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Category: Saturday

  • Political parties and hypocrisy of gender inclusiveness

    Political parties and hypocrisy of gender inclusiveness

    “…When I came to Congress in 1987,

    there were 12 Democratic Women

    Today we are 90…

    When I entered leadership in 2002,

    there were eight of us, today there are 17

    members of the leadership”

    – Speaker Nancy Pelosi

    Nancy Pelosi, the first female House Speaker in the United States yesterday announced that she will be stepping down from the leadership of the House Democratic Caucus.  In the Mid-term elections, the democrats narrowly lost to Republican in the House even though they have majority in the Senate.

    Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spent about thirty five years in the House and about two decades in different leadership positions. In her Speech on the floor of the House, she traced the history of her first visit  to when she was six years old and had accompanied her father,  who was then being sworn in for his 5th term in Congress as a mere sis year old. In retrospect, she did not understand the power and the building, the Capitol Hill then but now after decades she too has put in her years.

    A Speaker Pelosi is a female colossus in the American democratic story. Her service, her steadfastness, her patriotism and commitment to the American democracy is pubic knowledge. She is 82 years old. She is a great asset to the Democrats and even more so to the American democracy. She has an enviable political odyssey. She owes the opportunity to contribute her quota to the American democratic culture. There have been positive changes that have steadily and slowly yielded grounds to women voters/leaders,  minorities and all forms of systemic changes for the better. Today, more women are winning elections at all levels including the Vice President Kamala Harris.

    Make no mistake about it, even Africa has done better than America as some countries have produced female presidents, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania and others. Women have become Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of governments in many other countries. Rwanda has the global highest percentage of women in parliament at more than 61%. Most of the countries with appreciable levels of development are those with politically empowered women.

    Nigeria has been almost at the bottom of the chat when it comes to political inclusion of women and the economy has everything to show for the almost total male monopoly of political power at all levels in a country where competent  women are systemically excluded. The country is the poverty capital of the world and the National Bureau of Statistics has just recently declared that 63% of people living in Nigeria are poor.

    Read Also: COMFORT OGUNYE: Women who dare to struggle cross very high hurdles

    The Roundtable Conversation has tracked political activities of Nigerian political parties over the years and observed that male politicians at least since 1999 have been very negligent about creating a level playing field that can enable women be in leadership of political parties. Women have almost always relied on tokenism post elections. The party leadership positions during party congresses in Nigeria are always skewed against women. The main national  executive  position often left for women is usually the ‘Women Leader’ and even in some instances men even contest for such positions.

    The sad thing is that even those positions are not strategically designed empower women politically to make valid contributions in a democracy. They are mere flattering positions aimed at persuading the women to coerce fellow women beaten down by illiteracy and ignorance to vote for male candidates.  Most of the party caucuses and National Executive Committees (NEC) in Nigerian political space are dominated by men because politicians in Nigeria still believe that leadership is about brawn and finance. Even when women are made Women leaders or for some of them that manage to be Board of Trustees (BOT) members, they are often treated as mere appendages and are often excluded in decision making processes. Their views are almost always ignored.

    The Roundtable Conversation has watched with dismay the intraparty  chaos in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that seems very polarized  with a group of five governors  now refering to themselves as the G-5 governors comprising Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom and Abia state governor, Okezie ikpeazu  who seem to have an alliance due to their misggivings over some internal party issues.

    We have watched the series of meetings and committees that have been set up by the party and noticed the near absence of female members of the party in such attempts at reconciliation. We have observed the concerted efforts of the party to seemingly reunite the party but we  have only seen political ‘pilgrimage’ to Rivers state by predominantly  male party members. Even trips to United Kingdom or United States in what is often defined as consultaions do not feature any woman. Majority of the political parties are equally as guilty as the PDP.

    It is interesting to note the paradox of the Nigerian political engagements that parade only men,  not many problems get solved. Today, the poverty index is very high. The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics have just released data showing that about 63% of Nigerians are poor and majority of them are women but not many women are on the table to profer solutions. There is no gainsaying that more women are victims of poverty in any nation where only men have and control the levers of power.

    As the political parties go round the country canvasing for support, it is interesting to observe that issues concerning women come in as some after-thought and we see politicians still latching onto the perennial promise of the 35% affirmative action that happened twenty seven years ago in Beijing. Promises are often made during campaigns but the men really do not take Nigerian women seriously. All the intra party squabbles that have trailed most of the political parties are mainly about the political interests of the men as they plan for post-election victory.

    None of the discussions in all the parties is about the welfare of women. The Nigerian national assembly made up of more than 90% men threw out five gender equity bills that would have created more chances for women in parliament.  The political parties have not been proactive in creating a level playing field so that more women can have the chance to participate and help the country get out of poverty.

    The fact that the political parties in Nigeria are surreptitiously structured to empower more men is hurting the Nigerian democracy by excluding a great percentage of women and the youth who have the capacity and willingness to participate. The Kenyan legislature was able to amend their constitution to make it unlawful for any one gender to occupy more than two third of elective positions. Today, Kenya has seven female governors, an increase of four from the three that were elected in 2017. That is progress.

    In Nigeria, the political parties have more than 90% men in the leadership and  but even the few women often are not given the space to flourish or contribute. Some of the women often get excluded in decision making.  The men equate democracy with everything but choices and ideas. They ensure the absence of a system that strictly monitors and punishes illegal campaign finances and this affects women negatively. This is because, the male politicians are more economically empowered and as such see themselves as more powerful than and more relevant than women.

    A Nancy Pelosi and other women in other countries are able to make progress politically because everyone operates on a level playing field. The political parties act as an umbrella structure under which every candidate operates. Funds raised are controlled by the system in ways that individuals or groups do not have undue financial advantages.

    The fact that there are no streamlined financial structures for party administration strictly controlled  systemically disempowers women.  It is therefore interesting to note that in the various political parties in Nigeria, women are powerless because the men merely see them as mere appendages good enough for tokenism.

    The Roundtable Conversation feels that our democracy cannot grow given the present political structure where men feel that leadership in a twenty first century is about brawn and financial muscle. The polarization in the main opposition party, the PDP cannot be traced to the patriotic zeal of either group. It is all about self-interests.  Let no one come with the puerile narrative that it is about the people, it is purely about the men and their interests. The world is wondering whether there are no women in that party that can rein the men in? In whose interests are all the ego trips?

    It is very worrisome that Nigerian political parties feel they only need to have ‘Women Leaders’  and ‘Women Campaign Councils’ with no plans to integrate women in decision making and  the general political process. The level of poverty in the land is a pointer to the effects of the exclusion of women.  It is a shame that sixty two years after independence,  no  woman has been elected on her merit as a major Party Chairperson, Senate President or governor. Less than 10% of women are in the National Assembly. Some states in the North do not even have one woman in the Houses of Assembly.

    It is delusional to continue to say that women must go get power because power is taken and not given.  We all know the structural and systemic defects that beat women down and out of core political processes that can empower them enough to change the system and make our democracy viably functional. There are many Nancy Pelosis in Nigeria but it seems that there is a male conspiracy to keep women out and the underdevelopment we see is evidence of the paradoxical powerlessness men display as nation builders.

    The dialogue continues… 

  • Soludo, Obi and the needless hullabaloo

    Soludo, Obi and the needless hullabaloo

    I had initially taken a break from writing on the 2023 campaigns for reasons best known to me. I had much preferred to stick to other pressing issues under the sun even though come rain, sunshine and even hail stones, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress,APC will have my endorsement and vote. Somehow, the recent force marching of words between Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi much forced me to break such a trend and here I am again writing on the 2023 elections.

    My hands are somewhat forced, I at this point in time have a sequel on Cardinal Francis Arinze to finish off (I will next week) but for some reason, my mind kept urging me to weigh my thoughts on the exchange between these two gentlemen, I finally succumbed and this piece is the result of such self goading I guess.

    The initial quote at the beginning of this piece is culled from the 1964 hit, Sounds of Silence by Paul Simon and Simon Garfunkel. The song featured  as one of the soundtracks in that Emilo Estevez 2006 Epic, “Bobby” which was set upon the story of Robert ‘Bobby’ Kennedy’s shot at the 1968 Democratic Party primaries before he was shot and killed after winning California and sending a strong message to Eugene McCarthy and the eventual winner of the ticket, Hubert Humphrey.

    The song, although possessing a very much different message from the thrust of mine here , somewhat maintains borders, particularly the lines quoted above! Silence to issues and certain developments like a cancer grows, becoming malignant in nature and requiring painful surgery not without claiming  some toll on its victim.

    I listened to Soludo’s interview where he downplayed Obi’s demagoguery and repeated acclaim to have been the next best thing since sliced bread. One could see that Soludo in that interview  had never wanted to join issues with Obi, with some sort of skill he had initially hovered over every attempt to get him to say something on Obi but then he made comments on the same investments Obi has like a semi illiterate trader brandished at every given opportunity and all hell was seemingly let loose!

    Read Also: Soludo vs Obi: A governor’s prickly polemic

    True to their nature, supporters of Obi whom I have fondly dubbed as the Obi Kererenke Children began their raucous badgering of Soludo. Like the Russian guns in Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, they threw all  caution to the winds and indeed went despicably low, to the extent of taking shots at his family! To these persons, amongst them a large number of e-idiots, nothing seems sacred, everything goes, including the tribe, religion, health and faith of others, to these paranoid supporters, there ought to be no shade of opinion contrary to theirs or to the duplicity of their so called Messiah, attempting to overreach even the darkest of dictators such as Benito Mussolini, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot.

    It is again important to note that while this raged on, there was no attempt to prove Soludo’s statement to the contrary; no appeal to either facts, logic or empiricism , these “Emperor with no clothes “ supporters failed to disprove even as much as a comma in that Soludo statement. A statement their demagogue had severally claimed his investment as governor in a privately owned business had earned the state over 100 million dollars! To them , Soludo should like a desk clerk just queue behind the Obi presidential ambition, engage in outlandish revisionism whether he likes it or not! Whether it is ideologically acceptable or not but for the pedestrian fact that Obi is Igbo! Haba!

    Again, Soludo had pointed in that interview that you do not save money when there are countless projects to deliver and when the basic infrastructure in your state is near decrepit, what’s the point of such savings when the poverty index in your state had arisen under your watch from 17% to 58%? Even Stalin’s Collectivatisation  program makes much more sense as flawed as it was then.

    If these puny ideologies and social media barbarians thought they had cowed the Isuoffia born economist , they thought wrong and in a blitzkrieg manner Soludo again delivered a counterblow, one that sent Obi and his Lilliputians into a scamper of sorts! Matter of fact the literal punch quaked  so hard that even Obi lost much of his elan and all of a sudden began waxing philosophical, admitting somewhat that the alleged investment was indeed next to nothing as Soludo stated!

    What remains baffling is the theatrics that has followed this whole drama! Even respected intellectuals have removed their thinking caps and are dancing naked! There’s even the chucklesome talk of dragging Soludo to the gods simply because he has refused to observe that their Emperor is somewhat clothed! Hypocritically the same horde cheer Chief Ayo Adebanjo and his phony Afenifere setup as a patriot for supporting Obi.

    It is true that in the near past I myself have criticized Governor Soludo on matters affecting our home state, nevertheless as one who is in sync with my conscience I must state that Governor Soludo deserves the plaudits for calling out Obi and his supporters, he deserves the commendation of right thinking Igbos and Nigerians for choosing to stand as the voice of reason and for his ability to see the missing tiles in our region’s political mosaic rather than appear as one of the chorus boys for a political sojourn that is surely destined to hit the rocks!

    History notes that even legendary Igbo leaders, I mean titans who loomed larger than life in our political firmament, names like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Emeka Ojukwu ,Dr Alex Ekwueme and Chuba Okadigbo all brooked forms of opposition! Did Zik not spar with the likes of K.O Mbadiwe? Did Ojukwu not stand with Shagari’s National Party of Nigeria as against Zik’s NIgerian People’s Party, NPP?

    What therefore is this hullabaloo over Soludo’s stance all about?

  • Ethnocentricity, elections and balance

    Ethnocentricity, elections and balance

    A looming   presidential  election in Nigeria  , a just  concluded one in  the US  and   the prospect  of another   in 2024   ,the FIFA World Cup in Quatar  starting  next  Monday  , and the dynamics  of   free and fair  competition   driving all  these  seemingly isolated  events drive our discussion  today . They  are all about  participation    ,  competition  ,  and the will  to win either power or glory  or both at the end of the day . In  competitions participants assume the confidence that they are  the best to win . When that assumption gets into the quest  for power and  the way one person sees the  values and beliefs of other competitors as inferior , then  the malaise of ethnocentricity and the biases it coveys creeps into the competition or  the perception  of issues or values different from one’s own view  point . Put  simply ethnocentricity is the view that one’s culture is superior  to others . It  was a term coined by Sumner in anthropology but it is very  much  at stake today  in modern   politics , international    Relations ,  Diplomacy ,  gender considerations  and in sports  especially  in the World Cup starting in Quatar  two  days from today .

    Let  us first identify the symptoms of ethnocentricity   inherent   in these   highlighted events and competitions  ,  before proceeding to assess  their  implications in their various  fields of    endeavour  .  In  Nigeria  the presidential  candidate of the ruling APC   the Jgaban   Bola  Ahmed Tinubu  went  to great length   to explain  to the Christian  Association of Nigeria  – CAN –  this week  that  he did  not pick  a   Muslim Muslim  ticket  for the 2023 presidential  election because of  his faith but because of performance  and potential   of his running mate Shettima   to make him win .  . Yet  ethnocentricity  is at play, ,  at   least    on the surface on both    the charge and the disclaimer .

    The  just  concluded mid terms elections in the US did not give  the Republicans the  much  expected  ‘ red  wave ‘  or mammoth victory over the Democrats. But the Democrats owe their luck to pro  abortion groups especially  women who think abortion is a fundamental human right and turned out to  vote against the Republicans  who appointed the  SCOTUS  -Supreme Court  of the US –  judges who  overturned the pro abortion law recently  .  Just  as the anti  abortion- group favored by the SCOTUS  in their  overturning of the  pro abortion law on the eve of the mid  term elections  think that abortion is the work   of the devil . Running  along side the mid term  elections was the declaration of Donald Trump  to run for president again in 2024 and  one could see immediately the anger and ire of CNN analysts on the emergence of the old enemy that made them lose their professional objectivity in his  –  Trump –  one term of office from 2016 to 2020 . A very clear case of the dog returning to its vomit and rabid political  ethnocentricity  .

    Read Also: Culture, colonialism and change

    With  the FIFA World  Cup next week it was nice  to hear the FIFA president  asking EU nations to respect the culture of Quatar where a sports official  from the host nation   recently said homosexuality is a sign of a sick  mind . The FIFA   boss  asked nations where gay rights are recognized to leave human  rights and ideologies behind as they come to Quatar  to play football  on the world stage . That to me is the best way to minimize the damage of rampant ethnocentricity in any human  endeavor  and  FIFA  has set an example worthy of emulation in  minimizing the dangers of ethnocentricity ,  for  the world at large to emulate  .

    In  looking at the implications  of these ethnocentric  maladies one should  consider solutions  that  provide  some balance on  their  effect in their various contexts . And  we do that serially too . That again  leads us to the Jagaban’s  explanation  to CAN this week as well as the agenda set by CAN for support for a  Tinubu presidency ,  come his victory at the polls in 2023 . CAN obviously  was telling the Jagaban that  there is no free lunch and the candidate  must play   ball   if CAN  must  turn a blind eye to the Muslim Muslim ticket . Indeed CAN asked for a balance   between  Muslims and Christians in appointments noting that Nigeria is a secular  state. CAN asked the candidate to ensure that only citizenship considerations and not religion should prevail in governance  .. According to CAN , ‘This transition  to  a modern ,  democratic, secular state from a  neo feudal ,  theocratic  state requires both constitutional and administrative reforms ‘.

    To  me  , the Muslim Muslim  ticket is the start  of   the reform  that CAN is asking  for . Nigeria is a secular  state and no  religion is superior  to the other . That  notion of superiority is inherent in the criticism of the ticket by either Christians or  Muslims . A  Christian Christian   ticket  would draw the ire of Muslims too . So  the objective of achieving a balance of competing interests should  be merit and  relevance  to set goals  and objectives and the Jagaban  has highlighted   that in his choice of   his running mate . And I know that with  the promise  to  consider CAN’s  request  on needed reforms CAN will  play  ball  with  the  Jagaban’s  sincerity ,  transparency  and honesty on the ticket  for the 2023 presidential elections .

    In the US  although   the Republicans lost senate  control  in these  mid term elections   they have the lower  house and that is a great shift of power  , and the Biden  government will   soon  feel the heat . Just  like the Democratic Party of Speaker Nancy Pelosi made life difficult for  Donald Trump  when they  controlled the house .There  seems to be   no love lost  between  the two parties in this lower house and that   shows   hatred   . Which   is worse than even  ethnocentricity  or can be called the worst kind   of it when  you  think that nothing good can come out of the other party .

    With  the declaration of Donald Trump  who some have blamed for non realization of the ‘red wave ‘ the momentum has changed to presidential  politics from  a powerful power shift  that the Democrats must  face . It is going to be difficult for them because even though the republicans majority is a slim one ,  it is still  a functional  majority  that the  Democrats  have to  live with and the Republicans  can’t  wait  to enjoy ,  after a long time in the wilderness of  congressional  impotence  .

    On  the incoming FIFA  World  Cup  in Quatar  it was a pity to hear Sep Blatter  former  FIFA president  regret  giving the hosting right to Quatar  because of   outside protests on non  recognition  of gay and human rights in that nation . Blatter  even went on to blame Michel Platini , the French soccer hero  and  former  President of UEFA for  bringing  votes against the competing  host   nations then ,  like the USA  and  the UK . I suspect the hosting loss of both powerful nations prompted the long corruption FIFA probe of both Blatter and Platini  on the  matter . Both have now been vindicated   . But  the reaction of UEFA  nations  that they will  , while playing   in Quatar  show solidarity with gay rights in a  hosting nation    that does not recognise   such rights  ,like Nigeria  , is  a lesson  in lack  of respect for other  nations’  way  of life . It   is the best of  example   of ethnocentricity  with its     ugly  fangs  bared open in a competition that demands fair play  ,   equity and  mutual  respect   for  all  participants , personal  and sovereign

  • 2023, Fayose and the Omoluabi spirit

    2023, Fayose and the Omoluabi spirit

    Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State, is in the news again. This time for what many call a good reason, following his pledge never to insult the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite their being in different parties ahead the 2023 general elections.

    Not a few commentators on social media have described the controversial politician as an Omoluabi after he made the declaration.

    Fayose, a chieftain of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the comment on Thursday, November 17, 2022 on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

    “If people are expecting me to abuse Tinubu to show that I am not supporting him; I would not do that,” he said during the show. The former Ekiti governor and an ally of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, claimed that despite the political differences some northern governors or politicians have with President Muhammadu Buhari, they don’t resort to abuses.

    He described Tinubu as a Yoruba leader and as such, he won’t descend to disrespecting the former Lagos State governor. Fayose said he respects Atiku Abubakar of PDP the same way as the APC candidate.

    Read Also: 2023: Vote for credible candidates, Obi tells supporters

    “Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu are over 70 years old leaders, why were they sitting together to rub minds and did not carry cutlasses against it each other? Count me out of that (insulting Tinubu). I am not going to be insulting Atiku,” Fayose insisted. “I am not going to be insulting Tinubu.”

    The PDP chieftain also reiterated his stance on power shifting to the southern part of the country. As far as he is concerned, since Buhari who is about to complete his second term is from the northern region, the southern part of the nation should produce Nigeria’s next president. Many have continued to interprete his position to mean he will back a southern presidential candidate.

    Fayose’s stance is at variance with his position during the run up to the 2015 presidential elections when he descended heavily on the then candidate of the APC Buhari, who went on to win the election.

    “Today, perhaps due to the Omoluabi tendencies he now exhibits, Fayose is no longer one to abuse someone older than him just because of political differences. That’s what the Omoluabi spirit can do,” a commentator on Twitter said

  • Tinubu: The message from Jos

    Tinubu: The message from Jos

    The crowd was huge. It was not a rented assembly of chorus singers. Party faithful and supporters converged on the tourist city of Jos, capital of Plateau State, to make a statement: to give a collective endorsement, to convert and win more political souls, to expand the scope of mobilisation, to prepare for a titanic electoral contest, and to set the stage for ultimate victory in the national interest.

    The agenda was clear: there is no vacancy at Aso Villa in Abuja for anyone else next year. It was obviously not a window dressing or theatrical display aimed at dazzling the opposition. It was not a day for the histrionic mesmerisms of the thespian. The joy, the camaraderie, the effusive brotherliness among the political heavyweights and the hoi polloi was spontaneous.

    The bid is premised on a superior argument that in this electioneering, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is the country’s best among the contenders, if Nigeria is to make meaningful progress in post-Buhari period.

    The atmosphere in Jos Township Stadium revealed the picture of a united and determined party, unlike the main opposition party. The composition of leadership structure is not disputed. It reflects national outlook – a tripod of President Muhammadu Buhari from the Northwest, National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu from the Northcentral and presidential candidate Tinubu from the South.

    All APC governors are on the same page. There is no “stand-alone” group of dissenting voices in the ruling party, showing that a crisis resolution mechanism is effective. It also showed that inclusion is upheld, while there is a sense of togetherness and quest for collective survival.

    The ruling party has demonstrated clear sensitivity by defending the requisite rotational principle that guarantees a sense of equity, belonging, unity, fairness, and justice through its belief in the validity of power shift from the North to the South.

    The standard bearer did not get to Jos until he had crossed some hurdles. His pre-election triumphs underscore his sound resolve, determination and audacity of courage.

    Tinubu has been a subject of envy because of his sterling qualities and prospects of assuming political control next year. He has been the target of the campaign of calumny because he is the candidate to beat. Having become the main issue, detractors have been labouring to pull him down, but without success.

    Read Also: We’ll dialogue with IPOB, others, Tinubu assures

    Many never gave him a chance; he was even deserted by some trusted allies. His enemies invaded the media to mount frenzied propaganda. Hired spin doctors began their tirade with their emphasis on generational shift, saying power should be left to the youth. The theory later collapsed. At the close of party primaries, it was discovered that the big four – Tinubu (APC), Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party), Peter Obi (Labour Party) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (New Nigerian Peoples Party) – were above 60.

    Tinubu had been vilified as an old man without physical strength. They called his health to question, postulating that he was too ill to withstand the rigours. They were proved wrong.

    Ahead of the shadow poll, no aspirant traversed the nooks and crannies of the country more than him. There was no evidence of fatigue, except the doctored portrayals by purveyors of fake news. At a time, Tinubu, who was never perturbed by the antics of foes, retorted: “I am not preparing for a football match; I want to be president of Nigeria.”

    Hale and hearty throughout the consultations, he survived the onslaught as truth became the bulldozer that demolished the edifice of falsehood.

    Some jesters also demanded to know what they described as Tinubu’s “real” age. He became the main issue, as if he was the only man contesting for president in Nigeria. They demanded to see the nurses or midwives who were present when he was born. They demanded for the hospital, clinic or house where he was weaned. If they could not ascertain those details, the political wailers insisted that no party ticket should be given to him.

    Mischievous elements also invaded the social media with the unsubstantiated claim that APC was bent on retaining the ticket in the North. The falsehood was dispelled as big shots from Northern APC caucuses never aspired beyond the feeble attempts by Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. Majority of the aspirants came from the South.

    Then, it was rumoured that Tinubu, national leader of the party, was an unwanted aspirant. Intra-party squabbles drew the platform to an edge. Those outside feared that APC may become fragmented and disintegrated after the primary. Their predictions collapsed in their faces like a pack of cards.

    As aspirants begun to make their speeches during the convention held at the Eagle Square in Abuja, some of them voluntarily stepped down for Tinubu, making him the contender to beat. It confirmed his statement: Emi lo kan. (It is my turn).

    After becoming his party’s candidate, he waved the olive branch, visited co-aspirants, got their post-primary endorsement and earned their trust and confidence.

    Then, the choice of a running mate gave opponents an opportunity to twist facts and whip up religious sentiments. The fuel was supplied by the opposition, which had hoped to reap from any miscalculation by the APC. The dust over the Tinubu/Shettima ticket has vanished because it was blown wide by a phantom wind. Nigerians are now prepared to vote for candidates based on their pedigrees, competence and blueprint, and not based on religious leanings.

    Tinubu’s question has resolved the controversy: “Can I Islamise Nigeria, if I cannot Islamise my family?” His wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Is that not an excellent example of religious tolerance and harmony?

    The current hurdle appears to be the obvious manipulation of debate arenas. Invitations for television interviews with a targeted candidate are being aired by a particular television station. It smacked of media coercion and dictatorship.

    Some dons have even called for the rejection of aspirants over the shunning of invitations to certain debate venues, even if the anchor is a card-carrying member or former deputy governorship candidate of an opposition party.

    Also, those who attempted to exhume the rested litigation in United States were not innovative. The indisputable fact is that Tinubu was never indicted. They laboured in vain, oblivious of court record which showed that a competent court had dismissed the case due to prejudice, meaning that a retrial cannot even be contemplated.

    But, the fundamental bias and sentiments were carried too far, as reflected in the clearly subjective position of some arrogant media gurus who, in violation of the ethics of objectivity, originality and balance, adopted a forged document purportedly signed by the electoral agency, in their desperate move to dent the image of the APC candidate.

    While Tinubu is focusing on the ballot box, paid agents of detractors are glued to the social media. The weapon on poll day is the permanent voter card, and not the handset for spreading fake news. The election will also not be decided by the mettle of speech, oratory skills and verbal facilities exhibited by flag bearers during the manipulated, skewed or lopsided television debates.

    Unfettered, Tinubu is firing on. In Jos, he set before Nigerians a covenant of progressive governance and renewed hope for a brighter and prosperous future.

    The nation’s problems were properly dissected and appropriate solutions proposed: jobs for youths, electricity for industrialisation, resuscitation of the manufacturing sector, productivity, innovation that can propel agricultural development and better funding, tactical communications and mobility for security agencies.

    At issue is which direction should Nigeria go in 2023? This, in Tinubu’s view, is critical to the determination of the country’s fate. He urged Nigerians to demarcate between fact and fantasy.

    The fantasy or fable, in his opinion, is that a party wants to take Nigeria to the past. But he has promised to steer Nigeria into the best and proper direction. The question is how?

    The past is remembered as a period of wasted hope and opportunities to make progress. If a nation cannot move forward, it may either regress backwards or become stagnant. The reality of the Nigerian situation is that the damage done in the spate of 16 years can still reoccur, if the country clings to the past.

    How would Tinubu now steer the country into the desired direction? He acknowledged that President Buhari has laid the foundation and “achieved things in the agricultural, infrastructural, power sector,” and tackled terrorism. Thus, the country now needs “more builders,” not destroyers, to build on the feats.

    Tinubu’s qualifications are his democratic credentials, volume of experience, pedigree as a model governor of Lagos State, reputed as the fifth largest economy in Africa; his positive disposition towards national integration, his tolerance and sense of accommodation, his belief in the ability of Nigeria to realise its full potentials.

    The greatest problem is the malevolent economy. It is not peculiar to Nigeria. Many countries are not insulated from global recession. Tinubu has a solution: there is need to transform Nigeria into a productive economy. The watchword is result-oriented reform. The key is the restoration of power. If electricity is resolved, 50 per cent of Nigeria’s economic headache would have been effectively tackled. It is the key to industrialisation and job creation in urban centres. That was why he set up Enron, a PPP arrangement that was frustrated by those he described as people struggling to take the country to its sordid past.

    If Tinubu promises to assemble the best team, he should be taken seriously. His pastime as senator between 1991 and 1993, governor between 1999 and 2007, opposition arrowhead between 2007 and 2015 and national leader from 2015 and now is the hunt for vast talents across the federation.

    With the pool of human resources at his disposal across the country and around the world, a Tinubu presidency will stand tall to give Nigeria the most competent managers of resources for accelerated national development.

    Perhaps, this is one of the areas of his competences that give his foes endless nightmares. No wonder they cannot sleep without seeing Jagaban Borgu in their dreams. It is also not surprising that each time they wake up, they develop a headache about Asiwaju’s extensive popularity and acceptance.

    This much was what the Jos campaign outing aptly demonstrated about the APC candidate. It was the people’s endorsement of the best man for the job.

  • OU at 78

    OU at 78

    Last week, this column dilated on the constitutional responsibility of the media and the personal, professional and institutional integrity required of media practitioners to fulfill their societal obligations. Luckily, there are role models in the profession, albeit of an older generation, whose examples of unstinted professionalism and unblemished moral integrity can shine the light for contemporary practitioners to find their way out of the current ethical malaise that paralyzes the profession. One sterling example of such a distinguished and accomplished journalist with a track record of impeccable personal and professional credibility is none other than the celebrated former Editor of the defunct Daily Times when it was Nigeria’s leading newspaper, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, who clocked 78 on November 9. Before his ascendancy to the illustrious position of Editor, Daily Times, Chief Ugochukwu had served exemplarily as Editor of the Business Times, one of the most successful titles in the sprawling Daily Times conglomerate, as well as the first African Editor of the London-based West Africa magazine, which was established in 1917 and was at the time the most authoritative publication on politics, economics and society in the West African sub-region.

    Flashback to 1987. This writer had just finished his M.Sc degree programme in Political Science at the University of Ibadan and, despite the downturn in the economy and growing graduate unemployment, looked forward to fulfilling his dream of pursuing a career in journalism. This desire had been ignited by the fiery writings of the ace columnist, ‘Aba Saheed’ in the Daily Times. Aba Saheed was the pseudonym of the legendary Akogun Tola Adeniyi whose uncompromising columns often ruffled feathers in the corridors of power even under the military. I associated journalism with courage and a missionary zeal for the good of society. Thus, armed with my academic certificates, my CV, copies of articles and poems I had published in campus journals as well as some national dailies such as the Ilorin-based Nigerian Herald as well as a reference letter from a retired Director of the Daily Times addressed to the Editor, I headed for the offices of the Daily Times seeking employment. Aba Saheed had endeared both the profession and the newspaper to me.

    As I waited in the office of the Secretary to be attended to, a tall, imposing figure came out of the Editor’s office about twice, issued instructions to her and went back in. Dressed in a smart blue suit with a blue shirt and red tie to match, he looked urbane, debonair, cosmopolitan with every pore exuding good breeding and high class. That was Onyema Ugochukwu as I soon discovered when I was ushered into his office. Perusing the documents I handed to him closely after I had briefed him on my mission, the Editor proceeded to ask me a number of questions. ‘Your master’s degree thesis is on the military and underdevelopment in Nigeria’, he noted, ‘talk to me about the relationship between the two’. As I responded to his question for a while, the Editor sat back in his chair, adjusted his glasses and asked, “Are you a Marxist?” “No sir”, I replied, “but I am Marxian in orientation”. A wry hardly discernible smile on his lips, Chief Ugochukwu asked a few more questions and said I could go.

    To my utmost delight, nearly a month later, I received a letter by post from the Daily Times offering me employment on probation for a period of six months in the first instance as a correspondent in the Features Department of the Daily Times. When I resumed, Chief Ugochukwu literarily took me under his wings. Unknown to me then, he had asked the Chairman of the Editorial Board, the cerebral, ever stern-looking but kind hearted and ever generous in spirit Mr. John Araka to keep an eye on me probably because of the potentials he saw in me. I was thus constantly under pressure from Mr. Araka to write opinion articles and news analyses in addition to my work as a features correspondent and this did my career a lot of good in the long run.

    I am of Yoruba extraction though from Kogi State in the North-Central region. Chief Ugochukwu is Igbo from Abia State. Yet, he related to staff including me on the basis of strict professionalism and commitment to excellence devoid of ethnic bias. There were in my set several brilliant and indisputably capable Igbo members of staff to whom Chief Ugochukwu could have shown ethnic bias but he exuded a pan-Nigerian spirit at all times.

    Incidentally, Chief Ugochukwu could have had every reason in the world to be an ethnic chauvinist. Not only did he witness the gruesome killings of the Igbo in the North leading to the civil war, he was a combatant soldier in the conflict rising to become a Captain in the Biafran Army before the end of the war as a result of his bravery and commitment on the warfront. He carries on one of his thumbs till today the scars of a serious injury in a war that led to his loss of three years at the University of Nigeria, (UNN), Nsukka, where he had been admitted in 1966 to study Economics before the war disrupted his studies as from 1967. After the war, Chief Ugochukwu resumed his studies at UNN from where he graduated in 1972 with a Second Class Upper Degree in Economics.

    Incidentally, Chief Ugochukwu’s career did not begin with journalism. Rather, after the war, he was employed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as an Economic Research Analyst. That he left the CBN in 1975 for a career in the media is a reflection not only of his adventurous spirit but also of the considerable prestige and respect enjoyed by the media at the time. As he tells one of his stellar reporters and mentee, Dr. Tunde Olusunle, in an in-depth academic journal publication by the latter, “The CBN paid the highest salary then…But I wanted to be a journalist because it was exciting. I took a salary cut to become a journalist. My starting salary in the CBN was 1,400 pounds. The federal civil service was starting people at 800 pounds. When we converted to Naira in 1972, it simply multiplied by two. My salary became 2,880 pounds per year. In 1975, my salary was N5,600. Daily Times offered me N4,500 and I accepted it. I went over to work for Business Times which was just starting then”. To prepare himself for his new career path, Chief Ugochukwu obtained a post-graduate certificate in sub-editing from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ).

    By the time he retired from the Daily Times on his turning 50 on November 9, 1994 after 20 years of service, Chief Ugochukwu had made indelible contributions to the growth and development of the profession. Under his Editorship at various times, the Business Times was an outstanding success story, an informed and authoritative publication in its sphere of specialization, while the West Africa magazine flourished as he built and improved on the legacy of his predecessor, Mr. Kaye Whiteman. His training as an economist was brought to bear on the character of the Daily Times when he was appointed Editor of the newspaper. Authoritative economic stories and informed analyses of the economy became one of the strongest selling points of the newspaper. One of those he mentored on the Business beat, Mr. Ndu Ughmadu, went on to become a hugely successful Editor first of the Business Times and later the Daily Times. Others including Kunle Bello, the late Femi Olatunde, Kene Okafor, Wole Olatimehin and Emeka Odo went on to pursue successful careers within and beyond journalism.

    Those of us on the political desk including Dr. Emeka Nwosu, the late Basil Obi, Gbenga Adeshina, Tunde Rahman and Bayo Oladipo, however, gave the Business Desk a run for its money especially as the tempo of political activities picked up with the onset of the Babangida administration’s transition programme. Ugochukwu was an exacting, rigorous and ethically uncompromising Editor. He always demanded excellence and strict adherence to the tenets of professionalism. His appointment as Editor of the Daily Times was during the tenure of Chief Segun Osoba as Managing Director of the Daily Times group and dovetailed into the years of revolutionary rejuvenation under Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi who assumed office as Managing Director of the Daily Times on March 1, 1989.

    Ugochukwu was a key part of the Ogunbiyi management team that restored the glory the media conglomerate had attained in the pioneer Alhaji Babatunde Jose years even though they operated in the constraining and constrictive environment of military rule. He was the moving spirit behind the resuscitation and repositioning of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and served as President of the guild from 1988 to 1990 after almost a decade of the association’s inactivity.

    By the time of his departure from the Daily Times, Ugochukwu had risen to the positions of Executive Director first of Manpower and Development and then Executive Director, Publications. It is unfortunate that Nigeria’s Casino-capitalist system allowed buccaneers and carnivores to take over and ruin a Daily Times legacy built on the sweat, hard work and commitment of earlier generations of management and staff. On his departure from the Daily Times, Chief Ugochukwu went into successful public and media relations practice and later following in the footsteps of journalists like Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, governor of Ogun State in the Second Republic, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, governor of Lagos State in the Second Republic and Chief Olusegun Osoba, governor of Ogun State both during Babangida’s short-lived transition programme and between 1999 and 2003 in this dispensation, he rendered selfless service in public office without blemish.

    He served as Special Adviser on National Orientation and Public Affairs (NOPA) to President Olusegun Obasanjo and was one of the key publicists of the administration. Not once did Chief Ugochukwu ever engage in mudslinging or exchange of insults and abuses with the opposition or critics of the administration. Such behavior was beneath him. It was a measure of Obasanjo’s confidence in him that in December, 2000, he was appointed pioneer Chairman of the newly established Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). According to Wikipedia, “Ugochukwu helped to articulate the president’s vision of sustainable development in the Niger-Delta region and developed a policy which encouraged partnership among its stakeholders…During Ugochukwu’s tenure, the NDDC focused mainly on economic revival and prosperity, environmental rehabilitation and development of social and physical infrastructure”. The massive corruption that has since become synonymous with the NDDC was not a feature of Ugochukwu’s tenure.

    Although the Abia State Elections Petition Tribunal on 25th February, 2008, declared Ugochukwu the winner of the 2007 gubernatorial election, which he contested against Theodore Orji of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt overturned the decision on 11th February, 2009, and declared Orji winner of the election. Ugochukwu calmly took it in his stride and moved on. In a clime characterized by political vagrancy among the political elite with politicians gravitating towards the ruling party at the centre, Ugochukwu has remained as constant as the Northern Star in the PDP and is a member of the opposition party’s Board of Trustees (BOT). That speaks volumes of his credibility, reliability and strength of character.

  • The world won’t miss Super Eagles

    The world won’t miss Super Eagles

    Confessions from the mouths of most stakeholders about how they prayed for Nigeria not to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup slated to begin from November 20 to December 18 simply because of someone’s inadequacies have left me gasping for breath. A few of these stonebreakers swore that Nigeria’s green-white-green flag won’t be hoisted among the comity of nations during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The shameless ones among them took bets as if Nigeria’s absence at the Mundial would stop her from being a sovereign nation.

    Some of them gloated about the impending calamity, for years, months and even before the last game against the Black Stars of Ghana inside the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja. Sadly, the majority of them were part of the system they claimed was rotten in the early years of the last administration. In fact, to stretch the argument further, the large mass of these latter-day crusaders against the prior board had served in previous boards, holding key positions, yet they couldn’t provide the structures for Nigeria’s qualification for the Mundial to be our birthright.

    Who would miss the Super Eagles infamous for holding the country hostage over money at critical stages of the Mundial, especially if the country is just a game away from an epochal act? Let’s not revisit how the Eagles refused to obey Clemens Westerhof’s informed decision to change the abode of the players from their noisy hotel to a more serene accommodation before the game against Italy. This is a clear case of insubordination.

    For Nigerians, our players can do no wrong. Rather than stand with Westerhof, our weary NFF chieftains and the Federal Government officials, humiliated the coach by asking the contingent to remain with the previous arrangement. He swallowed his pride and joined the recalcitrant players as directed by his employers. Need I remind Nigerians about what happened? The irony of Nigeria’s ouster from her maiden appearance at the World Cup in the USA was that Greece which Nigeria beat 3-0 in one of the group matches placed third at the end of the Mundial. Who says that the Super Eagles aren’t a pain in the ass? Nigeria lost the stem of growth for our football when we allowed our players to humiliate Westerhof in America. By that singular act, the Dutchman lost the dressing room he had a firm grip over. He knew it was time to go and never returned to the country with the team.

    When our players win their first match at the Mundial, the beast in them comes to the fore. Funny ideas come into their minds, one of which was the pronouncement at France’s 98 World Cup that they should be paid $15,000 upfront before entering the pitch against Denmark in the second round. Where is that done? What would happen if they don’t win the game against the Danes? Would the players be honourable enough to refund the money? This didn’t cross their minds as they stuck to being paid $15,000 upfront. I wouldn’t know if indeed they were paid the money upfront.

    Meantime, a top Nigerian newspaper had anticipated that Nigeria would beat Denmark and had projected a Nigeria victory. this reputable newspaper did a preview on the many sides of Nigeria versus Brazil, anchoring their preview on revenge for the Brazilians. Had the Eagles played to their potential, the newspaper would have swept the market clean and our football would have been better for it. Nigeria exited the France’98 World Cup in shame, losing to Denmark 4-1, after raising the hope of the world by beating Spain 3-2 in the opening game.

    Where does this writer start the show of shame that characterised the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup? What this writer would state here is that Nigeria’s trip to the senior World Cup suddenly became a battleground for the Sports ministry’s fight for needless supremacy which divided the team into groups that affected the team’s overall performance. The Sports Ministry chiefs and the NFF men use the World Cup platform to wash their dirty linen in public. I won’t discuss the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup fiasco because two of the principal actors are dead. May their souls rest in peace, Amen.

    The fallouts of the 2002 World Cup dogged the Eagles’ path as both the federation and its supervisory body ran against each other culminating in the fiasco in Kano. Nigeria was missing in Germany and many thought it was enough reason for things to change for the better. Not so, in the Sports Ministry cum NFF tussle such that the Eagles barely made it to the South Africa 2010 World Cup.  The reason Nigeria had one team was because of FIFA’s strict compliance in dealing with its affiliate federations. Otherwise, the government through the ministry would have fielded a team. It was that bad with the government having a Presidential  Task Force for the World Cup. What won’t you see in Nigeria? It didn’t matter if the world made us a laughing stock.

    A striking line in Nigeria’s chaotic path to the World Cup has been a frequent change of guards in the team’s technical crew. Phillipe Troussier, the white witch doctor qualified Nigeria for the Mundial in France with two matches to spare. He was dropped for journeyman Bora Milutinovic. In 2010, it was Swede Lars Lagerback who led the Eagles through the Mundial in South Africa. Nigeria exited early in the second round, although those who held sway at the Glasshouse were dragged to face the law courts, with the trio being discharged and acquitted.  The late Taiwo Ogunjobi never recovered from this trauma, though he will tell you then that he played soccer in Kuje during Christmas. Rest in Peace Taiwo.

    One would love to skip the embarrassment associated with the Brazil 2014 World Cup because some of the key actors have gone home to rest. And it isn’t good to speak ill of the dead. I wouldn’t have but I have chosen to let go since they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves. It should be stated here that it was a disgraceful scene in which the Super Eagles failed to train a day before the second-round game against star-studded France. Rather than train for the high-profile game, the players and officials spent the ungodly wee hours before the game sharing $3.8 million which was brought in from Nigeria to France to appease them. What was the hurry? Couldn’t they have waited until after the game to share the money? You tell me.

    Many people celebrated the second-term feat achieved by the last NFF board’s President. They argued that it would be a departure from the past since they have led the Super Eagles through one World Cup cycle. Not so with matters concerning Nigeria. Rather things went from bad to the worst with the federation and the Sports ministry always at daggers drawn.

    Some chroniclers of history argued that Nigeria would always miss out on one edition of the World Cup after going through three. Meaning the country made a debut appearance in 1994 and attended the France’98 World Cup and the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup. The country missed the 2006 edition held in Germany. Nigeria returned to attend the World Cup again in 2010 in South Africa, Brazil 2014 World Cup and Russia in 2018, our third consecutive appearance at the World Cup. For these chroniclers of history rightly or wrongly, Nigeria was ‘destined’ to miss out on Qatar 2022 World Cup, following the trends. And it has come to pass. Hmmmmm!

    I don’t belong to this historical school of thought. Rather, I would blame Nigeria’s troublesome World Cup appearances on our players’ attitude to the country’s assignments. If they handle these assignments with the same seriousness we see them while playing for their clubs, qualifying for the World Cup would always be piece of cake.

    I’ve deliberately avoided talking about monies owed to players. How do other countries do theirs? Is it right to pay players cash for every game won, yet pay them World Cup appearance fees? You tell me, please.

  • American midterm polls: Any lessons for Nigerian candidates?

    American midterm polls: Any lessons for Nigerian candidates?

    AMERICAN democracy with all its imperfections still remains a beacon for world democracies. The very ideological differences between the two major political parties seem to determine the followership of both the Republican and Democratic parties. The strength of American democracy is also evident in the rights that the American Independent Party, the Green Party, the Peace, Freedom Party etc., enjoy. Individuals are not compelled by law or coercion to belong to the two major parties.

    The recently concluded Midterm elections obviously show that the core tenet of democracy, that of giving the voter the power is still sacrosanct even if the process might not be totally immaculate. The margin of error is obviously negligible.  The voice of the people seem to sound loud and clear and candidates generally respect the poll results. Popularity helps but from all indications, only popularity does not solely determine the outcomes of elections.

    The famous Republican TV celebrity, Dr. Mehmet Oz lost the Pennsylvania Senatorial Seat to Democratic candidate John Fetterman.  Dr. Oz has since called his opponent to concede defeat. A practice Nigerian politicians must learn and adopt. The voters spoke loudly and clearly. That is the beauty of democracy.

    The Midterm elections again show that voters determine what they expect from politicians. Top on the scale were inflation and abortion rights. There were concerns with crime rates, gun violence, immigration, climate change, student loans etc. but the overriding concern of voters were with inflation and abortion rights.

    Generally, the human needs across nations are basically the same. What determines development or lack of same still lies with the people and they decide who to give their mandates in viable democracies.

    The low performance of candidates backed by former President Trump has provided political scholars with materials to research on as the world pushes ahead the best tenets of democracy. The former President might be forced by the election outcome to have introspection even as the world awaits his proposed November 15 ‘Big Announcement’ in his own words.

    Again, the Roundtable Conversation believes strongly that there are too many lessons for Nigerians as the campaigns for 2023 general elections hots up across the nation. It is not enough for politicians to take trips to the United States on the eve of every election year, it is not enough to merely mouth an imitation of the American democratic model, flawed as it could often seem, the real kernel of the whole democratic practice as envisioned by political philosophers like Baron de Montesquieu is truly making democracy a government of thre people by the people and for the people.

    The campaign rhetoric in the Nigerian political space reeks of some divisiveness that polarizes the people along mundane lines of region, tribe, religion, gender, age and other issues that do not spell progress of any form. It is purely hypocritical for the political elite to continually treat elections as though they own the people instead of being part of the people.

    The fact that several institutions continue organizing series of peace deals compelling or persuading political parties and their candidates to sign pre, during and post-election peace deals negates the very essence of democracy not for the value inherent but for the fact that the politicians do not own the process enough to realize that power truly belongs to the people.  It does not lie with politicians and their supporters to force any individual or group in the country to support their preferred candidate. Democracy is about choice.

    Campaigns as the world could see in America, United Kingdom and even smaller African countries like Kenya that just elected a President Ruto is about persuasion. It is not about forcing the agenda of any political party down the throat of voters, it is about convincing the various voting demographics that you have policies that would care for them.  It is very instructive that inflation and abortion rights were top on the minds of majority of the American voters.

    The outcome of the elections in councils, districts and states all point to what truly matters to the people as individuals and groups. Inflation is like rain that falls on every roof so most times it has nothing to do with political leanings.  Voters voted according to how convinced they were about the policies touted  by the candidates at various levels.

    Abortion rights might be seen by many with some moral lens but most women voters and some men see it as a human right issue and that accounted for the very good showing of the Democrats at the elections countering most pre-election permutations and exit polls. The Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed the rights to abortion in the US has been argued by gender rights advocates as an infringement on the rights of women to their reproductive rights.

    This aspect of the election analysis must be taken note of by Nigerian political elite who assume that women do not matter. Their erroneous belief that leadership is a masculine affair and that women are merely good as dancers at campaign rallies and mobilizers for men might just be getting to the end of the road. The idea of taking advantage of poverty and illiteracy of the women to exclude and exploit their numbers  is not a democratically progressive practice that is sustenable.

     The Roundtable Conversation also wants to draw the attention of Nigerian politicians to the fact that at least eight Nigerian-Americans, five men and three women were victorious in different states of the United states in the midterm elections. This means that their political parties and voters did not care about their ancestral nations, creed or gender. Nigerian politicians must look at their images in the political mirror and ask themselves very salient questions.  The country has one of the lowest gender inclisiveness in Africa.The voters listened to their campaign messages and gave them their mandate. That is what democracy is about, inclusivity and choice.

    The Independent National electoral Commission, (INEC) in preparing for the coming election must realize that the world is watching. The logistical nightmare that were experienced in the past by voters must be totally avoided. The introduction of the BVAS technology must not be allowed to fail at the last minute. Every vote must count and be counted. Every eligible and registered voter in all nooks and crannies of the country must be given the opportunity to exercise their franchise. That is democracy at its best.

    The bureaucratic bottlenecks often put in the ways of eligible and registered voters must not be allowed to rear its ugly head again.  Voters are the mandate givers and that must be seen to happen without anyone filing left out. All the people and agencies that are charged with various duties during elections must realize that thy are equally serving them by doing their duties diligently and fairly.

    It is again very hypocritical for politicians to traverse continents seeking post-election collaborative efforts but keeping a blind eye to the best tenets of democracy as practiced by politicians in those countries. Campaigns must be issues-based and that is what attracts voters, violence of any kind, verbally , psychologically or physically must be discouraged. Voters whether literate or not are attracted by humans who show their humanity to them and show them in many ways that they matter.

    Economic issues are at the heart of the matter in Nigeria at the moment. The average Nigerian is at the end of the precipice economically. They do not want to hear a regurgitation of the problems they live with on a daily bases, they want politicians that do not just mouth the problems but ones with the real strategies to empower the people. If the American with their low level of unemployment and high infrastructural development are angry at the rise in inflation, the Nigerian voter facing double-digit unemployment, under-employment, inflation and food insecurity need candidates that understand that the welfare of the people is the reason there are governments.

    The Roundtable conversation equally finds it interesting that the legislative seats in America are almost as important as the presidential and governorship seats. It shows why their democracy is as strong as it is. In contrast, Nigerian politicians and the people seem to focus mainly on the presidency. There seems to be a conspiracy of silence by  legislative candidates at all levels.  Most of them shy away from real campaigns and hide behind the presidential candidates of their parties. In democracies, each candidate must sell his or her programmes to the voters.

    There is a seeming dubiety of some legislative and governorship candidates that continually hide behind presidential candidates and virtually do nothing to woo voters. This practice might have gone unnoticed in the past but the global political climate has changed with the millennials who are now very active and have no intention of showing the apathy. The interesting data of the US midterm elections shows that the 18-29 voting demographic voted the highest since 2018. The midterm was the best for any sitting president since 1950. That speaks to the place of the millennials in the twenty first century politics.

    We believe that winners in the 2023 elections all things being equal would be all those that have been painstaking enough to address issues that matter to the majority of the voters in Nigeria. Global democracy continually gets more appealing and the beauty lies in the core strategic plans that candidates and political parties come with. This is the internet age and information is key and the voters have access at the tip of their fingers.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Soludo’s ‘stone’ and the brouhaha in Obi’s house

    Soludo’s ‘stone’ and the brouhaha in Obi’s house

    WHEN Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, said the investments in the state by Peter Obi, former governor and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, are now “worth next to nothing”, he didn’t envisage the kind of brouhaha his comments would cause within the camp of the Obidients, as supporters of the LP presidential hopeful are called.

    But Sentry wishes to inform the former Central Bank Governor that the ‘stone’ he threw at Obi’s house is now giving the inhabitants of ‘Obidient Castle’ sleepless nights.

    Soludo spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television. Obi served as Anambra governor between 2006 and 2014 amidst series of legal battles occasioned by impeachment and issues on election schedule. As part of the 2023 electioneering campaigns, some investments Obi said he made on behalf of the state when he was governor have been generating debate on social media as accusations and counter accusations continue to trail them.

    While Obi and his supporters insist that the decision to make the investments is now benefitting the state, his critics say they cannot find traces in Anambra. The LP presidential flagbearer, in an interview in 2018, had said he invested $20 million in International Breweries on behalf of the state while he was governor. Checks by some independent observers revealed that less than $13 million was ploughed into the venture at the time, and the amount was now worth less than $6 million.

    But on Thursday, Soludo simply undressed Obi publicly as he threw spanners into his claims over the controversial investments. The governor was asked about the value of investment made by his predecessor on behalf of the state.

    Hear him: “There was something I read about somebody speculating about the value of whatever investment. What I have seen today, the value of those investments is worth next to nothing.” Speaking further, the Anambra governor said he would rather invest in infrastructure that will better the lives of his people than in a private company.

    “First of all, you have to rebuild the public infrastructure; that is building the future. We are investing in our schools, hospital. We are creating Anambra as Africa’s leisure entertainment hub; modernising our cities; embarking on urban regeneration; giving our people light so that they can have quality air to breathe; controlling pollution, and dealing with flooding and erosion. I’m not going to leave those and say I’m saving money to go and invest in a private company.”

    Sentry gathered that the Obi camp are still brainstorming on how best to react to the bad press generated by this negative remarks by the governor of his home state. And trust critics of the former Anambra State governor, they are not sparing him and his team. Social media has been awash with many describing Soludo’s statement as a damning verdict on Obi’s performance. To put it mildly, the stone Soludo threw into Obi’s house did more than enough damage.

  • 2023: The big battle

    2023: The big battle

    WHO succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari next year? Nigerians are getting a clearer picture. The answer is getting clearer everyday, at least, to the discerning segments of the populace. A new era is imminent – and inevitable.

    The next Commander-in-Chief Nigeria needs should be a man of immense experience and exposure. He should be recommended by his antecedents, pedigree and track record as a true public servant, not a product of sentimental permutations or ethnic outbursts. The country requires a tested candidate who can also be trusted, judging by his previous scorecard in governance.

    The next president will inherit the burden of history. Nigeria is passing through a lean period. Many citizens are agonising. The global economic atmosphere has impacted negatively on the country, like other climes as well. A period like this requires a financial surgeon, an assembler of vast talents, a visionary, a man endowed with a deep knowledge of the nation’s nuances, a believer in unity in diversity, a courageous patriot, a rallying point for the nation’s heterogeneity, a versatile administrator, a bridge builder, a detribalised leader, an apostle of rule of law, a lover of the masses, a respected statesman, a stickler for excellence, a chivalrous leader with untainted magnanimity.

    The new era will come with great expectations. Urgent solutions would be sought for pressing challenges. These include insecurity, malevolent economic climate, dwindling revenue, low productivity, unfinished infrastructure battle, erratic power supply, oil theft, porous borders, reckless importation of what can be produced at home, crises in education and health sectors, youth unemployment and restiveness, worsening corruption, inter-ethnic suspicion and disunity, and the unresolved national question.

     How candidates have attempted to resolve these issues in previous positions they held should give an insight into their capacity for problem solving at the highest level they now seek to occupy.

    Nigerians have always preferred previous administrations to current regimes. This connotes a big problem, because ordinarily, the succeeding administration should draw the curtains on national misery, despair and disappointment. A new government should rekindle hope. Therefore, governance in post-Buhari period cannot be a tea party. Those scrambling to succeed President Buhari should be ready to make sacrifices and serve the beleaguered country selflessly.

    The next president will inherit power and honour of fulfilling his destiny. At the same time, he will inherit the “liability of power and authority” and the demand of repositioning a country in distress.

    Only four presidential candidates – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso (New Nigerian Peoples Party) and Peter Obi (Labour Party) – are in the 2023 race.

    However, only two – Tinubu and Atiku – are considered as frontliners.

    How do they stand across the states and zones? Currently, PDP has 13 governors in Sokoto, Taraba, Bauchi, Adamawa, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelya, Enugu, Benue, and Abia.

    APC holds forte in 22 states: Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, Nasarawa, Yobe, Borno, Kogi, Kwara, Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Niger and Gombe.

    APGA maintains its dominance in Anambra.

    As Asiwaju Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku dominate the show, candidates of smaller parties will grow with envy. Either now or in the foreseeable future, mushroom parties will always labour in vain, unless they combine their strengths or cooperate to slug it out with the big parties. United they may stand, but divided they will ultimately fall.

    Tinubu, an accomplished administrator, is the symbol of the ruling party’s quest for consolidation and mandate renewal. His conducts so far have portrayed him as a really serious-minded craftsman who plies his trade with a thoroughly packaged work plan and sharpened tools. The former Lagos State governor does not take anyone or anything for granted in his mission to accomplish a task. This has worked work for him in all spheres. It might explain why he has more lieutenants in high places than any other politician around. It is no wonder then that his supporters describe him as the man of the moment.

    Atiku, a veteran contender, is canvassing power shift to the opposition PDP. He has kept hope alive, despite six previous attempts at the nation’s highest job. Despite his legendary deep pocket and generosity, the former Vice President does not appear to have warmed himself into the hearts of the electorate to garner the mileage for getting him into Aso Rock Villa. Perhaps, he has more homework to do ahead of the 2023 poll.  

    Many Nigerians are of the view that 2023 offers a big opportunity, or the last chance, for the two great men to aspire to the highest office in the land.

    Many issues will shape the outcome of the poll. They include the formidability of the parties, the personal structures of candidates, party cohesion, and public ratings.

     Zoning remains a big issue. It is critical to the resolution of the multiple questions of inclusion, equity, fairness and justice. Should a Northerner succeed another Northerner, President Buhari, whose two terms of eight years will expire on May 29, next year?

    Kwankwaso’s bid appears to be an after-thought. A seasoned politician, though, the former Kano State governor and Defence Minister appears to be a household name in almost all parts of the country. But, Nigerians are not thinking about the former governor, minister and senator as they anticipate next year’s poll. Also, although Kwankwaso is competent and popular, he has weak structures in some states and no structure at all in many others.

    There are speculations that the NNPP candidate and serial defector may even step down. If he decides to forge ahead, he may lose his deposit.

    Obi remains popular in the social media, being hailed by fanatical “Obedients” who often deploy vulgarity and intolerance in defence of their candidate. It appears the euphoria is fizzling out among non-Igbo youths and students, the mainstream “Obidients”. It is obvious their political exhilaration is not sustainable.

    Also a serial defector, Obi’s ambition has generated interest and debate. His party, the LP, is available for borrowing, a sort of ‘used and dumped’ platform. The party has had more estranged lovers than any other in the current dispensation. Those who borrowed the platform in the past have distanced themselves from it and never looked back at it. The current flag bearer never contributed to its birth and growth.

    It is doubtful if Obi understands the history of LP and the vision of its founding fathers, although he is now trying to really familiarise himself with the party and its leaders.

     Fundamentally, the former Anambra State governor had his root in APGA. He defected to the PDP only when a crisis broke out between him and his successor, Willy Obiano.

    But followers of Obi have contributed to the reshaping of campaigns in this electioneering. They kicked off mobilisation for their candidate through street walks. But subsequent street marches by APC across the country have reduce the approach by “Obedients” to a child’s play. Gradually, Obi’s aspiration is being fuelled partly by ethnicity and religion. As powerful as these two factors are, they also have their inherent limitations and demerits. The constant abuse and war mongering on the social media cannot translate to votes.

    Observers have also pointed out that the LP is not very resourceful. It lacks the wherewithal for an enduring and long lasting mobilisation. The party coveys an impression of a natural pact with workers. But, majority of these workers are also great fans of the two big parties – APC and PDP – particularly at state and local government levels.

    While Tinubu and Atiku have reeled out their manifestos, Nigerians are yet to internalise Obi’s plans for the country. He is yet to unveil his blueprint. He is surrounded by some intellectuals with doubtful skills of mobilisation for electoral victory.

    It is evident that majority of Nigerians will make a choice between Tinubu and Atiku. The two are giants of contemporary history, and their activities have dominated the polity in the last 23 years.

    Since the retired Custom officer was asked to contest in 1992 by his mentor, the late Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua, he has not looked back, despite the vicissitudes of political life. The attainment of Presidency is the key to self-actualisation.

    In 1999, Adamawa State Governor-elect Atiku was catapulted to the position of vice president, a stone throw to the number one position.

    However, he missed it at the appropriate time, following the parting of ways with his boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Atiku was undaunted. He ran on the platform of defunct Action Congress (AC), through the support of Tinubu and other compatriots. But, after losing to Umaru Yar’Adua, he could not wait to nurture AC to become a truly national platform. He later severed the chord between him and the AC family when he retraced his steps to the PDP.

    Yet, he could not get the ticket in 2011 in the face of Goodluck Jonathan’s formidable arsenal, backed by his former political tormentor, Obasanjo.

    Fed up with the PDP, Atiku ran to the APC. By that time, a renewal of contact with the AC bloc had become difficult. Although he ran at the 2014 primary, he trailed behind Buhari, who got the ticket, and Kwankwaso, who came second.

    Atiku’s ambition was foreclosed in APC. Therefore, he ran back to the PDP, secured the ticket, but was defeated by President Buhari during the 2019 poll.

    Four years later, he is running, now against Tinubu, who he sidelined in 2007 in preference for Senator Ben Obi as running mate.

    Today, PDP is a divided party, unlike the APC which has succeeded in putting its house in order. The rebellion of Yakubu Dogara and Babachir Lawal in the ruling party pales into insignificance in the face of the threats and danger posed to the PDP by the protesting G5, a group of aggrieved governors leading a legitimate crusade for equity and justice in the opposition party.

    The five governors and their supporters said the self-acclaimed unifier has been aloof to the lopsided distribution of important political or party offices, whereby the presidential candidate, the national chairman of the party and the director general of the campaign are from one zone.

    But, the aggressive operator is firing on with determination.

    Although it was not easy to unite the tendencies in the APC, Tinubu has largely succeeded because of his national outlook, team spirit, positive disposition towards dialogue, and capacity to build and sustain the bridge of understanding across zones.

    His manifesto underscores his levels of knowledge, preparedness and appreciation of the enormity of the nation’s challenges.

    The manifesto reflects his level of depth, past experience, exposure and totality of what he represents, particularly his previous achievements as governor of Lagos State.

    Twenty-three years ago, Tinubu had approached Lagosians with a master plan. Its implementation has made Lagos a reference point in development.

    Today, he has place another blueprint: Renewed Hope 2023, before Nigerians. If elected, the plan, which is premised on the progressive philosophy of APC, can catapult Nigeria to the horizon of unparalleled progress.

    It is up to Nigerians to decide the fate of the candidates in February, next year.