The Nation Newspaper

Category: Lekan Otufodunrin

  • I’m a journalist, Lagos is my success story 

    When I shared the above headline on my Facebook timeline last Sunday, my intention was to acknowledge the fact that Lagos is indeed my own success story too like many others whose pictures are all over the state for their accomplishments in the last fifty years since its creation.

    As a former federal capital city and still the economic capital of the country, not many of the not- too-young successful Nigerians can tell their story without mentioning Lagos as either part, or the main location, of their career or business.

    For obvious reasons, the state government could not have had every top Lagosian on the celebration board, but some others could have been featured. There were too many ‘celebrities’ projected as the ‘face of Lagos’ instead of a number of others who have contributed immensely to various sectors of the state.

    Notwithstanding who is on the list or not, the 50th anniversary offers anyone who cares, to tell their Lagos story.

    With over 26 years of being a journalist in Lagos out of over 30 years of practice during which I was an intern at the defunct Concord newspapers, worked in The Punch, defunct National Interest, Financial Standard, New Age and currently The Nation newspapers, Lagos is undoubtedly my success story.

    While working in the media houses, I climbed the ladder from being a Reporter, Correspondent, Assistant News Editor, Group News Editor, Group Political Editor, City Editor, Sunday Editor and now Managing Editor, Online and Special Publications.

    In the various editorial positions, I reported and edited stories that have impacted lives and influenced policies. I have expressed my views to hold the government accountable and promote best practices in all sectors.

    With over 30 media awards and still counting, international fellowships, advocating for Media Career Development and faith-based journalism, Lagos has been good to me in many ways I can’t recall.

    On some trips outside the country, many colleagues are usually excited to know that I am a Lagos-based journalist. They have read a lot about the small city that has more population than their countries.

    I drove some colleagues from Ghana, Cameroun and Liberia across the Third Mainland Bridge and they were simply overwhelmed. Everything about Lagos and Nigeria is usually ‘mega’, said one of them.

    Another group of colleagues from Kenya and South Africa eagerly looked forward to visiting Lagos but were disallowed the opportunity of fulfilling their Lagos dream by denial of visa.

    Though from Ogun State and born in Ijebu Ode, I grew up in the notorious Ajegunle city with my parents and attended Ajeromi Public School. Interestingly, my interest in journalism dates back to Ajegunle when I started reading newspapers I bought from the newsstands for my father.

    Though I initially worked in Contractor Magazine in Ojuelegba after my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme for some months, my first main journalism job was based on the story I wrote from the Apapa residence of late elder statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    While still waiting to see the editor of The Punch, Alhaji Nojeem Jimoh, I took the initiative of going to cover the condolence visits in Awolowo’s house based on my internship experience. That was all I needed to do to convince the editor that I was ready for a career in journalism which has lasted this long in Eko, Lagos.

  • The power of influence 

    One of my annual professional development rituals is reading TIME Magazine’s ‘The 100 Most Influential People’ edition. Since I first read an edition of the special publication some years ago, I have found the compilation a must read, not only for the elegant and succinct writing style, but for inspiration and understanding of why successful and influential people are what they are.

    Writers of the short pieces on each of the hundred featured persons are always able to capture the essence of who they are writing on and as stated in the editor’s note for this year, explore the “intersection of accomplishment and renown.” Apart from top global personalities like presidents, CEOs, and celebrities, this year’s edition covers others of less fame but great force, in the power of their inventions, the scale of their ambitions and the genius of their solutions to problems that no one before them could solve.

    As I read through this year edition, I was as usual smitten by attributes of those featured and recommend them as role models for anyone who desires to impact the world.

    Singer, songwriters, actor and activist, said to be a champion against stigma, Demi Lavoto, captures the essence of living with her famous quote “there is no point living life unless you make history, and the best way to make history is to help others”.

    Lavoto’s question should challenge us all. Who are you helping? What impact are you seeking to make in your family and community? What will we all be remembered for?

    Barbara Lynch who grew up in the poorest neighbourhood in Boston decided to enter one of the most male-dominated fields in the world by becoming a top chef. Today, she has seven restaurants, four awards and a memoir. Her secrets: She gets things done even when they seem impossible. She creates opportunities for herself even when they seem not to exist.

    Where there is a will, there is always a way. Daring challenges abound in our quest for success but if you are like Lynch, nothing will be impossible for you to accomplish.

    What makes British Prime Minister Theresa May tick? What’s her staying power in the arduous task of being Brexit boss? Bill English, Prime Minister of New Zealand, offers an insight on what stuff May is made of.

    ”She has will and she has clarity. She has met the deepest demand of leadership: to provide direction and reassurance in a time of upheaval and confusion.”

    In Nigeria, we are clearly at a stage in our political history and there is no better time for us to have a leader who knows what to do to get us out of our present worrisome political and economic situation.

    Donald Glover who started as a staff writer and has grown to become a modern maestro, according to Tina Fey, embodies his generation’s belief that people can be whatever they want and change whatever they want and change what it is they want at any time.

    “When you’re tired of starring in a network comedy, take a break to pursue your rap career for a Grammy nomination. When you’ve learned all you can from acting in other people’s movies, sit down and create your own piece of art,” Fay wrote to illustrate how Glover has moved from contributing jokes to creating a series that has won 10 plus major awards.

    Though no Nigerian made the TIME list, we have many accomplished persons who can be described as influential based on their accomplishments. Like TIME has done, it is left for Nigerian publications to identify and celebrate them.

    Instead of celebrating people of questionable characters, who are always willing to pay for awards, we must make it a point to showcase hard working Nigerians as role models.

  • #clinic checkup: Hospital Update 2 

    • Continued from last week

    You come to the hospital sick and you are sick and tired of the hassles you are subjected to 

    You had better not be if you can’t afford to pay the exorbitant fees in private hospital or the kind of treatment you require are only available in teaching hospitals where you will still be referred to when the private ones can’t handle your case.

    Get used to whatever hassles you have to go through, including being asked to stand up from where you are sitting for other patients, for whatever reason.

    If you arrive the hospital at 7am and are still not sure when you will see the doctor at 9.38am, learn to be a patient patient!

    Patients waiting to see consultants since 6.30am.Consultantsattending meeting as at 9.58am. Please wait consultants will see you soon

    Divine healing is your best bet when you have to wait forever to see a doctor on your clinic day.

    Nurse: The doctor will soon see you, just make yourself comfortable.

    Patient: I came for treatment, not comfort.

    When you are not the president, you have to learn to wait for hours to see your doctor in Nigeria, not in London.

    God heals, doctors care. If only they can care enough 

    Thank God for doctors who care as much as they should, even if they have to tolerate some the patients. A sick man or woman deserves as much care as he or she can get, not lack of enough attention from doctors who are absent minded or prefer to fiddle with their gadgets and claim to be listening to patients.

    Gastro, neuro keep the medical terms to yourself; what we want is consultation, treatment.

    You need to be sure which clinic you are supposed to attend to get the right treatment. But who do you blame when patients for two departments sit together amidst confusion of which doctor is available and which one is not?

    After getting confused about the whole arrangement, being asked questions like, are you for Gastro or Neuro?can get on your nerve.

    “I don’t know which is which,” an angry patient replies. “I just need to see the doctor please.”

    Kudos to doctors and other health workers who have to make do with limited facilities and crowd of patients.

    If only doctors and other hospital staff have enough facilities to work with, but that is obviously not the case. First, there is not enough staff to attend to the crowd of patients, then the facilities are overstretched.

    Who is to blame? Definitely not the doctors and other staff all the time. Many of them are miracle workers, given the condition under which they work.

    God help you when you have to see a doctor who obviously needs treatment for stress.

    Despite all they know about being healthy, doctors are still human beings like every other person. Apart from the hectic schedule they have to cope with, they have personal issues that make some of them look stressed up and sometimes not in a good state of mind to attend to a patient who needs all the attention he or she can get from a doctor.

    Stress or no stress, the doctor is still supposed to be in charge and recommend what you should do about your health. Don’t worry about him or her, just pray that his diagnosis is not stress- induced.

    Hurray, finally you get to see the doctor after three hours, but he can’t attend to you as he should. No past case file …#cliniccheckup

  • #clinic checkup: Hospital Update 

    Last Thursday was yet another clinic day for me at a foremost teaching hospital almost one and half years after I was admitted for two weeks and discharged.

    I am grateful to God for sparing my life and the medical personnel for the care and treatment during my stay and after. While waiting to see the doctor last Thursday, I had to resort to tweeting what was happening around me to reflect the reality of the state of healthcare in the country.

    Below are some of my tweets with the hashtag #Cliniccheckup and additional comments on my thoughts.

    Thank God for every moment of good health

    If you usually have cause to visit the hospital like I do for checkups, one cannot but thank God for every moment of being in good health. Waiting to see the doctor in the crowded hall, the state of health of young and old, female and male patients around let you know that whatever health challenge you have, your case is still better than many others.

    You walked in yourself unlike some who came in wheel chairs, some had to be held as they managed to move gently with pains written all over their faces.

    When you can walk on your two legs unaided, you really have to thank God.

    Thank God for correct diagnosis when your case file cannot be found 

    Case files are supposed to contain your medical records. When your case file can’t be found on clinic day, how is the doctor supposed to attend to you, especially if he or she is not the one who has been seeing you?

    You are given a temporary file that has only your name and no history of what you have been treated for in the past. The helpless doctor asks you what you know about your case, what drug you have been taking, what tests you have done.

    How are you feeling now? Any complaints?The doctor scribbles his or her verdict!

    Top rated hospital, archaic record keeping system, regular missing case files.

    To ensure whichever doctor sees you has your case note, keep photocopy of your case notes. Heaven helps those who help themselves.

    Waiting to see doctor on your clinic day, no seat to sit down. The Lord is your strength

    No matter how sick you are, you need to be strong enoughif you have no choice but to be a patient in a government hospital. At peak periods, the seats are not enough for all patients. Except you arrive early enough, you can’t be too sure of getting a seat.

    Even if you get a seat and stand up to go to the toilet or anywhere before it’s your turn to see the doctor, you have to take the place of those who have been standing while you were sitting.

    If you are too weak to stand like some patients complain and there is no seat in the hospital, do you want the nurses to turn themselves to a seat for you? The Lord is your strength.

    You come to the hospital sick and you are sick and tired of the hassles you are subjected to 

    You had better not be if you can’t afford to pay the exorbitant fees in private hospital or the kind of treatment you require are only available in teaching hospitals where you will still be referred to when the private ones can’t handle your case.

    Get used to whatever hassles you have to go through, including being asked to stand up from where you are sitting for other patients, for whatever reason.

    If you arrive the hospital at 7am and are still not sure when you will see the doctor at 9.38am, learn to be a patient patient!

    Patients waiting to see consultants since 6.30am.Consultantsattending meeting as at 9.58am. Please wait consultants will see you soon

    Divine healing is your best bet when you have to wait forever to see a doctor on your clinic day.

    Nurse: The doctor will soon see you, just make yourself comfortable.

  • Press freedom in the age of social media

    Nigeria is a signatory to the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).  The two bodies’ declaration states that: “Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference; ii. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

    However, as noble and commendable as this provision is, it is important that social media must be used within the ambit of the law. No doubt, some have used the online media to the extreme by violating people’s rights in one way or the other. This is the reason why professional media organizations and other relevant groups must rise to the occasion by ensuring that the sanctity of the media profession and information sharing process is maintained and honoured by all and sundry.

    It is possible to use the social media platforms to create social disorder with false and insensitive posts. It is necessary that these tools are ethically and rightly used. It is unfortunate that some of online, citizen journalists and out rightly mischievous persons have assumed the levity to disseminate information with impunity without giving consideration to the authenticity of the information or the consequences of their actions. While Article II of the French Declaration states categorically that:”The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom” it goes on to warn that citizens “shall be responsible for such abuses of the freedom as shall be defined by law.”

    Alfred Denning, L J, an English lawyer and judge, puts it this way: “Freedom of expression is not freedom of the press or users of the social media to destroy other fundamental rights of individuals like the right to family life and privacy or the national interest of the nation at large. Whilst the press and the users of the social media go about expressing themselves freely, they must be cautious and exercise great restraint not to abuse or violate the rights of other citizens or the laws of the land.”

    Some of the tremendous positive impacts of social media in recent times are that of the #OccupyNigeria in late 2011 and 2012 over the fuel subsidy scandal and the recent #BringBackourGirls (#BBOG) campaign, even the former First Lady of the U.S, Mitchell Obama, played a tremendous support in the campaign. Likewise, the platform was used for raising funds for expensive medical bills via the #SaveCitizen initiatives in 2013. So, various social media platforms were used to educate enlighten and galvanise support in the immediate past 2015 General Election. So, it is undisputable that the online media has somehow impacted positively on the social life and democratised access to information.

    As much as no undue steps should be taken to limit the use of the social media and other media outlets, users should be aware that they will be made to face requisite laws when they misuse the platforms.

    Some of our domestic laws and clauses in the Constitution that put certain restraints on the press freedom should be reviewed with a view to harmonising all the provisions that relate to freedom of expression and a free-press society. Concern bodies and agencies should organise periodical workshop, seminars and symposiums that would enhance the efficiency and transparency of the social media platforms.

    Excerpts from a paper presented on Online Press Freedom in the age of Social Media at a summit on Enhancing Press Freedom organised by Centre for Constitutional Governance.

  • What are you doing to support girls?

    What are you doing to support girls?

    I recently stumbled on an inspiring article online by a young lady about what she is doing to support girls in her community. I was interested in the piece because I have a girl child and know many girls who should be supported to maximise their potential.

    The piece which is reproduced below is a confirmation of the fact that the task of development is not that of the government alone but for everyone to contribute his or her own quota.

    We can blame governments at all levels for not doing one thing or the other, but the question we should ask ourselves is what I am doing to make my community better.

    It doesn’t matter how little your contribution may be, but the aggregation of the efforts of all will go a long way in improving the standard of living of not only girls, but everyone that deserves our support.

    Read on the account by Jennifer Umeh, a social entrepreneur and student empowering girls in rural communities:

    I shouldn’t be shamed for sharing my pains, struggles and life experiences. No girl deserves to be slammed or termed ‘attention-seeking’ or ‘too sensitive’ for sharing her story. Our stories need to be told because in them is the hope for survival for every young woman.

    My life’s journey epitomises, to a great extent, the challenges faced by the African girl child. I have been through most of the issues plaguing young women, from domestic abuse , low self-esteem and everything else in between. Walking young women through their ordeals is a mutual healing process as it helps me as much as it does them.

    While visiting the motherless babies home in my community, I considered it my duty to mentor them, put smiles on their faces and help them make the right life choices. Gradually, this mentoring circle grew to become a house hold name in humanitarian sector.

    Our programmes inspire girls to have an independent voice, confidence and problem-solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers and create social change. To address this, the Hope for African Girls Initiative has a conference for young girls as well as outreach programmes for primary and secondary schools.

    In addition, to debunk the myth that young women are naturally faced with Inferiority Complex, we created a platform for all the volunteers. Here, we come together in an informal setting to discuss issues relevant to girls, share opportunities, advertise and have meaningful debates about girl issues in Africa.

    Our approach is the first of its kind. Our structure includes a board, a committee, and volunteers. Our diversity reveals the implicit beauty of our differences and we are determined to do much more.

    Through our several social media platforms, we invite volunteers to contribute to our planned projects. Most times, our outreach programmes were carried out by the volunteers and our growing membership increases the need to incorporate a wide range of issues facing every young girl. We work closely with other NGOs while monitoring progress through the appropriate authorities.

    I am that strong girl that everyone knew would make it through the worst. I am that fearless girl, the one who would dare to do anything. I am that girl who never backs down.

    I am Jennifer Umeh

    I am bold for change

  • Welcome Buhari, well done Osinbajo

    When Professor Yemi Osinbajo was nominated as running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari, not many thought he fitted the bill.

    Despite his accomplished status of being a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Professor of Law, some analysts felt Osinbajo, whose only involvement in government and politics was serving as Attorney General under former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, would not add much value to the ticket, except for being able to attract votes of some Pentecostal Christians.

    Even after assuming office, his ability as a good technocrat was not apparent to many who regard him as just another spare tyre, like most deputies and vice presidents are labelled.

    However, the extended medical vacation which President Buhari had to take for about 50 days has given Osinbajo the opportunity to prove the real, good stuff he is made of and his capacity as a very competent deputy to his boss.

    Within the period he acted as president, he has left no one in doubt that being an experienced politician is not the only qualification required to run a government, even at the highest level.

    His pronouncements when he acknowledged that the federal government was hearing protesters loud and clear, official visits to the troubled Niger Delta states that are mainly governed by opposition governors and unscheduled visit to the Lagos International Airport are really commendable.

    That the militants in the Niger Delta have been on holiday is not unconnected with the peace moves he has made in the region on behalf of the federal government which has hitherto not been taken seriously about its commitment to appeasing aggrieved people in the area.

    Such were the general impressive performance of Professor Osinbajo that even the opposition parties and even those regarded as ‘wailers’ could not but acknowledge that his style of leadership was different and more accommodating of all, irrespective of political divide.

    To avoid being seen as going out of his way to outshine his boss, Osinbajo and other officials of the Presidency had to issue statements insisting that whatever he was doing was a continuation of the policies of the Buhari administration and not his personal initiative.

    I have no doubt that Osinbajo didn’t set out to prove any point by whatever he did in his boss’  absence, rather the medical vacation was an opportunity for Nigerians to know that the professor is an asset to Buhari’s administration and he should continue to play major roles to attract more needed goodwill for the government.

    It is commendable that President Buhari trusted Osinbajo well enough to hand over to him as Acting President before travelling out, and good enough the vice president exceeded expectations.

    Impressed by Osinbajo’s performance, Buhari has said the vice president with the benefit of youthful energy and intellect has to do more. He really has to do more due to many issues begging for the attention of the federal government.

    Nigerians will need to get used to seeing more of Professor Osinbajo whenever the president is not available to attend to any issue.

    The lesson of Osinbajo being able to effectively hold forth for Buhari is that capable persons should always be chosen as deputies or vice presidents.

    They should be as good as their bosses since there may be need, like when President Buhari had to be away for medical treatment, for them to act in their absence.

    Even when there is no vacuum, deputies should be assigned enough duties to prepare them for any eventuality instead of being sidelined as the case has been in some states.

     

  • Xenophobic ill-wind

    Last Wednesday, a coalition of Niger Delta militants reportedly threatened to blow up major South African companies in Nigeria if the federal government fails to shut them down within a month.

    The threat followed the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and their business premises in South Africa in recent weeks for alleged involvement in criminal activities.

    Before the militant groups issued the threat, the office of the telecommunication firm, MTN, was attacked and looted in Abuja by some protesters with calls by some other groups and individuals for reprisal attacks against South Africa.

    If the South African companies can be doing their businesses here peacefully in Nigeria without any attack from any quarters, the militants and protesters can’t understand while Nigerians in South Africa should be treated otherwise.

    While the anger over the indiscriminate attacks on Nigerians in South Africa as I noted in this column last week is understandable, there is need for caution on the issue to prevent it from degenerating into a messy diplomatic row and economic loss for investors who are obviously not in support of the initial attacks.

    It is bad enough that some persons in South Africa took the law into their hands by attacking Nigerians and their businesses for reasons known to them, but protesters in Nigerian should not make the same mistake by engaging in any reprisal attacks.

    Retaliation will definitely be an ill-wind that will not blow anyone any good.

    Nigeria and South African have come a long way that situations like this should not be allowed to cause unnecessary disagreement. As two major countries on the continent, we both have a lot to benefit from each other by having a cordial relationship in which our citizens should be free to live and do business in accordance with the immigration laws.

    In the spirit of African unity, there should be no basis for any attack either on Nigerians in South Africa, or South Africans in Nigeria.

    Thankfully, the attacks have subsided for now but everything necessary should be done to prevent a recurrence. Since no one has a monopoly of resorting to violence for whatever reasons, no side should do anything to jeopardise the two sides’ mutual interests.

    Blowing up South Africa businesses like MTN, MultiChoice, Shoprite and others in Nigeria will result in losses not only for South Africa, but Nigerians working in the companies and those benefiting from their being in the country.

    In the global economy, no country can afford to shut out investors and other nationals whose contribution to the growth of such country cannot be dismissed.

    While some Nigerians in South Africa may be guilty of some of the accusations against them, it is wrong for every other Nigerian to be regarded as criminals.

    There are many other Nigerians and other nationals in South Africa who are accomplished professionals and businessmen and women.

    The planned visit of Nigerian legislators to South Africa to investigate the xenophobic attacks is a good opportunity to amicably resolve the recurrent attacks once and for all.

    On both sides, there should be frank discussion on factors responsible for the attacks and necessary agreements reached to prevent a recurrence. Instigators of the attacks must not go unpunished to serve as a deterrence to others, while innocent victims should be compensated.

    Reprisal is not a solution in the case and it should never be since we are supposed to be African brothers and sisters.

     

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  • No to xenophobic attacks

    The on-going xenophobic attack on Nigerians in South Africa is very worrisome.

    This is not the first time that Nigerians and other nationals resident in the country will be victims of unprovoked attacks. In 2015, many innocent Nigerians and other foreigners had their hard-earned properties looted and destroyed, while some lost their lives.

    Like in 2015, the renewed attacks started in some communities accusing the affected Nigerians of being illegal immigrants and responsible for rise in crime. Gradually, the attacks are spreading across South Africa and anti-immigrants rallies are being held despite appeals by the Zuma-led government to stem the tide of unjustified hate campaign against foreigners.

    While any or group of South Africans have the right to be aggrieved about the influx of illegal immigrants into their country, thereby causing high crime rates in their communities, if the accusations are really true, it is unjustifiable for them to take the laws into their hands to redress the situation. South Africa which prides itself as one of the giants of the continent is supposed to be a law-abiding country where the rights and privileges of not only indigenes but foreigners should be guaranteed.

    Even for those who violate the laws of the country, they should be subjected to the rule of the law instead of some persons resorting to jungle justice like some South Africans have been doing against Nigerians and other foreigners.

    Like in any country, there are rules and regulations governing entry and stay. Since it is not illegal for Nigerians to live in South Africa, it is wrong for any group of persons to think their (Nigerians’) presence is responsible for whatever problem the country or community is encountering.

    While some Nigerians living in South Africa may be guilty of whatever they have been accused of, the current incident like others cases of assaults on Nigerians is largely a case of giving a dog a bad name to hang it. Crime rates have always been high in South Africa and it will be wrong for South Africans to create the impression that their country will be a better place without foreigners.

    Nigerians and other foreigners, a majority of who are legal residents, have contributed their own quota to the growth South Africa has witnessed before and after the apartheid regime, which it still continues to do in many sectors.

    Just as many Nigerians have made South Africa their abode in pursuit of their various endeavours, South Africans are in Nigeria and in other countries operating various businesses. What the anti-migrant campaigners don’t seem to understand is that they do not have a monopoly of violence.

    South Africans in Nigeria can become victims of angry protests of unjust treatment for foreigners in South Africa.  This kind of ugly situation playing out in Pretoria and in some parts of South Africa is definitely an ill-wind and is not in the best interest of the continent.

    If the pattern of attacks in which shops are looted and properties maliciously destroyed is anything to go by, it is apparent that some criminals are taking advantage of the situation to attack Nigerians for personal reasons best known to them.

    The Nigerian and South African governments must urgently take necessary measures to resolve the crisis once and for all.

  • Between ‘wailers’ and hailers

    In an earlier article in which I wrote about ten lessons from the coverage of the 2015 presidential election, I noted that one of the disturbing trends in the campaign was the disagreement between journalists over who they supported for the presidency.

    Instead of respecting the rights of everyone to support the candidates they preferred for whatever reasons, journalists engaged in bitter exchanges on social media over one another’s choices. They resorted to all kinds of name-calling and abuses, and in some extreme cases, deleted friends and colleagues from their Facebook pages.

    My verdict on the issue then was that while journalists can disagree over their position on any issue, it does not have to degenerate to the level where it is worse than that of politicians who have a way of settling their disagreements.

    To think that many of the major actors in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are today chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a vindication of the belief that politicians are not worth fighting over.

    Simply put, they are all the same notwithstanding whatever name they call the party they belong to.

    I’m forced to return to this issue this week because of the unending battle between the two groups that can be classified as ‘Wailers’ and Hailers. Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, it was who named critics of the federal government ‘wailers’ to their displeasure.

    Long after the election has been won and lost and almost two years into the term of Buhari’s administration, the war of words between the two groups has continued on social media. While many of those who did not support Buhari’s election have continued to fault each of his actions and inactions, his supporters have maintained the “everything Buhari is Okay” attitude.

    Although, there have been some movements across the sharp divide and some neither for or against, the Buhari government has continued to be under fire against the background of the change mantra campaign which critics say has not manifested as much as promised.

    The ‘wailers’ have become so cynical that it is hard for them to acknowledge anything good about Buhari’s administration. They are always quick to fault government policies, however well-intended and can’t wait to be vindicated that they were right in not wanting Buhari elected.

    For the hailers, they have had a lot of fire-fighting to do and can’t understand why the wailers can’t appreciate what Buhari has been able to achieve despite the “mess” he inherited from Jonathan’s government.

    “Buhari’s anti-corruption war has resulted in the recovery of lots of stolen money and despite limited resources available to the government, it has recorded modest achievements in many sectors yet they can’t see anything because they don’t want to give any credit to this government,” a typical hailer would say.

    The beauty of democracy is that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. No matter what side anyone is on in the public discourse, on the performance, of especially, the federal government, what should be paramount is the need for good governance that can guarantee an overall development of the country.

    Simply put, criticism of the government should not be for the sake of fault-finding, while support should not be blind to its shortcomings.