The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Blind chase for gold

    Samson Siasia has not learned from history. He has bungled Nigeria’s 2016 Rio Olympic Games’ preparations. He is in a fix what with the panic measures he has employed to get at least 12 Super Eagles players into the country’s squad for the competition.

    Siasia’s tunnel-vision plans have cost Nigeria the platform for nurturing younger boys who will replace the ageing players in the Super Eagles. In other climes, products of the Rio 2016 Olympics will form the bedrock of their national teams to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. We have lost this advantage because Siasia keeps fidgeting with his players for reasons best known to him. Four months ago, Siasia produced Africa’s best for the U-23 category. Rather than strengthen that squad with better players, he threw the camp open to all manner of players, in his quest for new talents.

    In his blind chase for new stars and indeed the Rio 2016 Olympics’ gold medal, Siasia wasted the opportunities of the competitions that the Dream Team executed. It was clear from the African championship that Siasia’s team was weak in the defence, just as it had goalkeeping problems. It has only just dawned on Siasia that these are the problems with his team, two months to the competition. What is lost in Siasia’s myopia is the advantage of blending the Nigerian side through matches. He now wants to rely on the big boys’ talent to scale through. It is unfortunate.

    If the boys excel in Brazil, the credit goes to Siasia. If the team fails, the players and NFF chiefs carry the can, leaving Siasia to scratch his head, like he does after any failed adventure as if that would change anything. The seed for Dream Team VI’s rot has been sown by Siasia. I hope the players can rescue Nigeria from falling into this pit. Otherwise, another crop of talented players would be lost to Siasia’s shortsightedness and presumptive tendencies.

    Siasia will find out in Rio that most of the boys in the football event at the Olympic Games are the first choice players for their countries and they would be playing seamlessly while a highly talented Nigerian side will be tottering through its games. No wonder our coaches always ask us to pray for their team’s success as if others don’t worship God.

    Siasia’s 60-man squad has been pruned to 35. This is laughable. What it simply means is that the majority of those who secured the Olympic Games’ ticket will be dropped in the final selection. I wonder how such a team will excel with many grumbling at home during their matches in Brazil. That is the Nigerian coach for you, always erring on the side of caution.

    Is anyone shocked at Manchester City’s decision not to release Kelechi Iheanacho for the Olympics? Is it any different from what Arsenal did to Nwankwo Kanu in 2000? Our coaches play into the hands of these foreign clubs by demonising our young stars. These foreigners don’t like us dominating football tournaments, hence they stylishly destabilise us in matters like this.

    Had Siasia not misused the friendly games by fielding half-baked players, he would have gotten Iheanacho without breaking a sweat. Siasia would have seen Manchester City scouts in Brazil trying to see the player(s) who replaced Iheanacho, since they want to grab such talents at a cheaper rate.

    Nigeria can still win the gold medal at the Rio Olympics. All that Siasia needs to do is to invite some of the players who excelled at the U-17 World Cup in 2013 and 2015, which the Golden Eaglets won. If Siasia doesn’t know those to pick, he can liaise with coaches Garba Manu and Emmanuel Amuneke for names and how to effectively deploy them during matches. It isn’t too late, Siasia.

    Nigeria can do without the services of Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo, Victor Moses et al. Siasia should pick boys who are younger, stronger, faster and hungry for glory. The legion of fledging players in the country is legendary. Featuring new kids will pay Nigeria more than those who are fatigued after the European season.

     

    Are the referees back?

    The noise from the stadia across the country has been unpleasant. The old refrain of match officials helping teams with big cash get the results that they desire has come to the fore.

    Accusing fingers have been pointed at desperate club officials eager to climb up the league table to avoid demotion. In fact, more pundits are not sure because every game is a must win as rich teams’ managers seek to justify the huge investment in the teams by their proprietors. So, what happened to the measures by the League Management Company (LMC) to checkmate the irate fans when they storm the pitch to take the law into their hands?

    It is instructive to note that the best security in any game is the centre referee. If he handles the game properly, people will leave the stadium in peace, even if the home team loses. Nigerians know the rudiments of the game to understand when a referee is partial or impartial. Violence at match venues starts with poor officiating. Most times, it is because of the referee’s inconsistencies during the game. Most referees don’t keep the whistles close to their chests such that they can blow it as the offence is committed. It is this delay in taking crucial decisions that leads to the allegation of double standard when the referee reacts differently to similar scenarios.

    LMC chiefs must accept this blame because they appointed a referee who had been sanctioned the previous season for such a sensitive game. Can the LMC tell us who freed this referee? When a referee is banned for being incompetent, such a man shouldn’t be given high stake games. I’m sure that referee Abiodun hasn’t stepped onto a football pitch since he was suspended, which is the norm. Yet, he was chosen for such a game. This can only happen in Nigeria. In civilised climes, such a referee would be demoted to the lower rungs and made to improve through the lower leagues’ matches before he returns to the big league. Here it is not so, especially if such a person is “highly connected.”

    Again, the LMC must know games that they give to inexperienced referees. Such games as the MFM FC vs Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) is a regional battle, with the Ibadan warlords serving as the symbol of the Yoruba race. Therefore, the best referee, preferably from the Eastern part of Nigeria, South South or North, ought to have handled the game. Choosing referee, Alaba Abiodun from Ogun State to handle a game between Oyo State and Lagos, isn’t quite wise, even though such a referee could be said to be neutral. The three states are too close for neutrality to befool proof.

    Traditional teams such as 3SC, Enugu Rangers FC, Heartland FC, Enyimba FC and Kano Pillars should be given efficient referees, especially when they travel within their locality. I’m shocked that LMC chieftains didn’t learn any lesson from the Sunshine Stars Akure against 3SC mayhem in Akure. Strictly speaking, MFM isn’t in 3SC’s class. We have seen Enyimba, Pillars, Enugu Rangers etc play at the Agege Stadium without any incident, largely because top referees handled these matches. I had thought that LMC men would pick match officials for the second round from their ratings during the first stanza. Or are they saying that the referee in last week’s game did very well in previous assignments since he was unbanned?

    LMC chieftains must henceforth pick only the best match officials, like it is done elsewhere, now that the domestic league is grinding to a halt. Every game counts on the league table – in terms of teams’ placing. And the fans are poised for trouble at the slightest opportunity.

    LMC’s decision to suspend Ref Alaba Abiodun is belated, especially as many people are in the hospital treating their injuries, with many vowing not to step into any stadium to watch matches.

    The game’s video clips should be given to the police to fish out the culprits so that they can be prosecuted. The police know how to get them. But can the LMC tell us where the hoodlums who caused chaos in the Sunshine Stars vs 3SC game in Akure are? They must be roaming the street free. They must have pulled a few strings and received a slap on the wrist. Is this not one of the reasons why fans take the law into their hands at match venues? Had those yoyos in Akure been brought in and out of the court and reported in the media, perhaps, those beasts at the Agege Stadium would have behaved properly. Those who cause trouble at matches are regular supporters of clubs, who are known to everyone. They are not spirits.

    Thank God the Referees Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has retired referee, Abiodun Alaba of Ogun state with immediate effect, after reviewing the match tape and other reports.

    The Referees Committee’s report stated that: “Referee Abiodun Alaba lost absolute control of the NPFL Match No. 23 between MFM FC of Lagos and Shooting Stars of Ibadan played at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Sunday, 19 June 2016.

    “He was not able to manage several frustrating antics of players during the match in spite of the helpful support from his assistant referees. The committee recalled that referee Abiodun Alaba was suspended last season from active refereeing for similar lapses.

    “Since it had become obvious that he is not going to be able to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the federation to improve on his art of refereeing in the past one year, the NFF Referees Committee has decided to retire him from active football refereeing with immediate effect,” said a statement to thenff.com.

  • Dilemma of a weak leviathan

    Dilemma of a weak leviathan

    The idea of a weak Leviathanis obviously an oxymoron. I like the way the biblical book of Job describes the monstrous sea monster known as Leviathan. As Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible graphically describes Leviathan, “His belly is armor-plated, inexorable – unstoppable as a barge. He roils deep ocean the way you’d boil water, he whips the sea the way you’d whip an egg into batter…There’s nothing on this earth quite like him, not an ounce of fear in that creature!”. It is thus understandable that Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the great English political thinker, borrowed the idea of Leviathan to depict the absolute, limitless powers of the sovereign state to maintain order and prevent the degeneration of society to anarchy.

    Hobbes, one of the major social contract theorists, posited that man is by nature selfish and self-centered, led by ‘a perpetual and restless desire of power after power’ resulting in a war of everyman against everyman. Thus, in the state of nature, human existence is ‘solitary, nasty, brutish and short’. To escape this unbearable condition, men enter into a social contract to cede their liberties to a sovereign authority, the state or Leviathan, which has absolute powers to enforce law and maintain order. Ironically, the negative traits of human nature identified by Hobbes make the kind of absolute and unaccountable power he advocates dangerous and injurious to human society.

    As Lord Acton memorably put it, ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. The impunity engendered by unaccountable and absolute power invariably leads society right back to the undesirable conditions of the state of nature, which Hobbes seeks man’s escape from. Nowhere has this been better demonstrated than Africa. Mobutu’s Zaire, Idi-Amin’s Uganda, Samuel Doe’s Liberia, Mengistu’s Ethiopia or Nguema’s Central African Republic are only the worst examples of polities that regressed to sheer barbaric anarchy where life is characterized by the shortness, brutishness, solitariness and nastiness of Hobbes’ state of nature as a result of absolute, untrammeled power.

    Some political scientists have characterized the African State as a ‘weak Leviathan’ because, in most instances, states on the continent have become victims of their bloated and unrestricted powers, which encourage rampant avarice and reckless lawlessness. Despite its appearance of intimidating and invincible power, for example, the Nigerian Leviathan is considerably weak as regards its capacity to secure its territory, provide basic social services and promote development.

    While the Buhari administration has largely succeeded in substantially downgrading the offensive capabilities of Boko Haram in the North East, there has been a resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta with a vengeance that has dealt devastating and crippling blows on the economy while separatist Biafra agitations are gathering momentum disturbingly in the South East.Meanwhile, the entire country has become a vast wasteland of rampant criminality including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, rampaging killer herdsmen, communal violence and oil pipeline vandalism among others. All this suggests a considerable shrinking of state capacity with a growing number of assorted groups challenging with increasing effectiveness the state’s monopoly of control over the legitimate means of coercion within its territorial jurisdiction.

    Thus, theNiger Delta Avengers, speaking fromwhat they obviously perceive as a position of strength are giving the most ridiculous terms for dialogue with a government seemingly desperate for negotiations at all costs. The problem is that such signs of state weakness can only encourage the multiplication of criminal gangs all bent on blackmailing and extracting their pound of flesh from a state that appears to be expiring on the most frivolous grounds.

    Despite the democratic transition of 1999, the Nigerian state remains essentially as centralist and absolutist as it was under military rule. This is why there has been no meaningful enhancement of state capacity and efficacy in the last 16 years of democratic rule. The federal government controls disproportionate power and resources relative to the states and local governments, which are federating units only in a nominal sense.

    Unfortunately, the decentralization of the polity with a view to devolving greater powers, resources and responsibilities to the lower levels of government, which are closer to and have greater impact on the lives of millions of Nigerians, does not appear to be part of the change agenda of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    While President Buhari’s moral integrity and preoccupation with fighting corruption is commendable, he appears to have a centrist and essentially anti-federalist mindset that can only ultimately sabotage his government’s efforts at revitalizing the economy, stabilizing the polity and sanitizing the country’s moral universe. This goes beyond populist and ill-defined calls for restructuring or a return to some nebulous ‘true federalism’.

    As Geoff Mulgan notes in his book, ‘Good and Bad Power’, while ‘ The most radical way of embedding decentralization is federalism’, the practice of devolving powers from  central to lower levels of government now transcends formally federal systems because “The democratic tradition that we trace back to Athens presumes that government works best when it is closest to the people”.

    Thus, even non federal states like France in 1982, Sweden in the late 1970s,China in the early 1990s as well as Bolivia and Chile have taken measures to decentralize and ‘slice back the power of the centre’s agents’. For now, Nigeria’s weak Leviathan may have no choice but to dialogue with the most irrational rogue elements in order to safeguard its oil-dependent economy and guarantee the country’s fragile territorial integrity. To strengthen its hand in the long run, however, and significantly reduce its vulnerability to pressure from such outlaw groups, it must take far reaching measures to become leaner, cleaner, smarter and more efficient.

    Towards this end, it is incumbent on the APC government to urgently take a number of steps. Firstly, there should be substantial devolution of more powers, responsibilities and resources to the states and local governments beginning with the long overdue review of the extant and retrogressive revenue allocation formula, which is overly skewed in favor of the centre.

    Secondly, the redesigning and decentralization of the state’s internal security architecture is long overdue. We can only continue to delay the introduction of state police at our collective peril. The military cannot continue to be burdened with and distracted by internal policing duties as is presently the case when the country faces ever increasing threats to her territorial integrity.

    Thirdly, there should be urgent constitutional amendments to enable the states control and exploit mineral resources within their territories. This will aid diversification of the economy and promote holistic and broad based development across the country thus making the whole less vulnerable to blackmail from the parts on which it is unnecessarily wholly dependent for economic sustenance.

    In a discussion during the week, ace columnist, Sam Omatseye, observed perceptively that Leviathan exposes itself to danger when it leaves the deep seas to wallow in shallow waters where its maneuverability is restricted and it is at the mercy of a multitude of smaller fish. The Nigerian Leviathan, which is the central government, must urgently shed needless weight in order to find its way back to the deep seas of efficiency and effectiveness in piloting the ship of the polity.

    Re: Kogi as constitutional laboratory

    “Segun, your apparently constructive reasoning and strong points in support of James Faleke on the issue notwithstanding, Faleke’s approach on the whole, it must be said, contributed much to make matters worse for him as it has come to be. Having naturally fought for what he thought to be his right and was neither declared the governor nor allowed to be the governorship candidate for the supplementary election, commonsense and reason suggest that he should have discretionally accepted the post of the Deputy Governor accorded him with philosophical calmness, bidding his time at least with the 2019 general elections in view. Though both the INEC and APC leadership aren’t to blame in their wisdom or lack of it in handling of the matter the way they did, it’s quite sad that Faleke having co-worked with the late Audu to deliver Kogians to APC could so end up neither plucking the mango atop the tree nor picking up the one that dropped on the ground”, Emmanuel Egwu, 08037921541

    “The tribunal failed to answer these two basic questions in my view. 1. Can a party substitute a validly nominated candidate after the closure of nomination date? 2. Which section of our constitution deals with substitution of dead candidate on the day of election as the case in Kogi?”  08136912987

    “Perhaps because we are not legal luminaries some judgements we see in recent times leave much to be desired. The answer which was very clear abinitio on who becomes the governorship candidate of APC in Kogi when Audu died became a subject of needless litigation when APC set in injustice. The judges turn us blind by their brazen judgement declarations. In effect, no one should fume with the landmark judgements in cases of Akwa Ibom, Delta and Rivers. However, reading law in Nigeria now may require Masters/Law School abroad”, LanreOseni, 08022066663

    “Uncle Ayo, thank you for standing by the truth. Faleke is supposed to be the governor of Kogi by now. The purpose of having a deputy during election is because of unforeseen circumstances like what happened in Kogi. But the power clique deniedFaleke because he is Yoruba, he is a Christian and he is close to Asiwaju. Justice and truth will surely prevail in Kogi”,   Boluwaji, Akure, 09086602636

  • Thank you Amodu

    The quest for the big stories to be published in The Nation and Sportinglife has made me cross swords with most national team coaches and the hierarchy of sports in Nigeria. I’ve also earned the sobriquet “Satanic” as my writings hit those in charge of sports. Luckily, I end up being friends with many of them after they have left office. I was doing my job. If it hurt people, I always apologised, since that wasn’t the purpose of writing.

    But would you blame me? Certainly not, given the difficulties reporters have in reaching government officials to explain certain decisions. The interesting aspect of news reportage is that when it favours one party, the others allege that such a writer has been compromised. What I do in most cases is that when another report favours the crying party, I use the opportunity to rebuke my “new friends”, reminding them of what they said in the past. I really don’t care how others feel when I write my stories, especially if they are factual, knowing that they have a right to seek redress, if they so desire.

    This has been my cross with most sports administrators and coaches. So, when in 1994 I was introduced to Shuiabu Amodu, precisely on August 27, he came across as one hungry for glory. Amodu came for Mike Itemuagbor’s wedding in Benin and stayed at the New Langa Hotel in the ancient city. The way Amodu spoke reminded one of post-match discussions on television in Europe.

    BCC Lions FC of Gboko had been beaten 5-0 the previous week in Benin City by Bendel Insurance FC at the Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium. Amodu boasted that he would win that year’s Challenge Cup. And he did. That was in 1989 – five years before I met him in Benin.

    He said losing 5-0 to Bendel Insurance, handled by veteran Coach Alabi Aissien, was a learning curve. He said Alabi was his professor and noted the various strategies Alabi adopted to win the game. BCC Lions’ brand of football was alien to us. Amodu adopted the 3-5-2 formation, playing a midfielder at the left back, most times Sam Pam. BCC’s style was a delight to watch. Their offside trap reminded me of Ibadan-based side Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC’s), swift offside trap when they were coached by Alan Hawkes. Another interesting aspect of Amodu’s BCC was that he picked unsung players from the Northwest. This was Amodu’s joker as most teams didn’t know those to mark. It didn’t come as a surprise that Amodu and his BCC Lions ruled Africa, conquering the dreaded North Africans with ease.

    Indeed, Amodu revolutionised the way coaches were dressed on the bench. He introduced corporate suits which stood him out of the pack unlike the scruffy tracksuit that was in vogue. He joined the league of coaches who had official vehicles, not those who accompanied the players in the team’s bus. He was a class act in coaching. Amodu was also a powerful dresser outside the field. He radiated confidence. Amodu was unsparing when angry.

    Not known to keep many friends, Amodu was technically efficient on his job. He didn’t mind if anyone doubted his tactics. For him, results first. It didn’t matter if the game was poorly executed. Amodu would tell you that people ask after the results not how well the team plays. Any second opinion was forbidden. But if you persisted, Amodu would listen. If he respected your views, he would be the first to call to find out your views. If Amodu didn’t respect your views, he will give you the length of his tongue. He never cared if he lost the job to prove his point. I have never seen a man who isn’t scared to fail like Amodu. He took risks. If such risks paid off, he would smile and plot the next stunt to show that he was a master. Take a bow, Amodu.

    The quickest way to get on Amodu’s nerves was to talk about a foreign coach. He would listen to you – he is a good listener – and lash out at you when he thought you were not making any point. Amodu would tell you that he had beaten many foreign coaches. He would tell you that Nigerian administrators and the media suffered an inferiority complex. What also set Amodu apart from other Nigerian coaches was that he watched the tapes of opponents and had contacts who provided him with tips.

    Ever pensive, Amodu wanted the best of working environment. He wasn’t scared to tell his employers what they wouldn’t want to hear, it would make his job easier. Amodu would only react publicly, after subtle attempts of persuading such an employer failed.

    Amodu’s pre-match and post-match analyses were superb. You would think that a professor was lecturing. His diction was flawless. He picks his words and left his audience convinced that he knew the job. He flared up occasionally. But who won’t, if the question is offensive or the reporter is up to some mischief?

    By 1994, Amodu had conquered the domestic league to become Nigeria’s best coach. He became the obvious choice for the Super Eagles job. His first assignment was the game between Nigeria and England at Wembley Stadium. The Eagles lost 1-0 to the Three Lions but Amodu had opened a new vista in his coaching career. Opinions were divided over the way the Eagles played. But it didn’t matter to Amodu. And he said that much at the post match conference, stressing that had he more time to prepare the Eagles, England would have been beaten at home. A nifty header from former Arsenal star David Platt sealed victory for the Three Lions.

    Amodu thrived in controversies, largely because he spoke the truth. He declared that Nigerian players are average. The media, Nigerians and indeed the players descended on him. But when the Eagles failed to qualify for two major competitions, the swansong confirmed Amodu’s position.

    If there was one Nigerian who believed in this country, it was Amodu. Even when he was first humiliated by our football chieftains, he still nursed a return to coaching the Eagles, even when he had a job in South Africa coaching Orlando Pirates. Little wonder he returned to the Nigerian job, leaving Orlando Pirates in the lurch. Thank you, Amodu.

    Many a purist have described Amodu as being foolishly patriotic because he was always ready to rescue the country from its free fall in soccer. I differ from this view. The pressure on Amodu to take the Nigerian job during a crisis was awesome. In fact, respected Nigerians invite the coach for discussions. You need to see Amodu when he decided to respect such people by taking the job.

    He seeks the favour of Allah when under such pressure. If he made up his mind, my phone will ring. Not one to call me often, his voice comes up thus: “Neighbour, neighbour, una people wan kill me again. I never fit sleep since. Better people wey I respect don intervene for this matter. I don gree to coach Nigeria again. I hope dem go respect me. You know me, neighbour, neighbour, I go drop the job o!

    Please, don’t ask me how Amodu reacted when our administrators treated him with levity. No, no, spare me the description. But one thing before he talked to you, you would notice a depressed man struggling to please those he respected.

    Amodu, Amodu, (sorry, neighbour, neighbour) you are resting now. Sleep well.

    Neighbour, neighbour was a popular song of yore rendered thus: “Don’t look out at me from behind the door, come on out and see what I’m made of. I know you are pretty and I can feel it…neighbour, neighbour, I think I love you…” No prize for guessing that it was Amodu’s favourite song. Good night, Shuaibu Amodu.

     

    What is Moses’

    offence?

    I have been pinching myself to find out what Victor Moses’ offence was. It is true that he missed out of Nigeria’s two matches against Mali and Luxembourg. But his absence didn’t come to ardent followers of the English game as a shock. He had not been listed in West Ham FC of England’s matches, which meant he had issues with his injury.

    So, when the story broke that he missed the games because he didn’t want to play, I called a top member of the NFF to find out the true situation? The NFF chief told me that Moses called him to explain why he wouldn’t be available for the two matches. The NFF man said that Moses even wrote the federation seeking to be excused from the game.

    According to the NFF chief: “I want to commend Moses for the foresight in calling his coaches and the secretariat staff to inform them that he wouldn’t be available for the games against Mali and Luxembourg. Moses called me too and I can confirm that he also called the federation’s president. For us at the NFF, Moses has not case to answer.”

    One is therefore shocked to read again that Moses may be dropped from the country’s Olympic Games squad for missing matches after he had called the NFF chiefs to explain his physical condition. Recently, I chipped in the Moses question to another top brass of the federation during one of our discussions. His answer wasn’t different from what the first board member told me. It then raises the poser – who is afraid of Victor Moses? Have we forgotten so soon the efforts we put to get Moses to dump England for Nigeria? Is this how we want to reward him? How do we expect others to perceive us in our quest to get them to play for Nigeria? Can somebody in the NFF tell Nigerians that the Moses’ axe story is a hoax?

    I’m glad that there are insinuations towards punishment for those who missed the games without permission from the federation or the coaches. I also hope such punishments won’t be selective. I’m waiting.

  • Credibility, leadership and political stability

    I  start on the premise  today  that a leader  with credibility  can get away    with   murder   in any  polity just  because the people he is leading have faith  in him and take him for his words.  If  he is a decent   enough  human being    however, there would  be no need  for him to betray that trust  by leading his followers  by the nose or down  a blind  alley. The  essence of  leadership  therefore  is to  lead  any  political  system  such that there is human progress in terms of the values, goals  and   virtues that make for a progressive   society. These  are   virtues   such  as integrity,  honesty, justice  and justice in  an environment where human welfare and security are guaranteed  and  any   human  being can aspire  to the best  of his ability and  ambition.

    It  is my  intention  to show today that  these  values  are  under  serious threat  in world affairs  for  now,  largely  because of the quality  of  global  leadership and I will  illustrate  that with examples of leadership  in some nations  and events that  happened this  last  week from  such  leaders’  decisions,  actions  and  inactions.  Let  me  also  state  from  the  outset  that some  leaders tax  their  credibility  unnecessarily because  of their  lack  of requisite vision  while  some through ignorance and  lack  of  perception and understanding  of issues or misguided  self- interest  put  the future and unity    of society as  well   as  the  stability  of  the entire  political  system  in  avoidable   and   perilous a  jeopardy.

    I    will  start  by  highlighting the ding dong  battle  for the next  president  of the US  which  has pitched the incumbent US  president in a triangular  verbal  gymnastics  with  the leading candidates of the two major  political  parties  in the US.  It  is  a campaign  that  has no precedent in  terms of abuse  and  mudslinging in the  history  of  the US and  we  shall  look at  how this  came about and  its import  for global  peace  and stability . The  next  port  of  call  will be the  UK where  a referendum on whether  the UK  will  stay  or  leave the European  Union  has  been  slated for  June 23 this month.  Undoubtedly  the  ensuing   debate  has  become so  vitriolic  that  each  side – to leave or remain-  has  accused  the other of blackmail  and is   campaigning  on the premise  and specter   of  fear  to  win  the debate  and  thus  the majority  of  British  voters  for their  point  of view on  the  referendum. We  shall  examine  the leadership  quality  on display  as well  as the wisdom of  the need  for such  an  acrimonious approach to such  a very  serious issue  especially  at this point  in time in British  history  and politics.

    Thirdly  we  shall  come  back  home to  Nigeria and look  again  at  the way  the war on  corruption is going on as well  as the way the anti  corruption  forces are fighting back ‘Especially with the court  case brought  against the incumbent  president  on his WAEC  qualification  and the attempt  to declare  his election invalid if this is proven  in  court  that he did not  have the certificate,  which  he has always  insisted he has. We  shall  look  at this along side the  trust  and credibility   that  Nigerians have bestowed  on their  president  and how  that has  been  seriously  taxed  by the  incessant  clashes  between  Southern  farmers  and gun  totting   cattle  Fulani  herdsmen and  the  president’s reaction  to  that as  well  as the way  Nigerians have  reacted  to  the unexpected increase in fuel  price  from 86  naira  to the  present  145  naira.

    We  go  back to  the  US  again  and  the ongoing  campaign  to elect  the next  US president. Undoubtedly  the candidacy of  Donald  Trump the candidate  of the Republican  Party  has  altered  the political  equation of political  campaign  massively  in the US.  Whether  this  is  for  good  or bad  is yet  to  be seen. What  is crystal  clear  is that Donald  Trump  has scant  if any respect  for  the legacy  of the outgoing  US President  Barak Obama  and the Democratic  Party   candidate  Hillary  Clinton  is campaigning  on that legacy. Which  means that Clinton is ipso  facto  a natural  beneficiary  of  the mistrust, suspicion and disdain  that  the Republican  candidate  Donald  Trump  has  for  the present  and outgoing  US president. Donald  Trump  has  gone far  enough  to insinuate  that Obama  has sympathy  for  Islamic  terrorists  that  is why  he cannot  call such  terrorists  by  their  name and condemn  them  for what  they  are.  He  has given examples  of terrorist acts in San Barnadino  and  Orlando  recently  where  an  American  Muslim  killed about  50 people in a gay  bar before  he was killed  by security  officials. Donald  Trump has  said  that President  Obama  has refused  to  accept  that  terrorism as  propagated  and practiced  by Islamic  State  has  come home to roost  in the US.  Especially  as the gay  bar  murderer called  the police  to declare  he  was fighting for  Islamic  State  which  later  acknowledged him as a fighter  for the borderless  Islamic  state of the Middle  East  based  terrorist  group.  Donald  Trump  had  earlier called  the US president a security  risk, an  allegation  that  the US president  unwisely ignored then instead of using  his executive  powers  to ask  him  to  legally prove such infantile accusation  or face the wrath of the law for disruptive behavior or utterances.  Such  a development  would have subverted  his emergence  as the Republican  Party’s  candidate and  would  have asserted  the benchmark  of  minimal behavior  and utterances  needed  by  those  or anyone aspiring to  lead  or  be president  of the US. Obama’s  prevarication  or  dithering  on the insult turned Donald  Trump into  a hero  overnight  as someone who  can stand up to the president  by calling him  names and getting away  with  it . For  many  Americans  who  hate politicians and  the political  establishment  as well as Wall Street and bankers they  think are milking the economy, Donald  Trump  has become like a modern Robin  Hood  in  political  garb  like  Superman out to rescue them  from their tormentors  and exploiters  masquerading  as political  leaders.

    Donald  Trump’s  emergence  has  divided  the US down  the line  and given their  political  ethos and values  a huge  kick in the ass.  As  the debate  unwinds I do  not  see  how Hillary  can  match  the macho and aggressive  campaign of Trump even  in  a debate which I predict  would  get  rowdy as Trump will not  allow himself  to  be compered in any  debate  with the suave and organized  lawyer like Hillary  Clinton.  Obviously  a great  damage has been done to the quality  of leadership selection in the US and  one can blame both the Obama 8-year  legacy  as well as the personality  of  Donald  Trump  for this. To  say  that this will  affect global  diplomacy or peace is an understatement. It  has already  undermined  both as both friends of  the US  and enemies  cannot  believe what they are  hearing or seeing  in the campaign and  do not know how to say  that the better  candidate will  win as they are totally  befuddled  by US politics on display  in the present presidential  campaign    to elect  Obama’s  successor.

    Similarly in Britain a leader against the UK  leaving  the EU lamented  that such  a development will  lead to the end of  Western  Civilisation. Just  as  some  have  said such  will  lead  to  World  War 3. The  truth  however is that the timing of the referendum is wrong as Europe  is awash in its worst migration crisis  from  war torn Middle  East. That  alone  could  make some Britons long  to be left  alone to manage their affairs and not be given mandatory  quotas of migrants to look after as dictated  by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel  the economic czar of the EU  with a soft heart  for  migrants  running away  from war.

    What  is more  dangerous  for  the result of the referendum is the danger it will create for  national unity in Great Britain. In Nigeria it is widely  accepted  that those who take themselves  to  court  never  become good  friends  thereafter. That  really  is the problem  the political  class  and the leadership will  confront after the referendum  of  June 23 regardless  of the results. I  can  foresee David  Cameron  refusing  to resign if the results go Brexit and I do  not see Boris Johnson accepting a Remain victory  with equanimity  like a sportsman. This  is because  the rhetoric    of the campaign has   been biting and personal in terms of abuses and accusations and this will  tax  seriously  the level of  political accommodation  and tolerance  post June 23 . British political stability and unity  will  be sorely  tested  thereafter.

    Lastly  on Nigeria one  does  not need  to be a soothsayer  to see  the direction  of the pro- corruption brigade  in  the  current  war  against  corruption  which has endeared  the president  to  his  people. But  a case in  court as reported on the internet can win  the battle  against  corruption  for those  against  the war. An  amendment  to a case  against  the president  is seeking to ask  the court  to declare the second man  in the 2015  election a winner in case the president  is  found  not  to have a WAEC  qualification.  The  second man  was the former  president  who recently  declared  overseas that  he  knew  he  was being  probed  by  the present  administration. This  case  is like  the Trojan  horse in the fight against  corruption  and the Trojan  horse  has  been  stolen  in at  night  while we were all asleep. Again  long live the Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Politics, the law and corruption

    AT long last the list of looters promised by the President did not surface. Instead the Information Minister reeled out a mammoth amount collected in terms of property and cash which was quite mind bogging and disturbing. But there were no names ostensibly because these looters are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court. That really is why I am writing on this topic today. I want to pick issues with the choice we have made as a nation to follow due process or the rule of law in getting back looted funds and getting such funds back to work for the common people. This is because such returned loot is our commonwealth and patrimony `retrieved from those who have stolen them for their own selfish use at the expense of our collective welfare and well being. I agree with a SAN who said this week in a newspaper that the government lacks the power to name looters before conviction. The SAN also mentioned that if such names were published those mentioned would suffer an unjust opprobrium. I also agree with the explanation of our Vice President, a law guru and Professor of law on his explanation to tarry awhile before announcing the names of looters. But then I want to raise serious issues of public concern which cannot be ignored if we are to make any head way on the anti corruption war which is the rallying slogan of this regime .And for which it has enormous support and goodwill although much of that has been eroded by the unexpected and brazen increase of fuel price from 86 naira to 145 naira. Nevertheless, it is my candid opinion that in announcing the amount looted without the names of looters, the government has gone back on its word and that should not be, regardless of any excuse thereafter to justify that. The excuse that announcement of names before conviction will destroy reputations does not jell for the simple reason that it is well known in law that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. How clean can the hands of anybody who has returned millions on naira be and what sort of reputation can such a caught thief parade or invoke? The government should have delegated the duty of announcement to the EFCC which in any case has been announcing the loot recoveries with names while those mentioned have not said a word in protest at the EFCC ‘s announcements on property seized or cash recovered. Was the EFCC wrong in announcing the recovered loot? Definitely not. Did the reputation of such names suffer in anyway? The answer is yes and deservedly so. If such looters who have returned money thought they could walk free later , then they should know that they must walk free with the stigma of betrayed trust, of having stolen and returned public funds. They must wear the toga of opprobrium in that they have done what is offensive and unacceptable in the eyes of right thinking people. That really is the deterrence for them or anybody not to steal public funds and hope to strut about like a peacock in society thereafter. That is unacceptable. Certainly it is most unjust to allow a man who has returned millions of stolen money to walk free to secure the services of a lawyer to defend himself thereafter in the name of due process or rule of law which he blatantly flouted when he looted the public treasury. There is therefore justifiable public indignation over such mis demeanour which was the genesis of the creation and use of the guillotine during the French Revolution with the theme Freedom, Liberty, and Equality. Which was the slogan that was the precursor of the rule of law which looters who returned their loot in Nigeria have trampled on with despicable impunity. Must they be protected by the rule of law which they have transgressed so maliciously? Definitely not, except to make an ass of the rule of law and that is definitely not acceptable in this Nigeria under this president. That is the truth and that is the way forward to me in the present dispensation. It is my contention also that the legal and political institutions that we have on ground cannot and ever fight corruption successfully. It was nice hearing a SAN saying that litigation alone cannot be used to fight corruption as it can be frustrating and time consuming. But most of the delays have been done by legal luminaries of the legal silk. A good example is the case of the Senate President where the presiding judge agreed with the prosecution that the defence was delaying proceedings unduly. The judge reportedly went on to threaten that such delay would not deter the consequences of the trial, a statement that the defence wanted to turn into another controversial issue such that the judge had to reassure that he was not threatening anyone. Such is the nature of the prosecution of the high and mighty on corruption when those under scrutiny or prosecution have such huge means, resources and even authority at their disposal to make justice expensive if not impossible in terms of time and the meager resources of the state and the people. Let me use the case of the former Brazilian President Dilmar Rousseff as an example of what happens when those fighting corruption let down their guards because they are confident that since they are in government the situation is under control. That was the posture of the Brazilian President when allegations against her were brought to the Senate . She had forgotten that her government was a coalition with other parties and her Vice President belonged to another party whose members were neck deep in the mess of the anti corruption war she initiated. This week Al Jazeera visited the Brazilian President at the Presidential Palace she still lives in pending her impeachment trial being presided over by her VP who is now the president of Brazil. The ousted Dilmar is banking on prosecutors dragging her successor to court on other corruption charges so someone from her party can be acting president or even Speaker of the Senate when her own impeachment trial for the trumped up charge of using bank loans to shore up the false deficit her government declared before her last reelection. In short anti corruption forces have put the Brazilian president on impeachment trial because the anti corruption forces in Brazil fought back successfully to put an overconfident president in the dock in a jiffy. When that is what she should have done with her constitutional power when she had it but wasted or did not use it pragmatically but was invoking the rule of law. It is obvious from the fate of the Brazilian President that those fighting corruption anywhere must be innovative, flexible and pragmatic in their choice of strategy to contain and nail the forces of corruption. This is because like in our case those who return stolen funds do so to buy time so that they can escape like a thief in the night. If given some respite as we are using the law to do for them, they will eventually stall or overturn the applecart of prosecution and punishment or turn the table altogether as they have done to the Brazilian President now on impeachment trial. Certainly a word is enough for the wise. Once again long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Not again, June 7

    What is in a date? Nothing sacrosanct, except that some are  very significant-bringing good tidings or pains. Indeed, I stay up late reading early morning newspapers on the internet and tracking trending sports stories. This routine has no doubt helped me in news gathering. I love to break news.

    Talking about dates, my heart skips anytime I get calls on my telephone in the wee hours. Most times, I try to ignore them. But when the caller is persistent, I pick the calls. Some of the calls bring cheery news from old school mates. But, sadly, most times bad news, such as the death of loved ones.

    And so, when my phone rang in the wee hours of June 8, my mind flashed back to the call that broke the news of Osayande Osunde’s death. Osayande, a close friend, former school mates and a great sports enthusiast died on June 7, 2008. Stephen Keshi died also on June 7.  But the news hit the world next day, June 8.

    Why the Osayande slant? The duo struck an understanding anchored on Osayande’s love for the defunct New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin. Keshi was the team’s captain. I recall how they celebrated the first win NNB had over Bendel Insurance FC Benin in the club’s history. It was a left flank floater from Yamaha (Joseph Egharevba) which Henry Nwosu headed down before rising above the head of a perplexed goalkeeper Haruna Wahab. I remember the NNB crowd, especially Ejiro Omonode. Going to Ogbemudia Stadium was fun, what with the many games we took along to occupy our time before the matches began. Barrister Dudu Orumen, Victor Ebomwonyi, Nosa Omoigui, Peter Nwoko, Osaretin Osunde et al. I remember you all. Indeed, the stadium stuck many of us together and it was fun being teased anytime it was about six days to the local derby. Rains couldn’t stop us from watching games. We came with umbrellas, which also served as walking sticks. Others came with rain coats. Our love was such that the winners didn’t mind dancing if the rain went haywire. It was part of the fun. Trust the blue Demin jeans trousers or shorts to weather the rain.

    As we aged, many moved on. But we enjoyed any reunion with fond memories, with everyone feeling his team was the best. When my phone rang and the bad news of Skippo’s death,was broken, my immediate response was why Keshi? Death is a thief. What could have killed Keshi? Was he ill? He didn’t look it. Could it be the effects of those crunchy tackles and nerve-wrenching moments of matches as a player and a coach? Another Muhammad Ali-like after career trauma.  I reckoned that Ali lived another 32 years with Parkinson disease. Athletes suffer a lot to maintain their fitness levels. Oh, why Keshi, I retorted. But the news gathering instinct in me overshadowed what was clearly a major calamity because I wanted to have an exclusive report when it dawned on me that Keshi had died.

    I must add that Keshi was a strong fellow, not with the loss of easily his biggest admirer Olu Lawal, three years ago in Benin City. Lawal could do anything for Keshi, which the Big Boss appreciated. In fact, Lawal would have been the happiest man, had he lived to see the Super Eagles lift the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa in 2013. Lawal and Keshi were like Siamese twins. I recall speaking with Keshi after Lawal died and his response was a deep thank you, from a troubled heart. Such was their closeness. Sleep well, Olu Lawal.

    I remember meeting Keshi again in Mike Itemuagbor’s office at Lekki, where we relived the good old days. He remembered everything. Old boy, you sef no dey forget things o, he would say. On that day, Keshi talked about his desire to coach the Super Eagles. But he was worried by the bad publicity occasioned by what he did as a player and captain. He said those things were in the past and that he had turned a new leaf.

    Itemuagbor was listening. I offered to interview Keshi in The Nation. Keshi retorted: “Which newspaper is The Nation? Ade you too waka o! No bi Thisday again?

    I laughed and told Keshi all the places he had gone in the course of playing football. We all laughed. Keshi kept the appointment. It did the magic because he called to say that people in high places were pushing his case to get the Eagles job. He got the job and offered me the chance to manage his media. I declined and told him that he could find younger boys for that. We remained friends even though I hit him when things were not looking well with the Eagles. After all a coach is as good as his last game. The business of coaching is about hiring and firing of sloppy soccer teams. Show me a coach who has not been sacked?

    One thing about Keshi was that if he interfaced with you, he would be the first to walk up to you to say hi. Such was his openness, even though he was an independent person. He did things on conviction and wasn’t afraid to tell you his mind, if he felt disappointed, like he usually said.

    Keshi and I had our good and bad times in the course of doing our jobs. I told him when I called to console him after his wife died that my “case” was like his when he picked players for matches. He retorted: “Old boy na true you talk for that one o! I no dey look face o! I wan win, but Ade, you for call me na. You be my brother, nobi so?

    I deliberately started my conversation with Keshi on telephone with prayers for the respose of his wife’S soul. That done, he asked, abeg, no vex, na who bi this o?

    When I announced my name, trust Keshi, he said: “Old boy na wa for you o! It has taken my wife’s death for you to call me. Life isn’t like that.

    I apologised. I told him that I had been calling. Perhaps, he didn’t store my number. I reminded him that I had his numbers since late 1999 when he came for the Eagles job with Johannes Bonfrere. He invited me thereafter to Togo but I never made it. The best I did was to send someone (Desmond Ekwueme of the defunct National Interest to interview Keshi, after breaking the story that he had taken the Togolese job.

    After our frank talk, Keshi promised to call me with my number that he had and did that almost immediately. He wept over the phone while recounting what his wife went through. Friendship rekindled, we spoke several times. But this time, I didn’t report what we discussed since old things had passed away.

    I’m glad that I made peace with Keshi. He left this world a fulfilled man, which is all that we desire. Sun re o, Olubodun tio te ri Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi.

    The alias Olubodun tio teri was given to Keshi by the late Mudashiru Babatunde Lawal, a soccer giant in his own right. If you called Keshi Olubodun tio teri, he would know how far back you knew him. He cherished the alias Olubodun tio teri (the one who is never disgraced).

     

    Wake up, Siasia

     

    Samson Siasia is an interesting character. He likes listening to himself even when he is enmeshed in a pit. He is a lucky guy but it appears he is pushing his luck too far with the way he is setting up the Nigerian soccer team for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Siasia deludes himself with the theory that he can pick any set of 23 players to shine in big competitions. What he doesn’t understand with this Olympic team is that the countries contending for the gold medal in soccer are coming with more or less their current senior national teams. And that would be the shocker for Siasia in Rio, if he doesn’t shelve his selfish acts for national goals.

    Put simply, Nigeria has the players to win the soccer gold medal in Brazil but Siasia is their biggest problem, with the kind of selection he makes. It is instructive to remind Siasia that his assistant Fatai Amoo led a make-shift side to beat their Brazilian counterparts in Rio while he was busy with the Super Eagles assignment. Amoo’s boys and indeed those who clinched the qualification ticket for Nigeria by lifting the U-23 Africa Cup should serve as the nucleus of his team in these preparation matches. Not the sickening choices he made to the Suwon tournament. My angst here is that NFF chieftains are watching helplessly as Siasia presses the self-destruct button of this team that should form the spine of the Nigeria senior soccer side to the 2018 World Cup. NFF chiefs must stop Siasia’s indiscriminate choice of players, when he has a winning team which he should strengthen with quality players, such as Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho et al not those he took to Suwon.

    Siasia needs help, having bungled the friendly in Suwon with the disgraceful 6-2 loss to Demark, the 1-0 loss to Korea and the scrappy 3-1 victory over Honduras after conceding an early goal. Nigerian teams fumble when the coaches fail to pick our best like Siasia has just done. And rather than apologise, he is busy blaming everyone but himself.

    Few weeks ago, Siasia spent quality time in England discussing with players he wanted to fill the over-age category. From the pictures he took in England, it seemed he had settled for John Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa. One was, therefore, shocked when Siasia left the matter hanging, with less than 90 days to the Olympics. What does the coach? Haven’t others have named theirs?

    Siasia should learn to take responsibility for his actions. After all, the players played according to his instructions. He picked boys he thought fitted his mentality of how the game should be played.

  • Kogi as constitutional laboratory

    Kogi as constitutional laboratory

    After a waiting period of intense suspense, the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal in successive judgements beginning on Monday dismissed the petitions against the election of Governor Yahaya Bello by Mr James Abiodun Faleke of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Captain Idris Wada (Rtd) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs. Zainab Usman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Labour Party respectively. In each instance, the Tribunal found the petitions deficient and unmeritorious and thus declared Yahaya Bello duly elected as governor of the state.

    Easily the most anticipated of the petitions was that of Honourable James Abiodun Faleke, who was the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu, who died after the collation but shortly before the formal announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the outcome of the November 21, 2015 poll. Before Audu’s demise, the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Emmanuel Kuchi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, had declared the victory of the APC in 16 of the 21 local governments with a total of 240, 867 votes while the incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada, of the PDP scored 199, 514 votes emerging victorious in five Local Government Areas.

    The Returning Officer, however, went on to declare the election inconclusive because, while the differential margin of votes between Audu and Wada was 41,353, the total number of registered voters in 91 polling units across 18 Local Governments where the election was cancelled was 49, 953, a figure higher than that with which Audu beat Wada. It was thus the decision of INEC to hold a supplementary election on December 5, 2015 to bring the election to closure. Some analysts accused the electoral umpire of bad faith since it was well aware that the number of duly accredited voters in the 91 polling units where elections were cancelled was no more than 25,000, significantly less than the APC’s margin of victory and thus rendering a supplementary election superfluous. From this point of view, the election was thus irreversibly conclusive. Even if all the votes in the 91 units were allocated to the PDP, the APC victory of November 21 still stood secure and inviolate.

    The INEC did not help matters when it sought the opinion of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN) on what its next line of action should be. For one, the electoral commission has its own legal advisers and should have protected its institutional autonomy. The AGF is an appointee of the APC-controlled Federal Government. His opinion was, therefore, believed to be that of a powerful clique within the party bent on achieving a pre-determined outcome in the Kogi polls. Nevertheless, INEC followed the advice of the AGF and requested the APC to present another candidate for the scheduled supplementary election. The party nominated Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who had come second to the late Audu in the party primaries of August 29, 2015, but who had refrained from participating in activities of the party since his defeat.

    Faleke kicked and declined to participate in the supplementary polls insisting that the November election was conclusive. It had been won decisively by the Audu/Faleke ticket. Section 187 (1) of the 1999 constitution states that “ …a candidate for the office of Governor of a State shall not be deemed to have been validly nominated for such office unless he nominates another candidate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor, who is to occupy the office of Deputy Governor”. Faleke contributed as much to the APC’s electoral victory of November 21 as Audu. Why did the constitution insist that a candidate could only run for office as governor if he picks a running mate? Furthermore, Section 181 (1) of the constitution provides that if a duly elected governor dies before subscribing to the oath of office, the person elected with him as Deputy Governor “shall be sworn in as Governor and he shall nominate a new Deputy- Governor who shall be appointed by the Governor with the approval of a simple majority of the House of Assembly of the State”.

    There are those who argue, however, that the provisions of Section 181 (1) do not apply in the Kogi case. Prince Audu had not yet been declared duly elected by INEC before his demise and this development is a novel one unanticipated by the drafters of the constitution. Was the election of November 21 conclusive or not since the Audu/Faleke ticket had won the constitutional requisites of the highest number of votes and the spread of 25% of the votes cast in each of at least two thirds of the 21 Local Governments in the state? Shouldn’t Faleke have been declared duly elected by INEC since he was on the joint ticket with the deceased governorship APC governorship candidate as running mate?  Could Yahaya Bello be deemed to have been duly elected as governor when he participated in the supplementary election without a valid running mate? These are some of the issues to which Faleke sought judicial interpretations and decisions at the Election Petition Tribunal.

    Although this columnist has not yet seen a full copy of the Tribunal’s judgement, news reports indicate that the judicial body ruled that Faleke has no locus standi to challenge the election of Bello when INEC has declared the exercise inconclusive. The tribunal further declared that deciding the candidate of a political party is not under the jurisdiction of a court. “A candidate cannot stand election without being sponsored by a party; the Electoral Tribunal has no power to determine the candidate of a party. The issues raised by the petitioner bordered on the nomination of the 2nd respondent (Yahaya Bello), which arose from the death of Prince Audu; Bello did not nominate himself. Both the petitioner and the 2nd respondent belong to the same party and were sponsored by their party. The APC has the right to substitute a candidate as it deems fit” the Tribunal reportedly said.

    Most curiously, the Tribunal also declared Faleke’s withdrawal letter from the supplementary election as Yahaya Bello’s running mate to be invalid because it was addressed to INEC rather than his political party. The implication is that Yahaya Bello contested in the supplementary election with Faleke as his valid running mate. On what basis then did Bello subsequently appoint Honourable Simon Achuba as Deputy Governor two weeks after being sworn in without a deputy as required by the constitution? Again, if the party has absolute rights to present any candidate of its choice for an election, on what basis did the Supreme Court declare Rotimi Amaechi as the true candidate of the PDP for the governorship election in 2007 and ordered that Sir Celestine Omehia, victorious candidate of the PDP in the election vacate the office of Rivers State governor for Amaechi? Surely, it will be interesting to see how higher courts will treat these issues as Faleke has vowed to appeal the Tribunal’s judgement after consulting his lawyers. Kogi has certainly become a veritable constitutional laboratory and one can only hope that the ultimate judicial pronouncement on the Kogi imbroglio will help plug a key loop hole in the constitution and contribute meaningfully to the country’s political development.

    However, the ongoing political crisis in Kogi, particularly the descent to anarchy in the state legislature, can be blamed largely on the national leadership of the APC. The most sensible, rational and logical thing for the party was to have declared Faleke, who was already on the ticket and a key contributor to the outcome of the November 21 election, as its candidate for the supplementary election if that exercise was even necessary at all. By bringing Yahaya Bello, a complete stranger to the electoral process as the party’s substitute for Audu in the supplementary polls, the party leadership helped fuel the belief that a powerful caucus in Abuja is determined to ensure that a Yoruba man and Christian will not be allowed to be governor of Kogi State. This is most dangerous and unfortunate.

    In turn, an obviously insecure and immature Governor Yahaya Bello, who believes that his power source derives from a shadowy Abuja clique rather than the good people of Kogi State, is brazenly using the most crude strong arm tactics to consolidate his hold on power in the Confluence state. Thus, five members of a 25-member Kogi State House of Assembly loyal to the governor, have illegally seized control of the House, purportedly impeached the Speaker, Alhaji Momoh Lawal, and under the watch of armed soldiers passed the governor’s list of commissioners as well as the state’s 2016 budget. That this is happening under the party of change is most unbelievable. You cannot credibly claim to be fighting against corruption while perpetrating the worst forms of political, moral and spiritual corruption as is so evident in Kogi today. Physician, heal thyself!

  • Buhari’s challenge

    Buhari’s challenge

    RECENTLY, I referred to the late Pa Alfred Rewane’s prediction that, with the Babangida regime’s introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and the consequent devaluation of the Naira in 1986, the value of the nation’s currency “within five years would be less than 20 per cent of its then existing value, leading to the possible collapse of the Nigerian economy.” Reviewing the consequences of the floating exchange rate regime on May 2nd, 1992, the astute businessman noted that “In 1985, N1.00 exchanged for 0.90 pounds sterling and 100,000.00 pounds fetched N110,000.00. Today, the Nigerian businessman must produce N3.5 million to buy 100, 000.00 pounds worth of vital equipment to be in business…By contrast, a functionary or individual who has had 100,000.00 pounds kick-back paid into his foreign account becomes an instant millionaire worth N3.5 million if he repatriates the money”.

    The regal, aristocratic and immensely wealthy Itsekiri Chief was of the unsparing, contemptuous and devastating view that the devaluation had mainly benefitted “the oil lifters, drifters, errand boys and never-do-wells of yesterday without any visible means of livelihood but who are now in advantageous positions” and thus able to own multi-million Naira houses of fabulous architectural design in Victoria Island or Lekki Peninsula in Lagos and other parts of the country. He made the point that no government from colonial times through the Tafawa Balewa, Yakubu Gowon, Muhammed/Obasanjo, Shagari as well as Buhari/Idiagbon had ever contemplated floating the currency and wondered why the Babangida regime thought all its predecessors were wrong “especially considering that the people did not experience so much hardship and suffering as obtains today”.

    As the progressive political economist, Professor Adebayo Olukoshi, has copiously documented, the Buhari/Idiagbon regime, which, in 1983, inherited a crisis-ridden and gravely ill economy from the toppled Shagari administration, steadfastly refused to abandon the economy to the mercy of market forces as demanded by the IMF/World Bank. It thus refrained, for instance, from devaluing the currency, removing petroleum subsidy, liberalizing trade or deregulating interest rates. Rather, the Buhari/Idiagbon regime opted for such policies as devoting about 44% of total foreign exchange earnings to debt servicing, drastic reduction of the country’s import profile, massive public sector retrenchment and wage freeze imposition, changing the colour of the currency to checkmate and constrict the parallel market, encouraging domestic sourcing of raw materials and bartering the country’s crude oils for vital imports in the face of foreign exchange scarcity through its counter-trade policy.

    TheBuhari/Idiagbon regime clearly underestimated the degree of dependency and helplessness of Nigeria in the international political economy. Flexing their muscles, the Western financial institutions and export guarantee agencies boycotted the country thus worsening inflation, unemployment as well as industrial and agricultural stagnation. Perhaps the regime would have succeeded in carrying Nigerians along in support of its nationalist economic policies in the country’s long term interest but for its alienation of the populace through harsh and authoritarian measures aimed at enforcing what it called national discipline. The succeeding Babangida regime swallowed the IMF/World Bank economic pill wholesale arguing that there was no alternative to SAP.

    Interestingly, the late Professor Eskor Toyo notes in his epochal ‘Economics of Structural Adjustment in Nigeria’, (page 191), that SAP actually achieved many of the objectives set for it. These include “a positive growth rate, improved utilisation of capacity, increased local sourcing of raw materials, an increase in non-oil exports, rescheduling of debts, lightening of the debt burden through debt conversion, adjustment of the exchange rate towards what the IMF and World Bank would accept as ‘realistic’, an increase in saving, more Naira in the hands of the Federal Government, ‘international confidence’ and the extension of some aid to Nigeria thanks to this confidence”. Yet, he avers that the concerns of SAP were so narrow that they did not address the fundamental problems of the economy, which we continue to struggle with even today three decades after. Can we continue to do the same things and expect a positive change?

    Is it true that there was no alternative to SAP, especially massive currency devaluation in 1986? Pa Rewane does not agree. He argues, for instance that his late leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, advocated six solutions to the country’s economic crisis before his death. These are (1) Unfloating the Naira and fixing its exchange rate at N1.00 = US1 or at worst N1.00 = US$0.60, which was the maximum devaluation proposed by the IMF. (2) Reducing the country’s trade deficit with Asiatic countries like Japan restricting our trade with them to a dollar-for-dollar basis, i.e. they must buy from us an equivalent value of goods in return for what we buy from them. (3) Nigeria’s immediate withdrawal from the Arab-dominated oil producing states, otherwise known as OPEC whose members observe prescribed production quotas in the breach.

    (4) Imposing an embargo on overseas tours and visits by ministers, commissioners and advisers, officials of ministries and parastatals except those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (5) Increasing the country’s daily crude oil output to two million barrels per day. (6a) Permitting foreign oil companies in which Nigeria holds 60 per cent shares to sell all the oil they produce and promptly surrender all the proceeds falling due to Nigeria because only oil sales by these foreign companies are accurately accounted for at present. (6b) Confining NNPC operations to shareholding in oil companies and monitoring their activities and sales thus saving cost to the public purse as much as 70%. (6c) Selling crude oil direct to end-users, since there is no shortage of buyers. Oil-lifting as a means of distributing patronage should cease; middlemen and bartermen should draw any commissions they may arrange from their overseas clients and not from the share of oil proceeds.

    Rewane makes nine suggestions of his own which space does not permit us to

    state. Suffice it to say that Awolowo’s suggestions were in response to an economic emergency and not a comprehensive development plan which would have included agriculture and industry for instance. Again, Awolowo’s prescriptions were based on the socio-economic circumstances of the time. What one finds striking are the boldness, confidence and imaginativeness of his ideas. We will recall Awolowo’s astute management of the economy of the Western Region in the first republic as well as the country during the civil war.

    Even though he admits that the proposed revaluation of the Naira would not enjoy the automatic support of the IMF or the World Bank, Rewane was supremely confident that this would not be an insoluble problem for a country of Nigeria’s size, resources and resilience given the requisite discipline, prudence and resilience. True, Buhari’s administration has been forced by economic exigencies not of its own making to increase the pump price of fuel from N86.50 to N145.00 per litre. From all indications, the administration is already caving in to immense external   pressures to formally devalue the Naira. This is an indication of the even greater fragility, dependency and vulnerability of Nigeria in the global economic system than in 1983.

    Yet, I believe President Buhari remains a patriot and nationalist with the best economic interests of the country at heart. His challenge is that of laying the foundation for the country’s self- reliant, liberated socio-economic, industrial and technological development within a vastly transformed and persistently inhibiting global context. This requires bold, original, out of the box thinking.

  • Leaders, siege democracy, and insurgency

    To  say  that global  democracy  is under siege given events  in the leading democracies of  our time  and even our own  Nigeria is  an  understatement   and  I  am  not  exaggerating or  being alarmist  in any way. If  anything I confess  to being quite  irritated  by it all  because  the situation is quite  avoidable  if some  world  leaders and powerful  politicians  have  done their duty as expected and as they  were elected  to do in their  various  callings and  nations. Let  me start  by  showing the bare  facts of  my vexation because I go  flat  out to  hold  the leaders  in question  responsible.

    I  start  with  Nigeria my country where leaders are behaving like  the  proverbial  ostrich  with its head buried  in the  sand but whose  body  is there  for  all  to  see.  Nigeria’s  democracy  is the vintage siege  democracy  of this era. It  is under siege from corruption, Boko  Haram, the  Avengers  of the oil  rich  Niger Delta  blowing up oil  pipelines, Biafran rebels, trade  unions, and even its own  elected legislators.   Similarly  Britain is under a self  created  and avoidable siege on its   old  and  tested  democracy  given  the Brexit   or  Remain  debate  on whether it should stay  in the EU  in the referendum slated  for  later  this  month. The  US  the world’s  leading   democracy is reeling from  the siege on its two  party system  and political stability and balance  from  the emergence of the presumptive candidate of the  Republican  Party Donald  Trump  and  his unique manner of campaign which grips   all  against him in a suicide verbal  hold on his opponents  jugular  and simply  does  not take prisoners. These  three  will  suffice  for now as we look  away  today  from events in the  Middle especially  Iraq, Syria and  Afghanistan  from where their  citizens are fleeing for  their  lives and are ready to die on the high seas  with their families. Rather  than wait  to die in these turbulent  nations  whose  leaders at least on  paper,  decorum  and protocol  were elected  by their citizens in so  called  democratic  elections.

    Starting with Nigeria  it is apparent that this is a  nation  at  war  with itself  but using and wearing   the    toga  and  smug    look  of a nation at  peace with itself which  is a blatant  lie.  Just  read the newspapers  and you will  recoil in horror. First  is the horrible  daily news of stolen  loot  which  rises by the  day  and you  wonder  how the present government is still  having funds  to administer  the nation. The  governor of Niger  state has  said it all when he  boldly told the world  that  he just  cannot  pay workers  salaries  given  the structure  of the state  finances.  Boko  Haram  is still  alive and killing in the vast  North  East even  though  government says it has no territory or  local  government  it controls.  But  ISIS,  the big  brother of  Boko  Haram never claimed it wanted any territory. Their  goal  has  always been  a borderless  caliphate  created  out of murder and  mayhem  as they have done so  brutally in  Syria  which  they have destroyed  and in Iraq  and  Yemen  which  they  have dismembered.

    It  is with  this  in mind  that the Nigerian  nation, government and  people  must  deal squarely  with those  advocating the dismemberment  of  Nigeria  as it is today. Anybody advocating  that in any part of the nation is involved  in treason and  should  be charged and prosecuted as such. That is the law of the state of  Nigeria. More  importantly  those   who take up  arms against  the  Nigerian  nation  and blow up its major  sources of revenue  and livelihood  should  be dealt  with  by the Nigerian  government  and  people. Nigerians expect  their leaders and   government of the day to guarantee the safety of their  lives and property. That  is the essence and meaning of government  and the cornerstone  of  governance  in any democracy. The armed forces  should  be used to protect  the  main  assets  of the Nigerian  government  any where in  Nigeria.

    Undoubtedly  the morale of our armed  forces could  be low because  of the humiliation by Boko  Haram over the years. But  Nigerians sympathise  and  empathisee   with  our men  in uniform  after the revelations on the diverted  arms funds which  showed  past military  leaders diverted funds into their private  pockets while court martialling soldiers and officers who refused to fight because of  lack  of modern military  hard ware  and equipment .Since  this is a democracy,  government  must  give  the military  a free hand and total  support  to guarantee the territorial  integrity  of  the  Nigerian  nation. A situation  where a group of Nigerians in the name of religion ambushed the convoy of our army  chief  should never occur again as it sent   the  wrong signal to  insurgents, terrorists and  unrepentant  rebels in our midst  that   the  nation has no  heart  for the use of force  to secure its democracy  as  well  as our  collective safety  and well  being.  That  notion  should  be nipped  in the bud by totally  silencing those who  aim  to test  governments resolve  in asserting its rule and authority over the entire  territory  presently called  Nigeria.

    With  regard  to the Brexit  and  Remain  debate  in Britain I  see a  self  inflicted  national  malaise  borne  out of hubris  and arrogance  in the decision  to put the issue  to  a debate  and  a referendum. Now  it  is difficult  to  put any order in the entire  episode  because that would be like bolting the stable  doors  after  the horses  have  bolted. I  see  no  sense  in a situation  where  members of the cabinet  are on both sides of the debate  which  has  become  hostile and  rancorous  and seem  to taking after  a Donald  Trump style  and  manner of  campaign when after  this   referendum the cabinet  will still  meet as a government to  run the  British nation.  Obviously  the leaders  in  British  politics  and  democracy   have underestimated  the  cost  of  sour grapes in this EU  debate  and its  aftermath. It  is assumed   quite  wrongly  in my view,  that political  maturity will  mend  fences no  matter the result of the referendum. But  that is where they  will  see that they have shot  British democracy  in   the leg,  fatally    perhaps,   at  a time  when  it should live up to the well  known  tenet of its political  stability.  Which  famously  is that – with  the Queen  in  Buckingham Palace  every  Briton sleeps well  in his  bed. Well,  I wonder  how this can  endure after  the results of the EU  referendum  this  June   either for  Brexit  or  Remain.

    Thirdly  I  want  to say categorically that  while  I see  nothing  wrong in the  emergence of  Donald  Trump  candidacy for  the  Republican  Party,  I  find two  incidents which came  to light in the last week  quite  worrisome.  The  first  was the way  he attacked  a judge  who  released  some documents on a case before him  involving Trump in the public  interest  because Donald  Trump has  become  a major  presidential  candidate. Donald  Trump  called  the judge  a ’Trump  hater‘ and  a   Mexican as if Mexicans  are  not  human  beings –  while  those  who  know the judge said  he was from  the state of  Indiana  and  not a foreigner. The  second  was  the way  he ran the Trump  University  and drove  teachers  and students  alike to siphon  funds  off  needy  and  poor parents in the university  now said  to  be defunct . The  two  cases  portray  Trump as  first  someone  who  lacks respect for  the rule of  law  and as a  past  con man  or what has  made   Nigeria  notorious in global  fraud  which  is 419. Which  shows  that like  Shakespeare  once wrote in Julius   Caesar – Ambition should  be made  of sterner  stuff. Especially  if that ambition is to be President  of the leading democracy  in the world which  is the USA.

    Nevertheless  I insist  that no  one can  stop  an idea whose  time has come as no  one has  the mandate or the authority to take up such  a daunting responsibility. In  addition  a people  deserve  the leaders that they get. Especially  when  they elect  them  in  broad  daylight  with  their eyes  wide open  as they have done  so  massively  and openly  in the  US in  making Donald  Trump  the presumptive presidential  candidate of  the  Republican  Party in that  nation .If  that is not a clear  case  of democracy  under siege  from  both  leaders and  followers  alike, I  wonder  what  else  can  be.  Once  again Long  live  the   Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Change this captain

    Change this captain

    John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses are easily Nigeria’s biggest players in terms of their potential, yet they have not expressed their skills in a manner that would leave the fans in awe. A few times Mikel and Moses shone in matches, but they have not been consistent. And that is the missing link between great stars and the others. It is this second order role that has swept Moses and Mikel out of Chelsea, not their skills.

    Weekly, we read about their being placed on Chelsea’s sack list, not because they are not talented but they cannot compete with the best. How I wish these Europeans knew how talented these guys are. But would you blame Chelsea’s management for their decision where, for instance, those who play in their positions do the needful, scoring goals. The essence of the game is scoring goals, which decides matches.

    Indeed, not a few would remember that in 2005 Mikel was rated second best player to Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Need I compare the transformation between Mikel and Moses? Or have we forgotten the efforts made by England to snatch Moses, until he opted to play for Nigeria? You can only become a big player if you take your country’s matches seriously, since European clubs rely on national team performance to evaluate their targets for each season.

    Messi, Ibrahimovic, Aguero, Ronaldo, Zidane, Henry, Kompany, Casillas (when he was younger), Veiria, Beckham, Robben, Dunga, Ronaldo de Lima et al sacrificed everything to play for their countries, in spite of their commitments and tight club schedules. A player joins the exclusive group of “greats” when he has contributed greatly to his national team, although there are exceptions such as George Opong Weah, and the world knows why.

    Interestingly, Weah’s performance in all his European teams drew the world’s attention to his war-torn country, Liberia. Little wonder he is still dreaming of being Liberia’s president, after a failed attempt. Can any Nigerian player seek to be president? That will be the day because many would be asking what informed such a decision. Not so for Weah, who bankrolled all Liberia’s games in his quest to play at the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.

    What would this writer gain to highlight Samuel Eto O Fils’ contributions to Cameroon’s soccer and how his people perceive him? Will it not be repetition to disclose Didier Drogba’s contributions to Ivory Coast’s soccer and service to his fatherland? Eto’O and Drogba are celebrated in world soccer today and rightly so.

    Only Nwankwo Kanu and possibly Austin Okocha, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amuneke and the late Rashidi Yekini can match these stars’ all-round contributions with their feats. No prize for guessing right these players won the African Footballer of the Year diadem, except Okocha. My heart still aches that CAF robbed Okocha of that honour with its mindless decisions. Kanu, Okocha, Amuneke, the late Yekini and Ikepba played their hearts out for Nigeria, hence they benched their European counterparts during matches. But Kanu et al are not the reason for this discussion.

    Mikel is easily Nigeria’s biggest export to European soccer. But his off field behaviour has been awful, leading many to tag the Chelsea star as arrogant. I share a different view. I feel strongly that Mikel needs help before he presses the self-destruct button. I would rather suggest that Mikel employs a public relations manager to burnish his image, or he would lose the goodwill he has acquired from playing the beautiful game.

    Mikel’s interpersonal relationship with his Nigerian mates has been nothing to write home about. Stories have been bandied in the media of how difficult it is for anyone to contact Mikel outside the country. Many coaches have experienced difficult times reaching Mikel. Frustrated Eagles managers have written him off. They speak of leaving on Mikel’s answering machine messages which he never returns. No courtesy. Mikel only gets to acknowledge these messages when the media is agog with bad stories. His manager reaches out to explain what may have kept Mikel incommunicado.

    Not many players have his telephone numbers. No problem with that because he has the right to pick his friends. But as the new Eagles captain, he must every player’s contacts like Stephen Keshi did with many Nigerians when he was the doyen of the game in Europe. Yet, Samson Siasia, in his wisdom chose Mikel as captain. I don’t fault this decision entirely, given Mikel’s pedigree in the game. But, Mikel’s conduct and his attitude towards people are unimpressive and he needs a rebirth, no matter who he thinks he is.

    Ordinarily, as the incumbent captain of the Super Eagles, he ought to be the chief host of the Joseph Yobo testimonial, especially as most of the players slated for the game were coming from Europe. As the Eagles captain, he should have arrived one week before the game to ensure that the logistics towards a flawless entry into Nigeria and exit from Port Harcourt from the world stars invited was guaranteed. What affects one, affects all, the old dictum goes, dear Mikel.

    I’m shocked to read that Mikel stayed out of the Yobo Testimonial on alleged spurious grounds of his name not being listed among the stars advertised for the event. I don’t want to believe that Mikel missed the game because of flight tickets and accommodation. These are ridiculous tales. Mikel, you can do better than this.

    My understanding of how testimonials are organised is that those to be listed on the billboards are ex-internationals known to the people. The essence is for the fans to throng the stadium to watch live some of the stars that they have been seeing on television. Since testimonials are novelty games, retired stars are more on the two sides since those on either side may have played with the retiree – in this case Yobo or his friends.

    I also don’t want to think that Mikel was suffering from inferiority complex because he has won everything that most of the players who came for the game have. Perhaps, those who are bigger than Mikel are Eto’O and Nwankwo Kanu, former African Footballers of the Year. But is that enough reason for Mikel to stay out of the game? I’m sure that if Mikel was on ground in Port Harcourt and could be easily assessed, Eto’ O wouldn’t have had difficulty in securing a landing permit for his private jet at the airport in the Garden City.

    Such details would have been highlighted by his meeting with the host of the event, Barrister Nyesom Wike, and he would have known what to do if Eto’O’s private jet’s details and arrival time were provided. Mikel must feel guilty in his quiet moments that a former teammate, Eto’O, had such a difficulty in his country. Mikel, it won’t happen to you, if Eto’O organises a testimonial when he quits the game. This is another point, dear Mikel.

    Let somebody please tell me that Mikel wasn’t in Nigeria when the game was played. If he was, it is rather unfortunate. It means that the theory that he was angry with the organisers for not giving him flight tickets to attend the game was not true. Really! How much is a return ticket from London to Port Harcourt? Even if Mikel was in the country 24 hours to the game, if he chartered a jet from Lagos to Port Harcourt, it won’t be anything near his weekly pay at Chelsea. Dear Mikel, you must apologise to Yobo and others.

    What Yobo did with the testimonial was to introduce a new dimension on how our stars should be celebrated. Yobo’s testimonial challenged the NFF chieftains to do a rethink on how to honour former players after Emmanuel Emenike’s brickbat over the clash in dates of the event with Nigeria’s game against Mali in France, little wonder they freed Eagles’ captain and vice-captain, Ahmed Musa for the game. But, Emenike must be told that FIFA’s free windows have been fixed long before Yobo thought of organising the game. Next time, the organisers should check FIFA’s calendar to fix the dates to avoid such clashes in fixtures.

    Dear Mikel, you can see why you should have been in Port Harcourt to honour Yobo. I wonder who Mikel thinks would participate in his testimonial when he quits. Mikel can as well say “who cares”.  Testimonials tell the story about stars which would help shape the future stars’ perception about playing soccer as a career.

    Dear Mikel, Eto O didn’t sleep in Port Harcourt, which makes a mockery of your alleged request for accommodation as a condition to play in the testimonial. Eto O arrived on match day and departed before midnight. How about that? I’m sure Mikel didn’t make these demands. Tell me, dear Mikel the true story surrounding your absence from Yobo’s testimonial.

    I wonder how Mikel hopes to rally the younger players in the Eagles to do his bidding when he loathes others and refuses to attend functions that affect players. Respect begets respect, dear Mikel.