The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday

  • Cutting Ronaldo to size

    Cutting Ronaldo to size

    Fifth columnists using their lackeys in the media, unscrupulous Nigerian agents ruing the bad markets arising from Nigeria’s absence at the ongoing Qatar 2022 World Cup and those who think the game here belongs to them have started insulting our sensibilities by creating hallucinating images in their dumb heads of how Super Eagles would have excelled in the hitherto desert region now turned oasis by oil rick shrieks and a thinking Qatari government. Such illusory visuals would have shocked only the players’, officials’, federation’s chieftains’ and those shylock agents’ rustic minds since the four-yearly World Cup isn’t a lottery ticket anyone can pick up anywhere. Truth be told, the  World  Cup  is  the platform  for  serious-minded  countries,  not clowns  who  specialise  in  building  castles  in the air.

    Africa’s representatives Ghana, Tunisia, Cameroon, Morocco and Senegal distinguished themselves with each one winning a game. The Tunisians beat the World Cup defending champions, France 1-0, it doesn’t matter if the French rested their best players. Who cares about such sentimental talks? Cameroon gave the Brazilians the shock of their lives by beating the Samba Boyz 1-0, though purists would also argue that Brazil removed nine of their regulars who helped them to win their first two matches, making the last game against Cameroon a deadpan, as they say in football parlance. Cameroon drew 3-3 with Serbia, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game much to the consternation of the Serbians.

    Africa’s number one country, the Teranga Lions of Senegal beat Qatar and Ecuador to place second in Group A. Ghana’s Black Stars completed the continent’s winning streak at the Mundial by beating South Korea in one of the Group H matches.

    Africa’s best representative at the Mundial can be said to be the Moroccans going by their results and the fact that they topped their group which had Croatia, Belgium and Canada, with the Atlas Lions beating the Canadians 2-1, shocking the Belgians 2-0, after having earlier drawn the Croatians 0-0, in an end-to-end game. The world stood in awe when the Moroccans eliminated one of the European soccer powers, Spain with the Spaniards finding goalkeeper Bono a difficult man to beat in between the goalposts, losing three of the five penalty kicks.

    Moroccan players dedicated their famous Qatar 2022 World Cup win over Spain to former Ajax starlet Abdelhak Nouri, who suffered brain damage after collapsing from a cardiac arrest during a pre-season friendly. The players were photographed with a shirt with Nouri’s name and number 34. Ajax where the Moroccan played his club football paid tribute to Nouri by naming their Talent of the Future award after him and dedicated their 34th Eredivisie title to him – Nouri was No 34 – after the team won the title in 2019.

    The eight quarterfinalists (England, France, Brazil, Croatia, Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco and Argentina) have been a befitting citation of how soccer should be played at the World Cup. Their players have played with zest, commitment, and determination and showed tremendous capacity in the way they churned out shocking results which have sent punters to rethink their permutations slips or dockets on bets placed with their hard-earned cash at betting boxes.

    The players in the quarterfinals have shown incredible talents and have stuck together during matches while scoring goals with aplomb. The eight quarterfinalists have very good goalkeepers who have held their lines at the rear with panache. Their incredible saves from point-blank shots have helped to restore their mates’ confidence just as they stabilised the squads in the course of their last four games so far. Only Portugal has issues with a disrespectful but ageing Cristiano Ronaldo feeling larger than life but being made to understand that his superstar status is waning by  placing  him  on  the  bench on match  days.  A coach is as good as his last match hence a successful coach won’t flinch in replacing a tired player on the field with a better one. How the player is replaced can’t be the coach’s problem because the job needs to be done successfully.

    Who is Goncalo Ramos? Portugal’s manager Fernando Santos deployed Ramos as Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement against Switzerland and he responded by scoring a hat-trick in his first World Cup start against Switzerland.  Ramos is the first player to score a hat-trick on his first FIFA World Cup start since Miroslav Klose for Germany in 2002, according to Midas.

    Santos dropped Ronaldo to the bench not minding his previous contributions to the team. It was a taboo of sorts, a year ago for anyone to imagine that Portugal could drop high profile star and captain of the side, Ronaldo, before a World Cup crucial game such as Switzerland. But Santos axed the country’s superstar against Switzerland, not minding whose ox is gored. It is sickening to note that Ronaldo abandoned his mates’ celebration for God knows where. It shouldn’t come as surprise to ardent followers of the beautiful game, not with his tantrums at Manchester United leading to his sack. Yes sacked, though couched in the termination letter to indicate by mutual understanding between Ronaldo and the club. Nonsense. Who is Ronaldo in the catalogue of great players that have played for the Red Devils?

    According to agency reports: ”As a teenager, Ramos made his Benfica debut in July 2020 and scored twice in eight minutes as a second-half substitute. Later that year, he marshalled the Portuguese outfit to the final of the UEFA Youth League against Real Madrid, finishing the tournament with a runners-up medal and as joint-top scorer with eight goals.”

    But the manager buckled to good sense when he introduced Ronaldo with the score line at 5-1 following the fans’ chants with the scores of the game at 4-1. Fans went wild when Ronaldo is brought off the bench after they had cheered his face when it was shown on screen pre-match and called for him to be introduced by chanting his name.

    Ronaldo won’t understand the damage he is doing to his image rights until his numerous sponsors start withdrawing their deals with the hitherto superstar. Ronaldo’s silly acts reached their head on Wednesday when he refused to train with Portugal’s other substitutes. He forced himself on the playing group which clearly is an affront to the coach. Ronaldo was later pictured on the grass but in trainers and doing resistance-band work separately. It is understood the Portugal camp was ‘surprised’ not to see Ronaldo among the substitutes on the field, admitting that he did not feel any discomfort and was in perfect condition to train.

    Portugal’s coach has shown that he is made of sterner stuff by cutting Ronaldo to size without making it a big deal. Of course there can only be one captain on board the ship. The coach has made the Portuguese side highly competitive such that Ronaldo now realises that he has to be humble if he wants to be part of the side to play in the finals of this year’s World Cup on December 18 in Qatar.

    Ronaldo is still a great player. Nobody can take that from him. He has to learn how to manage his successes in the twilight of his career. Santos’ decision to drop the icon ended Ronaldo’s streak of 31 matches started at major tournaments.

    Did Ronaldo threaten to leave Portugal’s camp? Portugal’s manager denied such a thought coming from his player while calling for a truce in the seeming impasse.

    According to Santos: ”I had a conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo. We talked about the Portuguese team but the only conversation I had was before the match against Switzerland to tell him why he was going to be a substitute.

    ”I told him that he was not going to start in the Round of 16. He was not happy with the conversation, as is normal. But it was a normal conversation where everyone showed their point of view.

    ”When a player is captain of Portugal and starts on the bench, it’s normal for him not to be happy. When I told him that I wasn’t going to play as a starter, he asked me if it was a good idea.

    ”Of course he wasn’t happy. But I assure you that he never wanted to leave.”

    Good luck Portugal! Be of good cheer, Ronaldo.

  • Rivers: How bad can PDP’s infighting get?

    Rivers: How bad can PDP’s infighting get?

    AFTER months of trying to placate gladiators in the crisis tearing the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), party leaders and concerned stakeholders within and outside are now left to wonder how messy things can get following the latest twists.

    A couple of months to the 2023 general elections, the state chapter is factionalised into two camps made up of those supporting Governor Nyesom Wike, in his prolonged face off with the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and those who are opposed to his war against the former Vice President.

    While Wike had openly declared that the state chapter will not work for Atiku’s 2023 presidential aspiration, some prominent chieftains of the party, led by Senator Lee Maeba and former Governor Celestine Omehia, are defiantly backing the former VP.

    Expectedly, Wike has declared Maeba, Omehia and those with them as dissidents who doesn’t mean well for the people of Rivers State. Efforts by some leaders of the party within the state to mediate between the two groups have failed. Sources within the party say things have finally taken a turn for the worse.

    Findings by Sentry revealed that last Thursday’s attack on the residence of Maeba, who is the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, may have infuriated his supporters within the party who are now poised for a showdown going forward.

    Suspected political thugs Thursday morning invaded the residence of Maeba in the GRA, Phase 3 axis of Port Harcourt. A source told our correspondent that the hoodlums had camped at a nearby street before storming the politician’s house, shooting sporadically at the building after breaking the gate into the compound.

    About five cars, including a jeep, were reportedly destroyed by the invading army of thugs while three persons in the compound, including Maeba’s relative scampered for safety.

    Checks by Sentry indicate that a group of supporters of the former senator are now guarding the house. Many of them pointed fingers in the direction of the state government and vowed to resist any further victimization of opponents of Wike in the state. “We won’t fold our hands while Wike and his people chase everybody out of town. Enough is enough,” an ally of the senator said on Friday.

    But supporters of the governor are insisting that neither Wike nor his administration will waste time to plot an attack on Maeba. According to a former Commissioner who sought anonymity, “Maeba and those with him cannot win election anywhere in Rivers State. Why would our governor or government waste time going after him? If they choose to stage whatever drama just to show their paymaster that they are important, that is their headache. We are too busy plotting victory in 2023,” he said.

  • Tinubu: The message from Chatham House

    Tinubu: The message from Chatham House

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) presidential standard bearer Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not the first eminent politician to have delivered a lecture at the Chatham House in the United Kingdom (UK).

    It has been the tradition of the British establishment, also called the Royal Institute of International Affairs headquartered in London, to invite frontline politicians from different parts of the world to hear them articulate their programmes for their parties and countries.

    It was, therefore, surprising that Asiwaju Tinubu’s recent visit to the UK elite foreign and policy think-tank institution generated much interest, and criticisms by his ardent detractors. Why?

    It must be because it was an impressive outing lauded by Nigerians – and even other nationals – across the globe.

    Tinubu was on the global podium to canvass the beauty of ideas, as ideas rule the world.

    It was not his first visit to the Royal Institute of International Affairs. In 2011, Tinubu, as opposition arrowhead, had stormed the intellectual arena to deliver a lecture on the role of vibrant opposition in democracy.

    President Muhammadu Buhari was also there to shed light on his plans for Nigeria, especially his economic revitalisation policy and anti-corruption philosophy, which had made him popular among Nigerians.

    In 2019, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, also visited Chatham House to explain his blueprint. The Wazirin Adamawa still has the right to repeat his visit there, instead of allowing his campaign managers to fume unnecessarily because a rival had an impressive outing acknowledged by Nigerians across the globe.

    Also, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, is at liberty to visit the same institute to shed light on his idealistic blueprint, which was released almost three months after the kick-off of campaigns.

    Chatham House is many poles apart from the subjective television stations and their collaborators in mischief, media tyranny and dictatorship at home, whose preoccupation in this electioneering is obviously going all out to de-market a thriving flag bearer in the hope that their preferred candidate would have a smooth sailing.

    Unlike Nigeria’s pompous television anchors and subjective social media influencers, who are committed to the pre-determined agenda of forced interview with an intention to ridicule, abuse, embarrass, malign and dent the image of their opposition candidate and please their paymaster, the UK institute was a clean platform.

    While media agents at home were eager to jettison professionalism and violate ethics of journalism at will, the lone panelist, other experienced foreign reporters and Nigerians who asked more probing questions from Tinubu maintained decorum and courteous behaviours.

    They were objective and wanted genuine explanations about the APC candidate’s blueprint, tagged: Renewed Hope 2023, his fitness for the highest office, personal history, identity, source of wealth and antecedents.

    The beauty of democracy was also on display outside the venue of the lecture where protesters demonstrated against Tinubu’s presidential ambition. They were not hindered. But they were soon overwhelmed by pro-Tinubu supporters who showed up in solidarity, who countered them and justified his bid for power. They sang the familiar caucus anthem: On Your Mandate We Stand, Bola.

    The import of the scenario was not lost on keen observers. Indeed, the former Lagos State governor enjoys popularity among Nigerians, both at home and in the Diaspora.

    Tinubu was accompanied by a delegation that reflected Nigeria’s heterogeneity. He merely gave an insight into his style of governance, if elected. He had demonstrated it during his eight years as Lagos State governor when he assembled the most diverse State Executive Council (Exco) in the nation’s political history. His commissioners were from different parts of the country: Anambra, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, among others.

    On the lip of Tinubu is inclusion, unlike his main rival, who is being deserted by five aggrieved governors and other party big wigs protesting exclusion, lack of equity and fairness, and injustice of lopsided distribution of party and elective offices.

    Tinubu’s entourage underscored the rarity of team spirit; the unity of the ruling party and the campaign team, and the determination of APC leading lights to ensure ultimate victory for their candidate, who they have described as the original unifier, not by ordinary words of mouth but by his actions.

    Living up to expectation as a hunter for talents, Tinubu conveyed three impressions in the UK.

    The first is the certainty of collaboration; the impact of cooperation and advantage of group harmony. It means the outing was well planned and the APC candidate was not only adequately prepared but was also well prepared by his team, including those who accompanied him on the UK trip. In history, although in a different context, it was reminiscent of the late sage Obafemi Awolowo’s journey to Ghana for the Kwame Nkrumah Lecture. He was accompanied by egg heads in the progressive camp.

    The second is the appeal of the formidable structure showcased by the APC candidate. The structure has its taproot across the nooks and crannies of the country. Its national outlook is not in doubt, and it can withstand political stress, or electoral threat. The strength of the strong Tinubu/Shettima structure is the visceral commitment of party leaders who subscribe to the agenda of power retention and consolidation by the ruling progressive party in post-Buhari period, and in national interest.

    The third is, in part, a demonstration of trust and confidence in compatriots, or co-visionaries, and indeed, a pointer to the future. A tree cannot make a forest. There is no leader with a monopoly of wisdom. Tinubu’s success in Lagos was a product of his bright vision, but it was accomplished through team efforts. Therefore, his delegation of duties, including the apportioning of questions to competent members of his solid team, who answered them correctly, is consistent with his time-tested habit of inclusion and collective approach to problem solving.

    However, the lesson of the Chatham House outing is not lost on discerning Nigerians. Questions which some people sought to sentimentally ask at home in a clearly manipulated environment and biased setting were asked by patriotic Nigerians in the UK and ethically inclined journalists abroad, who were genuinely concerned about the future of Nigeria.

    Obidients, the moniker for many disarticulated fans of Peter Obi of LP, are glued to the social media, constantly peddling rumours about Tinubu’s health, taking along with them some gullible Nigerians. Instead of intensifying their mobilisation, their preoccupation is an imaginary health and fitness hurdle, a lie they cannot sustain.

    Hale and hearty, Tinubu exuded confidence and radiated warmth on the podium. The colourful politician held his audience captive by his elucidation. His speech was electrifying. He answered questions on his age, or date of birth, which the enlightened audience in the UK, in contrast with the home audience, believed was a non-issue.

    A financial surgeon, the former Lagos governor later shed light on his source of wealth at another interview session with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), African Service, highlighting the irreducible conditions of education, sheer intelligence, appreciation of opportunities, dignity of labour, devotion to professionalism, power of investment, focus and resilience.

    Today, many want to be like Asiwaju of Lagos. But they try to dodge the furnace, unwilling to pass through the same experience in the journey of life, a tough feat that constitutes the making of an achiever.

    By all standards, the Chatham House lecture Asiwaju Tinubu delivered was beyond response to criticism of personal history. He made impression on the foreign audience as a fit and proper successor to President Buhari, judging by his manifestos.

    The national leader of the progressives told the world that if elected, he would lead a country ready to maintain its leadership role in the West Africa sub-region and on the continent of Africa. But he is conscious of the imperative of repositioning and fortifying Nigeria to continue to perform its obvious big brother role across the sub-region and the continent.

    Thus, after dissecting the national ailments – security, economy and problematic election – he proposed appropriate curative medication.

    To avert a likely crisis of legitimacy, Asiwaju Tinubu said the sanctity of the ballot box is non-negotiable.

    Security is a big challenge. But his approach to it means that there could be a way out: tackle the menace of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry from their roots, their causes.

    Since the major problem of Nigeria is economy, Tinubu proposed a private sector driven approach.

    Then, he hit the nail on the head: things will change for the better if power generation, or electricity supply, becomes regular and reliable for Nigerians to do their businesses and other undertakings.

    Nigerians are full of eagerness. Many want to vote for the man who has made a big difference in political administration but whose commendable performance has remained a source of envy – and jealousy – to his opponents.

    Those who desire the country to take its proper leadership position in Africa and the rest of the world are obviously eager to make February 2, 2023 a date with history. It is a day they won’t forget the lessons to take home from the Chatham House lecture by Asiwaju Tinubu.

  • Fuel scarcity, rising price of PMS: Has Buhari dropped the ball? (2)

    Fuel scarcity, rising price of PMS: Has Buhari dropped the ball? (2)

    In a country that is likely to spend 5 trillion Naira subsidizing PMS in 2022, one then wonders why Nigerians should be subjected to such bizarre conditions warranting them to buy the product at outlandish amount; It surely doesn’t add up! What game therefore is the NNPCL  and government up to?

    If fuel or PMS is being subsidized at roughly 280 Naira for every liter of fuel imported and the same Nigerians are buying the fuel at the same amount in some parts of the country rather than the 180 which is the approved rate, it does not require any form of calculus or a Professor Chike Obi to deduce that Nigerians are been short-changed on a per liter basis!

    It is obvious that there is a cabal like  arrangement within the NNPC and some of these petroleum marketers to create such artificial cases of scarcity in order to deliberately foist such high prices on Nigerians. These schemes thus guarantees millions more if not billions of Naira from such rent seeking opportunities, simply because some persons have chosen to look the other way.

    A situation where these depots are without the product questions the logistics deployed by the oil behemoth. Like I stated last week, insider sources confirmed the implausibility of NNPC’s claims that they have enough of the stock to last three months and that the scarcity was due to the palliative works on certain roads. The stocks, the sources noted are still in vessels which are yet to berth on our shores.

    In simple economics the apparent absence of a product leads to an abnormal Demand- pull  for that product- transporters must run their routes, artisans and technicians must power up their businesses with the same scarce fuel owing to the improved but yet inadequate state of power supply in the nation. The rest is as good as the reality checks streamed from such a situation!

    There is also the conspiracy theory that NNPCL is simply testing the waters for an upward price climb of the product, this seems plausible despite the theatrical gesture denials of the newly commercialized entity that it has no such plans. But the theorists may be making sense here, with PMS selling at three times its subsidized cost and with the Buhari administration planning to phase out subsidy payments, perhaps there is some truism in such.

    Creating artificial scarcity might be a convincing way of psyching the average Nigerian to accept the phasing out of subsidy. Recently, even the GMD of NNPCL had stated that PMS would not sell lower than 510.00 per liter.

    Should such a theory materialize, this will no doubt create a great upheaval within the nation’s economy as prices of most goods and services would shoot beyond the reach of the ordinary man. This will definitely not be a win win situation for the ordinary Nigerian, this I believe has been the stance of the Buhari administration since its inception.

    High forex rates and oil theft are other proximate reasons why Nigerians are grappling with fuel scarcity. Since the product is priced in USD and given the Naira’s perennial state of flux in the Forex market  particularly against the US Dollar  serve to militate against its availability, since obtaining the dollar in either the banks or alternative markets comes at a high cost.

    The issue of oil theft is even worse.

    This impedes the nation from actually meeting its quota of 1.8 million barrels per day thus ensuring that we receive less the revenue due to the nation while the shortage of 700 million barrels per day ends up in the hands of non state actors  who move such to our neighboring countries and make a killing out of such business.

    All been said, it is imperative to still note that the buck stops on President Buhari’s table who as President took an oath to serve the over 200 million Nigerians. This is why Nigerians  elected him twice and it would be a shame that barely six months to the end of his tenure, despite the many firsts achieved in his administration such as the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act,the commercialization of NNPC and a number of other laudable reforms that Nigerians who should be benefitting from such achievements are rather holding the short end of the stick.

    President Buhari should therefore get the rest of his acts together and pan out a workable solution that will benefit Nigerians and outlive his administration. He can start by ensuring that the scheduled date to get the Portharcourt Refinery working is met, thankfully also and barring any setbacks, the Dangote Refinery should also come on board by mid 2023, both scenarios one much believes should help mollify our fuel importing woes.

    Lastly President Buhari should read the riot act to the petroleum authorities who merely sit aside and allow some devious marketers take advantage of the system to impose these harsh conditions on Nigeria. This I believe in the short term will avail Nigerians of the product and help end our misery.

  • Leaders, accountability and surprises

    Leaders, accountability and surprises

    I illustrate the topic of  today with what I have labeled ‘ a tale of three presidents  ‘   –  involving one incumbent president and two former ones ,  in the context of their utterances and  news exposure in the last one week . The aim is to show that world leaders are not infallible and while some learn from their mistakes while in office  ,    some of  those in office seem never to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors . Their actions or inactions in this regard  throw  up pleasant or unpleasant surprises that  can be used to assess their  pedigree ,  quality of leadership and legacy  especially  when out of office .

    The  three leaders I have chosen are S Africa’s  President Cyril  Ramaphosa  , Nigeria’s  former President Goodluck Jonathan and former US President Donald Trump . The  issues that have brought them into focus are namely accountability and fraud in the case of the S African president , the statement   by   Nigeria’s   former   president that seeking the presidency again will ‘ diminish him ‘  and the question  on the suspension of the US constitution   and cancellation of the US  2020  presidential  election  by Donald Trump,  because of the revelations  by Twitter , that the technology giant just bought by billionaire  Elon Musk  censored information that would have made the winner lose that election .

    Let  me first  point out the surprises  or absurdities   in these three situations  before going to the nitty   gritty     and importance of their occurrence and relevance to their different political culture and the lesson to be learnt  by all observers of their behavior   on the global  scene  . With  regard to  Ramaphosa his case is not much  different from that of the man  in the DSTV  commercial  who stuffed   wads of money  in his  mattress  instead of taking them to the bank only to discover later that they have been  stolen .In   Jonathan’s case the surprise is that those who bought the 100m naira form for him to contest the primaries for  the 2023 presidential   election  were the  nomads and jihadists who made his  presidential  tenure a security night mare which  has not in any way  been assuaged by his successor  even   after two terms of office . In  Donald Trump’s  situation it is a clear  case of turning   righteous  indignation to idiocy   to ask for the cancellation of the 2020 US election as well as the  suspension of the US constitution  because of the censorship of information on incumbent President Joe Biden son’s  Hunter’s  lap  top ,  that would have made Biden lose the 2020 presidential election if they  have been released,  as they should have  been   ,  on the eve of the 2020 presidential election that Trump consequentially  lost .

    Let  us now look at the political culture in which  each of these leaders operated to find out the reasons or lack of it for their actions .In S Africa it appears that the  legacy  of  probity and integrity in office which   the late Nelson Mandela  left as president are being shred to pieces by the last  two presidents of the republic. Jacob Zuma the last president was  disgraced out of office because of corruption . The  incumbent   , Ramaphosa is under probe for concealing theft on his farm claiming that the money stolen,  about 4-8m dollars  was proceeds of sale of buffalos even  though an investigation said  that was  not  the case and that even if  there was a sale, the money  was  too  considerable in terms of foreign  currency,   for a farm    transaction . Ramaphosa  , as president is head of the ruling party ANC and is due for reelection on December 18 and his  leadership   is questionable  indeed, under the circumstances . Yet ,  he was regarded as’ Mr Clean’ when he replaced Jacob Zuma who  was an embodiment of corruption and was cleaned out by the party on that account .The difference between Ramaphosa’s buffalo transaction and the stolen mattress money in the DSTV commercial is that  while man in the commercial acknowledged  his loss and wailed on it  , Ramaphosa concealed his loss and even ‘kidnapped ‘the thieves to conceal the  theft   because the money involved was  deemed  too much  to be kept in on a farm .  The  event   has been aptly   named  ‘ Farmgate ‘ scandal . It  is a sad  story  indeed that a president and a  petty thief  can have so much in common except  that one bolted and   the other kept a straight face and tried to cover his loss .I  wonder how the S African  leader can survive his self made   and   looming  removal as ANC leader  and president of  S  Africa .

    With  regard  to our Goodluck Jonathan who  reportedly   said it is beneath  him to be president again , I agree with him .He went further to say that if he ever becomes president it will  be due to circumstances beyond his control . He  may think that is not possible but he could be wrong .A past ruler here once became president against his ‘ personal wishes and desires  ‘  and years later when  told  he could be president again ,  retorted with the question ‘ how many presidents do you want out of me ‘ . He   soon  after became president for 8 years again  .  The  Chinese  have a saying –   ‘count no man lucky till  he is dead ‘Former President Jonathan however took a jibe at the Muslim Muslim  ticket wondering  who will  represent the other  ‘ block  ‘   meaning   Christians  during National Day  Celebrations and other religious events . Which  is a  very  unexpected and  surprising concern coming from a former head of state  who should know better given  that Nigeria is a secular state and there is freedom of worship and religion and attendance at state events    have  no religious connotations .. The  former  president  has    further  said he is enjoying his sinecure work  of mediating in coups against democracy in W Africa. He is well advised to stick to that and not bring religion into focus .He   should   not , especially  be   asking armed soldiers   ,  who have seized  power forcibly  ,  about  their religious inclinations when trying to persuade them to return to their barracks ,  as his present important  , though  dangerous   duties ,  seem to demand .

    In  the case of the revelation by Twitter that the company censored information favorable to the  Trump  campaign and silenced news on the lost  lap top of Hunter Biden that would have  imperiled his father’s presidential  campaign is bad news for election integrity and transparency in the US  . That  alone  is enough to earn empathy and sympathy for  Donald Trump who  has all along said that the election he lost was rigged . I think  , with the benefit of hindsight now ,  Elon Musk bought Twitter at a huge price to bring this out so  that American voters can see that big tech has influenced their democracy against free speech and expression .Trump’s  call for abrogation of the constitution and cancellation of the election was  therefore  premature and extravagant as Elon Musk said the evidence of censorship during that election was  just unfolding on the new Twitter he has bought . Trump  should just sit back , if he can ,  and watch the reaction of the US public and electorate to the revelations which  are bound to earn him enormous public sympathy and goodwill especially as he just announced that he is running for the presidency again . It  was  the height of absurdity indeed for a former president to  say the things  he has said on the US constitution and the cancellation of the US 2020 election . Trump  is obviously the aggrieved party  and victim in the revelations coming out of this  Twittergate and again  , I say  he should  just sit back and enjoy himself as he seeks re election and not behave like a hollering big baby crying   un – consolably  that his toys have  been stolen   forever . When , indeed , they  are about to  be brought back to him , come 2024   subject  to good behavior henceforth on his part ,  if he  can  manage that.

  • Party manifestoes and citizen mistrust

    Party manifestoes and citizen mistrust

    THE word, ‘manifesto’ is from the Italian word, ‘manifesto’, which also comes from the latin word, ‘manifestum’ meaning conspicuous or clear. Its adoption into the English language dates back to the 17th century. It has come to define the ‘published declaration of the intentions, motives or views of the issuer either as an individual, group, political party or government’.

    In the history of Nigerian democracy since 1999, party manifestoes have generally not strictly defined many identifiable lines of action. In some ways, manifestoes  seem  merely ‘fulfill all righteousness’ kind of political action. The challenge in the Nigerian political space is that the political parties generally seem to lack identifiable ideologies within which their elected candidates are expected to align. The fluidity in the movement of politicians from political party to another in each election year just seems to amplify the fact that there seems to be a very blurred line between parties.

    The political parties seem not to have a grip on the actions of their elected candidates in ways that derailments in the implementation of supposed party manifesto is corrected or challenged. Since 1999, the different political parties have not seriously been faithful to a majority of the election promises written or spoken. All thirty six governors  that have been elected since 1999 and the legislative members at both state and federal levels seem to only come together during general or intra-party elections.  There have been no reports of any party structure cautioning members that have not been faithful to whatever promises the party made.

    In developed democracies, a manifesto is a serious contractual agreement with the people and voters make decisions based on the most appealing and realistic that can serve to protect their welfare. The value of democracy is the choice citizens make about their leadership.  The essence of choice presupposes there is a competition and as such, the choice each voter makes would be dependent on which candidate he or she believes would, when elected be faithful to policies that they promised through their manifesto.

    In a nascent democracy like Nigeria’s, it seems that the political party structure must begin to rebuild the foundations that can make them stand out through the adoption of enduring ideological leanings like in older  democracies.  There must be a shift and a conscious attempt at developing our democracy through a serious redirection of political party operations.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke to a wide range voters and asked them about their evaluation of the different political party manifestoes. Most of the respondents do not really reckon with so-called manifestoes. Most of them believe that since 1999, no political party has performed with the manifestoes released before elections.  Some of them claim that they have not voted based on manifesto of any party because they do not even understand the essence.

    Most voters believe that all the politicians are the same because while some of them reside in states different from their home states, the activities of the different governments do not necessarily differ from each other despite belonging to different political parties. Some voters pointed out that the politicians across party lines seem like six and half a dozen because their activities in office do not always differ from each other in any remarkable way.

    Some other voters do not even understand the meaning and importance of manifestoes and believe that their main incentive to vote for any candidate for any elective position is the general perception in their communities about the capability of the candidate to provide their needs in employment, security, infrastructure and food security. Most of the respondents believe that politicians cannot be trusted even when they write down what they will do for the people.

    The fact that there is a general mistrust of the political class by most potential voters is very disturbing to the Roundtable Conversation.  Trust like in even regular relationships is a core ingredient of communication and acceptance.  The mistrust of the political class in the country has serious implications. It means there is an urgent need that the country as a whole to address the trust deficit if the country’s 133m people living in multi-dimensional poverty can be made to enjoy democracy.

    The number of poor people across the country recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in some ways proves the disconnect the voters feel with the political class. Diffeerent political parties are in charge in all the states and it is clear that there are no states without a huge number of extremely poor people. Democracy does not on its own eradicate poverty, functional policies and diligent implementations by politicians in power have the capacity to significantly reduce poverty.

    The presidency recently berated state governors for focusing on capital projects like airports and flyovers and advised them to focus on combating hunger in their states. The state governors quickly replied the presidency by alleging that it is the cause of poverty, banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria. These recent  exchanges goes in our view to show that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Nigerian political party structure.  The back and forth between the federal government and the state governors as a collective  is not about  political party differences.

    Before they were all elected into offices, the political parties, APC, PDP and APGA in Anambra state all presented manifestoes before. So the mistrust of the people seems valid if after all those since 1999, not much seems to have changed. If promises were made targeted at making citizens better through their choices then if the people have lost faith in the parties, then the onus is on the different political parties to make sure that from 2023, the story will be positively different.

    The conversation in the political space must change. If we have accepted that democracy and the presidential system is what we have chosen to practice then the political players must play by the rules. The people make choices based on the promises by the politicians at all levels. Development can only come from the execution of viable policies by all political parties.

    When political parties present their manifestoes in other democracies, they are held by the people in assessing their performance either at the general or Mid-term elections as in the United States. The essence of multi-party democracy is for the variety of choices  based on ideology the people can connect and buy into.

    Political party leaderships must work at building lasting legacies as in other democracies and that can only happen when they realize that  manifestoes are not just mere scribbles that are necessary  before elections but in a way they stand as documents that can be used by the voters to hold elected officials of a particular political party to account after they take offices. It is a document that empowers the voters to hold leaders accountable.

    The lack of adherence to past manifestoes of the different political parties  is a major dent on the democratic practice in the country. It almost puts civilian democrats on the same scale with past military governments that ruled by fiat and which created a big gulf between the military and the people. Democracy is different from military juntas running a government. Accountability in governance is reason why democracy also has checks and balances.

    The political class must begin to have respect for the voters by playing by the rules. If voters base their choices on promises, the onus is on the politicians to do their part of the deal. The people will be able to trust the politicians when their leadership begins to positively impact on their welfare based on productive policy actions.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that if democracy is the government of the people  by the people and for the people, then there must be attempts at working together in a citizenship attempt at development. The level of poverty can be reduced when there is a better sense of commitment from the politicians and a deliberate effort by the people to hold politicians to account.

    Political parties must focus on institutional growth  as a means of consolidating our democracy. Electoral processes alone cannot develop our democracy. There must be a paradigm shift in political party administration. The era of parties being mere vehicles must be over as soon as possible.  It is time for deliberate restructuring to place the parties on strong ideological footing. That is the only way to have a better road map to strong and viable membership and better performance by elected officials.

    The beauty of democracy is its focus on the people. The present system of running the parties on some mundane considerations of region, tribe or creed cannot develop the country by empowering the people. Ideological identities of political parties make it more liberal and all-embracing of people whose harvest of ideas can help push the frontiers of development and move people off the poverty radar. The essence of government is really to cater to the welfare of the people and to achieve this goes beyond the rhetoric of manifesto production, there must be more commitment rooted in better structural positioning.

    The dialogue continues…

  • When will Peseiro go?

    When will Peseiro go?

    Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro really wants to improve on his coaching Curriculum Vitae (CV) with the Super Eagles assignment. He understands the mentality that all foreign coaches face when they are on the job. So, it doesn’t matter if he is owed six months’ salary. It is just as well. After all, he can get his money to be paid in tranches by hurrying to FIFA to save his soul at the expiration of his contract. What is absolutely shocking is the revelation by the players that they could hardly understand Peseiro’s instructions in smattering English which has led to wrong interpretations by them on the field of play. Who did Nigeria offend? No wonder the string of poor results.

    The unanswered questions would be who recruited Peseiro and to what intent purpose what he recruited to serve? Is this to say that Peseiro doesn’t have an English-speaking Portuguese among his assistants? In asking Peseiro to go when his contract expires, those tasked with the responsibility of assembling a new technical crew for the Super Eagles must take into cognisance what operates in other climes that make their teams play scintillating soccer. It is shameful to recall that it took the Sports Minister Sunday Dare’s insistence for the Eagles to have a trained Nigeria in psychology to do the job. Hitherto, Rohr and his ilk likened their experience in the game to getting the certificate to function as a psychologist. And our NFF chieftains accepted that tardy arrangement? Can you beat this?

    Peseiro’s resume isn’t spectacular but his personality was enough for Portugal FA chieftains to accept the Super Eagles’ friendly ahead of the Portuguese team’s trip to the Qatar 2022 edition of the World Cup. The manager’s citation of the Super Eagles especially with the European nations where Nigerians shone in the past is awful. Perhaps, due to the fact that he really hasn’t a complete side loaded to the hilt with Nigeria’s very best in the foreign legion.

    Playing with your big stars gives the team the needed cohesion to truly give the opposition the desired competitive edge. Those who saw the game in which Nigeria lost 4-0 to Portugal would agree that the Super Eagles did well in the first 15 minutes of the second half with the introduction of Samuel Chuwkueze leading to the penalty kick which Emmanuel lost due to his headiness and refusal to respect team discipline.

    Peseiro has brought in a few new names who were part of the motley crowd that journeyman Gernot Rohr used to prosecute heart-wrenching games for Nigeria in the latter part of his contract with the Eagles. What really hurts here is that Peseiro has wasted the opportunity of playing Grade A friendly games by not being able to truly get the country at least 12 new players eager to fight for their jerseys and make the country proud.

    Peseiro’s team lists haven’t been different from the mercantile ones which have previously come out of the NFF. What they presuppose is that only those players are eligible to represent a country with over 200 million people. Over time, these lists have had injured players who haven’t been playing the game and those whose consent wasn’t sought to know if they would be available for such friendly matches or competitions.

    Read Also: Welcome Jose Peseiro

    As it is Peseiro is confused and should be stopped from taking Nigeria further down the doldrums by shaking his hands after the expiration of his one-year contract with the NFF and told to go. He should be paid his wages and entitlements. A manager who can’t insist Victor Osimhen join the team for the Nigerian doctors to look at his injury which looked feigned, having not been injured at any point of his last game shown live on television.

    Only a few Nigerians would remember the last time Osimhen played for the Eagles outside the competitive games such as the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. What this sadly suggests is that Osimhen has started selecting games he wants to play. Soon, he would join the not-too-patriotic list of  Nigerian players who chose to play key matches with their European clubs than sweating it out for their fatherland. Osimhen needs to be reminded that whatever he is today as a result of playing for the country’s cadet team which exposed him to the world. He took his chance which is the best he did first for the country, then for himself.

    For Osimhen to achieve his full potential for Nigeria, he must give his all t the Super Eagles the way he does for Napoli. He won’t be named Africa Footballer anytime soon if he selects games to play. Great Africans such as Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah, Didier Drogba Samuel Eto’O et al who were decorated African Footballers of the Year chose their country ahead of their European clubs. And heaven didn’t fall. The was a time when playing for your country regularly was a major criterion for getting work permits in Europe. I really don’t know if that still obtains now that many of our top stars have dual citizenship.

    The matches at the Qatar 2022 World Cup have been quite revealing with Africa’s four teams giving a good account of themselves. Senegalese played to their number status in Africa despite losing Sadio Mane to an injury which required surgery, a  week before the beginning of the Mundial in Qatar, qualifying from Group A as runners-up. The second place in Group A earned the Teranga Lions a Round of 16 clashes against the Three Lions of England, a fixture that could stretch over 120 minutes if the Senegalese play to their strength. The Senegalese lost 2-0 in the opening match to Holland, the eventual winners of the group which had the hosts Qatar and Ecuador. The Africans beat Qatar and Ecuador to raise the stakes for the continent in her demands for more slots at the Mundial.

    Morocco topped the group that has Belgium, Canada and Croatia leading to their Round of 16 against Spain they would be ruing the decision to field a weakened side against the Japanese thinking they had the qualification ticket done and dusted. It should the highlighted here that Japan beat both Spain and Germany 2-1, coming back from both games being a goal down. Spain must the thanking God that Croatia couldn’t beat Germany otherwise both the Germans and the Spaniards would have exited the Mundial at the group stage. For the Germans, this would be the second consecutive time of losing out of the World Cup at the group stage.

    The Tunisians beat the defending champions France 1-0, but victory couldn’t guarantee the Africans the Round of 16 tickets which went to the French men and Australians. Denmark was also in this Group D with nothing to cheer from their clumsy displays. No tears for the Tunisians who must have learned a few lessons for future World Cups. For France and Spain, their decision to rest their big boys fell flat on their faces, though what they did was informed, especially for those on one yellow card while others who had knocks spent quality time with the doctors receiving treatment.

    Ghanaians spent much of the hours leading to the Black Stars versus Uruguay game remembering what happened at the South Africa 2010 World Cup where Asamaoh Gyan lost a penalty kick following Louis Suraez stopping a goal-bound shot from entering into the net. Had Gyan’s penalty kick been converted, Ghana would have been the first African country to qualify for the semi-finals.

    When Ghana had a penalty kick, many thought that it was the Ghanaians’ chance to avenge the loss 12 years ago. It never was because Ayew played it tamely into the hands of the Portuguese goalkeeper.  G. de Arrascaeta scored twice(26th and 32nd) within six minutes to send both teams into the halftime 2-0 advantage Uruguay. Sadly, South Korea beat Portugal 2-1 in the other game of the group to send both Ghana and Uruguay out of the World Cup. South Korea and Portugal qualified from the group. And Suarez cried sitting on the bench despite beating Ghana 2-0.

  • Governors and national development

    Governors and national development

    Living up to his blossoming reputation as a gadfly who is devastatingly unsparing of those he perceives as adversaries and opponents, the governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, recently released a veritable bombshell when he disclosed that the spate of commissioning of high profile infrastructural projects he has undertaken in his state was facilitated by his state’s share of arrears of Oil Derivation funds released to the Niger Delta states by the President Muammadu Buhari administration. The stormy petrel of Rivers State had revealed during the unveiling of one of the projects, the Nabo Graham Douglas campus of the Nigerian Law School in Rumemuero, Port Harcourt, that the President had released the payment of 13% Derivation Funds arrears accruing to Niger Delta States including his Rivers State since 1999. According to him, “Monies that were not paid to the Niger Delta states since 1999, the 13% Derivation Funds, Mr. President approved and paid all of us from the Niger Delta States. And for me, it would be unfair not to tell the public…Yesterday, we commissioned the ninth flyover. In December, we will commission the tenth flyover and by February next year, we will commission eleventh and twelfth flyovers”.

    Governor Wike’s disclosure understandably ruffled feathers across the Niger Delta States as several individuals and interest groups in the region demanded to know from their governors in the region to what use their own share of the refunded derivation proceeds had been put forcing the state governments to offer explanations on the genesis and utilization of the funds to their people. For instance, speaking on behalf of the Edo State government, the state’s Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Joseph Eboigbe, said the state government had only received the sum of N2.1 billion in three tranches of N70 million out of the over N28 billion due to the state. In his words, “What was approved was the way and manner this money will get to the states. The net amount will come to each state over five years; each year you will have quarterly remittance which means four releases each year over five years”.

    Reiterating this position, a Special Adviser to the Edo State governor, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said “We have audited statements that are released every year after all expenditure is complete, so we don’t have to be announcing it. The reason he (Wike) said it was because elections are coming in February, otherwise it is public knowledge, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is there, the Ministry of Finance is there, and journalists have the statistics, and it is not new information, so the man is just trying to cause tension”. In its case, the Delta State government said that it only received the sum of N14.7 billion as refund from the 13% derivation fund in three quarterly installments of N4.9 billion each. It stated that the actual shortfall of funds due to the state was N250 billion, which the Federal Government agreed to pay, in quarterly installments for a period of five years. According to a spokesman of the Delta State government, “Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, said he would not want to leave the next administration with a huge debt burden and thus resorted to discounting only N150 billion out of the N240 billion expected receivables but later pruned it down to N100 billion”.

    And the Akwa-Ibom State Commissioner of Finance, Dr. Linus Nkan, urged the people to ignore those brandishing what he described as fictional figures on social media on the 13% derivation refund. He said the state government had received a total of N186 billion in tranches of N160 billion while N41.3 billion was projected for 2022 out of which N26 billion as at the third quarter of 2022 had been received”. Nkan submitted further that “In line with proper financial records keeping and public finance transparency, the refund was reflected in the 2021 budget as “Other Exceptional Income: 13% derivation revenue arrears, which was raised to the tune of N193 billion; in 2022, the revised provision was N41.43; in the 2023 budget, the statement for this line item is N100 billion. A simple calculation of these figures will reveal the sustainability thinking disposition that guides the governor of our state”. But the seeming lack of transparency in managing the receipt of the fund and the manner of its management until governor Wike’s revelation had given rise to varying speculations on the matter. For instance, the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Bassey Akpan, alleged during a campaign tour of the state that the state government had received the sum of $1.1 billion (N600 billion) outside the normal federal allocation lamenting that nothing could be shown for the amount in terms of concrete development in the state.

    Read Also: Between Wike and Umahi

    In a similar vein, the Executive Director of ‘Policy Alert’, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working to promote economic and financial transparency in the Niger Delta, Tijah Bolten-Akan, submitted that “In 2021, a total of N287.04 billion was received as refund for the entire Oil Producing states. In 2022, between January and July, N181.68 billion was received for the entire Oil Producing states. The report notes that in the third quarter of 2021, the state governments got N171.24 billion and in the fourth quarter of 2021, they received N12.81 billion coming to N18.04 billion in 2021 alone”.

    There is absolute no tenable excuse for the affected governments of the region not to have informed their people of the extra-budgetary refund by the Buhari administration before Wike made his disclosures public. It does not matter what his motives may have been since none of the governors have come out to prove that he lied on the issue.  Again, the size of the refund made to the respective state govern ments in the region is of no import as government should be accountable to the citizenry for every Kobo that accrues to it. One of the Niger Delta governors had indeed been reported to have said with unhidden sarcasm that the cost of one three-kilometer road in his riverine state would be worth more than the cost of 15 flyovers in another state possibly referring to Wike’s Rivers State. But much of Rivers State is also riverine terrain and, in any case, no other governor in the region has come out to openly celebrate his infrastructural accomplishments like Wike has done in Rivers. In politics, if you don’t blow your own trumpet, no one will do it for you least of all your opponents.

    But it would appear that governor Wike himself was not exempted from the spotlight when the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba, blamed state governors for the rising multi-dimensional poverty and suffering in the country because of their preoccupation with citing eye-catching projects in the state capitals rather than focusing on alleviating poverty in rural areas where the majority of Nigerians live with the latter bearing a disproportionate brunt of deprivation and hardship. He lamented that about 72 percent of the poverty in Nigeria is prevalent in the rural areas and have allegedly been abandoned by governors.   The Minister contrasted the humongous investment of the Federal Government in Social Investment Programmes to address the poverty of large numbers of the most vulnerable segments of the Nigerian populace across the country to the penchant of most governors for investing in prestige projects like airports and flyovers.

    According to the Minister, “I think from the Federal Government side, we are doing our best, but we need to push that governors should not continue to compete to take loans to build airports that are not necessary when they have other airports so close to them. Governors now are competing to build flyovers all over the place and we applaud them. They should concentrate on building rural roads so that the farmer can at least get their products to the market. If they do that and with the new national development plan on taking power to the rural areas, especially out-grid power that can easily be put, you begin to attract industries  to those areas for value addition”. While airports have reportedly been completed in states like Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Jigawa, Kebbi, Taraba, Anambra, Ekiti and Bayelsa and Gombe states, new airport projects are reportedly ongoing in ogun, Ebonyi, Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Cros River, Edo, Lagos, Kogi and Abia states. While a number of these projects may be justified, it is difficult to fault the position of the Minister that in many cases they may be white elephant projects not reflective of prudent and maximal utilization of resources to add value.

    Without prejudice to the comments of the Minister, it would appear that in Wike’s case for instance, his projects are not limited to flyovers but also encompass rural and urban roads as well as ultra-modern school and health facilities among others. In any case, it is far better for governors to expend money on high profile flyovers and airports which can at least be seen than to have nothing whatsoever to show on ground as indications of some attempt at development despite humongous resources at their disposal. In any case, given persistent inflationary spirals, the cost of an airport or flyover today may be only a marginal percentage of what it would cost to construct such facilities in future. They can thus be regarded as futuristic investments. Again, in the process of constructing these projects, local employment will most likely will be boosted no matter how marginally while the grassroots economies in areas where they are located will be stimulated to a reasonable degree.

    Of course, the question raised by Mr. Clement Agba on the nature, character and evolution of Nigerian development are quite pertinent if the country is ever to transcend her protracted relationship with underdevelopment and rise to her potential of being able to help Africa rise out of her current debilitating and humiliating poverty and underdevelopment despite her rich natural and human resource endowment. We cannot meaningfully embark on a developmental trajectory for Nigeria without conscious thought and deliberate pursuit of what constitutes development in concrete terms. Nearly five decades ago, the eminent political economist, Professor Okwudiba Nnoli, had raised this pertinent question of what constitutes development in a pungent essay titled ‘Development/Underdevelopment: Is Nigeria Developing?’.

    Contending that the mere utilization of oil rents or foreign loans to acquire modern artifacts and facilities based on imported technology and expertize cannot be characterized as development, Nnoli argued that “On the contrary, development is neither catching up with the advanced countries nor the procurement of artifacts. Under certain conditions the artifacts emanate from the development process and reflect it. But the artifacts are not development itself and in certain cases may have no relationship whatever with that process. They reflect development only when they are the end-product of the efforts of the local population to apply their creative energy to transformation of the local physical, biological and socio-cultural environments. This is the situation with the advanced Western and Eastern countries. They cease to mirror development when they are provided by foreigners. In the latter case the local population is merely acquiring products of others’ development. This has been the experience of Nigeria”. This misrepresentation and misguided pursuit of development as ‘mal-development’ is as much a fault of the federal as of the state governments.

  • Akwa Ibom: A senator’s queer twist of fate

    Akwa Ibom: A senator’s queer twist of fate

    For weeks, since the first day of October, Senator Bassey Albert, the incumbent representative of Akwa Ibom North East senatorial district of and governorship candidate of Young Peoples Party (YPP) for the 2023 election, has been hard at work along with supporters of his very young party.

    YPP was practically unknown to people of the state before the senator emerged as flag-bearer last June. He and his backers put up what many have described as a ‘very impressive show of force’ to reiterate his determination to defeat the candidates of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) at the guber poll next year.

    Albert was the Commissioner for Finance between 2010 and 2014.

    After his many well-attended rallies across the state, many analysts started viewing the now embattled lawmaker as one of the leading candidates in the race. He was seen as capable of springing a surprise.

    Read Also: Ademola Adeleke: Dancing up a storm in Osun

    No doubt, Bassey Albert and his young political party became much more visible across the state following the launch of his governorship campaigns and Sentry can bet that some of his associates and friends have already started dreaming of lives in the Government House.

    Sadly, all that changed suddenly. Rather than dreaming of spending time in Government House, Albert is now cooling his heels in Ikot Ekpene prisons in the state.

    A Federal High Court in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, Thursday, convicted and sentenced the YPP candidate to 42 years in prison for corruption. He was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC). The legislator was promptly taken to jail to serve his prison term.

    Sentry gathered that he was accused of receiving bribes of 12 cars worth N254 million from an oil marketer, Olajidee Omokore, during his tenure as Commissioner for Finance.

    The now convicted governorship candidate was a member of the PDP, the ruling party in the state until last June when he defected to YPP, after failing in his bid to secure the gubernatorial ticket of the ruling party.

    The politician left no one in doubt that he was a major challenger to the PDP candidate, Umo Eno, and APC’s flag-bearer, in next year’s governorship election in the State. But with his incarceration following his conviction for corruption, his gubernatorial dreams have suddenly gone up in smoke. That’s unless he gets a judicial reprieve. Talk about a bitter twist of fate!

  • Osun: The tasks before Adeleke

    Osun: The tasks before Adeleke

    Senator Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke has taken the oath of office as governor of Osun State. He has also reiterated his commitment to his Five-Point Agenda, including education, health, job creation, and workers’ welfare.

    Mixed reactions have trailed his Executive Orders, which are aimed at merely creating a demarcation between the past and the present. But, the future, which will also be dictated by the past and present, is more important.

    What is striking is that only few politicians think about the future. Also, when a great feat is attained, wise men become more careful and reflective; and they learn useful lessons from their predecessors in a bid to avoid past pitfalls.

    Adeleke fought hard to become governor, a feat he attained after the first futile attempt four years ago. Those aspiring to leadership positions can as well emulate some aspects of his resilience, determination and courage. The circumstances that brought him to politics were exceptional. His styles and tactics are, therefore, different.

    The new governor was thrown up to fill a void. He took up the challenge to protect the interest of a household, an ancient town, a political caucus and many fanatical followers.

    The Adeleke family of Ede should elicit envy for producing two siblings who became governors within living memory. Although Ademola’s victory is still being challenged at the tribunal, he is settling down for governance. He has appointed the first set of aides – the Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the Government, and the Chief Press Secretary. More appointments are expected to follow in due course.

    Ademola, the son of a union leader, Senator Ayoola Adeleke, has finally danced into the Osun State Government House. His family has contributed a lot to the growth of the state, the defunct Western Region and, indeed, Nigeria. Much, therefore, is expected of him at this critical time.

    Ademola Adeleke appears like a populist. During the campaigns, he never adopted any intellectual approach. He is not a radical or revolutionary, like Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. He is not a quiet personality, like Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola. The elite did not rate him high. He is not an ideologue, like Chief Bisi Akande. His experience is doubtful, although he has served as a senator, following the demise of his elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke, a Third Republic governor and a grassroots politician.

    His predecessor, Governor Oyetola, managed to preside over a peaceful state. His strengths and shortcomings are noted. Oyetola has confidently said he never incurred debt. Rendering his stewardship, the immediate past governor said he also paid a debt of N97 billion. He reportedly left N14 billion in the treasury. The state should expect another N72 billion from other sources, he said.

    In the last four years, Oyetola has paid salaries promptly. He tried to bridge the loopholes and ran a transparent government. But he was apparently misunderstood. The cracks in his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), were to the advantage of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    But, all eyes are now on Adeleke, fondly called ‘AdeDancer’ by his admirers. The euphoria of victory should give way and he should embrace the task of governance squarely. Occupying the governor’s seat in Osun State cannot be a tea party. Showmanship is not a trait of statesmanship. Governance is a serious business. It is not all decisions that are momentarily hailed by praise singers that can pass the test of popularity at the end of the day.

    Adeleke should, therefore, work hard to erase the perception that governance has passed on to a man without preparedness and depth. The governor needs to work extra hard to prove his naysayers wrong. He should also avoid treading the path of vendetta, the facile road to perdition.

    Read Also; Ademola Adeleke: Dancing up a storm in Osun

    The change of guard in the Osun Government House at Abere in Osogbo was also reflected at motor parks. Regrettably, it is in the nature of the Southwest contemporary politics of raising muscle men and bands of thugs in some states. Pro-PDP transport unions sacked their APC counterparts, who are now casualties of the barely one week-old regime change.

    The new governor has reversed appointments made by his predecessor, including those of permanent secretaries and 12,000 workers in the civil service. The figure might have been exaggerated as government sources said Oyetola only recruited 2,000. Only the former governor and those directly involved in the recruitment can provide the accurate figure.

    Adeleke has also sacked the state electoral body, OSIEC, and reversed the appointment of some monarchs. These may not be problem-solving measures in the long run.

    On Tuesday, the governor tried to apply the break. He attempted to reverse himself, saying he would set up a panel to review the activities of the Oyetola administration. Many people believed it was an afterthought. It means on Sunday and Monday, he was carried away by the crowd, instead of pondering before plunging. But the blunder is pardonable. The famous dancing senator is still new on the hot seat.

    Adeleke was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He is from a wealthy family. To get to power, he invested huge resources in politicking. But, if he expects huge returns on his political investment, the state will suffer for it. To succeed in his administrative task, the new governor needs to do four things: have the fear of God, know his limitations, seek support from sincere, neutral quarters, and shun graft.

    The analysis of the poll results shows that Adeleke is presiding over a divided state. The task of reconciliation should, therefore, be urgent. It is not all the decisions of the previous administration that should be reversed. A government of the people can as well acknowledge the genuine feats of predecessors and build on certain achievements that cannot be ignored.

    The new governor of Osun needs help and support. Not all governors in Nigeria are philosopher-kings. The leading lights in Osun should show interest in their state and contribute ideas to enable the new administration sail through envisaged stormy weather ahead. The governor should also listen to the voices of reason and tap from their knowledge and wealth of experience. Wisdom is the greatest companion that successful leaders don’t ever leave behind in all outings.

    But can Adeleke be a talent hunter, like former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu? The new Osun governor should deploy the services of the intellectual community. Osun, like other states in the Southwest, is a haven of eggheads. The governor should appoint a team of patriotic, competent and service-driven commissioners and advisers who will not loot the treasury. It may not be easy to choose because of the large numbers of applicants for political positions. For 12 years, Osun PDP chieftains have been left in the cold.

    Adeleke is expected to send the list of nominees to the House of Assembly dominated by the APC. He should conduct state affairs in utter sensitivity to the presence of an opposition legislature to prevent a reoccurrence of executive/legislative face-off that rocked the state in the past.

    The Serubawon garrison method of invading a democratic House of Assembly with thugs and chasing out lawmakers is old fashioned, clearly outdated.

    Already, the Assembly has objected to some actions the governor took hurriedly within two days. Those actions do not make Adeleke an ‘Action Governor’, like the late Lagos State Governor Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ).

    Osun has the highest number of towns in Nigeria. It also has many villages and hamlets. It is a civil service state. Therefore, its workers, at state or local government levels, will never tolerate irregular payment of salaries.

    Yet, the reality is that Osun is poor. Its revenue base has not expanded much. To boost the internally generated revenue (IGR) is challenging. The state is entitled to a meagre allocation from the Federation Account. The state has also not overcome the burden of debt.

    But it appears there is a way out. One: the governor has to beam the searchlight on illegal gold mining, even though it is a federal matter. Besides, the state is also losing some money to the illegalities. It is time to grab the new chance of the PPP initiated by the Federal Government.

    Osun should focus on agriculture. It was its backbone in the days of the late Premier Obafemi Awolowo. The state should also develop its tourist centres.

    Coming from a family of industrialists, Governor Adeleke is in a vantage position to inspire confidence and attract investment to Osun. Job creation is assured when firms and industries take over spaces lying fallow. How many employment opportunities are available in the state civil service, teaching service and local government?

    Still, infrastructure is not predominant across the State of the Living Spring. The Ibadan/Ilesa Road is an eyesore. The governor should link up with Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola for major rehabilitation. There is much work to be done as many intra-state roads also need attention.

    More battles lay ahead for the new administration. The tribunal hearings will continue to generate anxiety. Technically, it means the poll is inconclusive until the litigation is resolved. Judging by previous experience, election cases often got to the apex court, the final arbiter.

    Another area of anxiety among the populace is that palaces of traditional rulers are being razed. It means those towns are greatly troubled. It is incumbent on the governor, who is a Chief Security Officer on paper, like his counterparts across the federation, to halt the crises and restore security and peace.

    Osun may also be heated up during next year’s parliamentary elections when his party and the APC lock horns across the constituencies and districts.

    The media will beam the searchlight on the new administration. They will offer constructive criticisms. Adeleke will be on the weighing scale. His temperament and tolerance would be tested. His democratic credentials will be scrutinised. Obviously, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. The days, weeks, months – and probably the years – ahead for the new governor will birth the hope or hopelessness his administration will bring to all residents of the state. This is an issue that doesn’t distinguish political, religious, social, and ethnic status.

    The next hundred days will show the place of the dancing governor of Osun in the state’s history and provide a clue to what the future holds for the Southwest state.