The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • PDP’s litany of double standards

    PDP’s litany of double standards

    SIR: Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state defected from ANPP to PDP as a sitting governor, the PDP accepted him, while the ANPP did not go to court. Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia defected from PPA to PDP as a sitting governor,

    PDP accepted him while PPA didn’t go to court. Former Governor of Imo state Ikedi Ohakim decamped from PPA to PDP in 2009 as a sitting governor, no issue was raised.

    Former Governor Saminu Turaki of Jigawa left ANPP to PDP as a sitting governor, nothing was said. It’s a similar story with ex-governor Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi of Zamfara state who left ANPP for the PDP as sitting governor.

    Many more Senators and members of federal and states house of assembly left the parties they were voted on to join the PDP, these parties didn’t make a case. Now the dying PDP is asking the court to declare the seats of Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara who recently decamped from the PDP to the opposition APC. Not only that, indications are on that the PDP with the assistance with the powers-that-be plans to use some state assembly members to impeach some of these governors; this may happen in Rivers in which plans are on to use five against 26 to carry out this special assignment.

    Why is the PDP so greedy? If they are against this practice of serving officials elected on their platform switching to other parties, they would

    have set a good precedence in the past by advising all the above mentioned governors who at one time or the other left their parties to join the PDP to resign from their positions before joining the party or better still, refuse to admit them into the party at the various time they sought to join.

    • Halilu Hassan.

    Kaduna.

  • For Aliyu, Lamido, It’s time to count gains

    For Aliyu, Lamido, It’s time to count gains

    Activism or taking a stand for democracy and good governance demands consistency of purpose from the individual or group. Same cannot be said of Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger and his Jigawa state colleague, Sule Lamido, who alongside their erstwhile colleagues in the PDP – Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Gov. Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) – waged a war of attrition against the Bamanga Tukur led leadership resulting in the formation of the now defunct New PDP.

    There are many questions begging for answers why two prominent governors in the fore-front of the “struggle” had to stay put or sit on the fence as others cross carpeted to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    The announcement by Governors Aliyu and Lamido that they were not part of the move reduced the impact of what would have become one the few significant political developments in the history of the country and turn the self-acclaimed largest party in Africa to a minority in terms of number of states under its control.

    In the light of the manner the duo backed out of the merger, kudos should be given to the five governors who matched their words with action. We saw reasons to believe that we still have politicians who can question authority and make necessary political alignment and re-alignment to drive their message home. They could have as well given sundry reasons why jumping ship at that point in time was not the right political move.

    However, the action of the defecting governors exposed the underbelly of our topsy-turvy politics.Ours is a politics of convenience, devoid of ideology and any form of political philosophy.

    It leaves one to wonder what Aliyu and Lamido were up to, considering that they were always a part of G-7. Were they spies for the PDP in the nPDP?  What kind of battle were they fighting that they couldn’t resolve issues within the party and remain? Was there some secret pact between this two and the presidency? Are they merely acting out a script? Were they ever in spirit and sync with the other five governors? Why did they start the rebellion in the first place if they weren’t ready to jump ship when the going gets tough, knowing there cannot be two captains in a ship. Or were they just fearful?

    Regardless, the presidency has continued to persecute Aliyu and Lamido and will not hesitate to pull the strings in overdrive should they remain recalcitrant. The line they’ve bandied about that they won’t leave PDP for Jonathan and his acolyte might become a stand too difficult to maintain in due course.

    In other climes, like America, which our politics and system of government is modeled after, mergers or cross carpeting that are a major feature of our democracy is almost a no go area for them. Theirs is a politics built on ideology and political philosophy entrenched in values and culture.It will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for Donald Trump, a staunch Republican, to decamp to the Democratic party.What Republicans and Democrats don’t have in common goes beyond the ballot box. Their personalities, core beliefs and policy ideas are fundamentally different. In these circumstances, it is almost impossible to see an nPDP-APC merger. Ours is a game of numbers, where capacity is everything.If our political parties are ideology based, the moment you move from one party to another, it means you are changing ideological base, which in essence, is political suicide.

    Despite several meetings with the aggrieved governors, President Jonathan’s inability to nip crisis in the bud came to the fore. The leaky umbrella in the PDP today is the aftermath of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) election squabble which as everyone predicted from the outset, had the propensity to polarise the governors in the PDP with wider political consequences.

    There were only two governors who genuinely had problems in their states, they faced serious battles and wanted to be in control of everything – Rotimi Amaechi and Murtala Nyako. They simply manipulated other governors nursing presidential ambition and those who had issues with the national leadership of the party to join them. The likes of Bukola Saraki and Timipriye Sylva, both former governors, were beingwitch hunted by anti-corruption agencies, became easy converts.

    Governor Babangida Aliyu’s case is one of a shaky home base. Moving to the APC might signal the beginning of the end of his political future. He was not a member of PDP but only drafted into it so he could contest the governorship of Niger State.

    Already, renowned statesmen of the PDP like Jerry Gana  and former governor, Abdulkadir Kure are waiting on the sidelines to take over the party structure should he cross over. Losing his political base and by extension, future, was his greatest fear. Neither of these governors can survive or remain politically relevant outside the PDP. Reconciliation at this juncture seem to be the surest option.

    For Sule Lamido, it has always been somewhat personal. Lamido was a governor and he could not deliver Jigawa to President Jonathan, what should we expect from him now that he won’t contest for governorship again? To add salt to injury, his two sons, and some Jigawa state government officials are being summoned to Abuja frequently, either to the State Security Service (SSS) or the EFCC, trying to answer questions on how Jigawa state funds were managed or mismanaged. For fear of the EFCC, he backtracked from the merger.

    But on a second thought it makes sense for a founding member of the PDP, like Lamido, not to leave the party for people he described as opportunists. Lamido was one of the G-34 members who mobilized under Dr. Alex Ekwueme and the late Chief Solomon Lar to present a letter to Gen. Sani Abacha asking him not to contest. He played a very significant role in the formation of the PDP and it will be very unwise for him as he rightly said to leave the party he helped built.

    Moreover, Sule Lamido and Babangida Aliyu are two of the few northern governors eyeing the PDP presidential ticket capable of posing serious threat to Jonathan at the primaries. The backers of the G-7 had apparently kept them both in the party to form the backbone of the opposition from the north to Jonathan’s second term bid. Should they move to the opposition, who will wrestle power with Jonathan from their region?

    There is a pitfall in this much publicised defection. The merging of G-5 with the progressives should not be mistaken to mean the merging of their large followership base, because “They are not your employees, therefore, some of your supporters might stay” as President Jonathan rightly opined. Same applies to their respective members in the House of Reps and Senate from their states.

    Since the defection of the G-5, it is also worthy of note that after their meeting with President Jonathan, neither Lamido nor Aliyu has announced a shift of ground in their opposition to the Bamanga Tukur leadership of the PDP and Jonathan’s second term bid. This has left two of them with the option of either swimming across to join their colleagues in APC or reconciling with their arch enemy, Tukur.

    Be it as it may, the merger went down in history as the most significant political development in Nigeria.As a close observer of political event described the situation Governors Aliyu and Lamido have found themselves, withdrawal from the exodus of the PDP defection train to the APC seem to have left them on a Political Island – somewhere in-between the PDP and the APC.

     

    TheophilusIlevbare is a public affairs commentator. He can be reached via theophilus@ilevbare.com. Engage him on twitter, @tilevbare. He blogs at http://ilevbare.com.

  • Redeeming Bode George

    Redeeming Bode George

    Congratulations to Chief Bode George, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bigwig and jailed former Chairman, Board of Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who has apparently succeeded in shedding the stigma of prison following a Supreme Court verdict quashing his 2009 conviction and 30 months imprisonment by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja. It must be joy unspeakable for him, considering the snide remarks he most likely had to cope with on account of his prison history, especially in the dirty game of politics. Now he can do a swagger in public without restraint or embarrassment. He can proudly reject the tag, “ex-convict”.

    With him on the soul train are five former members of the board, Aminu Dabo, an architect, Captain Oluwasegun Abidoye, Alhaji Abdulahi Aminu Tafida, Alhaji Zanna Maidaribe and Sule Aliyu, an engineer, who were also discharged and acquitted.

    George and four others were arraigned in 2008 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 163-count charge of conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was NPA chairman between 2001 and 2003. During the trial, the EFCC reduced the charge to 63 counts, and the judge found the defendants guilty on 47counts. Specifically, they were found guilty of exceeding the limit for award of contracts, splitting contracts in order to bring them within the limit, and inflating contracts. In other words, they were sanctioned for official corruption, that monstrosity which many observers have identified as the bane of the country. It is noteworthy that as prison inmates, George and his colleagues enjoyed the V.I.P. section, were excused from wearing prison uniforms, and had access to meals prepared by their families, which smacked of corruption.

    Even more remarkable, and reflective of corruption of another kind, was the lavish celebration that greeted his 2011 release from Kirikiri Prison, Lagos, which was nauseating to the public. George, 68, claimed that his trial and imprisonment were consequences of a conspiracy by his enemies. With his clearance by the Supreme Court, it is predictable that the flamboyant retired naval officer would arrange a church thanksgiving service and throw a party, all to make a statement.

    It is interesting that they took their battle for redemption as far as the Supreme Court, suggesting that they were convinced about the supposed injustice of their conviction and sentencing. Well, they could afford the services of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Kanu Agabi and Joseph Daudu, and they obviously couldn’t live with the shameful stain, given their social standing. Just a thought: What if the apex court had affirmed the correctness of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which had endorsed the initial High Court ruling? What a horrible thought!

    It may well be that by overturning their conviction and imprisonment, the Supreme Court, perhaps inadvertently, not only saved them from deadly depression but also prevented their descent into suicidal psychosis. It is even possible that the latest ruling will energise them beyond their years.

    However, there is ironically something to be sad about. Central to the exculpatory judgement were the arguments that the prosecution failed to establish the guilt of the appellants and that contract splitting was not unlawful at the time of the alleged offence. In the words of the court: “Contract splitting, which formed the basis of the offences charged, was unknown to law at the material time. The Public Procurement Act, which made contract splitting an offence punishable with term of imprisonment, was enacted into law by the National Assembly in 2007, long after the appellants had ceased to be members of the NPA.”

    George and others were probably ahead of society’s consciousness of the infinite possibilities of contract award.

  • Like Oloibiri, don’t forget Bomu

    SIR: Bomu is a community where oil was discovered in commercial quantity, quality in 1958 by the Dutch oil giant, Shell, two years after oil was first discovered in Oloibiri. Oloibiri is now synonymous with oil. The Federal Government through its interventionist agencies approved the proposal for the construction of an oil and gas museum in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State at the cost of N33,945 billion. The museum, according to reports, will house a Research Centre and an InternationalConference Centre.

    NDDC has also constructed and commissioned concrete internal road for the Oloibiri Community and other social amenities like, water project, link bridge, landing jetty and electrification respectively.

    One is indeed thankful to the federal government and its interventionist agencies for these laudable insight and initiative for the goose that laid the golden egg for the nation while I rejoice with the recipient community, Oloibiri.

    However, apart from an empty glorification in the historical documentation, there is absolutely nothing concrete to signify that oil was discovered in Bomu in 1958. May I therefore appeal to the federal government and the various agencies to act like true sportsmen because, in a field of play, the runner up in a competition always goes home with a prize. The plight of Bomu Community in terms of oil exploration, exploitation, destruction of our aquatic life, environmental degradation and total abandonment from oil companies and government agencies is detrimental and call for a grave concern.

    It is my appeal that Bomu as the second runner up as well as the most promising community in Oil and Gas discovery in Nigeria be rewarded with project(s) as a replication of what is applicable or obtainable in Oloibiri Community in Bayelsa State.

    What is good for the goose should also good for the gander.

     

    •Tanifo, Bethel N.

    Bomu Community, Rivers State

  • World Bank on Nigeria’s poverty

    World Bank on Nigeria’s poverty

    SIR: I was amused reading the response of the Chief Economic Adviser to President Jonathan, Nwanze Okidegbe, in The Nation November 18, page 6, refuting the submission of World Bank’s Country Director, Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly that 100 million Nigerians are living below $1.25/N200 per day and under acute destitution.

    It is unfortunate that our political appointees hardly ever tell their principals the truth about the state of the nation. How could the Chief Economic Adviser to the President deny the prevailing harsh economic realities? Is it a case of being disconnected from the underclass which they have helped ruin their potentials and destinies through bad economic policies?

    How many Nigerians have access to regular potable water supply on daily basis? Minister of Water and Natural Resources sometime ago accepted that about 80 million Nigerians still lack access to potable water. How many Nigerians have decent shelters to lodge, even with the claims by the Minister of Housing that 6,100 housing are being built in the six geographical zones of the federation?

    No nation can get out of poverty without stable and regular power supply to generate energy to power the economy and create jobs for the teeming youths. Recently, Brazil embarked on Operation Electricity For All project to bring power supply to all nooks and crannies of their country.

    The federal government has been telling the whole world about millions of jobs they have created for Nigerians. Shouldn’t the public be allowed to verify the authenticity of these claims after a record expenditure of N50billion on job creation?

    How many Nigerians have access to health care? Many of our hospitals are mere clinics with obsolete equipments and creaky infrastructures.

    Over 10.5million Nigerians children are out of school, according to UNICEF. This poses a serious threat to our future leadership position on the continent. Kerosene is now out of reach of common man as a result of its high price at the filling stations. Many Nigerians now resort to the use of charcoal and firewood as a result.

    Despite the huge petro-dollars revenues accruing to the government yearly, Nigerian workers are still among the poorest paid in the world just as basic amenities that could enhance living conditions are still lacking. Corruption and insecurity are the order of the day.

    Retirement is like death warrants; millions of pensioners are not being paid their allowances as at when due because the billions of naira meant for their payment are being embezzled. Okada has become the major means of transportation with many of our young graduates and engineers turning Keke NAPEP riders, while their counterparts in serious societies are great inventors and space engineers.

    Somebody should please tell Okidegbe to advise the President on issues of poverty and its attendant evils with all seriousness before dissipating energies on 2015 which is still in the hands of God to give to any deserving one.

     

    •Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo [JP],

    Takie, Ogbomoso.

  • OBJ: Frustration of failed godfather

    OBJ: Frustration of failed godfather

    SIR: Seriously, one would have taken General Obasanjo’s letter to President Jonathan seriously but for the last paragraph of the 18-page letter.

    Please hear General Obasanjo out: “I crave your indulgence to share the contents of this letter, in the first instance, with General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who, on a number of occasions in recent times, have shared with me their agonising thoughts, concerns and expressions on most of the issues I have raised in this letter concerning the situation and future of our country. I also crave your indulgence to share the contents with General Yakubu Danjuma and Dr. Alex Ekwueme, whose concerns for and commitments to the good of Nigeria have been known to be strong.”

    It is true that the letter is petty and boring. But all the same I managed to read some part of it.Not only has General Obasanjo passed his shelf life in Nigerian politics, all his antics of instigating the rebel PDP governors again President Jonathan and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has failed woefully. Therefore he decided to play his last card which is his nauseating and irritating letter to the President of the Federal Republic.

    If Jonathan should take my advice, he should not waste his valuable and precious time replying Obasanjo’s letter. He should just continue with his transformation agenda. Jonathan should remember that Obasanjo has been the hidden hand behind the rebel governors rebellious and unruly behaviors right from May 2013 up till date. The high point being the walk out staged during the PDP convention. Jonathan is a lucky man indeed. By the special Grace of God, he will be the longest serving President by the time he finishes his second tenure in 2019. That is what is annoying General Obasanjo as it is.

    No sound-minded and serious person not the least a Nigerian will take you serious when you talk of democracy and corruption yet you mention General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida as a person whose advise should be sought. By that singular act of mentioning Babangida, Obasanjo has spoilt his case.

    It is on record that both Generals Obasanjo and Babangida tried third term and failed. The architect of the problems bedeviling Nigeria is Babangida later exacerbated by Obasanjo and Abdulsalam Abubukar. What moral right does Obasanjo has to advise Jonathan. Talk less of Babangida and Abubukar?

    Obasanjo is frustrated. He is finished politically. He has tried all tricks to cause confusion in PDP using the rebel governors. It failed woefully. He decided to bear his pangs openly at last.

     

    • Ndiameeh Babangida Babreek,

    Minna

  • Jonathan, product of Obasanjo School

    SIR: I am not holding brief for President Goodluck Jonathan, but the truth must be told. Even though most of the observations made by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his 18 page letter may be true, it doesn’t exonerate him for his own actions while he was in power. He is also guilty of most of the acts he accused the Goodluck administration of. History will not forget how he chased d founding fathers away from PDP and hijacked the party structures and machineries.

    In 2007 election, Obasanjo also supported the opposition candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) Ikedi Ohakim in the Imo gubernatorial election against Ifeanyi Araraume of his own PDP – the same thing he claimed Jonathan did. History will not forget his proposed constitutional amendment mission which he embarked upon solely to realise his third term agenda.

    History will not forget how 16 billion US dollars was spent cumulatively on power throughout his eight years rule with no result achieved. The EFCC was used as an attack dog to go after perceived enemies who refuse to dance to the tune of the government while other corrupt officials who were in good books were allowed to walk free.

    Court judgments were influenced by the powers that be. Human Rights were violated; worthy of note is the Odi and Zaki Biam saga. Corruption also existed.

    In summary, most of what he pointed out also existed in his government only that it is in an improved form in this present government. Besides Jonathan has always referred to Obasanjo as his mentor. This may have prompted him to act like his master.

    •Halilu Hassan,

    haliluhassan@yahoo.com

  • As ASUU members smile to the banks

    SIR: All things being equal, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, in the next couple of weeks, will be smiling to their various banks to collect salaries for the five months they did not work. That is in addition to the contraption called earned allowance, where teachers collect pay for marking scripts and supervising students’ projects! That can only happen in Nigeria.

    Of course, a couple of ASUU members will tell you that they were doing research while the strike lasted. Yes, research via www.google.com! Let them publish the results of the research. A thorough appraisal of the quality of lecturers will show that at least half of those teaching our children now have no such intellectual capacity. What is, essentially, on parade now on our campuses is intellectual bankruptcy.

    If Prof Ukachukwu Awuzie got 40 per cent salary increase for ASUU after a four-month strike in 2009, including payment for the period of the strike and Dr Nasir Fagge got N40bn earned allowance, including payment for five months that ASUU did not work, any wonder what the next ASUU president will do?

    I feel personally pained that ASUU is merely deceiving the public and cheating the system just like the political class.

    Other labour unions are watching with keen interest.  If you collect salaries for going on strike for five months, we as well can go on strike for 10 or 12 months and then compel government to sign a non-victimisation clause, which, according to ASUU’s dictionary, menas payment for the period they were on strike!

    I once told my lecturer friend that he was free to resign, contest election to the Senate, so he could earn an ‘elephant salary’ a month. But with the caveat that he also risked being kidnapped or assassinated like any typical Nigerian politician. Yes, politics is big business but it’s also a big risk in Nigeria.

    Yes, ASUU members, go and smile to the banks at the expense of your students who stayed at home for five months, wasted their accommodation fees, year of graduation, NYSC (service year) and went into avoidable sundry crimes. We know so many children of members of ASUU in private universities in Nigeria and abroad. Can Dr Fagge contradict that?

    It does not matter how much you pump into the varsities, the funds will still be mismanaged by former ASUU members now in management positions (and they are mismanaging everything, including elections).

    As for the rot in the education sector, who are the profiteers?

     

    • Segun Adebiyi

    Yaba, Lagos

  • Mandela: A man of peace now at peace

    Mandela: A man of peace now at peace

    Sir: Since the news of the exit of the greatest son of Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, on December 5, at the age of 95, words have failed me to convey my heartfelt condolence to his wonderful family who will miss a caring patriarch, the people of South Africa, who will miss a guide, Africa who will miss a role model and the world at large who will miss a leader for such an irreplaceable loss.

    Even when we realise that death is the ultimate end for all creations, its emanation often leaves us with a painful pang and a deep sense of nostalgia. It hurts me very pointedly to know that a man of peace who is widely respected, loved and idolised for his passionate commitment to the freedom of his people is no more. He was so loved by his people and they wanted him to live forever. Even when it is obvious that his extinction from the world of the mortals was imminent, they did all within human limits to keep him going. But all that is now history as Mandela, a man who stands for democracy, freedom and equality is finally free from the uncertainties and troubles of this mortal word.

    One intriguing fact about this man who swallowed apartheid in victory, a man who asked with his loudest voice, “Apartheid where is your sting? apartheid government where is your victory?; was his ability to unconditionally forgive those who subjected him to 27 years, 324 months, 1,404 weeks, 9,869 days of untold hardship. This, of course, helped him to lay the foundation for a united and prosperous South Africa.

    But beyond this, let all Nigeria’s leaders and politicians learn and follow his exemplary legacy of true patriotism, selflessness, incalculable sacrifice, true democracy, politics of peace and unity, and unfeigned love and struggle for his people, for their own good and that of the entire nation.

    I find it difficult to say goodbye to Mandela. He may not be in our midst in the physical sense, but he will continue to live in our minds. Recalling one of his inspiring quotes on his twitter page gave me the assurance he is at peace. It read, “Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace”.

    Madiba, the perfect gentleman, even when the sun goes behind a cloud, we know it’s still there, even though you are gone, we know you’re still with us. Your memories will live on forever.

     

    •Solomon Babatunde Ogundimu,

    Federal University of Agric. Abeokuta.

  • Raising the bar of Polio campaign

    Has the fight against polio in Nigeria defied brilliant strategies? I don’t agree. Has the situation gone so wild beyond redemption that we have to accept to live with wild polio virus for the continual destruction of the limbs and lives of our young ones? Never!

    Are there strategies and measures that can make us overcome this monster and free our children from the wrath and fierce indignation of this virus? Yeah; sure. There are methods that we can adopt that those who are not convinced will buy into and have a rethink. This method will arouse our interest and douse the energy of resentments against us. This is what we need to wake our anger and make us defeat polio in Nigeria. Can we eradicate polio by the year 2015? Absolutely possible if we adopt the recommended strategy and take the suitable armour.

    We have spent so much to gain so little. So much energy, so many resources (money included) and regrettably lives have been lost in this struggle and yet little has been achieved. Now, the poser is; why are we here? Why can’t we break this evil chord tying us to this triangular mess and loose our dear country from the comity of Afghanistan and Pakistan? The answer is simple! It is because we don’t want to change strategy. We are addicted to one particular method of campaign; leaders championing the course. This method has proved ineffective in our context as it also failed in many other countries in the past.

    I am not saying that political leaders leading this crusade will always fail. I will be quick to mention former American president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, FDR. Crippled by polio at age 39, FDR became a staunch anti-polio campaigner. His physical status spoke more than mere words can utter. Little wonder he defeated the multifaceted monster when its rage was fiercest. He stopped the death and crippling of children in their thousands in the United State of America.

    What made him so effective and efficient? He had what the people wanted to see and could as a result spoke convincingly about the evils. He had the requisite credentials for the fight because he wore the shoe and knew where it pinched. Do we now have to pray for another exceptional case of polio attack on a political leader for us to eradicate it in Nigeria? God forbid! There is a way out.

    Recently, Bill Gates, the co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation came to Lagos in company of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the multi-billionaire businessman. They came to pay a courtesy visit to Babatunde R. Fashola SAN, the governor of Lagos State at the State House Ikeja in recognition of his anti-polio activities. These two financial and economic giants have come to join forces to eradicate polio in Nigeria. And they need see another man with political power and national interest, Governor Fashola, for the success of their mission.

    My recent article, Polio Eradication, Matter of Leadership, I did compare Fashola and FDR. What I failed to mention is that no matter how powerful Fashola may be politically, no matter how passionate he may be about eradicating polio because of his love for the children and their future, he can only mobilise men with requisite credentials for the fight. Even the seemingly formidable team of Dangote Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will fall before wild polio virus in Nigeria if requisite human resources are not deployed.

    I had written before and mentioned the benefit of polio survivors leading the fight against polio in my past articles published in national dailies and widely circulated on the internet. When I did, I was not actually emphasising that I must be included. I am only convinced that when they do with all passion, the result will be visible to all. I can testify to this. I had won co-passengers inside bus when I saw them with babies. I have been able to convince many of my neighbours not only to accept our vaccine but also made them advocates of this crusade. India also had Gautam Lewis at the vanguard of this in India, and you know the result today, India is free. Beyond “seeing is believing”, a polio survivor has a story to tell and can tell his or her story with all passion and conviction. And if you love your child, you want to buy his/her story and possibly support the crusade.

    In August 2009, Nigeria witnessed an unprecedented match against polio in the country. That was when we had the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Polio Eradication in Nigeria. This forum, at the instance of Governor Fashola was observed nationally at various dates in that month. In Lagos and many other states, it was on August 8, 2009. This marked significant reduction in the number of cases we have been having annually. But polio is still with us. To make a total riddance of this problem, he has suggested that we raise the bar of polio campaign. Fashola said, “…that is one thing that I wish to work with you (referring to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and the Dangote Foundation to look at how many polio survivors that are here and let them lead the campaign as a physical demonstration of what can and what could have been, in addition, of course, to doing all of the things that we really need to do”.

    This is raising the bar of Polio campaign in Nigeria. Let political differences and ideologies, ethnic sentiments and religious extremism be subdued, if only briefly, for the health of Nigerian children and unanimously take this counsel and appoint polio survivors to lead this crusade while our political leaders and global partners provide the needed support. If we do this, I am very sure; this will be the last stage of the fight. And it will not be long, we will gather, as a people, to celebrate one year in mind of the last polio virus.

    • Olugbenga, a polio survivor and Lagos Polio Ambassador writes from Lagos.