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  • In Lagos, say something when you see something

    In Lagos, say something when you see something

    By Solomon-Ikeije Stephanie

    Globally, whistleblowing is a critical aspect of governance and organizational integrity, as it serves as a tool to expose corruption, fraud, and other forms of misconduct.

    Whistleblowing is a significant tool in the fight against corruption, particularly in the public sector, where transparency and accountability are paramount. The practice of whistleblowing, while beneficial, comes with numerous challenges, including fear of retaliation, lack of proper legal protection, and sometimes weak institutional support for whistle-blowers.

    In Nigeria, whistleblowing is relatively new but gradually gaining traction as the government and various organizations recognize its importance in promoting a corruption-free society.

    Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria is home to numerous businesses, organizations, and government activities, making it a hotspot for various socio-economic activities.

    Being a bubbling cosmopolitan city with limitless opportunities, it is not impossible that some people might choose to engage in nefarious activities that might be injurious to public order. Considering this, the State government encourages citizens to swiftly report any form of misconduct.

    At the national level, the Whistleblower Protection Policy, which was introduced by the federal government in 2016, offers protection to individuals who report despicable activities and practices. This policy provides a framework for whistleblowers to report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.

    It also offers financial rewards for those whose information leads to the recovery of stolen public funds. Although this is a federal initiative, it has had a significant impact on whistleblowing practices in Lagos State as it covers the state’s public sector and helps in addressing cases of financial misconduct and corruption at the state level.

    In Lagos State, whistleblowing has proven to be an effective method for uncovering fraud and corruption, particularly in public institutions where accountability is often a challenge. The state has established certain channels for individuals to report misconduct.

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    As it is when known, the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) focuses on tax evasion and financial crimes. Hence, the LIRS encourages whistle-blowers to report any instances of tax fraud or financial irregularities, and they have established confidential channels for individuals to do so. Additionally, several government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Lagos have set up hotlines and complaint portals to facilitate the reporting of unethical behaviour.

    Despite these efforts, whistleblowing in Lagos faces significant challenges. One of the most notable challenges is the fear of retaliation. Whistleblowers often face the threat of losing their jobs, being demoted, or experiencing harassment at work.  This fear is particularly prevalent in both the public and private sectors, where reporting misconduct can result in professional isolation or victimization.

    Although the Federal Whistleblower Protection Policy promises legal protection for whistleblowers, in practice, the enforcement of these protections is sometimes weak. There have been cases where individuals who reported corruption were victimized, and their concerns were not adequately addressed. This creates an environment of fear, which discourages potential whistleblowers from coming forward. In many cases, employees prefer to remain silent about the misconduct they witness because they are unsure if the system will protect them from retaliatory actions.

    Another challenge is the lack of awareness about whistleblower protections and the channels available for reporting misconduct. Many employees and citizens in Lagos are not fully informed about their rights as whistleblowers or the processes involved in reporting unethical behaviour. This lack of knowledge leads to underreporting of cases, as individuals are unaware of the resources and legal frameworks in place to protect them. The government and private organizations need to do more to educate the public about whistleblowing and ensure that individuals know how to report misconduct safely and confidentially.

    A robust public awareness campaign would encourage more people to come forward and expose wrongdoing, thus fostering a culture of accountability and transparency in both the public and private sectors.

    Moreover, the issue of slow investigations is another deterrent to whistleblowing in Lagos State. Many whistleblowers complain that after reporting cases of corruption or misconduct, there are long delays before any concrete action is taken. This slow pace of investigation can frustrate whistleblowers and reduce their confidence in the system.

    When investigations drag on for months or even years without resolution, whistleblowers may feel that their efforts were in vain. This also provides opportunities for the perpetrators of corruption to cover their tracks, thereby undermining the entire process.

    For whistleblowing to be truly effective, investigations need to be swift and thorough, and there must be a clear timeline for addressing reported cases. The government needs to invest in strengthening its investigative bodies, ensuring they have the capacity and resources to handle whistleblower reports efficiently.

    In addition to the challenges, there are concerns about the adequacy of the financial rewards offered to whistleblowers. The federal whistleblower policy promises a percentage of recovered funds as a reward to individuals who report corruption, but there have been complaints about the delay or inadequacy of these rewards.

    Some whistleblowers have reported that after their information led to the recovery of stolen funds, they either received no reward or the payment was significantly delayed. This csan discourage others from coming forward, especially when the risks of whistleblowing are high.

    If whistleblowers do not feel adequately compensated for their risks and efforts, they are less likely to report wrongdoing. The government must address these concerns by ensuring that rewards are paid promptly and are proportionate to the risks involved.

    Despite these challenges, whistleblowing has had a positive impact on governance in Lagos State. Several high-profile cases of corruption have been exposed through whistleblower reports, leading to the recovery of stolen funds and the prosecution of offenders.

    In many instances, whistleblowers have played a key role in preventing fraud, tax evasion, illegal construction, nefarious activities, and financial mismanagement in the state. By holding public officials and private organizations accountable, whistleblowers contribute to the overall goal of reducing corruption and improving governance in Lagos.

     Furthermore, whistleblowing has encouraged a culture of transparency in public procurement processes. The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, which is responsible for ensuring transparency in the award of government contracts, has encouraged whistleblowers to report any irregularities or corrupt practices in the procurement process. This has led to more scrutiny of public contracts and a reduction in instances of inflated contracts or fraudulent bidding processes.

    The role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in promoting whistleblowing in Lagos cannot be overlooked. Several CSOs have taken up the cause of protecting whistleblowers and advocating for stronger legal frameworks to support them.

    These organizations provide legal assistance, counselling, and advocacy for whistleblowers that face retaliation. They also work to raise public awareness about the importance of whistleblowing in curbing corruption and promoting good governance. By partnering with the government, CSOs have been instrumental in pushing for reforms that would make it easier and safer for individuals to report misconduct.

    It is vital to stress that building a society that we all will be proud of is the responsibility of all.  Hence, it is important to encourage Lagos residents to always say something whenever they see something. This is one way through which accountability, transparency, and good governance can be effectively enhanced.

    All stakeholders are, thus, encouraged to continue to work together to strengthen the frameworks that support whistleblowers. A stronger legal framework, better public awareness, and more efficient investigation processes will encourage more individuals to come forward, ultimately contributing to a more transparent and accountable society in Lagos State.

    •Stephanie is an intern at the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • The fugitive and the law

    The fugitive and the law

    • By Mike Kebonkwu

    Yahaya Adoza Bello was the former governor of Kogi State about a year ago.  He was the youngest governor barely in his 40s, when he held sway representing a paradigm shift of power to the youths.   He turned out unmitigated disaster, not any different from the old breed politicians.  He was a law giver and used power with all the paraphernalia of office with infidelity.  He tormented his rivals and opposition.  He became a tin-pot dictator, behaving as if there was no tomorrow.  In everything, he was under constitutional immunity and protection. He grovelled at the Aso Rock and became one of the power brokers in the last dispensation and became a law unto himself.  He emblematized himself as the ‘white lion’.  That is how elected political office holders in Nigeria live; they are larger than life in office. 

    Since leaving office, there have been running battles between Yahaya Bello and the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) having been shorn of constitutional immunity and all the paraphernalia of power and office.  The former Kogi State governor was quite histrionic to the bargain.  He was declared wanted by the EFCC on allegation of misappropriation of over N80 billion from the state coffers. Rather than submit himself to the agency to clear his name, he deployed all manners of shenanigans, hiring social media pimps, bloggers and paid activists running some NGOs and CSOs to blackmail the anti-graft agency from doing its job.  As it is customary with Nigerian politicians, he also moved from one jurisdiction to another shopping for forum to procure injunction to frustrating the course of justice. 

    The Kogi “white lion” has since chickened out and probably lost out in the power game and out of favour.  If apprehended, he is certain to take a permanent suite in a private hospital under court’s order. 

     About a fortnight ago Yahaya Bello was reported to have breezed into the headquarters of the EFCC in the convoy of his successor in office, Ahmed Usman Ododo with a retinue of security officers. The governor did not go there to hand over the fugitive to the law and anti-graft agency but to provide him protection and cover as payback time to a political benefactor and mentor.   In a civilized clime and rule of law society, what the current governor of Kogi State has done would attract sanctions for providing sanctuary to a fugitive and for obstruction of justice which is a criminal offence.

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    The anti-graft agency also acted timidly by not apprehending the fugitive and carry out its statutory duties but deferred to the power of the governor shielding the former governor from arrest and prosecution.  What they ought to have done was to separate Paul from Barnabas, isolate and pick the lion from amongst the chickens and take him for grilling.  Our agencies should be driven by competent men and women that understand the power of their office and the courage to discharge their duties without fear or favour. 

    Whatever the state does with the case of Yahaya Bello would determine our commitment to the fight against corruption and respect for the rule of law.  This is a race against time; we can no longer afford to yield ground to impunity and official larceny.  We should be ready to take on the behemoth called corruption. 

    In a country where the law protects criminals and brand honest people, there cannot be progress and development. Nobody should be above the law. Why should alleged criminals be given protection because they occupy or once occupied public office which they have abused? That there is no whimper from the government should not be taken for endorsement; the EFCC should do its duty by the law.  It is not about Kogi State or Yahaya Bello; it is about the fate of the country.  It is about what we want, and whether we want to change from our past of honouring criminals or build a future where there will be respect for the rule of law and order.

     Our institutions, including the National Assembly, are now populated by people who have been fingered by the anti-graft agency for colossal heist and corruption.  Yet we honour them with chieftaincy tittles in every community, with streets and object of national honours named after them.  The government is not able to get resources for the development of the country because money meant for the states and the country is misappropriated and siphoned to private accounts.  We condemn military dictatorship but have no problem with the tyranny and despotism of some elected leaders tormenting their people and subverting the law as tin-pot dictators in their states and as ministers. 

    We are now at the age that the judiciary is not courageous enough to do justice to all manners of people but package justice based on political connection to power and financial considerations.  Justice as it is, is justice of the ruling class, and morality is the morality of the ruling class.  Nothing is left of Nigeria.  If we truly love Nigeria, it is time to begin to do things differently.  There should be consequences for acts and omissions done by public office holders in their official capacities; there must be accountability and respect for the rule of law.  The incumbent governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo should be prepared at the appropriate time to answer for the obstruction of justice in providing sanctuary for a man declared wanted and a fugitive.  This case speaks of incompetence of our intelligence community and the police that a fugitive is protected by the law. It is now time for Yahaya Bello, the white lion of Ebira land to come out and clear his name!

    •Kebonkwu Esq writes via mikekebonkwu@yahoo.com

  • Exploitative nature of electricity tariff bands

    Exploitative nature of electricity tariff bands

    • By Olaleke Alao  

    The driving force behind any modern economy is electricity. It promotes growth, innovation, and production while providing energy to homes, small businesses, and industries. However, Nigeria’s problems with electricity delivery and tariff costs extend far beyond mere convenience; they financially burden the public and substantially limit the country’s capacity to develop economically. Consumers are separated into various rate-based categories under the present band system, which stifles economic growth and fosters inequality.

    Nigeria’s economy is heavily based on businesses such as telecommunications, agriculture, and manufacturing, all of which require a consistent, reliable electrical supply. The expensive and unpredictable electricity costs that businesses around the country must pay impede productivity. The most badly hit are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which account for more than 90% of all businesses in Nigeria and are critical to the country’s economic progress. Because of the high electricity expenses associated with the band system, many SMEs are obliged to allocate a greater portion of their operational budget to power; money that could be better spent growing their businesses and creating jobs. Large-scale businesses are disproportionately affected since they are typically put in higher tariff bands, which result in higher electricity bills. This leads to higher manufacturing costs, which consumers eventually pay for when purchasing goods and services. The significant knock-on effects on inflation and consumer purchasing power have harmed the economy. The country’s overall productivity suffers when businesses are unable to operate profitably due to high energy costs. Growth is hampered, Nigeria’s global competitiveness suffers, and as a result, both domestic and foreign investments are discouraged. In general, investors are hesitant to enter the market when operational costs are consistently high, especially when it comes to energy.

    It is impossible to exaggerate the electrical band system’s long-term economic impact on Nigeria. If a country lacks affordable, reliable electricity, it cannot expect to see significant industrial expansion. Reduced economic output, slower GDP growth, and fewer job prospects follow. Nigeria’s efforts to diversify its economy and transition away from an oil-based economy would continue to lag behind other countries in the lack of a modern, functional electricity distribution infrastructure. The high cost of power hinders foreign investors, who would prefer invest in areas with dependable infrastructure. Nigeria’s irregular power supply and discriminatory pricing structure have prompted many multinational enterprises to seek chances elsewhere.

    When seen independently, the ramifications of Nigeria’s electrical band plan are considerably more disturbing. Many Nigerians’ home budgets are beginning to suffer as a result of rising power bills. Families, already plagued by rising unemployment, inflation, and uncertain economies, must now pay significantly more for power without receiving better services. Take the example of a Nigerian who earns N70,000 each month. It is economically absurd if they are placed in Band A and forced to pay N10,000 (44.44 kilowatt at N225 unit as against the old tariff of 147 kilowatt at N68) per week for power. Their energy expenses would have depleted their entire wage, leaving little money for food, shelter, healthcare, or education. The current condition of affairs is extending the wealth gap and increasing the country’s poverty rates. People in the lower bands have an unpredictable power supply, which limits their work opportunities, whereas those in the higher bands live in an environment where electricity is considered a luxury for those who can afford it.

    The system for dividing power prices into bands is unfair. Even though everyone uses the same basic service (electricity) those in Band A pay significantly more per unit of power than those in Bands B and C. The main issue with the band system is that it penalizes some users while ignoring the egalitarian and open ideals of consumption-based billing. It is time to eliminate the unfair practice of taxing citizens to pay for infrastructure improvements and transition to a single tariff system that costs based on usage. To see why the current band system is unfair, consider this simple analogy in greater detail. Assume that two people buy N1,000 worth of mobile phone airtime each, which they can use anyway they choose. For the sake of argument, assume that a resident of an area with better network coverage pays a higher rate per minute for calls made, whereas a resident of a poorer service region pays a lower rate per minute. Does this make sense? Should the local state of network decide their rate per minute? Naturally, no. The concept should be simple: each person should pay the same amount every minute, and their total payment should be determined by the number of minute(s).

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    Electricity should be subject to the same logic. If someone consumes 500 kWh of power, they should pay the same price per unit whether they live in a rural area or urban area. It makes no difference where they reside or how many hours a day they have access to energy; what matters is the amount consumed. People in Band A pay much more per unit (300%) under the current band arrangement because they expect greater service. It is unfair and impossible to charge someone extra for airtime simply because their phone has a better signal.

    In Nigeria’s power industry, the practice of holding residents financially liable for infrastructure maintenance and repair, notably cables and transformers, is a major cause of concern. Furthermore, this is a severe injustice. Distribution Companies (DisCos), are thriving enterprises. One of its primary responsibilities is to invest in and maintain the infrastructure that provides electricity to homes and businesses. So, why are the general public’s costs involved with these necessary replacements and repairs? What if phone companies requested their customers to fix their failing network towers? By charging consumers to rectify these problems, DisCos are effectively charging them twice for the same service. This exploitative behaviour must end.

    Nigeria’s economic potential can only be achieved by breaking the cycle and enacting energy sector reforms immediately. The most egalitarian course of action is to establish a unified pricing system for all citizens, with tariffs based on actual electricity consumption rather than location or arbitrary bands. A system like this would help bridge the economic gap and ensure that consumers only pay for what they use. It would also encourage fairness. Furthermore, the government should prioritize improving the electrical industry’s poor infrastructure, which includes things like damaged transformers and faulty lines that typically require private investment to repair. Distribution businesses (DisCos), which benefit from the current system but do not invest in modernizing and maintaining its infrastructure, should shoulder the majority of the burden.

    In addition to being unpleasant, Nigeria’s current energy pricing system endangers both the stability of the national economy and the well-being of its people. The growing cost of electricity is exacerbating poverty, limiting corporate expansion, and fostering corruption. The Nigerian government must take action to build a more equitable and transparent energy delivery system that bases pricing on actual consumption rather than bogus classifications. Nigeria may be able to reduce household debt, support small and medium-sized businesses, and stimulate economic growth by reforming its electrical sector. Eventually, this would result in greater living standards and a more robust and resilient economy for all Nigerians.

    The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission should quickly amend its regulations to allow many DISCOs to operate in the same area. Those that can be reached within a geopolitical zone must at the very least cross it. For example, the six states of the Southwest should have access to EKEDC, IKEDC, and IBEDC. Customers would have more freedom and choice, much like in the GSM market. Models like retail choice model (as seen in Texas, the United States, and Australia), an open access approach, and a competitive franchise model similar to those seen in the United Kingdom, can be adopted. This will boost competition, reduce monopolies, and encourage innovation in electricity distribution.

    •Dr. Alao is of Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity Inc, Maryland, USA & CCDI Ltd/Gte, Nigeria.

  • Rivers of conflicting judgments

    Rivers of conflicting judgments

    • By Joe Edet

    The judiciary, described by Marie Mariano as the weakest branch of government is also regarded as the just branch of government and conversationally popularly referred to as the bastion of hope of the common man. In a hierarchical structure and sphere of influence, power, and authority, the judiciary is often undermined because it does seem to have the least power. Whereas the executive arm has the power to make executive and judicial appointments and the legislature has the power to ratify such appointments and to approve appropriations, the judiciary is condemned to the responsibility of checking the excesses of these other arms and will call them to order where they attempt to go overboard or over their constitutional role. Nevertheless, the dynamism of the judiciary has never been in doubt or dispute. It has the prerogative of approbating and reprobating based on exigencies of time, condition, and situation. The Supreme Court being the apex court is not only a court of last resort but a court of policy. It can reverse and overrule itself where the decisions were reached per incuriam, where public interest demands, or where it is confronted with two of its own conflicting decisions. Indeed the perceived mistakes or inconsistencies of other arms of government are corrected by the judiciary while also correcting itself from time to time.

    Sometimes past, the judiciary appeared to have descended into the abyss of ignominy and infamy with its flip-flop judgments emanating from courts of co-ordinate and concurring jurisdiction. The resultant effect was the unprecedented delivery of four conflicting and contradictory rulings within two days as regards whether or not the National Convention of the People’s Democratic Party should hold. While Justice Ibrahim Watila of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt Division ruled that the convention organized by the Ahmed Makarfi faction should be held, Justice Okon Abang ruled against it.

    Instructively, the two judges have earlier delivered conflicting rulings on the same issues raised and canvassed by the parties. The same scenario is repeating itself yet again in Rivers State. This time, concerns whether or not the elections to be organized by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission should be held.

    In the orders of the High Court in Rivers State, which were given on September 4, the Judge said the defendants are bound by Section 7, sub-section 1 of the Constitution and Section 5 (A) of the RSIEC Law Number 2 of 2018 to make provisions and conduct the local government polls within the shortest possible time, especially following the expiration of the tenure of the former elected officials on June 17.

    The court also cited as a necessity, the recent decision of the federal government mandating states without democratically elected local government to do so within three months, following the judgment of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy. The court urged that all necessary arrangements be made to ensure the conduct of the election on October 5, as announced by RSIEC.

    But a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Peter Lifu on Monday, six days before the conduct of the Rivers State local government area election, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), from releasing voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, (RSIEC), to conduct the October 5, local government election in the state.

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    The court also barred the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Department of the State Service (DSS) from participating and providing security for the conduct of the local government area election. Justice Lifu issued the order while delivering judgment in a suit brought before him by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the legality or otherwise of the processes leading to the fixing of October 5 for the election. Justice Lifu held that the RSIEC was wrong in fixing the October 5 date for the conduct of the poll when all relevant laws guiding the election had not been complied with. According to him, the Rivers State electoral body violated provisions of the local government election conduct law by not publishing the mandatory 90-day notice before fixing the date. He also held that the update and revision of the voters’ register by INEC ought to have been concluded 90 days before an election date can be legally and validity fixed in law. He, therefore, ordered INEC not to make the certified voters’ register available to RSIEC until all relevant laws have been fully complied with.

    Justice Peter Lifu also barred RSIEC from accepting any voters’ register from INEC or using it for the October 5 local government election.

     The term ‘agree to disagree’ was made popular by John Wesley in 1770 when, at the death of George Whitefield, he wrote a memorial sermon that acknowledged, but downplayed the doctrinal differences. The politicians in Rivers State ought to adopt this as a mantra for the interest of the people.

     It has been more than 20 years of unbridled democratic experience and of course, the judiciary has contributed in no small measures to the sustainability. The road, however, has been tumultuous and turbulent with some of the rulings and judgments eliciting controversies and enormous condemnation from the public. Now it is being turned into an arena of discord. Nigerian politicians are highly litigious and are hardly graceful in defeat or magnanimous in victory. Thus, in 2003 when Olusegun Obasanjo’s mandate was renewed, expectedly the losing candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (as he then was) of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) challenged the results to the Supreme Court. Although the court acknowledged the irregularities in the election, it fell short of cancelling it because the irregularities were not substantial enough to warrant cancellation. The case became one with the most number of witnesses, averments, and affidavits ever in Nigerian history in support. It was so bad that the matter ran into nearly half of President Obasanjo’s tenure. The Peter Obi case was also one that was equally controversial and spanned two years with a total number of 482 witnesses testifying. The judgement of the tribunal was about 700 pages. These scenarios were repeated in ANPP vs Boni Haruna in respect of Adamawa State which involved about 2188 respondents while the case of Akpang Obi Odu v Donald Duke of Cross River State in respect of Cross River State governorship election involved 2340 respondents. These controversial cases occasioned by long delays in delivering constitute a clog in the democratic process as most of the parties to the dispute were almost serving out their terms.

     The conundrum in Rivers State has once again brought to the fore issues bordering on the independence of the judiciary. In a recent survey, the judiciary was ranked as one of the most corrupt institutions in the country with bribery being the most prevalent. Justice Kayode Eso was so miffed and irked by the situation and posited that ‘the judiciary as the last hope of the common man has been ridiculed courtesy of some atrocious actions by some judges who rather than discharge their responsibilities have resorted to playing politics with the profession’.

    Geoffrey Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales, stated: “If gold rusts what will iron do? For if a priest be foul in whom we trust, no wonders that a common man should rust”. This captures the state of affairs in the judiciary. Justice M.M. Akanbi had echoed in frustration that funding the judiciary by the executive has been one of the intractable problems facing the judiciary and wondered how an institution in distress and dire need can give hope to the citizenry.

     With conflicting decisions from courts of coordinate and concurrent jurisdiction being played like a ping pong game, the judiciary seems battered, subdued, and helpless and presents itself unwittingly as the weakest arm in a very pitiable manner. Meanwhile, it ought to be the most powerful arm with the enormous power of presiding over corrupt public officers and jailing them when found wanting.

    The weakness of the judiciary may also be self-inflicted. Whatever the case, the judiciary being the lifeblood of the constitution, the bastion of hope of the citizens, and the custodian of our values and norms should be audacious and bold enough to exercise judicial power and authority without fear of anyone or favour to anyone. It is the very reason its eyes are blindfolded. The independence of the judiciary is therefore a sine qua non to the good governance and democratic tenets. Luckily, the victory recorded as way back as 2014 when the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court upheld the financial independence of the judiciary is still subsisting. Is it being implemented? The National Judicial Commission must rise to the occasion as it has done in times past to punish corrupt judicial officers.

    •Edet, a legal scholar, is ag. vice chancellor, Arthur Jarvis University, Calabar.

  • Ekeh’s humanity and Tinubu’s Renewed Hope

    Ekeh’s humanity and Tinubu’s Renewed Hope

    • By Mesoma Chukwu

    Africa’s serial digital entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, was the toast of Governor Hope Uzodimma on Friday, September 27 in Owerri, Imo State. The event was the maiden graduation ceremony of trainees of Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF) Centre free entrepreneurship boost programme at Imo State University (IMSU).

    On April 4, this year, the foundation launched two entrepreneurship centres at IMSU and at St. Augustine University in Epe, Lagos. The birthing of the centres to fire up the passion of entrepreneurship in Nigerian youths was triggered by Ekeh’s abiding desire to upskill Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and tongue, and prepare them to become wealth and job creators, rather than job-seekers.

    At the IMSU centre, it was an epiphany for about 200 young Nigerians who were the first set of beneficiaries of the three-month entrepreneurship boost programme. The excitement that lit their faces, the raw confidence they exuded as they received their certificates showed the plucky courage of a people primed and ready to conquer new heights. They were taught the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, free of charge, by the best coaches and experts drawn from Nigeria, United States and United Kingdom. Not only were they tutored by the best whizzes in diverse fields of human endeavour, they were also kept on a stipend throughout the duration of the programme to augment their weekly commute to the centre. In addition, each trainee was gifted a new Z-pad tablet to aid their learning and upskilling process.

    A key highpoint of the programme is the choice of the courses available to the trainees. They include social media marketing, Artificial Intelligence, career planning, public speaking, financial management, etiquette, business law and ideation, digital publishing, selling and branding, among others. These are contemporary skill sets that drive the marketplace in the 21st century.

    The essence, says Professor Gloria Ernest-Samuel, the director of the centre, is to prepare the trainees to become wealth-creators.

    The centre is an expression of divinity and humanity. Ekeh loves God and never ceases to acknowledge God’s role in his eventful life. From God giving him a good wife, Lady Chioma Ekeh, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants (FCCA, UK), to blessing him with responsible and brilliant children, Ekeh gushes with gratitude to the Almighty. His humanity, humility and avid desire to make life better for the next man stands him out. Ever seen a man whose pastime is to seek out the poor and help them come up the ladder of life? Ever seen an entrepreneur who draws a distinction between capitalism and welfarism? Ekeh does. He believes that capitalism must wear a human face; that profit must not take the place of empathy.

    A man of affluence and influence, yet he does not ascribe such success to himself. He links his fame and fortune to God. He believes in hard work, self-denial, discipline and strategy, but all that could come to zilch without a God factor, he says.

    “I love God and will never hesitate to do anything in the service of God and humanity”.

    The centre is one of such gestures of giving back to society. The gesture is not lost on Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who showered Ekeh with praises. The governor said Ekeh’s commitment to give back to society is in tandem with the Shared Prosperity Initiative of his administration. He pleaded with other wealthy Imolites to toe the path of Ekeh by helping to empower Imo youths. Uzodimma was represented by his deputy, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru.

    Read Also: Lagos equips 2,500 graduates with employability, work-ready skills

    The vice chancellor of IMSU, Professor Uchefula Chukwumaeze, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, could not hold back his excitement as he narrated how Ekeh has intervened at different times in the university including sending them 100 laptops at short notice during a verification exercise. He described Ekeh and his wife as a “busy couple who share a passion for excellence, integrity and love for humanity.”

    With intake of the next batch of trainees ongoing, Ekeh through the centre is helping to fuel the fire of industrialisation in Imo State. The same is being planned for the centre at Epe in Lagos – building and empowering the youths for the transformation of the nation’s economy. Ekeh’s philanthropy and humanity fit into the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s government. Ekeh is renewing the hope of Nigerian youths in digital economy, creative arts, innovation and industrialisation to boost indigenous manufacture and entrepreneurship. Trainees graduate from the programme and become instant contributors to the nation’s GDP. They become assets, not liabilities.

    The nation needs more of such freewill initiatives from wealthy Nigerians across the country. It fills the needs gaps left by governments, both national and sub-nationals. Like Uzodimma pleaded, those who are wealthy should help to create oasis of hope for the less privileged. Ekeh has raised the bar through a rare and critical tool, entrepreneurship; others should follow suit and brick by brick, President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope vision will become a reality in no distant time.

    The centre is a showpiece of the limitless possibilities that technology offers. Equipped with an intelligent smart board which enhances virtual learning, it is easy for resources persons and sundry experts to interact with the trainees and impart in them the critical skills needed in the 21st century marketplace. The fusion of technology into the mentorship process at the centre stands it out among the pantheon of skills acquisition centres dotting the nation.

    The innovativeness at the centre has rubbed off on IMSU with the university now running a three-month programme on caregiving, far ahead of other universities in the country. Caregiving is a niche in the healthcare space and certified personnel in this specialty command high patronage in the healthcare ecosystem worldwide. IMSU has become a pacesetter in this area courtesy of Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation (LSEF) Centre.

    •Chukwu, a development economist, who witnessed the event, writes from Owerri.

  • Nigeria and democracy: From past to the present

    Nigeria and democracy: From past to the present

    By Andrew A. Erakhrumen

    In the October 4, 1999 edition of Tell magazine, its section, “From the Editor”, signed by the Editor-in-Chief (Nosa Igiebor) states that on “…..October 1, [1999], Nigeria will be celebrating its 39th year as a sovereign, independent state. It will be one anniversary with a difference; there will be no bemedalled general assaulting our sensibilities with a studied pretence to patriotism. We now know that the more ‘patriotic’ a military dictator is, the greater his appetite for raiding the national treasury. Instead, an elected president will, for the first time since 1983, address the nation on Independence Day, to invest a battered, cheated people with a fresh hope for the future. This is very important because Nigerians must be made to believe in themselves and country again after the near holocaust of 16 unbroken years of military brigandage…..Today [in 1999], Nigerians are still pinching themselves wondering whether the ‘fuel crisis’ is really ended…..”

    Further, in its editorial, the magazine submits that “…..the reality today [in 1999] is that the Nigerian nation is sick…..Predictably, Nigeria has become a sorry basket case, ever begging for loans, debt-forgiveness and pity from countries that yesteryear saw it as a role model…..”

    Wait a minute – a rhetorical question: has Nigeria’s politico-economics changed for the better since 1999? Still on the historical lane, the military junta of Sani Abacha (1943–1998) arraigned Ameh Ebute and five others in court, in 1994, for what it called “treasonable felony and conspiracy” for announcing the reconstitution of parliament that the junta earlier shut down in November, 1993. Ebute was the senate president in the aborted Third Republic. The other five, (Polycarp Nwite, Rev. Mac Onyemechi Nwulu, Onyeka Amadi Okorafor, Abu Ibrahim and Bola Tinubu) were senators in that senate.

    We have just paraphrased a news report in The News magazine of August 1, 1994; a weekly periodical that had Bayo Onanuga as its Editor-in-Chief/CEO. Similar scenarios like the one relayed above are not rare in Nigeria! They have been with us since the heydays of the British colonialists to when Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (1909–1987), Anthony Eromosele Enahoro (1923–2010) and others were tried and convicted for treason in 1962/1963-64.

    Fast forward to 1998, James Ajibola Idowu Ige (1930–2001), Lamidi Ona-Olapo Adesina (1939–2012) and 18 others were imprisoned and tagged “prisoners of war” by Abacha’s government for asking it to honour the electoral mandate given to Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola (1937–1998) who won the June 12, 1993 presidential elections! In 2019, Omoyele Sowore was also arraigned in court for treason! Other examples, too numerous to mention, also exist over time! We wonder how time flies while things remain the same in the Nigerian body polity! What a unique country!

    Unsurprisingly, 30 years later, (after 1994), news reports have it that the federal government, on September 2, arraigned 10 protesters – arrested in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna between August 1 and 10 – in connection with #EndBadGovernance demonstrations on charges of war plotting and an attempt at toppling the current president! Wonderful! Interesting! According to the charges, the accused persons are alleged to be acting in concert with a 70-year-old British citizen named Andrew Martin Wynee (aka Andrew Povish) to incite mutiny and other subversive activities. The case is in court! So, we have no comment on it!

    Read Also: Nigeria @64: Youth leader felicitates with Tinubu, Ribadu, security chiefs

    However, the strategy by those in government remains the same once they become uncomfortable with alternative opinions! Everyone is to either hail the emperor or keep quiet! The Nigerian state cares less about it appearing to not derive its legitimacy from the people; rather, the (Nigerian) people are the ones whose legitimacy and citizenship are at the discretion of holders of state powers! What a contradiction! A classic case of the tail wagging the dog! This type of state capture is worth in-depth studies by scholars!

    For now, one thing Nigeria has not experienced is a sheer audacity, by those in governments since 1999, to promulgate the “Abacha-like” 1993 Treason and Treasonable Offences Decree he (Abacha) inherited from Ibrahim Babangida’s regime! Although, we know that the decree still exists in state actors’ mind taking into account the way those in power and their agents behave! This decree “was” an omnibus decree tailor-made for government’s critics, human rights activists and real or imagined enemies! Nigerians are always caught napping by their misleading “leaders” who have been gleefully ruining the collective patrimony owing to Nigerians’ shared docility and amnesia! Thus, compatriots who care to listen should be constantly reminded of the possibility of their “leaders” reapplying strategies erroneously believed to have been dumped into the trash bin of history!

    Perhaps, Nigeria made the mistake of allowing military incursions into its politics as it is said (rightly or wrongly) that soldiers were (are) not cut out for partisan politics; hence, governments resulting from such incursions tend to be widely labelled as aberrations. Nevertheless, the “civilian politicians” who took over from the military despots are currently in the same mould as those juntas!

    As Nigeria attained its 64th year as a sovereign, independent country yesterday, October 1, Nigerians have been programmed to be oblivious to the difference between “national interest” and state captors’ interest! Both appear the same! This applies to what those in governments consider as “national security”. It has always been about the comfort and preservation of themselves and their class! Simple! You should know that Nigerian politicians’ packaging may differ but their content remains the same!  So, it should not be surprising to those conversant with history when those now referring to themselves as “democrats” use state security apparatus in hounding their perceived enemies such as rights activists, critics, scholars, journalists, labour leaders, etc. These pretender “democrats” are simply fascists!

    Democrats are not livid when confronted with objective criticism; they convince with superior arguments! They do not engage in repressive tactics against those having alternative or opposing views; that is jackboot mentality! Dele Omotunde in Tell magazine of May 31, 1993 says that “…..A government that is allergic to criticism automatically forfeits its right to rule. The right of the people to openly criticise their government and hold contrary opinions is one of the pillars of true democracy and should not be denied them. Any attempt to repress free speech can only lead to subterranean movements and whisperings that can eventually lead to a volcanic eruption of unimaginable proportions…..”

    •Prof. Erakhrumen teaches at University of Benin.

  • EFCC vs Yahaya Bello: Whither the DSS and Police?

    EFCC vs Yahaya Bello: Whither the DSS and Police?

    By Kenny Osifisan

    The immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, now appears to be larger and higher than the laws of the land.  Though he no longer has immunity having left office as governor since January, it has become impossible to arraign him in court to answer charges of allegations of N80.2bn money laundering levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Chimes Commission (EFCC).

    In the past nine months, Yahaya Bello, apparently because of the support of some people in government, has continued to enjoy protection by some government security agencies in the country to defeat and slow down the course of the law. With these backings, Yahaya Bello has refused to appear in court to answer the charges against him being by the EFCC.

    While the EFCC is the right agency by law to prosecute the ex-governor over the alleged money laundering case, what has become the role of the DSS and the Police particularly their duties and obligations to the Nigerian constitution?

    The protection of Yahaya Bello directly or indirectly by government security personnel can only mean that their loyalty is not to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which they all swore to protect and defend at all times.

    Can this really happen in other climes that a person declared wanted by a court of proper jurisdiction is not only seen by government security personnel, but being given protection?

    Rather than arrest Yahaya Bello as a wanted man and handing him over to the prosecuting agency, these government security agencies have turned blind eyes and ears and continued to build a web of protection around Yahaya Bello as if he is still enjoying immunity as a sitting governor.

    Looking at it critically, what is going on now in Yahaya Bello’s case is against international norms and conventions.

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    When a citizen is been investigated for money laundering and other crimes, the international convention and norm is that the security agencies protecting that person must cooperate with the agency prosecuting that particular citizen. In fact, official security is immediately withdrawn from such person.

    A case in point is that the whole world saw what happened during the investigation of the former president of the United States of America, Donald Trump. Despite Trump’s previous position, which is far higher than those ever occupied by Yahaya Bello, Trump was not treated as an individual above the law.

    The security service personnel protecting Trump put the country first and cooperated with the FBI when it came to raid Trump’s house. They offered all the support the FBI needed to carry out its job, which is the acceptable international norm. But rather than follow the example in Nigeria, the security agencies protecting Yahaya Bello chose to obstruct investigations.

    When Yahaya Bello, who has been in hiding for months, eventually sneaked into the EFCC car park to take pictures the other week, he was seen holding firmly to the hand of his successor and kinsman, Kogi State governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo, who is presently enjoying immunity as a sitting governor.

    In court on Wednesday, September 25, , before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, the lead prosecution counsel in Yahaya Bello trial case, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, had explained what transpired in the recent appearance of Bello at the parking lots of the EFCC.

    He also pointed out that what played out was out of place despite both the trial court and Court of Appeal clearly ordering Bello to present himself for arraignment in the N80.2 billion money laundering charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

    He said “There is nowhere my Lordship or the Court of Appeal ordered that Yahaya Bello present himself at the EFCC car park, but rather to appear before my Lordship for arraignment.”

     “What is even more worrisome and disconcerting is that the defendant went to the EFCC car park holding the hands of a person with immunity who came with all the full security of his office”.

    “The implication, my Lord, is if there was an attempt to get him from the person of immunity, there would be an invitation to anarchy.

    “The invitation by the EFCC later in the day for Yahaya Bello to come alone, not with a person with immunity, security persons and other people, was resisted again on their own admission”, he said.

    Continuing, Pinheiro said, “My Lord, we wrote a letter to the defendant’s lawyers drawing our colleagues’ attention that arraignment is not conducted in EFCC’s car park, but the defendant should be in court today according to the judgment of the Court of Appeal and this honourable court’s ruling”.

     “The court must resist it Bello’s antics. It is a place of serious and solemn business”, he stated, as he specifically pushed for order of the court to sanction Bello’s lawyer, Agboyi, and be referred to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, for turning the court to a Vaudeville.

    Justice Emeka Nwite on Wednesday had to grant the adjournment of the case against Yahaya Bello, until October 30, for a ruling after the defence counsel A.M. Adoyi informed the court that the matter of Bello’s arraignment, which is under appeal, had been taken to the Supreme Court.

    According to Adoyi, the Court of Appeal ruling on August 28, which directed Bello to appear before Justice Nwite for arraignment, had been challenged at the apex court.

    While the law is still obviously been exploited by the defendant to delay the trial process, it is very important for the security agencies protecting Yahaya Bello to put Nigeria first in their assignments and beats.

    They should follow the acceptable international conventions and norms to cooperate with the prosecuting agency, EFCC, towards getting justice and fighting corruption in the land. It is the constitutional obligations of the Police and the DSS to support and cooperate with the EFCC, not only on the Yayaya Bello case but on every other cases.

    No individual should be allowed or supported to be bigger than the laws of Nigeria.

    •Osifisan, a public affairs analyst and good governance advocate, sent this via osifisankehinde269@gmail.com

  • JAMB and quest for inclusive education

    JAMB and quest for inclusive education

    By Charles Ampitan

    The year 2017 would forever be etched in the collective memory of Nigerians as it marked perhaps the first concrete step by a national institution within the educational system to boost the access of People with Disabilities (PWDs) to tertiary education in the country. This feat was achieved by the registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede when, just a year after assuming office in 2016, he established the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG).

    The 11-member committee, headed by Professor Peter Okebukola was tasked with ensuring that all eligible candidates were accorded a level playing field in the board’s administered Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The idea was to ensure that no one was discriminated against at any point in the Board’s assessment and admission process on account of disability.

    The creation of JEOG is one of the board’s policy initiatives for fostering a more-inclusive assessment outcome by the Board. There were also the nine-key initiatives, which reduced the entire operation of taking the UTME to just nine computer keys, while another was the establishment of eight other groups charged with the responsibility of fostering inclusive assessment regime in the Board’s operational processes.

    Perhaps, what is more striking is that, prior to this major policy initiative aimed at fashioning a more robust vehicle for inclusive education for candidates with special needs or disabilities, which include the blind, deaf, dumb, lame, and Down syndrome patients, it should be borne in mind that Oloyede was not under any existential or official pressure to undertake the venture of crafting a more robust framework for assessing these sets of candidates as well as admitting them into the nation’s tertiary institutions. Yet, it stands to its progress that the candidates with disabilities were able to gain admission to 133 institutions across the country in the 2023/2024 academic session alone.

    To achieve the desired results, the group of eminent members of the academia with requisite backgrounds in special education along with the leadership of relevant bodies were saddled with the management of the affairs of the disabled.  It is, therefore, no wonder that over the years, the logistics of administering the UTME to the candidates with disabilities and their subsequent admission statistics have been on the upward trend. As part of the measures to ease the burden of sitting for the UTME by candidates with disabilities, the board, under its current leadership, designated 11 centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country in 2021 where these candidates sat for their matriculation examination, while their transportation and lodging as well that of their guides were taken care of by the Board.

    Read Also: JAMB cuts UTME fees for People Living With Disabilities

    JEOG has been at the forefront of crafting appropriate and stress-free modes for the UTME by candidates with disabilities. Not surprisingly, all these measures have not only eased the taking of the UTME by candidates with special needs but also increased their enrolment statistics. For instance, in 2014, just 44 candidates with disabilities were admitted to the nation’s higher institutions of learning, while in 2021, the figure had risen to 286.

    Significantly, the Board, through the agency of JEOG, broadened the nation’s awareness of the plight of people with disabilities by organising the first national conference in Abuja, with the theme, “Towards Increasing Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education in Nigeria”. It held from September 24 – 27, 2023. The conference was attended by over 500 participants drawn from all strata of the Nigerian society.

    Building on the successes recorded in the national conference, JEOG organised the just-concluded first Africa Regional Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education (ARCEAHED), held on September 17-18, in Abuja, themed “Advancing the Potential of Persons with Disabilities in Educational and Economic Development”. The conference was aimed at assessing the progress of African countries in implementing the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to foster inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning.

    Also, the conference provided a platform to share experiences on the modalities for admission and retention of persons with disabilities, while proposing practical solutions to enhancing access to quality higher education for students with special needs in African countries.

    Furthermore, the conference was able to bring into focus the challenges confronting people with disabilities in accessing higher education in the country to the attention of stakeholders in the sector; analysing the problems confronting higher education, especially in relation to people with special needs with a view to providing actionable and sustainable solutions to them; and proposing changes that can be made to the current national policy on education. Through that, the goal is to address the inequalities in the opportunity of access to higher education especially by the blind, the albino, persons with autism, Down syndrome, prison inmates and others.

    Interestingly, the ARCHEAD event also afforded the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman to unveil the commitment of the federal government to inclusive education, while creating the right learning environment to facilitate inclusive access for people with disabilities through the Ministerial Roadmap for Inclusive Access to Quality Higher Education in Nigeria (2024-2028) Strategic Plan.

    Similarly, participants made some far-reaching decisions as conveyed in the communique issued at the end of the conference. In the document, participants called for 100 per cent pro-rata rise of equitable space in admission for PWDs; provide adequate information about facilities that are available for PWDs in each institution at the point of advertisement for application for admission; and give adequate attention to the training of experts that will attend to individual needs of persons with disabilities, among others.

    In the final analysis, the institution of inclusive education, as implemented by JAMB through the JEOG has become a veritable platform for engendering robust national discourse and strategies for boosting the enrolment rates of people with disabilities not only in Nigeria but also in Africa in general.

    •Ampitan sent this piece from Abuja.

  • Nigeria@ 64, China @ 75: Spot the similarities, close the gap

    Nigeria@ 64, China @ 75: Spot the similarities, close the gap

    By Issa Aremu

    “Share our similarities, celebrate our differences”- M. Scott Peck

    Notwithstanding the distance and geography, Nigeria and China share significant traits worthy of acknowledgement. In terms of population, the two are giant nations! With a population of 1.5 billion (official 1.3 billion), China is the largest in Asia and largest in the world. Similarly, Nigeria with estimated population of 250 million people is the largest concentration of African people in the world. In fact, one of every two Asians is a Chinese, while one in every three persons in Africa is Nigerian. Nigeria’s population is as diverse as China’s in terms of languages, cultures and religion. The two countries also boast of remarkable resource endowment. Whatever the parameters, the two are regional powers: China almost actual power no less than Nigeria which in many respects still strives in making enormous potentials a reality.

    Of special importance is that Nigeria and China shared the similarity of what the former Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian once described as double “joy and happiness of the month of October”. Nigeria celebrates 64th anniversary as a sovereign and independent country. Ten years before Nigeria’s independence, precisely on October 1, 1949 following the Socialist Revolution led by Chairman Mao Zedong, China proclaimed People’s Republic as an independent nation. The similarity between China and Nigeria can only be better appreciated against the background of imperial dominations of the two.

    Lest we forget! “Lagos was bombarded by the British in 1851, annexed on August 6, 1861 and declared a colony on March 5, 1862”. Nigeria got independence by lowering the Union Jack flag of imperial Britain on October 1960. Effectively, Nigerians suffocated under the heels of British rule characterized by tears and blood spill of brutal oppression, racist violations of human rights, Lugardian brutal military campaigns of occupations, annexations, forced labour and wholesale exploitation.

    Notwithstanding the current challenges of nation- building, we must learn to raise the noise level of independence celebrations. Or better still, Africans should overcome the false consciousness that Europe which hitherto imposed slavery and colonialism would in turn help in transforming our continent. The century long struggle for freedom should not be stepped down as a “low key” event. On the contrary, there is a lot to celebrate in freedom. Amartya Sen, the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics argues (and rightly too!) in his “Development as Freedom”. The late sage, Kwame Nkrumah was the first to audaciously break the British colonial chain in 1957. Ghana is the first independent African nation. Nigeria followed in 1960. Nkrumah’s quotable quote about the imperative of freedom remains valid today: “We prefer self-government with danger to servitude in tranquillity”. Both China and Nigeria also parade ancient civilizations dating back to some 5000 years! Early authentic (as distinct from colonial) history of Nigeria records great Benin, Oyo, Sokoto and Borno empires dating back to some 4000 years. However the point cannot be overstated that colonialism negatively impacted the growth and development of both countries.

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    The great historian, Walter Rodney in his classic: How Europe Underdeveloped Africa observed (and I agree!) that “Colonialism had only one hand – “It was one-armed bandit!” Sixty four years after independence, we must undoubtedly agonize about the declining fortunes of the economy, worsening energy and income poverty, low growth rate. Even more agonizing are the prohibitive costs of working and living. And free fall of the Naira! There was once a Nigeria which as part of decolonization project, independently replaced British colonial pound sterling on January 1973 , 13 years after independence at the rate of £1 = ₦2! Today a bagful of some Nigeria’s N2,230.94 miserably exchange for £1, 64 years after independence.

    It’s time we reflected on how Nigerians have inadvertently underdeveloped Nigeria. But even at that, lest we forget only in independence can we return to prosperity. In colonial Nigeria, growth or development discourse was an aberration, indeed an absurdity. The colonial policy was intentionally to under-develop Nigerian colony and deliberately develop colonial Britain through perverse criminal capital transfers out of the colony. With respect to industrialization for instance, colonialism in Nigeria deliberately prejudiced against the establishment of local industries. The key drivers of colonial Nigeria were extractive non-processing, non-value adding agriculture and mining and timber felling. Colonial authority deliberately undermined the growth of local enterprise such that 100 years of British rule did not set up a single textile mill! The first textile mill was Kaduna Textile mill in 1957 by the regional government of late Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto to be followed by Nigeria Textile Mill in the Western region of Obafemi Awolowo and Aba Textile mill in the east by late Nnamdi Azikiwe.

    There must be a Renewed Hope to urgently re-industrialize the nation, reverse the de-industrialization of the present neo-colonial era. The best independence anniversary gift to Nigeria is the recent inauguration of the $25 billion-650,000 barrels per day (BPD) Dangote Refinery, replacing Nigeria’s pessimism with optimism. Colonialism never built a single refinery. It gladdens that from “October 1, NNPC will commence the supply of about 385k barrels per day (bdp) of crude oil to the Dangote refinery to be paid for in naira”. This is an original patriotic private/ public creative independent policy initiative by the present administration outside the mantra of the received policy wisdom of the IMF and World Bank.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in line with the Renewed Hope agenda must also ensure that the four public refineries come on stream to give Nigeria’s independence genuine energy security at 64 and beyond. At 64 Nigeria must learn and copy China, which at 75, (just a decade older), has almost banished illiteracy, gone to space, lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty. At 65, next year, Nigeria should be as upbeat to say like China that independence has “brought enormous changes to the country, creating an unprecedented miracle of development in the world history”.

    The Chinese aptly puts it better: the “path you take determines your future”. At 64 Nigeria and Nigerians should stop agonizing but organize like China at 75, (or like Nigeria at 20 in 1980 with double digit growth rate which once dwarfed China’s growth!). President Tinubu hit the nail on the head in his keynote address, during the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) meeting, held on the side-lines of the recent 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States. Africa, he said, is underdeveloped because its resources were primarily extracted and exported to foreign countries for refining and manufacturing.

    It’s time to promote beneficiation and manufacturing value added like China. I hail the recent smart decision of President Tinubu in appointing appointed Joseph Tegbe as the Director-General and global liaison for the Nigeria-China strategic partnership, following the agreements reached during Tinubu’s visit to China in early September. His expressed mandate is to “immediately submit a strategic action plan to enable Nigeria to benefit from the agreements between the two countries in Beijing recently with “specific deliverables, timelines, and key performance indicators for each area of cooperation, including priority projects, projected investments, and expected socioeconomic outcomes”. I bear witness that Nigeria at 64 and China at 75 not only celebrates their great similarities but set to close the gap in difference in the march to, transformation modernization and sustainable development.

    VIVA Nigeria!! and Viva China!! 

    Happy Independence celebrations.

    •Aremu, mni, is Director General, Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Ilorin.

  • Celebrating our gains at 64

    Celebrating our gains at 64

    By Zayd Ibn Isah

    As Nigeria marks its 64th year since it began the journey to nationhood as an independent country, many Nigerians would find it hard to celebrate this milestone or celebrate it with others. “There is absolutely nothing to celebrate,” they might say. And even though they would be justified in saying that, they would not be entirely truthful.

    Sometime in 2011, the former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, predicted that Nigeria would not exist beyond 2015. At the time, this generated ripples of apprehension and paranoia amongst the populace, especially with the state of the nation at the time. For some people, this dark and troubling prophecy would come to pass simply because a few other African countries had met a similar fate. To them, the disintegration of Nigeria was an inevitability.

    It has been thirteen years since Campbellʼs damning prediction and Nigeria is still very much a country—going through a difficult period, yes, but quite whole and unbroken. The journey down to this present age has been anything but easy, especially when you consider the fact that Lord Lugard did not foresee the numerous challenges associated with trying to create a modern nation out of over 300 ethnicities within 923,700 square kilometres of land. And yet, against all odds, this British vision has steadily morphed into an indubitable African reality, surviving a civil war, decades of military rule and internal threats to its integrity as a country.

    Nigeria is a miracle. Yes, it is a miracle with economic trials and security concerns and centrifugal elements, but a miracle nonetheless. And perhaps, this is why it is important for us to not buy into the doomsday prophecies of Western powers concerning the state and future of our nation. In commemorating Nigeria’s independence, it is important for us to celebrate the achievements that have brought us this far. Every milestone we have crossed as a country is an indication of the collective will, strength and grit that defines us as Nigerians: The Naija Spirit.

    It is also important to note that even the Western and European countries we admire nowadays were not always strongholds of democracy and development. The United States of America emerged through a revolution, civil war, the ugliness of slavery and racial segregation, the Great Depression, several conflicts abroad and many failed policies at home, and even now, as the greatest nation on earth, it is divided politically and ideologically. But should the United States ever be threatened by external forces, you can be rest assured that Democrats and Republicans alike will unite to ensure their country fights and does not fall.

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    The true test of a nation lies within certain pivotal moments in its history, and as Nigerians, we need to recognize the opportunities present in our current realities. If Japan could emerge from the devastation of its losses in World War II and embark on a path of development to become a miraculous case study of a nation, Nigerians should not write off the future of their fatherland just yet. This is because our nation is in the process of renewing hopes, and there are strategies being put in place to revitalize our economy, foster steady growth, and secure a future for coming generations.

    Recently, the African Development Bank Group published a report which projected that economic growth in Nigeria is expected to increase to 3.2% in 2024 and 3.4% in 2025, due to “improved security, higher oil production, and stronger consumer demand.” The potential for Nigeria to overcome its socio-political and economic hurdles goes beyond optimistic statistics alone. Our renewed hopes for a positive turnaround in our national affairs should stem from a litany of blessings and achievements, especially the ones that have been overshadowed by negativities and taken for granted.

    For one, we are still very much a united country, and our enormous population teems with youthful exuberance and enterprise. In the last decade alone, there has been an upsurge of interest in education and self-development by many Nigerians. This has contributed to an explosion of creativity, drive and ambition amongst the youths, with many of them excelling at home and abroad in areas such as sports, music, entertainment (online content creation), literature, arts, technology and of course, academics. There are more schools, good roads, hospitals, innovation hubs and internet-based businesses sprouting up regularly.

    In every sector globally, there are Nigerians at the forefront of industry-driven progress, and with the japa mentality in full steam, Nigerians are more open to seeking opportunities abroad, so that whenever they attain success on foreign shores, they aim to re-invest in their homeland. In this age of technological development and melting borders, we should consider the fact that Nigeriaʼs hope for positive changes will be tied to the exploits of its sons and daughters abroad. Already, we have a generation of youths who are not only vocal and active about social change, but are responsible for vibrant cultural expressions that seek to positively burnish Nigeriaʼs image through food, visual entertainment, sports, music, tech and literature.

    Even if we can agree that there is little to celebrate on October 1, we should be candid enough to recognize the courageous and illogical persistence of Nigerians to take everything in stride and forge a path regardless. The average Nigerian believes that no matter how bad things might be, tomorrow still holds enough promise and potential for total transformation. The average Nigerian knows, “My story fit change anytime soon,” and it is this spirit of positivity that we need to project in order to gain an up-swell of restorative hope for our nation. If anything, it could be the very thing keeping us from fulfilling prophecies of disintegration and chaos that pessimists are quick to peddle on social media.

    Ultimately, there is much to be done by the present administration, seeing as it occupies a key position of leadership in what might be a decisive period for this country. The government needs to prioritize transparency and inclusivity in its handling of our affairs, even as it addresses the economic struggles and security concerns of its citizens. Failure to do so may lead to a breakdown in democratic values, driving Nigerians toward violence, as can be seen in the growing instability across Africa and the world at large. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for effective governance, economic empowerment, and robust security measures to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic foundations.

    In 2024, the onus lies upon this present administration to explore ways in which it can show that current leadership is not disconnected from the realities of ordinary people who remain vital to the sustenance of the Nigerian Dream. Nigerians are a diverse spread of resilient people inhabiting a land of vast opportunities. Nigerians are hard workers and problem-solvers and dreamers, and perhaps this is the greatest gain of our journey to nationhood: that we are bound as a remarkable set of people, and given the right push and leadership, we can do great things and overcome terrifying odds together.

    As Richard Bourne notes in his book, Nigeria: A New History of a Turbulent Century (2015), “More politicians have to join with journalists and civil society in pushing for greater probity in public life, and progress is bound to be slow. But given its manifold riches, in human and physical resources, Nigeriaʼs second century could surprise the world, and Nigerians themselves, with a success story.”

    Happy Independence Day, Nigeria.

    •Isah can be reached at lawcadet1@gmail.com