The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Buhari’s the surest bet

    SIR: Muhammadu Buhari a successful battle against indiscipline, lawlessness, and corruption during the short period of his administration.

    He controlled the nation’s spending in the best interest of Nigeria and in accordance with the law. He only had enemies among those corrupt leaders and rogues among the society.

    Buhari is a tested leader, when he was pushed out of power, there was no trace of him stealing the nation’s money. He remained clean and pure.

    Unfortunately, after Buhari was overthrown, corruption and indiscipline came became the order of the day and without control.

    What have we to say about the very younger elements who have no other record than looting the national treasury when they were in power for which Rev. Sunday Mbang cried out by saying “Every evil has become an accepted standard of Nigerian life”.

    So it is not the age that matters in government, but the sincerity and ability to perform of which Buhari stands out. He is going into politics this time around with a mission, vision and compass to serve the nation and not ambition for personal profit.

    He is coming to put a full stop to “Non-construction but payment for bridges where there is no river”.

     

    • Michael O. Faniyi mni. Jp

    Esa Oke,

    Osun State.

  • Prayer for Nigeria

    SIR: Despite all the excruciating challenges facing us, Almighty Father, we pray that the coming New Year will hold out a glimmer of hope for surmounting them. So, we beg that you make us gain a new oxygen of hope to enable us avert being drowned in the stormy waters of despair. With your blessed assurance, we repose trust in you that it shall be well with us, regardless of great odds. This is because in your will lies our peace and salvation, not in mere mortal man who can disappoint in the critical hour of need.

    Almighty, as we approach this critical juncture of our general elections, we pray that you touch the heart of our politicians. Make some of them to stop their reckless and provocative utterances that can heat up our polity. It is our fond hope that you nudge our politicians to understand the true essence of democracy, which, apart from ensuring majority rule, is necessitated by man’s inclination to misrule, oppression and injustice.

    At this tempestuous time, ethnic and religious sentiments have become a political force, let them shun sectional politics and the precipitate hatred and division. Instead, they should be inspired to play issue-based politics, as geared towards achieving good governance, responsible citizenry, political stability, social cohesion, economic prosperity, even and sustainable development and national greatness.

    We are in dire need of thoughtful leaders with the irresistible urge to change things for the better in Nigeria. Almighty Father, give us upright and selfless leaders whose articles of faith will be honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability and probity and who will be eager to manifest such elevating qualities in both their private and public life. Such proven, tested and trusted leaders should be meek, humble, selfless, self-effacing, compassionate, altruistic, populist, patriotic, pan-nationalistic, centrist and statesmanlike, as well as visionary, pragmatic and dynamic. And given that man has dominated man to his injury in Nigeria, it is our humble wish that you provide us with leaders whose guiding principles will be justice, fairness and equity for social peace to prevail in our clime.

    Dear Father in heaven, make our ethnic and religious leaders to have a dramatic change of heart in order to emphasise the ties that bind us as a people like African consanguinity, common colonial history and same national challenges, not issues of faith and ethnicity that seriously divide when subjected to abuse. This is essential because, in most cases, what we have in our fractured society are warlike communal leaders, not warlike people.

    Almighty Father, as we end this hopeful prayer, we, once again, express our deep gratitude for all the marvellous things you have done in our lives despite the vicissitudes of existence. May all the glory and adoration be unto you as we lift our hands in worship and with a sacrifice of praise to sanctify your holy name for giving us hope not only for this 2015 but also for the future.

    Happy and prosperous New Year to fellow Nigerians.

     

    • Okechukwu Emeh, Jr

    Wuse II, Abuja.

  • Charity begins at home

    Whenever values are not impacted at home, society is worse for it, society is then left with a huge burden to control a rabid dog that could have otherwise been a guard dog. When the home is so permissive that it fails to limit excesses and then even goes to the extent of rewarding mediocrity, then society is worse for it.

    A few decades ago, Nigeria was misruled by northern leaders who were heavily criticised by southerners but worshipped in the north. The northern people adored the leaders that impoverished all of us simply because they spoke the same language and attended the same mosque. For them, leadership had no responsibility and hence the southerners that criticised these leaders were just envious because they were not in charge. For these leaders, Charity did not begin at home, their corruption was hailed at home and hence their other crimes did not seem to matter. The fact that their parents ate gleefully from their corrupt hands instead of calling them to order emboldened them to torment the people more. The people from whom they stole embraced them warmly and cheered them on to accomplish more disastrous exploits.

    History has been compelled to repeat itself because human beings have a penchant for acting in the very same way. Those in the south now sympathise with the man who has made our problems a second choice and not a priority (assuming we are on the list). He throws excuses to us instead of solutions but is hailed at home and hence can act no different. His parents endorse mediocrity and say competence and responsibility is not a human characteristic whenever they embrace him on his home coming. The people of the south hail Mr. President’s transformation agenda that has failed to transform their individual fortunes, thereby encouraging his actions.

    The South south man should realise that he can’t ask for good governance from a northerner when he fails to do so now.

    We don’t imbibe charity from the streets, we are too hard headed for criticism from somewhere outside the home to matter. Until the hard truth is drummed into the ears of GEJ by the south as a collective region, then the noise in the north would not move him. Until those of us in the creeks ask what has happened to our subsidy funds and the proposed refineries, we should not expect anything good.

    Those of us from the South must be able to ask why we are still having less than 5000 megawatts of electricity despite the reforms in the sector. Mr. President can only be responsive to the security challenge in the north east when the humanity of the South south man makes him empathise with his kin across the Niger whose geography is now a curse.

    By Ekitumi Ofagbor

    Ofagbor88@yahoo.com

  • America’s restoration of ties with Cuba

    President Barrack Obama has taken a giant step that history would never forget him in politics and human endeavour.

    The decision to open diplomatic ties with Cuba is a decision that needs to be applauded in the world of politics; hence it would cement the bound between Cuba and America.

    When the threat of Ebola reared its ugly head, the Cuban government deployed its very best doctors to help the countries where the diseases was ravaging, this drew the attention of the American government, which for the first time in fifty years of its sour relations commended the Cubans.

    When the regime of former President Fidel Castro was in government, his avowed determination to hold his regime’s policies angered the Americans, particularly the communism the Cubans are practising.

    This restoration of diplomatic relations has drawn world commendation from world leaders which would open the window of opportunities between the two countries.

    Also, this relationship would afford the Cubans living in America to travel to Cuba without undue intimidation and harassment from the American government.

    It now behoves on the American dominated Republicans congress to ensure the relationship see the light of the day, because in any good thing that would come out, it must face some resistance from the section of the society.

    The Cubans are very versatile and determined people that are contributing to the uplift and development of many sister countries around the world.

    We hope the restoration of this diplomatic relationship would ensure greater ties that would reduce the unnecessary political tension amongst the various countries of the world.

    The end of cold war has opened window opportunities, where many countries in the world believe in mutual cooperation amongst themselves to promote peace, unity and development in the best interest of the humanity.

    The report that former President Fidel Castro would be visiting

    America next year is a welcome development and would go a long way to promote the much anticipated diplomatic ties.

    The opening of American embassy in Havana is the right step in the right direction which shows the seriousness of the relationship restoration.

    By Bala Nayashi

    Lokoja, Kogi State

  • Lagos and the informal sector

    SIR: Whatever the standpoint, there is no doubt that the informal sector, particularly in developing economies, remains the bedrock for economic emancipation of the downtrodden. The Lagos example amply reinforces the fact that, if properly regulated and harnessed, the informal sector possesses enormous wealth creation potential. In today’s Lagos, it is difficult to ignore the sector as it has become a veritable source of prosperity and employment for many. Ttransporters, vulcanisers, mechanics, battery chargers, fashion designers, hair dressers, barbers, traders, painters, welders, carpenters, bricklayers, farmers etc have so much become an integral part of our daily lives that the formal sector cannot do without them.

    The administration Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), in Lagos, has evolved several policies and programmes that have accommodated and integrated the sector into the development process. Some of the policies have helped to regulate the activities of the sector thereby ensuring orderliness and enhanced productivity.

    In order to monitor and standardize the activities of the tradesmen and artisans, the state government enacted the Enterprise Identification Law to identify and register various trade associations in order to have a comprehensive data bank of the practitioners for planning purposes and to enable the government determine the infrastructural needs of this sub-sector so as to reduce the cost of doing business.

    The long term plan of government in respect of the project, launched on August 24, 2007, is to add value to information collected and collated by using it to produce a comprehensive business directory to be called ‘Lagos Pages’ to expose all the legitimate businesses in the state to the international investors.

    In order to improve the driving skill of commercial drivers in the state, government established the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute (LASDRI) on May 13, 2009. Also, members of the Lagos State Cab Drivers Association were assisted to secure loans to purchase brand new Nissan cars to enhance the quality and scope of their operation in the state. It should equally be stressed that all the buses being used in the BRT operation are strictly owned by informal sector operators who only enjoy the conducive operational environ provided by the state government through road segregation and upgrading of other road infrastructure. The Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), for instance, owns some of the buses with funds secured from Ecobank while another batch of the buses is owned by LAGBUS Assets Management Nigeria Limited. Buoyed by the widespread acceptance of the BRT scheme, the state government has expanded the scope of its operation to other routes such as Yaba-Oyingbo , Ipaja- Egbeda-Igando, Oshodi-Sango Otta, Ojodu-Berger/Ikeja among others.

    Another core area of the informal sector in which the Fashola administration has achieved remarkable success is food security. In terms of meat production and distribution, the Eko Meat Vans were introduced into the state’s meat circulation process to put an end to the health hazard associated with the crude style of distributing meat in the past as well as ensuring food security through modern and hygienic mode of meat transportation.  To ensure the active involvement of butchers in the project, government introduced the Butchers Association to some commercial banks for the purpose of securing loans for the procurement of over 50 meat vans. In same vein, modern equipments have been installed into some of the state’s abattoirs to ensure that they strictly comply with global best practice.

    Similarly, in order to boost food production in the state, government conceived the rice for job scheme which is meant to assist local rice farmers to access fund and embrace modern technology which will enable them produce on a large scale. Also, government has put in place an agrinet project for farmers in the state to fast-track the dissemination of agricultural and natural resources information and technologies to farmers, upland dwellers, and rural entrepreneurs. Through this, government now makes information on all agro products in the state available electronically to provide strategic information for farmers, government authorities, and other stakeholders at the state and local government levels. Government is also developing and promoting ICT skills among agricultural extension workers and farmers.

    In the area of empowerment, through its many skill acquisition and vocational training centers, government has trained over 100,000 people across the state while many of the centres were recently upgraded into core entrepreneurship hubs. Similarly, over 24,000 entrepreneurs have been empowered with micro-credit facilities secured from the state’s EKO Micro-Finance schemes. Periodically, government doles out equipment such as pepper grinding machines, sewing machines, cameras, deep freezers, power generating sets among others to beneficiaries as a way of enhancing their socio-economic status.

    As the state government enhances the wealth generating capacity of the sector, more of its operatives are being systematically brought into the tax net, thereby improving the state’s IGR status.  At a time when national oil revenue is diminishing, rejuvenating the informal sector and, indeed, other sectors of the economy remains an enthralling option. This is the path that Lagos is toeing, and it is, indeed, a worthy path.

    • Tayo Ogunbiyi

    Ministry of Information &

    Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • The PDP magic called primaries

    SIR: That the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be fast losing focus is no longer in dispute. Indeed the media is awash with reports of the legion of self- inflicted vicissitudes that have become the lot of the PDP, which if not properly managed could lead to its defeat in the 2015 elections.

    The biggest challenge the PDP has is its lack of respect for the rudimentary principle of internal democracy. It will appear that the leadership of the party does not believe in internal democracy and does not even pretend about it. From day one that the party started the process for the just concluded primaries, it was clear that respect for internal democracy was not part of the essential ingredients of the process.

    The election of the Ward ad-hoc delegates, in virtually all the states of the federation, was a clear mockery of democracy. It is doubtful that any of the delegates was actually elected. Strong leaders, favoured by the party leadership wrote the list of the delegates and sponsored it through the National Headquarters. The turmoil in the primaries proper was only to be expected.

    A typical sample of where not to emulate the PDP is Imo State. During the Ward ad-hoc delegate congress, those who believed they were strong enough, and favoured by the PDP National leadership successfully shut out Senator Ifeanyi Arararume from having even one delegate, not even in his own Ward. This governorship aspirant therefore went to the governorship primaries

    without one delegate put by him. In spite of this obvious drawback, he remained undaunted, braved all the odds and reached out to the delegates and appealed to their consciences. Election day came on December 8. The Electoral panel announced to the hearing of all present that 1064 delegates had been accredited to vote in the primaries.

    At the end of voting, total votes cast were counted openly and announced as 1017. The counting peaked with Ikedi Ohakim, the third runner up, whose votes were counted and announced as 213. The next was Arararume. His votes were counted and they came to 336. By this time, the votes of 27 aspirants had been counted and it came to 681. The only aspirant left to be counted was Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. Going by the total valid votes cast and the total votes scored by 27 of the 28 aspirants, that is 681, it became obvious that Arararume had won the primaries. This is so because when you subtract 681 from 1006 valid votes cast, Ihedioha would have scored 325 votes. But the electoral panel, to the chagrin of all, announced 446 votes for him.

    In my view, this is the biggest challenge the PDP is facing and how it is resolved will go a long way in deciding the fate of the party in Imo State. Surprisingly, the National Party leadership has remained mute on this issue, even some of those who have commented on the matter, including a group of Imo PDP Elders, have refused to address the crux of the matter.

    And that crux is: was it 1006 votes that were declared by the electoral panel as votes validly cast? If that is so, and it is because the panel announced that publicly, how come then that after 27 aspirants scored 681 votes, the last aspirant who should have 325 votes now had 346 votes?

    Even while the Imo case is peculiar, the crisis in PDP is widespread. The rumour making the rounds is that a ticket from the flawed primaries is not any guarantee of a PDP flag for 2015 election. Stories abound that the tickets are up for grabs to highest bidders in Abuja. And not a few are wondering why the party ever bothered with having primaries.

    Perhaps the PDP is sitting supine, unmoved, because it is in power and believes it can always fix things. But they must hear this truth; the biggest gain of our 15 years of democracy is that elections are becoming increasingly impossible to rig. Gone are the days when a PDP ticket is automatic victory in the polls.

    • Hon. Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba,

    Owerri, Imo State

  • Omens of Ekiti politics

    Omens of Ekiti politics

    IR: That governance in Ekiti State today is like the proverbial bird which perches on an unsteady rope is a fact indisputable. Prominent among the problems of the new government in Ekiti State is the irreconcilable differences between the executive and the legislature, if the judiciary has maintained its calm and, hopefully, its independence.

    While the seven PDP minority members of the State House of Assembly have irregularly impeached the speaker and his deputy, the 19 APC majority members have stuck together in absentia, and they are now reported to be back in Ekiti, sitting and performing legislative functions that, understandably, overturn the legislations of the minority ‘House’.

    Whereas this drama sets the true lovers of Ekiti State worrying, the politicians in Ekiti State seem to derive some sadistic joy from it all, as in a murderous game of wrestling or a tug-of-war.

    One question that the spectators in the Ekiti drama must have been asking rhetorically is:  why can’t the executive and the legislature forge ahead in governance if, basically, they are all Ekitis who are perhaps the most homogenous group of people in Nigeria?

    The answer to this question is easily traceable to the nature of man. Man can be recalcitrant if fooled and cheated, just as he would do everything possible to cover his tracks if he has successfully, willingly wronged a fellowman. Invariably, what follows an unresolved foolery, the type that was suspected in the Ekiti governorship election of June 21, is a quagmire, if anarchy is cleverly avoided like the Ekitis are patiently doing.

    The amount of ominous emotion that both the PDP and the APC have displayed about winning the presidency in 2015 should caution us that election rigging may devastate our nation in 2015; and that we must find a way of preventing election rigging.

    The omens can obviously be worse than just having an executive versus legislature kind of drama in Abuja and, besides, the time has come for Nigeria to embrace true democracy as a way of life; for democracy is, by itself, an arbiter or peacemaker, if allowed to prevail. Side-tracking it can always be catastrophic. Let’s be warned.

     

    • Jide Oguntoye,

     Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State    

  • Thank you Gov. Fashola but…

    Thank you Gov. Fashola but…

    SIR: I like to express my gratitude to Gov. Babatunde Fashola’s administrations in Lagos State for constructing the two kilometers Amikanle Road starting from Bunker petrol station through Aiyetobi area. I am commending the governor because this is the first time in 15 years of democracy that the Lagos government is giving consideration to our rural community.

    I am however piqued that the road constructed leads to nowhere and appears not to be useful to the six communities making up Amikanle. We, the residents of the area thought the road would have passed through Yetkem Road and terminate at White House. That is the road motorist and commuters ply while going and coming from their place of work. The construction road, as it is, ends at a gully going to command Secondary School. The anomaly in the road provides justification for participation paradigm in development study.

    The participation paradigm is based on the assumption that the common people are intelligent and can be active agents of change. Development efforts should then be based on people’s capacity to articipate and contribute actively in the task of transforming their society. It emphasizes that development should evolve from the people as opposed to trickle down belief in which ideas aboult development emanates from government circle and the pass down the ladder to the rural people. If this approach has been exploited by Lagos State Government before the construction, the government would have benn told of what to do. The most worrisome Is that even the less that one quarter kilometer road that passes through Baale Amikanle’s palace to link Alaso community was not captured in the project. Whereas the people of Alaso had submitted application to that effect to the infrastructural unit of the state Ministry of Works in 2006. Whole the road project is a sign of government presence, it is however, a mark of government non-recognition or lack for the people it governs. And this is why the road is already peeling off three months after completion

     

    • Dayo Willaims

    Alaso Community, Amikanle, Alagbado, Lagos .

  • Akpabio, keeping governorship in the family?

    Akpabio, keeping governorship in the family?

    IR: But for the memo to Governor Godswill Akpabio by the Forum of Akwa Ibom State PDP Governorship Aspirants signed by the 22 aggrieved governorship aspirants, Akwa Ibom people would never have known that Emmanuel Udom, the man who is bearing the PDP flag for the 2015 governorship elections, is the incumbent governor’s maternal cousin. The memo in question that revealed Akpabio-Udom relationship, appeared as an advertorial on page 71 of the The Nation On Sunday of December 21.  If Udom succeeds Governor Akpabio it would be the second instance that such a dynasty would occur in the South-south of Nigera: namely when Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan succeeded his cousin, former Governor James Ibori in Delta State.

    Barrister Godswill Akpabio was the same person, at the heat of the primaries, that produced him as PDP’s flag bearer for the governorship election in 2007, accused then Governor Victor Attah, his mentor and benefactor, as scheming to install his (Attah’s) son-in-law, Dr. Bob Ekarika, as governor of Akwa Ibom State. In the words of Akpabio, ‘that would amount to creating a dynasty in Akwa Ibom State’. By imposing his cousin, Emmanuel Udom, on the party and on the state, Akpabio is promoting the very ‘sin’ that he roundly accused his predecessor of in 2007 and he is trying to achieve this forcefully through a gubernatorial primary that was everything but democratic. With this attitude of Akpabio, he can be described as “pot calling kettle (Attah) black”.

    Akapbio had, after forcing the former SSG Umana Okon Umana to resign, invited and appointed his cousin, Emmanuel Udom, in his place.

    I recall that former Governor Victor Attah, in 2002, appointed Akpabio his commissioner in the Ministry of Petroleum. Few months later, when the PDP asked Attah to replace his deputy, Chris Ekpenyong, Akpabio having come from the same senatorial district as Ekpenyong, was handy, but for the refusal of the elders of Akwa Ibom PDP. Attah then moved Akpabio to a grass-root ministry –Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs – with the intension of grooming him to succeed him. But Attah shifted his support the last minute.

    Governor Akpabio may be feeling that he has succeeded in making his maternal cousin, Emmanuel Udom, the PDP’s flag bearer, while former SSG, Umana Okon Umana, is the APC’s flag bearer for the 2015 governorship elections. Worthy of note is that Akpabio ignored all other aspirants, including some that have been with the PDP since 1998 and preferred his maternal cousin. All other aspirants are shouting foul. The people of Akwa Ibom state have vowed not to allow the impunity to stand hence their rooting for the APC candidate.

    • Obong Akpan Koko

    Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

  • Between Jonathan and Buhari

    Between Jonathan and Buhari

    IR: Great men like John F. Kennedy battled with infidelity as president, Richard Nixon lied his way out of the presidency, Bill Clinton almost got impeached because of acts of impropriety but they were, and are, people, that history cannot do without: they made, are part of, and are history.

    So much has been written about General Muhammadu Buhari, warts and all.  Buhari like many other statesmen is fortunate; he is popular with the teeming population of the underprivileged in society, those that really matter in the electorate process despite elitist blackmail.

    Goodluck Jonathan is also a lucky man; first, he rode to the presidency on pure happenstance and later got his first mandate through goodwill of Nigerians in 2011.

    Whose way will victory go between the incumbent president (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari (APC) in the forth-coming presidential elections in February 2015?

    It is clearly a tough call. But some analysts have submitted that barring all untoward circumstances and if we are to have a free and fair contest now, the odds will be against the incumbent.

    He has been equated with Lyndon Johnson who rode to the presidency on the benevolence of the American people after the death of the much loved Kennedy but was too overwhelmed to seek re-election on principle in the end, due to his poor handling of foreign policy (Vietnam).

    Can Buhari provide Nigerians with an experience to take us to seventh heaven? Aren’t Nigerians expecting too much from Buhari? Is there a chance that his much-vaunted, probable victory might be likened to that of Jimmy Carter who defeated Gerald Ford to become president due to his high belief in himself, with only a couple of thousands of votes out of millions less in Ohio, Hawaii and Delaware because the electorate wanted someone with more experience?

    What hope does the incumbent have in western Nigeria with no-nonsense leaders who have been able to strike strategic alliances with the north?

    What hope does President Jonathan have in the north west and north east? The elites from those regions say he has a chance, but they should know better. He would have had a major chance had zoning been allowed to stay in that party. Most elites do not vote, the browbeaten masses do, and these will follow the principle of “group think” to vote for Buhari.

    Certainly President Jonathan will carry the day in the eastern part of Nigeria. Regrettably unlike the West, the East has not totally accepted national politics and are still seething from the plagues of the Biafra war which they accuse the north of directing. He is likely to carry the north-central region that, like the east, are yet to carve a political identity for itself.

    Without a doubt we need a leader who can help define Nigeria for Nigeria. A leader that can stand toe-to-toe with world leaders without a subservient complex, who will be a big brother in Africa, who will go to war if need be to prevent factions from using their territory to plan insurrection against our country. He must be ready to submit himself to microscopic inspection and shirt-front daring religious leaders who pronounce dangerous diktats.

    Someone who understands the power of reason must be ready to enforce the secular make-up of our nation to respect people of all faiths. Someone who knows what politics is all about: solving problems.

    I have long ago made up my mind (even as a non-card carrying member of any political party) to vote Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 if he becomes the presidential flag-bearer of a major party for this simple fact: that it will be detrimental to our democracy if Nigeria becomes a one-party state and if we do not change our leaders from party to party and from time to time.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State