The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • And this too shall pass

    By Segun Ayobolu

    There are those who had predicted that once he won re-election for a second term, President Muhammadu Buhari would show little interest in the affairs of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its fortunes in future polls. Those who held this view saw the President as a reluctant politician, an essential soloist who was more interested in etching his own personal ethical imprint on the political landscape than bequeathing to the party and the country an enduring legacy. That has turned out to be a profound misreading of Buhari’s politics. At the first meeting of the APC National Executive Committee after his re-election, for instance, President Buhari passionately pleaded that the party must not be allowed to disintegrate after his tenure as some cynics have prognosticated. And in his quite thoughtful and detailed new year message to the nation, the President looked beyond 2020 to explicate how the coming into fruition of his administration’s policies will herald the ‘Nigerian decade’ of socio-economic and political renaissance.

    Here is a President, then, who indeed cares about the future of the country beyond his tenancy in power.  And as he correctly articulated in the New Year message, his administration’s near revolutionary initiatives in diverse sectors have very bright prospects of helping to lay the foundation for liberating and unleashing the hitherto trapped potentials and latent developmental energies of Nigeria for the peace, progress and prosperity of her people. In agriculture, food import dependency is being systematically reduced and local production boosted. The textile industry is being revitalized through the creative strategies of an activist Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of comprehensive plans to diversify the economy away from debilitating oil dependency.

    There is the tactical management of the value of the Naira to achieve a delicate balance between its complete abandonment to market forces and dictates of the national interest. Difficult to ignore too is the ongoing aggressive radical modernization and expansion of roads, bridges and rail transportation across the country. The benefits of the courageous temporary closure of our borders with our neighbors clearly outweigh its negative effects. And if the administration continues to aggressively pursue the implementation of its policies and numerous projects in the power sector, there will be a remarkable improvement in electricity supply in the near future.

    And whatever may be the ethical deficiencies of some of its own officials (there can be no perfect government run by angels anywhere), the impact of its anti corruption war cannot be denied. Trillions of stolen assets in cash and properties at home and abroad have been recovered; many indicted corrupt public officers are undergoing trial and a number of high profile convictions have been recorded despite our cumbersome judicial process. This is definitely why the Buhari administration is being able to do much more particularly as regards rehabilitation and construction of critical infrastructure in five years than the Peoples Democratic Party was able to do in 16 years despite the latter earning considerably higher revenue from oil sales.

    Yet, if the ascetic General from Daura is not careful, these remarkable achievements will not be the defining legacy of his eight year tenure as President of Nigeria. Rather, what he will be most remembered for are the serial unforced errors committed by some of the most trusted members of his inner caucus who, in the performance of their duties, evince the most despicable and detestable arrogance, insensitivity to public opinion and a degree of sheer buffoonery and extravagant incompetence that beggars belief.

    One of the most prominent in this respect is the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN). Either as a result of his hubris or sheer negligence on his beat, he has contributed significantly in casting the Buhari administration as essentially dictatorial and authoritarian and having the greatest disdain for democracy and the rule of law. The unfortunate cases of the exuberantly misguided activist, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, as well as former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), who were detained for long periods despite court orders that they be released was a public relations catastrophe for the administration. It was entirely avoidable.

    One trait of President Buhari’s governance style is his profound respect for the professional competence and advice of his appointees. Furthermore, he is a systems man who scarcely likes to interfere with his aides in the performance of their duties once they act in perceived good conscience. Again, President Buhari has implicit trust in and demonstrates complete loyalty to those aides who were constant in their fidelity to his cause during his long years in the political wilderness before his electoral triumph of 2015. This is only human. That is an asset but it can also be a weakness particularly when you have aides who seek to exploit such dispositions to manifest a kind of arrogance that the President himself abhors by his evident self effacing style.

    As renowned human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has instructively pointed out, even as a military Head of State between 1983 and 1985, the then Major-General  Muhammadu Buhari’s regime never flouted court orders. This was probably because he had a competent Attorney General and Minister of Justice in the late Chief Chike Ofodile (SAN) OFR who gave him sound advice. But what do you make of an AGF like Malami who advises his boss to rate national security above the rule of law as if the two are mutually exclusive? What kind of legal or jurisprudential philosophy does he espouse and articulate to his principal?

    Was it not because of this kind of Malami’s philosophy that the legendary Nelson Mandela, for instance, was incarcerated for close to three decades as a threat to the national security of an iniquitous social order in apartheid South Africa? Was it not for being perceived as a threat to national security that President Buhari himself was detained for a prolonged period by a Babangida regime that was afraid of its own shadows?

    When eventually Malami ordered the release of Sowore and Dasuki, the government received no plaudits. It was seen as bowing to local and international pressure. And again demonstrating his ineptness, Malami caused a statement to be issued to the effect that their release was out of government’s compassion and not in deference to court orders. He gave some juvenile justifications for this bizarre position that is not worth the attention of even a legal layman like this columnist. Even as he continues to refuse to do the needful and authorize the release of detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Mallam Ibrahim el-Zakzaky and his wife, as ordered by the courts, let Malami know that he and not President Buhari bears the responsibility and in today’s world there may be consequences after he leaves power. As ace columnist and lawyer, Mobolaji Sanusi, once famously declared in a highly polemical piece in this newspaper, ‘Today is not forever’.

    Let Malami know that one of his predecessors, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, was once stripped of his prestigious SAN rank after he left office in 2010 because of actions he took while on the hot seat. Although the rank was later restored to him on magnanimous grounds, the point is that there can be legal sanctions after his inevitable exit one day from transient power. Let today’s all powerful AGF reflect on the fact that another of his predecessors, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) is today in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and will shortly undergo trial for alleged crimes he committed in office. Adoke’s claim that he was carrying out presidential directives is unlikely to avail him in court.

    In the same way, on the day of reckoning when today’s power illusion evaporates, it is Malami that will give account for his actions and not Buhari. The AGF will be found doubly derelict in not having advised his boss, a retired soldier, appropriately as a senior officer in the temple of justice. In today’s globalized world, there can even be international sanctions for errant officers after they leave office. Let Malami and his Department of State Services (DSS) enforcers take note of events unfolding in Algeria, Pakistan and Sudan, for instance, where yesterday’s powerful public office holders are today petrified and penitent convicts regretting their empty arrogance in power.

    Perhaps Malami is aware of this possibly apocryphal but powerful story. The famous king David of Israel once had an exquisite gold ring wrought for him by some of the kingdom’s most accomplished craftsmen. The King charged his advisers and wise men to help find a phrase of not more than five words that would comfort him in times of sorrow and distress as well as caution and restrain him in times of joy and triumph and glory to be inscribed on the ring. At last the young Prince Solomon came up with an acceptable phrase that was inscribed on the ring. It was: ‘AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS’. The great Dr Nnamdi Azikwe was to put it differently years later in Nigeria when he declared to an upstart power holder, ‘NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT’.  Do the needful Mr. AGF, sir, in accordance with the constitution you swore to uphold. For, in the final analysis, TODAY IS NOT FOREVER.

  • Character, democracy and rule of law

    By Dayo Sobowale

    I  start today with a quotation from one of William Shakespeare’s plays and look at the topic of the day in the light of the   quotation. The quotation says ‘Who  steals my purse steals trash. It  was mine,  it was his and has been slave to thousands; but he  that  steals my name,  robs   me of that  which not enriches him,  but makes me  poor indeed’ . I  will   go on to analyse  events in four nations  this week in the context of that quotation.

    The  nations are Nigeria, the USA, the  UK   and the scourge of the Arab  nations, Israel.  Actually  I am  going to radiate around the leaders and leadership style in these nations .In all  these  nations,  politics       provided  a stern test of character, integrity  and leadership.  Whether the  leaders in these nations passed  or failed the test is  the  meat  of today’s observations.

    This week in Nigeria, the government released two well  known  Nigerians  who  have been detained  against  court orders for their release. In the US, the Speaker of  the US House  of  Representatives, Nancy Pelosi played a smart, suspense   and   delay  game in sending the Impeachment of the US President Donald  Trump to the senate for trial until after the Xmas holidays,  ostensibly   to  put pressure on the US president and prolong the opprobrium   and pain  of Impeachment.  In the UK a new Parliament played ball on Brexit to make it irreversible in consonance with the new   electoral mandate given the PM, Boris  Johnson  at the last  December 12 elections  won roundly  by his party, the Conservative Party. In  Israel  PM Benjamin Netanyahu who  refused to resign after he was found liable on corruption charges by his own Attorney  General, faced an  unexpected leadership  contest  from within his  own  party,  an  unthinkable thing hitherto.

    Until  the release of  Dasuki  the former NSA of the Jonathan government  and the  journalist Sowore the Buhari  government was carrying  an  albatross of lack  of respect for the rule of  law around its neck. Its  character on laying claim to running a democracy was not impeccable because   democracy  is  predicated on the rule of law.  Releasing  these  gentlemen  after courts ordered  their release on what ever terms, was always  the right thing  for any democratic  government to do. A  spokesman  for the Attorney General  of the Federation, Abubakar  Malami SAN,  said that the release was on compassionate  ground,  but that  was balderdash,  because  mercy  and leniency  are not strangers to the law in a genuine democracy. The  AGF  must  however  be commended for the professional  way  he fended off  the stench of lack of respect for the rule of law, that  oozed  infamously  from the government he has served diligently so  far,  in pursuing  the rule  of law in spite  of  the avoidable toll  gates and obstacles placed in his way by politics and politicians.  So  far  the AGF, even  though he belongs to  two  of  the three most  lucrative professions in Nigeria today  namely  the law, politics  and evangelicalism, has  managed to keep  his head, as well  as his feet  firmly on the ground in ensuring that his government does not lose its way in the pursuit of the rule of law.  That   surely   is a fine  silver  lining on our  cloudy,  ever  turbulent, legal  and political horizon.

    In  Donald  Trump’s  Impeachment  saga,  the Democrats  obviously   did  not  want Trump  to have the  quick   acquittal  he envisaged in the senate.  Indeed  Nancy  Pelosi has stage  managed a situation whereby Trump could   not have a peaceful Xmas  holiday because of the smear of Impeachment  dogging him. But  Trump  will  have his way in court in the senate where he will  be acquitted all  things being equal,  given his party’s  majority   there.

    Anyway,  I wonder  why the Democrats  have  not  charged Trump  with lying or  mendacity  because  that is what CNN journalists like  to  talk  about  him  all  the time,  and with regard   to the verbosity  of his  tweets  and their   truth.  Yet  Trump  will  not be the first American  President on the mendacity   or    lying   trail.  The  Independent  Counsel   who  handled Bill Clinton’s  Impeachment  once noted that Clinton  was brilliant lawyer who  could ‘lawyer  the truth ‘ . Clinton was  impeached but  not removed from office by the senate. In  the case of another president who  resigned before being impeached  his  honesty or lack of it  became his legacy.  So  bad was Nixon’s  reputation or character that an  observer once noted on a statement by Nixon that –   ‘ However  casual his commitment to the truth was  over his career, on that  particular  occasion Richard Nixon spoke the truth. I  am  sure that Democrats in the US cannot  be even  that generous on Donald  Trump and yet they  have not charged him with mendacity. Yet  Bill Clinton  survived impeachment  and became popular  while his Vice President  Al  Gore  who wanted to succeed him failed because  he distanced his presidential  campaign  from Bill Clinton because of his impeachment.

    In  the UK the PM, Boris Johnson  should be commended  in  reading the  political  climate right and calling for an election to change a hung Parliament  successfully. His two  predecessors  failed  on that  account.  David  Cameron thought  the electorate would vote to remain in the EU and got it  wrong as they voted to leave thus creating Brexit  and Cameron resigned.  Theresa May got it wrong  in terms of timing and called an election to boost her Party’s  majority but got a paper thin majority as her political  reward as Parliament  went hostile with her EU deals and she too had to  go. Boris Johnson  got the signals and timing  right on Brexit  and won a massive  majority that  confirmed that the electorate wanted an endorsement of Brexit. The election results showed majority  of Britons believed Boris Johnson  and not those who called him a liar on Brexit  statistics.  That is a reward  for  character and credibility  which  are assets  that all good  leaders globally  should cultivate in the pursuit  of democracy  and the rule of law.

    Unfortunately, that is not the case in Israel where  the PM Benjamin Netanyahu  is clinging  to  power without character. He  could  not  win a majority  to form  a government  and his nearest opponent refused to form a coalition government with someone found  to be corrupt  by his own Attorney  General.  The obvious thing for  Netanyahu   to  do  is to resign and face his corruption  charges. He  faces  a challenge  from  his own  party for leadership  but  hopes to win by a large majority  to  boost  his leadership status. But  what  is leadership  without  character?  It  is like a king walking  naked in broad  daylight. Surely  the people of Israel  should tell their PM  bluntly  that an  actor leaves the stage when the ovation is loudest. Once again Long live the Federal  Republic of  Nigeria.

     

    The  AGF  must  however  be commended for the professional  way  he fended off  the stench of lack of respect for the rule of law, that  oozed  infamously  from the government he has served diligently so  far,  in pursuing  the rule  of law in spite  of  the avoidable toll  gates and obstacles placed in his way by politics and politicians

  • Bayelsa election: How Wike incurred Dickson’s wrath

    By Sentry

    It is no longer news that there was a spat between Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson and his Rivers State counterpart over the role the latter allegedly played in the last governorship election in Bayelsa State.

    Sentry investigation has, however, revealed that the crisis of confidence between the two governors was provoked by the heavy sum that Wike allegedly spent in the election to prevent Dickson’s candidate, Senator Douye Diri, from winning.

    Although the allegation of Wike’s financial commitment to the election has not been substantiated, a list of beneficiaries of the said sum has been in circulation in the last two weeks.

    Dickson was said to be peeved by Wike’s action, which the former considered as an anti-party activity.

    Read Also: Niger Delta: Furore over Wike, Dickson face-off

    Wike had reportedly declared his preference for a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Timi Alaibe, as PDP’s candidate for the governorship poll.

    Besides, Dickson has had a running battle with Wike over the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Rivers State governor had backed Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State for the presidential ticket while Dickson was the rallying point for PDP governors in picking Atiku.

    To show his displeasure, Wike did not wait for Atiku’s acceptance speech after the primary election.

    Another bone of contention between the two Niger Delta governors is alleged plan by Wike to hand over power to another Ikwerre man, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, in 2023.

    Dickson is already galvanizing the Ijaw in Rivers State to resist alleged attempt by Wike to turn them into second fiddle.

    The issue of Soku Wells may only have been a smokescreen.

  • Restoring calm at NFF

    By Ade Ojeikere

     

    Driving to work on Tuesday morning where I got stuck in the maddening gridlock along Gbagada (kudos to the Lagos State government for massive work on the roads) in the Centre of Excellence, my phone rang. I normally don’t answer calls while driving. To ease my frustration, I made sure my hear piece was on. I looked at the name on the phone and roared; ‘’Big fish in Nigeria’s football calling?’’ Not any administrator wishing to plead his case or threatening court actions over stories, before you start guessing who must have called this ‘troublesome’ man or like some others have said, this ‘controversial fellow’.

    Back to the caller, who isn’t a frivolous person. ‘’Ade!’’ he exclaimed. ‘’Something is troubling my mind. And I’m not sure what exactly is wrong with me. But deep inside me I’m unhappy with the state of our football.  I’m frustrated,’’ he said. There was dead silence inside my car. Nothing was heard from my caller.

    ‘’Hello,’’ I screamed because such drop calls could be our usual troublesome poor network. ‘’I’m here Ade, go on talking. I stumbled on some vital information about what’s going with our league board and I almost collapsed. I got information from one unhappy fellow among those in the league.  The figures were mind-boggling, making to tarry with caution with them, but raise the alarm for the sports ministry to intervene to arrest the rot.

    ‘Not true,’ I told my discussant, especially as the story was coming from a disgruntled person, who would surely have embellished the scoops to suit his ‘devilish’ intentions. The discussant in his husky voice came alive and said; ‘’ You know I’m not a frivolous person, so please go and check or are you frustrated by the system in place for our football as I am?

    I kept quiet; this time there was quick movement on Gbagada Road, the confused traffic setting caused by ‘mad’ bus drivers, motor cyclists and keke irritants squeezing into small gaps on the queue like wharf rats. I opted to speak with my discussant using an ear piece. The law allows that.

    My caller continued his talk on how to reform Nigeria soccer, stressing that his visits to several countries have left him in on the lurch, wondering if all that the country’s soccer shows are tales of sharp practices, witch hunt and general apathy towards developing the game. He concluded that the game has been governed by people who think through their pockets than to leave their footprints on the sands of time.

    Are these views all that our soccer represents? I don’t like the bandwagon effect. What sticks out like a sore thumb among grumblers of the systems in our soccer, is that they were once part of the NFF or NFA. If indeed they did what they now advocate for during their tenures, the Glasshouse would have been a model of how to administer soccer to the world. Not so here. I would rather say that we have not been courageous enough to change the instrument governing the game – Decree 101 (can you imagine the archaic law used here? Yet, we expect movement forward. It won’t happen.) for a more vibrant rulebook that would throw open the process of getting competent Nigerians to administer the game guided by rules which work in other climes except ours.

    In fact, the rulebook shouldn’t be authored by benefactors of the fraudulent Decree 101, since they would include vexatious laws that would further entrench them in the system. The collegiate system which Decree 101 polluted our soccer ensures that the same people rule our game, no matter how many times we conduct fresh elections. The only difference with each electoral exercise is the change of the members’ names.

    Read Also: NFF advised to reintroduce winning bonuses for youths

    The new rulebook must be subjected to scrutiny to expunge laws which are inimical to the development of the game. The criteria for applying to govern our soccer must be stiff, with emphasis on such people’s pedigree in business and/or experience in running the game at different levels. This setting where some people run the game for over three decades stunts growth in such places. It is important that tenures are defined with dates.

    For the administrative personnel at the Glasshouse, those recruited must pass through a transparent process which should throw up only the best among the equals to run the place.  Such appointments should be tenured. Such durations of employment must be respected. The major reason for the crises at the Glasshouse is the presence of staff who have each spent three terms of a four-year tenured job, which raises eyebrows.

    Staff, who have spent 12 years running our football, should respectfully step aside to allow for fresh ideas. A four-yearly contract with all personnel at NFF, except those who emerged through elections will reduce the high level of suspicion from the public. Indeed, most of the feud that has engulfed the Glasshouse have come from those who were there before.

    If staff know that after two terms of four years each they are ineligible to aspire for office at the Glasshouse, there will be less turmoil in the place. If the entry qualifications for staff into the Glasshouse is raised to level only cerebral people are recruited, lickspittles who have been troubling the country’s soccer space would back off.

    Need I say  the NFF is filled with many jobless people who constitute a nuisance in the place? They are the people who fuel the crises which inhibit good work ethics. The board should prune its staff to effectiveness. The present board, should in moving to their new secretariat, the Sunny Dankaro House in Abuja, prune staff. They should also merge some of the offices for effective management.

    Sometimes I wonder if the NFF chieftains understand what it means to computerise the business of the federation. The analogue structures in the federation encourages sharp

    practices, which underlines the bad image it has outside.

    The first  step towards reducing corruption will be for all transactions in football to be transparent and it should start from now. Transparency should be the new mantra, if the NFF and its affiliates want to do the business of soccer to rake in millions like in other climes. Transparency can only be attained, if the activities of the federation are subjected to routine checks, while those found culpable are made to face the wrath of the law, no matter whose ox is gored.

    No country’s football thrives without the domestic league, which in Nigeria is in a shambles. It is equally shocking that the domestic game is run by four people. I hate to use the word – cabal. Little wonder they couldn’t handle the critical aspects of the Super Sports’ live coverage of the game. If they knew their onions, they should have known that Super Sports were right in asking for some reprieve, knowing that the market rate of the dollar when the deal was struck years ago had hit the roof, making it wise for them to negotiate downward. Fair marketing argument, if you ask me.

    What these four unwise men did, was to reject what was offered, and sadly replaced with it nothing. In other climes, the league board would have been sacked. Not here. The board, or the four unwise men are becoming more powerful, forgetting that all leagues in the world rely on proceeds from television rights , which are mouth-watering.

    The league board would have been sacked elsewhere for not telling us how much it is worth yearly. It is a shame that nobody has asked the league board what it earns from inter and intra club transfers of our players. Players’ transfers are structured to monitor them and relate with those who have issues with the foreign clubs. It is with such indices that countries evolve their football calendars to be in sync with other 211 nations affiliated to FIFA.

    Soccer in Nigeria will soar if we tailor it to business, not the patronage to lackeys that currently is across the country. The advantages Nigeria will derive from running soccer like the business that it is (the way saner countries have been doing for decades), are endless.

    For instance, a 2019 report by EY’s Economic and Social Impact Assessment said the English Premier League and its clubs supported close to 100,000 jobs and contributed £7.6 billion to the United Kingdom (UK)’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    In 2009, the rugby series between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions boosted the South Africa economy by almost R1.5billion, a study commissioned by SA Rugby revealed.

    This converts to nearly N36billion. In just one sport alone. The public interest in the ten-match series, and the impact of the arrival of 37 000 visitors from Britain and Ireland, generated R1,47bn in direct and indirect value to the travel and tourism gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa.

    The six-week tour produced close to a tenth (8,95%) of South Africa’s annual tourism GDP (based on 2008 figures) said the survey prepared by Octagon Marketing in conjunction with Kamilla-SA Sport and Tourism Consultancy and Umcebisi Business Advisors.

    10 years on, why can’t Nigeria, with Africa’s biggest economy and population replicate this success in, football, the king of sports? Why, for instance, isn’t any of our clubs listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange?

  • Dasuki’s house back to life

    By Sentry

    Barely a few days after regaining his freedom, the posh 13, John Kadiya Street, Asokoro District residence of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) is back to life.

    Former governors, ministers and associates, who before now had developed cold feet about checking on Dasuki in DSS custody, have been paying homage to the Prince of Sokoto Caliphate.

    It was as if those in the opposition have just found their bearing.

  • How disputed oil wells damaged Wike, Ihedioha’s friendship

    Sentry

    Though not known to many, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Imo State counterpart, Emeka Ihedioha, were best of friends until recently when their friendship was torn apart by disputed oil wells between the two states.

    Long before the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 7, 2018, the two had been very close friends with Ihedioha regularly visiting Wike in Port Harcourt. Although Wike supported Aminu Tambuwal in the primary election while Ihedioha supported Atiku who eventually won the ticket, the election did no harm to their friendship even though Wike was not happy about the outcome.

    Those who know said the two continued their friendship from where they stopped and Ihedioha kept seeing Wike while Wike also gave him a huge moral support to become the governor of Imo State.

    To Wike’s surprise, however, the first step Ihedioha took when he became governor was to demand that some oil wells ceded to Rivers State should be returned to Imo. The move was said to have left Wike wondering if that was Ihedioha’s way of rewarding Rivers state for the moral backing the state gave him to become Imo State governor.

    Wike was said to be particularly peeved that Ihedioha did not even accord him the courtesy of mutual discussion of the issue before it was made public, knowing full well that they are not only friends but neighbours.

    Of course, Wike is not one who would want the assets of Rivers State ceded to another state, knowing that it was an issue on which Rivers State once fought Bayelsa and won. Those who should know say Wike now sees Ihedioha as a dangerous friend  and  lmo as a dangerous neighbour.

  • PDP’s position more precarious than ever

    By UnderTow

    Almost casually, former Senate Leader (7th Senate), Victor Ndoma-Egba, suggested in a recent interview with Sunday Sun that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was fatigued and burning out. The senator, who is also the immediate past chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), made this statement when he was asked about the electoral upset the All Progressives Congress (APC) pulled in the November 16, 2019 Bayelsa State governorship election. Assessing the march of the APC in the Niger Delta, he concluded that the APC had become a credible and viable alternative in the region. It is hard to fault him. Not only is the APC now a viable alternative, if the PDP’s decline should continue along its present trajectory, the APC will either become the only choice or reduce the PDP to nothing more than a viable alternative.

    Such prospects are galling to the PDP. Having dominated the Niger Delta so implacably for years, and having in addition mastered Nigeria for about 16 years, even managing to mould Nigeria in its image, culture and language, it must be humiliating that it lost the 2015 elections so severely, and seems too traumatised to plot its way out of the hellhole it has found itself after many years of hubris. Senator Ndoma-Egba, a senior advocate of Nigeria, does not offer suggestions on what the PDP might do to claw its way out of oblivion, considering that the focus of his interview with the Sunday Sun was something totally different. But it is doubtful whether he can even offer viable suggestions to an opposition party that has proved spectacularly incapable of both self-scrutiny and self-admonition.

    All over the country, and going by its performance in recent elections, the APC is fairly confident that it can keep replicating the electoral triumphs it has inspired in the past months, especially following its massive but controversial general election win early this year. The Ondo and Edo polls are many months away; but the APC has dogmatically asserted its fairy-tale electoral story and composed dithyrambs about its invincibility. The PDP could have done better in both the Kogi and Bayelsa polls, but it took an eerily long time to get its act together and to attempt uniting the many combatants that dissipated the party’s strength and goodwill. In the face of bitter and sometimes unconscionably violent enemies, any whiff of disunity was bound to spell death knell for the party’s chances, especially because its chief opponent frequently pays scant attention to electoral ethics.

    Defeated in both the Bayelsa and Kogi elections, and demoralised by the manner of its loss that involved unscrupulous deployment of security agencies, the PDP has fretted and sighed uncontrollably, unsure what else to do and where to go for succour and inspiration. Is this the fatigue Sen Ndoma-Egba talked about, or is it plain, spaced-out ennui? Whatever is afflicting the PDP, it is undoubtedly fatigued. But burnt out? That is still debatable. Its enemies know it is fatigued, and probably wished the party was also burnt out. The question is what does the PDP think of itself, and does it have any will left to fight its way out of the cul-de-sac it has foolishly sauntered into? Indeed, is any fight still left in the former behemoth, a party that once reigned supreme for 16 years but had feet of clay?

    Read Also: PDP not destined to win in Lagos, says Balogun

    When APC, the PDP’s chief nemesis, was formed, the fledgling party hoped hubris and incompetence would weaken the old behemoth from within, while carefully delivered blows to the then ruling party’s solar plexus would overthrow the heedless giant. The PDP, loquacious and indiscriminate as ever, exposed its soft underbelly and helped the then upstart APC to aim its poisoned darts. Familiar with that battle tactics, and unable to inspire itself, let alone reform its decadent ways and structures, the PDP has been left clutching at straws, hoping that the APC, in less than eight years, would by a combination of hubris and incompetence expose its soft underbelly for the fatigued and dying behemoth to aim its last-ditch arrows. Whether lightning will strike twice in the same place remains to be seen.

  • Akpabio gives Buhari food for thought

    Sentry

    President Muhammadu Buhari stirred curiousity at a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 22 when he charged the leaders of the party to ensure that it does not die after his tenure.

    It has now emerged that the President’s statement was not made in a vacuum. It was actually impelled by an appeal the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio had made to the President during a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting a few days earlier.

    At the said NEC meeting, Akpabio was said to have stood up in his hilarious manner and told President Buhari that there are three major political parties in Nigeria, namely the APC, the PDP and the President himself as a custodian of 12 million votes.

    Akpabio then pleaded with the President that when his tenure is up, he should not return to Daura with his 12 million votes but ensure that the votes are retained for the survival and progress of APC.

    There and then, the President pledged his determination to see that APC survives beyond his tenure.

  • Not again, Iheanacho

    Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho is in the news for not respecting the fair play rule, although the offence wasn’t captured by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), a mechanical device introduced to world soccer to capture incidents which the ordinary eye missed.

    The essence of using the VAR is to reduce fouls which affect match results, such as the disallowed goal scored by West Ham’s Antonio  against Southampton.

    Antonio ran side-by-side with his Saints’ marker, but stylishly propelled the ball with his left hand to gain advantage, before rifling home a rocket-like goal, which was rightly disallowed, thanks to VAR.

    The referee didn’t see the incident. Antonio was named the Man of the match, even though he didn’t score a goal. Antonio’s assist led to West Ham’s first and only legitimate goal which divided the two sides.

    Before the second half, precisely in the 34th minute of the first half of the game between Leicester and Norwich, a foul happened, making the visitors to throw the ball to Iheanacho based on the fair play rule.

    Iheanacho was expected to kick the ball back to Norwich players or kick it to the sideline or anywhere else, but not into the net. He had to make one of these choices to properly re-start the game.

    But the Nigerian chose the ‘forbidden option’ of trying to score a ‘cheap’ goal.  Iheanacho’s action infuriated the Norwich players which almost resulted in a clash.

    Norwich players’ reaction was meant to get VAR’s attention such that Iheanacho may have been sent off. A quick-thinking Leicester manager, Brendan Rodgers, pulled the Nigerian out in the 38th minute, irrespective of the fact that the game was Iheanacho’s 100th in the Barclays English Premier League over seven years for two clubs, Leicester and Manchester City.

    Rather than keep Iheanacho on the pitch to continue the game, Rodgers chose to remove the Nigerian much to the consternation of soccer faithful, who were bemused at the decision.

    We have seen desperate clubs (especially the losing teams), ignore sprawling players on the turf to score goals. The goals weren’t disallowed. Instead such incidents formed the fulcrum of pundits’ post-match analysis.

    Shouldn’t Iheanacho have known the fair play rule? Given his experience in the game, he should. But so many things happen on the spur of the moment for most players, Iheanacho inclusive, especially if their teams are desperate to win matches.

    Burdened by his past experience where he was excluded from most matches, Iheanacho’s mindset is to score goals like he did in the past three matches as a substitute. Little wonder the starting shirt feat could have increased Iheanacho’s adrenalin, with the goalpost within his shooting range.

    But Rodgers didn’t protect him. He threw the Nigerian out of the game for dubious reasons, which eventually caused Leicester two points, following the drawn game against strugglers Norwich.

    Non-compliance with the fair play rule isn’t a punishable offence. It’s more or less  a moral  issue, which if respected says a lot about the game – a competition, not warfare.

    Great stars such as Di Canio made a show of the fair play rule and received global applause and commendation from the world’s soccer ruling body, FIFA, years ago.

    Di Canio’s gesture in the game between West Ham and Everton was a paradox of sorts because he had previously been banned for pushing a referee to the ground, and in late 1998 he was banned for eight games after pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground following a red card while playing for Sheffield Wednesday, before he won Fifa’s Fair Play Award for 2001.

    Di Canio’s career was blighted by controversy until he quit the game. Di Canio was without any doubt a skilful player, with a tremendous knack for scoring spectacular goals.

    Di Canio was given the award for “a special act of good sportsmanship” in West Ham’s game at Everton on December 16 2000.

    Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured in the penalty area when Di Canio received a cross from Trevor Sinclair. Faced with an empty net, Di Canio chose to catch the ball rather than score. A goal then would have almost certainly given the Londoners a 2-1 win.

    Di Canio’s case could be understood for a man with a chain of controversies, who needed to change the narrative around his game before he retired. Not so for Iheanacho who is controversial, but cannot believe what has befallen his game since he rose to stardom playing for Nigeria’s U-17 side in 2013. Not many people know that Iheanacho starred for Nigeria as an under-15 player.

    It is unlikely that Rodgers would have done a replacement if some of the big boys at Leicester had been involved. Rodgers’ action was a humiliation for Iheanacho.

    I’m glad that Iheanacho told his manager how disappointed he was about the change. Thumbs up, Iheanacho. Rodgers’ decision to substitute Iheanacho would have been right, if the Nigerian was shown a yellow card for the incident.

    Besides, the fact that VAR wasn’t consulted in the matter shows clearly how discretional it is in the rule book. Had the fair play rule been sacrosanct, VAR would have been sought to clarify matters and take appropriate action. It was sad that Rodgers chose to throw Iheanacho under the car.

    For Iheanacho, lessons have been learned. Perhaps Leicester’s manager should include talks on fair play with his players, before, during and after matches, instead of what he did to the Nigerian.

     

    Sunday Dare’s missile

    Sports minister Sunday Dare, on Tuesday, disturbed the eardrums of chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) when he stressed the need to be more resourceful in the handling of the country’s soccer, which he said was comatose.

    Dare also described the country’s domestic game as being on crutches, needing its operators to be transparent and tell the world how much Nigeria’s soccer is worth.

    Dare didn’t say anything followers of the game haven’t read or heard of. What he sought to reemphasise is the urgent need for the federation to deal with the perception that it is a corrupt body, pointing out that this bad image has grossly jeopardised efforts to make NFF solvent.

    Dare’s words were hurting, but that is the best way to talk with people you desire to grow, given the opportunities before them. No firm would do business with any organisation that is dogged by tales of corruption. The only way NFF chiefs can change is to be transparent and rid the place of shady characters.

    NFF’s biggest enemies are those who lost elections to become members. The moment they lose out, they turn town criers. I don’t understand why NFF board can’t expose the ills of these turncoats.

    According to Dare: “The bad image at all levels of our football, including the organisers of the domestic league cannot attract sponsorship, which is the biggest hub of business. In the eyes of the Nigerian public, the perception that NFF and Nigerian football is corrupt is rife.

    I have had cause in the past to speak on how perception is everything and the perception around the NFF is not one that will court new partners and sponsors for the federation.

    “Even though many of the allegations have not been proven, the atmosphere around football is polluted on account of the negative perception of corruption and we must move quickly to sanitise this.

    Agreed, the stigma of corruption in NFF predates this board, hence the need for proper accountability and transparency going forward because we must move quickly to change this toxic perception.”

    Good talk, honourable minister. The present NFF board members are willing to learn and change their ways. They must take everything you said to heart, beginning with your terse words on how the place can be more accountable.

    With proper accountability, blue chip firms will do business with the Glasshouse, only if they interface with credible people, who can boost their image. It is critical.

  • Between Oshiomhole and Obaseki

    By Segun Ayobolu

     

    Neither the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), comrade Adams Oshiomhole, nor his erstwhile protégé, the Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, will be without severe bruises in the aftermath of their ongoing seeming duel- unto- death slugfest on the political terrain of the ‘heart beat of Nigeria’. However, the governor is not unlikely to be the greater loser as neither the political calculus of the state nor the dictates of political morality appear to be on his side. It is all so sad because both men have so much to gain by maintaining a harmonious relationship, not necessarily because they have to like each other, but in their mutual long term political interests.  Greater political tact and wisdom on all sides, particularly on the part of the governor, would have made it a win-win situation for both parties although it is not too late for sanity to prevail.

    Oshiomhole is a successful former two-term governor of the state. His legacy of productive governance in the state by most accounts is imperishable with the impact of his administration in the provision of infrastructure felt in diverse sectors including roads rehabilitation and construction, transportation, education and health among others. It was this performance that played the most significant role in his re-election for a second term in 2012 at a time when the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state was in control at the centre and thus in a position to massively deploy federal security and fiscal might to ‘capture’ the state, which at the time was the only APC state in the South-south geo-political zone.

    In vigorously supporting Obaseki to succeed him as governor at the expiration of his two terms, Oshiomhole stressed that he was the candidate best placed and qualified to continue with and consolidate on the achievements of his administration in the radical modernization and renewal of infrastructure as well as the provision of qualitative social services to the citizenry. This was because Obaseki served as the head of his Economic Management Team and was thus acquainted with the genesis of the outgoing administration’s developmental blueprint and what was needed to elevate the state to a higher developmental pedestal. The comrade governor invested considerable physical, mental and emotional energy to ensure Obaseki’s victory in the election against a formidable PDP candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who incidentally has now migrated to the APC along with his supporters.

    So what could have happened such that the relationship between Oshiomhole and Obaseki has deteriorated so badly that this has resulted not only in the open exchange of insults but even degenerated into violence and bloodshed on the streets on a number of occasions? Could it be that Oshiomhole having practically influenced the emergence of Obaseki as governor now sought to play the role of dictatorial godfather, even though, during his own tenure as governor, he had strenuously fought and defeated the fabled godfathers in the state, a key factor responsible for his admirable record as a developmental governor? That is the narrative of Obaseki and those in his camp.

    The godfathers Oshiomhole fought off as governor, mostly top PDP chieftains in Edo State, hindered the development of the state because of the substantial amount of resources allegedly diverted to them through patronage such as the award of contracts many of which were allegedly not executed. Oshiomhole put a stop to the gravy train. Much more resources were thus available for developmental purposes. It is not fortuitous that the kind of developmental impact felt in the state under Oshiomhole had not been witnessed before prior to the advent of his administration. The late and highly respected Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo n’Oba Akpolokpolo Erediauwa 1, testified as much in his scarcely veiled and hugely impactful support for the comrade governor’s re-election for a second term.

    Was Oshiomhole then making monetary demands from the Obaseki administration that could cripple the state and have negative implications for the performance of the administration? Was the former governor seeking to maintain a suffocating hold on governance under Obaseki? The highly respected political scientist, former Secretary to the Edo State Government under Oshiomhole and now a member of the House of Representatives from Edo, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, vigorously debunks this position. He challenges the governor and his aides to name those making any monetary demands from them and state how much.

    As one of those who played a prominent role in the transitional activities that ushered in the Obaseki administration, Ihonvbere authoritatively asserts that Oshiomhole played a negligible part in the whole process. For instance, Oshiomhole reportedly opted to pick only one nominee for the position of commissioner in Obaseki’s administration. The insinuation of his being a disruptive godfather is thus patently false and misleading, the professor avers in his insightful interview with this newspaper last Sunday.

    Since there are so many tales coming from various sources in Edo state as regards the causes of the ongoing political crisis, why do I choose to attach so much weight of credibility to Professor Ihonvbere’s account? First, he has a reputation for intellectual honesty and moral integrity. Again, he has more to gain at least in pecuniary terms by being on the side of Obaseki rather than Oshiomhole in this crisis. After all, the former controls the treasury in the state. It is in the direction of the more munificent honey pot that many political actors will naturally gravitate. It is thus not implausible to conclude that apart from speaking from the authoritative position of an insider, Professor Ihonvbere has taken a position on principle rather than succumbing to expediency.

    But the pertinent question is: has governor Obaseki acted with the necessary tact and wisdom in this utterly needless confrontation with Oshiomhole? I don’t think so. The governor’s competence and ability to govern effectively is certainly not in doubt as testified to by Oshiomhole himself during his energy sapping campaigns for Obaseki’s election. But the problem is that the governor has created a situation, through this crisis, that will necessarily impede his ability to perform optimally and fully avail the state of the benefits of his talents. A wise politician must be strategic and cautious in picking his battles because not all scuffles are worth fighting.

    Let us consider just one example. Obaseki issued his proclamation for the inauguration of the State House of Assembly in virtual secrecy and a minority of the legislators loyal to the governor was sworn in late at night. A leadership of the legislature loyal to the governor was picked through this opaque and patently illegal procedure and at least 14 members of the assembly believed to be loyal to Oshiomhole have understandably refrained from participation in the activities of the Assembly since the perpetration of this brazen assault on the legislature.

    Apart from their constituencies being denied the effective representation they are entitled to, these legislators are not participating in the governance of the state through their contributions to policy debates on the floor of the House among other functions. There is no way this will not impact negatively on the quality of governance no matter how brilliant the governor is. Again, the attendant political climate of suspicion in government as a result of this crisis will not enable the governor to get the best from his aides in terms of honest and unbiased advice as well as well meaning critiques of proposed policies in the interest of qualitative governance.

    Rather, sycophancy will most likely reign supreme as most appointees will strive to convince the governor of their loyalty in order to keep their jobs. This is not the best for a governor who needs to improve on the performance of his predecessor, not necessarily to seek to prove superiority in governance ability, but in order to consolidate on the legacy he inherited and lead the state to a higher level of development.

    If Obaseki habours any fears either of impeachment or not being given the opportunity of a second term ticket, the appropriate response is not to fight Oshiomhole, illegally hijack the State House of Assembly or seek to forcibly take control of political structures in the state. Rather, it is to aggressively deliver on his mandate by making an undeniable impact in terms of infrastructure delivery, provision of qualitative social services as well as boosting the economy to create jobs on a massive scale. These objectives should, however, not be pursued at the expense of nurturing and maintaining harmonious relationships with key stakeholders on the state’s political terrain.

    Had Obaseki chosen such a path, he would not need to have any fears either of impeachment or denial of a second term ticket. His government would have no need to exhibit the kind of nervousness and sense of insecurity it betrayed on the defection of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his supporters to the APC. Every party wants to attract, not repel new members. This should particularly be so in the case of a decamping politician of Ize-Iyamu’s stature.

    It is certainly not too late for Obaseki to change course and take the lead in mending fences with his predecessor and party leader. While he is reportedly committed to the frugal expenditure of public resources, for instance, the persistence of the crisis will force him to channel scarce resources from development purposes to such ultimately futile ventures as the ongoing alleged attempt by some governors to force the removal of Oshiomhole as national chairman, an enterprise that is reportedly gulping substantial sums of money. For Obaseki, this is an avoidable distraction.