The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Special One indeed

    Special One indeed

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    I LOVE this man. He is one tactician many people love to dislike while others are aloof about his tendencies. He knows when to make his presence count and never ceases to take the centre stage in pursuit of his beliefs. His presence in any European league lights up the competition, knowing that he would infringe on the law either through his utterances, which most times occur on the spur of the moment or his misdeeds, including kicking any available object to show his angst over referee’s decisions.

    A customer to many referees, Jose Mourinho surely knows his trade and flaunts it no matter whose ox is gored. Mourinho is the man for all moments and he is quick to assert his authority, even if it means taking it to the point where it leads to controversies.  Mourinho penultimate Thursday discovered that the goalposts were five centimetres too low before his Tottenham side’s 3-1 Europa League win over KF Shkendija of North Macedonia. Goals from Erik Lamela, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane sealed victory for Spurs.

    The Special One’s goalkeepers drew his attention to the misnomer in the goalposts during their warm-up sessions. Mourinho, known to seize the stage in a matter of such nature informed the goalkeepers that: ‘’I am not a goalkeeper but when I spread my arms, I can tell the difference.

    ‘’The goalkeepers live in the goals and they know. We got the UEFA delegate to confirm, and it was five centimetres smaller and we demanded the goals to be replaced with goals of the right dimension, Mourinho said.’’

    The sets of goalposts were removed and replaced with the correct sizes as recommended by the regulations of the game. Interestingly, this Tose Proeski Arena, in Skopje which serves as the country’s national stadium, had to host the game at short notice when it was discovered that Shkendija’s stadium does not meet UEFA’s requirements. However, the goals at the national ground did not conform to FIFA’s regulations. Shkendija insisted they were not aware of the incident and Spurs did not accuse their opponents of any wrong-doing. Their rules state that goalposts should stand at 8ft but the original goals were 7ft 10in.

    Mourinho, who is 5ft 9in, laughed about the incident after the game and jokingly shared a photo of him reaching up to the crossbar on his Instagram page.

    He wrote: ‘’I thought I had grown then I realised the goal was 5 centimetres lower – Shkendija 1-3 @spursofficial.’’ The manager also shared a picture of his 6ft1 in goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was an unused substitute with Joe Hart making his debut, reaching up to the post. What won’t Mourinho joke with, especially if he wins? don’t blame the Special One. Some other coaches would have waved it off without doing what Mourinho did – crosscheck. Not Mourinho, a stickler for excellence.

    Speaking about his side’s victory, Mourinho added: ‘’We did just enough. We didn’t play magnificently. Just enough. And the players on the bench made a difference, gave us a different intensity.’’

    Mourinho’s coaching history is replete with such outstanding benchmarks but he appears not to have mastered the act of going through his club careers without having problems with top players in clubs where he has coached in the second season of his contract. Such needless face-offs with big players have led to his unceremonious exits as a result of players’ mutiny in support of their ‘oppressed’ mates.

    Recall that Mourinho stripped Paul Pogba of Manchester United Captaincy after the French World Cup winner criticised his defensive approach to matches. Mourinho banished Bastian Schweinsteiger to the reserves at Manchester United immediately he was appointed manager and was criticised for his treatment of such an experienced player.

    The Portuguese didn’t enjoy the latter part of his stay at Real Madrid, falling out with key players like Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Pepe. According to the Guardian, Mourinho told Pedro Leon that he wouldn’t play him even if he was the only man left behind should their team plane crash without him in it.

    Mourinho had an uneasy relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. He accused Ronaldo of being too “over-confident” and issued instructions to him through his assistant coach, Rui Faria.

    In a documentary about mentor Sir Bobby Robson, Mourinho said: “Ronaldo Nazario, the best Ronaldo ever!”

    The Special One hides under the cloak of instilling discipline to draw the line with such players. Pundits cannot understand why Mourinho takes delight in tackling such players. But he is the coach and the only leader on the pitch. Big players must learn how to respect their bosses no matter how important they perceive themselves to be.

    The world is watching the latest of Mourinho’s brush with big players where Dele Alli has been made to swallow his pride and behave according to Mourinho’s dictates. Typical of Mourinho, he has dropped Alli from the last three matches against Southampton, Newcastle and Chelsea, making watchers of the game feel that the Nigeria-born (this word again) would be out of the Spurs team before the October 5 transfer deadline. There is still time for this anticipated move.

    Would it be appropriate to say that Mourinho has Dele Alli where he wants him? This columnist doesn’t think so because the player’s colleagues are watching the scenarios as they play out. In such player/manager wahala, the actors get the last laugh, most times when the team’s fortunes are not in sync with what the club’s management demands. One thing is, however clear, Alli isn’t a big player, given the way his colleagues have reacted to his predicament. If he was, they would have had private meetings with the manager to temper justice with mercy. Imagine if the face-off was between Kane, the team’s captain and highest goal scorer? All the sides of such big ego problems would have been involved with club managements always willing to sacrifice the manager with a sack.

    Interestingly, Jose Mourinho claims in Tottenham Hotspur’s documentary ‘All or Nothing’  that the only advice Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson gave him was to sign Dele Alli during his time as manager of the Red Devils.

    According to the Daily Mail, Mourinho said: “Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one piece of advice in two-and-a-half years, ‘Buy Dele Alli, that guy with that mentality, the way he plays, the aggression in his mind, that guy is a Manchester United player, buy that guy.’’

    “He has an eye for players and he told me, ‘buy that player’ but he is not a good trainer. We have to find the right motivation for the guy.”

    Mourinho must watch his back with Alli. The Nigeria-born may be down but looks like the cobra which has recoiled to spit venom when the stakes are higher.

    Alli won and scored a penalty for Tottenham in the  7-2 thrashing of Maccabi Haifa. The 24-year-old midfielder replaced Giovani Lo Celso at half-time for Spurs. He could leave the club before Monday’s transfer deadline.

    Not one known to stoop to conquer, Mourinho looked to calm nerves over Alli’s feats in the game pointing out that:  ‘’Good for Dele to come on to create a proper penalty. The action for the penalty was beautiful, and he was serious, cool and professional in scoring it.’’

    Was Alli impressed with Mourinho’s therapy which sought to praise his professionalism and seriousness in slotting it (the penalty kick on Thursday night) away? It remains to be seen in the coming days.

    Sportsmail also suggested on Friday afternoon that PSG want Alli in their squad and could go to any extent to grab him, seeking to exploit the cold relationship he presently has with Mourinho.

    In the Sportsmail report on Friday, it stated that: ‘’The Ligue 1 champions are set to make a loan offer for the England midfielder in the coming days, though Tottenham’s stance has been he is not for sale or loan.’’

     

  • Culture, questions and responsibility

    Culture, questions and responsibility

    By Dayo Sobowale

    The  US is both mourning and raging in  fury  over the death of a  Supreme Court judge whose last wish was  to outlive  the Trump Administration.

    The deceased judge was a champion of feminism and equal rights for women in her long career on the bench . Her legacy on American  culture and a comparison of that  with  African   culture, is  the meat  of our discussion  today. We  shall  also  look  at   the response of the US  President  to the question put to him on whether  he would  hand power peacefully  in  case  he lost  the question as  well as  the  need    for   such a question at this point in America’s turbulent election politics. At  home, we examine the integrity of the invitation of the loser in Edo State guber elections  last week  to  the  winner   to  return to the APC from which he fled as it were, very  close to the election,   which  he nevertheless won convincingly.

    The  death of US Supreme Court  judge Ruth  Bader Ginsburg  was  a  double edged  sword in American  politics especially  at  this period of the presidential election slated for November this year. To  American Democrats it is a tragedy, as all  deaths ,  are no matter how old the deceased and there  have been tributes galore to the titan  of a legal luminary . To  Republicans,   however,  especially in the Senate whose purview  it is to approve  a replacement  or a Supreme Court judge nominated for the job by   the US President,  it is  a God  sent opportunity to change US culture on feminism, gay rights,  and abortion  , from  the left  from which it has remained for so long,  firmly  to the right by  having a comfortable majority of judges on the Supreme Court bench  with conservative leanings and orientation.

    When  a similar vacancy occurred during the Obama era, the Senate Republicans refused to confirm Obama’s nominee stating that it could not  do this in an election year and the incoming president should do it. But  then the Republicans had a majority  with which  they  bullied Obama  to  submission . But  now the same Republican leadership is in majority  and  a Republican, Donald Trump is the US President. Now  the Republicans are  not talking about the election year or how close  the election is,   as they did with Obama, but are just pleading with Donald Trump to send his nominee   urgently,  so that they  can confirm him or  her  with the speed of light.  Of  course the Democrats are shouting foul and blue murder but  they don’t have the majority and they know that even if they accuse the Republicans of hypocrisy , deceit  and inconsistency , they know they  are just shouting wolf where there is  none or simply  barking at the moon, because the Republicans have not breached  the US constitution on the matter.  That  is the  essence of constitutionalism and the rule of  law. So  morbidly, the Republicans have profited from the death of this great judge at this point in time albeit  against ‘her personal  wishes and desires ‘ as our OBJ  famously  said on assuming power after the assassination of the late General Murtala Muhammed.

    However  Ruth Ginsburg legacy was  to establish  the rights of women in all aspects of American life but  that expanded into gay rights and more liberal orientation on sex and  sexual  orientation.  It  ballooned into domestic violence and the protection of women in such  circumstances. In  Africa  however Ginsburg legacy conflicts with  African culture where male dominance is the vogue   and the male is the head of the family. If  the practice of protecting women rights is carried to the letter in African  society it will conflict with family values and the extended family  system and culture which  puts the husband as the head of the family. Even in Europe where gender equality is firmly  being promoted it is not totally accepted as the elections in Poland recently showed victory for a party that did not accept gay rights and campaigned that it respects family values over gay or feminine rights. Therefore,  Ginsburg legacy  that is being celebrated by liberals is at  odds  with African family values on account  of   unbridled feminine rights as the husband is the head of the family in Africa and not otherwise in terms of equality elsewhere or anywhere.

    We  now go to the news that the US President Donald Trump said he would not hand over  power  peacefully in a transition if he lost  power. I  really  do  not think  he meant  that. To  me he was simply giving an unexpected answer to an unexpected question that  he felt was a leading and provocative question. To  most  Americans , not handing over power peacefully  was unthinkable  and almost un American. So  why ask  the question?  I  think  the US president thought  the question was demeaning and unexpected and to  have his own  back at the perceived insult ,  he decided to add petrol to  fire and give a most  bizarre and unthinkable  answer  as if   to  play along with the insolence and absurdity of such a question in American politics. I  don’t think any other American  president has said such an unthinkable thing . They  will  not survive if they  did. But  this is the Trump  era and even his opponents   concede   that  Trump  is     a   dicey    political  cat   with nine  lives in surviving controversies and scandals ,  and this may  just  be one of many before and more to come  before  the  election date  in November.

    Finally,  the call  by Ize Iyamu  of the APC on Godwin Obaseki  of the PDP to return to APC as  they  were all together  before  and he had done so before is a loaded  gun which can explode in many direction with many  dire   political  consequences . If  Obaseki heeds that call he will be a traitor to PDP which housed him and  gave him a platform to contest. I think  the call is not only  mischievous, it is like  shutting the stable  doors after the horses have bolted. Although anything is possible in Nigerian politics, the thought of Obaseki going back to APC   after   his  victory is as unthinkable as the thought  of Donald Trump  not willing to hand over power peacefully  after he  loses power in Africa. To  me the call is a Greek gift which  is not in the interest of either the giver or the intended receiver,  nor their  parties either .

    From the fury of  this raging pandemic Good Lord Deliver Nigeria.

  • Anfield awaits the Gunners

    Anfield awaits the Gunners

    By Ade Ojeikere

    I wish I could always talk about other sports other than football, having played the gentleman’s game – cricket. Writing about cricket would have been a lot of fun except that not many people would be able to follow it because of its language. Cricket isn’t dead in Nigeria. Those who played at all levels in the 70s and 80s know its importance and have formed clubs with most them reminding everyone about where they learned the game – in those wonderful schools across the country. That noble objective was achieved because of the existing boarding house system.

    Boarding houses are gone under the guise of instituting free education, leaving in its wake the dearth of sporting activities in schools. All open spaces in schools have been built up for more classes. School pay fees to use stadiums for their recreational activities unlike in the past when you walk towards any playground of choice. At Government College Ughelli, it was fun being able to walk from one sporting ground to the other. Gone too are the games masters and games mistresses who were trained on the rudiments of sports. I remember the late GO Ogosi aka Cascar, who learned the Gentleman’s game at GCU but knew everything about other sports. Ogosi had poise and walked like turkey. He had class and showed it with some spring on his feet. Good night Casca Ogosi. I digress!

    This columnist could comfortably write about tennis, having come from a tennis home. Unfortunately, the game which Coach Egbuson et al taught people inside the late Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin which produced several greats including Nduka Odizor has become an elite sport to be played in exclusive clubs. It isn’t a new development because it happened in the past. But it had a productive face because most of the tennis greats rose from being ball boys at such clubs to stardom. I recall also trying my hands on hockey and the joy of tapping your opponent on the bum for obstruction. Not forgetting trying one’s hands on the athletics field. I ran away because of the cross country at GCU. Energy sapping if you ask me.

    Would I say that I played football? Well, I did but not play it to the required standard since one couldn’t call GCU a football school in the same way as one would tag schools such as Hussey College Warri, Urhobo College, Warri, Western Boys High School Benin City, Eghosa College Benin City, Saint Patrick School Asaba, Saint Peters Claver College, Aghalope, etc in the old Bendel State.

    Reporting sports is very exciting, especially soccer where everyone has something to contribute. Most times this writer is stunned by the in-depth analyses from Nigerians so much so that one is forced to take down notes on certain salient points that one didn’t consider. My rich reservoir of knowledge has come from listening to informed pronouncements by those who show a remarkable understanding of the game and follow it religiously with historical facts and figures.

    Soccer is the opium of the people wherever it is the primary sports. Little wonder everything stops when such countries are doing well in major competitions. In fact, the way teams in the European leagues season have begun in the respective leagues shows that most of them would be determined even on the last day. big teams winning games handsomely beginning with Bayern Munich’s 8-0 whacking of Schalke 04 in one of the early fixtures in the German Bundesliga. Indeed, the Barclays English Premier League table after two matches shows seven teams namely Leicester City, Everton, Arsenal, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, TottenhamHotspur and Manchester City as the clubs to contend for the title held by the Reds.

    Punters have likened the presence of Everton and Crystal Palace to the case of the elephant hung on the treetop with weak branches. It wouldn’t take time for these teams to fall off the perch. A few others have argued that Leicester and Arsenal have won the English Premier League title in the past, they do not have the character to last long in the race, which many also argue is a marathon. Whispers about the early totter by Manchester United indicates that its manager may be the first to be sacked except he hit the market to buy defenders since the team’s defence appears to be the team’s albatross.

    It might appear that the defence of the Manchester United team is the club’s albatross considering its current losses, it is obvious that the team’s midfielders and playmakers are still in the form to give the team a good start. Though the choice of players which Solskjær is gunning for might not be exactly what the team needs at the moment, it is believed that the Red Devils will pull a surprise on major contenders that include Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea, and Tottenham. Donny Van de Beek’s arrival at the team is one of the surprises other teams will have to deal with in the coming months considering his performances and current form.

    Will Manchester United fight back? Yes. Would Arsenal drop off the perch as it has done in previous seasons? Neither here nor there, especially with Arteta as their manager. Arteta may make the difference this season as his team heads towards the January transfer window. Gunners falter from January through February, most times due to injuries to key players. The world waits for Monday next week when Gunners take their new credentials to Anfield to inflict the third consecutive defeat on the Reds in the last three games involving both sides.

    Arsenal beat Liverpool in the second leg of the last EPL at the Emirates 2-1 at the time the Reds had won its first EPL in the new era, although its 19 titles at the elite class. Gunners won the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on a penalty shootout, after a 1-1 score after 90 minutes, making Monday’s game an all systems go for the Reds.

    The noise from Arsenal fans has been deafening. All kinds of permutations from their fans, who are quick to tell anyone who dares to listen that the trophy years would be at Emirates. I like Arsenal fans. They know how to carry the battle to the opposition’s fans before games are played. however, the fade away like ice-cream under the scorching sun when the results go otherwise. A rain of curses on those players responsible for the defeat forgetting that these guys took them to the point where they dreamt of a victory.

    Realistically, Manchester City looks the favourite to dethrone the Reds, not Arsenal which struggled to beat West Ham at the Emirates last weekend. It would be quite laughable for Gunners to equate the 0-2 away victory over Leicester at the King Power Stadium as the reason to beat Liverpool on Monday. No two matches are the same, especially when one is a cup game with Liverpool whipping Lincoln 7-2 on away ground. Monday’s game would produce a lot of goals given the quality of strikers they parade.

    Liverpool has Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane, two Africans who have continued to distinguish themselves for the Reds. Salah has scored three goals so far in two matches while Mane scored a brace against Chelsea last week Sunday at Stamford Bridge. For the Gunners, Pierre Aubameyang may be running a solo race upfront except Alexandre Lacazette shrugs off his quest for an exit from the team with Arteta seriously interested in Lyon’s Houssem Aouar for Arsenal during the window with no breakthrough. The Gunners have also been long-term admirers of Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey.

    One thing which distinguishes both sides is that Arsenal is a team in progress while the Reds are champions strengthened with the inclusion of Thiago Alcantara. Liverpool’s depth in the midfield could be the deciding factor in Monday’s with David Luiz likely to play the bad card in Reds’ favour. Besides, Arsenal has ridiculed the hosts to the point of the Anfield giants seeking revenge. Liverpool knows how to play such high-stake games and the Gunners are Anfield at the wrong time.

    Did I hear ask me to predict the outcome of the game? Reds all the way, except that Arsenal also wear red jerseys. Frankly, Monday’s game is too close to call. Soccer, like the Sierra Leoneans, would say is like a biscuit, you don’t know where it would crack.

  • Ekiti: All eyes on Oni, Fayose romance

    Ekiti: All eyes on Oni, Fayose romance

    Sentry

    Former governors Ayodele Fayose and Segun Oni of Ekiti State, two erstwhile sworn political enemies, are now jolly good political pals. The two are members of the same faction of the troubled opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Following Oni’s unexpected decision to support Fayose’s camp in its battle against Senator Biodun Olujimi’s group, the battle for control of the party rages on.

    Sentry has, however, discovered that the new found love between the two politicians who not too long ago battled themselves to a standstill, may soon collapse.

    Most observers watching the moves of both men, hold the same view. Sources say the new friendship may be more of a loose political alliance than true reconciliation.

    Tongues are wagging that Oni is befriending Fayose because he desires the PDP gubernatorial ticket for 2022. On the other hand, others are saying Osokomole has no plan to support his new friend’s gubernatorial aspiration.

    Those who foresee a short-lived friendship between them are citing Fayose’s statement when he announced the end of hostilities between him and Oni last August, as a clear indication of things to come.

    “Having formally received Engr. Segun Oni into the PDP at yesterday’s State Congress, henceforth, nobody should castigate, embarrass or undermine him (Oni) on any social media platforms associated with Osoko Political Family. However, this statement does not represent or amount to endorsement of Oni’s gubernatorial ambition,” Fayose had said publicly, to set the stage for another round of intrigues between the new friends. To matters more interesting, sources close to Oni insist he’s not about to drop his ambition any time soon.

  • Football, fans and its theatrics

    Football, fans and its theatrics

    Ade Ojeikere

     

    THE emotive game of soccer all over Europe is here with wives celebrating because their husbands now return home to watch matches with the family. Those who choose to hang out with the boys do so with their wives. Those spouses who would rather sit at home with the kids know where their husbands are. In fact, as the games go on, notes are compared while those whose teams are beaten at dusk reluctantly pick their phones to listen to taunts from winning friends.

    Different Whatsapp platforms are filled with several emojis as friends tease themselves unend over the successes or failures of their respective teams during the course of matches. Viewing centres are worse with fans mocking, gloating, and pointing at their losing counterparts. The atmosphere in most of the centres isn’t safe, especially when tempers rise during crucial matches. All manner of dangerous missiles are hauled. Such a chaotic setting is fuelled by some fans who ‘kiss’ several sachets of hard drinks which tamper with their brains and in turn, wreak havoc in the viewing centre when tipsy.

    However, in viewing centres where the owners know their onions, it’s always fun listening to the side comments, unprofessional analysis -especially players’ aliases. For instance, Thierry Henry was known as Igwe, Cristiano Ronaldo (Ororo), Lionel Messi (Ijaya) etc. The names come in droves as the players do incredible things with the ball. Watching the game with people could be fun if they aren’t undisciplined. There is a viewing centre at Onipanu in Lagos known as San Siro, the name of the stadium in Italy, where AC Milan and Inter Milan share to play their matches. Not forgetting Nigerians, who like the counterparts elsewhere name their kids after their favourite players.

    What happens in homes across the country are quite interesting. It is true that most fathers as the head of the house cajole everyone to support their teams, but there are few exceptions. Either the sons are teaming up with their mothers ‘against’ daddy’s team and those kids in his camp or mummy is left in the cold to support her less popular or winning team. However, nobody shakes whenever daddy’s team loses. Daddy, on the hindsight, eats the humble pie when his side loses to the other camp in the house. The build-up to such games are very intriguing, with everyone enjoying the moments. Need I say that soccer, during the European season, unites homes and brings fathers closer to their families?

    Watching matches at viewing centres raise health concern with particular reference to Covid-19. The place is always packed full of fans from different divides. The talking sessions start before the games. Voices are raised with saliva flying causing health hazards. For the big games, it is always tough remaining inside the place due to the heat and stench from the smoke of those who use  cigarette to douse tension.

    Lord have mercy! When goals are scored by the popular teams. The noise is deafening. The hugging and thumping of chest are unbelievable in the wake of coronavirus. I tried raising these fears with a few people in viewing centres. Some of their responses shocked me – Na big man sickness for people like una. You don hear say poor man don die from Coro? A mixed grill in terms of those wearing a face mask. I wore mine knowing that I would leave at halftime for other centres.

    A few sophisticated centres observe the social distancing and they are not crowded. Those who watch the games are cultured. I was almost turned back in one of them until somebody inside who had seen me outside being politely asked to leave the place rescued me. The gateman apologised profusely but I told him he was doing his job. My mission to these places is a call to official duty. I marvel at the large number of people wearing the latest patterns of their favourite clubs’ colours. Some other fans go a step further to inscribe the names of their favourite players at the back of these jerseys. I salute those who customise theirs with their names. They look symbolic – raising the poser when Nigerians can wear our domestic league clubs’ shirts. That would be the day.

    If you think it is only the viewing centres which have health concerns, then visit the various betting shops. The rowdy settings reminded this writer of entrances at the old Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City in games involving the crowd-pulling club sides. You would be shocked at the level of involvement among the bettors across age-grades, all looking for cash. Fathers and sons comparing entries at the corner sides. Cash used to stake high with the prospects of winning negligible. Habits die hard, the dictum goes. Some have argued that it is better than being involved in societal vices. Hmmmmm! Indeed. Man must whack!

    As the world waits for October 1, when the fans would be allowed to watch games in the stadiums in England, pundits have continued to visualise what would have happened if spectators were being allowed to watch the Ligue 1 derby between Marseille and Paris Saint Germain, considering the arch rivalry between both teams. In fact, supporters of Marseille celebrated when PSG lost the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League trophy to Bayern Munich. In France, Marseille is the only team to have won the UEFA Champions League diadem.

    The injury-time brawl at PSG underscores the fact that most of the carnage at match venues are caused by the antics of the players which provoke the fans to misbehave. For the records, Brazilian superstar, Neymar was one of five players sent off after an injury-time brawl as Marseille beat Paris St-Germain in Ligue 1, according to reports from the ill-fated tie. Substitutes Leandro Paredes and Layvin Kurzawa, and Marseille’s Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto were dismissed along with Neymar.

    Neymar claimed on social media that Gonzalez called him “a monkey motherf*****.” Gonzalez denied the claims in his own tweet, only for Neymar to tell the Spaniard that he was “not a man” for not admitting to his part in the row.

    Neymar was handed a two-game ban for his part in the mass brawl by the LFP Disciplinary Committee while PSG full-back Layvin Kurzawa was handed a six-game ban for his role after he kicked Jordan Amavi. Amavi was banned for three games with Marseille team-mate Dario Benedetto receiving a one-match ban.

    This has been the only blight to the new European season with results telling the story of how the game has developed  in Europe. Most of the big teams have been given the fight of their lives by what pundits term minnows. We watched in awe last week Saturday at Anfield as newly-promoted Leeds United held defending champions Liverpool till the dying minutes of the game before the Reds earned three points from jaws of near defeat, although many have blamed Leeds for being over-ambitious. Those in this school of thought argued that Leeds would have defended in the closing stages with the scores at 3-3. No way. It was good that Leeds fought for a better result. on the hindsight, the players have learned lessons which would inform how they play in subsequent games as the season progresses.

    No doubt, the game belongs to the people but they must learn how to behave with decorum. The safety of the lives and properties of others in and around match venues rank higher than the nuisance they constitute themselves during such rowdy scenes. Soccer isn’t a matter of life and death, since it is just a game to enjoy even though the results matter for teams eager to win trophies. Winners today could be losers tomorrow and vice versa. After all, there are three results in the game – wins, draws and losses.

  • How goes the Edo vote?

    How goes the Edo vote?

    Segun Ayobolu

     

    NIGERIA’S political evolution in this dispensation undergoes another major test today as the fabled ‘heartbeat of the nation’, Edo State, determines at the polls who will pilot her affairs for the next four years at the expiration of the incumbent administration’s tenure. 20 years into this dispensation, the contest for power in Nigeria is still a fierce, fearsome and desperate enterprise largely for the high stakes of controlling public resources and other forms of patronage for personal and group accumulation. This is once again all too evident in Edo’s easily combustible 2020 governorship polls.

    No wonder, over 30,000 policemen have been deployed to the state for the exercise and this does not include men of the armed forces, immigration and correctional services, Federal Road Safety Corps as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who will all be fully on ground today. That the incumbent, Mr. Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his main challenger, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have merely exchanged the party platforms on which they engaged in electoral battle in 2016 only illustrates the ideological vacuity and philosophical sterility that still characterize party politics in Nigeria. Even then, today’s election in Edo will no doubt further consolidate Nigeria’s emergence as a two-party dominant political system.

    Looming large in the foreground of the electoral battlefield today is the former two-term governor of the state, comrade Adams Oshiomhole, immediate past National Chairman of the APC. Four years ago, Oshiomhole campaigned hard and strenuously for Obaseki, his godson in whom he was well pleased, and equally vehemently and vigorously rallied against Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Today, Oshiomhole is Iyamu’s prime cheer leader and Obaseki’s chief traducer. It can certainly not get more surreal.

    The former frontline labour leader turned politician and, undoubtedly, high performing former governor now publicly admits, regrettably, that his investment in Obaseki was an utter waste and that the much touted technocrat has been an abysmal nonstarter as governor failing to build on the foundation and legacy he inherited.

    On his part, Obaseki has sought to frame this electoral contest as one between a focused, technocratic governor determined to judiciously utilize public resources for the greatest good of the greatest number of the people and a godfather bent on continuing to wield power even after leaving office and desirous of still accessing and controlling the resources of the state. This is, of course, a clever strategy on the part of the governor and one that could easily win him considerable sympathy within and beyond Edo State.

    For, had Oshiomhole himself not waged an epic battle against those he labeled godfathers in the state as governor, fought them to a standstill and even dislodged them from entrenched political fortresses? Why then would he now want to install himself as the ‘Worshipful Godfather’ of Edo politics, a state of proud, dignified, industrious, culturally and historically self-conscious ethno-cultural groups not inclined to bowing before mere mortals?

    But alas, Obaseki’s godfather lamentations fall a bit short. If his problem were Oshiomhole trying to play God and undermining him as governor, there is just no way the former comrade- governor, could have even ruffled the incumbent governor’s feathers in a sophisticated, no-nonsense state like Edo. That the incumbent could not even survive the battle for the ticket within the APC and is fighting the contest of his life to win a second term shows that he is contending with more than Oshiomhole.

    For, how with all the powers, resources, opportunities for patronage and tremendous influence of incumbency at his disposal could Obaseki still not have courted and won the support of key APC chieftains in the state such as Honourable Osaro Obazee, Dr Pius Odubu, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, Chief Samson Osagie, Honourable Pally Iriase, Mr. Lucky Imasuen, Chief Chris Ogiewonyi, Honourable Patrick Obahiagbon, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo or General Charles Airhiavbere? Even more damningly, how come that some of his key cabinet and other political appointees preferred to quit his government than follow him to the PDP? This is unusual in Nigerian politics.

    Some of those who left the Obaseki administration to declare their support for Ize-iyamu’s aspiration include Mr. Paul Ohonbamu, Mr. Joseph Ikpea, Mr. Taiwo Akerele (former Chief of Staff), Ms Omoua Oni Okpaku, Hon. Bright Njor as well as three members of the board of the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Area Development Commission (EDOSOPAC) – Prince Emmanuel Odigie, Alhaji Aiwan Oshiomhole and Mr. Osanwonyi Atu. Surely, if Obaseki had demonstrated the wisdom, tact and political resourcefulness to cultivate and hold onto these and other numerous seemingly unimportant but critically influential grassroots operatives, no godfather cold have posed any threat to his second term.

    But then, could Obaseki himself have been transmogrified by the enormous powers of gubernatorial incumbency into some veritable godfather of Edo’s political terrain? Was this responsible for his demolition of the property of those who dared oppose him for the flimsiest of reasons or his desperation to use governmental power to obstruct members of the opposing PDP from exercising their freedom of association to move to the APC? Nowhere was Obaseki’s despotic disposition and autocratic inclination better displayed than his proclamation of the 8th Edo State House of Assembly at an ungodly hour of the night thereby preventing 14 duly elected members of the legislature from taking their seats as constitutionally stipulated.

    Surely, nothing could have been more malevolently ‘god-fatherly’ than Obaseki governing – passing his budget and other laws, approving appointments etc – with a minority of 9 legislators for the better part of his four years in office. This was worse than ‘godfatherism’. It was the civilian equivalent of a military coup. Towards the end of his first term and to smooth his second term aspiration, Obaseki now set up a committee to resolve his issues with the constitutionally emasculated legislators even as he mobilized some of his fellow governors to reach out to the same party leaders, whose attempts to mediate in his conflict with Oshiomhole, he had earlier shunned.

    Indeed, Obaseki’s deliberate and undemocratic castration of the legislature was the sole theme of the short broadcast to the people of Edo state on today’s election by national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu urged the electorate to reject Obaseki at the polls as a result of that one brazen act of impunity that not only violated the constitution and negated the tents of democracy but also grossly insulted the people of Edo State who voted these legislators in the first place.

    Not once did Tinubu mention Oshiomhole or Ize-Iyamu in his appeal. He was unconcerned with the domestic intricacies of Edo politics. His focus was with democracy and its sustaining values. If Obaseki could behave with such audacity when he still needed the people’s consent for a second term, who can predict to what use, if re-elected, he will put his power when he no longer requires anybody’s support for a second term?

    This brings me to the very critical issue of performance. Has Obaseki performed well enough to deserve being re-elected as governor? His supporters swear that he has performed superlatively just as his opponents contend that he has been a spectacular failure. Surely, it is impossible to be a governor for four years and not have at least something to show as achievements for the period. But then, Oshiomhole, four years ago, marketed Obaseki as a super technocrat and economic whiz-kid who would even perform better than himself.

    I thus watched with some surprise the Channels television debate in which Obaseki struggled to defend his record of performance as Ize-Iyamu repeatedly put his administration on the back foot in areas such as agriculture, healthcare, education, road construction and job creation. At a point Obaseki blamed the preceding Oshiomhole administration for accumulating huge debts that became an albatross on his government’s neck. Ize-iyamu curtly reminded him that he was the Chief Economic Adviser to that administration for eight years. I heard no response from Obaseki.

    How then goes today’s vote in Edo? It will be a titanic battle. Both APC and PDP are entrenched political structures in the state. APC wields the power of incumbency at the centre and PDP in Edo State. A superlative performance in terms of democratic dividends by Obaseki should have been the deciding factor in this election since the state government has more bearing on the people than the centre. But from my observatory it does not appear that convincing performance by Obaseki in his first term is an asset that the PDP can rely on in this election.   I align with the view that Ize-Iyamu has a distinct edge in today’s duel but the decision is that of the Edo electorate.

     

     

  • Democracy, performance and justice

    Democracy, performance and justice

    Dayo Sobowale

     

    Lawyers  love  to say that ‘he who comes   to equity must  come with clean  hands’ . In  politics  and in a
    democracy  however,  it is the electorate that determines who has a clean or  dirty hand and  that is sorted out at election time. Democracy is a game of numbers and in a  first past the post  democracy prevalent in most parts  of the world including specifically Nigeria and the US   election time is pay back time  for those seeking  or  renewing  power. When  however they get the power,  politicians follow their  mandate and deliver on them or failing in that regard must expect expulsion from power as the penalty for their failure to deliver. Which  means ultimately that  performance matters and the electorate is the sole judge of that at election time,  no matter the   cacophony  of campaigns prior to election day. Such  is the day of judgement in Edo State today and the man on trial, take it or leave it is the incumbent Governor Obaseki  of   the PDP  who  faces Ize Iyamu  from the same party   APC ,  from which Obaseki  defected , very  close  to today’s election.

    We  take a look  at today’s Edo state elections in terms  of the earlier mentioned indices of performance and electability or re electability.  We  proceed to examine two strong Attorneys General in both  Nigeria   and  the US,  who are unabashedly  executing the  mandates of the presidents they serve and are   certainly   showing    that they are not bothered whose  ox  is gored in the process. Nigeria’s Attorney General  Abubakar Malami  SAN  is literally  prosecuting the head of the anti corruption  body  EFCC  Magu   for  corruption and is even moving on to  set  up a body to take care of recovered loot, the mismanagement of which formed  the core of his ire with the EFCC boss. In the US Attorney General   William  Barr has followed up on US President Donald Trump’s    uneasy  reluctance to close up the US  economy on account of the pandemic by  saying  that the lockdown on account of the pandemic  has  been the greatest  violation of liberty in US history outside slavery .And that  his position is political as Attorney  General  even as he functions as the Attorney General in pursuit of justice in the American political system.  These  three events form the kernel  of our discussion today.

    As  I said before,  the Edo State election is all  or mainly  about   the incumbent governor  seeking reelection on the platform of the PDP to which  he fled after he could not get the ticket for the APC. A strong voice in the APC, the Jagaban  Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already asked the electorate in Edo  not to vote for Obaseki  because he is not  a  democrat and did not allow the swearing in of legislators in the state The NLC in the state  has asked the voters in the state to reelect Obaseki because he paid salaries  and pensions as and when due. Not  much is known of Ize Iyamu and indeed if he wins he will  become the Otedola of Edo  politics when an unknown political  entity   and opponent was voted into power in Lagos   state, because the electorate was disenchanted with the candidate of the popular party.  What  the Jagaban has said is weighty and voters should be wary of leaders with dictatorial  tendencies but then, the choice is for the people of Edo state to make   in a  free and fair election which I think is possible. This is because both parties know each other so well  that it will be difficult  to surprise each other in any rigging attempt. So  the die is cast  and the ball  is in the court of the Edo Electorate to reward or punish  Obaseki  or  bring in Ize Iyamu from the cold as it  were. Today’s Edo election is like a litmus test of Caveat Emptor  which   means  Buyer Beware  for the Edo State electorate and I wish  them well in their choice because they  have to live with it there after. Good luck.

    In  Nigeria the Attorney  General  is proceeding to make the law that will create a body  to look after recovered  loot. Which  to  me is a step in the right direction although it is a bit bizarre that  recovered loot  can  somehow,  be re -looted. Which  sounds  very unbelievable and stands  logic or  accountability  on its head. The  admission of poor record  of  recovered loot  by the government that was elected and reelected because of the integrity and reputation of the president ,  is a brave one by the Administration  and the Attorney  General  who  has maintained control of the anti  corruption brigade and flagship of this Buhari  Administration. One thing is clear. That  is that this Attorney  General  means well and will not shirk his responsibility in the fight against  corruption even as corruption is fighting back with its ill gotten wealth  and massive loot armory. I wish  him well in laying a solid foundation for the anti -corruption  crusade in our very  corrupt  economic  and  socio – political environment.

    We  now go back to US Attorney  General  William Barr’s view that in terms of violation of human rights the pandemic lockdown is similar  to slavery. He  is not alone in condemning the lockdown advocated by scientists and infection disease experts as some people have been demonstrating and protesting along such lines  in Germany recently. Barr lamented that state governors and governments that decree  lockdowns as it were, are treating their citizens like children  who do not know what is good for them. He said governments should not behave like bureaucrats and should make pandemic rules but should allow  people to think out how to apply them and use their initiative in saving themselves from  the pandemic. Instead of putting them under what he called house arrest with the prevailing lockdown. This goes very well with the views of his boss,  the US president in admitting that he tried to play down the pandemic so as not to cause panic at the outset. But Trump’s  opponent want to use this to nail him as an irresponsible liar of a  leader and that  is dangerous  for his reelection  chances in November this year. Of   course Trump’s AG  is  not mincing words in saying that the lockdown and the  pandemic are affecting the reelection  chances of his  boss and that his duty is to ensure in the Department of Justice he heads  as AG    to protect the political  chances  of his boss  for reelection in November this year. That  is saying it   as it is ,  and that has my commendation  because their opponents are  really using the pandemic and lockdown and its handling  as a potent political  hemlock to make sure that Trump  is never reelected. His AG is saying however that this  would be over his dead  body and that is why  he is equating  the pandemic lockdown to slavery. It   may sound   like  an exaggeration   but   then  that is his opinion    on the pandemic and he is entitled    to   it.  That, pandemic or not, is what politics and democracy is all  about. Freedom  of speech , after all   said and done,  is an inalienable   right  especially   in American   politics.  And   really,    it  is not easy to lose power  with your  eyes wide open, even  in God’s  own  nation like the US. Once again – From  the fury of this raging pandemic,  Good Lord Deliver Nigeria.

     

  • Kishi: Waiting on those who should know

    Kishi: Waiting on those who should know

    Sentry

     

    There is need for those in authority to clarify the true state of affairs at the Old Oyo National Park located in Kishi town. For about a week now, claims have been rife that armed groups have taken over the park. While many are not taking the allegations seriously, Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams, has added his voice to the worrisome claims, saying the park now habours “armed terrorists.”

    According to him and others, the armed groups are already engaging in criminal activities like kidnapping, rape and robbery, so much so that the area is gradually becoming a haven for bandits and terrorists. They warn that the situation must be nipped in the bud to prevent further violence. Surprisingly, no official statement has been made by anyone in authority since the allegations started. Sentry thinks the state governor should speak up on the matter.

    The alleged killing and kidnapping of over 100 people is not only frightening and worrisome, but requires urgent confirmation or denial from those in authority.

  • Conducting election under charged atmosphere

    Conducting election under charged atmosphere

    BY EMMANUEL OLADESU

     

     

    The governorship election holding today in Edo State should ordinarily be a festival of choice in an atmosphere of democratic freedom. .

    The choice can be in two dimensions. It could either be affirmation, or the rejection of the current leadership, which translates into the liquidation of the power of incumbency.

    The fear today in Edo does not revolve around the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The protocol was violated during the campaigns. What is more frightening in the state is prospects of violent eruptions in potential flashpoints. It is because, as warned by credible observers, strongmen; thugs, touts, gangsters and cultists are on the prowl.

    When miscreants spoil for bloodletting on account of elections, it means that Nigeria’s civil rule is still on trial; democracy is still a tall order.

    The puzzle is: will these hooligans dare the 31,000 policemen drafted to the Southsouth state by Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu?

    The periodic exercise of franchise, which either leads to continuity or change of government, underscores the beauty of democracy. It is an inalienable right, based on citizenship and the constitution.

    The goal of the democratic contest is to demonstrate the numerical superiority of supporters through votes, so that majority can carry the day and the loser, who loses honourably, accepts defeat gallantly, and without a perceived bruise to ego and bravado.

    Unfortunately, popular rule has often suffered, owing to the bastardisation of elections. The democratic maturity appears to be lacking across the federation to the extent that the polity is enveloped in anxiety or apprehension whenever an election is imminent.

    Not only is Nigeria assailed by its weak political culture, its weak institutions are also its albatross.

    The watchword across board seems to be electoral terrorism; a colossal assault on the sanctity of the ballot box and the inadvertent declaration of loser at winner, particularly from 2003. It also logically follows that political leaders are confronted by collective amnesia, because faulty elections were among the factors that drew the curtains on the first and second republics.

    Also, a major source of worry, concern and confusion is the gradual acceptance of systematic rigging through the strategy of vote buying, making power to land on the palm of the highest bidder. This makes voting a cosmetic exercise.

    A rigged election deprives the beneficiary government of legitimacy, an important quality that should not be compromised in any proper democratic setting. It also amounts to vanity of voting and a great disservice to the cause of political decency.

    When will Nigeria get it right? When will votes actually count? Is there hope that electoral battles will not always shift from the ballot box to the court, with the temple of justice always having the last say or giving the final verdict, and with parties in dispute bearing enormous cost of justice and litigation stress?

    Last week, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu raised the alarm that the agency will be conducting the Edo election under a charged atmosphere.

    It is an understatement. Ahead of today’s poll, Edo has been in the news for a wrong reason. Intra-party tension has heightened. Party meetings and rallies had been disrupted. Vandalism and destruction of property associated with rivals, stock pilling of small arms and light weapons and recruitment of militia groups had been reported.

    There is political desperation across board. Those who were compatriots yesterday have become sworn enemies. Both the ruling and opposition parties have threatened fire and brimstone. Edo, it appeared, was spoiling for war; a sort of mutual assured destruction.

    The arrowheads of the major two parties are combative. It evokes the do-or-die slogan and style of a former Nigerian leader in a bid to sustain his party in power by all means and at all costs

    Irked by the turn of events, Oba Ewuare 11 of Benin urged the gladiators to sheath their swords and call their troublesome supporters to order.

    The contest for the Government House became stiff because of the split in the political family that led to the parting of ways. It is expected that the peace accord signed by the leaders and candidates will calm nerves and restore a conducive electoral atmosphere.

    However, the peace accord can only be effective when the factors and conditions that guarantee free and fair elections, which the accord stands for, are satisfied.

    Election is a collective duty involving all and sundry in Edo. The onus is on the stakeholders-flagbearers, party leaders, supporters, security agents, media, monitors and observers, and the umpire to play their roles in accordance with the electoral law and the constitution.

    In the absence of electoral offences tribunal and lack of stiff penalty for monumental electoral fraud, the exercise may continually be at the mercy of political barons who fund thuggery and violence.

    It cannot be ascertained whether the United States’ proposed Visa ban on those unpatriotic Nigerians who usually undermine or subvert the democratic process will halt the trend of political brigandage.

    Candidates and party leaders should not take delight in an Edo State that is on fire. They should appeal to their followers to shun impunity; ballot snatching, vote buying, hijack of sensitive materials, intimidation and violence.

    Those who perpetuate electoral mayhem are not children and relations of candidates and big party men. They are ordinary folks who are financially induced to create obstacles to credible polls, based on the assurance of more crumbs after the completion of their disastrous political project. Their involvement may have been fueled by soaring unemployment, the greatest challenge that government has woefully failed to resolve

    Security agencies, in the process of providing security for the process and participants, should maintain neutrality. They should refrain from the peculiar tendency to become willing tools in the hands of the money bags in politics bubbling with vested interests.

    It is the patriotic duty of security agents to police the votes, without let and hindrance. Police who aid and abet should not be spared from prosecution. When security agents are neutral, the message will be internalised by political actors that certain acts of sabotage are outdated.

    Eyes are on the umpire, which is expected to live to expectation. Having claimed to have prepared well for the exercise, faulty implementation of the electoral procedure should be avoided.

    Polling officers should not report late for electoral duty. When polling materials do not arrive on time, when card readers are consistently down, when materials meant for a different unit are mistakenly taken to another unit, whenever any aspect of the process is compromised, the electorate will develop negative thoughts. Therefore, INEC should get its logistics right. The electoral law should not be set aside at any stage of the process.

    In Edo, elections in riverine areas are often problematic. In 2012, the challenge stared the electoral agency in the face. A boat was hired to convey sensitive materials. The helmsman was drunk. It was akin to hiring a dumb and deaf to drive a car. The consequence was fatal. The mistake should not be repeated.

    The image of Nigeria has been dented by poorly conducted polls, although the country favours a semblance of political stability. The danger is that in some states, districts, constituencies and local governments, attainment of political power is not premised on people’s choice.

    There is also an allegation that political parties have infiltrated the ranks of observers and monitors, with partisan members of the civil society groups turning in subjective reports on elections.

    Trust is damaged. The umpire does not trust that candidates and political leaders will obey rules and regulations. The political class does not believe that the commission will be neutral all the times and as it should be. Politicians see politics, not as a vocation, but an occupation of high economic value. To them, there must be enormous returns on investment. Winning by all means and at all costs is the baseline.

    INEC officers and ad hoc staff should resist political influence that may tempt them to indulge in collaborative malpractices.  Rigging is very difficult. It can only be accomplished through a curious team work, and motivated by bribe.

    Tales of inconclusive elections are boring. It is an agonising experience as the electoral timeframe is reviewed and extended.

    Also, when an election is at half, it extends the period of panic and bitterness. It may underscores incompetence on the part of handlers. It may also mean that there is an impediment to successful outcome. It increases the electoral expenditure on the part of INEC. It elongates the suspicion, nightmare and palpable anxiety. It does not show that previous lessons were learnt.

    But, these can only be averted when all participants play by the rules and leave no stone unturned, even under the charge atmosphere.

     

     

  • Beyond fuel, electricity rates hike

    Beyond fuel, electricity rates hike

    By Segun Ayobolu

    It should now be obvious that within the context of the logic of our post-independence development policy trajectory, the incessant increases in the unit rates of critical commodities like fuel and electricity, with serious bearing on the welfare of the vast majority of Nigerians, is well nigh inevitable. During its intense campaign to unseat the then incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the run up to the 2015 general elections, the key elements of the then nascent All Progressives Congress (APC), vehemently opposed the fuel price hike announced in 2012 by the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration and supported labour and civil society groups in their massive demonstrations against the removal of the fuel subsidy. Now that it is in power, the ruling APC has also found it imperative to remove the controversial subsidies not just on fuel but also on electricity citing the same reasons that previous administrations have given for doing so.

    Understandably, the APC has not found it funny that the opposition PDP and several vocal individuals and groups within labour and civil society have vigorously condemned the decision of the Buhari administration in this regard and demanded a reversion of the policy. The administration has not only congratulated itself on what it regards as its courage in taking a decision that is in the best interest of the country no matter how unpopular. Of course, it is a familiar story; a route well travelled severally. Over three decades ago, as a university undergraduate, I recall that I participated in demonstrations against the then military President, General Ibrahim Babangida regime’s decision to remove the notorious subsidy and increase the pump price of fuel.

    That was indeed one of the key conditionalities of the International Financial Institutions for supporting the country financially to weather the serious economic crisis that necessitated the imposition of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). Successive governments – military and civilian – have toed the same line, opposing the removal of the subsidy when seeking power but also unhesitatingly announcing its removal once comfortably ensconced in office. It has been no different with the PMB administration.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has just like spokesmen of previous governments rigorously advanced reasons why the new price regimes in the fuel and electricity sectors are inevitable. It is always a basically economic argument. If the cost price of producing or making these commodities available are far below the price at which they are sold to the consumer, a subsidy necessarily arises which government must bridge. This short fall between production cost and supply prices, which government fills is not just a drain on the parlous revenues of government, it is also a disincentive against fresh investment in these sectors as the potential investor is not a philanthropist but a hardnosed businessman.

    Matters have been worsened by the discovery particularly under the Jonathan administration that the so called fuel subsidy was nothing but substantially a huge scam through which unscrupulous fuel importers smiled to the banks without importing any fuel. The retort of those opposed to subsidy removal is that government has all the powers and resources to detect and bring to book dubious and fraudulent fuel importers who feed fat on criminal subsidy payments if it is minded to do so.

    Alhaji Lai Mohammed argues that over N10 trillion have been expended in purported subsidy payments between 2006 and 2019. This particularly in this gruesome period of the rampaging coronavirus pandemic, he contends, is absolutely unaffordable and unsustainable. President Muhammadu Buhari in his address at the retreat to mark one year of his Ministers in office this week, stressed that there has been a shortfall of about 60% in revenues accruing to government in the wake of the pandemic. This means that the funds to pay humongous subsidies on fuel and electricity consumption are simply no more there.

    To be fair to the administration, as I pointed out last week, it has committed huge amounts of resources to offer palliatives to the poor and vulnerable, cushion and strengthen critical sectors of the economy to tide through the pandemic-induced stormy economic weather while also expending huge sums particularly on our practically comatose and long neglected health sector in response to the health emergency. Much of these expenditures were unanticipated. Even then, it is, in my view wrong of the President and his Information Minister to characterize those activists and groups opposed to the hike in the unit prices of these commodities as being actuated by mischief and needless confrontation.

    It is important that the administration does not underestimate the gross negative implications of these critical price increases for the cost of living particularly as regards food and transport costs, accommodation, health care, education among others for the majority of the people. And this is especially at a time when large numbers of people have been rendered jobless. What it needs more than ever before now is compassionate rather than adversarial government public relations.

    I believe that the response of majority of Nigerians to the hike in fuel and electricity rates has been rather tame in comparison to under previous administrations because the PMB administration has been relatively more restrained, disciplined and responsible in the husbandry and utilization of public resources particularly in contrast to the preceding Goodluck administration. The ascetic and austere disposition of PMB himself is a major factor in this regard. Even then, embarrassing revelations of industrial scale fraud at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) or the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF); the humongous and opaque allowances which our legislators continue to draw or the still unwieldy number of aircraft in the presidential fleet contrary to the APC’s electoral promises in 2015 show that there is a still a long way to go as regards government cutting costs and tightening its belt as it requires Nigerians to do.

    In any case, this administration cannot be spared the allegation against its predecessors that when they trumpet the inevitability of removal of subsidies and hike in the rates of critical commodities like fuel and electricity, they are really punishing millions of Nigerians for the incompetence and irresponsibility of the governing or political class. This case was made most pungently by a former General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Owei Lakemfa in his reaction to the current fuel price increase. As he put it, “When you import fuel and you pay at international price, you pay for refining abroad, they will add their profit as well, and you pay for freight to move the product to Nigeria. When the product arrives Nigeria, you pay for discharge, a lot of time, the ships are out there in the ocean and they call them mother vessels”.

    He continues, “It takes days for smaller vessels to go bring the product. All these things cost money. Then you store them in tank farms. The freight has demurrage; there is cost for the movement to Atlas Cove and tank farm. A lot of them would then be moved by road from the tanks to all parts of the country, including Maiduguri. Of course, the prices are likely to be very high…What we are witnessing in the name of subsidy is transferring government incompetence to the people”.

    The question, which has been asked over and over again, and to which there has been no satisfactory answer over the years is why should we export our crude oil and import refined petroleum with all the attendant costs? Is building local refineries to process our crude oil for the internal market such rocket science? Is it normal for a whole country to be waiting on the take off of the Dangote refineries for its crude oil to be refined locally? Is Dangote a philanthropist or a businessman? Now that the Buhari administration has decided that the pump price of fuel will be determined by the vagaries of the market, we seem to be faced with a fait accompli and it should ensure that more refineries come on stream to allow for competitive and affordable pricing of fuel.

    Again, the shady and shoddy privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to the extant Distribution and Generating Companies is another manifestation of ruling class venality and irresponsibility. Despite government pumping in humongous amounts of public resources to shore up these outfits, which are clearly ill-equipped to meet their legal responsibilities, the sector remains as epileptic as ever. It is amazing that it is after approving the hike in electricity tariff that the government announced that mass metering of consumers will commence. Government at least has a responsibility to ensure that, with the new tariff the period of continued resort to estimated billing is as short lived as possible.