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When vandals are on rampage

By Zayd Ibn Isah

Few things demonstrate the appalling actions of vandals on the Second Niger Bridge and other public infrastructures across the nation like a particular video which surfaced online recently. In the video, a man is shown tirelessly removing water out of a submerged boat while a woman pours water back into the same boat.

Although this was meant to be a comic video, I couldn’t help but recognize just how it starkly illustrates one of life’s Sisyphean realities. Simply put, this is when someone’s effort at setting things right is undermined and made to appear futile by the destructive actions of others.

I understand some of us might blame the actions of the vandals on hunger and lack of employment opportunities, but removing iron coverings from canals and destroying other infrastructures like pipelines and street lights, built with taxpayers’ money, does not justify the actions of the criminals. Eventually, it is innocent commuters working hard to add value to their lives, rather than resort to criminality, that would bear the consequences of these dastardly activities.

According to Bennet Oghifo and Rebecca Ejigorma, in a 2012 ThisDay article titled “Nigeria: Manhole Covers – a New Attraction for Thieves’’, “There are gory tales of people disappearing without a trace after falling into manholes in the middle of some roads in Lagos. Others are injured after falling into these holes. Motorists have lost their tyres to these holes, some of which have jagged edges caused by unsuccessful attempts by thieves to remove their covers completely.”

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Unfortunately, such acts of vandalism not only endanger lives but also disrupt essential services and infrastructure vital for the well-being of communities. The consequences extend far beyond the immediate inconvenience caused by damaged infrastructure. They affect public safety, economic stability, and overall societal progress.

In 2019, a fresh graduate of the University of Lagos, Adewura Lateefa Bello, was declared missing. After efforts were made to find her, it would later be discovered that she fell into an open manhole during a flood and was swept away. The tragic death of the beloved Adewura, as well as the termination of her dreams and hopes, is made all the more painful when we realize that she would still be alive today, if not for the negligence and insensitivity of several fronts.

For one, the wicked intentions of the vandal who removes the manhole cover for selfish gain, and then, the inability of officials in charge of road maintenance to quickly spot and deal with this, in ways that would ensure no one suffers from the criminal’s actions. The blame extends even further to us road users who spot these glaring gaps and fail to report them. E no concern me, na government wahala.

Another online article, this one from Daily Trust of February 14, 2022, entitled “Inside Abuja’s Manhole Of Death”, exposed the dangers and environmental hazards of this form of vandalism. According to the article, these open manholes are all over Abuja, and often result in injuries to unsuspecting pedestrians. One of such victims recounted his harrowing tale of misfortune to Daily Trust, saying that in trying to dodge a reckless dispatch rider, he ended up slipping into a manhole at Finance Bridge in the Central Area. In the article, the victim said, “Immediately I fell into the hole, the water almost reached my neck. I lost my phone and some personal belongings in the hole. I was lucky that a passer-by noticed when I slipped into the death trap, and for this, scores of Good Samaritans were involved in the tediously energy-sapping mission to save my life.”

Another victim, as detailed in the same article, was less fortunate, having to be hospitalized for months in order to recover from injuries sustained after falling into an uncovered manhole.

There are similar tales to those ones, and as many have been fortunate to survive, there are others who died from the same avoidable misfortune, and only Almighty God knows if some persons declared missing, simply disappeared within these gaping holes. All of this is enough to fume at. No one deserves to fall victim to another person’s wickedness and negligence in this country of ours, this country which already gives many people untold hardship and suffering. It is high time we collectively re-evaluate the value of a life in Nigeria, if only to assert the importance of protecting public property.

As much as law enforcement officials have been known to regularly apprehend the unscrupulous elements behind these rampant acts of vandalism, a lot of measures should be employed to curb the act itself and prevent unfortunate harm. Admittedly, installing CCTV cameras in public areas and adding trackers to public property might be steps beyond our current capabilities, but there are still some grounded measures appropriate for our level of enforcement and prevention. How about increasing police presence in areas prone to vandalism, especially during certain periods of high criminal activity? If law enforcement agents are stretched too thin, neighbourhood watch groups can be brought in so that residents can help monitor and report suspicious activities.

The task of curbing vandalism is one that falls to all of us as Nigerian citizens, and as such, fostering bonds between law enforcement and local communities can result in a stronger deterrent to vandalism. Another proactive measure is in ensuring that rapid repairs and clean-ups are undertaken to protect commuters and pedestrians. Taking this further, awareness can be initiated to inform the public of this menace, especially the role that ordinary citizens can play in helping the authorities. And of course, stiff penalties should be the lot of apprehended vandals. Their activities represent only a slim aspect of what is negative about the Nigerian condition, but by punishing them, others can be discouraged from taking such desperate paths.

Ultimately, vandalism is a societal problem that extends beyond the removal of manhole covers, even including electrical installations, telecommunication cables and railway tracks. The task at hand might seem daunting by sheer scope alone, but it gets a bit easier when we all commit to it. We all have roles to play in this, and no effort is insignificant, because a simple good act might just be enough to save a life. And as I’ve stressed here, the life of one Nigerian is worth every measure needed to keep all of us safe.

•Isah can be reached via lawcadet1@gmail.com

June 17, 2024
Adedeji: A different kind of taxman

By Aliyu Gaya

Over dinner at the restaurant of the latest five-star hotel in upscale Lagos penultimate Saturday, there was a pervading sense of confidence in the tax ecosystem expressed among diners, a motely crop of corporate Nigeria captains. They had broken off from their meeting at a nearby highbrow club to serenade their mortal bodies with a sumptuous dinner. And my goodness, it was worth the time.

The talk centred on Zacch Adedeji, the barely nine-month on the job chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). While a lot was said about FIRS, past and present, the industry captains praised President Tinubu for head-hunting a young man who is at home with the rudiments of revenue management in the 21st century economy. Adedeji was spotlighted for a couple of innovations that he brought to bear in revenue management at his new job. He was said to have kept the books open; defined, with clarity, the rules that govern revenue collection under his watch; given a human face to matters of taxes and tax collection and shown a high sense of integrity which also governs the manner FIRS personnel now relate with tax-payers.

The undeniable undertone in their discussion was that in the past, the FIRS sees every business as an entity to be taxed, but now the same revenue service approaches every business with an attitude to help the business grow, make profit and in the long run pay more tax. This is the concept in modern revenue management. The tax man has ceased to be an unfeeling, stern-face collector. Not anymore! These days, the tax man (revenue man, as they should be addressed) helps to grow the business, sustain the business and collect more revenue from the same business that would have been forced out of existence with over-bearing tax attitude.

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One of the complaints of business owners in Nigeria is the knotty issue of multiple taxations. Adedeji is helping to navigate businesses out of this ‘complicated nest’, as described by one of the CEOs.

I was in the company of one of the CEOs of a major construction company in Nigeria and a huge tax payer too. We had arrived in Lagos from Abuja that afternoon for the meeting and I could notice how he was nodding in affirmation, without uttering a word, to the adjectives and kind words used to describe Adedeji. All I could take away from the conversation was that a star will always shine even in the darkest of nights. I felt a sense of pride for the FIRS chief as men older and far more experienced than him, with scars to show for their decades of entrepreneurship and hard knocks in the competitive corporate space, spoke glowingly about his exploits on the job in so short a time. All under-50s in Nigeria should be proud that one of their own is so well-spoken of by persons who, ordinarily, should be his most acerbic antagonists and critics. The tax-man is never loved by the tax-payer, they say. But here’s Adedeji being showered with encomium by the creme de la creme in the tax-paying community.

Adedeji is already a shining star and has entrenched himself as one of the veritable arrowheads that would help President Tinubu achieve his Renewed Hope mandate. A popular African proverb says that morning shows the day. While it may yet be morning in Adedeji’s four-year journey (which is renewable), his bold and expressive imprints these past months can only help us make the conjecture that the right man for the job is here, primed and fully prepped.

Now it shows. In first quarter (Q1) of 2024, the Service collected the sum of N3.94 trillion in tax revenue, representing a 56.7 percent jump compared to the figure recorded in the corresponding period of 2023. This is a new lease and it speaks to the leadership style of the man many address by his first name, Zacch. He is said to have no airs, not popped up by vainglory. He is said to lead from the front, a leadership template that he has effectively emplaced in the service. Adedeji is reputed to be an unobtrusive leader. Such leaders are not overbearing. They do not lord it over you and they are not the every-moment-in-your-face leader. They give you enough leg-room to take your own initiative and navigate through the headwinds that assail you as you execute your daily brief. This is the type of leadership that births grand results. Adedeji has established this culture of leadership at FIRS and the impact is a workplace buzzing with innovation, devotion and fresh ideas; a rare meeting of commitment and capacity.

Already, he has set a lofty target for himself and his team; to achieve a revenue target of N19.4 trillion this year. For a service that grossed about N13 trillion last year, this new target appears unrealistic. But given the interplay of the fresh zeal and dynamics that now define FIRS operations, it’s safe to believe that they will crest the target.

Staffers of the Service believe that with what Adedeji has engineered out of the old order including migrating FIRS from the drudgery of annual filing of Transfer Pricing Returns, and Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR) notifications from e-TPPlat to the TaxPro-Max Platform, using their regular login credentials, the cup is half full, not half empty.

One of the highlights of the dinner discussion was the window Adedeji gave existing and prospective taxpayers to fulfil all pending filing obligations. That period of grace will last till about two weeks, precisely June 30. This was considered another masterstroke to help businesses grow and not to kill them.

To make the business of tax collection more people and business-friendly, FIRS under Adedeji waived the administrative penalties as spelt out in the Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulations 2018 and the Income Tax (Country-by-Country) Regulations 2018. This gave a human face to the process and duty of tax collection. With such gesture, more Nigerians are brought into the tax net. But more importantly, it demonstrates that paying tax is not punitive but a duty.

Adedeji believes there is a nexus between human capital development and effective tax collection. To connect the dots and achieve his set goal of improved tax collection, he has ensured the continuous upskilling of FIRS personnel and infusion of relevant digital tools into the management of the tax value chain.

It’s all too obvious that Adedeji’s experience is counting for him. A journey of public service spanning the subnational to the national. From Oyo State Ministry of Finance where he served as Commissioner (2011 to 2015) through the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) where he was the Executive Secretary and CEO to the Presidency where he was Special Adviser to President Tinubu’s advisory team on revenue, he has been exposed to the whole gamut of public finance management. In him, Tinubu has found a worthy and competent enabler as he tries to build a badly damaged economy which he inherited.

• Gaya, public finance expert, writes from Abuja

June 17, 2024
NDDC’s Misplaced Priorities: From water hyacinth to solar light projects
- By Jonah Okah
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was conceived by the Olusegun Obasanjo government in the year 2000.

This was considered a landmark vision to address years of neglect and grotesque marginalisation suffered by the oil and gas producing communities in the Niger Delta.

Since the inauguration of the agency, expectations of the people have been quite high in terms of addressing the infrastructure concerns.

To reassure the people, the agency swung into action by drawing up the NDDC Master Plan with inputs from critical stakeholders across the region.

While the hopes and aspirations were high, believing that the Master Plan was not only an honest and holistic approach, but a game changer for the much-needed sustainable development, the pathetic narratives about the age-long neglect of the area continue to persist with those saddled with the responsibility to drive that change turning the place into a cash cow for themselves and their political cronies.

From inception, apart from two managing directors who came from the private sector as emeritus staff of oil companies, almost all other management staff have used the resources of NDDC as a political launch pad for their gubernatorial ambition.

With this frame of mind, they get totally distracted by engaging in baseless and unsustainable projects to feather their political nests. The NDDC indeed has become an alternate or parallel government and huge distraction to the component states as the leadership continue to fund political activities with phony projects at the expense of the actual development of the Niger Delta.

They perpetuate this by captioning projects as emergency to circumvent due diligence. From emergency repairs, to canal and creek opening to clearing water hyacinth which are never done and now to solar lights that have no direct impact on the socio-economic upliftment of the region.

It is therefore not an over statement to state that vast majority of the Niger Delta people are unanimous in their verdict that it is a hope betrayed by the various management of the commission who happen to come from the region. These projects are all self-seeking as they have no single bearing on the sustainable development of the region as encapsulated in the master plan.

The Master Plan which was rolled out at a very high cost appears to have been archived after spending huge amount of money to put it together, right from the pioneer management and its successors to the current one.

For example, in the masterplan power and energy were very prominent and therefore one would have expected the setting up of regional power project to catalyse economic growth social upliftment.

Instead, the current Managing Director of the Commission who was a part of the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta through his active participation in the Ijaw Youths Council has ramped up the wastage and drifting further away from the indices that are pointing towards being worse than his predecessors through his reckless deployment of unstainable solar light that are littered in communities with staggering sums of money. It has been established that the least cost of those meaningless solar projects is over ₦200 million which could have powered off grid electricity projects up to 200kilowatts to drive economic activities.

As a matter of fact, the so-called solar lights are being literarily described as “twinkle, twinkle little star”, which is an oxymoron simply reminding us of the cosmetic approach, which by implication is far from addressing the power and energy concerns of the Niger Delta. Ordinarily, with the liberalization of the power sector by the Federal Government which has been brought under the residual list of the constitution, what is expected of the NDDC is to take advantage of this development by collaborating with Niger Delta states to initiate Public Private Partnership (PPP), to provide permanent measures to solve the power problem once and for all.

It is a no brainer to know that once the power challenges are addressed, the multiplier benefits would be enormous. It would kick-start industrial activities that will create wealth and employment opportunities in the region. It will further go a long way to nip in the bud the problems of youth restiveness and militant agitations, occasioned by neglect and unemployment.

In this age and times, providing solar lights by an intervention agency in the name of development is all about pecuniary benefits apart being laughable. If the NDDC management feels so proud of the project, they would have inaugurated them as part of their one year in office projects.

Rather they chose to showcase a project the current management did not deploy any resources to commission without even the window dressing synonymous with the antics of federal and state government agencies; placing of sign posts and lavish expenditure even more expensive that fixing the pot holes on the road. Can those National Assembly members who attended the Ogbia-Nembe sham road commissioning stand before their constituents proudly over this?

Those annoying solar lights would have exposed the NDDC and the Federal Government to public ridicule, given the billions of Naira that have been sunk into such projects which even ordinary councilors are providing in their respective wards. This colossal waste of funds has to stop and I employ the NDDC states governors to take active stands to avert the continuous furthering of this act which is a disservice to the entire Niger Delta. It is obviously a misplaced priority.

It should adopt NDDC Master Plan in the power sector by constructing new generation facilities, upgrade existing plants, improve on the distribution and transmission network and promote the use of renewable energy sources. It can also promote building the capacity of local workforce in the power sector by providing training programmes and skills development geared towards empowering local communities, to enable them participate in the local content of development by using such skills in the maintenance of power infrastructure in the region.

Therefore, the solar light projects that the management is flaunting as star projects have no bearing on the sustainable development vision of the Niger Delta region. What explanation has the management for not making them part of their one year in office fanfare commissioning of projects instead of commissioning a project that not a dime input was made by them? Indeed, it was an insult that the various past managing directors of NDDC who syndicated the Ogbia-Nembe Road project did not even have the courtesy of participating in the commissioning and were not even mentioned at all!

Another worrisome issue is that those individual opportunists who find themselves in such position of trust celebrate it as a divine opportunity to grab as they like, as manifested in their ostentatious life style. This is why the management could afford to shamelessly focus on cosmetic projects like the solar light, rather than adopting sustainable measures as encapsulated in the Master Plan to address the problem of the power sector squarely.

Read Also: NDDC explains plans to borrow N1trn from banks

Today, it is already in the public space, that some members of the current management of NDDC are warning up for various elective positions including the 2027 governorship election in their various states, which is counterproductive to the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This is where Mr. President who is known for having listening ears to quickly identify such politically-exposed persons in the management of NDDC by dispensing with them without any further delay in the overall interest of the development of Niger Delta. This will go a long way to free the people from the years of arrested development orchestrated by the political scavengers that have characterized the management of NDDC over the years.

The huge waste of fund that is meant for addressing the Niger Delta development is worrisome. At this juncture, Mr. President needs to rescue the people of Niger Delta by wielding the political will to pursue a clean break away from the past to dissolve the current management and appoint technocrats to drive the development process as provided in the Master Plan.

Enough is enough of using the commission as a cash cow for political exploits at the detriment of the heroic sacrifices of Niger Delta agitators culminating in the setting up of the NDDC to address the perennial challenges in the region.
- Okah, a lawyer/journalist, wrote from Yenagoa.
June 16, 2024
Putin’s ‘peace’ deal examined
- By Phillips P. OBrien
There is a very strange double standard when it comes to the way any possible “peace” deal is discussed between Ukraine and Russia. Basically, nothing Putin says is to really to be taken seriously, while Ukraine is supposed to make concessions based on the fact that, regardless of what Putin does say – he is actually looking for a deal that will allow Ukraine to be a sovereign state.

It’s worth noting the number of articles in the Western media which argue that Ukraine must somehow agree to a (non-existent) peace deal with Russia. This non-existent peace deal narrative is regularly pushed, most prominently I suppose by Samuel Charap and others.

The New York Times Op-Ed page had a very strange argument on the matter just this week – here the onus on searching for a peace deal is entirely on Ukraine. Indeed, if you read the text, and the earlier text by Charap, Russia is out to reach a peace deal, but it’s the annoying Ukrainians (and their partners) seemingly unwilling to do the right thing.

In the article – Russia is a true partner for peace, and the Putin regime is looking to reach a deal. As the article says explicitly – Russia wants to negotiate a deal, but Ukraine is not working hard enough to work one out.

Russia has expressed willingness to negotiate, though it has not been invited to the conference because Ukraine suspects that Russia will just use the meeting for show.

The fascinating example which the article uses to show how eager Putin is for peace, is the Russian dictator’s interview with Tucker Carlson

Moreover, the deal imagined has Ukraine making all the major concessions and Russia being offered sweeteners to accept a deal. Thus, Ukraine will have to recognize that it cannot get the land occupied by Russia back – and moreover, Ukraine will have to accept that it cannot join NATO for now (or really any time) as there is no specific date given when this can be allowed.

Here is the peace deal for territory section

Yes, Ukraine is entirely in the right – but that doesn’t matter, it must cede its territory de facto and make no more attempts to regain it.

Ukraine has pledged never to cede territory. This is supported by international law that forbids the seizure of territory by force, and Ukraine should not surrender its lawful claim to its land. But to secure a lasting cease-fire, it may need to recognize that Russia has control, though not sovereignty, over portions of four Ukrainian regions and Crimea – and halt its quest to seize back occupied areas by force.

Here is the peace deal for NATO

As part of a peace agreement, Ukraine may also have to pause its NATO application and promise not to join for a number of years, say five to 10. This is made easier because NATO members are still far from united on allowing a nation at war into the alliance, especially given fears that membership could result in a NATO war with nuclear-armed Russia. Still, it would be a major concession.

Read Also: NATO boss dismisses Putin’s nuclear war threats

But Ukraine can still sign bilateral treaties with individual NATO members for security support – something it has already started to do, for example, with France, Germany and Britain. Future security guarantees will need to include strong provisions for supplying weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, and help to prevent cyberattacks. That said, Ukraine’s allies would probably not be allowed to place military bases on its soil.

Long story short – Ukraine gives up territory it legally possesses, gives up the prospect of NATO membership – and allows Putin time to rebuild his military.

And what concessions will Russia make? Well, none it seems. Indeed, the author argues that Putin should be given sweeteners to accept this terrible deal for Ukraine – including the relaxing of sanctions and a return to buying Russian oil at market prices – in other words, a massive infusion of capital into Russia is also something that Ukraine will have to accept.

To make a peace deal more acceptable to Russia, it could be offered sanctions relief, contingent on compliance with the agreement. Russia could then trade its oil and gas at market prices, though Western countries could institute mechanisms for the immediate reimposition – the so-called snapback – of sanctions if needed. Russia would regain access to its withheld gold and foreign currency reserves in the West.

In summary, the narrative that has been given is that Putin really wants a deal, will get all the territory he now possesses, Ukraine will stop trying to regain its territory, Ukraine will give up any short-term prospect to join NATO, Russia will be made richer by the relaxation of sanctions, and Russia will be allowed to rebuild its military.

It’s hard to think of a “peace” deal more perfectly constructed not to bring peace.

Thankfully, Putin stepped in to reveal the nonsense built into such arguments. A few hours after that piece was published, Putin announced that we would indeed discuss a ceasefire – but Ukraine would have to cede far more territory, give up NATO permanently, etc. etc.

First off – Putin starts with the basic position that he did not launch a war of conquest in 2022 (or 2014).

“We didn’t start the war” Russia’s president said. “It was the Kyiv regime.”

According to Putin, Ukraine would have to give up all the territory that Russia has illegally annexed (including a great deal that it does not occupy, such as the west bank of the Dnipro in Kherson oblast). And Ukraine would not only have to give up NATO wishes, it would have to pledge to limit its military in the future (leaving it at Russia’s mercy in the future). Here was one news story summary of his position.

Putin insisted that Kyiv should withdraw from all four annexed regions entirely and essentially cede them to Moscow within their administrative borders. In Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, Russia still doesn’t control the region’s administrative capital with a pre-war population of about 700,000; in the neighboring Kherson region, Moscow withdrew from its biggest city and capital of the same name in November 2022.

Thankfully Putin’s intervention should make two things clear. He does not really want “peace” at this point – he wants to illegally seize much of Ukraine, rebuild his military, and keep Ukraine out of NATO. He wants a situation where he can restart the war on his terms in the future. And second, that those arguing for such a deal have placed Ukraine in an impossible catch-22. Ukraine is expected to make all the concessions, while Russia gets all the benefits. Moreover, they are basing their arguments that Putin is willing to negotiate in good faith.

Just this week Trump, once again, let it be known how little he cares for Ukraine.

This seems bizarre. Putin is clearly willing to slaughter his own people in extraordinary numbers to capture strategically irrelevant farm fields. He has shown he is happy to bombard civilians across Ukraine, commit countless war crimes, and continues to deny Ukrainian nationhood. This is the reality of what we are seeing. Moreover, he is almost certainly waiting to see the results of the 2024 presidential election – which hold out to him the happy prospect of a Trump presidency. Just this week Trump, once again, let it be known how little he cares for Ukraine.

In a meeting with GOP members of Congress this week, Trump stated he was opposed to the $60 billion aid bill for Ukraine and saw no benefit for the US if Ukraine does well in the war.

Trump also criticized a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine that recently passed with Republican support, lawmakers said.

“He’s like, if Ukraine wins, what will be the benefit?” Republican Representative Don Bacon told reporters.

People always like to say they want peace. However, sometimes peace is not available, and a “peace” deal does not lead to peace. We are in such a situation now. Russia does not want peace on terms except for Ukrainian amputation and strategic degradation. All this would do is set up a situation for future war in Europe.

As sad as it is, if Ukraine wishes to fight (and it does), it’s up to Ukraine’s supporters to give it the aid that it needs to fight and win the war. That is the best road to peace.
- This article was first published in www.kyivpost.com
June 16, 2024
Towards a bright future
- Leadership remains the bane of Nigeria’s development after 25 years of democracy
It is 25 years since civil rule was restored in Nigeria. And, as it goes with anything silver, gold or diamond, the drums were rolled out to mark the attainment of that milestone, as military adventurists were never so tolerant of civilian rule in the past. The First Republic only lasted a little over half a decade. Life of the Second Republic was terminated after just four short years, while the third was aborted before it could come into full practice. It was still in the incubator when the Babangida junta scuttled the experiment.

Now, we have the Fourth Republic, and it has lasted four times more than any of the previous dispensations. This has enabled the country’s flag to be hoisted among democratic nations of the world for the period.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu struck the right chord in his speech to mark the Democracy Day on June 12. He emphasised the intangibles and symbolisms that had long been ignored and overshadowed by military practices and vestiges. The President pointed out the essence of democracy that he said, while not perfect, has yet no substitute.

President Tinubu pledged his government’s commitment to deepening democratic ethos and values in the country, while reeling out the names of heroes and martyrs of the struggle for the democracy, including the likes of Pa Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who were killed by goons of the military dictator in power at the time.

Other patriots were chased into exile while the property of others were torched. This group includes the incumbent President and others like Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Chief Ralph Obioha, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, and a host of others who made the environment uncomfortable for the dictators at home.

The roll of honour, coming from the President, is quite significant. The names will forever be acknowledged in the anals of our national history. The President, in devoting space and time to eulogising the heroes, including the media, is urging others to be patriotic and nationalistic. It is one way to grow the country.

Those who are insisting that the leader of Nigeria ought to have focused on his achievements in the one year of his administration and other measures in line to tackle the level of poverty in the land must have failed to read the full speech and note where the President said bright days are ahead.

However, we join in calling for balm to soothe the pains of the people in the

short and long terms. Promises were made by previous governments, but they were left largely unfulfilled, thus creating trust deficit in the government. It is the lot of the current government to fix this.

The President is in a more difficult time because of the division that attended the last election, with opposition politicians going to lengths hitherto unknown to run down the person of the winner and the system. President Tinubu has a duty to heal the land and ensure that the people are galvanised to build a strong and healthy nation.

It is worthy to note that the President who has been an advocate of restructuring ensures that the steps he appears to be taking towards that are accomplished. The current structure has failed, pitching people against themselves as soldiers in the armies of their religious and ethnic groups. All eyes are on the centre where almost all the resources go, and from where they are distributed, using inequitable formulae. In the process, the object of coming together as a nation are unfulfilled, thus leaving the people despondent and frustrated. The system must give way to one where the main needs of the people could be met at the local and state levels. When the centre is fully in charge of security, sits on 52 per cent of federally collected revenue, the federating units could only groan.

Far-reaching decisions should be taken with regards to the bicameral legislature at the centre and the disproportional appropriation of public resources to cater for the lecherous appointed and elected public officials. Citizens would only be mobilised to work towards baking a bigger cake when they are convinced that the fund is not going into a sinking hole.

Read Also: Future One Africa Network boss Usman loses sister

Nigeria’s future is bright, given the resources with which she is endowed. We need our leaders to come up with a vision of the future we need to compete with other countries. If the Asian tigers could break the shackles that hitherto consigned them to the refuse dung, and the United Arab Emirate (UAE), literally in a twinkle of an eye won respect for herself, then Nigerian leaders must wake up to give the country the push she needs to overcome contemporary challenges and win respect for Africans. Asia today has China, India, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, among others. There is no reason why Africa, in the next 25 years, cannot similarly produce radically transformed Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, , Ghana and Kenya that will supply the impetus for a new Africa of our dream.

All said, Nigeria has President Muhammadu Buhari to thank for proclaiming June 12 as Democracy Day, in June, 2018, as against the hitherto recognised May 29. The reason is simple: It was on June 12, 1993, that the freest and fairest election in the country which produced Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola as president, was held. It was also an election in which Nigerians refused religious tendencies to dictate who they queued behind in the election, as Abiola and his running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe, were both Muslims. The Babangida junta however annulled the election for no reason.
June 16, 2024
Addressing SRHR barriers in Nigeria
- By Hameed Oyegbade
The conversation around sexual and reproductive health often offends certain people for different reasons. While some believe it is a sensitive matter that should not be discussed in public, others run away from the subject due to religious or cultural beliefs. But we cannot shy away from conversations regarding sexual and reproductive health as it is part of our lives and existence, especially issues around reproductive health and most importantly the issues around rights -freedom and liberty.

So, it’s the first of its kind, stakeholders converged and had conversations on impediments around Sexual and Reproductive Health in Nigeria. The first SRHR National Conference in Nigeria centered around the need to examine laws and how they affect access to health and rights for all individuals including sexual minorities and key populations and other vulnerable groups. The persons affected, the advocates, civil society and rights activists, as well as the media, were at the conference organised by Lawyers Alert in Abuja, the nation’s Federal Capital Territory.

The 1st SRHR National Conference in Nigeria themed: “SRHR: Culture and Social Norms within Communities offered a platform for a coalition of small and medium organizations dedicated to the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Movement which emerged through the Amplify Change grant facilitated by Lawyers Alert from 2018 to 2020 to brainstorm and collectively sought solutions to SRHR barriers in Nigeria.

Lawyers Alert organized and facilitated the Conference under the auspices of the SRHR Movement. The conference brought together experts and advocates. They discussed the multifaceted challenges impeding SRHR progress. Participants included Key SRHR Advocates, SRHR CSOs, the LGBTIQ+ Community, FSW, and Donors. Conversations were both at plenary and panel sessions.

Discussions covered a wide range of pressing topics, including safe medical abortion, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), female genital mutilation, LGBTQI+, HIV, and the health status of SRHR in Nigeria, including information sharing and networking. It drew on the expertise of global, regional, national, and grassroots organizations, including donors, development workers, NGOs, and community-based groups.

At the end of the conference, there were several recommendations. These include ensuring massive awareness creation at especially community and ward levels and using local champions to speak against norms and culture that inhibit the right of women to choices. Using community platforms, individuals could champion campaigns against harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation and then support and encourage gender equality and women empowerment.

To achieve this, we must at all occasions and interventions emphasize the human rights of key populations and sexual minorities in all advocacy and intervention strategies. The SRHR Movement in Nigeria should be strengthened through organizational and advocacy skills, strengthening and establishing more inclusive and expansive platforms to amplify SRHR narratives and foster robust networking among stakeholders.

Read Also: Stakeholders seek solution to SRHR barriers in Nigeria

It’s also imperative to encourage large and strong CSOs and agencies to always strive to include small and medium-sized SRHR grassroots organizations in their work and provide sub-grants to enable them to acquire new knowledge and skills. Also, it’s necessary to develop a comprehensive SRHR National Advocacy Plan to guide strategic advocacy efforts and effectively address SRHR challenges using the SRHR Movement platform.

The Nigerian government should repeal laws and policies that undermine sexual and reproductive health rights, freedom of expression, and assembly and enact laws that recognize gender and sexual diversity. For instance, the government should repeal Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and other ancillary laws that inhibit the domestication and application of International SRHR treaties, conventions, and protocols that Nigeria signs and ratifies.

Civil societies should sustain proactive and deliberate engagement with government entities such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), and National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP) to ensure a quality response to SRHR issues. This will also enhance the present inadequate support from the government.

In conclusion, it’s instructive to note that this Conference highlighted the necessity for collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships to overcome barriers to the enjoyment of sexual and reproductive rights. This collective endeavour underscores the importance of unified action in advancing the SRHR agenda in Nigeria, striving for a future where every individual’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are respected and upheld. Meanwhile, this is the essence of democracy -rights, freedom, and liberty.
- Hameed Oyegbade, a public affairs analyst writes from Osogbo.
June 16, 2024
Father’s Day and the essence of fatherhood
Tomorrow, Sunday, June 16, is ‘Father’s Day 2024!’ Father’s Day, which began as a largely religious observance and recognized in some way dating back to the Middle Ages, is now celebrated in more than 111 countries, with the first of its kind on June 19, 1910.

A traditional Roman Catholic holiday to celebrate fatherhood, Father’s Day is “celebrated on the third Sunday in June each year.” Fairly clearly, the day is meant to recall and recognize the endless efforts, initiatives and contributions of all the fathers around us. It is a mark of the kinship, affection, guidance and patience between fathers on the one hand and their families on the other.

Fathers are the heads of, and the role models for the(ir) families. Even in psychological explanations, it is the father figures who set the moral tones of households. Whenever irritants attempt to test the loyalty of the household, it is the father who risks everything with truly solidified violations to display manly attributes.

Etymologically, ‘husband’ also arose from the word ‘cultivate’, ‘tend’, or ‘nurture’. Therefore, the concept of husband refers to the ‘male head of a household’, the ‘manager’ and the ‘steward’. He is the ‘master of a house’, ‘occupier and tiller of the soil’. Thus, a husband is one who nurtures the wife with pious love, cultivates the wife and family, and tills the soil of the family.

Fathers are no little men. Of course, they are too big to be small. They have muscles in their places with which they not only perform feats of impressiveness but also create new, bigger and stronger foundations for their children. So, it’s only a marginalized group of men that can actually be referred to as irresponsible as most men are struggling. But we know that they can do better!

For quite some time, there has been a lot of negative portrayal of fathers and husbands. But what does an ideal father or husband look like? To begin with, the concept of father actually arises from the Almighty God as Creator. So, every human father is only a derivative, a copy and a limited expression of the ‘Olódùmarè’ (the Creator, Cause and Origin of all Things), ‘Baba wa tí mbe lí òrun’ (Our Father, who art in heaven), the One who’s so compassionate that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us.

Read Also: Father’s Day: I haven’t seen my kids in 10 months – OAP Do2dtun

In an article, ‘Appreciating a responsible father’, I described a father as “an important source of a child’s genetic makeup” and “his or her first teacher” and that “a father loves his child and provides for him or her as a precious jewel.” Since “children are a heritage from the Lord”, I wrote that “a good father prays for his children and engages them in deep, heart-to-heart conversations that impart more than facts, but teach wisdom.” Fathers are “expected to study and teach God’s Word to their children.” What’s more? “God blesses the children through their fathers.”

According to Wade Boggs, “anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad”. It is interesting to note that many people do have fond memories of their fathers – how their fathers loved, taught, even corrected identified misdemeanors so that they might live well. In remembering my father, Sunday Alaba Komolafe, who died on August 11, 2020 and was buried on September 11, 2020, comparisons are obvious. On a day like this, I remember my father as the one who “gave us (his children) partnership and protection” and as “a peacemaker whose life depicted concrete evidence of an organized future.” Close to 4 years after, I still find it difficult to accept that I have lost ‘Baba Kayode, as my dad was fondly called, to the wild, wicked hands of death at 92! Well, it is well!

Of course, there have been many lame-brains who pretend to be fathers. But then, that does not mean that they are in the majority! Surely certainly, the drunken and the incestuous fathers, wife beaters and deadbeat fathers are in a small minority. Fish or cut bait, we are in a culture where fathers are supposed to be providers, and many people who go into marriage take that aspect of matrimony seriously. So, they will not just abandon those God-given responsibilities only to pursue a career in drinking.

Talking about the African patriarchal culture where some men act as if they own their wives, it must also be noted that the overwhelming majority of men are alive and accountable to their responsibilities. So, Father’s Day is a day to celebrate the ideal father! It is a day to also say that those who are irresponsible most probably came from dysfunctional families where they never had good role models and that they’re only transferring their wounds to the people they got married to or the children they gave birth to!

For their efforts, men need to be encouraged, especially at a time like this when the majority of our men are on the verge of social and mental collapse. In a country where hunger and deprivation are already busting the people’s asses, where the prevailing inflation rate is stifling and asphyxiating, and where many Nigerians are dead before their death, this is not the time to be excoriating or burlesquing fathers.

Yes, times are tough and things are hard! However, men should also avoid taking out their frustrations on their families because we are all in it together! Besides, it is in the nature of man to be persevering, courageous, “stay positive and look for solutions”, just as Caleb and Joshua did when they were asked to spy out the Land of Canaan. For men therefore, this is the time to make sacrifices which, in every possible way, are instinctual for the adult male. In a word, Father’s Day is meant to call for investment, training and retraining, forming and reforming of boys for the critical work of being fathers in the future.

In the past 20 to 30 years, there have been many programmes for the girl child. Actually, 90% of the Funding/Donor Agencies would always tell the world that their programmes were for the woman and/or the girl but there has been very little, if any, for the boy child and young men. We have Ministries of Women Affairs that focus on the woman and the girl child but none to cater for the needs of the boy child and/or young men. In the past, traditional societies also had progammes for initiating boys into adulthood. Lamentably, we’ve lost that and there’s nothing in place to replace it! A few workshops and youth programmes for the boys here and there but that’s not enough!

All said, it’s time well-meaning individuals, private organizations, corporate agencies and religious organizations started programmes aimed at transforming boys into men and young men into husbands, with all the accompanying values and virtues, if we do not want to have beasts and abusive husbands in the future. In a world that derives its oxygen from narcotics and human sacrifices and where brothers are afraid of becoming fathers for obvious reasons, the boy child needs something that will actually lead young men to grow into manhood.

Tragically, Nigeria is stagnated because there haven’t been father figures of the types that she had some 50 to 60 years ago. Is it any wonder why moral re-armament has become a scarce commodity in our clime?
- May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, give us peace in our time!
June 15, 2024
Oborevwori as a Promise Keeper
- By Fred Akporuno
“Don’t be afraid to celebrate a promise when kept. In doing so, you are embracing the potential for a better world.” – Unknown

Keeping promises is one of the hallmarks of a true leader; it indicates a strong sense of responsibility, and portrays him or her as a person that can be trusted and depended upon. Essentially, to be a promise keeper is doing what you say you will do. The leader who makes a habit of keeping his or her promises forges a stellar reputation for dependability, reliability, and trustworthiness. God is the perfect example in this regard. He says what He means, and means what He says. When the twelve spies returned from spying the land of Canaan, they reported to the congregation of Israel that the land “truly flows with milk and honey” just as the Lord had told Moses.

Leaders at all levels are required to follow God’s example and be persons of honour and integrity. In fact, that is what He expects from them because the scripture eloquently proclaims that “there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” Hence, parents are expected to keep their promises to their children, employers are expected to keep their promises to their employees, and political leaders are required to fulfill their promises to the electorate.

However, if we must be sincere to ourselves, governments all over the world often fail the integrity test when it comes to keeping their promises. This is particularly worse in developing countries where the struggle for power is driven by selfish ambition, crass opportunism, and mindless greed. The end justifies the means for these desperate power mongers who will readily promise heaven and earth to hoodwink the electorate into voting for them but only to renege on their promises once they get into power. Some of us still remember with disgust how the former President of Nigeria disowned the party manifesto upon which he rode to power.

The spectre of broken promises and unfulfilled dreams, exacerbated by the profligate lifestyle of some of those in leadership positions are the major reasons why there is a such a huge trust deficit between the government and the governed in Nigeria. There is such deep scepticism and cynicism among the populace that even when a sincere leader comes around, he is viewed with the same suspicion and disdain.

It is in this light that I find Governor Sheriff Oborewori’s first year in office quite compelling. I listened intently to his speeches at the Annual Praise Day and the commissioning of the ultra-modern High Court Complex in Asaba, and was fascinated that he kept emphasising the point that he is keeping his promises to the people and residents of Delta State. The Governor is correct in demanding that he be assessed based on the promises he made while campaigning for office. Just like you cannot claim a promise that God has not promised you in the Bible or through prophecy, you also cannot judge a political leader outside of what he promised to do if elected into office.

In this wise, I dare say that Oborevwori has acquitted himself creditably. Aside from completing all inherited projects as promised, he has also performed well on all indices of development. The strides the Governor has made in the public service are very encouraging. Some may not fully appreciate the impact of liquidating the outstanding promotion arrears to serving and retired civil servants, or helping the local governments to settle the thorny issue of pension liabilities, or fulfilling his promise to the judges to give them new vehicles. However, those directly involved know the importance of the Governor keeping his promises to them.

Those who try to belittle the governor’s achievements by pooh-poohing the completion of inherited projects are either irredeemably moronic or have allowed petty partisan considerations to becloud their sense of reasoning. As we can see at the federal level, President Tinubu is commissioning projects, which he completed but were started by previous administrations. There is just so much an administration can do in one year. In my book, Governor Oborevwori would become the hero of Delta State if he completes the Trans Warri-Ode Itsekiri Road (with nineteen bridges) and the Ughelli-Asaba road dualization, which were started sixteen and twenty years ago respectively.

Read Also: Delta Assembly recalls suspended APC lawmaker who maligned Oborevwori

I am excited that the Governor is fulfilling his promise of rebuilding Warri after what seemed to be years of neglect. I can only hope that the current momentum is sustained and that the contractor keeps to his own side of the bargain. I am eagerly looking forward to a new Warri when those three flyovers, Cloverleaf Interchange, and several inner-city roads are completed. It would certainly mark a new dawn for Warri, and some of us cannot wait to see the oil city regain its pride of place in the federation. Politics and sentiments aside, I think Governor Oborevwori is on the right track and, if he sustains the current trajectory, will possibly end up being the most successful Governor of the state despite the mountain of criticisms that seem to trail his every move.
- Akporuna writes from Warri
June 15, 2024
Federal might vs. organised labour
- By Aoiri Obaigbo
Iya Kudi was looking crushed on Tuesday mid morning. For her, it would appear that it never rains but pours. A wind storm two month ago knocked down our electrical poles. For six weeks, there was none of what we all still call ‘Up NEPA’ in the neighbourhood. In the prolonged darkness, her business—ekeing out a living by making ice and chilling drinks —was grounded. Then ‘NEPA’ brought light to other streets but our own ‘transformer had serious issues’, we were told.

We had two options. An indefinite wait for them to bring us a new transformer with a hint that some areas have been waiting for years. The second option was for us to raise the money—N25,000 per house.

Iya Kudi made a lot of trouble with her house mates to make their contribution as she needed ‘up NEPA’ more than the others.

At last, Friday before June 3, there was the joyous shout of “Up NEPA” as darkness took a break for eight hours.

According to her, she had eaten deep into her slim capital and had to take a loan from the local lender. Hope was only beginning to seep back into the gloom of a life she endured, only to wake up this morning and ‘enemies of life’—translated from Yoruba—had gone to switch off the light.

‘It’s like they just want everyone to go jump down from Third Mainland Bridge in this country. Let’s just die and leave the country for only the rich and strong. They have no consideration for mekunu at all.’

One never thought the day will come when Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress would be counted as enemies of the poorer citizens.

June 3, the organised labour commenced an indefinite strike over the demand for N494,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Last-minute efforts to avert the strike ended in a deadlock, leading to full compliance by workers to the directives of the labour unions. Angry looking officials positioned themselves at the entrances to prevent workers from going into their offices.

“Alluta Continua!”

These industrial actions would usually have little or nothing to do with Iya Kudi and the mekunu she’s bemoaning, but the unionists forced themselves into control rooms and shut down the national grid. If Iya Kudi had worked herself up into a medical emergency, she’d have had to use a native doctor as organised labour had also shut down the health sector.

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The rules of engagement has been changed to exclude any consideration for people who are neither in a position to implement the wages demanded nor likely to benefit from whatever wage the combatants arrive at. Iya Kudi is about 70. In all these years, she must have experienced quite a few labour union agitations for money. Her late husband was a vulcaniser. Kudi, her daughter, makes dish washing liquid for a living and is married to a washerman in Kano. She’s the one who commissioned the construction of the freezer for her mother. So the entire family is in no situation to benefit from organised labour, but are suffering from the tyranny of the strike nonetheless.

Stephen Ochai, chairperson of the Amalgamated Unions of Nigeria at the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, was reported to have affirmed labour’s commitment to the strike until the government adopts a more reasonable stance and expressed the opinion that 80 per cent of Nigerians on social media support their demands and actions.

It’s difficult to ascertain how Stephen Ochai arrived at that percentage, but about 92.3% of Nigeria’s workforce operates in the informal sector. No matter how the fight between government and organised labour ends, these workers often earn below the official minimum wage and lack formal employment contracts.

The official wage policies have limited impact on the informal sector, where earnings are often as precarious as in Iya Kudi’s icy business.

NLC and TUC should always consider that while their salaries will be paid, no matter how long they mount barricades, every hour the national grid is down puts in peril, the livelihood of the mekunu majority, most of whom aren’t on social media.

For the voiceless majority, staring into space like Iya Kudi, inflation has been the enemy. Galloping prices have been terrorising the populace and it’s inconceivable that increasing payment for a slim but organised minority can make inflation disappear.

The labour leadership has to review their strategy of seasonally demanding more pay and disregarding other economic variables, including the bottlenecks of extortion created by their members in their individual duty posts.

They should also dig deeper on ways to tackle government on the rising cost of existing in Nigeria. Nigeria’s minimum wage currently stands at N33,000 naira ($39.40). Despite periodic revisions, over the years—including those from the melodramatic days of Adams Oshiomhole—it hasn’t ever matched the rising living costs, nor decreased greed and extortion among the civil servants and other members of organised labour.

Empirical evidence over the years suggests that increasing the minimum wage merely increases unemployment and inflation rates. Because when wages rise, businesses pass on the cost to consumers, contributing to inflation.

One expects a grand battle against the rising cost of governance and reactions against episodes like deflating an ailing economy by buying insanely expensive toys for members of the legislature to gallop over our bad roads. One expects leadership in demanding transparency about how the huge constituency votes of NASS are utilised. One expects TUC, especially, to actively engage and sensitise communities to know the difference between a senator’s legitimate earning and what’s meant for social investment in their communities. Waking up from slumber to demand for pay rise is way below what the masses expect from Labour leaders.

It’s baffling that Labour set up a political party years ago and has remained stunted all these years in terms of political relevance and has shown little or no sensitivity to national gaps that need to be bridged. They have remained a reactive rather than proactive organisation.

It’s disappointing when one looks back to where organised labour is coming from. The impact of NLC before it became a Congress, when it was in fragments but led by men whose names we can never forget because of the leadership of courage and character they gave the masses at critical moments in our history.

Who can forget the altruistic era of men like Michael Athokhamien Omnibus Imoudu, popularly known as Pa Imoudu, a labour union leader and activist? His relentless advocacy for justice and independence left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s labour movement.

We grew up to hear his name on the lips of our parents and his unwavering fight against colonial authority remains an inspiration. He encouraged workers in both the private and public sectors to form unions, advocating for their rights and welfare, emphasising the importance of collective action and solidarity.

Imoudu began his labour union activities as a member of the Railway Workers Union which became one of the most militant in Nigeria during the colonial era.

Imoudu’s leadership waged battles not only for higher wages and improved conditions, but also to end casualisation and preferential treatment.

Imoudu’s strike actions and advocacy forced the British colonial authorities to address workers’ rights and change oppressive laws.

Frank Kokori was another labour union leader who transcended wage wars to play a pivotal role in Nigeria’s democratic struggle. He spent four years in jail for leading an effective oil and gas workers’ strike in 1994.

The strike demanded the validation of the annulled 12 June 1993 presidential election and the release of the winner, Moshood Abiola. Today, June 12 is hallowed in the Nigerian calendar. Kokori’s struggle was instrumental to ending 29 years of military rule in Nigeria and opening the gates to this Fourth Republic.

It’s true that the labour movements face new challenges grappling with globalisation, technological advancements, and changing work dynamics as the informal sectors have exploded, making it harder to organise and protect workers’ rights. But the means of engagement have also become way faster and more democratic than ever before, so one rather sees the lack of will to mobilise beyond the fee paying membership.

Fighting for higher minimum wages must be balanced with economic realities. Increasing the minimum wage in Nigeria requires a delicate balance, and the two elephants in this present tussle should consider both the formal and informal sectors, inflation dynamics, and overall economic stability.

•Obaigbo is the author of The Wretched Billionaire.
June 14, 2024
Tough reforms and a president’s worries
- By Braeyi Ekiye
No doubt this year’s President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day address was engaging as well as reminiscent of Nigeria’s democratic experience from 1999 till date.

Listening to the president’s address on television, one could see him grapple with the tough reforms of his administration and his worries of when and how Nigeria will get out of the biting economic, political and security challenges facing her.

The president spoke from the point of first-hand knowledge of the nation’s “rites of passage to becoming a ‘true and enduring’ democratic society”, 31 years after.

President Tinubu stated that going through this passage was hard and dangerous. He pointed out that during the faithful six years of the battle and struggle for the rebirth of democracy, Nigeria lost great heroes and heroines on the way to freedom and liberty.

The media was not left out in his appreciation for their decisive and ‘irrepressible’ stand in ‘mounting the barricades’ against dictatorship in the country and for democracy to thrive.

The question is: how then do we prevent the formidable walls that protected the fortress of dictatorship in the nineties in Nigeria from ever rearing its ugly head again?

Yes, President Tinubu rightly pointed out that Nigeria exited the yoke of military rule in 1999 to become the most populous democracy on the African continent, the beacon of democratic self-determination for the black race and indeed, one of the largest democracies in the world. Truly so. But then, can Nigeria pride herself as truly a translation of ‘beacon of democratic-self-determination’ for the black race? What with the inchoate democracy still being practiced, encapsulated in startling corruption and injustice in the overall electoral administration since 1999 when the country returned again to civil democratic rule?

It is now 25 years since, and if the truth must be told, Nigeria is worse off in the communication of democratic ethos and dividends, to wit: good governance for the welfare and security of her citizens. This lack speak volumes of the sorry state of the nation, politically, administratively, economically and financially.

Is our electoral process foundationally well grounded and elections carried out in open and fair manner as the president posited? And has this fairness, this transparency, this openness given credence to our democratic experience since 1999?

I beg to disagree with our revered president that: “Nigeria has established a tradition of transparent, open and fair election”, and that, this has given credence to Nigeria’s democratic bearing.

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Yes, Nigeria has experienced peaceful transitions of government since 2003 up until now. Yet, this is not an affirmation of a democratic temperament of good and acceptable stable, peaceful and credible elections as our revered president would want us believe.

May we be reminded of the palpable anger, frustration and protests across the country at the handling of the result of the 2023 presidential election by INEC. But for a peace-loving country and her citizens who embraced President Tinubu’s administration, hoping that the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ would dramatically turn around things for the better for Nigeria and Nigerians, the story would have been different.

I, however, could not agree more with Mr. President that “democracy shines its light into the daily lives of the people who live under its nurturing wings”. However, if one may ask: For how long shall light continue to shine, and positively too, in the lives of Nigerians for citizens to live and not just exist? Is thirty one years not enough time for such a nurturing of our political seeds to bear good and edible fruits of democracy?

Why are we still rising and falling, learning to walk as toddlers? Are we not tired of continuing with this uninspiring and unimpressive system of electing candidates into political offices through vote buying, violence, ballot box snatching and stuffing, falsification of results and in some cases, security agencies and electoral officers’ connivance with preferred political party members at the polling booths to undo the nation’s electoral process?

The point, therefore, must be made that, such unwholesome acts can hardly guarantee the protection of Nigeria’s hard earned democratic freedom, liberty, and that of the citizens of Nigeria.

This is where the president’s call for the real test to up the ante in our collective drive or push for the enthronement of democratic ethos for good governance, equity and justice, and for free, fair and credible election lies. For, if these time-honoured values are ingrained in the politics of Nigeria, the age long infestation of our law courts as busy markets by our political class before and after elections would be a thing of the past. We should not pretend that Nigerians urgently want a more credible electoral process and an electoral umpire that would stand for competence, uprightness, and one that would play according to the rules; incorruptible in every sense of the word. The country has continued to bear the brunt of badly conducted elections over the years, with clear lack of preparedness on the part of INEC even with the colossal amount of funds yearly pumped into the conduct of these elections. This sad situation has gone unchecked for too long. It should, therefore, no longer be business as usual in future elections.

The reforms the president said his administration initiated are to grow and develop a culture of sustainable socio-economic and infrastructural transformation. It is the hope of Nigerians that these reforms would also put into account the moral and ethical values in governance, equity and justice in the nation’s administration, quick response to the call for the practice of true fiscal federalism and devolution of powers, unbundling of the 1999 Constitution and drafting of a new grund norm, and not the least, addressing the excruciating pains being suffered by citizens due to the sudden down-turn of the economy of the nation on the president’s assumption of office.

It is gratifying to note that the president himself has alluded to the biting hardship occasioned by his tough reforms. May the president’s prayer that the pains of today are a path-way required to repair and fix the economy over the long run come to pass soonest, and that: “Everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour” also come to pass expeditiously.

In doing that, it is the hope that regional endeavours and labour are captured in these reforms, which to most minds, are not comprehensive enough to drive the process of effective growth and development, security and political, economic and financial freedom, especially of the component units of the Nigerian State.

•Ekiye, a publisher, writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
June 14, 2024