The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Deserved or not ?

    Deserved or not ?

    The Nigerian Senate had recently voted in favor of passing a motion of confidence in the country’s service chiefs, that is despite widespread criticism of their handling of the nation’s security challenges. The move by the upper chamber of the National Assembly has sparked a debate among citizens, with many questioning the rationale behind the decision.

    Coming amidst the state escalating insecurity in Nigeria, with various terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen,kidnappers and unknown gun men carrying out deadly attacks on civilians and security personnel across the country, the  service chiefs, comprising the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff, have been tasked with addressing the security threats facing the nation but seem to be wobbling somewhat on the job.

    However, their performance has been heavily criticized, with many accusing them of failing to adequately contain the security challenges facing the country. Plagued by allegations of corruption, incompetence, and poor coordination in their efforts to combat insurgency and violence, these security helmsmen seem to be faring not better than their predecessors.

    So when the Akpabio led Senate, despite these criticisms, decide to express its confidence in the service chiefs, with the majority of Senators  voting in favor of the motion, the Nigerian public seems to be enraged and ask if such a coaxing is indeed deserved?

    Not one to be caught in any crossfires of sort, the Akpabio led leadership has much justified such lofty praise with the narrative that such a pat on the back would serve as a morale booster for the military in their elongated war with terrorism and banditry. I see!

    How a vote of confidence for a wobbling team of service chiefs can in turn raise the  morale of our fighting troops who are reportedly doing their best while our service chiefs seem to be fiddling on the jobs is certainly some harebrained logic spun by these agbada senators who have little or no knowledge about fighting a war! How do you raise the morale of soldiers who are fighting without getting their  pay  on time, how do you raise the morale of these fighting troops on a poor welfare regime? How do you boost the confidence of troops where excellence is sacrificed on the altar of nepotism and political patronage? Such logic surely raises eyebrows among many Nigerians, who would rather believe that the Senate’s decision was based on political considerations rather than a genuine assessment of the performance of the service chiefs. Critics like myself will argue that the Senate’s support for the service chiefs is a reflection of the close relationship between the military and the political elite in Nigeria, each serving the selfish interest of the other.

    The Senate missed much an opportunity to show Nigerians that it is not sitting comfy in it’s red chambers while Nigerians are repeatedly dieing in the arms of rag tag armies and band of bandits, this is in the same Nigeria where once upon a time,  it’s troops worked wonders in the Congo, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Furthermore, the vote of confidence has been viewed as a missed opportunity for the Senate to hold the service chiefs accountable for their failures. Many believe that the Senate should have used the opportunity to demand for better performance and accountability from the military leadership, rather than giving them a vote of confidence without any conditions attached.

    The decision has also reignited calls for the resignation or removal of the service chiefs, with various groups and individuals expressing their dissatisfaction with their performance. Civil society organizations, political parties, and even some members of the Senate have called for the replacement of the service chiefs in order to bring fresh ideas and strategies to combat the security challenges facing the country.

    Read Also: Onjeh commends Tinubu for ‘well-deserved’ reward of Super Eagles

    The vote of confidence in the service chiefs has also been seen as a reflection of the disconnect between the political elite and the people they are supposed to represent. Many Nigerians feel that the government is out of touch with the realities on the ground, as the security situation in the country continues to deteriorate with no concrete solutions in sight.

    Despite the Senate’s show of support for the service chiefs, the calls for their resignation or removal continue to grow louder. Nigerians are increasingly frustrated with the government’s handling of the security situation, and many are demanding for a change in leadership in order to bring about the desired change.

    The vote of confidence in the service chiefs has also brought to the fore the need for a comprehensive review of the country’s security architecture. Many experts believe that the current system is outdated and ineffective in dealing with the modern security threats facing Nigeria, and have called for a complete overhaul of the security apparatus in order to address the challenges more effectively.

    In conclusion, the Nigerian Senate’s vote of confidence in the service chiefs has generated a lot of debate and controversy, with many questioning the rationale behind the decision. While the Senate has defended its decision as a show of support for the military in their fight against insurgency, many would argue otherwise and would rather have these fellows given marching orders to at least bring down the rate of such attacks on innocent citizens or are shipped out for a set of new service chiefs who would be offered the same treatment should they fail to deliver. Nigeria for God’s sake spends a huge chunk of it’s resources on security, it’s about time such funding is justified.

    For me the vote of confidence on the service chiefs remains another reason why our nation is sick, it’s undeserved as well as is a play to the gallery by the Nigerian Senate, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of millions of Nigerians who continue to suffer from while our policy makers continue to put every foot wrong. May God Almighty help us…. May Nigeria Succeed

  • PBAT and unrelenting opposition (1)

    PBAT and unrelenting opposition (1)

    As the victor in unarguably the most bitter and competitive presidential election in the country’s history, it is unsurprising that those who were opposed to the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President continue to dislike his administration intensely and wish that his failure would justify their skepticism as regards his candidacy. This is even as those who admire and support him remain fervent in their faith in the President despite the hardships engendered by some of his reform policies.

    Tinubu was the most abused, traduced, insulted, savaged and pilloried politician ever in the country’s history on his rough route to victory in the February 25, 2023, presidential election. But his constancy in remaining focused and refusing to be distracted during his campaign is an attribute the President needs even more critically now as his adversaries continue to work, directly and indirectly, for the failure of his administration being still unable to come to terms with the reality of his electoral triumph.

    President Tinubu’s challenges are made no easier by the tough policy measures he has had to make to confront the country’s unhealthy economic realities particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy which had become characterized by large scale fraud as well as the merger of the parallel exchange rate markets that had made it possible for those with contacts at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to obtain dollars at cheap rates at the official window only to sell them for a fortune at the parallel market with no industry or productive activity whatsoever.

    Although neoliberal institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have lauded these reforms believing that, if followed through, they will lay the foundation for the country’s future economic buoyancy, millions of Nigerians are bearing the brunt of the hardships caused by the resultant astronomical inflationary spiral as well as the negative implications of the massive devaluation of the Naira on our heavily import-dependent economy. The preponderance of opinion before the 2023 elections was that the fuel subsidy benefitted only a parasitic minority who criminally reaped billions from substantially exaggerated refined petroleum imports. Thus, all the notable presidential aspirants had declared that they would remove the subsidy. Indeed, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr Peter Obi, on a Channels television interview programme had described the fuel subsidy as a fraud saying he would remove it on his first day in office.

    This is exactly what President Tinubu did during his inauguration for which his so clearly hypocritical critics have sought to crucify him. To his credit, renowned human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), was one of the lone voices who called for the retention of the subsidy and rather advocated the elimination of the fraud associated with it. My friend and brother, Mr Mobolaji Sanusi, lawyer, journalist managerial psychologist and former MD of the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASSA) in our innumerable conversations was of the same view. But that is easier said than done. Contrary to the contention of the World Bank, IMF and neoliberal economic experts, it was not just a minority of fraudulent importers of refined petroleum that the fuel subsidy benefitted.

    The relentless escalation of prices of essential food items, transportation costs and other necessities indicates that the fuel subsidy indeed impacted the lives of millions of Nigerians positively. But the removal of the subsidy has significantly increased the revenue receipts into the Federation Account making more money available for distribution to the three arms of government. The challenge of the President is to ensure that this translates into enhanced welfare for the vast majority of the Nigerian people.

    True, the effects of Tinubu’s economic reforms have created very harsh existential conditions for millions of Nigerians. This has understandably generated strident criticisms of the administration. But those that blame a barely eight-month old administration for an economic crisis rooted largely in decades old structural defects, entrenched negative behavioral orientations and misplaced priorities by successive administrations are being less than intellectually honest. Much of the criticisms particularity from the opposition political parties, stem from grievances as regards the outcome of the last presidential election. But then, President Tinubu is not unfamiliar with this kind of situation. His first two years in office as governor of Lagos State were stormy and tense.

    As his Chief Press Secretary at the time, I was alarmed at the large number of adverse columns, editorials and feature articles published in diverse newspapers and magazines in a negative assessment of his first 100 days in office. The Labour unions led by the late fiery Ayoadele Akele, were up in arms against the governor’s insistence that he would pay the new federally imposed national minimum wage of N7,500 only after he had re-engineered and improved the revenue profile of the state. The workers were opposed to the administration’s introduction of the Oracle Software for the computation and payment of salaries, an initiative that eliminated ghost workers and enhanced the efficiency and integrity of the payroll system.

    The administration that was then barely three months in office was even blamed for the towering heaps of refuse that had come to define the landscape of Lagos as far back as the early 1980s. Yet, after eight years in office, Tinubu left in a blaze of glory. The same workers who had previously been implacably hostile to his government gave the governor a rousing farewell reception at the Adeyemi Bero auditorium at the State Secretariat, Alausa. The story can be the same for Tinubu even now but a lot will depend on the President.

    The continuing unrelenting opposition in some quarters to his administration can serve as a tonic to spur Tinubu to confound his critics, disprove those who assail him as well as strengthen and widen his support base. As the great political scientist, Harold Laski, wrote of the time in which he lived in his classic, ‘A Grammar of Politics’, the old Nigeria is dying and a new Nigeria is struggling to be born. Tinubu May be destined to midwife the birth of a new Nigeria. But there can be no birth without birth pangs. After rain comes sunshine said the great sage, Awolowo, and after darkness comes the glorious dawn.

    A character in Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka’s novel, ‘Season of Anomy’, evokes the image of the dentist who, to extract a painful tooth, has to inflict a measure of pain on the patient. It is Tinubu’s historic responsibility to ensure that the current hardships being endured by Nigerians are not in vain. During his campaign, he described his desire to be the country’s President as a life-long ambition. He must make it an ambition with a purpose. If that is to be, the President must be prepared to step on toes and treat no member of his administration as a sacred cow.

    One of the greatest challenges President Tinubu must confront frontally and decisively is insecurity. If the spate of kidnappings, banditry, herdsmen attack on farming communities and mindless ritual killings do not abate very quickly, the menace will make absolute nonsense of whatever the President may achieve in other areas. People must first and foremost be alive before they can utilize social services, earn a living or enjoy other benefits. The President obviously understands this and thus made security a key issue in his emergency meeting with state governors on Thursday.

    Among the decisions reached in this regard were the establishment of a committee comprising governors and representatives of the federal government to explore modalities for instituting state police as well as presidential endorsement of training and equipping of forest rangers by sub-national governments to safeguard human and material resources in local communities. These are steps in the right direction but a greater sense of urgency is required in my view given the gravity of the situation.

    The setting up of the proposed Forest Rangers, which incidentally was one of the President’s campaign promises, must be speedily done and it ought to be a full-fledged federal outfit to police and secure the country’s vast forests. Much of the kidnappings and banditry plaguing the country are linked to the forests where the criminal elements not only reside in but also take their victims to while negotiating for ransom payments.

    It may take quite some time for the idea of state police to be actualized. There are a number of problems raised by the question of state police that cannot be out rightly dismissed. One is the issue of possible abuse of such outfits by power drunk state governors who may turn them into terror machines against adversaries and opponents. For example, even without state police, a governor had the temerity to pull down his state’s House of Assembly complex to prevent his impeachment. What would such a governor do if he had control of his own state police? Again, how many states have the financial capacity to establish and run state police institutions although this problem can be solved by adjusting the revenue allocation formula to make more funds available to states?

    Rather than jump in one fell swoop from the extant undesirable and ineffective unitary policing system to state police, it is perhaps more pragmatic and realistic to have, in the interim, regional police networks based on the existing six geo-political groupings. These include the Amotekun Corp in the South-West, Eastern Security Network in the South-East and the Joint Police/Civilian Task forces in the group-political zones of the North. The existing bodies only need to be better trained, numerically expanded and better equipped. In parts of the South-West, for instance, the Amotekun Corps has performed remarkably well even when they are only rudimentarily equipped and have to confront criminals armed with sophisticated weapons.

    Read Also: Senate: Some Nigerians in mining sector colluding with foreigners to rip off country

    Such regional security outfits will be responsible to at least six or seven governors in the region who may belong to different political parties and so May be less vulnerable to to being utilized to intimidate and terrorize political opponents. The regional police will also facilitate better inter-state collaboration on security in territorially contiguous states. The President should also engage the governors as regards the need for greater transparency and efficacy in the utilization of their security votes the magnitude of which is unknown to the public and for which there is no accountability whatsoever.

    During his eight years in power, former President Muhammadu Buhari, only reluctantly effected changes in his military high command and top security hierarchy. He appeared to have prioritized regime security over the safety of lives and property of the citizenry. Buhari was content to hold ceaseless Security Council meetings after which he gave ‘marching orders’ to his security chiefs to respond to repeated security breaches. This bred complacency on the part of the top security hierarchy who believed that their jobs were safe irrespective of how insecure the country had become. President Tinubu cannot afford to follow this path. Every member of high Security Command must be made to understand that his retention in office is a function of demonstrable performance.

    One area where the President ought to pay particular attention to is that of the intelligence services. The absence of effective intelligence gathering and utilization over the years has been a key factor in Nigeria’s continuously deteriorating security situation. Criminal cartels plan and actualize the most heinous atrocities many of which could have been nipped in the bud with an alert and vigilant security network. The Department of State Services (DSS) and the intelligence arms of the various arms of the Defense forces need to be urgently overhauled, their needs ascertained and met particularly in the areas of up to date training as well as the requisite equipment and state of the art technology.

  • NASS and the scramble for development commissions

    NASS and the scramble for development commissions

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is the first formally established regional development commission by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the year 2000. Its sole mandate was to develop the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2008 announced the formation of the Niger Delta Ministry under which the NDDC was to operate as a parastatal for maximum efficiency.

    One of the central mandates of the NDDC was to train and educate the youths of the goose that lays the golden egg – the Niger delta region.  This was aimed at addressing the restiveness of the youth that had started impacting the production and distribution of crude oil. Beyond educating and training the youths, most of who were actually sponsored to study abroad on scholarship, the commission was also mandated to develop key infrastructure to aid productivity and make the region more self-sustaining.

    Sadly though, the NDDC is not the first development commission to be established by the federal government with its myriad of  oil-induced environmental devastation that have impact the lives of the citizens. The wild life, agriculture and marine lives of the people are some of the worst in the world amongst oil-producing nations. 

    It must be noted that NDDC idea came after an earlier commission, the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC established on June 25, 1992 by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd.) . OMPADEC did not record much success as the commission went from one management failure due to alleged corruption to the other. It is safe to say that the failure of OMPADEC necessitated the establishment of a Ministry of Niger Delta under which NDDC was supposed to operate.

    However, the NDDC despite a few achievements for the region has come under national criticism as many of the successive management boards have come under serious allegations of corruption. It is public knowledge that the money that has been invested in the Commission has not been commiserate with the infrastructural development or the states under the NDDC Act. At some point, even the students sent abroad under the late  President Yar’Adua’s  Amnesty Programme were in the streets of most global capitals protesting the delay in remitting their tuition fees. The allegations were not denied even if the problems were belatedly sorted. That singular act of irresponsibility by the management of the NDDC is symptomatic of many other projects of the commission. There have been series of allegations of corruption, under-performances, probes and National Assembly Public hearings involving the successive managements of the Commission with no serious outcomes.

    Reports indicate that by 2021, more than 13,000 projects and programmes by NDDC have either been abandoned or are uncompleted. These contracts are estimated to have cost about N15 trillion or $40bn. A good percentage of the  abandoned projects are sited in Rivers State. This had necessitated former President Mohammed Buhari  to order  a forensic audit of NDDC from 2001 to 2019. The audit led to a termination of some of the unexecuted contracts.

    The core Niger Delta states of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta and Ondo states remain some of the worst environmentally degraded areas in the country with the attendant poverty, intensifying insecurity, emergence of various militant groups and poor infrastructure. Given the rise in oil prices and the amount of monies being allocated to the commission, the condition of the region has become objects of films, creative arts, novels, poetry and documentaries all picturing the gaping paradox of a region so rich yet so impoverished the poignancy of the narratives are so impacting on a global scale that most writers and film producers have won awards for the power of their depictions of the environmental and infrastructural tragedy of the region.

    Read Also: One shot dead as police arrest suspected kidnappers of Ekiti pupils

    The Roundtable Conversation finds it apposite to recount a tiny bit of the NDDC story because of the rising demand and time given by the National Assembly to regional Development Commissions.  Following Boko Haram and other terrorist activities in the North East over the Years and given the continued devastation of the areas in question, there have been rising poverty, an increase in the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other socio-economic fall outs. The North East Development Commission (NEDC) was established in 2017 to help mitigate the problems of the conflicts and insurgency in the region. The NEDC was supposed to almost replicate the mandate of the NDDC investing in the future of the region through environmental training programs for Northeast women and youths.  At some point during the administration of former President Mohammadu Buhari, he had instructed the World Bank and some other global agencies to direct their humanitarian programmes to the North Eastern region of the country. It remains to be seen whether the NEDC and other interventionist programmes have yielded the desired results for people.

    The Bill for the establishment of the South West and South East Development Commissions had seemingly past second reading. The Bill for the establishment of the North West development Commission passed first reading in the Senate two days ago. So as it stands today, only the North Central has no Development Commission Bill in the waiting but knowing the Nigerian system, it might not be too long in coming. But the question is, to what end?

    The 10th National Assembly is going the route of those before it. There seems to be no diligent Oversight functions on plethora of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).  Sadly too, the same Senate ‘screens’ nominees for these MDAs but somehow fail to be thorough before confirmation and to do thorough Oversight functions to keep both the appointees and the civil servants on their toes. May be the NDDC might have delivered satisfactorily on its mandate and other MDAs might be more accountable too.

    The ‘scramble for Development Commissions’ just for regional balance shows some form of  systemic failure. How have the National Assembly handled the  petitions and results of the public hearings they have organized? Are there conclusive investigations? A  thorough Oversight Function  by the two arms of the National Assembly ought to have nipped certain lack of transparency and alleged corruption cases in the bud.

    The` Roundtable Conversation spoke to Kalu Idika Kalu,  a member of the APC, former two-time finance minister,  of national planning and transportation minister, former Chairman, ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Chairman Development Committee of the World Bank with vast experiences about development paradigms  across continents. We asked him his views on the proliferation of regional Development Commissions and the value that can add to development. To him, while development Commissions are not a bad idea, the nation’s development structures are wobbly and totally ill-prepared for meaningful development. The first and crucial action is to address the structural inefficiencies first.

    The nation must apply due diligence and structural efficiency that ensures civil servants and indeed the leaderships at various levels are accountable. We must address the fundamentals, there must be structural and monetary policy efficiency for things to work well he insists. We must fix the center, monetary, fiscal, financial and management systems before things begin to work properly for development.  There must be proper cost-effectiveness and good financial analysis that have been proven functional in other jurisdictions.

    The creation of regional Development Commissions cannot function optimally if the structural defects are not sorted. Funny enough the same National assembly just passed a budget, where would the funding for the Commissions come from without good economic planning based on global models? One would have thought that the National Assembly understands the real essence of development. There are more to development plans that are far beyond setting up of development commissions. There must be a conscious effort to rejig the public service mentality.

    There must be a conscious effort to first make people understand the essence of development and the price the citizens must be ready to pay. Development Commissions do not function in a vacuum. The NDDC experience should have shown us that something is wrong with the system.  It should not really be about vague regional scramble for development commissions without a holistic national re-orientation of the human capital that will ultimately run the organizations.

    The Roundtable believes that the political immaturity being displayed by the legislators is an ill-wind that blows no one any good. The National Assembly is there for national duties being representatives of the people. While we agree that they are representing their regions and constituencies, their job is not to scramble in a wild goose chase style to establish regional development commissions just for flawed regional equity. Functionality must be the goal rather than mere optical satisfaction.

    It is just curious that the ‘race’ to sponsor bills for regional development commissions is not grounded in reality and achievable goals. The Senate has not done well in carrying out oversight functions that in the real sense would force MDAs to fill the development gaps that they seek through regional development commissions. There is no scarcity of MDAs to work to develop every region. What is lacking is the systemic efficiency of the human beings in public service. The National Assembly  has not acquitted itself satisfactorily through oversight functions on the Ministry of Niger delta Affairs,  the NDDC and many other MDAs. NDDC ought to stand as a successful model first before the wild goose chase for other regional development commissions.

    ●The dialogue Continues…

  • Five elections in one day

    Five elections in one day

    Elections are the major parameters for measuring the strength of democracy in any clime. They point towards the direction a civilian government is taking and where it is likely to end. They also reflect the credibility level of the contestants and the electoral umpire. The extent of compromise or integrity of polls determines the extent of trust or misgiving the people would have in their elected representatives.

    From the conduct and results of many elections across the world, it could be surmised that there are no perfect elections anywhere, not even in the advanced democracy where skirmishes have trailed the conduct of many elections. But the ability of politicians to manage the loopholes that creep into the conduct of the elections without throwing away the baby with the bathwater ensures the survival of democracy.

    Given the fundamental essence of elections in a democracy, the ways and means infused into their conduct deserve a perusal. In Nigeria, the conduct of elections has thrown up many issues – most spontaneous, others emotional, some pertinent – to give this vast frontline African democratic nation the credible polls it deserves.

    Questions thus abound on how to achieve a credible electoral system worthy of national pride and international applause.

    Should the electoral commission be appointed by the President or another organ of government? What is the assurance that another arm of government will not later be accused of the same real or imagined pitfalls that critics are attributing to the appointing authority in the executive arm?

    Should a separate court or tribunal be set up for the trial of electoral offenders who continue to make periodic elections a predictable nightmare?

    Where will the manual method of voting and counting of votes lead Nigeria? Is electronic voting not the answer? Is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) afraid to deploy all-round technology for the conduct of polls?

    Many puzzles, and few answers. But the debate on the sanctity of the ballot box continues. Electoral reform is an unfinished business.

    During the week, the House of Representatives examined a Bill seeking the conduct of the five elections in one day, and it was passed for a second reading.

    The Bill intends that the presidential, governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and Houses of Assembly elections should be conducted in one day.

    Following its passage for the second reading, the Bill was referred to the House Committee on Electoral Matters. It is expected to conduct a public hearing on it and other electoral amendment Bills before the House.

    At the proposed public hearings, Nigerians will have the opportunity to discuss why elections are problematic in the country and proffer solutions that are beyond whether polls should be conducted in a day, two days, or five days.

    The sponsor of the Bill, Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Delta State, argued that conducting the polls in a single day would reduce cost and the bandwagon effect associated with elections.

    He said the amendment became necessary because of the litigations associated with the 2023 general election.

    Elections are critical to democratic consolidation and political stability. Fundamentally, they confer legitimacy on elected authorities who derive the power to govern from the people. If an election is flawed, legitimacy may be eroded and those thrown up by bad polls are not better than coup plotters who hijack the machinery of government and rule by force; without accountability, public support, and a democratic constitution.

    Since it is generally accepted that civil, democratic rule is better and preferable to the rule of the gun, elections are inevitable as the only popular means of securing the people’s mandate. They are the weapons of choice, change, renewal and affirmation, and rejection of leadership.

    Elections are taxing in this part of the world. They are challenging and very expensive. Billions of naira are required to accomplish the task by the umpire. Due to the fierce struggle for power or the do-or-die stance among some candidates and their political parties, the umpire has to operate in an atmosphere that should be seen to promote fairness and equitability.

    Thousands of litigations arising from periodic elections suggest that the country still has a long way to go in its electoral journey.

    Apart from the cost of conducting free, fair, peaceful, and credible polls, which Hon. Waive highlighted, the lawmaker also alluded to the disruption of socio-economic activities every four years.

    The legislator maintained that conducting elections on two separate days often puts much pressure on Nigerians and their businesses because the country is always shut down during Election Days. Movement of people, except those essential services, is restricted. The border is closed and there is no room for inter-state travel. Policemen, soldiers, and other security agencies are on patrol. In some constituencies, there is tension and panic.

    The Federal legislator reasoned that if the country could conduct three elections in one day, it could also conduct five elections on the same day.

    However, the bandwagon effects, which cannot be ignored, may have also been exaggerated. In certain circumstances, some elections have predictive value. But there are also instances where constituents voted for candidates of a party in one election only to reject other candidates on the same platform in subsequent polls.

    The Centre for Liberty (CFL), a civil society organisation, that shares Hon. Waive’s views, believes that conducting the general election in a day would significantly curb incidents of rigging, and violence, and reduce costs.

    In a statement, the group called for an amendment to the Electoral Act to accommodate “full biometrics for accreditation and electronic collation of results”.

    Read Also: One shot dead as police arrest suspected kidnappers of Ekiti pupils

    But the suggestion of the group is conditional. It is canvasing reforms based on the deployment of technology by INEC.

    The group also called for free movement of persons to allow for wider political participation on poll day. While this is also a good suggestion, past experiences that warranted the restriction of movements should not be forgotten. Movements were restricted to prevent full-scale hijack of polling materials and result sheets by unscrupulous elements and agents of violence.

    Elections are more expensive because Nigeria has opted for a presidential system. Under the parliamentary system in the First Republic, only two elections were conducted – federal parliamentary election into the House of Representatives and regional Houses of Assembly elections. After the polls, the Prime Minister and the Premier would come from the parties that command the majority in the Parliament. There was no poll for choosing the ceremonial president and governors. The ceremonial Senate was by appointment. Why the federal parliamentary poll was nationwide, it was not every time the regional Houses of Assembly elections were held on the same day across the regions. Therefore, even at that time, both federal and regional elections were not held on the same day.

    At the onset of the Second Republic, the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO), chaired by Chief Michael Ani, released a timetable that specified that the five elections would be held on five different days with an interval of one week, starting with the House of Assembly, the governorship, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the presidential elections.

    In 1983, FEDECO, under another chairman, Justice Victor Ovie-Whiskey, maintained the five-day, five-week schedule, but in a reverse order. He started with the presidential poll and followed with the senatorial, the House of Representatives, the governorship, and the House of Assembly elections. The polls were massively rigged, contrary to the assurance the umpire gave.

    In the Third Republic, when manual accreditation, physical counting of eligible voters on long queues, and open-secret ballots were adopted, the exercise was transparent and there was no room for rigging. Yet, some experts said it was crude. They also argued that due to the population explosion, it would be more rigorous and chaotic.

    If the cost of conducting polls is a big factor in the electoral economy, the country has to decide between an expensive exercise that will uphold the sanctity of the ballot box or the option of five elections in a day that could cause a disaster.

    If INEC is still struggling with two days of conducting elections, the job would be more hectic if the five elections were conducted in one day. There is no evidence to show that under the current pseudo-manual system, the commission will be able to cope with the arduous job.

    The way out is the deployment of technology for electronic voting, if the process would not be hacked by unscrupulous elements and if there would be a stable power supply.

  • Nigeria’s poor regulatory systems

    Nigeria’s poor regulatory systems

    Sister Olawunmi just subscribed for a 2Gb data plan on one of the nation’s telecom networks, sadly by the next day she cannot make use of such services for her thesis research, efforts to reach the customer care to lay complaints are automatically frustrated as that network is off the air leaving Sister Wunmi frustrated at a system where regulation has failed to work, it’s not just telecoms, every  sector in Nigeria  has repeatedly suffered from the non existence of proper regulation passing on the buck to the ordinary Nigerian who is vulnerable. The absence of effective regulations in Nigeria is indeed a reason why Nigeria continues to be a limping giant with a number of it’s goods and services not meeting set standards of other nations as well as has failed to help attract the required investments in a number of sectors.

    Regulatory agencies naturally should play  play a critical role in ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, promoting fair competition, and safeguarding public interests. However, in Nigeria, these institutions have far too often failed to fulfill their mandates, resulting in dire consequences for the country’s economy and society. This essay aims to discuss the poor performance of regulatory agencies in Nigeria and the implications it has had on various sectors.

    There are a number of reasons for the poor performance of regulatory agencies in Nigeria, one of them is notably corruption, while we also have lack of funding, political interference, inadequate legal framework, lack of accountability and incompetent personell.

    When buildings collapse trapping and killing many within such structures, a 9 out of 10 reasons for such a tragedy would be majorly due to a lack of regulatory functions. While banks continue to cause their clients much havoc owing to a number of their transactions failing while they snugly assure such a customer of getting his money back within a particular amount of days irrespective of what such transactions were meant to resolve. Let’s not even talk about the penny pinching that goes on within our accounts for which we are to laid back to question.

    Truth is that regulatory agencies will not work for as long as the regulatory officials are known to demand bribes or engage in other forms of corrupt practices in carrying out their duties. This not only undermines the effectiveness of these agencies but also erodes public trust in them.

    Stemming from a lack of funding, this in turn leads to a lack of resources and capacity for these agencies to effectively carry out their regulatory functions. Insufficient funds also limit their ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel, resulting in reduced productivity and effectiveness.

     Regulatory agencies in Nigeria are often subject to political interference, with politicians and other powerful figures exerting influence over their operations. This interference compromises their autonomy and independence, leading to decisions that may not be in the best interest of the public.

    Inadequate legal framework: The legal framework governing regulatory agencies in Nigeria is often weak and outdated. This hampers their ability to enforce regulations effectively, as they face legal constraints and loopholes that can be exploited by those they are supposed to regulate. Similarly regulatory agencies in Nigeria often operate without proper checks and balances. There is a lack of transparent and effective mechanisms for holding these agencies accountable for their actions or inactions. This creates a culture of impunity and negligence, further contributing to their poor performance.

    Lastly, a combination of these factors naturally result in the recruiting of Incompetent and poorly skilled staff as many regulatory agencies in Nigeria suffer from a lack of competent and qualified personnel. There is often a disconnect between the knowledge and skills required for effective regulation and the capabilities of those appointed to regulatory positions. This lack of expertise compromises the efficacy of these agencies.

    To address the poor performance of regulatory agencies in Nigeria, there is a need for systemic reforms. This includes improving transparency, accountability, and professionalism within these agencies. Additionally, tackling corruption, providing adequate funding, updating the legal framework, and reducing political interference are crucial steps for improving their effectiveness.

    The poor performance of regulatory agencies in Nigeria has created significant obstacles for business growth and foreign investments. Corruption and bureaucratic red tape have stifled entrepreneurship and discouraged potential investors. The World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index consistently ranks Nigeria poorly due to these issues, deterring both local and international investors.

    Moreover, weak regulatory enforcement has allowed the spread of informal and unregistered businesses, undermining the competitiveness of formal businesses subjected to stringent taxation and compliance requirements. This concept of unfairness further deters potential investors and discourages job creation within the formal economy.

    The failure of regulatory agencies in Nigeria has had far-reaching consequences on the economy, public health, and business growth. Addressing the issues afflicting these institutions is essential for the country’s development and progress. Transparent and accountable governance, coupled with institutional reforms, are necessary to restore public trust, combat corruption, and strengthen regulatory oversight. By doing so, Nigeria can create an enabling environment for businesses, attract investments, and ensure the well-being of its citizens

  • APGA of crisis

    APGA of crisis

    Crisis is not alien to any political party in any clime. It only confirms that politicians are human and do disagree. The difference between a political crisis and any impasse in other human settings, however, is the notion that politicians ought to possess more psychological and emotional absorption mechanisms than other folks to prevent their squabbles from getting into public glare.

    Such a notion tends to overrate politicians. As human beings, people in politics, like other beings, are susceptible to the vagaries of human dissensions and cantankerousness. This has been the reality over time. It happened before the nation’s independence in 1960, in the First, Second, and Third Republics. Under the current political dispensation, crises brew almost on daily basis among seekers of power.

    For the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the obvious signs of distress have been on the wall from the beginning. The party has become a House of Babel, a disunited political family battling with internal contradictions. From its inception to this moment, its leaders have been locked in a curious war of attrition.

    Today, two chieftains are laying claim to being the party’s national chairman. Sylvester Ezeokenwa, a lawyer, is backed by the party’s National Leader, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo. But armed with a court judgment, Chief Edozie Njoku, a businessman, is disputing Ezeokenwa’s leadership. He has the backing of some of the founding chieftains, including Chief Chekwas Okorie, the party’s pioneer national chairman.

    Reconciliation is difficult in APGA where warring chieftains prefer to work at cross-purposes.

    The party shares the fate of the “structureless” Labour Party (LP), torn apart by the protracted crisis between Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa. It is reminiscent of the rift between Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa and his friend, Chief Michael Koleoso of the moribund Alliance for Democracy (AD).

    APGA has wobbled along caucuses and camps. The camps underscore the extent of polarisation. They do not mean well for each other. It is the pattern in the party. While each camp claims to be for the survival of the party, it is oblivious to the damage it is doing to its chances at the polls through intrigues, persistent conflicts, and antagonism.

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    APGA is now the second oldest party in Nigeria; only second to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having obtained a certificate of registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) around 2002. It has tried to weather the storm created by the nature of party politics in Nigeria and the style of its antagonistic leaders. The protracted internal crisis has stifled its growth, weakened its structures, and robbed it of victory in many elections in some states.

    Many chieftains have left APGA for other parties where they achieved their ambitions for power at different levels.

    There was justification for its birth, as rationalised by its founders.  There was no evidence to suggest that APGA was meant for all of Nigeria. Its founding fathers never pretended that they wanted to build a platform with a national outlook. The party’s root is the Southeast and the target was a platform that could offer a more sustaining opportunity for an Igbo man to contest for President. It appeared the idea then was to bring the entire Southeast under APGA so that the party and the region could be in a vantage position to negotiate at the centre.

    But that approach became its undoing. APGA became ‘APUGA,’ completely branded as an Igbo party meant for the Igbo, but also momentarily available for borrowing by members of other political parties in the Southeast and a few defectors beyond the region. That was how former Minister of State for Information, Labaran Maku, used the platform when he was denied the governorship ticket of his party in Nasarawa State.

    The founding fathers were assailed by a sort of complex, which made them to look for a father figure to hand over the party’s apparatus after labouring hard to form the party. Bubbling with charisma and carriage, the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, accepted the invitation and became the party’s National Leader.

    Ojukwu was the idol of the Southeast; the legendary Biafra warlord who once led the Igbo through a three-year secession battle that shook Nigeria. But that was the end of the story.

    As the history of electoral politics has shown, Ojukwu never measured up to the reputation of an electoral asset. Although he joined the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) when he returned from exile and was made the party’s national vice chairman, his senatorial bid crumbled like cookies. In APGA, while some people leaned on him to win, victory eluded him when he aspired to rule post-civil war Nigeria.

    Some people holding the levers of federal power in the first eight years of civil rule in this Fourth Republic also misunderstood the rise of APGA as the second coming of Biafra and attempted to categorise it as a security risk. It was an erroneous perception. The civil war ended in 1970. But the suspicion has not fizzled out. It is inimical to national integration.

    Of course, the big parties then – the PDP, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and even AD – never wanted APGA to shine beyond Igbo land. In the elections, APGA was far behind as many parts of the Southeast, particularly outside Anambra State, rejected its candidates.

    During the 2003 polls, APGA only won 1.4 per cent of popular votes. The party managed to win two of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives; it could not win a seat in the Senate.

    Its presidential candidate, Ojukwu, had, politically speaking, lost the momentum. During the presidential election, he only won 3.3 per cent of votes. But no other party has been able to penetrate Anambra, its stronghold, during governorship elections in the post-Mbadinuju era. Although Dr. Chris Ngige was sworn in 2003, the stolen mandate was retrieved from the PDP and handed over to the legitimate winner, Peter Obi.

    Obi, who also became APGA leader, handed over to Willy Obiano, who handed over to Soludo, the incumbent. Obi later abandoned APGA for PDP. From PDP, he hurriedly left for LP with his band of social media warriors.

    Once any Anambra governor is sworn in, he becomes the alpha and omega of ‘APUGA’.

    Dramatically, fortune smiled on APGA in Imo State in 2011 when Chief Rochas Okorocha, assisted by Chief Martins Agbaso, was elected governor, polling 15 per cent more votes than former Governor Ikedi Ohakim. But, by 2013, the defector again jumped ship, teaming up with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to later form the All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2018, APGA won a seat in the Senate in a by-election. In 2019, the party won seven seats in the House of Representatives. It was an improvement on its 2015 record when it only won two seats.

    Since Okorie, the party’s visioner, left the platform in crisis, APGA has not remained the same. Within two years, he tried to lay a solid and effective foundation for the party. He returned to APGA recently after pleas, only to meet a more divided platform.

    In 2023, APGA failed to produce a senator in Anambra. The three senators – Victor Umeh (LP), Tony Nwoye (LP), and Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP/APC) – are threatening to unseat APGA in its stronghold in the next governorship poll.

    Okorie was succeeded by Umeh who later won a seat in the Senate but was later denied re-nomination before defecting, in protest, to the LP on which platform he was re-elected.

    After a protracted leadership battle between Njoku and Victor Oye, APGA’s National Executive Committee (NEC) suspended the two chieftains. The Deputy National Chairman (South), Jude Okeke, became the Acting Chairman in June 2021.

    However, Oye continued controlling much of the party and claimed he was the rightful chairman until the Supreme Court ruled in his favour in October 2021. Irked by the verdict, Njoku went to court to seek redress. He was pronounced the authentic national chairman, although the party, now under the leadership of Soludo, has made Ezeokenwa its national chairman.

    The people of Anambra have supported APGA since 2002, despite its protracted crisis. The recent experience whereby they voted for candidates of other parties during the senatorial elections should be worrisome to the party’s leadership. There was fatigue and a review of solidarity.

    There is a need for soul-searching and genuine reconciliation in APGA, if the party is not to go into eclipse.

    A crisis is an ill will that blows nobody any good. APGA’s leaders need to make this their watchword and make urgent amends to put the party on more solid ground for better performances at the poll.

  • On the rising food prices in Nigeria

    On the rising food prices in Nigeria

    Nigeria is presently facing its biggest rise in food prices as inflation continues to clamber up all over the world even as the global economy slowly recovers from the coronavirus pandemic with a number of consequences for the nation.

    As we speak, the price of staples such as rice, beans and garri has moved up by a huge percentage against the real incomes of the average Nigerian which has continued to shrink by the day while the country continues to wriggle itself out of the twin problems of low oil prices and the pandemic. Such price rise of staples which are required by a majority of households in Nigeria for their daily nourishment not only takes such staples away from their reach, dealing a blow on their nutritional needs as well as pushing millions of Nigerians (About 6 million Nigerians) below the poverty line.

    Understanding the impact of such price rise is simple economics not requiring the ponderous personalities of doomsday economists to tell us in that Warri parlance “E don Red” ( Which means it is that bad) With food prices galloping to more than 23 percent since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, the challenges of feeding oneself and it becomes worse if one has a family is indeed a monumental one, it is thus important for us to sound the alarm and perhaps wake up those in charge of the numerous policies that may impact positively one way or the other and help arrest such hikes and perhaps bring down the prices.

    Within the earlier mentioned challenges, we would have more children suffer from malnutrition as providing three square meals would be a daunting task and worse more such meals could lack the basic nutrients meant to stave off malnourishment among children. As it stands now, it is bad enough that over 17 million children in Nigeria are malnourished and suffer from a number of ailments that can be traced to such malnourishment, it is thus a given that with such a hike in prices of such staples and the absence of other alternatives many more children will join such numbers, sad indeed!

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    The price of beans, a major staple which is the nation’s chief supplier of plant proteins has gone up for example by 62 percent forcing a number of families to reduce its consumption. For rice, the story has not much been different with the staple doing a 15 percent rise in price despite the fact that a majority of our rice consumed here is locally produced as whatever rice that is allowed to be imported must do so through the ports with a tariff rate of 70 percent slammed on such imports to discourage the business while a subsisting ban hovers over the importation of rice via our borders. One wonders why despite the long run as well as the increase in rice farming in states like Kebbi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ekiti and Kano the much needed push in the demand for the staple has not readily provided the much needed investment in the sector as well as allow for price stability since a majority of our consumed rice is no longer subject to our exchange rates.

    Other staples such as yam, maize and plantains have also tanked north causing a majority of Nigerian households to increase their spending on food or at most reduce the quality of food consumed. What this means is that Nigerians will reduce the amount they spend on other aspects such as rent, education, healthcare and lastly leisure thus stifling these sectors from recording any meaningful growth.

    What bothers me the most is that the reasons for such food price increases is not driven alone by global factors or the pandemic: Nigeria’s rise in food prices is largely caused by the fact that a number of policies meant to ensure that 40 percent of our food is not wasted owing to the lack of proper storage facilities, our transport system is still in dire straits and policies that are meant to improve the agricultural value chain in Nigeria are either lacking or are not fully implemented.

    Worse still is the growing insecurity situation in Nigeria that has seen herdsmen clash repeatedly with farmers over access to land. In farming areas in a number of states, people are scared to go to the farms for the fear of been slaughtered in their own farms by suspected criminal herdsmen, this naturally has affected the level of production of these staples creating a form of supply induced scarcity which in turn has led to an increase in such prices of staples.

    These have been worsened with the continuous war against terrorism, the rise in banditry, kidnapping as well as ethnic wars between communities in Nigeria.

    The truth is that such food price increases makes a mess of the exploits in agriculture by this present administration. This should serve as a clarion call to the ministers of agriculture as well as other coordinating bodies to begin to do the needful as Nigerians have no business with been hungry otherwise soon, the chickens will begin to come home to roost!

    I had written this in 2021, now fast forward to 2024 and owing to a number of factors, the price of staples mentioned here have more than quadrupled and seem not to be abating soon. While such a situation is not the exclusive preserve of Nigerians alone, as the situation seems to be the same all over the world, the truth remains that Nigeria has no business grappling with such if we had paid heed to agriculture rather than dumping it for the petrodollars which we have also not managed.

    The Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration must tackle this problem headlong otherwise it would have the frustrations of Nigerians as it’s major concerns. A hungry man is an angry man!

    Need I say more…

    Nigeria Must Succeed!

  • AFCON 2024, Nigeria and the untold African stories

    AFCON 2024, Nigeria and the untold African stories

    The finals of Confederation of African Football (CAF) organized African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament being hosted by Ivory Coast has been an exciting tournament so far and as the finalists; Nigerian Super Eagles and the Elephants of Ivory Coast would play the finals tomorrow in what many analysts have termed the finals like no other in the history of the competition.

    The two nations are in the same Group A and had met at the group stages  the host nation a had a bloody nose despite their rancorous home support. The hosts lost to Nigeria 1-0. They went ahead to lose 4-0 to lowly ranked Equatorial Guinea side. They had thus lost two games but are lucky to have scaled the round of 16 through the lucky route of the best losers.

    The Super Eagles on the other hand equally struggled through but triumphing in the group stages, drawing with Equatorial Guinea, defeating Cameroon by two goals in the round of 16, defeating Angola by a lone goal in the quarter finals Angola and South Africa through penalty kicks in the Semi-finals.

    Some three West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger,  that had recently come under military coups exited the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) citing some yet to be clarified reasons following their recent suspension by the sub-regional bloc. Their withdrawal comes 14 years after Mauritania withdrew in 2000 even though they signed a new associate membership in August 2017. The 15-nation regional economic bloc was formed in 1975 by the military administration of then military Head of state of Nigeria, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.) as a way of promoting economic integration among member countries.

    Though there were lofty goals that inspired the formation of the economic group, many of them remain unachieved as the sub-region struggles with conflicts, imperialism, terrorism, bad leadership and the lack of viable economic pathways. At this level therefore, the West African Sub-region seems to be tottering. There are calls for the regional body to re-calibrate for better cooperation and economic sustainability.

    On a continental level however, there are still divisions often papered over diplomatically and through the African Union (AU) protocols. But we all know that the South African region, the Horn of Africa and the North African region all have their unique issues which many global economic and political analysts believe must be tackled to make the continent more viably functional and united.  Dependency on other continents cannot be as functional as unity engineered from the continent.

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    However, despite all the challenges the continent face both at continental and regional levels, sports and more specifically football is one game that seemingly seeks to unite the countries. The continental competitions under CAF provide the space and opportunity for the countries to interact through their young ones through football. Football is today a multi-trillion dollar business  globally.

    It is therefore very interesting to see that this year’s AFCON has thrown up a lot of surprises and a high level of excitement.  The exit of the so called African football giants like Morocco that went up to the semi-final of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Egypt , Ghana, Cameroon, Tunisia, Algeria, defending champion, Senegal and other multiple winners all crashed out before the Semi-finals. The performance of ‘small’ teams like Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso were admirable even though they did not reach the semi-finals.

    Progress has been made in the game and Africa has contributed to the global growth of the game. Some analysts even argue that AFCON seems to be like a hunting ground for the EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga, French League and lately, the Saudi Arabian League that seems to have focused on attracting the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema and Mane.

    The Semi-Final game between South Africa and Nigeria in the on-going AFCON 2024 more than any other in the past has thrown up a lot of questions about unity through sports in the continent. Even though the drama has been on the social media between the young people of both countries, most Nigerians are shocked that countries like Ghana and Cameroon joined South Africans in trolling Nigerians. Comic as the banters might appear, the Roundtable Conversation seems to see beyond football given the intensity and dimension of the debates between the various African countries African countries.

    The recent alleged threat by the fans of the South African club side, Chippa United F.C where the Nigerian goal keeper, Stanley Nwabali and stopped two South African penalties to not come back to South Africa is the most poignant example of the seeming bad blood being displayed by some of the countries that have elected to threat Nigeria as an enemy. It is very sad that the spirit of sportsmanship seems to be leaving the game.

    Before the tournament, there were permutations but the game being as unpredictable as the weather in a 21st century environment, all permutations seem to have fallen apart given the surprises that emerged in the build up to the finals. Exciting as the game is, lucrative as the global football industry is, it is humans that make it tick. While entertainment and sports banters are not out of place globally, the Roundtable Conversation believes that the dangers that fan enthusiasm can cause must be nipped in the bud by CAF and most countries through re-orientation and more information that can douse tension.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke to a veteran footballer who scored 23 goals for the Nigerian national team and was part of the team that won the 1980 AFCON tournament, the very famous Mathematical Odegbami (as christened by the late ace commentator, Ernest Okonkwo) due to his dexterity with the round leather. He is a sports enthusiast who has invested so much in not just football but other sports and is adept at nurturing talents through his sports academy. He now contributes to sports broadcasting through his Eagles 7 Sports Radio 103.7FM in his home state, Ogun in South West Nigeria.  In his words, “we are trying to groom young people interested in sports broadcasting and hopefully, we may just discover another Earnest Okonkwo of blessed memory. As a matter of fact, about five of them are here with me in Ivory Coast for the AFCON duties”.

    We asked him his views about the seeming ‘hatred’ being shown Nigeria by countries like Ghana, Cameroon and South Africa and whose voices seem to the loudest in trolling Nigeria and wishing them failure at this year’s AFCON. He feels the energy, the wealth, the population, the beauty of Nigerian football and the plethora of ex- and present internationals with global reputation may be a source of secret admiration that often comes off as envy for Nigerians and their successes. Nigeria is a giant black nation with the greatest number of  globally successful individuals scattered across continents and their confidence often rob other Africans the wrong way.

    Asked why these countries that have benefitted hugely in the past from Nigeria’s benevolence seem to have forgotten too soon, Chief Odegbami blames the lack of good study or understanding of history by African youths must be blamed for the lack of a sense of history that should humble other Africans that Nigeria had in the past been so magnanimous to through financial contributions, sending of technical partners, judges, teachers, offer of scholarships/ asylums  and doctors to help in their post-independence or post-apartheid recovery political economies.

    On a more comical note, Chief Odegbami believes that the colonial and apartheid historical experiences of some African countries are very diverse and Nigeria seems to stand out in terms of their own colonial experiences, the acculturation/opression that other countries experienced seems absent in Nigeria so Nigerians come off more confident, independent-minded and this might rob off on others in ways they might show some tinge of jealousy even if without much bitterness. Nigerians to him come off more confident and assertive in ways that might be interpreted as arrogance by some other Africans.

    He believes that the various African nations must begin to take the study and teaching of history more seriously because the younger generation seem to lack a depth of the history of Africa as a whole and the individual countries in ways that the younger ones can have more information. If some of the younger generation understood more about slavery, colonialism, apartheid and its effects on the continent, the younger ones would understand themselves better and desist from some anti-social behavior like the xenophobic attacks from South Africa on other Africans.

    Chief Odegbami believes that football is growing in Africa and must be nurtured to reward the continent with economic and social growth.  He believes that despite all odds, Nigeria is supposed to be a leader of the entire black race not as a gift by other nations but given the sheer number of people, their industry, passion and the influence of Nigeria in different global sectors one of which is the field of sports with football leading the pack. Other nations must understand the soft and hard powers Nigeria wields and understand the value in showing good sportsmanship before, during and after any competition. Africa must maximize the role of sports as a unifier and a socio-economic tool for unity and development he concluded.

    The Roundtable Conversation wishes the Super Eagles victory and hopes that CAF will use its position to appeal to Chippas FC fans of South Africa or any other South African fanto not harm the Nigerian goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali when he gets back to his club. Football is a game and Africa is one. The world is watching how we as Africans threat each other in an era of increased multilateral and migration policies across the world. This AFCON 2024 must unite rather than divide Africa.

    ● The dialogue continues. ..

  • Values and national development

    Values and national development

    For many, at the root of Nigeria’s protracted crisis of underdevelopment despite the abundance of human, natural, and mineral resources with which she is endowed is the country’s inability to overcome her economic deficiencies and disabilities to enable her transcend such debilitating problems as mass immiseration, ignorance, illiteracy, unemployment, inadequate shelter, hunger and prevalence of disease among other manifestations of pervasive poverty. The frightening rate of insecurity characterized by worsening incidences of kidnapping, armed robbery, ritual killings, and assorted acts of terrorism, which undoubtedly constitute the greatest threat to national stability and cohesion, is a direct consequence of the country’s economic underdevelopment.

    Along with the high rate of poverty in which the vast majority of Nigerians are immersed is the incredible degree of inequality enabling a microscopic number of Nigerians to amass and obscenely exhibit their mostly ill-acquired wealth amidst the dehumanizing deprivation suffered by millions of their fellow countrymen and women. It was the great sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who warned in an address to the Ondo State House of Assembly on Friday, 18th January 1980, of the great dangers posed to the country’s very existence by appalling levels of poverty, inequality, and social injustice.

    In his words, “The rich, and the highly-placed in business, public life, and government, are running a dreadful risk in their callous neglect of the poor and downtrodden. We expect that the rank and file of the law enforcement and security agencies should be devoted and dedicated to their onerous assignments of protecting our lives and properties. We expect the low-income workers to be loyal in their respective occupations of drudge-of-all-work. But what they receive by way of remunerations for a whole month is much less than what is spent by each of many of us to entertain his friends everyday of the week, at home or in some high-class hotels. Indeed, their wage or income is inadequate for any suitable standard of living.”

    Things have grown much worse since Chief Awolowo uttered these prophetic words. For those who perceive the country’s underdevelopment as basically a function of her economic backwardness, the key to Nigeria’s rapid progress lies in economic technicalities such as effective management of interest and exchange rates and the right mix of fiscal and monetary policies. It would appear, however, that an even more fundamental contributory factor to the country’s continued adverse romance with underdevelopment is a perverse and self-sabotaging value system. The premium placed on the accumulation of wealth by all means and at all costs is, for instance, responsible for the humongous and pervasive corruption that contributes substantially to our protracted economic crisis and the attendant poverty and inequality.

    A few weeks ago, we cited in this column a study by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, which gave graphic details of how much-stolen funds by public office holders between 2015 and now would have contributed significantly to the provision of facilities such as good roads as well as standard public schools, hospitals and mass housing among others. While corruption by those who occupy public office has been constantly exposed and, in a few instances punished, there has been less focus on corruption in the private sector which is also pervasive and injurious to economic development.

    Even as the President Bola Tinubu administration continues to address the challenges arising from its economic reforms particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy and the merger of previous parallel exchange rate markets, it must also pay attention to overhauling the current overly materialistic value system underlying the economic and other manifestations of underdevelopment. In this regard, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) is as critical as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the Ministry of Finance in the quest for economic recovery and sustainable development. Yet, this remains one highly consequential agency that has been severely underfunded over the years despite having able leadership and competent staff. Some have criticized what they perceive as the Information Minister, Mr. Mohammed Idris’s rather understated and low-profile approach in discharging his responsibilities. However, his approach, in my view, enhances the credibility of information emanating from his office being devoid of propaganda.

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    The Minister working along with the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, should make the revitalization of the NOA a cardinal priority to enable the agency to effectively discharge its vital responsibility of national reorientation. The Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy can also play an important role at a more subliminal level by encouraging creative works in diverse genres that promote values supportive of national development.

    During the week, social media was awash with news and visuals of a Nigerian female ‘celebrity’ who celebrated her 50th birthday in grand style with a weeklong array of opulent activities in the scenic Island of Grenada. It was estimated that she spent not less than a billion Naira in feting her guests in an affair worthy of royalty. The story attracted attention and gained traction largely because of the all too human penchant for the sensational. Again, this conspicuous display of wealth was at a time when millions of Nigerians are groaning under the weight of the current harsh economic conditions. This is a vivid illustration of the gross inequality that is the hallmark of the social injustice that defines contemporary Nigeria. In the vast majority of cases, the humongous wealth of the few cannot be linked to any productive effort or creative ingenuity on their part.

    But is the widespread condemnation that greeted this 50th-birthday extravaganza a reflection of genuine displeasure or disapproval of such a conspicuous exhibition of wealth? It is unlikely. In fact, it is reflective of the crass materialism that has become a veritable national religion. The vast majority of Nigerians worship at the altar of material accumulation for its own sake. This is, ironically, evidence of a debilitating poverty of the spirit. The celebrity celebrant in this case is a ravishing beauty at 50. It can thus be imagined how stunningly attractive she must have been at 20. But then, how much of that beauty will endure at 70? Shouldn’t the swiftness of time and the ephemerality of life suggest more wisdom in the identification of priorities? Perhaps this was what the great economist, John Kenneth Galbraith, had in mind when he declared that “The more underdeveloped a country, the more overdeveloped its women!”

    But this kind of celebratory razzmatazz is not an isolated exception. The immediate past governor of the Central Bank, the currently embattled Mr. Godwin Emefiele, reportedly celebrated his 60th birthday in Spain with several Nigerian political, business and media elite in attendance. Many of those who condemn this kind of conspicuous wastefulness would behave no differently if they had the means. Even if not at the same level of wealth exhibition, substantial sums of money are expended daily across the country on birthdays, weddings, funerals, promotions, appointments, graduations, etc. Celebrations are indeed an indispensable feature of being human. But the utilization of such occasions to engage in an obscene exhibition of wealth may be a function both of spiritual famishing and mental underdevelopment. This kind of value orientation also informs, for instance, the inexplicable decision of members of the National Assembly to procure imported official vehicles worth over one hundred million Naira each in a country as materially deprived as Nigeria.

    Unfortunately, this warped value system, the overvaluation of wealth accumulation, is also largely responsible for the flourishing of sundry crimes like kidnapping for ransom which has become epidemic, ritual killings for money, cybercrimes popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’, armed robbery and bank fraud among others. The perceived right of the individual to exhibit wealth no matter how it is acquired thus has existential implications for society as a whole. Rather than condemning individuals who indulge in such behavior, however, it is more productive to work towards changing the value system that nurtures such negative attitudinal dispositions.

    When the state abandons its responsibility towards the socialization of its citizens to adopt wholesome and society-sustaining values and morals, it allows anti-social elements that socialize them in the direction of values that are ultimately destructive of the collectivity.

    But then, the state is not the only institution responsible for the socialization of the citizenry. The family, educational institutions, and spiritual organizations also have important roles to play in this regard. But what do we say of a situation in which parents actively encourage and assist their children to commit a diversity of examination malpractices, schools at various levels are citadels of immorality and religious organizations especially of the Christian Pentecostal variety equate material wealth and worldly success with spiritual growth and closeness to God. Suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, for instance, reportedly testified that when her Bishop asked members to ask what they wanted from God, she said she desired to be a Minister and the Bishop said “It is done”.

    She subsequently became a Minister and was evidently very grateful to the man of God. But did the Bishop bother to ask her why exactly she wanted to be a Minister? Was it for service or for self-gratification? The outcome of ongoing investigations into corruption allegations against the minister will provide an answer. The EFCC Chairman has just revealed that a powerful religious sect in the country secured a court order to stop the agency from probing the sum of N 7 billion linked to some terrorists. He also disclosed that money suspected to be laundered was traced to the bank account of another religious body which was found to be protecting the money launderer. Without far-reaching value reorientation, little success can be achieved both in terms of addressing the prolonged economic crisis and the more fundamental challenge of underdevelopment.

    The EFCC Chairman hit the nail on the head while speaking on Wednesday at a sensitization event in Abuja on the theme, ‘Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption’. In his words, “The danger of having a tribe of future leaders whose outlook on life is that fraud and corruption are the stairways to fame and fortune is, however, too dire to treat with kid gloves. In the same vein, the extreme vulnerability of our Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to corruption has led to resource hemorrhage and attendant negative impact on development”.

  • Chibok, Dapchi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ekiti: Education at Crossroads

    Chibok, Dapchi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ekiti: Education at Crossroads

    Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children globally at a whooping 20million and counting. This number is by far more than the population of most countries. In fact most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are far less in population as some countries are even less than two million. A country like Israel is less than 11million. By implication, the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria can be said to make up the population of some countries.

    The sad statistics did not build up overnight, several administrations at both state and federal levels in Nigeria seem to have paid little or no attention to the value of education and the priority attention the sector deserves. The United Nations mandates countries to allocate at least 26% of their annual budgets to education. Nigeria seems to have never complied with this and education has often got less than 15% of its annual budgets.

    The value of education cannot be over-emphasized. In a world ruled by ideas, technology and innovation, illiteracy and its attendant fallouts would continue to keep any country at a huge disadvantage.  Nigeria is not insulated from the outcomes of a largely illiterate population. The country is equally the poverty capital of the world and that has very far-reaching implications. Unemployment is on two digits and invariably productivity is equally low.

    The high insecurity in the country has impacted the socio-economic life of the citizens. The most dangerous impact of insecurity in the country can be seen in the educational and agricultural sectors. These two sectors bear the greatest impact because of the value they add to any country’s overall development and wellbeing.

    The Roundtable Conversation has since the Chibok School girls abduction been observing the proliferation of the abduction of school children from across the country.  Some of the Chibok school girls are still in captivity. Leah Sharibu of the Yobe Dapchi School Girls abduction saga is still in captivity. Some Zamfara school girls were abducted a few years ago so were many in Katsina state. There are no news about the therapy and other medical help at their disposal of the rescued ones. 136 school children were abducted in Salisu Tanko Islamic school in Niger state. In 2023, several university students were abducted from some schools in Nasarawa state just like many were abducted from some schools in Kaduna and Kebbi states.

    As at August 2023, a whopping ,1,680 school children had been abducted from Nigerian schools since 2014 and just a few days ago, some school children and their teachers were abducted from their school bus in Ekiti state. This equally comes at a period the state was mourning the killing of two of their monarchs by yet to be apprehended gun men.

    School abductions seem to have become the new target for terrorists who are obviously doing that for the financial gains as almost in all cases of the abductions, ransoms are sought and often paid. The revelation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that some religious houses had been discovered to be laundering money for terrorists should be better handled to burst the bubble.

    Nigeria endorsed the global School Safety Declaration (SSD) on 8 March 2018. Minimum Standards14 was approved by the National Council on Education in August 2021. The Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) is a global intergovernmental political commitment that provides countries with the opportunity to express support for protecting students, teachers, schools, and universities from attack in times of armed conflict.

    The Roundtable Conversation would want to see a situation where the governments at all levels take education more serious than is presently the case.  The UNICEF initiative is targeted at keeping school children safe and comfortable enough to be nurtured in the school environment. The implication of the unsafe learning environment is huge and a country with the huge problems of development and illiteracy like Nigeria cannot afford to wring its hands as bandits terrorize innocent children whose welfare should be the priority of the different tiers of government.

    It is very disappointing that despite the existence of free basic education in some states of the federation, Nigeria still has about 10.5million out-of-school children between the ages of 5-14. What this shows is that there are disincentives beyond financial constraints on parents. The implication of the free reign of terrorists and bandits since the Boko Haram days in the North East is that many parents would rather nurture illiterate children than send them to school to be kidnapped.

    We would want to see more state governors who are the state chief security officers do more to key into the Safe Schools Programme either through improved physical infrastructure and more pervasive re-orientation that can be as reassuring as there are evidence to assure them of the security of their children in schools around them. It is heartbreaking to see how helpless children are as they seek education which is part of the rights that ought to be guaranteed by the state.

    Governments at the local, state and federal levels must work together to improve the general security situation in the country with a view to making education of children who by the way are the leaders of tomorrow a priority. Having a generation of illiterate or half-educated children in a 21st century world can only spell doom for a country almost on its knees socio-economically.

    The recent spate of kidnappings across the country is almost making it look like non-state actors are having an upper hand given that it looks like a thriving industry as desperate parents scramble around to source for the ransom money always demanded by the terrorists. The payment of ransom is a sign of helplessness and despite governments across the world claiming they cannot negotiate with terrorists or succumb to payment of ransom, the case is not always in black and white as most parents in third world countries like Nigeria often feel powerless relying on the state to protect and or rescue victims. The fact that some of the Chibok girls and Leah Sharibu are still with their abductors is a daily reminder that he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches. No parent who can would refuse to pay ransom to rescue their kids knowing that the state might not do the magic for them and their children literally.

    The I,680 school children plus the recent Ekiti school children that were abducted recently is a huge number to have been abducted since 2014. Nigerian education authorities must do more to protect every citizen and remove power from the non-state actors. The huge implications of increasing illiteracy especially in the regions of the country almost with an unacceptable number of illiterates are a ticking time bomb.

    Read Also: Chibok leaders call for security outposts

    In a country with weak border controls and poorly implemented immigration policies, surrounded by countries with increasing number of insurgents and terrorists, Nigeria might just be a supply ground for the increasing number of bandits, kidnappers and terrorists. The illiterate and dispossessed are very susceptible to mental manipulations.

    Nigerian Governors’ Forum must move from their natural inclination for self-preservation to use their power to find urgent solutions to the security of children in schools. There should be regional cooperative efforts to stem the tide. The political border creations must be blurred for regional solidarity. Sokoto, Kebbi, Kastina, Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna governors and traditional and religious leaders must collaborate to fight the scourge in ways that other regional blocs can copy too.

    The Nigerian political space must shrink its old ways to create collaborative efforts that can help secure the citizens. It is not enough to seek votes and to mouth promises during campaigns. The real leadership can only be experienced by citizens whose main need is security that seems largely absent. 

    The political elite in Nigeria must redeem themselves given that most of them all grew up in a different Nigeria which even though far from perfection  was relatively safe for children. The leaders own the children the freedom to be alive and to get education in the safest environment that would imbue them with a sense of patriotism that in turn guarantees productivity.

    The Nigerian political class should and must realize the value of investing in the future as their legacy given that they have all benefitted from the nation that protected them through school no matter their level till they acquired the political power which ought to be a position of service and giving back. It is quite ironic that most of the political leaders who were not only protected by the state but enjoyed huge educational scholarships in most stages of their education career.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that security must be prioritized for all other things to thrive. Insecurity especially that that hits the core or a nation – its children. Every leader at any level must prioritize the welfare of the children. The value of any nation is gleaned from the nurture and security of its children. There must be a state of emergency declared for general  security as the sine qua non to development.  Non-state actors must be placed where they belong, for now, they seem to be wielding a scary power but our belief is that a change can decisively be initiated to stem the tide and secure the nation. Education is the most liberating and humanizing programme in the world.

    • The dialogue continues…