The Nation Newspaper

Category: Wednesday

  • Taraba: Dangers of ethno-religious politics

    Taraba: Dangers of ethno-religious politics

    IT is not surprising that efforts are being orchestrated by a section of the political elite in Taraba State, led by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, to drag the acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar into unnecessary controversy. With the 2015 elections at the corner, those who are interested and eager to run for the office of governor of the state and who suspect that the acting governor may also be throwing his hat into the ring have become increasingly uncomfortable and desperate. The strategy is to throw as much mud as possible at the person of the acting governor and to diminish his rising political profile in order to gain unfair advantage in the race for which he has neither declared nor indicated interest.

    One of the issues being played up as part of this unhealthy political game is the serial crises in Southern Taraba, particularly, Wukari. Those who are determined to give the acting governor the bad name that he certainly does not deserve are out proclaiming that he is behind the crises. No falsehood can be more callous than this. To create the kind of political situation that they desperately require to achieve their purpose, they are even asking that a state of emergency be declared in the state. And for Senator Bwacha who has been a regular face in the corridors of power in the state and benefitted immensely from the generosity of the present and past administrations as well as the goodwill of the people of the state to accept to play the unpatriotic role as arrowhead of this campaign of denigration is shocking.

    At this point, it is necessary for me to say for the avoidance of doubt and misunderstanding of the purpose of this article, that I’m not an indigene of Taraba State. I have only lived in the state for many years and followed the socio- political trends in the state very closely. Over time, I have become emotionally attached to the state and I frequently get bothered when things are going wrong. It is for this reason that I am compelled to draw public attention through this medium to some of the unhealthy developments in the state which I believe are capable of dragging down the state into the abyss of underdevelopment.

    I’m particularly worried at the desperate effort being made to demonise the acting governor, a man who had, at very critical times in the political life of the state, had been a stabilizing factor. His present role is one of such special opportunities to play a leading role in restoring stability negatively jolted by the sudden departure of the governor for medical attention abroad following injuries he sustained in a plane crash. I believe the campaign which, unfortunately, carries the stamp of Senator Bwacha’s endorsement, is baseless, unfair and unnecessary.

    It is obvious that the Senator wants to be governor. He has not hidden his desire for that office which is now boiling over and turning into a consuming passion. It is a legitimate aspiration, no doubt. He, as well as any other indigene of the state, has a right to aspire to the position of governor or any other position for that matter. What he has no right to do and should not do, however, is to seek to blackmail those he suspects, rightly or wrongly, to be interested in the same office on account of their advantage of political visibility and unassailable record of achievement in the position that God had given them in the past.

    The campaign against Umar is particularly unfair and distasteful. Umar has been unfairly put on the spot and in the eye of the storm since Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in a plane crash in which he suffered serious injuries and had to spend quite some time in hospitals abroad.  That unfortunate incident brought Umar, a quiet, amiable and unassuming personality, into the driving seat in an acting capacity. The decision that Umar stepped into the shoes of the governor in an acting capacity as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has not gone down well with those who think illegality – which means using a proxy to run the administration rather than the deputy governor –  would have been a better option. He is seen and treated as a stranger in government and every official action he takes is misunderstood and misinterpreted.

    A few days ago, Senator Bwacha, through an open letter published in some Nigerian dailies, made sweeping allegations against the person of Umar. In that letter, he made no pretensions that his motive was to thoroughly paint Umar in the most unsavoury colours just to make him objectionable and un-electable in the 2015 race for the office of governor, in case he decides to contest. And in doing so, Bwacha desperately sought to play the ethnic and religious cards in order to win sympathy and support for his war of attrition. This cruel game of political name-calling cannot help Taraba State.  What will help the state is unity of purpose. Ethnic and religious sentiments have proved over the years and in many countries to be extremely destructive. The Rwandan experience which is about the worst globally in recent times should serve as a warning to those still seeking to ride to power on the wings of ethnic or religious sentiments.

    Acting Governor Umar, and this is the view of most of the ordinary people of Taraba State, has done his best in the circumstances that he has found himself. The political atmosphere is very volatile and this is adversely affecting everything in the state including the machinery of governance. Those who do not want to see Umar as the face of the government of Taraba State are unrelenting in their campaign to stifle the machinery of government. And they are the ones who also shout the loudest that the state is stagnating, that it is not getting adequate touch of development through the provision of modern amenities. What a contradiction!

    The real grouse of the leaders of the “put down” campaign project launched against Umar is that Suntai did not return to office on his return from abroad, even as unfit as he was. But this was not the decision of the acting governor. It was obvious that Suntai was still incapacitated. That position was backed by the report of foreign medical experts. Since the wish that he returned to his seat did not prevail, nothing else is good enough and whatever else is in place must be destroyed. This attitude is outrageous and unhelpful to the interests of the state.

    It is true that unity is gradually being eroded in the state. People who before now lived as one, united by their affection for the state and all that it stands for, are being consciously or unconsciously encouraged to think and believe that they are no longer bound by the same common bond of unity. It is largely the handiwork of the political elite in the state which include people like Senator Bwacha. And the earlier the elite group realises that this game of deliberate disinformation is a destroyer the better for the good people of Taraba State.

    I also believe that Senator Bwacha and his group have not been fair to Umar in their reading of the latter’s attitude to the governor’s unfortunate state of ill-health and the manner in which he has handled the affairs of the state since the governor took ill. My understanding which is based on very reliable information of some friends on both sides of the political divide in the state point to the fact that Suntai’s family has not been denied anything that is necessary to make them comfortable. All their entitlement are settled promptly while most of the key people working with the acting governor are members of Sunta’s political family even though they have remained unwavering in their attitude of deliberate belligerence toward  the man who is running the government of state today.

    As earlier stated in this article, Suntai’s plane accident is unfortunate. It was an act of God and he has the sympathy of the entire people of the state. We all wish him well and pray that he gets well quickly to be able to return to his seat as governor. Umar has always wished him well and had ensured that he used every opportunity to speak at public forums to pray for the governor and to wish him speedy recovery. He has also left nobody in doubt, through his utterances and actions, that he is just filling a gap temporarily created by the governor’s accident and injury. This attitude is very well known and appreciated by the good people of Taraba State except in the political camp of Senator Bwacha.

    These, certainly, are difficult times for the people of Taraba State, a time when some people are out on a deliberate mission of mischief. The sooner leaders in the state realise that people are being misled, the better for the state. Deliberate efforts should be made to change direction and navigate in right direction, that is, in search of peace and cooperation. Bwacha should reach out to the acting governor to discuss the best way forward for the state. No leader can succeed if the followership is split into several pockets opposition camps. The government must enjoy a reasonable level of support and cooperation of the people. Bwacha should be bold enough to reverse himself and play the role of a support pillar for the government which Umar is merely tending to on behalf of Suntai. I join Umar, Bwacha and all the good people of Taraba State in wishing Governor Suntai quick recovery and in praying for peace and understanding to reign in Taraba State.

     

    • Aboki  wrote from Jalingo. Taraba State

     

     

     

  • Comment

    Comment

    For Olatunji Dare

    Sir, I dont think it is in the best interest of the nation for press to report everything about the planned  strategies of our security forces at tackling the Boko Haram insurgence.Though that could have the pontential of crippling the sect pyschologicaly, it more or less equips them wit the vital information they need which puts them in a better position to outwit our security forces. In other words, much as we make public the devices of the government at stopping Boko Haram  which could  help instil confidence in the general public about the goverment’s capability, wisdom still need be employed so that government does not play into the hands of the sect. The rescue of the abducted Chibok girls can be better and safely done if the Boko Haram sect is kept in the dark about government plans. From Emmanuel Egwu.

    Sir, those who abuse you on your article need to be examined. How on earth, will somebody call for President Goodluck Jonathan second term? They want amala and gbegiri party? Dont mind them. Annonymous

    Re-Between columnist and reader on President Jonathan. As usual I went through your today’s column without doubt a Junior Secondary School student will know those responses in favour and against of the said article were from the same source changing words and name like a chameleon. I am not surprised because poverty has turned most Nigerians to beggars and hero worshipers. The most funny part of it is putting everything on God. I will advise you to rely on the words of Alexander the Great,” I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep, I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion” From Comrade Esan Ajibola, Academy Ibadan.

    Sir, to me, Yoruba people are now talking and talking reality- the unity of what they called Nigeria is negotiable to reflect and guaranteed what we stand for, or else “to your tent oh ODUA”. Anonymous

    I just read some of the responses of President Goodluck Jonathan’s stooges in your column today and I totally agree with you that they are paid to do so. Please don’t bother yourself, allow them to continue delluding themselves until the election kicks off. I and my family queued and voted for President Jonathan under the scorching sun in the last election but we are hell bent to vote against him this time around. We shall see. From Sampson, Calabar.

    Mr Dare, greetings to you. My take is that it is the masses of our nation that will decide who will be president of Nigeria come 2015. Columnist are supposed to analyse issues, but like you know the art of writting is not  science which will always arrive at an acceptable and verifiable answer. Governance or the rule of a nation state is rather too complex for human to profer a perfect analysis, so in this regard, I will say your writing is essentially about how you feel about President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP administration, and may not be in tandem with other people’s view. President Jonathan’s tenure is saddled with too much distraction and for the bit he has done keeping the ship afloat, he will get my vote in 2015. He has done well in the areas of privatising Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), reforms in the aviation sector, rehabilitation of roads, rails etc. From Anonymous

    I read your write up  about colunmist and readers about President Jonathan and I was able to deduce that a lot of Nigerians are still living in fools paradise by supporting and clamouring for the retention of a clueless leader in most demanding seat despite glaring ineptitude of the number one man in our country. Please don’t mind those hawks forge ahead. From Adekunle, Iwo, State of Osun.

    Sir, I’ve just finished reading the rejoinder on your previous column President Goodluck Jonathan: No second term. These are my thoughts on the Chibok issue. Firstly, there is no security in Chibok because the entire security system is created for politicians. In Akwa-Ibom State, Commissioner for Works has at least 10 police men and State Security Services in his security outfit. The same goes for his colleagues and other politicians in the state. Now multiply this in most states in Nigeria, then you know what I mean. So Nigerians can’t be secure in Chibok or anywhere else because politicians have taken all the security. Secondly, Nigerians can’t vote out President Jonathan because we don’t realise we have the power. We’re so busy being hungry and being our own government, eg, providing our light, water, healthcare, housing, education and security that we can’t think of anything else. The abuse of goverment on the people won’t stop anytime soon. I hope the poor girls return home, their only crime is being Nigerian. My conclusion: if the government doesn’t improve soon enough, they’ll have a game of thrones on their hands. Enough said. From Anonymous

    Re-Between columnist and reader on President Jonathan Goodluck. Peoples’ comments, very interesting, funny, factual and some, partisan. We remain your admirers despite differing opinions. From Lanre Oseni.

    Thank you for this review of reactions. It is more revealing and shows us that the problem is deep, but God will sure save this country. Lets face it, if they did not even believe that any child  or girl was abducted for three weeks, what action did we expect?  My brother we are in a jet age. From Andrew Okechukwu

    Jonathan Goodluck is not only the presidential candidate of the pdp, but will win at the polls with wide margin. But if he decides not to contest that decision is his. Who is challenging Jonathan? Anybody born of a woman and a former beneficiary of pdp cannot bite the hand that feeds him. From Hon John Angbera jp.

    On your article in May 20 edition of The Nation: Between columnist and reader on President Goodluck Joathan, the truth can even be seen from the sets of comments published. The people who argued for Jonathan did that out of selfish but needless sentiments. Who in the country does not feel the disheartening resultant effect of President Jonathan incompetence to lead the country? Of course those enjoying the benefits of his office to the detriment of the masses and some fools wil jump to his back to defend him even on instances that are apparently stupid. From Seye Oluyombo, Osogbo.

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Daddy God bless you you are the only true Nigerian in that company The Nation. Anonymous

    When the Niger Delta militants took up arms against the government, people saw it as freedom struggle. Now a deadlier group : Boko Haram is here. Believe it or not the granting of amnesty to Niger Delta militants is the immediate cause of Boko Haram. From Weyinmi Olomu, Sapele, Delta State

    This to me is a masterpiece. This is the crux of Nigeria’s problem. Right from independence nothing has been in place to really guarantee secularism as professed by all the constitutions. There has been lots of hypocrisy and deceit by the high and the mighty. I love this article. From Anonymous

    Nothing in this world can  undermine the secularity of the Nigerian state. Not even Atomic bombs, let alone improvised explosive device. Nigeria is home to different faiths and no faith can lord it over another. God bless Nigeria. May Allah keep us one. From Ehi.

    Sir, you surprise me, can you not get it, that Nigeria the artificial creation of white hall has come to its tithers end, once the caliphate was in charge no problem, once power left the hands of the anointed rulers, all hell was let loose.The United Nations Organisation should aid a Sudanese solution in Nigeria, simple. From Fabian, Enugu

    Re: As Terror Ventures Out.

    Your article above is thought-provoking and a must read. However, as someone who has lived in Kaduna for 26 years, I strongly disagree with you that Boko Haram is targeted at christians. More Muslims have been killed than you can ever imagine and mosques also destroyed. A bomb that goes off knows no tribe or religion. Let us call Boko Haram criminals that they are, expose their sponsors and together destroy them and their backers. From Hammed Olu

    Every Nigerian knows that the Boko Haram group has no reason to waste innocent Nigerian lives nor do they have an agenda than a Muslim to be president perpetually in a secular country like ours of about 75 /80 per cent Christian purpulace. From Anonymous

    Re: “As terror ventures out.” You have said it all. I do agree with you that , to prevent the looming religious war that is being dangerously canvassed by Boko Haram, we must uphold the secularity of the state; guarantee the freedom of religious affliations anywhere and everywhere in the country; and identify radicals and fanatics, including political apportunists that stand in the way, enemies of the nation. There is one thing I want us to note, without enemies around us, we grow lazy. An enemy at our heels sharpens our wits, keeping us focused and alert. As Abraham Lincoln said: “You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him.” But in this situationn, terrorists are lunatics that must be destroyed.  This terror had been with us since 2011 and it has gotten out of hand. The government has been too slow to contain them. Though the activities of these insurgents have been restricted to the North, the moment there is a spill over to the South, religious war that we are all afraid of, will be unavoidable and that may spell doom for the survival of the country. If we care less, as the government is doing at the moment, we will bite our fingers. From Prince Adewumi Agunloye.

    It would have been very hard for me to believe the existence of such doctored responses except that anything can be possible with Nigerian government. Instead of cooked responses to articles critical of his goverment, improvement in his pefomance should have been the ideal thing for President Jonathan to embark upon for continuity. Manufactured responses can hardly do the magic especialy when greater percentage of what constitute the electorate are either iliterate or too poor to buy  newspapers. Of course, I have always insisted that asesment of President Jonathan’s perfomance not related to the strange developments in the country. Not even a superhuman visionary leader could be confronted with the type of many problems thrown up all over the place in his government and still stand to perform creditably at all fronts, if the whole truth about the President and his administration must be told. From Emmanuel Egwu. 

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Dear Tunji, Re: 15 wasted years.  It has been not less than 53 years of wasted efforts in Nigeria, not 15 years. You have undercounted the years. Military or civilian government, it has been the same story. If you doubt me, go back to the albums of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. What he sang yesteryears is still with us today. NPC oo, military oo, UPN oo, NRC oo, SDP oo, PDP oo or APC oo, APGA oo, LP oo, etc. my brother nothing don change … I am inclined to believe that the problem is the system and not the person. Change the system and we may get the right person and solution. Thanks. From Chukwuma Dioka, Owerri, Imo State.

    Nigerians will not be surprised by Labaran Maku’s remarks on Jonathan’s achievements. Actually, if the president and his cabinet members are celebrating 15 years of unbroken corruption and stealing, then it is worthy to be celebrated because the president himself has confirmed to us that stealing is not corruption. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos. 

    Yes, tortoise will not come back until he got disgraced. Aja to ma sonu ko ni gbo fere ode (a dog that wants to get lost will not heed the hunter’s whistle). Let whoever wants to be disgraced get disgraced and save us as a nation because Nigeria will remain long after Jonathan would have ended his term. From Olufemi Dina.

    Sorry, what will Jonathan tell Nigerians again regarding his reelection in 2015, going by his colossal failure in addressing the numerous challenges facing the country since he assumed office in 2011? Will he talk about going to school bare-footed, as he did before, again? Nigerians can no longer be deceived by such sentiments. Mr. President was fortunate to have had parents who could send him to school barefooted. Under his watch, millions of Nigerian children are out of school because their parents cannot afford to send their children to school, even naked. Anonymous.

    There is a hint of political bias in failing to balance the well-deserved criticism of GEJ and PDP with due criticism of APC. The hypocrisy of the opposition party is all too glaring. Jumbo pay readily captures the complicity of the party in the present order of looting and corruption. Anonymous.

    A government creates an enabling environment not necessarily providing jobs for 200,000,000 people if you have not known that by now, what name of jobs with locations were you expecting from the Minister of Finance? Don’t be naïve just because you hate Jonathan as president. Anonymous.

    Thanks for all your brilliant essays. Please tell our president not to annoy us the more. We can’t take protest to Boko Haram because we don’t know where they are.  Anonymous

    You are right! The government should tell Nigerians indeed what not just President Jonathan but the PDP has done in 15 years, of course. Tunji, it is clear you won’t see what the president has done after all he is ‘clueless’. Is he trying to clean up the mess of corruption which powerful Obasanjo allegedly laid? From Chima, Owerri.

    Democracy at 15, nothing to celebrate. I prefer cancellation of the events considering that the Chibok girls are still being held and also, Boko Haram keeps killing people daily. By celebrating Democracy Day, it will be a mockery of the families of those affected by the security lapses in the country. What can Nigerians point at that the government has done that calls for celebration? Please don’t waste resources to celebrate the day, unless of course you just want to use it as an avenue to compensate some party loyalists who would supply items for the anniversary. At our age, no one should fool Nigerians over government’s performance. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.   

     

     

  • Ekiti governorship election: a likely shoo-in for Fayemi

    Ekiti governorship election: a likely shoo-in for Fayemi

    Its motto is “Land of Honour.” It might as well have called itself “Land of Intellectuals” instead, and it would not have been amiss; it holds the record as the state that has produced the largest number of doctorates and professors in Nigeria, notably, Professors Jacob Festus Ade-Ajayi, Nigeria’s leading living Historian who celebrated his 85th birthday on Monday, Niyi Osundare, a literary giant and ace columnist, and the late Sam Aluko, the radical-conservative (never mind the oxymoron) economist who was the brain behind the economic policies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of Western Nigeria.

    For a state which prides itself as the most bookish in Nigeria, it is an irony that one of the accusations the governor of the state, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, has had to fend off in his campaign for the forthcoming governorship election in the state on June 21 is that he is too bookish. Perhaps it is a reflection of the quality of the opposition candidates. Perhaps it is a reflection of their level of desperation, considering the almost certainty that Fayemi will retain his job in a free and fair election. The fact, however, is that the integrity and soundness of his academic background as a holder of a doctorate degree – unlike that of you-know-who – has been made to look like an albatross rather than the virtue that it is.

    “I am an academic,” he said somewhat defensively in a newspaper interview the other day, “but I am also a politician; I am not an Ivory Tower academic. I am on the streets.” (The Nation, May 19).

    Anyone who has been to Ekiti State since the man was sworn in as governor on October 16, 2010, following a three-and-half-year legal battle over the outcome of the April, 2007, governorship election in which Chief Segun Oni, the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, was declared winner, will testify to the fact that Fayemi has truly been on the streets changing the fortunes of the people of the state for the better.

    “I always,” he said in the interview in question, “ask anybody who raises this type of questions to do two things: read my inaugural speech on October 16, 2010 and mark paragraph by paragraph what I said I was going to do that I have not done in office.”

    Ekiti, created out of the old Ondo State by military head of state, General Sani Abacha, on October 1, 1996, is one of the smallest in the country by size (2,543 square metres and 31st  out of 36 states) and by population (2,737,186 million and 29th out of 36). In terms of the much depended upon revenue allocation to states from the centre, Ekiti is also near the bottom; it receives an average of N3 billion monthly compared to, say, Bayelsa which was created out of the old Rivers State in the same year and is bigger in size (8,158 square metres) but smaller in population (1,998,349) and collects 24 billion a month on average.

    For a state with such a meagre revenue allocation it is a miracle that Fayemi had been able to achieve most of what he promised nearly four years ago, especially in the areas of education, infrastructural development and social security. Part of his secret is that he is one of the most urbane and cosmopolitan politicians in the land, virtues he apparently cultivated during his self-exile under General Abacha’s five-year rule.

    As governor he seems to have used those virtues to attract sizeable grants from abroad to build the infrastructure that were so much lacking in the state before he took charge.

    The other half of his secret is that he has been able to raise money from the capital market to deliver on his promises. For opposition candidates, this is not a good thing and they could be right; only in this case they aren’t.

    The leading opposition candidate, Chief Peter Ayodele Fayose, for example, has condemned Fayemi for putting the state in debt, among his other alleged crimes against its good people. “Fayemi,” the New Telegraph (May 15) quoted him as saying, “has destroyed education, put Ekiti in debt, impoverished Ekiti people through capital flight. Nobody really wants to return APC (Fayemi’s All Progressives Congress) to power in this state. APC is like leprosy to the people.”

    Ekiti may be in debt but in making his charge against Fayemi, Fayose obviously conveniently ignored the purpose of the debts and to ask whether their costs have been more than their benefits. Debts, as the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate knows all too well, are bad only if, as is all too often the case in Nigeria, they are incurred only to be stolen or mismanaged rather than invested wisely and efficiently. So far, no opposition candidate, not even Fayose, has accused Fayemi of kleptomania.

    In any case Fayose is hardly in a position morally to accuse anyone of such a crime. After all, it was allegations of corruption against him which seemed credible that led to his impeachment by his state House of Assembly in which more than half the members belonged to his own party. This was the impeachment that led to the crisis which, in turn, provided President Olusegun Obasanjo with an excuse to impose his constitutionally dubious emergency rule on the state in October, 2006.

    It is doubtful that the good people of Ekiti State would want a return to those locust years under Fayose and his PDP, a party he himself had called some of the nastiest names and even left to contest unsuccessfully for a senate seat on the platform of the Labour Party in 2007, following his terrible encounter with Obasanjo. Here it is instructive that only two weeks ago or so, the majority leader of the Ekiti House of Assembly under his administration and the commissioner of land under Segun Oni’s subsequent PDP administration, Mr Kayode Babade, defected from the party to APC.

    Apart from Fayose, the only other credible opposition to Fayemi is his estranged friend and former APC compatriot and member of the House of Representatives, Chief Michael Opeyemi Bamidele. Bamidele eventually left after his apparent wish to take over from Fayemi after only one term was spurned in December, 2012, by his political bosses, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose government he had served in as a commissioner, the elderly Chief Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State and acting chairman of APC and, before then, chair of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and Chief Niyi Adebayo, a former governor of Ekiti. In reaction he rejected their pleas to remain in APC and instead left to join the Labour Party.

    Personal ambition is hardly a vice in itself. However, it is hardly enough to persuade an electorate to change horses even after crossing the stream, in a manner of speaking. As Fayemi asked rhetorically in an answer to a question by editors of Tell in an interview in its edition of November 11, 2013, concerning his estrangement from his friend and compatriot, “What is it that we promised that we are not doing? What is in the manifesto of our party that is not being implemented in Ekiti?”

    As with Fayose, it is also here instructive that when Bamidele left APC, not a single local government chairman of the party was known to have followed him to his new party.

    Clearly, the most serious obstacle to Fayemi retaining his job from June 21 is the PDP’s formidable rigging machine, which threw out Chief Adebayo from the Government House, Ado-Ekiti and installed Fayose there in 2003, and Oni in 2007. And in what sounded like the party’s willingness to crank up this machine, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, during a rally in Ekiti in support of its governorship candidate last month, equated Ekiti and the neighbouring Osun with “war fronts” which the PDP must “capture” in the governorship elections coming up in the two APC states in June and August respectively.

    Hopefully, the vice-president’s words were no more than the usual hyperbole of an over-excited politician on the stump. However, in case it is, the best, if not the only, way to avert a “war” in those states is for the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the Voters Card Reader machine as the best guarantee of free and fair elections. At any rate, it is safer not to take any chances.

    So far INEC seems reluctant to use the machines before the general elections next year. The vice-president’s unfortunate words which he probably never meant, given his mild nature, has now made it incumbent for INEC to use those machines. With the limited number that will be required, the commission has enough time to deploy them. Indeed, INEC should seize this as an opportunity to test run them.

    It is only if it does so that it will help remove any excuse for Fayemi and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Osun governor, to cause havoc in their states should they lose their jobs in June and August because everybody would’ve seen that the elections had been free and fair.

     

  • The military and its ‘enemies’

    The military and its ‘enemies’

    The Nigerian military finds itself in an unusual position. Over the last fifty odd years it has often been cast in the role of saviour. It fought the Biafran secession and preserved the Nigerian federation – a feat that many Civil War veterans would never let us forget.

    It has, for the bulk of our years as an independent nation taken it upon itself, to ‘rescue’ the country in moments of ‘drift’, plunging headlong into the extra-constitutional role of governance. Truly, on many of those occasions when the soldiers stepped in the populace were only too relieved to see bungling politicians tossed out on their ears.

    Even when the military was not meddling in government, its competence was often celebrated internationally as Nigerian troops excelled in a number of continental and United Nations-sponsored peacekeeping operations.

    For such an institution used to receiving plaudits, it is hard to be humble. It is even harder when you have come to accept your billing as this great fighting machine, to suddenly be at the receiving end of trenchant criticism that raises questions about your competence.

    Dealing with this awkward situation has proven a test over which the military and its spokesmen have not handled well. Suddenly, they see grand conspiracies and enemies everywhere.

    Against the backdrop of unprecedented international focus on the country following the bombing at the Nyanya, Abuja motorpark, as well as the abduction of over 270 Chibok schoolgirls, the most readily identifiable “foes” of this powerful institution have become the media – local and foreign – and the hashtag activists seeking the release of the abductees.

    This last week, Director of Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Olajide Laleye, repeated statements that suggest the military truly believe some people want to destroy it as an institution. Speaking in Abuja at the monthly briefing on the activities of the army in the North-East where the Boko Haram insurgency has been raging, he said: ‘The Nigerian Army has been under a deliberate and concerted effort by some individuals, bodies and organisations to tarnish its good image.

    “These groups and their international collaborators are trying hard to portray the Nigerian military as corrupt with myriad of problems and challenges ranging from morale of troops, equipment and troops welfare.”

    The general argued that the campaigns were calculated to undermine the corporate existence of the army and downplay its achievements. The army which he said was one of the binding forces uniting the country was far from weak and ineffective.

    Interestingly, the same week when Laleye was thumping his chest, the army’s Chief of Account and Budget, Major General Abdullahi Muraina, while speaking at the opening of the 2014 training week of the Nigerian Army Finance Corps (NAFC) for Warrant Officer/Senior Non-Commissioned Officers at Jaji, Kaduna State, said current budgetary allocation to the military was inadequate to meet the contemporary security challenges and cater for the welfare of the army.

    Muraina broke it down for journalists this way. “The army budget for this year is just N4.8billion. Now, to provide only one item for the troops engaged in the operation in the North-East… Assuming we committed 20,000 troops, the jacket and the helmet is on the average of about $1,000. If you change that to naira, it is about N150, 000. This means they are going to spend about $20million and that is about N3billion.

    “N3billion as a percentage of N4.8billion which is the capital budget for this year is more than 50 per cent and that is just one item.  We are not talking about uniforms; we are not talking about boots, we are not talking about structures where they will stay. We are not talking about training – because training is key to enhancing the capability of the force.”

    The issues of adequately funding and proper equipment was alluded to by Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima a while back and defensive Federal Government officials – including President Goodluck Jonathan – laid into him for suggesting that Boko Haram fighters were better equipped than our troops. Now we have the army’s purse keeper going on record to say they have issues with money.

    There are serious problems hampering the effectiveness of the military’s campaign in the North-East – and they are not limited to finance alone. Those challenges are the real enemies to be attacked, not the media, #Bring Back Our Girls protesters and their so-called “foreign collaborators.”

    For anyone to suggest that the media are the issue is downright ludicrous. What would be the motive driving this imaginary agenda of destroying the military?

    For these charges to stick motive must be established. Anyone who understands the way the media works knows that it is virtually impossible to get them to rally behind one agenda because of conflicting proprietary interest, political affiliations and worldview.

    The real problem for Nigeria’s military is that it is yet to understand that intense scrutiny is inevitable in the relentless 24/7 news cycle. Does anyone honestly expect the media not to report when troops turn their guns on the General Officer Commanding (GOC) as reportedly happened in Borno recently?

    What newspaper worth its salt would refuse to report the Nyanya bomb blast that claimed 100 lives? What sort of news medium would not analyse the context in which the attack happened and ask questions about the role of the military and political leadership?

    The snatching of over 270 Chibok schoolgirls from their dormitory by brutal terrorists is unprecedented anywhere in the world. It is a gripping human drama that no news organisation can ignore. It is the power of the story that attracted the CNNs, Aljazeeras and BBCs of this world. They have not focused on an anonymous village in Southern Borno ‘just to destroy Nigeria’s military.’

    Whatever they have done over the Chibok story, they have done in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and in their own countries. It is almost two years since Libyan gunmen stormed the United States consulate in Benghazi, killing the ambassador. The story of that tragic incident has refused to die because of media and congressional scrutiny. The same thing with America’s intervention in Afghanistan… No one has suggested that this scrutiny is intended to destroy the US military.

    It is this same mentality that led spokesmen of the Jonathan administration to accuse the opposition of treason just because they made certain caustic and critical comments!

    Unfortunately for our political establishment who don’t want to be accountable to anybody, intrusive reporting and uncommon scrutiny of their actions is here to stay. Terror is the issue of the 21st century and the world is interested. Thanks to Boko Haram’s brutality Nigeria has become the latest terrorism frontier – meaning she’ll be trapped in the global spotlight for years to come.

    Politicians, the military and all those managing this insurgency must be prepared to answer questions. We opened the door when we failed to tackle what we had advertised as a local issue. Now that we have begged for foreign help, we must realise it is not a freebie. It comes with a price: scrutiny and accountability.

  • Jonathan, 2015 and Armageddon

    Founder of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and chairman of the newly registered Unity Party of Nigeria, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, says there might be ‘crisis’ in Nigeria if President Goodluck Jonathan is pressured into dropping his ambition to seek a second term.

    After reminding us of the president’s constitutional right to contest, he warns of the likelihood of militant groups in the Niger-Delta returning to violent activities if the President is denied the chance to run again.

    His comments are not novel. Compared to the verbal grenades lobbed by the likes of one-time militant leader, Asari Dokubo, they are relatively mild. Dokubo, for his part, has threatened war if Jonathan fails to win at the general elections! In other words Nigerians have to vote for his kinsman or else.

    The use of threats and intimidation to pursue dodgy political agendas is usually rife in times of transition in Nigeria. When the late General Sani Abacha sought to transmute from military dictator to civilian president, his promoters sold the lie that he was the strongman who could prevent the country from breaking to pieces because of the bitter fallout from the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections.

    But against everything that had been scripted, Abacha expired unceremoniously. Sixteen years after his death the country has not fragmented.

    At the height of the campaign for a third term for former President Olusegun Obasanjo, we were again beaten over the head with the hackneyed line about him being the only one that understood Nigeria.

    When we are not being bullied into voting for Jonathan, we are made to listen to silly statements claiming the only alternative to the incumbent is chaos. I think his marketers have got things mixed up because what we have right now is utter chaos.

    In coming months we can expect to hear more of these execrable comments. The reality, however, is that nobody can force Nigerians to re-elect anybody by bald threats. Until we begin to challenge some of these inane comments we might just end up with a self-fulfilling prophecy.

    I can understand an Asari Dokubo returning to the creeks if Jonathan loses out – after all he’s done well for himself under this dispensation. But there are millions in the Niger-Delta whose lives have not been transformed in any special way by this administration, who will carry on as though nothing happened if a new president is elected come January 2015. Friends, depend on it, the heavens will not fall.

  • ‘Our Girls’; Questioning security; Employ psychologists please; Will the $10m be stolen also?

    ‘Our Girls’; Questioning security; Employ psychologists please; Will the $10m be stolen also?

    Our Girls’ from Chibok are uppermost in our minds and actions and require a collective non-partisan political will. There is a public perception that the Dame Jonathan summons to Chibok related officials was actually in bad taste. Many people think however it revealed serious flaws in every level of national, state and LGA management, security and supervision. As a result of this and the seeming unserious sluggish uncoordinated planning and response to Chibok, Nigerians are worried and not for the first time are asking about the state of readiness of their armed forces in spite of the military hierarchy having unlimited access to the nation’s finances for years. How far has politics compromised its professionalism to meet threats?

    Generations of Nigerians are used to military excesses and many at home and abroad, still bear the scars of being on the receiving of soldiers and killer squads from the Abacha era even as Al Mustapha has walked ‘free’ in body if not in soul. But with Boko Haram and the Fulani cattle herder menaces and the coming political violence threatening every home now, this generation, is questioning the generals –retired and serving and the police hierarchy. Are they ready or will they stand aside and watch, saving only politicians and billionaires? This is supposed to be a new democratic era.

    The questions Nigerians want answered include – What manner of material and mental support does Nigeria give to those under arms as compared to soldiers in foreign countries? What quality and quantity of arms have they? What is their state of mind and body and weapon preparedness to meet guerrilla warfare? What happens to the armed forces budget that they require ’emergency’  billions extra? What is ‘welfare’ and who gets what out of ‘welfare’? What is the welfare package for our other ranks soldiers in our current warfare? When do the other ranks get paid and rotation in and out of war zone? Why was there a mutiny? Do soldiers in the field get adequate supplies as we have never seen police at checkpoints ever being supplied with food and water? What is the point of Jaji and all those military manoeuvres?

    Regardless of corruption today and in the past military era, Nigeria must further empower its armed forces to contain Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen and later the thugs of democracy. It must also upgrade its toilets to clean and functional, a human right for its foreign security advisors.

    How many of our hundreds of unemployed psychologists are employed in the police, the armed forces and other security units and even NGOs and for staff and victim support? For the first time in Nigeria’s history, we are thankfully being forced by international anti-terror protocol to involve psychologists to care of anguished parents, families and initiate standard Post Trauma Psychological Protocols (PTPs), for dealing with anxiety and trauma memories on release. We had no such psychologists for the victims of Fulani herdsmen, bomb blasts at Nyanya or for the survivors of the several other attacks since Chibok which have claimed over 350 Nigerians since Chibok. This Post Trauma Psychological Protocol must be part of the medical preparations for the reception of the Our Girls’ and victims and family at every other emergency that produces physically and psychologically traumatised survivors and relatives.

    Of course our armed forces are good. Look at their track record internationally. For our investment in them, they have to be. From their pledge of service they must be good. They have pledged their lives and many have lost their lives, often unsung, to protect us. Already how many soldiers have paid the ultimate price to keep us safe from Boko Haram? How do we honour those already dead? Do they even get a public military funeral?  Though we do not judge success by the casualty figures, the estimated 8,000 ECOMOG soldiers dead in Liberia and Serra Leone are bloody testimony to the sacrifice of our young Nigerian men. Where is their memorial? Did they get a military burial? We all know that the Navy and the Air Force have been under-supplied for years supposedly because of the expense of training and purchasing and especially properly maintaining sophisticated planes, helicopters and modern ships. However is the army in the same poor-equipment boat? Nigerians pay little attention to maintenance. Is it so in the Armed Forces?

    Certainly Nigerian authorities pay little or no attention to communications updates even in the police. Remember David Mark’s remark, as a high military government minister, about the phone not being for the poor. Of course we all have cell phones now but do the armed forces personnel have modern high-tech communication gadgets that we see in modern warfare during the capture of Bin Laden for example? Many Nigerians want to know if we have any elite troops not the type unleashed during the Abacha terror when Al Mustapha worked infamous CSO for the dreaded Abacha.

    International donors’ $10m school security fund will substitute for education funds mismanaged or stolen over the years. Donors should demand evidence of recent funding in the 500 schools for books etcetera and how much of the vote for the selected schools was received. The $10m donors will merely replace funds routinely ‘redistributed’ from the LGA accounts monthly. Each LGA in Nigeria has had enough money to turn schools and hospitals into good quality premises delivering good education and health.

     

  • Still on Nigeria’s security policy

    Still on Nigeria’s security policy

    These days, whether you are in London, New York, Berlin or even nearby Johannesburg, the debates and discussions on Nigeria are most certainly centred on the rapacious corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation as well as bad leadership which has turned the country into one rudderless ship unable to navigate its way on the mighty ocean of life. At least these two factors have dominated discussions on Nigeria for a long time until terrorism increased the tally. Now, with a combination of these three afflictions, the country seems to be headed for Golgotha.

    Presently, more than 230 school children (their total number is shrouded in controversy) are marooned in an evil forest called Sambisa in Borno State, north-east of Nigeria. The schoolgirls were writing their final year examination, more than a month ago, when terrorists of the Boko Haram terror gang swooped on them in their dormitory at the Government Girls’ College, Chibok, near Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, abducted them and disappeared into thin air. The issue has since become internationalised with people across the globe calling for their release. Not only this. Following the lacklustre performance of the country’s security forces that have, so far, been unable to record a breakthrough in their efforts to free the abducted girls, a good number of countries have offered military assistance to the country to help in freeing the girls.

    Even with the presence of military assistance to the country, it thus appears that there is no let-up in the spate of terrorists’ attacks. The attacks have not only been brazen, exposing many chinks in security for which heads should roll, but also, we have witnessed some of the worst attacks in recent times. In the wake of the international outcry that greeted the Chibok abductions, the government finally got down from its perch and took a position. But the current inflow of foreign security assistance and the so-much-mouthed government’s determination to go the whole hog to rescue the abducted girls as well as defeat terrorism is seen not as a comprehensive strategy to combat Boko Haram, but more of a reaction to a situation. It is not something pro-active and well-thought out.

    Now that the government has indicated its willingness to act more decisively, it is relying on the security forces especially the military, to make and execute operational plans. That is the job for the military, of course, but the problem with the whole approach is that there is hardly anyone on the civilian side to understand such plans, much less analyse them critically. An operational plan is not just about acting out a script; it is also about assessing how the adversary will react. We must have a fair idea about their reaction. The Boko Haram’s asymmetric advantage is urban terrorism. Its affiliated groups in the northern parts of the country have enormous social penetration. There is no shortage of funds and motivation and they have sympathisers seriously embedded in the population. Besides, operating in the northern part of the country is somewhat easy. Against a determined, superior force, the terrorists will not hold ground. They don’t need to. An operation will also disrupt their lives for a short while, resulting in a reduction of their attacks. But it will be a brief reprieve.

    Just like the military, the terrorists also have contingency arrangements. The question is: does the government, including the military, have any plans to disrupt their contingency plans? The application of strategy is like a game of chess. The successful commander is the one who stays ahead of his opponent’s likely moves. Let me be more specific. Once the terrorists are smoked out of the forests of the North, they are likely to react by moving to the major cities. Does the government have the wherewithal to deal with that? It is quite unfortunate that military operations in the last one year have not succeeded in breaking the backbone of the Boko Haram terrorists. This is an important point that needs some clarification.

    Military operations have cleared and physically dominated the major cities in the North-east, thereby pushing the terrorists to the fringes – the border areas. That, in itself, is a success. But it is not the entire story. In the strategic triangle, physical dominance is only one end of the triangle. Any operational success hinges on securing at least two ends of the strategic triangle. In this case, the other ends, socio-psychological and fiscal-economic, have largely remained unoccupied by the government. Add to this the fact that the reprisals have come in the urban centres, including Abuja and last Sunday, in Kano, we then have a situation in which it looks as if the military operations have ended up doing nothing.

    It is as if the government has been reading the intentions and the ideology of the enemy wrongly, and many presume that these terrorists are merely reacting to a situation. While it is correct to say that the situation has given them a fillip, their motives and motivations are selfish and stupid. That is very clear from their statements, videos, and other materials available for anyone interested in constructing their narrative. Even so, in making one point, they are right, notwithstanding whether the point is made crudely or unwittingly. Thus far, we have been looking at the problem like the blind men figuring out an elephant. Fighting terrorism (or regular and irregular wars) is not a function of military operations alone. It requires the employment of the full resources of a country.

    What does this mean? It means many things. Most of all, it has to do with dealing with the whole rather than just the parts. Take urban terrorism, the preferred operational space of the enemy. The threat has to be handled through efficient counter-terrorism strategies. That presupposes an effective police force and a transparent and functional criminal justice system. As for the police and its counter-terrorism function, it is sad to note that the government has no plan to improve its capacity. There are other important aspects of counter-terrorism, which, are about the enforcement of everyday laws rather than any James Bond activity. The country needs an effective security policy. Improving the capacity of the police must go beyond a narrow definition of security and, by implication, a counter-terrorism strategy. The point is that counter-terrorism is not an isolated activity. It is woven in the warp and woof of a country’s laws, and presumes that a country can effectively enforce those laws at all levels. Effective enforcement presupposes that state functionaries are aware of the threat of keeping any activity under the radar. This includes those who do not have any direct affiliation with a uniformed force.

    Dealing with our internal threat is not about knee-jerk reactions. It requires a policy and a sustained effort. How? First, there must be a clear understanding and acceptance of the fact that we face a threat. If that requires a declaration, let there be one. Let the country say that Boko Haram and its affiliated groups, regardless of where they might be located, are enemies of Nigeria, and the country will not rest easy until it has rid itself of this threat. This would mean knowing that we are now in a state of internal emergency. Doing so would mean subjecting the political visage of these groups under laws relating to terrorism. Such an emergency will give the country the authority to track communication. Furthermore, government officials found involved in any activity that helps keep anyone below the radar must be dealt with as accomplices.

    Nigeria’s problem is not just terrorism. In fact, terrorism is the by-product of an extremist mindset which has seeped into some sections of the population. If the country wants to fight and win, it does not just have to deal with the terrorists but also with a mindset. In that, our existential threat is very different from that facing other countries. We sowed the wind; we now have to either reap the whirlwind or do something about it. Simplicita!

     

  • Peter Obi and burden of accountability

    Peter Obi and burden of accountability

    Once upon a time, there lived a man named Okoloigwe in the land of Umuigwe. Okoloigwe was one of those men who left the village early in life to the city in search of greener pastures. This exposed him a lot as he acquired experience particularly in the construction industry where he worked for many years and rose to the position of a foreman. He later retired to his hometown and engaged himself in the business of building construction within the locality. His popularity grew as he acquired a new title of ‘Engineer’ which became even more popular than his real name. Nearly every successful young man within the environ sojourning in the city or abroad engage ‘Engineer’ to construct his village house. He was doing very well and enjoyed a lot of respect from both the young and old.

    One day, his town decided to build a Town Hall and it naturally fell on him to handle the project. The town union raised money through levies and donations from their wealthy indigenes and ‘Engineer’ was given a free hand to handle the project because of the seeming trust he enjoyed from most people who believed that he will not only perform but also give a good financial account after the project. The project went on smoothly to completion. Everyone was happy and full of praises and commendation for him for a job well done. The town union then set a date for the formal handover and rendering of financial account for the project. This was where his problem started. He was not only careless with the town’s finances; he also helped himself with a large chunk as he was at the same time also developing his private residence.

    On the appointed day, the people were disappointed because ‘Engineer’ could not give a good account of the public funds left at his disposal. All he could manage to say, without much confidence, was that the money he received was able to complete the project and that the town was not owing him neither was he owing the town. This did not go down well with the people as many demanded a proper account while some began to call him uncomplimentary names. The story of ‘Engineer’ and the town hall soon spread like wildfire to far and near. Within a very short time, his popularity nose-dived. He lost his integrity amongst the people and became a laughing stock. The once vibrant, ebullient and respected man was totally deflated and could no longer raise his head up. When the situation became too unbearable, he ran to the city.

    The problem with Engineer was not about performance. It was that he forgot that in dealing with public funds, accountability is usually more important than performance. He passed the performance test but failed the crucial test of accountability and that relegated his much taunted performance to the background.

    Mr. Peter Obi, the immediate past governor of Anambra State is my man. He scored so many firsts in his eight years as governor and continues to receive accolades and commendations from the high and mighty in the society for his superlative performance and development of all sectors of Anambra State. I am also one of those who believe that ‘Okwute’ as Peter is fondly called, came, saw and conquered. But perhaps what I consider the most significant aspect of Obi’s tenure was the seeming character, integrity and transparency he brought to governance. He has sold himself as a man of very strong character and high integrity. To prove his transparency, he attempted to render an account of his stewardship with a breakdown totalling N75 Billion which he claimed he left in the coffers of Anambra State. This is the point of departure between Obi and the story of Engineer. I must confess that I and most Nigerians who had shown interest in the affairs of Anambra State are guilty of being blinded by the performance of Peter Obi to the extent that we lost sight of the accountability angle.

    In recent publications in major Nigerian newspapers, a group called Anambra State Concerned Professionals took Peter Obi’s public accounts to the cleaners, raising a lot of critical and relevant questions on the financial score-card presented by the former governor. For instance, Mr. Obi had told the whole world severally that he has kept aside money for the completion of contracts he awarded as well as two years salary for the newly recruited graduates into the state civil service, but no mention was made about these in  Obi’s breakdown. The publication posed questions as regards the number of shareholding by Anambra in the investments made by the former governor which was not disclosed and therefore subject to abuse. Such investments include; INTAFACT — N3.5 Billion, Onitsha Hotel — N1Billion, Agulu Hotel — N1Billion, Awka Shopping Mall —N0.9Billion, etc.

    The publication also raised questions on the business interest of NEXT International, a company allegedly owned by Peter Obi, in these investments made by his administration. The group further alleged that Obi diverted Local Government SURE-P Funds for security purposes whereas he collected about N450 million monthly as security vote and that instead of the declared surplus of N75 billion,

    Obi rather left commitments and liabilities in excess of N12O billion. Another point of controversy raised by the group was the N10 billion federal government approved refund ostensibly for federal government road rehabilitation project in Anambra State.

    Rehabilitation works on the Amansea – Amawbia on the Enugu/Onitsha Express Road was commenced about two weeks to the end of Peter Obi’s administration and of which less than 20 percent mobilization was paid to the contractors. It would be wrong and deceptive to include the entire sum of N10 billion as savings whereas the state government still has outstanding of more than 80 percent to pay before the completion of the project. All these are very weighty questions and allegations that if not well addressed would cast doubts on the integrity of the former governor.

    We all agree that Mr. Peter Obi did very well in terms of development in Anambra State but he should also end well by rendering proper accounts to the people of the state. Here lies the burden of accountability in public office. He must not allow his good name to be dragged to the mud by questions of corruption and compromises here and there. He should clear his name of any wrong doing because good name they say, is better than silver and gold. Peter Obi should speak out now so that his case does not end like the story of Engineer and the town hall.

     

    • Onuigbo wrote from Abuja
  • ‘Our Girls’; $10m school aid; Simple Solar; Dangote/Dajuma/Glo/MTN Foundation $5million grants

    ‘Our Girls’; $10m school aid; Simple Solar; Dangote/Dajuma/Glo/MTN Foundation $5million grants

    There are ‘our Girls’, kidnapped on the April 15, 29 days ago? The management of the case seems worse every new revelation from inaction on an early warning to a delay of weeks in scientific pursuit. Is this not a job creation opportunity in spying? Were the escapees, school workers and the citizens properly interviewed for recorded concrete usable evidence in terms of names called, languages used, facial and clothing and body and weapons characteristics to build up multiple criminal or terrorist case files for future questioning of Boko Haram suspects for complicity in this kidnap? Of course, abi? Or are we expecting foreigners to interrogate them for us? Of course not.

    Nigerians watch television and are not stupid. Nigerians know how other countries fight terror. Nigerians are outraged at the high cost of security and ‘security votes’ or slush funds for no returns. Nigerians know the abused word ‘welfare’ used in the armed forces to disguise cash payments for ‘whatever’. Nigerians are shocked at the apparent lack of commitment and urgency in the anti-terrorist actions of government and its usually heavy-handed security organs. Nigerians know there is more to national and state security than guarding politicians and millionaires while forcing citizens off the road with rough government driving, sirens, koboko whips and batons and accidental discharge of weapons. Nigerians deserve better.

    Sadly, expected plans to rescue ‘Our Girls’ suggested by citizens through the media including studying local and international satellite imaging and paying informers, were not immediately implemented. It has taken our women and international outrage to get a response. Pity. And by outrage I do not mean the theatrical Chi or is it Kai, there is God O! from Mama Jonathan deserving a ‘Worst Performance’ Oscar. Did her handkerchief have onions to bring on Presidential tears? Everyone knows that the first 24 hours is key in any chase. Nigeria thought that this was being done. Do the security forces not train for security threat scenarios? It is inconceivable that the Nigerian military did not initiate an immediate ‘Hot Pursuit’ they cannot reveal for security reasons. Nigerians are disappointed and 280 of ‘Our Girls’ are still in Sambisa Forest. Things should be in top gear at all times, not because of the World Economic Forum, but because of Nigerians living ordinary lives. Nigerians deserve better. They deserve similar security to the WEF. The same level of security should be extended to the rest of the country and not just politicians.

    The $10m international grant for education in 500 schools is well meaning but must be seen in the light of a country that abandons its schools and waits for foreigners to come and replace the money Nigerian state and LGA and Federal governments mismanage, misappropriate and steal. The grant rewards those who steal with even more money to replace the stolen funds. Will they steal the $10m also? The 500 schools will be lucky to see 10%, $1m, or less unless the money is converted to material like teacher training scholarships, posters, books, sports equipment and science equipment from the foreign countries.

    There are existing and future solutions to Nigeria’s huge electricity power problems which will eventually be able to light many homes in villages across the world off the grid. No doubt Nigeria’s faculties of technology and engineering in our universities and their students are burning up the internet and on fire from studying the new electricity creations worldwide to solve our own power problems. Anyone interested in the business angle or the technical angle of this area of development should for example check out BBC’s Horizons programme on 11-5-2014 for details of a few new suggestions like the Gravity light as an alternative to kerosene lighting and the football light which stores power by being kicked around and then can be plugged to a light for reading at night. Remember that the main problems of night lighting in villages are smoke and fumes and cost of renewables like fuel. And do not forget to research the Indian Grandmother Solar Engineer Project which has been around for some years and has reached many African and Asian countries but as usual has not yet Nigeria. As usual the main issue is funding.

    The recent award of $5million by Danjuma Foundation for a Nigeria South Africa Law Link Project is good. So are Dangote’s promises of progress on job creation from a multibillion dollar investment in industrial development. May we recommend to them that they fund the domestication of some of the many good solar and other lighting and power generation ideas flying around worldwide to lighten up the miserable lives of Nigerians and quickly empowering them through lighting solutions. Light at night is power and there are many millions of children in darkness. Imagine Dangote Foundation or Danjuma Foundation or Glo Foundation or MTN Foundation separately or coming together to deliver 10m such footballs/Gravitylights/Indian solar lights to 10m village homes and off-grid city homes every year as part of a ‘Light is Life Project’. Children deserve light at night. The scientists have done their work, now it is time for the philanthropists and business to bring the new light to the people in need. But will that happen? After all, Nigeria has never harnessed the sun and solar power before. And anyway, these new power sources will cut kerosene imports and some people will fight this. So will we make progress?

  • Rebasing our GDP and the Paris Club debt relief

    Rebasing our GDP and the Paris Club debt relief

    When our economy was rebased on April 6 making it the largest in Africa, ahead of South Africa’s, the continent’s erstwhile Number One, there was celebration in Abuja, albeit not as loud as that nearly nine years ago over the Paris Club debt relief.

    Then, President Olusegun Obasanjo made a special national broadcast on June 30 in which he expressed “great joy” at the announcement by the Paris Club of an “offer in principle” of relief from the debts the country owed it. At that time we were said to owe the club $30.515 billion. It said it would forgive $18 billion provided we paid $12, half in July 2002, the rest by the year’s end. In addition we were also expected to fulfil the terms of a supposedly autonomous Policy Support Instrument (PSI) but which, for all practical purposes, was the World Bank’s infamous Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) in all but name.

    The next day all the national media hailed the announcement as one of the country’s greatest achievements, if not the greatest. Many Nigerians fell over themselves in congratulating the president for what they said was his historic achievement. Some even exceeded themselves by dubbing him the father of Nigeria’s new independence, after the first from our colonial masters in 1960. The president himself, apparently overjoyed by the deal, told representatives of the Organised Private Sector who went to the Presidential Villa to congratulate him that the relief “will remove the burden of debt on Nigerians today and in the future.”

    Those who were sceptical that the announcement was truly a cause for “great joy” were dismissed as inconsequential spoilsports, even killjoys. In a reply to critics of the onerous conditionalities of the relief in a widely published article in July, an apparently angry Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the minister of finance who was central to securing the relief, said it was a fact and whether the “tiny minority (of sceptics) likes it or not, Nigeria will make use of this change.”

    A less charitable Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, then the managing director of First Bank, writing in support of the minister said those unhappy with the terms of the relief were the much pilloried “Babangida Boys.” Nigeria, he said, should fulfil the terms of the relief “even it means emptying the reserve before the locusts return for a second helping.” His “locusts” were obviously the “Babangida Boys”.

    A more subdued Dr Mansur Mukhtar, then director-general of the Debt Management Office (DMO) and a key player in securing the relief, writing in Thisday (July 30, 2005) also in support of the finance minister, said it made good economic sense to use our reserves to “secure a permanent exit from the debt trap.”

    On October 25, 2005, President Obasanjo made another broadcast on the relief when it went from being a mere offer in principle to a virtual reality. His broadcast was against the background of the earlier loss of his wife, Stella, and an air crash which claimed many lives. Still, he said, Nigeria had cause to celebrate its freedom from its debt, even if the celebration was to be subdued.

    Nearly nine years on, it is now obvious that the heady official self-congratulations in 2005 over the Paris Club debt relief were not as justified as its enthusiasts tried to make it. Certainly the promise they said it held for the prospects of a brighter Nigerian economy has not been fulfilled. Instead we seem headed for another debt trap, possibly worse.

    That we are headed back into the debt trap is obvious from an interview with the director-general of the DMO, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, published in the Nigerian Tribune of December 27, 2012. In that interview he said our debt stock as at September that year was $12.5 billion, $6.2 external, the rest internal. His projections for the external debts were $12.16 for 2013, $14.58 billion for 2014 and $17.76 billion for 2015. For the domestic debts he projected $7.12 for 2013, $7.79 for 2014 and $8.44 for 2015.

    Both Dr Nwankwo and his boss, the finance minister, say there is no cause for concern that we will return to the old debt trap, on present reckoning. Indeed, our chief debt manager last year told Leadership (October 6, 2013) that the country “is under-borrowing.”

    Perhaps so. But then this was precisely what we were told the first time we were dragged, kicking and screaming, into taking our first jumbo loan under General Obasanjo as military head of state in the late seventies. Look where it eventually landed us.

    More importantly, the lot of the vast majority Nigerians has only got progressively worse since 2005, not better. This much is obvious from the figures from our National Bureau of Statistics, which showed that the country’s poverty incidence worsened from 54.4% in 2004 to 71.5% in 2011. In absolute numbers, this was from 69 million to 120 million. More likely than not matters have only got worse since then, considering the pervasive insecurity in the land alone.

    The obvious big lesson in all this is that our government, like most governments the world over – but more so in our case – has become more concerned with public relations than with substance. In other words our government had become more concerned with pleasing and impressing outsiders and a charmed circle of a few insiders than in making the ordinary Nigerian happy and satisfied.

    The official response to the rebasing of our economy last month clearly shows that this lesson has not been learnt. From the president and the finance minister down to supporters of the administration, it seems to have been celebrations galore, albeit more subdued than those of the debt relief.

    In a short statement on his Facebook wall the day after the rebasing, our president, for example, called it a “feat” collectively achieved by Nigerians which should be celebrated. The revision of the size of our economy may not be mere trickery, as The Economist said in an editorial in its edition of April 12. But it truly beggars belief that our president, who holds a doctorate degree in a science subject, would call a mere statistical recalculation to get the true size of our economy an economic feat worth celebrating by Nigerians, if not by himself personally.

    “While this calls for celebration,” the president said on his Facebook wall, “I personally cannot celebrate until all Nigerians can feel the positive impact of our growth. There are still too many of our citizens living in poverty.”

    That his reason for personally abjuring any celebrations was not sincere soon became evident when he rejected the latest World Bank report which classified Nigeria as an extremely poor country, along with China, India, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    This was during his speech at this year’s Workers’ Day parade on May 1st at Eagle Square in Abuja. Nigeria, he said, was not poor because it has produced Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, and it could also boast of the largest number of Africans with private jets! Clearly this was a sharp contradiction of his Facebook statement that there were too many poor Nigerians for him to celebrate the country’s new Number One status on the continent.

    Our finance minister, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, must have been thoroughly embarrassed by her boss’s incredible definition of poverty as a development economist. She had, indeed, agreed with her erstwhile employers – she’s been on sabbatical of sorts from her job as managing director of the World Bank – when she said “Most middle-income countries including Brazil have large numbers of poor people. That is the reality of today and Nigeria is no exception.”

    Even then she seemed to share in a not-so-obvious way the president’s belief that the rebasing of our economy is worth celebrating. The rebasing, she said at a workshop on “A Reflection of Nigeria GDP Rebasing: Issues, Facts and Fiction” organised by Kukah Centre in collaboration with her ministry in Abuja, “was neither done for optimism nor for pessimism nor cynicism and I find it quite astonishing that people are commenting on this.”

    Her full remarks left no one in doubt that she was unhappy with widespread cynicism about the exercise. Yet she should know that if many people read politics into the exercise, her boss, more than anyone, was to blame because of the not-too-subtle way he tried to make political mileage out of it.

    Nigeria may have overtaken South Africa as the continent’s Number One economy. But as The Economist editorial in question said, it still has a lot to do if it is not to remain a giant with feet of clay. Nigeria, the magazine said, has to, among other things, tackle corruption, produce more electricity, transform the country’s dilapidated infrastructure and, above all, tackle unemployment.

    The record of this administration on all these counts remains abysmal. So far it has not demonstrated any will to put that record behind it. Instead it seems determined to rely on ethnic and religious emotions to return to power in 2015.

    Rebasing the country’s Gross Domestic Production will not make any difference to the country’s status as a poor country if President Jonathan succeeds in returning to power by appealing to emotions rather than by proving to Nigerians that his transformation agenda is no longer the mere sloganeering that it has been since 2011.