The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Glory, glory Odion Ighalo

    By Ade Ojeikere

     

    I’m a very proud Nigerian. I celebrate positive things about Nigeria. You can then imagine how I felt when the deadline day transfer news last Friday was all about a Nigerian – Odion Ighalo – joining Manchester United on a six-month loan. The Red Devils have made their best catch for cheap. I don’t care what others before Ighalo did. Ighalo will compensate Red Devils for missing out on John Mikel Obi years ago. Forget the cheap talk of Remi Moses being the first Nigerian to play for Manchester United. Moses was more English than Nigerian. Ighalo na home boy, like they say in pidgin English.

    Ighalo’s choice came as a surprise, given the fact that he was no longer a Nigeria international – a major prerogative for most big European sides. Aptly described as a child of destiny, good news have come to Ighalo like second nature. What shocks many is how he handles the blitz with such feats and equanimity. Not one of those big Nigeria international who are full of airs and couldn’t be bothered about the next person.

    Not one of those stars loitering discotheques and spraying cash as if it has lost its value or blaring the volume of the musical sets in their cars under the guise of being one of the happening guys, Ighalo spends such times returning to the place where he was raised and improve on what he used to attain stardom. Ighalo enjoys training on the dusty Ajegunle ground, reminiscent of his days of yore. Not done, he supports academies with his cash for the good of the game. Indeed, Ighalo owns an academy.

    One was surprised reading a signboard along Epe in Lagos, signifying Ighalo Soccer Academy located on a virgin land but would definitely produce soccer greats, knowing Ighalo’s penchant for excellence. He is not all about football as he also owns an orphanage that caters for the need of homeless kids – this shows his humanitarian side.

    Ighalo is the seventh African to wear the colours of Manchester United. The world watched with a smile as he blushed all through his first interview for the club. Detailing his move from China to the promise land almost brought his fans to happy tears because we could all see the genuineness of his heart.

    Ighalo is a fleet-footed striker who knows the diameter of the goalpost to bury the ball inside the net. He has been unlucky to play for small clubs in Europe, a fact which has stunted his rise to stardom. Ighalo’s performances with other clubs have only succeeded in giving him better, rather than mirroring along with other sensational scorers in Africa and Europe.

    It is easy to dismiss Ighalo’s goal record playing for Watford in the Barclays English Premier League. Had he scored those goals for clubs such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc, his movement to Manchester United would have come with bigger transfer figures, not this demeaning loan agreement over six months.

    Ighalo excelled at Watford in the Championship, scoring 17 goals to help the Hornets gain promotion. Many doubted his ability to reproduce same form at a huge stage like the Premier League, but the Ajegunle streetwise kid showed why he was ‘a small boy with a big God’ as he scored 15 goals in his debut season. One of his best games was against Chelsea where he scored twice in a 3-0 victory during the 2015/16 season and that proved his mentality for the big stage.

    Interestingly, Ighalo never scored against Manchester United before he left England and fate must surely know that he was on his way back to Old Trafford to embrace his destiny as a Red Devils. Will Ighalo be a novice at Old Trafford? Never. Not with his being a Red devil from birth.

    ‘’These players are great players. You need someone in the middle that can keep the ball, hold the ball, because I’ve watched so many United games. So they need a physicality there up front to keep the ball, to give and to make some movement, which I believe, if everything goes well, I can add to the team,’’ Ighalo said.

    ‘’It was very dramatic,’’ the forward insisted. ‘’My agent called me the day before and said Man United. I would love to go. A few other clubs had shown interest, I said

    please, just pick United, if it’s going to be possible.

    ‘’At 11pm in Shanghai, my agent called me to say United want to do the deal, so I woke up that night and started looking for a translator to go to the directors’ room and hit his door and all that. I didn’t sleep throughout that night, because it was going to end at 7am Shanghai time and the transfer window is going to close there. So from 11pm, there was paperwork, negotiating and all that, for the loan deal and all that, so we are talking and other teams are calling them, wanting me, but I told my agent this is what I want. He said you’re going to get a pay-cut to go to United. I said I don’t care. Make this deal happen. I want to go to United. I don’t care how much is the pay-cut, I know that, make it happen.’’

    Ighalo has a date with destiny on his debut. He is condemned to do well, possibly score a goal or two. A hat-trick would just be the best way to start his Manchester United career, lest he is nailed on the cross by his critics, especially former players of the club, who have found it impossible to explain why the gaffer chose to recruit a striker from the Chinese league. What is in a name, some have asked? Ighalo played in England before heading for China. He scored goals with aplomb for Watford. Ighalo won the Barclays English Premier League player of the month’s diadem, ahead of many bigger players, while playing for Watford.

    Ighalo’s talent cannot be wished away on the altar of coming from a less fancied league. Ighalo cannot be bullied off the ball by any defender. He also uses his brain, not brawn, whenever he is in scoring position. I look forward to watching Ighalo race to the corner post to celebrate with his traditional style of kneeling with raised hands, thanking God.

    After the paperwork was finalised, an excited Ighalo called his mother to tell her the good news. ‘’She was happy, crying and all that,’’ Ighalo explained. ‘’This is your dream and all that and I’m happy for you. It was dramatic, I didn’t sleep through, I was very happy that finally we got the deal done.’’

    Good to know that Ighalo cherishes his mother. He told mum first before accepting the offer. The story of Ighalo and his mother is a moving one. He toiled with his mother who sold wares on the streets, although he found time to play soccer, which has brought him fame and wealth, deservedly so.

    News of Ighalo’s shock move to Old Trafford sparked parties on the streets of Nigeria, with many of his friends and family celebrating the transfer. ‘’It was crazy because, all over the news for the last few days, is about my deal to Man United.  Even the street I grew up on, they are doing parties, celebrating Ighalo signing for United.

    ‘’They sent me the video, I was just laughing and happy, because many of them are supporting  Man United and some of them are supporting some other teams in the Premier League. But they said, because of me, they are moving to United, because they have a very big fan-base in Nigeria. So I am happy about all this and they are rooting for United from now on, ‘’ Ighalo told Daily Mail.

     

    And this…

    The myth surrounding match results are funny, especially with Nigeria’s senior soccer sides. Whereas Golden Eaglets players have worn white jerseys to lift the U-17 World Cup, Super Eagles players are already defeated before games are played in which they wear all white jerseys laced with green.

    A few times Eagles have worn white shirts and won. On such occasions, the narrative changes if the opposition is minnow. What started a sideline joke at match venues appear to have taken a ridiculous dimension with the news that Nigeria’s away shirt is now grey. please don’t wake me up from this terrible dream.

    Where did they see grey? Many have said it can be found in our coat of arms. I thought colours chosen for such an exercise are the predominant ones. What won’t we see in Nigeria when it comes to football? I won’t be surprised if the players chose this colour.

  • Justice also matters

     By Segun Ayobolu

     

    One truly remarkable feature of President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership style is his studied reluctance to rashly dispense with the services of his appointees without irrefutable proof of serious wrong doing or over allegations of perceived non performance even in the face of severe pressure of public opinion. There seems to be a linkage between the time PMB takes to make his appointments – his Cabinet was formed after about six months in his first term and three months in his second term – and his unwillingness to make changes cavalierly. After painstakingly shopping for those he trusts can meet his performance expectations, he is also is in no hurry to do away with their services. This shows a steady, stable and reflective mind not easily susceptible to the all too flimsily shifting currents of public opinion. The appointee is also the best assessor of performance. But beneficiaries of the supposed services rendered by an appointee should also have a say in the matter.

    Of course, this trust and confidence in the competence and integrity of his appointees by PMB can be a motivation to hard work, fidelity to duty, boost to performance and thus a positive leadership attribute. But it can also breed complacency, overconfidence and a sense of indispensability on the part of others and thus a liability to the government. It is this total loyalty to his appointees as well as trust in their best intentions and performance in different circumstances that has kept PMB’s Service Chiefs in office long beyond the statutory expiration of their tenures. And this is despite intense pressure from a wide section of the public for their replacement given the undeniable escalation of insecurity and unbelievable devaluation of human life across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

    While the raging Boko Haram insurgency in the North East that the PMB administration inherited has been significantly degraded with the terrorists no more controlling vast swathes of territory, the latter seem to have smartly adjusted their tactics to the fierce onslaught of the military and thus remain as deadly effective as ever with their unpredictable and unorthodox solitary strikes. On the other hand, the military seems to exhibit an operational rigidity against a highly flexible enemy as well as no demonstrable superiority in intelligence capability, which is the actual key to victory in any battle. Thus, life in the North East remains a Hobbesian ‘state of nature’ nightmare.

    Unfortunately, the horizon of violence has expanded. The entire country has become one vast theatre of banditry, kidnapping, rape, communal conflagration, religious terrorism, militancy, cattle rustling, armed robbery, herdsmen barbarity, cultism and sundry other violent atrocities. This apparently was the context within which PMB recently expressed his surprise at the dimension the problem has taken, a view unfortunately misinterpreted. The gross devaluation of human lives has also spurred a concomitant inflation in mutual mistrust between diverse groups as well as a near total loss of confidence in the capacity of the government to effectively perform, even minimally, the primary responsibility of the state to guarantee the safety of lives and property within its territorial jurisdiction.

    Two recent developments underscore the seriousness of the current security degeneracy. First, the 9th National Assembly- not the preceding 8th legislative assemblage mind you with its anti-PMB leadership – has unanimously joined the call for the removal of the Service Chiefs. Secondly, the highly revered Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) led his church in participating in the ‘prayer walk’ protest called by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to protest the unending harvest of gruesome deaths in the bountiful killing fields that the country has become. Pa Adeboye brought class, maturity, restraint and dignity to protest.

    Can PMB continue to ignore the call for injection of new blood into his military high command? He has the powers. But it would be unwise.  PMB may have a point for his stance as regards the Service Chiefs. It would be wrong to brand them a failure as far as the war against insecurity and the maintaining of the country’s territorial integrity as concerned. There is no guarantee that the situation would not have been much worse, indeed that the country would still continue to exist as a cohesive entity today had the wanton, almost lunatic looting of the country pre-2015 had continued.

    For, at the root of the ethno-regional disharmony, religious bigotry, political intolerance and violence, herdsmen barbarity and host farmer communities’ hostility ailing the polity is the pervasive poverty co-existing with criminal inequality which is a manifestation of persistent, protracted and ever deepening underdevelopment. Curbing the culture of massive looting of the treasury is thus a necessary condition for releasing resources for the radical modernization of infrastructure and accelerated socio-economic development that can constrict current rampant sources of national instability. PMB has taken fundamental steps in this direction through his anti-corruption war and aggressive infrastructure renewal programme.

    But why should the administration now self disruptively distract attention from its sterling achievements in the socio-economic development sphere by avoidable and unnecessary insular personnel recruitment policies that make it credibly vulnerable to charges of nepotism? One criticism against the PMB administration is that the majority of the Service Chiefs and indeed heads of virtually all security and para-military agencies are from the Hausa/Fulani north and they are Muslims just like the President. No matter how well meaning PMB may be, this is open naturally to misinterpretation in a complex, plural polity like ours where there is a high degree of mutual inter-group suspicion and distrust. Surely, it is possible to meet the necessity of reasonable ethno-regional balance in the appointment of the Service Chiefs and heads of security and paramilitary agencies without compromising the requirement of competence and character.

    Let us take PMB’s recent comment in an article published in ‘Christianity Today’ magazine that 90% of victims of Boko Haram killings are Muslims as an example. He has been widely criticized in some quarters for this. But did he lie? The answer is no. The main theatre of the Boko Haram insurgency and thus the area where the highest number of fatalities have been recorded is the North East. Majority of the residents of this region are Muslims and they have suffered the highest casualties even if we may not have accurate statistics to cite. Yet, this innocent comment by PMB was misread because of perception, which is oftentimes stronger than reality. This is just as it is as regards the issue of the Service Chiefs. It is a perception question, which a responsive presidency in a fragile polity like ours cannot ignore.

    Apparently stating the presidency’s position after the leadership of the National Assembly met with PMB at the presidential Villa, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, told the press that “Many of us identify that something drastic has to be done, there’s also the school of thought that says since we are talking about banditry, kidnapping and murders, what have the armed forces got to do with that, anywhere in the world? So the question then arises that if he changes the service chiefs, does that address the issues of kidnapping and banditry? The army, navy and air force are outfits set up to tackle external aggression”. This argument cannot be faulted. But the issue is more complex.

    Hardly anyone questions the competence of the Service Chiefs. It cannot be rationally argued that they have not served the nation creditably on their watch. But they reportedly have statutorily stipulated tenures of two years, which can be extended for another two years at the discretion of the President as stated in the revised Armed Forces of Nigeria Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS).   PMB exercised this discretion in favour of the Service Chiefs in 2017 implying that their tenures lapsed in 2019.

    Is another extension justified? Well, the President is in the best position to say but there should certainly be other no less tested and competent candidates worthy of occupying these positions. Again, given his pedigree no one can know better than PMB how richly blessed the Nigerian military is in terms of qualitative human resources. No matter how brilliant an officer may be on his beat, diminishing returns are bound to set in after a period and this is not just in the military.

    Organizational regeneration and sustained vitality requires that competent fresh hands be given a chance to exercise leadership when stipulated tenures of incumbents expire. Fresh ideas, energies and strategies will surely rejuvenate the overall institutional efficacy of the military. It is so sad that many officers competent to occupy the position of Service Chiefs are being forced to retire without the privilege of doing so not because they are not qualified but that the incumbents are probably considered indispensable. Nothing can be more frustrating and de-motivating. Surely, justice also matters.

  • LASG and commercial motorcycle, tricycle restrictions

    Undertow

     

    MOST of the criticisms trailing the restriction of commercial motorcycle (okada) and tricycle (keke) operations to designated parts of Lagos State have focused on the abruptness of the decision and the unavailability of ready and viable commuting alternatives in a city-state bursting at the seams with a burgeoning population. Those complaints are genuine, especially in the face of the state government’s unconvincing explanations regarding the supposed alternatives and the timing of the exercise. The negative consequences of commercial motorcycle and tricycle operations, particularly their unacceptably high proneness to accidents and deployment for robbery and sundry crimes, dictate the urgency of the partial ban, argues the state government. Opinion is divided almost equally on the wisdom of the ban.

    The restriction — not a complete ban — is targeted at some 15 council areas. Lagos State has 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas. The restriction, which is not even total in most of the affected council areas, is naturally unpopular with operators of the okada and keke transport schemes. It is also unpopular with a few investors who were recently licensed to operate okada uber-like ride-hailing services, some of whom groaned that they had invested billions of naira in the scheme before the partial ban was announced. Because of the nature of the ride-hailing scheme, Gokada and OPay are the most affected by the state government’s decision. Thousands of workers are naturally left stranded, and investments in that peculiar and so far utterly chaotic transport sector are left in jeopardy.

    Operators in the sector are miffed by the suddenness of the measure, and are apprehensive of the economic pressures the ban would mean for their families. It is true they got only a few weeks’ notice, though there had been rumours of an impending outright ban. When the partial ban eventually came, it was neither total nor even as far-reaching as many had feared. But it was still significant enough to elicit sporadic protests, some of which turned violent. The protesters have, however, not been able to win the propaganda war, though they have conducted a largely emotive campaign to get the government to reverse the ban. That they have failed is a reflection of the chaos the okada and keke operators have inflicted on the system. The state government has undoubtedly been lax in regulating the sector, but the keke and okada operators have themselves proved adamantly and deliberately resistant to whatever scant regulations the government has managed to enact.

    Indications so far are that the state government is determined to stay the course. Not only will it not reverse itself, as officials of the state government have hinted, it is even likely to expand the reach of the ban. It hopes that if protests prove to be ineffective for whatever reasons, and fizzle out after a short duration, and the state is able to manage the aftershocks with the provision of better and more dignified alternatives, the partial ban may sometime in the near future be upgraded into a near total ban, save in some rural communities.

    Lagosians have been substantially unsympathetic to the agonies of okada and keke operators, even though they were the patrons of the archaic transportation mode. Apart from the medical costs Keke and okada have brought upon commuters, they also worry about the security implication of the thousands and thousands of unregulated operators who flood the streets, flood into Lagos, and menace anyone with whom they have altercation. The police have also unearthed myriads of motorcycles used to smuggle weapons into various communities either for attacks or in preparation for attacks. Small arms have thus alarmingly found their way into the hands of thousands of sinister characters whose motives Lagosians cannot second-guess. Indeed, Lagosians fear that the suddenness of the ban could be partly explained by dire security reports, apart from the lawlessness, aggressiveness and excesses of some of the operators themselves.

    If the partial ban is to succeed, and is to stand any chance of being expanded beyond the 15 council areas as it should, the state government must step up the provisions of the alternatives it has promised, particularly intensifying the intermodal and integrated transportation system it kick-started a few days ago. For now, the alternatives are insignificantly provocative. The state has promised over 500 more buses, scores of ferries, just as train services are expected to be restored not too long from now. Will these be enough to replace the thousands of okada and keke operators pushed away from prime routes? It is hard to say in the absence of reliable statistics. Lagosians, like the rest of the country, have become accustomed to a transport system that delivers them right to their doorsteps. They must now find ways to become used to walking some distance. They won’t find this funny; but needs must when the devil drives.

    The state government must also appreciate that the Achilles heel that dooms their security and policy measures are the police themselves. Not only have they proved eternally and ethically insufficient to police neighbourhoods and safeguard government policies and measures adequately, they are also unable to blend with the demand of the state government and its security needs since they are neither controlled nor fully funded by the state. For instance, despite the fairly aggressive enforcement of the ban in the opening days of the ban, and regardless of the support Lagosians have given their government, the police and other security agents have been unable to time their enforcement beyond the early evenings. The banned keke and okada operators simply wait until dusk, when the security agents have exhausted themselves, before resuming their operations. If the ban in the affected areas cannot be fully enforced, it will leave room for laxity and eventual collapse of the measure, just as it happened in the past. By now, as many Lagosians will attest, malfeasant operators are used to outlasting the government, and they won’t in addition be averse to waiting patiently.

    It is not surprising that Lagosians are sympathetic to the state government. The state is bursting at the seams with influx of opportunity seekers from all parts of the country, but the same state has finite resources to meet the health, education, and housing needs of the migrants. Worse, it does not even have the ability to police them. With a poorly structured federation, one that rewards slothful and criminally negligent states, and punishes the very few diligent and progressively modernising states, of which Lagos is chief, if not the only one, progress of any kind is likely to be accompanied and negated by more influx of desperate opportunity seekers. If not controlled, the influx could lead to an explosion sometime in the near future.

    Lagos will do all it can to ameliorate the dire conditions forced on it by an increasingly stultified national political structure. The state deserves all the sympathies it can get, whether the partial okada/keke ban was sudden or not. The ban could of course have been better planned and more adroitly timed. But nevertheless, the public will find it impossible not to support Lagos because the alternatives facing the state over the continuing and unrestrained influx of opportunity seekers, not to say the consequent security nightmare the migrations evoke, are impossible to fathom. Lagos will do all it can to ameliorate the problems confronting it, but it is unlikely to get the success it deserves or the breakthrough commensurate and consistent with its vision for a megacity if the federal government does not appreciate the fact that no state, in a warped and unplanned federation, can so solve its problems that its inspiring success will not in turn become a magnet for fresh challenges provoked by migrants drawn to its lustre.

    The Akinwumi Ambode administration left too many social and economic problems to fester in Lagos in its one-sided pursuit of gigantic building projects. Not only did the governor virtually abandon the other seemingly small social and economic issues, he also failed to focus on regulating the system, policing the influx of migrants, and nurturing and even sustaining the legal and regulatory frameworks that helped his predecessor, Babatunde Fashola, to impose some sanity on the system. In four years, that laxity led to an explosion of problems that the current governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, must now find the courage and the regulatory expertise to try and re-establish some order. It won’t be easy for a problem that is already precancerous, but if he does not begin to take drastic actions, such as the okada and keke ban, for fear of the political backlash, the repercussions will be too dire to handle. It is hoped that the state’s often cantankerous and opportunistic political class would not allow the partisan divide to discourage Mr Sanwo-Olu from re-imposing order.

  • NDDC: The fear of forensic audit is now the beginning of wisdom

     

    Sentry

     

    ALL is set for the  forensic udit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) because the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has approved the lead Consulting Firm, which may coordinate other auditors. This development is already causing panic because it may make or mar the political future of some stakeholders in the South-South.

    Although President Muhammadu Buhari is interested in following the humongous allocations,  the aftereffects have created jitters in the spines of many.

    Not even the soothing words of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, could allay the fears of some past officers of NDDC.

    Notwithstanding, Akpabio said:  “The directives by President Muhammadu Buhari for the forensic auditing of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), is not to witch hunt anyone or group, but to ascertain what went wrong and put in place a governmental structure that will be result oriented”.

    “The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has assessed the firm and found them fit to be the leading Consulting Firm that will lead the appointment of other forensic auditors for the NDDC audit spanning between 2001- 2019. We have received the approval of BPP to now commence the exercise.

    “The next task is to work in collaboration with the ministry to bring in experienced and notable forensic auditors with international reputation, so that whatever report is produced will be accepted and enforceable within and outside the country.”

  • Why senators scramble for membership of Constitution Review Committee

    Sentry

     

    IT is no longer news that the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday raised a 56-man Constitution Review Committee. One characteristic of the composition of the committee is that about 53 senators were left out, leading to some grumblings by those not opportune.

    The real secret about the jostle for a seat in the committee was not about the assignment but the allowance attached to it. Sentry eavesdropped that each member of the committee is to earn about N1.2million per sitting. The mere hearing of the siatting allowance unsettled some senators, who are already cash-strapped. Members of the 9th National Assembly have been finding it tough to survive and meet the financial pressure from their constituents.

    Unknown to the aggrieved senators, only N1billion has been voted for Constitution Review, which is not even enough, going by the activities of the committee.

  • Another senator’s nude photo goes viral

    Sentry

     

    WHO is actually after a senator from the North-West? The nude photo of the senator, after a secret  rendezvous, has gone viral in the last 48 hours. After a show, the senator was seen naked coming out of the bathroom with a white towel. His manhood was dangling like a suicide rope.

    Although the video clip has been circulated to most senators, they did not see any unethical conduct in what happened. Their immediate conclusion was that someone might have been engaging in blackmail to check  the increasing political profile of the senator.

    Read Also: Nollywood actress condemns acceptance of nude roles for fame

     

    Contrary to the agenda of the video distributors, the senator will not face the Senate  Ethics and Privileges Committee for interrogation. He has the sympathy of his colleagues. In fact, he received more sympathy visits in the week than those bereaved.  One of the senators was overheard saying : “We all do it but we are smarter than one  another. Some are too trusting. We cannot sanction him on his private life.”

    The questions on the lips of most senators are: Who is behind this? Why will a senator be flippant to allow his nudity on camera/ video? Was the release of the video meant to checkmate the governorship ambition in 2023?

    The fears in the senator’s camp, however, bordered on the fact that “there might be more videos with his traducers.”

    The next few days will define the moral bearing of the 9th Senate.

  • Synergy, indignation and intolerance

    Dayo Sobowale

     

    ACCORDING to  media  reports  Professor Doyin  Salami, Chairman of the Nigerian Presidential Economic  Advisory Council –  PEAC –  led  members of the Council to present a report  this week  to the Nigerian President in which they  highlighted the lack of synergy between various  Ministries and government  agencies  in governance in Nigeria. They   noted that this has affected  economic   growth  and government needed to create the necessary  conducive environment to attract foreign investment.  This  PEAC   observation  came   just  as I was about to write on the biggest news of   this week which was the acquittal  of US President Donald Trump  on  two  charges of abuse  of power  and obstruction of   Congress by the US Senate. Trump’s  consequent  celebration and indignation at what he labeled   an unwarranted and unfair trial  and  the opinion of the  liberal billionaire Soros at the World Economic Forum in Davos  in   which  he castigated the two leaders of the US and China as authoritarian   on the management of their two key economies,  attract our attention today.  Soros observed that Trump  has overheated the American economy and that it would soon explode  while   he    said   President Xi of China  has cooled  Chinese growth  and was  using Artificial  lntelligence    to  beat  his people into line as   a dictator.  Soros  then    promised to form a global ‘network university ‘  to enshrine  ‘critical thinking in a world beset  by intolerance ‘  and  he promised to see that through  in his life time and he is over 80 already. These  events and issues   then,  form the kernel  of our discussion today.

    It  is necessary  to say   here   that all  these  events have an economic base. Of  course  most  world leaders want  their  economies to put food on the table and are unhappy  when the economy is not performing on  full  steam and as planned. It  is therefore understandable that the Nigerian President thanked the PEAC  for   the synergy  and foreign investment  advice  and even went on to adhere to the body’s advice to meet more often in six weeks and not the present quarterly  meetings. I  am  sure  that the PEAC report  by inference includes advice on security as  a  key  element  in creating an enabling environment for investment and business  generally  and   internally in the nation.

    Here  too the issue of synergy between the  various institutions in our security apparatus  can  not be overemphasized. Critical  intelligence should be shared confidentially  and professionally and unhealthy competition or playing to the gallery to  please  the powers     that  be,  should  be avoided in the overall  national  interest and security. Economic  and  governmental synergy  advised by the PEAC is  a type of strategic management that has cohesion and synthesis   as broad  objectives to   achieve set government goals and objectives  More  importantly  when it functions efficiently , 2 plus 2  will  not necessarily be 4  but can  be 5. In  which  case  the whole  can  be bigger than the sum of its parts.  Federal  Ministers meanwhile   could   be asked to  make proposals or show evidence of successful coordination   or  potential  ones with other government  agencies in  furtherance of the achievement of government objectives and goals.  Perhaps a Co-ordinating  Minister like  the former Finance Minister from the World Bank,  Okonjo   Iweala needs  to be appointed urgently  by government to  facilitate the needed synergy  to stimulate the sort of growth needed  by our very  sizeable population  in order   to achieve  the  promise   of positive growth and change   that swept  this government to power in 2015  and 2019.

    Again,  the US  economy’s good performance  has been one main reason Trump’s  supporters  have  never   listened to his critics or think  of deserting him  as their  leader. Indeed at his  State of the Union Address he boasted about the booming US economy  during his tenure. This was barely 24 hours to his Impeachment and his  approval  rating rose to the highest  on the eve of his Impeachment . He  has since celebrated his impeachment with newspaper headlines that  boomed ’ Trump  Acquitted ‘.  Just   like    President Harry Truman displayed  the headline ‘ Dewey Wins  ‘ in  the presidential  election that Truman  won when nobody  expected him to.  I  think Trump  is entitled  to his  celebration  and  indignation given his vindication by the Senate . As  to if that indignation is righteous is a matter of  opinion.  But if you  consider that if he had not been acquitted by the Senate  he would  have gone into political oblivion by   now,  then  you  can overlook  his  celebration of  the danger  of  removal  from  office that he has just escaped from.

    We  now  go to George  Soros  observations on both Trump  and Xi both presidents  of  the US  and  China  respectively. Calling them  authoritarian   may  not be strictly   correct.  Indeed Trump  cannot  be said to be authoritarian given  the fact  that the US constitution is a presidential  one based on  separation of powers.  If  Trump was  authoritarian  he would  not waited   to be impeached  by  the US House of  Representatives which  literally stigmatized  him  as unfit  to lead  on the two  charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice   before impeaching him . But  for the principle of separation of powers in the US constitution the Impeachment  Managers worked  hard   till  voting  time  at  the  Senate  when  the resolute  House Majority  leader said the   charade  and abuses ‘must  stop  today ‘  as  the senate was created to famously   observed ‘stop such  recklessness ‘.  So  even  if Trump  wanted to be authoritarian the US constitution has firmly tied  his hand and that of  any  US president  in that  regard.

    The  same however  can  not be said  of  President Xi  of  China  who  is  President  for  life and is using technology  to out run and outpace  the US  economy  as the leading economy  in the world today . Before  the coronavirus  the Chinese economy was running   full  steam under the control of the Communist  Party of China that  leads the Chinese nation  under the command of President Xi. It  has propped  up  phone giant Huawei  such that  that  company  is ahead of the US and  indeed  the EU  over the emergence  of 5G  technology.  America  has  been  rattled by this such that the US Secretary of State  recently announced that  the US  will  buy stakes in  two  leading  European phone companies  namely  Nokia  and Ericsson   to catch up with the support that the Chinese government was giving Huawei  financially  to  have an edge on 5G technology  globally.  Again  in China President Xi  has used  the fight  against  corruption to consolidate  power and recently  the Head of Interpol, a Chinese leader  was jailed in China for  embezzling 2m dollars and for  his opulent  life style even though the wife in asylum in Paris, France alleged that the charges  were politically  motivated. Anyway  Soros  has always  been  a champion of   human rights  and  Open  Society    and   I really look forward to how and where his promised university network on  critical  thinking   in  a world  obsessed  with  Intolerance  which  was so  much  at  play  in the Impeachment trial of the US president,  will  be like .Once  again  long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     

  • Politics, road violence and security

    Dayo SOBOWALE

     

    IT is no exaggeration to say that many Nigerians cannot boast of being sure of getting to their destinations any time they  go out, either to earn their living or even for any  outing.

    They  will add that they are  not even sure of getting back home in one piece  each  time they  venture out. This  is not only because of the conditions of the roads,  which the Minister in charge has defended  as not being as bad  as being portrayed  by the media.

    The  fear of a journey of no return on a daily basis for Nigerians  stem from the atmosphere on our  roads    as well   as their    dismal  conditions  and again this is not about climate change or the smoke smog that has darkened the skies in far away India. This  is about the violence, the road  rage as well as the pervading anger  and  the vicious   mutual  hostility of Nigerian  road users,  and  the dangerous conditions of the vehicles they  travel in to survive and eke  a living. That  is shown  vividly  in the ways  the tri cyclists  and okada riders turn round in front of  speeding vehicles  as if  challenging the vehicle drivers   to ‘get me if you  can ‘ or ‘  knock  me down  at your peril‘.  It  explains why danfo  conductors wave off with dreadful   abuses and  oaths, vehicles  moving  in legitimate   traffic  direction which   the danfos   violate daily with impunity,  often  using uniformed soldiers  and other military  personnel  as fronts for  illegal   passage security.

    Overall,  it is as if there is a perennial  daily   class   war  going on,  on  a daily basis   on  Nigerian  roads. The  combatants  are okada  vs car  users,  danfo  versus tricyclists,  car  owners  versus okada  riders  and small vehicle owners  vs jeep  and big saloon  cars owners.  The  okada riders now dominate our main cities and they drive against the traffic,   block  road  junctions and descend in a  pack  to assault any motorist  that is involved  in any accident with them . It is not as if I  am  singling out the okada riders but  I want to show that both they and their customers view other three –  wheel or four   wheel  vehicles and their owners,   as enemies out to run both the okada rider and his customer out of the road and   they  are  ready to abuse and be violent  in protecting what they  perceive as their right of  way,  if not  existence. To  me this is a dangerous  development that  has created a vicious  daily  class  war on our roads   and   that needs to  be nipped in the bud quite urgently.

    Let  me state clearly  that the okada rider and tricyclist  have every  right to  earn their living on our roads  and highways but they  do not have to endanger the safety and rights of other road  users and it costs them  nothing to be polite and ask  politely for passage from other vehicles,  instead of taking the law into their hands by violating traffic rules at break neck speed .  What  I am  after today  is that while the politicians and party leaders are  putting heads together to tackle the prevailing and sickening kidnap  of judges in the  nation there is  a daily  danger  that Nigerians  are facing  in terms of the violence and rampant abuse and misuse  of our traffic  rules, by  those in the lower  ranks of society who  probably  are doing this to register their anger with the social inequalities and the huge  economic gap  between the rich and the poor in our  nation.

    In  the TV Documentary National Geographic,  wild  dogs  hunt  in packs and can  bring down large animals in a game  of  numbers.

    That  however is in the jungle. Today  however I am  talking  about the fear of  Nigerians  that  our roads  are  looking more  like  the jungle  because those earning their living on them  and through  them,  are not obeying the rules of engagement and passage and they  are  endangering the security of  life  property and safe passage of  Nigerians  travelling to work  to earn  a   living. If  innocent  Nigerians are afraid to go out to  earn a living on our roads  they may  decide to form militia or  cartels to protect  themselves and have right of passage to their destinations.  But   such  formations  on protection  is the legitimate  work of the police and army . It  is my advice that it is  urgent  for politicians especially at the local government  level  to come together  to put sanity on our roads and enable people  to  have confidence that  they will go out to work and return  alive.

    On  the condition of our roads it  is not surprising that  the Minister of Works  and  former Lagos  State  Governor  Raji  Fashola,  has  said  the situation  is  not as bad as people feel. He  should   however  not be  taken out of context or  vilified  for  saying that. All  he is saying is that    a lot  has been  done under his watch  and one cannot  blame him  for  that. The fact however is that armed  robberies   take place mostly at areas  where the traffic  is slow because  of bad roads  and construction work. Even  in Lagos  this week  those going home were  attacked by thieves and hoodlums on their way  home at night  because  of such developments.  Government  should provide  armed  security  at road  works and road maintenance posts at  night so  that  people can feel  confident  going home from  work.

    This  issue  is one that I think  the two  major political parties should  bury  their  hatchets    on  and join forces to attack  and defeat. This is because if  the people who are the electorate cannot travel  on the roads to earn their  living   then  their  confidence  in the political system  will  be sorely   tried  if  not  eroded altogether. That  can lead to voter apathy  or  mistrust   and that  is not good for  democracy.  Good  politicians should  not ignore their environment of which  the roads are  an integral  part for economic and personal survival of those who  put them  in power. Even  in the very rich US  and Britain politicians  join forces to pass   bills on infrastructure   that will  alleviate the sufferings of their electorate  and improve their quality  of   life . In  the US  the Democrats buried  the hatchet  and forgot their  hatred of  Donald  Trump  to pass  his huge infrastructure  bill   on  safe American roads  bridges and highways. In  Britain and with the hullaballoo of Brexit, the Conservatives have promised to   ignore their notorious austerity of the past,  to spend immensely  more on the  roads  and highways  in Britain and the NHS, to  woo  the electorate, post  Brexit  and   surely  the December 12 election will show if the British  electorate  has  forgiven or  is   believing them. Here  in Nigeria it  is not   too  late  to make our roads  safe for all  Nigerians to earn  a living without  the fear that their  lives can  be snuffed out on our roads  through  no fault  of theirs  on a daily  basis.  A stitch in time   surely saves nine. Once  again long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     

    •This piece was first published on November 9, 2019. It is being rerun because of the okada ban

  • Why Buhari became emotional on banditry in Niger

    By Sentry

    Facts have emerged on why President Muhammadu Buhari became emotional on Tuesday when he received in audience Emirs and political leaders from Niger State.

    It is simple: Niger State is a second home for Buhari because he can boast of 100 per cent support since his days in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) through Congress for Progressives Change and All Progressives Congress (APC).

    When security report of the large-scale banditry in Niger State got to the President, he did not mince words in admitting that he was taken “aback.”

    He said: “I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising.”

  • House leader or baby making factory operator?

    By Sentry

    Unknown to many Nigerians, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ado Doguwa caused a stir in the Green Chamber on Wednesday. While his colleagues were angry over the insecurity in the country, Doguwa desecrated the hallowed chamber with his “powerfulness” in the other room. The emphasis with which he was overstretching his ability in bed revealed the “insensitivity” of the lawmaker to the security challenges at hand. His derision of women like chattels has also attracted odious comments from feminists.

    Doguwa incurred the wrath of the public on Wednesday after he was inaugurated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

    He said: “Mr. Speaker, I will let you know that with me today are my four respected wives. Halima, Umma stand up, Binta … should stand up. Mr. Speaker, Honourable members, I have asked them to rise here to respect the House on behalf of my family and one other reason, to let you know that when members call me a  powerful man, I am not only powerful on the floor of the House, I am also powerful at home.

    These four wives, Mr. Speaker, what I meant by asking them to rise up is to demonstrate to members of the House that when you call me a powerful parliamentarian, I am not only powerful on the floor, I am also powerful at home because I deal with four wives.

    These four wives you are seeing have produced 27 children for me; these four wives you are seeing have produced 27 kids for me and I am still counting.”