The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • IBB, leadership and PDP’s military wing

    IBB, leadership and PDP’s military wing

    IT obviously didn’t seem fair to former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida that ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo should continue to hug all the limelight. But in recent years, Chief Obasanjo has managed by circumstances and deliberate orchestration to situate himself squarely at the centre of national affairs. General Babangida’s health may not permit, and the quality and relevance of his submissions may leave much to be desired, but having cavorted at that same national centre between 1985 and 1999, and even a little beyond that time, he seems pained that he is living as somnolently as one who is in suspended animation. He had once likened himself, perhaps unintentionally, to an evil genius, and to the football maestro, Maradona, and had thus dominated public affairs for years on end with his highfalutin political and social experiments. And with nostalgic fondness, he also remembers how the controversies he constantly and mischievously stirred helped nurture his myth. It is not unlikely that he craved an occasion when he could say something new and shocking, something to engage and agitate the public. That occasion soon presented itself last week, which he grabbed with both hands by speaking with gusto about a previously unknown Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) military wing.

    Chief Obasanjo and Gen.Babangida have doubtless both played prominent, if not dominant, roles in Nigerian politics. Until they breathe their last, they will insist on doing so. Neither the irrelevance nor inappropriateness and controversiality of their views will attenuate that desire. Chief Obasanjo virtually took up the last two weeks. The next two weeks or possibly more will be taken up by Gen Babangida’s ‘PDP military wing’ talk. There will be editorials, and, as this column believes, there will be many column pieces on that shocking and disturbing revelation. Some of the rejoinders will be angry, and others snide and even outrightly abusive. But Gen Babangida will be satisfied that he is still capable of attracting newspaper front pages and dominating discussions, no matter how fleetingly. There are not many leaders out of office who are enamoured of anonymity or reclusiveness.

    Gen Babangida chose the occasion of his interaction with members of the Strategy and Inter-Party Affairs of the PDP, led by its chairman, Professor Jerry Gana, to expatiate upon the founding principles and politics of the former ruling party. The committee, which reports to the Ahmed Makarfi faction of the PDP leadership, had visited him at his Hill Top residence in Minna  last week to intimate him of their findings, and perhaps to solicit his support, even if indirectly, in the struggle for the soul and leadership of the PDP . “From foundation stage, I saw PDP as IRA (Irish Republican Army),” boasted the former military head of state in his response to the Prof Gana presentation. “We are the military wing of the PDP. We took a lot of interest, and when I say we, I mean my boss  TY Danjuma, Obasanjo, myself, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed. I term us as IRA military wing of PDP. I thank God we came up with the old concept, and one of our counterparts then said that PDP would rule for 60  years.”

    The general’s comparisons, as his leadership history shows, may be awful and disconcerting, and sometimes his words may not convey the right meanings he intends, apart from being often inexact. Otherwise, of all the comparisons in the world, why choose the militant IRA as a backroom model for the PDP when nothing in the founding of the party bore any semblance to Sinn Fein? PDP may have in its fold many retired generals, some of whom have maintained an implacable hold on Nigeria and continue to throttle its destiny, but both the founding and existential principles of the IRA and Sinn Fein bear no real resemblance to the PDP nor to its philosophically undistinguished military members. Sinn Fein was the left-wing nationalist face of the armed IRA that waged a military campaign for independence in Northern Ireland. What did the PDP military wing represent?

    It is not clear whether the other generals Gen Babangida mentioned as constituting the membership of the military wing of the PDP see themselves as such, or whether they will repudiate that comparison. But likening themselves to IRA, despite Irish group’s dangerous denotations, is not even as egregious as gloating over the expected six-decade reign of the PDP. “One of our counterparts then said that the PDP would rule for 60 years,” Gen Babangida had said. It would be thrilling to know which of his counterparts made that shameful prophecy. Notwithstanding, the point is that the general and many PDP leaders obviously took that 60-year reign to heart. More importantly, Gen Babangida himself spoke fondly of that reign, and he would doubtless have revelled in it had it come to pass not minding its dangerous effects on the polity.

    This is the crux of the matter. Even if the generals had seen themselves as the military wing of the PDP and had modelled themselves along the line of the IRA, and if ‘one counterpart’ or another had spoken giddily of the PDP ruling Nigeria for 60 years, the visit of Prof Gana’s panel should have afforded Gen Babangida the opportunity to declaim upon Nigeria’s leadership troubles. In particular, given his age and past roles, he would have contributed to the wealth of knowledge on Nigerian affairs had he spoken on the PDP’s founding principles, the suppositions held by many party leaders, military or civilian, and what lessons they have learnt and are recommending regarding the principles of democracy, federalism, rule of law and other salient leadership issues. Instead of these, the general preferred to boast somewhat.

    Gen Babangida’s revelatory remarks are, however, not without some usefulness. He enables Nigerians to take a measure of their leaders, how sometimes parochial and insular they are, the poor vision that guides and drives them, and often what mean and base principles inform the choices they make. Surely it should have occurred to the general’s ‘counterpart’ that had PDP ruled for 60 years — a silly and arbitrary figure no doubt — democracy would have found it difficult to survive, let alone flourish. Unlike the Sinn Fein and the IRA, the military wing of the PDP obviously inspired and directed everything about Nigeria’s so-called biggest party. That inspiration was, however, short-sighted, abysmal and demeaning.

    The PDP’s military wing is probably still strong and influential. But since they are neither principled as Nigerians would like nor ideological as they seem to think, they will continue to exert a very unhealthy influence on national politics. They virtually perverted the early years of Nigerian democracy during which they laid a militarised and illiberal foundation for civil rule. Should they regain power without the drastic and fundamental changes required to bring about the change Nigeria needs and yearns for, the country will groan unbearably. After all, festooned with its own military faction, the APC has ruled Nigeria like a one-party state, after apparently succumbing to the same spirit of intolerance and excesses that undid the PDP.

  • Still on foreign policy

    Still on foreign policy

    Last April I had argued in this space that the foreign policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had so far been too tepid, tentative and unimaginative. While I had written glowingly about the dynamism and vibrancy that characterized the country’s engagement with the international community under the Murtala/Obasanjo military regime, particularly its commitment to the liberation of apartheid South Africa and other African countries still under colonial bondage, I also underscored the fact that such activist foreign policy had become unrealistic with the Nigeria’s protracted economic decline. Again, the ideological radicalism, albeit limited, that informed the country’s foreign policy outlook at the time has become irrelevant and jaded with the collapse of the communist bloc, the decline of ideology in international relations and the current global triumph of neoliberal capitalism and market forces. Even then, the very fact of the deepening of economic crisis and underdevelopment in Nigeria and Africa as well as the continent’s unabated slide to irrelevance cannot excuse an absence of creativity and boldness in foreign policy even if the country can no longer afford the luxury of unproductive global adventurism or posturing as the fabled giant of Africa.

    Despite the economic stringency of the period, for instance, the country’s foreign policy still evinced some measure of innovative, out of the box, thinking under military President Ibrahim Babangida particularly during the tenure of Professor Bolaji Akinyemi as the regime’s foreign minister. Professor Akinyemi’s intellectual imprint was obvious in such policy initiatives as the Technical Aid Corps scheme, Nigeria’s audacious effort to organize a concert of medium powers as a critical actor on the international terrain and a vigorous bid under the country’s leadership to revive the Pan-Africanist spirit. It was Akinyemi’s view that the decline in Nigeria’s economic fortunes should not necessarily diminish her capacity to think and act with vigour and decisiveness as an influential African country.

    Apart from the lack of a viable economic base to sustain a vibrant foreign policy, the eradication of apartheid in South Africa and the elimination of the last vestiges of colonial rule on the continent, in my view, contributed to denuding Nigeria’s foreign policy of the coherence and focus it had been known for. With the total liberation of Africa as its centerpiece, the objectives and strategies of the country’s external relations were clear and well defined. In comparison, the concept of ‘economic diplomacy’, for instance, which seeks to hinge the country’s foreign policy on her strategic economic interests, has not been well defined and has had only negligible impact on Nigeria’s objective material realities. This may be a function of Africa’s weak and structurally dependent position in the international political economy that makes it difficult for the economy of even a resource endowed country like Nigeria to be a strong weapon of foreign policy. The changing dynamics of the global economy has largely stripped a key resource like petroleum of the global potency that enabled Nigeria to play such a critical role in the struggle against apartheid and colonialism in Africa.

    Even more nebulous is the concept of ‘citizen diplomacy’, with which the country experimented as a foreign policy objective during the tenure of the late Chief Ojo Maduekwe as foreign minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo if I am not mistaken. I do not see how any country’s foreign policy cannot but be about the interest and well being of its citizens in the first place. Nigeria’s foreign policy under Obasanjo (1999-2007) had the stamp of the Ota chief’s international clout and influence boldly written on it. Along with President Thambo Mbeki of South Africa, Obasanjo toyed with such concepts as the ‘African Renaissance’ and the possibility of working towards this being ‘the African Century’. Nigeria played a key role in the initiation and actualization of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), which was launched in Abuja in 2001. Among the goals of NEPAD were the facilitation of sustainable growth, stemming the marginalization of Africa, intensifying the integration of African states as well as working towards the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A key feature of NEPAD is the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), which is a platform for African countries and leaders to review their performances on specified indices and hold each other to account.

    Even as the Buhari administration approaches its two-year mark, I am still of the view that its foreign policy could do with greater coherence, focus and vibrancy. I have not had any reason to change my view that the ample knowledge and skills of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, could be maximally utilized in several other areas by the administration. As I wrote in my earlier column, “With a political science degree from Colombia University in New York and degrees in law from the London School of Economics and Cambridge University, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, is quite cerebral and accomplished. But is he being utilized in his area of maximum competence? I do not think so. If he were, the President would not have to personally conduct his own global diplomacy leading to severe criticism of his frequent travels abroad”. While the President has since significantly cut down on his foreign trips the Minister has not in any way stepped up his own visibility and presence on the international stage.

    Of course, the distinguished diplomat, Ambassador Olusola Sanu, disagreed strongly with my views and was gracious enough to write a response which was published in this space. According to the highly respected statesman, “After reading Ayobolu’s article, I came to the conclusion that he is deeply unhappy at the fact that President Buhari took on the portfolio of foreign affairs and decided to be the Nation’s Chief Diplomat. In doing so, Mr. Ayobolu believes that the brilliant, erudite, Geoffrey Onyeama, Buhari’s Foreign Minister has been sidelined and has not been allowed to showcase his erudition on the international stage. I am not sure that Mr. Onyeama will be as unhappy as Ayobolu when he observes the manner in which other Heads of State receive his boss, President Buhari, as he presents his case to his counterparts all over the world. I suspect that the Foreign Minister will be happy that some of the aura of an achiever will rub off on him. And in time when we overcome most of the challenges facing us, the current Foreign Minister will travel alone all over basking in the achievement of his boss”.

    I really think that President Buhari has made a bold statement as regards his integrity and anti-corruption credentials that the world has taken due note of. The Foreign Minister ought to have by now become the chief salesman to the world of the President’s anti-corruption mission and aggressively projecting a new image of Nigeria globally. Indeed, Ambassador Sanu in my view articulated a clear and succinct foreign policy focus for the administration when he wrote “President Buhari is using his personal attributes, his integrity, his intolerance of corruption and those who practice it in driving his foreign policy. These attributes of his have endeared him to world leaders and gained him results”. The Ambassador has in my view hit the nail on the head. Buhari’s anti-corruption passion can become the driving force of our foreign policy. That would also imply of course that a commitment to democracy and good governance in Africa would become the second leg of the Buhari administration’s foreign policy. For, it is only truly democratic governance that can guarantee the transparency and accountability that will make it difficult for corruption to thrive.

    Under Buhari, we must become as committed to the cause of democracy and the eradication of corruption in Africa as we were to the struggle against apartheid and colonialism. In other words, Africa must once again become the centerpiece of our foreign policy as we lead the struggle for the second liberation of the continent from the twin evils of corruption and dictatorship. But that is not a job for the president personally to do. It is the responsibility of his Foreign Affairs Minister to come up with innovative ideas and initiatives to help actualize the foreign policy vision of the president. In making these goals the central plank of our foreign policy, Nigeria would also be putting pressure on herself to set the highest standards of integrity and democratic governance in Africa as we would be like the proverbial city on a hill.

    Nigeria should take the lead for instance in galvanizing other African countries to undertake a comprehensive review of NEPAD with a view to assessing its successes and failures and building on it gains. In the same vein, Nigeria should lead the way in working effectively to strengthen the APRM, which so far only exists in theory. While Nigeria played a commendable role in dislodging Yahaya Jammeh’s sit tight dictatorship in tiny Gambia, how can we deploy our strengths and influence in Africa to help at least to begin to rid the continent of the several other bigger but no less despicable corrupt tyrants that litter the continent? In her book, ‘Hard Choices’, Hillary Clinton writes about one of President Obama’s reasons for picking her as Secretary of State. In her words, “In real life, President-elect Obama presented a well-considered argument, explaining that he would have to concentrate most of his time and attention on the economic crisis and needed someone of stature to represent him abroad”. Buhari’s anti-corruption war at home needs someone of stature to project its gains vigorously and imaginatively abroad.

  • Clash of power, populism and corruption

    We  have  heard about  the clash  of  civilization used  to describe the on going war on terrorism which  has pitched   western civilization  and Christianity against the religion of Islam, the main religion of the  Middle East the location of Al  Qada and  Islamic  state , which  aims to create a global  borderless Islamic  state.  Today  however  our interest   is  in  a  different type of clash between    political   institutions  as they  grapple  with  the results  of  elections which  dramatically  and unexpectedly change  power  and  reflect  the current  public  mood and popular  will.  It  is my contention here that any  attempt to thwart  the realization  of the people  and public  wish,  as reflected in such  results in  which  a ruling party or leader  loses  power, is as much  a sign  of political corruption  akin  and consonant  with the odium of theft  of public  funds  and embezzlement,  which  is always  quite easily  associated  with corruption.  This  is  because  elections are  the litmus test  of public mood  and peoples  judgement  of  leadership  and rulership and  once elections   are  free and  fair  whoever  has the peoples  mandate  of  power  must  be allowed to  rule.

    To  throw  spanner  in the works  to prevent  political  victors   at  such  elections from carrying  out their mandate or programs on which  they  were  elected into  power  and office,  is very  much  a political  fraud  and mischief  that is as undemocratic  and unacceptable   as  it  is condemnable  and morally  unacceptable  in any  civilized  society. After  all, the concept  of  democracy is based on the belief  that the voice  of the people  is the voice  of  God  and the dictum  that the majority  must  have its way  while  the majority  must  have  its say. To  do  otherwise is  to  turn  democracy  on its head  and that  is a political  fraud  akin  to  an organized  coup  de tat  against  the popular will, as  reflected in the peoples   wish  at  the polling booths.

    I  will  illustrate  my  views  today  with very interesting and  exciting events in the world this  week    that  I am sure   anyone  will  find   amusing. I   start  with    US  President  Donald  Trump’s  on going  battles  to  get  his  travel  ban ,  his second  revised one  which  again  faces  another  legal  obstacle   from  Hawaii, the  home state of  former US President  Barak  Obama   his  latest  foe on  allegations  of  wire  tapping, who  he also  once  alleged  was  not  born  in the US.   I  tie  this  to the  withdrawal  of  a former  US    Ambassador to Egypt    by the new  US  Defence  Secretary   former   General  Mattis    on  allegations  that the former  Ambassador  was  sympathetic to the  Islamic  Brotherhood    on  whose  platform Mohamme  Morsi,  who   won the only free  and fair  election in Egypt’s  history  after  the Arab  Spring of 2011.  Next  is the  situation  in  Nigeria where  the    Senate  for the second  time has refused  to  confirm  the  appointment  OF  Ibrahim  Magu,  the  boss  of  Nigeria’s main  anti  corruption institution, the  EFCC  and  the Presidential  Committee  on  Anti   Corruption Chairman, Professor  Itse  Sagay,  has  insisted  that  the  Presidency does not need to reconsider  or  change  the  rejected  nomination.   I  end  up with  the juicy  example  of  a popular  president    in  Turkey  throwing his weight  across  Europe  and  calling  nations harboring  his citizens names  because  they  refused  to  allow  him  to campaign  in their country  to  Turks so  that  he can  consolidate  his hold  on power in a coming  referendum  expected  to give him  more  executive  powers   than  any  other  president in the world   today.

    Let   me  start  with  the many  problems  of  Donald  Trump  in realizing  his electoral  goals for which  he  was given  the mandate  of authority   to rule  the US   in the  last  US  presidential  elections. Of  course  the travel  ban  has faced  more legal  obstacles  than  even  the controversial building  of the Mexican  Wall  to lock  out rapists  and  drug  addicts  which  he branded   citizens  of US neighbor  Mexico. Yet  Americans agreed  with  him  and voted  him in as their president in spite  of this.  What  amused  me in the second  legal  obstacle posed  to  Trump’s travel   ban  was the legal teaser by the judge in the Hawaii   State   objection  that  the reasons  given  by Trump’s  lawyers  in  removing Iraq  from the list  of  banned  nations is sufficient  to remove other nations on the list of nations whose citizens are  banned  from  entering  the US on  grounds  of terrorism  and    security. Yet  the  law  vests ultimate  authority  for US  security  in the  office  of the US president. Even  though the authority to wage  war  is vested in the  US  Congress  the  US president  can  declare  war  in some  instances  because  the buck  stops  on his table  on  security  and  he can  seek Congressional  ratification later.  Anyway   Donald  Trump  was  elected on his campaign  to  make  the US   safer  and its  borders  less  porous than  in the  Obama   era  and  he should  be allowed  to  live  up to that promise instead of throwing  legal  time bombs and incendiaries on his way  to achieve that promise and objective, on   which  he claimed  the US  presidency  in 2016.

    Interestingly  an    unexpected  casualty  of the fight  to tarnish the legitimacy  of the Trump  victory  with  the claim  of Russian  hacking connivance  or collusion was  the dropping of the Defence  Secretary Mattis nominee  to a top post  at the Pentagon. The  former  Ambassador,  Michelle  Flournoy, a lady   was said  to be  close  to the Islamic  Brotherhood  which  is being recommended  to be on a new  terrorist  list  being compiled by the US Foreign  Relations  Committee. But  the  circumstances  and  context  in which  the former  Ambassador  who  served in virtually all  the turbulent  Islamic  states of the Middle  East   operated  were  clearly  not taken  into consideration  or  respected  by  her  traducers  on terrorist  sympathies.  This former  Ambassador  was  helping Egyptians  to throw out  the dictatorial  regime of Housni  Mubarak  in the Uprising in  Egypt in 2011  that  saw  the collapse  of the Mubarak  dictatorship ,and   the election of Islamic  Brotherhood candidate   Mohammed  Morsi as  president  in Egypt’s first  democratic  elections.  The  Ambassador  was  following the US foreign  policy  under  the Obama Administration,  a policy  which later  abandoned the Egyptian  masses  to their fate  when the Army  took  over  and Morsi  was overthrown, tried  and jailed for treason  and is awaiting death in an Egyptian  prison.  While  ironically, Mubarak  is about  to  go home after  being freed  of all  charges  arising  from his misrule  by  an  army  that regards him  as one of them and that  Army is ruling Egypt  today  in a false  toga  of  democracy. How  can a former  Ambassador  be branded  a terrorist  sympathizer  for  carrying out  the script  of the government  of the day  that she served?  That  to me is another  example   of the sour grapes  that has bedeviled   the Trump  Administration  as it tries  to get the personnel  to carry  out the manifesto  for  which it was elected into  office by the American people  and that is just  not fair at all.

    Let  us now gyrate  to  Nigeria  where  the  Senate  has  refused  to approve  the  appointment  of EFCC boss  Ibrahim  Magu. The  rejection is a lawful oversight  constitutional  duty  of the   Senate and  the  presidency  should   simply   find  a replacement. That  Magu  has done a fine job  is  not  in  doubt.  He  has said  at  the  Senate that he was not  given  a fair  hearing by the  DSS  which  sent in the letter  that  destroyed  his reputation  and integrity  literally. But  the EFCC boss  should  know  that  he,     like   Caesar’s   wife  should  be above  reproach. Having  been  on suspension  before  in the same EFCC he  should  know  that those  who  live in glass  houses  should  not  throw  stones. I know  this is a huge blow  to the anti-corruption war  but  the   war is not lost  by the  loss  of the leadership of  Magu. The  presidency  should  appoint a new  boss of impeccable character  to  head  the EFCC.

    On   the surface this may look like  a clash  of powers  between  the Legislature  and Presidency in Nigeria but it is a legitimate  and democratic one. This  is because  President  Muhammed  Buhari was elected on a reputation  that hates corruption and  is still  popular  on  that  account.  That  however  does not mean that the Buhari  regime  is above the law  in the fight against  corruption.  Of  course  it should expect  obstacles  in the fight  against  corruption. The Senate ruling on Magu  is not one. What  the Presidency should  do is to abide by our constitution  and send in  a replacement  and  ignore  those saying that Magu is indispensable  in the fight against  corruption. Nobody  is.

    Now  we  round  with  the diplomatic escapades  of  Turkey’s President Yaccip  Erdogan  who  is the best  example  unlike   Donald  Trump  of a populist  leader having  his way  on all  fronts  both  within  and without  his country Turkey. Indeed  I dub  him today the  democratically  elected Sultan  of  Turkey  even  though Turkey’s  constitution  says  Turkey  is a secular state  like Nigeria. Erdogan  has won   three  back to back  democratic  elections in Turkey. He  metamorphosed  into a president  from  being   prime minister. Now  he has become  president  but wants to get  more  powers    to lead  Turkey  in  a referendum and he has called  Germans Nazis and  the Dutch  people genocide connivers  because  those  nations refused to allow  him to campaign to his citizens  living  abroad in these nations. In  addition  he  has used  the migration    issue  as a bargaining  issue and weapon by  threatening to open Turkeys borders to migrants  fleeing the war  in Syria  and  suffocate  Europe  with  them. That  is something  that frightens  all  EU  nations  not just Germany or the  Netherlands. I  am  sure that Erdogan  is dreaming of the old  Ottoman  Empire  and the time that it ruled Europe  and western  civilization trembled  under its suzerainty. Now  Erdogan  has Europe  by the balls  on  migration and  is using that to consolidate power as  he rules Turkey and indeed Europe  from his 1000 room presidential  house  in  Ankarra, Turkey.  A    really  true  story  of  a successful  romance  with  power  with  all  the credentials  of  democracy  that even the EU and  US, the  progenitors  of  democracy  cannot  deny.  What  an irony! Once  again  long live  the Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Federations’ elections

    Winning any medal at the Olympic Games takes eight years, according to sports science experts. It could be more, depending on the country’s sports policies and calendar. But for some exceptional athletes, it could be less. The pointer here is that winning at such big stages isn’t easy. It requires coordinated planning targeted at the grassroots. In sporting climes, they set out catchment areas to discover athletes when they are young, groom them and expose them to rural competitions before showcasing them to big events, such as the all Africa Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics to challenge and perhaps shock the established stars. This is why countries like Jamaica and America are renowned for the sprints and indeed athletics. It is also the reason the East Africans rule the world in the long distance races.

    Winning laurels at big events is a project structured on workable models used by renowned sports polities. In fact, most of these models are anchored on sports institutes which train the coaches and sports managers. It also provides systems which are adopted by these countries’ teams during competitions. It is the reason we see certain countries play the same way with a few adjustment informed by how the opposition plays.

    Countries such as Australia, America, Britain and recently Jamaica have models which developing countries like ours can adopt, if we truly want to make the industry the business that it is in other climes. Our administrators made so much noise about adopting the Australia model after the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. They were particularly fascinated by the feats achieved by the Australians. Several visits were made to Sydney to study the system. Some Australians came here. Our administrators raised hopes that the National Sports Institute (NIS) will be redesigned with the Australian model in mind. It never happened, largely because of the policy sommersaults.

    After the Atlanta’96 Olympics, the battle for sports facilities took place – again without results. If we exploited the initial bilateral relationship with the Australians in 2000, the NIS would have been upgraded to a university, with our coaches grounded in the rudiments of their trade. Products of the NIS would have been all over our national teams and state squads across the 32 sporting events available in the country.

    With an upgraded NIS, we would have seen the facilities around the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos renovated, since they would be used to train the coaches. A renovated NIS would have helped to attract sporting activities to the Sports City, instead of the piecemeal repair at the swimming pool, which hasn’t been opened after the reconstruction.

    It suits many people for the National Stadium to be in a derelict state, even when we have been told that staggering sums are being spent on the facilities yearly. No price for guessing that a chunk of the figures was used to settle NEPA bills as if the place isn’t still indebted to the electricity company.

    The National Stadium can be a tourist attraction if good managers are allowed to build up the vast land around the place. A gigantic amphitheatre of world standard can house cinemas and provide a platform for renowned musicians to host concerts. Part of the virgin land in Sport City can be used to build world class hospitality centres. It won’t be out of place to build a shopping mall or malls. Revenue from these places could be matchless with good managers.

    The talk of Lagos State Government wanting the place for selfish reasons is laughable. Stadia are leased out to those who need them for as long as they desire, with the original owners still intact. Investors in stadium management create platforms in the place where they hope to recoup their investments.  For instance, many of the big European clubs play their matches on leased stadia, with the original owners known to all. Hiring out stadia is a form of business to generate revenue.

    We must fix the National Stadium if we want to rejuvenate our sports. And it could start in phases, with places like the indoor halls, NIS, boxing gymnasium, medical centres, lawn tennis courts and car parks renovated to bring life to the place. The virgin land around the emergency exits in the stadium can be cleared to allow for the building of some of the aforementioned facilities. It won’t be out of place if the place has a five-star hotel, where our sports ambassadors can use as camping sites. It could still be open to people who need to relax or even live there for as long they like.

    It is sickening to see the unkempt place called the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) building. It is the worst I have seen in the world when compared to what one sees in other countries. Nothing works at the NOC secretariat. The offices are filled with obsolete gadgets, in spite of the fact that the body’s president belongs to several international sporting and engineering bodies. I wonder why he has not considered opening up the place’s horizon to be in sync with what he sees when he travels.

    Sports City’s medical centre makes a mockery of the quality of doctors, pharmacists and others in the place. They are some of best in the profession, but they cannot function at their best under such settings. Upgrading the medical centre to a good hospital will help Nigerians who live around the locality because drugs and other utilities will be cheaper since they will be subsidised by the government.

    How do we expect the sporting federations situated inside the Sports City to perform when those who work there spend quality time killing reptiles, rats, cockroaches and other dangerous animals (no hyperbole) inside the offices.

    One federation that holds a lot for Nigeria in terms of fetching medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is athletics, with Blessing Okagbare as the best prospect. We cannot bank on Okagbare always because of her marital status, although her husband supports her programmes. However, Okagbare hasn’t been able to shine at the Olympics after her bronze medal feat at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Many athletics purists have hinged her inability to get a medal to exhaustion, arguing that she ought to have dropped one of her events. They argued further that it is only super-humans, such as Carl Lewis of America, who can win the gold medal in the 100 metres finals and the long jump within a space of three hours. They hinged their summation on the fact that both events take a lot from the athletes. This submission makes a lot of sense, if one considers the fact that Okagbare won the bronze medal in long jump in her first Olympics in Beijing, nine years ago.

    Other athletics watchers insist that Nigeria needs to invest in Okagbare like other countries do. People in this school of thought want her welfare, pre-season preparations and coaching outfits to be paid for by the Sports Ministry. I align with this school, knowing what America and Jamaican governments do for their athletes.

    There must be a synergy between the federations and the ministry in planning for the major competitions. From these meetings, ministry chiefs will know those medals prospect and arrange how to get them ready. In athletics, for instance, the government must be prepared to provide cash for them to concentrate on our plans for the big events.

    As professionals, our athletes deserve to earn their living, especially with a country like ours, which uses athletes when they are useful and leave them to their fate when they retire. If athletes can get the equivalent of what they will earn from attending small and big meets, then half of the problem towards winning at least a gold medal for Nigeria is solved.

    For serial circuit runners, such as Okagbare, she will always be invited to meets. And such invitations come with appearance fees close to $20,000 or even more. And if she gets into the semi-finals, she knows what she gets because she also will be chasing points for the season’s ranking.

    Unfortunately, the mill for producing talents here is dead. We no longer have National Sports Festivals, which used to be the breeding ground for talents. Inter-schools competitions are dead. Youth clubs in the rural areas are extinct. The youth are now gamblers. They are seen around gambling centres striving to make the quick bucks. Sports facilities in the rural areas are covered with weeds. Some others have been built up as extra classes in schools. Very few schools have space for recreation. What we have now are schools paying through their noses to hire stadium for their inter house sports.

    In the early 70s at the Government College, Ughelli, the inter-house sports competition hits the crescendo when it is time for inter-school relays for boys and girls. All these things are gone, yet we expect to produce good athletes to represent Nigeria. No way.

     Celebrating Mikel

     I want to celebrate John Mikel Obi over his decision to head for the Chinese League instead of playing for Stoke FC of England, as exclusively revealed to this writer by Mikel’s manager John Ola Shittu. The first lesson from Mikel’s move is that we now know that he is a versatile player, a trait which Jose Mourinho, aka “the Special One”, spotted when he switched the Nigerian from his attacking midfield role to the defensive position.

    Many a pundit has condemned this decision, stating it was chiefly responsible for Mikel’s inability to match Lionel Messi’s feats. Recall that at the U-20 World Cup held in Holland in 2005, Mikel finished closely behind Messi in the award for the best player of the competition. It was quite controversial then.

    Shittu’s decision also to allow Mikel head for China was hinged on the Nigerian’s quest for fresh challenges, which is what he has shown by playing in the central defence position for Tijan Teda FC of China. I hope that Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr is taking note. The Eagles’ central defence and wing backs have been identified as its albatross.

    So, if Mikel can play in the central defence, it leaves Rohr with the best chance of playing Leicester City FC of England’s midfielder Ndidi in Mikel’s central midfield role while he replaces Troost-Ekong, who hasn’t been playing for his European side since December 2016 in the defence.

  • Banish dark eye circles with these tips

    Banish dark eye circles with these tips

    Under eye circles is one thing most women have had to deal with one time or the other, and for many concealers comes to rescue. Unfortunately, once you wash your face or sweat a bit too much, your secret is out. Here are a few tips to banish them once and for all, rather than just hiding them.

    P.S. You won’t even have to worry about rubbing off your concealer during the day any longer.

     

    Get enough sleep

    There’s a reason it’s called beauty sleep. Lack of sleep can cause the blood vessels under the eyes to swell and take on an unhealthy tint. Try sleeping on your back with your head elevated to prevent fluid retention, as this can cause excess puffiness and make dark circles look worse.

     

    Drink Your Water

    Dark circles get darker when you’re dehydrated. Drink at least eight cups of water per day to keep your skin plump and glowing. Also limit your salt, alcohol and tobacco intake, as these can cause swelling in the skin and water loss.

    Use Eye Cream

    Eye creams are formulated to target the delicate skin under the eye and keep it extra hydrated. Store yours in the fridge to de-puff and treat dark circles. But be careful when using other products that include ingredients like retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids and vitamin C, they can irritate sensitive skin and make the problem worse.

    Try a Home Remedy

    Potatoes are packed with natural bleaching agents that can banish dark circles and puffiness around the eyes. To make your own remedy, grate a raw potato to extract the juice, and then soak a cotton pad in it. Place the cotton pad over the eyelid and under-eye area for 10 minutes. Rinse and repeat once or twice daily for a few weeks, and bask in the wonder of nature’s miracles.

    Give Your Eyes a Massage

    Once a day, use your fingers to apply gentle pressure in a circular motion. This encourages circulation and draining of excess fluid.

     

  • All for Lagos

    All for Lagos

    It is understandable. Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State, is a leader in a hurry. In the next two months, the Chartered Accountant turned politician will reach the half time mark of his four year first term tenure. By this time next year, Lagos and other parts of the country will be in hyperactive election/re-election mode. There will be little time left for meaningful pursuit of the fulfillment of election promises. We can thus appreciate the frenetic pace of governance in Lagos and a few other states since May 29, 2015. The dazzling achievements of Mr Ambode’s first year in office seem today like eons away.

    The Ambode administration has since moved on light years further along the path of elevating Lagos to new heights of excellence transforming the megacity into one vast construction site in the process. Work is going on actively on the comprehensive regeneration of the Ojodu-Berger axis of the state, construction of the expansive Abule- Egba Flyover project as well as the Aboru- Abesan Link Road and Bridge, expansion and modernization of the Lekki Interchange, construction of the 10 Km bridge in Badagry to link the exotic Whispering Palms resort and the massive transformation and modernization of the sprawling Oshodi interchange.

    But then, the governor has his sights set even higher. Apart from constructing five new stadia and Arts Theatres, respectively, to be located in each of the five divisions of the state, Ambode’s prime vision is to expand, reconstruct and modernize the critical road linking Oshodi to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Describing the road, the entry port to Lagos, as a national embarrassment in its present state, Governor Ambode says his administration has already appropriated money for the project in the 2017 budget. In his words, “The state currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the International Airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the Local Airport. The contractor is already set to go and everything as I said has been completed and we already have the cash, but alas we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWH). This is a Federal and not a State road. The FMWH believes they should do the road but they have not been able to do it all these years past”. Mr. Ambode believes that the N2 billion appropriated for the road by the FMWH in the 2017 budget is grossly insufficient compared to the over N8 billion, which Lagos State already has at hand for the project. He emphasizes that if given the approval, Lagos State is poised to commence the job within two weeks and complete it within a time frame of six months.

    Mr. Ambode is equally piqued that six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved the handover of the Presidential Lodge, Marina, to Lagos State the FMWH has yet to honour the directive to enable the state gain access to the premises. Yet, the historic venue has been earmarked to play a pivotal role in ongoing programmes to celebrate Lagos at 50, which will climax on May 29. Ironically, the Minister currently in charge of the FMWH is none other than Mr Ambode’s immediate predecessor as Lagos State Governor, Mr.  Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). Even though they may differ in temperament, disposition and political orientation, Ambode and Fashola also share a number of similarities. Both are accomplished professionals in their respective spheres. They are proven competent public sector leaders. Both are passionate about the best interest of Lagos. And the duo has a disdain for bureaucratic red tape and undue delays to policy and project delivery timelines.

    In his unsurprisingly legalistic response to Ambode, Fashola firstly seeks to establish that he has been supportive of Lagos as Federal Minister in the current dispensation. This he says he did by approving the use of the Federal Ministry of Works yard at Oworonsoki for the Lagos State Government to create a lay-by to ease traffic, approving Lagos State being granted the Rights to manage the Street Lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge and also supporting the approval of a World Bank Loan of $200 million to Lagos State, which had been denied by the previous administration. These are, of course, all highly commendable gestures. But there appears to me to be no reason why the Minister cannot also ensure prompt action on the no less important and critical requests from Lagos State as regards the International Airport Road and the Presidential Lodge, Marina.

    On the International Airport Road, Fashola points out that Lagos actually presented a request to take over four roads. According to him, “Due to the fact that two of the roads also connect Ogun State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach a decision on them because it requested the input of the other state government affected”. Surely, this cannot apply to the International Airport Road, which is wholly within the territorial jurisdiction of Lagos State. Saying that Lagos State’s request has been presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Fashola explains that Federal Executive Council Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location of and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the Memorandum”.

    It appears to me that what is needed here is for the Minister to deploy his widely acknowledged persuasive and logical reasoning skills to make a convincing case to his Ministerial colleagues to approve the Lagos State government’s request. The technical issues of surveys, maps and other material will be handled by competent professionals in affected ministries who are not necessarily members of FEC. The role of the latter to the best of my knowledge is essentially political. Most members of the FEC may not necessarily have the training or competence to make sense of what to them may be no more than esoteric technical documents.

    On the issue of the Presidential Lodge, Marina, the Minister was equally painstaking in his response. According to him, “As far as the Presidential Lodge is concerned, it is under the management of the Presidency and not the Ministry. After the approval by Mr. President that the Presidential Lodge be handed over to the State Government, there was a directive to the Ministry to work out the modalities for handing over. The ministry has prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that is needed is a survey plan”. The only little dilemma here is why it was the FMWH and not any other ministry that was directed by the Presidency to ‘work out the modalities’ for handing over the facility to Lagos state! Matters get even ‘curiouser’ when the Ministry writes that “The Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the Ministry also require security clearance to enter in order to do any works. Access to the lodge is not under the control of the Ministry”. This is a very serious matter. So which Ministry, Department or Agency will grant necessary security permission for the requisite access to ensure the President’s directive is carried out?

    The Minister complains that “If there is any lack of cooperation, it is on the part of the state government that has refused to acknowledge not talk of approving the Ministry’s request for Land for the National Housing Programme in Lagos”. Does this then suggest that the FMWH is deliberately stalling the Lagos State government’s requests because of this reason? That would surely not be a good exhibition of statesmanship. This is more so because as a well known advocate of true federalism, Mr. Fashola really ought to be steering the country’s housing policy away from the past unproductive practices of the Federal Government acquiring land for housing programmes that invariably end up as waste pipes and avenues for rampant corruption. There can be no genuine excuse for the FMWH under Fashola not to expedite action towards actualizing these two requests that are in the best interest of a state he governed with passion and distinction for two terms

  • Olympic gold medals please

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is Nigeria’s biggest political party. Unfortunately it is unregistered. All the intrigues associated with our political parties are embedded in the affairs of the Glasshouse in Abuja. The only difference is that there has been no death or carnage arising from electoral skirmishes. God forbid. Touts have not being recruited to enforce decisions.

    There have been rancour, bitterness and the after-elections’ court cases among contestants are just as it is in politics. The significant difference is the carpet crossing in the sense that those who jump ship after elections don’t need to say it openly. Nor is it expedient on them to inform their power blocs (political parties), since such things don’t exist in football affairs.

    In the larger polity, the rules for elections are enshrined in the Constitution. But for soccer, the extant rules rest with chieftains of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA). These statutes are such that render countries’ laws otiose in terms of interpretation. FIFA is a society, whose rules are binding on countries willing to participate in its competitions.

    Many people have asked why NFF elections are troublesome. Those who have benefited from the largesse in the Glasshouse don’t ever think it is right to remove them from office. Ironically, they were elected because the previous boards failed to deliver on the promises to make all our soccer team, the platform to export our local players to Europe, Asia and the Diaspora.

    In spite of the brouhaha associated with the NFF elections, soccer earned Nigeria a bronze medal, even with the wahala the Dream Team encountered, starting with their denouncement by the office of the Minister of Sports. I reckon that the minister knows better now, and he appreciates the fact that asking our national teams to prepare for competitions outside the country arose from the derelict state of our sporting facilities and to ensure that our sports ambassadors are not distracted. Those ambassadors are relocated to these countries whose athletes are world beaters.

    Nigeria has joined the league of countries that have won all the medals (gold, silver and bronze) available in a particular team sport. In 1996, Nigeria won the football gold medal. In 2008, we won the silver medal, losing to Argentina in Beijing, with the Argentines happy that they avenged their 3-2 loss to Nigeria in Atlanta in 1996. We clinched the bronze medal in Brazil last year despite all the intrigues associated with the team’s preparations.

    What stands out clearly from our bronze medal feat in the soccer event is that with good planning, our athletes are capable of great things. I expect the minister to have learned a few lessons. He will understand better when told that a team wants to camp in serene places for competitions. It is true that our athletes should be able to train here. But with the derelict conditions of all our facilities, coupled with the recession, it will be cheaper to camp overseas. Did I hear you say how? Most of our good athletes live overseas. It is cheaper for them to A soccer gold medal is achievable, especially with the uncanny manner in which Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr is luring Nigeria-born players in Europe and the Diaspora to play for their fatherland. Many will emulate others and join the play-for-Nigeria train.

    In sporting countries, attention is paid to the maintenance of facilities, with particular focus on updating them to meet with the prevailing standards, unlike in Nigeria where we watch them rot away. These facilities will remain useful, if those who are running our sporting federations truly know the rudiments of the games.

    Indeed, the Table Tennis Federation has stood out in terms of registering our ping pong players in competitions. With regular attendance of competitions, it is easy for these events to be staged in Nigeria. Such big events ensure that the facilities are upgraded. It also exposes our grassroots players to see how the game is played on the international platform, aside having to watch their idols play.

    It won’t be out of place if chieftains of the Sports Ministry pick table tennis as one of the sports where Nigeria can win gold medals at the 2020 Olympic Games. Segun Toriola, Aruna Quadri, Funke Oshonaike, Babatunde Obisanya, Sunday Eboh, Atanda Musa, Kasali Lasisi, Bose Kaffo, Cecilia Arinye, Olawunmi Majekodunmi (pray where is Majek now?) et al are some of the tennis stars, who have done well for this country. We have a pool of players who can be persuaded to coach the national teams.

    Something is fundamentally wrong with the game here. Our coaches lack the requisite knowledge to match their European and Asian counterparts. There are two sides to help them, such as sending them on training courses or getting the foreign coaches to come here to train our coaches and players. In the short term, there is the urgent need to get one of the best coaches to help Aruna become a World Cup winner. He is so close with his innate abilities. But the finer details of helping him win trophies includes to get him a coach who will sit on the bench to offer him useful tips during his games.

    Aruna is our best bet for the gold medal. We need to repackage his outfit. And such repackaging can be targeted at the corporate world to provide the cash to fund the missing pieces in his game, starting with employing a competent coach. The package should include setting up training camps for him and perhaps the country’s kid stars penned to replace him soon.

    Oshonaike has towed the path of fame with her pet project targeted at producing new table tennis stars. There is no reason why she shouldn’t be in the new Nigeria Table Tennis Federation. Federations need such icons to help the game grow. It says a lot about development of the game if members, such as Oshonaike, visit the corporate world to sell the federation’s programmes. Not a few blue-chip firms will accept to fund the event, no matter how small, using Oshonaike as the signpost for doing it.

    All that the federation needs is to get Oshonaike to highlight the gains of such sponsorship package based on her experiences. It won’t be out of place if Oshonaike becomes a coach. She understands the rudiments and can easily learn from more exposed coaches in Europe and Asia where ping pong is played as a means of livelihood not for mere recreation, which is how our administrators want it to be perpetually.

    Talking about getting Oshonaike to become a coach reminds this writer of the Wrestling Federation president, himself, an Olympic gold medalist for his adopted country then, Canada. Step forward Daniel Igali for your insightful education of the minister before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. I won’t blame the minister for trying to prune the list – in the spirit of the government’s prudent spending.

    But Igali’s argument for the wrestlers to travel with their sparring partners explained why they returned to Nigeria empty handed despite their high rankings at world events prior to the Rio Olympic Games. A little lesson for the minister, only if he remains in office to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

    Ighali has shown examples of how to lead by example. He wrestles with his athletes. He monitors their progress and advises them to change how they wrestle on the big stage. As an Olympian, he is respected by the international body, unlike what we see in federations with directionless leaders and lickspittle members.

    Basketball federation is embattled. I don’t want to delve into its problems. Rather, one would advise that the officials agree on the guidelines for its election. It is the only way to build on the back-to-back Olympic Games’ qualification feats. The current board has achieved a lot. But this shouldn’t be the reason for anyone to perpetuate himself in office with a mandatory two terms. No matter what the board achieves, after two terms, its members should bow out honourably. If there is synergy among the members, they should work towards getting one of them to aspire to being the body’s president.

    Those eager to ease out this board have credible credentials to run the federation and achieve results. But these stakeholders must not allow their ego to destroy a federation they toiled in the past to get to this height.

    It won’t be out of place if a former international becomes the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF). This will be in sync with the paradigm shifts in the leadership of international sporting bodies globally.

    Basketball stakeholders will develop interest in the new dawn if such an international played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). I wonder why the basketball giant Akeem Olajuwon hasn’t been cultivated to bring his immense contacts to develop the game here. If the face of Nigeria’s dunking sphere is Olajuwon, the benefit this basketball colossus will bring to our game arising from his clout is enormous. He is a Nigerian even though he made his mark playing in the NBA and for America.

    How much is the NBBF worth? Such questions will be laughable, with Olajuwon, for instance, as the NBBF president. This is the new direction our sports should go – less dependence on the government for cash.

    Can Nigeria win a gold medal in basketball? Tall dream, but a silver medal won’t be beyond our reach, with proper planning and understanding among the stakeholders.

     

  • Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo – another avoidable casualty

    The last time I saw  and interacted with Dr Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo, consummate journalist, author, biographer, playwright, theatre artist and performer as well as unassuming intellectual, it was somewhere in Abuja and he was exploring the possibility of contesting the Kogi State governorship election. Of course, I knew he had little chance of success on a political arena where, most times, honour, dignity, integrity, loyalty, duty, credibility and competence take tenth place to filthy lucre, treachery and crass opportunism. Although I had left the Daily Times before he became Managing Director, we had become fairly closely acquainted through our professional roles during the presidential campaigns that ushered in this political dispensation in 1999. On one occasion, he graciously autographed for me three of his published plays, which, unfortunately, and to my regret I never got around to reading. I am told that when he left Daily Times as MD, Dr Onukaba Ojo did not take a pin with him – not even his laptop! Such honesty! A more modest and unassuming human being you could hardly find. This great but unsung Nigerian is the latest untimely casualty of the utter ‘state of nature’ – violent crime, bad roads, arrant corruption – that our otherwise beloved country has become. We can only pray that God Almighty rest his soul and grant his loved ones divine peace and solace.

     

     

  • Information, security and corruption

    Wiki  Leaks  and American Security  Operative  Edward   Snowden  stunned the civilized  world  some time  ago  when they  revealed confidential, state  and governmental information,   discussions and minutes leading to important state  and diplomatic  decisions of the US  government. It  was  also  revealed  that world leaders had  their  phones  bugged  by  the US security  agencies  and the notable example  was  that  of  German  Chancellor Angela  Merkel  who  around the time of the exposure  was  on  a trip  to the US and  the occasion  proved quite  embarrassing  for the normally  engaging  and amiable  President  Barak  Obama. Ironically,  some news  magazine  provoked  outrage   then,   when  they  recommended  both  Wiki  Leaks  founder   Julian Paul  Assange  and  Snowden  for  Man of the Year   Award   in Transparency  as  a result  of their     anti – secrecy   revelations.  That  to  me was  a  very  bad  joke  given  the  gravity  of the offence of both men  which  to me was  treasonable  as they  leaked  confidential  state secret  and information and have betrayed  their  nation and  jeorpadised its  security  and  stability  and  should  face the wrath  of the law . In fact  both  men knew the damage and offence they  had  committed and  both fled. The  Wiki Leaks founder  has  been  holed  up in Ecuador’s Embassy   in  London  ever  since while Snowden  fled  via Hong  Kong  to  Russia where  he was  given  political  asylum.

    This  background  information   is necessary  to  follow  the discussion  of today’s  topic on  Information, Security and  Corruption. I  think  it is necessary  to highlight  that state and  government information should  be treated  with a certain  measure of confidentiality  and secrecy  not only to protect decision  makers but to  enable government  decision   to  be respected  as in the best  interest  of the larger society  and motivated  by    overall    public    interest  and  the  common  good  of  society. It  is not as if this  is always  the case,  as history  has shown  and as the lid   when   open  on  statute  barred  disclosures  have sometimes  revealed, there  may  be    many other  less  than  salutary   ulterior   motives  of leaders    and decision  makers. Yet  that is no  excuse  for publicity  seeking individuals  in  whatever  guise to throw into  public  domain, without  authorization, the secrets of  government  decision making and processes  while political  actors  and public  functionaries  are  still in office and  carrying  out  their  officially   designated  duties.

    It  is in this light that we  look  at the allegations  by  US President Donald  Trump  that  his predecessor President  Barak  Obama  ordered a check  on the phones  at  Trump  Towers which  was his campaign  headquarters while  he was  contesting for the presidency  of the US, a  competition  which  he won  to become the 45th president of the USA. Former  President  Barak  Obama through  an aide has denied the charge.  But President  Trump went  on to compare  the bugging with  the historical   one   of the Democratic Party’s   Watergate  Complex in  Washington DC  during  the reelection of President Richard Nixon which  led to the resignation  of  Nixon   in  1974  in  what  is now  widely  known  as the Watergate  Scandal . Donald  Trumps’s categorization  may seem  like  an  exaggeration but  when  you look at the pressure he has faced from the media  literally   claiming that the Russians  won the elections for him by  hacking,  it  can  be assumed safely   then  that his accusation against  Obama  is  a calculated  and measured  tit  for   tat  against  the US  media  which   has always  had  a soft spot    for   his predecessor.  Again, when  you  recall  that Obama pardoned  and   commuted    a 35  year   long  jail term  given    to  Chester  Manning  who  released  700000  files   on security  to   Wiki  Leaks  and the offender  will  be out in May  2017  and  Obama  also  granted pardon to a Marine General, James  Cartwright who  admitted    lying  to the  FBI on  the Stuxnet  computer   virus,   on Obama’s departure  from   office,     then  you  really  cannot  easily   dismiss   Trump’s   charge  with a  wave  of the hand.  When  you  add  the fact on record  that on his  departure  from  office Obama  pardoned  and commuted  more  prison  terms  and sentences  more  than the  overall  done  by the 12 previous  US  presidents then  you  see that the US now and in the future  has serious  security  challenges that  are bound to affect  its political stability, diplomacy  and foreign  policy  for  a  long time  to come.

    In  South  Korea this week  the Constitutional  Court ruled  by a margin of 8-0 that  the country’s  president  should  be tried  for  corruption thereby  waiving the immunity  she had  enjoyed from prosecution  as president. The  ruling followed  the vote  at the nation’s  National  Assembly  that the President  should  be impeached. To  the letter of the law,  South Korea’s legislative and judicial  institutions have  lived up to their lawful  duties  and that was summed up in the verdict  of the Constitutional  Court  which ruled  that President Park Geun –hye   had  breached the values  of  democracy  and the rule  of law  and should  be  dismissed   as  president .According  to reports, the S Korean  Acting  Chief  Justice said  the president’s  ‘acts of violating the constitution and law are a betrayal of  the public  trust.  The  benefits  of protecting the constitution that can  be earned by dismissing the defendant are  overwhelmingly big ‘

    The  court  verdict  was a tragedy  for  the ousted president  but  a victory  for  democracy  and  transparency.  Yet  the  ousted  president was well prepared  for public office and service  as she was the daughter of former S Korean military  dictator  Park  Chung  Hee  who ruled  at the same time like powerful  military leaders like Suharto in Indonesia, and Ferdinand  Marcos in the Phillipines.  She  is said  to be married  to her nation as she has  no  husband  or  family.  Yet  she failed  the anti  corruption test  as  she  colluded  with  a friend  to betray  public trust  and she has left  office  in  disgrace. That  is a good  lesson  for  world  leaders  and  politicians,  especially  those in  Africa  to  learn  from.  The   lesson    is  that nobody, not even  a sitting  president  is  above  the law,  no   matter  the leader’s  origins and manner of ascent  to power.

    Let  us  now look  at  the  situation  in our  nation where luckily and happily  our  President   Muhammadu  Buhari   returned  home this  week  after a two month  medical  vacation.  In  his  absence  the Vice  President  Professor Yemi  Osinbajo  who also  turned  60  this  week  held  fort dutifully  and  brilliantly  too,  in my estimation. I  wish  him many  happy  returns  of  the day.  But  no tribute to him on the occasion can  be greater  than that of his  boss  who congratulated  him  for being  Vice  President  who  turned to a friend  and  partner in office. That is  a tribute  to  loyalty  and  diligence  and  nothing  can  be better, coming from someone  in a position  to make such  appraisal.‘

    In  the president’s  absence  his Vice  performed  numerous state  functions  on his  behalf  quite commendably  and  gave several  speeches  and admonitions  to  keep  the anti  corruption crusade  on course  in the absence  of its  Commander In  Chief  and  Champion, President  Muhammadu  Buhari.  But  it is one  of them  that arrests  my  attention  and  tickles  my imagination on the rule  of law, the fight against  corruption  and the administration of justice  now  and in the future in  Nigeria. Fortutous   circumstances made  it  possible   this week  for  Professor of  Law  to stand in as the President of Nigeria to swear  in the Chief  Justice  of  Nigeria.  At  the occasion the Acting  President  asked  for probity  and uprightness  in the administration of justice  in the temple  of  justice in Nigeria.  As  a former  Attorney –  General  and law  professor nobody  could  have said it better and more  painfully  too as a member  of the  ‘learned    profession‘  In  response  the new  CJ,   Hon Justice  N S Nkanu  Onnoghen  GCON  called  for the cooperation  of all  arms  of  government , namely the executive, the judiciary  and the legislature   and  present  at  the occasion were the  leaders of the  National  Assembly  who  are  also  involved  in their own unique  way  in the fight against  corruption.

    What  tickles  my fancy  however was that the last  time a professor of law  had  anything to do with the installation of Nigeria’s CJ  was when the legal scholar  and luminary, Professor  Taslim  Elias was  made  the  CJ himself   and  served  from 1972  to 1975.  Professor  Elias  was  later,   President, International  Court  of  Justice from  1982 to  1985. Now  another law  professor has sworn in Nigeria’s  new   CJ. What  I am  wondering at  is not  a case  of history  repeating itself  but    of what  is in the offing    this    time  or   the future,  in the highest  office in the temple  of justice  in Nigeria. Especially    for someone  who  has delivered so  eloquently and faithfully his  mandate of  Acting President  of  Nigeria,  to the  obvious   delight  and  admiration of  the leader  for whom he  sat in  for two  months. Once  again, long live the Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Jinxed national conferences

    Jinxed national conferences

    FORMER president Goodluck Jonathan’s 2014 national conference was an afterthought that needed about five months work to reach a fair consensus on what shape and structure Nigeria needed. No group had its way hundred percent, and no group felt it could not survive with the compromises it agreed to. Though an afterthought, something much maligned when he finally conceded to it out of desperation in 2013, he was sensible enough to know that restructuring an ungainly and malformed Nigeria was inescapable. By the end of the deliberations, and given the scope of work done and the consensus arrived at, even opponents of the conference and those who thought the former president’s motives diminished or counteracted its value reluctantly agreed that it would be bad faith to dispense with the report.
    But shortly after assuming office, and particularly in his first media chat, President Muhammadu Buhari told truly baffled Nigerians that he had not bothered to peruse the report of the Jonathan national conference. It was worthless he said, and he would not even bother to read a document he thought properly belonged to the archives. He has kept his word. It is not certain that he will ever call for the document, assuming a copy exists somewhere in the State House. As if this demonstration of short-sightedness was not enough, and despite the increasing complexity and untenability of Nigeria’s so-called federalist structure, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo last week added his voice to the anti-national conference hysteria. As far as he was concerned, said Chief Obasanjo who sometimes gives the impression that reflectiveness is a painful or demeaning exercise, the agitation for a national conference was a disdainful ploy to get a bigger share of the national cake. Yet, he organised one in 2005.
    It is not clear just how many living Nigerian presidents/heads of state, especially elected leaders, harbour such atrocious thoughts about the anodyne effects of a national conference, let alone one already concluded with evidence of clinical recommendations to salve Nigeria’s structural wounds. Indeed, to hear Chief Obasanjo speak so contemptuously of the national conference is to be finally convinced why Nigeria’s problems appear so complicated and entrenched. Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) last week, Chief Obasanjo suggested that “We Nigerians need ourselves, and if anyone thinks he does not need another person, good luck to him.” Then, still warily eyeing those who agitate for a conference, he added the clincher: “What I see in all those groups trying to break away is that they want more of the national cake.” How on earth anyone would equate the agitation for a national conference, or the implementation of one already concluded, as a design to balkanise Nigeria beggars belief. But that precisely is what President Buhari and Chief Obasanjo have done.
    Those agitating for a national conference should take appropriate and exhaustive caution from the narrow-minded views of these past leaders. They do not see the campaign to restructure Nigeria as a worthy and patriotic exercise. To them, there is little wrong with Nigeria that a president acting with patriotic zeal cannot fix. They fear that once they give in to the agitations, Nigeria could eventually be restructured in such an unrecognisable way that would delegitimise their presidencies. So, to retain relevance, their conceited private relevance, Nigeria must be kept in the same shape as when they presided over its affairs. If they are not guilty of this selfishness, then perhaps the real reason for opposing restructuring is simply because they are incapable of visualising any arrangement better than the unworkable one they had been used to. Either way, these former and serving leaders portray an unflattering view of their intellectual and leadership competence.
    For someone who also initially had a deplorable view of national conference under any guise, Dr Jonathan has become its chief advocate today. Somehow, it seems, should the 2014 conference report be implemented, it would be his only and truly substantial and lasting legacy. While he was in office, he was too much caught up in the frenetic pace of enacting or implementing one policy measure or the other to pay attention to the bigger, grander picture. Out of office, and with the benefit of hindsight, or perhaps maturing a little more as a statesman, as Chief Obasanjo said of him, Dr Jonathan has ruefully contemplated the great things he left undone. Unfortunately, he came round to the idea of a national conference too late to be able to do anything with it. The late Sani Abacha, it must not be forgotten, also put together a national conference between 1994 and 1995, which he probably had no intention of implementing. Yet that conference also came to far-reaching decisions about restructuring Nigeria. Chief Obasanjo himself inspired and put together a National Political Reform Conference of about 398 delegates to do a lengthy and exhaustive constitutional rework which he attempted to hijack for a less than salutary objective. Given his present views, it is apparent he had no deep convictions about the conference, which explains why he played ducks and drakes with the feelings of Nigerians on the subject.
    So, no past or present leader has convincingly spoken up in favour of a national conference. They are unlikely to, now or in the near future. In fact, there is no proof that all the geopolitical zones that participated in the 2014 conference are fully persuaded about its merits. It will therefore take more agitations or bigger conflicts of seismic proportion to persuade everyone of the need to embark on thorough restructuring of the malformed Nigerian federation. The present palliatives simply add to the jinx.