The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Dimgba Igwe, gone too soon

    Dimgba Igwe’s death, shocking as it were, was unexpected.  Who could have imagined that a man who woke up hale and hearty on September 6, 2014, who said his prayers and then set out for the rigours of the day’s routine, starting with a keep-fit jogging would be declared dead after being hit by a satanic  and reckless driver, just like that?

    To put it most ruefully, a man like Dimgba Igwe should not have suffered the misfortune of death at a time Nigeria required so much from him. Igwe, ever bubbly and full of life, knew he had much to give Nigeria. For that, he must pull himself together while keeping fit every day in order to cope.

    He was, indeed, looking forward to another beautiful day when he took to jogging like many of us used to do. Mid way into the exercise, death came knocking in a most unexpected manner and used the impatient driver to accomplish his mission. What a manner of death!  The life of our dear friend and great colleague was cut short in a jiffy. That was the most painful aspect of the death of a friend who I respect for his talent and great intellect.

    I can recall several memorable encounters I had with Dimgba Igwe. Indeed, we met in many international congresses of world editors and journalists. Each time, we shared good times and took photographs. In each of the congresses, both Dimgba and Mike Awoyinfa were always at their best, making profound contributions.

    Of note was this year’s IPI World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. I was wondering why the duo of Dimgba and Mike (two inseparable twins) always attend World Media congresses without their spouses. This is because people like me, Mallam Garba Shehu, Kabir Yusuf, Mohammed Haruna and, of course, our BOSS Ismaila Isa, were always with our wives. Interestingly, this year’s congress came with a difference. I got more astonished to discover that for the first time, the ‘twins’ came with their better halves. That happened to be the last congress for Dimgba.

    In decoding the mystery in his action, I could not but continue to wonder whether Dimgba had a premonition of his death. Only the Almighty knows better.

    I could vividly recall that Dimgba was full of life at the congress. We chatted, joked and spoke about their new entertainment paper. At a time, I was hungry and craving for local food. Dimgba came to the rescue, directing me to the Fish Harbour where I later had a good fill. After each of the sessions, Dimgba and Mike, armed with their micro tape recorders, would comb the congress arena to conduct landmark interviews with reputable media executives who came from across the globe.

    There is no doubt that we will miss Dimgba. All the same, I cannot help imagine that Mike will miss him sorely. This is the reason I feel that Mike is the man to be consoled. He was a soul mate to Dimgba, to put it mildly.

    Already, our dear friend Dimgba has been getting effusive tributes from across the board. He is being celebrated by the lowly and the mighty. Dimgba wherever you are, you can see that you are larger in death.

    Mike, though it is painful that death has done its worst to separate you and Dimgba, be consoled with outpouring of messages and tributes from across the world, just for your ‘twin’ brother. These go to show that you have a friend whose name is worth more than gold. My brother, I urge you at this point to just keep the flag flying.

    By Folu Olamiti (FNGE)

    Abuja

  • Unwanted babies of bad governance

    Some years ago, there was global economic recession when the biggest economies of the world suffered some set-backs. Expectedly, some serious countries who care much for their citizens and who are well known for moral and financial discipline like Britain, USA, Germany, Japan and China promptly introduced measures which stabilised their economies. In Nigeria, measures to stop official stealing and corruption with a view to achieve a buoyant economy for the well-being of Nigerians were too weak and ineffective. Consequently, what we have here and there, in Nigeria, was bad governance which gave birth to ‘unwanted babies’.

    For instance, in the North East, Boko Haram insurgency was born; in the South and East kidnapping of wealthy and elderly citizens was born; in the South West area boys’ menace and violent armed robberies became rampant while in the far north thousands of Almajiris, old and young, roam the streets.

    Furthermore, the general fear of insecurity by Nigerians rose to a level never witnessed in Nigeria’s history due to this political virus. Consequently, after many years of continuous deceit and bad governance, the down trodden Nigerians have since realised that the billions of naira appropriated yearly for the development of their economy, improvement of security and to up-grade welfare services for them were frequently mismanaged, stolen and cleverly laundered into foreign accounts.

     

    – Mr. Falana Williams Adewole

    C/O Araromi Oke-Odo Market, Lagos.

  • Delay in registration of Providence People`s Congress as a political party

    We are compelled to use this medium to intimate you of deliberate and systematic attempt to prevent us from participating in democratic processes. We have observed that you have released the time-table for collection of nomination forms between 2nd and 11th of October, 2014, and as it is that our certificate has not been issued due to no fault of ours or non-compliance with stipulated guidelines on political party registration, we will be shut out in the coming process just the way we were denied participation in both Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections that were recently held despite that we were qualified to participate by the spirit of Section 78(4) of the electoral act 2010 as far back as December 5th, 2013.

    Our fear is reinforced by an assertion, several times of director, that we “Don`t have to participate in 2015 elections.” All the recent events are covert pointer that the system is being driven to achieve this.

    We are using this medium to call on you to see that justice is not perverted, and that, we are not denied our right of participation in a fair and democratic contest. Above all, as citizens of this country that affirm the sanctity of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is fair and just that since we have fulfilled all the relevant sections, particularly section 223 1 (b) and 2 (b as well as section 4 (a) and (b) 1 and 2 of Guidelines and Regulation 2013 to demand and hereby demand that our certificate be issued without further delay.

    In furtherance of this, we want to be issued with the nomination forms because the public holidays that fall in to the period of collection as contained in your time table has reduced the window of operation. Please be aware that festive period has made the whole of next week very unproductive and this is the only full week allotted for this collection exercise

    We look forward to your positive response in the service of our dear country.

     

    Sincerely yours,

    – B. Adetona (National Chairman, PPC)

    – S. Hamzat      (National Secretary, PPC)

  • On possible Buhari/Fashola ticket

    SIR: With the endorsement of President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the next year’s presidential election, Nigerians are awaiting with bated breath the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) to choose its presidential standard bearer.

    If there is any auspicious time for the opposition to wrestle power, the time is now. However, APC has a great task at hand if she is to accomplish this task. Already the number of candidates of the opposition [APC] indicating interest for the number one post is increasing by the day and this is giving political watchers like myself and so many others  cause for concern about how the party will come out of the coming congress intact.

    There is need for sacrifice here. Having come this far and knowing that there is always a tomorrow, selflessness is the key here. Please don’t get me wrong; I don’t care who emerges as the presidential candidate in APC, but I do care enough to advice that such a candidate should have enough clout to give President Jonathan a run for his money. I don’t care about the religious persuasion of whoever emerges, hence I equally don’t care about the combination of the ticket; whether it is a Christian/Muslim, Muslim/Christian, Christian/Christian or Muslim/Muslim. My choice, and I am sure it is same for other true patriotic Nigerians, is a ticket that can deliver to a greater number of the populace the dividends of good governance.

    The factors to look for in these Nigerians include selflessness, pan-Nigerianism, track record in terms of service couched in ability to manage resources for the larger society etc.

    We do not suffer dearth of these qualities in some of these leaders in the opposition APC that include the likes of Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos etc. But in making a choice here, one should be guided by one major factor which is population in terms of voter strength. And Lagos State with Governor Fashola to me stands out of the pack.

    The winning team here therefore should be Buhari and Fashola. My reasons for arriving at this position are simple. Buhari apart from being a household name, has his followership cutting across geo-political zones. Secondly, he is a tested hand with his qualities as a disciplined, upright, incorruptible individual with tenacity of purpose as added advantage. All these qualities may not be sellable in a few areas because of what may generally be regarded as Buhari’s proclivity to extremism in terms of religion, but even at that, you cannot beat a Buhari/Fashola ticket easily. Thirdly the fact that at the last count he [Buhari] had about 12 million votes against 22 million in the last presidential election shows that with support from the leadership of the party now cutting across thickly populated states with eligible voters, he is the candidate to beat. With Lagos State as mini-Nigeria having a population of 22 million followed closely by Kano and Sokoto states in that order, surely we are heading for a contest that is going to be as interesting as it is expectant.

    But we cannot take it away from President Goodluck Jonathan; in addition to all others, he has widened the democratic space for a healthy electoral contest by being tolerant and accommodating of the opposition. .

      

    • Inalegwu Echo Ameh Snr,

    Imiringi Town, Bayelsa State.

  • Oyo PDP gladiators must compromise

    SIR: Oyo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary is slated for November 29. Party bigwigs will need to put on their thinking caps and ensure that the party learns from its past experience in the South-west not only on how it lost Oyo State in 2011 when Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala was expected to easily get a second term, but how just a few months ago, it won in Ekiti State and shortly after lost in Osun State.

    It all came down to picking the right candidate. Ayo Fayose, for all his faults, won in Ekiti because of his grassroots appeal.  He appeared to strike the right cord with the people.

    The reverse was the case in Osun where the PDP anointed the wrong candidate and suffered the consequence. Rauf Aregbesola, with whom Iyiola Omisore had to contend with, like Fayose, is a man of the people. He talked like them, dressed like them and is at home in their midst.

    In Oyo State, where distrust of past and current governors run deep, PDP’s quest to win the governorship election will be best served by presenting a candidate who has empathy for Oyo’s poor majority and who does not have to answer to some past misdeeds.

    Neither Alao-Akala nor two term senator Teslim Folarin is likely to give PDP the victory it craves in Oyo State. They are sworn enemies who are bound to cancel each other out and who with their divisive tendencies have polarised Oyo PDP. To make it worse, their achievements or lack of it while in public office, resonate negatively with the Oyo electorate.

    The memory of the wanton profligacy of the Akala years still lingers. The poor quality roads he built have all gone bad. He was said to be generous, always ready to dole out government money. But how many people benefitted from that? Only his friends, relatives and cronies had a good time at the people’s expense. And that is the experience his supporters proclaim to high heaven. Since he left office, there is no evidence of his philanthropy even in his native Ogbomoso. Now he wants to stage a comeback.

    If Akala as a sitting governor failed in his bid for a second term in 2011 with the machinery of the state at his disposal, what are his chances now when his candidacy is likely to be sabotaged once again by his sworn enemies within the PDP?

    In Folarin’s case, he spent eight years in the senate and even became majority leader but till this day, he struggles to point at a single federal project he attracted to the state.

    What Oyo PDP therefore needs to bounce back is to embrace the doctrine of compromise in picking a flag bearer and that is to reach an agreement by concession. The party’s best opportunity of winning the 2015 Oyo governorship election is to seek a dynamic, humble, self made aspirant, a bridge builder, a compromise candidate who can serve as a rallying point for the disparate factions in the party and whose appeal cut across all divides.

    The Oyo electorate, tired of the spent forces that have held the state down, yearns for a new capable kid on the block. Someone with fresh ideas, who understand what the issues are and who has empathy for the long-suffering people of Oyo State. Neither Akala nor Folarin fits this mould.

    As the Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana once said, “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” It’s about time PDP learnt a lesson from its 2011 loss in Oyo State, otherwise the party may be doomed to repeat it.

     

    • Kassim Ogundeji

     Saki, Oyo State.

  • Religion as campaign tool for elections

    SIR: It is high time Nigerians collectively see religion as a personal relationship between them and God and one of the freedoms constitutionally guaranteed.

    The bitter truth is that today, politicians and religious bigots dangerously use religion to heat up the polity with a view to creating tension to divert the attention of the people from corruption and misrule which have remained hallmark of governance in the country.  Since there is no religion that promotes or supports corruption in any form, come 2015, politicians who believe that religion is a weapon needed to be invoked in order to win an election will be disappointed as the Nigerian electorates have come to realise that the use of religion is not to promote good governance and make life more meaningful to the people, but a ploy to get to power through the back door.

    Religion, like poverty and greed, has no tribal mark and it is high time we collectively realized that religion has no place in assessment of poverty level.  One thing that we have collectively chosen to turn our eyes from is the fact that all religions abhor corruption and the earlier we begin to use religion as a positive force for stamping out the menace with a view to making life more meaningful in our country, the better.

    It is also high time Nigerians borrowed a leaf from their Yoruba counterparts whose culture showcases harmonious co-existence among them irrespective of religious belief and whose culture also does not place much premium on religion in elections.

    Our country has been described as religious but ungodly. Our leaders before assumption of public office, in all the three tiers of government do swear with either the Holy Bible or the Holy Koran during which they ‘solemnly’ pledge “to be faithful loyal and honest” in the discharge of their official duties with a final demand “so help me God”.  What has been the outcome of the avalanche of religious oath-taking symbolized by placement of Holy Books in hands vis-à-vis the level of corruption in our country today?

    What should be uppermost in the minds of our religious leaders now is the revelation that 75% of suicide deaths in the whole world are reported in our country.  Today, public schools which offered good and affordable education to the people have been relegated to the background. People with abysmal low purchasing power struggling to make ends meet are being painfully made to pay through their nose to get their children educated. The situation today in Nigeria is that many parents are left with nothing after they have managed to pay their children’s fees – nothing left for food, housing, and shelter.

     

    • Odunayo Joseph,

    Lagos

  • Kenyatta and ICC

    Sir: After more than seven years of invitation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta finally agreed to temporarily relinquish his power as President to answer questions about his alleged involvement in the tribal clashes that caused over 1200 lives after Kenya’s general election in 2007.

    He will be the fourth African head of state to be dragged before the ICC and the 16th African leader to stand trial there. Some have long argued that ICC has been turned into African leaders’ criminal court. This is because, no western leader has ever been to the ICC. The only exception is Radavon Karazic of Bosnia.

    I support punishing criminals that inflict havoc and destruction on their people. Most countries in Africa are under-developed with extremely weak judicial systems. In an environment where highly placed individuals are rich and corrupt – it is so easy to bribe officials to escape justice hence death they caused as a result of their misdeeds may never be brought for trial. The ICC remains the only place to answer for their alleged crimes.

    However, the ICC must be a global justice environment irrespective of colour or race. To overlook western massacres is unacceptable. The Iraq and Palestine massacres committed by US and Israel are enough to bring their leaders to The Hague. That was why African leaders were unanimous in the case of Sudan President who was charged by ICC when the vowed never to bring fellow African leaders to the ICC. The ICC must move to balance justice and stop looking for African leaders alone.

     

    • Comrade Abdulbaqi Aliyu Jari

    Katsina State

  • Challenges before APC

    Sir:  The crises rocking various state branches of the APC is a source of concern to those of us who see the party as the solution to the drift the country is going through as it is obvious that the current government is clueless and can only deepen the rot further!

    The national leadership needs to be courageous and circumspect in handling the situation. As it is,a lot of quality personages have been allowed to leave. While the departure Femi Fani-Kayode and Tom Ikimi can be regarded as good riddance to bad rubbish, the same cannot be said of Shekarau and the former Sokoto governor.

    These are not stomach infrastructure people, by any consideration.

    There is also need to contain the crisis raging in Ogun State

    The bulk of the blame for the crisis is traceable to the governor, whose structure took over every available space and fenced off the ACN people who had been on ground. In my view, the way forward is quite simple. The governor should make it clear to these people that we are supposed to be members of the same family who should be equals in the party.

    All that the national body needs to do is to give the parliamentarians, who have been at loggerheads with the governor because of the above-stated tendencies, return tickets while they in turn will work for the governor’s success at the governorship elections.

    The party needs to learn a lesson from the 2011 elections which it won because the PDP was divided. It cannot afford to go to the next election fragmented as they are at present. The Labour Party is fast gaining and a lot of disenchanted members are flocking there.  The party needs to move fast on this reconciliation effort

    At the national level, Muhammed Buhari is the best counter-force to the clueless governance in the land. All of us, except our President, know that corruption is the greatest problem plaguing our nation

    Who better than Buhari has the moral platform  to confront corruption frontally?

    His credentials are outstanding; he has been Head of State, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Governor and accomplished General. It was during his brief reign that we had some sanity in the polity and accountabilty. Unlike now, when we have no records about our crude, there used to be a monthly briefing on our finances.

    His accomplishments were monumental. He also confronted corruption frontally.

    Today, he is the only one who held such positions that is not a billionaire like his contemporaries

    We need to reward him to demonstrate that honesty still pays.

    I plead with all would be delegates to the Presidential primaries not to succumb to stomach infrastructure but to think of the future  of our coming generations.

     

    • Abiodun Sopitan

    Oregun, Ikeja

  • On Kwara’s excellent resource management

    SIR:  I wish to direct public attention to the general plight of states in the federation at the moment especially as it relates to the diminution of their monthly statutory allocations by the federal government as an austerity to cushion the effects of the abyss created by country’s dwindling local and foreign earnings.

    Many a state in the federation for quite a while, has had its monthly allocation cut down by as much as 40 per cent although the percentage reduction varied between states probably owing to the fact that some states were deemed to be disadvantaged/less resourceful or the central government employed partisanship as a major tool in the allocation of the monetary resource.

    While some states have been crises- ridden by this move by the federal government, others have designed means of keeping afloat by looking inwards to turn the meagre resources available to them into appreciable wealth for their domain.

    One of such states is Kwara. The state wisely designed a Shared Prosperity Programme since the inception of the present administration through which the state’s resources are put into ventures that would provide job and business opportunities especially for the resource- poor indigenes. The several projects upheld by this means have today become generators of wealth for a sizeable fraction of the people of the state. This is not to assume that the state has become totally self-sufficient despite the cut in its allocation as it would have been able to do more for its people had there never been a reduction in its statutory allocation.

    Kudos should be given the present leadership of the state under the drive of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed that has kept the state afloat despite its meagre resources, salaries are regularly paid as and when due, promotions at different levels of the civil service enhanced, N3billion provided in car loans and a host of other benefits.

    Governor Ahmed whose popularity, uncommon loyalty to all citizens without political boundaries and excellent perfomance in office as the state’s chief executive are attested to by indigenes of the state, has added another feather to his cap by his confirment as the ‘Senior Advocate of Teachers’ by his people.

    Also in his coffers are other awards including Global Excellence Award for Best Governor in Northern Nigeria (2011), City People’s Best Governor, North Central Nigeria (2011), African Leadership Magazine’s Award for Outstanding Agricultural Development Icon of the Year 2011, Business Day Best Governor in Agriculture 2013, City People’s Best Governor in Youth Empowerment 2013, NUT Best Governor in Education 2013 and HOG Governor of the Year 2013.

    ‘Segun ‘Bambo Ojomo,

     

  • Re: Can Ajimobi break the second term jinx?

    SIR: The poser raised by Leke Salaudeen in The Nation of Monday October 16, made an interesting reading. The opinions of the people included in the publication and their analyses on the topic are eye openers on the reasons why many governors have failed to get a second term in Oyo state. All along, I held the belief that the so-called jinx though assumed a tradition is in actual fact circumstantial. This is so because the reasons for the failure of a governor to get a second term in office are different from another and Oyo people have never come together to resolve not to vote any governor for second term. It is heartwarming that majority of the opinions stated salient factors which either tilted victory to a candidate or led to failure of another.

    Consequently, concerning the question raised by Salaudeen, Ajimobi has an edge over his predecessors when we consider the factors that lend credence to the so-called jinx. Let us forget about his superlative performance in all sectors of the state which forms the basis of the above assertion for a while and assess the factors enumerated by Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), who is not a politician and not known for sycophancy, in relation to Ajimobi’s quest for second term. He mentioned professional, traditional and cultural factors as determinant of who becomes governor of Oyo State. Ajimobi has warmed himself into the consciousness of all professionals in Oyo State. The driver’s union, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and artisans are having it good under Ajimobi’s administration, consequent upon his labour-friendly policies like payment of salary on the 25th, payment of 13th month salary, loans and recent increment in workers salary. On the traditional factor, Ajimobi has put an end to all schism amongst the traditional rulers in the state over supremacy. Bickering and disruption of Obas meetings have become things of the past.

    Besides, traditional rulers’ welfare is well catered for.

    On the cultural factor, Ajimobi is a bona fide and true son of Ibadan which has about 65 percent of the voting strength in the state. Aside this, his spectacular performance in turning the fortune of the state capital round in environmental rebirth, urban renewal, technical university, flyover at Mokola, intercity bus services and neighbourhood markets. The peaceful co-existence as against reign of terror in the recent past have warmed him into the consciousness of many Ibadan indigene and this will definitely pay off at election time.

    Oke-ogun today is a proud owner of a polytechnic at Shaki (ditto for Eruwa), while several roads linking various towns in the zone have been put in good shape. That is in addition to the dual carriage ways under construction at Shaki and Iseyin. The same can be said of Ibarapa, Oyo and Ogbomoso zones. In spite of the climatic hiccups slowing down the work on dual carriage ways in Oyo and Ogbomoso townships, the roads are masterpieces and have changed the faces of the two towns for good.

    It is true that some leading political office holders at the federal and state levels have left the ruling party in the state. On the surface, it looks like a minus for Ajimobi’s quest for second term. However, in reality, politics and government are like a bus, while some board, some will alight. Therefore, as some are decamping from, others are decamping into.

    What is left for the governor is publicity and effective machinery for enlightenment on his government’s accomplishment. That accomplished, I am sure, the second term for him is a forgone conclusion.

    • Adewuyi Adegbite

    Apake, Ogbomoso.