The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • Assembly of boxers and wrestlers

    The outcome of the last elections at all levels in Nigeria is a clear indication that Nigerians were done with the old order and eager to have a change that will move the country to greater heights.

    To be able to flush out the People’s Democratic Party, which has been in power for 16 years with a promise to retain power for 60 years despite its monumental profligacy of unimaginable quantum, it took the significant alignment of politicians from across four political parties and an extraction of the PDP to dislodge the umbrella of corruption, impunity and bad governance from power at federal level and in 22 of the 36 states of the feeble federation.

    The coalition named All Progressive Congress, APC, wouldn’t have succeeded in the elections but for the choice of Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate. Buhari is possibly the only clean former Nigerian leader garbed in a popular toga of an intolerant disposition to corruption and corrupt practices; and disciplined enough to lead our country out of the pervasive moral decadence public service and the citizens have been splashed with.

    For decades, not just under PDP, Nigeria has speedily slid in abysmal collapse with poverty, unemployment and malfunctioning infrastructures being the hallmark, while the only subsystem that perfectly works is corruption, a “government” of its own, that has been ruling the country to near total ruins. The popular quest for the end of the throne of corruption and all round impunity was what manifested in the results of the 2015 elections.

    However, as early as less than a month into the “new beginning”, it became obvious that we are still held hostage by the old order as the old opposition do not seem to know the source of the votes dropped for them to be in power or of what use their victory should be deployed as they consistently display infantile political antics that has so far undermined our collective interests and thirst for good governance.

    The events at the National Assembly since their inauguration have compromised the decency of a team of lawmakers Nigerians thought would facilitate changes that delivers good governance.

    If our contemporary politicians are truly aware of the depth of the severe crisis our country has been plunged in and the desire to pull us out of the doldrums, what should have kick started a government that had “change” as its campaign slogan would not be the consistent brawls that has taken the place of progressive deliberations at the National Assembly and the lamentations of the presidency.

    The obvious internal contestations within the APC, not just its leadership, points to the coalition as one that had no common goals beyond contesting elections. This is more factual of the renegades of the PDP, who christened themselves New PDP before migrating out of the dilapidated umbrella to team up with ACN, ANPP, CPC and an extraction of APGA to form the APC. They possibly left the PDP because they couldn’t contend with the overwhelming weight of influence some of its leaders have on who becomes what. Of course other parties, including the ones that collapsed into what is now APC didn’t have as much of powerful power brokers and the PDP extracts knew how to reduce them to liliputs.

    However, the leadership of the APC, some of them with good background in pro democracy struggle but clearly lacking in democratic credentials as they are swollen with the anti democratic illusions that they could dictate who occupy what office, even when the constitution spelt out democratic options. It is, for instance, undemocratic for any party, especially a party that rode on the pedestal of the promise of change to insist on dictating who leads the national assembly. That was part of the impunity of the past, a past the APC promised to change. And perhaps, the party leaders have their candidates, as they announced they do; if an election held and choices other than theirs were made by vote, a true democrat should simply accept defeat and return to further permutations. We don’t need the headache the crisis at the National Assembly has unleashed on us all as that has become an excuse for our country to be subjected to sole administrator-ship, with the unnecessary delay in constituting the government that promised to change our collective misfortunes and reposition our country to a respectable position in the global community; a community that still consider our country trapped in impunity and lack of patriotic leadership.

    It is disturbing that more than a month after assuming office, President Buhari is yet to form a government. A country of nearly 170 million people, with problems almost equal to the population; a country that has almost collapsed can not afford a sole administrator to manage her affairs even for just one day. We need a government and a man who won the presidency on the third attempt at elections should have an idea of what he wanted power for, especially when majority of the electorate were united on why they voted for him. We needed change and we believe that change can be delivered with President Buhari on the driver’s seat.

    Lamentations are not attributes of any good leader. We as citizens have lamented enough and the March 28, elections gave us an opportunity to stop lamenting as majority voted for someone we believed have all the will, the capabilities and wisdom to turn our collective lamentations to harvests of collective joy, palliative liberation of some sorts.

    The new administration has done well in putting terrorists, who thought Nigeria is a comfort zone for them, on the run, though they still pound some parts of the North East, but limited to their known areas of combat, and the military has obviously woken up from a sluggish past.

    President Buhari’s emergence has psychologically renewed hope in every Nigerian that a better future beckons and this can only be sustained if the new administration acts faster than it has done at all levels. It is doubtful if the administration can fix Nigeria without probing the past.

    Our past is too messy and the mess will be difficult to clear without interrogating the how, why, who and what drifted us to abyss. No one will doubt the emptiness of our collective treasury, but we won’t be patient with lamentations. Those who emptied the treasury should be seen off to jail after appropriate trials in court and their loots returned to the federation account for infrastructural development and job creation.

    As hopeful as most Nigerians are, the new administration’s success depends largely on the National Assembly. Their body language portend danger for the success of any patriotic government with genuine intention to reclaim our collective dignity, resources and future from the ineptitude of past administrations that have led us so close to dead end.

    The boxing and wrestling episodes at the National Assembly as well as the desire of the distinguished Senators and Honourable members to ignore our economic crisis, opting instead, to make wardrobe and other allowances their prime concern is not just unpatriotic but absolutely irresponsible and against the purpose of any serious government or political party that made change a campaign slogan.

    • Yaqub is an Assistant Secretary at the headquarters of Nigeria Labour Congress, Abuja.

  • Pope Francis and climate change

    Being a non-Catholic, I have not always followed nor even read papal encyclical until now. And was it an enormous surprise? The 184 page Pope Francis encyclical was a very powerful piece: extremely well written and with the authority of a great leader. It has great wisdom; it is sensitive, insightful, and lucid even when discussing very scientific and technical subjects.

    If you love elevated language, good turn of phrase, dialectics and syntax, Pope Francis’ encyclical met all of those and more. Unsurprisingly, the power of the argument contained in the encyclical, not less the subject matter, elicited global response. Days before the publication of the encyclical, the global media went into frenzied speculations on its content — in fact an Italian newspaper, L’ Espresso, leaked its content before the due day. Understandably, the reaction to the encyclical was mixed. Across the world except perhaps in Nigeria and Africa, the continent that incidentally is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, there was scarcely any response! Elsewhere politicians, scientists, environmental activists etc, weighed in forcefully with their opinion.

    By Africa’s silence, the continent has further strengthened its reputation as a laggard that is animated only when issues of money arise. It appears on the matter of climate change, Africa’s agenda is money. Yet, as Pope Francis was eloquently formulating a position that underscores the plight of Africa’s dismal condition in the face of the ravages of climate change; the continent was missing in action. This is sad.

    As Nigeria and Africa sleep, in the rest of the world, various peoples and interest groups were taking positions on climate change. Three perhaps absurd reactions came from two American politicians—actually the three men are Catholics and belong to the Republican Party and they are all gunning for the American presidency in 2016. Rick Santorum wanted the Pope to leave science of climate change to scientists, but was reminded that Pope Francis was not actually ignorant on the subject, that he has a Master’s degree in Chemistry.    The other political figure was Jeb Bush, who waffled something to the effect that the Pope should not get into political issues since he is not a political leader. No one fully understood what Jeb Bush’s comments meant and it was dismissed as not making much sense. Marco Rubio shadow-boxed on this issue. The Republican Party is known for being very edgy on the issue of climate change.

    This is not difficult to understand. American big business establishment have always been reluctant to embrace climate change, because doing so will mean accepting responsibility that man and their business model is the source of climate change. A point, the papal encyclical highlighted over and over.

    Those who wanted to discredit the Pope labeled him anti-capitalist. Yet any objective reading of the encyclical would show that the document was not by any means anti-capitalism. Rather Pope Francis expressed his thoughts with a profundity expected of a leader of a major institution like the Roman Catholic Church, who is concerned about the world and the direction the world is going.

    For lovers of a better world and its future and those not blinded by material quest, Pope Francis clearly spoke their minds, when he said: “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish…Humanity is called to take note of the need for changes in lifestyle and changes in methods of production and consumption to combat this warming, or at least the human causes that produce and accentuate it. Numerous scientific studies indicate that the greater part of the global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases…given off above all because of human activity.”

    Pope Francis captured the total neglect of the environment, the poor human and health condition of a typical third world country like Nigeria, when he noted: “Some forms of pollution are part of peo­ple’s daily experience. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes mil­lions of premature deaths. People take sick, for example, from breathing high levels of smoke from fuels used in cooking or heating. There is also pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agro-toxins in general. Technology, which, linked to business interests, is presented as the only way”.

    Pope Francis laments our inability to deal with this problem adding: “Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental cri­sis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest. The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty.”

    While Pope Francis acknowledges the great stride science and technology have brought to the human society, he warns those who place their absolute trust in technology, explaining that: “Technology tends to absorb everything into its ironclad logic, and those who are surrounded with technology “know full well that it moves forward in the final analysis neither for profit nor for the well-being of the human race”, that “in the most radical sense of the term power is its motive – a lordship over all”. This bears repeating, technology’s ultimate objective is power.

    Elaborating further Pope Francis expresses his deep mistrust of man’s capacity to control so much of the power technology confers on him. “There is a tendency to believe that every increase in power means “an increase of ‘pro­gress’ itself”, an advance in “security, usefulness, welfare and vigour; …an assimilation of new values into the stream of culture”, as if reality, goodness and truth automatically flow from tech­nological and economic power as such. The fact is that: “contemporary man has not been trained to use power well”, because our immense tech­nological development has not been accompa­nied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience. Our freedom fades when it is handed over to the blind forces of the un­conscious; of immediate needs, of self-interest, and of violence. In this sense, we stand naked and exposed in the face of our ever-increasing power, lacking the wherewithal to control it. We have certain superficial mechanisms, but we can­not claim to have a sound ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint.”

    This is a truly frightening insight, which no reflective man should ignore. Pope Francis’ powerful comments should set every human being thinking. I hope it does. I hope we can sit back and rethink the world for our sake and the future of unborn generations. This is by no means a call to abandon technological evolution—far from it. The point is that power without restraint even, technological power is troubling and there is need for caution.

    • Odili was formerly Delta State Green Economy Project Lead

  • Behold the Kuru Declaration

    It was with the best of intentions that President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the fourth retreat for ministers and permanent secretaries at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos between February 23 and 25, 2001.

    The retreat was co-ordinated by Chief Ufot Ekaette (CFR) who was then Secretary to the Government of the Federation. An erudite scholar.

    The following ministers were present, Chief Bola Ige (SAN), Alhaji Musa Elayo Abdullahi, Alhaji Adamu Bello, Chief Chris Agbobu, Dr. (Mrs.) Kema Chikwe, Engr. Mustapha Bello, Alhaji Muhammad Arzika, Alhaji L. Ade Haruna-Elewi, Ms. Boma Bromillow Jack, Mallam L. Tukur Batagarawa, Mrs. Modupe Adelaja, Engr. Dan Chuke, Prof. A.B. Borishade, Alhaji Bello Usman, Alhaji Muhammad Kabir Said, Dr. Imeh T. Okopido, Engr. Mohammed Abba-Gana, Mr. Solomon S.A. Ewuga, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, Chief Dubem Onyia, Prof. A.B.C. Nwosu, Dr.(Mrs.) Aminat Ndalolo.

    The rest were Chief Kolawole B. Jamodu, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku, Prof. Jerry Gana, Chief S.M. Afolabi, (JP), Dr. Mohammed Shata, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe, Mr. Steven Ibn Akiga, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, Prof. Turner T. Isoun, Mrs. Pauline K-Tallen, Mr. Kanu G. Agabi, (SAN), Mr. Ishaya Mark Aku, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Mr. Isa Yuguda, Col. Mohammed B. Kaliel (rtd), Chief Precious Ngelale (JP), Hajia Aishatu M.S. Ismail, Chief Tony Anenih, Mr. Garba Madaki Ali, Chief Bimbola Ogunkelu, Mr.Yomi Edu, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Kida and Chief Phillip C. Asiodu.

    The then Head of Service, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed (CFR) led the team of permanent secretaries to the retreat. They include Alhaji Guda A. Abdullahi, Alhaji Umar M. Abubakar, Mr. O.O.O. Ogunkua, Engr. D.B. Usman, Mr. G.O. Enukora, Dr. K.Nkumah,Dr. Aboki Zhawa, Mr. M.O. Onoja, Mr. Garba Buwaijmni, Dr. R.O Mowoe, Amb.T.D. Hart, Dr. M. Babangida Aliyu, Mr. A.E. Ogbuehi, Dr. B.K. Kaigama, Alhaji H.Z. Akwanga, Dr. O.M. Ojo, Rev. P.O. Okunromade, Mr. John P. Hirse, Dr. C.J.G. Orjioke, Alhaji Bello U. Maitambari and Mr. T.D. Oyelade.

    Other permanent secretaries present were Dr. S.I. Muhammad, Ammuna Lawrence-Ali, Alhaji N.B. Dambatta, Alhaji Ibrahim Talba, Mr. O.O. Oyelakin, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Mr. L.N. Asugha, David O. Oyegun, Amb. G.B. Preware,Mr. A.O. Okafor, Dr. Abdullahi Aliyu, Mrs. A.M. Rufai, Ms. T.O. Akerele, Mrs. G.I. Archibong,Ms. A.I. Pepple, Dr. R.O. Adewoye, Alhaji Tukur Mani, Dr. B.A. Akinola, James Kayode Naiyeju and P.N. Akubueze.

    Other top government officials at the retreat include the then Governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye, Amb. Remi Esan, Amb. E.A Azikiwe, Bisi Ogunniyi, Major-Gen J.N. Garba (rtd.), Dr. Stanley Macebuh, Tunji Oseni, Mr. Ad’obe, Dr. Goke Adegoroye, Mrs. T.O. Iroche, Mrs. S.A. Adeyeye, Dr. J.N. Obiegbu, Mr. F.O. Osobukola, Alhaji Ibrahim Jega, Dr. G.A. Gundu, Mr. O.S. Ogedengbe, Mr. Wuese Al, Mr. F.F. Ogunshaki, Mr. J. Okpo, Mr. K.J. Wudil, Mr. E.I. Onuoha, Mr. A. Mohammed and Mr O.I. Adisa.

    I was present at the retreat.

    Those who presented papers at the retreat include Professor Akin Mabogunje, Justice M. Akanbi, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), Dr, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Major General Joseph Garba (rtd.) ,Mr. Howard Whitton and N. Linton both of Transparency International.

    At the end of the retreat, a 12-point declaration was adopted.

    Those present declared among other things that: “(1) We subscribe to the New National Ideology, which is, to build a truly great African democratic country, politically united, integrated and stable, economically prosperous, socially organised, with equal opportunity for all, and responsibility from all, to become the catalyst of Black Renaissance, and making adequate all-embracing contributions, sub-regionally, regionally, and globally. (2) We adopt the New Orientation as an agenda for: dealing with immediate and future issues of governance of Nigeria; Removing impediments to efficiency and effective implementation and execution of programmes initiated by the Federal Government; and expeditious actualisation of government objectives and vision of national renewal and re-construction. (3) We rededicate ourselves and those who serve under us to the values of patriotism, honesty, hard work and diligence, merit and excellence, trustworthiness, personal discipline, tolerance and mutual respect, justice and fairness, love, care and compassion. (4) We pledge to eschew corruption, slothfulness, nepotism, indiscipline, bitterness, prejudice and other manifestoes of ant-social behaviour. (5) We shall undertake a critical review of practices and procedures in every department of government, so as to rapidly increase their productivity and service delivery to the public; (6) We shall foster a culture of efficiency in the management of funds and other resources; maintaining high standards of resource management; and reducing waste at all times. (7) We shall efficiently supervise all government departments and agencies, ensuring timely returns and reports, and undertaking regular spot-checks; (8) We shall abide by the terms of the Code of Conduct which we all have signed, as expression of our commitment to the crusade against corruption, and working closely with all relevant agencies such as the Independent Corruption Practices and other Related Offences Commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Public Complaints Commission; (9) We undertake to strengthen the partnership in working with the private sector, since this partnership translates to a better appreciation of the wealth-creating capacity of this sector, and the need for government, through its various ministries and legislative processes, create an enabling environment for the sector to function efficiently as the major driver of the economy. (10) We shall strive to strengthen and inculcate the culture of working closely and in consultation with the leadership of labour and Civil society organisations. (11) We shall mobilise, involve and promote the interest of all stakeholders, namely, the society in general; since, in the ultimate, all decisions and actions of government are aimed at the promotion of public welfare, there is also the need for a new attitude that has that welfare permanently in focus, as the only goal, and the economic well-being of all citizens, under unfettered freedom, is of cardinal importance; and we shall design strategies and techniques of implementation for the New Orientation so as to ensure that the values being inculcated permeate all levels of management and staff”.

    I am told that the think-tank currently advising President Muhammadu Buhari is recommending among other things for a similar retreat for the incoming ministers, special advisers, special assistants and other incoming government officials, on the ethics of good governance.

    The think-tank made up of seasoned public servants and old public service managers is contemplating a workshop, seminar or retreat. No doubt the think-tank is doing a good job by helping him to clear the mess left by the past government. I think another seminar/workshop/retreat may be a waste of time.

    All that should be done now is to marry the Kuru declaration with the objectives of the War Against Indiscipline which was in vogue during the era of Major General Muhammadu Buhari between 1984 and 1985. Such marriage if adopted will push the country forward.

    The British magazine, THE ECONOMIST, in its recent edition on Nigeria is worried on Nigeria’s chance on “how Africa’s most important country can live up to its potential”. In a 10 page survey the magazine concluded that” Nigeria matters because it is biggest country in the continent that has huge potential for catch-up growth. If it fails, it could bring down half a dozen neighbouring states with it. If Mr. Buhari turns it around, it could be both the engine room of Africa and an inspiration for people everywhere who are tired of predatory government and long to clip its claws”.

    The onus is on us and we dare not fail.

     

    • Teniola, a former director at the presidency, stays in Lagos.

  • Still on the NASS crisis

     “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principals which direct them” -Napoleon Bonaparte

    The crisis brewing at the National Assembly and within the ruling party, APC, if not well managed can push Nigerian state to that precipice Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had warned and wished that Nigeria would not have to slide to, because we may not be lucky to survive another slide. While nobody can confidently predict how the crisis at would be resolved, but one thing is assured, the belated decision of the national leader of APC, President Muhammadu Buhari to directly get involved in the resolution moves as initiated (if properly handled) could ensure that the APC and its members come out more cohesive, focused, disciplined, against the “end time predictions of the party” of not a few commentaries.

    The question is, could the President have carried on, and not directly be involved in the resolution of this crisis, but for the national outcry and demand for his intervention? Can the President simply on the basis of the principles of separation of powers, really not to be interested and involved in the process that leads to the election of the Presiding and Principal Officers of the National Assembly?

    Why it is conceded that, the combined provisions of Sections 4–6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), specifically identified the separate powers of the three arms of government; the totality of all the provisions of the constitution, its spirit and intendment, as captured in the preamble to the constitution, demands for an  efficient symbiotic relationship of the three arms of government, their constitutions, functions and obligations, that will ultimately ensure good governance and good welfare of all persons.

    What happened at the National Assembly and within APC can be considered for the inherent positive relevance it brings, that is, a timely awakening to the President and the leaders of APC that governing Nigeria and politicking is not a tea party, there will always be reactionary forces within and without seeking to control and influence governance and politics.

    The President should not and must not repeat the same mistakes of the old, when as military leader, reactionary forces moved against him. Even though Buhari did not then, seek for people’s mandate, and indeed couldn’t have by the nature of how he got into power, but he assumed power with the solemn promise to guide Nigeria from the path of economic and moral decadence by giving true and good leadership. With that solemn promise to the people, it should have been incumbent on him to have ensured that, the promise then of providing good leadership was not so easily truncated.

    It is curious that the crisis at the National Assembly was allowed to fester all in the name that the President is not supposed to be involved in the process of election of Presiding Officers of both the Senate and House.

    The President should know that, this time around he cannot afford not to be affirmative in ensuring that the party’s position is allowed to reign supreme, because his name was used to invite the loyal APC Senators away from the chambers, thereby creating a conducive election environment for Senator Saraki and his acolytes.

    While Section 50(a&b) of the Nigerian Constitution provides for the election of the four Presiding Officers at the National Assembly, Section 60 gives both the House of Representatives and Senate the power to regulate their procedure. It should be noted that the Senate Standing Order, which provide for the procedure for the nomination for election of Senators for the offices of the Presiding and Principal officers, is made pursuant to the powers as stated in Section 60 of the Constitution.

    Unfortunately, the response of the Senate President, (who ostensibly possesses the legal authority to preside) to the allegation of a clandestine amendment of Standing Order 2011 (as Amended) by Senator Marafa has put a big question mark on the moral authority of the Senate President. There is the compelling need for an explanation as to when the Standing Order was amended when the important role of a party in determining the nomination and election of members as officers was removed. Was the alleged amendment done after the National Election in March? Who moved the Motion for the amendment? If indeed the amendment was done immediately after the said elections, then one wonder if there are other such amendments or Bills passed into law by the past administration, having lost its majority presence in the National Assembly.

    Beyond all these, it should be noted that, the intrigues in this unnecessary crisis, is not so much about the settlement of the individual ambition of the dramatis personae in both houses, or the touted “cutting to size” of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s rising political influence, but about the eternal desire of the “powers-that-be”, to always determine who rules this country, by hijacking that electoral power of the masses. Tinubu has made his mark; he is now a major factor that cannot be shoved aside in the charting of political direction in Nigeria. He is one formidable Knight we have in the Nigeria’s politics.

    It should be noted that, Late M.K.O Abiola was not really denied access to power because of the various concocted reasons, but because it became glaringly clear that June 12 election symbolized that power to determine who rules the nation should actually be with the people, the power already constitutionally guaranteed. The unexpected result of June 12 election only made Late MKO Abiola to instantly become the “common enemy” to the forces that pulls the strings in Nigerian politics.

    The then President Jonathan, also became a common enemy to the politically entrenched gladiators and the business moguls, as it became easy for them to turn their backs on him because of self-preservation.

    Fortunately for them, his obvious deficiencies in political sagacity and his attempt to provide good governance emerged as a monumental disaster, which made the sentiment of the people to weigh heavily against him; and having failed them, the people voted for President Buhari.

    Having voted Jonathan out, President Buhari should not think that his only business in Aso Rock is to just provide good governance for the people, he can only do that if his government is allowed to stabilize and perform.

    He should not be mistaken; he is the common enemy now.

    They will try everything from heckling to blackmail that, he must be a democrat, he must allow rule of law, principles of separation of powers and all to prevail, the same ideals the hecklers have been unabashedly guilty of in the past years.

    We saw people who could not adhere to the simple democratic principle of majority of 19 being more than 16 votes who were the same people challenging the democratic credentials of President Buhari before the elections, were the same faces in the red Chambers openly rejoicing at the success of their plan. Ironically this same people thereafter acknowledged the democratic credentials of the President for not interfering in the election.

    Our President needs to stay focused, assertive, proactive, meticulous, fearless and most importantly, ensure that the trust and faith of the people is not broken.

    Nigerians did not expect the President to perform magic, because he never said he is a magician, nor did they regard him as a messiah, as he neither presented himself as such and Nigerians did not vote for a messiah, but for a person who they sincerely believed possesses integrity above his peers. Nigerians have decided not to be manipulated by the politicians’ messianic promises, they are ready to be patient and give the President time and space to deliver on his electoral promises to them.

    •  Olaleye is an Attorney practicing in Lagos.

  • Buhari and federal roads

    The carnage witnessed last week along Benin-Ore road was not an isolated incident. It has become the permanent feature of the federal highways. Over 90 per cent of the federal roads in Nigeria are in ruins. My neighbour escaped death by the skin of his teeth in one of the federal roads, but his wife was not so lucky. In trying to avoid a dangerous crater on the highway, you run the risk of skidding straight into the river or colliding with another vehicle. I often shake my head in pity anytime I drive on these death traps that are called federal highways: How can anyone avoid fatal accidents on these roads? Even the most careful driver is prone to accident!

    Being a new administration, nobody will hold President Muhammadu Buhari responsible for the derelict state of these motorways. But once his government marks one year or two in office, Nigerians will forget that he inherited the dilapidated highways and an empty treasury. It is just about a month that the new government was sworn in and some smart guys are already attempting to deflect attention away from the malfeasance of the last administration. But a word first on the purse of the central government.

    It would seem an understatement for President Muhammadu Buhari to speak of inheriting an empty treasury. I think we should thank God that the President even met a treasury at all. With the monetary bonanza, bazaar and lottery that characterized the electioneering of the ruling party in the last general elections, we should be grateful to the almighty that both the purse and its contents had not disappeared altogether. With the sincerity of purpose, prudence in public finance management, transparency and accountability that will hallmark the Buhari administration (and we can see the signs already), I believe money will begin to flow back into the empty government purse and will ultimately be filled once more.

    But I have some worries. A friend once told me a story that has stuck to my memory. His disciplined, prudent and industrious secondary school principal ensured those sterling qualities rubbed off on the academy, resulting in the students passing their exams with flying colours and a buoyant school till. However, within a few years of graduation, the principal was transferred and replaced by a footloose and spendthrift head. The treasury was emptied in no time, and indiscipline soon began to take its toll on the performance of the students. The school eventually became a shadow of its former self.

    As the saying goes, a man may leave behind a gargantuan fortune, there is no guarantee those coming after him will be wise. As it stands today, the politics of Nigeria is so fluid and there is no certainty about anything.  No one needed a prophet to predict that the present ruling party would undergo one form of crisis or the other. That would be taken for granted in any concourse of people with different or disparate backgrounds. But no political seer could have predicted the recent events in the National Assembly. They left every mouth agape in shock, bewilderment and horror. Dangerous politics, brinkmanship, defiance! Perhaps, I misread the whole thing. My take-away remains – Nigerian politics is fluid; there’s no certitude about anything!

    I have employed every public space in the last decade to discuss the menace of federal roads in Nigeria. I did so many times in relation to our unitary system, often disguised as federalism and the revenue allocation formula, which gives 52 per cent to the Federal Government, 26 per cent to all the 36 states and 20 per cent to the local councils. The Federal Government is also in charge of the balance of two per cent. Clearly, the Federal Government is carrying a load that is heavier than that of the 36 states. No, it should be the other way round. Is it proper for the Federal Government, in a federation, to travel thousands of miles from Abuja in order to sink a borehole in a village or renovate a health centre, a primary school in a far-flung community when there is a state government that is in touch with such people on a daily basis, and will perform these responsibilities at a lower cost, since funds will move directly to where they are needed?

    In one instance, it was observed: “It is cheaper for states to own these federal roads. For instance, the ongoing repair work on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos has continued to consume avoidable administrative costs. The Minister of Works and other federal officials who come all the way from Abuja to supervise and inspect the road will certainly collect allowances running into millions of naira, whereas it would have amounted to a routine duty for the Lagos Commissioner for Works and other officials. And when you consider that the Abuja officials will have to do the same thing again and again in all the 36 states of the federation, the preventable wastage of tax-payers’ money stares you in the face.

    Contiguous states to these federal roads will naturally collaborate to reconstruct and maintain them at far cheaper costs than moving money and officials first from Abuja to the regional office, and from the regional office to the states. There is so much wastage of public funds in Nigeria.”

    In a piece written in April 2014 titled – Between Abeokuta and Abuja, I submitted: “Despite the gargantuan 52 per cent being collected by the Federal Government, virtually all the federal roads in Ogun State are in tatters: Atan-Agbara road (Agbara is an industrial hub in Nigeria), Owode-Ilaro road, Ikorodu-Sagamu highway, etc. I’m sure the Minister of Works has never heard the names of some of these roads let alone know their locations… from the meagre 0.3 per cent Ogun receives from the Federation Account, the police are also being funded!…  Imagine the amount the state government spent to repair parts of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and several other federal roads that criss-cross the state! This is because the masses don’t like to differentiate between federal and state roads. Once any road is in Ogun territory, then Amosun is looked up to for its maintenance and reconstruction!”

    I call on the President and the National Assembly to ensure these federal roads revert to the states without much delay. The Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and National Assembly should ensure that in the new Revenue Allocation template, each of the 36 states receives at least 1.5 per cent from the Federation Account. This is a win-win situation for the Federal Government and all the 36 states of the federation. And if a state governor decides to steal his state’s money rather than invest in social services, then his own people who see how some other governors have judiciously spent their own funds will one day rise up against the governor.

    With 25 per cent, the Federal Government should now concentrate on core federal matters such as foreign affairs, currency, maritime shipping, defence, etc. while most of the responsibilities are devolved to the states. This will make the Federal Government stronger and efficient, a beacon of excellent service delivery and an exemplar of institutional development. The President will even have the rest of mind to make Nigeria a major player in international affairs.

    • Soyombo, a media practitioner and public affairs commentator, sent this piece via densityshow@yahoo.com

  • As Kogi ‘guber’ election beckons

    In less than six months from now, the governorship election will be due in Kogi State. The election comes after the PDP has served three terms consecutively.  In this almost 12 years of the leadership, many Kogi voters have at one time or the other expressed  disenchantment with their PDP governors. Indeed, when former governor Ibrahim Idris departed office four years ago after serving two terms, the people of Kogi State had thought that their worst quagmire had happened and that the next governor would rebuild the state. Too bad, these noble wishes of Kogi citizens are yet to manifest to reality under the Idris Wada-led government. Rather, the economic and social burden thrust upon Kogi citizens by Governor Wada has made Ibrahim Idris’ maladministration appear like a child’s play. In simple terms, Wada Idris’ arrival at Kogi State Government House has been one sad story after another by the average Kogi adult.

    Right now, there is a feeling of frustration amongst the voting public against Governor Wada and his PDP ruling party over poor leadership in the state. The allegations against Wada Idris, the present governor are many as he has been associated with a long string of failures of which the virtual collapse of governance stands out. This has not only affected his political viability, it has also not provided any foundation for the PDP to lay claim to any developmental efforts in Kogi State or strength in any future election.

    Even though the outcome of the recent general elections in Kogi state may not be a sufficient yardstick to predict future elections, but it served well in portraying the PDP as an almost collapsed party. For emphasis, in the last general elections which produced President Muhammadu Buhari, the PDP’s performance in Kogi State was abysmal, the defeat of the PDP was not only embarrassing but it showed a clear signal that Kogi voters were also tired of the present state leadership. Aside losing the presidential elections, the results from the Federal House of Representatives and Senate contests were disastrous for the PDP as the party lost most of its occupied seats in the national assembly to the opposition APC.

    Indeed, the disastrous outing of the PDP in the referenced elections, has not only inflicted devastating blows on the solidarity of PDP members but has repositioned APC to a viable altitude in Kogi politics. The consequences and threat of APC to the PDP in its present complexion and under the leadership of Wada Idris are obvious. Simply, put, the PDP cannot expect to romp to victory under Wada in a contest against APC because public disapproval of Wada has largely contributed in opening new opportunities for the opposition. Indeed, the popular assumption is that if the PDP presents Wada at any future  elections, there will be voter’s wrath against the party.

    Ordinarily, many Kogi voters will relish any effort to remove Wada from office but  the truth is that Wada like most unpopular incumbent governors, will not want go down without a fight. The signals from the camp of Wada indicates that  he would love to exhaust his two term maximum tenure despite the fact that he possesses an identity that is already linked with failed politics.  If the aspiration of Wada is left unchecked, it will be an easy guess that the party’s leaders’ dream of getting back into office next year is dead on arrival. This is so because a rethink about Wada’s candidacy is overdue given his lowly rated performance in his almost exhausted first four year tenure  by majority of Kogi voters.

    The point herein is that in this coming governorship election, if by act of impunity, the PDP decides to make Wada an aspirant, it will be akin to putting a square peg in a round hole. After all, if Wada could not run Kogi State efficiently and prudently whilst the Nigeria economy was good, why should anyone think that he would find the capacity to deliver political goods in this period of very limited resources and diminished earnings from the monthly  federation account ?

    Interestingly, the 2015 Kogi politics remains largely uncertain because even though Wada’s appalling performance has greatly affected the PDP in the negative, nothing seems assured for the opposition APC’s victory in the governorship race. This so because despite  the undisputable APC’s astounding thriving political growth in Kogi State,  the candidates that are already parading themselves as the APC’s party aspirants in the governorship  are not such that will attract  enthusiasm of voters. Indeed, this may affect the APC’s dream of winning the election and may even lead voters from its fold to support a candidate outside the party. Thus it is best to assume that  the Buhari ship which most contestants under the APC used in cruising to victory may still be in an anchor position during the forthcoming election in Kogi State.

    On the part of the PDP, the political damage done to it, courtesy of Wada , can only be repaired with the exit of Wada. As such, there seem to be a silver lining in the very fact that the PDP still has a viable option of dropping Wada for an acceptable candidate that may use his popularity to triumph over the APC.

    Again on the divide of the APC, ordinarily, the outcome of the presidential election would have offered Kogi voters a good direction to the camp of the APC as was the case at the national level but with all sense of sincerity what happened at the presidential elections in Kogi State was an expression of national mood for change and may not necessarily have a direct impact on what to expect at the governorship elections as both parties are presently in political disarray. Either way, the forthcoming elections in Kogi is not a settled matter for both big parties. There is however a third way – the move to draft  Jibrin Isah Echocho, a man perceived to have been robbed of the 2011 gubernatorial mandate of the people by the then infamous leadership of the national  PDP, into the governorship contest may just be the factor that will make a huge difference in the forthcoming elections.

     

    • Idris wrote from Lokoja,Kogi State.

  • For stronger and better APC

    The stage the ruling All Progressives Party Congress (APC) is right now  is to find a way to manage its victory and reduce cracks within the party .

    The emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives respectively served to highlight the tendencies of power play within the party. It will do the APC a whole lot of good not to allow it fester beyond the unmanageable. A precedent has been set, albeit one that was a disservice to party discipline. Yet, it had to be handled with care.

    The APC is made up of its legacy parties: Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), all defunct- won at the last election, historically unseating the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), it was a victory that could hardly have been wrought without the members of the rested New PDP.

    A cursory look at the outcome of the governorship race in many of the states where the APC won for the first time will also show that the victories had the imprimatur of defecting PDP members. Instance can be found in the North Central states- Plateau, Niger, Benue, Kwara, with the exception of Nasarawa, where the APC for once made headway, it was on the back of the turncoat men of the PDP. Even in Kogi State, where there was no governorship election, the presidential poll was for the first time won by the opposition. This has never happened since the defeat of former Governor Abubakar of the ANPP by the PDP.Audu, now in the APC, together with a potpourri of erstwhile PDP chiefs delivered the state to the APC.

    No doubt the Jagaban Borgu, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has a place reserved for him in history, present, past or future, that no one can or should be eager to deny him, others must be given their pride of place in the scheme of things. There are stalwarts, mainly of the PDP stock that bat no eyelid in their confrontation with their former party to ensure the victory that is now on the table. Former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku,  Bukola Saraki, former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, whose confrontation with his erstwhile leader and former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, unnerved the latter to no end.

    Others abound:Timipriye Sylva, Sen. Barnabas Gamade, Gov. Lalong of Plateau State, former Governor Oyinlola, not forgetting the baba of all and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo .Though at no time did the old guards from the PDP officially present a common leader as their rallying point,  there must be one somewhere, and it is becoming clearer by the day that there is more than one axis of party leadership in the today’s APC.

    The APC leadership must work adroitly to erase from the minds and the mindset of Nigerians that others from outside of the legacy parties do not have as much stake, rights and privileges as those of the old ACN, CPC, ANPP or APGA in the victorious APC. That is as simple as the emerging situation can be explained. It is probably after a way is found around that tricky issue that the party can in all truthfulness begin to walk. Because the head is CPC or PDP does not imply that all other body parts should be CPC or ACN. That to me is one of the major undercurrent that played out at the two federal legislative chambers, and not a personal struggle or ambition, though it might appear so, and Saraki, a symbol for that reaction, to send the appropriate signal to the leadership of the APC.

    As at today, in the party structure at the national level, the New PDP is not properly represented. From the chairman, to the secretary, to the regional and zonal and even in most of the states, they are not well represented. Assuming now that from the chairman, to the secretary, to zonal chairmen, that some of them are New PDP, where the National Committee is sitting, they will have a say, but the whole National Working Committee is mostly the legacy parties, while the PDP elements were already in the party when it was being formed. Those are part of the issues that are on ground now that will continue to breed fractionalization if not quickly addressed.

    Mr. President must be ready to take control now and address some of the issues because he holds the responsibility to manage this government well, not the party. Before the election it was the party, after the election, it is Mr. President.

    These and more must have become glaring by now, just as I am convinced that the APC is imbued with the capacity to wade through and manage the situation, just as it did in the past . The journey is just beginning and opportunities abound to expand the field. For example, there are so many sensitive positions and appointments that will be made shortly and the government of President Buhari must take deliberate steps to balance the interest of all the contending parties, including the New PDP, rather than overconcentrating those appointments in his party: CPC, ACN, ANPP or the faction of APGA, for fairness, equity and justice to prevail, so that from the beginning we have a solid and unifying APC to consolidate the gains of the collective victory. The factor of the New PDP is real and must not be ignored or toyed with. Nigerians will be the better for it and more names will be etched in the sands of time in our march towards true greatness.

     

    •Adenrele is an Abuja-based political analyst

  • Arase: Change has come

    It is surprising how fate manifests in certain interesting, but unique ways. When former President Goodluck Jonathan suddenly sacked former Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and appointed Solomon Arase in his place, not a few eyebrows were raised. Mainly because the action came few days after the presidential election which the ex-President lost, the decision naturally stoked a fire. Not a few believed that the President was punishing the former police boss, Abba for failing to adhere to an alleged script to rig the presidential election in his favour. Thus, the expectation was that firing Arase would be one of the first pronouncements President Buhari would make on assuming office. Some even went to the extent of believing that the reinstatement of Abba was only a matter of time.

    Today, it is doubtful that those who saw the development in this light would still be thinking in this manner. Indeed, if the morning really foretells the day, Arase may just be the talisman that not only Buhari and the APC, but the entire country needs at the moment to bring about the expected change everybody is talking about.

    Now, it seems a long way from when policemen locked out lawmakers and thus prevented them from gaining access to their offices and the chambers of the National Assembly to perform their legitimate duties. Time was when lawmakers, who ought to be role models, had to scale the fence to eventually access their offices. Nigerians will also recall that it was only few months ago that the Speaker of the parliament, was stripped of his security on account of his joining another political party.

    Before then, Nigerians would readily recall the Anambra episode of some years back when policemen provided cover for arsonists who went on rampage in the state to the extent of burning down the government house because it pleased some powerful interests in government. Then of course is the Rivers State story during which the police was enmeshed in needless controversies.

    So, when President Buhari etched those eternal words across the pages of history that he belonged to everybody and belonged to nobody, a police boss different from the likes of Arase would have given a lie to it soon after that the President would have had to contend with managing the attendant embarrassment.

    But this is the era of change. With Buhari playing the role of a statesman by refusing to kill the fly with the sledgehammer as others before him would have done, it was fitting also for the IG to up the ante.

    What does this portend? Simple. The police boss having divested himself and his office from primordial sentiments and proclivities has dared to be different and in so doing, become the change agent himself. Now, this has left him with the space to apply professionalism which the Nigerian Police has, over the years, been denied as an institution and an agent of development.

    The pronouncements of Arase as IG, since then, have become the gauge with which the future is likely to be measured. They conduce of an officer who does not only possess the right pedigree, but is imbued with the clear head to exploit his rich experience in the service and as a respected intellectual, to bring about the revolution, which many believe would transform the police architecture into a viable and robust institution Nigeria has been yearning for.

    A public affairs commentator recently captured the essence of Arase happening on the scene when he observed that it must be the handiwork of God to have thrown him up at the moment when the Nigeria is battling insurgency. His reason is that this is the period Arase’s specialty as an intelligence officer would come quite handy, because whatever force the military applies to root out the Boko Haram terrorists that have been harassing the country needed to be complimented with a deeply rooted intelligence police force.

    It has been said that what he does not know about policing may not be worth knowing. He is not only highly educated but is also an educator himself, especially in police matters as a one-time instructor at the intelligence unit of the Nigerian Police College Enugu. This gives him the added advantage of having a network of officers and men who he had trained and who would naturally relate to him from the position of trust.

    Of course, some of the innovations the police boss introduced recently, appear to give vent to this. For instance, unlike in the past where his predecessors had, immediately after assuming office similarly ordered the removal of road blocks across the country, Arase’s came with a unique model. Apart from deploying 250 vehicles for motorised patrol, he also ensured that he incentivised the police personnel by arranging with local merchants to provide them with daily meal at strategic locations in addition to the extra allowance they would be paid for the job, to reduce the motivation for the road block option.

    To ensure strict adherence, he has also taken recourse to the social media, opening platforms through which the public could report the existence of road blocks within minutes of sighting them in any part of the country without physically having to make the report, which could either scare them or expose them to known repercussions.

    The use of technology also includes monitoring crime scenes from his office through a crime map, such that an armed robbery case in a remote area of the country would instantly prompt in his office and an alert would be sent to the nearest police formation to intervene, just as it happens in police formations of developed countries.

    Well, it is morning yet. There have been cases in this country where things started well and thereafter got stuck in the web of societal vagaries. Perhaps, it might be too early to judge the situation. But with the disposition of the President so far, Arase, as Inspector General of Police, even if tempted, may find no room to derail. And if morning foretells the day, he may well become the seasoning in the recipe that Buhari’s change promises the country. The people can only watch and pray.

  • NAFDAC’s drive for healthy bread

    Conduct any survey any day, any time of Nigerians’ preferred staple food and you will be shocked bread will top on the list! Although the preparation and consumption of this high wheat content flour meal is undoubtedly ancient and global, the broadness of its acceptance as a befitting consumable is indeed due to its human body-nourishing status having been globally certified by acclaimed food scientists and nutritionists as dependable source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, iron and calcium. This fact is not lost on the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria’s institution charged with the regulation and control of pharmaceutical products and food. It is little wonder that recently it embarked on another step up action in many parts of the country on bread safety through its Bread Quality Initiative. It is the agency’s way of bringing to bear acceptable sanity, standards, as well as hygienic and good manufacturing practices in its production. Over 500 bakeries in Lagos State, for example made their bread available for the test during the exercise.

    The uncommon penchant of Dr. Paul Orhii, the Director General of NAFDAC, for safe bread is equally fuelled by his realization that the bakery industry in the country remains big source of employment for many Nigerians and serves also as revenue earner for the government, especially at the state and local levels. So, the recent step up action nationwide, a follow up to several other initiatives, focused on-the- spot bread for the detection of the banned potassium bromate (removed from the list of bread improvers by World Health Organisation in 1992) and other harmful bread improvers. NAFDAC has consistently emphasized to bakers and flour millers the deleterious effects potassium bromate, a deadly carcinogenic improver, which has also been proved by experts to degrade vitamins A2, B1, B2, E and Niacin, the main vitamins available in bread.

    Deployment of effective communication media and capacity building count among the measures adopted by the agency to realize its objectives; they include introduction and sustenance of inter-state consumers and bakers enlightenment; regular work/talk shops for the bakers; robust training for existing and would-be bakers; and certification of products with appropriate labels and authorization. Others are unscheduled inspection of baking facilities; acquainting bakers with modern production trends and practices, and engaging the press on ways and means of ensuring maximum public enlightenment. The agency has a crop of field inspectors equipped with state-of-the-art equipments for this purpose. And NAFDAC boss, Dr Orhii, is known to have been personally involved in this exercise through unscheduled inspection of production plants.

    Deterrent measures adopted by NAFDAC include closure of illegal and substandard production plants; mopping up bad products from sales outlets; ensuring that amateur bakers are cut out from the business; comprehensive product registration; entrenched sustainable feedback mechanism for the resolution of consumer complaints; bringing together the bakers through unionization like the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria for ease of coordination, control and regulation. It is also instructive to note that the agency has made it mandatory for flour millers to fortify their products with vitamins A and B.  There is drive for the enforcement of mandatory compliance with good hygiene practice and good manufacturing practice at food production facilities.

    Moreover, the agency has through intensive research, come up with healthier and internationally acceptable baking inputs for use in production. They include Morphan 500 of Morrison Industries PLC; EDC 95 Dough of Edlen International Incorporated USA; EDC 2000 (an improvement on EDC Dough Oxidant) of the same firm; Bake Rite of Chellarams PLC; and Puratos S500( blue bread improver) of Purators W-V/SA Industraialaan Belgium. Others are Painforce concentrated bread improver of Ducros SS84200 France; Vahiforce of the same firm; and ALL GREEN bread improver of Florum Limited, Israel.

    Also certified by the agency are DYNAMIL of S.I LESAFFRE of France; UNIPAN super bread improver of DSM bakery ingredients MIJL WEG of Netherland; ALPHAMALT BXT of Myhlenchemeie, GM BH RERRCAMP of Ahansbury; AMIPAN of ICA Food ingredients by Kalshovenza Industry of Netherland; ANGEL of Angel Yeast Company Limited China; PANOK SUPPER BAKE bread improver of BONS Industries Limited; SUPREME LONG LIFE of Crown Flower Mills; SUPREME MAXI and SUPREME SPECIAL of the same.

    Others are BETTA BAKER (20Kg carton) of First Blends Limited; BETTA BAKER (10g sachet) of the same company; BRAMMCO Power Integrated Dough Improver of Networking Africa Limited; PB of Pacific Biscuit Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, VITARISE of Vitachem Nigeria Limited, NPB Bakery improver of Associated Biotechnology Limited; FLOMOD Flour Additive of First Blends Limited; BETTA BAKER bread premix of First blends Limited; LGM 22T tablet bread improver of Lemmy’s Global MT Nigeria Limited; and PROSON block bread improver of IFART Limited.

    To avail the nation of consumable processed food, the agency ensured that decent and standardized production and hygienic practices were adopted and fully embraced by fast food service (eateries) operators, while bakers/bakeries were successfully compelled to desist from anti-human health sustaining practices, such as avoiding the usage of the deadly carcinogenic Potassium Bromate as dough enhancer. To be mentioned is the drive to include cassava flour in bread baking, upgrading of NAFDAC surveillance systems, and capacity-building through modernized globally standardised trainings for its workforce.

    Consistently hosting of consultative fora with stakeholders, advocacy visits to states chief executives, traditional rulers, youth leaders, inclusion of food safety education in school curricula, the NYSC community development service programmes, modification and sustenance of its consumer safety programmes are direct and indirect ways by NAFDAC to serve the nation and Nigerians better. They conform with the global strategy of emphasising preventive and not reactive approach to safeguarding the safety of foods.

    Here is imploring the Association of Master Bakers and Confectioners of Nigeria and other stakeholders to work with NAFDAC to ensure that Nigerians can conveniently and confidently access hygienic and nutritious “Bread of Life” rather than unhygienic and contaminated “Bread of Death.”

    • Ikhilae is a Lagos-based public affairs analyst

  • Buhari has to belong to somebody

    There is a saying in my native parlance to the affect that a dog owned by the entire community usually dies of hunger. This is simply because nobody in particular would take the responsibility of feeding it. That was my first problem with President Muhammadu Buhari’s famous, “I belong to everybody, I belong to nobody”. As attractive and appealing the statement was, I felt that it was merely targeted at the sentiments of Nigerians at least at the point it was made. And not unexpectedly, Nigerians chorused it with enthusiasm. But for purposes of partisan tenacity, I felt the statement was not only too open-ended and populist, it was also fraught with danger, especially as it is not in sync with partisan idiosyncrasy. Of course, sceptics took their positions and it was not long when the first salvo came.

    For, shortly after that ‘wise’ saying, President Buhari, oven-fresh and draped in magisterial aura conferred on him for defeating a sitting president, the first in Africa, headed for Germany to attend the 41st summit of the G7. There, according to reports, the Nigerian president, to the astonishment of the whole world, alluded to Germany, the host of the summit, as “Western Germany”; and to the head of government (state) of Germany as “President”. President Buhari was also said to have wrongly pronounced the name of the Chancellor of Germany as “Mitchele” instead of Merkel, Angela Merkel, that is.

    The president’s ‘enemies’ went to town through the social media. Understandably, not much mention has been made of the gaffes in the local print media and I am personally of the view that as grave as the slips are, there is no need crying over spilled milk. Fortunately, Nigerians so love their president that they were quick in laying the blames on the door steps of his handlers, some say aides. Did they (aides) brief him properly? Was there a pre-summit debriefing between the president and his handlers?

    To avoid a reoccurrence in the future, some analyst say the president should take a briefing on global etiquettes. Others suggest that he should be shielded from unnecessary (global) exposure. On the latter option, Nigerians, they say, elected Buhari for just one reason: to fight corruption and that as such, he has no business cat-walking on the runaways of every international airport. President Buhari, they say, should get into the trenches to deal with corrupt Nigerians instead of making every international summit. Witness the bizarre counsels to the leader of Africa’s most important country and Africa’s largest economy, indeed Africa’s most populous nation in the proportion of three Nigerians in every five Africans.

    In my view, such counselling are coming because Nigerians were dazed by the presidential slips but that does not warrant the resort to presidential recoil. Of course, Nigeria must continue to showcase our handsome president with the great poise. I am sure every Nigerian was quite proud to see President Buhari in the crowd of other world leaders, his magisterial gait and elegance. There was this particular photograph where the president was alighting from an open vehicle and I recall one lady saying “Waoo, This president!”

    On a more serious note, however, Nigerians are willing to give a pass mark to President Buhari on the things he has done so far at the domestic front. At least his attitude to the issue of the emergence of principal officers of the 8th National Assembly gives him not less than a B+. Still, go to the international arena he must. There are so many things to go and talk about abroad. For one, the nation’s economy is so bad that it needs no exaggeration to state that Nigeria needs a bailout from the international community at least for the next one or two years. And it is not what the president can do from Daura. So, while I disagree that the President should stay put at home and like in 1984 begin to put former governors to jail, there is one thing he must do: he should repudiate the “I belong to nobody…” mantra. In my view, President Buhari has to belong to somebody.

    President Buhari has to make himself available. He has to work with Nigerians. Of course, I disagree with those who blame his aides. With my little exposure to top political office holders, most principals get only the advice or assistance they want to have. Most principals, in the Nigerian context, put up body language that freezes all good intentions from their aides. I hear the president is an easy going man but my fear is that he may still be operating with the same mindset as when he was running for his present office. Majority of Nigerians saw him as stand-offish and a fellow with a “you-can-go-to-hell” disposition.

    An example was when the issue of his academic certificate arose. Yes, the election was won and lost but the truth is that Nigerians did not like the seeming arrogance with which he handled the matter. He had referred INEC officials to the military authorities when the latter asked for his academic credentials. Granted that Nigerians did not buy the talk that he had no certificate to show, not a few were piqued by that attitude because that was another way of telling Nigerians that he owed them no explanation. My hunch is that President Buhari might not have asked his handlers for a pre-summit briefing. To be quite candid, I do not buy the idea that he should not at his age bother about certain things. For goodness’ sake, he now has to.

    In my article, titled “Igbo Did Not Make A Mistake on 2015” published a few days after the presidential election, I argued that most Igbo did not vote for the then president-to-be because he was not properly presented to them. General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB then) now President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), as some newspapers now write, was wrongly packaged: as a religious fanatic, a Boko Haram supporter and a fellow who did not possess the minimum educational requirement for the office he was looking for. Going by his body language then, it seemed all that did not matter to the then GMB.

    Now as PMB, my fear is that he is yet to believe that he has to make himself to be truly or better understood by the people. His fabled anti-corruption disposition notwithstanding, President Buhari has to know that what he can achieve in that regard will be largely dependent on the extent Nigerians understand him. “I belong to nobody…” is too vague for the social and economic milieu Nigerians currently find themselves in. A dog owned communally usually dies of hunger.