The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • PDP/Labour Party can’t take over Ogun in 2015

    SIR: Recent statements churned out too frequently by jesters in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and together with its replica the Labour Party to take over Ogun or any  state in the South-west come 2015 has constantly provoked hilarious laughter amongst our people and ceased not to amuse them going by the heavy burden  PDP governors left behind when ousted from power. In Ogun State, the eight years of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as governor was a waste because it left so much work undone that could have brought happiness to our people

    Today in Ogun State, not only has governance improved in infrastructural transformation so also health services opportunities made available in towns, hamlets and villages. The all-important separation of medical waste, an important idea of the Amosun/Adesegun government is on course and it would help to prolong health longevity amongst the populace. We now wonder how the masses of our people would leave successes of the duo for the embrace of failed leaders.

    In 2015, those clamouring to take any state in the South-west from All Progressive Congress (APC) must have to contend with the present happiness of the people.

     

    •Akin Malaolu

    Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum

    Abeokuta

  • Early campaign by political parties

    SIR: Despite the fact the our extant electoral laws frown at early electioneering campaigns, our political leaders both from the ruling and opposition alike, have embarked on indirect campaigns capable of heating up the polity. This is more worrisome as some parts of the country are at the moment engulfed in carnage that can be described as a war.

    Our ruling political elites are more interested in welcoming decamped politicians from one party to another, conduct insensitive political rallies, and calculated visits to key traditional and religious leaders across the country. Unfortunately, none of these politicians have visited the various centres of carnage in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Or have they not heard of the massacre in Maiduguri, Konduga, Mafa, Bama, Buni Yadi, Kawuri, Idzge, and other places in the North-east of the country?

    What does the law say about early campaign?

    Section 99(1) of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended avers that “the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.”

    Why would our politicians deceptively circumvent the law?

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must wake up to its mandates and start checking the activities of political parties in the country. It is not enough for INEC to watch alone as the commission claimed it is watching the situation. It must invoke the relevant sections of the law to enforce and sanction erring political parties and politicians doing any form of public campaign in whatever guise.

    The presumption that it is difficult to enforce the rule on election campaign is untenable as there is a very clear distinction between holding unadvertised political strategy meetings and pre-emptively soliciting the public for electoral advantage towards fulfilling political ambitions. To be sure, within the context of Nigerian electoral democracy, an aspirant or hopeful is different from a party flag-bearer: the former focuses his/her campaign messages largely on party members/delegates to secure the party’s ticket as candidate during the election, while the latter engage the electorates directly in soliciting for their votes during the general elections.  INEC should not be frustrated; rather it must ensure politicians and their political parties play according to the rules of the game.

     

    • Tunde Salman,

    Kuje Abuja

  • Ibadan Disco’s poor services and outrageous bills

    SIR: It was emotional devastation galore for the people of Ogbomoso when Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company [IBEDC], the new owner of PHCN Oyo Business Unit, stepped out with their wrong foot. Their subtle prevarication notwithstanding, IBEDC came out with what electricity consumers on their network should be expecting as slash and burn billing system.

    Before the conclusion of privatization exercise, PHCN was known for slapdash and inept service delivery with crazy and reprehensible bills. So many times, they forced their spurious bills on the laps of hapless customers with little or no resistance. When government finally handed over PHCN to the distribution companies (Discos), the masses heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that the era of paying outrageous bills are over, and that there will be efficiency in service delivery. But to our chagrin, it’s like moving from frying pan to fire within their short time in operation, as if government sold us out into total blackout and slavery under IBEDC.

    Of particular mention are some notable incidences in Ogbomoso area, where for some months there was power outage. In December 2013, and January 2014 notably, power supply was almost nil.

    When their marketers brought the bill for January, my previous balance was N3,149.98; while current charges was N538.73 plus VAT N26.94 totaling N3,715.65

    But to my utmost embarrassment, in their February bill, my previous bill that stood at N3,715.65 in January had jumped to N4,935.64 while the current estimated bill for February stood at N4,373.00 when I was billed N538.73 for January 2014 current charges. It is amusing how the billing could astronomically increase by 900% within an interval of one month, without regular power supply. I was estimated to use 75 units monthly, though my actual consumption was below 25 units using pre-paid. In January I was billed for three units, while February was jerked up to 300 units, when I’m not a ‘welder or rewire’.

    In spite of this, N500 fixed charges is still being added to my bill monthly for meter maintenance, when I’m yet to be metered. This is not in tandem with Electric Power Reform Act Section 1[4.1] which states that “every Disco shall issue bills for electricity used at each consumer’s address at regular intervals”. It is dubious and counterproductive for IBEDC to be insensitive to people’s grievances.

    Now the question is what parameter did they use in arriving at the obnoxious bill of N4,373.00 for February current charges, when January was the period of blackout in the area? What happened to my bill for January 2014 which the total was N3,715.65, but brought forward to reflect N4,935.64 in February 2014 as previous balance?

    They can only get away with this kind of treatment to customers in Nigeria, where the government has no penchant for addressing injustice done to the poor masses, unlike developed countries of the world where they can not try such exploitation and go scot free.

    IBEDC should not take people for granted like the notorious PHCN. They should be honest and alive to their responsibility to the customers on their network as this is the only way to douse the distrust and cynicism of Nigerians about the credibility of privatization exercise.

    I will like to call on Minister of Power, Prof Professor Chinedu Osita Nebo; the House Committee on Power; National Council on Privatization {NCP}, and National Electricity Regulation Commission [NERC] to please check this atrocity being perpetrated by Discos, and give hope to the frustrated electricity consumers.

     

    • Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo [JP]

    Takie/Idi-Abebe, Ogbomoso.

  • Abacha: History is our witness

    SIR: I have followed with a keen interest the controversies and debates that followed Professor Wole Soyinka’s piece titled; I regret my share of this National insult after President Jonathan honoured the late General Abacha during the Centenary celebration few days back. I have read the ripostes from Gumsu and Sadiq Abacha, the late dictators two children. I have also followed reactions from commentators and those who witnessed the days of the locusts. Regrettably, I ran away with the tragic conclusion that history has shown that men never learnt anything from history.

    One clear answer as to why a President of Nigeria in the 21st century will include the name of Nigeria’s dictators, particularly the ruthless General Sani Abacha as one of the honorees at the Centenary celebration is that President Jonathan may not have known what Nigeria suffered in the hands of Abacha from 1993 to 1998. The conclusion is that those who did not know how we got the democracy we are rubbishing today have been the ones ruling Nigeria since 1999. This is the simple reason why Nigerians have been suffering for almost 16 years now. Men and women put lives on the line, walked a long road, scaled many walls, drilled the deepest wells, faced many challenges and chewed bullets to chase away the military dictators but lily-livered and impostors seized our hard-earned victory and have continued since 1999 to make a mess of our country. I regret to admit that there may be no hope in sight until we clear the Augean stable in Abuja.

    For the avoidance of doubt and for record purposes, it is a taboo in Igboland to cast aspersions to the dead because the person is no longer alive to defend himself. There is no need to fight a man who is down and not alive to respond to anything. When Abacha died in 1998 I broke that tradition. This is because the late Abacha committed abominations.

    Here below is what I wrote about the late General Abacha in my book: Heroes of Democracy published in 1999. “Much has been written about this error of history in Nigeria and many more are still going to be written by historians. I am yet to see how General Abacha’s legendary bad records can be beaten by any other leader in Nigeria dead or alive. Such a wicked dictator like General Abacha can never be left alone in Nigeria. Never in the history of Nigeria has one man so hijacked and traumatized the national psyche for his own selfish purposes. General Abacha jailed General Obasanjo who narrowly escaped death in prison. His former deputy, General Shehu Yar’Adua jailed with General Obasanjo could not survive as he died in Abakiliki prison, the worst gulag in Nigeria. General Abacha dethroned the much revered Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki and banished him from Sokoto. General Abacha murdered an International writer and environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other prominent Ogoni sons. General Abacha attempted to blow up the presidential jet of his deputy, General Oladipo Diya and when that attempt failed, after the bomb had exploded and killed those who were detailed to carry out the operation, General Abacha arrested his deputy and other top officers, paraded them before the national television in handcuffs and leg irons, charged them for plotting coup and sentenced them to death… Abacha ordered killings of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, chief Alfred Rewane, Rear Admiral Olu Omotehinwa, Dr. Omatshola, Alhaja Suliat Adedeji, Toyin Onagoruwa and others….”

    Gumsu and Sadiq Abacha know nothing about Nigeria’s chequered history and the colossal damage their father inflicted on Nigeria. I feel sorry for this burden of history they have to carry for the rest of their lives. Actions carry consequences. Deploying unwarranted anger on a well respected person of Professor Wole Soyinka will not help Abacha family. Silence would have been golden for them.

     

    • Joe Igbokwe

    Lagos

     

  • Politics of Second Niger Bridge

    SIR: The immaterial controls the material; a people’s circumstance is largely influenced by their philosophy. Other continents of the world have advanced so farther than Africa that it is often wondered if the African is less endowed (intellectually and otherwise) than the rest of humanity. Experience, however, shows the contrary for we see individual Africans across the globe proving that they are equally as good. The pitiable state of the continent and Nigeria in particular is therefore largely a consequence of defective philosophies of the people.

    One of these wrong orientations is in our concept of development. While in most other parts of the world development (especially as it pertains to basic amenities) is largely seen as a matter of necessity, here, politicians see them as luxuries, as favours to be bestowed as they wished. Sometimes due to malice or ethnicity, infrastructure which would benefit not just the host community/part of the country but also contribute to the overall growth of the country is left undone. A community/part of the country is subtly given crude conditions under which necessary amenities will be provided for them. Generally, politicians still play politics with matters of development, provision of basic amenities.

    One necessary project that has been the subject of so much politicking is the second Niger Bridge. Former President Obasanjo used it to canvass for Igbo vote, so did Yar’Adua. President Jonathan during his 2011 election campaign promised Ndigbo that he will construct the bridge during his first tenure if elected. Well, the tenure is almost up and the bridge is nowhere to be seen. This did not come as a surprise. I knew the same bridge would be used to woo Ndigbo ahead of the 2015 election; it was all too predictable.

    On March 10, the president performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the construction of the bridge. Only the hopelessly naïve will not see the politics behind the ceremony and its timing. It holds both promise and threat –vote me in and you get the bridge, fail to vote me and forget the bridge. It is so unfortunate that we cultivated such deplorable culture of politicizing development.

    The ground-breaking ceremony has come and gone, yet that is no guarantee that the project would be done –we still have a culture of abandoning projects. In fact some ‘smart devils’ would still prefer to have the project delayed for future political purposes. That would be very unfortunate indeed. I sincerely hope this is the last time a politician will ask Ndigbo for votes using the second Niger Bridge.

    • Nnoli Chidiebere

    Aba, Abia State.

     

  • Give South-west youths a voice

    SIR: I wish to observe on the Yoruba leaders of thoughts meeting held in Ibadan in Thursday February 27, on the issue of the agenda to be pursued by the Yoruba at the conference. While I have no doubt that the people at the meeting were eminent Nigerians of Yoruba stock, majority of who have distinguished themselves in public and private concerns and qualified to represent Yoruba at such conference, the absence of youths or failure to give the youths prominent role to play at that Yoruba leaders of thoughts meeting was disappointing. This is because issues to be discussed at the constitutional conference are issues for the future which have telling effects on the youths and fewer effects on the elders.

    Are our elders telling us that there are no youths in the South-west who can represent the region at the constitutional conference or they do not trust them? The irony is that most of the elders at the meeting were at some of the constitutional conference convoked to usher in Nigeria’s independence as youths probably under 30s. Not only that, many of them came into public offices in their 30s and early 40s. If the Yoruba leaders of those days could breed them as successors, why is it difficult for them to breed those who will succeed them and nurture them in their life times?

    I don’t need to belabour myself in showing the ages of the governors in the South-south, South-east and northern parts of the country to drive my point home. The failure on the part of South-west elders to replicate this is acceptance of failure on their part as parents.

    It is high time South-west youths wake up from their deep slumbers and take their rightful place in the affairs of the land. Obviously, fear of the future has forced them to run away from politics and seek for civil service and other professional jobs. The irony is that those who direct political affairs would continue to lord it over them in spite of the lucrative nature of their various vocations. They would have themselves to blame if they refuse to go into politics with their sound education which the South-west is reputed.

    • Adewuyi Adegbite

    Apake, Ogbomoso.

     

     

     

  • Let Ekiti governorship campaign be issue-based

    SIR: “Weep not, child, weep not, my darling, with these kisses let me remove your tears; the ravening  clouds shall not long be victorious.  They shall not long possess the sky – shall devour the stars only in apparition; Jupiter shall emerge-be patient-watch again another night – the Pleiades shall emerge”.

    These words are those of a father consoling his child on a beach at night in a bid to  give a highly importunate and crestfallen young one a lullaby to enjoy a relief from the endless cries piercing his eardrums.

    This is the season of politics in Ekiti State and politicians gunning for the forthcoming governorship election will use all tricks in the book including lies, blackmail, subterfuge, unrealistic promises and other devices to hoodwink the electorate.

    Many of the aspirants have resorted to telling lies all in the name of clinching the gubernatorial tickets of their parties.

    The most egregious falsehood from the governorship motley crowd was the one spewed by a recently sacked Minister who represented the state at the federal cabinet before he was relieved of his job for apparent non-performance.

    In a bid to justify his ambition of winning his party’s ticket  and ultimately clinch the highest seat in the state, the ex-minister accused the Fayemi administration of doing nothing with funds accruing to the to the state from the federation account.

    Those of us who knew the condition Fayemi met the state in October 2010 believe that the governor has faithfully utilized the resources available to turn around the fortunes of the state in the areas of infrastructure, education, tourism, human capital development, urban renewal, agriculture, empowerment, among others.

    One would have thought the ex-minister would have been honest to acknowledge that Fayemi has done a lot and that he should tell the Ekiti electorate what he would do better if realises his ambition if ruling the state on the platform of his party.

    I don’t need to be a minister to be able to educate this aspirant on the achievements of the APC-led government in Ekiti – in Ipoti Ekiti, his hometown. These achievements include the renovation of Ipoti High School, construction of the 17-kilometre Ipoti/Ayetoro road, 5.3km Ipoti/Ilukuno/Oke-Oro road and payment of  social security stipends to the aged people in Ipoti.

    We have not forgotten the Grants-in-Aid to communities to execute projects peculiar to their needs,  construction of five kilometres of roads across the 16 Local Government areas (phase 1 & 2).

    In all these, Fayemi has restored Ekiti’s core values through good governance, quality and viable representation and service delivery.

    I want to advise all aspirants in all parties to make their campaigns issues-based and not to engage in distortion of facts, character assassination, mudslinging and deliberate use of falsehood to gain advantage.

    Ekiti people are wise, knowledgeable and discerning enough to know what is good for them and they will speak with their votes at the June 21 governorship election.

     

    • Sina Odewale,

    Ado-Ekiti

  • Abacha, Soyinka and the centenary awards

    Abacha, Soyinka and the centenary awards

    SIR: I remember the day the man died. My younger brother and I after a very long queue at the Bida Sawmill came home around 7:30pm with two big sacks of sawdust to be used for the popular “Abacha Stove” necessitated by acute lack of kerosene and many more necessities of life. Things were really messy then.

    I can’t remember what we were watching but I can remember that it was something of great interest to dad and his friend. I was almost dozing off when dad and his friend went in to a sort of frenzy shouting, jumping and clapping hands. At first, I thought it was a football match. Then I listened carefully as the newscaster repeated the news that the head of state, General Sani Abacha was dead. Even as a kid, I couldn’t wrap my head around why dad and his friend were happy at the death of ‘the man’. I could remember how dad frequently associated ‘the man’ with virtually every woe we were experiencing from lack of water, food, money to freedom of movement.

    Abacha was simply called ‘the man’ or ‘this man’ by dad. Years later, I realised why dad and his friend were joyous. The man’s death meant different things to different people. To majority of Nigerians, Abacha’s death at least meant that the dark days were over. For my brother and I, it meant that going to queue at Bida Sawmill to fetch sawdust for “Abacha Stove” was over.

    When recently, the inept men and women running the affairs of this country decided to award people they felt have contributed to bring us to where we are today in celebration of 100 years of our ‘country-hood’, one wasn’t surprised to see Abacha on the list of awardees.

    I knew what he was going to say but I called my dad to ask him his opinion on Abacha’s presence on the list anyway. I was shocked when he said he would have protested if ‘the man’ didn’t make the list. To him, if the awards were for those who brought us here, then Abacha deserves double honours for quickening our steps down the path of lawlessness, terror, intimidation, monumental national looting, devaluation of naira and human life, impunity, and prostitution! Now I understand.

    So to Abacha’s children, your riposte to Prof. Wole Soyinka because he poked his long finger in the nose of your late father is in order. But the fact that your father was a dread to many a fellow country men and women can’t be eroded by even the best written open letter. You all must appreciate Nigerians for their patience and ability to suffer and smile. You owe God and humanity thanks that Nigerians are not like the Iraqis, Libyans, Egyptians or Tunisians. In Nigeria, we do not visit the sins of the father on the children. But please do not over stretch that rope of generosity.

    For the rest of us, we must not, as Prof. Wole Soyinka did, wait for the lion’s leg to be broken or till the lion is dead before we go asking for the debt he owes us. During the peak of the Abacha dark days, Soyinka stood out as a voice. We read of the activities of the “Radio Kudirat”. We read of how the man had to disguise to escape the Abacha-bred killer dogs. Standing up to Abacha even in the hidden was the most daring thing to do at that time. But Prof. Soyinka did. So to me, he’s earned the right to reject his own share of the national embarrassment called Centenary Awards fairly and squarely albeit giving us the reasons why.

     

    • Usman Katun Umar

    Bida, Niger State

  • Sanusi’s suspension and allied matters

    SIR: The manner of the suspension of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria contravenes due process. And the reasons adumbrated by the Presidency are disjointed. The avalanche of diverse legal and political arguments for and against the appropriateness of the suspension is neither here nor there. What is germane is the President’s pronouncement in his recent media chat that he has absolute power to suspend the CBN Governor or anybody! Was it not in this democracy that the former President Obasanjo unilaterally suspended his deputy, Atiku.

    How was it possible for President Jonathan to usurp the powers of the judiciary in approving an absurd suspension of a President of Court of Appeal and the judiciary itself could no longer reinstate the PCA when it deemed it necessary? Aren’t there supposed to be separation of powers, and checks and balances between the executive, National Assembly (NASS) and judiciary?

    Are the NASS and Judiciary ever able to have any influence or control over the executive? Is the Federal Executive Council not equal to the President? Which minister or any other cabinet member can tell the President home truths? Even the VP dares not look at his boss in the eye and tell him what he doesn’t want to hear! Can’t the President decide not to have a cabinet for as long as it suits him?

    Nigerian President is simply too powerful to share governmental power with anybody! Please blame not the President but the constitution! No country has perfect constitution but ours is full of fundamental flaws, lacunae, loopholes, anomalies, inconsistencies and ambiguities. These fatal weaknesses subject the constitution to gross subjective manipulations and blatant misinterpretations. The situation where the President alone appoints people or recommends people for appointment as heads of all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is out of sync with our socio-cultural and political orientation.

    It is worrying that a particular qualified and competent professor can’t become a Vice Chancellor of a Federal University if the President doesn’t like their face – it doesn’t matter if the professor is the choice of the university. Likewise, a particular qualified and competent candidate can’t become the rector of a state polytechnic if the governor has their own preferred candidate – it won’t matter if the candidate is the best for the position. Like Sam Omatseye opined “The governor in Nigeria is like a monarch, just as the president is like an emperor”. Lord Acton quipped “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. “Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it”, said William Pitt the Elder.

    A piece of information: In the case of Atiku versus Obasanjo, the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court ruled that the President can’t suspend a public officer he has no power to sack. Now that the President has said he has absolute power to fire anybody, does it mean he can unilaterally suspend the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without recourse to the Senate, during a general election or when the chairman is about to announce election results? While the constitution is an albatross around the country’s neck, the presidential system of government is the bane of the polity. Hence the adoption of a brand new constitution and a Nigerianised parliamentary democracy are vitally important for the country sooner rather than later.

    • Engr Yomi Akinola,

    Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke

  • Expectations from the National Conference

    SIR: I have always been an advocate of a Sovereign National Conference which our governments have always been opposed until President Jonathan now seems to have had a rethink.

    I still have my doubts as to whether the President will go the whole length. However, whatever his motives were, I believe we can hijack it to our advantage! I am particularly delighted at the calibre of nominees as delegates!

    One area I appeal to these delegates to address is the area of the obscene pays that attach to being in government at whatever level. There are projections that each delegate will go home with N12 million naira. I appeal to the delegates to fix a pay for themselves that will reflect the economic situation of the country! They can then go on from there to fix salaries that will attach to various offices inthe land, from the President to the Councillor. Anyone who feels that pay is too low for him should stay away and allow those who are only out to serve to come forward.

    They should recommend the scrapping of RMAFC,which has been recommending the outrageous pays that are paid to people in government,which pays make getting into office a do or die affair.

    The other day the erstwhile CBN Governor alleged that our legislators consumed 25% of the country’s recurrent expenditure which they denied vehemently. Senator Enyinaya,the Senate spokesperson later claimed it was only three percent.

    Granted that it is three percent, what that means is  that, even if we generously grant that there are about 5000 of them, it means they are consuming the entitlement of about five million people because that is what three percent of 170 million, Nigeria’s population comes to.

    Another area is that not less than 70% of our annual budget should be for capital expenditure. Anyway the trimming down of the compensations for public officers will take care of that.

    If this is all the conference will achieve, it will be quite an achievement as it will sanitize the polity.

    •Abiodun Sopitan

    masopitan@yahoo.com