The Nation Newspaper

Category: Round Table

  • Ministers and the people’s assessments

    Ministers and the people’s assessments

    Nigeria was a colony of the British Empire. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. The British coveted cash crops like palm oil and palm kernel and export trade in tin, cotton, cocoa, groundnuts, palm oil and so on (Graham, 2009). The British accomplished the colonization by using its military might. Although the people fiercely resisted colonialism, the British used military power to crush all opposition.

    Chinua Achebe’s iconic novel, Things Fall Apart documented the cultural shock of the people against the British. The story of the banishment of the 35th Oba of Benin, Oba Ovoramwen Nogbaisi from his kingdom to Calabar over trade disputes with the British in late 19th century is equally instructive. The piecemeal return of Benin priced Benin artifacts stolen by the British during the colonial era is testament to the effort by the British t to strip the people bare not just of their language and culture but of resources whether human or material.

    Colonialism, apartheid and the transatlantic slave trade were three crimes against the African continent for more than four hundred years. The continent has not fully recovered from the effects of colonialism either mentally of in cultural and physical structures. The colonial legacies of political chicanery continue to exist even after  independence in most of the African countries.

    However, even with all the minuses that came with colonialism, independence for most African countries has not created any Eldorado. The democracies that the independent countries have adopted have not fully been of much value to the people. Military incursions into politics continues to plague the continent, wars and conflicts have had their impact on the countries. Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast , Rwanda etc. have all had and till date, continues to impact the people in very grave ways. 

    The indigenous African political leaders seem not to have purged themselves of the colonial legacies of being somewhat insensitive to the needs of the people. The development of African countries has been at snail-speed despite the human and material resources available in the continent. The continent paradoxically keeps losing its human and material resources to the West. The war in Congo has lasted decades for a country that has the highest deposits of some of the most priced natural resources like uranium.

    Somalia is made up of people of same ethnicity, language and religion but the guns and bullets still speak loud and clear.  Pope Francis had at one point knelt down to kiss the feet of some Sudanese leaders in an effort to remind them of the need to care for their people. The war still rages. Niger, Mali, Gabon and Burkina Faso are all under military governments. The African National Congress (ANC), Africa’s oldest political party at more than a hundred years recently lost its majority in parliament. The people seem dissatisfied with the government.

    Nigeria, with the largest black population and many natural resources like oil and other solid minerals is the poverty capital of the world with more than 133million living in multi-dimensional poverty, more than 20 million out-of-school children, unemployment, high inflation and other developmental challenges got independence in 1960 but with military taking a huge share in the leadership of the country, all has not been well with Nigeria in 64 years.

    As the administration of President Tinubu clocked one year, Ministers were urged by the President to present their report cards to the people.  He had after their inauguration last year told the 47 cabinet members during a retreat  that any of them that does not perform creditably would be shown the exit door. In fact for the first time in the country, the president appointed a Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman. Her role is to ensure there is coordination across ministries, departments and agencies. She actually got the Ministers to sign a Performance Bond with President Tinubu.

    The bond was expected to contain certain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with a consequence management framework.  Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the outcomes of the evaluation after the ministers faced the media to reel out what in their view are their key achievements since taking oath of office even if they will clock one year in August.  As they say, a ripe maize does not need to be opened to confirm.

    After listening to most of the ministers, many analysts have been giving their opinions about the performance of some of them. Ministers like the that of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo , Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani,  Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, Minister of state for defense,  Dr, bello Matawalle are deemed to have performed fairly well either through assessable efforts in physical structures or their laid out plans and or commitment to improve their sectors.

    On the other hand, many other ministers have been very loud in their performance silence. This to the Roundtable Conversation is worrisome because the sub-total of the performance of cabinet members in any government can be best described as akin to that of a football team. The wingers, defense, mid-fielders, attackers and goalkeepers must all play their roles perfectly for the team to record victory. The team working with any president must work at their peak for any impactful progress to be made by the administration.

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    AS we assess the performance of the ministers in Nigeria 25 long years after the return of democracy, The Roundtable Conversation is quick to draw attention, again, to the colonial period. Despite the huge minuses of colonialism, there are certain pluses that post independent democratic leaders especially in Nigeria seem to have forgotten even when most of them were old enough to have seen and benefitted from the governance structure then.

    Across Nigeria, no matter how remote the villages, one can still see the relics of colonial administration. In the remotest of villages, one can see; roads, schools, judicial quarters/courts, hospitals or health centers and taps that have been dry since independence. Most people grew up seeing running taps across villages and towns. The roads even if narrower than modern roads were built to last and in most cases their replacements don’t last very long. It is curious that successive governments after independence have not planned long term projects bearing in mind global economic realities and population growth. There are often zero environmental impact assessment of capital projects making them susceptible to early dysfunction.

    Nigerians born a few decades ago cannot tell what a running tap looks like because they have never seen one. The country is suffused with boreholes and wells and even governors and the legislators brandish boreholes and water wells as achievements without consideration for the long impact of non-functional water sources in a country with a huge population. Year on year, budgetary allocations are made to the ministry of Water Resources, what changes have they made to the water sector? Has Nigeria given up on the supply of pipe born water for her citizens?

    The food insecurity in Nigeria coupled with inflation is causing a lot of hardship on the people. Since the present President of African Development Bank (AFDB), Akin Adesina left the agriculture ministry, not much information or innovative actions have been seen to be taken by the ministry of Agriculture in a country with many mouths to feed, arable lands and which imports even perishable food products from less endowed countries. The ministry must do more to put food on the table of Nigerians through improved yields and encouragement of farmers.

    The women in the cabinet seem not to be pulling their weights productively. While women advocate for inclusiveness, we want to see more from the female ministers who have been given the chance to contribute to national development. Performance is not mere rhetoric, when any minister performs, the people blow the trumpet of commendation. An Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and a late Prof. Dora Akunyili of National Agency for drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) left indelible marks of performance as Finance Minister and Director General of NAFDAC becoming global figures and making Nigerians proud of their dedication and patriotism.

    Nigeria’s entertainment industry is one of the most vibrant in Africa and the world. That sector is making waves across the world and more work needs to be done by the minister to maximally gain from that sector in national interest. Nigeria can benefit from the soft power that the sector gives nations like the United States and India. Our population is an advantage and with Nigerian musicians at home and in the diaspora making Afrobeat a global anthem and winning grammys, the benefits can be tremendous if the sector is fully productive. The employment opportunities are huge.

    Nigerian youths are setting trends in music, acting and sports. The Ministers of Sports and Youth development must see the potential of those two ministries. Nigerian Victor Osimhen of Italy’s Napoli, Ademola Lookman of Italy’s Atalanta and Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen in the last two seasons have stamped their excellence in the game in their clubs winning the Italian, Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League titles recently. Tobi Amusan and others are still making waves across the world in athletics. This is just a reminder of the Nigerian youth potentials in sports. How far are the ministers going to invest in the grooming of young talents through grassroots sports development?

    Any minister can take the liberty to reel out achievements or goals but the truth is that the people have their own report cards. Nigerians must not be forced to look back and reminisce over the colonial period flawed as that British policy was across the Commonwealth. The people expect democracy to be about them and their welfare. There must be no room for vacuous self-platitudes. The taste of the pudding is in the eating. The legacies of performance are always eveident and outlive individuals no matter how short the time of service. The people know all those putting in the work with patriotism.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, GBV and the spoken silence of legalese

    Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, GBV and the spoken silence of legalese

    I was disgusted when I did it, I’m disgusted now. I went and sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man”– Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

    May 24th marked the one year anniversary of the death of Rock & Roll music legend, Tina Turner. Coincidentally, just a few days ago, one of music world’s most recognizable faces, Sean Combs, otherwise known as P.Diddy, an entertainment mogul, a rapper, record producer and record executive was seen in a CNN-released hotel CCTV video physically abusing his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

    He founded a record label in 1993 known as BAD BOY RECORDS

    Words!

    Comb’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, was signed to his label in 2005 and they started dating in 2007 and for ten years.

    Cassie in November 2023, filed a federal lawsuit  alleging that Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and subjected her to “savage beatings, plied her with drugs, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018”.

    P. Diddy through his attorney “vehemently denied” the accusations.

    With what appeared with the speed of lightening, the sexual abuse allegations lawsuit was SETTLED THE DAY AFTER under confidential terms.

    “We have decided to resolve the matter amicably” Combs had said in a statement.

    Two more women filed sexual abuse lawsuits on the eve of the ADULT SURVIVORS ACT, a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one year window to file civil action regardless of the statute limitations.

    A lot of other allegations have been surfacing and Combs had to step down as chairman of his television network, Revolt due to the plethora of accusations of sexual abuses.

    He had power and influence and was in a position to come in contact with many vulnerable women especially in music/entertainment.

    A male music producer equally filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against combs. He alleged being forced to have sex with prostitutes.

    At some point, Combs denied all of the allegations against him. His attorneys termed some of the lawsuits and their accusations to Forbes as money grabs, “baseless” or “sickening”.

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    Fast-forward to May 17th 2024, CNN releases CCTV video evidence of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs clad in a white towel dragging and kicking Cassie Ventura his then girlfriend along a hotel doorway.

    There has been a global outrage.

    A few days later, a ‘seeming video apology’ by Combs as quoted above surfaces in the media.

    He appeared somber, devoid of the glitz and glam he is associated with both in countenance and dressing.

    Body language and psychotherapy experts have been analyzing his body language in the video.

    But there are dire observations.

    Wither his earlier ‘vehement denials’ through his attorney?

    What if CNN journalists did not dig out that hotel CCTV video?

    The content sounded very much like a Public Relations journey to redeem a sagging public image .

    It was mainly about him, even though the legal import of the ‘settlement’ was the duo not mentioning each other or details.

    The video message was ‘Ventura-specific’.

    What of others?What of others out-of-hotel CCTV abusive incidents being alleged?

    There was almost zero reference to the enormity of the criminal implications of his actions.  There was no direct address of the incidents. It was more about him and going for therapy, rehab and taking ‘responsibility’.

    His “I apologize” sounded too understated and patronizing.

    Curiously though, not much focus has been on the acts of Gender Based Violence (GBV) as seen in the viral video especially by men with influence or financial power.

    Not many men have poured the energy they apply in other breaking political or conflict/war news on this GBV issue.

    There are too many Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in all sectors and in all countries.

    Not many in the media have focused on the real essence of the video or the victims.

    This reminds one of Shakespeare’s saying that,

    “There’s no art to see the mind’s construction on the face”.

    Combs public persona placed side by side the hotel CCTV physical abuse video speaks to a varied life realities and the illusion of grandeur and public perception of influential figures.

    GBV is a very under-reported and under-acknowledged part of our global community especially amongst Africans in the continent and in the diaspora according to research statistics.

    There is widespread abuse of power expressed through sexual/physical violence in all sectors by powerful, (in financial and influence terms) men. The #Metoo movement has succeeded in putting people like Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly and Bill Cosby etc., some of the powerful men in the entertainment world behind bars for similar offences.

    More needs to be done both socially and legally to protect more women and men victims.

    Combs’ victim, Cassie Ventura recently put out a statement thanking her family, friends and others around the world for their support following the release of the graphic physical abuse video.

    But the question is, without overlooking the trauma from the abuses and the societal unspoken pressure for silence by victims, why did she quickly accept an “amicable settlement”? What if the CNN didn’t show the hotel CCTV video?

    Was it not possible for her to have pursued more legal grounds even if the specific issue was status barred?  Why did she not report much earlier? Are there socio-legal issues of the fear of being victimized even as a victim?

    May be, just may be circumstances were different. We might discover with time.

    In any case, her lawsuit has made the required impact and she must be commended for the courage to speak out.

    Now the veil is seemingly off. There are more Venturas everywhere in the world!

    Again why are other crimes not time-barred but sexual abuse cases are? Is this not a subtle protection of sexual abusers? Here’s hoping the legislators in the cities concerned or at the national level can review this! It appears like a gag attempt for victims and an empowerment for sexual abusers of both genders.

    As we celebrate the first anniversary of Tina Turner’s passing on this day, this tragic issue brings to mind her abusive marriage to her then husband/manager in what today is metaphor for gender based domestic violence by an influential entertainment/music mogul. Tina had to run away from Ike but told her story much later in books and films. Is the world learning?

    We must realize that GBV is pervasive and defies; race, class, age, status and gender. The human proclivity to perpetrate evil under cover is universal but the human community must make a decision to curb that through laws and strict implementations.

    Women as the worst victims must begin to raise their voices urgently.

    There should be more women going to school, educated ones getting involved in politics especially in the legislature where just and equitable laws can be made that can help disempower men in authority from abusing legitimate powers.

    Women and men must realize the power to say NO, to LEAVE abusive men at home and in the offices or entertainment/music production outfits where most atrocities are hidden under the glitz and glam that distract. Career and pursuit of fame should not come at the expense of self -dignity and the sacrifice of the value of women globally.

    Tina Turner left an abusive Ike Turner and through bravery, hard-work and determination became successful more than any other in the Rock & Roll hall of fame selling hundreds of millions of albums and still found love and lived life on her own terms.

    If a man tries to take advantage of your femininity, stop him because you will be protecting other women by so doing.

    Will more men call out male sexual predators in their midst as a contribution to this war against gender based violence?It is only by having the courage to prevent, fight back through legal tools that GBV can be eliminated.

    Many women have been killed, maimed, traumatized for life and silenced through varied gender based violence.

    Women control a huge part of the informal sector and GBV is a great disruptive behavior that impacts on the socio-economic productivity of women. The impact of this on world economies is too great to ignore.

    Sadly though, men dominate both the political, economic, security and legal sectors that are the key routes to making policies, laws, checkmating and implementing laws that can reduce GBV. The solution can then be for governments to be more sensitive and inclusive considering the overall socio-economic implications of GBV on the entire global economy.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that not enough attention is paid by governments and society to the impact of GBV on victims and the implication for the human race in general. Women who even though not the only victims are nurturers and when they are traumatized, both the perpetrators, children and other members of the society suffer the consequences.

    The Sean ‘Diddy’ Comb present situation presents the world, given his public status with a vivid picture of the violence many women suffer especially in their efforts to either pursue a career or sustain a relationship. The world nations seem to play the Ostrich in handling gender based violence at home and in the work places. The hope is that this stirs more actions, away from mere rhetoric in working to prevent, rather than reactive actions after incidents when the impact on victims have been established.

    Better inclusion through education and social re-orientation of gender roles can help. Implementation of prosecution with no status-bar would help bring justice to many victims. The world is watching how other high profile perpetrators’ cases of GBV can be handled without pandering to flawed legal technicalities that subsumes justice in favour of perpetrators.

    ● The dialogue continues…

  • Executive/Legislative harmony: Fact or fiction?

    Executive/Legislative harmony: Fact or fiction?

    “All the State Assemblies are glorified cemeteries of silence, inhabited by puppets, munching on crumbs”. – Bishop Hassan Kukah

    In the nearly 25 years of the return of democracy in Nigeria, nothing better describes the status of the state houses of assembly than the above statement by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah sometimes in 2019. It’s almost five years of since that statement but nothing has changed. There is the general observation that the Nigerian political system throws up a lot of autocrats in the executive.

    The recent crisis between the All progressive congress (APC) members in the state and governor Siminilayi Fubara over the call for factional  APC members to initiate impeachment processes against the governor is not a novelty in Nigerian politics. Since 1999, the relationship between the executive and the legislature has always been fraught with instability. There have been few instances of  assault on democracy as very few assembly members sometimes below the constitutional benchmark of one third of members have gone ahead to impeach governors.

    In 2006, former governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose was impeached under controversial circumstances in over allegation of mismanagement of state funds. He later contested and won election in the same state. Former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi was impeached in 2007 over allegations of gross misconduct. The impeachment was overturned by the courts. Former governor of Plateau state, Joshua Dariye was impeached in 2006 over allegations of mismanagement of state funds. He was later prosecute and jailed but later pardoned by the Buhari administration.

    Former governor of Oyo state, Rasheed Ladoja was also impeached in 2005. Late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa was impeached in 2005 over allegations of corruption and money laundering. Former governor Muritala Nyako was impeached in 2014 over allegations of theft of public funds and money laundering.

    For the avoidance of doubt, impeachment is a legitimate democratic tool through which all elected officers can be removed when they flout the constitution or other extant laws in a democracy. However, the use of this tool in most cases has been less than satisfactory in Nigeria since 1999. More than a dozen deputy governors have been impeached in very controversial circumstances because their principals, the governors have used their powers to edge them out of governance as their roles are not clearly defined and as such governors see them as mere apendages.

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    The Roundtable Conversation believes that the growth of Nigeria’s democracy cannot be as rapid as necessary if the people continue to overlook the unprocedural deployment of impeachment in the wobbly democracy in a developing country like Nigeria. The instability that impeachment introduces into the system is too disruptive to be overlooked.  As the saying goes, when two elephants fight, the grasses which in this case are the people are the ones that suffer.

    Not many political analysts have dared to track and document the impact of political lethargy that happens during the politicking to either initiate or execute impeachment proceedings in what many  often see as very politically expedient merry go round by politicians for individual ego and not for the good of the people. The political intrigues that have led to the impeachment of most elected officials in the Nigerian political space would never fly in other stable political environments and Nigerians should be worried.

    The politics of impeachment have had very dire consequences on democracy and as such states that are supposed to be closer and more accessible to the people seem to have become a theatre of the absurd. Factions upon factions are stirred along party and godfather lines distracting the elected officials from truly serving the people. During the tenure of former governor of Edo state, now senator Adams Oshiomole, four speakers emerged in two years owing to incessant impeachment of elected speakers. The politics of it all pointed to the power play between the different power blocs of the political parties and the elected politicians.

    The question then is, during all the drama leading up to the series of impeachments in the Edo house then, how did the state fare?  How did the people, the mandate givers gain from the horse-trading? How developed is Edo state today where the former deputy governor, Philip Shuaibu who has been in a long drawn battle with the governor, Godwin Obaseki  was recently impeached? In the period of the political royal rumble, what sort of governance was going on Edo state?

    A step away in oil-rich Rivers state, governor Siminilayi Fubara has been trending literally since he was sworn in. The Roundtable Conversation has been amazed at the type of turbulence that has greeted the governor  few months after his inauguration.  There seems to be no love lost between him and the former governor of the state now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. Their no-love-lost relationship has been on the national space since 2023.

    But how did this conundrum emerge? The former governor Wike was a very influential member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he had thrown in his hat into the ring and contested for the PDP presidential primaries. He lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in what many saw as a deviation from the party’s unwritten agreement that the presidency be rotated on a zonal basis as had been done since 1999. He lost the primaries, allegedly lobbied for Vice Presidential position but lost to a fellow South-South former governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa in what many felt was a flawed political strategy.

    Having lost the two positions, Wike allegedly decided to form the G-five group that seemingly decided to work for themselves rather than their political party, the PDP. Other members of the G-5 were the Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, former Benue state governor Samuel Ortom, former Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and former Abia state governor, Okezie ikpeazu.  Ortom, Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu seemingly shot themselves on their political feet as they lost their bids to go to the senate. Wike did not seek a senate seat but found himself being confirmed a minister of the FCT under the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    During the election, a Wike had worked hard to ensure the success of PDP candidates in his state including the governor, Siminilayi Fubara. So in the Nigerian political ecosystem, a Wike is seen as Fubara’s godfather. It was not long before things fell apart between the alleged godfather and the godson.  Wike accused the governor of trying to destroy the structure that brought him to power. The political semantics of Nigeria would be interrogated to unbundle the real strategic import of this accusation.

    This quarrel seemingly moved to the house of assembly and loyalties of the members  allegedly determined by various political factors. Some supported the ex-governor and others supported the new governor. Then the die was cast.  Some of the house members allegedly decamped to the ruling APC. There was a conflict for the speakership and at some point two claims to the speakership. The climax of the crisis was a sudden demolition of the building housing the assembly. There was uproar about that political rascality but the governor claimed it was for a renovation or something to that effect.

    The crisis escalated and President Tinubu intervened and called for truce at Abuja. There seemed to have been a settlement but what had lasted as the silence of the graveyard soon fell apart a few days ago when the APC in the state alleged that the governor was acting in defiance of the President’s directive during his attempt to broker peace and called on its members to initiate the process of impeaching the governor. The governor, not willing to be a political victim of circumstance, is fighting back. The governor, in a now viral video had told a Bayelsa peace delegation made up of political and traditional leaders that even though he is grateful for being supported during the election, he would never ‘worship’ anyone. He went on to say, “The young people, those group of men who claim to be assembly members are not assembly members, they are not existing, I want it to be on record, I accepted that peace accord to give them a floating, that is the truth, there was nothing in that peace accord that was a constitutional issue, it was a political solution to a problem… ”.

    The reality of the situation in Rivers state is that there are two factions of the state assembly today, one group is made up of 27 who had earlier defected to the APC and the four PDP members and each group had elected a speaker. The governor seems to have decided midway to revert to a judicial solution seeing that a political route had fallen apart. The Roundtable Conversation is concerned about democracy not just in Rivers state but across the nation. The people must be the center of attention of elected members.

    Nigerian democracy seems to be retarded because of accountability issues in the political  processes. How did Nigeria get to a situation where governors have a history of being very imperial in a democracy? What electoral process makes it valid for governors to have electoral influence that determines their successors? Why the overwhelming influence on who gets elected into the legislature in their states?

    What kind of intra-party democracy does Nigeria operate? Looking at Rivers state, where does ego and political expediency  for all the factions and their sponsors end and where does the welfare of the people start? The Rivers issue is a mere metaphor, almost all states are sitting on this keg of gunpowder.  Nigeria must think beyond individuals and focus on institutional development. That is the sure way to an enduring and stable democracy.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Ministers: As we compile report sheet…

    Ministers: As we compile report sheet…

    Governments succeed or fail based on so many variables. Leadership is important, capacity and teamwork from cabinet members matter. In democracies around the world, Presidents always insist on the capacity of the people they would want to work with when they are elected. Most of them campaign on manifestoes they have worked on wth prospective nominees.

    The role of the cabinet is to help the president or head of government realize the campaign promises . In accepting to serve in any government at this level, appointees invariably sign a contract with the executive and the people. Their jobs are often well cut out. They lead their ministries and become the President’s pointsmen and women and must help him achieve his policy objectives and vision.

    In Nigeria however, lack of political education and illiteracy seems to have impacted the citizen’s perception of public service. While the Presidency is an important part of any democracy including Nigeria, there seems to be a disproportionate reliance on Presidents to seemingly become the nation’s sole burden bearer. Even the constituent states tend to look up to the federal government to literally wave the magic wand of prosperity and development.

    Make no mistake about it, the presidency has enormous responsibilities in a nation where due to structural flaws, the central government is often overwhelmed by expectations. However, the Roundtable Conversation believes that  capacity, deep sense of patriotism and commitment from cabinet members for any president can bring development to the country.

    Sadly though, since the return of democracy in 1999, just a few ministers have legacies to their names. Incidentally, three of the outstanding former ministers are today serving at both continental and global institutions. Nothing better gives credence to their professionalism and work ethic than their growth and globally recognized sense of service for development.

    Former Nigerian Minister of finance and foreign affairs, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is today the director General of World Trade Organization (WTO), Amina Mohammed, Nigeria’s former Minister of environment is serving as the United Nations’ Assistant  Secretary General. Akin Adesina is the multiple award-winning President of African Development Bank (AFDB). These are just a few of the former ministers whose works speak for them.

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     After President Tinubu inaugurated his cabinet in August  2023, 84 days after taking his oath of office, he made a remarkable statement, “…serve Nigeria, not states or regions, get to work, Nigerians would not tolerate failure”. This was with the expectation that each of the Ministers is to serve the federal republic of Nigeria patriotically. The president realized that he made campaign promises and the people are looking up to him to deliver and having picked his team, they can rapidly help him deliver on his campaign promises.

    In November 2023, the government organized a cabinet retreat where he again reminded the ministers to deliver on their responsibilities or be sacked. He urged them to ensure they do not become clogs in Nigeria’s wheel of progress. So far, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Youth Development and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Beta Edu seems to have fallen off the boat due to allegations of impropriety with financial transactions. Investigations are reported to be ongoing in her case.

    Former Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Shamusideen Usman recently at the Second Chronicle Roundtable with the theme, “Tinubu Administration’s Economic and Social Agenda: How it Will Transform Nigeria” urged the President to match his words with actions by sacking some ministers in his cabinet to serve as deterrent to other non-performing members and heads of agencies that are performing below average. He was very concerned about the power sector. He recalled that the President had warned the cabinet members during an earlier retreat.

    Many might claim that it is too early to assess performance of cabinet members but the former minister cited the example of a Malaysian Power minister that challenged himself to fix the power problem of the region in six months or resign and he achieved his target. That to Dr. Usman should be the mantra of active cabinet members. It is not about perfection but about showing the commitment and patriotism to change the situation from what they met.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke with Anthony Kila,  a Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development and the Institute Director General  at Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS). We asked him his assessment of the charge to the President by Dr. Usman given the retreat instruction to the cabinet members.  He believes that having a presidential adviser on policy and coordination is a good idea the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan equally embraced through then Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as a coordinating minister of the economy.

    He believes that the idea is good but that strategically, it is supposed to be a monitoring unit that should help cabinet members organize performance goals and itemize them into the achievables in the short, medium and long terms. The unit must not wait for long term evaluation to seemingly mark performance sheets. They ought to be active in monitoring and guidance for success. He believes that with more than forty cabinet members, the ministries of Finance/CBN, Power and Works are the major one in the news and that’s because of the fluctuating currency, epileptic power supply and the now controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway. 

    However, Prof. Kila believes that while the unit might be doing their best, there are systemic problems that have to be sorted before cabinet members of this and subsequent administrations can make real progress towards speedy development given the socio-economic challenges of the country. The political system must have to change in ways that the country does not continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.

    Every Nigerian especially the political class and the media must begin to make adjustments for development.  When there is a system that encourages politicians to spell out their vision, goals and the hows and when their administrations would begin to deliver on specific deliverables, both the presidents and their appointees would come to office with clear vision with time tags. During campaigns, politicians and their political parties must be literally given blank posters to wrte out with their specific goals, how they will finance such projects and the timelines.

    Nigerians should be ready to hold candidates to specifics rather than some amorphous and vague manifestoes. After elections, nominations into cabinets must be on individual quality and ability to key into the vision of the president or governor. Prof. Kila believes for instance that if the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway was a campaign issue, the furor over the project would not have happened because the whys and hows would have been clearly explained to the citizens. 

    Again he believes that the system of recruitment/screening of cabinet members must change. Candidates must begin head-hunts during campaigns by working with various interested parties with capacity that can buy into their vision. Nominations must be on the basis of Professional capacity and individual vision and mission.

    The jaded idea of randomly screening candidates without requesting for portfolio is a strategic flaw in recruitment. A brilliant structural engineer might mess up in the Agriculture ministry. This has been a major problem in the Nigerian public service sector. Arming nominees with portfolio gives the senate clarity and enhances the screening process because that then makes it impossible for nominees to be randomly sent to ministries and agencies where even if they are educationally qualified might lack the industry knowledge specific to areas of operation. Specific industry technical questions can be asked by senators as is done in other climes.

    Competence and passion is an individual thing. It then goes to show why most people change the ministries or agencies they are posted to within a short time. A late Prof. Olikoye Ransome Kuti , was a brilliantly active Health Minister, a late Prof. Dora Akunyili changed the face of NAFDAC, an Akin Adesina gave the Agric ministry a new image even if we have not heard much from that ministry since he left. Citizens would for instance expect a vibrant Agriculture minister to seize the food crises period since he came  to innovate and inspire productivity.

    Nine months is enough for the minister to have made impact given the food insecurity that has made war-torn Ukraine to donate food to Nigeria. There are low-hanging  food or cash crops he would have introduced since or encouraged farmers or researchers to plant and that would have made a huge difference. There must be a systemic change that can herald the emergence of workable system that gives verve to personal capacity.

    This in effect would give rise to a culture that rewards achievements rather than evaluating every cabinet member  on the same pedestal. The media he insists must do more to hold politicians to honour their social contracts rather than just wait to recount their misses when it becomes too late.

    Performance must be accessed periodically and methodologically. Prof. Kila feels it would be a breath of fresh air to see some future candidates promising to attach portfolio to cabinet nominees. That might seem trivial but in a system that has been dysfunctional, it can be a huge turning point for the nation. There must be a radical departure from a system that has not fully worked. So a systemic change backed by individual vision and capacity can help usher in the needed change that can aid our development. Productivity in each sector is an individual thing and the totality of a cabinet defines the outcome any administration so the country must have a systemic realignment.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Two victorious ‘victors’ and the Nigerian football dilemma

    Two victorious ‘victors’ and the Nigerian football dilemma

    Football is popularly called the beautiful game for a reason. It has become a global center of attraction and a multi-trillion dollar business. It is a game that has grown in its more than 100 years history to become an agent of multi-lateral political, economic and social relationships and business globally. The Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), the self-regulatory governing body has over the decades tried to eschew political interferences in the beautiful game.

    This is particularly instructive given that global politics is often a chessboard of intrigues of self and group interests. The governing body has fought over the years to exclude political interferences in the game of football and this luckily has helped in pushing the growth and success of the game globally. FIFA has somehow created a borderless world where interactions on the pitch of play is the focus and while there has been no perfection in creating a football world devoid of racism and other social issues the entertainment and economic value of the game can be seen in countries with viable football leagues.

    Funny enough, Nigerians are some of the most popular lovers of the different Football Leagues in the World. The English Premier League, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga, French League, Spanish La Liga and lately the emerging Saudi League with  stars like Ronaldo, Mane, Neymar, and many others.

    Possibly due to colonial historical and proximity reasons, the English Premier League (EPL) seems the most popular with Nigerians with very popular clubs like; Arsenal,  Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea having very strong fan bases amongst the Nigerian youths. Other Leagues equally command their attention depending on the famous Nigerian or other world renowned players in such teams like Barcelona FC, Napoli, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and lately Bayer Leverkusen.

    Well-organized football leagues in countries have become huge brands that have become sources of pride and huge revenue for the economies of such nations. Interestingly, in countries with functional leagues, football has become huge investment points for countries but a huge buy in by private investors who leverage on a viable systemic functionality that makes return on investment very attractive.

    Read Also: FG will tackle liquidity, inflation, says Edun

    In the last one year, two Nigerians, Victor Osimhen of Napoli and recently Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen have made global headlines by helping their respective teams to win their leagues. In a way, their names seem to have manifested through their football actions. They are by no means in an exclusive club of successful football exports from Nigeria or even Africa but as they say, they are the rave of the moment in football terms.

    The Roundtable Conversation believes that Nigeria can do better than being the engine room that incubates some of football’s best since the ’80s when the likes of late Steven Keshi stepped out of the shores of Nigeria to play international football. Football has since metamorphosed into a multi-trillion dollar global business for countries that have dared to invest in developing the game. Investment in the game is well beyond the human capital and this is why despite the talents in Nigeria, most of the players even in the wobbly local league have their eyes on the international arena.

    Given what football has become, the success of Nigerian internationals means that there is something the country is not doing right. Football today is not just a game on the pitch of play but a sport that creates multiple layers of high earning jobs, the unspoken brand ambassador of clubs, countries and a huge economic earner for countries.

    The issue then is, why is Nigeria, one of the most populous countries in the world with huge youth demographics and one of the countries with the highest presence in most global leagues still not able to develop the game at home? What has happened to huge private investments in the game that in the late seventies and early-eighties attracted players and coaches from countries like Brazil, Ghana, Ivory Coast and some other countries to play in the Nigerian Leagues and earn contractual money then?

    We spoke to Onochie Anibeze, a veteran journalist and Group Sports Editor of Vanguard Newspapers.  We asked him what happened to Nigerian football that has made the celebrations basically about Nigerians that are playing in foreign leagues  and why the country is losing out on the global earnings accruable to other countries with functional leagues.

    He affirmed that Nigeria previously had a viable league that attracted players from other countries.  However, Onochie believes that the strength of the naira then was an advantage just like the weakness of the Nigeria now is pushing players away from the local league to foreign leagues. Naira in those days was strong and competitive with other currencies.

    In his view, the older clubs like Abiola Babes, Stationery Stores, Leventis United, Udoji United, Iwuanyanwu National, Racca Rovers, Jasper Football club, ACB football Club etc. were all making waves in the past before international football became very lucrative luring local players outside.  Individuals and organizations invested heavily in football and got back return on investment as the local population was all supportive just like what is now happening with foreign clubs. 

    However, he believes that systemic corruption became a big problem and those clubs steadily fizzled out. The corruption was not just about or in football alone but all sectors of the socio-political economy of the Nigerian state. But as regards football which is under discourse now, the impact of corruption was deep. In some warped sense, there was a bizzare situation where home teams started winning matches and subsequently, the alluring element of surprises vanished from Nigerian football club competitions. There was something uncanny about the refereeing system in ways that there were questions about the refereeing quality. Some football veterans even joked that it seems to be more lucrative refereeing than playing. The core of competitive football is the element of anticipation and the suspense amongst fans and players as regards winning. Once that is lost, all seems lost.

    To buttress the quality of Nigerian refereeing in recent times, the recently concluded AFCON competition in Ivory Coast, out of the almost 64 match officials, not one Nigerian referee was appointed. One of the CAF officials when questioned had claimed that FIFA chooses only the best. So the officiating in the league must not be perfect but there must be improvement for the league to be highly rated.

    Again, Onochie points to the state of football facilities. There are very few good pitches. If you watch most foreign leagues, if an attacker is running, if a pitch is not good there will be no free flow of football. The typical Nigerian players can’t tackle hard because of bad pitches. Most stadiums like the National stadium in Lagos are wasting away due to lack of use and maintenance. Football is not played in mansions or rooms, there is limited investment in football facilities. No league functions well under such conditions.

    There are issues with professionalism in administration. Football administrators seem not to fully follow international standards given the incessant arguments about payment of players and coaches. The Nigerian football administrators seem not to recognize essence of contractual agreements unlike in foreign leagues where contracts are strictly adhered to. If a player has a 2 or 3 years contractual agreement with a club to play he will be paid and if another club wants him, they buy out the contract with the club if there is mutual agreement.

    There would be emphasis on quality instead of quantity. The number of clubs must not be unwieldy given the challenges. It is better to have 10 or 12 quality clubs than 15 or 20 that can’t be well managed.  There should be efforts to improve club facilities and make playing enjoyable. Those running the leagues should set and maintain the standards. Imagine how they celebrate goals abroad. In Nigeria pitches, they can’t do all the sliding down the pitch because of the quality of pitches.

    Most football  academies abroad train and groom pre-teens and they in turn supply the clubs and national teams for age grade competitions like the FIFA under 17 and under 21 World Cups. Nigeria must begin to think of investing in facilities, training and football academies that can attract investors. There is no reason most local clubs should be run by governments, government’s job should be to create an enabling environment for football investors.

    Nigerian must re-organize its football administration to comply with global standards in competence and transparency. The Nigerian Football Federation must be administered by those with technical and administrative competences. So long as the flawed political system sips into football administration, the league would continue to wobble. There must be fair constitution of the NFF board, representatives of state FA Chairmen, players, referees, coaches, school sports and all interested parties  must be represented for sports democracy to triumph over nepotism.

    Nigeria has to decide how to develop sports. Right now government must step in to create the enabling environment. Most private organizations are out of football sponsorships because an investor must be sure of outcomes before investing. If we re-organize we will do well, chairman of technical committees which is the engine room of Football federation must know the ropes. No viable league in the world thrives with political chicanery. Investors and brands must see that their investments are protected before they can fully invest in football. It takes a government deliberately setting high administrative standards to encourage investors. The law must be seen to be functional to protect investors’ interests.

    The two Victors with League titles on their shoulders are mere metaphors for the millions available in the country with the largest youth population. The missing link in our football administration is ceding our best and our football economic powers to other nations who understand the value of football and in fact all other sports.  May we learn to own and develop our talents to work for our nation not just in football but indeed in all sports.

    The dialogue continues…

  • Governors, deputies, godfatherism and the cost of distractions

    Governors, deputies, godfatherism and the cost of distractions

    Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. Nigeria adopted the American brand of democracy. So it is a presidential system with the two arms of the National Assembly, the  the House of Representatives and the Upper Chamber, the Senate. From 1966, the military continued interrupting the democratic process for decades and this has somehow had a very profound effect on the brand of democracy practiced in Nigeria.

    Interestingly, since 1999, democracy has been practiced in the country but little progress has been made.  The fact that out of a population of a little above 200million, about 133million have been reported to be living in multi-dimensional poverty is worrisome to global economists. Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children at about 20million, unemployment  and inflation are on a two-digit high.  Invariably, these impacts the life expectancy and living conditions of citizens.

    The Roundtable Conversation feels that Nigerians must begin to address some factors that impact on the productivity of Nigerians. Leadership matters and all those in leadership positions must realize that they all have roles to play in the socio-economic development of the country. Ironically, in a federation like Nigeria, there has been a delusional blame of the center as the problem off Nigeria. There is a flawed conclusion by citizens that the presidency is the cause of all the problems in the country.

    But the Roundtable Conversation  believes that it is high time Nigerians face the realities of their brand of democracy.  The federating units – the states must live up to expectations by practicing real democracy where the people is the center of governance. As it has been since 1999, most governors and their alleged godfathers have been dropping the ball. 

    Nigerian state governors wield too much powers that often make them insensitive to the realities of the citizens.

    According to former Minister of Finance and now the Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in her book, “Fighting Corruption is Dangerous”, governors in Nigeria must be held accountable for economic progress to be made not just in their states but aggregately on the nation generally. She detailed her experiences with the governors who under the auspices of the amorphous “Governors Forum” pushed for certain policies that made the country poorer and less economically stable.

    Read Also; Our economy ‘ll roar back to glory in coming months – Tinubu

    Dr. Okonjo-Iweala tried to bring accountability to the states’ financial space by publishing federal allocations for the people to take note of and monitor the usage of funds by state governments. She pushed for the Sovereign Wealth Fund Sanvings which to her as a development economist would be beneficial to the economy. The governors under their “Governors Forum” pressure group, opposed all accountability routes and did all in their powers to sabotage the economic initiatives of the federal government .

    This is just a tip of how state governors can be very irrational. Most of them behave like emperors and this is costing the country huge development deficits. Nigerian governors are so politically influential that they often hold presidents to ransom. The often determine who gets elected to the state and national assemblies as they often influence the delegate selection and other political nuances of the electoral process that are in contradiction of democratic tenets.

    It is intriguing how the Nigerian governors since 1999 are often the ones that determine their successors in office. In most cases, this gives rise to the chaotic succession plans that often pitch governors against their deputies or actual successors.  The Rivers state former governor Nyesom Wike and present governor Simi Fubara is a case in point. Nigeria forgets too quickly that Rivers is the one of the goose that lays the golden egg. The implications of their quarrels are dire not just for the Rivers people but for Nigeria.

    In Abia state, we saw the discord between now Senators Orji Uzor Kalu and his former deputy, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. A former governor Orji Uzor Kalu was able to allegedly install a successor who was actually behind bars at the time of the election, former governor Theodore Orji who later became a senator.  In Enugu state,  the political struggle between former governor Chimaroke Nnamani and his alleged godfather former governor Jim Nwobodo almost broke the state. It was their clash that invariably gave birth to the political group of ‘Ebeano’ that was alleged to have chastised the people of the state.

    In Ondo state, late governor Rotimi Akeredolu was at daggers-drawn with his deputy, now governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa before his tragic death. In Edo state, the deputy governor, Philip Shuaibu has recently been impeached. He has been in a long running battle of supremacy with governor Godwin Obaseki. In fact there is a long list of deputy governors across the country that have been removed since 1999; Sani Abubakar Danladi in Taraba, Iyiola Omisore in Osun, Simon Achuba in Kogi, late Garba Gadi in Bauchi, Madi Aliu Gusau in Zamfara, Chris Ekpeyong in Akwa ibom and many others. Many blame the lack of constitutionally defined roles for governors for all the shenanigans.

    It is important to recall the political odyssey of deputy governors since 1999 because Nigerians have never take into account the impact of the distractions of power play in state politics that distracts governors from doing the work of governance and improving the lives of the people. The loss of focus and the political intrigues that governors are involved in are paid for by Nigerian tax payers and valuable time is spent chasing shadows rather than giving Nigerians the dividends of democracy.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke with  Dr. Boniface Chizea, a renowned economist, retired banker and management consultant who is a regular contributor to national and global economic and development issues. We wanted to find out the impact of the lack of the practice of real systemic democracy and accountability by state governors in Nigeria.

    Dr. Chizea said that as an economist, he has always drawn attention to the systemic lapses in the country where the people spend months debating the national budget but the states appear silent on their own budgets beyond the perfunctory budget presentations in the houses of assembly even when we know as a nation that most of the houses of assembly members across the states are often mere appendages to governors. So more often than not, the needed scrutiny of state budgets never happens.  To him, the idea of state capture as we know it is given full verve in Nigerian states by the governors. They amost seem to be above the law.

    If the country is going to work, all hands must be on deck and that includes state economies. We have to review our electoral processes in ways that productivity of governors and other elected people impact on their electoral participations.  In the states for instances, how do the governors handle federal  allocations? What is the real accountability process for states that are invariably closer to the people? If we are talking about state police for internal security and all those localized policies, it is because the states are the ones closer to the people through the local governments.

    Some of the state governors have not shown fiscal responsibility in line with the Act and other economic realities. A situation where some of the governors feel free to accumulate debts even from abroad should be unacceptable. Most do so without due diligence from the state assemblies. Who guarantees the debts, the federal governments or who? There would always be debt overhang and that impedes development. There must be proper systemic accountability processes.

    The recent Senegalese election  should be a lesson for Nigeria’s electoral process. The people voted in President Bassirou Faye after the Constitutional Court overruled the former President who wanted to manipulate the election dates. It is instructive to note how the former President  Macky Sall immediately went into self-exile after the inauguration of President Faye. He possibly anticipated a call to accountability and quickly left the country. He understands that the people had spoken. This is possibly why Senegal has had the most stable democracy in Africa with no military coups. They might not be where they are supposed to be developmentally but they have made electoral democracy a viable option.

    The recent complaints from the Zamfara state Commissioner for Budget and Economic planning  Mr. Abdulmalik  Gajam who in an interview alleged that the past cases of banditry and series of kidnappings in Zamfara had the imprints of past governments in the state raises questions. He further alleged that the previous    governments possibly took  advantage of the people to misappropriate funds  while claiming to be negotiating with bandits.  

    Recently in a Town Hall Meeting, the governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani told the citizens that he inherited a huge debt portfolio from former governor Nasir El-Rufai; $587million, N85billion and 115 contractual liabilities.  The questions in these two states should be, where were the state houses of assembly?  What oversight functions did the House Committees perform during the leadership of both governors in the two states of Zamfara and Kaduna? These two states are mere metaphors for most of other states.

    As an economist, Dr. Chizea believes that fundamentally, there can only be no progress until votes begin to count and the people would be at the barricades. Until Nigeria’s electoral processes improve and money does not guarantee nominations and (s)elections, nothing will change. No development can happen if there is no rule of law, no systemic order that can create wealth for everyone. The insecurity in the country is a direct fallout of poverty and want. How can a country develop with no planning, no functional system that hold leaders especially state governors accountable? Questions…

    The dialogue continues…

  • Air Peace and the Isi Agu imagery

    Air Peace and the Isi Agu imagery

    The management of Air Peace recently conducted its inaugural flight to London Gatwick airport in what seems a successful end to years of negotiations for the Nigerian privately owned airline to break into aviation’s most profitable route. Ironically, Nigerian passengers have been sustaining the other foreign airlines like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, KLM etc. sometimes at very high costs in comparative terms.

    The aviation industry is a trillion dollar industry globally. Beyond just ticket sales, ancillary investment  earns countries and private investors billions of dollars annually. Duty free shops, local culture, fashion, transportation, culinary services, hospitality and tourism industries are all built around aviation. So in the real sense, it is not just about ticket sales, the industry is multifaceted and a huge employer of labour and a great foreign exchange earner.

    The fact that Air Peace got the approval to ply that route has changed the dynamics in the industry. Before their entrance, the foreign airlines were charging between 13-15 million and 3-5million naira for business and economy classes respectively. Within days of the announcement of a 4million and 12million naira fares  for business and economy class tickets to London, the other airlines crashed their own fares by more than half.

    Beyond the airfares, Air Peace also announced an additional 15% rebate for Nigerian students abroad who can now take advantage of low fares to come and join their families during holidays. This had been hitherto a huge challenge for most parents due to the depreciation of the local currency, the naira.  Many parents are ecstatic and thankful for the offer. Nigerian students’ enjoyment of student rebate sadly ended with the now defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways.

    Most people are glad therefore that a private airline has offered such a relief to Nigerian students studying abroad who wish to travel home to reunite with their families. This is also a reminder of the magnanimity of the management of Air peace that has been consistent in bailing out Nigerians across the world from the start of the Russia-Ukrainian war, Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, encouraging the Super Eagles during the last AFCON,  Covid-19 lockdown to the war in Sudan. The airline’s management has always shown great patriotic spirit.

    However, the Roundtable Conversation finds it strange that despite the milestone achievement and the value that the airline has been adding to the aviation sector and the employment the airline has added to the country’s labour market, the Isi agu clothing associated with the Air Peace’s Chairman and CEO Allen Onyema’s ethnic lineage became an issue and has been trending on the social media.

    Some Nigerians have accused him of regionally dressing the crew members in the Isi agu cloth as a sign of his ethnic jingoism.

    The world is now a global village so the viral discussions, social media vitriol after the inaugural London flight in a way tends to  expose the level of ignorance and lack of emotional  intelligence of those who feel that engaging in such a distractive discussion is worth anything at all.

    However, the people that are pushing the warped narrative about the crew’s attire are victims of a socio-political environment that empowers the mindset of most Nigerians along tribal and religious lines. Truly the politicians are to blame.

    This is exactly why the Roundtable Conversation insists that we as a country must address certain anomalies in our body politic that have continued to impede development. The conversation must transcend the political platforms. There is a dire need for national re-orientation and a recreation of the sociology of politics and politicking in Nigeria.

    We must seize certain opportunities to address that which ails our nation.

    The Roundtable Conversation spoke with Dr. Omoniyi Ibeitan, head Media Relations Managements of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), a scholar  and a frequent flier who in his bid to contribute to the African aviation development deliberately always chose to fly Rwanda Air from South Africa to London as a student in South Africa. To him, the success of Air Peace on the London route ought to be celebrated by Africans even beyond Nigeria. It is an African success story and the economic benefit is unquantifiable.

    According to him, first and foremost, it is a thing of joy that Air Peace, a Nigerian brand is flying to London and Nigerians flying public now have options rather than being left the only option of flying other foreign airlines on that route. It takes away some foreign exchange from our economy to continue to fly only foreign airlines.

    Air Peace to him is a proudly Nigerian brand that is complying to the government plea to the private sector to create jobs for the teaming unemployed youths in the country. What has happened is a credit to Nigeria. Their Gatwick destination is a non-issue as Rwanda Air also flies into Gatwick and they are doing well. Every Nigerian should be enthusiastic that the Nigerian Flag carrier is expanding its operation to London which provides more jobs for Nigerians.

    Read Also: Triumph of Air Peace

    Dr. Ibeitan insists that he is too excited with the choice of clothing for the crew. To him, as a communications scholar, the Isi agu attire for the crew by his reckoning is a masterpiece, it promotes an aspect of the Nigerian culture given that Nigeria is a multicultural society . It brands the organization in a more distinct and artistic manner. It is a beautiful imagery out there. Isi Agu particularly itself speaks to something that is profoundly evocative. It does not matter which aspect of the Nigerian culture it projects,  it is ceremonial.

    The idea of even getting the route is entrepreneurial and historical which is is associated with Isi agu so that imagery in communicating a brand essence is not something anyone should be discussing in the negative. It is an achievement every Nigeria should celebrate and no one should undermine the milestone and contribution of Air Peace to the aviation sector at national, continental and global levels.

    We equally sought the opinion of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, another frequent flier on the international routes, a lawyer, an entrepreneur and  Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. She too like Dr. Omoniyi is over-excited about the achievement of the management of Air Peace especially in expanding their operations to London.

     To Amb. Bianca, if Nigerians are complaining about insecurity fueled by poverty and unemployment, any private sector investment that creates even a single job is an addition and must be applauded. In the case of Air Peace, they have created thousands of jobs and the value chain is huge so the applause ought to even be louder.

    The global aviation market is one that is a great part of diplomacy, trade and politics so it’s a huge step into pushing Nigeria deeper into more economically profitable multilateral engagements. As a player who has been over a decade in the business, the London route at this time of economic distress can help Nigeria earn and conserve and the much needed foreign exchange.

    To Bianca, the distraction being caused by the argument over the crew attire, the popular Isi agu design is just a storm in a tea cup. No one should dissipate energy diverting attention to that. Aviation is about tourism, entertainment, fashion, culture and hospitality amongst others. The Isi agu cloth is a cultural brand that speaks to who we are and the deeper essence of our culture and it does not really matter which region it comes from, Air Peace is flying the Nigerian flag carrier, period.

    As Nigeria’s Permanent  Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, any aspect of Nigerian culture and tradition being projected to the global community speaks to a deeper essence of our being as a people without the divisive rhetoric of those who only see negativity in our differences.  So really, we should and must avert our energy to the value an Air Peace brings to the Nigerian travelling public and the impact of the chairman, Allen Onyema’s vision and his efforts at putting Nigeria more on the world trade and tourism map.

    Each Nigerian carries a Nigerian passport and at all international destinations,  that is the identity we all carry. We are not identified by our ethnicities or languages that is more than 350, but any piece of the culture of each of the ethnic groups projected to the world becomes a Nigerian art piece in its totality so it is all a plus for everyone.

    We all should be excited that we now have our flag carrier  that is adding value to our lives through creation of employment and other value added services. The testimonies from passengers on the flight is so heartwarming as they talked about the excellent customer service and the Nigerian dishes and drinks served during the flight. All the culinary delights go to tell us how many jobs have been created for our people across the country. We can only wish the airline and its management success and future foray into more destinations across the world.

    Dr, Omoniyi and Amb. Bianca  each feel that it is time for Nigeria to shed the excess mental luggage that does not contribute to development and see the beauty and progress that always emerge from better managed multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nations across the world. The United States is a country of immigrants but the constituent ethnic nationalities have been able to unite and build a united nation bound by the constitution. Nigeria can take a cue and build a more united and prosperous nation for generation to come.

    • The dialogue continues…
  • Herbert Wigwe: Tributes, paradoxes and revelations

    Herbert Wigwe: Tributes, paradoxes and revelations

    In the literary world, the greatest dirge ever written has to be that of Mark-Anthony in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar.  The power of figures of speech was evident in the funeral speech of Marc Anthony as he stirred the people to mutiny through the powerful and effective use of words. The irony was that the conspirators that killed Julius Ceasar had warned him not to indict them in his speech. His effective use of sarcasm, metaphors, personifications and repetitions stirred the crowd and helped him emotionally connect to the people so powerfully that the conspirators were run out of town.

    It is therefore on record that in death in most cultures around the world, the living pay tributes to the dead through poetry, prose, music and dance. The intensity of any of the chosen art forms is determined by the status of the dead. As Shakespeare again wrote, “When beggars die, there are no comets seen, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”.

    This Shakespearean idiom was in full display as the family, friends, workers, business partners, colleagues and staff of Access Holdings and other companies the late Herbert  Wigwe had interests in pulled all stops to honour his memory, that of his wife Chizoba and their son Chizi’s in an almost week-long funeral obsequies.  Very few tragedies come close to the loss of three members of the same family in such a tragic circumstance. Herbert was well known in the financial circles due to his work ethic and patriotism.

    And so the tributes poured in from across the globe and many were held spellbound by the depth of his friendships, love, kindness, generosity, financial acumen, diversity and as many noted, fearlessness. However, the tributes formed a bouquet and have been as inspiring as it has been awesome. The Roundtable Conversation cannot remember any Nigeria that has been mourned with such intensity and whose influence and humanity was so borderless they expose the deepest hypocrisies of most of the Nigerian political class.

    Nigeria last year emerged from one of the most polarized elections in the country’s history. In Lagos state especially, there were instances of bigotry seemingly fueled or tolerated by politicians. Some tribal sentiments were easily whipped up and manipulated for electoral victories. Some people were stigmatized for their ancestry which of course stems from lack of wisdom as no human chooses where or who to be born by or what tribe to come from. There were exclusions, beatings and killings due to ethnic bigotry. Some voters were even prevented from voting for their preferred candidates in certain areas of the country.

    Even in some states like the South East, things as seemingly insignificant as geographic sub-communities like Enugu East Vs Enugu North were weaponized and have always been weaponized by politicians.  In states like Imo and Anambra, innocuous issues like Christian denominations of Catholicism and Anglican are manipulated by politicians to divide voters and set them against each other for the benefit of politicians.

    In the Northern part of the country that is predominantly of the Islamic faith, there is often a manipulation based on the religious sects. So sometimes, there are skirmishes between Sunnis and Shiites that in some ways, it baffles the world. In the Middle belt, there are issues between so called indigenes and settlers. The present bloodbaths in Jos has a long history traceable to socio-political manipulations by politicians. In the South South,  the struggle for the control of oil wealth pits the minority tribes against each other with some political colorations.

    And so, a Herbert Wigwe from the diverse tributes seems to hold a mirror even from his grave to each Nigerian of any tribe, religion, gender or even status. What value do you bring to humanity? What value do you bring to your professional and private lives? Wigwe is from the Igbo speaking area of Rivers state. He was born in Lagos island maternity and in governor  Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s tribute, he said that having been born in Lagos island, if there was a system of granting citizenship, a Wigwe would have been granted the citizenship of Lagos. In his words; 

    “Herbert was my friend, my brother, my adviser. He told me, we believe in you, we trust you, go ahead and change the face of Lagos, that’s my brother Herbert Wigwe…Herbert was one of the very first people that supported my ambition generously. We are all one big family now, Herbert has indeed transcended beyond borders, completely detribalized having the Nigerian story in his heart…we will cherish what he stood for, what he believed in and Lagos will not forget Herbert Wigwe”. He recounted their long friendship that preceded their individual successes in banking or politics.

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       Another remarkable tribute was that of the 14th Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.  Wigwe’s death seemingly brought out the human in him. Decked in his royal regalia, he was overpowered by emotions as he delivered his very heartfelt tribute. Again, a dead Herbert holds a mirror of our shared humanity to us. Corporate positions, political offices, tribes, religion, royalty, peasant, gender and all other ‘manufactured differences’ seemingly disappear when our/others’ humanity comes first.

    The tears of the former Emir came from a deep sense of grief from losing a very dear friend turned ‘brother’ who was there at his highest and  lowest. He recounted how over the years they had become family. It was not a predatory relationship. It was a mutually beneficial relationship beyond the corporate financial world. He recounted his admiration for the professionalism of Herbert and his business partner, Aigboje Aig-imoukhuede who have shown capacity and leadership from their days as mangers at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) till now.

    Emir Sanusi put value to a friendship that defied religion, region and tribe. The story of how Herbert and Aig-Imoukhede his closest friend showed friendship after he was deposed as Emir of Kano in 2020 by then governor Abdullahi  Umar Ganduje. Herbert  and his partner had displayed real friendship by rehabilitating the family in Lagos and provided the emotional support money cannot buy to both him and his children. The bond of family was so deep that his expectations were that he would likely die before Herbert being his senior in age. He was hoping that his kindness has shown him that his children in the event of his passing would be taken care of.

    Some people might erroneously assume that the kindness shown to the former Emir was based on corporate reciprocity but the diverse tributes from even beyond Nigeria shows the human and humane angles of the late Wigwe. There are still people who do not appreciate friendship no matter how much they had benefitted from others. Politicians easily forget the voters once elections are won and lost. They merely come back during the next election.

    The Roundtable Conversation feels that tragic as death is always inspite of the status of the dead, it brings our mortality closer and should make us more introspective. Primarily, Wigwe is of Igbo ancestry despite the political boundaries of state creation.  But moving tributes came from more people from other parts of Nigeria and even outside than anywhere else. The  stories of his interactions and love for family and friends where all similar.

    His humanity shone through. His humility and empathy ran through most of the tributes. It’s quite ironic that while most people knew him for his professional banking accomplishments, his death even endeared him to more people because he was not advertising his accomplishments, his actions of love spoke for him. His behavior again gives credit to his aged parents. His father, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe was popular for his sterling public service at the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

    Most public officers in Nigeria especially politicians tend to have dysfunctional families because of the lack of personal values of most parents who often feel that material provisions are all children need in the 21st century.  Herbert himself has demonstrated that he is a chip of the old block. His admirable family orientation prepared him to become a good son, brother, husband and father. The testimonies of almost everyone included how dutiful he was as a son, husband and father.

    It was not therefore surprising that he succeeded both professionally and in his private life. He showed exceptional sense of leadership that most public office holders lack, reason why poor leadership is the bane of Nigeria’s development.  He equipped himself for all the tasks he accomplished academically and otherwise. On the contrary, most people just waggle through their ways and leave a trail of incompetence and inertia behind.

    The Roundtable dedicates this page to the memory of Herbert Wigwe and his wife, Chizoba and son Chizzy. Their tragic deaths should leave us the living with eternal lessons about the choices we make in our little corners. It is not just about Herbert’s humanity, that of others shone through too, he had loyal and loving family, friends, partners, colleagues and subordinates and it is uplifting to see that most of these people were very humane, loyal and loving as well.

    The tributes from all classes of people remind us of our own humanity, no office or position imbues anyone with certain values like empathy, charity, love and patriotism, it is the individual who makes choices and impacts on their world starting from family to community and nation. Wigwe’s love for humanity and  education inspired his philanthropy and the establishment of the Wigwe University, a project many of his friends and family have vowed to see to fruition. It is a legacy that remains his epitaph.

    The Roundtable hopes Nigerians especially  politicians, many of who were at the various Nights of Tributes would have a change of heart and understand that at the end of life, the only thing that stands in your name are the actions that positively impacted humanity not your tribe of religion.

    May the dead find peace and their families and friends, comfort. Adieu.

    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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    ●The dialogue Continues…

  • AFCON 2024, Nigeria and the untold African stories

    AFCON 2024, Nigeria and the untold African stories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    ● The dialogue continues. ..