Category: Opinion

By Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki breezed into Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State, on Saturday November 14. The day coincided with the eight-year anniversary of the death of his father, Senator Olusola Saraki. Senator Bukola Saraki’s arrival came a day after his sister, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, arrived the state. She was in town apparently for two things: to hold a town hall meeting, as recently directed by the President, and of course for the eight-year memorials for her father.

That family was once synonymous with political power in the north central state. Everything and anything revolved around them. That changed in 2019 when they lost hold of the state’s political structure in what may be called an electoral shellacking. Not a single candidate supported by the scion of the family, Bukola, won any seat. His PDP lost the election 100%. He himself lost his re-election bid. Since then, Bukola Saraki had been away from the state. He secretly proceeded on a political exile.

On Saturday, he returned to the state apparently to join the prayers for his late father. But close watchers of the political environment would know that it was more than that. Saraki apparently came to test the water and send a signal to political players, especially those outside Kwara State. The level of mobilisation by his foot soldiers, the style he adopted in entering the town (mounting a long motorcade with him waving from the rooftop of his vehicle), and the media promotion of the visit showed he was driving a narrative: I am still a force to reckon with.

If a crowd determines anything, then it is safe to say Bukola Saraki remains a great force to reckon with. But crowd means a little in politics for those who know the game very well. Anyone can pull the crowd in politics. All that is required is enough money to go round and the vehicles to convey the crowd. For Bukola Saraki, or indeed any politician, a crowd at a campaign ground is no evidence of acceptance or political influence. To drive this point home, a video of Senator Bukola Saraki’s tumultuous crowd before the 2019 ballot surfaced. In it, he boasted about teaching the opposition a bitter lesson on the Election Day. The rest is history.

But there are issues in his coming, still. One, it does not show that much has changed about him. He feels too entitled to the idea of his godfather status. The manner of his entry showed that side to the public all over again. It was all about him. He has not seen anything wrong about this messianic approach and his helicopter politics. Rather, he still believes that propaganda unseated him as the sole kingmaker of Kwara politics. This means he does not appreciate the nature of human being. Man, by nature, cannot remain subservient forever. For too long, Bukola Saraki called the shot in Kwara. His stranglehold became suffocating. At a point, he started playing God. He determined who got what in Kwara. His most glaring failure, but certainly not the first or the last, came when the Jonathan presidency shunned him and made Prof Abdulraheem Oba the chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

He tried to block senate confirmation of Oba but it never worked. He humiliated the Professor by sharing a video of persons begging him to let the professor have the seat. That incident revved up public sentiments against him. But he did not stop. He became even more ruthless in his ways, thinking he cannot be challenged. The rest, again, is history.

The 2019 election and the pattern of developments since then show that Kwara has moved on. Nobody wants another godfather. If he had studied the situation, he would note that the schisms within the ruling APC partly revolved around a vehement rejection of anything that may look like a Kwara under Bukola Saraki. People want to determine their own destiny without the say-so of any godfather.

Today, no single politician in Kwara can lay outright claim to all the federal appointments to the state. Yet the state has got far more than it ever got under Bukola Saraki. There are two ministers from Kwara today. The Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari is from Kwara. The Chief Economic Adviser to the President Dr. Sarah Alade is from Kwara. Chairman of the Federal Character Commission Dr. Fareedah Dankaka is from Kwara. Several chairmen and members of federal boards and parastatals are from Kwara. All of these happened without the say-so of any particular godfather. The political atmosphere is without the fear of ‘the leader must not hear or the leader must approve of my saying or doing so.’ Traditional institutions no longer live in fear of being summoned to Government House, handed instructions, and be given a choice between carrying them out and losing their stools or be demoted. This is the situation in Kwara today. That freedom even reflects in the tone of engagement between the incumbent Governor and the citizens.

Of course, the ruling APC needs to get its act right. The internal schisms should be managed in a more mature way. However, it is a gross miscalculation if Saraki or his handlers think the schisms in the APC offer him a re-entry into the emerging political environment.

To clear this doubt, a leading gladiator in Kwara politics Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo captured the political mood of the state in these few words following Saraki’s arrival: “The true meaning of enough is enough (Otoge) in Kwara politics is for yesterday and today. Let nobody tell us that yesterday is better than today.”

It was a message directed at everyone, but most pungently at Saraki, his followers, and anyone interested in the state’s politics. The message seems to say that whatever the current challenges at the moment, they are no excuse for Saraki returning as a godfather. That era seems gone forever.

That is only a side to the story. Outside of political disagreements in the APC, Saraki also has a Herculean task to convince Kwarans he is needed ever again. For seven years under his tight grip, the state was under UBEC blacklist while basic amenities had all collapsed. Today, the state is out of the blacklist and has accessed matching grants of seven years to reposition the basic education sector.

All the basic schools collapsed under his political leadership of the state. It was same for the basic health sector. Until 2020, Kwara had no isolation centre, much less modern facilities to manage infectious diseases like the COVID-19. Children were no longer being vaccinated against diseases because Kwara was not playing its role. No single public water work was functioning anywhere in the state, with the capital city surviving on water tanker. Workers were owed months in arrears of salaries/allowances.

In 2016 when he confessed building his retirement home from the pension packages he awarded to himself, retired civil servants were dying of frustration and cheap diseases as they were not getting paid. Until 2016 when there was a public outcry, he was getting paid jumbo pension as a former Governor and he was also receiving humongous salaries from the Nigerian senate. Yet, civil servants were not getting paid their salaries in Kwara State especially at the local government level. As of May 29, 2019 when the new administration took charge, workers across colleges of education were owed 30 months of salary. Whatever mess the state is battling with today was created under his vice grip on the state.

Back to politics: Saraki has himself declared the (2023) game open when he told reporters that his homecoming is akin to the commencement of the Premier League. The question many would ask is, what role does Bukola Saraki want to play in 2023 in the state’s politics? A godfather? He wants to return to the Senate? He wants to contest for president? No option looks good for him. Who wants another godfather to design their future? Not in today’s Kwara. People have moved on. If he wants to return to the Senate, it is his legitimate right. But he would be asked if there are no one else outside his family that is qualified for the office.

It is said that the purported reconciliation between him and his sister, Gbemi, is premised on him going to the Senate and his sister becoming the deputy Governor. Again, anyone may ask, are they the only family in Kwara? The optics is bad for him whether on the moral plain or on the political chessboard. For these reasons and much more, it is pretty hard to see a brighter future for Bukola Saraki’s triumphant re-entry into Kwara politics, not minding the photo-ops that his homecoming offered him. Perhaps nothing makes his re-entry scarier than the god-like traits he again displayed when he came calling. Whether south or north of the country, people are simply tired of godfathers.

 

• Alabi is a political researcher based in Ilorin.

 

 

By Emmanuel Oladesu

This rare year is coming to an end. But, the pestilence that is ravaging the world is not abating. Covid-19 pandemic is growing in leaps and bounds and claiming more victims. It is still threatening to swallow humanity.

Six countries in Europe have imposed lockdown, following the resurgence of cases. France, Israel, The Netherlands, Spain and Germany are in panic and pains. They have imposed movement restrictions in their key cities.

Covid is a universal headache. If it is curtailed in one country and it is ravaging another, no country is safe. Therefore, any country that is aloof to the global threat does it at it’s own risk.

Is Nigeria prepared for the second wave of the dreaded disease? Advanced countries that have been hit by the second wave are in deep grief. Social life is being dislocated again. Commercial activities are being shut down in major cities. The discovery of vaccines has neither allayed nor reduced the fear. Covid now seems to be the beginning of wisdom.

If big and buoyant countries are suffering under the yoke of the strange disease, which is not a respecter of title, class and distinction, should it not spur poor, underdeveloped or developing countries to take pre-emptive actions that will curtail its spread the second time?

If top government officials and statesmen are still catching cold and fretting in Europe and America over Covid, should leaders here be aloof and not take decisive steps as health experts build new scenarios about its prevalence?

While managing the casualties and other devastating effects, what efforts are Nigeria taking to prevent imported viruses, particularly now that the country has expanded its international airports?

Is it not profitable to take steps to avert what will make another lockdown compelling before the stark realities dawn on the economically fragile nation-state? Can Nigeria afford a second wave of Covid?

The country is still battling with the first wave. Now that the second wave has not come, although there are warnings, is prevention  not better than cure?

Covid hit Nigeria in February 27. Medical experts saw it coming. Yet, it met Nigeria unprepared. Perhaps, it could have been prevented by a proactive government. The empty boast by government that it was on top of the situation paled into lying. Although prevention is better than cure, Nigeria decided to settle for the later at a huge cost. The country paid dearly for its culture of negligence and the snail-like approarch to problem-solving.

On account of Covid, 2020 became a year of high mortality rate. Although the disease never discriminated between the rich and poor, the demise of eminent Nigerians, including the federal chief of staff, lawmakers, and other top government officials created anxiety. Many governors, who were infected, have bitter tales to tell. Other big shots who passed through the treatment procedure will never pray for a reoccurence. Affliction should never rise the second time.

The country was caught unawares. Ordinarily, the facilities used to curtail Ebola could have been useful. But, across many states, they were not maintained. The Covid challenge brought into the fore the vulnerability of the underfunded health sector.

The lone difference was Lagos, the epic centre, where the Incident Commander, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, mobilised health workers for the medical challenge. Isolation centres sprang up. Hospitals that released part of their premises or facilities for isolation centres were gripped by the fear of stigma.

However, the prediction by some concerned Western medical elite that corpes may litter the streets of Nigerian towns and cities never came into fulfilment because God averted the impending doom.

The Covid-19 protocol made adjustment more critical to survival. Schools and markets were closed. Worship centres were under lock and key. Mass gathering was prohibited.  Many organisations directed their workers to work from home. Hit by the accompanying economic challenges, some companies decided to downsize. Many workers in private firms lost their means of livelihood. Many households became poorer. Movements were restricted. Inter-state travelling were checked through curfew and border policing. Corpes spent longer time in mortuaries as postponement of funerals became inevitable. It appeared that everything was at a stand still

In public places, social distancing became the norm. Handwashing with soaps and the use of sanitisers is still a feature of life. Citizens appeared with various forms of face or nose masks.

Nigerians who returned from abroad were quarantined for two weeks. Vigilance was the watchword. The goal was to limit community infection or spread.

Since February 27, when the first case was recorded, Nigeria has not remained the same. It has recorded almost 70,000 cases and 1,154 deaths, according to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control(NCDC). Mercifully, 59, 844 had recovered as at last month.

From 15 molecular laboratories, Nigeria now has 80 public health laboratories. Health workers have remained dedicated. Corporate bodies have been supportive of government’s efforts. But, the tempo of the fight should be sustained.

The sustenance framework should encompass improved testing, isolation, treatment, surveillance and vigilance.

A second wave portends grave implications. It will impact negatively on the economy and national wellbeing. As warned by Akin Abayomi, professor of Medicine and Lagos State Health Commissioner, the resurgence of cases is dangerous as it may led to the reversal of the strategic measures to revamp the economy. Budgetary projections may be truncated.

If there is a resurgence and government imposes a lockdown, it will be agonising. Also, there will be a new wave of palliative arrangements, palliative management and palliative politics.

Covid is not a native of Nigeria. It was imported. It entered the country through the airport. Therefore, to prevent the second wave, there should be vigilance and surveillance at the airports. But, if citizens do away with the preventive guidelines because the curve is flattening, it is risky because the virus has not been conquered. It can still spread. It is lamentable that despite the startling revelations and frightening statistics, many people still believe that Covid and its effects are a figment of imagination.

Combating Covid is a joint duty. As government plays it’s part, Nigerians should also take irresponsibility. It is in their own interest. They should, till further notice, continue to wear face masks, particularly in public places, keep social distancing, wash their hands with soap regularly and use hand sanitisers.

If all these preventive measures are strictly adhered to, may be, Nigeria can prevent the second wave.

By Igboeli Arinze

This nation since 2009 has been at war with a ragtag army of terrorists who have launched a guerrilla like war against the Nigerian nation.

Unlike conventional warfare, this war has targeted the Nigerian military and civilians alike sparing none of the two, Boko Haram has taken to the war to all, attempting to torture the psyche of the nation as it wages war against reason, civility and democracy.

At first, it did look like the terrorists were winning the war. Bombs went off as Christmas fireworks in the North including areas like Kano, Kaduna, Adamawa and even Abuja. Our soldiers were not equipped to face off the terrorists, Boko Haram even occupied an area the size of Belgium declaring a caliphate.

We cannot forget the Chibok girls experience where 276 females were kidnapped by the terrorist group whilst the then administration lived in denial. It was that bad.

Whilst this war raged, the likes of Sambo Dasuki turned the war against terrorism into a private enterprise dipping their hands into the National till and distributing the funds to perceived friends of the government. We were filled with ludicrous stories of how monies amounting to 2.1 billion Dollars meant for our soldiers in the battlefield was given to individuals for marabouts and a number of payouts even a five year old would definitely rule out as not required in a script to fighting a war.  For while our soldiers lacked the basic arms and ammunition, while they and other civilians died in their numbers, towns, villages and homesteads were devastated the likes of Raymond Dokpesi and co were beneficiaries of huge payouts.

Enter President Muhammadu Buhari and the nation begins to notice a resurgence in that war, with his return to power, Nigerians begin to see the armed forces push back the terrorists, Boko Haram’s Caliphate inch by inch was greatly contested, the dreaded Sambisa forest, Boko Haram‘s Tora Bora, which many had thought impregnable was taken, Boko Haram has been technically defeated.

Kudos must be given to Buhari, just as many realistically did not expect the terrorists to give up the fighting, not with the terrorist group’s alliance with ISIS, the dreaded Sunni terrorist group that had spread its way from the Middle East to North and West Africa. The mere fact that the bombs have stopped going off In a number of areas is a plus to Presidency and the security architecture.

Again, the military has made much gains against the terrorist group, confining them to limited parts of the NorthEast region, mostly in Borno and Yobe, limiting them to hit and run attacks , the normal tendency from this kind of opposition.

Thus the recent resurgence of the terrorist group much ought to baffle the Commander in Chief. For while things are not now as bad as they were in 2012-2014, the situation on our hands now require some thinking outside the box. Nigerians all over are rattled that despite the humongous funds allocated to the Defence sector, the terrorists seem to be having a field day. The Buhari administration has spent roughly over 5 billion Dollars on security, with the failings in security, Nigerians are merely agitating about the security lapses.

But I will not be too quick to go down that line of argument. Why? A comparative analysis between Nigeria and a country like India, two countries which largely share similar challenges spent a whopping 53 billion Dollars on Defence alone in 2018 compared to Nigeria which spent 1.9 bn in that same year. Even Algeria spent 9.8 billion dollars last year against Nigeria’s 2.04 billion dollars.

But again, there are arguments  that It is not just about pouring in money- there is need for a total overhaul of the nation’s security architecture which to many seems incapable of handling the present security challenges, some have even gone further to call for the sacking of the service chiefs and the appointment of new service chiefs.

True, the security architecture is quite obsolete and requires an overhaul but I thought that had been done or was in the process of been done with the submission of the reviewed new National Security Strategy (NSS) to President Muhammadu Buhari. Much as a majority of Nigerians are being kept in the dark about its workings, I do not want to believe that the strategy is yet to be implemented and could be the reason behind the resurgence of the attacks? Or could it be that it is already been implemented but could require some time for Nigerians to see its benefits?  To the calls for President Buhari to fire the service chiefs to me may not be the silver lining in the clouds. The present service chiefs have to the best of my knowledge done very well, on what basis then should they be fired or retired? Is changing the service chiefs at some point going to cause Boko Haram to surrender and embrace peace, who knows.