The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Akpabio versus Etok: Matters arising

    Akpabio versus Etok: Matters arising

    The closer we get to 2015, the more theatrical our politics will become as great desperation sets in amongst key players seeking public office. We are already being served something of a foretaste of the drama in Akwa Ibom where state governor, Godswill Akpabio, has been locked in a very public spat with the senator representing Ikot Ekpene senatorial district, Aloysius Etok.

    The whole row broke out after the governor – whose two-term tenure expires in two years – made known his intention to run for the seat presently being occupied by Etok as part of his career projection.

    The speculation has been on for a while, but Akpabio finally removed all doubt about his ambition during the 20th year remembrance of former Southeastern State Governor, the late Brig.-Gen. Udoakaha Esuene, in Eket earlier this year.

    Perhaps in a bid to soften the punch with a bit of levity, newspapers quoted the governor as saying, “This is the first time the senators are going to know that Senator Aloysius will be my campaign manager during the senatorial election in the state in 2015.”

    But if it was a joke, the incumbent senator was not amused – and that is putting it mildly. In reaction, he has been firing on all cylinders ever since. In a chat on AKBC Radio 90.5 FM, Uyo, Etuk declared: “Akpabio must respect my office if he does not respect me like I respect his office of the governor which also covers me”.

    Some have criticised – even vilified him – for the way and manner he has gone about his senate bid. They are entitled to their views. But they must also concede that the governor has not committed any crime in aspiring. He certainly would not be the first person to seek to go to the legislature after serving in the executive branch – that is why in the Senate today you will find several ex-governors.

    Of course, you may quarrel with his style – but then everyone to his own methods. He has chosen to be upfront about the sort of thing that some other person will be scheming about behind the scenes. In that sense Akpabio’s only offence is being brutally frank about his intentions. But, again, in Nigerian politics truth-telling is a crime of sorts.

    It would have been great if this whole matter ended here and the two men were left to pursue their interests in ways they saw fit. Unfortunately, we have since seen things descend to the theatre of the absurd with the allegations that Akpabio was behind an attempt to kill the senator.

    At the press conference where he aired the very grave allegations, Etok accused Akpabio of despatching a “hit squad” after him, with threatening text messages advising him to renounce his ambition for another for a third term in the upper legislative chamber, or face the consequence of being targeted within seven days.

    He said: “I want the governor to tell Nigerians and the international community if there is anything wrong in any man aspiring to contest for an office.”

    “Is that enough for the governor to instruct the council chairmen to say that if I don’t withdraw from the contest, that they will recall me? He asked the state of assembly to pass resolution that they will recall me, to the extent that members of the house of assembly came on television to insult and malign me.”

    “Not only that, the governor has now loosed his hit squad, including what I have on this phone some text messages that if I don’t retract the statement that I will contest election, after seven days, I will see what they will do.”

    He further claimed that the governor instructed “different groups that if I don’t retract the statement within seven days, I will either be dead to stop me or alive to retract the statement.” Very weighty allegations indeed!

    Following up on his charges, the senator wrote to the State Security Service (SSS) asking for an investigation. They duly obliged and set up a sting operation which netted one Adelola Olaore aka General Africa who thought he could make quick money out of the public quarrel between erstwhile political allies.

    The SSS probe has since established that there was no truth whatsoever in claims by Olaore that he had been contracted by so-called associates of Akpabio to eliminate Etok. His was simply a phantom assassination plot to exhort money, and based on that the senator had been crying wolf.

    When he was paraded before the media, Adelola Tamunotonye Olaore, who is a 29 years old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, disclosed that he comes from Oyo State, but had lived all his life in Rivers State.

    He admitted to attempting to dupe the senator by “lying to him”. But he denied telling Etok he was contracted by Akpabio loyalists to assassinate him. “I never told the senator anything like that. How would I tell a senator such a thing and come to Abuja to collect money,” he asked.

    It is often said that all is fair in politics and war. However, there must come a point at which the line should be drawn. It is one thing exchange words because one’s ego has been bruised; it is an entirely different matter when a man’s integrity and name are being tarnished with accusations that he was planning murder. This is the same allegation that the SSS has debunked.

    What would be the fair and reasonable thing to do? In one word: apologise to the one you have unfairly accused, and whose reputation you have impugned. Unfortunately, Etok does not seem to be in a hurry to rectify his error.

    We must not allow emotions to cloud our reasoning. What is going on between the senator and governor is pure politics – including ongoing attempts by stakeholders in his senatorial zone to initiate his recall. As long as this is done legally there’s nothing wrong with it.

    Of course, some commentators have tried to cast this political battle in light of a struggle between top dog and underdog. Romantics tend to side with anyone they perceive to be at a disadvantage in this kind of contest. But that should not mean we strip the so-called top dog of all his constitutional rights to fair hearing.

    Everything goes in Nigerian politics but accusing your opponent of being an assassin just to win public sympathy is simply beyond the pale. Let the senator do the honourable thing by apologising to the governor. He can then continue with his challenge for a third term in 2015 and let the people decide who they want.

    · Ibok writes from Lagos.

     

  • How truly independent are states’ independent Electoral Commissions?

    How truly independent are states’ independent Electoral Commissions?

    Going by newspaper reports on the local council election held in Kogi State on Saturday, 4th May, 2013, as published in Sunday Tribune and The Nation on Sunday under the titles: “3 Killed During Kogi Council Poll” and “Kogi LG Poll: Ex-Governor Audu’s brother, 3 Others Killed” respectively, well-meaning and patriotic citizens and stakeholders in Kogi State would begin to wonder on the adequacy of the preparations, laid-down processes and the readiness of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) in the manner of handling of the election which according to reports led to the killing of three people and burning of houses in the East Senatorial District , hospitalisation of five people at the Mopa General Hospital in West Senatorial District, total boycott of the election by the opposition parties and apathy of the electorate towards the council poll across the three Senatorial Districts in the state.

    There is no gainsaying that election in Nigeria is often being approached as a do-or-die affair and the recent council poll in Kogi State is by no means not an exception going by developments during the election. It is also a known fact that untoward acts and rigging tactics such as stage-managed party primaries, imposition of party candidates, voters intimidation by overzealous law enforcement agents designed to cause fear and ultimate disenfranchisement of the electorate, undue delay in availability of voting materials is no longer a new thing during election in our country.

    In fairness to some states’ electoral commissions such as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the commission’s effective handling of its duties is commendable going by the large population of the electorate in the state and the existence of strong opposition parties in the state. Though apathy has continued to rear its ugly head in some instances, the manner of handling of the election process beginning with voters registration, accreditation of the voters on day of voting and the eventual release of results by the electoral commission is not only commendable but worthy of emulation by other states’ electoral commissions in the country.

    In a situation where a council election organised by a state electoral body is characterised by violence, killing and maiming of people and boycott by the opposition, such election should not only be cancelled but be re-conducted by INEC, the national body that is charged with the conduct of the presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives elections in Nigeria.

    The fact remains that more of the states’ independent electoral commissions in Nigeria remain loyal and solely committed to the whims and caprices of the political party to which the governor in the state belongs and not to the electorate as the case should be and so long as this situation is being allowed, out of ignorance and the high illiteracy level in the society, to be accepted as a norm in our politics, the possibility of peaceful and credible council poll will continue to elude the political terrain in our country.

    The need for credible and acceptable poll at the local government level in any part of the country cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand, considering the fact that the closest government to the people at the grassroots is that of the local government. The advice of the ex- Ebonyi Deputy Governor, Chigozie Ogbu, given during a national workshop on budget implementation and price monitoring in Enugu as reported in the P.M News of Thursday, 17 November, 2005 on the need for and efficient an service-oriented local government system as opposed to “most public officers, especially politicians, who see their positions not only as an opportunity to serve the public but as a God-given opportunity for personal aggrandisement” should be the watchword of all the local councils in Nigeria and this is only achievable when true representatives of the people are allowed unfettered access to governance at our local government level nationwide.

    Without mincing words, there is need for level-playing field to be the watchword of all electoral bodies whether at federal or state level in our country as this is the only way by which unnecessary animosity and bad blood can be eschewed before, during and after election in our country.

     

    Odunayo joseph

    Publicity Secretary

    South West Zone of Okun Dev. Association

  • Save the traffic situation at Effurun round-about

    It has been a heart aching experience driving through the Effurun round about on weekends. I had a first-hand experience lately and I think if nothing is done urgently to salvage the situation, its effect could be very colossal. On my way from Sapele on a Saturday, immediately after the last army check point when entering Effurun, we ran into a hold up. Under normal circumstances, from the army check point to the round about cannot take you more than five minutes, but without exaggeration, we spent approximately three hours to get to the round about. It was a sad experience with a heavy toll on social economic life.Besides, it poses a grave security threat as hoodlums can catch on the disorderly situation to commit crime.The simple reason for these happenings apart from the impatience of drivers and other road users is lack of obedience to simple traffic laws and regulations. Solving this problem will require the effort of the men of the FRSC and other law enforcement agencies.We would have gone through the road with less hitches if they were on ground to control vehicular movement and bring order. I am sincerely appealing to the FRSC Command covering Effurun to do something about the situation and save road users this unwarranted stress.

     

    Alexander Ighoro

    Effurun, Delta State

  • David Laoye: Uncelebrated hero of Edeland

    David Laoye: Uncelebrated hero of Edeland

    Edeland, a major town in Nigeria, was thrown into a mourning mood on March 14, 2013, with the untimely transition of one of its illustrious sons, late Colonel David Alamu Bankole Laoye, a charming prince of Ajeniju extraction at the age of sixty-nine (69). A prince who never let off airs, despite being born into royalty.

    For late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye, it was a life well lived. It was a life of adventure and one that was well coped with despite various challenges that came on his way. Prince Bankole Laoye was an enigma. A totally detribalised Nigerian, who ensured that human beings are well accorded their rights and recognition, no matter how lowly placed they are. He abhorred cheating.

    Born into the Royal Ajeniju House by late Oba (Dr.) John Adetoyese Laoye (the Drummer King, who took Ede on international excursion during his reign) and Olori Flora Ebun Laoye, he started adolescent life at Baptist Boy’s High School Abeokuta, Ogun State where he made his marks with distinction.

    This top-brass military officer knew what he wanted out of life early enough, as he got enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1964 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular I Cadets Officers course. He had as his mates at the NDA Regular I course, the likes of Lt. General Oladipo Diya (rtd), Lt. General Salihu Ibrahim, a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Gusau, a former National Security Adviser, Major General Rabiu Aliyu – one time military Secretary and many others. Before he enlisted in the Nigerian Army, he worked briefly at Western Nigeria Housing Corporation after he left Baptist Boys’ High School, Abeokuta. This was a common feature in those days to have a taste of the civil service.

    Late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye had a distinguished career in the military. He was Commander, 132 Battalion Obosi, 2nd Mechanised Division during the Civil War under late General Muritala Mohammed. Late Colonel Bankole Laoye was at the heat of the 30-month civil war between 1967 and 1970. He gave a good account of himself as a career military officer and came out of the war unscratched. He was an officer and a gentleman.

    After the Civil War, he served as a Brigade Major under 33 Infantry Brigade, Maiduguri and proceeded to become Colonel-General staff at the Directorate of Infantry in Bonny Camp, Victoria Island, Lagos, under Major-General Adedayo. Late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye was a Chief Instructor at Command and Staff College Jaji. Among his trainees, as a Company Commander at Nigerian Defence Academy were four-star Generals, like retired Air Marshall Petirin. He was the acting Military Governor of Western State in 1975, when the substantive Military Governor, Major-General David Medayese Jemibewon, went on vacation. He held the front well without any hitch.

    Having carved a niche for himself in the military, late Colonel David Bankole Alamu Laoye decided to serve his immediate community of Ede in different callings. He passionately loved Ede and gave it the best he could, not only as a prince, but as a humble leader, who mixed freely with the less-privileged in the society. He was an incontrovertible study in humility, doggedness and silent achievements. He was incorruptible. He carried himself with elegance and candour. He was magisterial in his disposition.

    As an acting Military Governor of Western State in 1975, he gave his Ede home town a peculiar identity for vehicle registration number of OY- B. The town’s people jubilated. Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye was so full of love for Edeland that he influenced, as a member of old Western State Executive Council, the citing of the Cocoa Products Industry at Ede and also, on behalf of the late Oba John Adetoyese Laoye, donated the land where the industry was built as the Administrator of the family land. When moves were surreptiously made to relocate the Cocoa Industry from Ede, late Colonel Bankole Laoye was instrumental to its non-removal. He stood like the Rock of Gibraltar behind Ede and the Cocoa Industry.

    The repositioning of Ede railway line as a terminus of the then Bendel line was through the silent moves of late Colonel Bankole Laoye. As a lover of tourism and hospitality industry, he established the first major hotel in Ede, known as FLORA MOTEL, in memory of his late sweet mother. It was years later that he established a branch of the hotel at Bodija, Ibadan. That showed the patriotism in the late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye; that home is first.

    As a member of CONFAB in 1994, during the Abacha regime, where he actively participated, late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye used his enormous influence, in cooperation with other members of the CONFAB, to create Ede South Local Government Area, which thus brought additional local government area into Edeland, even though his election into the said CONFAB did not enjoy the votes of his Ede people. To Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye, that was no issue. He is a prince of Ede, and believed very rightly that he should give his community the best, whether or not he was appreciated.

    In 1991, he ventured into the murky waters of politics, when he contested to become a Senator under the defunct National Republican Convention, but lost to Senator Omilani of Social Democratic Party. He enjoyed the greatest support of the likes of Alhaj Umaru Shinkafi, Alhaj Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Alao and late Dr. Hammed Kusamotu in his bid to become a senator in the 1991 contest. The rest, as they say, is history. He felt no bad blood. No malice, no grudge.

    In the last few months of his sojourn on earth, late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye was a member of Ede Trust Intervention Committee, where he served as the coordinator of the home branch. The committee was set up to ensure that a local council development area was given to Ede in the course of the last exercise by Ogbeni Aregbesola government to create more local council areas for Osun.

    Late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye was always at meetings held at the Cameron Road, Ikoyi residence of Alhaj S. O. Babalola, who is the Grand Patron of the Committee, among other eminent Ede indigenes. He served the Intervention Trust Committee so diligently and ensured that the briefs of the committee were duly transmitted.

    An elder of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter, late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye gave his best to the service of the party till he breathed his last. But posterity did not allow him to reap the fruits of his labour. It is only hopeful that the party will not allow his labour to go in vain.

    That is the man, Colonel David Bankole Laoye, a charming, elegant prince. An erudite military tactician who gave all of his best to serve his country, humanity and, indeed, his Ede community. It will be eternally on record that late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye remains an uncelebrated true hero of Edeland, going by his splendid contributions to the town, where he was somehow unappreciated and misunderstood for reasons best known to some members of the community.

    Perhaps, the greatest secret of the success profile of late Colonel Bankole Alamu Laoye was that he did not believe in pleasing everyone, particularly the so-called elites. He did also not care about what hypocrites think of him. He was himself. His life was a lesson for us all at Ede to appreciate those who, at the background, are contributing to the development of our land without making noise. Let us de-emphasise the trend of hero-worshipping emergency-millionaires, people of shady characters, women of easy virtue and do-no-gooders generally, who are mere pretenders amongst us.

    And here goes a man we shall forever cherish and adore. An eminent Ede citizen of candour, patriotism, carriage and courage, whose “infectious”, disarming smile, we shall miss forever. He was there for Ede, but were we there for him? Sweet is your memory, David Bankole Alamu Laoye. Goodbye and goodnight.

     

    Lawal writes from Ede

  • Gov Shettima’s apocalyptic warning

    Gov Shettima’s apocalyptic warning

    Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, is a very worried man. As governor of the state worst affected by the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency, he has had cause to repeatedly issue shrill warnings on the mindless killings going on in the Northeast. On Wednesday, while receiving the 32-member Senate Joint Committee on the April 16 Massacre in Baga, he once again made an impassioned plea to the federal government to re-examine its strategies for combating terrorism. The plea comes against the background of the horrendous waste of lives in Baga and Bama in Borno State, and in Alakyo Village, Nasarawa State, where about 30 policemen were reportedly ambushed and murdered by a cult militia group called the Ombatse Militia. Hundreds of lives were lost in Baga, and some 47, according to official estimates, were lost in Bama. The killings took place in the space of about three weeks, and they show no sign of letting up.

    Governor Shettima does not believe the root cause of the mayhem is being addressed. He thinks a revolutionary ferment is being engendered, with terrible consequences for the country. His prognosis is quite worrying. According to him, “Underneath the mayhem of Boko Haram, beneath the madness lies the underlying cause which is extreme poverty and destitution which have permeated all spectrums of our society.” He adds apocalyptically: “Only and until we address some of these issues, believe me, the future is very bleak for all of us as the current crisis is just an appetizer of things to come. Very soon the youths of this country will be chasing us away…The most important thing in Nigeria is all about the last election and the next election, that is the only thing that is agitating our minds. How we can perpetuate ourselves in power, how much we can steal, how many mansions we can buy in Florida, Dubai and London, these are the things agitating the minds of the elite of this country, including you and I.”

    Given the anomie in the Northeast, which is almost spiralling out of control, and both the unconvincing response from the presidency and the intensification of the insurgency by Boko Haram extremists, it is clear the governor is not being hysterical. The country, it seems, has reached a point where the extremists are not deterred by security agents’ heavy-handedness or reprisal attacks, nor, sadly, ready to yield to well-meaning appeals to lay down their weapons and enter into dialogue with the government. It is of course worrisome that for now the sect is simply not eager to negotiate or embrace amnesty. It is also true that it harbours in its ranks malcontents from neighbouring countries. And it is also probably true that the sect is motivated by a mixed cocktail of economic and sectarian causes, thereby complicating the crisis.

    But the real nightmare is that Nigeria has become eerily and retrogressively like Afghanistan. Nigeria is no longer dealing with a fairly discernible gang of misguided religious extremists like the Maitatsine sect, which banded together in enclaves and was susceptible to effective conventional and counterinsurgency warfare tactics. It is also not dealing with fighters who are squeamish about sacrificing their lives, or who have lofty views, any sensible view at all, of country and its democratic principles. Nigeria is in fact now dealing with bitter, vengeful and relentless fighters completely devoted to their causes, no matter how misguided the rest of the country think those causes are. The sect’s impenetrable stoicism and their absolute inurement to pain and death have made it harder to find a solution.

    Unfortunately, the administrative effort to tackle the restiveness in the Northeast, though it is frenzied, has not been matched by appreciable brilliance or deep thinking. This was what prompted Governor Shettima to make his apocalyptic predictions about the prospect of ending the conflict quickly. Yet, the longer the conflict continues, the more the danger of a revolution, as the governor warned. There is not much hope the amnesty panel will make clear headway, and there is little on the ground to indicate the government’s counterinsurgency tactics will yield fruit soon. The most practical option the government should consider is how to reorganise the security forces to make them both more effective and capable of regaining the confidence and respect of the local populace who find themselves between the devil and the blue sea. And to cap the rejuvenation and reorganisation of the security agencies, Nigeria’s political leaders, especially President Goodluck Jonathan, must imbibe the right attitude to the crisis and make the right utterances in order to rally the country behind them and behind the new initiatives required to deal with a menace threatening to consume everyone

  • Phone thief and misplaced sentiment

    SIR: I am appalled by the avalanche of misplaced sentiments, in the media and especially on the internet, being directed at the convicted thief, Kelvin Ighodalo, jailed for 10 years for stealing Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s phone. A particular newspaper led its readers on this false path and the false echo has since been picked up by the mischievous Osun State PDP and the concocted horde of its wannabe aspirants. The allegation is made, in the fashion of what Herbert London called ‘avatars of moral equivalence’ in which a crime, no matter how heinous, becomes insignificant and irrelevant, considering other circumstances of the convict. In this case, the victim of the robbery, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, happens to be a big man, a state governor. So when has it become that a big man should not get justice because of its status? The mischief actually began with headlines that sensationally amplified the sentence – ‘Man bags 45 years for stealing Aregbesola’s phone’. The truth is that he was convicted on a six-count charge totalling 45 years but which will run concurrently, meaning that he would actually spend a maximum of 10 years in jail. Indeed, the law had prescribed a minimum of eight years and maximum of 20 years for each of the first three counts and he was lucky to get just 10 years –slightly above the minimum. A detailed look at the thief’s antecedent will reveal that the sentiment showered on him is highly misplaced. Ighodalo was a police officer dismissed from service for armed robbery and was cooling his heels at Kirikiri Maximum prison when Governor Aregbesola’s phone was snatched. However, the phone got to him from his associates who were the pickpockets and he started calling the governor’s friends, including traditional rulers, soliciting for money. At the last count, he had fraudulently collected more than N20 million from different people. When the governor heard, he informed the service provider and the SIM card was locked. When Ighodalo was released from prison on bail, he penetrated the service provider through corruption and retrieved the SIM card again and started calling the governor’s friends and associates. He was however arrested in a bank in Benin while trying to cash his booty from a victim. He was again detained in a police station in Lagos where in connivance with the DPO, he escaped to continue to dupe people in the governor’s name. Now, this man operates a syndicate involving several police officers, a prison warden and his brother, many of whom are either on the run or facing criminal charges. It is interesting that when he was charged, he pleaded guilty and was given slightly above minimum punishment in light of his uproarious antecedent. I am gutted with the sentiment given to this thief and fraudster who had brought untold anguish to many people. I daresay that the people complaining about the harshness of this sentence would wish that a criminal is released to freely ply his evil trade on innocent people. This misplaced sentiment has unwittingly turned the villain into victim and the victim, this time, Aregbesola, into villain. There is a way still in which the judgement is incomplete. What happens to all the money he had collected? How will the victims collect their money back? The judgement is silent on this. Will he return from prison to start enjoying the gains of crime? Should he and must he? • Mike Adeyinka, Osogbo, Osun State

  • Jonathan wobbles as Somalia beckons

    SIR: Nigeria needs more of strategic urgent socio-political manoeuverings if the current bull in the China shop will not only destroy the shop’s wares but collapse the whole edifice. No head of state has shown total lack of grasp and managerial incompetence, cluelessness and paralysis on almost every aspect of national life as the current occupant of the highest office in Nigeria. This obvious administrative skill deficit is amplified by the ordinariness that the symbol of authority in Nigeria has assumed. The jejune and pedestrian analysis of policies and the cavaliar attitudes of the emperor towards fundamental issues of state such as insecurity, corruption, the economy and a host of others have sharpened and widened the faultlines of the country.

    As emperor Nero fiddled and Rome burnt, the Nigerian emperor is antagonizing every critical sector and geo-political zone with the annoying ethnocentric

    grandstanding of the ethnic Ijaw jingoists and supremacists even in the Niger Delta region.

    The Ijaw with highest concetration in Bayelsa and other few enclaves in some coastal communities have converted the current presidency to an ethnic instrument of victimization and ascendancy to the exclusion of other minority groups in the south not to talk about the alienation of others in the appropriation of state power and resources. It is appalling that these people do not give consideration to the post-Ijaw presidency by their actions and relations with others in Nigeria’s highly combustible powerhouse.

    Under President Jonanathan, Nigeria has become a huge slaughter slab, a haven of kidnappings, a redoubt of terrorists and a centre of communal skirmishes with blood flowing like the water of River Niger. Yet the government believes that the system will continue to wobble and fumble, till 2015 when another abracadabra called election will take place without concrete effort and strong political will to arrest this drift.

    The increasing autocratization of our democracy through the gradual assault on the core tenets and ethos of democratic institutions, federalism, rule of law and constitutionalism through both subtle and crude subversion of institutions and agencies of the state is worrisome.

    All of the above coupled with the erosion of state authority in most part of the country with many arm-bearing groups such as Boko Haram, MEND, MASSOB, OPC, etc challenging the monopoly and monopolization of the instrument and apparatus of coercion and violence and holding sway in different parts of the country with the apparent inability of the present weak government in containing and curtailing it and if this is to be added to the worsening unemployment situation and grinding poverty in the land, then Somalia beckons.

    With the weakening and decapitation of the state by a wobbling emperor through his self-serving and subversive policies, implosion is imminent and the prediction of the U. S research think-tank would have been accelerated. It would be a complete somaliazation of Nigeria. I strongly pray against it but would the power that be listen. A stitch in time can still save nine.

    • Akinrolabu T. Omonitan,

    Ikeji-Ile Ijesa, Oriade LGA.,

    Osun State.

  • Religious leaders should follow Kukah’s example

    SIR: The contemporary history of our dear country will never be written without the mention of Father Hassan Kukah. While his peers seek to metamorphose into owners of private jet and lucrative business empires in the name of God, Father Kukah seeks to advance the course of good governance and responsible leadership in Nigeria. It is on record that most of our religious leaders flood government events in search for the lucre and as such they become blind to the numerous challenges rocking our dear country. At times, they deliberately feign indifference because they have turned themselves into favour seekers and government contractors.

    Like praise singers, they hijack the altar and other prayer grounds to shower unprecedented blessings on government that deserve irredeemable ‘curse’ and conspicuous criticism. But from the pulpit and public forum, Father Kukah thunders the undeniable point that leadership in Nigeria ought to accentuate the powerful mantra of George Bush that “for we are given power not to advance our own purpose, not to make a great show in the world nor a name, there is but one use of power and it is to serve“

    Kukah, as Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese has used every given opportunity to vehemently criticize government for policies that negates public interest. He has always admonished our leaders to toe the path of service delivery, just as he has demonstrated uncommon courage and fearless audacity to speak truth to power.

    Sincerely, among religious Leaders in Nigeria, Father Kukah has distinguished himself as the light of our nation. No doubt he epitomises the moral consciousness of our nation. While America and South Africa have the likes of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bishop Desmond Tutu to boast with respectively, we have Father Kukah to boast of too. I wish to appeal to religious leaders never to forget the laconic but powerful magnus opus of Haile Selassie which holds that “throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who could have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it matters most that has made it possible for evil to triumph”.

    May God grant Kukah longevity, joie de vivre and undying determination to carry on.

    • Ehi G.O.

    Benin City

  • Pini Jason, Aloy Aguwa: Tributes

    Although the entire nation weeps over the most unexpected death of the late Dr. Aloysious Aguwa and the late Pini Jason Onyegbadue, not many Nigerians know that the two late icons were kinsmen who hailed from the great Mbaise clan in Imo state. Not many Nigerians also know that between 2007 and 2011, the two were members of the Imo state executive council in which, by the grace of God Almighty, I was privileged to serve as governor.

    While, the death of the two gentlemen at the same time (within a space of four days) is doubtlessly devastating, I am certain that it brings fond memories of that era which every well meaning Imolite acknowledges as one in which the state saw the biggest manifestation of its potentials. Needless to say, the involvement of Aloysious Aguwa, Ph.D., an academic and environmentalist of international repute and Pini Jason Onyegbadue, ace journalist and easily one of the most brilliant newspaper columnists Nigeria has ever produced, in that administration drew the attention of many, both within and outside Nigeria, to Imo.

    To be sure, that administration boasted of other very brilliant men and women who had distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavour, but I can say without any fear of contradiction that I count myself particularly fortunate to have been able to bring those two fellows, not only to be part of it, but to have remained with us throughout the period.

    As a public affairs commentator, Pini Jason had established a reputation as a fearless, bold and courageous fellow who would render his views no matter whose ox is gored. To be quite candid, I initially had to contend with a few friends who expressed some anxieties over the fact that I invited such a fiery critic, indeed, a radical, to serve with me. But I had no difficulty with that because my idea of governance was, and still is, that the people being governed should be given the benefit of having inputs from their best brains and hands, irrespective of the personal idiosyncrasies of the fellow who calls the shots as chief executive.

    Given his background, the late Pini Jason came in mostly as a member of my media team but his designation was that of Special Adviser on Special Projects. To be quite candid, I merely hid under that appellation to tap from his very fecund mind, after I had discovered that Pini was very vast on several other issues outside core media related matters.

    There was no topic the late Pini Jason would not give a sound opinion on (which you may disagree with) based on a thorough analytical expose. From politics to economics, from religion to culture, from diplomacy to folklores, Pini would treat you to fine details of both historical and contemporary perspectives that, if you had the patience to listen, you would wonder why you never knew all that before.

    Perhaps his most significant input in our administration was his insistence that we must accommodate criticism while, of course, abhorring the use of thugs. Looking back, I greatly appreciate that because that singular attitude shaped the character of our administration, an aspect that is being today remembered with nostalgia by the great people of Imo state who have since seen the difference.

    While we were in Owerri, even casual observers noticed that the late Chief Pini Jason Onyegbadue was one of the closest appointees to me. It was not for nothing. He shuttled between his office and mine several times and in most cases, he would return after close of work and together we looked at issues far into the night. When we completed the new Governor’s Office Complex, Pini got an office directly opposite mine. In fact, he was the only Special Adviser who shared the third floor with me. And unknown to many, the late Chief Pini Jason Onyegbadue until his death shared the same office complex with me in Abuja.

    I was with him when the news of the death of Dr. Aguwa came. We were both very shocked but he managed the devastation that arose from losing such a young and illustrious kinsman of his; to be able to continually tell me: “Take it easy”. Pini took off to Lagos to take advantage of the May Day public holiday to be with his family. Before he left for the airport, he passed through my place to see how I was faring. I bade him farewell but little did I know that that was the last time I would see him.

    Even before he suddenly took ill in Lagos, he had called and the major discussion was on the late Aguwa. Aguwa was of late in constant touch with me. We spoke almost every day especially in connection with the new book he was about to release on the environmental protection programmes of our administration. The late Aguwa was the Commissioner for Petroleum and Environment and had come up with a very fine account of what we did to make Imo state a model as far as cleanliness is concerned. The late Aguwa it was who presided over our programme that earned Owerri the sobriquet of the cleanest state capital in Nigeria.

    Once, I was elected governor, one of the first things I did was to begin to ask for the best Imo brains on environmental issues wherever they might reside. The search took us to Michigan in the United States of America where the late Aguwa was presiding over an organization known as Altech Environmental Services Inc. U.S.A. It took weeks of persuasion from well meaning citizens of the state, especially members of the highly respected Aguwa clan, for Alloy to accept to return home to serve the country. It is unfortunate that the nation is losing him at a time his wealth of experience and expertise is mostly needed.

    But in spite of the tragedy, part of my consolation is that it pleased God to let us come close to one fellow that combined intellect with a mien that almost set him aside as an enigma. Could a fellow of such academic standing and professional exposure be as humble as the late Aguwa? That must have been the question most of his colleagues were asking.

    If Aloy Aguwa were to be alive and I lost two members of my cabinet at a go, it is to him I would have run to for comfort and wise counsel. Just as Pini Jason kept on telling me when the news of his (Aguwa’s) death reached both of us: “What can we do?” Indeed what can we do? The demise of these two great men reminds all of us of the futility of life. In fact, the late Pini Jason preached that we should do things today as if there will be no opportunity to do them tomorrow. That was why he was himself a stickler to excellence. He believed that you should leave no stone unturned today.

    Did Pini Jason have a premonition of death? I have been asking myself this question because in death, Pini achieved what he would himself: Have his wife, to whom he was very close, watch him die. And that was precisely what happened. Was it destiny that took him back to Lagos where his family resides? Pini was so proud of his family and would seize every opportunity to tell you: “God gave me a wonderful family”. Was his manner of death a wish that came true? Why did it happen that way, so fast? Why did it please God to take away these two great fellows the same time?

    Adieu great ones.

    • Ohakim is ex-governor of Imo State

  • Open letter to Ajimobi

    Open letter to Ajimobi

    SIR: Ibadan is known to be one of the dirtiest cities in Nigeria. But since you became governor, you have been committed to erasing that ugly impression. I wish to use this avenue to laud your efforts and to also plead with you that the ongoing demolition of illegal structures should be done with leniency as many people have been rendered shopless. This has really affected many people not only the citizens of the state but also the visitors.

    We all know the state of the roads in Ibadan before you came into power. Mokola roundabout used to be very clumsy for both motorists and pedestrians but that is expected to be enhanced with the construction of the new Fly-over.

    Sir, I will like to call your attention to some unreasonable and bad attitudes of some motorists and private car owners. I learnt that it has been said that nobody should park his/her car at the junction to enable free movement of vehicles on the roads but some people are still paying deaf ear to that. Most often, cars coming out from the street of Mokola to head to the major roads often clash with motorcycles or passerby due to the way some cars are parked.

    Also, in some streets of Mokola, some shop owners have been ordered to remove the extensions they constructed in the shops not those shops near the major roads but those in the streets where vehicles seldom pass. Even though my mother’s shop is not affected, I still have to write on behalf of affected people to implore the governor to look at the situation of things and ask them to reconstruct their cubicles to avoid rain flooding their shops incessantly.

     

    • Waziri Mohammed

    Mokola, Ibadan.