The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Who is on the ‘hit list’?

    What does it matter if anyone is first on a hit list, in this case an alleged federal government project? Since everyone presumably on such list is in mortal danger, and the listing may not be based on schedule or priority, it follows that someone even at a lower position could get hit before others who are placed higher.

    So Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s claim of preeminence on an alleged political watch list would appear to be fundamentally neither here nor there. It is disturbing enough that the said list reportedly has over 1,000 people; and the presumed sequence of names shouldn’t be overly exploited for political ends.

    Of course, it is a grave statement on the country’s dire political circumstances that Amaechi not only seemingly corroborated ex-president’s Olusegun Obasanjo’s open allegation about a killer unit nurtured and sustained by the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, but also claimed that he was the first person on the list of targets. According to him, “I read the President’s letter and he said ex-President Obasanjo should prove the 1, 000 names on the watch list. I am number one on the list. They want to kill me, but they have no God.”

    It is a reflection of the frosty relations between Amaechi and Jonathan, compounded by the former’s defection from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), that the governor made such an implicating declaration. However, it is apt to wonder how Amaechi became aware of the alleged list and his place on it. More importantly, Amaechi’s apparent validation raised the inevitable question as to the identities of the others on the list. What is more, do the others know that they are on a danger list?

    Significantly, this talk of a watch list has further exposed the hideous underbelly of politics in the country, especially in the PDP which is faced with an implosion of gargantuan proportions, following the defection of five governors from the fold and an exodus of federal legislators. Expectedly, Jonathan has denied the charge, describing it particularly as “incomprehensible,” and the public is left wondering where the truth lies. However, the fact that the allegation came from a political leader of Obasanjo’ s stature, with his military background as a retired general, makes it worthy of comprehensive investigation.

    These are terrible signs ahead of the country’s all-important 2015 general elections, and with Jonathan yet to confirm his alleged interest in a contentious second term, the future promises to be stormy. God forbid, but what if, for instance, something happened to Amaechi, to put it euphemistically? With the yet-to-be-disproved accusation against Jonathan, what will the public believe?

    It is likely that there are others who, like Amaechi, believe they are marked for destruction, and there is no doubt that the onus is on the presidency not only to prove its innocence but also to demonstrate that it will be guided by a sense of fair play in the build up to the critical polls.

    Death is not a thing to be toyed with, and it is relevant to contemplate the nature of recruits for the alleged killer project as well as the recruitment process. Where are they from? Will such people join the reported death squad conscious of its purpose? What will be the attraction for them to help kill perceived enemies of the administration?

    There is no doubt that the news of the existence of a political watch list is likely to fuel paranoia among members of the political class, especially those who are on the other side, from the perspective of the powers that be. It is an unacceptable development that should be condemned by everyone with a drop of patriotic blood.

  • The reality of our world today

    The trouble with every human society has been incompatibility of two certainties, one actor could be right in emotional and moral terms, but the other right in practical terms. It is a given that two rights are mutually incompatible.

    Opinion plays a powerful role in human relations, a strong opinion can be called “Belief” A set of beliefs can be about a particular subject. Some human actions are expression of particular ideas.

    Our world today is a true representation of Biblical records of calamities of horrendous proportion. These graphic revelations are so apt in apocalyptic prophesies that defy known social theories.

    The actions of states actors and non-state actors across the globe shock all known theories and practice of event research studies in inter-nation actions and interactions

    Event analysis represented a trend in political science toward more precision and better empirical research. At the end of World War II, students of international politics concentrated on exploring the attitudes and perceptions of nations and developed many theories – often, grand sweeping about why nations behave the way they do.

    Many decades after saw a shift of interest to nations’ actual behaviour. The term “event data” has become the accepted reference for word and dead that international actors direct toward their domestic or international environment.

    Words and deeds refer to both verbal and physical actions and relations (a diplomatic protest is verbal while a troop deployment is physical).

    Actors include statesmen and other public elites who speak for nations, inter governmental organisations. Today, the stage has become crowded with new sets of actors that disregard the rule of the game at play. Labour Unions, Student Union, Civil Society Coalitions, Religious Organisations have been very active actors on the play stage.

    Then comes the other set of actors who not only have disregard for the rule of the game, but bent on setting a new rule. These later entrants are known as social deviants that thrive in chaos.

    Their modus operandi defies all civilised norms and values, laws and order of constituted authorities. Their operations cut across national boundaries as outlaws.

    They come in different shades with the same aims and objectives codified as a manifesto. State actors call them: Militants, Terrorists, Kidnappers, Armed Robbers, Assassins, Drug Barons, Human Traffickers, Crisis Merchants, Gun Runners. Their generic code is simply organised crime; they constitute illegal government in a concerted effort to dislodge a legal government from power.

    All these translate to an event which is an observation of a group communication process that minimally records or shows who says or does what to whom. In the end, we shall live to see system theory in practice as the state actors battle the non-state actors in this war. A true representative diplomacy by state actors with visionary leaders equipped with the ability to think about or plan the future with great imagination and intelligence will serve as a panacea.

    Ogbu A. Ameh

    Abuja

  • New dawn at Nigeria Customs Service

    The recent takeover of destination inspection by Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, from service providers, who are operating as regulators of all imported goods into the country, is a welcome development to improve trade facilitation and make the nation be at par with other countries of the world in modern customs technique all over the world.

    Before the takeover of this destination inspection, the country’s

    importation was solely the responsibilities of those private

    operators, whose duty the NCS were required to do

    and see to the realisation of the country’s economic development.

    For the past thirty years, those private operators have been the only agencies whose activities were to oversee the importation of goods into the country while the Nigeria Customs who are the core institution to carry out these activities were made to just play a second fiddle to the detriment of the nation’s economic well-being.

    After various postponements of taking over the destination inspection, the realistic date of 1st December 2013 has made the NCS the singular institution to see to import administration in the country, which is a land mark achievement.

    The present comptroller-general of the customs service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi Inde, whom the country would not forget in a hurry by ensuring this new dawn is achieved, had prepared his officers and men, by sending them for re-training to take over the destination inspection, also the service has created a trade hub portal for easy access for importers to key in realising the clearance of good without delay as regard the destination inspection.

    The customs service had equally designed and developed the pre-arrival assessment reports, PAAR, for importers for the quick service delivery at any port of entry in Nigeria.

    We hope that as the NCS assumes full responsibilities of

    this destination inspection, other stake holders would key into this modern customs to ensure easy clearance of goods in our sea, air and land entry points for not only the good of Nigeria but the benefits of the service who are ready and fully prepared

    to give their best as they assume their lawful aspect of improving the revenue generation of the nation.

    Bala Nayashi,

    Lokoja,

    Kogi State

  • Lessons from Olanipekun, my man of the year

    Lessons from Olanipekun, my man of the year

    Social learning theory posits that human beings internalise social behaviours as a result of modelling the attitudes of others, with whom they interact or observe. An American theologian, Tyron Edwards, almost in the same school of thought says, “people never improve unless they look to some examples higher and better than themselves”. Against this background, however, it could be deduced that many of the socio-political and economic problems bedeviling Nigeria today may not have existed if there was a preponderance of sound moral models in every aspect of life.

    In other words, how wonderful will our society be, if all parents set good examples for their children to copy, if all teachers in all our schools could see themselves as models for their students to follow, thus, setting good examples of moral rectitude, if all religious leaders practise what they preach and all political gladiators see themselves as Nigeria’s own version of Mandela, ready to die for the betterment of the society. But, sadly, converse is often the case! Some parents feel it is much cheaper and better to buy results for their children, rather than teaching them the value of hard work. A particular parent even attempted to bribe me with dollars, in order to facilitate admission of his child to the University of Ibadan. I rejected it promptly and ran away from a tempter! We don’t take bribe in UI. Admission is purely based on merit.

    However, our society is not without men and women of honour. We have always had, and still have quality models in all walks of life. I am of the opinion that Nigeria has abundance of honest and value-driven men and women in the media, academia, religion, polity, economy, sports, judiciary among other fields of human endeavour. The problem is that their opposites seem to be in the majority. But, when we see one of the avartars, we should not hesitate to celebrate and highlight the inherent values that can encourage the coming generation, as by appreciation, we make excellence in others , our own property.

    Consequently, this writer wishes to pick one of the Nigeria’s best and former President of Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and an officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) as Man of the Year 2013, given the sterling qualities and enviable values he represents. Chief Olanipekun who has been under the serious study of this writer in the last fifteen years is certainly one of the social icons in Nigeria, qualified to study for emulation. Observing a man for 15 years is perhaps much more than enough period to be able to make a near-accurate judgment on him.

    My first contact with Chief Olanipekun was in 2002 at Cultural Centre, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State Capital where he contested and won almost effortlessly, the presidential election of NBA . I was then working for Champion Newspaper as Oyo State Correspondent. His peaceful mien, as well as his humble disposition and friendly aura struck me beyond description as I instantly became his secret admirer. Since then, I have never failed to listen to his public speech and read religiously his interview in print media. I personally made him my mentor without his knowledge as I so much appreciated his Omooluwabi’s virtues.

    As fate would have it, Chief Olanipekun was appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chiarman of Council, University of Ibadan in 2009 where I had a more vantage opportunity to study him more closely.

    One of the lessons I have been able to glean and learn from Chief Olanipekun’s life in the last 15 years is the value of hard work and diligence which is probably fast evaporating in the society He believes the price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.

    In one of his public presentations, the legal colossus has this to say to this generation, “those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today”. I was in his Lagos office recently uninvited, sources informed me that Chief Olanipekun was not a lawyer that sits in office all day long. According to the sources “he is very busy, he hardly spends two hours on his seat, the man is a workaholic.” At 62, I soliloquized, “why is this man still working hard?” Perhaps, this is a great lesson to this “microwave” generation which believes in shortcut to everything, with a byword “sharp, sharp.” Chief Olanipekun’s life is teaching us that only a grave digger starts from the top, if you jump up, you will come down, but if you grow up, you will stay there.

    Another vital lesson his enviable life preaches is honesty and discipline. In the last 15 years of my study of this Ikere -Ekiti born legal mind, his life evinces the value of honesty. To Chief Olanipekun, honestly is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall cease to exist. He served the University of Ibadan without blemishes. He never introduced a contractor despite many humongous contracts executed by the University under his watch. After the expiration of his tenure, Chief Olanipekun challenged anyone to come forward with evidence of shady deal during his tenure. He came with a clean hands and left with clean heart.

    Again, his humility is as infectious as his amiability. No wonder he was recently described as a great man who carries greatness lightly. John Ruskin says the first test of a truly great man is his humility. By humility, Ruskin does not mean doubt of the powers or hesitation in speaking one’s opinion, but merely an understanding of the relationship of what one can say and what one can do. Chief Olanipekun is so humble to a fault. I challenged him one day on why he did not pick my calls. Chief, as I fondly call him, humbly told me “Sunday, you have neither offended me nor I am deliberately ignoring your calls, the fact is that, I am dealing with so many people.” I felt humbled.

    Do I need to restate here that his life teaches philanthropy and kindness? He has declared publicly that one of his ministries is assisting the needy. This, he has been doing without expectation of returned favour from the beneficiaries. Some jobless youths in Ikere -Ekiti seemed to have found it convenient to always ambush him for financial assistance whenever he goes to his town. Chief Olanipekun gathered them and empowered them with a brand new motor-bike each , so that they would be able to fend for themselves. This is one of the least he does all over the place. Following his towering legal status, Chief Olanipekun was one of those who were recently conferred with the Fellowship of Advanced Legal Studies . He has contributed in no small measure to the development of legal profession with his first- class advocacy.

     

    Saanu writes from

    University of Ibadan

    sundaysaanu@yahoo.com

     

  • Making Lagos work for all

    Ware coming to the end of 2013 and are glad that we are alive today and pray that we will make it into the New Year. I am particularly happy that my daughter is here today. For us, 2013 was a tough year for all of us in the family especially for her. The year started with a bang for us. My daughter, my only child was barely two months old then. It is needless to say that I and my wife just commenced our parenthood and were both immature at the time. On that New Year’s Eve, we noticed that our daughter was having difficulty breathing. We called her doctor and he asked us to remove her mosquito treated net. This we did to no avail. He then asked us to bring her to the hospital. This was 10:12pm We went through Gbagada Phase II and didn’t bother to take the Lanre Awolokun Road as it is always locked by 7pm so we drove through Olumoroti Jaiyesimi Street and on getting to the gate, we were told that the gate was closed for the night. All our efforts to make them understand that this was an emergency fell on deaf ears as they left us and walked away. As we had no time to waste, we had to go back and use the expressway. That meant that we had to make a U-turn at New Garage and go to Anthony and make another u-turn at Town Planning Way and back to the expressway to Charly Boy Bus Stop, Gbagada, where the hospital is. It was another round of negotiations at KKK Street but these security men were more understanding and they let us pass when we explained we were going to the hospital. We eventually got to the hospital by 11:15pm. A journey that would have taken us 15 minutes eventually took over one hour. At the hospital, she was admitted to the ward and was given series of transfusion and intravenous injections to stabilise her. In the course of her examination, the doctor asked if any of our families had a history of asthma and we answered no. She asked us to describe our environment and we did. Our kitchen is far from her room, we were not frying, our house is tiled, her net is even child-friendly etc. Our answer didn’t satisfy her curiosity. She expressed her surprise and told us that our daughter was showing symptoms of asthma, albeit at a very tender age. “Please always ensure that her room is well ventilated and not stuffy,” she advised. Then was when it struck. Smoked had filtered into our room earlier that night, as some people in the neighbourhood were having a bonfire to usher in the New Year. We came out of the hospital a week later and after two monthly checkup appointments, she was given a clean bill of health. This is how some people’s ‘enjoyment’ could have brought terrible sorrow to our family. This is Lagos. Everyone is in pursuit of his or her own happiness and hardly pays attention to how our ways of life actually affect other people’s lives. It is in Lagos that one resident will decide to close the street because he is celebrating the birth of a child. It is in Lagos that some driver will change his flat tyre in the middle of the road instead of driving it to the kerb. A danfo driver will park in the middle of the road while his conductor goes to solicit for passengers. Market men and women will block half of a major road with their tables as they sell their wares to their customers. Tanker drivers will line up and almost block the expressway as they queue for fuel at the various oil tank farms in Lagos. Some landlords’ associations have banned commercial vehicles into some of the estates, not minding that these estates are maintained by tax payers’ money. People indiscriminately cut the roads to lay their water pipes without properly filling the roads thereafter. The list goes on and on. We are not interested in the hardship other people suffer on account of our actions. A few years ago, the Lagos State government abolished the erection of gates and directed that these gates, if they are to be allowed, must not be locked before 12 midnight and 5am. It also directed that such gates must be manned during the time they are locked. Men from the state’s Ministry of the Environment actually enforced this order at the time but the situation has returned to status quo today. The day the government goes to demolish these illegal structures and arrest the offenders; arrest those who block the roads for parties; arrest those who trade on the roads; confiscate the tankers that block the expressways etc., we will start shouting that the government has no human face etc. The question is: should we wait for the government to come and arrest us before we know that we hurt others. Don’t these landlords associations know that there are people who do not have cars of their own and depend on taxis for movement; don’t those who lock the gates know that there could be emergencies and people may need urgent medical attention; do these people who block the road not see the traffic jam they cause innocent road users etc? It is high time Lagosians stepped back and assessed their behaviour and how this behaviour impacts other people. For everything we do, we need to do a social impact assessment to know how the society is affected by our activity. We do not need to be prodded by government always. The same way we pay for our children’s school fees; take them to hospitals when they are sick; and give them food when they are hungry; is the same way we could accommodate the society in our actions. We only can make that resolution and all of us will be the beneficiaries of the better society we create with this resolution. •Ekechukwu writes from Lagos

  • How two Nigerian students died in Ukraine

    SIR: The entire Nigerian student community in Donetsk, Ukraine, has been in state of mourning since last week due to the sudden death of two of us.

    While we mourn our dead, it has however been painful to watch the Ukrainian media portray a totally untrue account of what actually happened to the two Nigerians who died.

    Laolu Oresanya Teresa was a third year Electrical Engineering student of Donetsk National Technical University. She was admitted to the hospital on December 8, and was diagnosed by the doctors of having acute anaemia. Immediately after the diagnosis, money was paid to the hospital for the treatment that might be required. Oddly, the doctors never commenced serious treatment till December 12, saying she was under some medication and they were monitoring her.

    The next day, December 13, the news came that her situation was critical and she has been moved to the intensive care unit, where she later passed on at around 7:p.m. So the issue of not having money as painted in the Ukrainian media is not true. What is even more annoying and embarrassing is that the result of the diagnosis and that of the autopsy were opposite. Why the autopsy result indicated that she died of Sepsis, the doctors’ diagnosis claimed she died of acute anaemia.

    As for the second deceased, Obede Ogbu, he was a postgraduate Electrical Engineering student of Donetsk National Technical University. He died on December 18; his case was one of total neglect by the doctors. According to the doctors on duty, he was suffering from cardiac arrest; rather than give him the urgent attention needed, they abandoned him. When we tried to enquire why no attention was given to him, the doctors responded by saying we should give them five minute to smoke cigarette.

    When the situation became critical and a nurse rushed to call the doctors, it was too late for Obede Ogbu. The question many of us have continued to ask since then is whether the Ukrainian doctors would have left their own citizens in critical condition to smoke for five minutes. Would they have treated fellow European or Russian citizens the same way?

    There is no need for the Ukrainian media to twist the story, because neither our embassy in Kiev nor the federal government cares if we all perish in the hospital. The entire Nigerian students in Donetsk must be commended for having the courage to come out in large numbers to protest the uncaring attitude of Ukrainian doctors to Africans. Though we know nothing would be done to remedy the situation, at least, the truth deserves to be told.

     

    • Comrade Ahmed Omeiza Lukman

    Donetsk National Technical University,

    Ukraine

  • Ahmed: A legacy of performance

    Dateline May 2011. Governorship election day. Abdulfatah Ahmed, immediate past commissioner for Planning and Economic Development and gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had just gotten to know he won the election.

    Though expected, the implications of the victory were overwhelming, given that the party had just won admist division in the house. Dr. Olusola Saraki, incontrovertibly the most influential politician to have come from Kwara State, was yet to be assuaged. Beyond that, the victory also meant the party, the PDP, and by extension the candidate, had just defeated the younger sister of the sitting governor. As such the development was of great interest to newsmen across the nation.

    In Ilorin, the state capital, journalists, obviously must have been tasked to get the first words from Ahmed, by then the governor-in-waiting. They found him in a small guest house somewhere in the old GRA area of Ilorin. But if they expected a gloating winner, particularly given the verbal war that had accompanied the election, especially between the then ACN and the PDP, they were utterly disappointed. Not only did the newly elected governor refuse to share in the victory of the polls, he pointedly told the journalists there was no way of removing the hands of the elder Saraki, now of blessed memory, from the victory.

    Then one reporter asked a daring question. Ahmed responded but with a caveat not to be misrepresented. Then he did something unheard of in this clime; almost on his knees, he begged them not to misrepresent his views. Some may say if  he went that low it was because the weight of his office and powers were yet to dawn on him at that instance but more than two years down the line,  it is evident that he was not pretending; the governor is still the same man: humble to the core.

    Those who have come across him at personal level since he assumed office will testify to the fact that one humbling fact about Ahmed’s personality is his humility. He is not one to allow the grandeur of his office to blind him from the reality of his humble beginning and the opportunities that God has given him to rise to the position of privilege he occupies.

    No wonder the pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, had this testimony about Governor Ahmed:  ”You are humble. You are respective. You are a decent human being and God has blessed you with all that is decent in nature. God will not take this away from you. You are an epitome of decency and respect. May Allah build around you an impregnable fortress which neither mole nor ant can touch. In sha Allah”.

    As a member of his campaign team and now his chief press secretary, I am often amazed at how the governor relates with even young reporters at the end of every interactive opportunities. I have also seen him mingle with the down and the low, the women and the youths, at various fora and there is no other conclusion one can draw other than to say that God has clothed him with the garment of humility which seldom signposts privileged individuals.

    Yet he is focused and hard-working. One lesson I have learnt  working with this chemist-turned –banker-turned-politician is that a lazy man cannot work with Ahmed who is given to focussed discussions and detailed analysis of issues. He is always on top of every issue at any point in time. He is not the type of politician to be coached unnecessarily; he can hold his forte on any platform at any time, little wonder he is a journalist’s delight. He once held political editors spellbound during an interview prior to the gubernatorial election 2011: he brilliantly fielded questions for over three hours without holding a note and not once did he miss or mix his points.

    If you thought it was because Omolewa, his humble, generous, humane and resourceful wife, was right beside him during the interview, what about his out of the box interactions with the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Christian Association of Nigeria, members of the academia, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, among others? Femi Adesina, Boni Iwuoha, President of the Guild and former President of the NUJ respectively, among other members of the Guild requested that Kwara donate the Governor to Nigeria for the much desired social economic transformation of the country.

    In less than three years that God has given him the privilege to rule the state, everything points to the fact that Ahmed has caught the ultimate Saraki bug: my people, my people, what is in this for my people?  It is this passion that has led to the creation of several pro-poor financial schemes in the state. In the last two and a half years, the government gave N250 million as first tranche of a N500m revolving loan for small scale entrepreneurs. The fund has generated more than 3000 jobs across the state, just as another N100million was disbursed for artisans who for the first time have been brought under an umbrella association to allow them form smaller sub-groups to access the facilities. In spite of irregular inflow of expected resources, the governor approved the release of N60m for the payment of NECO and NABTEP examinations as a demonstration of his love for the youths.  2014, Maigidan Kwara, as he his fondly called, promised a N50m quarterly allocation to generate the much needed youth employment.

    Communities that have long been neglected are now feeling the impact of government. Not talking about five general hospitals that were rehabilitated and fully equipped to international standard. The people of Ora-Ayetoro in Ekiti local government area of Kwara State, among other numerous communities, now have cause to smile. For 20 years, according to the monarch of the community, Oba Christopher Olatunji Odeyemi,  they were in ‘bondage’. For 20 years, they had suffered neglect as the only bridge linking Ora-Aiyeetoro with other communities in the local government had collapsed. For 20 years, the people had to contend with the dangerous option of swimming to cross to the neighbouring Ejiu community and ditto for the Ejiu people whenever there was the need for them to visit Ore-Ayetoro or other communities after Ora-Ayetoro. As a matter of fact, they transported their farm produce to other communities by swimming with their loads to cross the river.

    The pro-poor governor has also approved the rehabilitation of the16 kilometres-long Obbo-Ora-Ayetoro road as part of N2.5 billion rural road projects.  The newly constructed bridge over the Ora River has been completed. Other communities across the state are enjoying the same gesture; not bound to their economic viability but their existence as locations inhabited by Kwarans because with Ahmed the mantra is ‘shared prosperity.’

    Teachers in the state can testify to his humane nature; this year they gave him a merit award for outstanding performance in education. When teachers in Nigeria honours a man, it is no joke; they are one of the most effectively organised and united workers’ group in the country. And what did Ahmed tell them at the award ceremony? “It is no longer tenable that teachers’ reward is in heaven. We must do everything we can to enhance the welfare of teachers and also create a conducive atmosphere for effective teaching and learning”.

    It is a story of commitment to the well-being of the people. And the story is the same among the youths. It is the same among traditional leaders. It is the same among religious leaders. It is the same among those who have one form of disability or the other.  It is the same among indigenes and non-indigenes.  Indeed, as several activities take place to mark yet another fulfilling birthday anniversary for this versatile banker and administrator, it is apt to say that Kwara is blessed to have had a successor like Abdulfatah Ahmed taking over the mantle of state administration from an achiever like Senator Bukola Saraki.

    Happy birthday, Boss!

     

    • Oba is chief press secretary to the Kwara State Governor.

  • Senator Akume at 60

    On December 27, 1953 in the little known village of Annune, in Benue Province was born a child whose life would greatly influence the course of Nigerian history. George Akume was born into a family of great politicians. At the time of his birth, his uncle, late Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka was pioneering the crusade for minority rights in Nigeria. Many decades later, he would step into the oversized shoes of his great uncle as a politician of note from Benue State.

    Senator Akume had his primary education  at the then Native Authority (N.A) Primary School at Annune between 1960 and 1966, and then proceeded to  former Government Secondary School, Otobi now Model Science School, Otukpo, Benue State, between1967 and 1971 for his secondary education.

    Despite his humble beginning, “George” as he is called by his close associates sought and was admitted to St. Louis College Jos for his Advanced Level in1972, and then proceeded to Nigeria’s Premier University, at Ibadan for his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology, graduating in 1978. He also obtained a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labour Relations (MILR) from the same university in 1986. At the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), he obtained a Certificate in Management, 1988.

    Senator Akume began his working career as a Land Officer with the Benue State Civil Service in 1979 after he completed the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. He made steady  progress in his career as a civil servant. Because of his versatility and diligence, he was at various times given diverse responsibilities and duties: Assistant Secretary, Research and Policy Analysis (REPA) in the governor’s office; Principal Secretary; Under Secretary, and Director of Personnel Management.

    He also handled several special assignments which included, Sole Administrator of Idah Local Government Council, (Now in Kogi State), and later Gboko Local Government Areas. He was also Director of Protocol, Government House, Makurdi, Benue State.

    Between 1994 and 1995, Akume was seconded to  the Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos as Deputy Director and on returning to his home state became the Director- General in 1996, and later, Permanent Secretary, (Establishments and Management Services) in the Benue State Civil Service. He voluntarily retired from public service in 1998 to participate fully in partisan politics.

    On entry into politics, he registered as a member of the defunct Congress for National Consensus, (CNC), one of the five registered political parties during the Sani Abacha’s transition programme. He was nominated as the governorship candidate of the party but this ambition was short-lived when Gen. Sani Abacha died on June 8, 1998.

    Senator Akume’s desire to serve his people was not dampened even with the death of Abacha. This much was renewed when General Abdulsalami Abubakar who took over after Abacha’s death as Head of State outlined an elaborate but short transition programme. He actively participated in the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party and in 1999 was elected as the third governor of Benue State. As a reward for his sterling performance, he was re-elected for a second term in 2003.

    As a governor, the people’s desires and yearnings were always first on Akume’s the list of his priorities. He distinguished himself in the areas of poverty alleviation, the establishment of cottage industries, free health services and basic education for all, upgraded electrification and power supply in Makurdi and across the state, and he also opened up the state’s hinterland by constructing many feeder roads to enable farmers bring out their produce for sale.

    He also engineered a purposeful agricultural programme and this increased Benue farmer’s prosperity tremendously.  His impact was felt in other areas such as the establishment of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, School of Medical Science, the Greater Makurdi Water Scheme as well as initiating an enhanced emolument and welfare package for all categories of state and local government staff etc. To this day, and for many years to come, his achievements as a state governor are used as yardstick for measuring the extent to which his succesors have succeeded or failed.

    His rare courage and patriotism were on display when he along with other Nigerians stood firm against the botched Third Term ambition of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He repeated the same enviable feat against the tyrannical desire of the ruling PDP to subvert the will of the people in 2011 when he decided to join the more progressive and people–oriented Action Congress of Nigeria, now All Progressive Congress just before the elections. For a political platform that was relatively unknown in the state and region, he confounded his traducers with his re-election victory at the polls in 2011.

    In recognition of his sterling contributions to the activities of the Senate and the development of the nation at large, he was elected Senate Minority Leader by the minority caucus of the Senate. As the minority leader, he is known to be an astute political team player and a negotiator per excellence who prefers to play behind the scene. This trait has served him and his people well in his political career.

    Senator Akume’s innate ability to think clearly even in a  hazy political atmosphere has enabled him to contribute in no small measure to the evolution and emergence of the new political identity in Nigeria, the All Progressive   Congress.  And as he attains his 60th birthday today, one thing that has remained topmost on his mind is how to daily improve the living standard of the common man in all ramifications.

    This is reflected in the innumerable constituency projects – several manual and motorized water boreholes, health centres, classroom blocks, electricity transformers as well as skill acquisition centres among others that he has initiated and completed in different parts of his constituency.

    As a reward for his immense contributions to the development of Nigeria and in acknowledgment of the Senator’s outstanding qualities, he has received recognition from several local, national and international bodies. These include among others, Honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) from University of Jos, Most Distinguished Almunus (MDA) University of Ibadan, outstanding recipient of the Key of Little Rock, Arkansas and Honorary Citizen of the State of Georgia United States of America, Best Performing Governor among PDP Governors from the North-Central zone, Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award for Excellence from All African Students Union, and Life Patron, African Sporting Initiative. He is also a member of several professional bodies including, Fellow Nigerian Institute of Management. He is also a Knight of Saint Job.

    • Ominyi writes from Abuja.

  • Lessons from South Sudan

    SIR: The month of July, 2011 marked a turning point in the history of South Sudan. Not only did it come out of over two and half decades of a bloody civil war, it succeeded in becoming the newest independent state in Africa.

    As a landlocked country, South Sudan is among the world’s most impoverished country with less than one per cent of its population having access to electricity. Despite being the third-largest oil exporter in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and Angola, the new nation is not only awash with guns after a long battle with Khartoum, but has been grappling with corruption and lawlessness since independence.

    The current president, Salva Kiir is from the Dinka ethnic group, the country’s largest, while his main rival and former Vice President, Riek Machar belongs to the Nuer ethnic group, the country’s second largest. This ethnic rivalry forms part of the current crisis bedevilling the country with each group systematically killing one another in their respective places of domicile. The political angle to the crisis which has seen tensions rise between Kiir and Machar since July of this year stems from the latter’s intention to win the leadership of the ruling party ahead of presidential elections in 2015. This quickly led to his sacking by Kiir and his cabinet. The political tension soon snowballed when Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup on December 15, a situation which saw the arrest of opposition figures and former cabinet members.

    Apart from the fact that the crisis have left hundreds dead, with figures quoting about 500, the number of people displaced as a result of the crisis has tripled to about 81,000 with the number increasing by the day. Also, the United Nations has asked for another 5,500 troops from other UN missions in Arica to complement the 7,000 already deployed across the country. It is saddening that the African continent has failed to learn from history and have therefore consumed by its lack of it.

    As the crisis in South Sudan continues, the lesson we must learn therefore, is that disunity breeds nothing but further bloodshed. Those who call for division do not understand the pains and horror of war and think it is going to take a smooth transmission. Events in South Sudan paint this sad picture of a path we must not follow. The political elites must realise that the Nigerian state may not be able to hold itself for long if the massive disconnect between the ruler and ruled continues. It is therefore imperative that a workable solution is engineered in order to remove the pangs of mutual distrust that has remained part of us since the days of amalgamation. Those who fail to learn from history are condemned by it. South Sudan is a reminder and example of this apt truth.

    • Raheem Oluwafunminiyi

    Lagos

  • Jonathan’s talk-back opportunities

    At least, President Goodluck Jonathan is unmistakably psychologically troubled, even if his physical state may not be publicly discernible. Evidence of his inner turmoil is the fact that his talk nowadays is loaded with defensive innuendos and snide remarks, which betray a tortured soul. From the look of things, Nigerians may be in for a long-term presidential combativeness, worsened by a constant search for a chance to get back at the source of discomfort, a euphemism for “the enemy”.

    Consider Jonathan’s latest not-so-veiled return punches, right inside The Cathedral Church of the Advent at the Anglican Diocese of Abuja, and during the Christmas Day service too. It was disturbing enough that he chose the venue to continue a fight; but even more unsettling was his choice of a day traditionally regarded as a time for expressing goodwill to all men. What could be more demonstrative of his hurting psyche and implacable vengefulness? God have mercy!

    Listen to Jonathan: “For us at this time, especially we the politicians that we think we own the country, begin to think about the next election and doing what we ought not to do, making statements we ought not to make, writing letters we ought not to write.” You may excuse the assault on grammar, but without mentioning names, he nevertheless succeeded in clarifying his major target, namely, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who spoilt his December with a devastating 18-page open letter that is still the talk of the town.

    After implying that politicians do not own the country, he interestingly went on to identify those he considered as being in charge. His words: “I call on clergymen and statesmen who really own this country because this country belongs to our statesmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, our men, our women and our youth. Nigeria does not belong to any politician or group of politicians. So we continue to urge you to pray for this country.” However, apart from being nauseatingly hypocritical, it all seemed like a cunningly political statement intended to sell his brand, if anything. Lest we forget, he has been perceptibly central, even if subtly so, to abuse of power by the federal government, more recently in Rivers State where official impunity continues apparently with his nod.

    Although he found the platform irresistible for his purpose, he strangely failed to exploit it to the fullest; for the church environment, with the implication of spiritual presence, would perhaps have helped his case in rebutting Obasanjo’s damaging allegations against him. Imagine if he had sworn in that sacred space that he really knew nothing about Obasanjo’s incredible claim, among others, that the presidency was harbouring trained killers ready to be unleashed on presumed foes of the administration. Perhaps he would have been believable, given the tendency of the religious public to accept, often uncritically, declarations of innocence delivered on the altar of faith. It is possible, then, to interpret the loss of opportunity as an indication that Jonathan may indeed have something to hide.

    However, though it will not be surprising if Jonathan treats future formal presidential appearances as extensions of his battle, it will surely reinforce the downward trend in governance, not to talk of good governance. This is because using every public forum to attack “others” would not only be obsessive; it would also regrettably point to a dangerous distraction from the essential function of government.

    Despite the fact that Jonathan has written his own open reply to Obasanjo, and requested the National Human Rights Commission (NHCR) to investigate the allegations of the existence of a political watch list including over 1, 000 people as well as the training of snipers, which the presidency links with “human rights violations”, it is intriguing that he won’t let any opportunity pass without talking back.