proven bridge builder who can run an inclusive government and pull the country together. The next president must not be a conservative system – man but one with a demonstrated capacity and past record of thinking outside the box in governance and coming up with radical innovations that can help revive virtually comatose organizational structures and set them on a path of sustained accelerated growth and transformation.

  • Learning from past mistakes

    Learning from past mistakes

    HISTORY has an uncanny way of repeating itself hence the need to warn the Nigeria Football Federation to watch their backs while preparing for the ‘wars’ between two brothers waiting to be part of history. March 25 and March 29 dates would further heighten the rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana. The bitter rivalry between both countries only on the football pitch is such that every minute in the game matters. I make bold to state here that the winner of the games should do their homework very well lest the loser snatches the ticket at the boardroom.

    Did I hear anyone reading this column hiss or sigh? Is anyone saying it hasn’t happened before for matches to be decided against Nigeria at the board room? Hold your breath. As they say, all is fair in warfare. So NFF beware of the ides of March. Had Nigeria not qualified for the Russia 2018 World Cup with a game to spare, the drawn game against Algeria in Constantine would have seen the North Africans qualify ahead of Nigeria if that last game was the decider.

    Super Eagles right-wing back Shehu Abdullahi had been shown the mandatory two yellow cards, which meant he ought to have missed the dead rubber game against Algeria. Guess what, nobody knew this fact before the game. Not even Abdullahi as he was invited for the game. The coaches and the backroom staff were literally snoring to be bothered about such details. The team’s technical crew ought to have someone documenting such details and another person to reconfirm with the NFF if they received any notification(s) from FIFA and/or CAF on eligible and/or ineligible players before every game.

    Former Super Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr didn’t know. He didn’t crosscheck with the federation’s technical committee members because he didn’t believe in them. The federation too didn’t ask the team’s backroom staff about players’ status based on incidents that had happened on the field of play during matches. Danger loomed but we didn’t see it. Many Nigerians celebrated the 1-1 draw against Algeria in Constantine, with a few others happy the country qualified for the Mundial unbeaten.

    The Algerians had other ideas though they had been eliminated from the Russia 2018 race, they pressed for the three points at the boardroom as if such boardroom victories would lift them over Nigeria, which had qualified for the Mundial, win or lose the last game. Nigeria lost the three points and conceded three goals from that game. Unsurprisingly, nobody was punished. We characteristically swept the matter under the table since the decision didn’t translate to Nigeria losing the group’s qualification ticket.

    We are on the verge of securing another World Cup qualification ticket to Qatar this year. We, therefore, need to dust up the records of our players participating in our matches to know those who are qualified to play the first leg tie at the Cape Coast Stadium in Ghana without any baggage capable of ruining our chances of qualifying for the Mundial.  If it means crosschecking our records with what FIFA and CAF have in their books, we should send an email and double-check. Only eligible players should play both ties. The games would count till the death with the losers looking for any loophole to undo the winners.

    The import of this writer’s fear finds expression with how Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations competitions with Samson Siasia as coach of the Super Eagles. Nigeria needed a win to qualify ahead of Guinea. It didn’t matter the number of goals. The Guineans needed a draw at the worst instance. Victory would have been a bonanza. Match-day, Nigeria was leading 2-1 until the closing stages of the game when the conflicting interpretation of the rules by everyone connected with football destroyed our dreams of another AFCON appearance.

    Rather than control the game and hold on to the prevailing 2-1 result, our players pushed forward to score more goals based on what they were being told from the sideline. Disaster struck. A counter-attack found Guinea’s top scorer Abubakar ‘Titi’ Camara who waltzed past our retreating defenders, dribbling our goalkeeper in the process to score the equaliser. There was pin-drop silence inside the National Stadium in Abuja with the players sprawling on the turf while others wept uncontrollably. We missed out on that year’s Africa Cup of Nations because we didn’t study the rule book to know what it entailed then.

    Did I hear ask if the bag of mistakes is empty? How can? With our football federation, it is a case of one competition several problems. You would have thought that a three-time winner of the Africa Cup of Nations would easily know how to register the country’s representatives at CAF. Not so here. We like passing the buck. Rather than have the federation’s technical committee members sit with the foreign coach mostly, to discuss the list of players for the continental series, we allowed the coach to do the registration. In fact, Rohr informed Nigerians about the number of players he registered which he put at 40. It was done singlehandedly, with the backlash leading to Nigeria’s inability to parade Watford FC of England’s striker Emmanuel Dennis at the Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

    If the federation had mandated Rohr to discuss his 40-man squad with its technical committee members, questions would have been asked about Ademola Lookman’s eligibility. In fact, the members would have asked for his FIFA letter clearing him to play for Nigeria, as we have now. Rohr would have been asked how he could pick 40 players without including Dennis’ name, given what he did weekly for the now relegation-bound Premier League club. Need I waste space narrating what transpired since this week’s column is meant to remind the federation chieftains to learn from their past mistakes?

    This writer is excited over the attempts made by the federation to introduce the technical crew to the players. They must have discussed other logistic details which ensure that the players are adequately motivated and paid their entitlements promptly, not what happened at the Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. It is sickening to reveal here that the players, coaches, and officials were paid their entitlements, several days after Nigeria was eliminated from the competition.

    It is important that the technical committee sits in concert with the Eagles coach to critically evaluate the players selected for the Black Stars’ tie. We should always qualify for the World Cup given the exploits of our players in their European clubs. Playing at the Mundial should be Nigeria’s birthright, no stories.

    Is the federation jinxed? Otherwise, how does anyone explain the shameful treatment handed the Super Falcons at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport in Abuja on Thursday morning? Nigeria’s women’s soccer side returned to the country in the wee hours of Thursday only to be held down by immigration people over Covid-19 protocols. According to accounts of some of the players who recorded the ugly scenes, they spent over five hours, having arrived in the country at 12 mid-night.

    The team’s chief coach, Randy Waldrum, expressed frustration at the situation in a video clip produced and made available by team media officer Oluchi Tobechukwu.

    “It is very frustrating. We had a two-hour flight from Cote D’Ivoire but we have already been in this room (at the airport) for more than two and half hours.

    “It is very frustrating to come back home and see the players have to go through this. We have already taken this test multiple times to play the game. So, I don’t understand,” Waldrum had lamented.

    The questions to ask are: Didn’t the players and officials pass through these immigration people on their way out of the country? Didn’t the immigration people see that the girls wear Nigeria’s colours and had balls and soccer boots to show that they were our football heroines or should I say, ambassadors? Would the immigration people have treated the Super Eagles so shabbily? This incident which is viral already mustn’t be treated with kid gloves.

    We are expecting the Ghanaians in Abuja for the March 29 World Cup qualifier. They mustn’t face this kind of embarrassment.

  • Security, diplomacy and politics

    Security, diplomacy and politics

    I want  to use the actions of some politicians and world leaders this week to illustrate the topic of the day . In  the world of the last week the most important man and leader  was Russia’s President Vladmir  Putin who finally launched a’ military action’ against Ukraine   which his main adversary , US President Joe Biden   called  the beginning of the’ Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘.  In  the Nigerian Legislature  a  bill  is being  proposed as a constitutional amendment to grant life pension to its main officers namely the President of the Senate and his Deputy as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his Deputy .  The  motives and consequences of these two diverse events as well as their ethical , diplomatic  ,cultural  and political implications ,  form the kernel  of our discussion today .

    I  start with a general  censure  for the actions   of  Putin , Biden and the  honorable members of the Nigerian legislature as being   so   insensitive and nonchalant to public interest,    goodwill   and peace in the way they have come into the news this last week . I will make preliminary  observations before I conclude with glaring examples of their leadership  deficiencies and greed in the way and manner they have acted in the light of the topic of the day .

    We  start with Russian President Vladmir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine , the preparations of which the west saw with the aid of technology and thought  ,  stupidly    ,   that  it  would   be deterred  by the threat of economic  sanctions . Putin’s  action  on Ukraine has shown  the failure of both diplomacy  and  the   threat    of sanctions as  bargaining weapons      to prevent war  in modern times . It  is the dawn of a new era in political  culture and international  relations . Just  imagine , the west  ,namely NATO , US , UK   saw war  coming like the proverbial handwriting on the wall  and  did  nothing pragmatic to deter or stop Russia except to dangle sanctions which  obviously irritated and infuriated the Russian leader to pursue his objectives on security which the west both ignored and  denied .  Putin’s  security  concerns were clear on security and Russian   sovereign self  interests . He  warned that Ukraine should never join NATO , because  if it does , Russia will  have to fight NATO as any attack on any member of NATO is  regarded by NATO’ s treaty as an attack on NATO  calling for  a joint defence . Putin  warned that if Ukraine joins NATO , Crimea , which Russia seized in 2014  will  be retrieved by Ukraine with NATO  help .Thirdly Putin wants  NATO not  to send weapons to it new members like Poland and the Baltic states which  joined NATO in 1997 .

    All  the three security  concerns of Putin are incompatible with NATO’s  strategic security interests since the end of the  WW2 , the beginning  of the Cold War with USSR and  the disintegration of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev in 1991 . Now  after checking  the waters in Moldova , Georgia , and Crimea and getting  away with murder in International Relations and diplomacy , Putin has come of age  in seeing  that the west is weakened  by cultural  values on sex and family and is riddled by liberalism and disorder on human rights  . An  Ukranian  lady   summed  it up succinctly when  she said Putin does  not respect either democracy  or diplomacy and thinks both  are  idiotic . I  cannot agree more as Putin  bares the Russain bear’s  fangs  -and like Shakespeare  noted  in the timeless piece called Henry V  ,  dares   the west –‘   When the sounds of war  blows in our ears , then imitate the action of  the Tiger .’

    The  impotence of the west and blind belief in diplomacy   are  best  seen in the  meeting of the  Security Council  in the UN even as the Russian Ambassador was denying the invasion and the Ukranean Ambassador  was asking him  directly to use his smart phone  to call  his masters in Moscow .

    The  US  President  promised not to send US troops  and kept his promise. Germany  too stopped approval  for the oil pipelines and the US sent its VP Kamilla Harris  to a NATO security meeting in Germany. The American  VP spoke in such a disjointed  manner that a Fox News Columnist observed most wickedly that Putin would find it unbelievable that the US , a Super power  will  be led by a senile man and an imbecile . All  what Biden  could offer was a last ditch meeting with Putin provided the invasion had not happened but it did and the meeting was cancelled .

    The  role of western intelligence baffled me no end as to its goals  or objectives . Intelligence should be used to stop the enemy in its tracks on its next action and avert hostility and tragedy . In   this unfolding Ukraine Crisis  western , intelligence , the NATO Chief ,  the US Secretary of State Anthony  Blinken as  well as his UK  counterpart , knew what the Russians were up to but did nothing to thwart them except  to arrange  more security meetings . It  was as if they were the  outside BBC broadcast  service  for the invading Russian army . The  spectacle  was a  grim lesson in the failure of diplomacy and celebration of inertia in the face of great  danger . Obviously western civilization has shot itself in the leg with the way it has handled Putin and should brace itself  for the   menace    and   murderous    nuisance  of  another Hitler  with  a well armed and well positioned  army  at his beck and call . History  as they say is surely  repeating itself right before  our eyes .

    It  may seem  less tragic or dangerous to human  lives , as in a war ,  to compare the payment of life pensions  to Nigerian legislators as  is being  contemplated  this last week . But  the comparison is apt  in that  it  is an invasion of  an entitlement  for which they are  not entitled by law , culture , ethics and human rights . The  analogy is that they are violating the pensions rights and goals of Nigerians just  like Putin has violated the sovereignty of Ukraine   while those  who should stop him were  literally applauding him from afar albeit  with promised sanctions . The  political  culture for this constitutional  misstep  was laid  by section 84 [ 5]  of the Nigerian constitution which  guarantees  life  pensions for all presidents and vice  presidents  and  on which  the nation  reportedly  spends about 7.8 bn naira  annually . This  proposal  should  not be allowed to see the light of day and we need to look at the concept  ,  objectives   and  origins  of pensions generally .

    Pensions are a form of security    ,  insurance   and comfort  against the rainy  day after long service in the public or private sectors . It  is a earned income and can be contributory or not . It is not meant  for those elected to short political terms like politicians which  the legislators are  . Politicians  are meant to serve the public and are well  paid to do these especially  with  constituents allocations . Elected officials  have tenure and are not meant  to serve for life in a democracy . They are not supposed to make laws for their selfish ends  as the Nigerian legislators  are contemplating . It  is immoral and self serving . In a nation where military and Railway and Aviation pensioners collapse and die while waiting  for pensions  on long queues ,  it  is bad  to have life  pensions for high  spending legislators who pad state and national budgets instead  of cutting costs and expenditure proposed  by the executive as expected in a presidential  system of government . If  the greedy aim of the legislators is to assure their comfort after their short political  terms  of office they  should be warned  that  the public would  eye  them  differently , armed with  the knowledge  that they are reaping where they did not sow and that  would put their security in jeorpady for  life as they would be seen as living  on borrowed robes . Which  is the same thing as stolen money . The  ball is in their court  for  good  or bad .

  • Convention, procrastination and prevarication

    Convention, procrastination and prevarication

    Between 1960 and now, four ruling parties – Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) – have bestrode the corridor of power in Nigeria.

    But, the current ruling party appears to be the most complex, disarticulated, problematic, pompous, incorrigible, disunited and disastrous.

    Feudalist NPC in the Sardauna Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa era was honest to itself. It did not pretend to be nationalistic. It was the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) and not the Nigerian Peoples Congress. As a ruling party, it knew its scope and boundary. It never subscribed to any ideology. But, to foster a semblance of national unity, it sought an alliance, not a fusion, with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). The terms were respected between 1960 and 1966 when it was liquidated by the military.

    The notorious NPN of the Second Republic, despite the shenanigans of its leaders, was cohesive. Its chieftains were focused on looting Nigeria, and they did. Its National Caucus, led by Adisa Akinloye, was powerful and supreme.

    The PDP took off in 1998 as a marriage of conservatives and progressives. It promised to be a great party. Its foundations were laid by experienced statesmen and politicians. Its mistake was that, having been hijacked by Generals, the party hired a soldier as its presidential candidate. The rest, as it is often said, is history.

    What difference has APC made? What pitfalls has it avoided? Has the party learnt from history? What value has it added to the Fourth Republic?

    For almost two years, the party has been seized by protracted leadership squabbles. There has been no family meeting to discuss, re-assess and renew commitment. The national convention has been elusive. The generality of party members, represented by delegates, look forward to the critical reunion. It is a fundamental right of party men and women that has been denied for too long.

    At the convention, the party leadership is expected to tender its stewardship. If necessary, the constitution of the party may be amended during the exercise in the light of new realities. Resolutions are take on salient issues. A new National Working Committee (NEC) is selected. The new chairman unfolds his vision. The party will then face the future with hope, confidence, enthusiasm and determination, having obeyed its own constitution.

    APC is eight years old. But, to observers, it has not laid a good example of an ideologically inclined and refined party. The fold is perpetually assailed by cleavages. It is permanently addicted to crises. Its leadership is a source of dispute. Its conflict resolution mechanism is fragile and impotenet. The party is big, so is its headache.

    APC is an association of incompatible gladiators seeking political power. It is a big house of intrigues, backstabbing and bitterness. Governors, federal legislators, ministers and top board members do not see eye to eye in many state chapters. They are never in one accord. The struggle for tickets and the distribution of spoils of office induce prolonged conflicts, acrimony and discord.

    Party chieftains often defer to the President, who is the national leader. But the Commander-in-Chief is not a unifying factor. It is not clear whether he is still for somebody or nobody. The refrain subsists: ‘Vote for me’ at the presidential election, and in other elections, be it governorship or parliamentary, ‘vote for candidates of your choice.’ It underscores the height of hypocrisy, deception and grand endorsement of anti-party activity and indiscipline.

    But, unlike dictatorial former President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Muhammadu Buhari is curiously calm and less effective. He has not really oppressed party chieftains. Neither has he interfered in the politics of nominations in state chapters. It appears he has only inadvertently strengthened the cabal to oppress, intimidate and trouble the soul of the party.

    APC is a divided house and the strife is taking its toll on the platform. The memory of contrasting legacy parties that fused together to bring about the subtle transformation fills the consciousness of their former members, making it difficult for a new cohesive political family to function well. Chieftains only become emergency allies during electioneering.

    Structurally and organisationally, APC is an incomplete edifice. It is the only party without a Board of Trustees (BoT). Also, its National Caucus is dormant, perhaps, sidelined, incapacitated or disillusioned. It seems the party does not need any gerontocratic advice.

    To its credit, the party has surprisingly won presidential elections twice. On poll day, Nigerians had to choose between two evils – APC and PDP. A third force is somehow illusory; a figment of hyperactive imagination, an association of political jesters.

    It is ironic that despite its defects, APC has not recorded any major defection or decimation beyond the Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso’s challenge in Kano. It has rather continued to enlarge its coast. Many PDP leaders, including governors, have defected to the ruling party to seek refuge, not because it is better or it parades special and intimidating qualities, but just because it is the ruling party.

    Yet, the general opinion is that besides the transformation in railways and ongoing road construction in few parts of the country, Nigeria has nothing else to show for the APC years. Its dominance now accounts for the lean period in national history.

    The quality of living is lamentable in this period of boring social condition. Only those in government are, to an extent, insulated from the harsh and harrowing experience. The awful picture of the dilapidated economy is frightening and worrisome.

    The evidence of soaring poverty is confounding. Unemployment is growing in geometric proportions. Life and property are not safe. Thus, youth migration compounds the challenge of brain drain in critical sectors. Those who lack the opportunity to move out are maladjusted. They turn to crime: internet fraud or ‘Yahoo’ business and unprecedented ritual killings.

    APC may also be heating up the polity through its multiple controversies. The party is rattled by its internal contradictions, held in its jugular by few actors.

    The hope that the party will make a difference has disappeared. In its place is despair. To the consternation of many Nigerians, APC is also not sincere about the resolution of the national question, although it set up the Nasir El-Rufai Committee on Restructuring to make some suggestions. The report is gathering dust at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Unless the APC-dominated National Assembly, which is reviewing the constitution, proves sceptics wrong by demonstrating courage and patriotism, the amendment may pale into an exercise in futility.

    The APC-led Federal Government has not done the country proud because the party’s core campaign promises, particularly economic revitalisation and security, have remained largely unfulfilled.

    APC is a house always trembling to fall. It may be because it could not seriously uphold some basic principles. While zoning and rotation, not only of party offices but also of its presidential ticket, has served as its pillars, foundation of theoretical unity and initial strength at its inception, the party has attempted to discard the cherished values. The result is the eclipse of fairness and justice.

    Although APC is a product of inter-party negotiations among the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a fraction of PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the most dominant and influential power bloc thrown up by subsequent elections has detached from its source and forgotten its history.

    Governors have displaced the party’s founding fathers instead of learning from their experience. Some of them are bitter at the mention of power shift from the North to South, as originally agreed.

    To edge out a certain stalwart, a campaign of calumny is now brewing. Since presidential zoning and rotation cannot be jettisoned, concerted efforts are now being made by some power barons in the fold to exploit religion and erect inexplicable obstacles ahead of the succession necessity.

    In hush tones, they are saying the presidential ambition of Southern Muslim aspirants is an anathema because President Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim, and a Muslim cannot succeed another Muslim. The bad and illogical campaign is targeted at one man who has clearly become a moving train.

    Party handlers, working in concert with some governors, have succeeded in postponing the convention three times. They could only pull the brake during the week, due to the warning that an implosion was imminent.

    Nigerians should know now why the country is in deep mess under the current regime. Can those who cannot manage the affairs of their party effectively manage the affairs of the country?

    So ‘meticulous’ is the APC handler-turned undertaker that he ‘strategically’ fixed the convention for February 26 so that the plan could hit the rock, especially when it was public knowledge that the umpire had planned to conduct by-elections in some states on the same day.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is busy with the preparations, could not have failed to direct the attention of the inept and sit-tight caretaker committee to the proposed polls.

    Thus, the exercise had to be shifted, because it was planned to be postponed.

    APC is still grappling with the effects of rancorous state congresses in some states. The chapters are polarised. Although the Ahmed Reconciliation Committee has visited the divided chapters, the hope of peaceful settlement is still slim.

    Another reason tendered by the committee was that zonal congresses should precede the convention. It took more than a year for the APC interim leadership to realise that certain activities should herald the convention and that the selection of zonal leaders is key.

  • Akwa Ibom: Akpanudoedehe’s delay tactics

    Akwa Ibom: Akpanudoedehe’s delay tactics

    The Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), John James Akpanudoedehe, has kept the people of Akwa Ibom State guessing for months, over his next political move, amidst questions on whether he will be seeking his party’s governorship ticket to contest the 2023 election.

    This is just as his aides insist he is under pressure from prominent and critical stakeholders of the party to run.

    But Sentry gathered that the politician, who had actually made up his mind to seek the ticket and contest the governorship election long before now, is merely employing ‘delay tactics’ in the pursuit of his aspiration.

    According to a reliable source, Akpanudoedehe’s failure to formally declare his governorship bid is not without reason. He said: “He will contest the election. Those of us close to him know that already. Leaders of our party know that and are waiting for him to declare at the appropriate time.”

    Our checks revealed that the former senator is holding back the declaration of his ambition largely because of his current assignment at the national secretariat of the APC.

    “He wants to finish his current assignment before declaring his governorship aspiration so that he is not distracted by unnecessary calls for his resignation. Once the Caretaker Committee winds up, you will see his governorship aspiration coming alive and awakening the APC in Akwa Ibom,” our source said.

  • Obasanjo the strategist

    Obasanjo the strategist

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is fast emerging as a leading strategist ahead the 2023 general elections. For a man who has announced his retirement from politics, Sentry views the rate at which he’s being consulted over strategies with amazement.

    During the week, convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, held a secret meeting with him in Abeokuta. Their discussion, according to an aide to the former president touched on the next elections.

    In fact, Abdullahi specifically said he was in Abeokuta to discuss ‘strategies’ with Obasanjo. The meeting lasted two hours. The NEF chief said the country needed good tidings from the 2023 elections, hence the need to plan. He added that in spite of their ages, they could still contribute to society.

    Sentry recalls that National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyochia Ayu, recently led a powerful delegation to Abeokuta to see Obasanjo. Some governors also visited the former president not too long ago. And he has played host to various political groups angling to ‘rescue’ the country come 2023.

    During one of those meetings, Obasanjo clearly told his guests that he has no plan to get involved in partisan politics ever again, but he was quick to add that he will always offer his services whenever he is called upon by politicians, perhaps in furtherance of his new found role as a ‘political strategist’.

  • Ekiti, Osun APC and reconciliation puzzle

    Ekiti, Osun APC and reconciliation puzzle

    The abiding peace and harmony that permeated the Southwest progressive bloc in the days of defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) appear to have vanished.

    Under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the progressives, particularly in Osun and Ekiti states, are locked in protracted feud over the governorship ticket.

    In Ekiti, where Governor Kayode Fayemi is winding up, those itching to succeed him have complained about the primary that produced a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Biodun Oyebanji. But, unlike their Osun brethren, the aspirants in Ekiti are not working towards the liquidation of their party.

    In Osun, some aggrieved chieftains are up in arms against Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who is seeking a second term. They are telling party supporters and the opposition that he has not performed. They are threatening fire and brimstone. But the governor is unperturbed. He is strengthening his structure and forging ahead for today’s primary with optimism and confidence.

    The major factor in the discord may also be the participation of the Southwest in mainstream politics and the misuse of key chieftains’ exposure to federal power and resources.

    In Osun and Ekiti, APC chieftains, who took off from Afenifere/Alliance for Democracy (AD) and crossed the AC/ACN bridge to the ruling APC, may have forgotten their past ordeals and tribulations when they were in the opposition, particularly the agony of stolen mandates and the titanic struggles to reclaim them.

    In the days of political adversity, they were united, focused and cohesive. But having got power, they now appear incapable of putting their house in order. The fired shots from the opposition have been somewhat curtailed. But APC is obviously waging a war against itself in the two critical Yoruba states. The respected progressives seem to have shed the godly spirit of forgiveness and internal settlement to wash their dirty linen in the public glare.

    During the three years of struggle – from 2007 to 2010 – lives were lost. The rescue mission had financial implications. The cost of justice from the tribunal to the Appeal Court was enormous.

    An innocent girl was violated in Osun for identifying with the platform. In Ekiti, the decomposing limb of a party faithful was tendered as an evidence of the brutality and violence by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the protracted litigation against the progressives. The judges, clerks, litigants and others in the court could not stand the odour. The weight of evidence was overwhelming.

    Have Osun APC stalwarts forgotten the Justice Thomas Naron Tribunal? What about the legal fireworks kick-started by Kola Awodein (SAN) and the dribbling by Kunle Kalejaye? Have they forgotten also the Adrian Forty saga and the controversy over time analysis? Isn’t the memory of the moving train that could not be stopped at Osogbo still fresh?

    What about the Oroki Day mayhem? The declaration of Rauf Aregbesola as a wanted person? The detention of party leaders, including former Chairman Moshood Adeoti? The agony of being left in the cold, following the declaration of loser and winner during the 2007 governorship poll? The chilly media war? The suspense? The anxiety? The palpable fear?

    Since the two camps in Osun APC dispute are now enveloped by collective amnesia, it may not be out of place to remind them that power did not happen in 2010 on a platter of gold.

    Ahead of today’s governorship primary in Osun, there has been mayhem in Osogbo, the state capital. There is still tension as the two antagonistic camps are set for the much expected primary.

    It has now paled into a supremacy battle between Oyetola and Aregbesola, which the governor, nevertheless, is expected to win.

    What will come after is a sort of post-primary crisis, which could have been avoided or prevented, if the house was cohesive and reconciliation had worked. Even ahead of the primary, the two camps are already preparing for post-primary litigation.

    The bane of the progressive bloc in the Southwest is its weak conflict resolution mechanism. Crises are allowed to fester for too long. When elders try to wade in, the warring chieftains have a clever way of intensifying the conflicts by pretending that they have embraced truce.

    Oyetola and Aregbesola have the same political background, being disciples and associates of the highly esteemed leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. But, despite the fact that the former Osun governor and Interior Minister enjoyed the endorsement and total support of the former Lagos State governor, who made him Works Commissioner for almost eight years before embarking on the Osun project around 2004, Aregbesola was not inclined to transferring the same love and affection to Oyetola, his Chief of Staff for eight years, who became the party’s standard bearer in 2018.

    The election was hectic. It was a narrow victory for Oyetola, a quiet technocrat and silent worker who immediately hit the ground running, following his inauguration.

    Yet, the succession could also be described as a victory for Aregbesola, who was not succeeded by a PDP governor. If a PDP governor had succeeded ‘Ogbeni,’ the opposition would have insisted on a pound of flesh.

    Aregbesola and Oyetola parade contrasting traits. The former governor is an aluta man; an idealist. He is also cerebral, charismatic, charming. The minister is an orator, a music composer, a lover of colour and drama, a mobiliser, a crowd puller, a moderate populist. His successor is a self-effacing administrator: meticulous, methodical. He is an office person with a knack for details. The governor is highly composed, reticent. He is a great listener and achievement-driven captain.

    A combination of these extreme traits should have been converted to an advantage by the party during electioneering and in the course of governance.

    However, these personality traits have defined their contrasting approaches to politics and governance, despite the similarity of ideas and goals. Ideally, these ought to pass as the aesthetics of the political space. Regrettably, they may have also accounted for the opposing pressures on them by party men and stakeholders, as well as their clashing reactions to the pattern of influence.

    While the Oyetola government is perceived as one of continuity by the APC, a section of the crisis-ridden Osun chapter thinks otherwise; all within the same party. But there is a change of style, which the aggrieved camp is resisting.

    Oyetola has focused on certain activities, including regular payment of salaries, debt settlement, infrastructural development, and review of some educational policies. These were not meant to despise his former boss. Analysts have averred that the governor was being realistic, contending that he, more or less, was responding to public yearnings.

    But the cold war of succession in 2018 had been carried over. The result was the deepening of gulf and resurgence of a curious predecessor-successor crisis, which has polarised the Osun chapter.

    Although party elders, including former governor, Chief Bisi Akande, have tried to broker reconciliation, it was futile. The peace move hit the rock.

    A group, known as TOP (The Osun Progressives), which drew inspiration from Aregbesola, then entered the scene. Its goal is to make the governor lose the ticket and disgrace him out of office.

    But the group may have exaggerated its strength. Observers have berated its members for a shortfall in strategy. It could not take the party machinery away from the governor, whose camp triumphed at the state party congress. The acrimony within intensified due to the loss of the critical structure.

    As Aregbesola openly identified with the group and its battle cry, tension escalated in the party. Amid the flexing of muscles, attention has shifted to Osun APC as a battlefield.

    The effect is that if there is no effective reconciliation after today’s contest, Osun APC will go to the poll as a divided house. Post-primary defection cannot be ruled out. But the greatest danger is the likelihood of subverting the interest of the party. Indeed, some aggrieved chieftains may still tarry within the fold for the purpose of undermining it on Election Day.

    As a foregone conclusion, the cracks may strengthen the equally crisis-ridden PDP to challenge APC to a duel with greater confidence.

    Did Aregbesola’s outbursts at Ijebu-Jesa signal the parting of ways? To many chieftains, it is worrisome that loyalty is tested by the storm and stress of political life.

    But the great leader, his former boss, being a very accommodating and tolerant politician, is not likely to shut his door at associates, should they show remorse and retrace their steps.

    To observers, the ego of the faction would be further bruised, if Oyetola, after winning re-nomination, also triumphs at the second term poll.

    The plot to stop or postpone today’s primary collapsed few weeks ago. The factional chairman’s lawyer had submitted a petition to the national leadership of the party to put the screening of aspirants on hold. The request was not entertained. The reason was that the National Caretaker Committee, led by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, recognises Gboyega Famodun as authentic Osun APC chairman and not Lowo Adebiyi, who Aregbesola is backing.

    That the minister is not supporting the second term ambition of his successor is within his fundamental rights. But, is he in a vantage position to pull the rug off the governor’s feet? It will be another wonder of the world if the “TOP” triumphs at the primary.

    Will the Monday violence be repeated today?

    TOP and the authentic party machinery have clashed, ahead of the shadow poll. What is the assurance that those who shot into the air on Monday will not repeat the action during today’s primary?

    Unlike Osun APC, the Ekiti chapter is not in a deep mess, although there is an unfinished business of reconciliation. The governorship shadow poll generated controversy, but reason seems to have prevailed.
    Three aspirants – Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, House of Representatives member Femi Bamisile and former Commissioner Dele Faparusi – who lost to Biodun Oyebanji, have reiterated their commitment and loyalty to the party. They had expressed misgivings about the primary, but they have assured the APC that they will neither go to court nor defect to another party.

    Should Osun gladiators not learn from their Ekiti counterpart?

  • March 27: Let’s avoid crowd violence

    March 27: Let’s avoid crowd violence

    Four wise men toured Europe during the week to speak with Super Eagles players with the message that Nigeria’s green-white-green flag should be hoisted among the comity of nations at the Qatar 2020 World Cup competition later in November. The players may also have been told of mouth-watering packages for them if they beat Ghana’s Black Stars both on March 23 and March 27. Indeed, the players were introduced to the new technical crew which had the assistant coach with technical sagacity, whatever that means.

    We suddenly have woken up from our slumber to appreciate the fact that only the players get onto the pitch to play their hearts out. How we allowed the players’ match bonuses and allowances to be paid after the country’s ouster from the Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. We have forgotten that the lifespan of any player’s career is between five years to 12 years, barring injuries. So, every kobo should count for jobs done, especially for those of them who don’t want to embrace coaching.

    Failure to plan for the most vital aspect of the team’s preparations which is the players’ welfare is a big minus on the administrators’ astuteness. No matter the plans they had for them, failure to reward them promptly tells the story of a federation that do th1ings on their hunches – no deliberate method to address such critical areas of the game. The federation’s chieftains shouldn’t delude themselves that the players are expecting anything different from their experiences on such matters.

    Unpaid debts to Super Eagles predates this federation, hence the players have always resorted to self-help to get their entitlements including getting the federal government to ship in$3.8 million to France from Abuja to settle the players’ requests, 24 hours before the Round of 16 World Cup tie against France. What beats this writer is the presence of the federation’s boss in such players’ visits. Such seemingly harmless tours around players’ abodes, indirectly tell the coaches the players he must play if he doesn’t want to incur the boss’ wrath. Besides, these players become swollen-headed knowing their presence in the team wasn’t the coaches’ call, leading to acts of indiscipline that destroy the team’s common resolve – beat the next opponent; this time the Black Stars of Ghana. Players who have chummy relationships with federations’ bosses become undisciplined knowing that the matter would be resolved in his favour. How do the federation’s chiefs expect the coaches to take charge of their wards when the big men did most of the talking rather than allow the coaches to spell out his coaching philosophies to his tools (players) who he has to work with.

    On the hind side, the visit reinforces the fact that the federation appreciates what they have been doing for the country just as the virtual meeting between the players and the honourable sports minister Sunday Dare underscores the importance the government gives to the athletes who are Nigeria’s worthy ambassadors.

    We have not been told what the federation chiefs and the minister told the boys beyond the fact that Nigeria’s qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup was not negotiable.  This writer only hopes that the players’ match bonuses and other entitlements have been released to the federation to avoid a repeat of what happened in Cameroon. The federation should house the team in a hotel where security is top-notch such that it would impossible for any visitor to distract them.

    March 23 and March 27 are watershed dates in the country’s football with the Black Stars being the common enemy. It is instructive to note that the Ghanaians would rather be beaten by a minnow than lose to Nigeria. It is always the prestige encounter(s) that they don’t toy with. Forget about what is being dished out to us on social. Super Eagles versus Black Stars’ tie(s) is a tribal war. As the game draws closer, Nigerians in the Ghanaian cities would start to complain about intimidations from the natives. The buses, cars, viewing centres, and anywhere young men and women are gathered would make the game the focus of their discussions.

    Therefore, the federation start the media blitz to educate our fans to throng the stadium on March 27 to cheer the Eagles to victory. The federation’s men should ensure that all monies meant to pay the players, coaches and their backroom staff are ready before the first leg, even if it means handing over to the team’s secretary. Our players, coaches, and backroom staff are galvanised at the sight of cash. I don’t blame them, knowing where they are coming from. These are kids of the downtrodden who have used the innate skills to earn a living for themselves which inevitably rubs off on their family members. They are breadwinners of the families and most times to their communities. Never again should their needs be kept in abeyance on the altar of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) bureaucratic processes. It is simply unacceptable because we have known about these fixtures several months ago, making it imperative for its approval to be a matter of fulfilling their obligation.

    March 27 will be a very nervy game for both countries, especially if the Eagles beat the Black Stars. The federation’s chiefs should allow the coaches to have their say by telling the players what to do in the second half. This tendency of our government officials overcrowding the dressing room at halftime distracts the players and mitigate against the set objectives of the day. Anyone wishing to motivate the players with whatever should do so before the game since they would need maximum concentration after using the first five minutes of the half-time talks to rest their limbs.

    The players are demanding more spectators at the MKO Abiola Stadium’s stand and it is important to reiterate here the location of the stadium is too far away from the town. The federation and the sports ministry can sign agreements with the owners of buses at the bus parks in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to provide buses to run shuttles around the city to pick up fans to the stadium and back.  These buses should be marked to avoid infiltration from dubious people to seize the opportunity to rob innocent Nigerians and visitors who would throng the stadium to watch the March 27 game.

    The buses should be close to 800 if the federation hopes to quell any form of violence. Some fans may decide to take the laws into their hands in victory and in defeat (God forbid). Motorbikes, if allowed in Abuja could suffice. It is important to state that the gates should be opened within the last 15 minutes of the end of the game to allow for easy exits for those who have seen enough. We need to ensure that only 40 percent of the stadium’s capacity is sold as tickets for the March 27 tie. Viewing centres fitted with big screens should be established in pilot areas for fans to watch too.

    Need I emphasise the need for effective security in and around the stadium? The security architecture should begin from two days to the game leading to the presence of battle-ready operatives to protect lives and properties within the vicinity of the stadium before, during, and after the game. People who don’t have the match tickets should be whisked away from the place. Tickets should never be sold around the vicinity of the stadium, no matter what.

    Those selling their wares should be stopped from selling drinks whose containers can serve as weapons during the game. The Ghanaians are old customers and could seek easy passage to the World Cup stating certain forbidden things which the fans may have caused. Nigeria’s quest to secure one of the Qatar 2022 World Cup tickets should be achieved on the pitch not dragged before any disciplinary panel to adjudicates.  Up Super Eagles! Up Nigeria!

  • 2023: The danger of profiling

    2023: The danger of profiling

    Elections are the soul of democracies across the world. The process of elections from intra-party primaries to the general elections provides the interplay that validates democracy as a system of government.  A government of the people by the people and for the people therefore must make sure that ‘the people’ in all circumstances is the focal point. People form the political parties, they drive the process to choose their flag-bearers then present them to the people who then speak through their votes.

    The clarity with which the people’s voice is heard during elections is often determined by the fairness of the electoral processes and the structure of the political parties and their internal democratic processes. As a young democracy, the Nigerian political experience has been somewhat nascent but it is time for the active players to understand that the global political space has changed and the attractive qualities of any political system is its progressive traits in ways that the welfare of the people is  always the issue.

    This week marks the match to the D-day for Nigeria’s next presidential election in 2023. As it is, we have a handful of Presidential aspirants across a few political parties. However, while a few candidates have declared their interests, some others are mere speculations.  The Roundtable Conversation believes that Nigerian democracy must continue to be improved upon by the players at all levels.

    We feel that it is time Nigerians who intend to run for political offices do so based on their personal  competence,  vision and convictions and must be clear  about why they want such offices. The capacity, drive and vision of a candidate must trump the socio-political gimmickry in seeking for regional presidents.

    The latest sing-song of having an ‘Igbo President’ for Nigeria sounds so vague and trivial. Granted equity must be the key word but to reduce the capacity of an Igbo candidate to that of regional  representative seems a tad too flimsy as a political or social solution  to the complex Nigerian problem. How come other regions do not have the prefix of the regions before their presidencies?

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke to a development economist and former Minister for National planning and transportation, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu on the issue of the agitation for ‘Igbo President’. He believes that it is insulting to tag presidency to the region. Any capable hand from the region is as good as anybody from anywhere and the qualifying criteria should not be merely ancestral. To him if for instance the person that can solve the Boko haram insurgency is from Uyo or Kafanchan, what does it matter where they come from? Should that not be the criteria for the presidency of our nation?

    Having made this argument over time, he believes some people often play to the gallery and criticize his views but to him, that is very shallow and uncharitable to start labeling someone as an Igbo president. What by the way does a president of Igbo extraction mean? Is it someone extracted after some scientific experiment or what? Why is it that there are no phrases like President of Yoruba, Middlebelt or Hausa extraction? He sees it as very demeaning to throw that at the Igbos and a bit self-defeatist for some Igbos to own  that phrase.

    To Dr. Kalu, a late Alex Ekwueme almost became the president of the country in 1979 and the idea of ‘Igbo President’  was not an issue then, so why now? Was late President Shagari  or  former President  Obasanjo of Hausa extraction or Yoruba extraction? The issue must be who has the gravitas to lead the country. If it is someone from the South East , South West, North East or South-South etc, let it be on merit. It is quite retrogressive to begin to almost deify the concept of ‘Igbo president’ to a people many decades after the war. Can we not have qualified people from all regions vie for the presidency and Nigerians allowed to select who leads them?

    We asked Dr. Kalu his views on some aspirants claiming they are being coerced to run for office because their friends are urging them to run. What does that portend for the economic development of the nation we asked? Can such people be taken seriously? He believes there is freedom of speech and every human is free to say things in the political space but that the issue is that one must be sure of why he or she is being urged to run. Is it as a result of your sterling performances in your field, what is the bone of contention? Is it a personal desire? Can we remember the ‘Abacha  must rule movement’ at the time? The Bottom line is that politicians around the world  make claims based on voting demographics.

    Urging people to run is good but the people must interrogate the motives and envisage the possible outcomes and the potential for development of the country. The people must be able to differentiate between selfish interests and the development of the nation. Nigerians must be actively involved in electing the people that can work for the development of the nation and the indices must be seen from the pedigree of the candidates in a very objective manner. Global economic indices point to the relationship between vision and leadership. Leading a country is not a walk in the park. It demands knowledge and the capacity to plan and execute policies he concluded.

    We spoke to the North Central Women Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Hajia Hassana Abdullahi Nyelong about how prepared the APC is especially the women to make sure the next elections have more women candidates. She said that the APC women are working very hard in mobilizing more women to contest for party leadership positions beyond that of mere Women leaders. We have been able to galvanize all women irrespective of political party affiliations to speak in one voice to support any competent woman vying for any position either at the party leadership level or the general elections.

    As the APC women, we are working with the ‘HeForShe’ movement to mobilize and lobby our men to realize that they can work together with women to achieve better results. Women are never failures and so we want the men to first understand that and luckily most men are beginning to understand that they can work more effectively with women for national development. Politics is about lobbying and compromises and the APC women are working together with other women leaders for a better electoral outcome that is inclusive and fair.

    The APC women are at the forefront at pushing the narrative of women of Nigeria. Working with the other progressive groups, all women from all political parties are determined to work together as mothers, aunties, daughters, sisters and grandmothers to help our nation. We are telling the men that the essence of God creating Eve was to get the man a companion, we are not competing but complementing  as their partners. APC is collaborating with any woman who is capable irrespective of political party affiliation. A credible and capable woman must be supported to achieve successat the polls.

    We are trying to make sure women who are aspiring to contest to come out in full force and get the support of all the women. We know how diligent women can be and we are lobbying the men because politics is about diplomacy and lobbying. We just hope more men would be more accesting of the inclusion we seek. The APC women are preaching politics without bitterness which means that any capable woman no matter their political party must be supported by all women. With this spirit we hope the 2023 elections would be better for our country.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes so much in the saying that each society gets the leadership it deserves. Politicians are from the people and so whatever are the values of a people are seen in the type of leaders that emerge from them.  The culture that values integrity and the pedigree of candidates would always get it right. Politicians do not act in isolation. The people must be active in identifying those values that are progressive and making sure that those they elect understand that they are accountable to the people.

    Nigeria is a multi-cultural and multi-religious society but so are most other viable democracies. What matters is the readiness of the people to insist on the values that aid progress and development. Divisive issues of region and gender cannot engender the progress we seek.  As the general elections draw near, the citizens must realize that the eventual outcome would determine how the country progresses in decades to come.

    While we appreciate equity and fairness in our politics, with terms and phrases like ‘Igbo president’ or male only leadership in a world that has most of the most economically stable countries in the world being led by women. The leadership we seek must not be tainted by some terminologies that can only divide instead of uniting the country.  Equity should be untainted by negative semantic manipulations by the political class as it might never end. Qualified Nigerians from any part of the country must be ready and allowed to purse their ambitions without some cynical stigma.

    The world looks up to Nigeria as the leader of Africa given the population and material resources. Elections in any country point the roadmap to either growth or retrogression. Being the poverty capital of the world and with the highest number of out-of-school children globally are very dire and should be a wakeup call to all Nigerians to work for better elections in all ramifications. Politics must not be left to politicians alone. We all have a stake and 2023 elections must matter to us all.

    The dialogue continues…