The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • Fayemi, reclaiming the trust

    Fayemi, reclaiming the trust

    The Ekiti State government under the leadership of Governor Kayode Fayemi recently marked its second year in office.

    When he came into the saddle, his proclaimed overriding vision was to reclaim the trust of the Ekiti people, which he felt had been eroded by the misrule of the previous administration in the state.

    Towards this end, he came up with an 8-point agenda, which he tagged Roadmap to Ekiti Recovery.

    The points in the Agenda include:

    1. Governance

    2. Infrastructural Development

    3. Modernising Agriculture

    4. Education and Human Develoment

    5. Health Care Services

    6. Industrial Development

    7. Tourism

    8. Gender Equality and Empowerment.

    Promptly after this being sworn in, he made efforts to change peoples’ perceptions of governance in the state. He came up with a slogan: Ekiti State, Land of Honour. He introduced participatory governance and accountability.

    He then embarked on misassive infrastructural development that has seemed to turn Ekiti into a huge construction site. He is also significantly changing the face of education in the state by renovating a good number of educational institutions .

    His investment in tourism has been second to none in the country, transforming the famous but moribund Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort to a tourist destination of note.

    He is also making waves with the remaining items on the Agenda.

    There is indeed a c ause for celebration in Ekiti State with the two-year adminsitration of Fayemi

    performing well.

    •Olu Adeoti, wrote from Ado-Ekiti

  • Two week holiday in Imo

    Two week holiday in Imo

    The recent declaration of two week public holiday in Imo State by the Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha is a great dis-service to the enterprising Imo state people in particular, and Ndigbo in general. This stunt, in our view, carries theatrics in governance to an absurd level. The havoc its spiral effect would have on the economic life of Imo people is better imagined than described.

    We OdinmmaIgbo condemn this unsolicited holiday and call on the governor to rescind it IMMIDIATELY.

    Ndigbo are known for their enterprise and not indulgence or indolence. The times call for hard work after a brief holiday and not endless ‘egwu onwa’

    •Maxi Okwu

    Ikenecheoha II

    Secretary General

    OdinmaIgbo.

  • The return of Fayose

    Ex–Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose is not only controversial; he loves and revels in controversy. Ekiti people will never forget him in a hurry. Not so pleasant memories of his truncated reign linger in Ekiti today. As governor between 2003 and 2006, he did many strange things alien to Ekiti. Ekitis are so full of integrity and cherish the Omoluabi credo. An Ekitiman for instance would not imagine his governor passing under a barbed wire fence at an international airport; a governor to personally storm the venue of a rally by the opposition with roughnecks; a governor to torment and humiliate a first class traditional ruler and even contemplate removing him.

    He was accused of ordering the beating to death of an opposition member, one Tunde Omojola in Ifaki-Ekiti during a local government election in April 2004 but nothing has been done about this till date. Prominent Ekiti citizens tasted a dose of his reign at that period. Femi Falana was threatened with summary execution if he ventured out on Election Day at his Ilawe home while a prominent legal luminary was not spared as his posters filled town portraying him as contesting for governor of Ekiti State by Fayose’s loyalists. The legal luminary had to cry to Abuja for protection from the rampaging governor. A former Military Administrator now a serving minister was beaten to a state of pulp while ex-Gov Segun Oni was not only beaten blue and black but also dragged on the floor. To make his reign more dreadful, it was at that time that Ayo Daramola an aspirant for the 2007 gubernatorial elections was felled by assassin’s bullets. The murder remained unresolved till date.

    Many opposition leaders had to flee Ekiti for their lives. When Ekiti people could no longer bear his suffocating reign, they formed a common front to truncate his tenure. It became a shame to be identified as an Ekiti person at that time because the question that would follow is, ‘as educated as you are, why are you people so careless as to allow this character emerge as your governor’?

    Eventually, providence, rather than any other thing swept Fayose off the seat of power and Ekitis heaved a sigh of relief even if momentarily. Though he was impeached in rather controversial circumstances, he went underground immediately; he hibernated and occasionally threw jibes from hiding. The re-run election of 2009 between Kayode Fayemi and Segun Oni gave him an opportunity to launch himself back into reckoning. He was clever, he pitched his tent with the popular Action Congress (AC) and the people temporarily forgot his painful reign because he joined them in demanding for justice. But because of his nature of always trying to dominate his environment, he couldn’t wait for the justice he fought for to be realised before he abandoned the people’s ship again and went solo. Before the 2007 elections, he joined the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and during the gubernatorial re-run election in 2009, he claimed he remained a member of the PDP while working for the ACN after which he joined Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) from where he joined Labour Party (LP) and finally he came back recently to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under which he originally contested and won as governor in 2003. The period after Fayose’s ouster from 2006-2010 was not better in terms of instability and violence.

    When Dr. Fayemi eventually mounted the saddle, peace which had eluded Ekiti returned. Armed robbery incidents drastically reduced, kidnappers were kept at bay and Ekiti became too hot for criminals. Suddenly, like a bolt from the blues, news of violence filled the dailies in the last one month and this is not unconnected with the rumoured gubernatorial ambition of the ex-governor who had been readmitted into the PDP for the purpose of winning the state back for the PDP in 2014. But before that, a member of his party and his loyalist who was an ex-Deputy Speaker cried out on television with a heavily bandaged neck accusing Fayose’s thugs of nearly strangulating him during the PDP congresses. Recently, he was said to have started a one-man gubernatorial campaign by embarking on tour of local governments to counter a similar tour embarked by the governor few days earlier. His first call was Ilejemeje where youths in the area reportedly prevented him from passing through the newly resurfaced Iludun,-Obada-Iye-Ikosun-Igogo-Otun road by Fayemi government and was reminded of how he boasted during his reign that he would not fix the road because they didn’t vote for him and the road was left undone. The youths prevented his vehicle from passing through. Next, he was in Oye-Ekiti where he reportedly went with about 60 policemen fully armed. He was again met with resistance by the people of the town including his party members who believed he was wrongly favoured by Abuja. He erected huge loud speakers where he declared his intention to be governor and was condemning the present government as having done nothing. Violence broke out, some members were injured, and vehicles were damaged while police fired teargas to disperse the crowd. The following day, against security advice, he ventured to Ilawe-Ekiti but the town was too hot for him to enter as youths numbering over 5,000 mobilised and warned him never to enter the town. The intimidating presence of over 100 anti-riot policemen who were deployed to the town to facilitate his entry did not dissuade the youths who were battle ready. At the end, Fayose could not enter the town. He tried the following day to go to Ikere Ekiti, he met the same resistance though he succeeded in entering the town and addressed an almost empty hall, and he did so amid tight security and a hail of bullets. A passer-by was hit by a stray bullet while many others were injured. He was eventually ferried out of the town by policemen. He has since stopped further campaign tour. But he was bent on reinventing his dark days of violence and last week, the dailies reported he hid under the pretence of celebrating his birthday while his roughnecks attacked innocent Ado Ekiti citizens with machetes in their houses.

    What this tells discerning observers is that never again would Ekiti people allow an Ayo Fayose or any other element in his image come back to power at any level. They demonstrated this during the 2011 general elections when he was roundly beaten as the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party. If he was once so popular to win an election as governor and eight years after, he has become so unpopular to lose a senatorial election which is one third of the state he governed, the message should be clear that he is not wanted by the people again. But Fayose is such a personality that never gives up. He believes anything is possible in Nigeria and one cannot blame him. He has gotten away with so many things in the past including very grave allegations. The one billion naira poultry fraud case with the EFCC is almost forgotten. Also the state government has not had the courage to prosecute him on the alleged beating to death of Tunde Omojola in Ifaki Ekiti on his orders and in his presence. If he is going about like loose cannon, it is the fault of the agencies of government responsible for law enforcement. He has not given up; he is only hibernating and would soon come out to cause more violence as it becomes increasingly clearer to him that he has been declared a persona non-grata by the people who have refused to be taken back to his dark inglorious days.

    The question remains, is the PDP bereft of good candidates? The people have played their part in rejecting him but why have EFCC, the previous and the present governments in Ekiti unable to prosecute Fayose? Why is he given loads of anti-riot policemen to shepherd him about as if he is a serving governor?

    • Ajibola writes from Iye-Ekiti

  • Regional integration is the answer

    SIR: In 1914, the British colonialists amalgamated different nations around the River Niger area to form what is today known as Nigeria. The ‘British masters’ caused the fusion the Hausas, the Fulanis, the Kanuris, the Nupes, the Yorubas, the Ijaws, the Ibos, the Ibibos, the Kalabaris and so on. Nigeria is a combination of nations because a nation is a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture including language, inhabiting a particular natural country or territory. It is different from a federation. A federation is a group of states with central government and with each state having independence in internal affairs like governance, education, policing, transportation etc.

    Over 98 years after the forced union, not all Nigerians can speak “our common language” and some of us are very pleased with our local language irrespective of the constituents of the gathering. In the beginning of the union, things looked promising. The education system introduced by the colonialists was embraced by the few that could afford schools. A primary school leaver in the sixties will read newspaper correctly and can write acceptable application for jobs. University graduates are now riding Okada and only take time off during off-peak hours to read free newspapers.

    We have the resources both at state and national levels to actualise better standard of living for our people but the structure to make sure this is possible is not in place. We seem to perform better when we are organised along the regional divide. When we operated as a region, we did more collectively than when we were ‘butchered’ into states. The states were not correctly demarcated because the stakeholders were not involved and could not say which state they prefer to belong. Prominent examples are the Okuns, the Aworis and the Ekitis. In some cases, because of natural features like the rivers, a community was divided into to. An example is Asejire in Oyo and Osun states.

    Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, of blessed memory, gave the Western region of Nigeria the infrastructure that made it the envy of other regions and nations. Nnamdi Azikiwe followed suit in the Eastern region and Tafawa Balewa in the Northern region. Our people were motivated because they had sense of belonging to their respective regions and saw regional projects as national projects that belonged to all. Corruption level was low because everybody’s aim was to deliver qualitative public goods and not personal aggrandisement. The other regions in Nigeria were greatly impacted by the Yoruba’s doctrine of being virtuous and the laudable achievements of the sage. A lot of job-seekers came from the other regions to seek solace in the South-West. Ibadan greatly developed into the biggest city in West Africa. So also was Lagos.

    Regional integration will ginger rapid development of the federation. Nigeria is like a construction project with language barrier as a major problem. We fail to understand and listen to each other. The people that can steer the ship of Nigeria to safe harbour can hardly get to the steering. Mainstreaming is a callous means of benefiting at others’ expense. Regional integration is for those that have ideas to let ‘charity begin at home’. By demonstrating that our regions can be great, Nigeria will be greater than we can expect and this will save Nigeria a lot of resources and make it a developed nation.

    • Olufemi Oyedele.

    Osogbo, Osun State

  • Nigeria and China: A tale of two countries

    SIR: Nigeria is seen by many people as a wretched country. The country has been mocked; her people taunted, disgraced in some parts of the world and undermined. “Sleeping Giant of Africa” has been the mocking phrase used to replace the great mantra “Giant of Africa”.

    But Nigeria is not the first great nation to attract scorn as a result of her problems. China was maligned even more but today, they are the darling of all countries.

    Before 1978, China was an autarky -an economy that loathes international trade. They did not trade with other countries. Communism brought untold hardship, poverty, and put the country into economic quagmire. China wandered in this wilderness of acute impoverishment, uncontrollable poverty, hunger, bad leadership and social restiveness.

    The death of Mao marked the beginning of the country’s turnaround as Deng Xiaoping, the then President, made the famous ‘open window policy’ and China has not looked back since then.

    Deng Xiaoping and his assistants were pragmatists; they purged the Chinese society of a notion that was championed by Mao Zedong that “there is pride in being poor”. They let the people know that there was no pride in being poor. We remember that in Nigeria, a leader once coined such phrase as “do or die” during an election and ever since, the country has witnessed intolerable rigging.

    Deng had other phrases like “peaceful rise”, “adopt what works and reject what doesn’t work”, and “incremental development”. They rejected the ‘big bang’ or ‘shock therapy’ approach to development.

    Conversely, Nigeria is still enmeshed in her problems. The good news though is that Nigeria and Nigerians share similar traits to China and Chinese. The dissimilarity between the two countries though, is that Nigeria is endowed with so many natural resources while China is sparsely endowed. However, China has been able to recover her lost glory and positioned herself not only as the dragon of Asia but the dragon of the world. The question remains: can Nigeria regain her giant-ship and become truly the giant of Africa?

    The answer is yes. But it will not come on the platter of gold. There is need for serious thinking and change of heart.

    • Uwalaka Temple

    Daejeon, South Korea.

  • Ngige as man of the people

    Ngige as man of the people

    I would like to recount an experience I had while attending a function that had the presence of the quartet of the Senate President David Mark, Anambra State governor Peter Obi, senators Chris Ngige and Andy Uba.

    The occasion was the Anambra State University’s convocation lecture delivered by the Senate President with the theme “Democracy and Democratization in Nigeria: The Journey So Far”. The lecture hall was packed to the full as technocrats, academics and scholars, non-academic staff, traditional rulers, students and other notable dignitaries had come to felicitate with ANSU and perhaps drink deep from David Mark’s knowledge stream. But of course, protocols had to be followed: first came the prayers, then the national anthem, and then the university orator began the ritual of recognizing the university’s august visitors. First was the Senate President, who received a loud ovation, the orator then recognized Governor Obi, who by virtue of his office is also the visitor to that university. Trust the orator, she wanted to look good before her boss, she gave it her best shot, calling the governor several titles and appellations for about a minute and half, a privilege a more decorated David Mark was not afforded and at the end of it all, our governor got a mild ovation.

    Then came the turn of Senator Ngige, one could notice the orator’s drop in tone, body language and enthusiasm. She had done a good job for our governor, why spoil it by according an opponent of his with the same vigour, tone and style? Perhaps she didn’t want to be asked if there could be two governors in a state?

    Rambling on the words, “The former Governor of Anambra State”; at this

    stage the hall became silent, the kind of silence that a Buddhist would naturally love, the crowd listened on, awaiting the mention of a name or senatorial zone, since both Ngige and Uba had been addressed as governor at one point in time – Ngige for three and a half years and Uba for a period of 16 days.

    Then the words fell out of her mouth “and Senator representing Anambra Central”. Alas that was it! The audience cheered and applauded with a mighty noise, Ngige then stood up to acknowledge the cheering as others had done before him and then took his seat but the cheering continued amidst shouts of Onwa!, Onwa! rising in tempo, this caused Ngige to rise up a second time to receive the applause, meanwhile a lady in her mid forties threw caution to the winds as she dashed forward to kiss the Senator’s hands, she probably must have been a staff of the university but who cared, she was swept in the euphoria of the moment, like others her joy knew no bounds.

    For Obasanjo’s Man Friday, Senator Uba got a consolatory applause, now don’t blame him, it’s not just his thing.

    I have taken much pain to paint a picture of how much the people like

    Senator Ngige. Anytime, any day, Senator Ngige is a man of the people. But what makes Ngige thick? Why Ngige? What are the main attributes of this bearded politician? The ever smiling, diminutive and amiable politician has a grass to grace respectability story; coming with it is an impeccable civil service record, and then a compassion for the common man. If a few had thought that his 2003 – 2006 blaze of glory stint as governor would not be replicated as a senator in the seventh National Assembly, that the forthrightness, integrity, brilliance and courage which were the hallmarks of his stewardship then, would simply disappear since he had no Chris Uba and the richa ife nine (Chop and quench in Igbo) gang to deal with this time, I am quite sure that such fellows must be eating their hats now like dear Mr. Grimwig in Charles Dickens Oliver Twist.

    As a first time senator, Ngige has refused to toe the line of first termers who are made to see themselves as being ravaged by the kwashiorkor of ideas, no! His contributions on the floor of the Senate have been sterling enough, each bearing strong hints of his passion for the ordinary Nigerian. On oversight functions, Senator Ngige has obviously done well again, his input in committees like power and mines, health, education, police, capital markets and constitution review has been well noted by his colleagues in the various committees as well as the leadership of the senate.

    On the delivery of the dividends of democracy to his constituents, again it is a plus for Ngige. Starting from the construction of a motorised borehole at Federal Government College Nise coupled with a computer centre for the same school and then on to the construction of three blocks of classrooms in Umunachi, Dunukofia. Another motorised borehole is in Idemili South with five other bore hole projects in Abacha, Ideani, Neni and Ukeh areas. In addition, the senator has undertaken to site constituency projects via the provision of streetlights to communities within the district. Areas like Nkpor junction, Oyeagu Abagana, Nimo, Ukeh, Obosi, Adazi, Enugu Ukwu, Adazi Nnukwu, Adazi Ani, Nibo, Amawbia, Enugu Agidi, Aguluzigbo and a host of other communities are to benefit from this project.

    On the issue of power, one should expect these few sceptics to burn their hands too. As vice chairman of Senate Committee on Power and Mines, Senator Ngige has certainly been alive to his duties and in that direction has helped to attract certain power projects to the state as a whole. To the glory of God too, the inclusion of Anambra as one of the pilot states to partake in a scheme that seeks to make power outage in these select states a thing of the past is also doing of Senator Ngige.

    Projects abound; power stations in Amanuke, Urum, Awka North, Awba Ofemili, Umunachi, Umuoji, Aguleri, Ogidi and Ifitedunu. There is the construction of 2 by 7.5 MVA injection stations in Idemili South. Installation of 3 x 300 KVA at Isiagu, Amabor, Enuofufe, Amata, Awba Ofemili, Umuchibu, Maternity and Umuosite. Areas like Nnaba and Umunocha are to have constructed a 2 X 300 KVA sub station for each area. Same goes for Umenebo, Nnobi, Eziafakaego, Nawgu, Oba and Ukwulu, which are to enjoy either the construction or installation of 2 X 300 KVA sub stations. Areas like Ndiokpaleke in Orumba, Ugwu Awovu in Enugu Ukwu and Agu Awka are to be rehabilitated, in fact word has it that it was on the senator’s prodding that the Energy Commission and other agencies went back to work at the sites mentioned above.

    These are in addition to hundreds of students at secondary, tertiary and higher degree levels placed on scholarship.

    Now, if these feats are not laudable then I wonder what is?

    In the speech that heralded his decision to vie for the senate seat, Ngige’s simple submission was to touch the lives of Ndi Anambra again, to transform Anambra State into a land of opportunities and to restore the lost glory to the people of Anambra. In less than two years he has just done more than that.

    Finally, statesmen were simply politicians who did ordinary things in an extra-ordinary manner; I reckon that Senator Ngige is fast approaching that mark reserved for titans and quintessential statesmen alike.

    • Arinze writes from Awka

  • Ibori’s N50 million pension

    SIR: “He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house. As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta state’s wealth and hand out patronage”. Prosecution QC Sasha Wass (speaking about James Onanefe Ibori).

    Despite efforts by Delta Government to defend payment of 50 million naira pension into ex-Governor Ibori’s account,the rationale in favour of this infamous decision lacks any moral justification.

    With gusto, the Delta State commissioner of information tried to insulate Ibori’s treasury looting and other misdemeanor from his pension entitlement. The trend is very common in our clime, where, despite glaring and overwhelming evidence, white suddenly becomes black.

    It is even insulting, repulsive and demeaning that the same Delta State is still spending a fortune in legal fees trying to retrieve Ibori’s $15million dollars bribe to EFCC in court. A flood-ravaged state in need of funds to revamp its economy should not be thinking of compensating a felon who milked them dry.The policy thrust of the government should be the people first and foremost.

    The rate of violent crimes are increasing in Nigeria today primarily due to massive corruption in high places, because funds that should have been freed to socially secure unemployed citizens are diverted or trapped in private pockets. Dwindling industrial base leading to job loses, reckless elite, a vicious ideologically driven violent terrorists in the north and quasi zero spending on social security to tame increasing redundant population are recipe for disaster. How do we intend to tame this monster? We are not getting it!

    As a criminal that captured the governor’s office by altering and concealing his criminal records, identity and looted state’s treasury, Ibori and his cronies across the federation should be barred from accessing state fund or benefit (pension). If felons enjoy state funds via pension, then what is wrong dedicating funds to appease Boko-Haram, kidnappers, armed-robbers and other miscreants? After all, the root of these violent crimes are attributable to greed, recklessness and shortsightedness of our elite.

    Or is someone saying some criminals are more handsome than others?

    Paying Ibori pension from the resources of the state he looted has serious consequence, precedence and signal. We must pay serious attention to our sense of reward!

    • Akinola M.A.

    Verona-Italy

  • That US travel advisory

    That US travel advisory

    It is unclear why the Secretary to the State Government of Edo, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, needed to take on the United States over a travel advisory issued by that country’s Bureau of Consular Affairs of the State Department restricting the travels of American citizens in Nigeria. The advisory did not warn Nigerians off Edo State, nor advised other people but Americans to watch their travels in Nigeria. The advisory did not also attempt to rate the safety index of Edo, especially in comparisons with other states. All it did was to list 10 states the US felt Americans would be unsafe in, and to then add that its officials should avoid the entire 19 northern states except it became absolutely essential. The advisory predicated the travel ban on the incidence of robberies, armed gangs activities and kidnappings in those Nigerian states.

    To disprove the advisory, however, Ihonvbere could not resist the impulse of embarking on giddy logic. He argues thus: “It beats the imagination of discerning minds that while some states which record violent crimes on a daily basis in the country are excluded from the list, Edo State which has been commended by all, including the World Bank which, through its Country Director, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly said: “Edo State’s social indicators are above the national average” and which had earlier been confirmed by her predecessor, Mr. Onno Ruhl, who said, “Edo State is one of the states in Nigeria where the willingness to change is the fastest in Nigeria”, is included in the offensive U.S list.” The US travel advisory said nothing about Edo’s economic potentials or adaptability, so why is Ihonvbere depending upon the statements of World Bank officials?

    Furthermore, the travel advisory, as Ihonvbere himself acknowledges in his rejoinder, is essentially about travels of US citizens in Nigeria during this holiday season. It is neither a permanent travel ban nor a commentary on Edo’s economy, nor yet about whether Edo is the safest in the South-South or anywhere else. Rather than make a cynical commentary on safe and unsafe American cities in the light of the shooting incidents in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, Ihonvbere should have more appropriately and less combatively assured Americans of their safety in Edo State and indicate the steps the state was taking, in spite of the recent robberies in the Edo town of Auchi, to ensure the safety of citizens and foreigners alike. Edo State may in fact be the safest in the South-South, and may even be much safer than many northern states not mentioned in the US travel advisory, but it is hard to see how an impulsive or tongue-in-cheek rebuttal would be of any help.

    In spite of whatever merits are contained in Ihonvbere’s rejoinder, they will sadly be attenuated by the fact that the world has learnt to expect from Nigeria bad-tempered attacks against every assessment portraying the country in unflattering colours. Nigerian officials habitually react peevishly and sometimes sanctimoniously to Amnesty International (AI) reports and other international agency reports worrying about our laggard position in human development indices. Officials here also condemn any report predicting that certain serious political and social fault lines could predispose the country to disintegration if urgent measures were not taken to tackle them. In sum, Nigerian officials rarely see this negative portrayal of the country as a reason to shape up. They see it as a reason to be surly and combative.

    Considering how Edo has reacted, it is not impossible a few other states could also paint their states in good light and condemn the US travel advisory as mischievous and mendacious. After all, in May, Gen Muhammad Shuwa (retd) denounced Gen T.Y. Danjuma (retd) for describing Borno State a failed state, only to be felled by assassins barely six months later in the same state he had tried to portray as not a failed state. The problem is not so much the challenges Nigeria is facing – these are by no means unusual or new – but the manner officials either live in denial or denounce those who call their attention to those challenges. Whether it is the safest or not in the South-South, Edo doubtless faces security challenges, like most other states. And while the state is not alone in facing these challenges, its officials, like those of Nigeria, must learn how to properly respond to the concerns raised by others.

  • Reflections on the leadership question

    SIR: During the fuel subsidy crisis in January, the statements from President Goodluck Jonathan made me to conclude that the nation, which many had tipped for greatness, in 1960, may continue to wander in the wilderness if the issue of leadership is not frontally addressed. If the captain of the Nigerian ship could tell the world that he was going to visit hardship on people that gave him overwhelming mandate, because few untouchable agents of imperialism were defrauding the nation, it is a revelation of the crisis of leadership in this country.

    Plato, the great Greek philosopher might have had Nigeria in mind when in his classic, Republic, ascribed leadership to the sages in the society. Specifically, he warned that the society might descend into the abyss if an individual without the virtue of sagacity becomes a statesman. Nigeria of today and even of yesterday depicts the ugly side of Plato’s thought.

    To start with, in the present dispensation, the President has demonstrated through his actions and gestures that he lacks the courage and the sagacity to move the nation to Eldorado. This deficit may have probably made him to depend solely on coterie of advisers. In fact, one minister even has the designation of a “coordinating minister”.

    In the first republic, the departing colonialists, in their grand design to perpetuate conservatism in Nigeria, brought Alhaji Tafawa Balewa. During the second republic, the inheritor of the presidency, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, was only interested in becoming a senator of the federal republic, but the northern oligarchy thought otherwise. As against his wish and will, he became President.

    Similar patterns were recorded in 1999, 2007, and 2011 when the “Generals” brought in unprepared presidents. It is well known that General Obasanjo was interested in going back to his farm, but to the “annuller”, he must be rehabilitated in the presidential villa. Eight years later, Obasanjo himself, propped up another “unwilling president” the late Umaru Yar’adua, and finally the incumbent, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

    The above illustrations bring me to the issue of leadership and social structure. There is no doubt that the character of the society determines the quality of leadership. However, the state has a role to play in creating a stable social structure. Where the state as in Nigeria has being hijacked by a clique or what Jide Oluwajuyitan, a leading columnist, tagged “fortune tellers”, the nation, if at all exists, flounders.

    Tragically what emerges from such order is a leadership lacking in platonic sagacity. Obviously such a leadership cannot reform and not to talk about transforming the socio-political order. Thus, as we ponder on how to move the nation forward, the issue of state ownership must be addressed. The people must strive to possess their superstructure. It is only through such mechanism that the best could be selected to lead. A leader that is propped-up through such process would promote the real national interest.

    Nigeria needs sages cum statesmen and not politicians.

    • Adeniyi Basiru

    Ikorodu, Lagos.

  • One year of Osun’s Walk to Live

    SIR: Now in its one year, ‘Walk To Live’ the monthly physical exercise introduced by the State Government of Osun is by all means a well-conceived idea that richly adds value to the health of the high and low citizens of the state, enlightening them on the importance of body exercise.

    As any medical expert can attest to, people tend to live better and healthier when they are well informed about the little things they can do to improve their health. The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, understood this essential fact. In one of his many insightful utterances, he posited that ‘medical men know too well that if many people (through education) were less free in their choice of the types of food they eat, of the beverage they drink, of the clothing they wear, and of the houses they live in, the health of the community would be more than 100 times improved’.

    Today in the State of Osun, the monthly exercise – in which the governor, his deputy, the members of the State Executive Council, newspaper editors, football stars, popular Nollywood stars, and many more important personages join the governor to walk many kilometres on foot, across streets – is now freely accepted by the people of the state. They now see it not as a government thing but as an initiative that is meant to truly improve the quality of their lives. This answers for the enthusiasm, passion and commitment the people display in any area of the state in which the exercise takes place. Not only are they full of joy for being part of a walk aimed at improving their health, they are also overwhelmed with the bliss of seeing a governor and his team partake in a physical exercise with them. This alone speaks eloquently of how close the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is to the people at very local level. It is often a moving sight beholding the whole apparatus of the executive arm just out there in the midst of supposed ordinary people who before now were only used to being harassed with ear-grating sirens of government vehicles moving dangerous at neck-breaking speed, with their occupants shielded off by heavily tinted glasses.

    The ‘Walk to Live’ programme further makes evident the security status of the state. Since its debut in the last one year, no single threat to security, or a case of breakdown of law and order has been recorded. It is so well organised and fully enjoined by the people that it begins and ends without hitches in all the places it has taken place. Again, the Omoluabi virtues that the people of Osun are known for are displayed at each edition of the programme. They conduct themselves orderly and show respect one for the other. The programme equally offers an opportunity for those who trade in edibles to rake in some money. In other words, beyond the health benefit of the programme, there are also economic gains for traders.

    I have participated twice in the programme and it was sheer fun besides the health benefits I derived from it. This to me is one of the best programmes of the governor and I hope the State House of Assembly will make a law that will guarantee its continuity even if another administration comes to power after Ogbeni.

    Kudos to Governor Aregbesola for such great thinking.

    • Olumide Adewale,

    Iwo, Osun State