The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Obasanjo and restructuring

    Obasanjo and restructuring

    EMMANUEL OLADESU

     

    THIS year is remarkable for special political repentance for the combative General. Perhaps, not every soldier will be warrior for all seasons. The twilight of life is good for winding down, following a careful introspection and reassessment of a long life of great exploits and avoidable errors.

    Olusegun Obasanjo, former military Head of State and one-time President of Nigeria, has finally seen the light. The civil war hero had fought to keep the country together. He also had the opportunity of ruling the “artificially united” country by force between 1976 and 1979 and by democratic consent between 1999 and 2007. Then,many observers said he behaved like a lord of manor, oblivious of an inevitable end to political authority.

    During his years in power, he had the opportunity to resolve the lingering national question, which he deliberately avoided like poison. He posed as a nationalist, claiming that Nigeria was his priority as if the country is not erected on the pillars of over 250 ethnically divided social formations.

    Thirteen years after leaving Aso Villa, the seat of government, reality has dawned on him that he had bungled the rare opportunity to make a greater history beyond his command of the Third Marine Commando and being the longest ruler Nigeria ever had.

    At a recent memorial lecture for Dr. Frederick Fadehun, who the Federal  Government arested and detained for leading the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), the Ekerin Egba and Balogun Owu regressed into a curious defense mechanism. The former leader called for restructuring. Many were taken aback since he had inadvertently positioned himself as an obstacle to the reconfiguring of the fledgling federation. Obasanjo, the newest political missioner, was however, silent of the elements of restructuring he would like to prescribe to make the federal arrangement workable. To many commentators, it was the height of hypocrisy.

    The Ebora Owu also called for a Constituent Assembly to make a new constitution for Nigeria. While in the saddle, he failed to take a step in that right direction. But, it appears that he has amended his 2004 view on the supremacy or sovereignty of the parliament over a possible Peoples’ Conference, a development that gave rise to protests by pro-democracy activists who initiated PRONACO.

    Obasanjo, a product of centralised military hegemony, could not shed light on the elements of restructuring that will herald “true” federalism-state and community police, abolition of Land Use Act, devolution, status of councils, etc.

    Is Obasanjo just merely threading on the populist path? Is he warming himself to the pro-devolution forces by pontificating on the envisaged new order on the borrowed platform of restructuring? Why did he fail to properly champion constitutional reforms when he was in Aso Villa? Is he now convinced that the divided house is threatening to fall?

    Can Nigerians take the emergency advocate of restructuring serious?

    Many believed that Obasanjo was carried away by the euphoria of his second coming. He was overwhelmed by privilege and power, which is permanently transient. May be, the experienced soldier lacked a picture and idea of where he should take Nigeria to in the next eight years. His projections were faulty, for he hardly knew that the bewildered country had not become a nation and only a great leader can embark on fundamental programmes that could make it a nation-state in an atmosphere of unity in diversity. The tools of nation building are never associated with pseudo-military tactics of force and compulsion in a civilian dispensation, which he seemed to have epitomised at the beginning of this Fourth Republic .

    Yet, there was a ray of hope in 2004, when Obasanjo set up the Abuja National Conference to debate the future of the country. It was because he knew that something was wrong with Nigeria. Having checkmated potential coup plotters in the Armed Forces to protect his regime and enhance political stability, he turned to the bigger issue of constitution review. Although the intra-party committee on review, which he initially set up, ended in fiasco, hope was rekindled when the Abuja confab was inaugurated.

    However, it was not a Sovereign National Conference. Signs that the national meeting would not be insulated from manipulation were visible as the Commander-In-Chief stipulated some “no-go” areas. Obasanjo looked at Nigeria from the prism of his illustrious military career, saying that the unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable. He had the support of many who loathed disintegration. But, the national unity he flaunted was non-existent. It was a figment of hyperactive imagination.

    The national conference only achieved an objective. During its one-year duration, national attention was focused on the conference and activities of the paid delegates. Also, there was peace throughout the country. Even, Niger Delta agitators sheathed their swords. Many stakeholders believed the conference will paved the way for bold and highly rewarding constitutional reforms.

    However, the report of the conference was destined for the dustbin. It was sacrificed on the altar of third term. The baby was thrown away with the bath water. The efforts were in vain.

    Following the collapse of the third term agenda, the report of the conference was never dusted. Obasanjo accorded priority to succession politics instead of striving for a legacy of constitutional change.

    In later years, he lamented outside power that a certain region was plotting what he termed “fulanisation” and “islamisation” of Nigeria to subjugate other tribes. People like Major-General Olufemi Olutoye, whose advise he ignored in 1976, would have been laughing at his sudden wake up from a deep slumber.

    What were the contributions of OBJ to the growth of federalism? Which great example did he lay in this regard? Rather, his regime attempted to deepen unitarism. The former leader positioned the beleaguered country very far from the practice of the federal principle.

    Why did the leaders of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, support his second term bid in 2003? Was their decision a demonstration of love for the son of soil? Was it not because Obasanjo promised to restructure the country? After his victory, did he honour the agreement in any way?

    At the heart of the struggle for federalism is resource control. But, what was the experience of one of its its leading champions, former Governor Victor Attah, in the days of Obasanjo?

    Today, power outage is the vogue. Yet, almost 18 years ago, former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State initiated the Independent Power Project (IPP). Was the project not frustrated by the power-loaded President Obasanjo?

    Also, what was his reaction to the creation of new councils by some governors, in accordance with popular yearnings? Obasanjo maintained that only the 776 local governments listed in the constitution would be recognised, adding that the newly created councils were a nullity.

    Obasanjo unjustifiably punished Lagos State for lawfuly creating additional 37 councils by withholding allocations to the pre-existing 20 local governments for 14 months. It was agonising for the state and local governments. The state would have collapsed, but for the creative financial engineering of the Tinubu administration.

     

     

     

  • Pragmatism, legality and security

    Pragmatism, legality and security

    Dayo Sobowale

     

    VESTED  self  interest has always been a dominant  factor in politics and  in  the use  and application of power in  any political system. Today  we look at   how   this is manifested in the  passing week’s   events in the light  of  today’s topic. We  scrutinize why those who have chosen to be pragmatic in their    political  decisions,   have  not    stuck   to  their  guns  and known  values,   this time around.  We  wonder why those who  have always  worshipped   human rights  at  the expense of state and regional  security, suddenly  see the wisdom  in defending their  collective security in the face of an invasion  that threatens their collective security,  culture and existence. We  also  lament a situation when  a nation turns to religion to disarm  a  very dangerous and   seemingly indestructible  enemy    facing  its army,  in defiance    of  the   timeless   wise  saying that the ‘ leopard can  never  change its  spot ‘.

    It  is really  not difficult  to decipher my  woolly introduction if you follow events in the news media this last  week. The  issues  revolve around  the  just  concluded  presidential   primaries of the US Democratic Party  on’ Super Tuesday ‘and the results as  well  as  their  consequences for  Black Americans who  we somehow  think are our kinsmen in Nigeria. These  issues   include the reason why the EU  leaders now realize that International law  on migration  if observed would   to  the letter,   could  lead to     an invasion of Europe  through Greece ;  and why the Greeks are  being commended   by the EU  for acting as the ‘ Shield of Europe ‘   against  a flood  gate of migrants, unleashed by  a malicious  Turkey  that   has been denied EU membership  for decades.  We  also consider the security implications of the de- radicalisation and    accommodation strategy of the Federal government set  up  to look  after the welfare of hundreds of  Boko  Haram  fighters who  are said to have repented and laid  down their  arms which they  have used to butcher innocent Nigerians in the past   and present.

    We  start with the Super Tuesday Democratic Party president primaries won by Joe Biden with Bert  Sanders coming  second  and Mike  Bloomberg losing, quitting and backing Biden for the election in November. What  is important here is that Biden rode on the back of Black  votes to victory   for now and we look  at three views trying to explain why this is so.  The  first  view says pragmatism is the explanation for  Biden’s win,  and to defeat Trump in November is more important than who  champions racial equality and  justice amongst  the candidates,   because  the reality on the ground is that White  America is not prepared for  racial  equality and justice  now  or ever . This was the pragmatic view of CNN’s  analyst Isaac Bailey  after Super Tuesday  results.   A    second is totally  opposed to the Democratic Party or its choice and thinks Trump  is the best’ Black President of the US’,  an appellation   purportedly  used for Billy  Clinton before,  now  given to Donald  Trump   by a delegation  of Black  Republicans who visited   the White House  this week.  A third view by Trump himself  while speaking  to Black  Leaders on US Blacks Week, wondered  why  Blacks  put their eggs  in one  basket in US elections and vote for  Democrats while he has made laws that  have freed Blacks from prison and that it could not be worse for blacks voting for Democrats. The  three views speak for themselves and it is up  to the black electorate in the US  to know how to  paddle their own  political  fate and future. The   perceived   chain   or affinity with Nigeria for American blacks is the slave trade but  then   Biden cited   gay  rights as an achievement of the Obama era and a gay  man contested for the presidential  election of  the Democratic Party that is on going.  That  I think is enough for us to part company. That broke the chain of kinship with American  blacks because Nigeria has a law that is  proudly anti  gay   and that is enough  for  now to show that Nigerians are really  not kinsmen of  American  blacks.  Nigerians really  should stay in their  nation, respect its values  and  let  black Americans paddle  their own  canoes in their nation.

    When  EU  leaders visited the border in Greece between Europe and Turkey last  week the EU boss von der Leyen   in her speech surprised even the Greek PM  when  she noted that Greece’s border with Turkey is now Europe’s border and used the Greek word ‘ Aspida ‘ which means shield to show that Greece is now the shield of Europe to prevent migrants’ invasion of Europe. Now, that  is vintage pragmatism. Now  Greece, a nation pauperized with stringent monetary and budget policies of the EU to date is being given millions of euros  to police the border with Turkey  and prevent the Turkish orchestrated invasion of Europe on account of  migrants  fleeing war in Syria. But  still  the EU says Turkey  is not an enemy and that  it  is still   in agreement  to give Turkey money  to keep the migrants in place  inside  Turkey  and negotiations must  continue. Surely  the wily   Europeans have shown   aggressive Turkey  and human rights advocates on migrants and international law,  that on  both issues  and in practice this time around,  on the Greek border with Europe where Greece is the European  shield and armour, their freedom   of  articulation   and    expression  ends,  where EU’  nose  of  survival   begins.  In  a way the EU  has  taught  the world a lesson that there is a world  of difference between legality , diplomacy, self –interest  and regional  survival  in world  politics.  I    remain an   admiring   and  perpetual  student  of  such  lessons now  and ever.

    We  now coast  home to Nigeria where  governments’ programme to   accommodate   and  deradicalise  Boko  Haram takes  shape  with  enabling legislation  in the legislature. The  strategy is fraught  with serious real  and potential security implications. The  first is that it gives incentive for insurgency  against the Nigerian state. The  second is that it shows the leadership of the North East is profiting from the insurgency. This is borne out by the fact that the last governor of  a major state in the NE is now rewarded with a seat in the senate after failing to secure the state against the insurgency during his tenure. Thirdly  we can  learn from the Afghanistan  experience where the US signed a peace agreement with the Taliban  and the Taliban celebrated victory  only  to attack 43 Afghan army check points this week. Of  course the US   retaliated with air  attacks inspite of the peace deal which it say it can reverse if Taliban terrorism  continues. That is because the US has  the  military and technological  deterrence that even the Taliban respects. With  the Boko Haram insurgency the terrorist  leadership is still spitting fire and insulting our president.  How  can we believe terrorists  who  have laid down their arms when we  know they  are fighting for their faith? Nigeria is a secular  state constitutionally and it is wrong to single out Boko Haram drop outs for accommodation and  assimilation in the hope  that they will change. This is like adopting Assimilation and Acculturation which the French colonialists adopted for their  colonies by making them black white men and it has failed. In accommodating Boko Haram so called repentant fighters we bring a Trojan Horse into the Nigerian state and the security consequences  are  predictable. Our government  should do a rethink and learn from history.  The  leopard  cannot  change its spot and  this Boko Haram accommodation  is  such  a leopard which  is lethal  for our  security. It  is unlike Amotekun  in the South West which is for  survival and security. Once again long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • The absentee governor

    The absentee governor

    Igboeli Arinze

     

    GOVERNANCE in civilized climes is seen as a contract; the right to lead a people is conferred on certain individuals on the very premises that such individuals will always act in the best interest of such a society at all times.

    Sadly, in these climes of ours, governance is seen as a joke. Ours here is a dance of extremes, between the absurd which is the trademark of a banana republic and the exact characteristics of a failed state or one planning to fail.

    The difference between civilized climes and ours is the fact that while the former possess institutions which are bigger than individuals the latter also have institutions, only that such institutions are in the pockets of these individuals. Thus, it is only in a nation like Nigeria that we would have known laws, precepts, rules and even standards and yet when events occur we give common sense the boot and take roads that right thinking people would not dare trod! We become mad and it is not because we have nobody to tell us that we are mad.

    So, it becomes laughable, no, rather it is shameful when I read in the dailies that the Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku is awol and rather than fix the mess by resorting to laid down constitutional procedure, institutions that ought to do the needful are rather falling over each other in this dance of shame to the detriment of the society.

    In a nation where we have had offices such as strange as “Friend of The President” “First Daughter of the Presidency” , is it any wonder that people would always pander to sentiments rather than principles?

    So a situation where the Chief Executive of a constituent part of the federation is absent without leave for over three months now and institutions that ought to be asking questions are busy passing senile like resolutions is indeed worrisome.

    1) Whenever the Governor is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the function of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the Speaker of the House of Assembly to that effect, and until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the contrary, the Deputy Governor shall perform the functions of the governor as Acting Governor.

    “(2) In the event that the Governor is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration mentioned in sub-section 1 of this section within 14 days, the House of Assembly shall by a resolution made by a simple majority of the vote of the House mandate the Deputy Governor to perform the functions of the office of the Governor, as Acting Governor, until the Governor transmits a letter to the Speaker, that he is now available to resume his functions as Governor.”

    In other climes, I mean civilized ones, what would it take for the citizens of the state to be informed that the governor had suffered a domestic injury and would need to take time to convalesce from such an injury? Darius Ishaku is human after all and like all humans could trip over the stairs, suffer from the sting of bees or get struck by a bolt of lightning. All it would require is to then follow the laid down procedure and transmit a letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly.

    But trust the Nigerian political class to always disappoint, I mean score own goals! The Taraba State House of Assembly, rather than insist on the full implementation of the spirit of the constitution is rather groveling and passing glib resolutions and vote of confidence motions on an absentee governor!

    Is the office of Governor of Taraba State the chattel of Ishaku and sons? That even in whatever state the Governor seems to be in, he is seen as superior to the constitution that governs millions of Nigerians, including the people that conferred the mandate of his present office as Governor? Is this not a return to the situation we as Nigerians found ourselves in when President Umaru Yar Adua was holed up in a hospital in Saudi Arabia and yet Nigerians were fed with stories of how Yar Adua was jogging and even kickboxing and could govern from anywhere!

    Governor Darius Ishaku having been elected by the people of Taraba State cannot be bigger than the state or the same constitution he swore to uphold and govern by, if he has iota of morality in him he should tender a letter to the Assembly according to the dictates of Section 190. On the other hand the Taraba State House of Assembly should be alive to its responsibilities and demand that the right things be done. If not then it should invoke section 191 of the Constitution. Anything short of this will only condemn them to be told of in our never ending tales of infamy.

  • Coronavirus: Ahmad Lawan shakes up everyone

    Coronavirus: Ahmad Lawan shakes up everyone

    Ogochukwu Ikeje

     

    HE would have been in “character” if he toed the official line and tried to calm everybody down. Only one person, an Italian, has been diagnosed with the virus in Nigeria. Don’t panic. Avoid rumours, and sanitise your hands. And if you should have a fever and start coughing and sneezing, stay indoors. Government is doing everything to keep the virus from spreading.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has helped to entrench that line, echoed by various government officials, including Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire.

    Senate President Ahmad Lawan is not one for that line, even though he was dismissed as the executive’s rubber stamp, being in the same party as the commander-in-chief, when he became leader of the Ninth Assembly last year.

    Truth be told, panic is dangerous. On January 27, 2002 munition explosions at a military facility in Ikeja, Lagos drove over 1000 people to their death in a dirty, water hyacinth-covered canal. So, calm, even in the midst of danger, is advised.

    But Alhaji Lawan (APC Yobe North) knows that calm is not enough when you are dealing with a virus that has now infected over 1000 persons worldwide since barely three months ago when it was discovered, killed 3,015 in China and 267 elsewhere in the world, mostly in Italy and Iran, a virus that can travel via a sneeze or a cough.

    Alhaji Lawan has cried out at every opportunity about the dangers overlooked if we fail to take appropriate measures against a virus that spreads like wildfire. Not caring what anyone else thought, he shouted about lack of proper screening facilities at the nation’s ports. Then he cried out that in Abuja, capital of Africa’s biggest economy, and in the neighbouring central states, there is not a room where anyone who suddenly goes down with coronavirus can be isolated. On Wednesday he complained that the ministry of Finance had not released the budgeted for the centre for disease control to tackle coronavirus.

    Alhaji Lawan’s lament or wake-up call was meant for everyone but the Southeast and their governors should take it as a personal rebuke. The region is blessed with giants in every field, perhaps even more so in business, which takes its people to far-flung places like China, the epicentre of the coronavirus. Not much has been heard from the governors since the coronavirus hit the global stage. Have they uttered a word on business trips to China? Is there any information as to when the last Igbo man returned from that country? Is there any testing of any kind going on in the Southeast? Is there any testing facility of any sort, from Owerri to Awka, and from Abakiliki to Anambra, Enugu and Umuahia?

    Anambra lawmakers have taken their government to task asking what it was doing about the virus. There is no clear answer as yet.

    Elsewhere across the world, the coronavirus consciousness is manifest. The other day, someone in Britain said the virus could well be spreading undetected in the country, a remark that has also been made about the United States of America by Americans themselves.

    On our shores, silence or calming nerves seems to be the preferred strategy. What is the priority of governance in the Southeast? Is it to patch a few roads, sink a borehole and receive traditional rulers in Government House? Are the governors concerned about leaving a real legacy by thinking ahead?

    “This epidemic can be pushed back,” said a WHO chief, “but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government…Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades.”

    Has anyone in the Southeast been thinking about possible scenarios like coronavirus and how to curtail it when it comes?

    More and more countries are confirming their first cases of the virus. Cameroon and Togo, close home, are among the latest. Egypt has detected 12 new cases.

    Alhaji Lawan has spoken loud enough. But do the authorities realise the danger? Was anyone disturbed by the report that the 158 passengers who flew in with the Italian index case cannot be contacted? Or are we hoping and praying, as we usually do, that just as the virus came, it will also disappear?

     

  • GYB or a clone?

    GYB or a clone?

    By Yemisi Oshaloto

    The age long movement for equity in Kogi State pre-2015, otherwise referred to as struggle for power shift from the dominant Igala tribe to either Okun or Ebira or other minority groups in the multi-ethnic state, and the crave for a youthful, vibrant governor had led me to the political camp of Alhaji Yahaya Bello (AYB) in the run up to the August 2015 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries.

    So I supported him – Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

    Sadly, he lost in the primaries, coming second only behind the late Alhaji Abubakar Audu. That was a big blow to my dream.

    On replacement as the APC candidate after that tragic incident of Audu’s death, AYB won the supplementary election. It was a dream come true especially when all hopes had been lost. Although not a politician, my crave for power shift in the young, vibrant governor had been achieved, hence I decided to step back and watch the trend as it unfolded. I felt I had played my part.

    Soon, and sadly too, I found myself in the league of critics of the supposedly New Direction administration. I criticized GYB very closely when things started going in the way most of us his supporters did not envisage.

    Was it a mistake on my part? All that I needed to know did not come soon until towards the end of GYB’s first tenure and after I began to get myself interested again in the state of affairs in Kogi.

    My experience when I started coming close was bad, very bad. Truth had been put on its head. The verifiable good job by the hardworking governor had been overshadowed by negative reports that put Kogi/GYB in the news for all the wrong reasons. With the aid of elements in the GYB government, hell-bent on putting clogs in the wheel of progress perhaps for ulterior motives or simply because they did not share his vision, I found out that the governor, as he would later admit, had fought a serious propaganda war and lost.

    I saw the light and I made bold to tell anyone that the only way out was a total overhaul of the system. That the governor must do self-introspection to rid himself of bad influences to rescue his government!

    It is gratifying that this is exactly what Governor Yahaya Bello has done starting from the last lap of his first term and is what has sorted us out in Kogi State from January 27. The governor has shown that he has learnt his lessons and he’s learning more, and learning fast for that matter.

    From the blast of his inauguration speech, he has shown glimpses of hope that things will be done differently, this time. That the names of commissioners-designate were reeled out in the speech and approved by the state House of Assembly in a record 48 hours without rancour from any quarters, is pointer that the governor did his homework.

    Now, coming to the inauguration speech, wouldn’t anyone be inclined to ponder if this is the same GYB or his clone?

    Hear the governor: “We ran for a second term with the slogan, ‘Let’s Do More’, and made a strong case for re-election by showcasing our first term achievements while undertaking to improve on them. Kogi voters have re-elected us with the most historic margin in a gubernatorial election ever seen in this state and it is now incumbent on us to keep our electoral promises – and we shall do just that….My primary allegiance as governor will remain to Kogi State and her citizens, not to party or tribe. Everyone is my citizen and I owe everyone the protections and fidelities inherent in the office. I therefore call on all and sundry, friends and perceived foes, to put aside all differences of politics, ideology or affiliation and join hands with us to give Kogi State the best of governance.

    “By the grace of God, the oath of office I have just taken is a pact to do right by all citizens as the Fourth Executive Governor of Kogi State. In this second and concluding term of my constitutional tenures as governor, it shall be the principal preoccupation of my administration to bring revitalised energy to bear in delivering refocused governance. It is on this note that I enjoin all Kogites to look forward to the next four years with optimism and great expectations. We will do everything in our power as government to make sure they are productive, prosperous and peaceful”.

    GYB did not stop there. He went one notch to warn the commissioners that they only have one boss -him! The meaning is very clear to the discernible. He reiterated that henceforth, the wish and aspirations of the people/stakeholders from the various local government areas will count in appointments and his decisions on matters affecting the grassroots. This means a departure from the old practice whereby a few powerful government functionaries gather themselves in Lokoja and decide who gets what without inputs of the grassroots people.

    He pointed to people who worked with him satisfactorily during his first term in terms of performance. Ordinarily, GYB mentioned that while he would have loved to have those people back in his cabinet this second term, that was not made possible for him because the arrangements in their respective local governments did not favour their return.

    Again, this is the trait of a listening leader and a commendable demonstration of the spirit of rebirth.

    His decision to reach out to leaders across various political divides indicates his readiness to run an inclusive government.

    Now, this: in less than two months in the saddle, the Kogi State Open Governance and Accountability Systems (KOGAS), has been established. It is an online application designed to hold public office holders accountable under the GYB second term and to further demonstrate the governor’s sincerity to run an all-inclusive government.

    KOGAS, I understand, will be made available and open to the people of the state as an avenue to score each sector of the state based on its performance and to allow the people ask relevant questions thereby contributing directly to the governance of the state. The people will be able to ask all heads of ministries, boards and agencies questions and answers must be provided within 24 hours!

    A new Bello? YES! But he is no clone, either. He is the same Yahaya Bello. What he has done differently is simple-put the round pegs on round holes, beginning with his cabinet.

    • Oshaloto writes from Abuja.
  • Nigeria: a captainless ship?

    Nigeria: a captainless ship?

    By Samuel Oluwole Ogundele

    Nigerians ought to be much more acknowledging of the fact that this country, our homeland, needs preservation at all costs. It is staggering, and frankly, discouraging to observe how our political leaders (with a few exceptions) pretend that all is well, even as this edifice crashes down. It is a truism, that sustainable development is anchored to such factors as robust socio-political engineering, sound economic policies, capital accumulation and strong institutions. These factors are intricately interwoven with charismatic/messianic leadership which is inseparable in a neat way, from the apron strings of active, courageous followership.

    Nigeria is fast descending into anarchy largely because the morphology and content of the grammar of our brand of politics including economics, are not firmly embedded in positive vision, equity, justice, steadfastness and above all, unbridled patriotism. Consequently, the country remains on the losing side of regional and global politics. Insecurity has become a dreadful monster walking on all fours on the Nigerian landscape. Dangerous humans across West Africa are freely moving into Nigeria, a country that is fast becoming unliveable for non-criminals.

    These criminals parading themselves as cattle rearers and/or motor-bike riders are mere agents of ethnic, hegemonic control of Nigeria especially the southern parts. The agenda of their masters is ethnic/cultural colonisation. General T.Y. Danjuma, a highly respected elder statesman recently advised southerners to be vigilant. Senior Nigerian statesmen particularly those who had served as political leaders at different points in time, need to convene a national dialogue devoid of partisan politics. They must try to halt the drift towards disintegration. Security issues are too serious to be reduced to the level of partisanship. Nobody including these very senior Nigerians, is safe as bandits (usually foreigners) continue to wreak havoc on innocent citizens.

    The Obasanjos, Danjumas and Babangidas have been trying recently to promote peace and understanding using a wide range of methods. They, and other senior citizens need to do much more as the captainless ship drifts away from national cohesion. A rescue operation is urgently needed. President Muhammadu Buhari said the following on January 29: “We have to be harder on them (Boko Haram insurgents). One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we don’t secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly”. Senator Abdullahi, a member of the Niger State Eminent Citizens told President Buhari recently that the security architecture of Nigeria had totally collapsed and that there was need for restructuring the country.

    It is pertinent to note here, that the Boko Haram insurgents are becoming deadlier than hitherto. The federal lawmakers and those in the presidency cocooned in their luxury mansions in Abuja should remember that they too, are not safe. Therefore, they should forget about partisan politics and join senators like Elisha Abbo and Enyinnaya Abaribe in calling a spade, a space.  High ideals are the essence of robust humanity.

    It is a great pity, that while many Nigerians are wailing and weeping as a result of the mowing down of their innocent loved ones by bandits and/or Boko Haram demons, a lawmaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was recently showcasing his invaluable assets inside the hallowed Lower Chamber. Strangely enough, he did so to the admiration of the house leadership. This was one comedy too many. In my own opinion, such a scenario demonstrated a good sense of the absurd. This was the same National Assembly, where Senator Abaribe was booed and ruled out of order for saying the minds of most Nigerians. Abaribe’s offence was that he asked President Buhari to resign given the current high level of insecurity in the country.

    Many men and women of high calibre are scared of Nigerian politics and this situation negatively affects our national progress. Not unexpectedly, this country is ranked the third geo-polity with the highest number of desperately poor people in the world. According to Development Finance International (DFI) and Oxfam, Nigeria’s social spending is extremely low. The government spends little on education, health and social protection. Therefore, it is not a surprise that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children globally.

    It is most worrying that the citizens are so poor in the midst of plenty. The Nigerian political class has made a mess of everything. However, this mess did not start with the Buhari administration. It has a long history, even though the situation today is much messier than before. The change promised by President Buhari is gradually becoming an illusion. However, this is not irreversible in the face of a new operational model.

    Transparency International placed Nigeria 146th position on the ranking of its 2019 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) out of 180 countries that were surveyed. In Nigeria, leadership failings over the years have held back the country’s growth and development. These failings include nepotism/cronyism, authoritarianism and a gross lack of inclusiveness. This is a tragedy of monumental proportions! Mr. President needs to wrestle corruption to the ground because it is Nigeria’s number one enemy. It is no longer secret that the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) is now being manipulated by its operators, thereby making the project a sham. Nigeria is a homeland of real and evil geniuses.

    The Nigerian population is approximately 200 million now. By 2050, this country is most probably going to be the third largest geo-polity in the world with a figure of about 402 million people. This projection was made by the US Census Bureau in April 2019. Currently, household and to a limited extent, industrial wastes are everywhere in Nigeria. Most roadsides have been turned into refuse mounds. Most local water bodies have been polluted with toxic waste. Similarly, the exhaust fumes from generators are increasing the levels of environmental pollution. Our cities including marketplaces are an eye sore in the face of an ever-increasing human population without proactive strategies for waste management. This situation threatens Nigeria’s public health and by extension, national development on a sustainable scale.

    The government has to start mitigating this huge problem before it snowballs into a monstrous crisis. As a matter of fact, there is no big deal in being a political leader. The only big deal is the capacity coupled with readiness to creditably serve humanity and by the same token, Providence. Generally speaking, the Nigerian politician is much more interested in Arithmetic of power or personal aggrandisement than selfless service to the country. Our political leaders do not care a hoot about the agonies of Nigerians. This is the reason why some mindless senators are busy trying to force a poisonous pill christened “Hate Speech Bill” down the throat of every Nigerian. This is a senate that cannot mount an assault on dire material poverty and insecurity that have robbed many Nigerians of their joys and robust humanity. Given the above scenarios, President Buhari must adopt much more inclusive strategies and a wider, messianic vision so as to reclaim at least some of the lost glories of Nigeria.

    • Prof Ogundele is of Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan.
  • Obasanjo’s call for a constituent assembly

    Obasanjo’s call for a constituent assembly

    By E.T Okere

    In my two-part series, “Restructuring or Constitutional Amendment”, I pointed at that the position of several well-meaning Nigerians to the effect that what Nigeria needs is a brand new constitution and not an amendment of the existing one, as is being currently undertaken by the 9th National Assembly after the failed attempt by its predecessor – the 8th Assembly. I also pointed out that in the overall call for a political restructuring of the country, which a brand-new constitution will most certainly entail, some diehard apologists of the status quo are beginning to yield grounds.

    One of them, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, I noted, did so recently when, at the inauguration of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment – which he heads – said that his committee will look at the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. That was quite revealing because Omo-Agege is a die-hard supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari who had told the country, upon assumption of office in 2015, that the 2014 confab report had been shredded and thrown into the dustbin.

    A few days ago, another diehard apologist of the status quo and anti-restructuring element, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, similarly made a volte face. Chief Obasanjo commended the 9th Assembly for once again attempting an amendment “because members of the National Assembly are fully aware of the lurking danger and want to be proactive”. But he noted that “… the Nigerian Constitution does not give the National Assembly the power to write a new constitution but the power to amend the existing one. What is required is a new constitution to meet the agitation and aspirant of all Nigerians and to ally all fears”.

    President Obasanjo goes further: “The executive and the legislature need to work together to establish a Constituent Assembly. The exercise must not be compromised like the present constitution, it must have full legitimacy of “We The People”. Obasanjo, who was speaking at an event in Lagos on Saturday, February 29, reportedly noted that the assumptions of the 1999 constitution “have been found to be unrealistic and unreliable in practice by any administration…” and then restated the need to “fashion out a political order and arrangement that will strength our togetherness while making room for healthy and useful competition within the one entity, Nigeria”.

    I chose to comment on President Obasanjo’s repentant attitude for a new arrangement for the country because he was one of the most vociferous critics of the call for restructuring. At the heat for the call for restructuring in 2017, Chief Obasanjo lampooned its advocates for asking for the “dismemberment” of the country. In fact, he saw the call for restructuring as a call for secession or another civil war.

    I was so piqued by President Obasanjo’s antics that in my book, “We Can’t All Be Wrong… Nigeria And The Restructuring Debate”, that I devoted a section to it and characterized it as “Obasanjo “War war” Polemic”. Today, while I am glad that Chief Obasanjo has had a change of heart; it is instructive to note that he is using the same war premise to conversely canvass for a new political order for the country. President Obasanjo at the event gave a trajectory of the trend. He explained that during his tenure as an elected president, the talk was about “true federalism”. According to him, that “has since changed to restructuring”. At the event of last Saturday, Obasanjo reportedly told the gathering that he feared that the next phase could turn out to be call for self-determination by one or more geo-political zones which will not be easy to suppress. He was further reported as saying that he was among those who thought the Biafran “rebellion” was not going to last for more than three to six months only for it to stretch to 30 months. “If after 10 years of fighting terrorist group is still waxing story, let nobody out of self-delusion think that a war of self-determination by one or more geographical zones of Nigeria with the present disenchantment would be easily suppressed by the rest of what may remain of the country” , the  ex-President was quoted as saying.

    Last January, former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon was similarly reported as calling for a political restructuring of the country in order to avoid another civil war. Not unexpectedly, the call by these two former heads of state has been weighed into by some groups notably the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMGLF, which, in a statement on Monday, urged the Buhari-led administration to heed the call by the two. Between the two, however, Obasanjo is a newer convert but put together methinks that the lure to conjure memories of the last civil war should be resisted.

    Agreed, the fear of war could be a deterrent but there are other parameters through which we can canvas support for restructuring. The two leaders surely mean well but my fear is that allusion to war many provoke the very person we are appealing to. For me, it is most unlikely that the possibility of the country degenerating into another civil war can on its own prompt President Buhari into taking urgent or proactive measures to avert it. From his “body language”, President Buhari does not like to hear about “civil war” in Nigeria because he most probably believes that no section of Nigeria or group is capable of igniting a war at least while he is president. That is why his administration finds it hard to admit that Boko Haram poses a big problem to the country and has been, in any case, been “technically” defeated. So, those who believe that talking about the imminence of another civil war will prompt Buhari into action may not be hitting the nail at the head.

    Still, there are more compelling reasons why Nigeria must be restructured now. One is the urgent need for an overhaul of the security architecture of the country, particularly the police. As is well known, Nigerians are more scared by the operatives of the Nigerian Police than they are of the kidnappers or herdsmen while travelling on the nation’s highways. We have heard severally of the activities of the federally controlled Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which seems to have gunned down more innocent Nigerians than criminals. Of course, there is a general consensus of opinion among Nigerians that the Nigerian Police Force, as presently constituted, is incapable of providing civil security to Nigerians. Hence, the call for state police and the move, in the interim, by sections of the country for regional security outfits.

    As noted in this column in the two-part series earlier referred to, the vituperations and tension generated by these developments are more than enough reasons that something must give. Even the democracy Nigerians worked so hard for is under great threat. The 2019 General Elections remain a mockery of democracy, to the extent that today, different parties want all court rulings on its outcome reviewed. We are witnesses to the utter confusion over the March 9, 2019 governorship elections across the states. One fellow is declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today; tomorrow, his opponent is declared winner by the Supreme Court. Last week we witnessed a Supreme Court Justice getting so emotional to the extent that she was virtually asking two of Nigeria’s best lawyers where they got their law certificates from.

    The two had dared take up a governorship election case that should not have arisen, in the first instance, if the system we are operating at the moment is meant to bring about sanity rather than the confusion that now reigns. As far as I am concerned, it is neither the fault of the angry Justice nor the two erudite lawyers. It is the fault of both the extant electoral laws and constitution.

    Needless to say, the country must evolve a new set of rules – the electoral laws and the constitution – before the next general election. The war Obasanjo and Gowon envisage will not be between Igbo and Hausa-Fulani or between Yoruba and the latter, as is believed, but between people of the same state. In my home state, Imo, there is currently so much animosity between the Mbaise clan and the Oru nation, respectively the kinsmen of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and Senator Hope Uzodinma. That is just one instance but it needs no exaggeration to state that if the type of confusion and bad blood generated by the current arrangement is allowed to persist by the next general elections, it will be brothers against brothers, across the country.

    What really gladdens my heart is not that President Obasanjo has become repentant over his previous stance on restructuring but the fact that he has gone ahead to call for a convocation of a Constituent Assembly to write a new constitution for the country. Again, I draw attention to a similar call, recently, by Afe Babalola for a Sovereign National Conference. Interestingly, Babalola was nearly made a laughing stock at the Supreme Court last week. I am certain that the erudite lawyer must have gotten home more determined, than ever, that this nonsense must stop.

  • Education goes beyond grades

    Education goes beyond grades

    By Oluwaseyi Oso

    Every human being is born to think and to think is to be reborn. This is why learning is a veritable tool in igniting thoughts that can reshape the world. One cannot, however, gainsay the notion that education in this part of the world has shifted from its focal point. I would conjecture that the school system in Nigeria is destroying a generation of minds by burgeoning the desire for grades above learning. The school system should build schools in people’s mind where the world can learn from.

    More often than not, students have been forced to pursue grades without a prime understanding of what is being taught. In fact, teachers would prefer that students write similarly in examinations as they have been taught. This is a pathway to ruining interest in learning; and as soon as there is disinterest in learning, there would be disinterest in thinking.

    What Nigeria needs, in this century, to add value to the world, is the intuition of creative minds; but if these minds are obscured by constraints and presuppositions of grades-instead of learning and grasping-it would be difficult to procreate ideas. Perhaps, this evidences the mantra: “Nigerians do not read”. Every action has an underlying cause. The diminishing interest in learning is not a recent status quo.

    Heretofore, it has been instilled in the souls of teachers to teach and grade students without paying sentient attention to the digestion and concentration of knowledge in a learner. As a result of this, learners begin to see learning institutions as doors that must be unlocked by grades alone. This is not an ingenious way of crafting a safer future for the nation and the world.

    Reading culture cum learning culture will not thrive if there is no ground to fertilize its protean growth. Inferentially, a little child cannot learn the whole of a language immediately he/she is born; a child must first go through stages of practical knowledge before he/she can be capable of forming, in fact, a sentence. Conversely, a reading/learning culture cannot be cultured if the major demand is to score high grades.

    Proficiency is the fulcrum of education and that is what the Nigerian society has failed to look into.

    A lot of minds have been corrupted to presuppose that the certificate is all they need. But that is a blatant self-deceit. Certification is not a parameter for education and intelligence. How can you add to knowledge as an individual with what you have been taught? How can you contribute a solution to the multifarious conundrums in your society? A lot of employers also eat from this venom by admittedly believing that certification is the reservoir of education.

    The reservoir from which every individual create is the reservoir of a learned heart and mind, not just a certificate. One would not be surprised to realise that a large number of graduates from engineering faculties are particularly unrelated to the practical aspect of their work. This is why the Nigerian government prefers to contract road constructions and other forms of constructions to bodies outside the country insofar as they lack faith in the educational sector that produced them. Scholarship should not be censured by grades alone but by how much an individual is capable of creating; of thought.

    A student is not just in a department to learn but to also recreate that department. By “recreate” is meant the formulation of something new out of the old. Albert Einstein could have abated his ingenuity if he had only dreamed of getting grades. Carl Jung would have premised his thought only on the theory of Sigmund Freud whilst abandoning and abhorring his if he had been made to cogitate that the school is just an institution of passivity.

    Education is like a mirror with which we discover the potentials in us; it is the flashing of light that reveals the intuitions we are passingly familiar with; but, need I reiterate, the school system is raising and honouring a generation of decaying minds that are coaxed to read for the sake of good grades alone. The world needs ideas and thinkers to survive at this sick point and, arguably, education should stand as a partner whom learners mate with to give birth to ideas that can transform the world beyond what we experience now.

    What is more, to have a dazzlingly safe future in this part of the world, I would suppose that teachers need a new psychological development. They need to decipher that learning and understanding of a student is more conspicuous. A learner who just reads passively is inclined to intellectual and creative failure.

    You have to embrace learners and make them notice that they can be better at what they study; you have to implant in them the desire for knowledge; not good grades alone. Every learner has a divine passion for something but some teachers and parents, ofttimes, decapitate that passion; sometimes enforcing a discipline on a learner or failing to sharpen the creative impulse of that learner.

    Some courses are unnecessary for learners in this part of the world but we still enforce them. These are one of the deficiencies that kill the desire to learn. Students should be honoured on the precision of their understanding and not on the ability to pass an examination. I remember a time, during my third year at the university, I took an elective course: Creative Writing. What I discovered in the course of taking the course was that the lecturers did not harangue us; instead, they were interested in our interests in understanding the course, as it were.

    The class was unusually interactive as learners were made to realise the reason to write as well as developing the interest to be dignified in creative writing. After the completion of the course, almost everyone derived good grades as well as evident understanding. What is being exampled from this is the notion that teachers need to instill, in learners, the learning-drive such that the teacher will have to learn from the learner, too.

    All in all, the world is heading towards a destination and we need to develop thinkers who can serve as fulcrums to that beautiful destination. It is not too late, in time, to change the ogreish situation of education by alluring young minds to the prominence of learning. Our quotidian lives can be restructured if we all come to the conviction that learners deserve-not only scores-understanding of what is being taught.  This is the only pathway we can follow to advance our nation in the world. Once learners are no longer insouciant to studying for understanding, the world would also be able to learn from their inventions and contributions.

  • Climate change and disturbing fire outbreaks

    Climate change and disturbing fire outbreaks

    By Alabidun Shuaib Abdulrahman

    Globally, climate change has become one of the most serious environmental challenges facing our planet. It has been a critical issue for quite a long time and stakeholders have been deliberating and devising ways of combating it. Annual evaluation by the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates that scientists learn more about the consequences of global warming, and many agree that environmental, economic, and health consequences are likely to occur if current trends continue.

    It has become a known fact that the prevalence of fossil fuels and its usage such as oil, gas and coal are burned to generate energy, large amounts of the greenhouse gas CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere.

    Moreover, the emissions of the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide increased in the last decades because of intensive agriculture. All these gases allow solar radiation to get through the atmosphere to the earth’s surface but prevent the radiation from returning. This has no doubt resulted to global warming.

    Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Long-lived gases that remain semi-permanently in the atmosphere and do not respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are described as “forcing” climate change. Gases, such as water vapour, which respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are “feedbacks.”

    In its Fifth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there’s more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet. It is believed that for over five decades, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. Although this may not in consonant with National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA data which show that global averages in 2016 were 1.78 degrees F (0.99 degrees C) warmer than the mid-20th century average. It is believed that 17 of the 18 warmest years have occurred since 2000.

    The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 400 parts per million in the last 150 years. The panel also concluded there’s a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in earth’s temperatures over the past 50 years.

    An overwhelming research has it that extreme heat waves have caused tens of thousands of deaths around the world in recent years. And in an alarming sign of events to come, Antarctica has been losing about 134 billion metric tons of ice per year since 2002. This can speed up if we keep burning fossil fuels at our current pace, some experts say, causing sea levels to rise several meters over the next 50 to 150 years.

    Strangely, the climate change has begun to have its impact on the Nigerian environment. It is now a normal scene for fire outbreaks in Nigeria as reported in various national dailies and social media platforms. Early this year, virtually all the states have had fair share of fire outbreaks in one way or the other which could either be blamed on human errors or natural disaster considering the weather.

    January 5 was a gloomy day in Oyo town, Oyo State as it was reported that over 400 years historical market, Oja Akesan got burnt with goods worth millions of naira destroyed in the inferno.

    Aside the fire outbreak in Oyo, there have been so many depressing accounts of fire outbreak in some different locations like in Balogun Market and Mushin Amu Plank Market in Lagos, Jabi Motor Park in Abuja, Gusau Yankatako Market in Zamfara, Aba Market in Anambra and Owerri Airport in Imo among others.

    However, unlike before now when some months are certain to have rainfall and others sunny weathers, that has become very hard to predict. Also, there have been increasing fears for flooding in Nigeria especially if the rainy season commences fully. One wonders what would likely happen to a society like Nigeria where there is little or no awareness on climate change. The fact is that fear remains very rife.

    In its shocking revelation, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has predicted horizontal visibility to improve over north and central, adding that there would be increased cloudiness over the inland and coastal cities within period of forecast. The agency predicted cloudy condition over the coastal cities with chances of localised thunderstorm over Lagos, Warri, Owerri, Yenagoa, Calabar, Eket and Port-Harcourt axis.

    With the above, it is important that we all rise up to the climate change challenge so we would not be consumed by the obscenities from the development.

    Major stakeholders can begin a reorientation process for Nigerians. We should be aware that climate change knows no status and the political will is needed for the benefit of all and sundry.

    A national summit on climate change and its growing effect would not be out of place while relevant agencies responsible for tracking climate and its factors should act now that we can still contain the changes in the atmospheric situations in and around Nigeria. For there is need for climate change preparedness policies.

    • Alabidun is a journalist. He wrote from Wuye, Abuja.
  • Ending insurgency: Ears to the ground and eyes wide opened

    Ending insurgency: Ears to the ground and eyes wide opened

    By Victor Izekor

    The ongoing security challenges bedevilling the nation have become a source of worry to many Nigerians. Residents of the northeast, in particular, have witnessed an unprecedented scale of violence and deaths, blood-letting and sorrow – no thanks to the Boko Haram terrorist group.

    The quantum of human loss and destruction inflicted on Borno by the insurgents is unprecedented. As a result, many want the insurgency to be brought to an end as quickly as possible for peace and tranquility to reign.

    Through the chaos, however, the people of the northeast and Borno, in particular, are braving through the carnage and devastation wrought on their hitherto peaceful neighbourhoods.

    Borno, a state widely renowned as the “Home of Peace and Hospitality” currently sinks in the quicksand of deaths, blood and sorrow. It currently careens as a habitat of shattered lives, broken homes, orphaned children, widow mothers, severed limbs, and folk living in endless fear, as their days and nights spill with horror courtesy Boko Haram.

    In this orgy of destruction, there are beneficiaries of terror who would want it to continue till eternity. The recent upsurge in the destruction to human lives, infrastructure and property, testifies that the insurgents are poised to persist in their campaign of terror.

    Today, Boko Haram has perfected its knack for creating confusion, conflict and doubts while accentuating the blame game among Nigerians as the country strives to  bring the terror war to an end.

    With lack of trust among Nigerians, especially among the elite, and even within government circles, on how best to handle the insurgency, Boko Haram strikes with impunity.

    It would be recalled that at a point during his administration, President Goodluck Jonathan subtly hinted that there were some Boko Haram members in his government. In the light of the former president’s submission, could it be said that the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is afflicted by a similar fate.

    In short, if this insurgency must be brought to an end, there must be concerted efforts at mobilizing all the stakeholders towards achieving this. The legitimacy of any government ceases at the point when it becomes unable to protect its citizens and guarantee their safety.

    It is on record that since assumption of office, President Buhari has been able to reduce the onslaught of Boko Haram. History will not deny this. It is also a fact that Boko Haram has grown in strength as a result of its affiliation with external insurgent groups like ISWAP and ISIL. Notwithstanding, the Nigerian military has contained to a large extent, the onslaught of the terror groups. Hence, Nigerians are able to heave a sigh of relief and enjoy a modicum of respite from the deadly onslaughts of Boko Haram.

    However, the prevailing circumstances demand that the insurgency must be decisively neutered, or else, the nation will live in perpetual fear and despair. This is not the time for blame game or suspicion among the stakeholders. It is time to go back to the drawing board, to find out where things went wrong and make amendment.

    It is about time we told ourselves the truth and nothing but the truth. In this wise, Borno stakeholders including the politicians, traditional rulers, elites and youths must speak with one voice. They must take the lead. Charity begins at home. There is this assumption that the day the people of Borno speak in one voice against the insurgency, that day signifies the obituary of the Boko Haram sect.

    Governor Zulum must carry all the stakeholders along, and the latter must cooperate with him.

    Borno has lost a generation of youths as a result of the prolonged terror war. There is need to take the military and government into confidence in information sharing on the movements of the terrorists. Besides, the military must understand the disposition of the enemy. They must know the recruitment policy and strategy of Boko Haram, their collaborators, agents and sources of weapons and other logistics.

    There is need for the military to wipe out the saboteurs, fifth columnists and undesirables within its fold to guarantee the success of the anti-terrorism campaign.

    The deradicalization process and ultimate freedom of the captured insurgents must be carried out with skill, tact and caution. Besides, the military must be provided the logistics, equipment and conducive atmosphere to operate.

    In like manner, there must be synergy and cooperation among the security agencies  and elimination of perceived rivalry. The activities of some of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) must be closely monitored as some no doubt are allegedly working against the interest of the nation.

    More worrisome is the proliferation of the small arms on a large scale. It is even said that the preponderance of small arms in private hands exceeds those in the custody of the military. This trend must be checked. In this wise there is need to closely monitor activities at the nation’s borders; more so the operations of the immigration and customs departments at the nation’s entry points.

    The financiers of the terrorists must be located and dealt with according to the law of the land. There must be incentives for soldiers at the war front to motivate them while the promotion, deployment and retirement of military personnel must be procedural. There is also the need to have a second look at the establishment of the mega camps to the perceived neglect of military personnel at towns and villages along the major highways.

    It is not out of place to let the natives realize the dangers of harbouring the terrorists as they might end up as their victims or face punishment when the law catches up with them.

    An idle hand is said to be the devil’s workshop. The problem of employment must be addressed. In the words of Honorable Kashim Shettima, the former governor of Borno state, “Underneath the nihilism of Boko Haram lies the underlying cause, which is social exclusivity and extreme poverty. Once we engage the youths, once we create jobs, this nihilism, this madness will evaporate.”

    Whether we like it or not, Nigeria is dealing with a very tough and dangerous situation that demands tough response matched with tact and caution. Delay is dangerous. Every second counts as time is running out.