The Nation Newspaper

Category: Thursday

  • Nigeria: God have mercy

    Nigeria: God have mercy

    That there is crisis of instability in Nigeria is not news. In the south, we are afflicted by the militancy in the Niger Delta which in spite of the so called amnesty and payment of bribes to criminals has continued unabated. Foreign and local oil men are still routinely kidnapped and policemen are regularly killed. In spite of the presence of solders, the creeks of the Niger Delta are still not safe for anybody. The South-eastern states seem to have perfected the practice of kidnapping which they borrowed from the Niger Delta. It has become a cottage industry in many parts of the South-east. It is so bad in the South-east that many of their important leaders are fleeing into Lagos and Abuja where there is relative security.

    Unfortunately for them and for us, these kidnappers have followed them particularly to Lagos and the South-west where they are freely operating and recruiting into their ranks the local hoi poloi. Criminal gangs are now operating in Lagos and as far north as Kaduna in this nefarious kidnapping business. We have written so much about Boko Haram that there is nothing new to write again. One only hopes that there will soon be a turnaround in the case of insecurity in the North. But once again, I must confess that I sincerely believe that the cause of insecurity in the North is the pervasive poverty there. This poverty is accentuated by the rampant corruption of political leaders in Nigeria generally and in the North in particular. The cultural practice where rich people feed poor people exposes the transparent inequality in that part of Nigeria. However with education and enlightenment, poor people are beginning to ask questions as to why their commonwealth is not common. In order to overcome the problem of Boko Haram, the federal government, state governments and the local government up North will have to embark on massive creation of jobs, massive infrastructural provision of water and electricity and massive investment in mechanized agriculture. Without this, the problem will remain intractable. What I have suggested for the North must also be done for the whole country if we are trying to prevent rebellion arising from poverty enveloping the whole country.

    The news that distressed me most in recent times is not about Boko Haram, kidnapping or militancy in the Delta while these are serious problems, the one that wins the victor ludorum is the reported baby factory in Umuaka Njaba council area of Imo State. Even though this crime does not seem new in the area, it has now assumed international dimension because it has gone globally viral. The story is that a lady built a huge compound where she harbours about 26 girls ranging from 14years to 25years of age. She locked them up in her compound and apparently lured a young man of 20years old to sleep with the 26 girls until they became pregnant. There must have been an element of coercion and force on the girls to surrender themselves. When these pregnant girls had babies, they were paid N60,000 for male child and N30,000 naira for female child. While the children were then sold by the Madam to her apparently waiting clients, the cycle of getting pregnant will begin all over again as if she was breeding dogs. The closest thing like this that I have come in contact with in my reading was what used to happen in the 17th century on the Caribbean island of Barbuda where the English will take strong black slave men and strong black slave women to breed and produce what they thought will be strong children particularly male to use as black overseers of plantation slaves. What was regarded as a crime against humanity is happening before our very own eyes in Imo state of Nigeria.

    This story dehumanizes us and reduces our humanity as far as I am concerned and makes us a laughing stock in the international community. It is as bad as when some people kill hunch backs and albinos for money rituals in some parts of Africa. This case should be taken with utmost seriousness and the leaders of the community where it happened should be asked to say something about this abomination before it spreads to other parts of Nigeria. There is evidence of official collusion by Imo state’s Ministry of Women and Child Affairs in this terrible trade.

    It is the same poverty that is the cause of Boko Haram movement that makes young girls victims of kidnapping and induction into baby factories. Obviously the Madam who is in charge of this is not poor because she runs a maternity as well as a pure water making factory in front of the house while the back of the house is the baby factory. This lady should be arrested immediately and an example of her should be made through life sentencing or execution as the case may be. If we do not do this, others will embrace this practice or learn from it in order to build their own baby factory. This should not be left in the hands of police alone. The government of Imo State must say something and do something and the government of other states where this practice may have spread should better watch out. A nation where everything goes, where nothing is too fantastic and unbelievable to happen, is not a good nation. The blood of the innocent has been shed too much on our land and we need to pray to God as a nation to forgive us and we need to cry in unison, God have mercy.

     

  • Boko Haram: Jonathan finally decides

    Boko Haram: Jonathan finally decides

    At long last, President Jonathan has decided to take the bull by the horn. Last week, he declared a state of emergency in Yobe, Adamawa, and Bornu, the three states in north eastern Nigeria in which the insurgents have been most active in recent weeks. The declaration by the President of a state of emergency in those three states was prompted by the vicious and bloody Boko Haram attack on Baga in which over 200 people were reported killed. Fearing a possible backlash from the North President Jonathan had until now been reluctant to accept the advice of his security agencies that a bolder and more decisive military action was now needed. The president had to act swiftly and decisively. He was away in South Africa. He immediately cancelled his planned visit to Namibia and returned home. Finally, the President abandoned all pretences that the insurgents could be prevailed upon to lay down their arms by treating them with kid gloves. It was always clear that more determined and sustained military action against the insurgency was imperative and urgent.

    The fact of the matter is that since it first emerged in 2009 Boko Haram has developed into a sophisticated, better organised; well-armed, and well financed insurgency that poses a grave threat to the security and future of this country. It has both external and internal links and support, and it seeks nothing less than the overthrow of the government and social order in this country. But its support in the country, including the North, is really limited. Whatever goodwill it once had has since been lost by its wanton and bloody attacks on innocent civilians. Nigeria is a multi-religious state that guarantees to its citizens freedom of worship. But the aim of Boko Haram is to Islamise Nigeria by force of arms. This is not acceptable and should be resisted firmly and squarely. It could lead to a religious war and the break up of the country.

    Until now, President Jonathan had been severely criticised for his tepid approach to the violent and dangerous insurgency. His critics say he should have acted promptly long before now by taking stronger military action against the insurgents. That criticism is justified. Now that he has acted by declaring a state of emergency in the Northeast, he deserves the nation’s full support.

    This should not be made a partisan affair. There is a consensus in the nation in favour of stronger military action against the insurgents. The measures taken by the President against the insurgents have the support of the entire country, including Northern leaders all of whom are sick and tired of the Boko Haram carnage in Northern Nigeria. Many of them are targets of the insurgents and now live in fear. As I write this article the Northern Governors are reportedly planning a meeting this week to review the state of emergency declared in the three states in the North. If they seek the return of peace to the region, then they must all support the stronger military measures being introduced by the President. Equally, the National Assembly must pass the necessary enabling bill in support of the declaration of a state of emergency in the three Northern states.

    The state of emergency does not in any legal or constitutional sense affect the position or legitimacy of the governors. Their states have not been taken over by the Federal Government. They remain governors and will continue to perform their functions as governors. State security was never their responsibility but that of the Federal Government. This is a constitutional anomaly that will need to be addressed in future by the creation of state police. The states should have some responsibility for their own security. But for now the Federal Government is fully in charge of security throughout the country. The only real limitation on the governors is the limited curfew imposed on the three states. The governors may not like this, but it is necessary for the restoration of public order and peace in their states. The people of the states need peace to pursue their normal daily activities. The insurgency has crippled economic activities in most parts of the North. It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure that all the citizens of our country enjoy peace and security to pursue their legitimate economic activities.

    There are, of course, internal and external legitimate concerns about the manner in which the security forces carry out their military operations in the three states. Specifically, there is concern that the military operations against the insurgents should comply with the appropriate rules of engagement. This is absolutely necessary if the people of the three states concerned are not to be alienated. The military have to defend themselves. They should be well equipped for this. Far too many of them are being killed by the insurgents. The military must avoid the situation in which military operations to protect the people from the insurgents lead to heavy civilian casualties and their alienation. Even in the state of emergency human rights must continue to be fully respected by the military. The military need to win the hearts and minds of the citizens of the three states. Already, the US and other Western embassies in Nigeria have expressed some concerns about this. The military must not resort to a scorched earth military strategy leading to massive civilian casualties. The military objective is to destroy Boko Haram and not the people, the victims of Boko Haram attacks.

    Despite the dire situation and his stronger military action, President Jonathan must continue to seek peace and an end to the insurgency through dialogue and consultations. Boko Haram has spurned all peace efforts but the Federal Government should not abandon its efforts in this regard. The strategy should continue to be a combination of stick and carrots. Peace will not be achieved overnight. This is going to be a protracted struggle until Boko Haram is finally defeated. The insurgents must and should not prevail. If they do, then that could be the end of Nigeria. Almost certainly, the nation will break up as the other religious and ethnic groups will take up arms to defend themselves.

    Book Haram is the inevitable product of the long period of neglect of the people of the Northern region by their own leaders. It has been spurned by widespread ignorance, poverty, and religious fanaticism. The whole region needs a combination of a political and economic programme that should aim at eliminating past social and economic injustice. Military action alone, though necessary in present circumstances, will not solve the problem of the insurgency. Direct and tangible action should be taken by the Federal Government in concert with the Northern states governors and leaders to tackle the deep seated social and economic grievances more prevalent in the North. Mass education and better job opportunities will reduce whatever attractions Boko Haram may have for the people of the region. The fact of the matter is that the governments at various levels of the country have failed woefully in tackling the mass poverty in our nation. This is breeding ground for malcontents and the source of the increasing violence in the country.

     

  • Winning the terror war

    Winning the terror war

    Since the declaration of a state of emergency in the Northeast states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe last Thursday, a lot of water, as they say, has passed under the bridge. The power equation seems to have changed with the tide turning against the perpetrators of violence. By perpetrators, I mean the Boko Haram elements, who had until the coming of emergency rule turned that part of the country to a killing field.

    The killings have not stopped though, but Boko Haram is no longer having the upper hand. The sect has met its match in the special forces deployed in those states in the wake of emergency rule. Before the declaration of emergency, Boko Haram held sway virtually everywhere in the North, killing, maiming and looting. The sect ran rings round Borno and Yobe states, especially. At the height of its madness, it appeared it was untouchable.

    That was where the sect got it all wrong. Because the government did not want to match force with force then, Boko Haram saw itself as unstoppable and those who could intervene did not help matters with their undue silence. Despite entreaties from the government and many concerned people that they should talk to the sect to let reason prevail, they failed to take up the job. The feeling many had was that they were happy with what Boko Haram was doing.

    This was the political thinking in many quarters, especially in the Southsouth, where President Goodluck Jonathan hails from. It became a we versus them thing. This was the dangerous dimension the Boko Haram insurgency was taken then. The core leadership of the North deigned from lifting a finger to stop the sect, pretending that it didn’t know those behind the group. That was a ruse. The northern leaders, at least, some of them knew the brains behind this deadly group, but for their own safety, they kept a safe distance.

    In choosing self above country, they allowed evil to thrive. Boko Haram is evil, no matter how you look at the matter. The sect never came up to tell the world its grievances it just woke up one day and unleashed terror on the country. Granted that a grave mistake was made in the killing of its leader, Yusuf Muhammed, by security agencies in 2009, but does that make its bombing of churches; invasion of prisons; kidnapping of people and robbing of banks justifiable? Two wrongs, they say, do not make a right. The sect has spoilt a good case by its resort to violence. A man, the law says, cannot be a judge in his own case.

    With what has been happening since the massive deployment of troops in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, Boko Haram now knows that it has no monopoly of violence. The military has not given the sect a breathing space since it entered those states. It has been making things hot for the group. This emergency may turn out to be a blessing at the end of the day. If not for it, we will still be at the sect’s mercy, but now the group is on the run with its tail between its legs. Between last Wednesday and today, it has lost so many of its members and this is just the beginning of the battle. The war is yet to start.

    I am not gloating over the fate of Boko Haram; no far from it. The sect got itself into this bind and it is also the only one that can free itself from it. The best thing for it to do in the present circumstance is to lay down its arms. It is time for Boko Haram to surrender if it does not wish to continue to suffer a loss. There is no way it can take on the military and win. After over four years of being allowed to do whatever it wanted, the party, I am sorry to say, is over for Boko Haram. Let it lay down its arms now so that the nation can begin the grim task of rebuilding all the states, particularly Borno, which it destroyed in its madness.

     

    The rice cartel

    Despite all efforts to curb it, rice smuggling is still thriving. It is thriving because those in the business have devised ways of passing through our porous land borders. And then, they enjoy the support and cooperation of the border guards, that is the Customs and Immigration. Let’s face it, if these paramilitary agencies are up and doing, rice smugglers would have been run out of business by now.

    But because they benefit from this illicit trade, they have shut their eyes to what the smugglers are doing. Unfortunately, the country is at the receiving end. We are losing a lot of revenue, which could have helped in the growth of our gross domestic product (GDP), to rice smuggling. Today, the country, according to reports, is losing about N9.7billion monthly to this illegal business. The amount is the cost of 80,000 metric tonnes (MTS) or 1.6 million bags of rice smuggled into the country. This means that in a year, the country loses N116.4billion just on rice smuggled into the country through Benin Republic.

    The smugglers make use of different routes to bring in the commodity. In the North, they are said to come in from Niger and Cameroon through the Maradi and Zinder borders. In the Southwest, they come in through Seme, Ajilete and Shaki from the Benin axis. These routes are also used to smuggle cars. The ban on rice has been rendered meaningless by this thriving illegal trade. How can the government achieve its plan for the country to be self-sufficient in rice production by 2015 when its efforts are being thwarted by these heartless smugglers?

    These smugglers do not have the love of their country at heart. If they do, they will not engage in activities that will rob the country of revenue that can boost the GDP. They have by their actions turned themselves to economic saboteurs and they should be so treated when caught. No country folds its arms and watches when unscrupulous people come together under the guise of doing business to rob it of revenue. If we really mean to diversify our mono-economy so that we will no longer rely only on oil as a major revenue earner everything must be done to stop these smugglers before they destroy the economy.

    If they are genuine businessmen, they will not evade the payment of the 110 percent duty on the commodity. A few weeks ago, a vessel carrying 22,750 MTS of rice was said to have moved to Cotonou, Benin Republic, to offload in order to evade the payment of N2.6billion duty on the commodity. Why did the importer do that when Beninois do not consume long grain parboiled rice as we do in Nigeria? He did it to evade payment of the N2.6billion duty since he knew he could use a fraction of the sum to bribe Customs and Immigration and also pay some smugglers to get the commodity in through the borders.

    If things continue like this, Nigeria will continue to be the loser, while smugglers will be smiling to the bank. Government should move fast to stop this illicit trade before much damage is done to the economy.

     

    Let the Rhodes-Vivours go

    Mother and daughter were kidnapped on May 10 and since then, nothing has been heard about them. Nobody knows where they are being held by their abductors, who are said to have demanded a N200million or N300million ransom. I am talking about Mrs Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour and her daughter who were kidnapped on their way to Benin, Edo State 13 days ago. They are the wife and daughter of Supreme Court Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour. The police are on the trail of the kidnappers, who are believed to be somewhere in the thick forest between Ondo and Ekitii states. The Rhodes-Vivour family has been through a lot in the hands of kidnappers. Justice Rhodes-Vivour’s son Rotimi was said to have been kidnapped last September and was released after the payment of a ransom believed to run into millions of naira. What has the family done to be haunted by kidnappers? What do they want from this family? My appeal to the kidnappers is to let mother and child go today. Why hold the poor women hostage for this long? Let them go.

     

     

  • Issues in emergency rule in Adamawa

    I read a news story in Thisday of Thursday, May 16 credited to Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as saying that the state of emergency imposed on Adamawa State is justified. Giving reasons for the justification, Tukur posited that as a border state to Borno, there is need to create a buffer zone so as not to allow insurgents operate in Adamawa. He further claimed that border areas in Adamawa share the same ethnic and religious affinity with Borno State, hence the need for the emergency rule in the state.

    With all due respect, I disagree with the justification given by the PDP chairman. I consider the reasons given as factually false and operationally illogical. In the first place, the four local government areas of Adamawa bordering Borno State are Madagali, Michika, Shelleng and Gombi. Apart from Shelleng, all the other three LGAs, and especially the communities on the borders, are predominantly Christian, or at least non-Muslims. It is therefore false to claim they share religious affinity with the Islamic insurgents.

    Furthermore, states of Gombe, Bauchi, Kano and Plateau also share borders with Borno and Yobe, and have much closer religious affinity with the Islamic insurgents than Adamawa. Besides, there are more violent attacks and killings in these states than in Adamawa. It would have been more logical to create this so-called buffer zone in these states than in Adamawa, or at worse alongside Adamawa. But to leave such states and clamp down on Adamawa does not, in my opinion, make any sense whatsoever.

    As far as I am concerned, there is absolutely no justification for considering Adamawa as deserving of emergency rule and the other states do not. While the reasoning is incongruous to the reality on ground, the action is out of all proportions to the violence or threat of violence in the state. It only gives the impression that it is political rather than strategic considerations that informed the decision to include Adamawa among the states for emergency rule. This has the tendency to politicize the exercise and ultimately defeat its essence. This must be discouraged at all costs, if the objective is to succeed.

    In addition, one necessarily does not have to be a lawyer or a judge to see that the act conflicts with the principle of necessity and proportionality under Subsection 33(2) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011. Worse of all, the imposition of curfew from 6pm to 6am on the entire state by the military authorities is also in conflict with the principle of reasonability as enshrined in Subsection 41(2) of the 1999 Constitution.

    At this juncture, it is important to state other reasons why I oppose emergency rule in Adamawa. We are all living witnesses to cries and accusations of extra-judicial interrogations, detentions, tortures and killings of innocent persons by the operators of emergency rule since the eruption of insurgencies in the North in 2009. We have also witnessed the morbid disruption of normal economic, social, political and religious activities in states affected. No person would wish such for their states. While we all crave for insurgencies and terror acts to be nipped in the bud, we cannot accept the violation of people’s rights or innocent persons losing their lives on account of anti-terrorism measures employed by the authorities – because we know that terrorism can be obliterated without necessarily getting society suffer all the negative effects outlined.

    A counter terrorism measure that limits or derogates from human rights, like the right to freedom of movement can only be reasonably justified in a democratic society if and only if it can be shown that the limitation or derogation do not deprive or threaten to deprive citizens of their economic, social, religious or political rights, and more so if such deprivation or threat to it can create conditions conducive for the spread of terrorism. In other words, the operators of emergency rule are duty bound to apply the principle of necessity and proportionality in their measures to proffer solution to terrorism. That is why I oppose the imposition of curfew on Adamawa from 6pm – 6am by the military authorities in the state. The order is clearly insensitive to the religious rituals of our people. Such restriction of movements as contained in the order will blight citizens’ rights to worship. For the Muslims, they cannot perform three of their obligatory [Magrib (sun set), Ishah (night) and Subha (morning)] prayers. I believe it will also hamper on some Christian denominations and faithful who undertake late evening and early morning congregations. This curfew period, therefore, certainly would be unacceptable to such believers, most especially the Muslims, and can generate cause for friction with authorities rather than the desired cooperation. To this end, I call on the military authorities in Adamawa to reconsider the curfew period while the state of emergency lasts, suggesting instead a period from 8pm – 5am. This would allow all reasonable congregational prayers over; and will help engender people’s cooperation and avert conflict with emergency rule operators.

    We all acknowledge that the adverse effect of terrorism in our society is direct and substantial, i.e. it endangers the rights to human life, to personal dignity, to liberty, to freedom of movement, conscience and worship, to pursuit of wealth and happiness, etc. However, it is not contemplated and acceptable that measures taken to counter terrorism should have adverse impact, in the same way terrorism has, on the lives of citizens, or activities of society. If that happens, then it becomes a double jeopardy to the people. The primary duty of government to rid the society of terrorists and terrorism is not more sacrosanct than its duty of protecting the lives and property of innocent citizens, and maintain peace and harmony in the society. In carrying out this responsibility, the federal government must not only be able, but also must be seen to be able, to effectively balance the two elements.

    Finally, to attain this balance, all actions must be taken to ensure that Nigeria complies with Resolution 60/288 of the United Nations Global Counter-terrorism Strategy in which member-states are required as a matter of necessity to take measures aimed at addressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. Such measures, according to the resolution, include the entrenchment of rule of law in public matters, preventing and punishing of violation of human rights, enhancing the welfare of citizens, reduction of poverty in the society and ensuring that all measures employed to counter terrorism comply with obligations of International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Refugee Law.

    •Dr. Ardo a PDP stakeholder, writes from Adamawa State

     

  • Useful idiots (3)

    Useful idiots (3)

    We speak in several pitiful tongues. And every tongue reels a different story of identical loss and misery. And so one comes to callousness, a savage ruthlessness and culture of protest that drives us to ruin our world; dateline Boko Haram, MEND, Ombatse and the complex bigotry, avarice and bloodlust characteristic of all. Yet this page will not contain the genocide, amorality and grotesque body count we have learnt to perpetrate not because they are too horrendous and unwieldy to keep tab of but because there is neither wisdom nor tact in rehashing the consequences of our towering idiocy and bloodlust.

    We blame the older generation for everything. We claim they created a very difficult world for us to live in; a world that is rigged to booby-trap our efforts to survive and that is why many of us fail. We also accuse the ruling class of keeping us unemployed, prone to corruption, exploitation, crime and the devastation of our economy and social infrastructure. We accuse them of denying us access and right to the Nigerian dream.

    What have we done with such world that they have given us? What are we doing to make it better for you and me and the generation that will succeed us? Nothing. Rather than evolve in thought and attitude, we choose to rant impotently and wallow in self-pity. And when we choose to productively engage our faculties, our conscious quest is marred by our inclinations to self-destruct.

    If our world is ruined, we are to blame for it. This is because we are major actors in every tragedy and perpetrators of every calamity that accentuates our ruin. We are the hoodlums causing chaos at random, according to the whims of benevolent godfathers. We are the policemen mounting road blocks to fleece hardworking compatriots of the little money they manage to make, everyday. When they refuse to cooperate, we simply shoot them to death.

    We are the bankers pilfering the lifesavings of the poor. We are the bank chiefs stripping Peter to pay Paul and robbing the downtrodden to feed our wantonness and greed. We are wives to the thieving governor, and gigolo to the rogue bank chief. We are the journalists who sold out, the watchdog who became lapdogs and then, dung-dogs. We are armed robbers and thieves. We are the activists exploiting the downtrodden to perpetuate our grand schemes of greed.

    No matter the ills visited upon our generation, we lost the right to howl and cry ‘foul!’ the moment we agreed to do everything and anything to make money, including serving as instruments for the attainment of the perverse goals of the criminal ruling class. Shame that we have to look unto the same generation that we accuse of ruining our world to take measures necessary to save our world. The current ruling class won’t save us. They can’t. And that is because like you and me, they are held captive by greed, irrationality and base immoralities.

    Every generation considers itself uniquely challenged like we do and each generation truly is, in different ways. But I don’t buy into over-generalizations and self pity. Like we accuse older generations before us, successive generations will accuse us of ruining their world claiming we had better chances to resolve our crises and recreate the world that they would inherit from us.

    Our sense of entitlement goads us to believe that we are entitled to a good, fair life but for the ruling class and older generation that thwarts our dreams of bliss. When the older generation claim that we are ill-educated and unemployable, we respond in kind, claiming that they render us so with visionless leadership and substandard education. Truth is, school is a bore to many of us. And artisanship doesn’t quite do it for us. We breeze through school and apprenticeship unenthusiastically, thinking that somewhere or somehow, something would give and we would chance on bliss.

    Notwithstanding, some of us enter the labour market thinking it wouldn’t hurt to be exploited a little. Having being raised on the mantra that “Slow and steady wins the raise and tiny drops make an ocean,” we subject our will to the grindstone and stoically tread the path of obedience and honest labour. But the path of industry and honesty hardly ever pay off in the long run.

    Eventually, we realize that the system is designed to thwart our dreams while enabling the dreams of the exploitative one per cent at the top, and we get mad. We get mad because our leaders do not see us as human beings with cosmic value and rights anymore. But despite our dissatisfaction, we keep them in power and keep asking them for handouts. Our rage and rant hardly ever articulates our towering need for realistic opportunities.

    We do not choose to be treated with dignity. That is why the government and our employers become entitled to take away our dignity. That is why we are entitled to expect nothing from our politicians anymore. We should be ashamed of our sense of entitlement. We should be embarrassed by our failure as a generation. We should be ashamed that we go through life thinking the world’s a sweepstake.

    We believe the world is for the taking by a lottery; this is understandable as a carrot on a stick that the top one per cent – comprising government and big business – perpetually dangle before us. Thus the Nigerian dream has evolved from a promise and belief that every Nigerian will get to have a good life, a job they enjoy, a generous paycheck, affordable housing, healthcare and transportation and a secure retirement, into some reality show fantasy and a pipedream.

    Today, the Nigerian dream comprises a tall fantasy that every Nigerian will get to live a charmed life. It offers attractive fantasies of palatial residences in exclusive neighbourhoods home and abroad, fancy cars, easy money, consequence-free indolence, sex, fraudulence and violence to mention a few. The Nigerian youth consider these perks their birthright and they heartily pursue them on the streets and now ubiquitous reality TV shows where parents and their children from relatively humble backgrounds engage in funfest of foolishness and inordinate lust for unearned riches. The tragedy of this development resonates in the number of‘has-beens’ and reality show runners-up still loitering the red carpets for the barest chance to hug the limelight for no justifiable reason or attainment.

    Each generation has a responsibility to wisely develop itself and become indispensable to the world despite all odds. It is the only way we could equip ourselves to take over the country’s leadership and use the resources and power available to us to provide this generation and the next, a secure, sustainable country that will be stronger than the one inherited.

    We need to stop whining and begin to take action now to reverse the rapid decline of our country. If we wait until we are older, it will be too late. Life in the future will be worse.

    Our hubris and sense of entitlement is sickening and truly mind boggling. It’s about time we seek our Nigerian dream not because we are ‘special’ but because we truly deserve it.

     

     

    • To be continued…

  • Akpabio: Honours without end

    Akpabio: Honours without end

    Let me crave the indulgence of my readers to adapt the above title from a piece I did on Babangida at the height of his power and glory 21 years ago (The Guardian, November 2, 1992). Babangida, after his palace coup bought over, some said ‘bribed’ the members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm by expunging Buhari’s obnoxious Decree 4, giving

    relief to journalists who had fallen foul of the decree and appointing their leading light along with intellectuals known for their independent views into his administration. His regime was immediately ‘legitimized’ by the press. He even got away with a comical title of president. And overnight, the lowly-born General was transformed into ‘The Prince of Lower Niger’ by hagiographers.

    What then followed was a deluge of honours. He became the ‘Opu Omatu Alabo’ (Chief warlord) of Rivers State, the Oka Ome (Man of his words) of Enugu, the Ukphoro Uwana of Cross River, the Comforter of the Igbos and so on. He and his wife were chased around with honorary doctorate degrees. There were fellowships from the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the Association of Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria, the Nigerian Medical Association and that of West African College of Physicians, among many others. The most whimsical and specious but for its tragic consequences came from Nigerian Economic Society (NES), the most authoritative body of Nigerian scholars on Nigerian

    economy and social problems. Theirs was “fellowship” for “bold economic programme” and for distinguishing himself “as a visionary in the management of our economy.”

    I ended the satirical piece declaring: “Shame on to you all critics of “IBBnomics”, including the apostle of ‘SAP with human face’, the mischievous Keeling of Financial Times with his imaginary $5 billion Gulf War oil windfall that never was. The troika of IMF, World Bank and the Paris Club who view our government’s penchant for generous donations in aid of all kinds of causes, as fiscal indiscipline and recklessness can now be seen for what they are – saboteurs’.

    There has been no other Nigerian leader since Babangida years of glory that ended tragically that has received as many honours as Akpabio, the hard working governor of Akwa Ibom State. As usual, the newspapers started the deluge of awards. He was named an “Emerging Tiger” by Thisday, a few years back. To the Daily Times, whose new owners was accused of ‘asset stripping’, Akpabio is “the Uncommon Transformer,’ who ‘has transformed his state from an unknown rural area to one of the most beautiful cities in Africa.”

    Similar verdicts also came from Daily Independent, Tribune and National Daily. He was The Sun Newspapers’ “Man of the Year, 2011”. Last year in spite of the schism between the parasitic elite of the north and the vultures of Niger Delta (apology to Saro Wiwa) he still managed to clinch the Abuja based Leadership newspapers’ award as the ‘Leadership Governor of the Year 2012’ for “uncommon transformation of his state with quality infrastructure”.

    With no other media award left to be won, the leadership of NUJ went to felicitate with him in Uyo. It was on their way back they were attacked by armed robbers/militants who kidnapped their car containing an undisclosed amount of money the governor gave them as fare.

    After the newspapers deluge of awards, the next most important honour came from no less a person than Akpabio’s wife , Ekaette, an award winning first lady in her own right. She gave her husband an award for making Akwa Ibom “a state with limitless opportunities, and for delivering over 3000 projects’.

    For ease of reference, Akpabio’s media aide, Chief Usoro I. Usoro, has listed some of the awards starting with that of African Church that named Akpabio “Nehemiah of our time”, for “rebuilding Nigeria”. Then the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also named Akpabio “the Best Governor in Nigeria”, ‘in terms of micro credits and empowerment of

    the masses as well as the institutionalization of free and compulsory education”.

    This was soon followed by the award of a Doctorate degree in Public Administration and Strategy because of “mammoth, wonderful and historic contributions to the development and growth of our society in particular and humanity in general” by Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Anambra State.

    The Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, slammed Akpabio with another honour for making his state the ‘best state in terms of infrastructural development.” NIPS even canvassed for more funds for him.

    The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) which is probably yet to produce a Ph.D candidate was not left out. It awarded the governor an honorary Doctor of Management Sciences for ‘unparalleled feats in management of resources’.

    The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has also awarded him a Special Presidential Merit Award for his “immense commitment to infrastructural development of (Akwa Ibom) state in particular and Nigeria in general”.

    He has also received recognition from far away Houston, Texas, where the United States Congress described him as ’exceptional’. Even the notorious Wikileaks, the nemesis of western governments, identified him as ‘one to watch in good governance’.

    Akpabio is loved by his party. His party, PDP, through intrigue recently appointed him chairman of PDP Governors Forum while the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Akwa Ibom recently applauded him “for the development initiative in the areas of infrastructural provision across the state as well as the institutionalization of free and compulsory education”. ACN Oshiomhole of Edo has equally praised him.

    Akpabio’s political opponents, perhaps out of envy are, in spite of this string of hours, accusing him of profligacy. First they claim he gave two Prado SUVs valued at N30m to Tuface, Idibia, and wife, Annie as wedding gift, donated N230 million on behalf of the newly-formed PDP Governors Forum to President Goodluck Jonathan’s hometown church and alleged to have made “multimillion donations to journalists and unscrupulous party and government officials”.

    They have also accused him of acquisition of an exotic multimillion dollar bullet-proof sprinter luxury vans from US-based Texas Armoring Corporation (TAC).They even criticized his donation of a measly N50 million to Nollywood, and of becoming “a near constant guest at child naming ceremonies, marriages, funerals and sundry events” where he made generous donations. They seem to have forgotten the man is a

    politician who must not lose touch with the grassroot.

    Akpabio has rightly ignored the diatribe of malcontents insisting all his donations were captured within the state budget duly approved by the state House of Assembly. His media aide has appropriately quoted Kaiser’s caution: “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”

    While pursuing with vigour his mega projects like the 15-floor 250-room 5-Star Hotel with Galleria with 10,000 sitter dome and multiple cinema halls, shopping malls; Akwa Ibom International airport with maintenance, ‘first of its kind in West and Central Africa’, Akpabio must realize there is no cure for envy. The envious and critics are

    the least of his problems. He should worry more about those praising him for doing his job including Oshiomhole of Edo who earns in 12 months what Akpabio earns in a month and yet has quietly changed the face of Edo state for the better, even without a single award yet.

    Akpabio should learn from Babangida tragedy. The same press he bribed to secure legitimacy after an illegal act at the end delegitimised his regime and forced him to step aside. His hurrah boys emerged as Abacha politicians while some of them are today calling the shots in the National Assembly.

    His economic wizards deserted him. Idika Kalu was on the streets the other day protesting on the side of the people. Olu Falae denied being the initiator of SAP which failure he attributed Babangida’s profligacy. Today Babangida is the only man held in contempt for setting in motion the gradual destruction our once buoyant and

    resilient economy through institutionalization of corruption. In 1983, the BTA for any one going to Britain for holiday was N500 which fetched about $480. Today N500 cannot buy two loaves of President Jonathan’s cassava homemade bread. Babangida must be very lonely.

     

  • Thoughts on emergency rule

    Thoughts on emergency rule

    WHEN  President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in beleaguered Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states on Tuesday, the news did not shock many. There had been speculations that a drastic measure to rein in insurgents was in the offing.

    Dr Jonathan was fuming and frowning. The whole place was shaking under the unusual presidential anger. Gone were the broad smiles that usually brightened his boyish face to exhibit that innocent pastoral mien, the gesticulations of an artiste, the clumsy platitudes and the biblical allusions. No niceties.

    The presidential proclamation was the climax of days of unprecedented violence against security agents. In one day last week, scores – 56 in Nasarawa and 38 in Bama, Borno State – were killed. Many innocent citizens bearing no arms have also been killed. Schools, homes and many government facilities have been razed. Anarchy has been at the door in many parts of the Northeast.

    Truck-loads of security agents were on their way to Alakyo, Nasarawa State, on a mission to arrest the leader of a hitherto unknown cult group, Ombatse, that had become a big pain in the neck for residents, forcing people to pledge allegiance to its chief, Baba Alakyo. The security agents moved after a tip-off. The cultists, apparently after a tip-off, mounted an ambush for the invaders. The security men came under massive fire. They could barely reply. Apparently, they were unprepared for such a bloody resistance. Two key bolts went missing in the machine – the enemy was underestimated and the surprise element was lost. The security agents paid dearly for these mistakes.

    It was a moving sight these past few days. Enraged wives, decked in the police uniforms of their husbands who went on the disastrous mission, protesting and demanding the bodies of their loved ones. One lapped a baby, weeping, surrounded by her friends and relatives consoling her. Their kids have been talking about broken dreams and shattered lives. Oh dear! I do not remember anywhere in our recent history where security agents have been so massacred, not even in the Niger Delta at the height of the militancy. What happened? How equipped were the security agents for that mission of no return? Who was the mole that gave the cultists the vital information about their movement?

    Not all the bodies of the security agents have been recovered – one week after the failed operation. Are the cultists holding the bodies? Why is their leader yet to be arrested? Now that the security agencies know that it will require a military operation to subdue the cultists, what next?

    Since the proclamation of the emergency rule in those states, there have been many reactions. The resort to emergency rule is understandable. Desperation. It is like the case of a man who unknowingly touches a piece of iron that is red hot. He will dip his hand anywhere, including a gutter – in sheer desperation to restore the distressed hand. The government shouldn’t have allowed itself to be boxed into this dark corner.

    But, there are many questions arising from this major development. Is this the most creative way of resolving this matter? If the government knew that emergency rule was the way to go, why did it wait for this long, until the body bags started coming in hundreds? What will be the fate of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Security Challenges in the North, the one that claimed to have met the Madalla bomb suspect, Kabiru Sokoto – he denied ever seeing the committee – ? Will it continue its road show, despite this and the rejection of peace proposals by Boko Haram? Where are those blokes who called a press conference the other day in Maiduguri, renouncing violence and vowing to pursue a ceasefire? Can there be peace talks in an emergency?

    The President spoke of “those who are directly or indirectly encouraging any form of rebellion against the Nigerian state, and their collaborators; those insurgents and terrorists who take delight in killing our security operatives, whoever they may be… we will hunt them down … and we will bring them to justice.”

    Some obfuscation there. Do we know the collaborators, the faces behind the masks? If Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and his lieutenants are hard to seize, are their sponsors also ghosts? Where are their weapons coming from? Can’t the government lean on Nigeria’s big weight to compel our neighbours to stop Boko Haram from planning and launching attacks from their countries? The Bama attacks could not have been planned in Borno, considering its massiveness. How far has the Mali expedition helped in weakening the al-Qaeda backed insurgents? Isn’t this more of a technical-cum-intelligence war and not a game of mere brawn and weaponry?

    The troops have been accused of extra-judicial killings. Now that they have got the licence to search homes, arrest and detain suspects, among other powers, will they be responsible in using these powers? I doubt it. Will this seeming hammer blow against the insurgents rein them in? For an enduring solution, the extra-judicial killings should stop; it can never help. The troops should find a way of ingratiating themselves with the locals so as to be able to separate the insurgents from the innocent folks who can give them information on how to track down the trouble makers.

    There are those who believe that the compelling factor is politics, politics of 2015. Of the three troubled states, two are in the opposition. Adamawa belongs to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party’s power brokers and some hawks in the Presidency, it was learnt, insisted on full emergency rule –collapse of the democratic structure. Thankfully, they did not have their way. How will the military chiefs relate with the governors? Who takes orders from who? Will the Assembly be making laws in a vacuum? Soon –mark my words – soon, the real motive for this action will emerge. The game players, the sincere guys and the jokers will all be exposed.

    The government may need to be reminded of how this ogre was let loose on the land. Mohammed Yusuf was a young man preaching against western education. He and his followers were merely exercising their freedom of association and expression. In fact, many saw them as no threat to peace. Then politicians found a window of opportunity in the group. They moved in. The authorities, apparently sensing some dangerous deviation, tried to stop the group. Yusuf was arrested by soldiers who handed him over to the police. The police, for some inexplicable reasons, killed Yusuf. Then, members of the sect became violent, attacking police stations, prisons and other government facilities.

    Boko Haram has since stopped making so much fuss about its original goal of imposing sharia. Now, it is demanding the release of its members, their wives and children, who are in detention. On Monday, Shekau made a video appearance in which he claimed that women and children were being held captive by the sect, adding that they would not be released until their members in custody are let off.

    No matter how the matter goes, it will be at a huge cost. The immediate solution may come from bombs and bullets. The enduring solution will come from a massive reorientation of our people, justice for all, separation of governance from politics and non pursuit of power not as a means to an end – the wellbeing of all – but as an end in itself – for self aggrandisement.

    The government should not delude itself by thinking that those three are the only states that are ill. Kidnappers are yet to take a break in the Southeast. Armed robbers are at work, killing and maiming, in many states. When will they get attention?

    By the way, what happened to the emergency on power, the very one the President and his predecessor, the late Umaru Yar’Adua, declared at the beginning of their tenure, the one that is supposed to give us 6,000 megawatts and pave the way for a 24-hour electricity supply? Is it still on?

     

     

     

  • State of electricity supply in Nigeria

    State of electricity supply in Nigeria

    Fourteen years ago, when the PDP government came to power, we were told then that the installed capacity of electricity in Nigeria was 6,000 megawatts and that within a year, this would go to 10,000megawatts. The late Chief Bola Ige who was then one of the leaders of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and who was also popularly known as Arole Awolowo, some kind of khalifa or successor, was persuaded by many including my humble self to accept the invitation to join Obasanjo’s cabinet. The only reason for our suggesting to him to accept to serve in Obasanjo’s cabinet was that he was the only person who could give the government credence and credibility at least in Yoruba land. He accepted this offer reluctantly and he was then given the charge to revolutionize the power sector. On getting to the ministry, he found the whole place riddled with corruption, inequality of charges for power consumption between some institutions in the north and south and regular payment of riba to certain political groups and traditional rulers, but he decided to do his best to clear the augean stable. Six months later, he apparently stepped on people’s toes; he was fired and made the attorney-general of Nigeria from where he was brutally murdered a few years later in his own bedroom. Up till now, nobody has been arrested or charged for his murder.

    There had been many other ministers in charge of power and electricity since then, but it has been a story of motion without movement. A bright person like Prof. Barth Nnaji was brought in by President Goodluck Jonathan, only for him to be disgraced out and replaced by Prof. Nebo, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, as if he was born to be vice-chancellor in a country where there are other capable young people who could have been given a chance to serve.

    Fourteen years later, we are daily told that power generation has increased from 3,000megawatts to 4,000megawatts. This is after close to 50 billion dollars have been spent. Rather than progressing, we seem to be retrogressing. I am sure many Nigerians are confused. Our President says that by the end of 2014 which is next year, Nigerians who have generators would be giving them out free to others because there would be no need for them anymore. I say Amen to this. If this happens, all Nigerians would be ready to march to Abuja to ask our National Assembly to change the constitution and to declare Nigeria an empire with Emperor Gooodluck Ebele Jonathan ruling over us forever. In the meantime, all kinds of directors including recently a lady said that by December this year, we would have reached 10,000megawatts in power generation. The same week, the new minister, Prof. Nebo said that Nigeria actually needs 200,000megawatts in order for power to be stable. Then a delegation of Senators led by their President David Mark, went to the Mambilla Plateau to inspect the hydro-electric dam on which one billion naira had been spent and from which Nigeria was promised 2,000megawatts of electricity, but only to find that nothing has happened and that the one billion naira spent had gone into the pockets of some people without any road constructed to the site of the hydro-electricity dam, nor any clearance of the dam site.

    We also know that several Independent Power Projects (IPP) were started by Obasanjo in conjunction with some oil producing companies in Nigeria. Several of them were located appropriately in the Niger-Delta to facilitate access to gas instead of piping the gas across the country, and being subjected to sabotage by militants and other kinds of saboteurs. When these IPPs were started, we were told that this would boost generation within one or two years to over 10,000megawatts. We are all aware of the facts that when Umaru Yar’Adua took over as President, he suspended all these projects while setting up a so-called fact-finding committee to investigate spending on the power sector, the National Assembly under one Ndudi Elumelu also set up a probe committee on the same issue. This charade went on for about two years without any progress on the power sector. The National Assembly Committee’s itself then ended up in a cloud of suspicion and corruption and its members stole 100million naira for which they were arrested and taken to court for which we never heard anything again.

    I think one of our writers should make our power sector a subject of a novel and I am sure readers all over the world would think they are reading fiction, whereas it is faction. What exactly is going on is beyond me. Our president in recent times has been to South Africa the country we are supposedly competing with for leadership on the continent. He would have found out that South Africa which is about a quarter or a fifth of Nigeria’s in population is generating about 15times of electricity as we are and is planning to increase its generation from about 45,000megawatts to 100,000megawatts within three years and would probably spend a tenth of the amount we have used in the last 14years only to retrogress from 6,000megawatts to 4,000megawatts. Apologists would say that the electricity infrastructure in South Africa was done by the Whites. By saying this, we confirm our inferiority complex. Shall we therefore invite white people to come back and take over rulership of Nigeria? It would be useful and desirable if either the President of Nigeria or his Minister of Power would come out and tell Nigerians the truth about our power sector. We don’t need the kind of recent information provided by the Vice President that the Jonathan administration has given a sum of 3.7billion dollars to the power sector this year alone, while almost immediately the new Minister of Power said Nigeria would need 100billion dollars over the next 10years to arrive at power Nirvana.

    We are all sick of this confusion and we are sick of our people dying of blown out generators and of generator fumes. If we cannot provide ordinary power in the 21st Century, then the reason for the existence of government becomes unclear, especially in a situation where individuals are generating more power than the state itself. We hope that recent privatization would alleviate the problems, and if it does, all Nigerians would celebrate this government.

     

  • My visit to Ekiti State Teaching Hospital

    Humpty-Dumpty, me that is, had a great fall. It happened on a wet Sunday evening when we arrived home after a visit to Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort in Ikogosi, Ekiti. Just as I was walking into the house on this wet Sunday evening, I slipped and fell in the mud and landed my whole weight on my butt rather loudly. Humpty Dumpty just had a great fall. I got up picked my pieces together and walked into the house without the aid of the king’s horsemen. A warm shower and some analgesic later, I forgot about the fall until Monday morning when I was riding to work. It became obvious to me that I needed to see a doctor as soon as possible.

    Everyone I asked advised me to go to Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, Adebayo in Ado Ekiti. It only made sense to then go and try seeing an orthopaedic doctor at the teaching hospital. I tried to get a number of a doctor or any senior member of staff at the hospital so I could get a fast track service when I get there. However everyone I approached told me there was no need for that. The refrain I kept hearing is, once you get there you will be attended to regardless. After a long listless night I got up early in the morning determined to go see a doctor while preparing myself for the long horrendous queues and delays associated with government owned hospitals. Again, I reached out to a couple of other friends on my way to the hospital, in a last minute attempt to get a name or a number of a doctor or influential hospital staff but drew nothing.

    On arrival at the hospital I went straight to the Accident and Emergency ward. What first struck me was the cleanliness; the whole place smelt and looked clean. I saw patients who were on admission and the doctors doing ward rounds. I approached one of the nurses on duty, explained to her my mission and asked to see a doctor. She directed me to one of the doctors in the Accident and Emergency ward who politely directed me to the outpatient department where he said I will be attended to. My natural impulse was to just leave the hospital and go to the court premises where I needed to attend to some issues but then the pain got the better of me. I found my way to the outpatient department. On the way there I met a young doctor who gave me directions and assured me the process was fast when I asked sceptically how long the process was going to take. I got a hospital card and a case note opened for me in about twenty minutes. It took four simple steps: get a bill, pay at the cash point, get your teller converted to a receipt and get your records taken at the medical health records desk.

    I asked the young man at the records registry if it was advisable to wait or try and come back some other day. He again confidently told me that I will be attended to in a matter of minutes. I stood by the side patiently as I could not bear the pain of trying to sit while I mentally took note of the people who I met waiting and those who arrived after me. I was also trying to see if there were some patients getting fast track access to the three consulting rooms. Three nurses sat at the nursing station. Two were taking vital signs while the third nurse was in charge of sending in case notes to the consulting rooms. In about 15 minutes I was called to get my vital signs taken. I again asked the nursing sister if it was better to come back later in the day but she urged me to be patient, saying that once the doctors start seeing patients it would be my turn in no time. I finally sat back and continued to watch. The patient’s line to see the doctor soon started moving fast. It was soon my turn to see the doctor who examined me and answered all my questions while explaining to me why the effect of the trauma was worse when I sat or climbed the stairs and why he was prescribing the pills for me. I left his consulting room feeling better.

    Next was the outpatient pharmacy department where I was I spent about half an hour, the longest time I spent at a service point. The fact that no money exchange happens between patients and members of staff is also commendable. The cash point is manned by representatives of the hospital’s bankers while a staff also recorded the transaction. At the time I began the process of registration and getting a case note, no doctor was on duty at the outpatient department even though patients were already waiting. By time the nurses had taken my vital signs some of the people I met were already getting impatient and loudly asked the nurses when the doctors would arrive. However, the time between getting my vitals taken and walking into the doctor’s consulting room was about 20 minutes. In all I spent a little over one hour at the hospital. This is not to say that the State Teaching Hospital in Ado Ekiti is perfect.

    I write only about my experience at the outpatient department and not the entire hospital. There is always room for improvement even in a near perfect system. The process of getting a prescription filled was a bit cumbersome; you get your prescription billed, pay your bill in the next room, get the teller converted to a receipt and you then pick up your prescription from the first point where you got the bill. The medical health records department is a disaster waiting to happen. The whole unit is swarmed and overflowing with files and more files. The people working there must have a magic spell for getting out patients files from that maze. There is no privacy at the medical records unit. You stand across a counter while you are asked your age and that of your next of kin. The members of staff there seemed over worked even though there was clear cut division of labour.

    Overall, the members of staff were all very businesslike and professional. I didn’t see any fast track patient or queue jumping by patients. Everyone sat patiently while we all waited to take our turn. There were enough chairs and benches for the patients. The television at the corner by the nurses’ station was tuned to Africa Magic Yoruba. Some of the patients were following the movies such that they didn’t hear their names called out when it was time to go in and see the doctor. No one asked me to grease their palm or wash their face before I was attended to. I was very impressed and happy. In all it was a good visit. I must commend the government and people of Ekiti. Healthcare service delivery is a key part of the eight-point agenda of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration. I saw the attention to ensuring this goal during my time at the state teaching hospital. Ekiti is working. The people are happy. Health is indeed wealth.

     

    • Olorunfemi, a Barrister at law, wrote from Ado-Ekiti

     

  • Let them not die in vain

    Let them not die in vain

    Hardly do Nigerians see eye to eye with the police. Even though police personnel are also Nigerians, they have cat -and-mouse relationship with their compatriots. Why? The public perceives the police as too highhanded and overbearing in their dealings with others. It is because of this perception that the police do not enjoy the people’s confidence. The lack of faith in the police has, however, not stopped the people from cohabiting with them. The relationship even goes beyond living together. In some cases, we are joined together in wedlock.

    No matter how we feel about the police, we cannot wish them away. We have since learnt to accommodate the police, warts and all. The police themselves, as if they know how the public perceives them, try to woo us with the slogan : ‘’The police is your friend’’, to which many respond cynically, ‘’with friends like the police who needs an enemy’’. But hate them or love them, we cannot do without the police. They are part of our lives. They are the ones that we run to in times of trouble.

    They are the ones who take on the dreaded armed robbers, kidnappers, terrorists and cultists on our behalf. In short, they are the ones, who keep watch over us when we sleep, though they are not God. We owe our lives to them. Where will society be if there are no policemen to do some of the dirty jobs many of us run away from. At times, we tend to forget that the police comprise men and women like us, that is, they are human beings and are also subject to the frailties and foibles of life. Yes, the police may overreach themselves, as they do on some occasions, in the discharge of their duties, but that does not make them the wild animals some of us take them to be.

    Like me, many Nigerians are likely to have something to say about how the police wronged them in the past, but have we ever paused to ask themselves this question : What if we were in their shoes; would we have done better? The police may have their shortcomings, no doubt, but they remain a product of the society. The society, they say, gets the police it deserves. I don’t agree with this statement though, because no matter how rotten a society may be, if it has God-fearing and conscientious people in the police, they can change things.

    What the police deserve is our pity and not vilification. This is why I am saddened by the murder of scores of policemen and State Security Service (SSS) operatives by members of the Ombatse Cult in Alakyo, Nasarawa State, last week. The police and SSS operatives went on their way to the cultists’ shrine when they were killed in an ambush. We don’t know the number of security operatives who were on the mission But 56 of them were said to have been killed. Scores are missing. All lovers of humanity should condemn this despicable act. If the police and SSS men could be this callously wasted, who is safe then?

    In these days of Boko Haram and kidnappings, the Ombatse group is adding to the nation’s woes by opening another theatre of crisis in the beleaguered North. Today, there is no peace in Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and other northeastern states because of the activities of Boko Haram. To add Nasarawa to the mix will be too much a burden for the nation to bear. But what all this shows is that we don’t have a government that takes the issue of security serious. If the government is serious about securing life and property, the Ombatse tragedy would have been nipped in the bud through intelligence gathering. What are our intelligence officers doing that they could not smoke out this group before now?

    The Ombatse cult, according to reports, had been forcing people to join the group and killing those who refused to do so in the past one or two years. Are the security agencies saying that they were not aware of the group’s sinister activities until now? They waited for too long to cut the group to size. See the price we are now paying for our tardiness – the murder of scores of policemen and SSS officials in the line of duty. The perpetrators of this mindless act must not be allowed to go scot-free. Anywhere they are on the surface of the earth, they must be fished out to face justice. Nothing should be spared in getting these killers who murdered people in the service of their country in cold blood.

    My heart goes out to the widows, children and other members of the families of these national heroes who died in the service of their fatherland. They deserve medals of honour because not many of us can sacrifice our lives the way they did. May their souls find rest in the bosom of the Lord.

     

    Will it work?

    I hung on every word of President Goodluck Jonathan during his Tuesday night’s broadcast. I wasn’t expecting him to wield the big stick as he read on and on until he got to the point where he said “by virtue” of the powers conferred upon me…. I held my breath because I knew what will follow next. He declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Sincerely speaking, things have degenerated a lot in those states, especially Borno and Yobe, where Boko Haram seems to be everywhere, yet it cannot be stopped. Both states have become shadows of themselves because of the sect’s atrocious activities.

    Opinions will be divided on the propriety or otherwise of the president’s action. Is he right to have declared emergency rule in these states? In the next few days, analysts will be examining the rightness or not of his action. To say the truth, we got to this pass because of the Boko Haram people who have turned virtually all the states in the northeast to hell on earth. In the past four years, the sect has been killing, maiming and looting at will. To some, the emergency rule should have come earlier.

    But many are sympathetic to Boko Haram’s cause, so the government chose to tread with caution on the matter. Despite their sympathy for the group, the sect’s supporters refused to call it to order. All they were interested in was for the sect not to be touched. They seemed not to see anything wrong in its mindless killing and lately, kidnapping of people. When the sect kidnapped elder statesman Alhaji Shetima Ali Monguno a few weeka ago, it dawned on them that the group should no longer be pampered.

    If Boko Haram truly loves its supporters the way they seem to love the sect, it would have listened to them and embraced the olive branch waved by the government. The government resolved to grant the sect amnesty, yet it refused to eschew violence. It continued on its killing spree. Last week. it killed over 30 policemen and soldiers in Bama, Borno State. It has also owned up that its action led to the military invasion of Baga also in Borno State on April 16 and 17. All this point to the fact that the stage was ripe for the declaration of a state of emergency in Borno.

    But a state of emergency coming after the decision to grant Boko Haram amnesty? How do we reconcile that? Can you be hunting those you have decided to grant amnesty? Isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Shouldn’t the government call off the amnesty deal and go all-out for these Boko Haram elements once and for all? Amnesty and emergency rule, the two don’t go together. Which do you vote for? As for me, my choice is clear as daylight.