Category: Hardball

In many countries and cultures across the world, to knock on wood is a two-edged sword of sort. Knocking on wood is perhaps one of the most universal superstitious acts ever to be practised by man. It, therefore, presents shades of meanings and connotations for different peoples. According to Wiktionary: “The expression is used superstitiously to avert the possibility that something just mentioned (If bad) might not occur, or (if it is a good thing) might occur.”

In old English folklore, a version of knocking on wood holds that a sect of monks who wore large wooden crosses around their necks would tap or “knock” on them to ward off evil.

This tradition of knocking on wood is not known in Nigeria but it seems that we might have to imbibe it to effect some of the changes we desire.

The long-running story of Nigeria’s refineries and massive importation of petroleum products has reached a stage we may have to knock on wood for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to get stirred. Two stories early last week could have pushed Hardball to bang his head against wood.

One states that, “NNPC loses N228 billion revenue as refineries remain dormant.” Yet another, on the same day says, “FG spent N2.95 trillion on petrol imports in 2018 – NBS”. Indeed a mind-boggling paradox which calls for us all; 200 million of us, to knock on wood.

Consider that Nigeria, a major oil producer in the world has no viable refining capacity. Most of 2018, the three refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port-Harcourt averaged between zero and 10 percent capacity utilization. In fact a national newspaper reported that the three refineries recorded a cumulative loss of N114.3 billion in the first 11 months of 2018.

But this sum is peanuts when we compute the cost of importing refined products consumed in Nigeria. As the above-quoted headline shows, nearly N3 trillion was spent on petrol imports last year. That is more than one-third of our national budget. And we are talking about petrol alone.

We import more than half a dozen other petroleum products ranging from kerosene, diesel, to high-density polyethylene and engine oils. We also import heavily, food products like rice, wheat, cooking oil, tomato puree, poultry products, etc. The point being made here is that Nigeria probably spends half of her annual budget on importation of finished products.

Finally, here is the clincher (the reason we all must decide to knock on wood or to create a national knocking on wood day) everything we import, we can produce in large, exportable quantity at home.

Who’s knocking on wood yet?

The Monday before the February 23 election, an apocryphal report went viral on Facebook, claiming a very high CAN hierarch in Ibadan, Oyo State, was the previous day, blessing or cursing his congregation, along partisan lines.

He allegedly bullied, from the pulpit, his congregation to vote a certain way or be doomed to some spiritual comeuppance.  Given that the post came from an opposing partisan camp, and no independent sources confirmed the incident, no one could completely vouch for its veracity.

Still, as an apocryphal tale, it rings with some credulity, for that paints the unfortunate conduct of many pastors, in many churches, in the run-up to the elections; which by the way, with the governorship and state legislative polls due on March 9, are still in season.  Therefore, you couldn’t even dismiss such conduct in churches, on the Sunday worship day, after the presidential election.

Yet, it is to CAN’s credit that it was among the first set of corporates to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election.  That, at least, was some relief for not a few, especially those who insist the foremost Nigerian body of Christians has derailed from its pristine call of tending the spiritual flock, to the secular wide-and-merry.

Hardball’s angst with CAN is its clear moral ambivalence in an epoch of Nigerian rot; when faith organizations should have rippled and bristled, and froth with holy anger, to arrest Nigeria’s moral free fall.

Yet, under two presidents, CAN has shown culpable ambivalence, if not outright abandonment of duty, as far as arresting moral rot is concerned.

Under President Goodluck Jonathan, CAN under the presidency of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, was perceived as willing and indeed merry collaborator, with whatever was going on.  Why, Oritsejaor’s private jet, which he nevertheless claimed to have firmed out on a lease, was involved in a messy arm purchase scandal in South Africa.

With a desperate Jonathan playing the arch-victim as the persecuted “Christian” president, playing the North against the South, Christians against Muslims, majority against minority and allied sundry blackmail to win re-election, CAN somewhat suckered itself into that gambit.

Enter then, hate-preaching pastors, belching partisan curses!  But after that abortive campaign, Oritsejafor vacated the CAN presidency, and retired quietly to manage his church.

But the CAN he left behind, and Baptist Reverend Samson Ayorinde that succeeded him, appear not yet weaned from controversial campaigns.  All through the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari, CAN has more or less positioned itself as the religious arm of the political opposition.

CAN, as other pressure groups, reserve the right to support or oppose, subject to the interest of its members.  That stands within its legitimate and democratic rights.

Still, uncritically carrying partisan sympathies to negate own pristine essence has been CAN’s greatest undoing.

The anti-sleaze war has formed one of the fundamental pillars of the PMB presidency. But even as CAN’s faith essence should have pulled it towards constructive partnership to rid Nigeria of filth and sleaze, tardy is the word from CAN’s camp.

That isn’t good enough for a body that should worry about the moral health of the country.  It is time, therefore, for CAN to change tack.  Its perception, as a-moral, does its image no good.

Interestingly, a few days after he was re-elected to the Senate, Senator Dino Melaye tweeted: “Kogi State Government is planning to attack me on March 8 or 9. You will fail as always. God is my defence at all times. Nigerians take note.”

Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Kogi West, had defeated Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 23 election. Melaye polled 85, 395 votes and won six of the seven local government areas in Kogi West Senatorial District. Adeyemi, a former senator, had the support of Governor Yahaya Bello but polled 66, 902 votes.

Melaye’s allegation suggests that the Bello administration wants to harm him because he beat Adeyemi in the election.  The Director-General, Media, Publicity and Strategy to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said: “The allegation is false and unfounded. He should follow up the allegations with proofs if he wants to be taken seriously.”

It is noteworthy that this isn’t the first time Melaye has alleged that the Bello administration wants to harm him.  For instance, Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood had said in a statement on April 24, 2018: “At about 1200Hrs of today Sen. Dino Melaye while in lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force and being taken for arraignment in Federal High Court, Lokoja from Abuja, escaped from lawful custody when hoodlums and miscreants in two Toyota Hilux vehicles blocked the police vehicle conveying Senator Dino Melaye around Area 1 Roundabout, Abuja.”

He added: “In the process, the senator jumped out of the police vehicle through the window and was rescued from the policemen by hoodlums and miscreants to an unknown destination. The Police team reinforced and trailed Senator Dino Melaye to Zankli Hospital, Abuja where he was re-arrested.”

Melaye’s Special Adviser Gideon Ayodele had supplied another version of what happened: “Contrary to online reports about jumping out of a moving police vehicle; nothing could be further from the truth as such insinuation is practically impossible for a man sandwiched between gun-wielding policemen. Today’s incident was a last resort by Senator Dino Melaye in order to foil attempt to kidnap him and kill him by agents of Kogi State governor in connivance with the police.”

Now Melaye says the Kogi State government is planning to attack him on March 8 or 9. Melaye already has a reputation for theatricality and seems to be enjoying it.

Samson Agonistes (Agony of Samson) you probably know.  It is one of the classics off the desk of John Milton, the blind English poet whose poetic instincts saw clearer than many full-sighted persons.

But Secondus agonistes?  You need no classical reference, for it is here, happening live!

Uche Secondus, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is in severe agony and excruciating pains — no thanks to the emerging results, from the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.

He probably deserves empathy and compassion.  In a zero-sum game politics played here, the pain of defeat could be extremely agonizing.  Still, that hardly excuses the wild throwing of tantrums, especially by the chair of a former national ruling party, now Nigeria’s biggest opposition.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Secondus declared the results, from states released so far, were “incorrect” and “unacceptable” to the PDP – a legit choice.  Any party is perfectly entitled to accept or reject.

What is absolutely “unacceptable” – ah, that word again! – is tweaking a putative loss to mean a collapse of the democratic system.  That would be electoral sour grape bitten too hard!

Still, should you disagree with election results – and honestly, such disagreements are part and parcel of democracy – where to go is post-election adjudication, not threatening fire and brimstone, and conjuring Armageddon, just because you feared you might have lost.

Indeed, as at the time the PDP national chairman spoke, less than eleven, out of 36 states’ results, had been formally released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  So, with so much left to come out, why is the PDP chair raising the red flag?

This seeming panic is even all the more confusing, contrasted to his rather optimistic claim that PDP would carry the day: “Despite these provocations, intimidations and attempts to hijack our democracy and change the course of history” he insisted after letting fly a barrage of allegations, “I must, in fact, convey to our good people the fact that the PDP is on course to victory and the presidency …”

If this happens – and why not? — what happens to the chairman’s earlier gloomy painting of a collapsing democracy? It would, open sesame, spring back into life, because the PDP chair’s whim had changed? How pretty!

Besides, Secondus’s posturing to the “international community” was rather amusing.  These observers’ preliminary assessments seemed to have no serious questions over the polls, though the Commonwealth Mission said it had not factored in the collation end of its observation, to the preliminary report.    So, what was Secondus up to?  Some campaign-after-election to enlist illicit support?  That’s cheap!

The PDP has the right to kick over whatever injustices it might have noted in the polls’ conduct.  But where to ventilate those is certainly not at a press conference, trying to muddy the waters.  It is rather at the election tribunal, after the declaration of the final result.

Any other way is just playing the sore loser – and it isn’t pretty!