The Nation Newspaper

Category: Round Table

  • NASS, Development Commissions and 31 states comedy

    NASS, Development Commissions and 31 states comedy

    The Nigerian House of Representatives often presents Nigeria with some comic even if politically scandalous bills and other issues often bothering on the ludicrous. The people have seen fights with clothes torn and chairs flying. There had been heaps of the local currency allegedly a product of some sleazy transactions involving some members.  We have seen the emergence of a certain ‘Integrity Group’ whose members fought on the floor of the house. We have seen some of the ‘integrity group members mired in the fuel subsidy scandal with some being convicted and jailed.

    We have seen a member come to the house and unashamedly ordered his four wives that he had brought to the chambers  to stand up for recognition as proof of his masculinity and control. Another member had  protested the idea of electing more women into the house because in his words, “they will take the male positions”. We have seen gender equity bills being thrown out because some of the members fear their political and social advantages might vanish before their eyes.

    The 9th National Assembly had been severally referred to as ‘rubber stamp’ assembly but some political analysts who viewed their relationship with the former President Buhari’s  administration as very passive in terms of playing their very vital legislative roles. The often touted legislative/executive harmonious relationship was often seen to be tilted against  the legislature which in every democracy ought to be the most powerful tool for checks and balances given that they represent the people of their constituencies.

    The 10th National Assembly is seemingly yet to define itself somewhat. The people seem to wait with baited breath while quietly documenting their actions and inactions. Given the varied constitution of the National Assembly in terms of party memberships, not much differences have been noted. It seems to be business as usual given that most of the legislators mainly operate as mere politicians with no marked ideological similarities.

    The modus operandi of most of the politicians is often the same. There is still no structurally defined system in place. There is still largely an opaque national political agenda towards real growth. The focus/alliances are still the same; self, tribal, ethnic, religious and class agenda. No developed country thrives on these myopic agenda. The Roundtable Conversation feels that national growth must be a product of real altruistic political road map to development.

    So the clamour for regional commissions for the six geopolitical zones by law makers seems on the surface to be a very progressive idea. However, given the history of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from its days as OMPADEC, through to the establishment of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, not much development has come to the people or the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg. The environmental degradation, the poverty, the lack of development and the seeming agitation in the area continue to astonish the world.

    While on the face of it the development commissions might seem a good idea, to us, it really begs the question. The law makers sponsoring the bills and their supporters must be able to establish how functional those development commissions can be. What would be their terms of reference? How would they be funded and what would mark them out from the story of the NDDC that seems to have been full of scandals and corruption?

    It is an irony that the National Assembly that is supposed to make laws, represent their constituents and carry out oversight functions on the executive have largely left most of the job undone. If the legislative arm diligently carries out its oversight functions at the local, state and federal levels, development would have reached more people without the extra burden of development commissions. Scampering to sponsor bills for regional development without set foundational socio-political actions would merely be a round robin game.

    Nigerian political class is notorious for white elephant projects at various levels. Establishing Development Commissions mainly to fulfill regional political agenda would never be the correct route to development. The National Assembly ought to be more proactive in their law making and oversight functions which can be the propelling force for development. With more than 20 million children out of school in a 21st century Nigeria, what magic would six regional commissions make? Education is power.

    The legislators ought to be more concerned about the political structure that raises leaders who act as emperors in a democracy. There is urgent need to strengthen the political party structure in ways that the legislature becomes more functional. There must first be a functional and credible political party structure that can ensure that electoral laws are obeyed in ways to enhance intra-party democracy as a precursor to credible elections. This is a fundamental necessity. The dysfunction in the political party structure raises questions about our democracy.

    When there is intra-party democracy, elections would be less flawed and the elected would be held to account. It is largely due to lack of accountability that elected officials in Nigeria do not take their constitutional roles seriously.  Governors in Nigeria operate like emperors. As the political slang used to go, ‘they often influence the electoral processes from the ward level to the highest office in the land. 

    The saying that he who pays the piper dictates the tune cannot be over-emphasized under this circumstance. Today, the Attorney General of the federation keeps reiterating the law about the Local government financial autonomy. That is admirable but it is a practical illogicality because the governors seem to be the eternal hands of Esau with the body of Jacob.  The governors in Nigeria exercise too many powers in ways that stall development. The legislators must rise to that aberration in the political space.

    The recent House of Representative Constitution review Committee’s proposal for the creation of some additional 31 states in Nigeria is as ludicrous as it is a serious sign that our legislators seem to lack the tedious task of tidy thinking. To add 31 new states to a country with 36 states plus the federal capital territory Abuja bringing the states to 67 is not only outrageous given that not up to ten of the existing states operate profitably is just unbelievable.  Most of the states rely on federal allocations and random internal and external borrowing for sustenance and payment of salaries.

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    The proposed bill is the evidence that most of the politicians in the country are removed from realities. The focus seems to be a rat race for the creation of regional commissions and more states for the politicians to redistribute amongst themselves. Creation of political hegemonies seems to be at the core of most of the bills around commissions and extra states in a country with more than 137million people leaving in multi-dimensional poverty. Some of the existing states have been run down by those who have had the good fortune of being chosen to run the states at some points in our democratic journey.

    It is very curious that instead of the house to focus on why most of the states are insolvent and barely able to pay salaries let alone develop critical urban infrastructure to help the people, they want to further split the states possibly to spread more poverty. It is interesting that instead of looking at functionality and national interest, most politicians seem to be re-enacting the, ‘scramble and partition of the existing states in Nigeria.

    In a curious way, the proposed bill took no notice of the funding that goes into running a state. Their ambition seems to be just establishing more dysfunctional states. The lack of national and real people’s interests in the proposed bill clearly affirms that the Nigerian political class has some lessons to learn. Regional development Commissions and states do not spark development.

    Our legislators must understand the essence of the legislative arm in democracies. There is a reason coup-plotters and other global dictators descend heavily on the legislative arm anytime they happen to seize power. It is a great pillar of democracy. This again brings to the fore the need for the qualifying criteria for elections to offices to be reviewed in the country. The world is leaving Nigeria behind. The low level of the qualifying criteria for most elective positions is reason some people find their ways to certain positions.

    The world has gone beyond ‘attempted school certificate’ as the qualifying criteria for certain offices. This seems to be exactly why some very ignorant people find their ways to positions they have no business vying for in the first place. It is always an exhilarating joy to listen to most legislators across the world including some African countries. On the contrary, the Nigerian politics seems to be the exclusive preserve of the least endowed intellectually.

    Debates in the legislative houses often expose the immaturity and lack of intellectual sophistication of most members. Professional or occupational achievements are often not considered by political parties in choosing candidates for elective posts and this is main reason certain aberrations exist in the political space. The scramble for regional development commissions and mushroom and insolvent states cannot be route to development.

    The proposal for the creation of extra 31 states in a country with the myriad of developmental problems like Nigeria just affirms the allegations that the National Assembly seems peopled by people that need some lessons in legislative duties and nation-building. Like the legendary Shakespeare said, “The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings”.

    •The dialogue continues…

  • Kalu, Emir Sanusi II, Agary, Abaribe, others raise a voice…

    Kalu, Emir Sanusi II, Agary, Abaribe, others raise a voice…

    As the tumultuous year 2024 clock ticks to a close, Nigerians home and abroad like the global community eagerly await the dawn of 2025. As with all New Years, there are expectations, regrets, anticipations, dreams, plans and even the often laughable ’New Year Resolutions’ some of which fade away before the end of the first quarter of the year. But humans are born optimists. Pregnancies occur and there is growth and expectations of development. The child is born and there is hope of the expected milestones of growth both mentally and physically.

    So when a child is born and does not develop according to the known milestones especially the motor and cognitive stages, naturally the parents and extended family begin to ask questions and plans are made to assist the child lead a near normal life. These days, fatalism that fuels superstition has given room to realistic steps to assist children with physical or learning challenges to develop and maximize their potentials no matter how imperfect. The bottomline however is that the adults in the societal room make efforts to help the child with development challenges.

    This narrative is a mere illustrative sample of the developmental challenges and how the human community tries to fill the gap. At regional and national levels, Nigeria appears like the child whose development is challenged and the people that pride themselves as the greatest black people on earth have seemingly been oscillating between near development and a situation of total socio-economic chaos resulting in mass poverty and  gaining the country the notoriety of the country with the largest number of out-of-school children, the poverty capital of the world, the country with one of the highest number of maternal and child mortality and numerous other development challenges that have impacted the standard of living and life expectancy.

    Since 1999 and with the return to civilian democracy in the country, each administration has encountered daunting challenges that seem to worsen with each transition to a new government. The socio-economic problems in the country have in a way stunted the growth of a 64 year old independent Nigeria. But Nigeria has not always been in dire development straits. The descent to anomie started with the post-independent power struggle of which the military took a huge advantage of. Coups and counter coups, a three year war, and political instability almost pushed the country off the edge.

    The return to civilian democracy in 1999 has signaled some development but it is still not uhuru. The country is still tethering and the socio-economic problems seem to be escalating by the day. There has been a tendency for the blame game between the leaders and the led. The Bottomline line is that both sides of the aisle are casualties of systemic dysfunction.

    Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo Foundation, a socio-cultural group of women of Igbo ancestry or by marriage has since its birthing in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown period been concerned about the slow development not just of the region but of the whole country. The group, coming from a background of traditional dual governance of both men and women decided to take the lead  by doing something. The group has a Board of Advisers made up of only men working progressively with an all female Board of Trustees giving vent to the motto of the foundation which is “Partnering for Development”.

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    The vision of the group is to steer both regional and national conversations that could accelerate development. The first word Nkata in Igbo language means conversation. The group believes that the powerful tool of conversation, dialogue or effective communication can be employed to unknot the development crisis that has been affecting the country. They have in the last three years been deeply involved in strategic communication using all necessary tools to address issues of development in the country.

    For this year’s conference, the group brought together informed and influential Nigerians to Abuja to discuss the theme, “Driving Transformation Through Value Re-Orientation, Inclusive Leadership and Sustainability”.

    This theme was chosen after very wide consultations. The bane of Nigeria’s developmental problems is due to a multiplicity of issues. However, at the root of the problems is the loss of core values that held communities together. The values that do not by any means produce Saints but at least helped the society to uphold certain core values that helped in maintaining a more progressive and cohesive society. The values of integrity, honesty, diligence, respect and other values seem to be on the decline. Ironically, most people assume that the leaderships over the years are to blame but aren’t the leadership taken from the people?

    Again, inclusive leadership has been an issue in the democratic space. Civil Rights and Gender advocates have been worried that the Nigerian political space is suffused with masculine energy in that more than 90% of political offices are occupied by men in all tiers of government. What this means is that many qualified women do not get the much desired opportunpartake in leadership. Global institutions like the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) all have research findings that show that countries with less opportunities for women are always lagging behind developmentally.

    Ironically in Nigeria, statistics have shown that women excel in those areas where merit and capacity are the criteria. The informal sector that contributes a lot to the GDP has mainly women operators. Many women are at the helm of many financial institutions as chairmen and CEOs. In the academia, many women are in very high positions just as many perform well in sports, entertainment and music. It therefore beggars belief that when it comes to political inclusion, very few women are allowed to bring their competence and learning to contribute to national development.

    The near exclusion of women, the youths and those living with disabilities in the democratic process contributes to the lack of development in the country. No bird flies successfully with one wing. This is exactly the reality of the Nigerian situation. The human capital is neither fully developed nor utilized for the good of the country. So the conversation at the conference was robustly about three key points, value-reorientation, inclusive leadership and sustainability.

    The varied Speakers at the conference from the different sectors of the Nigerian society spoke brilliantly about the need for an introspection by the Nigerian society. National development is never sourced out. The citizens must choose what path they want to development. The political structure must be inclusive and equitable. The present political exclusion cannot birth a developed nation. The political party structure must change. Competence and merit must be the criteria for leadership selection.

    According to Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Soeaker Nigerian House of Representativesthe 10th assembly who Chaired the Conference, the house would be willing to revisit the gender equity bills and make other laws that would facilitate inclusivity to enhance development. In his speech, he agreed that national development cannot be achieved without women participation given the fact that women are natural builders.

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, spoke of what he called “the uncomfortable truth”. According to him, while we all acknowledge the loss of values especially amongst his Igbo ethnic group, he believes that women have a role to play in raising their children with admirable values that ennoble. He said the people must go back to the values of integrity, diligence and honesty if any changes must happen to propel development. Acquitting wealth by any means is not a cultural attitude. Wealth in Igbo culture always comes from traceable business

    According to the Emir of Kano, HRH Lamido Sanusi II who was Royal Father of the Day, investing in women must be a priority and a national emergency because women hold the key to development. He believes that the idea of brandishing statistics of, maternal and child mortality, malnurished children, out of school children, child brides, female IDPs is defeatist. The governments must try to be proactive right from the cradle because an educated woman holds the key to the prevention of a lot of the socio-economic problems that affect the country. According to the Emir, investment in women development is key to national growth given the great role they play in the lives of their children.

    The Emir recalled the role he played as Central Bank governor in making sure more qualified women were appointed into many financial institutions and today more women are directors not just at the CBN but they are also CEOs of many banks. He went further to advise Nigerians about values that matter. He believes the people must distinguish between what and who they are. In his view, what you are might be a position but who you are is the value you bring to the people through what you are.

    The former First Lady of Ekiti state, Erelu Adebisi Adeleye-Fayemi a renowned civil and gender rights advocate reiterated her call for the protection and empowerment of the girl child or woman by ensuring they are educated, certain harmful cultural practice eradicated because rather than enhance development, those harmful cultural practices negatively affect not just the woman but the society at large. In her view, every woman who is denied a seat at the table, every girl who is denied education, every woman under the burden of domestic violence takes the country down the ladder of underdevelopment.

    Timi Koripami-Agary (PhD), a retired permanent Secretary and activist often called Mama Amnesty for her very effective role in the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta was the Mother of the Day at the conference. As a very renowned mediator on Labour, gender and conflict issues she maintains that development cannot happen like magic. She  insists that the country must be conscious of the value of women and equity to development. It would be delusional to assume that development can come without peace and gender justice rooted on the justice system that guarantees equity for all.

    The conversation as is being advocated by the Nkata group should be embraced by Nigerians from all regions because of the interdependence of all the regions. Bringing the conference to Abuja and the coalition of Nigerians from almost all tribes in the country was a good way to prepare the people for the coming year. There is no alternative to the national conversation that Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo Foundation has initiated. This is the first part of what happened at the Abuja Conference.

    The dialogue continues…

  • 100 years of amalgamation: a country or a nation?

    100 years of amalgamation: a country or a nation?

    While the words, nation and country are often used interchangeably, according to the dictionary, they are not really synonyms semantically speaking.  Google has this to say about the two, “A nation is a large group of people with similar characteristics and culture. A country is a geographic region that has boundaries and borders. The important thing to remember is that a country has its own national government while a nation has its own national character”.

    Nigeria as it exists today was an economically expedient creation of the British colonial government with Lord Frederick Lugard the then governor of both the Northern Nigeria Protectorate and the colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. Socially, the word Nigeria has been explained as, ‘Niger Area’ having been suggested by the then partner of Lugard, Flora. There are two prominent rivers in Nigeria, rivers Niger and Benue with a confluence in Lokoja in the present day Kogi state. The amalgamation took place on January 1, 1914.

    The amalgamation is now a century old and the independence of Nigeria 64 years old. Looking back at the amalgamation, nothing prompted the action besides political economy. The Southern Protectorate then had a very buoyant economy and the colonial administration sought to balance out the Northern deficit with the Southern surplus. In economic terms, the situation has not really changed. The poverty index still tilts heavily against the North.

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    Out of school children in Nigeria seems to be the global highest with more than 50% of the number that stands at about 20million in the northern region of the country. Malnutrition, maternal and child mortality, illiteracy and other major indices of underdevelopment weigh heavily against the North. Presently, the economy of the region is not faring better either as social crimes like insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and herdsmen attacks on farmers have not only impacted socio-economic lives of the region but invariably the whole country.

    Since the amalgamation, there have been debates both at forml and informal fora about the viability and value of the amalgamation.  Given the google definition of the words, nation and country, Nigeria seems straddled on the fence of both terms. Even more than six decades after independence, the constituent units of Nigeria seems to be the proverbial oil and water – difficult to mix.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that the political elites before and after independence have contributed in the alienation that has happened between the people of the two regions. In 1952, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had said  ““…the Southern people who are swarming into this region daily in large numbers are really intruders. We don`t want them and they are not welcome here in the North. Since the amalgamation in 1914, the British Government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country, but the Nigerian people are different in every way including religion, custom, language and aspiration. The fact that we`re all Africans might have misguided the British Government. We here in the North, take it that `Nigerian unity` is not for us.” (As cited by A. Adeleye, “Amalgamation of 1914, Was it a mistake”? Vanguard, Lagos, May 18, 2012).

    He went on to become the post-independence Prime Minister from 1960 – 1966. Even though he voiced his opinion, politicians from other regions possibly shared his views about their own regions especially after the first and subsequent coup d’etats that seems to have poisoned the political space. Even the first coup was seen as a regional agenda and the pogrom that preceded the civil war cannot be said to be unconnected with spoken and unspoken regional alliances.

    The post-civil war political rhetoric and the inability of the then head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.) to keep to his promise of the three Rs; Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation did little to reunite the amalgamated people. This in a way set the pace for further divisions as the regions started being split into states trying in a way to isolate the Igbo speaking areas. The creation of the twelve states led to the creation of 19 states then to 36 states all by military governments. The reasons were as political as they were divisively incoherent as most of the states are insolvent and not viable. While there has been political capital from the splitting of the amalgamated regions into 36 states, the economic value has been a total disaster a Nigeria is seemingly the poverty capital of the world with governments not serving the people.

    Have there been benefits from the amalgamation 100 years after? This is debatable.  To many scholars, in reality, the regions seem to have been disempowered economically as the regional economic viability seems to have waned. The centralization of power has economically weakened the constituent regions as attention seems to be on oil that came following the discovery of oil in commercial quantity in Oloibiri in Bayelsa state. Nigeria made so much money from oil that the then head of state, Yakubu Gowon had in what many saw as a juvenile exuberant rant boasted then that money was not Nigeria’s problem but what to do with it.

    The regions became very indolent and deviated from their areas of economic advantage and focused on oil money. Mismanagement of government structures by successive governments, whether military or civilian has led to the impoverishment of the entity called Nigeria. The political class seemingly corrupted by the military has done nothing to upgrade the country economically. Nepotism based on regional patronage and weaponization  of ethnicity and religion have been the bane of Nigeria as a country.

    Nations are not divine gifts, they are made by humans who value the human family in ways that encourage them to bring people together and optimally manage the values of differences. It needs leaders with vision and a defined mission to coalesce a people with differences in language, culture, religion and history to work in unity and with a view of building a nation rooted in mutual respect, economic growth and political equity.

    The myopic nature of successive governments in Nigeria since 1960 has continued to inspire divisive tendencies amongst the general population. Leadership has really been lacking and most leaders have lacked the will and charisma to see beyond ethnic and religious affiliations. Nigeria has lacked a sense of unity in real terms because even though there is a working constitution, in practical terms, the leaderships often have worked in breach of the constitution.

    The upholding of law and order is a sine qua non to the building of a cohesive nation. The abuse of power and the monopolization of political structures by certain groups in the Nigerian states continue to push the country towards the edge. Progressively, the political class at local ,state and federal levels keep finding areas of differences to project as far as they can get political advantages to exclude others.  

    While the Roundtable Conversation believes the British was not fair in arbitrarily amalgamating the country in 1914, it might have turned out better and more prosperous were the successive leaders nationalistic enough to unite the country sincerely rather than speaking from both sides of the mouth. At some point when their political ambitions are at stake, they talk unity, when they access the power, they resort to ethnic and religious patronages.

    Even though Nigerian politicians often pride themselves in the adoption of the American presidential system, in practice, they bring in personal idiosyncrasies that are often as negative as they are highly divisive. No nation seems as diverse as the United States when it comes to the population. However, America has at least one of the highest citizen’s sense of citizenship than any other nation on earth.  This is not a divine gift. It is the product of the foresight of the founding fathers of America and the architects of the constitution.

    It therefore says something of the successive leaders of Nigeria that at least 60 years after independence, the country is more divided than expected. The poverty level translates to underdevelopment that must not continually be attributed to colonialism. Nigeria as a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious country can be guided into the path of nationhood with the willingness of the political class to focus on the people and see more value in the diversity than in pushing the difference rhetoric.

    Nationhood stems from the sense of belonging each citizen feels. The fire of patriotism is always lit by the leadership of nations stirring the ship of state that leaves no one behind either based on boundaries,  religion, or ethnic background. The agitations for  ethnic nationalities and the multi-faceted regional advocacy groups are pointers to the inequity and the sense of injustice and exclusion by various groups. Sadly, the architects of the divisions are politicians and not the regular people .

    On the social levels, Nigerians from the North and South have always co-existed together. They have lived together with intermarriages and election victories outside their regions. Today, the narrative is different. Politicians in Nigeria must have some introspection. What has nepotism and ethnic bigotry benefited the people? Nigerian politicians keep widening the trust deficit gap with the people across the country because they do not work hard enough to inspire patriotism and development.

    The amalgamation of 1914 is not the reason for the present state of affairs in Nigeria, the lack of a truly uniting force in the political class from independence is to blame. A country can be nurtured to a nation by the sheer will power of the leaderships to see value in diversity. Britain through Lord Luggard might have had an economic intent but after independence, Nigerian leaders ought to have founded a system of national integration that can inspire development harnessing all the human and natural resources the country is blessed with.

    The dialogue continues…

  • The deafening silence…

    The deafening silence…

    The world seems very crisis-ridden at the moment. What with the wars between Russia and Ukraine and in Middle East by Israel/Hamas/Hezbollah. While these are in the global media, there are the unspoken wars in the seemingly ‘peaceful’ corners especially in Africa. There are the decades-old Somali/Al-Shabaab militants, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies, the Janjaweed Coalition.

    Besides these ones, the West Coast of Africa has been embroiled in coups and counter coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger with the attendant collateral damages in human deaths and destruction of infrastructure. In all the conflicts, women and children become the most victims of the fall out; deaths, displacements and sexual abuses. Economic and social issues that impact development are on the increase as Sub-Saharan Africa continues to teeter towards instability and underdevelopment.

    In Nigeria, it’s been no less a thing of worry that the socio-economic conditions have impacted women and children more than any other demographics due to a number of socio-political variables. Nigeria has had more internally displaced people (IDPs) than at any peace time in the country due to the attacks by bandits, kidnappers and other insurgents that have been attacking communities, raping, killing, abducting and harassing citizens.

    In all the conflicts across the world, men are the decision makers, they are often the leaders, the instigators, the recruiters of foot soldiers, armies and mercenaries. This is basically because globally, there is a patriarchal bent to socio-politics. In some countries, there are very few women in government. Men make the decisions that impact on about half the population of the world if not more.

    The Roundtable Conversation is concerned about the Nigerian situation, the largest black nation on earth with more than two hundred million people. Sadly, due to some cultural and religious manipulations, the society is almost exclusively run by men as most countries embraced democracy after the colonial experience. However, the Nigerian brand of democracy is run with systemic exclusion of women, those living with disabilities and the youth. The policies that concern these demographics are often made by men.

    Despite the advocies for inclusive politics, Nigeria still lags behind in women representation especially in the legislative houses at local state and federal levels. In some states, there is no single woman in their houses of assembly. This then means that all laws and bills concerning the welfare of women are either not raised or are handled by men who know nothing about the needs and reproductive health of women. Most women are denied education in certain parts of the country because of poverty and the child-marriages that invariably stalls both the physical and intellectual growths of women.

    Today, Nigeria has just four women in the Senate, down from seven in the 9th Assembly. In the House of Reps., the number of women went from 22 in 2019 to about 11 in 2023. On the contrary, Rwanda, the phoenix emerging from the 1994 genocidal war has become the country with the highest percentage of women in parliament in the worlf with more than sixty percent of women in parliament. About  half the cabinet is made up of women. The Rwandan economy is doing well and now one of the investment and tourism hubs in the continent.

    Kenya on the other hand, had a constitutional review in 2010 making it illegal for any gender to occupy more than two third of any position. They had elected three female governors after that and in 2022, added four more female governors making it seven female governors in Kenya at the moment. On the other hand, Nigeria, the most populous black nation has never elected a female governor. No major political party has ever nominated a female presidential or vice presidential candidate.

    On the other hand, women constitute a great percentage of the informal economy that contribute to the nation’s GDP but largely left out of decision making.

    Despite women being very few in governance, they still exist. The Roundtable Conversation feels that few as women are especially in the National Assembly, they have been largely mute in addressing the issues that affect the country especially women. While we understand the many challenges that these few women face in the discharge of their duties, we believe they can do better and they can do more.

    Getting lost in the legislative houses seems a defeatist attitude that can never be an option. These women belong to political parties and must not be lost in the crowd just because of their gender. There are huddles on the way but attempts must be made to jump those huddles. Raising their voices for good governance is an option. We however assume that they seem to value the much touted ‘party loyalty’ than pulling their weight to get the men in the executive to act in the interest of women.

    While we understand that legislative processes involve the say by the minority and the way by the majority, it seems the minority is not making much moves. The fight for change by women in global history is not won in silence. The power to vote was fought over centuries and was eventually won. Today women are Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of Governments. It took the voice of a few strong women.

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    The Margarte Ekpos, the Gambo Sawabas, the Funmilayo Ransome Kutis did not make history by staying mute. The Aba women of 1929, the Amazons of Dahomey, Queen Amina, Queen Idia and the Egba women that contronted the then Alake of Egba land did not stay behind the scenes. The few women in the Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly seem to have run into the shadows after being trusted by the voters. Make no mistakes about it, there are a few vocal women but we want louder voices, a chorus.

    We want women to raise their voices about issues creating more poverty in a nation where more than 133million live in multi-dimensional poverty, more than 20million children out of school, more women and child illiteracy, maternal and child mortality, more child-brides than most African and developed countries etc. We don’t want mere tokenism of just chorusing to male sponsored bills.

    Being benchwarmers at any level of government is not acceptable from any gender but in a world where women are increasingly endangered, any woman that has a chance, has a voice and refuses to maximally use it must feel some sense of failure. Being numbers in government is not enough. Nigerian women must work and act like women are in dire straits in the country.

    The women must decide whether the political space for women would continue to shrink or expand.  Acting as mere errand women for male politicians is one reason most female politicians make little or no impact in igerian politics. The women must aspire to be in leadership positions in political parties so as to redirect the functioning of the party structure in ways that merit becomes key more than gender and financial muscle.

    Women in Nigerian politics must start by dismantling the ‘Women Leader’ position in political parties. It is a very degrading tokenism and a mockery of the female intellect. What by the way is Woman Leader? It is an eloquent testimony of second classism. They are flattered by a vauous tag that makes no political sense. It is a position that just organizes fellow women to vote for men. It has little or no political dignity for the women.

    While everyone understands the impact of financial power by the men in Nigerian politics, it is enough reason for women to fight through bills to enact laws that can streamline political party funding as done in stable democracies where the people contribute to support their favourites making the game fare and accessible. The moment there are structural chnges to how political parties are run in Nigeria, things will change. Merit and capacity would begin to matter. Donors will support candidates based on what they perceive as their professional and private pedigree. With a transparent and fair political party structure, more qualified women would be ready to throw their hats in the ring and contest for political offices and while no one is insinuating that women are saints in politics, men are not either. The question is, has Nigeria fared well under the present lopsided male dominance?Ironically, while men edge out many women in the political field through unfair means, women in the academia, sports, corporate governance, banking and other sectors have proven to be great performers. It is then surprising that the same men who appreciate women in most of these fields somehow exclude many from political spaces. The result is the poverty, the insecurity, the conflicts, the intractable low lifespan especially for the men who never seem to realize how impacted their choices of excluding women in the political space impact leadership.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that the status quo must be dismantled and women must realize that the men who are the beneficiaries would not lead the struggle. Women in politics must be more proactive and work for their welfare. There must be a shift from the fatalism that tend to convince women that leadership is a male prerogative. No one knows the gender of God. He might just be a woman given his works and how structured the universe is. Culture and religion must not be tools to push exclusion. No bird flies with one wing. Our women politicians must wake up and smell the coffee. A lot needs to be done.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Edo elections: the die is cast

    Edo elections: the die is cast

    Nigeria’s brand of democracy is a very unique but complex one. Even though the politicians are often very proud to associate themselves with the American presidential system, very few structural similarities exist. While the American brand of democracy has two major ideologically different political parties in the Democratic and Republican parties, Nigeria has multiple political parties with no identifiable political ideologies. While political party leaderships operate behind the scenes, Nigerian political party leaderships wield too many powers and influence which often distort democratic precepts.

    Political parties in Nigeria had been described by the former political scientist and late Senate President,  Chuba Okadigbo as mere gatherings of groups of people. Even though the description on the surface might appears  a bit extreme, it is somewhat an apt description of the political parties in Nigeria. There are no ideological differences.  Most politicians merely see political parties as vehicles that drive them to opportunities of influence and power.

    Many politicians in Nigeria at different times move from one political party to the other depending on the opportunities they envisage such political platforms can guarantee them. Since 1999 return to civilian democracy, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) were the two dominant political parties until politicians started moving from one to the other and started creating alliances.

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    A party like the Action Alliance (AD) was dominant in the South West while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was seen as the South Eastern Party as they had accessed power in Anambra state consistently and once in Imo state during the Rochas Okorocha first term as governor. He later completed his second term under the All Progressives Congress (APC). He took a break-away group of APGA to form an alliance with some other parties to form the APC in 2015. The ANPP somewhat coalesced with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) before forming alliance with the Action Congress to form the APC in 2015.

    While it is not illegal to change political parties, in most other stable democracies, changing political parties is often based on issues of ideological disagreements. On the other hand, Nigerian politicians do not see anything wrong with moving from one political party to the other sometimes more than once  in one electoral circle. That says something about most of them. Again in a developing country like Nigeria, most politicians are rarely held accountable. Most of them operate as emperors and as such, respecting the voters is not very common.

    As Edo people go to the polls tomorrow to elect a governor that would succeed governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP, the hope is that all partes will paly by the rules. Edo elections has always been, like most others very competitive. Edo state under former governor, now Senator Adams Oshiomole was always in the news sometimes for the wrong reasons, there was their Edo House of Assembly that was re-christened Edo house of commotion as it had changed speakers several times during his tenure.

    While many states have had turbulent houses of assembly, Edo state seems to take the cake. Again some past governors and their deputies have shown that the constitution of Nigeria is flawed when it comes to the duties and privileges of the deputy governors. Adams Oshiomole ‘s deputy, Philip Shaibu moved from APC to PDP with the now governor Obaseki. They’ve had a cat and mouse relationship

    There was a triangular movement of both governor Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu that was deputy to Adams Oshiomole under APC. They both moved from APC to PDP and the deputy allegedly later moved back to APC in principle even if staying as deputy to a PDP governor. There have been legal actions taken by the deputy against the governor that has resulted in the Supreme Court reinstating him as the deputy governor of Edo state.

    The chaos in the political firmament in Edo state has given the citizens reasons to fear that tomorrow’s election might be marred by violence. The rhetoric in the campaign trail amongst the political parties seems scary. There are allegations and counter allegations between the chieftains of the two major political parties, the PDP and the APC. The idea that in Nigerian most politicians have no fidelity to their political parties and no allegiance to the voters who ought to be the mandate givers is one of the destabilizing forces of Nigerian democracy.

    Nigeria runs a faulty political system where individuals wield more powers than state institutions including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The electoral body often seems overwhelmed as politicians often do not practice intra-party democracy. More often than not, candidates are handpicked by strong politicians in terms of financial muscle and influence.  The discontent by citizens over the lack of transparency and fairness during party congresses and primaries often spill over the electioneering period as those feeling shortchanged ferment all sorts of trouble.

    The three top contenders in the governorship elections coming up today are, Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP and  Olumide Akpata of the Labour party. The three contenders are all well-known individuals. Monday Okpebholo is a senator representing Edo central in the 10th Assembly. Asue Ighodalo is a lawyer and the former Chairman of Sterling bank and former economic adviser to Senator Adams Oshiomole when he was governor. Olumide Akpata is the former Chairman of Nigerian bar Association.

    Ordinarily people would assume that given the admirable professional and political history of the three, elections in the state would be a pick of the best in the fairest and freest political environment. But sadly, in Nigeria, certain things don’t have logical conclusions and electios is one of them. In most cases, candidates are not the ones threatening fire and brimstone, there are always the party apparatchik, the surrogates and the so called party chieftains displaying their power .

    Governor  Obaseki has been in the media focus since his quarrel with his deputy, Philip Shuaibu. There has been no love lost between the two and their different supporters. The deputy is alleged to be working for the APC from where he moved to from the PDP. The governor seems ready to show him where the power lies. On the other hand, Senator Oshiomole having crossed paths with the present governor is out to support his party’s candidate, Monday Okpebholo.

    In the process of campaigning for the APC candidate, Senator Oshiomolo had crossed the civility line by publicly mocking the governor’s wife, Betsy for not having a child and failing to adopt one. Many Nigerians felt he had crossed the line of decency in making such remarks about the first lady of his state who by the way did not speak directly to him to have warranted such vile tirade. Many women in the state felt it was a personal attack on every woman battling with infertility.  That singular incident puts him on possibly the same pedestal as the present Republican Party candidate, J.D Vance and his ‘Childless  Cat Lady’ rhetoric.

    The governor of Edo state and his PDP party feel that the appointment of a relative of the federal capital territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike as an INEC official might imply there might be no transparency as he might try to influence the election to favour the APC. On the other hand, the Labour Party candidate allegedly feels that both the APC and the PDP might use the incumbency factor  at both federal and  state levels to their advantages. Governor Obaseki has been reiterating that the election is a do-or-die affair which even though he insists that it must not be taken to imply any violence but that his party will do every legal to win.

    Election everywhere in the world is not a tea party. We are confronted by the political rhetoric of the Democrats and the Republican in the coming US elections . However, the functional electoral system in viable democracies is the difference between developed and underdeveloped democracies. Nigeria has one of the most litigious elections because of flawed electoral and party systems that disrupt electoral processes. Nigeria since the return of democracy in 1999 possibly has more judicial interventions in post-election petitions than anywhere else in the world.

    What post-election litigations do to the socio-political perception by the people and the international community is that the system is seen as unreliable and unproductive. Sometimes post-election cases go on for years distracting both the seemingly elected and the litigants. As the saying goes, when this happens it is the people that suffer. The assumed winner often spends tax payers’ money for legal fees and the people do not get the needed governance value as the candidates concentrate more on winning their cases than working for the people. Sometimes cases go on for as much as three years of four-year tenure.

    The Roundtable Conversation recommends that the political elite think more about development and the people rather than personal egos and gains. There is a very huge trust deficit between governments and the people. Even though such situations exist in other climes, we know that the  bane of nigeria’s democracy is the lack of a functional political structure.

    As the Edo people go the polls today, the hope is that the people’s voice will prevail. There must be no influence-peddling by anyone or group of people. Again the people must be peaceful and cast their ballots for their choices because governorship election is truly local and the decisions the people make would impact their lives for the next four years. The candidates have sold their programmes and policy directions and the people must focus on capacity and the integrity of the candidates having known each of them for some years now as public figures. May the best candidate win.

    • The dialogue continues…

  • NASS and the scramble for development commissions

    NASS and the scramble for development commissions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    ●The dialogue Continues…

  • US democratic national convention ‘24: What lessons for Nigeria?

    US democratic national convention ‘24: What lessons for Nigeria?

    The Democratic Party of the United States, the second major party in the country’s democracy just ended its 2024 National Convention as the clock ticks towards the election day in November 2024. The current Vice President, Kamala Harris’ acceptance of her nomination drew the curtains on the three days event that gripped not just the country but the world through orthodox and social media.

    The Vice Presidential nominee, Tim Walz had accepted his nomination on the second day of the Convention. There are a lot that Nigeria as a democracy must learn from the organization of their party Conventions. It does not mean that the United States has a perfect system.  However, Nigeria prides itself as copying and practicing the US model of presidential democracy .

    However, it does appear that the in terms of structural order, Nigeria seems to have created some dysfunctional processes in her democratic journey. This dysfunctional system has undoubtedly not just affected the development of the country but has impacted other African countries that Nigeria as the greatest black nation on earth ought to have been a beacon to.

    The courage and patriotism of President Joe Biden was evident in his relinquishing his nomination from his party while nominating his Vice President, Kamala who had in 2020 made history by becoming the first woman, the first Asian American to become the Vice President in an America that is about  249 years old as a nation. It is also coming a little above a century after women won the rights to vote. The paradox of an America that prides herself as the beacon of democracy in the world and the idea that in more than two hundred years, no woman has ever been elected to the office of the President of the United States of America is still a subject of socio-political analysis by different schools of thought.

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    From breaking the record as the first female Vice President  of the USA, history seems to be beckoning on her as she becomes just the second woman to be nominated by the Democratic Party after Secretary Hilary Clinton in 2016. Kamala is on a race of her life. She is super qualified for the office in view given that she has been a district Attorney, the Attorney General of California, a Senator and now Vice President of the United States.

    This historic feat by the Democratic Party is not rocket science. The party decided to be inclusive and have in the past  nominated  Hilary Clinton and Kamala Harris and some other women in various positions. Nigerian politics is still mainly male dominated. There is no perfect system but the Nigerian political space can begin to be more inclusive of women, the youth and those living with disabilities. Kenya is doing well with inclusivity as they amended their constitution in 2010 in a way that makes it illegal for any gender to occupy more than a two third of any political position. Today, Kenya has risen from four female governors in 2017 to seven female governors at the last 2022 elections.

    One of the core problems of the Nigerian political system is the faulty political structure and the way political parties are run in Nigeria. There is basically no intra party democracy in Nigeria. There is no discernible political ideology so most politicians merely join political parties for personal expediency doing so at certain times can guarantee them. Nigerian politicians find it very easy to oscillate from one party to the other repeatedly. Party leaderships often do not emerge in transparent elections.

    Women have repeatedly been complaining about being excluded in leadership positions. The post that seems generally given to women is the very awkward ‘Women Leader’ positions that is as much a tokenism as it is politically expedient for the women to be in such positions so as to help the male politicians mobilize fellow women and the youths for votes. This in a way subsumes the relevance of women under the cloak of patriarchal practices. Many global agencies have concluded through researches that nations that don’t give equal opportunities to women are always the least developed because socio-politically, the women’s capacity to contribute to national development gets limited by such gender barriers. While Rwanda has the global highest number of women in parliament at more than 60%, Nigeria has less than 10%. Rwanda is fast becoming an African investment and tourism hub while Nigeria is battling with underdevelopment in ways that about 133million citizens live in multi-dimensional poverty.

    As both the Republican and Democratic parties held their conventions, there were no reports of violence from either party members or other inter party problems. Violence during party conventions seems to be a signature of many Nigerian political parties. Sometimes even ward congresses are disrupted through violence by political party factions. Sadly, not many of most of the perpetrators of the violence recorded in the past have been prosecuted and brought to justice by the system.

    Party leaderships, financiers of political parties and governors in Nigeria seem to have overbearing influence on who gets nominated for every position from the ward, state to federal levels. This has led to injustices that often impact the smooth conduct of elections as injustice breeds discontent and chaos. As we watched the two conventions in the US, the party members were clear on who their choices are. The party leaderships are always for administrative roles rather than the allocation of positions fuelled by crass nepotism.

    Election campaign funds are strictly monitored and those who break the campaign funding laws are punished severely even after elections.Donations are made by the people giving them a stake. In Nigeria, conventions have been avenues for alleged corruption of delegates who are often handpicked through a flawed process ab initio. There is no strict implementation of the laws that were made to guide financial donations or use of campaign funds. The system has no measures of monitoring how funds are either generated or used. This makes the funds susceptible to abuse.

    It is not enough for the Nigerian political elite to continue claiming a nascence of the democracy practiced in the country without making efforts for growth. Some people often wave off accountability by claiming that the American democracy is more than two centuries old and so certain systemic functions took time to be built. This seems fallacious because the eras are different. Modern democracies have the advantage of examples and certain structural improvements are possible. The country must not wait for centuries given the advantages of the modern developments in the world.

    The American people have been honouring President Joe Biden for his patriotism and a public service of more than 50 years. He has served the country so well from his journey at the senate at 29. Despite his personal tragedies, he had continued serving and the zenith of his patriotic spirit was displayed when he pulled out of the Presidential race given appeals from his party members and his age.  Not many Nigerian politicians can say what President Biden said in his speech at the convention, “I love the Presidency but I love my country more”.

    The contributions of the past Presidents and their first ladies , Bill Clinton and wife Hilary and Barack and Michelle Obama to the excitement felt at the Democratic Convention is something not very common in Nigerian political system. They have all been very active and patriotically so since they left office. Their efforts at galvanizing support  for their candidates are all evidences of their ideological convictions and patriotic spirit. They are all doing things to grow democracy since leaving office.

    The value  that American politicians attach to families and professional pedigree of those for public office was very evident. Unlike Nigeria where most politicians see politics as a profession, most American politicians are professionals in different fields and their contributions either in the executive or legislature are always evident and a qualifying criteria. In Nigeria, academic qualifications seem to be deliberately lowered to accommodate some unqualified people. While college degrees do not guarantee intelligence or outstanding performances in office, we can see the effect of lowered standards in the Nigerian political space.

    Most of those who spoke at the Convention are outstanding politicians or citizens who have distinguished themselves in different fields. Their reputations speak for them so the issue of credibility comes in. In Nigeria, most politicians have an opaque background. Families, friends, colleagues, teachers, students and just anyone that knows about candidates in question talks about the candidates and pictures and videos are always provided as seen at the convention..  That is what it ought to be. They provide authenticity and records that can make the [people to trust the candidates.

    When the people know more about candidates, they are more able to make choices at the ballot and that eliminates cases of rigging . Unpopular candidates rarely win elections because of the transparency of the processes not just during elections but other pre and post primary elections transparent processes. Nigeria has one of the most litigious elections in the world because of flawed election processes and failure of government agencies to conduct their affairs creditably.

    Stability of any democracy is dependent on the credibility of the electoral processes. While no system is totally immaculate, Nigerian political elite must borrow the full processes that make democracy truly a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Even if the some cultural issues might be introduced to suit the environment, politicians must draw a line between good and bad. The core tenets of functional democracy are dependent on valid and transparent electoral processes that give the power of choice to the people. Progress is not always related to number of centuries but the willingness of people to build a nation.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Olympics: Nigeria and the muddling up of Sports

    Olympics: Nigeria and the muddling up of Sports

    Modern sports have become a multi-trillion dollar business. What with the global attention on the variety of competitions at school, community, national, regional, sub-regional, continental and global levels. Sports have moved from fun and entertainment levels for physical fitness to skills-training and the polishing of individual or team talents. Teams often compete for entertainment and to win prizes, medals, national and personal pride and everything in between.

    The Olympic Games is the greatest sporting even in history for almost  3000 years. Its origin is in ancient Greece with the Olympian games from the 8th century BC to 4th century AD. It takes place every four years. Even though there are various stories about the history of the modern Olympic games, one thing is sure, the Olympics is the most anticipated and admired sporting competition in the world.

    The symbolic logo of the Olympics, the inter-linked multi-colored rings represents the colors found in the flags of most countries across the globe. In modern times, there have been plans for stateless citizens and even refugees to take part in the Olympics. The humans living with disabilities are incorporated in the Paralympics that happens just after the summer Olympics. The Olympics has developed to a level where what counts is not always the winning of country or individual medals but the beauty and excitement of participation.

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     Participating in the Olympics is the pride of every portsperson and nation. Beyond national pride and patriotism, individuals win medals for themselves and break and create records that stand in their names. So competing in the games goes beyond national pride to personal glories and the joy of participation. The global Olympic body is the International Olympic Committee (IOC) while serious countries often have their own local Olympic Organizing Committees (OOC) aimed at organizing and strategizing for the games.

    Winning medals by most countries during the Olympics is always a direct result of the level of sports development and interest in various sports across the world. It is interesting to see how certain sports when well-coordinated are signature sports of certain countries given their  physiology and practice. Individuals of African descent often show superiority in athletics and football, the Chinese often excel in swimming, table tennis and precision games, the Scandinavians and Europeans often show strength in hiking, cycling and similar sports. The Americans are often excellent at gymnastics, basketball and athletics.

    The Roundtable Conversation is really not totally surprised that at the time of this piece, the 9th of August, Nigeria, a country with the largest black population in the world has not won a single medal of any category. The only surprise has been that brilliant and spectacular Tobi Amusan did not qualify for her 100 Meters hurdles. Former Olympic gold winner at the 1996 Los Angeles Olympics, Chioma Ajunwa expressed her heartbreak at the unfortunate loss for a place in the finals just like many Nigerians.

    Earlier in the games, Nigeria suffered series of embarrassing moments. Favour  Offili whose name was missed out  by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria  (AFN) inTokyo’2020 suffered again at  Paris’24 Olympics, her name did not appear in the list for qualified athletes. The AFN failed to register her for the Olympics despite her qualifying. She cried and was heartbroken. It was such an embarrassing moment for the nation.

    Just as Nigeria was reeling from that embarrassment, the Nigerian Cycling federation seems to have failed Ese Ukpeseraye as she was seen on social media thanking the German Track Team for providing her with a track Bike after she received a late call up for the Keirin and Sprint events at #Paris’2024. She was wearing Nigerian jersey and riding a track bike provided by the German Team that had a spare.

    Nneka Annette Echikunwoke, a Nigerian American hammer Thrower was disappointed by the tacky preparation for the Tokyo’2020 Olympics. She had prepared to represent Nigeria in Japan but was failed by the Nigerian federation citing what they termed, ‘administrative error’. They had missed the doping tests and as such many Nigerian athletes were disqualified from competing.

    For #Paris’24, Nneka decided to fly the flag of her second country, the United States of America. She made history for Team USA, becoming the first ever Olympic female medalist in Women’s Hammer with a top throw of 75.48 meters winning Silver. She might have flown the Nigerian flag but the country lost out of the chance. As I write, the country has no single medal!

    The Olympics is not just the area of international sports competition that the sports ministry or other sports bodies have embarrassed Nigeria while disappointing the athletes. In football, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has been one huge house of commotion. If it is not owing the coaches and players, it is messing up the kitting of the team. At a certain FIFA competition, NFF forgot to carry the designated jersey and had to improvise by cutting the tracksuits for the team to compete in.

    Global Sports is one huge talent/skill developer and money spinner that Nigeria with its huge youth population has consistently failed to leverage on. Sadly, it is not strictly for lack of finance. It is more of a systemic dysfunction where a lot is taken for granted by government agencies and ministries.  The appointment of those who run sports at all leves are often not merit based. Nigeria at the last Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand caused a scandal when it needed the intervention of Ian Wright to pay the girls.

     Successive Nigerian governments through the Sports ministry have often been one huge contradiction in the development and organization of sports in the country. Beyond the Olympics, there is no serious systemic investment in grassroots sports through which children are caught early and their talents groomed for global relevance and skill-polishing. Nigeria is one of the most blessed with human and material resources but visionary leadership in all sectors seems to be lacking.

    The number of Nigerians across the globe representing other countries in various sports or even playing at the different football leagues across the world speak of the talents Nigeria is endowed with. Some sportsmen and women have been lured by other countries across the world and they typically excel with training infrastructure and good welfare. The lack of punishment and reward in the governance structure in Nigeria is reason the country seems to be retrogressing especially in sports.

    For a country with the number of talents like Nigeria not to plan for the benefits that come from the sporting world is very embarrassing. The teeming young people that would be gainfully employed through the various agencies that run the different associations is just a tip of the benefits that come from well-run sports ministry and their agencies .

    Countries that understand the value of sports invest heavily in sports development. This investment is always backed by competent management that are not political appointees. Professional in the different sports are not rare. The football leagues across the world have thriving academies that groom young footballers that ecell in their games. Football across the world is now a multi-billion dollar business that serious countries are investing everything to have a slice of.

    Youth unemployment in Nigeria can be cut in half if local, state and the federal governments invest in grassroots sports development. Investment in sports is not just about budgeting for competitions, it involves getting the best strategic plans to develop all sports especially those ones like athletics, football and weight-lifting, boxing etc. that the country is blessed in abundance with.

    Development of talents must be taken seriously in ways that talents can be caught young like in other countries or even as it was in the immediate post-civil war era in Nigeria in the 70s, 80s and 90s that now seem like centuries back when Nigerian flag  flew high at global competitions including the Olympics. How is it that Nigerian glory at the 1996 Olympics with all the gold medals in long jump and football cannot be replicated anymore? There seems to be little or no progress.

    Human capital must be developed for it to be fully functional and rewarding. Those running Nigerian sports seem very uninspiring. Why do we continue to export talents and not benefit from what we have? Why is the average footballer or athlete in Nigeria wishing to go to Europe or America or just about any country but Nigeria? It is the loudest voice about the environment that has been failing to develop and sustain talents.

    It is very ironical that most of the very impressive Tigress basketball team that proudly won the Afro-basketball tournament last year are made up of Nigerian-Americans with the very successful Rena Wakama, herself a Nigerian-American as their coach that led them to set an African record at the #Paris’24 basketball team. Tobi, the very successful hurdler, Brume the Long jumper and many other athletes are all based outside the country and benefitting from the good facilities and good coaches.

    Nigeria must for the first time have an audit of the performance of the Team Nigeria that allegedly  had a huge budget of N2.6 billion for the #Paris’24  alone. What value did Nigerian tax payers get from the outing? Is it just a regular jamboree or did the sports ministry and the local Olympic Committee put in the necessary efforts? It’s a shame that smaller countries with fewer resources managed to perform better than Nigeria not just in medal wins but in the organization of events that didn’t embarrass either the athlete or their countries. We all have a stake in sports as the most unifying sector of the nation. We must do the needful. Heads must roll if we are serious.

    • The dialogue continues…

  • The UK people have spoken, Sunak out, Starmer in

    The UK people have spoken, Sunak out, Starmer in

    “I gave this job my all.
    But you have sent a clear message,
    and yours is the only judgment that matters”.
    -Rishi Sunak (former British Prime Minister).

    The people of Britain have chosen to make a change to their leadership. Predictably, the 14-year Conservative majority and leadership comes to a screeching end with a Labour Party landslide victory. Former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has tendered his resignation to King Charles III. He equally steps down as the leader of the Tories pending the election of a new leader.

    According to the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer  in his first official speech to the people, “This is your democracy, you have voted and it is time for us to deliver”. Both outgoing Rishi Sunak and incoming PM  give the people credit for the democratic processes. They both believe that leadership is not about self or party but about the people and the country.

    There are a litany of lessons from the recent elections in the United Kingdom for the Nigerian people, electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and politicians. It is a great irony that Nigeria, Britain’s most populous colonial subject has consistently fallen shot in its democratic process since independence. The initial political players started off on flawed regional allegiances that have so far negatively impacted the brand of democracy practiced in Nigeria.

    Most of the so called independence heroes of Nigerian started off as tribal and religious champions that never really built a country but merely laid the foundation for divisive ethno-religious-based politics that laid the foundation for the tragic instability of the Nigerian democracy starting off with the corruption that ushered in the first coup, counter coups and the myriad of military interventions that corrupted the political system that has given birth to the seemingly lack of cohesiveness in the country.  There is the practice of democracy with the attendant  underdevelopment fueled by crass nepotism and systemic dysfunction.

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    Nigeria and her problems can be traced to the inability of the political leaders over time to forge a united nation and so the practice of democracy has been flawed ab initio. For a country as populous as Nigeria with the human and material resources , it should be a given for the country to be truly great but that has not been achieved because the brand of democracy practiced seems tainted by ethnic and religious bigotry.

    There is an unspoken divisiveness planted by some of the politicians in the nation’s history. The lack of development in the country  with more than 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty is very instructive. It just means that somehow, democracy has not really worked for the people. When democracy works, the people are able to own it as a government of the people by the people and for the people.

    A Rishi Sunak, a grandson of Indian immigrants to Britain was able to rise to the post of the first British-Asian because Britain, even if not a perfect system has somehow built a nation where someone like him can successfully be elected Prime Minister on his merit. Nigeria continues to base elections on mundane issues like ethnicity and religion. Sadly too, the cancer spreads to even states and local councils where the issues of sub-ethnic and denominational and religious sect issues still affect who wins and who loses elections.

    The influence of the long period of military rule somewhat tainted the Nigerian democratic practices as the politicians wholly adopted the command and control system of the military. That brand of democracy is flawed because the processes are not fully democratic. Political party structures are not run professionally. There is no imitation of what obtains in other developed  jurisdictions. The political parties do not have a totally organized structure in a way that financial autonomy is practiced. There are no structures to monitor or streamline the financial transactions of political parties. Nigeria seems to run political parties funded by a few individuals and if what the social mantra of, “he who pays the piper dictates the tune” is anything to go by, then those who fund Nigerian political parties obviously dictate how the parties are run.

    This fundamental flaw in the structure of political parties’ financial system seems to be at the root of the democratic problems in Nigeria. There is little or no monitoring of campaign funds either by candidates or the political parties. When there is unfettered flow of funds at political party level, then there might be an unequal opportunity for candidates. This is the origin of the almost total lack of intra party democracy. More often than not, the party leaderships merely anoint candidates and impose them on the people.

    In the recent UK elections, there was no noise from some ‘party chieftains or godfathers whose only qualification is that they fund the party campaigns. Every candidate emerged on their own merit and the voters made their choices across the UK. The 14-year leadership of the Conservative Party came to an end because the people were free to make their choices. The essence of democracy is a government of the people chosen by the people and for the people.

    Nigeria has the most litigious elections in the world. The political elite have for long been shortchanging the people by manipulating the electoral processes. From party congresses to primaries, there are always reports of irregularities perpetrated by those who have the financial muscle to do so. The electoral umpire INEC have had to prosecute some of their staff or adhoc electoral officers for compromising the processes but most of the guilty have often escaped justice.

    The number of litigations that trail Nigerian elections is a pointer to how flawed the democratic process can be in Africa’s most populous nation. The UK elections while not totally  perfect gets kudos for the transparency and the fact that the people  have their voices heard all the time. There is almost zero chances of fraud throughout the process giving room for sportsmanship and general acceptability of the outcomes. Within hours of the conclusion of the elections, the outgoing PM Sunak had conceded defeat, apologized for the mistakes made and thanked the people for their steadfastness while praising his successor Starmer ‘s capacity to stir the ship of state.

    Conversely, the Nigerian political elite have so polluted the system that post-election litigations run into years and disrupt governance at all levels. The politicians seem to have no sense of nationhood or service as their attitudes show more concern about their welfare than about nationhood or the people. New Prime Minister Starmer reminded the people that public service is a privilege. The hallmark of public service is service to the people and not necessarily to any political party.

    Listening to the outgoing of the Prime Minister and his successor shows the grace with which politics can be played. Sunak praised the capacity of his successor to work for all of the UK. He thanked his supporters and all those worked for the party even though they failed at the polls. The incoming PM, acknowledged the British-Asian heritage of his predecessor and how hard he had worked for the country. In all, both men focused on the rights and privileges of the people and not on their triumph or loss in ways that spell self or party glorification or condemnation.

    The focus of the two men is on the welfare of the nation where in the words of the new Prime Minister Starmer, ‘everyone is respected’. It is that principle that has made it possible for someone of Sunak’s heritage to be elected as British Prime minister. In Nigeria, the political class is very divisive and that has impacted negatively on the people. Most Nigerians owe allegiance to their ethnic base more than they feel Nigerian. The politics they know is more about ethno-religious leaning than national unity. It is a verdict on the attitude of successive Nigerian leaders that there seems to be no nation literally. Exclusion from the political space translates to anger and agitations for self-actualization that has heat up the nation and resulted in the high insecurity across the country.

    The verbal and non-verbal communication of political leaders matter a lot. Unifying a country or state before, during and after elections is a sentiment most Nigerian politicians have no regard for. Election campaigns are often filled with divisive rhetoric. Post-election speeches by politicians often come off doing more harm to the unity of the country than good. Former president Buhari had after his 2015 election talked about 97 Vs 5%, a flawed ratio alluding to those who voted for or against him. His two term tenures saw him being accused of the highest form of nepotism that left the country virtually bleeding with dissatisfaction and ethnic conflicts.

    It is interesting to see the sense of patriotism in both Sunak and Starmer for a country that has chosen them for service. Their allegiance is to Britain and not to any godfather, individual or political parties. That is what democracy should be. It is a system of government where the people are the focal point for every elected or appointed official. The UK elections have shown the power of the electorate, the mandate givers. Again, as a cosmopolitan nation, all races, genders and religion have the rights to vote and be voted for. Some British-Nigerians were candidates at the election.

    Sadly the last election in Nigeria highlighted the divisiveness of the political class. Most of the politicians set the electorate against each other in ways that has seemingly inflamed the polity. There is so much division along ethnic, regional and religious lines that the political elite must learn to return to the best tenets of democracy as a form of government that is all about the welfare of the people. Elections for the electorate must be the time to speak with their voices and the politicians must learn to respect the voice of the people. Again the new Prime Minister has already appointed some cabinet members. A huge sign that he has always been sure of those he wanted to work eith. In Nigeria, Presidents and governors spend months choosing the team to work with and often the criteria is not about merit or competence but party, ethnic or other considerations. There are lessons for Nigeria and other developing countries. The best tenets of democracy must always be maintained to ensure democracy thrives.

    The dialogue continues… 

  • Malnutrition in Northern Nigeria: The implications for development

    Malnutrition in Northern Nigeria: The implications for development

    Nigeria has had a history of paying little attention to the children/youth and women. In theory, there is always the rhetoric about women and children but in real practice, little is done by all tiers of government, local, state and federal governments to address in concrete and consistent terms the issues that concern that vulnerable group. The results can be seen all over the development indices across the length and breadth of the country.

    With a population of more than 200million, the country has more than 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty.  It has one of the highest out-of-school children at more than 20million and counting given the dire economic climate. There is record unemployment and double digit inflation. Over the past few years, insurgency, Boko Haram, banditry, farmer/herders conflicts and other socially repugnant  activities have impacted the food security in the country.

    The Northern part of the country has the land mass and farming population that have over the years provided for the country and some for exports. However, due to a number of factors, the agrarian North has seemingly lost its capacity to produce to capacity and the whole country is suffering the effects. Farmers in the North are finding it very difficult to do their jobs as banditry especially in the North West has become a very huge problem.

    The loss to the social menace of banditry and other security breaches in the North West has resulted in less productivity in the agricultural sector as farmers continue to stay away from their farms to avoid being kidnapped, killed or asked to pay ransom to be able to even work for the bandits who in some areas like Zamfara and Kaduna seize their lands from them. The implications of this are diverse but the most overwhelming is the fact that a huge number of under-fives, the demographic at most risk of the effects of malnutrition and women who birth and nurture them are either chronically malnourished, physically/mentally retarded dead or dying due to chronic malnutrition.

    The human resources of any nation is unarguably the most priced so nations that are developed have functional systems that nurture its citizens to be maximally productive. Part of the plan includes investing in health, education and shelter as basics. Under healthcare, nutrition and reproductive health take prime positions. This is because like one who expects bumper harvest, the seeds planted must have manure and water to grow and flourish.

    The United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), claims that about 6 million children aged 0-59 months in North West and North East Nigeria are likely suffering and expected to suffer acute malnutrition from May 2022-April 2023. This includes 1,623,130 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) cases and 4, 308,404 Moderate Malnutrition  (MAM) cases as at November 2022. Since the statistics, the situation has worsened as physical and food insecurity has negatively impacted families not just in the northern region of Nigeria but across the country.

    Generally, about 6.5% of children in Nigeria under five years experience wasting, this according to UNICEF is above the global average of 4.6%.  31.5%experience stunting which is above the global average of 19.9%. UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) all agree that malnutrition in the Northern region must be tackled to save generations of children and by implication their mothers who go through reproductive phases that require their being well-nourished.

    From all indications, the number of malnourished children especially in the North is almost equal to the population of some countries. The implication is that there would be an impact on the population. Some might die and even those who survive could be battling with some developmental challenges that would impair their productive capacity. In processing issues of child-malnutrition, a lot of developmental variables surface. We look at the causative factors which must be carefully sorted if there must be progress. Poverty and illiteracy are core causes of malnutrition. Poor, illiterate parents are in a more disadvantaged position to raise healthy well-fed children. Information and availability of funds are needed for young women who become mothers to be well-nourished through feeding, they must be aware and have the nutrients available.

    In most cases, young malnourished mothers would most likely not survive the rigors of pregnancies/delivery and even if they do, the chances of giving birth to healthy children and nurturing them past the age of five is subject to a lot of factors; what disposable income is available, what foods are available, what information does the mother who is the primary care giver have about nutrition and hygiene? How concerned are the tiers of government to make those basic requirements available?

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    It is in the light of the above implications of chronic malnutrition in the Northern Nigeria that the Roundtable Conversation joined in the dialogue on, “Malnutrition Surge in Northern Nigeria: Addressing a Looming Humanitarian Crisis”, hosted by the Chancellor of Anthena Center for Policy and Leadership, the former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Thursday.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke with Osita Chidoka and asked him why he thought such a conversation is necessary at this time. He pointed out that the people are the pillars that hold any country and as such their welfare must be rooted in sound health, mind and body must be a priority for all tiers of  government. To him, the children are the future of any nation and must be fully nurtured to develop the country. In his estimation, he thought that starting the conversation is a good step towards addressing what he feels needs an emergency action.

    The North West/North Central parts of the country unarguably used to produce the bulk of the food Nigerians in all regions consume in large quantities. The number of malnourished children and women in the region is to him an ill-wind that blows no one any good. The human resource must be well-nourished, developed and educated for maximum productivity to be achieved. He believes that beyond every other thing, a healthy mind in a healthy body must be the goal of any nation and he feels that the country must not wholly depend on development agencies and global institutions to supply the country with data, funds and statistics before actions can be taken.

    To him, the Minister of Health, Mohammed Ali Pate showed passion and leadership in rallying some of the state governors like that of Zamfara, Dr. Dauda Lawal, Niger, Mohammed Umaru Bago, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kebbi and Katsina sent representatives. The ministers of Agriculture,  Senator Abubakar Kyari sent a representative seeing that the issue of nutrition is rooted in agriculture and its ancillary products.

    The health minister told the audience the inter-ministerial and agency collaborations aimed at tackling the health challenges especially the emergency situation caused by malnutrition which of course is a culmination of factors over time and therefore would need a lot of strategizing and collaborations being addressed by the Tinubu government. Osita Chidoka maintained that the serious collaboration of governors, the health, agriculture and defense ministries must work together with other relevant agencies to create a conducive, accountable and dedicated attitude if the region must address the issue of chronic malnutrition.

    He believes that as a nation, we must look inwards and identify the strengths of each regionand invest in the strengths of each region. The inter-dependence of the constituent regions would flourish the moment the country addresses the fundamentals of systemic functionality. Each regional bloc must work on its areas of comparative advantage for the success of the nation. The Northern region to him has the land mass for agriculture and so the issue of malnutrition is a paradoxical misnomer. It must be addressed by all stakeholders in ways that each group can be assisted and held to account for functionality. He cited the example of Singapore stating that because of the cost of water production to the country, they rely on Malaysia and as such makes sure the relationship is mutually beneficial and functional.

    The governors of Zamfara and Niger states, Dauda Lawal and Mohammed Umaru Bago were impressive in their presentations. The governor of Niger was proud of the fact that the state with its massive land mass was investing seriously in agriculture through mechanized farming. It remains however for the federal government to tap into the  advantages of the state. The Zamfara security challenge that has been scaring farmers away must be holistically addressed in a state known for its agricultural production and solid minerals.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that the issue of malnutrition in the country must be treated as an emergency  so that the country doesn’t end up with a generation of Nigerians that are stunted mentally and physically.  Beyond the inter-ministerial, agency and state government collaborations, there are pertinent issues that must be addressed too. There must be more inclusiveness in governments at all levels. The women who are the nurturers must be educated. An illiterate mother has a higher chance of being blind to nutritional requirements of herself and her children.

    Child marriages must be discouraged. Sierra Leone has just passed a law banning child marriages. Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of child brides in the world. A child cannot raise a child. The Northern governors must collaborate with the traditional and religious leaders to educate the populace. No development comes to any nation where women are not empowered with education. It will amount to winking at a woman in the dark to make all the official efforts then leave out the women who are the hands that rock the cradle. That is a challenge the Roundtable Conversation would want the various state governors and the National assembly to address. Chronic malnutrition decimates a nation’s population the likes of which are only seen during wars. Nigeria cannot afford to fail her children.

    The dialogue continues…