The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • PDP, victim of own impunity

    SIR: It is no longer news that the ruling PDP is in serious crisis across the nation as a result of accumulated and recurring problems in its fold. The party is on its way to the Golgotha.

    The endorsement of President Jonathan as its consensus candidate for the 2015 general elections by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has worsened its internal crisis. The endorsement and adoption of consensus candidates by PDP governors whose second term in office expires next year and the aspiration of some of these governors to go to the senate after the expiration of their tenures has further divided the party creating disaffection between National Assembly members and their state governors.

    All over the PDP states, it one problem or another; In the South-east state of Enugu, it is superiority battle between Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremmadu and state governor, Sullivan Chime over who becomes the senator, representing Enugu West in the senate come 2015. In South-south, Rivers State PDP is divided between zoning and who becomes their governorship candidate in the forth coming elections.

    In Akwa Ibom, the matter is imposition of governorship candidate; in Cross River State, it’s been war of words between Governor Liyel Imoke and Senate Majority Leader Victor Ndoma Egba over eligibility and tenure of senators at the upper chambers.

    In the North, the adoption of President Jonathan as consensus candidate is causing rancour in the fold of the party.

    How further could the party be divided?

    As the series of drama unfolds, it is an indication that the architect of the death of many political parties in the past, the master strategist in plotting divisions in other parties is finally being served a dose of its on juice. The sins of the party is gradually catching up with them.

    The implosion is both imminent and inevitable. As we await the death of the self-acclaimed largest party in Africa, I have already prepared an epitaph that will be read:  “Here lies a party that admires the politics of Western world but when it was given the mandate to rescue the nation from its series of anomalies, tenaciously chose to tread the part of impunity to rape, exploit and impoverish the nation of its hard-earned democracy by coveting our institutions against its people and empowered Nigerians to take up arms against each other, leaving us in a state of perdition”.

    The same epitaph will apply to all the politicians that contributed to this quagmire in our society.

     

    • Joe Onwukeme,

    Enugu

  • Still on Tambuwal’s ordeal

    IR: The withdrawal of security details attached to Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives for decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) will continue to raise dust in the polity. What has played out is nothing but an abuse of power, disrespect for the legislature, embarrassment to the exalted office of the Speaker, misinterpretation of the constitution and inability to exercise discretion by confusing state matters with partisan politics. The Nigeria Police had claimed that it withdrew the Speaker’s security details for allegedly violating section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 constitution and so, was no longer entitled to police security.

    On this, the police authorities were dead wrong.

    Before now, the speaker has been accused of fraternising with the opposition and for openly criticising major policies of the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    To begin with, it should be appreciated that Tambuwal is the Speaker of the House of Representatives and he’s more of a public servant than a mere politician. He also has the right to his opinion and association. The right way to go would have been to maintain the status quo because irrespective of the party platform that the Speaker might have emerged, he’s no longer responsible to such parties but to the National Assembly and the country, as the number four citizen of the nation, who can only be removed from that post by two-thirds majority votes of the house. Tambuwal still remains the bonafide occupant of the position and is entitled to a round-the-clock security protection by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Department of State Security and the police. As long as he remains the Speaker of the House, the PDP, the President or even the Inspector-General of Police cannot order the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security personnel by fiat.

    This ugly episode reminds us of the urgent need to separate the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation from the Ministry of Justice, to instill sanity into the country’s justice system and prevent a situation where the AGF continues to carry out the agenda of the ruling party even if such is not in the best interest of the country.

    Nevertheless, it is heartwarming that Tambuwal took the right step by approaching a Federal High Court in Abuja, to seek redress. A responsible government should avoid being seen as lawless. This controversial action by the Inspector General of Police Suleiman Abba has reinforced the long-held convictions that there is no true separation of powers in Nigeria. It is as if security agents are only bent on protecting the executive arm. That is why the call for state police continues to be louder by the day and as long as the central police that presently obtains is subject to the whims and caprices of the presidency.

     

    • Adewale Kupoluyi

     Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • Big economy, broke nation

    SIR: That Nigeria’s economy, by virtue of its recent rebased Gross Domestic Product, is the biggest in Africa yet governments across all levels have been finding it extremely difficult to meet their fiscal obligations due to cash crunch, remains one of the internal contradictions that characterise the country’s 100 years’ existence. In Nigeria, it is the more you look, the less you see!

    Except the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and her team, every Nigerian knows that Nigeria is broke. The argument by Okonjo Iweala that “Nigeria, as country, has quite enough assets…” is only meant to distort empirical facts. To be broke, in its simplest term, means to be lacking in money. The concept of liquidation as applicable to banks if juxtaposed with the minister’s argument will expose her double standard. For example, banks are liquidated on account of bankruptcy not necessarily because they do not have enough assets but simply because they do not have enough cash to continue carrying on in their businesses. As a matter of fact, a liquidated banker’s assets are usually mobilised to set off its debts. So, it is inconsequential that the country has “enough assets” as the minister would insist. Until those assets (assuming they exist) are “mobilised”, the bleeding truth is that Nigeria is currently bankrupt, simplicita!

    Indices of a broke nation have continue to stare us in the face. The most evident is the continuous dwindling of the revenue allocation accruing to states and non disbursement of same to states as when due. As a result, most states have resulted to other excruciating means in order to augment the dwindling allocation. Today, many states owe their workers running into months. And where they could not endure any longer, they resulted to borrowing in the money market through bond’s instrumentality. Of course, the implication of this is that States are mortgaging the future of their citizens. Yet we have a “fat” economy which effects are yet to translate to meaningful impacts on the lives of Nigerian masses.

    How does the Finance Minister explain the recent disturbing revelation by the Niger State government of its inability to pay the debt of N294 million it owed the National Examination Council (NECO) was responsible for the non release of the 2013/2014 examination results of candidates from the state? The state government was unmistaken in its statement that this worrisome scenario was caused by the inadequate cash flow from the Federation Account. Also, in recent times, state commissioners for finance have had to storm out of meetings with the federal government in anger as a result of the inability of Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) to release their monthly allocations.

    Even the federal government, recently, have had to go borrowing from foreign countries and bodies in order to carry out her fiscal responsibility. The most recent was the $1 billion external loan approval sought and received by the federal government from the parliament to procure arms to fight the Boko Haram. It is abundantly clear from the foregoing that Nigerians do not need soothsayers or economists to tell them that the country is not only broke but may also not have the so-called “enough assets” to revive its much taunted N80.22tn economy contrary to the Finance Minister’s claim.

    Largely responsible for the doldrums is corruption and mismanagement of resources. And until these maladies are checked, the country will continue to witness cash crunch that may eventually drive it to the state of perpetual bankruptcy, notwithstanding the so-called big economy status, and the sooner the minister and her employers come to the realisation of this notorious fact, the better for the country!

     

    •Barrister Okoro Gabriel,

    Ebonyi State.

  • No fourth term for Chukwumerije

    Sir: One of the tension-soaked issues in the political landscape of Abia North Senatorial District today is Senator Uche Chukwumerije’s ‘ungentlemanly’ ambition to return to the Senate, after 12 years in the saddle. But the shock he received from the just concluded ward delegates’ congress is indicative of the people’s poise to take their destiny in their hands.

    His claim that Oha-Na-Eze Ndigbo persuaded him to go back for the fourth tenure (making it 16 years) is not only sickening and but also makes a caricature of the republican spirit of Abia North constituency. In fact, he insulted the psyche of Ndigbo by the provocative impression that there is a desert of personalities in Igboland, which means: No Chukwumerije, No Ndigbo!  Unfortunately,it is this unrepentant sit-tight mentality that has stymied our country to the laughable level of giant toddler and led to the increasing slide of our hard-won democracy into gerontocracy.

    With his co-travellers in the self-serving desperation, they shut down the activities which they were elected for and arm-twisted the national leadership of the PDP just to extract illusive automatic tickets for themselves. What an ironic twist!

    I therefore urge him to back out from the untamed ambition that is threatening what remained of his credibility. His mantra of ‘bumper harvest’ is a smokescreen intended to create a false sense of hope, and elicit the usual ‘carry go’ hysteria of uninformed masses. Certainly, that hackneyed sing-song is already out of fashion. Though there is always a thin-line between morbid ambition and sugar-coated sycophancy, yet when the chips are down, the people will stand behind their leaders.

    Besides, I make bold to say that he should allow the younger generation to grow. He should groom the youngsters.  We expect him to retire honourably and take up mentoring as a hobby, since his stupendous wealth is enough for his family’s upkeep. In civilized countries, people like him dedicate their remaining days on earth to publish their memoirs for the benefit of future leaders. And at his nearly 76 years of age, he should metamorphose from a politician to a statesman.

    More importantly, and from the points of morality and conscience, he should give chance to other remaining four LGAs in Abia North to produce the next Senator. If Senator Ike Nwachukwu whom he succeeded had remained in the position on the mere argument of ‘preserving institutional memory’, he wouldn’t have been in the Senate today. Let him therefore spare himself of people’s revolt.

     

    •C. Jasper Uche

    Chairman, Umunneochi LGA, Abia State.

     

  • Nigeria needs a change of guard

    Sir: For the past 15 years or thereabout, Nigeria has been under the rule of a particular set of people who have been doing their best  to develop the country yet our woes as a Third World country subsist. Our leaders have made tremendous efforts and taken steps to move the nation forward but evidently things have not worked out the way we expected.

    We have seen the best this leadership can do especially in the political sphere, in the economic sector and in the area of security, health, education, basic infrastructure. We have seen how our leaders continue to feed fat and live ostentatiously on our commonwealth; amidst the abundance of human capital and mineral resources, majority still wallow in poverty while countries with lesser endowments thrive better than us.

    This is where the leadership has led us. One would say, Nigeria is a largely a heterogeneous country with many tongues, ideas and interests, and this makes the country literally ungovernable. Well, who is to blame for that?

    There are questions about follower-ship too. It is often said that a society gets the kind of leadership it deserves? Does that mean we are doomed forever as follower-ship has its flaws too?

    But whether the future is bright or not, we really need a re-orientation, a renaissance. We need to change our direction, our reasoning, our ways, our understanding, our drive, our perception and the like. We need a change of guard. We have been under a particular line of thought for a while now, let’s try another hand, we might just be in for a change we yearn for.

    In plain terms, a political party has led us since our return to Democracy 15 years ago; it is obvious continuity is not what we need now. While all parties and politicians are pretty much the same old wine in new bottles, we should try out another ideology, another political party and see where that leads us in the next few years as we further look for ways to remove Nigeria from the throes of underdevelopment and oppression.

     

    •Farotimi  Dolapo

    University of Ibadan.

  • Tribute to King Robert Ebizimor

    What is mortal of King Robert Ebizimor would be interred but the essence of this great musical maestro of our generation remains imperishable eternally.

    It is therefore with a heavy heart but great appreciation of a talented life that was fully maximized for impact on humanity that I on behalf of myself, my family and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria send our deepest of condolences to the family of Ebizimor and all lovers of his music world wide.

    King Robert Ebizomor by a twist of fate was said to be on his way to his home town Angalatiri in Sagbama local government of Bayelsa State for a “survival party”, having survived a cancerous attack on his leg when he was involved in a ghastly accident that he very sadly did not survive.

    Our consolation lies in the fact that he is survived not only by good children but his monument of exploits in the Ijaw folk music, “owigiri”.

    He used his many compositions to masterfully capture the stories of his land in very graphic imageries. The dexterity of his musical output earned him a cult like following as he fired the imagination of the people. He was very clearly a true practitioner of relevant art.

    King Robert Ebizimor brought joy, gladness and good tidings to all who had the good fortune of meeting him, listening to him or watching him perform on stage.

    He is a folklorist who used his talent to promote the Niger Delta struggle through lyrics and dance. From one lyrical wax to another he sang for justice, peace, fairness, equity, harmony, love and progress in Ijaw Land and Nigeria.

    In his great artistic life were all the elements rolled: a poet, dramatist, novelist, authority on oral literature and a great philosopher.

    In him you would find the echoes of the great playwright Professor J.P Clark, the depth of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle and the communicative imagistic sophistication and the proverbial profundity of Oral literature.

    One of the greatest messages he has left with us is to render any help we can to our living brothers and sisters while they are still breathing because if they die they “don go o!”

    Though it is our wish that his “don go” moment were delayed, we must surrender to the will of the Almighty who knows the appointed time for each and every one of us.

    In his life time, he rekindled an interest in the language and culture of the Izon people and so in death we must pay him back by ensuring that his catalogue of songs are played to our children and their children so they know we have a culture that educates, entertains and civilizes it adherents.

    Great minds like him however shame death derisively as there is something in them death can’t handle. Long after their remains are committed to mother earth their works continue to keep them alive.

    For ages to come the voice of Ebizimor will continue to ring loud in millions of ears. He belongs to the tribe of Nigeria’s cultural greats of all seasons like, Rex Jim Lawson, Hubert Ogunde, Fela Anikuapo-Kuti, Mamman Shata, Dan Maraya Jos, Victor Osadebe, Oliver de Coque and a host of legends.

    Good night dear brother! Thank you for your selfless service to our people and our country. Your stay here on earth teaches us to live a life that positively impacts on others. You are a great man!

    By President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Abuja.

  • No, not Donald Duke again!

    Donald Duke, a former governor of my dear state, Cross River, has been in political wilderness until last week Thursday.

    The political organisation of Mr Goddy Agba had organised a reception for their governorship aspirant, which was beamed live on AIT.

    Always a show man, Duke seized the opportunity in an attempt to launch himself back into reckoning.

    His speech at the event brought back memories of the bad politics and misadventure that characterised his tenure as governor of the state. Memories that many of us wish would stay buried forever and never to resurrect again.

    The Donald Duke brand has been one of the most disingenuous marketing feats in the history of our country, exemplified by the long running advert of Tinapa on CNN and NTA, which is now a subject of investigation by the ICPC.

    The image created by his publicists for the public is completely at variance with what he truly is: a narcissist.

    Due to his style of governance, Cross River State became a theatre of political violence, polarising the state along ethnic lines, leading to the emergence of groups such as the Atam’s People Congress, with the sole aim of battling the establishment.

    Of course, the violence that characterised Duke’s re-election in 2003 remains the bloodiest in the annals of the state. There were attendant political killings and disenfranchisement of voters.

    As an incumbent governor, Duke’s campaign team could not go beyond Akamkpa for days as protesting armed youths engaged his security team in duel of carnage.

    There was also his unending battles with local government chairmen, who insisted on asserting their independence.

    The face-off led to the harassment, arrest and subsequent jailing of some of the chairmen including Hon Daniel Asuquo, now a member of the House of Representatives and late Prince Eyo Okon Eyo, who died few weeks after being released from jail.

    Duke’s faceoff with his Deputy, John Okpa further heightened political tension in the state. The governor had his way as Okpa was eventually impeached by the state House of Assembly.

    Under Duke’s administration, the civil service withered. For 8 years, there was no single employment into the civil service just as no civil servant got promotion.

    The education sector was comatose , with the state ranked amongst educationally disadvantaged states.

    That administration also left behind a suffocating debt burden, which has now become an albatross.

    So, why this deep reflection?

    As the sponsored program on AIT fast concluded with remarks by new found ‘faithfuls,’ I was left scratching my head in search of less half-truths and political innuendos.

    With my mind fed with no clear cut plans on how to move the state to the colloquial sounding ‘next level,’ I had been fed with cheap political pot-shots for close to an hour without fundamental fears and nagging questions addressed, besides mere rhetoric.

    But then again, I am not a politician in the strict sense of it. I am simply a Cross Riverian, who is simply grateful to God for the semblance of peace, stability and progress we have enjoyed in the state over the last few years.

    For a neutral with no particular affinity except wanting to see my state progress, I am more worried about what Mr. Duke and his partners again have to offer the state and its people.

     

    •Peter Akabom wrote in from Akpabuyo, Cross River State

  • Electorates, be wise

    SIR: Elections are here again coupled with the usual campaigns, frenzy and intrigues. It is the season of promises, cross carpeting and adoption. I must confess that the critical mass of our society are either playing the ostrich about the facts on what to do  or are simply ignoring it thinking that the future will take care of itself. My grouse is that aspirants have continued to play on our ignorance or may I say lethargy of the people. Can you hold a man accountable to promises that are not concrete and specific? Are there any documents, papers or treaty in form of manifesto that people can refer to when the chips are down? All we hear in times of campaign are high sounding words that are not measurable and do not make meaning to the average man. “When you vote me in I will bring transformation; poverty will be wiped out, Chrismas rice and sallah rams will be made available during festivities” and all the nonsense go on unending.

    How do you measure transformation? What are the specific indices or parameters to know a transformed people or society?

    How are you going to wipe out poverty; is it by giving people rice and rams during festivities? These are some fundamental questions that need to be asked. Electorates must be wise this time around. If you eat rice and ram in one day, what happens to the other 364 days? Are we thinking about the future of our children and generation unborn at all?

    When we were growing up in the early 80’s, I attended a campaign organized by Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in the then Bendel State. One of the thing I took home was the late Prof Ambrose Alli (gubernatorial aspirant) saying “ I will give free education to all students”; he did not end there, he went further to say, that parents shall not buy texts books, rulers, biros etc. These were his electioneering deliverables and as a young man though not up to the age of voting, I went home announcing the good news that if this man is voted in, we are not going to pay fees or buy text books again.

    Go to any campaign ground today; what your see is fanfare, entertainment and campaign of calumny against opposition. For God’s sake we want to know what you have to offer when elected. Electorates must rise up to shift the paradigm by tasking our aspirants to tell us the specifics. To make matter worse, the institutions responsible for organising political parties have lost the essence of their work. Where are party manifestoes? They are supposed to be the instruments of electioneering and not the hypes we are seeing today. They are the indices to assess the worth of a party or people vying for position. We must go back to the basics and shun trivialities by asking our aspirant to tell us in precise and specific terms with timelines what they have to offer. They should be able to tell us their economic policies, how the civil service will be reformed; their agenda on industrialization, agriculture and employment generation etc. Enough of all these verbose and meaningless campaigns.

     

    •Alexander Ighoro

    Warri, Delta State.

  • Shekarau and Jonathan’s critics

    SIR:Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau was recently quoted as saying “Some people especially those in the opposition states say this government is not doing anything. They are suffering from spiritual jaundice because whatever the government does, they would not see”.

    As an accomplished and renowned educationist, whatever Shekarau says would readily make an impact on the psyche of the young ones who regard him as a role model. The virtues the minister taught in various schools across the country in the last 40 years should not be destroyed on the altar of political expediency or desire to impress anybody!

    The minister’s statements on politics, economy and social issues would always be subjected to different interpretations. As such, decorum, circumspections should be the watch-word. If not for anything else, the many students he nurtured of which this writer is just one of them deserve something better from their former teacher!

    Among the qualities he always emphasised in school especially during General Assembly at Rumfa College Kano are honesty and dedication, truthfulness and responsibility; exemplary life, and selfless service to humanity.

    So, with due respect and contrary to the minister’s assertion, things are not normal any longer in this country. This so-called spiritual jaundice’, may most likely decimate not only the opposition elements, but entire Nigerian people including many of his former students, who have more than enough justifications to castigate this dangerous government!

    For example, in the education sector alone, the standard has fallen. Quality is no longer sacrosanct. Mass failure in WAEC, NECO and lately law schools have become the order of the day. Poor funding, incessant strikes, cultism and other related afflictions more deadly than the spiritual jaundice, are the order of the day in the education sector under the Jonathan administration.

    Indeed, Nigerians have every reason to malign this government, because of its total reliance on false propaganda and campaign of misinformation and lies.

    Quality of life has degenerated. Poverty of the type never imagined has become our second nature. Government is busy subverting the constitution to suit its whims. And all these, the president doesn’t give a damn!

    Jonathan has failed in the primary responsibility of protection of life and properties of Nigerians. Employment opportunities are not provided. Power has deteriorated despite many promises to that effect. Economic opportunities have been in downward slide. All basic indicators that assure citizens about the existence of a responsive and responsible government are in the red. These are some of the reasons for the current widespread criticism which surprisingly, the minister finds disturbing?

    What we required at this particular time is courage to tell ourselves and the powers-that-be, the truth; that this country is terribly sick, needing urgent medication. It is tottering toward the precipice and all hands must be on deck to salvage it before it’s too late.

     

    • Kabiru Tsakuwa

    Tsakuwa2000@yahoo.com

  • Why bring religion into politics?

    Sir: I am a Christian who admires Islam. To me, there is no difference between Christianity and Islam. That is my belief. Islam preaches peace. So does Christianity. So, where is the difference?
    Both Islam and Christianity are perfect religions. Any imperfection is not from the two wonderful religions but from religious charlatans who masquerade as religious faithful. Both Islam and Christianity do not produce terrorists. It is some charlatans that produce them. I have read both Holy Books. They are wonderful.
    I have seen true Muslims. I have seen fake Muslims. I have seen fake Christians. I have seen true Christians. So, where is the difference? There is no difference between Islam and Christianity.
    I have seen instances where some Muslims have troubled some Muslims but some Christians have come to the aid of the troubled Muslims. I have seen instances where some Christians have troubled some Christians but some Muslims have come to the aid of the troubled Christians. Then, what are we talking about?
    I would want us to bury the din about the Muslim-Muslim ticket or Christian-Christian ticket in politics. To be blunt, religion and politics are not really related. I am not a politician. I do not belong to any political party. However, I am interested in who rules. This is democracy; government of the people, by the people and for the benefit of the people. We should have good political culture and not embrace political apathy.
    Since there is no difference between Islam and Christianity, we should forget same-religion candidates but cogitate about a perfect pair (not a lethal lot from different religions whose reign has always been catastrophic). I don’t see anything wrong in voting for two Muslims or two Christians if their leadership will better the lots of all Nigerians come 2015. Please let us think twice before we choose our leaders this time round.
    In 2011, I voted for General Buhari, a Muslim, because I knew he was the best candidate. In 2015, I will vote for General Buhari and anybody who will be his running mate because he is still the best candidate.
    The bottom-line: A Muslim-Muslim ticket or a Christian-Christian ticket should not bring about any din. It is politics, not marriage. It is only in a home that religion can bring about clashes. What we should talk about is a perfect pair or a perfect match that will re-write our history positively.

    • Abraham Kehinde Olalemi,
    Ibadan.