The Nation Newspaper

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  • Tambuwal: History will absolve us

    One of the major beauties of democracy is in its innate tenets of freedoms – of choice, expression and association which allows the individual or group if they so choose to participate in the various political processes without coercion. These qualities as envisaged by the proponents of this enduring governance framework creates the needed platform for all political gladiators to negotiate their interests allowing its institutions to mediate peacefully the diverse outcomes to ensure that the system continues sustainably without imploding.

    It is on this plank that I situate the defection of the Speaker of the House of Representative – Hon. Aminu Tambuwal from his erstwhile party the PDP to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    We believe that the practice of democracy is a process that allows for continuous learning as we test and allow each precept to go through the fire that the various democratic institutions generate. It is this testing and their outcomes that sends the correct signals to all stakeholders on the right actions and steps to take in every given situation and it is these that also builds democratic values, norms and traditions. An accumulation of these invisibles eventually become the foundation for measuring the maturity of such democracies.

    Democracy especially its practice is not a 100 meters dash but a marathon that transcends many ages, individuals and climes. As one in a marathon, it therefore requires serious patience and endurance if we are to make any serious success out of the whole exercise. If our intentions are to make Nigerian democracy very enduring then, we should not be in a haste to take certain actions rather we must allow all the democratic processes to be carefully followed and exhausted before taking any action. It is only on such predicates that such actions taken can be adjudged to be right and democratic but any other way, abridges democratic practice and culture and is thus aberrant.

    Having laid this foundation and understanding so that some may not misunderstand the trajectory of my intervention, it becomes imperative to say clearly that the response of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) –Suleiman Abba under the presumed instruction or acquiescence of President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP is not just irresponsible but does not in any way help in building our democracy. We see it as a slap and derogation of our democratic culture and traditions and has caused a very steep setback to the efforts of well – meaning Nigerians to build democratic culture and practice in the country. It’s indeed a great leap backwards.

    We had thought that in a country that is desirous of ensuring that we move forward and given the recent avowals of the federal Government to enthrone fairness and equity in all its activities especially as we move towards 2015 that this event would have been used as one of those test cases; a watershed. Unfortunately, we are all about to lose the learning which this affords us as a nation to build our democracy. In this unfolding frenzy, the productive side of the entire event will be lost in the melee with everybody going back to business as usual afterwards. This is not the way to build a democracy and this is definitely not the way nations that are aspiring to be amongst the top 20 in the global economy behave.

    The right step was for the PDP which rightly lost its member to the APC or any other aggrieved party for that matter to have sought the interpretation of the courts in this matter before embarking on such ruinous action of withdrawing the official security attached to the Speaker. It is not Aminu Tambuwal that owns that office so, anything that denigrates that office does not denigrate Tambuwal but is a reduction of that hallowed office and a definite reduction in the collective weight of our democratic value and culture.

    If the PDP or for that matter the Police were desirous of pursuing the hallowed path of democracy, the option would be to immediately set in motion the process of getting the courts to decide the fate of the Speaker and this is a right which nobody will query but deciding to usurp the powers of the courts is rather anti-democratic.

    When this has been tested in the courts, the outcomes either way will have positive impact on the political landscape as it will add value to the practice of democracy in Nigeria and help in redirecting future actions in this regard. As political actors learn from this experience, political decisions and actions would become better guided in the future with all stakeholders knowing what the implications of their actions are especially when it has become very glaring that if this is allowed as the PDP has shown in the recent past to rest in the perceived good judgment of some interested parties, there will be an overriding predilection to greater and higher impunity and overdose of partiality.

    While some will argue that the withdrawal of the security details of the honourable speaker does not amount to removal from office, out position remains that it does amount to the IGP and his paymasters arrogating to themselves the power to assume that the speaker has lost his position and seat in the House thus no longer deserves the official benefits of that hallowed office. It is also in this implicit that the case of not just abuse of democratic process is expressed but the desecration of our democratic values.

    How else can we explain the action of the administrators of the House of Representatives who hurriedly removed all paraphernalia of office belonging to the Speaker including portraits from where they were originally?

    We urge the PDP if they feel too concerned over that decision of the Speaker to quit their party to approach the courts and not be afraid about the outcomes of such judicial process as most of the judges are also appointees of the same PDP-led federal government. One wonders why the PDP should be afraid of seeking legal redress in the law courts which they clearly control. This perhaps may turn out to be their greatest contribution to Nigeria’s politics and democracy since they have failed woefully in their effort to give Nigeria a semblance of the benefits of democracy since 1999.

    It even becomes more exigent as we approach the final few months before the 2015 elections that all political actors should eschew any act that may send the wrong signal not only to other contenders in the political arena but to the international community especially our development partners. We must as a nation aspire to get 2015 right so that we can at least regain some of our lost international prestige since the advent of this civilian democracy especially under the watch of the PDP led federal Government.

    Two wrongs they say does not make a right. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a maxim that is not known to democratic traditions. No matter the provisions of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, tit for tat as an instrument of governance in this case is not creative and cannot support our quest for higher democratic ideals but lends to the pull down; water it down mentality that seems to have pervaded our polity. It is definitely an ill-wind that will not blow anybody good.

    Our institutions of governance ought to be allowed to work and all democratic processes exhaustively and patiently followed in all situations. Patience is a virtue in governance and whatever position we hold, it is important that we persevere in all things as that is the only way all national stakeholders will have a buy-in into the eventual outcomes. When processes are followed, justice will not only be done but will be seen to have been done. That is the way to carry everybody along and foster unity amongst the diverse cleavages that make up our polity.

    Finally, it is important that we see the opportunity which this event has offered us as a nation in our political learning curve to grab it and use it to assiduously deepen our democratic traditions and practice. We must not lose it and I pray that we all see the collective consequences of our actions so that together we will be awakened into seeing this as a collective action to ensure that those who have allowed themselves to commit that error immediately and gallantly reverses themselves. There is no shame in admitting a mistake but entirely it is adjudged on the side of greatness.

     

    • Honourable Jimoh is a member of Lagos State House of Assembly

  • Questions Oritsejafor must answer on botched arms deal

    Reacting to Rev. Chris Okotie’s article on the cash-for-arms deal, which resulted in a diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa, an official of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and some government apologists have been trying to make a case for Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s innocence over his personal aircraft’s involvement in the botched $9.3 million deal. So, those who have issues with his connections and the arguments being advanced on his behalf by CAN and government are being cautious in the face of possible emergence of incriminating evidence against the clergyman.

    Suspicion of his involvement in the scandal is further reinforced by the refusal of many Nigerians to believe government, his primary defender. After Rev. Okotie and many other critics condemned Pastor Oritsejafor’s action, it is not hard to fathom why the scrawny excuses being peddled to exculpate the pastor don’t seem to hold water. Uneasy, they say, lies the head that wears the crown. The CAN president must realize this fact instead of passing insults on Rev. Okotie over his comments.

    How come the staff of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other departments of government usually involved in international financial transactions did not ‘remember’ that the authorities in South Africa had to be officially informed?

    Were the necessary forms and documents not filled to cover this transaction? Were these departments not carried along to ensure proper documentation and transparency?

    And if it was contracted out as a private business, why was it government’s duty to charter the plane? Why does government need to assist a private contractor in carrying out his business? Why the secrecy about the identity of the two Nigerians who were on the flight? Has the EFCC or ICPC waded into the issues? More questions than answers.

    The law allows the different forces to procure their arms by themselves. But if the office of the National Security Adviser, which is believed to have signed the contract for the purchase, is directly involved in the deal, then proper security checks must have been carried out on the ownership and safety details of the aircraft. This means the name of Oritsejafor might have come up and they found in him a willing ally, because the aircraft would not have been used if it belonged to a member of the opposition or someone who was not in the President’s good books.

    Would the government have played this kind of game in the United States or the United Kingdom; funneling undeclared funds into other countries to purchase arms in the black market on the excuse that they forgot to notify the authorities? Not very likely. Those countries would definitely not just sweep things under the carpet. All these added to the suspicion.

    There were two aircrafts involved in the deal. One of them belonged to Pastor Oritsejafor while the second was registered by Felix Idiga, who owns Jafac Aviation Limited, the operator of the former’s aircraft. In all this, Felix Idiga, his aircraft and Jafac have barely received a mention. But what is the link between Jonathan, Oritsejafor and Idiga?

    In Nigeria, being this close to the President is tantamount to being in government itself. One thing is sure: government will never proffer details which will make it possible for a honest and independent assessment of the facts involved, and the aircraft operators themselves cannot defend themselves against a field of intelligent questions, for fear of giving away too much incriminating information. The FOI Bill is just what we need here.

    People the world over naturally raise questions about the connections between events and personages. Remember General Buhari, the 28 suitcases and the Umaru Dikko kidnap saga, as well as the IBB government and Dele Giwa’s murder. Public perception of relationships between the foregoing personages and events is in spite of absence of any concrete evidence. Given past knowledge with governments and their comfortable dance with political chicanery, it is hard to believe that the coincidences will not fuel suspicion.

    This is a case of the burden of proof against the shadow of doubt, which does not help in mitigating the force of the suspicion, and making the case for Oritsejafor’s innocence a hard sell. Conventional wisdom stands against this PR spin. Worse still, to have answered Rev. Okotie with his domestic issues, which is common to us mortals, is the height of mischief.

    Pastor Oritsejafor’s calm mien in the face of the storm is not evidence of innocence. No one in his ‘defence team’ has been able to repudiate the allegations and questions postulated from various quarters with even the simplest of logical answers. He should be man enough to come out clean. Too many fingers are pointing at him.

    This sordid affair is the fruit of President Jonathan and Pastor Oritsejafor’s symbiotic and civil, political partnership: Two people who are well aware that they are exploiting each other’s office which offers them a platform for their personal and mutual benefits. Why didn’t Pastor Oritsejafor play buddies with Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo or Umaru Musa Yar-Adua if his intention is to use his ‘good’ Christian position to help the efforts of the President?

    Who says the ruling cabal is not using the hoopla as a bargaining chip to douse the Christian political awakening by bringing their leadership into disrepute? This is politics. These questions arising in different quarters have left this scar open to political infections, so Pastor Oritsejafor cannot simply discountenance the valid worries of the Christian community, no matter how unimportant they seem to him. No true leader will do that.

    Politics is an art of persuasion and Pastor Oritsejafor lacks the requisite skills to tango in the political minefield. He will find out that politicians are duplicitous back-stabbers, and he may yet get his fingers burnt. When you dine with the devil, you use a long fork. This adage has some element of truth in it. The failure to heed this advice is why Pastor Oritsejafor is embroiled in the present integrity conundrum that he finds himself. And the conundrum is thick. This is why I agree with Rev. Okotie that he should quit the CAN job.

    • Adedotun wrote in from Osogbo, Osun State

  • Ugwuanyi: A personal encounter

    There are two things, in my view, that define a man: his spirit of philanthropy and sense of community. A man who gives freely of his possessions to others does the will of God and is always on top (as the late MKO Abiola would say, the hand that gives is always on top).

    Similarly, a successful man is actually one who easily connects with and does things for, or the will of, his people. Such a man has a strong, powerful kindred spirit, a keen sense of community and is almost always called upon to lead.

    Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, PDP consensus candidate for the Enugu governorshiprace next year, a grassroots politician and a cheerful giver, fits this bill very well. He is one of the few men in his generation in our part of Igboland about whom the people can veritably say “here is our leader in whom we are well pleased.” I am yet to see a politician in Enugu State whose choice as a governorship candidate has generated such widespread interest and acclaim as Ugwuanyi’s.

    When Dr. Ike Abugu, an engineer and small and medium enterprises scholar died in the ill-fated Dana Air crash of June 3, 2012, it fell on some of us his relatives, friends and associates living with him in Lagos, to organize a befitting burial for the Russian-trained metallurgical engineer. We formed a burial committee where one was appointed chairman of the publicity sub-committee. The publicity sub-committee processed and produced the burial programme brochure, posters, banners and T-shirts. It also made radio/TV announcements and placed adverts in newspapers. Emma, Ike’s younger brother, a chartered accountant and a former bank executive director, is a well-heeled young man and could easily have financed his brother’s burial. But, chairman of the burial committee Bishop Oscar Ossai, founder/pastor of the City of Refuge, Ogudu GRA, Lagos, and co-chairman Dr. Nick Okonkwo Idoko, lecturer, peace advocate and radio presenter, had reasoned that the job of the committee was not just to come and draw up budget for the burial but to raise money to support the burial effort as well.

    On that note, we started reeling off names of Ike’s friends and associates to contact. Quickly, we ticked off Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, Dikeora Ogidi and a senatorial aspirant on the platform of PDP for Anambra Central; Vita Abba, chairman PDP, Enugu State; Okey Ezea (IdekeNsukka), Labour Party governorship candidate for 2011in Enugu State and chairman of Ideke Holdings; Senator Ayogu Eze, chairman Senate Committee on Works;  Charlie Ugwu (Onowu Igugu), a lawyer and estate magnate, Abuja; Olisaemeka Ugwunze of MESCANA Holdings Lagos and Prince Emeka Mamah, Chairman Ifesinachi Industries and Ifex Couriers (Nigeria Ltd), among others. One of the committee members, Hillary Ogili, a freight forwarder, public affairs analyst and politician, then whispered into my ears: “O’l boy, put down Gburugburu (Hon. Ugwuanyi’s) name.” Okay, I said, but I didn’t have his number. And in any case, I didn’t know how familiar he was with Dr. Abugu…the names we had written down were people with whom we shared friendship with Abugu. But Larry assured that he would provide Gburugburu’s number, stressing that going by Abugu’s gregarious nature and Hon. Ugwuanyi’s penchant for connecting with people, especially with members of his Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, how sure was I that he didn’t know Ike personally? So, I put down his name.

    To be sure, we got very encouraging responses from the aforementioned people and much more. But, the interesting thing about Ugwuanyi’s contribution was that it was the only one made largely in blind trust—he didn’t know me very well and it turned out that he wasn’t quite familiar with Dr. Abugu either. But he was moved by the fact that such a prominent person from his constituency had died in such horrible circumstances, to make a generous contribution. He was in South Korea attending to his official assignment as chairman of the House Committee on Maritime when all this was happening. Could I kindly meet him at the airport on Saturday (he sent the text on Thursday evening), to collect his own contribution? The rest is history, as they say.

    Before, then I had met Ugwuanyi briefly at a function in a very telling circumstance. In November 2009, my club, Ezike Diamond Club had, in collaboration with the Movement for the Creation of Adada State, organized a lecture at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, with the theme State Creation: Imperative of Adada in the South East, to which many prominent people from the South-east, Enugu State in particular, had been invited. Hon. Ugwuanyi, a tall, huge man, had come in quietly and sat in the crowd: no frills, no fanfare, and no airs. I was introducing guests to the high-table as we waited for the official compere to arrive without even looking towards the direction where Hon. Ugwuanyi sat when club chairman Ted Ojimba, feeling very uncomfortable, ran to me and asked why I hadn’t introduced Gburugburu; did I not know him?

    Of course I knew him by reputation, but I had hitherto not met the PDP consensus candidate for Enugu 2015 governorship election, and so didn’t know he was the one sitting where he sat. I was later to discover that he constantly signaled to people who went to greet him not to hail him loudly so as not to disrupt proceedings, otherwise the hall would have broken out in thunderous Gburugburu!

    Two character traits are obvious here: empathy and humility. Ugwuanyi is typical of the biblical concept of the good man, one who rejoices with those who rejoice and mourns with those who mourn. He is also the type that humbles himself that the good Lord may exalt him. If a leader has these two qualities in good measures, he is certain to excel. Think of Bill Clinton and you have the portrait of Enugu Governor-in-waiting.

  • Comments

    Comments

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    Tambuwal’s defection doesn’t make any difference. As speaker, how many laws did he enact for the benefit of Nigerians? No amount of cross carpeting, blackmail or deceit will make the average Nigerian not to vote whoever he chooses. They are all the same. From Robert, Port Harcourt.

    It is when the wind blows that we see the anus of church chicken. Soon PDP shall stand naked. Pity Dog Pity* Anonymous

    Tambuwal’s defection is part of inevitable change that will happen in 2015 presidential election. No power of incumbency can stop it except APC allow the opportunity to slip. Anonymous

    Sir, you have said it all. They PDP were in the Glass house and they throw stones. Nothing disturbs the opponent APC to destroy PDP house. It is if you Tarka me I Daboh you. Nigerians are no more fools. They have wise up. From Isaiah O. Fakunle

    A good piece, hope the opposition will put their acts together and win the election at the centre. Anonymous

    Why some of us do not bother about hon tambuwal is that he is the same hausafulani stock that has ruined this country.this comeback attempt to continue to pillage nigeria after jonathan has repaired our railways will not work. Anonymous

    I congratulate our (Nigerians) Honorable House Speaker for taking this bold step. It’s now better for the wise to know where the future of this entity called Nigeria is heading for -Definitely Nigeria is sailing to a safe island with this development. From I.O. AJIJOLA, Unilorin.

    Honourable Tambuwal’s defection is the genesis of PDP down fall, there is hope for Nigerians. From Dr Maduike, Ideato South, Imo State.

    Tambuwa defection is democracy in action and a right step towards rescuing Nigeria from the People Deception’s Party woos and bad leadership inhibiting Nigeria progress. Anonymous

    If it is truth that President Jonathan belong to the class of the wise leaders in the world as TAN always claimed in there jingles, why then order AIG the withdrawal of Honourable Tambuwal’s security personnel? From Comrade Isola Olamilekan, Area 10 Garki Abuja

    PDP has again shown its anarchistic nature by using state institutions to fight political opponents. The withdrawal of the security personnel attached to the speaker of the House of Representatives is indeed provocative and an abuse to the collective sensitivity of all Nigerians. Anonymous

    Mr Omotoso, lf your “Editorial Notebook” isn’t translated into a book. You would have done great injustice to Journalism. Keep it up! From Abdullahi Ali Mama, Nasarawa State.

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Reaching a consensus: Vintage press in-house experts. Please expound on these – APC to allow north eight years rule not because they merit it on account of past misadventures but to start a process of redeeming Nigeria now from the present locusts hovering over Nigeria and misappropriating our entire commonwealth. Remedies can still come from the North taking the following steps: 1. General Buhari to lead an APC government for four years only with ex-governor Dr John K Fayemi Vice President to sanitize the country. 2. Dr Kwankwaso to serve Nigeria next four years president with Comrade Adams Oshiomole as Vice-president to start a building process. 3. Ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar should be appeased not to unleash his wealth on Nigerians to scuttle APC primaries. He has had his opportunities. This appeal is challenge to us all to save Nigeria. Anonymous

    The election of governors of the states comes and goes. And no governor remains in office for ever. The election of Fayose instead of Fayemi with his (Fayemi) fine democratic credentials though quite a mystery and unacceptable, shouldn’t be enough to bring d entire Ekiti down to her knee,whatsoever.Let there be more mature in handling of the matter in the interest of all. If Ekiti people have thoughtlessly or erroneously chosen the way of an Esau because of stomach infrastructure, I think it’s just proper they are allowed to suffer the fate of an Esau for the next four years and learn their lesson. That is if Fayose would still want to remain his old political self come what may, even in this his controversial second coming. From Emmanuel Egwu

    Sir, you truly expressed the mind of the Almighty God. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan met Nigeria a city of gold and marble but turned it a devastated clime of stones and pebbles. He lacks moral standard to think of seeking another term that has the likelihood of being more painful. The number of lives lost during his senseless reign has surpassed that of the three years of civil war. Let him go and rest and enjoy his loot. From Sola Olagoke, Ibadan.

    Segun, I appreciate your piece on practicing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       progresses.

    It is sad that greed and poverty has so closed our part of truth that we have lost the essence of living as a people .I challenge PDP government to tell Nigerians what else it owes Nigerians most if not security. From Mathias Oshie, Calabar

    I just read your column of October, 28 and I am so shocked by the ‘thoughtless’ reactions of some people. Truth is bound to elicit reactions, negative & positive. The Truth that sets men free is the Truth they don’t want to hear. Anonymous.

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    ‘Tambuwal’s ‘coup’: please tell that … of a man to go and put his house in order first. From Ali.

    The PDP should allow Tambuwal to be; after all he is not the first politician to defect. How is Tambuwal’s defection different and why is it generating this much heat in so many quarters? Time will tell. Part of the beauty of democracy is having strong opposition parties to engage and keep the ruling party on its toes for good governance and leadership. Let us go down memory lane, how many of those who had defected had their security aides withdrawn? We should not do something for which our conscience would judge us tomorrow. I can’t see any crime that Tambuwal has committed for the IGP to withdraw his security details. It is normal in Nigeria for politicians to cross-carpet to where their interest would be better served. The IGP should use his good office to restore Tambuwal’s security details as our Number Four citizen. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

    You are a wonderful writer; keep it up, my brother. From James Abeva, Port Harcourt.

    Re: Tambuwal’s ‘coup’. To me Tambuwal is unprincipled. He gave two reasons for his defection – the PDP he was a speaker leading all was corrupt for three and a half years and he stayed in such a mess? Then he looks messy by inference. Second, the political climate in his state (now APC) where he realised he couldn’t win governorship under the PDP. Mimiko, when he had problem with OBJ and national PDP, he went to LP, contested and won until he defected. Defend not any unprincipled Nigerian politician. They are birds of the same feather, flocking together. Tomorrow you will see more of the dirty politicians. His defection was with double tongue. Note that Ribadu is waiting for 2015 in Adamawa after Ngilari must have completed Nyako’s term. From Lanre Oseni.

    Human life is a network of cobwebs; when it tangles and collapses, redemption is a mirage. In tandem to the aforesaid, Mr President and his cohorts are bellowing the furnace that would in corollary reduce them into ashes. From Bayo Alimi, Lagos.  

    He who lives in a glass house should not even dream of throwing stones because the consequence might be grave. When other party members were decamping to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its members were busy celebrating it, forgetting that he who points a fingerer  at someone, the remaining four are pointing at him. It is very sad that our so-called leaders are lawless leaders. The president and his party men are celebrating arrogance, forgetting that he who arrogates to himself the power that is not his or hers is liable to be disgraced.. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

  • 2015 polls and security concerns

    With the spate of  insecurity increasingly on the rise in the country, particularly in the North Eastern part,  the concern of the global community over the security situation in country can no longer be  ignored. Recently, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Laurent Fabius,  urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  to defend Nigeria and Africa’s image by conducting a credible election in  2015. His German counterpart, Dr. Frank Seinmeir, equally implored the  Federal Government to  increase its efforts to end insurgency ahead of the 2015 polls. It is;  therefore, clear that the security worries in the country  need to be tackled frontally  in order to have a conducive atmosphere for the conduct of the 2015 polls.

    Unlike what many  believe, insurgency is not the  only source of security fears in the country. There is, for instance, the  volatile issue of Fulani herdsmen who often attack their  victims after their  livestock have destroyed the latter’s farmlands. The  increasing incidents of kidnapping in some parts of the country equally remain an  immense source of  security apprehensions. Kidnappers have continued to operate  without borders, spreading  the nets of their nefarious acts to hold both locals and  foreigners captive. The aged,  clerics, government  officials, academics, professionals, women and children are  not speared by  those who engage in this despicable act.

    In some  other parts of the country, armed robbery has become a major threat to national  security with robbers throwing cautions into the wind in  their operations. Activities of political thugs have also become a serious cause for concerns in the country. Recently, in Edo state, the ancient Benin City was became a thereafter  of the absurd when political hooligans openly opened guns at  each other in a no-  hold -bar shooting spray that left in trail sorrow, tears and blood.

    Without  a doubt, the spate of kidnapping across the country, the  incessant wave of crime and armed robbery attacks and the incessant activities  of terrorists in  the country are all pointers to the fact that insecurity is  fast becoming a norm in Nigeria. The implication of this to the democratic health of the country  and the heightened  sense of insecurity among the populace cannot be quantified.

    If not quickly addressed, the effects of all these challenges could  constitute a clog in the  wheel of the democratic process come 2015.

    According  to English Political Philosopher, John Plamentz, democracy is “government by persons freely chosen by and responsible to the  governed” while an election is a formal  decision-making by which a  population chooses an individual to hold public  office. Election is universally used to select representatives of the people. Elections were used as early in history as ancient  Greece and ancient Rome, and throughout the medieval period to select rulers. The  modern  “election”, which consists of public elections of  government  officials, didn’t emerge until the beginning of the 17thcentury when the idea  of representative government took hold in North America and Europe.

    The basic  principles of democracy are the requirements to organize  regular, free and fair election, freedom of individuals to nominate candidates,  periodic revision of  electoral register, independent judiciary and freedom of campaign among others.

    But recent happenings in Nigeria negate these, as people live in fear, while  some have been out rightly displaced from their homes and  are now refugees in  their fatherland.  Consequently, some eligible voters in the Northern part of the country might be  disenfranchised in  the coming election no thanks to the criminal activities of  the insurgents in  that part of the country.

    The insurgents  have organized themselves into a  pressure group that seeks to influence the political structure and the  structuring of power in the country. This they have done by  hoisting their flag  not too long ago in some local government areas in the  north, with the declaration of an Islamic State as being done in Syria.

    Despite on-going talks  about a ceasefire agreement people still live in fear. Those  those were lucky  to escape, have had tales of woe to tell. Men and young boys  are being forcibly  recruited, while women and young girls are being enslaved,  physically and  psychologically.

    Confirming the  enormity of the effects of the  country’s security challenge on the 2015 polls, INEC chairman, Professor  Attahiru Jega recently expressed his fear by submitting that  the commission cannot risk its human and material resources, particularly in the three Northeastern States of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. In same  vein, Ebonyi State Governor,  Martin Elechi, has expressed doubt over the possibility of  holding the 2015  elections in view of prevailing security situations in the  country. Similarly, Governor Babatunde  Fashola of Lagos State has also expressed  serious concerns over the spate of insecurity in the  country, which according  to him poses a threat to free, fair and credible elections.

    The governor made the disclosure while playing host to students from the Royal College of Defense  Studies, United Kingdom, UK, led by Rear Admiral Jonas  Haggren, at the State  House, Alausa Ikeja. According to Fashola: “Insecurity is  a threat every time.

    It is not only to electoral process, even to human existence  and business  activities.”

    However, in-spite of  the herculean security situation in the country, the 2105 polls could  still be held in a peaceful atmosphere. But for this to happen, all  stakeholders must be ready to  work for peace. While it is true that government is a key  player on security  issues, the reality is that without the active participation  of other members and groups in the society, government alone cannot ensure  security. This is why  it is important that those behind the insurgent activities  in the country must embrace the peace offer from the federal government. There is no level of discontentment that cannot be talked over. Throwing the nation into needless crisis over any issue, no matter how important, would ultimately be counter-productive.

    Therefore,  every well meaning Nigerian, groups and  agencies must partner with INEC to ensure free and fair  election. INEC alone  cannot ensure a credible election. It is a joint venture. It  is a Nigerian project.

    On a final note, no  meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of  chaos. According to  Martin Luther King, “peace is not merely a distant goal  that we seek but a  means by which we arrive at that  goal.”

     

    – Bakare is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy,  Alausa, Ikeja.

  • Before I start

    Before I start

    The atmosphere in Nigeria today is such that any Minister of Information, even if a supervising  one, must start with some bush clearing. The crisis in Nigeria has assumed a discourse dimension in the sense that our sense of our situation has obviously constrained our sense of things generally. And our sense of things generally as they manifest in social and traditional media and everyday analysis certainly lack the vigour and forward looking attitude that we associate with Nigeria or MUST associate with Nigeria, no matter how bad things might appear to be. We must never tire in recognising that Nigeria is not just another country on earth. It is that single country with the highest concentration of black under one government in human history. There can be no higher uniqueness. Nothing can be more than that.

    Unfortunately, the totality of our engagement with our situation is not sufficiently mindful of this. Rather, our perspectives, for most of the time, are not only aimed at destroying but lacking in transformative vigour. Yet, the way we think and talk about the country, its leaders, its institutions and so on determines, to a great extent, the possibilities we open up or block. Far from suggesting that the government, the leaders and our institutions should not be criticised, I am only saying that doing so does not contradict the need for the culture of a more critical, informed and elevated perspectives on what we see as the problems. In other words, criticising the president or the party or any institutions and practices does not amount to the perspectives or the big dreams that can ferry a country to greater heights. Where are the big dreams then? Or the ideas encompassing such dreams. I cannot see them. And I don’t believe they are there and I am blinded by any things as not to see them.

    For those who might think that I am reasoning like someone in government, let me say that this government does not actually take criticisms as something negative. To the contrary, the analysis is that the citizens would not even bother to criticise a government or its leader if they have reasons to believe that the government is of no use. The more criticisms, therefore, the better in the sense that the criticisms reify and legitimise the government. Whether the best way to do this is by hauling invectives on the person of the president is a different matter. The great thing is that President Jonathan has borne all such invectives with considerable equanimity. And some of us in this government are proud that the president does not take attacks personal. And as he himself once said in an interview, Nigeria is that unique African country you can haul every invective on the president without having to sleep with eyes half open.

    But the kind of national debates that overlook the responsibilities of individuals, families, and communities in nurturing the minds of its youngsters into proud citizens is philosophically sterile. So also any such debate that minimizes the roles of sub-national governments. And equally flawed is the type that seeks comforts in the simplicity of wild conspiracy theories. The most superficial and intellectually stale of all, however, is the one that offers a cause hypothesis of corruption in Nigeria to a lack of the somewhat ‘strong’ leader, the daily unintended invitation to the president to attempt to be a dictator. God forbids bad thing!

    There is so much oversimplification of the roles of rather complex social, cultural and ideological dynamics in our contemporary discourse to the point of such becoming the contradiction itself in the wheel of Nigeria’s march to greatness. And this is at its highest in the last five years of our history. Yes, there has been a lot of tension, anxiety, inadequacies and a number of things which are absolutely regrettable, for example the Boko Haram crisis. We don’t deserve it. The fact that it preceded this regime is a different matter. But even in the midst of the horrors inflicted on this country by Boko Haram, Nigeria is still able to make a global statement by overwhelming Ebola at a time more advanced countries are still battling it. Additionally, we have climbed to become the biggest economy in Africa and the most preferred destination for investors in the continent. The Agricultural Transformation Agenda have moved Nigeria close to food sufficiency while rice importation is expected to stop by 2015. A competitive and deregulated power sector which is attracting foreign and local investment has been put in place in accordance with the power road map. This same Nigeria is estimated by the Chattam Instituite  to surpass Germany economically in the very near future and subsequently Japan. What these examples show is that there is a bigger picture out there which we might be allowing today’s pains and understandable bitterness to blind us to.

    By all means, we must bicker, quarrel and abuse each other. It will not be the Nigeria we grew up to know if anyone removes these elements from our national life. But these harmless attributes of our national life should not become a license for wide deviations from the decency required to sustain the democratic project. Already, our politics as designed and guaranteed, first by the 1979 and later 1999 constitutions, has contrary to the intentions of the authors turned too big and unwieldy, chaotic and noisy.

    And this deviation is being noticed outside, not just by other countries inside and outside Africa or formal international institutions but also by folks. A chance encounter with a young Sierra Leonean, who walked up to me at the margins of a multi lateral meeting in New York and copiously shared his view about Nigeria had affected me in a very profound way. He introduced himself as an Intern with the UN System and generously thanked Nigeria for its role in the protracted civil war that tore his country apart for most of the 90s. He declared his immense admiration for Nigeria’s role and sacrifices in the sub region and the African continent. He concluded by describing Nigeria as a humanistic African power that could be the pride of the black race anywhere in the world. But that wasn’t without a caveat. To my surprise, his caveat is that we must fix our politics.

    Whatever may be the cause of this political dysfunction, it can only be unearthed and mitigated by the culture of conscious, systematic, deeply reflective and thorough interrogation. Unfortunately, as at today, our politicians, media practitioners, public intellectuals, civil society and youth groups have not been living up on this. Instead, much of what we do is sowing rancour or throwing mud at people in government. And when that government goes, we jubiliate for a few weeks before the new government we thought was worth sending away the previous one becomes the new devil on the cross. And yet, we don’t ask questions about the system, its cultural, economic, historical, historical and global foundations. This is what my Sierra Leonean friend was talking about in the logic of fixing our politics!

    The long and short of this piece is that it is about time we take Nigeria from the mud. In other words, the negative ways we think and talk about the country, its leaders and institutions have implications for the well being of the country. I have argued in this piece that no privations, no anger, no sense of disappointment can excuse the culture of consciously or unconsciously dragging the country down. Since the end of the Second Republic, there must be very few individuals in Nigeria who have not had one personal, communal, ethnic, religious, political, business or group plan shattered by Nigeria. For some individuals that I happen to know personally, the suffering is almost unbearable. But the great thing in all this is the way such great privations bring out the best of the Nigerian people towards the victims. At the end of the day, these are the things to take away. As a Supervising Minister for Information, those are the kinds of values I would like to celebrate over and above those of discord and acrimony.

    Let me apologise if I have been prescriptive. It is possible that, as a medical doctor, I have unconsciously carried that professional attribute into my analysis. But it is not what my Christian brothers would call an original sin.

     

    •Dr Mohammed is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Supervising Minister for

    Information

     

  • Comment

    Comment

    For Dare Olatunji

    Sir, prior to his inaguration as governor on October 16, most people had observed that have his behaviour was unbecoming of his status.  However, in his inaugural address, he gave Ekiti State citizens the uncomfortable impression that he would be erratic, brutal, inept, bellicose, irrational, ridiculous and militaristic. Having confirmed people’s speculation, we must plead with those that sponsored the man to please call him to order before it will be too late. From Adegoke O O, Ikhin, Edo State.

    Mr Olatunji Dare, your write up was very biased. No man is perfect, Fayemi may have tried his best but was certainly not a saint. Have you ever sat down to ask yourself why people including APC members turned their back against our own Ilufemiloye and preferred somebody you have described with all negative adjectives. The issue in Ekiti is not about Fayose or stomach infrastructure. A leader should not look down on the ruled or distance himself from the reality events around him. Ekiti decision was just an escape route. The future will take care of itself, hoping Fayose will also learn. Anonymous

    Arrogance is written all over the body of Ekiti state Governor Ayodele Fayose.  There is a saying that no amount of years a dog spends on the earth its meat belong to (ogun) the god of iron. He, Fayose, cannot escape justice no matter how long it takes.  He cannot run away from his shadow as its speaks volume about him.  He has forgotten that first impression last longer; it is the morning that determines afternoon.  He has demystified himself for leading thugs to assault the chief judge of the state.   From Hamza Ozi Momoh Apapap Lagos.

    The word of God will never go unfulfilled, God almighty knows why Fayose returned to Government house. For him to repent and chat a new course or to continue in his old way and perish. From Remi Okeyele

    Though I am an indigene of Ilaro in Yewa land of Ogun state, but as a Yoruba man, I feel sorry for the people of this highly revered state Ekiti for voting a mediocre as their governor in person of Ayodele Fayose. The gods of our fore-fathers will rescue our Yoruba land from the Hawks amongst us, Amen. Anonymous

    Re: Fayose 2. 0: A troubling start. Everything that surrounded Fayose’s second term as Governor of Ekiti State proved a lawless state and Nigeria an unconstitutionally decreed country. A crude and raw element like his make me shy to be Yoruba, the most educated race that failed to put him to check and allowing a party self aggrandizement and ego drunk to prevail . Reading your comment today had abated to a large extent my mind of hopelessness about societal decadence. If we are not purged to classify this category of reckless and unbaked person from the political display, a time will come that the most celebrated thug in the society may be clever enough to get to the top and with swallow knowledge and limited brain storming, ruin the state that is developing already. Please keep your eagle eye watching and watch closely to avoid the state of imminent danger. From Olajumi Esan, Irele.

    Character they say, is smoke that cannot be covered with Basket. Do you expect anything better than this? You cannot give from what you do not have. Well change is good but should not have been from good to Worst.  My people will soon realize the enormity of the mistake. Ekiti is number 35 out of 36 in Federal allocations. No oil, no meaningful minerals yet the State Development in the past 4 years can be seen and felt. Kudos to the immediate past Excellency. ‘Let us wait and see the next four year’ then comparison will vindicate the predecessor. Anonymous

    May God bless Nigeria, time will tell when? and how? Anonymous

    Thanks Mr.Olatunji Dare. The reality is that truth, time & realities would never behave in anyway different from the antecedents’, and anyone on its path is never expected to do otherwise. Change is inevitable while growth is resultant of deliberate resolution to effect change. However the only reality awaiting Ekiti State is that those celebrating him now are the essential elements to facilitate his future predicaments unless something magically different happens, which may be remote for now. You would still have more to write in the nearest future, so cross your fingers but tune up your antennas. Thanks. From Oluwadare, Ibadan

    Your write up titled, ‘Fayose 2 .0: A trouble start’ on The Nation Newspaper, Tuesday, October 21, was read with dismay.  As an experienced and respected Columnist,   You didn’t seem to see anything good in the Inaugural speech of the new Governor.  The former Governor you eulogized like an Angel recorded his own minus while in office.  There should be a balance between Idealism and pragmatism. Whatever may be the Inaugural speech of the new Governor, it is too early to judge and crucify. Anonymous

    “Re – Fayose 2.0: A troubling start” of The Nation newspaper dated October 21. I humbly applaud you for your comments on the above caption. From Prince ‘Bunmi, Ilorin.

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: A divorce long expected. It is a lesson not to over-rely on ‘powers’ when one wants a position, even if at all cost. Seriake Dickson was pulled and pushed in pushing Sylva out then; the coin and its reverse is back on Dickson. Even when conferring the unearned permanent ‘secretaryship’ on ‘Madam Peace’,  Dickson was sheepishly justifying  the conferment. Pity not politicians! Only about 10 percent of them are people’s welfare-minded. It’s all a game of risk  … We are on-lookers; while we watch the would-be winner between the First Lady and Governor Seriake Dickson while the game lasts. From Lanre Oseni.

    If you write again on this woman who is …, I will stop buying your Sunday paper. This is no threat; it’s a promise. Anonymous.

    Nigeria is in a state of confusion where everybody does what he or she likes. We do not need any prophetic statement from anybody to understand that Dame Jonathan was a ghost permanent secretary before her resignation. It is only in Nigeria that appointment is given by proxy and nothing will happen. Nigeria has become a place where appointment is given for political elevation. The wind of unemployment is blowing across the country and our leaders are busy employing the employed across the country without looking back. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

    Let’s even agree that the rationale for the face-off between the First Lady and Governor Dickson is that the governor is not performing as expected; for this reason, he will not go for a second term. This is what the First Lady should have said instead of trying to use political subterfuge to impose another candidate on the people of Bayelsa. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

    Your piece on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway refers. I don’t know the basis for “commending the Goodluck Jonathan government for expanding the road”. Should we be talking of ‘expansion’ in the 21st century with an ever growing population? I believe we must be challenging the ‘ogas at the top’ to think creatively and plan for tomorrow. A transformation government should have the boldness and courage to do the needful for the well-being of the people. Transformation cannot be equated to emptying the common treasury into the pockets of a few riverine criminals. I know a family that suffered a similar experience like you on the expressway a few years ago when Abuja came to kneel before Pastor Adeboye. Gullible people, we were sucked in and tricked big time! Today, have we learnt any lesson? Like one pastor says, we don’t need rocket science to fix our roads. It’s taking six years for them to remember that millions of people use that route weekly. Those that are foolish are telling their Abuja masters that we are foolish. Must we play the fool again? Anonymous.

  • Kwara’s day of glory in Paris

    Kwara’s day of glory in Paris

    For a visitor, the sights of Paris, the French Capital, are a pleasure to behold. Ancient architecture competes with modern structures and spectacular aesthetics to earn Paris its reputation as one of Europe’s most beautiful. However, that was the last thing on the mind of Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed as he stepped into Paris on a cold October 7 Morning. Rather, the executive Governor of Kwara State was focused on the Kwara State Community Health Insurance Scheme (KCHIS) which had been nominated along with nine other development initiatives for the first Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Development Assistance Committee(DAC) Award for taking Development Initiatives to scale.

    In the run up to the event, Erik Solheim, Chair of DAC said although extreme poverty has been halved and progress made on MDG Goals, more innovative solutions needed to be taken to scale if “we are to end poverty, green our economies and to make sure that all the children now going to school now learn something”. It was an issue Ahmed will latch on to and escalate the following day at the globally renowned OECD New World Forum which dwelt on fresh pathways to Africa’s growth.

    Back to the DAC awards, Ahmed’s enthusiasm was understandable. In seven years, KCHIS has provided 85, 000 rural dwellers in Kwara State access to subsidized basic health care in 10 of the 16 Local government areas of rhea state. The scheme, which provides participants access to basic healthcare for a year, started in Edu Local Government Area of the State in 2007.The Ahmed have gained this recognition despite our resource challenges. It is therefore very encouraging to us that we have won this prize. In Kwara State, we have always prioritized healthcare based on the premise that only a healthy populace can be productive. That is why we collaborated with the Dutch government and PharmAccess to initiate this scheme that has grown from 10 participants in 2007 to 85, 000 today.

    “I must thank my predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki, who is here with us, for his foresight in starting this project. We also appreciate the support of the Dutch government and other donor partners. Our target is Universal Coverage of all 1 million rural dwellers in the state by 2018.This is why we look forward to others partnering with us in this direction”. As is usual with ceremonies of this nature, the awards were followed wellattended dinner in one of the OECD’s impressive halls. As the team from Kwara retired for the night, the delights of Paris were still not strong enough to distract from the following afternoon’s event. The following afternoon, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed was the only Nigerian on a panel discussion at the OECD’S New World Forum which discussed Africa’s future developmental prospects. Themed Africa: The Future is Now,it explored among others whether Africa is taking off in general or through isolated cases. It also explored the champions and engines of success in Africa while also interrogating obstacles to growth and the place of the middle class in providing administration has now extended it to 10 LGAs, according to Professor Babatunde Opabola, the Senior Special Assistant on Primary Health.

    Clearly,the simplicity, impact, and affordability of the scheme did not go unnoticed. The scheme had already received accolades from the Bill Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said, However, the 34 member OECD had also taken notice of the innovative scheme.

    To underscore the importance of the occasion, Governor Ahmed’s predecessor in office, Senator Bukola Saraki had also arrived Paris to be part of Kwara State’s moment of glory. Not only was the scheme initiated in his tenure, Saraki was clearly pleased his successor had scaled up the initiative and garnered it global acclaim.

    Perhaps, to underscore the scheme’s importance and guarantee credibility, the DAC Jury was highly credentialed and global. Headed by H.E. Lubna Bit Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE’s Minister for International Development and Cooperation, the panel also included K.Y. Amoako, President, African Center For Economic Transformation, Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for the Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution, Washington, Geoff Lamb, Chief Economic and Policy Advisor to the Co- Chairs and CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dato Lee Yee Cheong, Chairman, International Science Technology and Innovative Center for South- South Cooperation(STIC) Malaysia. Others are Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, MP House of Commons, UK, Charlotte Petri-Gornitzka, DG, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA and Julius Akinyemi, Resident

    Entrepreneur, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Media Lab.

    Diplomats and development experts attended the award ceremony, which took place at the OECD’s gleaming headquarters in Paris, from Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Christian Rebergen, Director General, International Cooperation, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Petri-Gornitzka, DG of Swedish Development Agency, SIDA set the ball rolling by introducing the finalists. Apart from KCHIS, initiatives from India, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan were also shortlisted for the DAC Award. Although, Katalyst, a scheme that provides high-quality seeds to Bangladeshi farmers as a means of helping to increase their income, won the overall prize, KCHIS managed to share the limelight with the DAC 2014 winner.

    Indeed, jury member and SIDA DG felt compelled to acknowledge this given the attention and accolades KCHIS received in the run up to the main event as well as events that preceded it. For instance, at the breakfast meeting with representatives from the UK, Germany, Netherlands and the World Health Organization, WHO, the Kwara delegation, led by Ahmed and Saraki, received commendations from the European Countries and the global health body for being the only country in Africa to have taken Community health Insurance to scale. The Kwara delegation’s enthusiasm about DAC was therefore understandable.

    Petri-Gornitzka told the audience that she knew there was a lot of enthusiasm for KCHIS given it’s the only subsidized scheme that has been taken to scale in the world but that Katalayst’s intervention had reached 458000 people, the highest impact among the 10 initiatives that made the OECD shortlist. Nevertheless, she assured, Kwara’s finalist prize was also laudable given it was shortlisted among close to 50 entries. Indeed, Pieter WalhofDirector, PharmAccess Foundation, one of Kwara’s KCHIS partners, told an earlier meeting that the scheme was so innovative that the World Economic Forum has selected Kwara State as a model for other states, a call that Kaduna and Ogun States had respond to as they are currently understudying the Kwara Model with a view to implementing it.

    Receiving the finalist prize for taking KCHIS to scale in Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said “we are very delighted to be here today because we sustainable development.

    Other panel members, were Moncef Cheikh-Rouhou, Professor and Member of the Tunisian Parliament, Prof. Achille Mbembe of Witwatersrand University, South Africa, Magette Wade, founder and CEO of Tiossan, Senegal and Lionel Zinsou, Chairman of PAI Partners, France. Given the forum and its topic of discussion, the world media was well represented with CNN, the FT; Le Point; and La Republica.

    Ahmed was blunt and straight to the point. Functional education is the key to Africa’s future. To succeed, Africa must decouple itself, from an educational system that remains shackled to the needs of colonialism more than five decades after. For Ahmed, a graphic manifestation of this dysfunction in African education is that an African child has a 6 per cent chance of making it to tertiary education while his European counterpart has an above 80 per cent chance. Ahmed said while he has no intention of excusing the violent insurgencies that were threatening to blight the future of Africa, the lack of appropriate education and opportunities for youths, he opined, contributed to Africa’s stagnation and violent strife. This has resulted in the continent having the highest number of internally displaced people, a huge number of unemployable youths and a significant number of out of school children.

    The solution, he said, was to review the content and context of African education. Infrastructure is key in this regard, Ahmed admitted, but more important is educational content skewed towards the continent’sidentified needs in science, technology and entrepreneurship.

    These, he said such can ensure that every child is equipped to innovate andcontribute to the country’s developmental objectives while achieving their own aspirations. Referring to Kwara, he said the state government was already pursuing this by focusing on entrepreneurial education at the state-owned university and by collaborating with City and Guilds of London to establish a groundbreaking International Vocation Center to plug gaps in middle-level manpower.

    Other contributions keyed into the need for an educational system that is designed to meet Africa’s development and the urgent need to promote entrepreneurship to provide jobs, grow Africa’s middle class and contribute to its growth.

    Clearly, Ahmed’s contribution had connected with the OECD’s call for better education for African children as the key to its future. More importantly,  Kwara State’s innovative KCHIS and its leadership’s vision for state and continent earned it acclaim and applause in far away Paris. In the end, missing the delights of Paris proved worthwhile.

     

    •Akorede is Senior Special Assistant to Kwara State Governor

  • Comments

    Comments

    For Date Olatunji

    Sir, The departure of Chief Tom Ikimi from any political party in Nigeria is a  good omen. Aside from being a silent-screen ideological con man, he is one of the few people in Nigerian history whose body has begun to stink before it died. PDP should not jubilate for his joining them. Rather, we should collectively demand that the President have him arrested as an enemy of the people of this country, based on his past. From Adegoke o, o. ikhin, Edo State.

    Shalom! I read your piece on mass failure and was consoled with depth of your truth. Hope The Nation and corporate bodies embrace New Paradigm shift as Postulated. From Kevin

    Dear Dr Dare,  I want to thank you For stimulating our memory faculties once again , as we Nigerians appear to be so forgetful of our past. I honestly thought I was the only one who couldn’t understand why political gangsters, area boys and proven thieves, with publicly known crimes to society, could not only become politically relevant, but rub pepper into open sores, by fighting to be politically recognized and vocal on issues, a lot of which they had contributed to in the past directly or indirectly. These group of vagabonds in power (V.I.P.)s’ should be hiding their heads in shame, which of course they lack.   Sir, with your well written and thought off article, you not only hit the nail on the head, but hopefully, you have once again opened the eyes and forgetful minds of Nigerians to our not to far past. I thank you. From Dr Dotun Ransome-Kuti

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Prof, I have no choice than to join others like me to appreciate the excellence and the brilliance in you. I wonder how this country nay the world could have been like without feature writers of your caliber. Your today’s imaging progress, as usual is insightful and captivating. God bless and keep you safe for us. From Dr Ekpenyong Nsa, Abuja.

    It is not hard to imagine why you would rather not discuss individuals in defining progressives. It is evident that notable figures amongst those claiming to be progressives are simply not. Not when they remain wedded to the same old ways of short-changing the masses. In failing to show particular commitment to the cause of transparency, the so-called progressive governors of the South West have failed to change public perception of politicians as rogues and birds of the same feather. This explains why the stock of the so-called progressives is dwindling fast in the region as we approach 2015. From Kuteyi r.r, Ondo.        

    As far as objective Nigerians are concerned and know it, President Jonathan has tried a lot in the various sectors of our economy, though his best hasn’t been good enough to take us to the level of our dream. Yet the problem of the country remains that of corrupt leadership. And here one always finds it very difficult to substantiate between the performing and non-performing ones among our various leaders, even from Independence, as the case of Mbadiwe ilustrates. And I don’t seem to see Jonathan as exception to this too, no matter the claims to the contrary. The expected performance our leaders lack in public office, their private fortunes would always gain irretrievably. Unfortunately, those who could have been of a help in this direction have rather allowed ethnicity and religious bigotry becloud their sense of true patriotism; thereby contributing in no less measure in keeping the nation perpetually stagnated. God have mercy. From Emmanuel Egwu

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    I have ceased to get bothered by any saying or any deed or any action or inactions by President Jonathan’s men. Hello sir, do you expect a cursed tree to produce a fruitful fruit? When the is infested with maggots what do you expect of the remaining part of the body? Leave Madam Ochekpe and Hajia Zainab alone sooner than later they’ll all be judged poetically. From Hezykay Babs. State Of Osun.

    Re-Chibok girls and the Villa.  Some other time where Mr. President won’t be chanced to attend to the pains, he should delegate Mr Vice President or/and the Secretary to the FG to attend with Human milk, to the Protesters and the pained Parents. By now, I would advise that, in the interest of Lives, depression tendency and parenthood, negotiation on trade-offs should have taken place. It is not out of place if Mrs. Water Resources Minister, apologized to the Protesters & not necessarily to Oby for her unministerial comment. From Lanre Oseni.

    Re-Chibok girls and the villa.  Mrs Ochepe has no moral ground to accurse the former minister of education of being responsible for the fallen standard of education in the country. It’s more of the pot calling the cattle black! Has Mrs. Ochepe forgotten that education suffered a serious setback in Plateau state during her time as chairperson of SUBEC in Plateau State? When teachers were owed several months’ salary arrears because Mrs Ochepe and her education secretaries would prefer to lodge the salary in bank accounts for many months in order to earn interest?  Was she not responsible for the non implementation of teachers enhanced salary scale (18 percent minimum wage) in   Plateau state? Non promotion of teachers in Plateau, etc?-. From Jerry Ahmed.

     

  • National security and leadership style

    For obvious reasons, and due to the myriad of security challenges confronting the Nigerian nation, there is a mistaken trend that perhaps the best leader to infuse discipline and engender national security is a man or woman with a military mien, a person who can order people around. In short, a fearsome leader, or a Draconian despot, that forces people to cower under his breath and at whose command the endemic corruption that has perennially plagued the country would just fly away. These thoughts cannot but be naive; it’s like a man who thinks his wishes are horses.

    But why do Nigerians seem to embrace this erroneous and troubling notion that their security or safety lies in the hands of a so-called “No-Nonsense” leader? The reasons are both historical and contemporary. First, the governance history of Nigeria since independence in 1960 has been burdened by incompetent administrations and blighted by series of interventionist military coup d’états, the consequence of which has brutally militarised the collective psyche of the citizenry. This makes people to believe, albeit wrongly, that it is only the man in uniform or his retired clone that is capable of re-ordering and re-orientating the Nigerian people. So, let us seek another Praetorian guard to carry out a surgical operation for us, many people seem to be saying this time around!

    But history again, even from the Nigerian example, has fatally faulted this line of reasoning. It is incontrovertible that such an approach does not endure in instituting desired changes; its success is short-lived as it is enforced through coercive decrees, cruel, unjust and inhuman adjudication process. Human nature abhors oppression in any form.

    The second contemporary factor why many citizens thirst for a dictator, even though he is in a fake democratic garb, is multi-faceted. One major reason is undoubtedly attributable to the agonisingly embarrassing failure of the incumbent administration to frontally confront the numerous security and safety issues Nigerians face on daily basis. Some of these are a breakdown of the law and order system, impunity and rampant lawlessness by both high and low, increasing rates of crimes, kidnappings for ransom, abductions, bloody skirmishes and tensions between rival ethnic groups across large swath of the nation, and the unspeakable crimes being routinely committed by the murderous terrorist insurgents called Boko Haram.

    This ad infinitum list of security failures has justifiably made people to lose faith in the capacity of the current, clueless administration to carry out its first constitutional responsibility of  protecting lives and property of the citizenry. The tendency therefore is to seek out a man who as they say, “brooks no nonsense and tolerates no opposition.”  But that will only compound the present security dilemma of Nigeria as the issue of sustainable national security is not achievable by fiat or by electing a ruthless leader with the swagger stick.

    Issues of national security in modern times transcends merely installing a regime of local diktat; it involves building a nexus of collaborative military, paramilitary and civil  institutions, and the gathering and sharing of national and cross-border intelligence to enhance safety and health of the nation and its citizens. Most importantly, modern concept of national security is largely anchored on the economic well-being of a nation, while the military-industrial complex plays complementary but also vital role in the scheme of sustainable peace and tranquility in any country. In other words, the economic indicators determine to a large extent the level of peace and stability enjoyed by the citizenry.

    It is inarguable; therefore, that the major plank in any nation’s security platform is its economy. A nation’s security can only be enhanced when its labor force, especially its youth, are gainfully employed, and there is a creation of welfare schemes to serve as safety nets to those unable to work or are physically challenged. This is what is operational in advanced, and young, stable democracies all over the world. It is a universal fact that when people are gainfully engaged they have less or no time for brewing trouble. But the idle hand is the devil’s workshop.

    Also, modern thoughts and practices have since discountenanced the traditional notion that national security is limited to acquisition and warehousing of huge military hardware; neither is it just about displaying formidable military force nor traditional military activity though all these may be included in the overall security architecture of a nation. It is essential to know however that development is nowadays sine qua non to any nation’s security.

    Development in this context relates to the capacity of a nation to utilise its human and capital potentials to optimally provide opportunities for its citizens to dream and realise those desires in a conducive and well-structured environment. It is when this is achieved consistently over a period of time or on a sustainable basis that the society experiences noticeable decline in disorder and violence and its security is subsequently and correspondingly enhanced. This holistic approach to national security has been the view of a one-time, but now late, respected President of the World Bank, Robert McNamara.

    In addition to the above, other means of boosting national security and arresting the current breakdown of law and order and the rule of law in the country are running a truly federal system of government where much power is devolved to the states, including the power to create state police. This means additional job opportunities and enhanced capacity to institute community policing to fight crimes, especially at local levels.

    National security could be further enhanced through proper delineation of national, state and council boundaries to reduce communal clashes and needless inter and intra-ethnic tensions; to properly equip and train the police to fight crimes and internal disorder while the military should be well-funded and equipped to effectively dismantle and destroy the scourge of terrorism in the country

    In conclusion, it is obvious from the above that a democratic Nigeria of the 21st century really doesn’t need an Orwellian Napoleon,  who is always right and must be obeyed. This is a federal democracy that is fostered through healthy debates, dialogues and discourse. It is not a command economy or unitary state that responds to the dictates, decrees and is ruled by whims and caprices of a single strong person, no matter how Spartan in stuff.  That era is passé.

    Citizens are therefore enjoined in a nascent democracy like ours to be wary of politicians seeking their votes for the highest office in the land to know that what Nigeria mostly need at this time is not the emergence of a leader who rules by bravado, or creates hysteria among citizens but a well-groomed and well-grilled democrat, whose policy  agenda is similar to the template above, and whose antecedents are well known as someone who is a bridge builder and is committed to strengthen the nation’s fragile key institutions.

     

    – Dr. Segun Olanipekun is Associate Professor of Journalism, Warwick University, DC, U.S.