The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • There is blood in the land

    There is blood in the land

    Permit me to begin this contribution by quoting the insightful and powerful words of Hon. Dino Melaye who is undoubtedly one of the rising stars and stronger voices of the new and up and coming generation of political leaders in Nigeria. On the 19th of March 2013, just a day after the terrible bombings in Kano in which between 30 and 65 innocent Nigerians were killed (depending on whose report you choose to believe), Melaye wrote the following words on his facebook wall-

    ‘’The Kano bombing is barbaric, callous and wicked. God save us in this country. The Federal Government and indeed President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has demonstrated incapacitation and ineptitude by their inability to contain this growing insecurity. According to our constitution the fundamental objective of government is the provision of security and welfare for the people. Unfortunately Jonathan has failed in both regards. Our President is overwhelmed. He should take the path of honour, take a bow and resign. There is too much blood in the land. There is blood on our roads, air, police stations, army barracks, churches, mosques, clubs, car parks and homes. There is blood every where.’’

    This is a courageous contribution from a young man who obviously has tremendous passion for our country and who is deeply troubled by all that is happening today. I only wish that there were more young men like Melaye in Nigeria. Can any serious-minded person disagree with his observations on this matter? Is Nigeria not in a state of undeclared war today? Is this not a season of complete anomie in which human life no longer has any value and where life itself has little meaning? Do we actually have a government in this country today? Are the murderers that killed the innocents in Kano on the 18th of March worthy of life let alone amnesty? Are they really human beings?

    Can anybody, no matter how highly placed, respected or reverred, still talk about amnesty for Boko Haram now? What do such people suggest that we tell the families of the 60 that were slaughtered on the 18th of March and the 4000 that were killed before them? How do we wipe away their tears and ensure that they are given the justice that they so desperately seek? Do we tell them that it was just one of those things and that they should consisder the murder of their sons, daughters, wives, husbands, parents, grandparents, siblings, distant relatives and friends as part of their sacrifice and contribution to national development and service? Do we tell them that those that murdered their loved ones have now been granted amnesty for their efforts and that they have been forgiven by the state and reintegrated back into society? Is that justice? Is the very suggestion not utterly heartless and insensitive? No-one should ever sing the amnesty song again because too many innocent and defenceless people have been killed. In this matter justice must be done.

    Yet the sad tale does not stop at the loss of life. There is more. It is a sad testimony to our national malaise that in the very week that a refreshing and exceptionally compassionate and humble new Pope was elected to lead the 1.2 billion catholics in the world today, we have been reliably informed by the Catholic Churchin Nigeria, through Rev. Father Ituah,that no less than 50 of the 52 Catholic churches in Maiduguri,Borno State have been burnt down by Boko Haram. How does one explain this madness? How would the muslims of northern Nigeria have reacted if virtually every single mosque that had been built in one of the southern states had been burnt down by christian militants? Would they have shown the level of maturity and restraint that the christian community have displayed in the face of these provocations and attacks on their places of worship? Would they have insisted on amnesty for those who killed their people and burnt down their mosques?

    Why is it that Boko Haram and those in the muslim community in northern Nigeria that secretly sympathise with them cannot learn a thing or two from the billions of muslims in the world that live peacefully and happily side by side with other faiths including christians, jews and hindus? Why cant they learn from the yoruba muslims who are, generally speaking, exemplary and very liberal in their approach to adhherents of other faiths. Are they not muslims too? What is it about the islamist that he feels the need to kill and shed blood in the name of God? Indonesia has the largest number of muslims on this planet with 200 million practising muslims in it’s borders. Yet Indonesia is a secular state with a sizeable and respected christian minorty population which runs into millions. India has the second largest concentration of muslims in the world with a muslim population of over 150 million. The muslims of India are a minority because the country is predominantly hindu yet the religious rights of every Indian is guarded jealously and protected by the constitution because India, just like Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Algeria, Syria, Lebanon, Senegal, Tunisia, the Palestinian West Bank and many other predominantly muslim countries, is a secular state. Why can’t the islamists of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria learn from these great countries and these great people who have proved to the world by their conduct what a civilised, humane and decent religion islam really is?

    Boko Haram insists on trying to give islam a bad name and the challenge that they have thrown down to us is one that we must take up vigorously. Yet despite all the evil and ugliness that we see around us in Nigeria today we must not allow ourselves to lose sight of the light. St. Francis of Assisi whose name and memory has been resurrected by the new Pope Francis once said ‘’all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one candle.’’ And he was right. The darkness of Boko Haram will not extinguish the light of Nigeria but it is time for us to bring a firm end to their carnage before it is too late and before all hell break loose.

    Though the bitter truth is this- Nigeria will not know peace until the blood of every single one of the over 4000 innocent souls that have been cut short and slaughtered by Boko Haram, Ansaru and all the other Al Qaeda-affiliated islamist terrorist groups that have plagued our land and bled our people in the last 2 years is fully avenged. Until this is done, that sea of innocent blood that has been shed will continue to cry out to God in heaven for vengeance and it will attract all manner of misfortune and curses on our beleagured land.

    My solution to the Boko Haram scourge is simple and clear. The President, the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria must join hands together, rise up as one and seek them, their secret backers and their secret sponsors out. They must be unmasked, brought to justice, systematically eliminated and sent to hell where they belong. Enough is enough. Call it what you like- a crusade, a war against terror, a fight for justice and righteousness, a war against the kingdom of darkness, the final battle for the soul, liberation and independence of Nigeria or any other name that you choose. Let us take our country back from these heartless men called Boko Haram that were sent to our shores by the devil himself to slaughter and torment our people and to paint our land red with the blood of our women and children.

    Mr. President needs to wake up, smell the coffee, rise up to the occassion and do his job diligently by defending and protecting the lives and properties of the Nigerian people effectively. He must have no sense of restraint and he must give no quarter in this war. Yet if for any reason he cannot muster the will to do so then I would have to agree with my brother Dino Melaye that it is time for him to do the honourable thing; to resign and to leave the job for someone else who has the guts, the strength of character, the sense of urgency and the courage to do what needs to be done.

    Nigeria is dying. She is being bled to death by Boko Haram, Ansaru and Al Qaeda. Who will deliver her? Who will save her? Who will take the bull by the horns and ‘’fight the good fight’’? We need a President that has the stomach for that fight. We need a leader that harbours no fear, that has the courage of the biblical Joshua, Jehu and David and that is ready to stand up and openly confront the greatest evil that our country has ever known. It is time for old men to hold their peace and for young men to rise up in rage and anger and defend their values, their families, their faith, their lifestyle and their nation. It is time to put on the mantle of gallant men and to recite the inspiring words of King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt. It is time to invoke the spirit of the great Greek warrior, the noble Achilles . It is time to remember the words of Mark Anthony and to shout ‘’Cry havoc ! And let slip the dogs of war.’’ It is time to save our beautiful nation Nigeria from the evil that stalks the land and from the enemy that resides within.

  • Where lies the rule of law in Nigeria?

    Where lies the rule of law in Nigeria?

    Consider the following situations if you will:

    In 2012, Jose Dirceu, Chief of Staff of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (popularly known as “Lula”) was sentenced to almost 11 years imprisonment for masterminding a cash-for-votes bribery scheme to win support from legislators for the government’s programmes. At the time, he was the most powerful man in Lula’s government.

    In the Philippines, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is facing criminal charges for electoral fraud. The allegation is that she ordered the tampering of electoral returns in favour of a supporter to enable him win a Senate seat in the 2007 election.

    Three-time former Prime Minister, multi-billionaire and one of the most powerful men in Italy (even without political office), Silvio Berlusconi, was convicted for tax fraud, fined the equivalent of about N1.6 billion, sentenced to prison and banned for life from holding public office (the conviction doesn’t take effect until an appeal court confirms it).Berlusconi’s trial started in 1996, but was put on hold because he enjoyed immunity from prosecution while he was Prime Minister.

    In Great Britain, George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (their Minister of Finance), sat in a first class compartment on the train when he only held a standard class ticket. The ticket inspector insisted that he must pay the £160 upgrade for the first class seat. A scandal “ticket gate” broke out and was a major embarrassment to the Conservative government and almost cost Osborne his political career.

    All the foregoing situations show clearly the supremacy of the law in those countries. Numerous other examples from other parts of the world can be cited. The great jurist Lord Denning puts it “Be you ever so high, the law is above you”.

    Is this the case in Nigeria? Cash-for-votes schemes are allegedly commonplace but who has ever been prosecuted for it? Allegations of tampering and manipulation of electoral results are made in almost every election petition and even where such petitions have succeeded, has anyone that matters in INEC or in government ever been prosecuted? Would a Silvio Berlusconi in Nigeria not have used his position as Prime Minister to sack all the officers investigating him, sent them to unwanted “promotion’ courses or even have them imprisoned? He would most definitely have destroyed the evidence against him making any prosecution after his immunity has lapsed impossible. We don’t have an efficient public railway system in Nigeria so we need not waste any time situating George Osborne in Nigeria.

    The rule of law hardly exists in Nigeria today. Law enforcement agencies and government officers are the biggest violators of the law and they do so openly, shamelessly and with impunity such that law-abiding citizens are made to look either stupid or weak. The highest office in the land appointed INEC Commissioners some of who included persons who are known prominent members of a political party contrary to the dictates of the law, which disqualifies such persons for appointment. Despite protests to this flagrant violation of the law, the appointees remain in place. Treasury looters are either walking freely or are given slap in the wrist fines. Government officials and the rich and powerful have police orderlies and escort, not necessarily for protection but to keep them above the law. These policemen ensure that they beat traffic by driving everyone else off the road in clear violation of traffic laws; gain access to privileged places they would not otherwise be entitled; avoid queuing at airports when they arrive late; park their vehicles in no parking zones and so on.

    Yet those very people who openly violate the law know its value. They treat the law with disdain while in office. They undermine and obstruct it, but once they are out of office or have fallen from grace, they turn to that same legal process for redress. If the law and our institutions are to be robust, independent and just for all and sundry at all times, public officials must learn to respect those institutions, in and out of office.

    It does not require a sociologist or criminologist to figure out that where the law is not supreme, there can be no proper and orderly society. Without order, there can be no peace and certainly without peace, there can be no progress. Martin Luther King jnr had said it – “without justice there can be no peace”

    No nation can be great unless its institutions are bigger than its individuals no matter how high and powerful those individuals are. History should rightly judge President Umaru Yar Adua for his attempts to make the observance of the rule of law one of the cornerstones of his administration’s programmes. We must start strengthening our institutions by adherence to the rule of law instead of weakening them by strengthening individuals. From the poorest economies and weakest political systems to the strongest and most advanced, for proper functioning of society, the rule of law must prevail and infractions to it must be punished no matter who the offender is. The final say here goes to President Obama who said when he visited Ghana in July 2009 that “ Africa does not need the strong man, but it needs strong institutions”. We need to heed those words in this country.

  • ‘Alams’ and Jonathan’s forgiving spirit

    ‘Alams’ and Jonathan’s forgiving spirit

    It was wholly predictable that the list of names for state pardon would generate uproar. And the protesters are not in a reflective mood, apparently blinded by a passion for hitting a straw man. It

    shows how emotion can overcome reason, as the President is subjected to name-calling, and his character is messed up on account of some ill-perceived wrong.

    Response to the news that President Goodluck Jonathan decided to forgive the sins of certain public figures, some deceased, has once again exposed the human tendency to be sanctimonious. The reaction in some quarters gives the impression that Jonathan committed a cardinal sin. There is no doubt that the redeemed man at the centre of the storm, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a former governor of oil-rich Bayelsa State from 1999 to 2005, was stained by official corruption. This crooked character, while still in office, had a cool one million British pounds stashed in his London residence; the loot was

    discovered during a search by London Metropolitan Police and another hefty sum of almost two million British pounds was found in his bank account in the UK.

    His dramatic and mysterious escape from London where he was facing money laundering charges in 2005 has become the stuff of legend, and it is believed that he fled the city disguised as a woman while on bail. Back home, he lost his position following his impeachment by an outraged Bayelsa State House of Assembly, and was subsequently prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, under the zealous Nuhu Ribadu. Alams, as the ex-governor is known to many who

    consider his name a tongue twister, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds and money laundering, forfeited humongous money and property to the government, and got a two-year jail sentence.

    It is interesting that, on account of his plea bargain, he reportedly spent no more than two days in the cage post-sentence, having been held in detention for two years since his apprehension. It is this

    dark background that has come back to haunt the man, and it might likely do so for years to come despite his pardon, given the signals from the protesters. However, the Alams affair indeed raises

    questions in the realm of moral philosophy. What constitutes sufficient punishment for a crime? When is pardon acceptable or condemnable? Was Alams, 61, expected to go to his grave in ignominy,

    no matter how long he lived after his fall?

    Alams should thank his lucky stars that Jonathan, who was his deputy and, in line with the 1999 Constitution, succeeded him as governor following his impeachment, is the President. His controversial pardon flows from Jonathan’s exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution. Even if Jonathan acted out of a sense of indebtedness to his former political boss, he did so without flouting the constitution. Furthermore, he conformed to the constitution by involving the Council of State in the decision-making process that led to the pardon. In this matter, if Jonathan cannot be faulted for constitutional disobedience, it remains subjective whether his action was morally right or wrong.

    In the circumstances, criticizing the inclusion of Alams in the pardon list on the basis of a one-sided morality actually amounts to questioning Jonathan’s right to his discretion. The truth is that the

    constitution is silent on whether there are crimes that are beyond pardon. In the absence of such clear-cut framework for the exercise of presidential pardon, should Jonathan be blamed for his seeming opportunistic interpretation of the law as it is?

    It is possible that those who framed the constitution did not picture the Alams scenario. Or perhaps, the textual silence was deliberate, leaving the resolution of such development not only to the discretion of the President, but also to his sense of ethics. This is the sort of controversy that plays up the importance of character in the business of political leadership.

    It is not clear whether Jonathan’s action was informed by any insight into Alams’ state of mind concerning his inglorious past. Is the man penitent? Is he reformed? Is it conceivable that Jonathan would grant pardon to an unreconstructed ex-convict? Again, the constitution gives no clue on whether evidence of remorse and reformation should count in the consideration of pardon. As things are, it is left to the President, backed by the Council of State, to have mercy on whosoever he considers deserving of it. It is interesting that the Council of State endorsed the contentious pardon. Could it have acted otherwise, if the President was unconvincing?

    Now that Alams presumably has his honour back, it remains to be seen what he will do with it. In truth, such a man actually deserves to be pitied. What was the motive for his senseless accumulation of such mind-boggling wealth stolen from the very people he was elected to serve? What unconscionable greed controlled his mind? Reports say he is still under investigation for alleged ill-gotten wealth in some Western countries and risks arrest should he step out of Nigeria. So, even with his pardon, he is in chains. What a mockery!

    It is perhaps understandable that Alams became the focus of protest in a list that also included, among others, the names of a high-profile soldier-turned-politician and some military officers implicated in the

    1995 and 1997 coup plots against the late military head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha; a former bank chief convicted of fraud; armed robbers on death row and awaiting-trial suspects who have overstayed in prison.

    Apart from his record of nauseating corruption, for which he has been punished according to the law, he is from the President’s ethnic base, was his former boss, and remains close to him. So, it is easy for the critics to cry foul. However, these facts do not, in and of themselves, constitute grounds to discredit his pardon. Although Jonathan’s display of a forgiving spirit, even if supposedly self-serving, does not necessarily dilute the anti-corruption campaign, it throws into question the instrument for its exercise. Since there is no art to find a leader’s moral complexion in the face, the law could help in defining acceptable

    standards that should govern the exercise of discretion.

    • Macaulay is on the editorial board of The Nation

  • NYSC: National Youth Slavery Commission?

    NYSC: National Youth Slavery Commission?

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme was created in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. It was established by decree No.24 of May 22, 1973 which stated that the NYSC is being established “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity”. The purpose of the scheme was to inculcate in Nigerian youths the spirit of selfless service to the community, and to emphasize the spirit of oneness and brotherhood of all Nigerians, irrespective of cultural or social background.

    In the months of March, July and November, Nigerian graduates are mobilized and sent to any of the 36 states and the federal capital territory to obey the clarion call of lifting their nation high under the sun or in the rain with dedication and selflessness. Then the suffering either begins or continues.

    There is usually a mad crowd at the point of collection of call-up letters in the various institutions. The queue at this point sometimes turns out to be the shortest in the whole of the service year. At the entrance of the 21 day incarceration camp called NYSC orientation camp, prospective corps members, as they are called, queue to be searched and before going in to begin their term and from then it becomes ‘Every man for himself, God for us all whoever is slow let the soldier take’. Depending on the local arrangements made by individual states, prospective corps members are registered, accommodated and kitted. At 4p.m the first parade is held, 7p.m dinner is served and 10p.m lights out.

    At 4:30a.m the soldier’s bugle is blown and the sound it makes is interpreted to mean it is you that finished schooling so you brought this yourself. At least if you didn’t graduate, you wouldn’t have to serve! Devotion, parade and drills are followed by a poor breakfast; long and boring lectures followed by a poorer lunch and by the time its dinner the poorest of meals is expected. However, miracles sometimes happen. The camp clinic usually receives a number of visitors in the first few days because of the ‘new food’ and paramilitary exercise but in no time the body acclimatizes and life goes on smooth and steady. The orientation programme gets more interesting as the days go by and when it is getting to the peak, the 21 day term comes to a rude end. Letters are handed out once again, but this time around it is either a posting letter or redeployment letter and fresh bouts of sobs begin for some people.

    Posting ought to be done based on the discipline of the corps member but preference is usually given to corps members who distinguished themselves during the orientation course, personal favourites of resident NYSC officials, and soldiers alike and those who arranged their posting with corporate bodies beforehand. Every posting letter has the name and address of the corps member’s place of primary assignment. It also carries a short note appealing to the prospective employer to offer necessary help to the bearer among other things. Some employers however ignore this note because they see corps members as national slaves and therefore sap them of all they can with little or no incentive; once again the tune of the soldier’s bugle comes to mind.

    To correct some of the abnormalities that characterise the ‘posting exercise’ as expressed above, a new posting policy was proposed. The policy is said to be aimed at making the scheme more responsive to the development needs of the country and this new posting policy seeks to post corps members only to four key sectors of the economy namely; agriculture, education, rural health, and infrastructure. As always, (a common Nigerian factor) the government did not prepare adequately for this causing the rejection of many corps members in these sectors across the country because they do not have enough to bear the burden of paying corps members’ stipends. Now, more corps members are roaming aimlessly about the streets looking for a place of primary assignment if only just to get their clearance form monthly but to no avail.

    Gone are the days when Corpers Beatitudes read thus: Blessed are you when you are posted to a bank for your account will be fat; Blessed are you when you are posted to a school for you’ll have students at your beck and call; Blessed are you when you are posted to a village for foodstuff will never be your problem; Blessed are you when you are posted according to your discipline for you have hopes of being retained.

    Now the closest it can be is: Happy are you when you are accepted in the village health post for many others were rejected; Happy are you when your school goes on break for you can run home to refill; Happy are you when wake up early to report on the farm, at least you have somewhere to go to; Happy are you when you maintain your country’s roads, bridges and buildings for many prayers would be offered for you.

    Even the service year that was once a year of learning on the job and knowing other parts of the country among other things is now a year of slavery and undue suffering. The National Youth Service Corps should not be scrapped but it should at least be transformed from a slavery commission which it has grown to become one that fulfils the basic aspiration of the nation’s youths.

    • Ms Omotayo, an ex-corper writes from Ibadan

  • From the cell phone

    For Dare Olatunji

    Brilliant article, more power to your elbow, sir! Anonymous

    Eh, did you refer to the governors in the photograph as a quartet? I see 3+1!

    Well done, sir. Anonymous

    Your piece Matters miscellaneous is quite interesting. But what is pertinent is that Boko Haram is not a faceless group as such. On the picture of governors Amaechi and others, and even the President’s visit, point to one fact: our leaders lack transparency, the hallmark of democracy. They should know that truth is constant. From Ojo A. Ayodele, Emure Ekiti

    Sorry to use your platform to cry foul at Labaran Maku, the chief propagandist of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s claim that IPI is providing Nigerians 18 hours of ‘constant’ power supply. I do not expect such a claim from a cabinet member of the Federal Government of Nigeria. From Y. K. Ojo, Idimu Lagos

    I disagree with you on granting of amnesty and rehabilitation for Boko Haram members. What are they fighting for? Is it not to Islamise this country? Are we going to agree with them that Nigeria will be Islamised for them to lay down their arms? Sir, is Islamising this country a right in our Constitution? Please think about all these. Thank you, sir! Anonymous

    Re: Matters miscellaneous. Both the 11 wise men of APC and Jonathan, the President, were guilty of late solidarity visit to Maiduguri! What were the ACN, ANPP and CPC doing before February 25, 2013? APC’s visit was more of a political show-off, political-jamboree. President’s was over commitment, misplaced. The Northern leaders know the Boko Haram members, otherwise, why seek amnesty for a purposeless militancy? It may be psychological relieving if Patience Jonathan also visits Borno and Yobe. Alas, that is not a fundamental solution against Boko Haram! You were courageous among your co-columnists to have praised President Jonathan for being undeterred by remaining focused while Patience’s sickness lasted. This is the objective critique I want to read in all columnists’ write-ups, not I must at all cost dissect the President and his party. Let us continue to pray for faster recuperation of the four sick governors, despite whatever might have been their deficiencies – Suntai, Chime, Imoke and Wada. From Lanre Oseni

    Re: Kaduna police assault on free speech. Why will some people want to go on a demonstration if a forming-political party is not registered or if a registered political party is de-registered? Can’t they join any other? And for those who were not registered or had been de-registered in the past, did they not join others? We should not condone thugery, we should not entertain incitement! From Lanre Oseni

    The President did not tell the type of ghost he was referring to, whether they are holy ghost or unholy ghost. He needs to go back to Borno and Yobe states to confirm the type of ghost they are. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Docyard Apapa Lagos

    Governor Chime should forgive and forget those that say ungodly things against him in his absence in governance, because of his health condition. From Gordon Chika Nnorom

    Thanks for your brilliance on Matters miscellaneous. This is also a lesson for those who are against amnesty for the ‘ghost’ Boko Haram. Since it seems our intelligence service and forces are failing to withstand the sect, what is next is to start to beg them, like their Niger Delta counterparts. From Alhaji ADEYCorsim, Osodi, Lagos

    To be a President you need to be intellectually ok. He called Bako Haram ghost, but he has forgotten that he once said that Boko Haram are in his government. He even said they are in the police, judiciary, military, Air force, etc. If actually they are ghosts, how come he discovered them in this government? The President should not allow his handlers to put words into his mouth; he should think before he speaks in public. The words from the mouth are very strong in interpretation. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Dockyard Apapa, Lagos

    Keep it up. Our system of government kills us the more. Is there any developed country in the world that used democracy to develop? Until we change our system, assault on human life will not stop. Anonymous

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Thanks for your exhaustive clarification on this vexed issue; I think the President should give a posthumous pardon to Anini and Oyenusi so that we can know that Nigeria is really a failed state. Anonymous

    I want to state that man is not God and his thought for us is not the same. If through the Council of State God performed a miracle for Alamieyeseigha, why then are we murmuring. Does it mean that we can question God for pardoning us too, despite our grievous lies and sins? In other words, we should note that no one is righteous and we do not have any power to question God’s purpose for any individual. Hence, I will advise everyone to bury their hatchet and allow nature to prevail because we cannot fight nature. Finally, the dying thief rejoices to see the fountain of life in his days. From Sunny Igiri, Port Harcourt

    The President should not have pardoned a corrupt governor like Alamieyeseigha but there are several other ex-governors that stole more than Alamieyeseigha who still walk about freely. Show me a politician and the poor citizens of Nigeria will tell you that corruption is his middle name. Journalists should leave politicians to their loots. Write till eternity, all of them are corrupt. Anonymous

    The fact remains that Mr. President acted in favour of corrupt-tendency, most especially, on Alamieyeseigha who disgraced Nigeria, irredeemably! The President did a mix-pardon thinking it would be over. The family being a part of the state should have been thought of in our-would-be-reactions. The President should think less of blood/ethnic relation in giving pardons. On this one, my President acted below expectation. I pray that a tough man will in future, not reverse that! From Lanre Oseni

    Oh Allah! Behold our situation, give us faith that will lead to good conduct, avert calamities from us and also protect us from all evil. Ameen! From Jumma’at Kareem

    On ‘The state as family writ large’, I wish to state that the Nigerian state wronged Alamieyeseigha in the brazen manner he was impeached. His pardon should be seen as atonement for his unjust impeachment. What about the pardon of Salisu Buhari, the former speaker of the House of Representatives by the all knowing General Obasanjo? Notwithstanding my support for the pardon of Alamieyeseigha, I believe the President has not shown sufficient concern for the endemic and pervasive corruption in the land. From Dr. Emmanuel Irabor

    Alamieyeseigha is simply lucky to have his former deputy in a position to help. It is not his fault. From Isaac Agwaza, Central Area, Abuja

    With Alamieyeseigha’s pardon and the celebrations that followed, it means that there was something he was deprived of by being labelled a convict. For those against plea bargain, you do not know the stigma attached to being a convict and the freedom you are denied until you notice the way all the plea bargain ex-convicts live a less-visible life. Ironically, the only high profile corrupted ex-convict still visibly out there is the one who never admitted his guilt and spent two years in jail. Today, he has even claimed his innocence. But with plea bargain, part of the deal, is that you can never come back to say you did not do it. Plea bargaining is not a slap on the wrist but it should be done the way it is done abroad. Anonymous

    Alamieyeseigha’s presidential pardon is welcome because it is in the Constitution. Pardon is given for crime committed by offenders not saints, but what is the rationale behind the presidential pardon? Time will tell. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State

    The piece is interesting. I do not agree that the founding fathers were wise. They imposed a neo-colonial capitalist economy that has created two tribes: the exploiters and the exploited. The system has buried social justice and cashiered peace. Thanks! From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna

    Why is it that Nigerians always conclude issues wrongly? Pardoning our leaders who have served the nation should not be a problem to us. Anonymous

    The President did a very good thing in granting state pardon to his formal boss and others. The president is a God fearing man and he finds out the truth behind this people Abacha and Obasanjo accused because of political problem. Nobody in government who made money more than what Obasanjo made. Please I will like to have president’s phone number to thank him directly. Anonymous

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Tunji, your write-up this morning (Sunday, March 17) titled “Ex-convict in our hearts” expressed the opinion of millions of Nigerians. This is one of the moments that one feels sad to be a Nigerian. Immediately the pardon was announced, my mind went to you straightaway; that you are going to dwell on this on Sunday and I got it right. As you have said, it is only Jonathan that can explain why he did it. But I am surprised that Reuben Abati can be defending the indefensible. How time changes! I hope you too don’t change when you are appointed as one of the presidential aides. Keep it up, my brother. Thanks. From Sina Awelewa.

    The state pardon by President Jonathan, the Federal Government and the National Council of State for Diepreye Alamieyeseigha remains a political economic, social and transparency hara-kiri. One advantage methinks, is that, that is a pointer that President Jonathan planned to run one term which ends April 2015, ending all doubts of whether he is going to run in 2015. No, he won’t! Alams dented Nigeria’s good image internationally then and Alams pardoned now, still denting the image. OBJ must be regretting now why he failed to ethnicise, fraternise with and pardon ex-IGP Tafa Balogun for his corruption conviction. From Lanre Oseni.

    One day death will come to all; then, all our intellect, power, wisdom; riches will not be enough to make heaven. The Alamieyeseigha we are judging today, if truly repentant of his sins and has given his life to Jesus Christ, might make heaven while people like you who have not given their lives to Jesus might end up in hell. If His creator has forgiven him, then who are we ordinary mortals? Have you given your life to Jesus? Please repent before it’s too late. From Isaac Jackson Isele.

    Tunji, it pains me so much that you picked on Chief Alamieyeseigha with so much hatred, just the way your power-drunk brother did to him. Alams meant well for the Niger Delta people and OBJ frustrated his efforts. The process that led to Alams’ impeachment was faulty and influenced by OBJ. Alams, as the leader of Izon nation would have gotten the state pardon from Yar’Adua if he were to be alive. Alams is held in high esteem. Jonathan’s state pardon for him is backed by the Izon people. So, leave Alams and Jonathan alone. From Chief Ebi Olotu, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    A well deserved slap in the face. That was what Obasanjo got with Jonathan’s pardon for Alamieyeseigha. Nigerians should not blame Jonathan. Anonymous.

    We are all living witnesses to OBJ stopping the trial of his cousin, a former PS who allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira. It was all sounds of silence from you hypocrites. From Ray.

    It is very unfortunate that whilst other countries are fighting corruption in governance, Nigeria is encouraging corruption and other vices by granting presidential pardon to Alams. Let’s not believe that the pardon granted Alams is not a politically motivated move against the 2015 general elections. If Alams could be granted presidential pardon, why can’t Bode George and others with the same issue of corruption be granted pardon too, to balance the equation? Let corruption fighting be our watchword in leadership so that Nigeria can move forward. From Gordon Chika Nnorom.

    Re: Kalu can try again (your column of March 10). Dear Tunji, instead of writing about the greed of a former chief of staff (Orji) who was nominated by Kalu and won election while in prison, you chose to support the former (Orji). Where was Orji when Kalu and others formed PDP? He even prevented Kalu’s readmission into PDP and sacked Kalu’s ward PDP chairman. Is this how a sitting governor should pay back his former boss? This kind of rascality can only happen in the PDP without the national executive making any response. Can it happen in any ACN-controlled state? Orji and Kalu’s case is a good example of what many Nigerians represent – greed! The same thing happened in Taraba between Governor Suntai and Rev. Jolly Nyame. From Owolabi Banji, Okota, Lagos.

    I refer to your article “Kalu can try again”. Theo Orji had a hand in the plot to humiliate Kalu. When Agagu was governor of Ondo State, he caused the name of Gani Fawehinmi to be deleted from the list of those to be honoured by the state university. When Kalu bounces back, the university senate will claim they took the decision in error and restore his certificate. Ribadu who was demoted and refused the certificate he earned at Jaji got all he lost in the end. How many lectures did Obasanjo attend before he graduated from the National Open University? If Jonathan wants to be mischievous, the university can withdraw the certificate from OBJ. Theo should leave Kalu and address the challenges of bad roads and infrastructure generally in the state. Anonymous.

  • One moment of madness!

    It is common occurrence for sudden darkness to engulf us and in the jest of the perennial outages, the cry of “Oh NEPA” fills the dark air as if to express our collective disappointment, sadness, unfortunateness! This practice is not a generational occurrence or tribal one; it is the common cry of Nigerians when power outage takes place. It has become our national practice, part of our national character, our national psychic, our national pastime, our national expression of acceptance that power outage anytime has come to stay in our lives!

    And why not, if this sad phenomenon has been with us for the past five or six decades – every man, woman, child and yet unborn baby knows “Oh NEPA”. We have come to accept that it is the norm and not the exception. I recollect a young primary school student on a five-day visit to London asking the Nigerian chaperon on the fourth day if “there was no NEPA here”. Naturally everyone burst out laughing but the chaperon had to explain to the young student that “NO NEPA “ is not the expected, it is the aberration, the failure of leadership that Nigeria and Nigerians had come to accept as a way of life. This young man was so moved he said he was going to study the sciences to fix the problem and those around him encouraged him though everyone knew that the problem is not with science but rather with politics.

    The problem is no longer an issue of leadership alone; it has also become one of the acquiescing of the followership in accepting to live with an unwanted occurrence. We waste our votes each election and then exclaim Oh NEPA every single day of our lives without considering the huge cost to lives and property of the average man. The colossal loss of lives and property each year should provide reasons for voters to be wiser in the exercise of their fundamental human rights, the right to elect those who will govern them.

    We hear each day of outages and the return of a burst of high voltage power causing buildings to burn; we hear of people being burned to death and of generators catching fire and burning properties. We hear of factories burnt, story buildings razed to dust by voltage issues. And yet it continues to be life as usual, as we wait for the next occurrence.

    A nation accepting the power outage problem for five decades, with billions if not trillions spent to supposedly rectify the power problem. I ask you if your child failed his final exams for four consecutive years will the school receive him in the fifth year? If the lives and properties that were being lost were those of the billionaires, trillionaires, politicians, would a solution not have been found sooner?. If state houses and state assemblies were being razed by surge in power after an outage, would we not have found a solution earlier?

    The consequences of “ Moment of Madness” when we shout Up NEPA is never captured, collated or indeed appreciated by our leaders who are quick to show grieve for political reasons when they know they are the cause of the problem.

    I recently experienced one such Moment of Madness power outage, albeit one with an international dimension, with colossal consequences.

    The day was Monday March 4, at the departure hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport. It was hot as the reconstruction effort is ongoing; passengers went about getting set for boarding their respective flights. Flights arrived and departed and passengers waited in lounges, waiting areas and boarding points to jet off in different directions. Suddenly the airport experienced power outage and the usual “Oh NEPA” filled the air. Unknown to many, the light for the AIRPORT RUNWAY for landing planes had also been extinguished! Unfortunately, an Emirates flight from Dubai had commenced landing approach to the runway when the power outage occurred and you can imagine what the Captain of the flight had to do!

    He lifted the plane and ran away from the Nigerian airspace to safety and proceeded to land at Lome. Just imagine if that plane had crashed killing all on board ( maybe 250 people!) just because of one Moment of Madness – all because we could not ensure that the runway is permanently powered to avoid any calamity; the airport and runway were on NEPA!

    The Emirates plane landed in Lome and after hours it finally returned to land at MMIA to drop her passengers and pick up those scheduled to travel that night. As you can imagine, the Emirates Flight to Dubai is usually full or nearly full since our leaders have denied us a National Carrier. Dubai serves as the hub for passengers going to as diverse as India, Shanghai, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Perth, etc and so it was that the flight to Dubai on this faithful evening was full of passengers going to different parts of the world with many requiring connecting flights to catch on getting to Dubai. The Lagos to Dubai flight that should have taken off at 9.30pm eventually departed at 1.58am on March 5!

    Let me digress for a few paragraphs just to emphasize the point of the failure of our leaders to ensure we have a viable National Carrier. Nigerians travel a lot and in 2012 the number of Nigerians who would have travelled out would be in excess of six million flying the carriers of other countries, including African countries like Rwanda, Namibia, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, South Africa, etc. Yet we proclaim ourselves as Giant of Africa!

    Let me use Emirates to emphasize the case since I know our leaders must be aware of the profitability, job creation, imagery and cultural benefits of operating a National Carrier. Emirates has turned the city of Dubai to the global hub for linking West Africa, East Africa, Australasia with Europe, Asia , Middle East and North America and vice versa. This has driven the rapid growth of the airline in the last decade and the recent partnership with Qantas confirms this strategic direction for further growth. For the Nigerian market, it has meant that over the last five years, Emirates has gradually developed as the link for Nigerians traveling to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East and including North America and Europe. The success of this service in the absence of a competing Nigerian carrier has meant increasing flight from a few per week to everyday to two flights per day! And now Qatar and Etihad have joined to serve Nigerians since we cannot get our acts together.

    To continue my story, our flight EK 782 finally arrived at Dubai airport nearly six hours after schedule. You needed to see the stress on the faces of my countrymen including mine, because we had missed our connecting flights and needed to find the next available flight. Many were going for meetings they had now missed; indeed some contemplated returning to Lagos since the new connecting flight was not helpful to their business venture.

    One can then appreciate the challenge the One Moment of Madness caused our countrymen and also Emirates Airline as a business concern. Emirates Airline had to arrange rebooking of flights, hotel accommodation, transfers, and the vacant seats for the passengers who did not travel as planned on departed flights would have been lost revenue! The One Moment of Madness would have cost Emirates Airline a sizeable sum and you ask yourself why and all you are left with is because of Nigeria’s One Moment of Madness power outage.

    It is time the people, the electorate, the followers of Nigeria think of how to eradicate this One MOMENT OF MADNESS. The solution is in their votes, in monitoring performance of their leaders, insisting on a better quality of life, demanding for 24 hours of electricity supply; we can then expect solutions faster.

     

    • Jaji writes from Lagos

  • Of state pardon and Ribadu’s frustrations

    Fact: Nuhu Ribadu is a frustrated man. He is hardly a happy man, at least outside his small cycle of family and friends. The once fiery anti-corruption czar got frustrated and disappointed on many counts. He was unceremoniously axed from the helms of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2008, a few months after the ascension of late President Umaru Yar’Adua. His then rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) was brought to question and eventually trimmed to a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) – two steps down the ladder. And, in clear manifestation of his oft-stated fears over his job, the man narrowly escaped the assassin’s bullets on two occasions before he managed to escape the borders of the country. He became disenfranchised, exiled and, ultimately, ostracised. But it didn’t come to him as a surprise because he had for long realized that fighting the high and mighty is not without a price on one’s side. “Corruption fights back and it fights dirty!” he often says. No other Nigerian, nay African, is more competent to report on how embedded official corruption and fraud are in the fabric of the society, and how corruption also haunts anyone that attempts to cleanse it.

    Like in a well scripted fantasy novel, President Goodluck Jonathan last week convoked the National Council of States (NCS) meeting to grant state pardon to convicted corrupt former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyesiegha and former managing director of the defunct Bank of the North, Shettima Mohammed Bulama. Nothing is as lethal to Nigeria’s skulking fight against the menace of corruption apart from the move to scrap off the EFCC itself that was hatched by some politicians around 2008.

    Listening to Ribadu commenting on the controversial pardon over the BBC Hausa at the weekend, one hears a voice of a frustrated man. There was discernible anger from the way he responded to the questions about the whole show of shame that is the state pardon jamboree. The tone of the voice alone was enough to tell a story: a story of series of disappointments of man who, like a messiah trying hard to cure his society of odious stench of evils got spikes sprinkled along his path by the same people who should clear thorns and pebbles off the road to a better future.

    The former anti-graft czar has valid reasons to be angry. As he stated, he and his team at the EFCC underwent great difficulties in meticulously investigating these two individuals and, eventually, bringing them to book. It was, for Ribadu, something of joy and celebration when Bulama, and, later, Alamieyesiegha was convicted. Joy not for celebrating another’s ‘misfortune’ but for the fact that the once powerful treasury looters who, over the years, collectively siphoned over $380 billion since independence and stashed them abroad, could now be brought to books to account for their fraudulent past.

    Ribadu’s effort to bring those two figures, and subsequent other corrupt public servants to justice, was something that should be rewarded with the highest honour the country could give an individual. Through the ideas and selfless works of one individual, the global image of Nigeria was greatly embellished, leading to the deletion of Nigeria’s name from FATF’s “List of Non-cooperative Countries and Territories” as well as appreciable debt relief from the Paris Club. To his eternal credit, Ribadu worked with a great deal of self-restraint. Thus, he avoided several financial inducements that came his way, like plague. A story was told of how a notorious internet scammer who duped some Brazilians to the tune of $150 million, fervently begged Ribadu to halve the money and let him go with one portion while he (Ribadu) take the other half. The then EFCC chairman refused and he went ahead to prosecute the man and returned the forfeited money to the people duped. This was neither the first, nor the last in the series of barely known incidences of Ribadu choosing the less treaded path to sincerity and honesty, as against personal interest. Well before his days in the EFCC, Ribadu had once rejected bribe to the tune of N20 million while prosecuting a case of fraud involving some Central Bank of Nigeria and Ministry of Finance officials in the mid-1990s. Indeed, the case of the $15 million Ibori bribe saga, which Ribadu declined, has become a reference point worldwide, for sheer magnitude of the bribe money and highest sense of responsibility exhibited by the target of the bribe.

    However, to the chagrin of anti-corruption campaigners and the global community, the first ‘reward’ Ribadu got from his years of untainted work at the EFCC was a tactical though brazen butt out. Yet, those who engineered his removal from the EFCC were not done yet. They kept masterminding heinous plots to distort the course of his entire life, the height of which was a ploy to send him off the face of the earth.

    But still resolute on seeing that Nigeria is cured of its number one malady – corruption, Ribadu accepted to chair the Petroleum Revenue Task Force, last year. He worked against the odds, including starvation of funds, to bring about a report that unearthed unimaginable level of corruption perpetrated in active connivance with those who should have checked such rip off of the country. However, instead of government taking the committee’s revelations seriously, we saw how an obviously government-backed tragic-comedy was staged to rubbish the report from the day of its presentation. Yet, President Goodluck Jonathan still promised to act on the report. However, six months since the report was turned in, mum is the word from the side of the government.

    The same government that showed this lackadaisical gait in dealing with this clear case of disservice for the nation is now reversing the good works Ribadu did many tears back.

    Typical of the saying that prophets are not valued at home, Ribadu’s honours and accolades often come from the outside. A few months after he escaped the twin assassination attempts, Ribadu secured Senior Fellowship position at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University, UK and another offer came from the prestigious Centre for Global Development where he served as a Visiting Fellow. The height of it all was the World Bank’s Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service, the first from Nigeria to fetch such a reputable award.

    Indeed, the Alamieyesiegha pardon-gate has once again brought to the fore the insincerity of the Jonathan administration to fighting the scourge of corruption and fraud in this country. Already, the torrent of criticism from within and outside the country, including – significantly – from the US government, has shown how unpopular this decision is. It amounted to dragging the image of the country to the pre-EFCC days of money laundering, advance fee fraud and impunity. The sooner President Jonathan decides to eat the humble pie, the better for the country.

    •Maikano writes from Kado Estate, Abuja

  • Governor as trouble-shooter

    Since I left my comfort-zone, the newsroom in June 2011 to start operating as a member of the Ogun State Government, I have never been scared or saddened by any development than by the events of March 5. Despite the fact that the news had been in the air at the weekend that the state House of Assembly might erupt in crisis, I believed that the 24 gentlemen and the two ladies would always manage their differences and be tamed by the facts of our recent history.

    When the legislators again gathered as a committee of the whole on March 4 to screen our new Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu and I watched the news of how the session went unimpeded with the woman getting a handshake from all the legislators, I became more than sure that all was under control. However, when the news came that Tuesday morning, that the House had been divided to two warring camps ready to do battle, I became worried.

    At that point, there was little anybody could do but to pray. Though, I am not a politician, I can say that through regular contact with all our legislators at official and unofficial fora convened by my boss, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, I have a good relationship with all or most of them. However, by that Tuesday morning, no relationship would suppress the high-stake power-game that was about to play out. As a member of the executive which, from all indications, was not involved in the bickering in the legislative arm, why was I scared by the events of March 5 in which Ogun State again tested the veracity and functionality of Baron de Montesquieu’s theory of Separation of Powers and the corollary checks and balances?

    I knew that with the House of Assembly in crisis, with members damaging their symbol of authority, the mace, and different allegations aimed at drawing attention and currying favour in the public opinion divide, we would be sending danger signals that the state was about to return to the jungle era of 2009 to 2010. Ogun State that has in the last 20 months been making a gradual return to its usual progressive, development-driven state would now be seen to be relapsing into the ugly period when we got unsolicited front-page news mention for the wrong reasons.

    When the House of Assembly is not in session because the membership is divided against itself, its leadership is in dispute and its chamber is surrounded by security men who were battle ready to prevent breakdown of law and order, what can the executive achieve? Only an executive arm that wants to play the ostrich or delude itself would revel in being an oasis of peace surrounded by a troubled legislature.

    More importantly, the fight in the legislature makes my own job as a spokesman for the government more difficult. Instead of talking about development projects and life-changing policies and programmes aimed at truly rebuilding our dear state, the information manager becomes a reactionary or propaganda agent who either has to defend an allegation or raise a counter-allegation in defence of the government. In any case, the government will always be drawn into debates about who is playing what role in the House of Assembly.

    By extension, the fight in the House has the potentials to cause an unpleasant distraction and divert public attention from the various on-going development efforts. The hundreds of kilometres of roads being expanded to create room for six-lane ‘Ogun Standard’ roads, the model schools under construction which will redefine infrastructural provision in public secondary schools, the model hospitals which will soon dot the landscapes of each of our nine federal constituencies, various policies aimed at making our state the preferred investors’ destination and the revolutionary projects and programmes aimed at restoring the state’s comparative advantage in agriculture, among other life changing policies, were about to be stalled and dwarfed by the events of last Tuesday.

    Again, it should be noted that many believe any fight in the House of Assembly is a proxy war between key characters in the executive, the ruling party or the political space as a whole. Those who have experienced a similar situation in our state under the previous administration vowed that if the group opposed to the House establishment did not have some money bags already sponsoring their action before the fight broke, they would have several offers within 24 hours.

    It is as a result of these considerations that my heart jumped into my mouth as the facts of the fight in the Ogun State House of Assembly unfolded. However, I was very relieved that evening when Governor Amosun chose not to attend the meeting of leaders of the new party, Action Progressive Congress (APC) holding in Abuja. He then assured everybody that the crisis will definitely not last.

    It was a good test of his popularity and reputation when he invited the legislators to a meeting in his office the following morning and all of them were present. I remember one of the legislators telling me before the meeting commenced that he cried most of the night because he realized the implication of such a bitter fight on peace and progress in the state. Another one said he was sure that with the governor’s intervention, normalcy will be restored because all of them have utmost respect for the governor, whose programmes, policies, bills and nominees have always got the approval of the legislature after all necessary debates.

    It is in the light of all these considerations that one should see the timely intervention of Senator Amosun in nipping in the bud an ugly development which could have consumed the state. The governor’s timely intervention ensured that mischief makers did not capitalize on the situation. The speedy trouble-shooting prevented a situation where combatants embark on ego-trip and get entrenched in their different positions.

    By playing the role of a peacemaker in a fight in which one of the groups was already erroneously being touted as having his support while the members of the other were making insinuations against the position of the Governor, Senator Amosun chose to be a statesman rather than a politician. He played the role of the father-figure to the feuding legislators. By putting the interest of our dear state and its good people above political expediency and personal ego, the governor has shown that he is the father of all.

    More importantly, it was the governor who suggested the popular line on which the reconciliation in the House of Assembly is now based. He was the one who said the legislators should go and apologise to the good people of the state who elected all of them into office. While leading the way in tendering apology to the people, he also found the right symbolism in the 106th birthday of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, which coincidentally was that very day the legislators were re-united. I believe Governor Amosun came out of the situation as the typical cultured, progressive and patriotic ‘omo Ogun’.

    While I pray that Ogun State should never return to that era when we were a shame to other truly democratic societies, I know that the governor needs to continue to enjoy the goodwill of all stakeholders so that he can be able to rally all, at all times, for good causes.

    • Olaniyonu is Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ogun State

  • Changing the face of lottery in Nigeria

    About five years ago, many Nigerians saw lottery as an immoral adventure. They considered it a social taboo which should not be encouraged in any decent society. Like gamblers, those who played lottery were labelled as greedy and selfish people, looking for cheap ways of to make money. So when such people play lottery, they did so in street corners and other covert locations far from the preying eyes of naïve moralist who condemned them even though they knew little or nothing about lottery.

    Today, the story is different. Nigerians are better informed and can now differentiate between lottery and gambling. Many of those who castigated lottery players and operators have come to realise that asides empowering people, lottery is a goldmine that can be used to foster national development if properly managed.

    Without mincing words, the lottery business in Nigeria has experienced an unprecedented growth in the last four years. Like a phoenix rising from ashes, the industry once dead has grown to become one of the wealthiest and best managed sectors in the country today. Those familiar with on-goings in the lottery world can attest that Nigeria’s lottery industry has grown in leaps and bounds and can favourably compete with those in America, United Kingdom, France and other countries where lottery is popular.

    Not just that, they can also attest that the growth presently experienced in the industry was birthed and sustained by Peter Igho, the Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC).

    Before Igho’s appointment in 2009, the NLRC was in complete disarray. Like many other government agencies, it existed without much impact. The commission’s headquarters was a three room apartment in Abuja with less than a dozen people on staff.

    Many Nigerians lost faith in the lottery system because the agency constitutionally empowered to regulate the business was docile. Some operators as they are wont to do, took advantage of this docility to fleece Nigerians of their hard earned money. In those days, anyone could wake up in the morning and decide to start a lottery promo. They announce incredible prizes, lure innocent and unassuming members of the public to play only to hoodwink them at the end of the day.

    And so when Igho came on board, his first task was to clean up the Aegean stable created by years of docility. He was faced with a daunting task of confronting shylock lottery operators who were used to making money without remitting a percentage of it to the government as stipulated by relevant laws. He also had to bear the burden of restoring integrity in order to make people believe that lottery can be used to promote worthy causes.

    This huge task required crisscrossing the length and breadth of the country to ensure that lottery operators in Nigeria were duly licensed by the NLRC as required by law. It was also the responsibility of the commission to ensure that lottery promotions in the country are transparent and that winners got their prizes.

    Looking back now, one can only commend Igho for the transformation he has brought into the lottery business. From a small office in Abuja, the NLRC now has offices in various parts of Nigeria with over a thousand staff on its payroll. There is virtually no part of the country where a lottery promo is held today without representatives of the NLRC being on ground to witness it to ensure transparency.

    What Igho has done with the NLRC is testimony of his knack as a seasoned administrator and patriotic Nigerian willing to sacrifice personal comfort for national development. Under his watch, the lottery commission has saved over three billion naira into the Trust Fund which will be used by the government to promote good causes as stipulated by the Lottery Act of 2005.

    Igho deserves commendations for many reasons. The mind shift of many Nigerians towards lottery today is traceable to the enlightenment campaign he embarked on as soon as he was appointed as the head of lottery commission. It is to his credit that a once ignorant population now knows that lottery can indeed be a viable tool for poverty alleviation in Nigeria as it is done in other countries.

    But for his enlightenment campaigns through various mediums, many Nigerians would never know that the Great Walls of China, the renowned Academy in France where Napoleon Bonaparte was schooled and the other great edifices around the world were built with lottery funds. A good number of lottery players would also not have known that the Lottery Act of 2005 mandates lottery companies to give out 50% of their takings to those who play, 20% to the government for good causes while the company keeps the remaining 30%.

    Like a messiah, Igho came with a positive message about lottery. He showed us all that beyond the shenanigans of greedy operators who abused the system, there was something good about lottery if it is well regulated.

    With him at the helms, it is a win-win situation for all. The government makes enough money to construct roads, build schools and hospitals, give out scholarships to students and promote other good causes. Winner smiles to bank and the lottery companies make enough to remain in business.

    The most glaring evidence of Igho’s transformation of lottery in Nigeria is highlighted by the decision by the Federal government to set up a lottery promo for the centenary celebrations next year. The centenary lottery will not only empower many Nigerians and generate funds for the government; it will strengthen our unity as a nation. Indeed, Peter Igho has changed the face of lottery in Nigeria.

  • From the cell phone

    For Olatunji Dare

    The issue of racism had been put to rest by Obama. America would be surprised to see another black man emerge as their next president. I urge all black Americans to resist any attempt by the whites to discriminate against them. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Dockyard Apapa Lagos

    The piece is kinetic. We have experienced Rosa Parks in Clinton. The other day he came to Nigeria, he wept for the people who languish in penury in the midst of wasteful spending of public money by the rulers. Clinton belongs to the bourgeois class but took sides with the poor in Nigeria. Rosa Parks is alive and dwells in our midst. What makes America think that a house built on hypocrisy will not fall someday? Thanks! From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna

    Sir, what further evidence do we need to show that Clarence Thomas and his co-travellers in the Republican Party are intensely intolerant of African Americans and Latinos? It is very doubtful if the Republicans will ever surrender to the spirit of tolerance. The consolation, however, is that any political quisling who wants to become great by betraying his own people, will eventually end up a nuisance. In Nigeria, the infamous Association for Better Nigeria and the names of their hated leaders are often mentioned with derision. From Adegoke O. O., Ikhin, Edo State

    It is an exciting write-up, people must emulate Rosa Parks’ life style. Your pen will never dry in Jesus name. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    God has heard your heart-felt cries and the Messiah will soon come. Anonymous

    I have always loved to read your column, and this one on institutionalised assault on human dignity calls for celebration of the column. However, your view on the clerics now preaching the gospel of wealth needs a review. Will the clerics preach the gospel of poverty while the state emphasises wealth creation? I think the church has done well over the years to encourage members to be creative, innovative and hard working; this has helped members\church. From Bolarinwa M. K. Ibadan

    Most Nigerians have lost their humanity. Their behaviours can be likened to that of a pack of hyenas, wild dogs and jackals going after an abandoned carcass. Anonymous

    All of us, the leaders and the led, must join hands to make life more meaningful. Anonymous

    My response is on your last paragraph “Who will save us from our home-grown inhumanity? No one except God Almighty. Anonymous

    I have just read your article on the ‘’THE NATION’’. Well, responding to the last paragraph, which ends with two questions: ‘who will save?’ And ‘who will offer the desperately needed change?’ Sir, without being religious in answering your questions, I strongly believe the one who will save us and also offer us our desperately needed change is Jesus, through Nigerians, because He is the governor among the nations. Believe me because change is coming sooner than we expected and all hope is not lost. From Caleb, Calabar

    As a nation we do not have a reading culture. The leaders may not even read your piece. Acculturation/alienation took place easily because we really did not have a culture. No documentation of any, even if they existed. From Omokhomion Ugofure, Ujemen Ekpoma, Esan West LGA, Edo State.

    Your piece on assault on human dignity indeed raises more questions than answers. By 2014, it would be 100 years that the colonial political blacksmith, Lord Lugard, created Nigeria. But since after that political marriage, the tales of woe have been increasing in tempo. Perhaps you wisely omitted mentioning the Ezu River corpses that our security agents unconvincingly swore are not the corpses of arrested MASSOB members. You can do even better by asking about the whereabouts of those MASSOB suspects…if ever you will get an answer! From Barr Paul Duru, Okwudor, Imo State

    Re: An institutionalised assault on human dignity. The change we desperately need will come from ‘the people’ at the least expected elections that will produce a leader/leaders that will banish poverty, provide jobs, maintain justice and equity, ban corruption among others. Then, the Institutionalised assault on human dignity will stop. All we need are leaders who will be disciplined, determined for good and focused. From Lanre Oseni

    The piece is interesting. Who will offer the change that we desperately need? Let us reframe to suit a class society: Who will offer the change the oppressed desperately need? The oppressed because the oppressors are comfortable with the social system. Thanks! From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna

    To say Nigeria is on the brink of collapse is an understatement in view of the leadership style of the ruling party-PDP. In the last 14 years, the party has refused to live up to its responsibilities which has resulted in our home-grown inhumanity and devastating assault on human dignity. Therefore, the only alternative to survive as Nigerians is in the strength of prayers for APC to win the 2015 general elections. From Deacon J. O. Olabisi, Agege, Lagos

    An institutionalised assault on human dignity is the level of our tolerance for absurdities. As to who will save us, we are the ones to save ourselves, through the kind of parliament we choose. Given that a president is poor, a progressive parliament would push him beyond limit. But, what kind of parliament do we have – an anything goes type of national assembly. Alhaji ADEYCorsim, Oshodi, Lagos

    We see and hear terrible things in our society yet we remain silent. It is high time we started protesting, not only on fuel price, but also evil acts pervading the nation. God bless you sir. From Mike

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    The President’s delay approach to Borno and Yobe states visit is logical and strategic because Boko Haram is a protest strike force against Mr. President by key Northerners just as the unfortunate death of Governor Yakowa ended Boko Haram protest operations in Kaduna State. From J. A. Solomon, Kaduna

    Dr. Doyin Okupe would have done the PDP and the presidency a great honour by keeping quiet over the matter of APC governors’s visit to Borno State. From Okunlola Kayode

    Since everyone was indoors, who did the president visit? Is it the state executive or the Council of Emirs? Those people affected by the insurgence of the Boko Haram were indoors. From Benard

    “Who will stop the gunman?” Sir, the joke is illogical, the army having burnt everything in the forest left nothing for the police to recover. But, on a serious note, how have we become so heartless? Are we really now destined for extinction? From Emma Mbah, Ore Ondo State

    Everyday, strange things happen in this country; happenings which are untraceable. A commissioner of police was shot in his home town and the killers disappeared. Let us wait and see if the IG will find his boy’s killers. If there is political undertone in his killing, I doubt if he would find the killers because there are pending political killings that have not been traced. Who else cannot be killed if the commissioner of police could be killed? On the presidential trip to Borno, why has it taken him so long to visit the state? His aide said his plan was stolen, what plan had he? Okupe said Kano needed more attention that was why he visited Kano first, what a presidential jokes. How many policemen followed him to Kano and Kaduna states? Visiting Borno and Yobe states alone, 3,000 policemen were deployed and he said Borno State does not need too much attention. Does he want the state to become Somalia before he acts? Nigerians are tired of the president who cannot act, who cannot take decisions on his own. Let him know that whatever he does now will either speak in his favour or against him. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Dockyard Apapa, Lagos.

    Thanks, Gbenga, I think with write-ups like this, President Jonathan and sycophants like Okupe will soon realise that power is gradually changing hands. From Austen

    The relevance of office is doing something to show your relevance. Anonymous

    Watching that man called Okupe abusing others on behalf of his boss makes me sad that there are very few intelligent people around Aso Rock. Shame! Anonymous

    Re: Who will stop the gunman? I read your article several times. If the police can do their work well, the riddle of unsolved killings and assassinations will be resolved. But if they continue to work as they are currently doing, we may never know who killed Bola Ige, let alone others who were killed like him and are still being killed. We may never know. From Iniobong Umana

    In your next analysis, do not forget to mention the involvement of Femi Otedola in the Farouq Lawan saga because it takes two to tango in a bribery scandal; there is always a giver and a taker. Anonymous

    Johnathan went to Borno, Yobe. It is a funny thing for our dear president to travel to two states with a whole battalion of soldiers and one million policemen to provide security for him where ordinary citizens are being killed daily. Congratulations my dear Dr. Okupe Doyin. History will not forget you. My dear amiable President, you made history. All the citizens that voted for our President were indoors for security reasons! Thanks. (Yoruba Ronu). THINK NIGERIA. Politicians always think of next election while statesmen think of the next generation. Anonymous

    True talk, but can we call that one a visitation or he went to create another panic? From Decorum, Ilesa

    Re: Who will stop the gunman? The insecurity situation in Nigeria is magnifying and multiplying daily and this makes us all to be living in borrowed robes! Whatever God had decreed would come to pass. Asadu was destined to die, that way. But when and how long would we be defenceless? May Asadu’s gentle soul rest, Amen! Quite unfortunate! From Lanre Oseni

    It is disheartening that President Goodluck Jonathan of all people is gradually metamorphosing to a dictator. We can read the handwriting of dictatorship if the EFCC or the ICPC goes after governors Rotimi Amaechi and Babangida Aliyu. If that happens, everyone would be convinced that he is not a democrat, and the Messiah Nigeria needs. Anonymous

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: “Kalu can try again”: whatever we say about the process of quashing Orji Kalu’s ABSU certificate; it was a good lesson that a 20-year-old good not acquired properly could be found! There is no shame in decency; let Kalu repeat the classes, apologise to Papa Igbinedion. From Maiduguri to Abia is not a long distance, not to talk of now that he can do it within Aba in four years! When Kalu contested for governorship, would he have been happy if the mandate and success was stolen or made to have a ‘K-leg’ like this cancelled certificate? I commend ABSU Council for its courage. From Lanre Oseni.

    Why is it now that the process used for admitting Kalu into ABSU is faulty? Since 2002? Are they telling us that his degree certificate is a scam or what? Let’s not believe that the action was politically motivated to spoil the reputation of Orji Uzor Kalu in Nigeria’s politics rather than the school authority doing what is right to him. I am not holding brief for Kalu but things have to be done well in a way that history can vindicate us. The blame goes to ABSU for its negligence in the admission process. From Gordon Chika Nnorom.

    I just read your column “Kalu can try again”, and the first question I asked aloud was ‘I thought he was addressed as Dr Orji Kalu’ back then? If I remember rightly, you first earn a first degree, followed by a Master’s degree before you are awarded a Doctorate. So, how can a man without a first degree be awarded a Doctorate? This country and her institutions are tired, clownish and completely irresponsible. It boils down to having ordinary men, men without substance as heads of these institutions. Dr Orji Kalu, Dr Mrs Patience Jonathan …. Parading themselves as governor and permanent secretary… Nigeria is bleeding because the wrong people lead us. It is well. From John Adoke Onimisi, Ibadan.

    Let me not believe that the withdrawal of the degree of Orji Uzor Kalu was not a politically motivated agenda to spoil his reputation in the eyes of others. From Chika Gordon.

    In the larger picture, Kalu stands side-by-side with … And, pictures, they say, do not lie. What confronts us is the sad reflection of a people who relegate character in the choice of their leaders. From Kuteyi R.R.,Ondo.

    When Gowon was sacked as head of state, he returned to school and today, he is better known as Dr Gowon than Gen Gowon. Anonymous.

    The piece is thought-provoking. They say Kalu’s enemies are behind the withdrawal of his degree. Are we to believe that the university is in the throes of ‘dilettantism’? No. The problem is the social system which edifies self-interest. From Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna.