The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Budgets, elections  and mandates

    Budgets, elections  and mandates

    Last  Wednesday  the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan presented the  2013 National  Budget  Proposals to a joint session of the National Assembly  and got a mixed reaction from both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The President of the Senate commended the timing of the budget and noted that three issues have always dogged the budget issue in Nigeria namely its timing, the powers of the National Assembly over the   budget  and the implementation of the budget. The Speaker on his part noted that revenue from gas running into billions of naira was not reflected in the 2013 budget proposals  as well as  the external  borrowing.

    The Speaker reportedly said that NASS  is closer to Nigerians and can know better, what their budget needs  and plight are, than  the government making the budget proposals.  Since  the presentation of the budget proposals however, the usual analysis of figures have begun with  the attendant fanfare on government priorities arising from the various sizes of the budget allocations. It  is however the spirit of the budget as well as the underlying principles that govern budgeting in a democratic dispensation like ours, which is a presidential system like the US, that concerns  me  today.

    Let  me start by using an event in another nation this week to illustrate what I have in mind about the 2013  budget proposals put before the NASS  by Mr President. In  Israel  the Prime Minister Mr Bejamin Netanyahu has announced fresh elections for next January 2013  because he could not agree a budget with his coalition partners in Government. The elections were originally scheduled for October next year but because his partners in government were not cooperative on the budget proposals he is asking all stakeholders in government to go back  and refresh to  their mandate in governance   from the source – which  are elections into political office  from the ballot box.

    Personally, Netanyahu is said to be popular according to the polls but the elections will determine what sort of freehand he will have in forming a coalition  that will endorse his budget proposal. The election result may throw out the  parliamentary irritants to his budget proposals  by giving him a  solid majority that does not need a coalition  to lead Israel. The elections results  are also perfectly capable of  making him lose his majority and go into opposition and out of government. Also  the mere announcement of early elections can possibly make the coalition partners,  who may not be popular with those who sent them to parliament – their electorate –  to  kow tow and play ball by approving Netanyahu’s budget – therefore rendering the election in January unnecessary  which  anyway is a strategy that Netanyahu had used in the very recent past. This to me is the essence of budgeting in a democracy which is that those elected use the budget for the benefit of the state and those who elected them or lose their mandate in case of default or any other unwarranted and      extravagant usage or diversion.

    The same principle is inherent in the ongoing US  presidential elections and the concluded  first debate in which the two contestants took part. In addition Mitt Romney the Republican  candidate  has criticized the foreign policy of the Obama administration in strong terms saying that it is not protecting global  US interests sufficiently, relative to the huge resources at the disposal of Pentagon and the mammoth industrial military complex involved in the global war on terror. During the presidential debate which Mitt  Romney won, he accused Obama of  creating the largest deficit in US history. Obama countered that he had used good money to chase bad and had saved jobs in banking, industry and the auto industry and that the economy was on a rebound which really showed up  in government statistics a few days after the debate.

    However the credibility as well as  the suddenness of the economic rebound was questioned by one of the most respected and successful corporate managers  in the US  and a former Chairman and  Chief Executive of General Electric Mr John F Welch  who sneered – ‘these  Chicago politicians cannot debate and they change figures’. Which is like saying that the economic statistics of the US  are being politicized because of elections to favor the party in power   which also  is as unfortunate as it is  as Obama is from Chicago. But  this too is as mischievous and dubious as saying that the polls or rating of presidential debaters may not be affected by success or otherwise  at the debate. This is because the  TV debates provide a visual assessment of the intellect and personality of a leader of the nation and that should affect voters’ decision or choice  – for good or bad  anywhere, and more importantly in the highly wireless,  virtual and  digital environment of the US.

    In  effect  then,  the media polls or  ratings as well  the  debate performance of presidential candidates provide a clue as to who can win a presidential election in the US and they must be objective,  and transparent, just as elections are expected to be free and fair in an old democracy like the  US. Some cynics have said that the elections are too close for the debates to affect the polls meaningfully and reverse the Obama lead, but until November 6 when the elections hold,  neither Romney or Obama  should rest on their oars. The close competition also shows  that Americans bother  greatly about who will rule or lead them and direct the spending of their budget on coming to power.

    Even though the  political or ideological differences are wide in that Romney represents free market extreme of individual wealth and widening income while Obama stands for massive  social welfare, reduction of   social inequalities  and income disparities;   the closeness of the race  shows  that all Americans know  what is at stake for the next four years for the winner and the loser in their  winner takes all brand of  presidential politics which we have copied in Nigeria.

    Going back to Nigeria   I think  it is  now  apparent why we took a detour to Tel Aviv and Washington to arrive in Abuja where our president presented a 10.84  trillion naira  budget that has a  deficit that is within the   limit stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007  which  according to the president,  highlights the government’ s commitment to fiscal prudence.  This I think is commendable. This  is more  so since  as now know  that fiscal indiscipline can cripple a nation economically sooner than later and bring opprobrium in global financial circles abroad  and harsh austerity measures leading to redundancies and strikes at  home.

    This has happened   in the nations called PIGS namely Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain in the euro zone,  in recent times. No  one wants that to happen in Nigeri .  However as   I said earlier  I  am not interested in the budget figures but the spirit behind those figures and it is on this score that  I take on the comments of the principal officers of the NASS  on the budget.

    Of course a budget should be presented  in time   for vetting by the appropriate authority and released for implementation to the appropriate cost centers . So  the observation of the Senate President is in order. Similarly   all sources of revenue should be identified and recognized so that Nigeria stops being a  ‘wild economy  that does not know all its sources of revenue‘ – like someone said a few years back.  Plugging revenue leaks will   certainly  eliminate  wastage and the creation of an  informal economy which is another name for looting and plundering of the economy

    On  deficits,  it is important to stress that keeping within budget limits is of no use when no one knows or sees what the budget has been spent on. Budget book keeping should not be on paper alone but should be manifest concretely in terms of physical structures or services put on the ground from the approved budget. Indeed budget deficits, where they  are productive as in  construction of  airports, roads and highways or  the making of power turbines  are desirable and preferred  to deficits acquired for renovation of official residences or loans for purchasing existing official accommodation by incumbents  or present occupiers.

    On  the powers of the NASS  on the budget which is largely that of vetting, such process should not lead  to an increase in personal emoluments of legislators or  a negotiation for such   with  the executive to pass the budget. That is pure blackmail of  the executive and is indeed  unethical. In  addition Ministers who  have just signed performance bonds with the president should be held to their commitments and undertaking to implement what has been approved as it had their input in terms of time, cost and viability of implementation.

    As  the Israeli and American examples have shown government expenditure and its direction can make or mar the electoral prospects of any government in power. That  to me should be the guiding principle in the implementation of the budget proposals tabled by the government to the NASS last Wednesday. It  is my  fervent hope that our legislators and the government of the day can use the 2013 budget proposals to win more votes by implementing  them to the letter in providing jobs, roads, security and light   for our people – rather than  alienating them  by  poor or non implementation  of the budget  on the eve of the next elections in 2015,  which is just around the corner.

  • Above all, democracy

    Above all, democracy

    Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Maladministration: Any possibility of a Revolution?’ That was the topic of this year’s 8th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual lecture/symposium delivered at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, by the distinguished scientist, Marxist scholar and social activist, Professor Omotayo Olorode of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Abuja. With his characteristic brilliance and analytic clarity, Professor Olorode clinically dissected contemporary Nigeria’s political economy and its glaring revolutionary pressures. In his contribution to the discourse on that occasion, the Chairman of the event, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Raufu Aregbesola, stressed that the fundamental key to resolving the country’s contradictions is to deepen the emergent democratic culture. A skilled Marxian dialectician himself, Ogbeni Aregebesola has obviously tempered his revolutionary zeal with the realities of practical politics in a complex geo-cultural entity like Nigeria.

    But then, I believe that the governor’s contention is being proved more and more correct by the day. Yes, the country confronts frightening realities. Insecurity is pervasive. Corruption is endemic. Infrastructure has collapsed. Structural deformities impede progress. Social services are anemic. Moral values are famished. But in the midst of this gloom, democracy remains the only feasible light out of darkness. But then, democracy is no magic wand. It can promote development only if the people understand the ‘grammar of politics’, appreciate the issues in contention and utilize the power of the vote in a rational and enlightened manner. It is only through the constant and consistent practice of democracy that the political instincts of the people can be sharpened and they become increasingly acculturated over time to utilizing the power of the vote in a way that can promote development.

    It is all too easy to focus always on those myriad of things that are wrong with Nigeria. Equally tempting is the tendency to give up hope on the country and assume that things have irreversibly fallen apart. That is why last week I wrote, borrowing from Garcia Marquez, of hope in a season of national cholera. For as long as we keep striving to strengthen the structures, processes and values of democracy as well as the culture of the rule of law, we will gradually and systematically overcome the obstacles to national transformation. While Nigeria has unquestionably regressed in virtually every sphere of national life since 1999, she has in the last few years shown signs of democratic resurgence. The people are clearly becoming more aware of the power of the ballot box. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for governments to take the people for granted.

    President Goodluck Jonathan’s minders understandably try to give him credit for the growing reliability and credibility of our elections. I really do not think he has a choice in the matter. Nigerians are gradually coming of age politically and there is no stopping them. In spite of his incumbency, President Jonathan himself had to campaign most vigorously to win votes in the last election. In the process, he made so many extravagant promises that are today haunting his administration. The President battles daily with the deep frustrations arising from the yawning gap between his promises of national transformation and the lack lustre performance of his administration. If things do not change, the people will surely be waiting for both he and his party at the next election. Even in Lagos, where he is universally acknowledged as having excelled, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola had to campaign rigorously throughout the nooks and crannies of the state for his re-election. It was the same story for Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State who eventually triumphed after being given a stiff competition by the opposition despite his impressive record in office. Welcome to the age of peoples power and the gradual erosion of the arrogance of incumbency.

    The latest theatre in the ongoing battle for the deepening of democracy in Nigeria is Ondo State. What is becoming obvious in the run up to the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State is that propaganda not backed by actual performance on the ground can only be of negligible electoral value. My good friend and brother, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, is clearly doing a yeoman’s job. But it is only a magician that can sell a non-existent product. As I travelled extensively through Ondo State last week visiting Akure, Ikare, Ore and Ondo, the chasm between the contrived television images and the actual developmental realities in the Sunshine state was glaring.

    It was no wonder that in Thursday’s debate among the candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a usually confident and self assured Governor Olusegun Mimiko was testy and tense. He was clearly on the defensive. For a man who had nursed the ambition to be governor for so many years, Mimiko is clearly not in an enviable position. From whom so much was expected so little has been delivered. The PDP candidate, Olusola Oke, is obviously a confident and competent debater. But he stands on the flawed platform of a party that has grossly underdeveloped the country over the last 13 years. Like Governor Fashola of Lagos State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), is no soaring orator. He is more legalistic and serious minded rather than populist in his approach to issues. Given his track record as a professional over the years and his brilliant tenure as President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which has named its national head quarters in Abuja in his honour, Akeredolu has the pedigree to replicate in Ondo the transformational feats of his fellow SAN, Fashola, who Mimiko has admitted is performing excellently in Lagos.

    Mimiko’s handlers have effectively publicised endorsements for the governor’s re-election by such figures as Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, Dr Frederick Faseun and Mrs Ganiat Fawehinmi. Even though these are highly respected Nigerians, it is unlikely that their endorsements will be of any meaningful electoral value to Mimiko on October 20. In any case, none of them has come out with any detailed facts and figures on why they believe Mimiko deserves a second term. The charismatic and controversial Lagos preacher, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has also emphatically backed Mimiko. In Bakare’s words, “Mimiko will win hands down in Ondo State and nothing will happen. Thereafter, he will muster strength and there will be an alternative party as people would begin to see leadership by living right and not by material acquisition of flying jets over the people, without letting us know how you come about the jets when you have little or no money in your pocket when you became the governor of Lagos State.”

    Now, it is difficult to categorise Bakare’s words here as prophesy or analysis. He merely makes assertions without attempting to demonstrate them logically or empirically. On what basis, for instance, will “Mimiko win hands down”? Is it based on performance or because Bakare has heard an authoritative voice from God on the matter? Utilising helicopters for campaigns is not new in Nigeria. The great Awo used this mode of transportation for his campaign in the run up to the 1959 elections. Awo even used sky writing mechanisms that emblazoned the name and symbol of his party in the sky! The Labour party is a hollow shell and does not pretend to be an alternative to any party. If Pastor Bakare has evidence of corrupt enrichment by anybody, he should petition the anti-corruption agencies rather than making unsubstantiated insinuations.

    It is important that a person of Pastor Bakare’s stature and integrity does not make frivolous statements lacking in empirical accuracy and analytic rigour. Must the people of Ondo State vote for Mimiko because Bakare says so or because the Governor has performed? Is it true that the state has received over N600 billion in the last three and a half years including the N38 billion inherited from the Agagu administration, Federal Allocation and Internally Generated Revenue? Do the projects executed by the Mimiko administration do justice to this huge inflow of resources, which makes Ondo the second richest state in the South-West after Lagos? Is it true that the Mimiko administration has incurred a debt of N20 billion and yet has borrowed another N50 billion from the capital market?

    Is it true that the following projects promised by Mimiko have either been abandoned or not even commenced at all? : the N273 million stadium at Ile-Oluji; the N1.5 billion Dome project in Akure; the Akure stadium; the Ondo-Akure dualisation project; the Arakale road dualisation project; the Owena Dam at Owo; the five kilometre road dualisation project in Owo town; the Igbokoda township road from Ugbo junction to the jetty; the N5 billion Ore sunshine Mega plaza City planned for 153 hectares of land along Ore-Sagamu road; the expansion of Oyemekun road in Akure to a six-lane Mega highway or the promised water project in Akure to name just a few? Surely, Nigeria’s democracy has grown beyond political pastors hoodwinking the people in the name of God.

  • Life after the floods

    Life after the floods

    Today’s remedial action determines tomorrow’s well-being

    As Nigerians, we sure have our worries, but don’t we, on occasion, wonder why we are so blessed? Everywhere else, the earth quakes, sinking homes, burying and mangling private and public facilities, to say nothing of the precious lives lost. Asians, Europeans, South and Central Americans count their costs now and again whenever the earth moves. Our continent and country are largely spared. Hurricanes ravage the United States so often that the Americans have since learned to differentiate one from another simply by giving them human names. That was why we heard of Hurricane Katrina. We are spared of such Katrinas. Volcanoes are rare in Africa, unheard of in Nigeria, but erupt in Europe, spewing hot ash and rocks, and causing not a little palaver. We are also blessed in that area, aren’t we? There are other natural disasters from which the good Lord has insulated us.

    But since last month, Nigerians have felt the power of water, life’s otherwise precious liquid. No one is comfortable with that encounter. A persistent downpour swelled the Niger River and other rivers and tributaries, causing them to overflow their banks. The result has been utter devastation. Over two million people were reported to be displaced in Kogi and Edo states. Hundreds of houses collapsed under the impact of water. Displaced residents found temporary perching spots on the rooftops of surviving houses, waiting to be evacuated. Women clutched their babies, hoping something would happen to put them out of their nightmare. In Delta and Anambra, misery was widespread, as homes and farmlands were washed away.

    In Ndokwa-East, a council in Delta, reports suggest no flood ever wreaked so much havoc in its history. It left about 22 clans under water, their people in sheer torment, displaced and with little to eat and little to wear, in makeshift shelters, and unsure of what tomorrow would bring. In Onuaboh, for instance, a clan of three communities, namely, Umugwor, Umuoche and Umuazu, this year’s flooding will be a watershed. No dry grounds at all. Inyi, where I spent two formative years, is a vast body of water. 2012 will be the year of the Great Floods. Discounting the services of wall calendars, the year will help to set off one event from another. It is an unsavoury encounter with one of man’s most cherished resources.

    There has been some response from government. The Emmanuel Uduaghan administration in Delta State has sent relief to the displaced residents, as have individuals and organisations.

    But there is need for more work. There is need for the authorities, including the federal government, to assess the situation and ascertain the magnitude of damage. Next, it will help to determine what assistance is required. Plus, no one should forget that whatever relief is sent should be appropriate, targeted and monitored.

    There are reasons for these suggestions. Disaster management can easily be bungled if not properly thought-out, just as relief efforts can be misapplied and wasted if not clearly conceived and monitored. If the right things are not done at the right time, people needing help become hopeless. And that deepens the initial crisis.

    For some of the flood victims, their plight has a traumatising impact. Their farmlands may have been flooded in the past, but not their houses or entire communities, as is the case in Ndokwa-East and parts of Isoko in Delta State. These people are struggling with not just economic loss; they are also grappling with psychological shock and need help in that area as well. They need encouragement now, some sort of psychological therapy.

    They need comprehensive relief consisting of, but not limited to, food, medicine, water, clothing, and, of course, sleeping places, till the water recedes. They will also be happy to see that assistance meant for them actually gets to them, and not to some opportunistic dealers or people far removed from the floods. But beyond all that, they need something permanent, something to start and sustain them after the great waters. They need cash to buy new seedlings and begin all over again.

    It is in the interest of everyone if this crisis is well managed. For one, it will show that we can learn from past blunders in disaster management, and that our governments really care for the people they govern.

    No one should lose sight of the imperatives of mitigating the unpleasantness of life in a relief camp. Still, it must not be forgotten that tiding victims over the flood season is only one step, requiring another. That second step is even more fundamental. It should resolve the issues of life after the floods. What will the farmer-victims eat when the waters recede? And since these farmers also feed the society, what will we all eat when dry grounds appear?

    How these issues are resolved now will determine the quality of life after the floods.

  • Hope in a season of national cholera

    Hope in a season of national cholera

    I have adapted as the title of this piece the famous Latin American literature Nobel Prize winner, Garcia Marchia’s novel, ‘Love in the Time of cholera’. The reason for this is of course obvious. The last 52 years have been a season of national cholera for Nigeria. Cholera has been described as an acute intestinal disease that is often fatal. Pray, are the intestinal component units, institutions and values of the Nigerian state not severely diseased, contaminated and in grave danger of irredeemable extinction?

    The causes of cholera include poor sanitation, crowding, war, famine as well as eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Do millions of our people not live in insanitary and dehumanising environments? Are millions of Nigerians across the country not forced to live in overcrowded rooms, including slums and urban shanties? Are we not already in a situation of war with the violent activities of the Boko Haram fundamentalist Islamic group, kidnappers, armed robbers and sundry criminal elements that continue to defy the authority of the Nigerian state?

    Are millions of Nigerians not living today in conditions difficult to differentiate from famine? The value of the Naira continues to plummet. At the same time food prices keeps rising thus making hunger the constant companion of the vast majority of Nigerians. In any case, can the vast majority of jobless youths afford to feed in any meaningful manner? Do millions of Nigerians have access to clean drinking water despite the country being blessed so abundantly with water? Have we not seen some of our compatriots foraging in garbage dumps for something to eat? In a condition of mass poverty with the minimum wage embarrassingly far below the cost of living, can many Nigerians, already living in desperately poor conditions, really care about the quality of food they eat? Are they, therefore, not vulnerable to eating contaminated food?

    In other words, the conditions for the outbreak of national cholera are right here with us? And in many ways Nigeria is already exhibiting symptoms of cholera, which include watery diearrhea that starts suddenly (Boko Haram), rapid dehydration (massive corruption), rapid pulse (insecurity), nausea (Otedollar/Lawan saga), glassy or sunken eyes (collapsed education and health) as well as unusual sleepiness and tiredness (anaemic presidential leadership).

    To treat cholera, health care workers replace fluid and electrolytes lost by the patient through diearrhea. But can Nigeria find the right type of visionary, courageous and selfless leadership that can cure this scourge of cholera that is slowly suffocating and insidiously bleeding the Nigerian polity to death? As I drove out of Lagos during the week, these were the questions on my mind. Can President Goodluck Jonathan be that quintessential statesman that will restore the country to socio-economic, political and moral health? There is absolutely no reason to believe he has any such capacity. And nothing demonstrates this better than his Independence Day anniversary speech to the nation. As many analysts have said, the speech was listless, insipid, colourless, utterly uninspiring and even bordering on terminological inexactitude (not falsehood), in some parts.

    Even more alarmingly, the speech gave the impression of a presidency absolutely out of touch with the contemporary Nigerian reality and is thus satisfied with its performance so far. President Jonathan called on “every Nigerian to remain steadfast because our nation is making progress”. I am not sure that deep in his heart the President believes this outrageous claim that contrasts so sharply with the state of the country today.

    Nothing illustrated the lack of progress in Nigeria better than the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on which I was travelling as I reflected on our 52nd Independence Day anniversary and President Jonathan’s leadership capacity. Like several other highways across the country, this road has been abandoned by the PDP-controlled Federal government since 1999. The pot holes and veritable craters on the road are a national embarrassment. No, we have regressed rather than progressed in virtually all aspects of national life contrary to President Jonathan’s assertion. In reality, the country is far worse today than she was in 1999.

    President Jonathan is most certainly right in recalling how the country “weathered the storm of the civil”, and urging Nigerians to be courageous and hopeful. But then, if the necessary radical institutional and structural reforms to make the country strong and viable are not undertaken we will inevitably end up with another conflagration much worse than the civil war. So far his administration’s Transformation Agenda remains just another slogan that simply does not resonate with the majority of the Nigerian people. The more the Jonathan administration shouts about its Transformation Agenda from the hilltop, the more the people get poorer and angrier at the inhuman conditions of their existence.

    All through the speech, Mr. President gave the impression of a man who is satisfied with the performance of his administration so far. He measures economic progress not by the actual reality and deplorable living standards of Nigerians but by abstract GDP statistical growth rates. How can a country be said to have an economic growth rate of 7.1% yet the majority of her people are impoverished and her infrastructure dilapidated beyond comprehension?

    The President is naturally happy about the recent marginal improvement in power supply. In reality, he ought to be very sad and angry that a country with a population of 160 million is only attaining 4,500 MW of electricity after 13 years of the return to civilian rule and over $16 billion gone down the drain. Millions of unemployed youths across the country would find the President’s claim of “creating wealth and millions of jobs for our youth and general population” most laughable.

    The President claimed his administration has improved the country’s investment climate thus attracting more investment to the country. He believes that due to his administration’s efforts “there has been a significant decline in the spate of security breaches”. Yet, Mr. President addressed the nation from the safety of his Aso Rock Villa rather than preside over a presidential parade at the Eagle Square! What signal does he think that sends to foreign investors and even Nigerians about the true state of security in the country?

    In spite of all that is wrong with Nigeria, there is cause for hope that this season of cholera will soon come to an end. But, then that can only happen when people are politically conscious and are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to fight for a credible electoral system that will ensure their votes count. That way, they will be able to vote for candidates at all levels with the character, competence and vision to promote development, peace and progress of Nigeria. A credible electoral system will put public officers on their toes because they know that the electorate has the capacity to vote them out of office through free and fair elections. A credible electoral system is therefore the only hope for the liberation of Nigeria from this humiliating season of national cholera. The last test case was Edo. The people voted emphatically for change. The next port of call on October 20 is Ondo state. Yours truly was in Akure, Ikare, Ondo town and Ore during the week. I was utterly shocked at the total lack of development; the terrible deterioration of infrastructure and the palpable poverty in at least in those three key towns. Now, if the towns look like large urban slums, what would be the situation in the rule areas of Ondo state? I could thus understand the huge turn out at the ACN rallies and the yearning for change that is so obvious in the state. It is up to the people to exercise the power of their vote and vigilantly police their votes. The outcome of the Ondo polls will hopefully be another giant stride towards liberating Nigeria from the national cholera of the past 52 years.

  • Don’t stop the league (2)

    The domestic league is off – technically.

    The talk among the league clubs is that the honourable sports minister directed its stoppage to redefine the way the game is being run. Fantastic idea. But doesn’t this offer lazy clubs and managers an excuse for their failure at the end of the season?

    If the essence of stopping the league is to restore the confidence of the corporate world in the, then we have shot ourselves in the foot. There are existing deals in the league that are time bound. Supersports has scheduled games for certain periods. The stoppage means that the South African television network will be compelled to look for fillers. Yet, the real problem will be finding space for the league matches which will definitely clash with existing programmes at some point. Companies’ fiscal year won’t accommodate our plans largely because they maintain a January-December calendars. Besides, they won’t trust us to keep to the time-table.

    Nigeria will lose the advantage gained in having our league to run in tandem with other leagues. Our domestic clubs will suffer when other leagues’ transfer windows open. The good ones in our league will sneak out for trials and deplete their teams. Teams will be weakened by the absence of their stars and quality of play. Of course, if the fans are dissatisfied with what they see, they won’t return to watch subsequent matches.

    Besides, most governors of states which own teams have found an alibi to keep club officials at arms’ length and that could be dangerous, especially as most governors take delight in working in Abuja, leaving their states at a standstill until they return.

    Players and coaches will be roaming the cities, condemned to playing the game in their neighbourhoods, particularly on school grounds with improvised facilities. Shylock agents prancing waiting to lure the weak-hearted among them into slavish contracts outside the country. These shylocks need not wait for long because the players would soon be hungry, if they aren’t already.

    The real causalities are the country’s representatives at the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) inter-club competitions. Those who will also feel the pang are the country’s flag bearers in CAF and FIFA U-20, U-23 and Super Eagles because our boys will be match rusty. A clear case of the effect of this lacuna is the appeal of Sunshine FC’s management to Eagles chief coach Stephen Keshi to cajole the boys to play for Nigeria. Of course, the Ondo State governor is deeply enmeshed in the fight of his life to gain a second berth in the Sunshine State. Football is nothing. But you ask, did he not make provision for this in previous budgets? That is the real reason why we must cultivate the habit of prosecuting those who misappropriate cash meant for the development of sports, not just football.

    Again, honourable minister, Keshi on Wednesday told the press that he invited 23 home-based players to the Super Eagles camp head of the October 13 Africa Cup of Nations tie against Liberia because he wasn’t sure of the players’ form since it the league is off. I dey laugh o!

    The lull in the league has divided the media with spurious claims being made to justify why the game must be grounded. The reasons being advanced now are not different from those we heard from the same characters in the past. The new order they are lynching, they once told us were the best option. The implication is that we are chasing selfish interests couched in the drape of change. Yet, I know that the minister’s plans transcend the media lynching that the present order is facing.

    The pre-season media blitz as it concerns players’ movements heightens the awareness among clubs’ fans, such that everyone is eager to know what to expect and make frantic bids to secure their tickets in a bid to watch their idols.

    The fans’ debates help to convince the business sector to inject cash into the European leagues, knowing that they can connect with the masses to sell their products and services seamlessly. This crucial marketing activity rubs off handsomely on the clubs. It also creates competition among brands which eventually think of windows where they can identify with the global brand- soccer. It is difficult in Nigeria because those who own the property prefer to use middle men not because they are better bargainers, but because they can strike shady deals with them easily. This trend continues because we have failed to probe funds pumped into sports. This lapse has emboldened others to fill their pockets and impoverish the players and coaches, who should benefit the most.

    Indeed, European clubs start reaping cash from the sales of shirts of their new recruits, especially the big ones. Need I waste space to talk about the market activities surrounding big stars, such as Cristano Ronaldo, when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid? Or can we situate the money that megastars, such as David Beckham and Lionel Messi,make from merchandising? All these business activities happen because there is zero tolerance for sharp practices in those climes. The only way we can move forward is ensuring that people who take money from firms render account. Otherwise, there will be no deal from the blue-chip companies in Nigeria for our soccer.

    Globally, club football thrives on several marketing windows that increase the cash flow for all the participants. Such windows are title sponsorship rights, television rights, official insurers, official kitting firms, official beverage firms, official water firms, agencies responsible for the billboards and others boards that carry the message of the game to the public.

    These windows serve as one of the ways of generating revenue. Cash realised from these marketing ventures are declared at the end of the season, such that clubs know what to expect from each window to drive their transfer sales even before their proprietors pull out their cheque books. I laugh when people say that our clubs are cash-strapped. I wonder if anyone has asked those who manage government clubs how much they make from selling our players in inter and intra club transfers? Do we really care? If we do, many people who run these clubs will be in jail. We need this therapy to instill the fear of God in our administrators. The sale of players in the transfer period is bonanza for many clubs that groom rookies and a drain in the purse for those who thrive in splashing cash on new players annually. Our administrators are mindless, if we consider how much telecommunication giants Globacom sank into the Nigeria Premier League in 2006- about N2.4 billion.

    Surprised, please don’t be. Globacom coughed out N693 million during the 2006-2007 season where there was an abridged league (18 weeks). Again in for the 2007-2008 season , Glo put in N762.6 million for 38 matches; 2008-2009 season N835 million for another 38 matches. Indeed, Globacom paid additional N25 million each year for seminars. Did I hear shout aloud bazaar? You haven’t read anything about how cash flowed into the domestic game. Globacom paid upwards of N18 million to organise the end of season Super Four but those who ran the show didn’t consider it expedient to pay the winners prize money. Nigeria, we hail thee!

    Many would say that the NPL boards did their audits. But, it is not true that the new board inherited a debt of over N12 million? What did the predecessor of the debtor board leave in the NPL coffers? Did the NPL not boast that part of its feats was in having its own secretariat? Is it not also true that that edifice was used as collateral for loans that could make the boastful body lose it? Did they pay the clubs their share of the sponsorship deal for its duration? What happened to all the tours to England some people undertook in the name of collaboration with the English Football Association (NFA)? Why would we still be struggling with television rights if the proper things were done? How much is the NPL worth? These are the real issues that must be addressed, if we hope to make any meaningful change in the domestic league.

  • Religion, politics and global security 

    The shocking news  on the internet that 48  students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi  in Adamawa  state were killed in cold blood by attackers who stormed their hostels at night, called out their names and killed  them with knives and guns, set the tone for the topic of today. Internet news had it that the  students union of the Polytechnic had just had an election that had religious and ethnic coloration and that the killings reflected this dark politicization  of events. A statement credited to  a former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students – NANS – one Mr Henshaw noted that the winner  of the students elections was a Christian as well as the Rector of the institution, and that there had been resentment of these facts amongst some sections  of the institution   and it was no coincidence that the winner of the election was killed.

    That and the sheer savagery as well  as the number of those killed showed that the mix of politics, religion  and security has misfired most violently at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi where I    taught Economics as a youth corper when it was founded as the Federal School of Arts  and Science several years ago. It  is my contention  here that what  happened at the Polytechnic in Mubi is a reflection of a larger   and pervasive malaise that is affecting the  global  political system,  nations and   institutions  generally.    It   is  a dangerous trend that  is setting the tone for  real friction and hostilities  amongst the various social, political and  religious entities that make up the modern nation state    and it is solidifying-   very  dangerously- divisions amongst peoples of different faiths and beliefs even   within  nations that claim to run secular constitutions  like Nigeria where Mubi  is located.

    I  am using events that  happened on the global scene in the past week to illustrate my   viewpoint here   and without sounding alarmist I think all of us should take another look at the role of religion in our environment especially with regard to our politics and general security  globally.   From  Turkey’s intervention in Syria which NATO  says it supports;  to the presidential debate in the US between Obama  and Mitt  Romney,  religion plays an underlying role that gives value to the type of politics and security that emerges in every part of the world nowadays. Either in Islam or Christianity it is obvious that the fault lines are getting wider in terms of  global cohabitation and tolerance  and that politics is getting charged and overheated   locally  and globally, subsequently.

    Let us start with Turkey sending its planes to bomb positions inside Syria  after  Syrian forces had killed innocent Turks  –  five of them including children according to reports – inside Turkey.  On the surface Turkey,  has a right to defend its territorial integrity which Syria had violated- ostensibly because Syrian rebels were fleeing into Turkey after attacking Syrian troops. Turkey’s government has already  taken parliamentary approval to attack Syria even though it said it does not want war with Syria. But  the situation is not that clear cut and is full  of real and potential diplomatic mischief. Turkey has been seeking EU  membership for over 50 years now  to no avail, for the simple reason that most EU members are not comfortable with Turkey’s proud  Islamic credentials.

    Turkey claims to be running  a secular constitution under the monitoring  of  its  military – which in recent times has had its former generals who planned coups and ran dictatorships – being put on  trial by a popular government with fundamentalist sympathies that have tested Turkey’s secularity   dangerously  of late.

    Now before a shot had been fired,  NATO nations say they stand by Turkey  even though at best Turkey is just a member of a military alliance and not a full -fledged member of the EU  as the Turks have  always wanted. Now,  by attacking Syria in the present crisis,  is Turkey and its leaders aiming to kill two birds with one stone—   namely   to  nail a bothersome neighbor and clinch EU membership in the process? Before this   no less a person than  former Cardinal   Joseph Ratzinger   now Pope Benedict XVI and current German Chancellor Angela Merkel   were  on record  as saying  that Turkey cannot be a member  of the  EU because Europe is Christian and cannot afford for its security to have   a Muslim   member nation  in the heart of Europe.

    In  addition the present Turkish government should be careful in the way it attacks an Arab nation in spite of the present isolation of the unpopular Assad regime. Egypt  and the Arab League may call for the fall of the Assad dynasty but the geopolitical equation changes once Turkey  a non – Arab, but Muslim   nation  attacks another Arab and Muslim nation like Syria  ostensibly on behalf of Western Europe. In addition,  it remains to be seen if Russia and China will stick to their guns and veto  proposed  UN resolution to intervene in Syria,  Libya  style, in the face of Syrian provocation and Turkey’s retaliation. It  is of note that the present Turkish government has won three elections so far back to back in spite of the grumblings and suspicion of the military about its religious fervor in Turkey’s secular environment. It is therefore well advised to watch  before  it leaps into trouble over Syria at the expense of its home grown religious popularity in spite of  the attraction of EU membership  or   the lure  of regional leadership   in the Middle East while looking over its shoulders at Egypt and Iran.

    At  the end of the  US presidential debate last Wednesday,  the general conclusion was that Barak  Obama  lost the debate to his challenger   Mitt  Romney who was trailing at the polls before the TV debate and who performed creditably   and with a commanding presence. The behavior and performance of the two well  prepared candidates reminded me of that between former President Ronald Reagan of the Republican Party and incumbent President Jimmy Carter   who was famous for his cheerful toothy smile but who allowed Reagan to annoy him  during their  TV   Debate with the taunt  – there you go again-  anytime  Carter charged that Reagan  if elected  would lead the US to war.

    Carter lost the election after the debate and ended up as a one term president while Reagan went  on to have two terms. Romney used Reagan to tease Obama successfully in this week’s TV debate  by saying that Obama was quoting Reagan on tax cuts for  the rich while charging that Romney   a Republican like Reagan was taxing the poor more than the rich. Romney then stunned a speechless  or tongue- tied Obama with the charge that the US president was  an ‘expert on raising taxes, raising government expenditure and raising regulation‘. To  me the debate was between a champion of laissez faire capitalism – Romney  –  and the welfare state – Obama .

    On the day, however,  like   a commentator said, it was as if Obama’s mind was on his 20th wedding anniversary on that same day, and not on the debate. On  a personal note  really,  the debate and Obama’s loss reminded me of another painful spectacle  in boxing when Larry Holmes, the great  Mohammed Ali’s sparring partner defeated his hero over 15  rounds to retain his World Heavyweight title in the US . I  waited vainly  then for Ali to produce the wonder punch to take Holmes to the cleaners and end Holmes insolence. That punch never came just as Obama was not able to match Romney’s mastery of issues last Wednesday  till  the end of the one hour TV debate.

    Nevertheless  the  religion connection however is  still there in the US presidential election and showed its ugly face in Mitt Romney’s earlier private video  categorization of Palestinians as not wanting peace in the Middle East and his  total support   for the state of Israel. He  had problems with this but has refused  to  change his utterances on this as well as the 47%  categorization in which he said such a percentage of Americans will not vote for him because they are government handout beneficiaries.  But then in terms of religion both Obama and Romney can be said to be change catalysts in US politics .Whether that change in   US politics   is for good or bad – only time will tell.  Both are also  what  I will call  ‘unthinkables’ in US politics.

    Obama  is the first US black president   and Romney is aiming to be the first Mormon one. They follow the charismatic pedigree of  the first  Catholic American president –  John Fitzgerald  Kennedy (JFK). While Romney has already alienated himself with Arab Americans  Obama too is at loggerheasds with the US Catholic Church  whose leading Cardinal attended Romney’s consecration  at the GOP  convention,  just to say prayers and not to endorse,  as the Cardinal insisted. But then the Cardinal and others had gone to court to challenge the Obama’s administration meddling in Education in violation of the US  constitution by  asking  employers to fund birth control for their employees of which the Catholic Church has millions in schools and hospitals all over the US.  This pitches Obama against US Catholics especially the Latinos who are the fastest growing immigrants in the US – even far more that blacks. If the Latinos obey their Church as expected of them Obama will have problems on November 6. But the pundits are focusing on the so called  swing states   and some are saying the debates may not change the polls or decrease  Obama’s lead which to me is like a dog barking at the moon.

    Overall, religion hangs like a sword of Damocles over contemporary local and international politics and relations, as well as security.  On  the Federal  Polytechnic, Mubi, the government must put its  feet down firmly and not assign the murder and mayhem as usual to the Boko Haram menace – as even the usual claim of responsibility was not forthcoming from them in the first instance. Student politics must never be allowed to degenerate to barbaric murder at night as happened at Mubi – Sabon Dale as the Polytechnic is not a religious or state institution but a federal one, open to all Nigerians as teachers, workers and students.

    Student politics  is a universal process of leadership growth and learning   and should not be grounded because some students have  murder in their hearts because of a loss of an election. It  is therefore the  most important  duty of government to punish those involved maximally to serve as  a  deterrent to others. That,  to me is the only way to secure peace in Mubi and hopefully Nigeria and the world at large   in the face of rampant global religious provocations.

  • Now, it’s your turn

    Now, it’s your turn

    The reader takes over

    Every Sunday I put out my views and perspectives on the nation and its affairs in this space. And every Sunday you, the reader, indulge me, firing back your views and perspectives on my position. Those observations, revered and applauded, are, however, not often heard. Today, they will as you take over the space.

    The editions of September 16 (Who will stop this national dishonour?) and September 23 (The joy of listening) remarkably stirred the readers, triggering a near deluge of reactions.

    However, only some of those reactions will be printed here due to space constraints.

     

    Who will stop this national dishonour?

    You have spoken the minds of all Nigerians in the categories of middle and lower classes. In fact, it is nauseating. God bless you more. +2348066210767

     

    Great article. The press, however, appeared to have missed the biggest ‘fart’ in the national honours list and that was the award to the chairman of the African Liberation Party who just happened to have been the same guy who took the legislature to court in a bid to prevent impeachment proceedings against Jonathan.

    SFB +2348087426905

     

    Mr Ogochukwu, I love your article. Permit me to say this, the president does not care about us and our yearnings; each president wants to outdo the other on failure. Imagine an honour Prof Chinua Achebe has turned down twice. I liken the president to that king in the Bible that prepared a banquet and invited guests who turned him down…What did he do but send his servants, go into the streets, bring everybody you see to come feast on my table…and who did they bring, executive thieves, petroleum subsidy robbers, sycophants, bribe takers, treasury looters, etc.

     

    The joy of listening

    The kind of listening we need from our leaders is not the one after they have fumbled like the decision to print N5000 naira [note]. The fact is that our leaders arrogate to themselves wisdom that nobody else has. In this sense, they are the most foolish.

    Remi Rominiyi, Egbeda, Ibadan +2348124253384

     

    President Jonathan says he is the most criticised president in the world. It’s simply because he hardly listens. Now that he has listened on the N5000 note and the bastardising of the national awards, he will begin to experience the joy of listening. The more he opens his ears, the less the critiques, the better his government and the more peace he enjoys.

    Dr. Charles Uka, Owerri +2348033524655

     

    It’s a good decision to halt Sanusi’s N5000 note. It is now a rested issue. Let him not bring another controversial policy. Thanks to the National Assembly for their wise action. This annual award should be stopped for now because the system is being abused…honouring people with questionable character. A committee should screen well before coming out with names.

    Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State +2348084475093

     

    I totally disagree. The president has no listening ear at all! It was the intervention of the National Assembly and because the impeachment threat is still on the burners, that is why he soft-pedalled. Remember oil subsidy of January.

    F. Dare, Kaduna+2348095294338

     

    Democracy is the government of the people which means leadership is about listening to the yearnings of the people. Simplicita. The citizenry have spoken with one voice against negative policies that would further impoverish their lives.

    Laide Owadusi, Esq. +2348021483687

     

    The government in any civilised and even in semi-civilised state is expected to be the spokesman of the people. When what the government says or does contradicts the people’s wish, the government, and not the people, should make amends.

    Sofor Victor +2348034487157

     

    About the N5000 note suspension by the President, I believe it is the presidential language of having it dead and buried. I want Sanusi to take note of that. He has sworn that come what may, Jan. 2013 would see the introduction of this currency. It made many of us to think, whose interest is he serving? Is it his or the public? Any public officer that does not have the people in mind will ever leave office in disappointment despite his brilliant performance, a lesson to all arrogant opportunists.

    Babale Maiungwa, Kaduna +2348134184944

     

    May I commend your lucid and exquisite rationcinations of burning issues. Your choice of words and witty candour is ennobling of a prose and creative pen pusher. However, I don’t share your view that the Presidential directive to suspend the N5000 note and the intended review of the National Honours Award due to public outcry is indicative of a listening FG. The feeble rethink and capitulation was due to the intervention of the NASS, especially the lower chamber that already has an impeachment issue with Mr. President. His stance on the oil protest and the PCA, Ayo Salami, among other blunders, will remain a puzzle to all fair-minded compatriots.

    Ayo Aregbesola, Akure +2347062272073

     

    You are mistaken, Mr. Ikeje, Jonathan only listens to himself, all are gimmicks towards public acceptance and perhaps, consideration for his 2015 hallucinations.

    Wole St. Jones, Lagos+2348033264813

     

    Listening president? The presidency is as confused as the president. If a committee can be set up to screen, why didn’t they do so before dishing awards to friends and political supporters? As for the N5000 note, he did so to save his ass or the NASS will have many reasons to send him packing. If he is a listening president, he should settle the queues at the filling stations, tackle insecurity, give good power supply, build infrastructure, reduce unemployment and make life bearable for Nigerians. It’s hurting but our leaders are liars and execuTHIEVES.

    Dr. D.D. Ogbu, Maitama, Abuja +2348029554857

  • Global threats, signals and deterrence

    The world was awash with warnings, threats and signals either wrong or right, matched by nuances and body languages from statesmen, powerful technocrats and heads of states this week. It was not only at the UN General Assembly, the annual talk shop of the world body held this week, that this was so. This is because the verbal ritual of rhetoric started well before this at the a most expected place – Teheran, Iran at the revived Non Aligned Movement meeting during which Egypt stole the thunder of leadership of the Arab world from the host Iran. That really was the first round or sparring session for a global ‘rumble in the jungle’ of sorts in New York at the UN General Assembly – (UN-GA); after which US President Barak Obama could not wait for the usual UN dinner – leaving little to the imagination as to why he became the first US president in six years to allow re – election jitters to make him bolt from New York to Washington after addressing the world body.

    Let me attempt to catalogue the pot-pourri of ‘threats ‘and ‘wrong signals’ first before weighing them on a scale of deterrence to see if and how they can have the desired effect of leaving the world at peace. Which is another way of finding out that they are not, as Shakespeare said in Macbeth – a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

    I start from the financial world where no less a person than the MD of the world body Christine Lagarde was blowing hot and cold this week first against her employers – the western world-and next against a nation that is widely regarded as the whipping boy of the international financial community – Argentina. Lagarde told the world, and a stunned Europe – or the euro zone in short, that the poor growth of their economies and high budget deficits together with the huge spending of the US economy pose a great threat to the peace of mind of the international financial community.

    This really was unheard of, given that Lagarde’s appointment as IMF MD was because the Americans and Europeans have ceded the top positions of the World Bank and IMF to themselves and Lagarde recently clinched her position because she is from the euro zone- France for that matter. On the positive side though that really showed she is brave and bold at her job. But it could also put her job on the line in a week during which there were huge protests and riots in Spain and Greece against new austerity measures of the governments there to shore their finances by cutting their high deficits. As for the Americans ,the Obama campaign team and administration would just conclude that Lagarde has just decided to campaign for Mitt Romney in the presidential election slated for November 6 and that puts her second term as IMF MD in immediate jeorpady if Obama wins reelection – and vice versa.

    However, it was in the way that Lagarde handled her warning to Argentina on that nation’s poor growth rate and unacceptably high inflation that she was at her imaginative best – although most unexpectedly, she met her match grit for verbal grit in the response of the Argentine President Kristina Fernandez Kirchener. Lagarde played soccer with Argentina’s sovereign fiscal and economic woes when she said she was giving Argentina a yellow card to wake up from fiscal non- performance because she knows the Argentine nation would understand because her citizens love soccer. If there was no improvement before December 17, Lagarde said she would give Argentina the red card which may include suspension from the IMF which really is a tall order for Argentina. But then the Argentine president Kristina Fernandez – Kirchener a woman of susbstance in her own right, who succeeded her husband as president, rose to the occasion at least rhetorically.

    Kirchener said- the rich nations don’t want to be friends or partners they want only destitute and subordinates. Argentina is a proud nation with dignity and pride. Which may not be an empty statement considering that Argentina has just found oil and may not be as financially vulnerable as she was a decade ago when she threatened to default on her debt and earned a negative reputation in the comity of nations. Either way Lagarde has made her point and it is for Argentina to perform before December 17 or face the music which really is the crux of the matter.

    In similar fashion World leaders in New York at the UN-GA spoke their minds on real and perceived global threats. Obama spoke up against violence and intolerance and condemned those that killed the US envoy in Libya. He stood by American right to freedom of speech and proclaimed democracy as the best ideology to move the world forward. The French president Francois Holland identified three global threats namely fanaticism, global financial crisis, and the environment.

    In addition Hollande identified the Sahel in sub Saharan Africa as a grave danger to global peace and asked the UN to intervene in Mali where fanatics have seized the northern part of the nation and have subjected it to Sharia law. This should be particularly helpful to the Nigeria ‘s President Goodluck Jonathan who has been given the responsibility by ECOWAS to bring sanity to Mali. Rapprochment with France post-Ivory Coast Crisis can start from the new French president ‘s concern voiced on such an important global platform as the UN- GA.

    Before the UN-GA three issues were touted to dominate discussion and these were Syria, Iran and its feared nuclear power acquisition, and the riots in the Middle East over a provocative video in the US and later parts of Europe on Islam. The billing however did not live up to expectation. On Syria the big powers were hamstrung by the no – fly-zone hangover over Libya and were not united on what to do in Syria as the daily slaughter of innocent civilians by the Assad government continued in Allepo and Damascus. It was left to Britain’s PM David Cameron to blame the UN for inaction, hypocritically though, when he knew it was the Russians and Chinese that had made the world body impotent for a decisive intervention in Syria to remove the murderous reign of the Assad dynasty in that unfortunate nation.

    On Iran there was no show down as expected between the well known combatants namely Iran, Israel the US and Europe. Even the Iranian President Ahmedinejad was a bit subdued as he addressed his last UN-GA as he is expected to leave office next year. Before that however Iran had been dealt a diplomatic below the belt blow by Egypt and the UN at the Non Aligned Movement – NAM -meeting hosted by Iran before the UN -GA this week. Iran had hosted the NAM to orchestrate views different from what the US and Europe had been propagating about its decision to make electricity from nuclear fossil and garner support for its ally, the Assad regime in Syria.

    Indeed, Iran wanted the meeting to be its signal of the regional leadership of the Arab world and the Middle East. Things however did not turn out as the Iranians expected. Egypt’s new President Mohammed Mursi condemned the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad for murdering its own people – a view widely shared by the millions of Sunni Muslims in the Middle East who are in the majority against the minority Shiite Muslims led by Iran. In addition the UN Secretary General unexpectedly railed against Iran’s president well known and widely condemned views on Israel. In the presence of the Iranian president, the UN scribe told the NAM audience in Teheran that the UN would not condone statements that called for the annihilation of member states of the UN or those that say that the holocaust did not happen – which to me was like holding brief for Israel before Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president who had preached the opposite universally before.

    On the violence in the Middle East Obama spoke his mind and stood by American values on free speech ostensibly because he knew Mitt Romney was listening to make hay out of any mistake or misspeak on his part. Especially as Obama has always said on the presidential campaign trail that the Republican candidate is an ignoramus on diplomacy which too is an understatement given Mitt Romney’s track record of discordant tones on Israel, the Palestinians and the Middle East. But then, Obama could have granted audience to the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as is customary for US presidents visiting the UN at such occasions.

    All Netanyahu was asking for was assurance that the US president be more forth coming that Iran will not be allowed to have nuclear power and thus wipe out Israel as promised by the Iranian president. By snubbing Netanyahu, Obama risks losing the endorsement of the powerful Jewish lobby in the US. More importantly the snub of Israel in New York sends a cheering signal to Iran to proceed on what it has consistently denied but which Obama has also consistently vowed not to allow to happen by all means.Which boils down to the fact that on Iran it is not clear whether Obama is sending a red light or a green or amber one to the global community and on a balance of deterrence for global peace and stability that cannot be good enough.

  • Ondo state under the radar (2)

    Ondo state under the radar (2)

    You must give it to Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. There must be a reason why he was given the sobriquet, Iroko. The Iroko tree is a most interesting one in Yoruba cosmogony. To some, the Iroko is the king of trees. This is probably why King Sunny Ade famously sang that “Iroko ni baba igi, olomoshikata ni baba agbado, asesere bere ni o, ijo ti ya”. But then, in another context, the same Sunny Ade sang that “Bi sango paraba bon fa Iroko ya, bi ti igi nla ko”. There is the Iroko tree. There is ‘Igi nla’, the big tree. Mimiko had every opportunity in the world to transform himself from Iroko to the invincible ‘Igi nla’ but he blew it big time. The tiny but dangerous termites constitute the most destructive elements to the most formidable trees. The tree may look formidable from the outside. But if the termite has devoured it from within, it is but a shallow plank. Of course, there is an antidote to the insidious poison of the termites. It is the powerful insecticide devised by science. Now, what insecticides would have prevented the internal devouring that has rendered a once formidable Iroko of Ondo so electorally vulnerable? First, would be a formidable party structure. And second would be outstanding performance.

    It is no news that the Labour Party structure under Mimiko has fragmented badly. His party’s Chairman and Deputy Chairman are among those who have dumped both the governor and the party. Only last week, three of Mimiko’s key aides resigned. However, the governor’s highly efficient propaganda machine claims they were sacked. But does that not suggest serious internal haemorrhage within the government and the party? Would a confident governor have cause to sack three key aides barely a month to a critical election? Despite Mimiko’s immense executive powers, many of his key aides have abandoned him. The number of aspirants that sought to contest against him in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), even if one or two of them later went back to their vomit with the emergence of the candidate, speaks volumes about his political and electoral vulnerability. Of course, no one can doubt that Mimiko is politically astute. But given his own record of serial political betrayals – Ajasin, Olumilua, Adefarati, Agagu – it is understandable that Mimiko would be unwilling to empower other individuals within the Labour Party. That has become a serious political albatross he has to contend with.

    One or two readers that responded to last week’s piece, asked if every state in the South West must belong to the ACN. Most certainly not. However, there are two critical issues germane to the liberation and development both of the South West and Nigeria. First, is devolution of powers, responsibilities and resources from the centre to the component parts of the federation and second is regional economic integration to stimulate faster national development. Mimiko’s Labour party in Ondo State believes in neither. If it did, I would certainly not be wasting my time and energy writing this piece.

    Now, the second insecticide that could have helped preserve Mimiko’s Iroko myth is performance. Has Mimiko performed? His die hard opponents will say he has done absolutely nothing. But his supporters sing his praises to the high heavens. I decide to take a more nuanced position. Ondo State is the only oil producing state in the South West. It therefore enjoys derivation funding from the Federal Government. Does the achievement of the Mimiko administration on the ground match the level of funding it has received? I doubt it. Its propagandists have made much of the Child and Maternal Care Centre built in Akure for instance. But then, is that enough for the health care sector of a state that receives derivation funding as an oil producing state? Fashola has built five Child and Maternal Care Centres! The Mimiko administration has not responded to criticisms that it has not completed more than two of its road construction projects. Even more disturbing is the triumphalism that has characterized the Mimiko re-election campaign. The governor seems convinced that he has performed creditably. He is satisfied with himself. Yet, even governors like Fashola, Oshiomhole, Amaechi, Lamido, Fayemi, Aregbesola, who have been lauded for good governance, have been subdued in acknowledging their performance. They know that they can do much more if we had a more equitable and just federation. The way Nigeria is structured today makes it inevitable for the country to perform at a low level of economic equilibrium no matter how brilliantly some governors try to perform. If Mimiko, therefore, is so self satisfied with his first term performance, it means he has set a low threshold of performance and can only lapse into complacency if given a second term.

    As I stated last week, the outcome of the Ondo elections will have implications far beyond the Sunshine state. It will be a referendum on whether or not we want Nigeria to continue in her present condition. The electorate in Edo State in the last election, against all odds, voted for change. The outcome of the polls was an indication that the people want a new Nigeria. Neither primordial sentiments nor intimidation could sway them. The Ondo State polls offer another opportunity for Nigerians to affirm their view on the state of the nation. The election is not just about Ondo State. It is about Nigeria. It is about regional integration. May God Almighty grant the people of the Sunshine state; the state where the revolutionary Action Group was born over five decades ago, the wisdom to make the right decision. A vote for the continuity of Nigeria in her present condition, which is what Mimiko stands for, will be suicidal.

  • The joy of listening

    The joy of listening

    It is good to revisit the national awards and suspend the N5,000 note

     

    Being so wonderfully made, the human body hosts a pair of ears, one hanging on either side of the head. But just one mouth is enough, judged the maker. There are also two eyes.

    The reason is simple and well known. We should hear better, see more and speak less. But the world is full of men and women who break this divine order. Relationships have been destroyed because of scanty information picked up by the ear. Marriages have crashed beyond repair owing to what was not properly heard or what was stubbornly shut out of the ear. International relationships have suffered the same fate for pretty much the same reason. The ambition of Mitt Romney, the United States Republican presidential candidate, for instance, may well go up in smoke, thanks, partly, to what he heard or chose to hear about his rival, President Barack Obama. A country’s leadership has been alienated because leaders refused to listen to their longsuffering people.

    To the grief of Nigerians, their progress has, for decades, been frozen by the insensitivity of their leaders. Many have come and gone, leaving little more than horror in the memory of the people they so brazenly disdained and overlooked. They never listened when their spoke. They did nothing when their people shouted.

    Two developments suggest, however, that the insensitivity ice may have begun to thaw. Consider the national honours recently awarded a large number of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria. Nigerians across the board poured out their criticism of the exercise, not because there were no worthy recipients but rather because the standards have been so distressingly lowered that we can no longer tell the hero from the villain, the hard-worker from the slothful, or friend of the country from its foe.

    The awards went on as planned but President Goodluck Jonathan has, thankfully, said unworthy awardees will have their honours recovered and that a committee will screen recipients and ascertain their bona fides or otherwise. Many see this as bowing to the people’s wish. I see it as listening to the people to whom it is often said power belongs. Among recipients of the honours were our victorious physically challenged athletes fresh from London with Paralympian medals. The striking thing about this is the fact that the athletes were not originally on the honours list, a fact that many criticised before the awards.

    You would be justified to ask why the honoured were not first screened to select the worthy among them and cast aside those with dodgy profiles. Nonetheless, setting up the vetting committee is a good move. It represents a start. We can hope, though, that the committee will indeed do its work, pencil down awardees with unprincipled backgrounds and hand the list to the President. What next? The Presidency should chalk up the courage to ask the unworthy awardees to step forward and hand over their unmerited medals. That is the right thing to do. It may not look like the tidiest thing but in the circumstances, it is a good way to begin to correct a messy national pastime, and credit, I believe, will go the commander-in-chief. It is in the same way that he will get plaudits for including sports heroes and heroines living with disability. I see it as moving forward even if the fuel of propulsion is supplied by those labelled critics, those who sought to be heard for the right reasons.

    The second indication that leadership insensitivity may be giving way is the reported presidential directive that the N5,000 naira note matter be put on hold. Ever since Central Bank Governor Mallam Lamido Sanusi made public his intention to introduce the jumbo currency at the dizzying printing cost of N40b, Nigerians of all stripes have not ceased to condemn it. Some feared it will trigger inflation. Not necessarily, said a few of those we call economists who should know. Then the fear was also expressed that the proposed heavyweight note will simply help our traditional treasury looters and the corrupt to do what they do better. But neither Sanusi nor the government has dismissed this fear. Nor has the CBN chief nor the government convincingly explained the imperatives of the N5,000 note, anyway. Will the economy crash without it? Will the naira gain any weight with its introduction? Will it bring jobs? What inspired the idea? For as long as it lasted, the matter further distracted the country and its people.

    Now, the President’s directive will calm nerves, another pointer to a new direction. Still, there is something to ponder. One report said the suspension was to enable Sanusi to carry out enough publicity on the new note. That will be unhelpful. I hope the word suspension, in this case, is only an official expression for termination or dead and buried, as one newspaper put it.

    If that is the case, it will indicate that the people have a voice and can indeed be heard when they speak. If we are stepping into a new era of healthy national awards, it points to a new Nigeria where leaders and those they lead are not necessarily always at loggerheads. It is inspiring and productive for both parties. That is the joy of listening to the people.

     

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