The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • The pope and African dinosaurs

    The pope and African dinosaurs

    What was going through the minds of Africa’s political dinosaurs as Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation on February 11? What were the Mugabes of Africa thinking as the Catholic pontiff said he was stepping down from his exalted office?

    Many are honoured to kiss his papal gold ring. Multitudes struggle to touch him.  Amongst Catholics, there is a strong feeling of being lifted upon being blessed by the Pope. Yet, a great deal of that gave way as Pope Benedict ceased to be the head of the Catholic Church on Thursday.

    There was more he left behind. His sovereignty was chief of them. Although the Vatican is essentially a city, making it the world’s smallest nation, yet it is self-governing all the same, and the pope is its head. He answers to no council chairman or city mayor. There is no state governor to dictate to him, and no president or prime minister to sanction him. The pope is sovereign. When he travels the world, presidents receive him warmly and listen when he speaks. Millions across the world hold him dear as their spiritual father.

    What were Africa’s long-reigning despots thinking that Monday morning as Pope Benedict shocked the Catholic world and much of humanity with his decision to give up all the power and privileges?

    I can bet some of them may have concluded the Pope has lost his mind. Some within the Catholic fold have asked the Pope to rescind his decision, saying the head of the church does not traditionally resign. Indeed, no Pope stepped down in 600 years, which is why the Catholic world has been grappling with unusual challenges for two odd weeks now. One of those challenges is what Pope Benedict shall be called since Catholics are not used to a living ex-pontiff. Will he revert to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger? After some thinking, they have decided to call him Pope emeritus. The man himself has pledged “unconditional obedience” to his successor, forestalling another possible problem of loyalty.

    But I am certain that on February 11, the issues of post-Benedict XVI in the church were not on the minds of expired African leaders who have sworn to die in office rather than leave the scene.

    Pope Benedict XVI stepped down on account of old age and frailty which come in the way of effective discharge of duties. At 85, he is well aware that he lacks the energy of travel, of regular church supervision and of such other demanding responsibilities with which popes are saddled. He reckons that his office demands more than he can give. I also believe he places his health above the perks of office. More crucially, I think Pope Benedict was persuaded to let the whole world know that someone else can also do the job.

    All of that is nonsense to our sit-tight leaders whose time elapsed decades ago though they have chosen to hang on till death part them and the office they hold. At 70 they believe life has just started and that they can outrun a cheetah. At 80 they think there is none wiser who can lead the country better.  When they leave the plane of self-deceit, they descend into mindless corruption schemes. They design self-perpetuation plots to secure their ill-gotten wealth. These are the people who have made the continent a laughingstock among the nations and continents of the world. These walking relics of bygone ages have made a mockery of Africa and its people.

    By 2009 when he died in office, Omar Bongo was 74, more than half of which he spent in Gabon’s Government House as president. Within that time he had  changed the name of his hometown from Lewai to Bongoville and combined the office of president with those of defence, information, planning and prime minister, among others. He also managed to secure choice properties and assets in the sweetest parts of Europe. France was a favourite ground to show off his many acquisitions and his well-tailored trousers. He knew where to source high-heeled shoes to disguise his vertical challenge. Till his death, the official word was that he was fit as a fiddle.

    Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 71, has been ruling Equatorial Guinea since 1979 and is clearly Africa’s longest-serving president. His country is among the world’s biggest oil producers but his people are ranked among the poorest, while he is reckoned to be in the league of the richest. If he does not die in office, he is very likely to hand over to his son.

    Robert Mugabe, 89 last month, is easily Africa’s oldest non-monarch leader, though neither his country, Zimbabwe, nor the rest of the continent is proud of that. He looks destined to die in office. Paul Biya, 80 in February, has been in power since 1975, first as prime minister and then president.

    These are the dinosaurs of Africa, who, between them, have inspired other Africans to seek power and hold on to it until death do them part. We have seen enough of that reckless ambition in Nigeria, through the military days down to what we call democracy now.

    I have no experience of Catholicism but I believe the pope has left a good legacy. He preferred to shock his two billion congregation with the suddenness of his resignation rather than grieve them and himself with incapacitation. Our African dinosaurs know that they are unloved but do not care whether we weep or rejoice when they die in office. All they care about is themselves.

     

  • Financialism — A moral and ideological warning for world leaders in action

    Financialism — A moral and ideological warning for world leaders in action

    Next Thursday March 7 is the book launch of an unusual book by two unusual people, one a Nigerian and the other an American. The book is a rich synthesis of the unique life, career experience and contact of the co authors on the management of the global political economy illustrated with good stories and analogies. The stories especially remind one of ‘tales by the moonlight‘ which in the slogan of Hallmark Films are’ good stories well told ‘ to teach morality and inculcate wisdom. The book’s focus is on the political economy and how past, historical, ideological and philosophical efforts at making the global economy work to reduce poverty and inequalities have failed. This failure, the authors contend will continue unabated unless the present global trend and error of taking Financialism, which the authors call a corruption or negative mutation of capitalism as the ideological panacea for the world’s political and socio – economic ills, is immediately and urgently acknowledged and corrected.

    The title of the book is Financialism – Water from an empty well; How the financial System Drains the Economy. The authors are Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former Governor of Lagos State, leader of ACN and an astute businessman; and Brian Browne, the former US Consul in Nigeria from 2003 to 2007 who has served as a diplomat widely in Africa and is a Columnist in this newspaper, The Nation. The Forewords to the book are by two global giants in their own right namely Professor Wole Soyinka the Nobel Laureate in Literature and the Reverend Jesse Jackson the former US presidential candidate who made the famous statement that ‘God is not finished with me yet‘ when he lost the bid for presidential candidature. The two forewords which are rich in the experience of both well known warriors against poverty, oppression and man’s inhumanity to man, literally beg the reader to take time and the book to benefit from the practical, cerebral, real world, strong views of the authors on the running of the political economy. This is a book written by co authors who were bold enough to admit that even though they are not professional economists or planners they are not afraid to affirm that both past and present economists have not been successful in theory and practice to get the world out of incessant and successive financial and economic crises.

    The book’s main thrust is that the market economy driven from Wall Street by greed is leading the world to another financial abyss so soon after the global meltdown of 2008 .The book argues that Wall Street and financial markets have claimed the top of the US ‘ business totem. ‘Wall Street and the financial houses became the new temple of the American Economy‘ and this has been achieved with the mischievous claim that this was the newest, productive and dynamic form of capitalism when it is indeed the face of financialism which the authors say is an assault on itself.

    It postulates that the real sector which produces goods and services in manufacturing has been abandoned by governments who now dance to the tune of invisible market forces dictated by the financial markets, its leaders and its products. It is this false recipe that the apostles of global financialism have put forward as the blue print for the global economies to adopt to survive financial crisis and the co authors are shouting foul in Financialism.

    Comparison abound between Nigeria and the US in the book. While the US is said to be on the decline because of its arrogance and the thinking of its citizenry that it has the best products and is God’s own country, Nigeria is seen as never having tasted prosperity; and has always been wallowing in poverty because of poor leadership; and the fact that the Nigerian nation skipped the manufacturing stage whilst the US is the first post – industrial nation in the world. According to the authors ‘America has become apostate to its own ethic of hard work, solid savings and low debt. It forgot that debt which comes cheaply is the most hard to pay ‘Americans, according to the book worship money and no one can be successful politically in the US without being obliged to fund raisers who are beholden to the financial system and its sponsors from Wall Street.

    Even President Barak Obama was not immune to scrutiny as the authors correctly predicted that he would be reelected as he desired because he is part of the establishment and raised funds there from , and thus would be able to do scant reform; and the book was written well before the reelection. Which shows the predictive foresight of the co authors.

    My intention here is not to do a book review but to draw readers attention to the book albeit in the form of a me and my big mouth manner. This is because I am really fascinated and excited by the amalgam of fresh ideas and stories in the book whose main concern is on the global political economy, its past and present management and the course in which it should be directed to achieve sustainable global prosperity and social equity. The book provides ample research material for this column with its name of Global Economy and Politics. The book also is a lesson in constructive criticism, as it provides suggestions to both Nigeria and the US on the way forward after averting the powerful and all -consuming ideological ambush of Financialism.

    All the same I cannot resist the temptation to put the book in the context of this column especially with regard to events of the past week. The book Financialism should be a companion to world leaders who genuinely want to lead their people aright and into prosperity especially in this age and time of austerity and youth unemployment which are the hallmarks and by products of blatant Financialism as exposed by Asiwaju Tinubu and Brian Browne in their book. I would recommend the book to South Korea’s new first lady president Park Guen – Hye who was sworn in this week and who promised to recreate the economic prosperity her late father a military dictator Park Chung Hee achieved in making S Korea one of the Asian Tigers through export driven growth and prosperity decades ago.

    I recommend the book to the Castro Brothers who have ruled Cuba between them since 1950 when they sent Baptista packing from Havana with the illustrious Che Guevara leading the attack. This week Raul Castro – who recently took over as president from his senior brother , the ailing Cuban leader Fidel – was elected for another five years till 1918 by the Cuban National Assembly. Raul Castro has said he would step down then and has made provision for a successor if he did not make it to 1918. Significantly Raul told the Cuban Assembly that he was not appointed into office not to introduce capitalism but to protect and promote socialism. While that may sound ambiguous it still shows how far from rapport Cuba is from its big neighbor and exporter of capitalism, nay financialism, the USA.

    The book is recommended for the leaders of Italy especially with the hung parliament from last Sunday’s election, that has made the world to see Italy as ungovernable. To me, aside from the center left party that claimed only the lower house, two real winners emerged from the last Italian elections for different and opposing reasons and that explains why they cannot ever form any coalition .

    The first winner is Beppe Grillo a comedian that Italian took seriously because he said politicians are useless and have run Italy aground and the people voted for his party – the Five Star Movement and its candidates -even though they know they lack the experience to govern. The second winner is the epitome of the discredited Italian politician that Grillo campaigned against, Silvio Berlusconi now the Houdini of modern Italian politics. The wily fox Berlusconi simply bent in the direction of the storm of anger against his past political and personal record and wooed the electorate by condemning the reforms of austerity measures with a promise of tax refund, and the Italian electorate got hooked and returned him and his center right party – People of Freedom – to relevance on the edge of political extinction. Surely, these two unique Italian leaders who are part of the present world leaders in action, will benefit immensely from Financialism – Water from an empty well, by the co – authors – consummate politician and leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and fellow columnist, Brian Browne.

  • Dispensable lives

    Mother Nature could be beautiful, kind and nurturing, but she also has her dark moments. Floods, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones are all natural disasters that have the gargantuan capacity to destroy communities and indeed cities. The biggest most recent natural disaster was the Haiti earthquake in 2010 where an estimated 316,000 people were killed by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake and a minimum of 52 aftershocks. As devastating as these events were, they were not preventable because they happened naturally.

    But when disasters are caused by man, it is inexcusable. Mankind has frequently created catastrophes that have devastated the immediate environment and taken countless innocent lives. The effects of chemical or radioactive spills are especially horrific to a person’s physical and mental state of health. The adverse effects resulting from chemicals are known to evoke a wide spectrum of biological responses in people, depending upon the extent of their exposure and its potential to interact with the person’s anatomical structures and physiological functions. These effects could finally result in clusters of disease or instantaneous death.

    That is why when I shockingly learnt of the alleged dumping of harmful waste by the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KPRC), the NNPC subsidiary in Rido community of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, I was appalled. The community of Rido is about half a kilometre from KRPC with an estimated 30,000 people residing there. But between June 10 and 14, 2012, a powdery, dusty substance was dumped by contractors that were hired by the KRPC. Almost immediately, two human deaths were reported with a high death toll of dogs and chickens within the vicinity. At least six more deaths were reported within two weeks of this alleged callous crime; many children were admitted into the community’s only hospital and clinic. Many villagers experienced respiratory tract problems, as the fumes they inhaled were toxic and caused incessant, severe coughing. Even though children and animals alike had gone to the waste dump to pick wood and other things, those that did not go near the dump site experienced severe symptoms as the wind blew the powdery substance to nearby distances. The village head, nurses that work in the community and eyewitnesses have clarified the above facts.

    The proprietor of Biams Integrated Farms, a farm located 500m from the vicinity of the waste dump, recorded the loss of 700 chickens in less than three hours, within four days of the waste’s dumping on their poultry farm. Staff employed at the farm complained of headaches and bloated stomachs. Justifiably, the matter is now in court and it would be inexcusable for the legal system not to take this matter with the seriousness it deserves. KINGS (Kaduna Integrity Groups), an NGO, has on behalf of the Rido community taken the matter up in court and a legal battle has been in the works since last year. Abdullahi Umar Ladan, leader of KINGS, has repeatedly called on the relevant authorities to come to the aid of the people in Rido Community by avoiding another illegal dumping of any toxic waste.

    A veterinary doctor of Biams Integrated Farms, Abdul Ganiyu, spoke about the high mortality rate experienced with poultry on the farm. He also described some of the symptoms experienced by villagers, who described the smell of the waste as “having a tear-gas effect”. The victims spoke about taking painful breaths from the fumes of the waste.

    Despite the fact that the waste has long been evacuated, residents of the community are still suffering from the effects of this traumatic event. The KEPA (Kaduna Environmental Protection Agency) has also confirmed that industrial waste was dumped in Rido community when KRPC refurbished some of its facilities. KEPA had informed KRPC that any waste to be dumped has to be done only with official clearance from KEPA, as industrial waste is a specialized waste and there are usually specific sites where these are dumped — far away from community settlements. There have been futile promises by the affected government agencies to look fully into the matter but, till date, no impactful action has been taken on behalf of the people of this longsuffering community. The KRPC has continuously denied any misappropriate action taken by them, claiming that any dumping of waste was conducted by contractors. If indeed toxic waste was dumped by KRPC, then there need to be accountability by the organization as well as adequate compensation for the victims.

    Whatever the facts, a chemical incident has resulted as an unexpected, uncontrolled release of a chemical from its containment. The WHO defines a public- health incident as “where two or more members of the public are exposed (or threatened to be exposed) to a chemical.” In a majority of cases, it’s an acute release where the exposure and dose do not rise quickly and public health measures are not taken so promptly, even though the public- health concern can emerge suddenly and acutely. Chemicals enter our body through the eyes, skin, lung or digestive tract. The rate varies from different chemicals and the concentration of a chemical as well as length of time of exposure can have varying but ultimately damaging effects.

    So how do we protect our people and environment from exposure to these chemical disasters? The federal government should set up procedures and organizations to ensure that the public- health management of any chemical incident is effective and comprehensive. In the case of the Rido community, it is apparent that the safety measures put in place were not adequate enough to protect them. At the local level, public- health authorities need to identify situations where chemical incidents could occur and assess the likely risks to exposed people, property and the environment. There should be facilities for emergency plan development and implementation. This means well- stocked pharmacies within a clinic, functional ambulances and highly trained staff attached to the clinics.

    Vulnerability assessment, also known as community risk assessment (CRA) in the field of chemical incident management, is an assessment of the potential effects of a chemical incident in the local area. This is composed of four major steps: identification of hazardous chemical sites, identification of possible incident scenarios and exposure paths, identification of vulnerable populations, facilities and environments, and lastly estimation of health impact of potential chemical incidents and the requirements for health-care facilities sensitized on the dangers of such. There should also be proper monitoring of vulnerable areas with emergency phone lines available in preparation for any chemical incident.

    In April 2010, a Maesrk Line vessel, “MV Nashville” was apprehended by the Nigerian Ports Authority. It was filled with toxic waste. In June 2010, a ship, “MV Gumel”, was detained in Lagos with several containers of toxic waste. Similarly, in 1988, radioactive waste was dumped in Koko, Delta State. The list seems endless. Ironically, in all these cases, the federal government sought substantial compensation for these crimes. There should not be double standard in how the crime of toxic waste dumping is investigated.

    Since it is proven that chemical waste has a long-lasting impact on our society and environment, all potential victims are entitled to compensation. Sadly, there can be no compensation for those innocent adults and children that lost their lives in 2012 in Rido community. A community’s basic right to coexist in peace and lead happy, healthy and productive lives has forever been blemished by the incident of chemical waste dump.

    No matter how powerful or influential an organization is, no one has the right to play God with innocent people’s lives. And if that unfortunate gamble is indeed taken, then, the culprits should be ready to not only face the wrath of God himself but be accountable to the proper authorities within the confines of our judicial system

     

  • Memo to the ‘resurrected’ First Lady(2)

    Memo to the ‘resurrected’ First Lady(2)

    And what in the world do they mean by tagging you a murderer of truth? They said you looked at them straight in the face and danced through your lies to the embrace of your husband. They wondered why it took you close to four months to come out with the half-truth, knowing that you never told anyone what you were actually treated for. In that split moment of self-glorification, the truth that had been hidden for months hit us like thunderbolt. By the time you finished the sermon on how you were brought back from the dead, you left us searching for the appropriate words to describe your conduct. Some called you a despicable liar. But I believe that was too harsh. I’d rather put it mildly by saying you were simply being economical with the truth. That’s a nicer way of saying it. It is a special privilege that Nigerian citizens accord top citizens; we are a grateful nation and we dare not accuse the highly-placed of lying from both sides of the mouth. For three harrowing months, you twisted logic and foisted the most incongruous illogic on us. I’ll explain, Ma.

    But first, your words when you mounted the pulpit on that innocent Sunday: “I actually died; I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened. I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his own. My doctors said all hope was lost.

    “A black doctor in London who is with us in this service was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I would return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days. I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.

    “I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive. When God says yes, nobody can say no. People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it (surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the theatre every day. It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month. It was not an easy one.”

    Now, my observations: Take, for example, the belated comparison of your ordeal to that of Lazarus in the Bible. From Nigeria to the Bible; indeed, you and your ways have come a long way Ma. People said if it was indeed true that you ‘died” for seven days before God’s healing balm touched you through your doctors, then you missed the chance to praise Him by, first, baying for the blood of imaginary enemies on your arrival in Nigeria. They said you went off the cuff by blowing the trumpet of no surgery in Germany when you actually went under doctors’ scalpels more than eight times! They also noted that your confession was lacking in key details and they are asking salient questions—If it was not “that hospital”, which hospital did you stay for the six weeks? If it was not cosmetic surgeryor tummy tuck, what were you treated for? Was it food poisoning as being alleged or could it be common cold and catarrh or even toothache? You see, the ways of VIPS like you never cease to confound us.

    Madam, you missed the point if you think that those asking these questions do not wish you well. On the contrary, they are your true friends—the ones that would never think of selling off your things because you were on a sick bed. They are not even qualified to become business fronts to the high and mighty. All they want from you is to set good examples. They want to see a virtuous woman that would not take God’s mercy for granted. They said your ‘resurrection’ will only have meaning if you begin to truly touch lives positively. For your information, there are too many vulnerable children out there who have no access to basic healthcare; many Nigerians cannot afford treatment for common ailments like malaria and flu; countless others rely on self-medication; and many more have died due to poor healthcare facilities.

    Yet, in this country, billions of dollars are frittered on medical tourism by those who are expected to make the system work. White elephants are erected to satisfy the taste of those in power. These, to my mind, are the physical evidence of wasted billions. Has it ever crossed your mind Ma that that black medical doctor that was flown from the United Kingdom to save your life, and who was probably flown into the country with taxpayers’ money just that he could attend your extravagant thanksgiving ceremony, could have been working in any of our medical facilities if they have not been turned into glorified consulting clinics! It grew so bad that those who loot the public till now travel abroad to give their teeth a clean wash! State governors and their lackeys now retain the services of medical personnel in far-flung countries while the hospitals at home rot away. There is no doubting the fact that your famed ‘resurrection’ must have left more than a modest dent on the nation’s leaky treasury. We, the people, thank God for your life. And in doing that, we hope that we would not have to die before having the chance to exhale….like you just did even if yours was heavily garnished with tissues of lies!

    For the records Ma, I hope you understand that my piece is not an affront. Some people don’t like telling the truth, others don’t like hearing it. The truth hurts for a little while, but lies hurt forever. That you were given a second chance by the Ceeator demands something deeper and ennobling. A little bit of introspection should make it clearer. If only you can take a pulse and reflect on these things, you will understand that your decision to side-kick imaginary enemies devalues the essence of the office. However, in all this, the choice is yours for one lie often begets another. Good enough, truth is eternally triumphant. Make your choice, Ma!

  • Jonathan’s tactical error on Amaechi

    Jonathan’s tactical error on Amaechi

    There is hardly a better way to justify the saying that no condition is permanent. Six years ago, he gnashed his teeth in the cold after he was shut out by the powers that be in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Today, Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, is not just the beautiful bride, he holds the ace as far as the party’s survival is concerned.

    After his tenure as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, he threw his hat in the ring for the governorship primaries of the party in the state in the build-up to the 2007 general elections. He won the primaries, but with the culture of impunity that prevailed in the party while Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo held sway as President, he was shoved aside by the party’s hierarchy and his cousin, Celestine Omehia, was handed the party’s flag.

    Amaechi remained stoically calm as Omehia and other PDP stalwarts embarked on vigorous campaign for the governorship seat. But no sooner was Omehia declared the governor-elect than Amaechi headed for the courts to file a case against the PDP for wrongly substituting his candidacy with Omehia, and to ask that he be declared the elected governor of Rivers State. After a protracted legal battle, judgment was declared in Amaechi’s favour and Omehia had to vacate the seat for him.

    But he had hardly settled down in office when his first adversary emerged in the person of former Minister of Information and prominent Niger Delta leader, Chief Edwin Clarke. The two had got along well until 2008 when Clarke’s clamour for amnesty for Niger Delta militants became their point of disagreement. Amaechi, known for being principled, vehemently opposed the clamour for amnesty. He believed the only motivation behind Clarke’s push for amnesty was the fact that most of the militant youths were Ijaw like him. The smouldering feud would later extend to Clarke’s political son, President Goodluck Jonathan. But it was not fanned into a flame until sometime in October last year when the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission (RMFC) ceded some of Rivers’ oil wells to Bayelsa, Jonathan’s home state.

    The development resulted in widespread protests in more than 30 communities in Rivers State and even in Abuja where some indigenes of the state also protested. Before long, verbal assaults began to fly between Amaechi and the governor of Bayelsa State who claimed that the 11th edition of the administrative map of Nigeria had given the oil wells to Bayelsa. Insinuations that President Jonathan had used his office to influence the ceding of Rivers’ oil wells to Bayelsa left him offended and highly embarrassed. A few weeks later, there were reports of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFCC) investigating the Amaechi administration over corrupt practices. There were also reports of attempts by the Presidency to instigate the Rivers State House of Assembly against the governor.

    Jonathan’s loyalist and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe reached into his verbal armoury and launched a missile against Amaechi, accusing him of disrespecting the President. “He (Amaechi) sees himself as the governor of governors, and he begins to feel that he is even bigger than the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I want to make him know that God is still God. He must have respect for the Presidency. He must have respect for the President of this country. In America, even within the same political parties, they struggle and they fight over positions. But once a President emerges, everybody will hold his tongue and support the President to succeed so that Americans can get the best. But is that what our President is getting? It is sad, it is unfortunate that people from the South-South, even governors, particularly Governor Rotimi Amaechi, has no respect for the president of this country. I think this is the right time we should let him know,” he said.

    Determined to reduce Amaechi’s influence as the chairman of the highly influential Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Jonathan and his loyalists last week formed a parallel PDP Governors’ Forum with the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, as the chairman. With his utterances since he was named the helmsman of the new forum, Akpabio, who only last year predicted that the PDP would remain in power for 50 years, has not hidden his desperation to crush any perceived threat to Jonathan’s second term ambition and PDP’s continued hold on power. “What the PDP is trying to do now is to cleanse its house; to try to identify the ones they call Judases and say to them ‘go out, the train is moving’. We will ask them not to remain standing otherwise we will crush them,” Akpabio told members of the National Working Committee of the party, including the party’s National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Yet many would see the confrontational stance of the President and his loyalists against Amaechi as a tactical blunder. Whether they know it or not, there are more loyal governors to Amaechi than there are to Jonathan at the moment. The reason is simple. Majority of the governors believe their ego was badly bruised with the Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s decision to dissolve the executive committee of the PDP in Adamawa State against their protestations. Now they are waiting for an opportunity to take their pound of flesh from Jonathan for failing to call Tukur to order. By implication, therefore, every move against Amaechi is a move against the governors, whose grip on their constituencies can only be underestimated at the President’s peril.

    If Amaechi was a mortar, he has become a pot since the face-off between Tukur and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. He is now far more delicate to roll. Like a mosquito that perches on the scrotum, his case requires much more diplomacy than the aggression being adopted by Jonathan and his men. Even if, like a leper, he is not endowed with enough fingers to milk a cow, he definitely has all it takes to spill the milk. Jonathan and his loyalists ought to have acted on the saying that if you cannot get a man to become your friend, you should make it impossible for him to become your enemy. But all that appear to be too late in the day as the feuding parties have crossed the Rubicon. Happily, however, the ordinary Nigerian could be the ultimate beneficiary. You know what I mean?

     

  • Chime’s hide and seek

    Chime’s hide and seek

    ON  Thursday, Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime flew back to the country as quietly as he jetted out last September. His return brought relief on the one hand, and profound grief on the other.

    I explain. Chime’s departure was on medical grounds, as everyone later came to know; so his return is good news. In fact, as this piece shaped up, part of the story was that he was eager to pick up from where he left off. I rejoice in the governor’s recovery, knowing that life, even for the rich and privileged, is in the hands of God. But I am deeply troubled by the fact that Chime and his managers failed to use the opportunity of his return to correct the grave mistakes surrounding his departure over four months ago. One reason for this is that neither the governor nor his handlers realised they were in error in the first place.

    Leaving Enugu in the third week of September, the governor divulged little information beyond the fact that he was proceeding on his annual leave and that his deputy would govern the state in his absence. There was no indication of where he was headed. There was no word on how long he would be away. Neither was anything said about his real mission, his health. That was wrong and it brought Enugu people no joy, neither did it do Chime himself any good whether as governor or politician. Such executive silence was in utter disregard and disrespect of the people who voted him into power. Enugu people and the entire country were clueless as to the state of their governor’s well-being, just as they had no idea when he would be back home. Such behaviour of leaders suggests that the people they lead count for little and are not qualified to know their leaders’ health status. This is in spite of the fact that those neglected people provide the money with which the leaders feed and fund their privileges. It smacks of downright disregard.

    Chime’s silence created a vacuum filled only by rumours and speculation, both unhealthy for the people, their governor and their state.

    It was a grave error his administration failed to correct upon his return. The blunder of silence at departure would have been corrected on his return with full disclosure and a heart-felt apology. Such humility would have appeased the people and rallied them behind him with prayers and thanksgiving. Also, such humble dispositions have a way of not just winning the people over but also helping the leader to realise his immortality. For sometimes, leaders fall into error thinking they may possess some superhuman qualities. They imagine they cannot fall ill, but when they do, they think it best not to let lesser mortals know.

    This is erroneous and harmful, for we all have a headache or flu now and then. Our economic strengths may vary, as may also our options of where to seek remedy, but ailment is no respecter of persons or status. The sooner our leaders came to grips with this fact, the less secretive they would be about their state of well-being.

    “I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease… At the moment I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done…I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you.”

    President Ronald Reagan wrote those words in August 1994 as doctors diagnosed a disease without cure. Goodwill messages flooded his California home. He was aged 83 then, but lived for 10 more years before succumbing to pneumonia. Were Reagan a Nigerian, perhaps only his wife Nancy and one or two other people would have known what ailed one of America’s most memorable commanders-in-chief.

    All over the world, the health status of national leaders is not such top secret, except in old Communist and totalitarian regimes. Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s health challenges are public knowledge. She has spoken of her concussion and blood clot near her brain. Chelsea, her daughter, has not held anything back. Neither has her father, President Bill Clinton who, himself, has well-known health issues of his own.

    On these shores, things are remarkably different but Chime’s health secrets are nothing new. They only conform to an ugly standard set by even more powerful forces.

    On November 23, 2009, then President Umaru Yar’Adua was flown out of the country and did not return until February 24, 2010. In the period, everything that should not happen to a country, happened to Nigeria. Amid concerns over his well-being, there were agitations as to the direction of the country, considering that no handover instructions were left. In fact, Yar’Adua’s aides made such capital of the fact that the ailing president could run the country from anywhere in the world. When his condition was very bad, his minders said it was splendid.

    Late last year, the whole country was enveloped in a cloud of needless controversies surrounding the health and whereabouts of First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan.

    When will our leaders demystify themselves and learn to value the people they lead?

  • As executive robbers go on the rampage

    As executive robbers go on the rampage

    The joke is told of three presidents who went for a meeting of heads of state in Geneva, Switzerland. At the end of the meeting, the three statesmen decided to return to their respective countries in the same plane. As they were about to take off, the pilot announced that each of them should watch out to know when the plane was in his country, so that he could alight.

    The president of France was the first to get to his country. He knew because as he looked out of the window, he saw the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Versailles Palace, the fascinating lightings and other landmarks that stand Paris out as world’s most beautiful city. He shouted, “Drop me here! Drop me here! I’m in France! Pronto, the plane landed and the French president alighted.

    As the journey continued, the president of America looked through the window and saw the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Hollywood Sign, the Golden Gate Bridge and other landmarks that set America apart as the world’s most developed nation, and he yelled, “This is America. Drop me here! Again, the plane descended, the American president alighted and went his way, leaving the Nigerian president behind.

    The Nigerian president knew that unlike his counterparts in France and America, there were no landmarks of consequence through which he would know when the plane had reached his country’s airspace. As he continued to wonder what to do, it occurred to him that he was leading a country where there were more rogues than honest men. From the plane, he stretched out the hand on which he wore a gold wristwatch and told the pilot to fly at a lower altitude. He had barely done so for 30 minutes when someone snatched his wrist watch with the swiftness of the eagle. “Drop me! We are in Nigeria,”he shouted.

    I wasted no time in dismissing the joke as impracticable, mischievous and patently unpatriotic the first time I heard it. But following recent developments, I have had cause to ponder over it and realised that impracticable and mischievous as it may sound, it no doubt underscores our penchant for stealing, particularly where public funds are involved. How else could one explain the daily emergence of various categories of thieves on the national scene in recent times? While we only had to contend with pickpockets, highway robbers and muffled cases of malfeasance in the past, the nation now groans under the weight of subsidy thieves, pension thieves, pipeline thieves and the latest in the range—bonus thieves.

    Most at the receiving end are pensioners who had spent their useful years serving their fatherland, but now die on queues as they wait endlessly for pensions that never come. Almost on a daily basis, the news media are awash with stories of aged men and women who live purely on charity because the money set apart for their pension and gratuity in the nation’s budget ends up in the private pockets of government officials whose duty it is to disburse it. Thus, in a show of sheer madness, it is now a habit among pension officials to appropriate the sums to themselves in billions their children and children’s children cannot exhaust in their lifetime, even if all they do is spend money.

    Under the nose of Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu as the Director of Pension Administration in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the sum of N4.56 billion meant for pensioners vanished into thin air. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) later declared in April last year that N1.5 billion of the sum had been traced into Shuaibu’s private account. This was after the commission had confiscated houses and filling stations whose value ran into billions of naira from the Kogi State-born civil servant. The list included a house at No 24, Ahmadu Musa Crescent, Jabi, Abuja; Brefina Hotel at Plot 1106 (Beside MTN) warehouse, adjacent to Vines Hotel, Durumi, Abuja; a house at No 1, Shuaibu Close, opposite Governor’s House, Idah, Kogi State; Riba-Ile Petroleum Ltd; an MRS filling station at Ajaka, Kogi State (registered as Riba-Ile Oil Ltd; another MRS filling station at Idah, registered as Hammo Oil, Nigeria; an NNPC mega station, Idah Junction, Ayingba, registered as Hammo Oil, Nig. Ltd; an MRS filling station at Ganaja, Lokoja, Kogi State, registered as A.Y Ted Oil Ltd; a mansion at Idah, opposite Federal Polytechnic; SunTrust Properties Company Ltd; a house at Plot B59, Dawaki Extension Layout, Bwari Area Council, Abuja; an estate of about 10 bungalows on Dantata Street, Nyanyan, FCT, Abuja.

    Of course, many other suspected thieves have since been arrested, including John Yusuf, a former assistant director in the Police Pension Office whose case has generated protests from the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Labour Congress, opposition political parties and other civil society groups after the courts gave him a slap on the wrist, asking him to pay a fine of N750,000 for embezzling N23 billion police pension funds. There is also the current case of the runaway boss of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) boss, Abdulrasheed Maina, who the Senate had asked to account for mismanaged pension funds amounting to about N469 billion

    Last year, the entire landscape was shaken by revelations of trillions of naira paid out by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to various businessmen as subsidy for fuel they never imported into the country. No fewer than 25 chief executives of companies are currently facing prosecution over alleged theft of subsidy money. A fallout of the development was the sum of $620,000 Hon. Farouk Lawan, the chair of the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Probe, allegedly demanded from the Chairman of Zenon Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola, with a promise to expunge the name of the latter’s company from the list of companies involved in the subsidy racket. Lawan has since been prosecuted by the Federal Government.

    During the week, Nigerians woke up to the shocking news that the N1.3 billion bonus money approved by President Goodluck Jonathan for the Super Eagles campaign at the just-concluded African Cup of Nations was shared by top officials of the National Sports Commission and the sports committees of the two chambers of the National Assembly. The development, according to the National Pilot, was the key reason the Nigeria Football Federation had not been able to pay members of the Super Eagles the $30,000 promised each of them as bonus for winning the final match against the Stallions of Burkina Faso to win the Nations Cup trophy for the third time.

    The foregoing are evidence of how desperately important it has become for the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to step up the war against corruption before we wake up one morning and discover that the strong room of the Central Bank is missing. The laws against theft of public funds must be strengthened as well as the agencies responsible for fighting corruption in the land.

  • Democracy, taxation and austerity

    Democracy, taxation and austerity

    Given the rate at which euro zone nations have been beset by street riots over austerity measures there is no doubt that very soon the concept and practice of global democracy will be synonymous with unrests and riot. Let us distinguish the euro zone riots in Greece , Spain and Portugal from the ones against despots and tyrants in the Arab world that started in Tunisia and spread to Egypt and Libya and which at first successfully achieved the objective of removing the dictators but also created fresh problems of governance, security and stability in the process.

    Again let me stress that both the euro zone austerity riots and the Arab street protests stem from how economic resources have been allocated and managed in the two environments. In the euro zone, the location of the world’s oldest democracies the maintenance of the welfare state has taken its toll on the resources of the environment and that has created the problem of higher taxation and decreasing welfare benefits leading to redundancies and massive job losses with workers unions taking to the streets with strikes to protest economic measures by governments to make ends meet. In the euro zone the welfare state has spread itself thin on resources and must rethink its economic solution approach or die a slow and withering death.

    In the Arab world and most of the so called third world, the strategy of state survival is to wrest the resources of the state from a few hands that have cornered it and start a welfare state or a semblance of it and that is if those with the huge stolen resources allow such a change at all. It is a tall order but that should be the direction of political change after decades of thievery and debauchery

    In effect then, we may be talking of two sides of the same coin if we say soaring welfare begets austerity and despotism begets poverty but that each must be experienced before lasting growth can be achieved to sustain prosperity. That however is so much theory as events have shown in recent times both in the euro zone, the Middle East and Africa, that poor management of resources create tension that overheat the socio economic fabric of society and that is taxing direly the concept and practice of democracy globally.

    In Italy former PM Silvio Berlusconi has made a move against the general EU trend of governments solving debt and economic crisis through austerity measures and increased or new taxes. Berlusconi has written letters to voters in key areas of ltaly that he would refund the property taxes they have paid so far in the name of economic reforms if he is elected in tomorrow’s elections in Italy. His opponents and critics have denounced his letters on taxation as a bribe and have asked for him to be prosecuted. Knowing Berlusconi’s highly controversial political antecedents and given the big luggage he already carries in terms of litigations in his past spell as PM of Italy, the prospect of his being deterred by litigation is nil. It is however the possibility of voters reacting positively to the attractive tax offer that fascinates me and leads me to examine the nature of political leadership in a democracy in the face of dwindling economic resources and the peculiarities of each political system. Aside from Berlusconi we will take on the elections in Kenya where one of the front runners is Uhuru Kenyatta who is facing charges for genocide in the Hague and the consequences of that for Kenya’s elections.

    Back to Berlusconi again, it is apparent that God is not finished with him yet, as Jesse Jackson once said of himself, as far as Italian politics is concerned. This is because here was a man written off for many vices and cases he faces involving sex with harlots and under aged girls when he left office last year. But now the polls show he is bouncing back and he even though his party may not win he may get enough votes to be a key kingmaker in ensuing political marriages that make governance a tedious exercise in Italy.

    In addition while Berlusconi may have lost his charisma because of his many flirtations and dilettante he has his club AC Milan to always lure and dazzle Italians soccer loving and passionate to his side. However, this last week luck was on his side as his club AC Milan did the unbelievable by beating defending champions Barcelona in Milan by two goals to nothing. Who knows the impact of football on politics sufficiently to dismiss the possibility of voters voting for Berlusconi again to make the good times of soccer victories come back to Italy under a Berlusconi regime? Surely no one can be certain.

    But if you add the tax offer to an unforgettable AC Milan victory over Barcelona in an election week you can fathom why Italians against all odds may develop sudden amnesia for the many vices of their most controversial former PM and still offer him another chance to lead or mislead them again in the peculiar democracy that Italy has become nowadays.

    Similarly you want to wonder why Kenyans will be asking a man who is on trial at the Hague to lead them as Uhuru Kenyatta is and is still contesting for Kenya’s presidency. A Kenyan woman interviewed on satellite TV was adamant that Uhuru is her choice because the father, Jomo Kenyatta led Kenya well and the economic situation was very good then as there was free education. But then the UK envoy in Kenya was insistent that he may not be able to shake hands with Uhuru Kenyatta if he wins as that is the policy of Britain over those standing trial at the Hague as Uhuru is. Yet both Britain and Kenya are democracies. But if Uhuru wins, will Kenya not have problems with the international community?

    Surely no one but Kenyans can decide this and one must wait awhile to cross that bridge. But I think Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana won elections in 1951 in Ghana while in British colonial jail, and Uhuru at least, is still on trial and has not been jailed yet so there is still some similar legal antecedent to muse over in case Uhuru wins the presidential elections in Kenya

    It is apparent that taxation becomes a huge political problem in hard times in any political system. Here in Nigeria, and as we now know also in Greece, given the Largade List and the name and shame campaign to make rich people, consultants and lawyers to pay taxes in Greece, most rich people go to great extent to dodge taxes. Yet taxes are vital for the supply and maintenance of essential infrastructure like transportation , housing , and security.

    A peculiarity of the Nigerian situation is that tax collection and gathering is done so massively and in a very modern way but the infrastructure on the ground are so old and obsolete that one wonders what the taxes are used for after all.

    In addition Nigerians are so used to constant power failure and would be wondering why people in Bulgaria will be rioting as they did this week because of high austerity taxes and high electricity bills which are a way of life in Nigeria. Yet Nigeria too is a democracy. It is however a unique one that has produced long suffering citizens who never want to rock the boat or bell the cat as long as each person or family is able to make a subsistence level of living literally from hand to mouth, leaving the way for the rich tax dodgers to have a field day and dominate both the political and economic environment maximally. Yet Nigeria is a democracy too but a very calm one where people don’t demonstrate because of high taxes or perpetual power failures or in b-uilt, reinforced, austerity measures from time immemorial.

     

  • The arm-twisting option

    The arm-twisting option

    We are an exciting country to behold.

    Things that other nations do seamlessly without rancour, we do with odium. We strive in making our country the butt of other countries with rash decisions by key functionaries who should be our shinning lights.

    Nigeria was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons again on Monday. The coach allegedly refused to board the aircraft over unpaid allowances. He prepared the team, helped in processing the travel documents, boarded the vehicle to the airport but refused to board the plane.

    As far as the coach was concerned, he had embarrassed his employer (don’t remind us of what happened in South Africa). This coach, like others, has contracts struck with his employer, but has chosen to take the law into his own hands, not minding the national shame his action would cost us when reported in the media. Would you really blame him when blackmail is what works now? It is another strategy of getting your employers to live up to their responsibilities.

    Shouldn’t such a coach be replaced and his salaries sorted out rather than appeal to him after the disgrace? Did you say what is sauce for the goose IS also sauce for the gander? What a pity.

    Like what happened in South Africa, this coach didn’t consider it expedient to report his predicament to his employer’s supervisory body. He chose the gangster method to embarrass his employer, forgetting that he was leading a squad to represent Nigeria and that anything surrounding the team is big news. When will this nonsense stop?

    With this latest ambush style of getting your employer’s listening ear as a bargaining tool, one wonders how far this strategy will go. That it worked, albeit scandalously, for one coach, does not guarantee a sustained success for others.

    Nothing prevented the coach from crying out when things were not going his way, but, sadly, he opted to toe the line of blackmail. He may have forgotten that Nigerians are still too busy savouring the Super Eagles’ victory to empathise with him.

    Again, our country has become one that never ceases to amaze. Gradually, we are becoming notorious for doing things on the reverse gear. We prefer to pass exams first before coming back to study.

    Else, government ought to understand that going for international competitions where our national prestige and honour are involved and an arena where our anthem would be sung and our green-white-green flag hoisted, no cost is too great to pay to wrench another international PR for a country only remembered as a country of scammers.  Therefore, the cash to prosecute such national duties should be provided in good time. We will continue to witness this show-of-shame, unless the government understands that other countries run sports budget over four years, with cash released in one tranche, not in batches.

    We were told before the Africa Cup of Nations that N1.2 billion had been approved for the NFF, with N750 million to be paid in the second tranche. One is, therefore, shocked that there are still issues with salaries for the coaches in the other national teams, given the way we have splashed cash on the victorious Super Eagles.

    In fact, this writer thought the Sports Minister was blowing his trumpet when he revealed in his early days in the ministry that he took the file to the President for approval. And to imagine that the minister resumed work barely two months to the Olympic Games shows why these problems still stick out like a sore thumb.

    The two coaches have gone scot free. The NFF men are at the receiving end. But the question remains, who are the NFF chieftains representing? Or is someone playing a script to discredit them to score a point? Is it not true that the NFF received the 2013 AFCON cash 48 hours to the opening game? Did we not know that the competition would hold one year ago? Has anyone asked how others do it?

    We know the mileage we have received with the Super Eagles’ deserved feat in South Africa. I concluded last week’s column by saying that nothing would change in the way we run sports because such disjointed arrangements fetched us the trophy? Is anyone surprised at this latest development? I digress.

    Last week’s column, “Now some home truths”, lived up to its billing. It was controversial. It was bound to ruffle feathers. It was not the song of praise. It was a missive to a friend, urging him to always reflect before taking drastic actions.

    It is now in the past though and I don’t intend to tender any apologies. Rather, I will continue with an appraisal of what happened in South Africa.

    Last week’s column was not meant to discredit Stephen Keshi’s achievements. It was just a reminder of the need for us to be civil in handling issues.

    We are still haunted by the misdeeds of previous boards and feel that nothing good can come out of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). What many didn’t understand before that Africa Cup of Nations held in South Africa was that Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi had evolved a synergy between the NFF and the National Sports Commission (NSC).

    Hitherto, these two bodies (NFF and NSC) had worked at cross purposes. Their feud was carried into the Super Eagles squad and things fell apart. Their impasse polarised the media also, with lies served to Nigerians as truth. But, Abdullahi got everyone to see the essence of unity of purpose with national interest as the watchword.

    Abdullahi didn’t take sides, like some of his predecessors. He made feuding parties to sit down and resolve their differences. Where there was no truce, he intervened and put his foot down that agreements reached were actualised.

    Whatever happened in South Africa was a product of Abdullahi’s masterful handling of the bitterness among those who should work together to achieve greatness for this country.

    We went to this year’s edition as an indivisible unit and it didn’t come as a shock to Abdullahi that we clinched the trophy. It is not any coincidence that the Super Eagles have not lost any competitive game since the amiable journalist became the Sports Minister.

    The Eagles squad that lost the AFCON final at the National Stadium in Lagos in the year 2000 was our best. Yet, we lost because the intrigues existing between the NSC and the NFF had consumed the then soccer chairman Kodjo Williams, even before the competition began.

    That devious act took its toll on the Eagles’ fortune as many felt that the NSC men were unfair to the principled ex-chairman. Whilst some people prayed for the Eagles then, others plotted their fall and celebrated. Such has been the lot of our Eagles, culminating in the sobriquet Super Chickens.

    Other years beginning with the Burkina Faso 2002 edition were fraught with plots and sub-plots, so much so that the technical crew comprising Shauibu Amodu, Keshi and Joseph Erico were stopped from guiding the team through the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, having led the team’s qualification for the competition. What happened to Keshi as he narrated was a piece of cake compared to what Amodu saw in 2002 and 2010. Of course, Keshi was in Ouagadougou and knows what transpired there. It is easy for cynics to say must this act continue unabated? The flipside is, has the government come out to say that cash was released to the NFF men and they refused to spend it?

    The 2004, 2008 and 2010 editions weren’t any better in terms of the intrigues. They grew to high proportions, culminating in the controversial Presidential Task Force that convinced President Goodluck Jonathan to withdraw us from all football competitions after the South Africa 2010 World Cup debacle.

    The Super Eagles’ squad that broke the 19-year-old jinx has been the least formidable in terms of the quality of our talents and experience. What most people have ascribed to be indiscipline among the players arose from the devious methods that some of the feuding administrators used in settling scores with the opposition. Without Abdullahi’s intervention, the Eagles would have crumbled before the cocky Ivoiriens.

    Abdullahi had taken a retreat to Nigeria after we qualified. Yet his position on Keshi’s savvy and indeed that of Nigerian coaches was that they could do the job. It is for this reason that he rejected the appointment of a Belgian as the country’s technical director.

    This writer cannot judge the coach’s technical inputs in the team. Having tutored the Eagles through the preparatory stages and seen them through the matches, I salute him for bringing smiles on our faces. He richly deserves all the accolades. But he must act maturely in the future when faced with similar circumstances. Congratulations Big Boss; it is being quite a while coming.

  • Centennial delusions

    Centennial delusions

    It is the classic tale of two countries. There is the Nigeria whose purported birthday, Lord Frederick Lugard’s grandchildren in Abuja will be celebrating with billions of Naira throughout next year. That Nigeria for them will be a hundred years old next year. They date their Nigeria’s birth to the arbitrary amalgamation of the Northern and Southern parts of the country by the forces of British imperialism on January 1, 1914. For them, it is a historical event we must celebrate with pride. In their words “The centenary celebration will present an opportunity for us to count our blessings as a nation, celebrate our dexterity and resilience as a people, and resolve to launch into the century with renewed determination, hope and expectations.” And they list so many blessings for us to count – thanks to Lord Lugard: Nigeria is the largest black nation and the 7th most populous country in the world. The country has a huge domestic market, human resources and awesome capacity for transformation. Nigeria has over 100 million active cell phone lines and the largest internet traffic in Africa. She has over 24 million pupils in primary schools, over 6 million in secondary and over one million in tertiary institutions. Nigeria has over 100 million literate people. The list goes on and on and the Abuja centenarians enthuse that “the story of Nigeria is one of admirable and remarkable progress. Nigeria’s 100th birthday provides a wonderful opportunity for all Nigerians to proudly celebrate in the nation’s story of freedom, achievements and aspirations.”

    But the deceptive statistics above do not tell the story of the real Nigeria; the hapless and helpless country inhabited by the teeming number of poverty-stricken Nigerians who are non-admirers of the British colonial bandit and mindless imperialist, Lord Lugard. The Abuja centenarians are obviously exiles existing far from the real Nigeria. It is a richly endowed country whose people are mired in humiliating poverty. It is a cursed land of horrendous corruption. It is a cesspit of crime. It is a paradise of banditry. It is a den of kidnappers. It is a kingdom of armed robbers. Hunger stalks the land. Millions of its youth wallow in joblessness. It is a hell hole of suicide bombers. Its education system at all levels is in shambles. 20 million of her children are out of school. The health sector has virtually collapsed and her wealthy elite routinely seek medical succour abroad. Even the current First Lady was reportedly recently resurrected from a 7-day death experience in a German hospital. It is a Nigeria that is so blessed yet so plagued. Blessed with arable land, it is a major importer of food. We can go on and on. A serious and purposeful government would not waste billions of scarce resources on a vain and absolutely unproductive celebration of Nigeria’s subjugation by colonial imperialism. Given our natural and human resource endowment, there is no excuse for the pathetic state of contemporary Nigeria 100 years after her purported creation. This is a real source of shame. It is really amazing how the mind of the Jonathan presidency works. This centenary celebration brain wave should never have been approved by any focussed and thinking leadership.

    The organisers of the centenary jamboree claim that the celebrations “offer us a unique opportunity to affirm the obvious truth that Nigeria is not a historical accident, rather the product of a long and mature consideration.” This is pure fiction. Any notion of Nigerian unity was far from the mind of Lord Lugard in undertaking the amalgamation. In a rigorous study, Professor Eme Ekekwe avers that: “There was really no serious attempt made politically or administratively to unify the country. Lugard’s attempt in 1914 at ‘amalgamation’ was really not aimed at this at all…What Lugard was really seeking in 1914 was some device that would enable him to shift around for purposes of balancing his books any financial surpluses available from any of the virtually separate territories. The individuality of the territories was maintained.” The whole idea of the amalgamation was simply for British administrative and fiscal convenience. This is why the British continued their divide and rule policy long after the amalgamation to prevent a united indigenous front against colonial rule. The North and South were deliberately kept severely apart and effectively compartmentalised long after the amalgamation. What is really heroic about our history and worth celebrating is the capacity of the Nigerian nationalists to overcome the ‘divide and rule’ antics of the British and forge a common front to fight for the country’s independence – a feat achieved in 1960. We should as much as possible distance the unity and dignified existence of Nigeria from the self-seeking antics of a colonial pirate like Lugard.

    Let no mistake be made about it. There is a vast qualitative difference of no mean significance between pre and post-independence Nigeria. This centenary celebration fantasy seeks to fraudulently mask this difference. Even after the amalgamation of 1914, Nigeria remained a colonial dependency. She had no sovereign will of her own. The people were British subjects, not Nigerian citizens. Nigeria existed as a Lugardian territorial contraption that housed ‘second class’ citizens subject to the will, whims and caprices of the colonizing power. The Union Jack flew over Nigeria’s, British owned territory rather than the Green-White-Green flag that today symbolises our autonomous nationhood. Nigeria had no legal existence in international law before 1960. The British monarch was Nigeria’s effective Head of State. It was a condition of national servitude and indignity. Our genuine, self-respecting nationhood began when we attained independence, not when we groaned under imperial jack boots. The Abuja centenarians clearly fail to appreciate the devastating and destructive impact of colonial subjugation on the psyche, confidence and self –esteem of the peoples of pre-colonial Nigeria. The amalgamation was the culmination of the military subjugation, cultural alienation, psychological disorientation and humiliation as well as economic emasculation of the well- structured and organized communities that preceded the colonial conquest. In the words of Professor Claude Ake, “The colonizers convinced themselves and tried to convince us that our level of civilization was sub-human. They abolished our history, assaulted our institutions and denigrated our culture. Supported by economic and political coercion, the assault on our humanity has inculcated a deep sense of inferiority which we still wear like an albatross”. This is a critical factor in the persistence and deepening of underdevelopment in Nigeria and Africa.

    Nigeria’s great nationalists – Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, ObafemiAwolowo, Anthony Enahoro, Aminu Kano, Adegoke Adelabu, Ahmadu Bello, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Michael Imoudu etc – refused to live under such dehumanising, humiliating conditions. The youths of the Zikist movement, Nigerian students, the market women of Aba and Abeokuta, the railway workers, the Iva Valley Mine workers in Enugu, were all part of a mass movement that said no to Lord Lugard’s Nigeria. Their exertions brought that inglorious colonial era to an end and ushered in independence in 1960. On October 1, 1960, the Union Jack was lowered and the Green-White-Green flag was unfurled to signify the commencement of Nigeria’s existence as an independent, self-determining nation. Yes, the amalgamation is an undeniable and important historical event. If its centenary is to be commemorated at all, an academic conference to assess its importance and implications for Nigeria’s history will do; not a year- long jamboree that will gulp billions when millions of Nigeria are trapped in avoidable poverty. This whole scheme looks like another self-enrichment scam for the benefit of Nigeria’s greedy power elite. That the jamboree will be funded by the private sector is beside the point. In a poverty-ridden country like Nigeria, neither the public nor the private sector must be encouraged to engage in frivolous and wasteful expenditure of this nature. President Jonathan should halt this madness today. We are celebrating nothing but centennial delusions.