The Nation Newspaper

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  • Ogun, Julius Berger and Lagos/Ibadan Expressway

    By all accounts, the Ogun State government’s directive to Julius Berger Plc not to work on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway during the rush hours is a welcome development.

    According to the Secretary to the State Government, Barr Taiwo Adeoluwa, “The objective of this directive is to mitigate the man-hour losses as well as socio-economic disruptions occasioned by the ongoing reconstruction work.”

    That Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been a source of agony to thousands of commuters on a daily basis is a well-known fact. The highway is a huge drain on the economy of Nigeria, especially residents of Ogun State, as the most productive hours of the day are lost on the road due to traffic gridlock.

    Therefore, it is not surprising that Nigerians have commended the Ogun State government for ordering the construction company to work on the road between 10am and 4pm and from 10pm to 6am. Nigerians, who will benefit from the reconstruction, should not die due to stress on the road before the work is completed!

    The practice in developed climes is for such work to be undertaken in the night and during such hours that would impose the most minimal inconveniences on commuters.

    I travelled to Lagos recently. Between the Redemption Camp at Mowe and Berger in Lagos, I spent five hours. Initially, I thought there was an accident or an articulated vehicle had broken down. But to my chagrin, I discovered that it was the road contractor that had blocked the long bridge before Berger leaving only one lane for thousands of vehicles on the road.

    To make matters worse, the construction company was not on the highway on that day and no work was actually going on the largely blocked bridge.

    We seem to have this notorious backward mentality in this country, which is that the people must suffer unnecessarily for services they should enjoy. You go to a public or private institution, and you are told, remorselessly, to “come back tomorrow”, most often, for services that could be delivered there and then, forgetting that that “come back tomorrow” will cost money, time and energy and the productive hours that should otherwise be contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). There are countless instances where hundreds of applicants will arrive by 7am for job interview as demanded by a (recruiting) company only to be told by 7pm to “come back tomorrow!”

    Time is money. Indeed, time is life. And I dare say that the good news emanating from Ogun State in recent years is a product of the value the state government has placed on time. No economy develops by wasting time. Economic development is a function of time management. No investor or business man wants his or her time wasted. To underscore the importance placed on time, at the recently concluded Investors’ Forum, Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, declared: “We have expanded the Bureau of Urban and Physical Planning into a full-fledged Ministry and have adopted reforms that fast track the process for obtaining development permits from six weeks to two and land clearance permits to one week… To make it easier for investors to take full advantage of the vast opportunities in Ogun State, we are further expanding the services offered by the One-Stop-Shop that was launched in 2012. The One-Stop-Shop will enable potential and existing investors to go to only one office in order to process Urban and Physical Planning permits; to access the Bureau of Lands to conduct transactions such as land title searches, to purchase land and obtain certificates of occupancy/Governor’s consent; to access the Internal Revenue Service; to acquire land for agriculture; and finally to access the Legal Advisory Desk – all under one roof.”

    This obviously is the mindset of a government consumed with passion for economic development.

    From day one in office, Amosun has been concerned about the state of Lagos-Ibadan road. It’s a federal road but it impacts more on the economy of the state. This is what has led to the state government’s constant intervention on the highway in repairs, maintenance of security and traffic sanity. The media are suffused with stories of Amosun alighting from his car to personally direct traffic or bring a chaotic situation under control.

    Adeoluwa was therefore on spot when he opined that, “The public will recall that we confronted these challenges headlong. We set up a taskforce to checkmate the excesses of the trailer drivers so much so that the governor personally led regular enforcement teams on the expressway. We also invested heavily on redesigning the security architecture of the state by deploying Armoured Personnel Carriers, elite Quick Response Squad, QRS; Operation MESA and the state Traffic Enforcement and Compliance Agency, TRACE, etc. We have also repeatedly intervened by undertaking major repair works on bad stretches of the road, not minding the fact that it is a Federal government highway.

    “Additionally, we took responsibility for clearing traffic, maintaining security and cleaning after the departure of our monthly religious visitors. These efforts ultimately restored relative sanity on the road and greatly reduced robbery incidents. But that was until this recent intervention by Julius Berger. The objective of this directive is therefore to mitigate the man-hour losses as well as socio-economic disruptions occasioned by the ongoing reconstruction work.”

    We hope the construction company will take maximum advantage of night time when the highway is virtually free of vehicles and work at the speed of light to meet the expectations of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has made the reconstruction of the economically-strategic highway a priority.

     

    • Soyombo writes from Abeokuta via densityshow@yahoo.com

  • Just like us Ghana improves on ‘stomach infrastructure’

    In more than one way, Ghana is showing Nigeria superiority. In chronological age, the country once addressed as “Gold Coast” already comes first: she got her independence in 1957, three solid years ahead of Nigeria (1960).

    It is only in upending democracy that she was slightly overtaken by her Anglophone neighbour: military putschists struck in Accra a month (February 24, 1966) after the “5 Majors” rumbled in Lagos (January 15).

    In contemporary terms, while it is true Nigeria discovered oil first, Ghana, a newcomer in the sector, is fast evincing more gumption.

    Despite its manifest innumerable benefits, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is yet to be passed into law in Nigeria as our political actors continue to put personal/sectional interests before country.

    But without much ado, the Ghanaian congress took a bi-partisan route and turned PIB to law few days ago.

    Now, Ghana has transited to the realm of creativity. Since All Progressives Party (APC) was shellacked in the governorship polls in Ekiti State in 2014, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has often gloated one magic formula – “stomach infrastructure” – did it. Claiming to understand the psychology of politics better than the competition, PDP postulates that physical offer of a “congo” (measure) of rice, salt and “wedging” that cocktail with token cash on election eve is far more irresistible to most voters than the catalogue of infrastructural projects delivered for public use. Since it worked in Ekiti, PDP was then quick at laying claims to the patent right of “stomach infrastructure”.

    But, as usual, Ghana has exposed the structural inadequacies of that Nigerian creation by simply proceeding to stretch “stomach infrastructure” to its culinary limits. With campaigns revving up ahead of their forthcoming presidential elections, members of the National Democratic Congress, the ruling party in Ghana, have been bringing the unusual to rallies: jollof rice massed cooked in massive pots. Those interested were encouraged to help themselves to the feast as campaign “starters”.

    At a recent rally, a foot-soldier of NDC was seen squabbling with a serving female minister during a session of jollof rice (as pictured).

    The message should however not be lost: if they serve raw foodstuff in Nigeria, in Ghana value is already added to the condiment before offer is made to the people.

  • Aregbesola’s hidden treasure in Osun

    Everything in life starts with a promise! To the people of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola represents a new generation of leadership who believes he is accountable to the people he’s elected by providence to govern.Mentally sharp and people-focused,he saw an opportunity not only to provide leadership that inspired trust but also the need to leave an extraordinary legacy that would no doubt outlast this generation.  With his patriotic, imaginative and unselfish arrest of the socio-economic root cause of infrastructure poverty which had limited the state’s ability to create wealth, it is obvious that a revolution, which will,in the not too  distant future, change the state of the state, is in the offing and, when it blossoms forth, its glory will shine to the ends of the world.Beyond the shadow of a doubt,his modest performance has to a great degree shown that Nigeria’s politics is not dirty as people are wont to insinuate;only that we have some people in politics whose minds are dirty and that’s not unexpected!

    To start with, Nigerians will agree that the governor has excelled in the construction of mega structures in most of the schools in the state, an indication that the future of education in Osun Stateis taking shape. Though, no one can change the past, one can only advise old students who have hitherto cultivated the habit of leaving without looking back at their alma mater to have a rethink before it is too late, lest they becomes trangers to institutions that opened their ways of thinking and knowing,courtesy of Aregbesola’s mega-schools programme.

    Also worth mentioning is the school feeding programme,now knownas Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS),initiated by his government, which has become a template forthe Federal Government’s Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme. Added to the list are two libraries he commissionedrecently in Ila-Oragun and Ode-Omu which, again, is a demonstration of his unrivalled passion for the development of education sector in the state. Well, though the results of his inputs intothe sector may not be fast in coming as expected, one can be rest assured that Osun State in the next four to eight years will be a state that everybody will be proud of. After all, success in an examination is a product of many factors!

    Another important area of Aregbesola’s intervention worth mentioning is the appointment of Yusuff Ali as chairman of the Governing Council of Osun State University. In my considered opinion, this thoughtfullyplanned and skilfullyprocessed step is aimed at replicating what AfeBabalolaand Wole Olanipekun did as chairmen of the Governing Councils of University of Lagos and University of Ibadan respectively. No doubt a man of means and contacts, theSenior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is expected touse his wealth of experience and influence to add value to the citadel of learning with a view to upgrading it to a world class institution inline with the dreams and aspirations of its founding fathers. Of course, this is an innovative departure from the old, somewhat-traditional-yet-unproductive ‘job for the boys’arrangementwhich had oftentimes ended up in appointees needlessly drawing from the institution’s avoidably-lean purse.

    In a similar fashion, the approval nod recently given to the state by theTransmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) forthe proposed construction of a power transmission substation to be located at Dagbolu in Osun Stateis yet another in the series of the administration’s many efforts at strategically repositioning the state as another commercial hub in the South-west while the procurement of security hardware, which has led to a sharpreduction  in crime rate recorded in the state since his inaugurationwas an initiative  which benefitsshould not be overlooked.As a matter of fact, I doubt if the near-completion state of theBisiAkande Trumpet Bridgeat Gbongan wouldn’t have by now shamed cynics.

    Personally, I see Aregbesola as an achieving and engaging governor who is always in touch with his people. His intervention   in the agriculture sector is not only geared towards repositioning the state as the food hub of the South-west, it is also aimed at cushioning any bitter or biting effects of the economic recession currently unleashed on Nigeria, thanks to the global economic meltdown. In the same vein, the new lease of life given to the hitherto moribund Cocoa Products Industry in Ede can be viewed as being in line with his election promise of creating employment opportunities as well as attracting investors to the state. The Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), through which thousands of youth have been engaged, was another way of helping the people’s lives connect to a cause while the presentation of N1.8bn retirement bond certificates to 266 pensioners in the state was a demonstration of the depth of his love for the state’s civil servants.

    Contrary to some erroneous beliefs, great nations are where they are today because their leaders were prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to confront situations that at one time or the other attempted to break, threaten or suffocate their countries’ existence.For instance, United States of America’s debt is, as we speak, on the other side of $19tr. Still, America is world’s largest economy and greatest nation. InJune, $10bn of Chicago’s municipal debt  was downgraded by Fitch to ‘one level above junk’about the same time China’s debt had become so “fatal” that experts feared it could destroy the country  if some “timely fashion” actions were not taken to remedy the situation. Notwithstanding, China retains her enviable position as world’s second largest economy while  the Windy Cityis,  at this very moment,America’s  third largest city, with the third largest gross metropolitan product andthe most balanced economy in the United States.

    Coming back to Africa, South Africans were two years ago ranked world’s biggest borrowers. Today, South Africa has beaten Nigeria into second place as Africa’s largest economy.Apparently, had Aregbesola not taken loans at the prevailing interest rates  at the time in question  to turn the fortunes of Osun from a blight of wrongs into a progressive and trailblazing state, I doubt if the situation  wouldn’t have been worse!

    All things considered, even if his actions are sometimes bound to be misconstrued and misinterpreted, this is not to say that the governor might not have made mistakes in the course of discharging his duties. After all, he is human, with all the emotions, weaknesses and failingscharacteristic of the human nature! Seemingly, his major mistakes are default in payment of workers’ salaries and late delivery on projects.Others are neither here nor there!  But these can be excused in that they have assumed a national outlook as a result of current realities. All the same, that Aregbesola has, in spite of his human frailty, remained focused and progressive in his practices, attitudes and approaches is commendable.

    To be fair to good governance,the change we voted for in Osun Statewas a divine platform for the radical transformation of the state from the sleepers and the shadows of the past into the present filled with joy and happiness and a future of hope and fulfilment.

    In the words of Napoleon Hill, “the starting point of all achievement is desire.” According to him, “weak desire” leads to”weak results.” The late President John Kennedy corroborated Hill’s views when he averred that economic growth without social progress is a magic formula for poverty.  Aregbesola’s stridesbring to memoryObafemi Awolowo’s introduction of Free Primary Education schemein Western Region in the 1950s. Controversial and at a considerable cost, Awolowo was initially derided for what would eventually turn out to be an indelible imprint in the annals of education as well as the focal definition of governance in Nigeria and beyond.

    So, for us in Osun State, the journey to socio-economic recovery has just begun and how far the Aregbesola-led administration can go is a different matter entirely. Again, whether or not the governor acts Moses or Joshua on this all-important journey, it needs to be noted that he came at a time the state’s political space was engulfed inthe horrible and deadly danger of  indescribable grief   and  paralyzed potentials.

     

    • Komolafe writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

  • Padding: Falana’s misrepresentations of facts and law

    Mr Femi Falana SAN has enjoyed unequalled public attention over the years because of his activism and principled stand on issues. When I saw his contribution on this padding subject which I have followed closely since its arrival in the public domain, I naturally picked interest. I was however shocked to read his latest piece, entitled “The criminality of budget padding”. I am constrained to lament that he has done himself a great disservice by manufacturing facts on the budget issue and making comments solely on facts cooked up suo moto. Based on these concocted stories dressed up as facts, he posited legal comments on them rather like a layman on the street.

    He claimed that it has emerged that about 20 people sat down after the Budget had been passed and inserted projects including Constituency Projects into it fraudulently. The truth, from my independent findings, is that Constituency Projects subhead or head of expenditure was included in the President’s budget proposals to the National Assembly as has been the practice in the last three years. It was not originated by the National Assembly even though it has undoubted right to do so.

    I am sure that if the learned Silk had adverted his legal mind to the Acts Authentication Act , 2004, he would have discovered that the only authority who can say authoritatively what the Senate and House of Representatives passed is the Clerk to the National Assembly who authenticated the copy of the Bill as correct and a true reflection of what was passed. We know that Falana, who lives in Lagos is aware of “Oluwole Market” where fake documents are manufactured but that doesn’t give him the right to presume that a solemn document authenticated by the signature of the Clerk to the National Assembly is fake. The 2016 Appropriation Act has five signatories to it, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin, Chairman House Committee on Appropriations, Senator Danjuma Goje, Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriations, Rt Hon Lasun Yusuf, the Deputy Speaker who was brought in by the National Assembly leadership to work the executive to achieve harmony on the details of the Budget, Alh Maikasuwa, the then Clerk to the National Assembly, and finally, President Muhammadu Buhari, who assented to the Bill. Is Falana seriously contending that these people endorsed a fake budget?

    It should be noted that even Abdulmumin has never claimed, in any of his statements, that the insertions into the budget were done outside the legitimate appropriation framework and process. His major claim is that some people padded more than others! You see, he cannot say otherwise because since he, rather than even the Speaker signed the details of the budget, after due insertions and processing as allowed by law. If there is anything wrong with the signed budget, he will be the first culprit. The Speaker’s signature is not contained in the budget; rather it is Abdulmumin’s signature that is there! Indeed of the four functionaries he is accusing, only the Deputy Speaker is a signatory.

    It bears repeating for the umpteenth time that the 2016 Appropriation Act is a law of the Federation duly assented to by the President and Falana insults the President when he claims that he didn’t know what he was doing when in fact he meticulously scrutinized the Budget before assenting to it. In any case, if he did not assent to the Bill, the National Assembly has power to override his veto. Undoubtedly, the National Assembly has primacy in the budget process as provided in Section 59(4) of the Constitution.

    Falana further feigned ignorance of the provisions of Sections 3, 30 and even 24 and other enabling portions of the LEGISLATIVE HOUSES (POWERS AND PRIVILEGES) ACT. Even though there are divergent decisions of the Courts on the constitutionality of Section 30 of the Act, it is clear that it applies in this context.

    Permit me to set out the provisions of these sections as follows:

    Section 3. “Immunity from proceedings:

    No civil or criminal proceedings may be instituted against any member of a Legislative House—

    (a) in respect of words spoken before that House or a committee thereof; or

    (b) in respect of words written in a report to that House or to any committee thereof or in any petition, bill, resolution, motion or question brought or introduced by him therein”.

    Section 30. “Courts not to exercise jurisdiction over acts of President, Speaker or officer: Neither the President or Speaker, as the case may be, of a Legislative House nor any officer of a Legislative House shall be subject to the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the exercise of any power conferred on or vested in him by or under this Act or the standing orders of the Legislative House, or by the Constitution”.

    1. “Publication of certain statements and writings an offence

    (1) Any person who—

    (a) publishes any statement, whether in writing or otherwise, which falsely or scandalously defames a Legislative House or any committee thereof; or

    (b) publishes any writing reflecting on the character of the President or Speaker, as the case may be, of a Legislative House or the chairman of a Committee of a Legislative House in the conduct of his duty as such President, Speaker or chairman; or

    (c) publishes any writing containing a gross, wilful or scandalous misrepresentation of the proceedings of a Legislative House or of the speech of any member in the proceedings of a Legislative House, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of two hundred Naira or to imprisonment for twelve months, or to both such fine and imprisonment.

    (2) In this section “publish”, in relation to any writing, means exhibiting in public, or causing to be read or seen, or showing or delivering, or causing to be shown or delivered, with the intent that the writing may be read or seen by any person”.

    It is important to also highlight the fact that Falana’s charge of arrogant refusal by Speaker Dogara to submit himself to security agencies for investigation is not only faulty on point of law as analyzed above, but indeed faulty on facts because my inquiries reveal that, contrary to public impressions, no such agency has laid any charges or require him to submit himself for investigation. I should like to caution that while the general public may be forgiven for riding with the wind of every allegation it is incumbent that a legal practitioner enjoys no such liberty; he is bound to adopt a judicial mind in analyzing such situations so as not to submit himself to public misinformation and miseducation.

    There is no doubt that the National Assembly did not go outside its legitimate lawmaking powers in the processing of 2016 Budget in spite of mischievous, ignorant and unwarranted assertions to the contrary by some loud mouthed pundits and, unfortunately, even gullible lawyers, with an agenda to derail the democratic gains achieved since 1999 by a very active and assertive legislature that has withstood the autocracy of a rampaging executive. Attempts to weaken the legislature and render it impotent in the face of daily struggle to curb the excesses of the executive on behalf of the Nigerian people will be regretted in due course especially by  people like Femi Falana who, having committed so much in the promotion of democracy, now appear to be  aiding and abetting this course of action.

    Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin’s tirades is clearly not an anti – corruption struggle but the tirades of a man who lost his job and is on a mission to destroy the National Assembly and destroy Nigeria’s image in the international community. He has become a clear and present danger to the security and stability of the country.

     

    • Barrister Okonkwo wrote in from Abuja.

  • Aftermath of the coup in Turkey

    In the night of July 15, Turkey went through the most catastrophic tragedy in its recent history as a result of the attempted military coup. The events of that night could be called a serious terror coup.

    Turkish people from all walks of life who thought the era of military coups was over showed solidarity against the coup and on the side of democracy. While the coup attempt was in progress, I condemned it in the strongest terms.

    Twenty minutes after the military coup attempt surfaced, before the real actors were known, President Erdogan hastily blamed me. It is troubling that an accusation was issued without waiting for the event’s details and the perpetrators’ motives to emerge. As someone who has suffered through four coups in the last 50 years, it is especially insulting to be associated with a coup attempt. I categorically reject such accusations.

    I have been living a reclusive life in self-exile in a small town in the United States for the last 17 years. The assertion that I convinced the eighth largest army in the world – from 6,000 miles away – to act against its own government is not only baseless, it is false, and has not resonated throughout the world.

    If there are any officers among the coup plotters who consider themselves as a sympathizer of Hizmet movement, in my opinion those people committed treason against the unity of their country by taking part in an event where their own citizens lost their lives. They also violated the values that I have cherished throughout my life, and caused hundreds of thousands of innocent people to suffer under the government’s oppressive treatment.

    If there are those who acted under the influence of an interventionist culture that persists among some of the military officers and have put these interventionist reflexes before Hizmet values, which I believe is unlikely, then an entire movement cannot be blamed for the wrongdoings of those individuals.

    No one is above the rule of law, myself included. I would like for those who are responsible for this coup attempt, regardless of their identities, to receive the punishment they deserve if found guilty in a fair trial.  The Turkish judiciary has been politicized and controlled by the government since 2014 and, consequently, the possibility of a fair trial is very small. For this reason, I have advocated several times for the establishment of an international commission to investigate the coup attempt and I have expressed my commitment to abide by the findings of such a commission.

    I’ve witnessed every single military coup in Turkey and, like many other Turkish citizens, have suffered during and after each one. I was imprisoned by the order of the junta administration after the March 12, 1971 coup. After the coup of September 12, 1980, a detention warrant was issued against me and I lived as a fugitive for six years.

    Right after the February 28, 1997, post-modern military coup, a lawsuit asking for capital punishment was filed against me with the charge of “an unarmed terrorist organization consisting of one person.”

    During all of these oppressive, military-dominated administrations, three cases accusing me of “leading a terror organization” were opened and, in each case, I was cleared of the charges. I was targeted by the authoritarian military administrations back then, and now, I face the very same accusations projected in an even more unlawful manner by a civilian autocratic regime.

    I had friendly relations with leaders from various political parties, such as Mr. Turgut Ozal, Mr. Suleyman Demirel and Mr. Bulent Ecevit, and genuinely supported their policies that I found to be beneficial to the larger community. They treated me with respect, especially when recognizing Hizmet activities that contribute to social peace and education.

    Even though I distanced myself from the idea of political Islam, I praised the democratic reforms undertaken by Mr. Erdogan and AKP leaders during their first term in power.

    But throughout my life, I have stood against military coups and intervention in domestic politics. When I declared 20 years ago that “there is no turning back from democracy and secularism of the state,” I was accused and insulted by the same political Islamists who are close to the current administration. I still stand behind my words. More than 70 books based on my articles and sermons spanning 40 years are publicly available. Not only is there not a single expression that legitimizes the idea of a coup in these works, but, on the contrary, they discuss universal human values that are the foundation of democracy.

    Emancipating Turkey from the vicious cycle of authoritarianism is possible only through the adoption of a democratic culture and a merit-based administration. Neither a military coup nor a civilian autocracy is a solution.

    I openly call on the Turkish government to allow for an international commission to investigate the coup attempt, and promise my full cooperation in this matter. If the commission finds one-tenth of the accusations against me to be justified, I am ready to return to Turkey and receive the harshest punishment.

    The most important characteristic of the Hizmet movement is to not to seek political power, but instead to seek long-term solutions for the problems threatening the future of their societies. At a time when Muslim-majority societies are featured in the news for terror, bloodshed and underdevelopment, Hizmet participants have been focusing on raising educated generations who are open to dialogue and actively contributing to their societies.

    Since I have always believed that the biggest problems facing these societies are ignorance, intolerance-driven conflicts and poverty, I have always encouraged those who would listen to build schools instead of mosques or Quran tutoring centers.

    Hizmet participants are active in education, health care and humanitarian aid not only in Turkey, but also in more than 160 countries around the world. The most significant characteristic of these activities is that they serve people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds – not just Muslims.

    Despite receiving threats, I categorically condemned numerous times terrorist groups such as Al Qaida and ISIS who taint the bright face of Islam. However, the Turkish government is trying to convince governments around the world to act against schools that have been opened by individuals who did not take part in the July 15 coup attempt, and who have always categorically rejected violence. My appeal to governments around the world is that they ignore the Turkish government’s claims and reject its irrational demands.

    Indeed, the Turkish government’s political decision to designate the Hizmet movement as a terrorist organization resulted in the closure of institutions such as schools, hospitals and relief organizations. Those who have been jailed are teachers, entrepreneurs, doctors, academics and journalists. The government did not produce any evidence to show that the hundreds of thousands targeted in the government’s witch hunt supported the coup or that they were associated with any violence.

    It is impossible to justify actions such as burning down a cultural center in Paris, detaining or holding hostage family members of wanted individuals, denying detained journalists access to medical care, shutting down 35 hospitals and the humanitarian relief organization Kimse Yok Mu, or forcing 1,500 university deans to resign as part of a post-coup investigation.

    It appears that, by presenting the recent purges as efforts that target only Hizmet participants, the Turkish government is in fact removing anyone from the bureaucracy who is not loyal to the ruling party, while also intimidating civil society organizations. It is dreadful to see human rights violations occurring in Turkey, including the torture detailed in recent reports by Amnesty International. This is truly a human tragedy.

    The fact that the July 15 coup attempt – which was an anti-democratic intervention against an elected government – was foiled with Turkish citizens’ support is historically significant. However, the coup’s failure does not mean a victory for democracy. Neither the domination by a minority nor the domination of a majority that results in the oppression of a minority nor the rule of an elected autocrat is a true democracy.

    One cannot speak of democracy in the absence of the rule of law, separation of powers and essential human rights and freedoms, especially the freedom of expression. True victory for democracy in Turkey is only possible by reviving these core values.

    English translation originally published in Le Monde on August 10.

     

    • Gülen is an intellectual, preacher and a social advocate.

  • Rocking on a barber’s chair

    The Nigerian adage that you cannot step into the same water in a river twice may have been turned on its heads before our very eyes.  History is repeating itself with the same exactitude 30 years after since 1983 and even beyond.  In 1983, the ordinary Nigerian was confronted with bitter economic reality while politicians revelled in obscene looting of the treasury and display of wealth with great odium.  Basic and essential commodities like rice, milk, sugar etc., were in short supply while the ordinary citizen was short of feeding from the dustbin.  People were queuing for hours and sometimes waiting for days to purchase these basic food items and the country was said to be in recession.  There was decrepit infrastructural that were collapsing and the military regime that came referred to our hospitals as “merely consulting clinics”.

    As the nation was on a brink, the military staged a coup d’état that was headed by Major General Muhammadu Buhari as he then was.  The regime was welcomed with great jubilation but the honeymoon was short-lived because the government became draconic and insensitive leading to another palace coup by General Ibrahim Babaginda after about 22 months.  There was hardship in the land as the government of Babangida went into a frenzy of squander mania and corruption became institutionalized and the order of the day.

    The government hoisted on the nation IMF-prescribed economic reforms which came in the form of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).  The kernel of the SAP was to take IMF loans with stifling conditionality and devaluation of the national currency and the Nigerian people roundly rejected the IMF loan but the government went ahead with the loan any way.    The situation became so intolerable that in 1989, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) organized the most successful struggle against the auction of the Nigerian economy on the imperialists prescription in what was popularly known as “Anti-SAP Riot” across the country.

    Thirty years ago when the military sacked the government in power, we were told that the politicians were corrupt and most of them were tried in a military tribunal and sentenced up to 120 years in prison. For whatever mismanagement and recklessness, you cannot point to any exotic properties home or abroad that these politicians acquired and most of them died in abject poverty and without any noticeable estate.  However, compared with the present day politicians and political class, those politicians of 1980s were angels.

    Thirty years after, Nigeria is on the same critical juncture sitting on the edge and the same Muhammadu Buhari was again welcomed with enthusiasm but Nigeria is no longer a dictatorship and the man cannot employ garrison discipline and military diktat.  Given the haemorrhage that the country has suffered, were the same measure of trial to be brought on the present political class by the EFCC and the judiciary, none of them would get less than 500 years jail term.

    Today, people may not have started queuing for basic food items but the truth is that they do not have the purchasing power.   There is high level of unemployment and those who have jobs are not paid salaries and wages.  We are consumers of foreign goods and the value of our currency has crashed against the dollar.   We have rich and arable land with abundance of mineral resources that we are not able to harness.   The President and his ministers are busy globetrotting to beg foreign governments and companies for loan and exploitation of our mineral resources.

    There is hardly anything that the country is self-sufficient and capable of doing on her own to drive our economy which for years has been based on oil.  We have abundance of oil in the underbelly of our soil yet over the years, we cannot boast of engineers that can carry out routine maintenance of our refineries.  We have polytechnics and universities of technology where we turn out graduates and our government prefers to give every construction and engineering works to Chinese companies to execute and we deceive ourselves that we are going to create jobs for the army of unemployed graduates and youths.  This attitude of mental indolence is not the way to develop a country to be independent and self-reliant.  We cannot continue to be going round a circle and expect things to change.  The roads and other infrastructures given to these foreign companies to build collapse just as they are paid and move their equipment out of site only for the government  to re-award the same contract!  What a country!

    Now the government appears focused on chasing the economic brigands and fugitives rather than address unemployment, poverty, infrastructural deficit and choking insecurity.   No one can say of General Buhari that he is not patriotic, he is impatient and acerbic to corruption and this has not changed.   He seems not to have the right and knowledgeable people with practical understanding beyond their academic laurels to help him drive Nigerian economy.  There is too much political patronage and nepotism, the same cancerous disease of the past.  It is true that corruption is the bane of our country and should be fought and eliminated before it kills the nation but not to the neglect of other critical sectors.

    What is troubling is that the President still sees solution to Nigeria’s problems through the prism of 1983 military jacket whereas the world has moved on since.   The chorus from some ambitious politicians now is that restructuring the country is the only solution to our problems as a country.  Nigeria will not go anywhere even if we restructure the country to a single household.  As it was 30 years ago, we seem to be on the same spot on a barber’s chair swinging and rocking, all motion but no movement.

     

    • Kebonkwu Esq writes from Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.

     

  • A million jobs challenge

    I am sitting far away in the U.K, watching over my internet and on my laptop, the post Federal Executive Council of Nigeria of Wednesday August 10 press conference. The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed is both informing the media of and defending the deliberations of the council of that day on the Digitisation of Television in Nigeria. He is being asked why considering the state of things in Nigeria and the economy, the council spent the day’s meeting attending to only that issue.

    I am screaming in my mind ‘Finally’ and wondering why it has taken the government so long. Unknown to the reporter who asked the question, the council has just deliberated on one of the few issues that can save Nigeria and its economy in the wake of falling oil prices and an urgent need for diversification of the economy. It was sweet music to my ears because until that meeting, the creative industries had not featured in any of the identified sectors or industries by all the economic panels, reviews, retreats, discussions, agendas of the government.

    By creative industries, I mean Television, Music, Film Production, Advertising and Arts. How could they have missed these industries which have turned the fortunes of California, Mumbai, Turkey, Brazil, Dubai, Australia etc. and made them economic giants?

    Our Nollywood, with little or no strategic government investment or plan is one of the three largest film industries in the world. Our music is fast becoming the most travelled music anywhere in the world and our TV market with little or no formal production ecosystem is the largest on the continent and all the above in a country with over 180 million people, 24 million TV households and the fastest growing mobile data penetration on the African continent. Do not mention that at the last election, over 50% of the electorate were between the ages of 18 and 35. The dream target market for media products!

    I believe in the statement that wealth is created where there is energy, therefore welcome to Nigeria. The Digitalization of television in Nigeria can create and fine-tune at least one million jobs within three years and I will explain why in brief, taking a cue from the Honourable Minister.

    Manufacturing. Digitization requires all homes to have a Set top Box or Smart TV. Connectivity to the internet may also be by a 3-G dongle attached to the boxes. When we talk about 24 million boxes/tvs, not even 20 manufacturers can comfortably produce the initial requirement and feed the growth market. Furthermore, our position in West Africa coupled with our size makes us the definite source of these products for the whole West Africa.  40- 50 thousand jobs?

    TV Production. Digitization will make it possible to have at least 180 state channels, 30 regional channels and at least 10 National channels, catering for local music, news, film, children programming and sports. It will create better competition because you can measure which programmes people are watching so that value is rewarded thus transforming our TV channels from being airtime sales companies to production hubs to get good ratings. 200 thousand jobs?

    Digitization will enhance the full propagation of local content being emphasized by NBC. Also, the clamour for community broadcasting will have reduced setbacks as more people will go into production business and diversification of channel building will have enormous growth from what is currently obtainable in the content market. TV production will create over 200 thousand jobs.

    Film Production.  As Nollywood moved from VHS tapes to VCD and DVD, it will move to Push and Subscription Video On Demand on the STB and online, bringing piracy to the lowest ever and making distribution cheaper and easier and putting much more money into the hands of film producers who will create more films of better quality and ultimately surpassing 2000 movies a year. Writers, lightning, sound, camera, location, editing, actresses, actors, insurance costume etc. professionals will blow up. 350-400 thousand jobs?

    As an extension to the booming production business, Nigeria will finally grow the capacity to meet the quality demand of fully indigenous content creations which will bring back over $100m currently exported to South Africa, Europe, USA by Nigerian producers while seamlessly expanding the tourism potential of Nigeria as the rest of Africa come to Nigeria for high quality production. The knock on effect of this on fashion, technical skills transfers, Cosmetics etc. is endless. 200 thousand jobs?

    Distribution. To supply the market with stb’s, tvs, dongles, internet required, we will need wholesalers, retailers, electricians, installers, payment solutions in order to cover the most hinterlands of our great country. Non-graduates and graduates with all sorts of sales and marketing skills. 100 thousand jobs?

    TV and Online Advertising. The concept of advertising will become more local than national because you can target customers at the bottom of the income bracket with products specific to their needs and location and of course fast moving consumer goods will have more forensic proof of their customers and what they watch and where they are.  This is the story of new commerce all over the world and the elevation of the customer as king. 50 thousand jobs?

    Data. The problem with internet to every home or what is called the last mile will be finally solved. The Set top Box in every home will deliver internet and consequently access and commerce to every home. Apps will be created to offer goods and services and for interaction and entertainment at every level. And most importantly, the spectrum that is freed up by digitization will become much more monetizable by the mobile/data companies and therefore more valuable to government. In addition, there are cross-sector employment opportunities most especially in the telecommunications and construction sectors justifying more investment in the current infrastructure. 200 thousand technology jobs by internet entrepreneurs?

    I have not touched on education and training for the industry, financing its various facets via venture capital and direct infrastructural requirement and equipment and management and/or consulting services.  How about the foreign exchange earnings from selling and distributing our Films, Music and TV shows all over the world and the foreign direct investments into the country by companies looking for a slice of the last frontier?  The boost to the advertising industry that will finally bring it to the level that our GDP dictates. This government can truly create one million jobs in three years from the Digital Switch Over project and this is a challenge to all of us.

    I celebrate with President Buhari and his team for their declared commitment, and big prayers for the ministers and directorates that will execute it and of course the business sectors that will work out the functioning of the whole industry.  It is the turn of Nigerians.

     

    • Subair is a Media Executive/Entrepreneur.

  • Corruption and Underdevelopment

    In his book: How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney, Guyanese scholar and activist, logically linked Africa’s underdevelopment to the exploitation suffered in the hands of capitalist Europe and North America. But perhaps what is sustaining Africa’s underdevelopment more than any other cause is corruption. This is particularly so in Nigeria. So, as Rodney argued with regards to solving Africa’s underdevelopment, unless the cankerworm of corruption is bucked in Nigeria, not much progress can be made.

    As independent Nigeria gets older, the tragedy seemsmore compounded. For it is the public officials, particularly the political elites, which is in control ofrelevant state agencies that is also the biggest culprit in the business of corruption. So, for a real change to take place, it is either the politicalelites willingly commit to change or it is forcedto change, before our country can make any form of genuineprogress for the sorely needed development.

    Of note, our challenge is unlike in the capitalist Europe and North America, where their political leaders are not the major culprits in the business of corruption, and so can choose to fight it, if they wish. Here, the major culprits are the public officials, who use their privileged positions to steal from the common till. Perhaps the avowed determination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government ‘to kill corruption’, even when that effort and failings elsewhere are making his government increasingly vulnerable and less popular, is a manifestation of this great dilemma.

    The checklist of allegations of massive corruption within the ruling political class dates back to the first republic. It also permeated the military ruling class that forcefully overthrew the corrupt civilian government. If we are to believe those who sacked the second republic, corruption was the reason for their intervention, but soon enough, the new military overlords also overran the civilians in corrupt practices. Our recent political leaders have fared even worse, and the direct effect on our country is debilitating poverty everywhere.

    Reading through Rodney’s book, it is such a huge tragedy that more than 40 years after he wrote his thesis, his analysis of the challenges facing the underdeveloped countries remain quite similar. Way back in 1972, Rodney wrote: “Much of the national income which remains within the country goes to pay individuals who are not directly involved in producing wealth but only in rendering auxiliary services –civil servants, merchants, soldiers, entertainers, etc….”

    Rodney thus propounded: “It has been noted with irony that the principal ‘industry’ of many underdeveloped countries is administration”. Nigeria is a principal culprit of this averment. Take our bloated civil service, whether at the centre or in the states; that ‘unproductive industry’ is so massive, and despite attempts, no government has been able to bring the number close to what is merely needed for efficiency. In recent times, the entire energy of many state executive governors are now concentrated on how to meet the financial obligations of this ‘unproductive industry’.

    Even the largely ‘unproductive 36 state executives’ across the country, is a further manifestation of this challenge. Many have correctly argued that with the 774 local governments and 36 states, Nigeria is more poorly governed than in the first republic, with much less administrative organs.Again, with recent re-indictment of about 31 former chief executives of states who served between 1999 and 2011 by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, it is clear that what we suffer is a double whammy, with an ‘over-bloated unproductive’ bureaucracy plus massive corruption.

    The recent $15 billion Dasukigate scandal trailing the Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential era, the current allegations of fraudulent insertionsin the 2016 budget and the allegation of N17 billion fraud against the tainted whistle-blower of the so-called padding in the 2016 budget, AbdulmuminJibrin, are all further concrete manifestationsthat our political leaders are akin to plagues embedded in massive corruption. With public officials helping themselves with billions of dollars and naira which should have been channelled to development,it is clear why our nation and its infrastructure are in complete mess.

    For a good number of Nigerians, PMB even with his best efforts can only make a dent in the fight against corruption. To these group, many of those serving in Buhari’s government are as corrupt as those in the previous era, and so for them the change mantra is a fluke. As Rodney argued, African must first become self-conscious of the debilitating challenges of their past, before they can make any genuine progress. Also, Nigerians must consciously realise the impact of corruption on its festering underdevelopment, before they can rouse themselves to confront the monster.

    Arguing on the dependency of Africa on the developed countries, Rodney wrote: “African economies are integrated into the very structure of the developed capitalist economies… Indeed, structural dependence is one of the characteristics of underdevelopment”. In the same manner, corruption and its consequent underdevelopment has created a structural dependency of the critical middle class on the political elites. Now, for their survival, the middle hasopted to accommodate and evenmassage the bloated egos of the corrupt public officials holding the key to the commonwealth.

    As things stand, corruption and underdevelopment has become a conundrum in Nigeria. This perhaps explains why instead of hope rising from the efforts of the present government to fight corruption, it appears that the people are getting more despondent, because the government’s best efforts are not yielding the desired results, as quickly as expected. And how can it, when those mostly affected by corruption have become so dependent on the lucre from corruption that some are evenready to lay down their lives to protect the very corrupt public officials, whose corruption further their underdevelopment.

    So, regardless of the introduction of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, to bring greater efficiency into our criminal justice system, frustration is still the name of the game. In reality, when a procedure that has worked well in developed countries is introduced into our underdeveloped system, the twin challenges of corruption and underdevelopment connive to render it otiose, just as it has connived to castrate the change agents in any society – the middle class.

    For now,while corruption wrecks our commonwealth, underdevelopment wrecks our self-worth and our capacity to hold the corrupt to account.That is the twin tragedy of our nation and the result is a cycle of underdevelopment. From its effort so far, the government of PMB believes that the answer lies in fighting corruption head-on, and regardless of any misgiving the regime is confronting the monster. While the expected result is slow in coming, at least there is widespread exposure of corruption, which is a huge achievement in itself.

    But quite a number of Nigerians believe that the answer to the incipient corruption and the consequent underdevelopmentlies in re-structuring the country or sub-dividing it, so that the new entities can make the needed effort to hold its own leaders accountable. Others argue stringently that our present structure is good enough, and what is lacking is patience. While the argument goes forth and back, corruption and underdevelopment continuous to surge, and by itself,may bring an end to our country.

     

  • Restructuring and the Yoruba agenda

    The submission of the former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON on the restructuring of the Nigerian political system is very instructive.

    Likewise are the submissions also of Pastor Tunde Bakare, General Alani Ipoola Akinrinade (Rtd.), Mohammed Haruna, Senator Musa Adede, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Chief Wole Olanipekun, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Senator Femi Okunronmu and others.

    I have read the four books by Colonel Tony Nyiam (Rtd.) especially his 169-page book on “TRUE FEDERAL DEMOCRACY OR AWAITING IMPLOSION?” I agree with his suggestion on the need for the creation for a National Institute for the strategic management of Nigeria’s Security. And those who know Nigeria well enough don’t joke with the views of Colonel Nyiam.

    During the tenure of General Sani Abacha, leaders and Obas in Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ogun met on April 6, 1994 in Abeokuta. At the end of the meeting a draft memorandum was prepared by a committee. As a follow up of the Abeokuta meeting, a memorandum was prepared and approved at a meeting held on May 11 1994 in Akure. The memorandum was adopted by acclamation at the Akure meeting. That memorandum represented the soul and authoritative views of all the Obas, Chiefs, Leaders of Thought and the entire People of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    To me the views represents till today the authentic views of the Yoruba people on the issue of restructuring.

    They declared” We are convinced that the cause of Nigeria’s federalism will be well and truly advanced if we return to the pre-1996 evolutionary path: a balanced federal structure which recognizes fully the legitimate claims of all ethnic groups for self-determination and where no single entity among the federating units will be strong or powerful enough to hold the others to ransom, but where each of the federating units is large enough, both in terms of size and population as well as of resources, to be viable, self-reliant and dynamic. Other relevant factors include the homogeneity of each federating unit, geographic contiguity among the units of a region and demonstrable willingness to be together. In pursuance of the principle of self-determination and in the interest of the sustainability, any state or community shall have the opportunity to decide, through the democratic process, the region of its choice in the light of these criteria. In the light of the foregoing criteria, we propose the restructuring of Nigeria into six federating units to be known as regions. The six regions shall be Western, Eastern, Southern, North-Western, North-Eastern and Middle Belt Regions. The Western Region will group together the following States: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo and all other Yoruba-speaking communities wherever they may be in the federation. The states that will constitute the other regions will be decided by their people subject to the observation of the principle of self-determination”. With the restructuring into six viable and potentially dynamic and prosperous regions, individually and collectively serving as a countervailing force to the centralizing tendencies of the centre, Nigeria will be constituted a federation of six regions. Each would have the power to prepare its own constitution and determine its political structure, its legislative organs and the structure of its executive, provided that nothing in the constitution of the regions conflicts with the fundamental tenets of federalism and with principles of the federal constitution.

    The function of the federal government must be clearly spelt out. Residual powers must lie with the regions. The federal government shall have no power to interfere in or take over any function of the regional government. Similarly, it shall have no power to interfere with the operations of any regional government. Each region shall determine the number functions and power of its constituent institutions.

    The National Assembly shall be bi-cameral: House of the People and the Upper House. Members shall be elected or designated for a period of four years with the possibility of re-election. Membership of the House of the People shall be by universal suffrage with constituencies delineated on the basis of population, contiguity, homogeneity and territorial expanse. Each region shall send an equal number of representatives to the Upper House, one-quarter of whom must be traditional ruler from within that region. Each region will be free to determine the basis and method of election/selection of its representative to that House.

    The Head of Government shall be the Prime Minister who shall be appointed by the President. The person to be so appointed, shall be the leader of the party or of a coalition of parties which has the support of the majority of the members of the House of the People. Whenever he loses such support, he shall resign or be dismissed. The Prime Minister shall be free to form his government which must receive the immediate endorsement of the House of the people through a vote of confidence. The Prime Minister shall resign or be dismissed whenever the majority of the House of the People withdraws its support.

    There shall be provision for power-sharing in the constitution. Power configuration shall be accorded a zoning status on rotational basis. For this purpose, five key portfolios (such as Internal Affairs and Petroleum) in addition to the office of the Prime Minister, shall be identified in the constitution and be assigned to five Deputy Prime Ministers drawn from the five regions, other than region from which the Prime Minster hails. For avoidance of doubt, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers and all members of government shall be elected members of the House of the People.”

    “The principle of derivation in which each region will retain an overwhelming share, if not all, of the revenue accruing from the tax imposed on the natural resources within its territory, shall apply. Revenue from the exploitation and custom duties shall be put in distributable pool account to be shared between the federal and the regional governments in accordance with an agreed formula, but with special consideration being given to the region(s) where the facilities for their collection are located. Every effort must be made to achieve self-reliance in mobilizing resources by all the regions and the federation. In particular, no region must take proportionally more than what it contributes to the federation financially. There shall be no direct federal allocation to state local governments. With regard to the power of personal and direct taxation, such as personal income tax, capital-gains tax, sales tax and property tax, governments shall have the right to levy them that provided that, in order to ensure efficiency, a uniform tax base should be applied and tax rate split between the federal and regional governments. The rate of tax can differ from region to region so that regional revenue can be enhanced to respond to the special needs of a particular region and in accordance with the ability and willingness if the citizens to pay higher taxes”.

    These were the views expressed 22 years ago. These views are still being re-echoed today because they are important and vital to our co-existence as a nation. The question is no longer whether restructuring is desired or not; we have passed that stage. The issue is when and how it will be implemented without amending the present presidential constitution that is in use. Will the present legislators and the executives allow for such an amendment knowing fully well that the present system benefits them?

     

    • Teniola, a former director at the presidency, stays in Lagos.

  • Understanding the dynamics of real estate sector

    Is it possible to ask for the price of a Bentley in exchange of the quality of a Toyota? Impossible! Any sane person knows that. While many will consider this outrageous, it is indeed a stark reminder of the realities experienced in Nigeria’s real estate industry.

     As an avid property enthusiast, developer or an observer, you must have noticed the surge in the number of empty apartments in Ikoyi over the last few years. This disturbing phenomenon must have prompted the well-informed and educative research publication of economy watch, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, last week, which pointed out that “the number of vacant properties in the upper class real estate neighbourhoods of Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi has risen by 72 percent over the last 18 months”.

    The padded cost of construction. Buyer Beware! This has become a motto on a whole new level for perceptive investors, who seek the much-deserved value for money. I can’t stress enough, the fact that the era of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop is long gone. To avoid drawing hasty conclusions and to guide our investment choices, investors should only listen to industry experts and verifiable perspectives as seen in the FDC research, and avoid the bandwagon of those listening to jaundiced opinions, which are quite popular.  For example, the fact that former UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Nigeria was ‘fantastically corrupt’, did not in fact mean each and every Nigerian was. Also, the fact that a few celebrities find themselves enmeshed in marital problems does not always mean that the marital life of every Nigerian is in danger. To put this more clearly, apartments that should not cost more than N100 million are costing investors N400 million to construct.  Therefore owners have no other choice than to let out the apartment at N40 million, transferring the padded cost of construction to tenants.

    ‘What’s the difference between the locally fried plantain bits sold in remote areas and its counterpart, the plantain chips sold in urban areas? Have you ever wondered why a good meal prepared in Ijebu Ode would cost less than one sold in Lagos? An estimated rental for an apartment in Ikoyi is about $80,000. The same apartment in Lekki would cost $30,000. What do you think makes the difference? VALUE – price, quality and location put together in the same place! If location is a fundamental principle in real estate, how much more luxury real estate?

    A developer who compromises on the quality of materials, no matter how highbrow the property’s location, has no right to place an exorbitant price on it. Thus, the argument for demand exceeding supply, as far as empty apartments in Ikoyi go, is unfounded.

    Luxury apartments are in high demand. Poorly finished buildings with exorbitant prices constitute the pile of empty apartments constantly being alluded to.

    During my interview on CNBC Africa, I once pointed out that luxury is not expensive. It is the intention to deliver luxury that is expensive. While the cost of a nice three-bedroom apartment in Johannesburg would go for about $350,000 the same apartment in Ikoyi would want $1M. If the cost of construction materials is the same all over the world, the price of marble, granite, cement, tiles, kitchen, doors paints etc, why is cost in Nigeria about 300% higher?

    A delicious meal requires a lot of money. You cannot offer a Toyota for the price of a Bentley. One might argue that both cars will eventually ply the same road but the efficiency and prestige of a Bentley speaks for itself. Luxury sells itself.   When you sell luxury, you sell peace of mind, you have not only sold something that would last for generations, but you win the heart of your client who now becomes your evangelist.

    With the oil price plummet and downtrend of major economies across the world, individuals and organizations no longer have loose money to throw around. And with the current downsizing by companies, prospective tenants demand full value for their hard-earned money.

    Nigerian developers must realise that times have changed. The ‘quick fix – quick gain’ syndrome has ended. Real estate developers who fail to understand that the current investors and real estate enthusiasts are upbeat about quality and finishing after having seen same from their travels around the world will soon fade away.

    If we desire to be the best and want to compete with foreign developers such as the Germans, Lebanese and Italians that have spent decades mastering their craft, we will need to raise our standards in the Nigerian construction market.  Or else, one day we would wake up to find all our apartments empty.

     

    • Ogundele, a real estate practitioner writes from Lagos.