The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • What has the word availed Nigeria?

    Since, The Nation berthed on July 31, 2006, it has grown into a household name in news venture in the country. While some dailies have made one or two of the economy, commerce and crime their foci, the paper’s forte has always been politics. Can this be faulted? Hardly. Is not politics the determiner of who gets what, where, when and how across ages and climes? Is not politics the driver of the economy, commerce and crime in an inextricably twined web of statistical interconnectivities? What aspect of our national life in Nigeria deserves better attention than that which has enabled self-anointed/appointed stakeholders across space and time more than a fair share of the proverbial national cake?

    Given such a situation as we lament daily and for the change we all crave, what have The Nation’s inimitable wordsmiths and others in some other news-based establishments not said that need to be re-said. Despite efforts of the Wole Soyinkas and now late Chinua Achebes, what has the word really offered Nigeria, a nation where milk and honey literally flow but where facts and truth have merged to affirm a minimum of 9 in every 10 of its citizens as living the unliveable and enduring the unendurable. Such horrifying litany of award-winning oddities the whole luckless lot daily endure!

    In spite of its 160 million population and a gargantuan wealth, petrol and non-petrol, electricity supply has remained far less than 10 per cent required capacity, and this after the billions of dollars sunk into revamping the energy sector; importation the only significant source of supply of petroleum products in a country in which the crude was discovered over 50 years ago; infrastructural facilities, including road and rail network, entirely fallen with no appreciable efforts at reversals.

    The hospitals, including so-called first rate tertiary ones, barely fortified to muster beyond primary roles of minimal diagnosis and drug dispensing;

    inflation at double digit and cost of staple foods infernally intolerable for a masses pummelled by a concourse of unfriendly measures by a federal admiralty that seems located in the moon.

    How can we have improved electricity, roads, rail system, education and health system, reformed police/revamped and redirected security system, reduced poverty, maternal/child/infant mortality/morbidity and desirable social security payments for the elderly and the teeming unemployed Nigerians when the proverbial national cake must go in slices to placate the ever ravenous

    gluttony of only the political leadership!

    What better explanation for the vanishing trillions and the under-performing economy between our so-called young democracy and our malformed hearts? Should we as Nigerians not begin to question the ages of socio-economic dislocations which fertilised foundations for the emergence of the Boko Haram?

    A recent comment by Joel Brinkley, former correspondent of the New York Times, was meant to be a stinker which failed to stink being too familiar. Opening his write-up on a piece he titled “Nigeria’s squandered opportunity”, Joel explained how 17 well-fortified ambulances meant to service only President Goodluck Jonathan during health and other emergences which had lain unused months in front of his office vanished into thin air just after being exposed through a newspaper photo publication.

    This is, according to him, while most healthcare centres in the country’s localities cannot afford ambulances and lacking in other basic enablement; despite a daily earning of 224 million dollars from oil.

    One seems needlessly worried to realise why it has always been Nigeria’s so-called leaders who see bloom/hope where doom/gloom reside; why it has always been the Minister of Finance who sees the economy performing and Gross Domestic Products (GDP) on the rise when an extreme majority can hardly manage one square (meaningful and health giving) meal on an average day!

    Remember, the now jaded conclusions of researchers and economists that majority of Africans live below the poverty line as they (on average) subsist on less than one dollar (about N180) a day. Really? But, I know single mothers whose entire family of four (mother and three children) live on less than N400 a day!

    Our leaders contend the health sector is comparable to any other while they, the purveyors of power, would junket to America, Germany and India each time they have headaches and other vamped emergencies. How can we believe our lives are not cheap when police bullets and trucks are sending us in scores to undeserved graves daily? Our courts have become punishment centres for ‘small mortals’ while the ‘big fishes’ who daily purloin the trillions off the common till in turns remain not just untouched but even better protected with state might!

    That lone woman, Ruth Adehwe Aweto, former head of the Federal Cooperative College, Eleyele, Ibadan in Oyo State and her lieutenant, are currently in jail for inflating the college’s staff figures. Yet, those who have stolen nearly Nigeria’s entire mint still strut the streets as free men.

    As the mortars maul the supposed insurgents, as the streets of Kano, Maiduguri, Sokoto and Kaduna are plastered in the blood of the enemies of the state, properly so-called, Nigeria’s political leadership should admit significant responsibility for the errors which engendered the mutation of humans to vampires. Indeed, from the famished jungles of Ibadan/Lagos, the despoiled creeks of Bayelsa/Rivers to the arid wastes of Sokoto/Kaduna, poverty, in its virulent consumptive power, has neither distinguished in colour nor spared in content. We must just admit there is a Boko Haram in waiting in one form or another across other settings in Nigeria’s much raped landscape!

    Yes, only a deeper-going and genuine overhaul of the traditional conduct of governance by governments in our country can meaningfully reverse the hate-filled atmosphere that we have today. But, is government attuned to such alerts and ready to do the needful? Messages seem to have been cast overboard alongside the messengers. Baby and birth water useless? The word might not have failed Nigeria but Nigeria has failed the word. In spite of ages of robust messaging through pre-eminent messengers in news dailies, weeklies and in printed forms of higher hues, Nigeria remains in flux and fixated: governance in shambles, corruption, which defines wilful defilement of essences, the commonest quality of public officials. Nigeria’s seems to be the story of the aberrant son whose conducts consistently inverse wise counsels of his father. Our figures (both petro-trillions and sheer population) have not affected our fortune: our politics is for poverty. We lament devaluation when we cannot produce common bolt; we complain of inflation when we have not learned how not to be fed by others. We talk of hoisting a satellite when we cannot fly common balloon!

    Most entities (where transparency in governance is a fixed certitude, where life counts and excesses bridled by impartial laws) have moved to the computer age and beyond when we have not entered even the machine age, a necessary start for masters of the art and science of survival in a world of competition.

    Our democracy has been a demon which only consolidates our location in the worlds of the undeveloped. Lo, what has the word availed Nigeria, a country where everything is available but where nothing is on offer? How really can the word be made to work for the country? How can politics be tuned to the cause of hope for the teeming disoriented 90 per cent? How can this country be steered away from a steady and predictable slide into an Egyptian/Tunisian Hobbesian status. Now nasty and brutish with all auguries of long and consistently sought cataclysm, life has stopped just of being entirely short here. The messengers may have to recast strategies if Nigeria must work.

  • Call to the great people of Borno

    When the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) dashed to Maiduguri recently, it had two major assignments at hand. The forum under the leadership of the Elder statesman Alhaji Maitama Sule, the Dan Mansani Kano and the former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations came to commiserate with the people on the unfortunate Baga bloody incident that claimed lives and property; it also came to charge them to arise in unison and restore Borno back to its glorious era.

    At two separate meetings with the Borno State Elders forum (BSEF) under the leadership of elder statesman Shettima Ali Monguno and with Governor Kashim Shettima, the NEF reminded the governor and the elders of the leadership role Borno has played especially in the north and the landmarks, glories and honour it has brought to the sub region in the past that still subsists today. The NEF charged both the governor and the elders of Borno to belt up notwithstanding the prevailing security challenges to restore Borno back to its enviable status.

    Even, before the coming of NEF to Borno, Governor Kashim Shettima has been consistent in making the case for the unity of Borno people to fight the monster of insurgency threatening the foundation of the state in particular and indeed, the north and Nigeria in general.

    Now the great question: What is that Borno past glory and leadership role that continue to agitate, reverberate, and prick the mind?

    The Saifawa, (descendants of the Arabian hero Saif Bin Dhi Yazan) established a dynasty in Borno’s Kanem region around the eighth century and their rule lasted for nearly a thousand years. The Saifawa introduced Islam and consolidated it by the 11th century during the reign of Mai Uma Jilmi. Borno’s glorious history began in its Kanem region and this glory reached its peak in Borno region of the Great Caliphate of Borno that was a united entity comprising the two major provinces. The summit of Borno’s civilization was celebrated in Birnin Gazargamo, the famous Borno capital that became a centre of learning, an international melting pot.

    Gazargamo’s establishment in the late 14th century by Mai Ali Gaji marked a historical place in Borno’s international status as a Muslim Caliphate that resisted all efforts to displace it. In the ninth century, an international change of dynasty took place when El-Kanemi dynasty in Kukawa was established by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Amin-El-Kanemi (better known as Laminu), a scholar of vast learning and military skills who successfully defended Borno Caliphate from foreign invasion. His descendants who remained the rulers of El-Kanemi dynasty are called Shehus and their traditional status of ceremonial kings is still maintained.

    Borno in course of history has witnessed the reign of several world famous rulers like Mai Uma Jilmi, Ali Gaji, Mai Idris Alooma and many others who have made historical landmarks in the course of Borno’s over a millennium of existence. They were kings who were the pride of their followers, leaders who ere honest, learned and loved by their followers.

    Throughout its history, Borno has fostered international contacts and attracted scholars and diplomats to its cities like Gazargamo, Kukawa and others. Borno has established contacts with several important states in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere. It established the first West African Foundation in Egypt, the Ibn Tashid School, where Borno students went to study.

    Historical records indicate that there had existed relationship between Spain and Kanem-Borno in the 14th century and that there was an ambassador of the Emir in Spain at the time. Some of the common Hispano-Borno heritages include the establishment of Islam in both Borno and Spain in the middle Ages and subsequent cultural development like Aljamiado tradition in Spain whose equivalent in Borno is still an important basis of scholarship.

    A significant Borno-Spanish intellectual bond is fostered by poetry of the Spanish scholar Abdurrahman Alfazazi whose Al-Wasial-al-mutagbala is literally revered in Borno State. This masterpiece panegyric forms the basis of the annual celebration that is performed in hundreds of places in Borno in the month of Rubiul-Awal marking the birth of Prophet Mohammed (S.A.S). Indeed it is very common to see many Borno scholars who have committed the text to memory in the recitation sessions of the Wasa’il popularly known as Ishirinva or Madhu. This is a monumental credit to Borno-Spanish relationship and above all to the bond of the course of history.

    The visit to Borno by the Spanish Monarch Juan Carlos Victor Maria de Robon and Queen Sophia in mid December 1986 was a golden opportunity to recall and commemorate the hundreds of years of Hispano-Borno relationship through the intellectual exchange and the common heritages since the Middle Ages lasting to the present.

    The first official visit outside Nigeria of the current Shehu of Borno Abubakar Garbai to Turkey is a reminder of Borno historical and diplomatic exploits.

    Geidam had an ancient history having inherited the glories of the great Saifawa city of Birnin Gazargamo. It was a centre of scholarship where scholars from the Maghrib al-Aqsa, the Nile valley and central Bilad al-Sudan converged in search of knowledge. They brought with them the ancient literature of classic Arabic, the history of Islam and the Muslim civilization. To this city, many scholars have brought with them the knowledge of Al-Azhar and the Kushite civilization. Education, scholarship and learning have therefore been a very long history in this city.

    Right from the emergence of Birni to the present day Yerwa, Borno’s position had been very outstanding in the field of Qur’anic or Islamic learning. There were names like Shehu Tar Geroma of Birni, or Shettima Ngalloma of Kukawa or M. Modu Njokkomami of Yerwa, all of whom were reputed to be so well learned that they were believed to be genies in their times. There were also the houses of the famous Imams of Borno whose descendants are among the most respected today. Moving close to our time, we have had people like Goni Zarami of Mafoni, Alhaji Baba of Hausari, Alhaji Mustapha Shehu Ajabe of Limanti, Alhaji Mohammed Abba Aji and Alhaji Idrisa Khadi all of blessed memory. This is not to mention Shehu Laminu himself. Among the living Malams who still hold the forts are Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh of Gwange, Sayinna Bukar El-Meskeen of Shehuri North, Alhaji Bashir of Fezzan, Sayinna Goni Umar Kaltummi of Budum, who makes very significant contributions to public enlightenment in the field of Islamic education.

    It was the commendable efforts of traders in Borno that enabled the province to occupy an enviable place in Northern Nigeria, indeed in Nigeria, in the 1950s and the 1960s. By the late 1950s and early 1960s many (about 50%) of the Permanent Secretaries, Residents/Provisional secretaries and other senior civil servants and professionals throughout Northern Nigeria were of Borno origin. It was the good leadership quality demonstrated by the Shehus, Emirs, Councillors, Districts heads and Heads of Department that produced the famous Mohammed Lawans, the Ahmed Talibs, the Bukar Shuaibs, the Umaru Shehus, the Damchides, the Dagashes, the Liman Ciromas, the Gujubawus, the Al-Ghazalis, the Ghaji Ghaltimaris, the Ma’aji Shettimas, the Kukawas, the Kyari Sandabes, Mahmud Ahmads and a host of them, all men of outstanding qualities, for the Federal, Regional, Provincial and Native Authority Civil Service.

    Some of the pioneers and best-trained Nigerian military officers came from Borno. These were the Zakariya Marimalaris, the Kur Mohammeds, the Largemas, the Mohammed Shuwas, etc. Also, the first best-trained police officers came from Borno. These include the Kam Salems the Mamman Maiduguris etc. There were also top Veterinary and Agricultural officers such as the Zarma Gogorams. There were top class, indeed world-class broadcasters like the Dunguses and the Abba Zorus. There were good lawyers such as the Shettima Liberties, as well as judges such as Mohammed Kaumi Kolos and of cause the Kyari Gadzamas.

    In the political arena, Borno produced top class, dedicated and single-minded politicians at federal, regional and provincial/divisional levels. These include Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the first and only indigenous Governor of Northern Nigeria, the Shettima Ali Mongunos, the Zanna Bukar Dipcharimas, the Waziri Ibrahims, the Ibrahim Imams, the Abba Habibs, the Ibrahim Bius, the Abdullahi Ndagaras and later, the Gonis, the Babagana Kingibes, the Shettima Mustaphas, and the Hassan Yusufs, etc.

    There were also famous educationalists such as the Hayatu Jeres, the Shettima Pindars, the Idrisa Khadis, the Mailafiya Shanis, the Slaihu Warkes, the Abba Rahas, the Captain Mahmuds, the Waziri Dikwas, the Ibrahim Geidams, the Sanda Dikwas, the Buba Chekenes, etc. Side-by-side are also top-level intellectuals like the Nur Alkalis, the Kyari Tijjanis, Njidas Gadzamas, Mahdi Bukars, etc. These people devoted their entire lives to serving people.

    Apart from the top administrators, politicians, intellectuals, educationalists, agriculturalists and health officers produced by Borno, there were also numerous middle level officials in many fields of human endeavour who worked in various parts of Nigeria. Most of them served with distinction.

  • The Lagos residents registration initiative

    Society has become more mobile and the information held electronically about persons and services by government agencies and other bodies have substantially increased. There is a growing need to integrate the residents of Lagos State into e-government initiatives to enable the services provided by government to be fully utilized and also provide an accurate picture for government policy and planning.

    The Lagos State Residents Registration initiative has the potential to address key challenges facing e-government and other initiatives. Various e-government initiatives have been enabled to collect electronic data and each operates autonomous of each other. To provide a more accurate picture for government policies and planning, a link must be established between these various stores of data.

    It is with a view to institutionalizing this process that the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency, LASRRA, was established in 2011 by an enactment of state law, by which it was fully empowered to implement a residents database and identification card program for Lagos State.

    The goals of the agency include, establishing a reliable and updateable database of all residents of Lagos State, providing useful information for social, political, business and financial activities, creating and documenting a unique means of identification of Lagos State residents, providing a highly secured identification card for all residents of the State and removing the veil of anonymity from every citizen of the state

    The Residents Register is an electronic database, currently being developed by LASRRA which contains demographic information of all residents of the state. It is a governmental, centralized, trustworthy and comprehensive source of information that would assist the state government with decision-making process and allocation of resources as it contains important and vital information about residents of the state.

    On the other hand, the residency card is an electronic means of identification and authentication that LASRRA undertakes to issue to all residents of the state. Using sophisticated technological features, the residency card is a safe means of identification of persons and verification of their identities. It contains a unique reference number (residency number) that links every individual to his/her own personal and biological data. The residency number serves as a reference for the respective individual in his/her identity-proved transactions with government bodies.

    It is instructive to stress that the card is produced and issued at no cost to all residents while registration is equally done free of charge to all residents.

    The residency card is a safe and precise means of personal authentication and identification. Its primary aim is to make it easier for the card holder to obtain all governmental and non-governmental services in the future. Among the most important benefits and features of the card are enhanced sense of belonging, protection of identity, ease and convenience and providing an integral database. The residency card is primarily designed for the administration of the services that the Lagos State government provides for the people that reside in the state. Its objective is to enable efficiency in the allocation of resources to meet the needs of the people. Using the contact details provided at the time of registration, all those that have registered and their cards are ready for collection, will be notified by SMS to collect their cards at the LASRRA LG/LCDA office nearest to their place of residents.

    It should be emphasized that biometrics simplifies identity verification as the 10 fingerprints, signature and face image of residents are captured as part of the registration process. A challenge for residents, mostly the needy, is the lack of documentation to establish their identity. Once these residents enroll for an identity number linked to their biometrics, they can afterward confirm their identity multiple times, anywhere in the state and to any agency, by providing their demographic details or biometric scan.

    It is important to accentuate that every one that is currently residing in the state is required to register. Once you have been residing in the state for six months or more, you are eligible to register. This registration would, henceforth, be a prerequisite to accessing the services provided by Lagos State government for its residents. In cases of people relocating from one place in Lagos to another, it must be stressed that people must be responsible for their own data and it is their responsibility to ensure that their data is up to date. If not, when accessing government services and there are discrepancies they will be sent back to update their data.After registration, quality checks are done followed by correction processes (where required). The data is then sent to the database, where the data undergoes various stages of screening and validations. This ensures that the source of data is authenticated ensuring that no duplicate exists. After which, the resident unique identification number is generated.In case of any errors, the record goes on hold for further enquiry. Corrective actions are taken on such as contacting the applicant via the contact information given. This may take over five weeks to resolve.If a card needs to be replaced due to loss, theft or change of information, the resident should contact any of the registration stations across the state and make a request.

    However, as earlier stated, the first residency card is provided free of charge, subsequent cards may be at a charge. For clarification purpose, the registration exercise does not confer any status other than that the card holder at the time of registration resides in the state and it is not an attempt to discriminate against non-Lagos indigenes as it is open to everyone that lives in Lagos State, irrespective of ethnic origin, nationality, religious affiliation, age etc. Till date, the initiative has been able to create over 1,000 jobs for the pilot scheme. In preparation for the commencement of its statutory responsibility of registering the residents of Lagos State, LASRRA organized a one day open forum for public and civil servants in the state. The purpose of the forum was to further enlighten the citizens about the project as well as share views with them.

    Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was represented at the event by the State Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, said that his administration will continue to make itself accessible to the general public through regular such public engagements.

    On a final note, let me stress, once again, that the main purpose of the resident registration initiative is to ensure proper planning as well as efficient allocation of the state’s scarce resources. It should not be misconstrued as census.

     

  • Open letter to Opeyemi Bamidele

    Open letter to Opeyemi Bamidele

    Frustrated that a chance encounter with you was irritatingly turning into a protracted waiting game, I have decided to breach communication protocols and confidential niceties by communicating with you through this unorthodox channel. I can assure you my intentions were noble, honest and sincere. I never wanted any third party intervention but if it happens that this exchange degenerates to that level, the burden of public involvement should be borne by you having decided to be a public personality through your representation of the people of Ekiti Central at the House of Representatives.

    Different stories of strange happenings that I have read and heard about NIPOST would not let me move near that courier agency with a long pole. I therefore had no mischief for anointing the public with a disclosure that was meant to be strictly confidential. Kindly accept my explanation for this minor infraction. However, I expect people to show some decorum by not meddling into the affairs of two friends simply because one has employed this unorthodox medium to communicate with the other.

    I am discussing the state of Ekiti and its war of attritions. By this time next year, the governorship election in Ekiti would be in process. From what is on ground as at today you are determined to contest for the gubernatorial office with Kayode Fayemi, the incumbent. This is the crux of the matter. My intervention, which is personal, is to see how we can manage aspirations and ambitions without destroying fraternities. One of the reasons for employing this ‘column factor’ channel was that most of the members of the fraternities-Great Ife and the Tinubu Boys-that had discussed the Bamidele-Fayemi rift with me told me that all propitiatory overtures made to you were rebuffed. While I am not counting on any special relationship with you to guarantee a breakthrough, I believe that my intervention may be useful in the pool of various constructive preachments you would have received since the whole saga started.

    The genesis of the crisis is unfortunate. Three of you, Dele Alake, Femi Ojudu and you, all from the same Tinubu fraternity, wanted to be senator for Ekiti Central. The governor, also from the same group, found himself in a dilemma. Expectedly, there were intrigues, button-pressing, politicking, intensive lobbying, primordial sentiments and other things that politicians do. Finally, one intrigue outplayed the others. One interest was more important than the others. And Femi Ojudu, who eventually became the senator, was favoured. Dele Alake was furious. He withdrew from the contest. You were bitter but you never withdrew. You fought till it was obvious there was nothing to fight for again. Disturbed and worried by the implications of your exclusion and abandonment, the elders pacified you with the House of Representatives slot that was meant for another person. You collected it with unctuous pretension and concealed animosity against the elders and the governor.

    Let me make it clear to you that I was bitter too. Not because it did not go to you but because, of the three of you, only Dele Alake was not compensated or pacified with any political office. And I expressed this in a piece I did on the issue. For a long time, Dele felt betrayed and abandoned. But trust Asiwaju, he found a way to pacify him and explain things to him. Now, he is back into the fold.

    My dear friend, I ask: why is it so difficult for you to embrace reconciliation? I am asking because at this stage when all hands should be on deck for Fayemi’s re-election, efforts and energies are still being wasted in getting you to suspend your aspiration and extend your support to the governor in this battle against a common foe.

    From the body language of the governor, I know he is unfazed and unruffled about your stance and posturing but I am. Regardless of his confidence, Fayemi’s campaign machinery for re-election cannot operate with the same focus and effectiveness for as long as there are distractions from a “competitor within”. Why should you be the one to distract the governor of your party whose performance had been commended by all and sundry, indigenes and non-indigenes, scholars and illiterates men and women, children and adults and non-partisan assessors. Your present stance is sending wrong signals to the opponents and what do you gain if posterity records you as one of those who sabotaged the progress and goodwill of the party in Ekiti State?

    My dear friend, forget politics and tell me the truth if Ekiti, your state, was like this three years ago. In Unife in those days, when you were campaigning for Student Union election, one statement you made that won you a deafening ovation was this exuberant phrase: “I am a revolutionary who wants to revolutionise a revolutionary revolution”. Even though this did not make any sense and still does not make any grammatical sense, the rhythm alone and the word “revolutionary” was enough to send some hysteric students of little contents into frenetic jubilation.

    If you want me to tell you the truth, your letter to Fayemi after the landmark judgment of May 31, by the Supreme Court, should have been an opportunity for you to end all the suspense game about your ‘ambition’ or ‘aspiration’ and extend a hand of friendship to the government of Ekiti State. But instead, you were appealing for amnesty for looters of the State treasury. When did revolutionaries start indulging in absolution for rogues and looters. When did revolutionaries and reactionaries become dizygortic twin? A revolutionary advocating amnesty for looters of public treasury is not only putting his integrity in jeopardy, his own activities should also be subject to scrutiny to determine the credibility and sincerity of his revolutionary ministration.

    Even if you wanted to play ‘statesman’, was that an appropriate moment to do it? People were rejoicing and jubilating that God had at last vindicated the just and the righteous, you were preaching reconciliation with enemies of the government. If you were after genuine reconciliation of friends and foes, why did you not start it by reconciling with the governor openly and truthfully. You preached reconciliation but you failed to act it.

    Have you sat down to calculate the political cost of your uncooperative attitude to the Ekiti governor? If against all your expectations and calculations, the governor goes ahead to win the re-election without your support, what damage will that do to your political rating and overestimated ego? I have not carried out any study on you and your group to be able to determine your popularity empirically, but I am warning that you do not underestimate the capacity of others to diminish your political machine. You almost caused confusion with your “amnesty for rogues” appeal. At a stage, a spokesman for the government said the government had handed all treasury looters to GOD to deal with them. There must have been a spontaneous outrage by the people because in less than 24 hours, the government denied it saying that there was no truth in the story. It stated in a statement: “the administration would not drop the plan to probe the Segun Oni administration because doing so would give others corrupt persons the leeway to embezzle government fund”

    Though as a Christian I believe in forgiveness, this should not be extended to looters of state funds whose serial frauds and misappropriations have brought misery and hardship into many homes. Many have also died because of their criminal engagements. So, if a revolutionary like you is now canvassing for amnesty for rogues, what then becomes of the revolution?

    Another critical look at the statement you made in Ife during your campaign tends to suggest that “you will undo the revolution that a revolutionary has done. Please read it again to see the import. I hope you are not acting it. People have tagged what Fayemi is doing in Ekiti a revolution. So, that makes him a revolutionary. If you now want to “revolutionise a revolutionary revolution”, does that not suggest that you want to undo what he has done? That statement was made some 28 years ago, but your present attitude is giving it some prophetic relevance.

    You may be wondering how you can fulfill your aspiration if you do not go for it now. You need some patience, my brother. The goodwill you have now and the will of God for you are all the ingredients you need to realise your dream of serving your people as a governor. That is why you should not fritter away your present goodwill in your haste to serve the people. This is a period when you should be consolidating and building on your political leverage within and outside Ekiti. If you fail to suspend your ambition for the re-election of the incumbent who is a member of your party and it affects the fortunes of the party in anyway, there is no way it will not affect your political career in the future. In our haste to fulfill our ambitions, we must be guided by the stories of men in history who raced and rose to power through intrigues and traitorous conspiracies but ended up becoming villains of history because of their downward trajectories.

    Godhas been very good to you. Since you returned from “exile” in America in 1999, you have been occupying one political office or the other. You moved from Special Assistant to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to become one of his commissioners. And for almost 10 years you were a commissioner in Lagos state which is not even your state of origin. You occupied a position of a commissioner for that long not because the state did not have qualified people to occupy that office but because both the political leadership and the indigenes of the state created a conducive atmosphere and environment for you to function unhindered. It is worrisome and strange that in your own state you found it difficult to work with the government in power despite the fact that you are from the same party. Strong societies are built with the collective spirit and character of their citizens. But here in Nigeria, building a national spirit and character is a major problem because of some peculiar ironies. Overwhelmed by our collective iniquities, the foundation of the nation is further weakened by the irrationalities and eccentricities of parvenus who have suddenly developed a jumped-up mentality that makes it possible for social reprobates to place the nation under a virtual siege.

    If indeed it was the Senatorial issue that caused the rift between you and the governor, I am enjoining you to forgive and forget and cooperate with the government in order to consolidate the revolution that Fayemi had started in Ekiti. When a “revolutionary” distances himself from the revolution of another revolutionary, it shows that there is misjudgment or misperception about the identity of the revolution we are talking about. In that case, we need to make some conceptual clarification. Is the revolution the type that brings total change to a system or the type that accommodates those who are the targets of the revolution thus polluting the system further through some strange political alignment and corruptible integration. The former seems to enjoy universal acceptability while the latter appears more of a political contraption developed from unconscionable prebendalism and philanthropic opportunism.

    I accidentally came across a copy of “The Mirror”, a campus journal you edited in Ife along with people like Bunmi Oyewole, Ajayi Owoseni, Sola Bolomope, Tayo Alabi, Sumbo Agbaje, Olumide Adeyinka, Debo Olagunju, Kehinde Bamigbetan, Raji Ahmed and Biodun Owonikoko. It was a product of an amateur bunch because it carried no date and volume number. I found it very interesting, not the contents, but the collection of people on the Editorial Board who are now influential and powerful members of the Nigerian State. Then, the editorial caught my attention. It was an appeal to the students body that seemed to be in disarray at that time to come together to fight a common enemy-the federal government which was contemplating the introduction of school fees.

    Let me copy and paste the conclusion of the editorial titled: “Onward Match: As The Storm Settles” to see if it is a food for thought in this Fayemi’s scenario: “Having viewed the past and the present, “The Mirror” now appeals to those still in war mood to ‘kulu temper”. The survival of our union is paramount over and above other interests. Now that it is confirmed that the FMG intends to introduce fees next session, it will only be in the best interest of the enemies of Nigerian students to meet our house in disorder and disunity. In the words of Balarabe Musa ‘we are living in times of great changes, the old order is fast crumbling, giving way to new opportunities, it is our responsibilities to understand these new opportunities and utilise them for human progress”. Let’s bury the hatchet and move forward was the final admonition of the editorial which you signed as the editor-in-chief. I rest my case.

  • Spooks, kidnappers and saviour Obama

    Spooks, kidnappers and saviour Obama

    In an attempt to apprehend the 30 year old American whistleblower, Edward Snowden, a plane that was carrying the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, was diverted to Austria on its way back to Bolivia from Russia. France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, based on intelligence reports from the Americans, closed their airspace to the plane because they believed that Snowden was on it and that he was being secretly smuggled back to Bolivia.

    This was a plane that was part of the Bolivian state’s Presidential fleet and that was carrying the President of that country. Bolivia is a sovereign state which is not at war with anyone. This act was not only grossly disrespectful to the Bolivian state but it also violated international law and all the norms and rules of international diplomacy and decency. It was a clear breach of the Vienna Convention on international flights which says that the aircraft of the leader of any sovereign state has immunity and cannot be treated in such a manner. To make matters worse the Presidential plane was searched and President Morales, by his own words, was treated as if he were nothing more than a ”common criminal”. I would have to agree with the Bolivian Vice President that in actual fact Morales was actually ”kidnapped by America, her European allies and the forces of imperialism”.

    He was eventually released and allowed to fly home but up until then President Morales was holed up at the airport in Vienna for no less than nine hours even though it immediately became clear to all that Snowden was not on his plane. This was a truly shameful episode. When the Americans and their allies treat leaders from the smaller and weaker nations of the world in such a way simply because those nations and those leaders have stood up for truth and justice and have resisted their ignoble quest to persecute the innocent and conquer the world it diminishes us all.

    From this incident alone it ought to be clear to every right-thinking and discerning person that America, under President Barack Obama, is a nation that has literally been driven mad by its own paranoia and obsessions and that is completely drunk on power. Their ultimate objective is to control the entire world and to impose their will on each and every one of us.

    I commend the courage of those truly progressive nations and leaders that have condemned the Americans and their allies on this issue, that have defied American imperialism and that have stood up for Snowden for exposing the illegal and immoral acts of the Obama administration. These nations include Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba and a number of other Carribean and Latin American countries. I also commend some of the key figures from the political left in Ireland, France, Germany and a number of other European countries and Julian Assange’s Wikileaks organistation for standing by Snowden as well and I commend Russia and China for refusing to hand him over to America. The Scandanavian nation of Iceland has gone even further in their support for Snowden than any other by actually considering and debating the possibility of conferring him with Icelandic citizenship even though he has never set his foot on their soil and even whilst he is still in hiding in Russia. It is the courage of those world leaders that are strong enough and that have cultivated the fortitude, the resolve, the decency and the humanity to rise up to the occassion, to stand up for the weak and defenceless and to look the American bully in the eye and say ”thus far and no further” that keeps the rest of us going.

    Yet the revelations of the excesses the American state did not stop there. During the course of the week they were also caught spying on some of their own European friends. The fact that the American National Security Agency (aka ”No Such Agency”) have bugged the telephones and internet activities of government officials, government buildings and foreign embassies of their closest allies in the world was brought to the attention of the international community. The Europeans, quite rightly, have not taken the matter lightly. The reaction of the French President, Francois Hollande, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has been one of absolute outrage and each and every one of them have wholeheartedly condemned the behaviour of the Americans in very harsh terms. They even went as far as to suggest that this matter could affect the massive deal on trade that the two economic powerhouses were about to begin negotiations on. All these illegal acts and dark secrets by the American state were exposed by Edward Snowden’s revelations about the new PRISM system that the Obama administration is now using to spy on every single individual that has a phone and that is on the internet and every government in the world.

    The implications of this are frightful and obvious to even the dullest amongst us. It sounds like a scene from George Orwell’s book titled ”1984”. And frankly speaking it is disgraceful. Such is the angst that even the most powerful intellectuals and true patriots in America itself such as the celebrated author Professor Naom Chomsky and the reverred film producer Oliver Stone have condemned it. On July 4th at the Karlovy Vay International Film Festival Oliver Stone said ”it is a disgrace that Obama is more concerned with hunting down Snowden than reforming these George Bush-style eavesdropping techniques. To me Snowden is a hero because he revealed secrets that we should all know,that the United States has repeatedly violated the fourth amendment. He should be welcomed and offered asylum but he has no place to hide because every country is intimidated by the United States.This should not be. This is what is wrong with the world today. And it is very important that the world recognises and gives asylum to Snowden. Everyone in the world is impacted by the United States’ Big Brother attitude towards the world. We need countries to say no to the United States”. These are courageous words spoken by a true American patriot. And in my view he is absolutely right. Where are the defenders of America and the Obama-lovers now? Will they seek to defend this illegal, despicable and treacherous act of the Americans who have shown that they are prepared to go as low as to spy on even their own allies as well? I say shame on them and kudos to Snowden. He has exposed the illegal and indefensible acts of the American state and he has proved to the world that they seek to secretly watch, monitor and record the activities of every single non-American on the planet. It is left to the rest of us to either resign our fate to God and accept it sheepishly or to resist it as best as we can with our loud protests until we get our privacy and our security back. I am deeply encouraged by the fact that even our very own President Goodluck Jonathan was also taken aback by this appauling spying scandal and that, through one of his officials, he actually cultivated the courage to ”warn the Americans” about their unacceptable excesses and spying ways.

    This brings me to the issue of Obama’s visit to Africa. There can be little doubt that when President George W. Bush was in power he did a lot for Africa with his President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (PEPFAR) initiative which pumped in millions of dollars that saved the lives of millions of Africans and protected them from aids. He also provided more financial aid and grants to African countries than any American President that ever came before him and he supported Nigeria’s bid for debt relief and and debt cancellation between 2005 and 2007. Quite apart from that he fully implemented the provisions of the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) which helped African businesses to grow, created jobs and wealth and reduced poverty on our continent by opening up the lucrative American market to some of our consummer and agricultural products. These are just some of the things that George W. Bush did for Africa. By way of contrast President Barack Obama has done next to nothing for us and has in fact dramatically reduced American aid, trade and support for our continent.

    It is ironic that Bush, who has no links with Africa and who is a conservative Republican, did so much for us whilst Obama, who is of African descent and who is a liberal Democrat, has done very little. Other than a relatively paltry pledge of 7 billion USD for the generation of power on a continent which is home to over 500 million people and in which there are 53 independent countries, the only things that Obama appears to want to export to Africa are “homosexual rights”, “same sex marriage”, “same sex parenting”, drones and drone bases, AFRICOM and the PRISM spying system. His utter disdain and contempt for Nigeria in particular, though cleverly veiled, is interesting and significant. Despite our size, our standing and our relative strength on the African continent he has snubbed us twice on his two visits to Africa by not coming here. Worse still he has simply refused to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation even though they have butchered no less than 5000 Nigerians in the last two years and even though he has put a bounty on the heads of three of it’s leaders. Why the contradiction? If the leaders of Boko Haram are terrorists then surely the whole organisation is a terrorist one as well. Had Boko Haram been responsible for the deaths of even one American anywhere in the world I have little doubt that the following day they would have been officially designated terrorists by the Obama administration. Yet that courtesy has not been extended to us even though thousands of our people have been slaughtered by that same organisation in just two years. The question is why the double standards? Is our blood not red as well? Are our lives not as important as that of others? If Al Shabab in East Africa, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in Algeria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Al Qaeda in the north African Sahel and in the Middle East, the Mehdi Army in Iraq, Abu Sayyaf in the Phillipines, the Janjaweed in the Sudan, the Lords Resistance Army in Uganda, Hamas in Gaza, Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, the Islamic International Brigade in Chechnya and the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan are labelled as terrorist organisations by the Americans then why is Boko Haram of Nigeria exempt from that same label? These are just some of the contradictions of Barack Obama when it comes to his policies and attitude to Nigeria. Yet his attitude towards us is nothing new. Between 2005 and 2007 whilst he was still in the Senate, he was one of the few American senators who openly opposed the campaign for debt relief for our country. Thankfully despite his opposition we still got that debt relief and by 2007 Nigeria had paid off all her foreign debts.

    Yet we are a very generous, forgiving and large-hearted people. Despite Obama’s indifference and his lukewarm attitude towards us the African people generally, and the Nigerian people particularly, continue to idolise him and slobber all over him as if he were the Messiah Himself, citing the fact that he is a black man, that he is ”one of us”, that he has a beautiful pepsodent smile, that he is ”drop-dead gorgeous” and that he is a great orator that delivers brilliant and inspirational speeches as some of their reasons for doing so. Goodness me. What a country and what a people we are! Those that are moved by Obama’s Adonis-like looks and engaging oratory forget that Adolf Hitler delivered beautiful, inspiring and powerful speeches as well and that he was idolised in a similar fashion by the German people until he showed them his true colours. Of course by that time it was too late and 50 million people, including 6 million jews and 20 million Russians, were killed as a consequence of nazi aggression and World War 11. So much for powerful oratory and beautiful speeches.

    For those amongst our people that still insist on fawning over Obama the questions are as follows. Do we have to bring sentiment into everything? When will we be governed by our heads and not by our hearts and our emotions? When will we appreciate the fact that a man ought to be judged by what he does and not by the colour of his skin or by what he says? They say that actions speak louder than words. Is that truism totally lost on us? Some say Obama is the ”saviour of the world” and the greatest thing since sliced bread, yet the same Obama has killed over 4000 innocent women, children and civilians in secret drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last 4 years. This represents a 200 per cent increase in the number of civilians that George W. Bush killed with similar drone attacks in the same area in the period of 8 years.

    The same ”saviour” Obama is supporting the most ruthless brand of wahabbi-inspired, Al Qaeda, islamist, salifist and jihadist forces in Syria who call themselves ”Syrian rebels” but who are in actual fact nothing more than a bunch of heartless and cannibalistic beasts that slaughter women, children, moderate sunni muslims, shia muslims, christians, secularists, priests, nuns, ethnic minorities and anyone else that does not share their barborous world view. They do not just kill their victims but they go a step further by cutting out and eating their hearts, organs and private parts after they have done so in the full glare of television cameras. These ”people” are Obama’s friends.

    As a final pointer saviour Obama has just appointed Ambassador Susan Rice as his very own National Security Advisor. She is the pretty lady that flew to Nigeria and served our very own President-elect MKO Abiola a strange cup of tea at a secret meeting on July 7 1998 after which he coughed violently and dropped dead before her very eyes and at her very feet. Perhaps we should all take a moment to ponder on the implications of that. Saviour Obama must love us very much. With friends like him who needs enemies?

    Permit me to end this contribution with a word on Egypt. Nothing exposes the sheer duplicity, deceit and doublespeak of saviour Obama more than his attitude and words about the tumultous events that occured in Egypt last week. Robert Fisk, the celebrated columnist with the U.K’s Independent Newspaper, captured it all very well in a brilliant article titled ”When A Military Coup Is Not A Military Coup”. He wrote ”For the first time in the history of the world a coup is not a coup. The army take over, depose and imprison the democratically-elected President, suspend the constitution, arrest the usual suspects, close down the television stations and mass their armour in the streets of the capital. But the word ”coup” does not- and cannot- cross the lips of the Blessed Barack Obama”. Fisk has hit the nail on the head. ”Blessed” indeed. May God deliver our world from ”saviour” Obama.

  • The Lagos education reform

    The impact of qualitative education as the strongest weapon to fight poverty and a useful pillar for nation building and economic prosperity cannot be over emphasised. Considering the generally acclaimed status of education in the development of the society, the Fashola Administration has accorded education the attention it deserves.

    An integral part of the state’s educational reform is the EKO Education Project which has been a huge success thus far. The way the project has been adapted to suit the Lagos experience has promoted accountability and openness through its approval of discretional grants by schools. The Eko Education Project enjoyed an unprecedented high rating from the World Bank, which is a partner in the project. One aspect of the Eko Project which is fascinating is the volunteer teachers’ scheme which has injected about 20,520 hours per month into the schools system, an equivalent of 183 full time teachers.

    In its characteristic innovative style of governance, the state government, with a view to involving other stakeholders in the funding of education in the state, instituted the now popular ‘adopt a school policy’. Through this policy, well meaning individuals, corporate organisations, and religious bodies among others are encouraged to pick and develop a school in their choice location.

    Currently, the state government operates free education programme in all public primary and secondary schools across the state. It should also be stressed that Lagos, unlike other states, does not limit its free education programme to only the indigenes. Aside running free education at these levels, the state government has equally invested heavily in the upgrade of infrastructure in public schools in the state through rehabilitation of classrooms, provision of well equipped libraries and laboratories, provision of free text-books, provision of modern teaching devices and other vital school furniture. Till date, the state government has provided over 2,876 new classrooms in the state.

    In order to reduce the financial burdens on parents, the Fashola administration has sustained the payment of the West African Examination Council and the National Examination Council (NECO) for all of SS3 students in public secondary schools in the State as part of the support for education of the people. The special intervention programme for 495 trainee-teachers to assist WASCE candidates with extra coaching was also introduced.

    Similarly, the State Governor recently presented a cheque of N252 Million to 126 junior and senior secondary schools, who have displayed improved performances over a period of time in the first Governor’s Education Award. With the competitiveness that the award will bring into the educational sector, the result would be for the benefit of all stakeholders in Lagos State.

    Despite its huge investment in public primary and secondary education, the state government remains committed to creating an enabling environment where indigent students in the tertiary institutions would not in any way be short-changed. This is being done through periodic increase of bursary awards, scholarship and grants. Equally, government is currently working on the overhauling of facilities at all the state owned tertiary institutions in order to guarantee qualitative education. Guests at the 2200 days event of the state government, which took place at LASU few weeks ago, would readily attest to the fact that a new LASU is presently evolving.

    True democracy cannot exist in a society incapable of supporting the aspirations of its youth, and indeed its people. A truly representative government must be able to create the enabling environment for its citizenry to freely express itself in positive ways so that the diverse potentials of its people could be easily harnessed for growth and development.”

    With the kind of reforms that has been started by the state government through its steadfast focus on upgrade of school infrastructure and teachers’ improvement; a significant progress has undoubtedly been made. However, considering the peculiar challenges of the state, all hands must be on deck for the current tempo to be sustained and further ground covered.

  • How Fashola defines service

    How Fashola defines service

    Rivers State governor Chibuike Amechi and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Godswill Akpabio, who are the leading dramatis personae in the feud which has engulfed the Nigerian Governors Forum since May, have at least one thing in common: they both have private jets. A number of Nigerians seem not have issues with the acquisition of executive jets for the exclusive use of the Rivers and Akwa Ibom governors because both states earn so much revenues from Nigeria’s oil sales. True, these states are reaping fortunes from unearned income or what economists call transfers from the federation account. But neither Rivers nor Akwa Ibom is as rich as Lagos State which makes money from truly productive ventures and regenerative endeavours. Interestingly, the Lagos State governor has no private jet or even a helicopter. And there are no plans to get one in the foreseeable future.

    The stark difference in the lifestyles of the Lagos State governor and his counterparts is no happenstance. It is fundamental. It is revealing of their mindsets. Apart from Peter Obi of Anambra State, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos is the only governor in Nigeria who goes about with no siren blaring away or long motorcades complete with a platoon of fierce-looking and heavily armed security officials. He is the only public officer since the restoration of democratic rule in 1999 who has bluntly refused to accept any kind of award, including the national honour, because of the conviction that honours should be bestowed on office holders only after they have left office. In a country where high office holders use stupendous public resources to bribe and lobby for accolades the Lagos governor has provided us all food for thought.

    Fashola marked his 50th birthday on June 26 and, characteristically, there were no squandering of public funds on any razzmatazz. There is in him a deep belief that every high public officer is a servant of the people, and not their conqueror who must at all times lord it over them. In other words, leadership is all about service. In the language of the Scriptures, the son of man has “come to serve, and not to be served” (Matthew 20:28).

    Very few things illustrate the profound failure of leadership in Nigeria at every level as the rash of private aircraft at our airports in the midst of growing mass misery and collapse of infrastructure as well as ruination of institutions. Whether in the private or public sector, our people equate leadership with ostentation and vanity rather than service and sacrifice. This is why Nigerian evangelical pastors, whose congregations are overwhelmingly poor, would consider it infra dig to fly on anything less than a private jet while the Pope, who leads the world’s biggest and wealthiest church, always travels by Alitalia. Why should the Taraba State governor insist on a private aircraft when American governors, for example, drive themselves to work daily because their states cannot afford to procure the services of official drivers?

    Olusegun Obasanjo, who popularized “low profile” in Nigeria in the 1970s when he was the military Head of State, was regrettably the person who, as Nigeria’s democratically elected president between 1999 and 2007, led an assault against the concept. By the time Obasanjo returned to office in 1999, Peugeot which Obasanjo made the official car from the mid 1970s was still the official brand for public officers. It was assembled in Nigeria. But Obasanjo quickly jettisoned it in favour of Mercedes and very expensive Japanese SUVs imported into Nigeria by a handful of Indian traders and Nigerian merchants. Ministers and state governors followed in his footstep. Consequently, the Peugeot Assembly of Nigeria (PAN) is now moribund, with the local engineers and the other employees and consultants and suppliers out of work.  The same fate befell ANAMCO, the Mercedes truck assembly plant in Enugu.

    In his world famous memoir, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew expresses shock at the sight of presidents of poor nations like Nigeria and Kenya arriving at the 1980 Commonwealth summit in Canada with presidential planes. Some of the African rulers were at the summit to solicit for aid from countries whose leaders came by commercial planes! Not long ago, the King of Swaziland, a tiny and very poor country in the belly of South Africa, insisted before Parliament on the acquisition of a presidential jet, arguing ferociously that he needed it to fly around the world in search of aid for his kingdom which depends on foreign assistance for survival. It does not matter to African rulers like this king that the prime ministers of prosperous nations like the United Kingdom and Singapore have no presidential jets, even though Britain is a major aircraft manufacturer. The Fokker brand, used widely in Nigeria and elsewhere, is British. And Rolls Royce of the UK is a key manufacturer of plane engines worldwide.

    The false consciousness of Nigerian—nay African—rulers is the primary reason why development has over the decades eluded us. Therefore, it gladdens the heart anytime one sees a leader like Fashola who is in a different mould; he is purpose-driven. Fashola understands that leadership is about service to the people, and not self aggrandisement.  His performance in office has been sterling and inspiring. Lagosians, who are historically difficult to govern because of the robust tradition of activism, have been star-struck, charmed. At the President Goodluck Jonathan’s launch of Road Map for Power Sector Reform  at Eko Hotel in Lagos on August 26, 2010, the governor made other top government officials look very unpopular, almost making them cut the image of personae non grata. Immediately Fashola was called upon to speak, the large audience comprising leading entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bank executives, manufacturers, international and local media went into a long frenzy of adulation. The master of ceremonies could not stop the audience. It even took the governor himself time and effort to stop the fawning audience. The first sentence President Jonathan uttered when he got up to speak was “I can see clearly that the people of Lagos State are very happy with their governor”. And the audience responded enthusiastically as one man, “Yes oh!”, followed by another sustained round of applause.

    The inimitable thinker, Obafemi Awolowo, has said it all: “The greatest legacy a leader can bequeath is to etch his name in gold in the hearts and minds of his people”. As I happily and proudly welcome my great friend and brother, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN- a Nigerian without bile, a Nigerian not held hostage by the errors of the past or by such primordial sentiments as regionalism, ethnicity or religion—into the golden age, I say:  Not even the sky will be your limit. Ad multus annos.

    • Adinuba is head of Discovery Public Affairs Consulting.

  • Diaspora Day: Appraisal of Dabiri -Erewa’s address

    Hon. Abike Dabiri – Erewa hit the nail on the head in her recent address on the issues affecting Nigerians abroad. It is very interesting that she noted the dysfunctional nature of many groups claiming to represent Nigerians in the Diaspora.

    I could not hold back applauding her, when she admitted that Diaspora day tend to be a gathering of those who lack the capacity to focus on many important issues affecting Nigerians abroad. A jamboree!!! The same person attends the so called Diaspora day without

    significant impact on those they claim to go to Nigeria to represent.

    Many of the groups do not have any office base, no financial support to enable effective representation in many countries abroad – for example the UK. These are groups I consider to be on shoe strings. !!!

    It is about time Nigerians abroad organise themselves to take up issues with the country to whom they pay their dues – for example Council Tax in the UK!!! Whilst many Non – Nigerian communities in the UK strategically and successfully present issues of importance to UK Local, Regional and Central Governments, Nigerians in the UK continues to focus on the Nigerian government via the Nigerian High Commission.

    The mission with many highly dedicated and good staff but inadequate resources to function as a Diplomatic Mission, let alone represent a group of people who are British with legitimate with legitimate rights to seek assistance from Britain.

    May I suggest that in future the Diaspora Day should seek to focus on how Nigerians who are abroad can effectively present issues to the government of the countries in which they reside.

    I have always wondered why Nigerians in the Diaspora should be of any importance to Nigerian government when many do not wish to return to Nigeria.

    Those who wish to contribute to the development of Nigeria cannot remain abroad to do so – (Unless they wish to invest cash). Perhaps Nigerian government should create opportunities for those who wish to return to make such contribution. The latter I believe is inappropriate simply because, many abroad are out of touch with the realities of life in Nigeria, consequently those who may choose to go to Nigeria will require orientation to be fit for purpose.

     

    Finally, may I suggest that future Days for Nigerians in the Diaspora should be hosted outside of Nigeria in different countries to enable the representatives who have been going to Nigeria to show case the groups they represent. There are a number of groups in Liverpool who are successfully set up to cater for the needs of Nigerians in Merseyside area of the UK.

    A visit by Hon. Abike Dabiri should be an eye opener!!!

     

    Hon. Lola Ayorinde, writes from the UK.

     

  • Kwara’s transformation testimony 

    Kwara’s transformation testimony 

    Indeed, if His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulfatah, Governor of Kwara State were to be an athlete, he would be in a blistering form in the 100 metres dash, just as the 4X400 metres relay race would comfortably occupy pole position in his competitive athletic menu list. Interestingly, both require enormous speed and endurance, but more than anything else, focus.  No doubt, in the last one year, this gentleman has displayed these traits in surplus; the reason he has so far surpassed expectations before and after his victory in the April 26, 2011 gubernatorial election in the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Recall that when politicians and technocrats from Kwara State and beyond converged in Lagos for a retreat to draw a roadmap on the Kwara Project after the elections,  many dismissed it as a jamboree; describing it as one of those time-wasting talk shops that would not impact positively on the people.  In fact, as was with the governor’s “Legacy Continues” slogan premised on the benefits of one administration furrowing into another in terms of policy formulation and implementation, as well as programme actualization, many saw it as another political mantra to cajole the electorate. The doubts arose particularly as most new governments in Nigeria were in the habit of steering away from the programmes of the out-going government and often rubbished their actions and programmes by any way possible.

    However, as opposed to this common practice, the Ahmed’s administration chanted the continuity mantra and stuck to it being in the know of its benefits to the people. Little wonder, two years down the foray, for the discerning, the administration has substantially acquitted itself by upping the ante of development in many sectors of the Kwara economy with the monumental developmental benchmark set by the immediate past administration of Dr Bukola Saraki as a guide. Starting out with the Lagos Summit which gave birth to the shared prosperity of the administration as a spring board for the formulation, implementation and actualization of the administration’s programmes and policies, all eyes were fastened on the transformation agenda of the government.

    With a policy thrust that leverages resources and takes advantage of the strength of the state for economic growth, human capital development and youth empowerment, strategic infrastructure and effective governance, all of which fuse with the Shared Prosperity Programme of the administration, happy days, indeed, have come.

    While deepening and strengthening commercial agriculture through private sector initiative to drive the economy of the state and in turn, create jobs and ensure food security, the government has completed the International Diagnostic Centre, flagged-off of the inaugural flight by student-pilots of the aviation college, completed the Micheal Imoudu/ Offa garage road among other road projects started by the immediate past government, as part of the continuity agenda. The administration’s high value on the 500 metres concept, especially as it affects its health and water supply policies spurred it on to consolidate on the achievements of the previous administration in the area of healthcare.

    In its first phase, the administration embarked on a robust rehabilitation of the five General Hospitals across the three senatorial districts of the state at the cost of N1.6 billion with more General Hospitals to follow in the second phase. The governor explained that the logic behind the concept is that no Kwaran should go beyond 500 metres to access quality healthcare.  Already, plans are in top gear for the start of the Community-based Healthcare Insurance Scheme, which has already undergone pilot shape.

    With matchless vigour, Dr Ahmed pursues his dreams of human capital development and youth empowerment. Like squeezing water out of stone, quite a number of investors are now keen on coming to the state.  There is a N70 billion agreement on large-scale farming with Valsolar, a Spanish Consortium. The agreement has since been commended by stakeholders in the agriculture sector, just as the federal government through the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government on the production and cultivation of cassava on commercial scale in the state.

    Today, Kwara State produces about 40 tonnes per hectare, which is far above national average. The beauty of the Valsolar/Kwara State government partnership lies in the fact that the Spanish consortium got to know about Kwara State’s potentials in agriculture through the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria. Another dividend of the administration’s policy on agriculture was the interest of Mosilo Group in building an Agro-Processing complex in Share in Ifelodun council area of the state. The 600 tonnes complex with over $150 million capital outlay for its first phase will change the status of Nigeria to the largest producer of cassava in the world.

    Instructively, the efforts of the governor has not gone unnoticed as he was awarded the Outstanding Agriculture Icon of the Year 2011, for his contributions to the country’s agricultural development by the African Leadership Magazine in Washington DC, United States of America in April last year.

    To boost water supply, the administration provided water booster station at Western Reservoir in Ilorin and Anberi to boost water supply to Ajasse-Ipo and environs. It also carried out comprehensive rehabilitation of 15 water works and sunk 300 boreholes across the State.

    On the area of manpower, which the government sees as critical to the actualization of its robust policies, it has expedited action on the take-off of the School of Nursing, Oke-Ode to complement the College of Nursing, Ilorin, in the training of qualified nurses and midwives.

    On the area of water supply, the reticulation of water pipes in Ilorin metropolis has continued in high pace while boreholes have been dug for many communities to ensure availability and access to pipe borne water. In the last count, no fewer than 14 water works were rehabilitated while 38 others were committed to the National Grid.

    It is worthy of note that in the last nine years or so, Kwara State has been reputed for road construction. The tempo has been nourished under the present administration. The Ahmed administration has done over 800 kilometres of roads in the three senatorial districts to open the state further for agricultural development and economic growth. Over 300 of these are feeder and access roads purposed to create the desired value chain. In the Kulende-Oyun bridge axis of Old-Jebba road in Ilorin, a federal road that was a nightmare for motorists due to monumental traffic snarl, today, the story is different. The state government carried out expansion work on a long stretch of the road at a cost of N200million and traffic congestion on the road has since disappeared.

    Again, the government has rehabilitated more than 400 classrooms in 58 schools while about N24 million was spent on the payment of National Examination Council (NECO) and National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB) fees for 3,126 students.

    At the tertiary education level, fees of Kwara indigenes at the Kwara State University Malete was reduced from N180,000.00 to N95,000.00 to the relief of parents and guardians. The government also offered Bursary Award to students of Kwara State origin.

    The subventions of state-owned tertiary institutions were increased by 50% to boost the financial strength of the institutions. Still poised to reflect the new education policy based on capacity building with a technical education bias, technical schools in Erin-Ile, Ilorin and Patigi are being rehabilitated and equipped to produce well trained manpower, while an International Vocational Centre at Ajasse-Ipo, in Irepodun local government of the state is under construction.

    On the economic front, Kwara State remains a beautiful bride for investors and banking institutions who want to partake in the actualization of the state’s potentials.

    • Oba is Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State governor

  • Gbogun gboro – 3 Battle cry is ‘self-reliance’

    The world has no mercy on the stagnant. Human development in particular has no mercy on those who commit the terrible sin of standing stagnant. Whoever or whichever people, is not moving forward, is actually falling back, and will be pushed further back by others. That is the law of the dynamics of human progress. In some years in recent times, we, the Yoruba, allowed ourselves and our economy to lose our cutting edge position in Nigeria. As a result, we suffer today a degree of poverty and disrespect that we have never experienced before in our history.

    My past two messages urged that we must speedily revive farming in our South-west, in order to enhance significantly our production of our staple food crops as well as our export crops. My central message in both messages and in today’s message remains the same: Let us put more energy and spirit into our struggle for the revival of our economic strength and self-reliance in the South-west; if we do, we are capable of achieving an enormous lot within a short time. Our people are living in undeserved poverty, but we can fight poverty off in no time.

    Thank God that in spite of all the battering that we have suffered in recent years, we still command our fundamental strengths. We still command the strengths not merely to recover, but also to rise to new heights. Thank God too, that we are already beginning now to embark on the struggle for recovery. Yes, a new spirit of struggle is on the rise among Yoruba folks at home and abroad. The information concerning this rising spirit of struggle is for now uncoordinated. However, in every direction one turns these days, one can feel it very clearly and powerfully.

    For instance, in a recent World Bank publication, money transferred by Nigerians living abroad to their homeland is reported to have hit the 21 billion US Dollars mark in the past year – that is, roughly 3,200,000,000,000 Nigerian Naira. This is larger than the annual budget of a number of Nigerian states put together. It is not exactly known how much of this is from the Yoruba Diaspora to their families and relatives back home, but all indications are that that must be substantial. The contemporary Yoruba Diaspora worldwide is very large, numbering an estimated 1.5 million in America, Canada and Europe together, and probably another quarter of a million in other parts of the world. Money routinely sent home by this large number of Yoruba men and women abroad has, for many years, been a major source of support to Yoruba families in the desperate economic situation in Nigeria. Now, the available information indicates that this support from abroad is rising significantly. That is great news indeed.

    But the contribution of the Yoruba Diaspora from abroad to the growing spirit of struggle in Yorubaland is not limited to money transfers. Increasingly these days, more and more of the folks abroad are giving intellectually sophisticated attention to the situation back home. Just over a month ago, a think-tank group of Yoruba intellectuals from all over the world gathered in a suburb of Wilmington in Delaware, USA, and spent two days in solid consideration of all aspects of Yoruba prospects in Nigeria. Their communiqué, representing perhaps the most incisive proposals of socio-economic development in any part of Nigeria since the Awolowo years, holds out very high hopes for the revival of Yoruba strength and the rise of the Yoruba nation to great new heights. And the think-tank group that held this Delaware conference is by no means the only one of its kind among Yoruba people abroad; some others like it exist in different parts of the world. And even much bigger than any think-tank are the general Yoruba descendants associations, or Egbe, in various countries of the world. Of such Egbe, the largest and most influential is the ‘Egbe Omo Yoruba United States and Canada’, the prestigious umbrella association of all Yoruba people living in North America. In the rising struggle for the economic revival of the Yoruba nation, this association represents a powerful assemblage of resources and capabilities. It is a giant. And that giant, from what one is hearing among some of its prominent leaders these days, is rousing itself for the battle for the revival of the Yoruba nation.

    Happily, very happily, the biggest news of change and of growing hope is coming from the home front itself. Bit by bit, in this direction and that, the state governments of the Yoruba South-west are returning to the high quality of striving, venturing and hope that were characteristic of the government of our Western Region of the 1950s. Naturally, the specifics vary from state to state, but altogether they paint a picture of change and rising hope. Each state government is upgrading transportation and communication in its state by constructing a network of good-quality new roads. Each is taking its own kind of step towards a higher quality of education, and towards a higher quality of healthcare delivery. Some are combating agricultural revival boldly, and fighting with the best of their capabilities.

    And it is very important indeed that all this initial progress and change is taking place in the context of the Nigeria of today – the Nigeria of political, economic and social chaos, the Nigeria of perpetual federal disruption and obstruction of progress in its component states. We need to grasp the lesson from this. The lesson is that any Nigerian nationality or group that is absolutely resolved to make progress and snatch its people out of poverty can accomplish its goal. Of course, federal Nigeria will obstruct and disrupt, and the various component nationalities, rather than stand up for each other’s freedom of action, will mindlessly contribute to the obstruction and disruption. In spite of all these, the will to succeed will succeed. If we, the people of the South-west, regardless of our partisan political stands, would form the habit of standing up together to insist that our state governments be allowed to perform, we will curb the ability of Nigeria to disrupt or obstruct our progress. The time to start doing that has come.

    As an old citizen of the South-west, I assume that I am allowed to say such things as this – namely, that from my assessment of all the welcome changes and progress that are starting in all our states, I have my favourite state. Osun is not my home state, but Osun State is my favourite state these days. If you travel abroad and talk to Yoruba people in country after country, you will find that most of the growing excitement among them about our states at this point is about Osun State. The men and women directing the affairs of Osun State have caught a big scoop of the spirit that blessed our life as a nation during our pre-colonial centuries and during our 1950s – the Yoruba spirit of progress, prosperity and pride. They are talking very seriously of their desire to make their state the “food basket” for us all, and they are exploring various promising policies to make it happen. They are equipping their school children to learn better by supplying them with the advanced learning tool which they call “Opon Imo”. They are bringing Yoruba culture and history into the curriculum of their schools in a way that our other states are yet to grasp. They are considering daring transportation ideas, including a rail connection that will haul food to our great metropolis of Lagos. They are considering ways to stimulate entrepreneurship and business development among their citizens, and to stimulate industrial growth. On the whole, Osun State is becoming, among us, the state to emulate.

    In all our states, we are only at the inception of this revival. We are not yet near – we can’t yet even see –the peak of the new era of change, progress and hope; but we have started the climb up towards it. We will climb faster upwards when the masses of our common people catch the fever and take on the climbing – because it is the masses of our people that will ultimately take the climbing to the point when modern farms will spread out as endless green fields in all seasons all over our homeland; when small modern businesses will sprout and flourish in all our towns and villages; when inventions of new products and new processes will become common-place in our economic culture; and when the older ones among us will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and say, “Thank God, we have passed through, and survived, that awful desert and its disorienting storms; we have regained our land of promise, progress and hope”.