The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • The gutless eunuch and the lion king

    The gutless eunuch and the lion king

    On 26th September 2011 in an article titled ‘’On Goodluck Jonathan, David and Goliath’’ I wrote the following.

    ‘’A few days ago President Jonathan proclaimed as follows- ‘I am not David, I am not a general, I am not a lion- I will defeat the Goliaths in our land’. These are deep and instructive words yet I do wonder whether Mr. President understands the spiritual and practical implications of what he is saying.

    I say this because if he says that he is not a David how can he then possibly slay the Goliaths in the land? If he says that he is not a general how can he be an effective Commander-in-Chief who commands the respect and confidence of his army and his officers? If he says that he is not a lion how can he overwhelm the animals in our jungle that seek to destroy and ravage our land?

    Every king worth his salt must have the spirit of the lion and the warrior in him to a certain extent. It is a fundamental pre-qualification for good quality and inspirational leadership and that is what distinguishes the pretender and the usurper from a real king. May the spirit and weakness of the biblical King Ahab not be our President’s portion even though his words seem to have ensnared him. History proves that weak kings and weak leaders always end up pulling down and destroying their own empires and kingdoms simply because they are incapable of providing strong and decisive leadership. Always remember, whether you are a king or a subject, that courage is the greatest of all the virtues. This is wisdom. Would someone please tell our President?

    With the attempted murder of the father of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and the cold blooded slaughter of a handful of people who were with him in Kano on January 7 2014 by a group of unknown assassins, the killing of nine people in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents on January 8, the shooting and hacking to death of 30 villagers and the burning of 40 houses by Fulani gunmen in Shonong village, Plateau State on January 6, the killing of 91 children by Boko Haram in Damaturu a few months ago, the slaughter of 200 Nigerian troops by Boko Haram in Borno State a few weeks back, the massacre of 41 school children in Borno State by Boko Haram four months ago, the burning to the ground of 53 churches in Borno State by Boko Haram in 2013, the mass murder of no less than 7,000 thousand Nigerians by Boko Haram in the last 3 years, the burning to the ground of an army barracks with its attendant slaughter of the family members of army officers and military personnel in Bama in December and the raging war that is going on in the north-eastern part of our country between Boko Haram and our military today those words and that counsel that was offered two years ago seem even more relevant today than they were even then.

    I believe that the carnage that we are witnessing in our country today has come as a direct result of the manifestation of weakness at the top. When a President tells the world that Boko Haram are his ‘’siblings’’ whom he ‘’cannot move against’’, as he did early last year, he is asking for trouble. When a President keeps offering Boko Haram amnesty even when they kept rejecting it and whilst they were murdering his people, as he has been doing for the last three years, he is asking for trouble. When a President installs and supports a party National Chairman, by the name of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who describes Boko Haram as “freedom fighters”, as he did sometime last year, he is asking for trouble.

    When a President announces to the world that he is “not a lion or a David”, as he did approximately two years ago, no one should be surprised when his people are killed like flies before his very eyes. May God bring us a real leader who can save our nation and may He take away this one who feels no pain and has no empathy when Nigerian blood, nay even the blood of innocent children, is shed with impunity. Under the tenure of our “lamb” President, more innocent Nigerians have been slaughtered by terrorists than at any other time in the history of our country, except during the civil war.

    What a mess and what a record. I continue to ponder about one thing though- would the President have been so unperturbed and detached from the whole thing if the children who were killed in their school just a few weeks ago had been from his Niger Delta area. It appears to me that simply because those kids were northerners this President just “doesn’t give a damn”. What a tragedy. Whether Christian or Muslim, northern or southern these are only children and they are NIGERIAN children each of whom is entitled to the full protection of the Nigerian state. I have said it before and I shall say it again, Nigeria has become an abattoir of human flesh and blood under the tenure of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and all those who support him should bury their heads in shame. The blood of all those innocent people is on his hands because he swore to an oath before God and the Nigerian people to protect them from such evil.

    Permit me to make a painful observation here. I was thoroughly appalled about the fact that when our President was asked about the latest round of killings during his live “Presidential Media Chat” programme a few weeks back he not only told a lie to the world by claiming that only “21 or 22 students were killed” at a time when the BBC and CNN had confirmed that at least 45 bodies had been found (almost 100 were to be discovered later) but he also failed to express his condolences to the families of those who had lost their loved ones. He made the same omission when he failed to commiserate with or express his condolences to the families of the 200 soldiers who were killed in Borno State a few weeks back whilst fighting Boko Haram simply because they ran out of bullets during the course of the battle.

    The question must be asked – does our President really care? Does he have what it takes to fight a war against terror or is there more to this than meets the eye? Is there a sinister and diabolical conspiracy and plan to ensure that elections do not hold in parts of the north-east in 2015 given the fact that those areas are very hostile to the suggestion that Jonathan should return to power that year? Is this whole thing planned and contrived or is it a case of chronic incompetence, ineptitude and weakness? Does Jonathan believe that it is in his interest for the North to burn and for northern blood to be spilt? Is the mindset of those who are pulling the strings of the view that since the problem has been (to use the President’s own words in his last media chat) “localised” and “contained in a certain area” the government can sit back and watch the locals slaughter themselves whilst they continue to drink champagne in the Villa? If that is the case has it not occurred to them that their fellow Nigerians live in those areas where the problem has supposedly been “localised” and is the blood of those fellow Nigerians not red as well? Are they less Nigerian because of where they were born and who they are? Are the people that live in the villages and countryside not as important as those who live in the towns and cities?

    Whatever is really going on God sees all and anything that is not of Him will surely fail. If it is nothing but weakness and incompetence that has resulted in this unprecedented carnage the President will answer before God for violating his solemn oath to protect the Nigerian people from enemies within and from enemies without. If it is a conspiracy to encourage and create turmoil and chaos in the North just to ensure that they are excluded from voting in 2015, both Jonathan himself and Nigeria as a whole will reap the consequences. It is worth noting that that is precisely what happened in Mali in the elections that took place before the North was taken over by the Islamists and it led to a full scale civil war.

    The fact of the matter is that Nigeria is in dire need of a real “Asiwaju” to lead her. She needs a man with the spirit of the “Jagaban”- a “last man standing” who has an iron will. She needs an “Ebora” who never retreats and a “Balogun” who knows no fear. Sadly, we do not have that today. Instead what we have is what the Yoruba describe as an “olori oko tio lepon”. Roughly translated that means “a President without balls”. May God take the leadership of this nation away from the gutless eunuch and give it to a lion king.

  • Misunderstanding meaning

    Who would have thought that President Goodluck Jonathan has interest in the meaning of words, beyond the glaring shortcomings of his administration? He exhibited his stuff during his meeting with a delegation of the Northwest arm of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. After declaring, in obvious self-flattery, that his administration has out-performed its predecessors in its two years and eight months in office, he then engaged in a marvellous show of word definition.

    According to him,” Some people call themselves progressives. They have done that before, did they change the system? Today, if you can abuse Jonathan, you are a progressive; if you attack the Federal Government, you are progressive; even if nothing is happening in your state you are progressive. We have seen the progressives.”

    Strikingly, the point he succeeded in making in such a circuitous manner is that his party, the PDP, operates outside the progressive camp, which is actually uncomplimentary since the concept stands for people-oriented governance. It is no news that the PDP is crumbling on account of its internal contradictions as well as its clear failure to deliver passable good governance. In a significant sense, then, it can be argued that, in orientation and conduct, the party and its leaders fall short of progressivism.

    In the context of governmental under-performance, there is fairness in the foulness if Jonathan is abused, as he claims, or if the Federal Government is attacked, as he alleges. Does Jonathan expect to be praised for doing little or nothing to lift the country in socio-economic terms? Or does the Federal Government expect a passive reaction to its consistent betrayal of the people’s expectations?

    In particular, there is a tragic undertone of conservative triumphalism in Jonathan’s words. His tone is unapologetically pro-establishment; yet he complains about alleged hostile response from the forces of positive change.

    Changing “the system” is not necessarily an overnight affair, and Jonathan ought to know that. So it is rather too early to reach a conclusion, or to imply that the progressives will never succeed in changing things. Furthermore, it is important to raise the question whether Jonathan indeed does not perceive the difference between himself and those whom he accuses of calling themselves progressives?

    There is no doubt that progressivism goes beyond being a mere badge that people wear just to be politically correct, and the socio-economic results of a progressive administration are usually unmistakable and beyond controversy. So it would amount to a contradiction in terms to claim, as Jonathan did, “even if nothing is happening in your state you are a progressive.” Who is doing the assessment in this case? Can Jonathan who has, by implication, disassociated himself from progressive politics, be a reliable judge of performance?

    From the look of things, more than ever before in the country’s political history, this period demands not only a definition but also a clarification of the concept and practice of progressivism; and it is not for nothing that, for the first time, there exists a formal Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) alongside other structures of progressive politics.

    It goes without saying that Jonathan’s effort was a preposterously poor attempt at offering a definition of such a significant idea. But this is understandable; the concept is alien to him.

  • 2015: Hurdles before Lagos PDP

    Ahead of the 2015 general elections in Lagos State, there is a particular interest among adherents of the Peoples Democratic Party regarding the possible scenarios that could play out which could either lead to the formation of the state government at Alausa or go down as a perennial loser. In other words, it is a make or mar election. And the burning desire of members is to make history by winning the state for the first time in this Fourth Republic.

    From inception in 1999, except for the remarkable election of 2003 where the late Engr. Funso Williams proved to be a formidable politician and a grassroots mobiliser, the party has repeatedly lost vital elections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, then known as Action Congress. In recent times, though, there are indications that the PDP could actually give the APC a good run for their money. The last local government elections are pointers to this assertion.

    Yet, the situation in a general election involving the governorship may not be that so easy on account of the ruling party’s long stay in power and the attendant influence on the major indices of electoral advantage.

    From this standpoint, it becomes a major issue for the Peoples Democratic Party to look inwards and make judicious amends as the race for the 2015 elections begins in earnest.

    The starting point though would have to be a holistic reconciliation of the various facets of the party from the state leadership to the local government and the wards, ensuring that the party goes into the next election as a unified body. It is noted that the usual disagreement over choice of candidates especially for the governorship ticket and the resultant effect on apathy and indeed members working against their own party at elections must be well addressed ahead of time.

    Of course, the tendency to allow so many aspirants dissipate energy and vital resources in conducting primaries must not be encouraged ahead of the 2015 election if the PDP must make any appreciable impact. Every succeeding primary elections had created more troubles for the party which had also resulted in fractured house, with the losers who may have thought they were cheated or not given a fair treatment embracing a “siddon look” attitude and never given the party’s flag-bearer the needed support and this usually led to failure at the elections. This recurring decimal must stop and the way to go this time is to let all stakeholders embrace a consensus candidate.

    This is a major hurdle which should be carefully resolved through give- and- take since the whole objective is a collective approach to win at least for the first time in a period spanning 16 years in political wilderness. Then there is the tactical selection of the candidate which must also be done in such a way as to destroy every political calculation that could give the ruling party any political advantage. As a matter of realistic political strategy, PDP must also pick its governorship candidate from where APC picks its own candidate but the party should allow the ruling party make the first commitment. With the current Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji from Lagos East angling to run for governor, the PDP should have it as Plan A or B that their own candidate could possibly emerge from the same zone. His position in the government as well as those of others from the area including Dapo Ambode and Leke Pitan, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, as reported in the media and for obvious reasons may tilt the selection towards Lagos East should be instructive to the PDP leadership that their strategic thinking and effective counter-punches against the APC is key in this all- important election. Similar focus should also be on other prominent names being touted in the media from other zones for effect. Here we have the likes of Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Ariyo Gbeleyi, Olasupo Sasore, Tokunbo Abiru, Femi Hamzat, Adeola Ipaye, Waheed Enitan, Tunde Faula, Muiz Banire and others who may yet indicate interest. What we cannot overlook here is the strategic role of APC leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the incumbent, Governor Fashola, in who eventually emerges which should also be of interest to our leaders. It should be a collective action with the sole aim of “how can we win in 2015 by thwarting every move and political advantage of the APC?” It shouldn’t be a sectional affair like before but a united front to make history. Arguably, the APC has always had superior tactical approaches to elections since 1999 and why the PDP must be ready to match or surpass them this time.

    Yet, success in the 2015 election will necessarily go beyond the above hurdles as important as they are. Aside from proper resolution of internal schism and a viable consensus candidate from the “right” and politically correct district from the state, the party will also have to contend with financing of the elections. Retaining the state is very dear to the ruling party and will fund the election so massively as they have ever did, which would make it the more tasking for the opposition trying to snatch victory from them. So PDP must start right now to gather all their brains together and strategize on financial viability for a possible redemption. Besides this is the urgent need to burnish the image of the party as a vibrant one ready to take power from the ruling party for renewal. The current image of the party should be transformed from that of an overwhelmed entity with a record of perennial electoral misfortune and an appendage of a crisis-prone federal government to one with fresh offers to serve the public good.

     

    • Chief Balogun is a chieftain of the PDP.

  • Poly teachers strike: Who is fooling who?

    SIR: I wish to communicate my displeasure on the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ASUP. Education is generally viewed as a precious gift that a good government can give her citizens. It is no more a news that ASUP embarked on strike since October 4, 2013. One had hoped that the misunderstanding will be resolved within the shortest time. I am disappointed with the way the issue is being treated by both parties. Last December, the supervising Minister for Education met the Council of Chairmen of Nigerian Polytechnic Governing Council headed by Chief Ebenezer Babatope and they were all instructed to meet their local chapter ASUP chairmen on the issue. We were made to believe that 90 percent of ASUP demand had been met. Unfortunately, ASUP National President, Comrade Asomugha made us realise that only one out of four demands had actually been met. How does this represent 90 percent? Who is fooling who?

    ASUP and the federal government should bear it in minds that students are no fools neither does it mean that we don’t know what next but we are only being patriotic.

    The federal government should resolve this issue without further delay. Meanwhile, we demand an apology from both parties for using us as scapegoat in the strike. The federal government should include in their subvention to polytechnics, relief fund to support house rents for the students for the duration of the strike. ASUP should ensure that they open their door for negotiations to hasten our resumption back to school. Lest I forget, will the students currently in ND2 be allowed for HND without the mandatory one year Industrial Training since the lost time was occasioned by the ASUP strike? Inasmuch as we have been loyal to our country, we should not be taken for granted.

    •Comrade Olawoyin Edris Busayo,

    Federal Polytechnic, Offa.

  • Goodluck charm finally running out?

    SIR: His inability to stand tough on critical matters or cleverness to navigate the political waters is causing his vulnerability to drift to the shores.  He has evidently extended the frontiers in the evolution of the nation’s political system.  He may have taken the nation to the top of the mountain, his exasperation shows he does not have the wherewithal to cross it to the promise land.  Corruption is endemic.  Boko Haram is still raging.  Regionalism is rearing to the fore, not to mention the baggage of the first lady.

    He often states publicly that he supports wealth creation in response to his approach to the havoc of corruption.  This may indicate his insensitivity.  He may be suffering from bureaucratic hangover, the symptom of overexposure to corruption.  He is like one wearing a fabric woven with smeared threads and for him to remove the dirt will strip him naked of power and close allies.  He is in a crucial position to fight corruption with the same gravity the military is fighting Boko Haram.  One can see the casualties of the war on insurrection sadly but political bandits are freely roaming the high places.

    The genesis of the Boko Haram insurgency can hardly be divorced from the crisis in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).  Who can forget the famous statement by a PDP big wig about making the country ungovernable?  He has been unable to reconcile with the North who feels aggrieved on the rotation of the presidency within the party.  His ambition to be president requires the theoretical brilliance of Einstein to yield a political success.  Meanwhile the country is bound by a burning desert fire that he cannot quell.

    Glitzy mansions are springing up like mushrooms in the Niger Delta region and one doubt if they are being built by the inept Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC).  Most Nigerians suspect that the source of the wealth is from oil theft.  He takes the posture of Buddha and watches the scandal in a transcendental bliss.  It is understandable that he is in a precarious position being a son of the region.  Democracy demands the use of political process to balance the distribution of the nation’s natural resources.

    His political flight may be finally drowned in the ocean by the excess luggage of the first lady.  Unofficial opinion poll indicates that she is viewed by most Nigerians as a disgrace to the nation’s democracy.  Michelle Obama can stand for a cause and make Americans proud but the nation’s first lady does not know the shortness of her intellectual sophistication.  It is shameful that she fronts herself as the mother of the nation.  The award to her as a global cybercrime champion is the crown of tokenism.

    Events are unfolding in the polity that may put the piloting of the affairs of the nation on the fast track.  The crumbling of PDP may be a blessing for the nation’s democracy.  Nigerians appreciate the structural changes by the current administration.  One cannot take for granted the sanity in the banking system for example.  There is a euphoric shift in the political wind.  The brewing of a Tambuwal/Fashola 2015 ticket will make a stormy campaign season.  The siren is on.  Let the bright lights shine for the people to see.

     

    • Pius Okaneme

    Umuoji, Anambra

  • Aregbesola: Taking governance to next level

    We are in deep trouble, can’t you see?” the weather-beaten fellow whispered to his mate.”

    “But how?” whispered back his mate.

    “How do you tackle a man who is so determined, so driven? They say he hardly sleeps. That once his mind locks on an idea that can help the masses, he gets so excited and can’t sleep until he gets it done.

    “Really? Maybe he’s not a true politician?”

    “Yeah! That’s the trouble. Such men spoil the business of politics for us. They open the eyes of the people to what can be done, what is achievable.”

    His mate stood, head drooping, “What manner of calamity is this one? That won’t allow us to chop?

    The two fellows were huddled under a weather-beaten umbrella. A rainstorm was afoot and the tattered umbrella flapped mournfully in the wind. It definitely won’t provide enough protection for them when the storm breaks in earnest. But they were too deep in their sorrow to fully realize that now.

    But now a blaring transistor radio from across the street began relaying some news items in which the governor’s name was mentioned. The two fellows stilled themselves to listen: “Governor Aregbesola has doubled the amount paid all government workers for the 13th month salary…”

    “Did I not say it just now? This man has spoiled our business.” It was the first fellow.

    “This one has come to turn things upside down,” ejaculated his colleague.

    But all around them were shouts of joy.

    Aregbesola had done it again.

    What manner of people are these umbrella people who are made sad by people’s joy?

    The energy with which Aregbesola carries on people-oriented programmes is a constant source of sadness for weaklings whose only mission in politics is to corner the public treasury and enslave their own people.

    Aregbesola is not a weakling. His is Spartan discipline, not given to drinking or smoking; such a combination is a guarantee for success. When such a disciplined mind is coupled with intelligence and abundant energy, you have a “Power House”. Unfortunately in our world which is still low on the level of evolution, such powers can be used for good or evil.

    Nigerians today are witnesses to the magnitude of havoc such evil geniuses can wreak.

    Aregbesola’s is different. He’s among those rare human blessings who direct their tremendous energy towards the good of man. And all sane societies who desire progress treasure –and nurture— such assets, no matter their foibles as humans. Societies that fail to nurture such men do so at their own peril.

    Self-discipline is the magic by which Aregbesola functions as governor, Professor of Philosophy, Makinde, the DG/CEO, Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Osogbo, once attested.

    Though he does not go around with the familiar symbols of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Aregbesola is suffused and driven by the spirit of Awoism: democratic socialism. Armed with his six-point Integral Action Plan “to eliminate poverty, unemployment, hunger and promote education and communal peace,” Aregbesola has tackled challenges in the State Of Osun head-on.

    First, he made the “Omoluabi” slogan of his government. Omoluabi is the quintessence of the Yoruba person; a person of impeccable integrity. By holding up the Omoluabi concept as something to strive for by citizens of the state, Aregbesola addressed a fundamental necessity of true development: the refinement of the human mind. A truly great nation or state can only be built by men of character, integrity.

    The Omoluabi concept was later made more concrete with the inauguration of two clubs: The Omoluabi Boys and Girls Club, and the Omoluabi Youth Club. Speaking at the launch which was attended by Professor Akinwunmi Ishola, renowned Yoruba playwright and author, Aregbesola stressed the need to create a society of virtuous and progressive people rather than one of delinquents and retrogressive elements, noting that the best way to do this is to begin from the cradle since studies in socialisation and culture affirm that civilisation begins from birth.

    Aregbesola noted that no matter the investment by a government on infrastructure, if the moral of the people is not invested in, it will be in vain because uncultured people will destroy any good thing that the government might have done.

    In line with this philosophy, the governor has waged an all-out battle against corruption in his government. One result of this is the doubling of the tax revenue accruing to the state. This was achieved through the blocking of leakages in the tax collection process.

    According to Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget, “The approach we adopted was to plug loopholes and stop the losses incurred through manual collection and manual processing. The approach paid off with 100% jump in revenue earnings.”

    Recently too, the state held a week-long workshop on budget preparation for senior civil servants in the state.

    As part of efforts to reduce unemployment, Aregbesola partnered with an indigenous firm to establish the Omoluabi Garment Factory. Apart from encouraging the production and use of local materials to make school uniforms and other wears in the state, it will ultimately train 3,000 to be tailors and provide employment for thousands of Osun residents.

    Under the Osun Youth Employment Scheme — O’ YES—thousands of youths are being trained in different vocations to make them not only independent but also employers of labour .Recently, 410 youths graduated as farmers from the Osun-Odua Farmers Academy. These youth farmers are to enjoy a year tax holiday as a way of enabling them to stabilize and grow.

    Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the young farmers, Aregbesola noted that it was an opportunity to hoist aloft for all to see the “fruits of responsive and responsible governance that only the healthy tree of focused and visionary leadership can yield.”

    The announcement of the 100 percent monthly basic as the 13th month salary last December is unprecedented in the state. And it was announced on a day another unprecedented gesture was extended to workers: vehicle refurbishing loans to no fewer than 9, 435 workers.

    Chairman of Trade Union Congress Francis Adetunji; Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council Bayo Adejumo and Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Saka Adesiyan, lauded Aregbesola for the gesture, calling it the first in the history of the state.

    Speaking on the third anniversary of the administration, Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Environment and Sanitation, Bola Ilori, commented: “Aregbesola is indeed a blessing to the State of Osun, going by what we are witnessing today. In just three years, infrastructural developments are massive, road constructions are going on in all nooks and crannies of the state.

    Efforts on cleaner environment have reduced hospital patronage for diseases-related cases by 50 per cent, face-lifting of the environment through urban renewal programme are on, and farmers are getting soft loans and other inputs to carry on their businesses.

    No single case of flooding has been reported since the government started dredging of streams and rivers in the flood-prone areas when it came on board; schools are being constructed everywhere, enabling environment is being created for investors.

    Jobs are being created, modern markets are being built and a whole lot more like that. The governor has indeed done well and we can only continue to pray for him for more success.”

    You must also have heard of Opon Imo, that computer device for students in the State of Osun. It is unprecedented in the whole of Africa. It is yet another clue to how Aregbesola’s mind works. While lesser minds divert state money into buying bullet-proof vehicles and allied frivolities, this visionary looks far ahead into the future.

    Spare no pity for those pitiful fellows under that weather-beaten umbrella. They won’t survive the gale that now threatens. It will sweep off all the dead woods of the past to usher in a new dawn of which prodigies like Rauf Aregbesola are the prophets…

    • Aminu, former Chief Of Staff to Chief Adefarati, former Governor of Ondo State, sent this piece from Ibadan.

  • Odegbami’s comment on Mikel distasteful

    SIR: I read John Shittu’s reaction to Segun Odegbami’s comment on Mikel Obi, published on page 24 of The Nation of Wednesday, January 15 wherein Odegbami was portrayed to have made scathing comments on why Mikel failed to win GLO-CAF player 2013 award. In the said publication, Odegbami was quoted to have said that when Mikel is not featured in the Chelsea team, he is rarely missed and when featured he is not expected to do any thing following which Shittu gave Odegbami a tutorial on modern day football and why great coaches have all kept playing Mikel in Chelsea. I wholly adopt Shittu’s comments and analysis of Mikel’s prowess and Odegbami’s condemnation as mine.

    It was the same Odegbami in his analysis of Nigeria’s chances of lifting the Nations cup in South Africa 2013 said that how far Nigeria would go in that competition would depend on how far Mikel would take us. Just like Odegbami predicted, Mikel took us to conquer Africa and on her way, conquered Yaya Toure and his Cote –d’Ivoire despite their boast before the match.

    Mikel was in the last Confederation cup in Brazil where again, he sparkled with no Yaya Toure anywhere near the competition except if he came as Mikel’s fan.

    Mikel in his club, Chelsea is always a beautiful sight to behold; marking, blocking, passing and switching accurate passes from his half to the next end which has earned him and his club, champions league trophy, Europe cup among other laurels. Yet, Odegbami is not satisfied.

    I am not surprised at Odegbami’s negative comment on Mikel, after all the same Odegbami in a programme two years ago on AIT, tried to justify the un-sportsman-like conduct of Nigerian fans in jeering and booing Super Eagles in course of play to the advantage of their opponent. He rationalized that negative attitude of Nigerians on the ground that he too was booed when fans adjudged that he and mates were not playing to their satisfaction.

    CAF is setting a dangerous precedent in Africa as they use club competition to determine the best player for Africa even in a year CAF organized Nations Cup. If players now realize that Nations Cup play little impact in the choice of best player for the continent, they would prefer to stay back in their clubs rather than participate in an African competition that will not count much to their profile.

    It is time Africa rethinks. Okocha suffered this same humiliation like Mikel. Where is Mustapha Haji in Africa legends today who was chosen ahead of Okocha?

    •Barrister Victor C. Nwaugo

    Aba

  • Budget 2014 is anti-masses

    SIR: After weeks of internal strife over the controversial oil benchmark as contained in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) approved by the National Assembly in the 2014 budget, both chambers unanimously agreed on $77.5 per barrel, paving way for the presentation of the national budget by the executive. Thus, the 2014 budget christened ‘Budget for Job creation and Inclusive growth’ was presented on behalf of President Jonathan by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy on Thursday, December 19, 2013.

    Of course, budget or no budget has never been a major pre-occupation of the man on the street because he does not understand how the trillions of naira he sees in the newspapers and/or hears on TV and radio translates to food on his table. Be that as it may, we must not be apathetic on the issue of budget because it is critical to the development of virile and robust economy.

    Being one of the millions of Nigerian youths hoping for a better 2014 in terms of employment opportunities, I was expectant; however, after getting the details of the so-called N4.642tn. “budget for job creation and inclusive growth” where N3.73tn or 72.71 per cent of the budget was earmarked for recurrent expenditure which will only be of benefit for about six percent of the population and N1.1tn or 27.29 per cent was set aside for capital expenditure for about 94% of the population, I become weary.

    Recalling the Minister’s word that “Job creation is the key to really solving the problems of the Nigerian economy”, I could only wonder how a budget where recurrent expenditure will gulp about 73% at the expense of capital expenditure of 27% could be said to be a budget for job creation and inclusive growth. Who is deceiving who?

    If there is anything that millions of Nigerian youths are yearning for, it is job opportunities; there are millions of graduates seeking for employment opportunities to no avail. There is no doubt job creation will boost the economy. But how many people have benefited from the jobs that were supposed created through the 2013 budget of 31.9% capital expenditure?

    Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala knows better and does not need to be told that job creation and inclusive growth depend on an all-inclusive capital expenditure, where the impact of development could be felt by the masses.

    In the same vein, the mammoth sum of N836.6m for fuelling generators in 2014 by the presidency and other ministries, departments and agencies of government is conspicuous when considered from the standpoint that the government, had after the privatization of the power sector promised that Nigerians would begin to see significant improvement in power supply from the first quarter of next year. Specifically, President Jonathan had while inaugurating the Phase II 500 Megawatts Omotosho National Integrated Power Plant in Ondo State two months ago promised stable power supply in the country by the middle of 2014.

    The National Assembly should look into this recurrent issue critically and push for more funds to be allocated to boost agriculture, housing and healthcare infrastructure to generate employment and empower Nigerians at the grassroots so as to make it “budget for job creation and inclusive growth” as it is called.

    • Ogundimu Babatunde Solomon

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • How Imo PDP chair emerged

    Contrary to the impression being bandied about, the recent emergence of Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie as the acting chairman of the Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) followed due process as laid down by the party’s constitution. The controversy that initially arose following the announcement of his name as the new helmsman of the Imo PDP was contrived by some elements, especially from outside his native Orlu zone, who, contrary to the rules of the party, felt they should have been consulted, ab initio, before the zone nominates anybody to fill the position which became vacant following the appointment of the former chairman, Chief Eze Duruihuoma, as chairman of the National Population Commission.

    The constitution of the party provides that the zone from which a member of the state executive committee comes from has the prerogative of finding a replacement from the same zone. Anyaehie comes from the same Orlu zone as Duruihuoma.

    Following the latter’s successful screening by the Senate, the Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) of the party in the zone (Orlu), in accordance with the provision of the constitution, met to screen candidates who had indicated interest in the position. The ZEC, made up of serving legislators at the state and federal levels, the local government chairmen of the party and members of the state executive committee from the zone, unanimously nominated Anyaehie for the position and thereafter forwarded his name to the state executive committee for ratification. At a meeting of the committee and which had the National Vice Chairman (South East), Colonel Austin Akobundu (rtd), as an observer, Anyaehie’s nomination was unanimously approved. However, some leaders of the party outside Orlu zone felt slighted that Anyaehie did not reach out to them but analysts and observers point out that such a posturing was misplaced since Anyaehie could not have began to reach out to them when his nomination was yet to be ratified by the Orlu zonal executive committee and the state executive committee. But inspite of this, some stakeholders went to town with insinuations that Anyaehie was an imposition of Senator Hope Uzodinma who, given his current position as the senator representing the zone, is the political leader of the area.

    There were also insinuations that Anyaehie will be too independent minded, being the scion of a wealthy and influential icon in the state, Chief John Anyaehie and himself a very successful businessman. Incidentally, some of the stakeholders who initially raised misgivings about the emergence of Anyaehie are those who saw the exercise of filling the vacant chairmanship position as an opportunity for taking control of the party ahead of 2015 general election. It was in this light that Senator Uzodinma was accused by some of having more than a casual interest in the emergence of Anyaehie, said to be a close political ally and personal friend of the senator. But keen watchers of the Imo political terrain point out that while it would have been impossible to fill the position without input from Uzodinma and even if he had more than a passing interest in Anyaehie, it was his ability to bring Orlu leaders to agree on one candidate that matters.

    Orlu zone, made up of 12 local government areas out of the 27 in the state, is believed to be the most amorphous geo–political zone in the state. Given the caliber of persons that earlier indicated interest in the position, it had been feared that the zone, which parades some of the most vibrant and influential politicians in the state, was going to implode during the search for Duruihuoma’s replacement.

    That it did not happen was to the credit of Uzodimma whose residence, both in Abuja and his home town, Omuma in Oru-East local government area of the state, had become a Mecca of sorts for aspirants and those lobbying for them. That a consensus was reached is a development which the leaders outside the zone should emulate.

    Among those who indicated interest in the position were Chief Boni Ebili, who comes from the same local government area as Duruihuoma, Dr. Jeff Ojinika, a former member of the House of Representatives, also from the zone and Barrister C.O.C Akaolisa, the current Legal Adviser of the Imo state PDP and a well known political ally and personal friend of Uzodimma.

    While Uzodimma’s political interest and calculations cannot be ignored, his pedigree as a team player and consensus builder, with an amazing political following throughout the state, would always propel him to thread with caution. Against the back drop of the lingering crisis within the PDP and the general polity, vis-a-vis the determination of the party to reclaim the state in 2015, leaders of the party in the state are very cautious not to allow any rift amongst them, as that may cause a lot of damage to the party. Hence, the unprecedented level of equanimity and co-operation currently among them.

    Even insinuations that the chairmanship issue was causing a rift between Uzodimma and the immediate past governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, has been dismissed on account of the fact that the duo have both become too politically sophisticated to allow such a thing.

    As a matter of fact, it is no longer a secret that both the presidency and the national leadership of the PDP are aware that the two are working closely to ensure that the party regains the state in 2015. Although some of the aspirants to the position are also his political allies, having worked under him while he was governor, Ohakim has been steadfast in the belief that the leaders of Orlu zone have the prerogative to make nominations on consensus. And once that happened, it took no efforts to get the co-operation of the amiable former governor whose rating in the state has risen astronomically in spite of the controversies over the 2011 governorship election.

    The last couple of weeks were also awash with speculations and even media reports to the effect that some other leaders of the party from Owerri zone expressed misgiving over Anyaehie’s emergence, apparently on account of inadequate consultation. Among those said to be feeling slighted were Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees and Kema Chikwe, the national woman leader of the party. Again, these allegations appear far-fetched as these leaders, apart from having resolved not to allow the matter to distract them from their stoic determination to make the party reclaim the state in 2015, rely on the judgment of Orlu zone.

    There have been talks that the new chairman lacks the political experience to occupy the position. But this has been debunked by both observers and analysts who quickly say that nobody needs go far to put a lie on that. Apart from insisting that Anyaehie is by no means a political neophyte, being one of the most visible politicians in at least his Orlu zone, they point at his predecessor, Duruihuoma, who had no political pedigree, whatsoever, before he was elected into the office which he held successfully for more than three years.

  • Gov. Wada; When will Ogane-Nigu road get attention?

    SIR: Democracy by its conception is meant to further the people’s well being. It is a system that gives the people the opportunity to determine their destinies. Democracy is not democracy, when it is devoid of social and economic justice. The opportunity that is embedded in democracy for self-determination was seized upon by the people of Oganenigu, Dekina local government, in the election that produced the current Governor of Kogi State –Captain Idris Wada, in 2012.

    Oganenigu is the largest political ward in Dekina local government and by extension, Kogi State in general. Ironicaly, Oganenigu is the only ward in Dekina local government, whose ward headquarters is yet to be accessed by tarred road.

    Your excellencey, the people of Oganenigu voted for you because they consider you to be by all standards, an achiever, judging by your track record of achievements before you became governor. The people of Oganenigu voted for you in the expectation that, you will redress the criminal marginalization of the community by successive administration in the state.

    . The last time complaints in respect of the same road reached your good office, you promptly directed action. That is to be saluted. But your excellency, the quality of work carried out on that road in 2012, as you directed, is to say the least, worse than the laterite construction, carried out on the road in 1978.

    Your Excellency, the people are counting on your benevolence to once again rise to the occasion. The first reason why the people are getting more and more desperate is that the road is now almost unmotorable, a nightmare and a death trap. A journey of 16 kilometers (Oganenigu-Etutekpe) that should ordinarily take less than 25 minutes now take two whole hours. This is pathetic in 21st century. The loss of man-hour on the road, hazards like accident, unbearable cost of transportation and wear and tear on vehicles and other means of transportation, is excruciating.

    Oganenigu is a very large community with a cluster of about 13 villages known for abundant forest resources and other agricultural produce. Regrettably, the people are beginning to lose interest in farming for which they have comparative advantage because their market is almost extinct because of bad road. The internal traders and farmers can hardly transport their farm produce to the nearest –Anyigba market, at a profit, because of high cost transportation.

    Your excellency, it is sad to note that poverty is widespread in Oganenigu, not because the land is not endowed or the people are lazy. It is simply a case of tears in the midst of abundant potentials that cannot be harnessed due to slim opportunity –marginalization. Daer Captain; help urgently before Oganenigu is completely cut-off from the rest of Nigeria.

     

    • Omonu Nelson Yakubu-Gowon

    Mararaba, Nassarawa State