The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Ese , Yinusa and the tragedy of a divided nation

    We may not have been together if not for the 1914 amalgamation. But since the artificial wedding took place over a century ago, it is quite surprising how and why we remain divided in the face of various integration plans and programs to keep us united.

    Few weeks ago when the Ese Oruru saga broke out, it again showed to the world how divided a nation amalgamated over a hundred years ago is. The Ese Oruru saga, prove once again that we have only been struggling to live in harmony with one another and always looking for the slightest opportunity to go against each other.

    Worse as our division is, we are not only divided along regional or ethnical line, but we are so divided along numerous lines and that only calls for concerns for a nation dreaming of development and prosperity. One wonders how we have managed to stay together as a nation in the midst of these divisions all these years.

    The Ese Oruru saga was a crime committed by one man, but instead for the culprits to be condemned and cautioned, the criticism and blame came on his region, his religion and his people. A fallacy that was borne out of bigotry and hate.

    While a few people directly condemned the criminal act committed by one Mr. Yinusa Dahiru, who is alleged to have abducted Ese, forcefully converted her to Islam, possibly hypnotized her and assaulted her sexually, a huge number of people took advantage of Mr. Yinusa`s action and descended mercilessly on his region and religion. Hence, the northern region came under attack alongside the Islamic religion.

    It is my belief that no religion supports violence. People are violent but hide under the guise of one form of religion, region or the others to justify their criminality. But a nation divided along these lines will not consider it that way. It will rather take advantage of the act and attack the whole region or religion involved.

    A country that is so desirous of making any form of progress in this tough and competiveness world cannot stay divided and expect any form of progress. The point is; a divided nation will continue to grasp for development and prosperity in the face of abundant opportunities.

    We cannot as a nation hope to achieve the founding dreams and aspirations of our founding fathers while we stay divided. Not possible! If we must achieve greatness, we can only achieve it together.

    Change comes with numerous responsibility- one of which is to be united. No divided nation has attained that which they wish and dream of.

    Either child marriage, abduction, baby factories, rituals, vandalism and the likes, a crime is a crime- we must stay united to condemn it outrightly without tagging any region or religion.

    There is no justification for doing the wrong thing and perpetrating evil. Evil is evil. It has no other name but evil. People choose to do evil and sort for justification for it. Those who do evil should be seen as evil and not their religion or region.

    Men will always want to justify is criminality, but it does not make evil less evil. Don`t conform to that! If evil is perpetrated by someone in the North/South/Middle-Belt by Christian/Muslim/Pagan, condemn it. Evil has no religion or region!

    You can not condemn the whole north or a particular religion because of Ese saga and other related crimes. Likewise can you not condemn the whole south or a particular religion for baby factories, vandalism, and other related evils.

    When you condemn a crime, do not do it with an intention to sway a religion/region- that also is evil. Just condemn it outrightly!

    If one from or not from your religion or region derives pleasure in crime, condemn it. Not his/her religion or region.  If we unanimously condemn evil irrespective of who is involved and not tag it, in no time far from now, we would have a saner society. But if those in the North/South/Middle-Belt, Christian/Muslim/Pagan keep defending the evil perpetrated by one of their own, we would continue to live in a society where evil works and reigns. At the end, when evil reigns, the people suffer!

    God Bless Nigeria.

    – Ogundana Michael Rotimi is a Nigerian Biochemist, Socio-economic & Political Commentator, and Public Speaker. He tweets @MickeySunny.

  • If History, why not Storytelling? 

    If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” – Rudyard Kipling, from The Collected Works

    This quotation strikes at the heart of the debate, which I consider quite emotion-laden, among Nigerians as to the absence of History in our educational curriculum and all the problems it portends for the nation – its people and its history and by implication its past, present and future.

    The quotation is quite insightful as it succinctly shows that the problems associated with the teaching and learning of History in our curriculum may just be with the way History has been taught all these years and that something very radical has to be done about this. It is time we looked at the way History is taught rather than the consequences of the absence of the subject from our educational curriculum.

    Three major problems have been identified by the champions of education about the demise of History in Nigeria: First is shortage of teachers to teach the subject; complaints by students that History is not taught in an interesting way; and, the fact that educators are yet to come to terms with what really is the purpose of History. Does knowing our history truly “help us understand our present and prepare us for the future so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past?”

    I will address these issues immediately.

    Firstly, there is no shortage of teachers of History. Only time has made this subject unattractive to so many teachers and students alike. Time has caught up with History and made it seem a tad too dated for those who will teach it and those who want to learn it.

    Secondly, History the way it is today – locked up in text books as unassailable facts – cannot be taught in any interesting way. Facts, as attractive as they may seem on the surface, can also be boring. We have to make facts appealing by adding stories to them.

    Thirdly, Educators have not been able to define the true purpose of History. From all that has been articulated so far, the only argument to support the teaching of a subject no student seems interested in is that, “History helps us understand our present and prepare us for the future so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.” That sounds quite lofty, but if you ponder more on this you will discover that it is highly faulty. Does History really make us not to err or repeat the mistakes of the past? I don’t think so because the world seems not to have learnt from any past event. We are not less close to a World War III today because we have learnt any lessons from the first and second World Wars. So, if people learn at all, it’s not likely that past events are a guide and as reliable as we may wish to ascribe to the efficacy and importance of past events.

    Most of what had hitherto been locked up in History textbooks is now readily available to students on the Internet through powerful search engines like Google and Bing. If you can get information on the go, why rely on a textbook that is not up to date? Why do you need a teacher to help you pore over dated history textbooks, when you can access a whole library of historical information and facts on the go?

    Then comes the issue of the reliability of the History being taught in schools today compared to how much knowledge has exploded. Most of what we regard as History the way it is presented in traditional textbooks is simply a compendium of regurgitated facts, which most times do not hold out well when subjected to logic and scientific inquiry. Take the history of the founding of the Niger River. Whose history was it that Mungo Park found River Niger? That is the history of the Colonialist. Certainly that is not what holds as truth to a young Nigerian living in the 21st Century because when subjected to scientific inquiry this discovery by Mungo Park would be impossible for a stranger who relied solely on the local natives to get to the bank of River Niger.

    Another major problem with the teaching and learning of History is the decreasing emphasis we find with the teaching and learning of the Humanities worldwide.

    With the increasing importance of technology, attention is continuously shifted to the teaching of Computer Science and other science subjects that would provide the much needed answers to the problems bedevilling mankind.

    We are at a crucial stage of human existence to get worried about how the use of technology, and not the Humanities, can effectively be used to tackle the problems of Climate Change, Terrorism and the harmful impact of Globalisation.

    Science is once again cool. At his last State of the Union address, Obama spoke about a moon-shot attempt at dealing with Cancer with USD1 Billion. No sooner he made this announcement than he unveiled an initiative to use USD4 billion to support the teaching of Computer Science in every school in America.

    As emphasis is shifting to subjects like coding, so is the need to redirect teachers and students to what is important to learn and away from what is seemingly irrelevant and dated.

    All these initiatives tend to give the humanities a bad rap.

    However, before History, there was Storytelling

    There is an implicit superiority of Storytelling over History. Storytelling is not History even though there could be elements of historical facts in the telling or sharing of a story.

    History requires that an account of event is presented as factual and as such facts can only be facts to the person rendering them. That a matter is factual is subject to the opinion of those who hold such matter as factual. A writer of History merely presents his own version of facts. And most of those presenting the history of the world today are mostly men – most of the world’s history have been written predominantly by men.

    For expediency, storytelling does not require as much training to teach as any of the specialised subjects in the Humanities. Everyone tells stories even though a lot of us may not realize it. We all listened to stories as children through oral tradition. We mostly have in us what it takes to tell stories because in a sense, we all listened to stories as children and we still get excited when we hear good stories.

    Good stories still have the power to command our attention. Facts and statistics are no longer as convincing as a good story.

    Stories will never go out of fashion. With the use of technology, Internet and Social Media, storytelling is experiencing a resurgence. Rather than become stale to students, storytelling can in fact draw them into learning the Humanities once again.

    Stories will always be with us. The reason we will always come back to stories is more of science than art. Our brains are wired for stories. That is what makes it so appealing and have continued to enchant mankind.

    How do we get to tell stories in our classrooms?

    Use multiple platforms. The Internet gives us an immense opportunity to use stories in place of History. If a subject is presented in multiple ways it has a way of drawing in students. This is also in line with the Theory of Multiple Intelligences as propounded by Howard Gardner. To teach today is to use multimedia platforms. A story can be a poem, it can be dramatised and even shot as a three minutes YouTube video.

    Take the case of the Nigerian Civil War. Students can be encouraged to visit the public library and dig up information about the role the founding fathers played during the Civil War and based on what their research turns up, they can dramatise it or render them as poem or digitally tell the story with new media like YouTube. This is the kind of learning that would excite any teacher and any student today.

    If we are looking to teaching students how Mary Slessor abolished the killing of twins, we would bore students with those facts in no time. But if the teaching of the works of Mary Slessor were to be presented as stories and effectively delivered using multiple platforms, students will be captivated and drawn into the story. That is when teaching and learning can be considered to have taken place.

    The best way to teach a subject like History is to get students to inquire and think critically about what is being presented before them rather than teaching history as facts.

     

    • Akhigbe is the Founder of both www.storried.com, an online storytelling platform

     

  • Money Laundering Bill and its discontents

    Late last month, President Muhammadu Buhari sent two executive bills to the National Assembly that border on the government’s commitment to strengthen the fight against corruption. The two bills are the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill (2016) and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill (2016).

    Coming this early in the life of the administration, and in the heat of the government’s momentous anti-corruption campaign, the submission of the two bills was not an ordinary government business. It was symbolic; it signposted, to some extent, the future of the war against corruption and the much needed political will to deal with this cancer which hitherto had been lacking.

    For many years, the bane of the war against corruption was the lack of commitment and political will at the highest political level to fight the menace. It is no wonder therefore that many enabling laws enacted to solidify the war against corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes, or to increase transparency in the system, remained almost comatose.

    Ideally, the two new anti-corruption bills should not only excite interest but accepted with garlands and fanfare as another commitment by the executive and also another weapon in the arsenal to take down one of Nigeria’s greatest maladies. Unfortunately, the new money laundering bill leaves a lot to be desired.

    The new bill seeks to repeal an existing Money Laundering Act, “make comprehensive provisions to prohibit the laundering of criminal activities and expand the scope of money laundering offences”, according to the letter from President Buhari read by Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

    Daily Trust of February 3, reported that with the bill now before the Senate, President Buhari “has set machinery for the establishment of Bureau for Money Laundering Control (BMLC) to tackle money laundering related cases in the country”.

    First, there is a Money Laundering Act (first enacted in 1995 and amended in 2011) of which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is the co-coordinating enforcement agency. The current Money Laundering Act is also not known to have any fundamental flaws. Why then do we need a NEW Act and a NEW Agency? It is quite disturbing that the new bill seeks to establish a NEW anti-corruption agency to implement its provisions, if passed into law.

    One wonders why a law that has been implemented for several years will now warrant formation of an independent agency to enforce it, more so when there are anti-corruption agencies empowered by the law to bring the Money Laundering Act into force.

    Both the ICPC and EFCC laws have extensively covered financial crimes bordering on money laundering. In specific terms, the EFCC Establishment Act listed the Money Laundering Act as one of the laws that the EFCC can enforce, under its powers. In fact, so central is this Act to the activities of the EFCC that it is the first to be listed in Section 7 (2) (a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004, before others such as the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, the Failed Banks (Recovery of Debts) and Financial Malpractices in Banks Act, as amended, and the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act 1991, as amended, among others.

    According to the newspaper report, “The Bureau, when established, would ensure that all designated businesses and professions comply with the provisions of the Money Laundering Act and exercise supervision.” This task is something that was and is still being done by government agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the EFCC. There is therefore nothing new that the BMLC will do in this regard.

    Perhaps the framers of this new bill do not know, or have chosen to ignore, the existence of the inter-agency Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) which has the statutory mandate of registering all designated non-financial business. The SCUML “works in collaboration with the EFCC (the coordinating agency for Nigeria’s AML/CFT regime) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) – the national repository of financial disclosures of cash-based transaction reports, currency transaction reports and suspicious transaction reports.” It can’t get any better! Since its establishment in 2005, SCUML has taken the campaign and indeed enforced the registration of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), hotels and real estate business, car dealership, and other real sectors of the economy.  Clearly, a provision in the proposed money laundering bill has given some clue as to those pushing this agenda and the purpose. Daily Trust also reported that, “The Bureau would be run through an advisory board to be headed by a chairman who will be appointed by the president on the advice of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.” One can sense a level of self-aggrandizement to the detriment of the public good.

    This new bill, obviously needless as it is, highlights the long standing rivalry that exists between the EFCC and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. And this rivalry is most probably being fueled by top civil servants who endlessly keep looking for more power and perquisites outside their legal means.

    Similar machinations took place during the tenure of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua when the then Attorney General, Michael Aondoakaa, went all out to pocket the EFCC. In the last dispensation, spurred by vested interest, the 7th National Assembly, predictably acting the same script, worked so hard to make the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) into a stand-alone agency. There is no difference between that distractive move and the current one on money laundering.

    This move appears to be a clear affront to the work of the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies; perhaps, an attempt to weaken existing anti-corruption agencies to satisfy certain powerful personal interests.

    The last thing the Buhari administration needs now that the anti-corruption war is gaining some traction is to get bogged down by this rivalry. This is one distraction it can ill-afford. What benefit is it for the country to keep creating agencies at a time of acute financial stress, particularly for a government mouthing cuts in cost of governance?

    All the relevant laws to fight corruption and economic malfeasance are there. The government only needs to empower the agencies mandated to enforce these laws and where necessary amend such laws if there are any deficiencies.

  • Fayose and lonely Jonathan

    If there was any doubt that Dr Goodluck Jonathan is the loneliest former president in recent history, Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose removed it the other day. In many words, as is his wont, Mr Fayose said his party, the PDP, made a mistake in choosing Dr Jonathan as its candidate in last year’s election.

    “We lost the election,” the governor reportedly said, “because we did not pick our candidate from the north…” He went on to add that “it was a political miscalculation.”

    Now, that was tantamount to driving a double-edged sword into Dr Jonathan’s side, as hurtful as Brutus’ knife through the flesh of his friend Caesar. It does not matter that Mr Fayose laboured to create the impression that he had nothing against the former president, nor that he repeatedly called him “my former President”. Nor that he inferred that Dr Jonathan was not a bad man and that he “tried his best.”

    Mr Fayose’s half-hearted compliments may indeed reveal the depth of contempt in which he and other like-minds in their party held the defeated Jonathan. It may also expose their hypocrisy and opportunism. If, and that is a mighty, big if, Dr Jonathan won the election, one way or another, the Fayoses of Nigeria would probably have invented the sweetest phrases and coinages for their man. Who would have been surprised if they dubbed him the Doctor of all Doctors or the best Goodluck ever or greatest president we ever had? The dark life to which millions of Nigerians were subjected in the Jonathan presidency would simply have continued without let. It is almost unnecessary to add here that the fraud cases quoted in billions popping up every day after Dr Jonathan’s exit would have remained covered up, the piles of ill-gotten cash cooling off in banks, foreign or local, in bedroom chests, sewage tanks, fence walls or under kitchen tiles or wherever the looters deemed fit.

    I pointed out earlier in this piece that Mr Fayose’s late dismissal of the Jonathan candidacy, and in effect Dr Jonathan himself, was a wicked sword attack because at the time the Ekiti governor was speaking, Dr Jonathan was probably coming to terms with his lonely life after office. The former president was most certainly appraising life’s twists and turns afresh. For all you cared, Dr Jonathan could have been gathering his wits to pen his memoir taking time to detail the veritable lessons life has to teach, one of which that you are as good as your powers or offices last. While such powers and offices endure, many would intrude into your space, your peace and your comforts seeking diverse supports and patronage, not excluding the financial kind, of course. In many cases, the president may oblige, and his beneficiaries would sing his praises to the high heavens. But no sooner was Dr Jonathan resoundingly floored in the election and his powers and offices taken than everyone began to back off, including some who fed off him and tried to package and brand him as the best thing to happen to Nigeria, if not the black race.

    Dr Jonathan would have been jotting down names of those who once stood with him and their party but then exercised their rights to keep their distance when he probably needed them most. Let’s consider a few celebrity ones, if you will. Whether on principle or otherwise, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu resigned as the party’s national chairman as Dr Jonathan was nursing fresh wounds of electoral defeat. In October or thereabouts Chief E. K. Clark, a reported Ijaw leader who loved to describe himself as Dr Jonathan’s father, jettisoned his son, calling him weak. When his son became too weak to be associated with, the Ijaw chief did not quite make clear. Before Clark, though, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had already made a drama of his disenchantment with both Dr Jonathan and the PDP by having someone public tear up his party membership card. Not long ago, former Senate President Ken Nnamani reportedly backed off too. These are a few of prominent PDP folks who practically left Jonathan and, for most, the party, too.

    But I imagine that Dr Jonathan was already coping with the loneliness of powerlessness and abandonment when Mr Fayose reached for his knife. Why is Mr Fayose’s cut probably the deepest? He seemed to be quite prized in the party. Whether this is just because he is in something of an island in the Southwest, his other ally being Ondo’s Segun Mimiko, is hard to tell. And whether for this reason or another, Mr Fayose probably fought the hardest and dirtiest in the campaign not only to return Dr Jonathan to Aso Rock but also ridicule, insult and make Candidate Buhari untouchable, unmarketable and unelectable. He sponsored the vilest attacks on Candidate Buhari including the most morbid, playing God in some cases and prophet in others. He prophesied, wrongly, that Buhari would never be president. He suggested Buhari, if he won, might die in office. Mr Fayose mocked Candidate Buhari’s age by demonstrating how difficult, if not impossible, it was for Buhari to lift his limbs.

    The result of the election, as they say, is history, but Mr Fayose has not eaten humble pie. His attacks have continued. That should be okay by President Buhari and his administration. What is puzzling, though, is that the Ekiti governor is not bemoaning his failed prophetic powers and hollow divine pretences and has now turned against his former principal for whom he made all manner of ill-advised sacrifices and took all kinds of risks.

    He claimed he was not privy to the choice of Dr Jonathan for the election, and seemed to have even blamed him for running and not giving the candidacy to a Northerner.

    This is bizarre. Why did Mr Fayose invest so heavily, in some cases, so unethically, in the Jonathan candidacy if the candidate was doomed to fail because of his southern nativity? On the Ekiti home front, Mr Fayose’s electoral victory may have passed the court tests but it is yet to scale the hurdle of revelations and claims that it was fixed from the top at a huge financial cost.

    Until these clouds have cleared and the herculean task of governing Ekiti eased, Mr Fayose had better left Dr Jonathan to deal with his lonely life after the office without inflicting any more wounds on the former president.

  • Syria: What the West chose to forget

    At the peak of the migrant crises in the last quarter of last year, some big European countries notably Germany, Austria made a huge show, of welcoming the mostly Syrian refugees who were angrily fenced off, by middle size and struggling central European countries. The United States was moved by Europe’s so-called act of hospitality that President Barack Obama announced that the U.S should take in about 10,000 migrants.

    Currently, Germans who trooped out in their numbers to welcome the refugees are organizing huge demonstration in Cologne to call on their government to slam close door against further influx of migrants.

    Recently in London, a donor conference to help Syrian refugees was organized and a pledge of US$10billion was made. The much anticipated Syrian political dialogue that managed to open in Geneva was hurriedly closed. The Syrian opposition consisting of hard salafist armed group dragged their feet on attendance, making reference to the humanitarian disaster in Syria and ridiculously setting the condition that the Syrian government cease military operations before they can attend. There posturing did not fool anyone, since it is well known that the Syrian regime fights to retain the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Syrian state. The Geneva conference, which the opposition grudgingly attended, ended sooner after started as the Syrian military cut off the supply line to the armed insurgents through Turkey.

    However, the West mostly the United States, the United Kingdom, even France made shows of their concern to the Syrian humanitarian disaster and political quagmire but conveniently forgets that its machinations to foster regime change in Syria, as it has done in neighbouring Iraq and Libya, were at the root of the crises.  When Syrians peacefully demanded political reforms in 2011, following the outbreak of popular protests which started in Tunisia, the Syrian Baathist regime responded with strings of political reforms, including, ending the leading and vanguard role of the Baath party and in its place a multi-party competitive process was instituted.

    Before the reforms could be tested on ground, the West seized the moment to orchestrate its preferred political project of regime change, which it has successfully implemented in Libya, but with dire consequences that continues to manifest up to this day. As in Libya where extremist jihadists of all hue were encouraged to fight to topple the country’s regime, these hot-heads from Libya and elsewhere were encouraged to pour into Syria to fight. Seizing the vacuum created by the armed insurgency in Syria and sectarian divide in Iraq, the monstrous Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant-ISIS,ISIL was conjured up to put further pressure on the already fractured states of Iraq and Syria. In driving Syria to the brink with its project of regime change, the West and more particularly the United States of America, Britain and France, are complicit in the outbreak of the migrant crises which is been merely treated as humanitarian crises, instead of, as an outcome of  a deliberate policy choice of destabilization of the region. Before Russia took the bold military step of helping the suicidal jihadists to meet their creator, earlier than they would have loved, they prance literally unchallenged in their Syrian-Iraqi turf; inspite of the U.S-led coalition aerial attacks. They were making territorial gains and show of their barbaric act of beheadings.

    Since Russia entered the fray, the ISIS barbaric army is on the run. The West recently is claiming that Russia is doing more to help the Syrian regime than targeting ISIS. But it is undeniable that due to the Russian military operations, ISIS has been considerably degraded. The rump of the Syrian armed insurgents, including the Al-Qaeda affiliate, Al Nusra front are terribly hemorrhaging. With muted calls by the West to the Russians to halt military operations against ISIS in Syria, they are attempting to throw a life line to the monster of the Islamic state from the back door, notwithstanding high sounding rhetoric on the contrary.

    Syria is pivotal Arab nation with a long history of stability in a turbulent region. At a point, Syria was the guarantor of stability to the neighbouring Lebanon. Syria is both secular and the most tolerant of Arab states and has the largest number of Christian minorities among other Arab states. Its Baathist regime may be authoritarian, but is also among the most urbane in the Arab world. The country is dotted with historic sites including a community that still speaks Christ early language. All these lay in ruins currently as the Syrian government struggles to retain a modicum of the sovereign status of the Syrian state. Apart from parochial West’s foreign policies, the Syrian government would have been their best regional ally in their fight against extremism, the potent threat to the West’s values and way of life. Syria has so far, better prospects of democratizing than the Wahabist Saudi Arabia regime and other closest Arab states in the Gulf. Ironically, the two major states in the region-Syria and Iran, with reasonable democratic contents in their leadership recruitment are the West main bogeyman, while other assorted Arab autocracies, without the faintest hint of democratization, are the West’s chubby buddies in the region.

    The open arms of some Western countries to welcome the Syrian refugees and even the funds raised to ameliorate their terrible conditions are welcome, but are really unsustainable palliatives, which the Syrians did not even need, had their country not been trapped in the devious ploy of “regime change”. Instead of the rigmarole in Geneva of which the latest round is the fourth, the West and its Arab allies, could just recall their attack dogs in Syria and let the country set up its own machinery for reconciliation, reconstruction and reform. The Syrians of all political persuasions have what it takes to retrieve their country from the brink, as long as outsiders can keep away.

     

    • Onunaiju is a journalist based in Abuja.

     

  • Supreme Court judgement and Orji’s vindication

    The recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the election of Victor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the duly elected governor of Abia State has shamed the enemies and restored peace in the state. Victors in the judgment are the Nigerian judiciary, Governor Ikpeazu, Abia people and Ikpeazu’s predecessor and senator representing Abia Central zone, Senator Theodore Ahamefula Orji. The latter had stood his ground alongside the party leadership in the state to ensure that governor emerged from the Abia South in 2015.

    In the face of the coordinated propaganda, attack and pressure, the Nigerian judiciary especially the Supreme Court justices refused to be cowed or compromised in the matter. Ikpeazu had continued undaunted with his government’s massive infrastructural development even when the Appeal Court declared his main rival in the election, Alex Otti of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), winner of the election.

    Ahead of the 2015 governorship poll in Abia State, almost all the governorship aspirants had desperately wanted to fly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. Their desperations were hinged on the fact that PDP is the dominant party and with Governor Orji’s sterling performance in the office coupled with his liberation of the state from the grip of the desperate and notorious godfather in the state, that the people will vote massively for the party.

    In their bid to confuse and convince the people, some of the aspirants fabricated all sorts of lies which include that they have been endorsed by Governor Orji; that they have agreement with Governor Orji brokered by the presidency and other lies. While these aspirants engaged in all these political subterfuge to whip up sentiment, create undue tension, Orji had maintained that at the appropriate time the party leadership in the state would meet, decide and conduct primaries in line with party’s constitution. He had further emphasized and advised the party leadership that their choice of his possible successor should be in line with principles of equity, fairness, and everlasting peace in the state.

    When the party leadership decided that Abia South zone mainly of Ngwa people that had not produced governor in the state since its creation would produce the next governor, Orji and other party stakeholders applauded and backed the decision. Orji personally appealed to other aspirants including Otti who hails from Arochukwu in Abia North zone to support the Abia South to produce the governor.

    Orji’s argument was hinged on the need to ensure the zoning of the governor seat among the three senatorial zones in the state of which Abia North and Central had produced governors for eight years each. While majority of the aspirants accepted the logic, the likes of Otti and his co-travellers in a desperate bid to grab power jumped into APGA with their huge resources where they dislodged the initial APGA members in the state led by Chief Reagan Ufomba. The APGA governorship ticket in the state was quickly handed over to Otti by the APGA national leadership which Ufomba would later accuse of compromise.

    With Ikpeazu’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate in the state in line with the state PDP’s zoning principles, Otti and his cohorts not only became upset, they came up with all kinds of intrigues and scheming to decieve the public and paint Ikpeazu, Orji and PDP in bad light. Embers of war were fanned with impunity in the state during electioneering campaigns. Otti and his supporters bragged of their connections at the seat of power, Aso Rock Villa. Abia which was one of the most peaceful states in the country before the polls, suddenly became a flash point state. APGA supporters including internet warriors and hatchet writers called Orji, Ikpeazu, and others names, threatening to pull down the state if Otti did not win the election.

    In the face all these grandstanding and provocation by APGA’s candidate and its supporters in the state, Governor Orji remained unperturbed and strongly supported Ikpeazu and the PDP. After the National Assembly elections, PDP won all the senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the state with the exception of Aba North/South Federal Constituency that was won by APGA. The result was a clear indication that APGA was not on ground in the state, despite all the media hype and noise about its potency or followership strength in the state.

    During the governorship election, APGA and its supporters allegedly induced crisis, probably to pave way for them to rig the election or engender declaration of state of emergency in the state. But Governor Orji who doubled as chief security of the state applied political sagacity to handle the situation. Ikpeazu was declared the winner of the election to disappointment of Otti and cohorts.

    Otti rebuffed all entreaties from prominent personalities within and outside the state to sheathe the sword and embrace Ikpeazu’s government in interest of peace. Otti went to court to challenge Ikpeazu’s victory. Immediately Otti got temporary victory at the Court of Appeal which affirmed him the winner of the election, he carried himself around like a governor already.

    At this point, some men and women of little faith and character in the state who were supportive of Ikpeazu before began to shift loyalty to Otti, with perhaps confidence that he will be declared governor by the Supreme Court. Majority of them had worked and benefitted immensely from the government of Senator Orji and were part of the decision-making process that enthroned Ikpeazu as the party candidate. They threw caution into wind in a bid to please Otti, thinking that Ikpeazu had no chance in Supreme Court. They had sharpened their swords to deal with Senator Orji by fabricating all sorts of lies to drag his name and that of his family members in the mud.

    While the people awaited the Supreme Court verdict, the political atmosphere in the state was tensed like never before. There was uncertainty, but Senator Orji was never moved. Having fought such electoral battles in the past and having absolute confidence in judiciary, Orji believed that the truth would prevail at last and he would be vindicated.

    With the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding the election of Ikpeazu, Senator Orji has been finally vindicated and would be surely remembered for standing on the path of truth, equity, fairness and justice in power sharing in Abia State when it mattered most.

     

    • Omenegor, a system analyst wrote from Toronto Canada.
  • The Ambodian cross

    The Ambodian cross

    The winding politics of Lagos makes the Governor of the state vulnerable. The hysterical character of its assorted population humanity exposes the Governor of the state to many dilemmas. The under-pinning conspiracy of its elite is heavier than the LAMB’s cross at the Calvary. To rule Lagos is prestigious but to govern Lagos is egregious. The incumbent Governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode must have realized this. How? During the state’s thanksgiving service to mark the commencement of the year 2016 for Lagos workers in particular, and Lagosians in general, he sang one of his favorite gospel songs “I have a FATHER that will never, never fail me…”

    Aside from celebrating  and promoting spiritual politics with his public declaration of a “FATHER that will never, never, fail him”, he was acknowledging the fact that no matter how big and heavy his cross is, he has a GOD who is a Burden Bearer, that will help him to carry it.

    For the governor of a state with complex humanity and strange particularities, that song was apt. For the governor of a state that is regularly wrestling with political principalities who hover around the men of power and those in power, the Governor’s invocation of Divine assistance for his government was perfect. For a man who ascribed his ascendancy to the gubernatorial throne to his Big FATHER in heaven, such open solicitation to heavenly Divinities and the hosts of Heaven was a salutary decision he could have taken to overcome these  political principalities. But is it not ironic that men in power also call on the highest power to overcome the other powers?

    Theatrically, I am packaging in my political narrative the spleen in the temple of power that is almost threatening the authority of the Apostle. We all thought the temple was strong. We all felt the foundation of the temple and the Solomonic grace behind it will fortify it against aggression. But when the Barnabas crowd, led by an apostolic renegade, invaded the temple, nobody even expected that the kingdom would be configured to the North and South. It is now a case of one temple, two priests.

    I admire the Governor. He is a very good friend; a young man with an elder’s status. His maturity has grown. His wisdom has increased. His judgment is rich. His grace is palpable. His intentions are noble. His perception is too good. But he cannot escape carrying the cross. He possesses the spiritual anointing for such a sacrificial assignment. He obtained the constitutional mandate for this selfless sacrifice. It is his cross. He must carry it. Fortunately, he has approached the ONE who says in the HOLY BOOK: “come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest”

    Before narrating the details of the apostolic apothegm, let us discuss the character of the people around the temple and see if by providence, the temple is a good metaphor for the cross. In Lagos state, politicians’ desperation for survival has raised their instincts for machinations against their rivals. Any governor who discountenances the antics of the conspirators needs training in survivalism. I am amazed that in less than one year, Ambode, perceived by politicians as “an ordinary civil servant”, is now a grandmaster in the art of survivalist politics. Not only has he stabilized himself in power, he has created for himself an ambience of peace by evicting from the corridors of power, those who treated him with contempt on the road to vestry of power.

    In no time, the temple is going desolate because of the diminishing power of the overseer. At the same time, two sanctuaries are swelling because of the growing power of their priests. The apostolic renegade also performs priestly functions. Now, he has a massive temple with enough space for ancient worshippers and migrating grasshoppers. Politicians are irritants. They build temples ; they destroy temples. Politicians are worshippers of lucre and Lucifer. In your presence, they hail you. At your back, they nail you. What kind of temple is this that accommodates the sacred and the profane! Enough of political ministration. Let’s go back to the governor.

    Oh my friend, I salute your courage. It must have been nothing but passion for service that pushed a man to offer himself as the leader of a people who are loath to gratitude. Leaders’ journey to Calvary always begins from “commuters mutiny” or “passengers persecution”. Commercial vehicles- BRT, Danfo, trains, okada, ferry and keke marwa- are convenient refuge for angry and insolent citizens to indulge in treasonable blasphemy, felonious mutiny, destructive falsehood and exaggerated misinformation against their leaders. Once citizens are inside commercial vehicles, they behave like people who are possessed by demons and spirit of garrulity. And their major targets are their rulers on whom they heap their personal and domestic misfortunes and tragedies. As far as they are concerned, their leaders should act like Simon, the Cyrenian, who was forced to carry JESUS’ cross to the Calvary. But I ask; if a leader is to help every citizen to carry their cross to the Calvary, when will they have time to carry their own from the gallery? Or is there any man on this earth that does not have a cross to carry?

    Must citizens’ immunity to abuse, insult and assault their leaders not be exercised with discretion? I agree that the situations in the country are grave. I agree that citizens’ conditions are horrible. I agree that leadership in Nigeria is on the low. But if we make persecution of leaders a tradition or a hobby, a time will come that those who offer themselves for service will be people who are indebted to credibility. This habit of persecuting our leaders in commercial vehicles is gradually spreading to innocent children who are convoyed to school every morning in their school buses. The things some of our children say or learn about their leaders could only have been picked from gossips and banters that fly around when they are in their school buses. When toddlers and kids begin to gossip about their leaders in their school bus at this stage when they cannot even appreciate the dynamics of governance nor understand the complexity and challenge of leadership, obviously, the future is in serious peril.

    Back to the Ambodian cross; as the governor of the most populous and complicated state, Ambode’s cross is bigger, heavier and mightier than any other person’s. In less than one year, the governor has shown that he understands the science of politics and the grandeur of power. In the areas of infrastructure and service delivery, Ambode has swiftly compensated the state for the deficit of the past. While other states’ workers are lamenting the instalmental payment of their salaries and even the irregularity of the payment, Lagos workers are begging for salary delay. For instance, their December salary was paid as early as December 15. Most of the workers felt that the gap between their December salary and January salary was too long for comfort. While workers of other states are hawking landed properties and domestic appliances to pay their children’s school fees, Lagos workers will be using their salary for similar purpose. While workers of other states went to church for special prayers during the new Year so that their hanging salaries could be paid, Lagos workers and lagosians generally were dancing  “Shakiti Bobo” by Olamide, “Dorobucci” by Marvin Crew and “Jagaban” by Ycee in what was tagged “One Lagos Fiesta”.

    But this is not the parable of the cross. It is about a temple that is no longer standing tall. The temple is deserted. The Apostle is looking for his congregation. But they have all gone into hibernation. No more regular burnt offerings. No more special anointing. The little anointing is drying up. The governor is a wise man. Only wise men wine and dine with GOD. But the wisdom to manage a crumbling temple invaded by men of ambition under the supervision of the Apostolic renegade, would require extra spiritual energy. Oh my GOD, I love the governor. His response to emergency is unbelievable. The renegade’s action has created an emergency. But unlike other emergencies of life and death which the Governor has helped to resolve for some of his citizens publicly and privately, this particular emergency is a cross that he must carry, not to Calvary this time, but to the crossroads to appease  the humans and the spirits responsible for the diminishing  influence of the den of power.

    This, indeed, is the real Ambodian Cross!

  • God, spirituality and science  

    We now live in an age of enlightenment, where information is easily available to anyone wishing to educate themselves on any subject of interest.  It is therefore no longer fashionable for any sane person to remain in ignorance, or to be fed with information that offers no help to their mind.

    What this global advancement of knowledge entails is that: we are now being challenged individually and collectively to re-evaluate our beliefs, to re-imagine our states of existence in order to prompt healthy growths in the various sections of life.  Interestingly, the survival and the progression of any society are largely strengthened by the givens patronized by the people of   that society. And so, it   is significant to consider the implications of what ideas make the greater role in the knowledge-base of a people.

    One idea that cannot be separated from mankind is that of God. Throughout the ages, various concepts of God and the meaning of living have been explored, accepted, debunked, and some   have   even   been   thrown   to   extinction.   On   and   on,   God   is   evidenced   by universal phenomena—scientific study being a link. While all possible chances are being explored, there is a general misconception about the compatibility between God and Science—the subject of science is not always allowed to match with God.

    Based on extensive researches, I wish to share my views on this topic. I would like to start by explaining that: God is the source of all manifestations, both visible and invisible, ranging from environmental forms to human cultures and what not; Science is the study of   these manifestations and their source, where its intelligence is perceived as ‘God’. Various logical links have been established between God and Science, which brings to the term ‘Spirituality’.

    Spirituality is the connection or communion with God or this Source Intelligence.  It   is   not   doubted   how   significant   Science   has   functioned   in   the   development   of   cities, medicine, and many other creative ventures. Considering that ALL knowledge emanate or belong to God, it is however ironic that Africans give little or no importance to Science—the focus on religion has not only handicapped the African people, it has held back beneficial inventions that come with keen exploration of science. An evidence of neglecting Science and Innovation is the sad state of education presently in use in Nigeria and other African countries. It is unarguable that the reliance on religion does horrible things to a system—not only is there deterioration in key sectors of the economy, citizens indulge in not accepting responsibilities for their lives. It is now common habit by Nigerians to hold God responsible for deaths that could have been averted by safe roads, functional health facilities, or by even safe eating habits.

    It must be reinstated that Science and God are compatible, that a godly or religious person can relate with Science. In Europe and America, for instance, during the early stage of them accepting religion, they equally made the mistake of discarding Science; though they have come to realize that Science plays a major role in the development of a society and the living standards of a people. The human brain or mind is an extraordinary resource given by God to be used optimally. It is   therefore   the   duty   of   human   beings   to   maximize   their   reasoning   and   intellectual capabilities. The essence of being human is conjoined to the ability to work out ideas, create, revolutionize, and solve problems. But when this resource is not put into purposeful use, it inevitably becomes atrophied.

    The way forward for us as a people is to begin to repair our mentality, in order to thrive in this 21st century. Nigeria will thrive, Uganda will thrive, South Sudan will thrive, and catch up with societies like Europe, America, Asia; but this is only possible when we embrace Cosmic/Spiritual   dispositions   that   will allow us to warmly embrace   Science.

    Cosmic spirituality enables people to take the responsibility of their lives rather than waiting for God. This is what obtains in most civilised societies. Because, we cannot thrive without Science. Proliferation of churches in Nigeria is never going to be a solution to myriads of problems facing us as a society; but rather developing our educational sectors and also empowering ourselves with dynamic scientific methodologies  and tools that would   pull us out of  the quagmire we have found ourselves. We are aware that Nigeria has not had any major breakthrough in Science and Technology.  We have continued to rely on countries like Europe, America, China and India majorly for the manufacture   and   supply   of   our   products, and we just   cannot   continue   with   this   trend.  Otherwise, our future generations are going to suffer!

    I would like to commend the position of the present Nigerian government in focusing on science and technology as the way forward for Nigeria to favourably compete with other advanced societies.  We must continue to support their effort in bringing sanity back to the system through focus on science and technology.  Fortunately, the present government has kindly agreed to award scholarships to students wishing to study science in our tertiary institutions.  Obviously, this is a step towards a right direction.

    • Oviawe-Jones, is a psycho-spiritual teacher and analyst based in UK

  • Essential Hassan Sunmonu (HA) @ 75

    Today, January 7, all roads lead to Osogbo, for the 75th birthday celeberation of the pioneer founding President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and twice elected NLC President (1978 to 1984), Comrade Alhaji Hassan Adebayo (HA) Sunmonu OON, and the longest serving former Secretary-General of Organization of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) based in Accra. Born with his identical twin brother, Engr Hussein Sunmonu on January 7, 1941 at Osogbo, in Osun State, the  Sunmonus are the most spectacular identical twins to see any day! It seems age sharpens their similarities in mannerism and outlook. In 2010, HA (as he is fondly and comradely addressed) was honoured by Micheal Imoudu Labour Institute, Ilorin. His twin brother Hussein represented him. As a privileged reciter of the profile of the receipent, only this writer and the Director General of the Institute, John Olanrewaju knew it was Engr Hussein Sunmonu who took the centre-stage and NOT Comrade HA! Many were in disbelief when Engr Hussein disclosed he was receiving the award on behalf of his twin brother! The difference was not clear in their voices, gestulation and jokes.

    HA is an acknowledged tested, committed trade unionist, a patriot, a pan Africanist and a global citizen of profound integrity. He was raised and mentored in a developmentalist Nigeria. A product of the then functional public schools, he started his education career at Ansar-Ud-Deen School in Osogbo between 1948 – 1950. He attended All Saints School, Osogbo between 1950 – 1954, where he got his First School Leaving Certificate in December 1954; 1955, Osogbo Grammar School then to Yaba Technical Institute in September 1957. He obtained General Certificate in Education (GCE) Ordinary Level in 1961, later bagged the Secondary Technical Certificate, moved to Yaba College of Technology between 1961 to 1964, obtained the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Civil Engineering, the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Civil Engineering.

    HA proceeded to Italy for a Post-Graduate Diploma Course in Highway Engineering. His educational grounding shows that contrary to the false class assumption of the ruling (ruining!) elite, the labour movement is indeed knowledge led. One essential imprint of HA is cultivating a knowledge-based movement. As the the founding President of the NLC, he consciously attracted first class conscious graduate activists to the NLC as full time officers. On graduating in the late 80s, he single-handedly pulled me out of equally fulfilling media job to the NLC to swell the ranks of the NLC Secretariat ably led by late Dr Lasisi Osunde, supported by tested comrades like Lawson Osiagie, Dr Yahaya Hashim, Salisu Muhammed, Femi Aborishade and a number of others. He pioneered the inclusion of labour candidates on the participants list of NIPSS, Kuru Jos. A witty wag and a “mobile library”, trade unionists and comrades alike globally cannot wait for his compelling memoir! As the President of the NLC, he was a resource fellow at the seminar series of Senior Executive course (SEC 2) of 1980. After the usual question and answer sessions, he demanded for labour participation at the executive course initiated by Obasanjo military regime meant to build capacity for executives drawn from the tripod of government, business and labour communities with the objective of working towards a better society. Since then NLC/TUC had sent scores of participants who are now members of the National Institute (mnis)

    HA was almost an activist by birth. And he is still organizing at 75 (not agonizing as most young ones do today!). He was a star marcher at late last year’s NLC mass protest rallies in Abuja for good governnace and against corruption. The rally led by NLC President, Ayuba Wamba  took off from Labour House down to Eagle Square traversed the EFCC office at Maitama, the National Assembly and terminated at the office of the new Secretary to the Federal Government. I bear witness that HA never paused for as long as the 20+ kilometres march lasted  addressing  the rallies interminenetly with others. Once an organizational man, always one! Comrade Hassan Sunmonu was once an active Students’ Union leader; Secretary, Muslim Students’ Society (MSS), Yaba Technical Institute Branch between 1958 – 1961, National Auditor, Muslim Students’ Union Society of Nigeria between 1962 -1967, President, Yaba College of Technology Students’ Union between September 1966 – June, 1967. He was President, National Association of Technological Students (NATS) between September 1966 – June, 1967 and Second Vice President, National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) between September 1966 – June 1967.

    His unblemished trade union career has spanned well over four decades! He was once the second Assistant Secretary (International), Public Works Aerodrome Technical and General Works’ Union of Nigeria between August 1974 – November 1977; President, Civil Service Technical Workers Union of Nigeria between November, 1977 – February, 1981; President, Nigeria Labour Congress between February 1978 – February, 1984;, Director of Industrial Relations, Civil Service Technical Workers Union of Nigeria between march 1984 – October, 1986. Until recently he was the Secretary-General, Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) from October 1986. HA’s trade union career and that of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole expose the fallacy of apartheid theory and intellectual distortions of some “scholars” who want to turn full-time/appointed against part time/elected unionists as witnessed during Abacha’s  discredited regime.

    Following the recommendations of the notorious Justice Adebiyi Tribunal of Inquiry into the Activities of the Trade Unions in 1977, some unionists including Chief Micheal Imoudu were “banned” from trade union activities. Under the controversial policy of “guided democracy” and “limited government intervention”, the military regime of Obasanjo had aimed at cultivating a tamed and subservient labour centre. However the workers reaffirmed their preference for independent organization by electing Hassan Sunmonu as the first President of the restructured congress in 1978 with others like D.C. Ojeli, P.O. Ero-Philips, late M. E. Mpamungo, Deputy President, treasurer and deputy treasurer respectively. HA’s leadership of NLC from 1978 to 1984 is a compulsory read for today’s trade unionists on how to operate under a new democratic dispensation. NLC under HA fought and won the battle to make May 1 a public holiday, fought and won the struggle for a new minimum wage of N125 ($240) in 1981 after a successful nation-wide strike under President Shehu Shagari’s administration. Given the current poverty of knowledge on the imperatives of national minimum wage among most state governors, legislators (and surprisingly some notable journalists who should know better!) at 75, I recommend Comrade Alhaji Hassan Adebayo for beginners in minimum wage determination through collective bargaining. The best tribute to HA at 75 is immediate commencement of a new minimum wage. The current N18,000 ($90) is miserably short in nominal and real terms than HA’s N125 ($180) of 1981 which today ammounts to N35,000 (no thanks to criminal naira devaluation and serial energy price increases of IMF’s inspired  SAP of the mid- 80s).

    Notwithstanding the divisive strategy of the second Republic politicians aimed at splitting the NLC, into “democrats” and “Marxists”, HA sustained the unity of the trade movement through all inclusive ideologically-driven movement. The current unity efforts within NLC is under his respected chairmanship.

    Very few unionists courageously talked straight to power. The historic Charter of Demands under HA leadership remains the first agenda-setting document for decent work by the Nigeria’s working class. As a worker, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu had added value to developmentalist Nigeria. As an engineer with Federal Ministry of works, he worked on so many offices and road projects that included Zaria – Kano Road reconstruction; Igolo – Porto Novo Road (Benin Republic); dualization of Denton Causeway (Oyingbo – Iddo, Lagos) by direct labour; construction of the National Arts Theatre, Lagos; and construction of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, among others.  A multi-linguist; he is fluent in Yoruba, English, French, Italian and Twi (Ghanaian language). HA has been honoured nationally and internationally. Recipient of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on December 18, 2001, he was also honoured with the National Order of Burkina Faso in December, 2009. Happy 75th birth day to both HA  and twin brother, Hussein Sunmonu!!

     

    • Aremu, mni, is Secretary General, Alumni Association of the National Institute, Kuru   Jos.  

     

  • Fayose: Separating populism from governance

    One man that hardly shies away from the full glare of the camera and general media attention is Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. While it appears that the governor and his associates cum supporters enjoy this media frenzy, such hype leaves very bad taste in the mouth of many observers who think his administration should get busy with governance of the state than continue to be a social disgrace as the Ekiti Kete Youth Forum recently averred. Only few days to the end of 2015, Fayose rolled out 20 predictions likely to beset Nigerians under President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016. Although some of these points are representation of Nigeria’s current realities, except Fayose lays claim to prophetic powers, these gloomy predictions are nothing more than figment of the governor’s imagination, a mere conjecture and poor analysis of the current administration to deliver in 2016. It shouldbe noted, however, that should the Buhari administration fail, no Nigerian state, perhaps except Lagos, would be spared the danger.

    While Ekiti is not insulated from the impending disaster, how well the governor delivers to Ekiti people in terms of policy thinking and governance in the midst of this storm is worthy of interrogation. Without much doubt, Fayose appears very popular in Ekiti. However, there seems to be more populism than service and governance in the state. Governance is more than being seen or heard on the street or challenging the president and his person or programmes. Among the strings of Fayose’s public stunts include being reported as buying roasted goat meat, a Nigerian delicacy popularly called asun, while inspecting a market project in Ado Ekiti. This came after he was pictured eating in a local ‘mama put’, drinking at joints and riding motorcycles with okada-riders in the state. Fayose was also pictured discussing with an old woman, whose personal agonies, like that of many Ekiti citizens, increased after she was unable to reach the governor on the well-circulated phone number Fayose provided to Ekiti residents for a one-on-one conversation. In another well circulated post, Fayose was seen apprehending late-comers to Ekiti State civil service. Late-comers were seen in the pictures on a long queue prostrating and kneeling in their ties, suits and office clothes pleading with the governor to pardon them for coming late to work. Fayose had, according to reports, visited the civil service unannounced that Monday morning and found these state servants wanting. Fayose demonstrates his firm grip over the state House of Assembly when he read and approved the state budget on the floor of the parliament in a youtube video.

    Fayose’s vents and somehow condescending attacks on the President is another issue. Starting even before Buhari was elected President, Fayose literally pronounced the President incapable. He predicted his death in office, predicating this on Buhari’s age and the sad and unfortunate deaths of Umaru Yar’Adua, Sani Abacha and Murtala Mohammed; deaths which occurred under very different circumstances. Fayose has since Buhari’s inauguration stopped at nothing at pointing accusing fingers at the presidency for everything that goes wrong with Nigeria, its economy or even the opposition political party, including the recently lost tribunal cases by Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. In fact, it heightened when Fayose asked the President to resign and handover to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Most of these attacks, directed at President Buhari and the ruling All Progressives’ Congress, have been expressed to the chagrin of many Nigerians, including some members of his own People’s Democratic Party. Fayose’s attempts to malign Buhari may be a ploy, a disguise to raise highbrow when corruption allegations are in the future levelled against Fayose about his past or present, or when the alleged electoral flaws surrounding his elections are brought up for trial; then he would claim he is being victimised.

    Although Fayose might have marginally benefited from populism in Ekiti’s political arena, his victory at the polls is a function of protests against Dr Kayode Fayemi’s administration and programmes rather than on the merit of Fayose’s convincing policy programmes, governance tenacity and claim to acceptance from these publicity stunts. This is without any contradiction that Fayose is notorious in Ekiti. In the wake of the allegation of manipulation by the army, a former Defence Minister and another gubernatorial candidate in the South-west, it became even more questionable that Fayose won the election fair and square. Nevertheless, howbeit shallow these theatrics were, Nigerian politicians attempted to replicate, perhaps poorly, these publicity stunts during the 2015 general elections. It was at this time that some governorship candidates, unmindful of the messages passed to the populace, were seen for instance holding and simultaneously chewing two large combs of corn while those around them watched and cheered, gleefully. Others were caught using very unimaginable ways to seek for votes. This tactic failed however to bring victory to all of these wannabe grassroots politicians. The point therefore is that these actions by Fayose and his ilk seem to blur the line between the desire to be genuinely closer to the people and desperate acts by politicians to remain seen, even if seeing is without service; a form of motion without movement. And since these politicians are surrounded by sycophants, it may never be seen that the truth about service and governance will ever be told to them.

    It is neither abnormal nor wrong to relate with people within one’s constituency as Fayose has repeatedly attempted to do. After all, President Obama and his family recently served a group of Americans at an evening event at the White House in what reminisces servant leadership. What is, however, disturbing is the deliberateness with which showmanship take precedence over humility and commitment to service. Acts of service should be deliberately deployed to meet and know, interrogate, analyse and understand the people and articulate their needs and use this in drawing people-friendly short, medium and long term programmes. This is not the case with Fayose’s populism where people’s needs are left unmet and the security of the people, especially the governor’s critics are daily compromised in the hands of the state officials. This comes on the back of the fact that projects executed under Fayose’s first term in office are now shadows of themselves. Fayose’s political tactics is a sharp reminder that many politicians merely offer cosmetic projects that not only fail to stand the test of time, but that they or their family hardly rely on to get by even when they pretend to benefit from similar gestures. The people on the other hand have no choice but to rely on state constructed roads, school, water etc. These poorly executed projects are brazenly displayed on social media, bill-boards, newspapers, and played on radio and television jingles as governance and service to the people.

    An important point to make is the fact that Fayose is one of the few vocal members of the opposition political party. This is a welcome development and vital for Nigeria’s democracy. However, if being incumbent and the delivery of service is learnt, it is a more important task to learn how to be an effective opposition, one whose call goes beyond doublespeak, partisanship and horse-trading to establishing good governance framework and transformational leadership. It will be to the governor’s credit to address insecurity within the state, decay in educational system, offer policy perspectives and programmes for moving not just the state but the entire nation forward rather than grovel in the display of ordinariness, unconsciously mocking many Ekiti indigenes that expect more from their governor. Ekiti is the fountain of knowledge and land of honour and cannot afford to allow Fayose’s presence on social media to be for the wrong reasons rather to show off as a dramatist qualified for a befitting role in Nigeria’s celebrated Nollywood. Governance is beyond populism, and the cheer and jeer of the media. It is about securing the people and their future by laying solid foundation for them and making fundamental and overall transformation in their lives. Anything short of this spells doom for the people and their future than the immediate difficulties that the current national economic crisis bestows on the Nigerian masses.

     

    • Fasakin writes from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.