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  • 80-gun salute for the General

    80-gun salute for the General

    General Yakubu Gowon turns 80 on October 19th (today). A couple of things stand out when you meet him for the first time. Firstly, he is a people person. His gregarious nature is such that you know he loves good company, though he does not seek to dominate proceedings. Secondly, he can be disarmingly humble, offering you his handshake in a respectable rather than condescending manner as some of our “very important personalities” tend to do. Thirdly, the General can be wickedly funny. He would make fun of you, but not before he has poked fun at himself. Once in a while I hold my breath until the punch line is delivered. I have myself been at the receiving end of his barbs particularly as regards my height or my silver hair.

    I first met General Gowon in October 1980 at Warwick University where I had enrolled for a master’s degree while he was pursuing a doctoral programme in Politics. To be candid, I did not know what to expect. After all, the last time I saw him was about six years before in Kaduna at a public function which I covered for the New Nigerian. Then, as Head of State, he had the panoply of Nigerian officialdom, the ceremonial outriders, the security detail and the equipage. As a reporter among my colleagues, I think the best we got was a smile, his trademark grin, towards us. At Warwick what would be the story? How do you relate to your former Head of State now turned fellow student? Would he be friendly? Do you keep punctuating your discussions with “Your Excellency”?

    If only I had known that with Gowon such thoughts, no matter how felicitous were unnecessary. Firstly, he actually left a word for me that he was on campus from his base in London. Secondly, he insisted on being on first name basis like every other student. So, if you cared, call him Jack. If my memory serves me well, I believe we had tea together on the ground floor of the University library. Any lingering doubts that Gowon had adjusted after a nine year stint as Nigeria’s military head of state, all were blown away by his unaffected simplicity and charm.

    There were no nostalgic references to “when I was in power”, nor did he seem to miss the trappings of it. Of course you cannot forget his patented “honestly” or “sincerely” as he spoke. We drank from disposable plastic cups with the obligatory plastic spoons. He would stand up to greet fellow students, engage in small talk about the weather, the train ride from Euston Station to Coventry and whatever was of interest. He took in good spirit, criticism of his regime, displaying a loyalty streak to his much-criticised subordinates, particularly most of the governors.

    On a personal level, Gowon reminisced about times with my maternal uncle, the late Mr Abdul Aziz Atta, who had been Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and later Secretary to the Federal Government under him. He would also ask after my elder brother, Mr W. O. Baiye ,who was his French interpreter and translator. For the one year I was at Warwick we saw each other fairly often. And when it seemed too far between, he would call or leave a note in my carrel or at the department. His capacity to relate very well has spun many a yarn and will still do, but a few factual encounters will be adequate.

    Once, a friend, Mohammed Sagagi (a doctoral student in Economics), and I were in the supermarket on campus.  Then, we saw Gowon across several aisles in the shop. Our concern was that no matter how hard we tried, Gowon would not let us carry his basket to the till. So, to avoid the embarrassment of not being seen to be courteous and helpful to a former head of state and an elder at that, we opted to feign ignorance of his presence. Unfortunately, we did not reckon with those giant mirrors in the supermarkets. Gowon not only identified us, he walked towards where we were! After pleasantries he not only insisted on carrying our items to the cashier’s till, he offered to pay. His action had very little to do with the state of his cash flow; it spoke much about his generosity of spirit, something those who have been much closer to him can adduce copious evidence of.

    On another occasion, Gowon was on a visit to Nigeria sometime in the mid-80s. I went to visit him at the State House, Marina where he was lodged. He apologised for not ever inviting me to visit their home in London. While I was trying to negotiate my way through an apology, Mrs Victoria Gowon rightly handed me a rebuke for not visiting as she believed that a formal invitation was not necessary. I am sure I would not be the first to say that the charming, thoughtful, and warm-hearted Victoria is a straight talker. After the visit, Gowon saw me to the car, waited till we drove off and waved goodbye. My driver was so chuffed by the fact that the Gowon he had heard about so much came to the car to greet and see us off. So carried away was Alabi the driver that I had to advise him to calm down and focus on the traffic!

    One of my time consuming habits is to read about the subject of Leadership. For me, memoirs and biographies provide the substance of that subject. Some great leaders wrote very helpful and thoughtful stuff but so did some not-so-great leaders such as George W. Bush, America’s President from 2000-8. His book, Decision Points is a readable account of his stewardship. On the contrary, former President Richard Nixon wrote that “Leaders are uncommon men. They should not try to appear to be common. If they do try, they will come across as unnatural–not only phony, but condescending.”So wrote Nixon in his book Leaders, published in 1982. Happily, Gowon has retained the common touch without being phony. That is why he deserves an 80-gun salute.

    Happy birthday, General Gowon.

     

    – Baiye, formerly Managing Editor with the New Nigerian, is a business executive based in Lagos.

  • COMMENTS

    COMMENTS

    For Dare Olatunji

    One misjudgment can start a fire, a fight, a war, a pogrom, genocide. A pilot’s misjudgment leads to a plane crash. A doctor’s misjudgment leads to the death of a patient. A civil engineer’s misjudgment leads to a collapsed building. A judge’s misjudgment leads to miscarriage of justice. Just for one misjudgment, Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden for life. Never under estimate the impact of a misjudgment. Anonymous

    Sir, I am happy and fulfilled on your comment – Silk, at last, for a doughty sentry. However long truth is covered it must come up again. More kudos to our ‘ Ezinne ‘ i.e good mother Mariam Aloma Mukhtar. From  Engr Ogbodo Uchenna ,Abia-State

    Let us thank God that Dr Onagoruwa was finally recognised, honoured and elevated to the rank of SAN. The same cannot be said of Benjamin Adekunle aka Black Scorpion. It is as if he never fought in the Nigeria-Biafra war. There is a complicity of silence regarding his gallant role in the 3rd Marine Commando. Now that he is dead, maybe those at the helm of affairs in the Nigerian Army will no longer feel threatened and do the right thing by honouring him. From Bimbola

    Re-Silk, at last, for a doughty sentry. To me, the award of SAN at last, to Dr Onagoruwa, Gabriel Olusoga delay notwithstanding, is a victory to Onagoruwas and a slight to those who had so far robbed him of same, at due date then! For those doing ‘good’, let them continue and those with ‘devilish’ specialization, have their penalty(ies) by the Almighty. Yoruba adage says ‘See all that are being watched by the Eyes’. One day injustice against the Clean will become past tenses. Dr G.O. Onagoruwa, I thank God for you that, you received your SAN while alive. From Lanre Oseni.

    Hello Tunji, quite an age! Its long ago I read your work, so when I saw one on Dr Onagoruwa this morning, I quickly read it. As always, it’s an excellent analysis of the sad story on governance here in Nigeria. My best regards. From Tayo Fashoyin

    Dear Dare, your analysis on Dr Olu Onagoruwa is a lesson for everyman. The summary is embedded in the scriptural passage:  2nd Corinthians 6 vs. 14-18. When men learn that there is no free meal with the devil. Unfortunately, Dr Onagoruwa never learnt the lessons. He lost his high reputation, lost his son and his health. From Pastor Ademola Philip Adetunji   

    It’s on record that Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr Onagoruwa’s closest friend like other activists warned him the danger in his romance and accept to work with Abacha government. Anyway Olu has history to contend with. From Comrade Rufus Olusesan, Lagos.

    Sir, I was moved to tears seeing the erudite and inimitable Dr Olusoga Gabriel Onagoruwa receiving his belated silk rank in the chambers of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Alooma Muhktar. That Onagoruwa is qualified to wear silk is never in doubt; however the vagaries and challenges of his participation in the late Abacha regime will continue to be in our historical books forever. It is quite unfortunate that Onagoruwa lost a priceless son, a hard earned reputation and his health in the process of contributing to the development of Nigeria, but history will be kind to him. This is a victory for Dr Onagoruwa himself (being alive to receive the rank), his family for witnessing an epoch and his numerous friends, most whom will continue to contest the rightness or the otherwise of his participation in the ill-fated Abacha government. Commendation to Dr. Tunji Dare for your masterpiece on this great Nigerian. Congratulations my comrade. From Nurudeen Badejo, Lagos

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Your article captioned “Between Adamawa and Ekiti” refers. It is unfortunate that under the Jonathan government, impunity and corruption have gained notoriety. That Ekiti traditional chiefs have abandoned integrity for which Ekiti was once known for is highly unfortunate. In the past, Ekiti would be counted on the path of truth but now politics of stomach infrastructure has changed everything. From Olu Oluwaseyin

    The NJC, should, as a matter of urgency , directed that the case against Fayose be given accelerated hearing before the October 16, if not in Ekiti State but elsewhere . From Olowolagba Kayode , Ibadan .

    The era of putting the traditional rulers in the governor’s car boots has come so: they need to come together and display a compulsory solidarity beforehand: we all understand the statement of the traditional rulers.Anonymous

    PDP does not believe in the rule of law but its belief in the rule of anarchy. We have had several cases where the ruling party refused to obey the caurt rulings among was the case that favoured the former PDP secretary Oyinlola in which the ruling party refused to honour court order. The  Inspector General of Police that is being control led by the ruling party said anybody with criminal record will not be allowed to contest, now the same man had given directive in Ekiti not to allow the rule of law to prevail. History is on the side of the oppressed. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Apapa Lagos.

    Sir, good day. I read your article “That big show in Abuja” on the Nation’s newspaper of October 2, and I want to comment on the issue of the kidnapped Chibok girls. If they know their whereabouts, why haven’t they been touched to bring them back or have they lost their conscience? Because by now, some of those girls might have gone very sick, some dead, not to talk of d sexual abuse that must be inflicted on them. If really they decided to keep quiet after knowing where they are, then it is wickedness. Thank you. From Kelechi.

    You write in glowing terms about our judiciary as if it consists of gods, when we know that judges are part of the rotten political system. The APC should know that preventing someone who defeated an incumbent in all the local governments in the state from assuming office can only be an invitation to anarchy. May be some lessons on popular uprising and social versus legal justice may just be apt for the APC and the e-11 at this period. From Tim.

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: Keeping vigil on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Many things are wrong with both the FG and state governments as well as the people … The youth empowerment schemes that most state governments embarked on should have been of three shifts – 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 3p.m. to 11 p.m. and 11 p.m. till 7 a.m. These youths, combined with the policemen that Nigerians hate to see on our roads would make traffic congestion vanish in the country. Finally, the stubbornness and indiscipline of many road users would be crushed by security agents whenever there is hold-up. When such traffic hold-up begins, it is always mindboggling as you see more than 100 vehicles ahead of you. Indiscipline with impunity by some of our law breaking ‘one-way’ drivers account for 70 percent of such trauma. From Lanre Oseni.

    Your vigil on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is very interesting. I want you to travel on these rods: Oyo-Ogbomoso Road; Ilorin-Jebba; Tegina-Makira. In fact, the entire route from Kaduna to Ilorin, you will see what is called the shame of a nation. Please help beg them, I mean the Federal Government/Federal Ministry of Works/ FERMA to please do something on these roads. Thanks. From Dr Toyin Adedokun.

    The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has become an avenue where contractors and construction companies are using to milk government dry without completing it. Every now and then, the government will tell Nigerians that contract for the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been awarded to so, so and so construction company. So, who is fooling whom?  South-south and South-east people go through hell when passing through the road on their way back home, either at festive periods or other engagements. The government should provide other means of transportation to ease commuters’ plight on the road. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

     

  • COMMENT

    COMMENT

    For Dare Olatunji

    Sir, your piece on Ekiti’s Fayose foretells the trend of impunity Nigerians should expect during and after the 2015 elections. The PDP and its followers are primed to muzzle all agents of civilized social order to remain relevant in the country. The moral question is ‘when will the mass of Nigerians revolt against the unbridled violence of our collective psyche? Sir, remember the Arab spring? Therein lies our salvation. From PHILLIPS.Ilaro,Ogun state.

    Sir, Naturally, the ethos of good breeding, nobility, robust conscience, selflessness and integrity should not be expected from certified reprobates and absconding felons who ought to be in jail but are highly honoured in any society/country. Should Mr Ayodele Fayose not have allowed civility to prevail in place of repulsive conduct? It is so sad. Now, the leader of PDP, who sponsored the governor-elect, is yet to say a word. Are the leaders of PDP conscious of the verdict of history with their drab approach to governance and surreptitious moves to rule the country again? From ADEGOKE O O, IKHIN, EDO STATE.

    Sir, I feel terribly ashamed as a yoruba man of the incident playing out in Ekiti State. As a student in the 80’s I was a beneficiary of a Judicial Judgement. Again in year 2008, I again benefited from a judgement which though one may consider delayed but very instructive. It has therefore made me to believe in the sanctity of the courts. i therefore find it very repulsive that a character that calls himself a Governor elect in a State of Honour (Ile Iyi, Ile Eye) could behave in such discretable manner. It is really food for thougt for all yorubas, moreso for all Ekiti indigenes. From Lanre Atoyebi.

    Governor-elect Ayo Fayose acts of accompanied thugs to beats  judge and other judiciary works, is very unfortunate and the beginning of what Ekiti state people  will see in the next four years of his government. This is an indication of wrong chosen of stomach infrastructure instead of good leader. From Chika Nnorom

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    I have protested that the’ eminent’ Yoruba man of our time; the great mobilizer and US drug indicted name is missing. Mr Buruji. Definitely it’s a deliberate oversight on the FG part to exclude him. Anonymous.

    It is a pity that criminals are the one having a better day in Nigeria of today. I congratulate those ones that deserve the honour and pity those ones that know inside of them that they don’t merit the honour, they have taken sandpaper and we all know sandpaper don’t digest. God bless Nigeria. From Yemi,Ibadan.

    Sir, I join you in your broad smile or is it “laughter” on “That big show in Abuja”. One day for Nigeria. The people MUST be delivered from this charade. From Ken Amanze, Owerri, Imo State.

    The inclusion of Governor David Jang on the national award list actually pissed me off. As at the time of sending this text, plateau workers are owed three months salary arrears. Anonymous

    Sir, your write up today is classic, timely and very rewarding. May the ink of your pen never dry sir. From Andy

    Sir, I was initially angry when I started reading your Editorial Notebook about “THAT BIG SHOW IN ABUJA”. I got a relieve afterward because the piece was an intelligent ‘ena’ for the wise. The message is timely. Well-done. Anonymous

    Gbenga, please be informed that the piece about the result of the election of the NGF is 16 (Jang) and 19 (Amaechi). Please check your facts well. From Kola

    Sir: Re that big show in Abuja: Of all the recipients of the national awards, the one that merits it most is the chef or cook to the president the simple reason is that it’s not easy to garnish the presidents food(s) at the right proportions with no ingredients overshadowing one and other considering the meagre allocation “a mere #1billion as yearly feeding allowance of our own president. The chef or cook or steward or whatever must have put his utmost frugal ability at the service of the nation. From Dr Tunde Obaoye, Lagos. 

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: The president and the proverbial lizard. Honestly speaking, Jonathan performed in some aspects, lagged behind and kept thinking about some. In major road projects, I give his administration kudos. In power, he was misled into concluding the sale of the power plants because it won’t be the solution to the country’s power problems. Nigerians, if cleansed of corruption by a forceful leader (FG) can deal with the power problem. Massive insecurity caught him unawares! He delayed in acting hard initially and damage had been done by the time he started to hit the terrorists hard. He has achieved excellently in banking. By acceding to ASUU’s demands and the allied groups he has shown he is a listening president. He needs help from all of us by way of suggestions on solutions to the issues. Anonymous

    On “Ekiti, a dress rehearsal?” It is extremely barbaric that thuggery could be carried that far with impunity. Whether a judge would be biased or not, let there be judgment first. The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court are there. After all, despite the backyard impeachment in 2006 of Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, he eventually got justice and governed at last. I pray someone’s innate sight would not be destroyed to further spite and again destroy the outer sight. However, all should be cautious of allowing a sleeping dog to lie. Having lost an election, people should stop passing through the backyard, thinking of hope for reversal where there is none. From Lanre Oseni.

    Dear Tunji, I have just finished reading your write-up in The Nation newspaper of October 5 captioned “The president and the proverbial lizard” with a lot of fury and would like to ask, “What do you people from the west and The Nation Newspaper want from the president”? If he eats, you would criticise him, if he doesn’t you will … Anonymous.

    Good day sir. Thanks a million times for a fine piece. But sir, what is happening to our Page 3 man? From Chief Ukpa, Akwa Ibom State.

    Jonathan’s self-assessment on Nigeria’s 54th Independence celebration was a nice piece. Anonymous.

    Tunji, I read the president’s speech and noticed that he said nothing about corruption. So, how can he boast of having achieved much? Have a good Sunday. Anonymous, Makurdi, Benue State.

    Nigeria has become a lawless country where lawless leaders are governing. How on earth can a man seeking to be governor be victimising the same people he wants to govern? It is painful that Ekiti that is known for being a state of honour has been turned to a state of anarchy by a man who does not believe in the rule of law. Fayose and his backers are celebrating arrogance in Ekiti, forgetting that he who fails to humble himself always ends up disgraced. I want Fayose and those that are backing him to understand that Ekiti is not for rascals as the Ekiti people would resist any unholy attitude. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

    Nigeria is 54, good; because we got our independence on a platter of gold. But, what progress have we made since then? It is very sad and painful that things are still the way they are in the country despite the enormous resources at our disposal. At 54, we should have advanced in every sector due to our endowments; indeed, there should have been no excuse for failure. All the leaders in the three tiers of government should henceforth dwell on good governance rather than keep thinking of how to enrich themselves. Ekiti State voters have made a wrong choice due to ‘stomach infrastructure’ but beating up judges is a big embarrassment. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

     

  • Craving for a peaceful world

    “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” – Mahatma Ghandi

    With the passing of every other day, world inhabitants get aggressively intolerant with each other. Due to diminishing diplomatic composure, lack of statecraft, unwillingness to let go and self destructive instincts as occasioned by environmental degradation and population explosion, violence is brewing across hitherto peaceful borders.

    Aside states that are at arms with each other, fissiparous terrorists groups with no defined territorial boundary like Al-Qaeda, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad alias Boko Haram, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, ISIL, National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, MNLA, amongst others are causing havoc, creating international nuisance and bloodshed. At every turn around the world, chaos reign supreme; Ukraine in Eastern Europe, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan in Middle East, Somalia in East Africa, Central African Republic, South Sudan in North Africa, Mali and Nigeria in West Africa, are just few collections of unrest across the globe.

    Violence can be narrowed down to any behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. The World Health Organization defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation. Over the years, incidence of violence had grown in leaps and bounds, from medieval warring empires collecting slaves and colonizing nations, to nations at war in themselves in a civil context, to materialist wars of diamonds and crude oil that has further impoverished the people than liberate them.

    In the last decade, violence or violent uprising has been tied around religion, protecting sovereign states, seeking inclusive democracy, reducing the ownership of nuclear weapon and combating world terrorism. In Africa, violence as occasioned by rural banditry has been exponential as nomads try to seek greener pasture through relatively declining grazing lands which presumably was caused by population explosion and urban expansion.  Amidst these are also sectarian violence claiming lives every other day.

    Today, the world is unsettled, chaotic, brutish, nasty and dangerously positioned. Under the cover of religious bigotry, territorial realignment, ethnic dominance, resource control, sustenance of geographical sovereignty, expansion of political dynasty and establishment of world hegemony, human blood are being violently spilled. We are fast losing our humanity and this portray clearly that the entire world is in disarray.  We have continuously harped on our fault lines as a basis to wage and remain at war. To be frank, it is the self-centred instinct to subjugate other nations, individuals or corporations to the whims and caprices of an aggressor(s) that has continued to escalate the divide. The world as a whole needs to stand up to this challenge in the face of an abiding aphorism – threat of injustice anywhere is threat to justice everywhere.

    It was Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, who tried to explain that humans naturally grow from the state of child-like impetuous actions to a state of creating balance and judging between what is right and wrong. Taking a clue from Freud’s theory of ID, Ego and Super Ego, we as humans need to know what is right or wrong. Capitalizing on the depravity of others to gain mundane advantage places a burden of rightness on every cause of action that has led to shedding of human blood; discriminatory practices, arms trading, debt burden, population explosion, climate change, economic deprivation, child labour, unemployment and gender inequality.

    Another major obstacle to attaining world peace is the proliferation of arms. Isn’t it scandalous that the nations with the highest sales in arms are the most peaceful? They are, the agent provocateurs currently running around as peace advocates. Developing nations get loans from developed nations to purchase arms to annihilate their own people. This stringed action entrenched them in the vicious circle of debt repayment that further impoverishes the people.

    Wars bring more wars not peace, even the biblical postulation of an eye for an eye as contained in the law given to Moses has been overridden by Jesus Christ’s abiding love and the will to forgive and forget. Prophet Muhammad in copious texts established that the religion he came to redefine called Islam means peace. Mahatma Ghandi once said, ”an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Today, non-violence, sculpture of a knotted gun by Karl Fredrik stands permanently outside UN Headquarters in New York. The revolver with a knotted barrel and the muzzle pointing upwards tacitly depicts the need to destroy and discontinue the production of weapons of human destruction of all categories.

    Human beings are the eyes of the world; violence brings tears to the world’s eyes. The United Nations choose October 2 to commemorate and “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.” It advocates for “the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire “to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence”. Despite the UN’s advocacy, peace still remains the most expensive commodity in the global market.

    It may seem that the idea of world peace is an illusion when the greed of man is not tamed, and conflict amongst humans continues unabated, but well managed human interaction hinged on structured diplomatic manoeuvring can reduce conflict to barest minimum. Truth be told, one of the major hindrance to world peace is the politics of influence exercised by the super powers that double as world police. The proliferation of small arms and its regulation within the international community is also of great concern. Inasmuch as arms can still be purchased arbitrarily at the black market, curtailing violence would remain Herculean task.

    In the bid to prevent war, some theorists advocated for a military deterrence strategy, Mutually Assured Destruction, MAD, that suggest possible annihilation of either the attacker or defender, but they would have seen the futility of the theory that seek to stockpile armour under perceived fears of attack. Rather than abate, acquiring nuclear weapons has led to more killing than bringing peace. As long as we still have states that carry nuclear, biological and chemical weapons under the umbrella of defensive weapons, peace would remain an illusion. We should remember people go to war believing that they have been cheated, they go to war to seek presumed justice, and they go to war to seek redress. As much as we try to be empathetic in regards to why they are taking arms, the world must as a point of duty condemn violence in whatever form.

    In a monograph on ‘Boko Haram, the Government and Peace Negotiation’, Professor James B. Kantiok, stated that “peace cannot be brought about by fine phrases, jingles and nice lectures; it involves hard work and sacrifice.

    Unemployment causes many to stray into the waiting hands of eccentric rebels who cash on their state of lack to buy their loyalty. We sure can achieve a non-violent world, but it would start with food on every man’s table and a sense of belonging. Corruption is also an albatross to peaceful coexistence; governmental institutions should be strengthened to monitor developmental project compliance.

    The citizens must be given a sense of belonging to participate in government and chose for themselves their representatives in a transparent, peaceful and democratically acceptable manner. Today, a huge number of youths in what has been termed ‘Umbrella Revolution’ are occupying Central Park in Hong Kong, demanding for an inclusive democracy. One can only hope it does not get too violent before the government listen to its people. Peace is not abstract, it is visual.

    Mojeed-Sanni writes from Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja.

  • Lessons from Scottish referendum

    he recently conducted referendum by the people of Scotland to decide their future has come and gone. About 1.8 million Scots (55%) cast a decisive “NO” vote for independence as against about 1.5 million (45%) who voted for independence from the United Kingdom. Scotland, a country with a projected population of about six million people and occupying a territory of approximately 79,000 square kilometres joined the United Kingdom of Great Britain more than 300 years ago through the act of Union in 1707.

    The referendum took the entire world by storm going by fact that the Union had actually endured for more than three centuries thus the prospect of its dissolution at this time and age would have had far-reaching and unimaginable consequences for many nations of the world with contrived or lopsided union.

    The conclusion by many political observers throughout the intense campaign period was that if the people of Scotland after more than 300 years in the United Kingdom would now agitate for independence, then obviously the act of the Union ab initio was inherently defective. The result of the referendum has further polarized the Scottish people going by the closeness of the result – 55% for the “NO” vote as against 45% for the “YES” vote.

    At the commencement of the campaigns,  it became obvious that the Scottish people had extremely a raw deal in the United Kingdom of Great Britain hence the initial opinion polls which had predicted a comfortable lead by the campaigners for “YES” vote.  This scenario of imminent victory continued until the bigwigs at Westminster led by the Prime Minister, David Cameron and the immediate past Labour Party, Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, himself is a Scot, desperately rushed to Scotland and with last minute passionate appeals to the undecided voters not to vote “YES” for independence while adopting all manners of political gimmicks including naked blackmail and outright intimidation as well as the belated token or half-hearted promises to the Scottish people for them to remain in the United Kingdom.

    This was the last trump card that dramatically changed the tide of opinion in favour of the “NO” vote on the eve of the historic referendum.

    For the 1.5million people that voted “YES”, Scotland will never be the same again, hence the spirit of nationalism and identity already ignited by the referendum will certainly remain with the people for generations yet to come. It had been proved time and time again that gross or naked injustice, inequality, and lack of fairness tend to breed mass discontentment, distrust and perpetual fear of domination by one group of people over others. The consequences are separatist tendencies and agitations for autonomy or self determination by the perceived marginalized segment as was the case with the people of Scotland.

    In Africa, the erstwhile colonial powers particularly the British lumped together people of diverse ethnic, socio-cultural and religious backgrounds and orientation as one country and eventually granted them independence as one nation.

    Cases abound in Africa where this situation has continued to fuel endless crisis, armed conflicts and socio-political instability in those countries due to the forced union and incompatibility among the diverse groups that make up the countries. The recent independence of the people of South Sudan from Sudan is a typical case in point where the southern Sudanese felt that they could no longer peacefully co-exist with their northern “brothers” as a result of deep-rooted animosity engendered by ethno-religious and irreconcilable differences between the mainly Moslem north and mainly Christian south. This situation was further aggravated when the Sudanese government officially adopted Islam as a state religion to the detriment of the mainly Christian south. This ugly situation consequently degenerated into armed conflicts between the two divided sections of Sudan.

    There are many other volatile parts of the world or flash points where people still harbour strong separatist tendencies as a result of not having a fair deal. Some of these include the French speaking people of Quebec in Canada; the people of Eastern Ukraine of the former Soviet Union who with the strong support of Russia are currently fighting for self determination or independence from Ukraine. Only recently the people of “Catalonia” in Spain staged a huge demonstration in that country calling for the independence of Catalonia from Spain ostensibly taking a cue from the Scots.

    However, in the African context, it was the erstwhile colonial powers that forcibly brought together strange bedfellows with incompatible and irreconcilable ethno-religious, and socio-cultural backgrounds to form a union or country without their consent purely for their selfish economic interest. A case in point was the defunct Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland then ruled by the British under Sir Roy Welensky.  During the long agitation for independence which later culminated in the armed struggle by the nationalist forces led by the indefatigable and foremost freedom fighter, Robert Mugabe, along with other freedom fighters such as Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole, Abel Muzorewa and many others, the British in their wisdom and legendary act of diplomacy quickly realised that the people of Rhodesia and Nyasaland could never peacefully co-exist as one nation and as such, proceeded to grant independence separately first to Northern Rhodesia now Zambia, followed by Nyasalnd, now Malawi, and lastly, Southern Rhodesia now Zimbabwe after a long and bitter armed struggle by the African liberation forces. The white minority settlers in Southern Rhodesia then led by racist Prime Minister Ian Smith had wanted to entrench white minority government modelled on the obnoxious former apartheid system in South Africa. Ian Smith in obvious self delusion had dared the British authorities when he unilaterally declared independence for Rhodesia (UDI) in 1965 and that led to the intensification of the armed struggle by the nationalist forces which eventually crushed the resistance of Ian Smith and his white minority racist regime paving the way for the independence of Zimbabwe from Britain in 1980.

    In the same vein, the British granted independence separately to India and Pakistan in the Indian sub-continent in 1947 due to the simple fact that India with a huge population of predominantly Hindu religion could never peacefully co-exist with Pakistan also with a huge population of predominantly Muslim religion as one nation. Again, the Republic of Bangladesh which was part of Pakistan later broke away after a long and bitter civil war and gained her independence in 1971.

    There are many similar instances throughout the world where people decided to leave the union or country they had voluntarily joined due to certain factors that were inimical to their collective interest and destiny such as the cases already mentioned.

    It is an obvious truism that unity is strength, thus people of diverse ethnic, socio-cultural and religious backgrounds could freely come together to form a union or a country. However, justice, equity, fairness, mutual respect and trust between and among the people must be the guiding principle for the union to survive.

    It is a sad commentary that in the case of our dear country Nigeria, the erstwhile British colonial powers after the infamous and forced amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 proceeded to grant independence to Nigeria as one nation despite all the available empirical indices which pointed to the fact that the diverse ethnic, socio-cultural, cum religious groups could not peacefully co-exist as one nation. The Nigerian nation has continued to pay very dearly for this forced amalgamation up till date.

    The only solution to the current endemic multifarious challenges confronting the nation is for Nigeria to quickly return to the regional structure of government with full and undiluted fiscal autonomy, where the present six geo-political zones would possibly be increased to eight zones with their separate constitutions, police force and regional army. Any further delay to the restructuring of the Nigerian polity in line with the above recommendations might spell doom to the corporate existence of the country as one nation or entity. The country should take a cue from other volatile parts of the world where the nationalist or separatist movements are daily gathering momentum and attracting global attention. It is said that a stitch in time saves nine and therefore, the Nigerian authorities should quickly read the handwriting on the wall and take the bull by the horn by facing the stark realities of the current desperate situation and act decisively to save the nation from the looming catastrophe.

    • Akabogu (JP) wrote from Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.

  • What is wrong with Nigeria?

    On Wednesday, October 1, Nigeria was 54.  And many of us were asking “What’s wrong with Nigeria?”

    Many years ago I came to the rude awakening that I was what was really wrong with Nigeria! For many years I complained, griped, grumbled and blamed our leaders, government and every other person but myself for the state of affairs of our nation. I was tired of the way things were and were going in Nigeria but did nothing to change things. I did nothing to sow the seeds for change! I did nothing to take ownership of the runaway train called Nigeria! I did nothing to stop our nation from derailing! I did nothing to step up to the plate of responsibility and take charge of the situation! And I was calling myself a woman of goodwill! Really!!!

    I was angry about the chaos, crisis and confusion going on in my nation but I wasn’t angry enough to change it!

    I was hungry for positive change in Nigeria but I wasn’t hungry enough to pay the price and feed that passion until it created a critical mass of change!

    I constantly and continuously spoke about my nation Nigeria with no sense of ownership saying things like “Nigeria is this…”, “Nigeria is that….” and so on and so forth!

    I spoke about fellow Nigerians as if I wasn’t a Nigerian too! I would make sweeping blanket statements like “Nigerians are always…”, “Nigerians are never…” “Nigerians don’t…” etc.

    I am sure you get the message!

    I was totally and completely disconnected to my nation Nigeria and my people Nigerians. I kept asking to myself “Why is that”? And I kept wondering “Why is that”? I kept looking for a time a messiah would come and fix up Nigeria for good. After looking, searching and waiting “forever” I came to the stark realization that I was what was wrong with Nigeria! That realization was my wake-up call!

    My turning point was when I met with a friend and mentor whose name is Dr. Hayshgee. He said to me “The good are not good enough! The hungry are not hungry enough for change! The angry are not angry enough to create and force a critical mass of positive change to occur! And the good are so focused on the problems they can’t see the solutions! Only a paradigm shift in thinking can create the change the men and women of goodwill desire! “ He added saying to me almost sarcastically, “And by the way, lest you forget you are a member of Team Goodwill!” And that’s when it hit me that I am what is wrong with Nigeria!

    My mentor also said “They are not enough dedicated and committed players in ‘Team Goodwill’. And they have been playing to play but they must learn to play to win. That is the way positive change occurs and remains in any society! Unlike ‘Team Evil, Corrupt and Bad will’ they understand the game! And they play really hard to win! And when they win, I must be honest and say it is a well-deserved victory on their part because they PLAYED TO WIN! They just have a STRONGER DESIRE to WIN!!!”

    Dr. Hayshgee shared some quotations with me which I will share with you to help put things in proper perspective.

    “In doing good, we are generally cold, and languid, and sluggish; and of all things afraid of being too much in the right. But the works of malice and injustice are quite in another style. They finish with a bold mastery hand”– Edmund Burke. “Evil unchecked grows; evil tolerated poisons the whole system.”– Jawaharlal Nehru

    “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”  – Haile Selassie.

    “Tolerating evil leads only to more evil. And when good people stand by and do nothing while wickedness reigns, their communities will be consumed.” – Bob Riley

    My discussion with Dr. Hayshgee and these quotations he shared with me got me thinking real hard! And I had a paradigm shift. This is the paradigm shift I had – to stop being what is wrong with Nigeria and become everything that is RIGHT with Nigeria!

    These are the decisions I made as a result of my encounter with Dr. Hayshgee.

    First, I made up my mind to work harder on myself than I do on Nigeria! I made up my mind to become everything that is RIGHT about Nigeria by working on myself and becoming a better citizen of Nigeria. If I become better, then I can make things better! If I add value to myself by working on myself through personal development, I will invariably end up adding more value to the society and Nigeria at large. Second, I made up my mind to purposefully, deliberately and consciously sow seeds of goodness daily into the Nigerian society. Third, I made up my mind to set myself up as an EXAMPLE of what a NEW NIGERIAN should act like, talk like and be like in every area of life and nation building Fourth, I made a decision to be hungry and angry enough to get out of my COMFORT ZONE to create change every day and in whichever way I can.

    Fifth, I decided to produce a vision that will be used as a blueprint for creating a generational change. I have done this and put the ideas and concepts in two books which are titled “THE 8TH WONDER of the world – Made in NIGERIA” and “THE 8TH WONDER of the world – Made in Naiga”. Sixth, I made a resolution to take up ownership of Nigeria by becoming SOLUTION-OREINTED in my thinking thereby enabling me to steer our nation aright and in the direction of the promised land of GREATNESS! Seventh, I made up my mind to grow our “Team Goodwill” by recruiting and empowering fellow Nigerians (especially the youth) to become good and great citizens of Nigeria!     Eighth, “Team Goodwill” needs to stop the winning spree that “Team Evil, Corrupt and Bad will” have had for too many years in Nigeria! So, I purposed in my heart to design some information that will help, encourage and empower other team members of “Team Goodwill” to have a better understanding of the game so that we can start playing the game to WIN!

    I now am recruiting you into active service of TEAM GOODWILL of Nigeria!

    Let’s have FUN building a GREAT NEW NIGERIA by equipping ourselves, then getting into the game and playing to WIN!

    God bless NIGERIA!

     

    • Ms Simoyan writes from Lagos

  • Nigeria at 54: So far so…

    Fifty-four years since Nigeria attained independence from the British colonialists, if a thorough assessment of the situation on ground is anything to go by, it would not be out of place to say that we are still far from the dreams our founding fathers craved and tirelessly laboured to achieve. Succeeding administrations have contributed their quotas in one way or the other to the development of the country, the negative appears to overshadow the positives.  Thus, the country is rather retrogressing than progressing and gradually sliding to a state of confusion and uncertainties as to what the future holds. The vigour, patriotic zeal and commitments which were some of the guiding principles of our leaders in the pre-independence era have since vanished to be replaced with selfishness, corruption, greed, mediocrity and a host of other ills. Expectedly, the country is now plagued by all sorts of societal vices as a result of these factors.

    There is hardly any sector of the polity that has not been infected with large scale problems.  However, a critical evaluation of all these problems reveals that they are offshoots of bad governance and or the unpatriotic tendencies of majority of the citizenry. Today, corruption has eaten deep into the system; infrastructures have decayed to the extent that most roads are so terribly bad that they are being painted with human blood on a daily basis; a good number of manufacturing industries and small scale businesses have been grounded because of lack of power supply and the cut-throat interest and other charges that the financial institutions place on credit facilities; the youths have resorted to armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings, cultism, election malpractices and violence, terrorism and other criminal activities because of the alarming rate of unemployment. Good food and decent shelter have become like a mirage to millions of people and the much expected dividends of democracy are not forthcoming and the future seems bleak for the generations to come because of the callousness of some people. Ironically, the country is blessed with adequate manpower and natural resources that could make her compete with most of the western countries in terms of development.

    From the aforementioned, you will agree with me that the situation is very unfortunate and worrisome which requires urgent attention before it finally gets out of hand. Pointing accusing fingers or trading blames at this point will be futile because we are all in it together and should be prepared to take up the gauntlet to rights the wrongs with the aim of making the country the pride of the black race.

    Nigerians should begin to see themselves as one. It is high time we shun tribal, religious, gender and class sentiments and focus more on coming together to tackle our problems as one indivisible family. All hands must be on deck to support the government in forging ways forward. We should all start imbibing the principle of assisting one another at every given opportunity because this will give succor and hope to the less privileged and help in no little way to reduce crime and other vices in our society. We should not always wait for election periods before knowing that the people are hungry and disgruntled to deserve temporary reprieve because of their votes.

    The people in power should embrace patriotic and committed approaches in the execution of their responsibilities. They should desist from using their tenure to repay their ‘godfathers’ and cronies rather, they should try as much as possible to embark on programmes that will alleviate the sufferings of the masses and thereby making the dividends of democracy to go round. We should discourage a situation where a good percentage of budgets meant for development are diverted into private accounts. We should always allow ourselves to be guided by the fact that it is only God Almighty that made it possible for us to be wherever we are and use the opportunity to judiciously appreciate His goodness, mercies and kindness over us. If we continue to play by our wrong doings without giving a hoot, then His wrath is definitely hanging over our heads and ready to confirm that we are nothing but ordinary mortals. His judgments will surely come when we least expected.

    The politicians should also have the interest of the citizenry at heart. In as much as we know that it is very rare to have 100% in an election (most especially in a heterogeneous and complex society like ours), the elected office holders should always execute their programmes for the benefits of all and not just for a particular sets of people or group of party loyalists. The best hands /materials should be given appointments so that they will use their wealth of experiences and skills to do those things that are expected of them rather than appointing novices to positions based on sentiments. In this situation, the interests of the generality of the people will be made sacrosanct. In the same vein, members of the opposition should also desist from the ‘pull him/them down tactics and also stretch the hands of friendship to support the efforts of the people in government for the good of all and sundry. The practice whereby the people in opposition are unjustly criticizing and doing everything possible to make the ruling authorities unpopular will only compound the woes of the masses. The proponents of ‘do or die politics’ should have a rethink and desist from the practice so that the country would start experiencing the benefits of playing politics without bitterness because there are no permanent friends or foes but, permanent interest so the overall aim should be to judiciously uphold the national interests regardless of political affiliations.

    Another important factor is the impoverishment of our youths by the privileged few who have turned the wealth of the nation to their family inheritances. This act has pushed majority of the youths to crimes and other vices. It is high time these enemies of progress should lose their grips on our common-wealth before the spirits of our founding fathers and the wrath of God catch up with them because they are gaining from the pains of the masses. The time is ‘NOW’ when our youths should also liberate themselves from the evil manipulations and influences of these self-acclaimed movers and shakers of the country by saying ‘NO’ to criminal activities. We should resolve to explore all available avenues to contributing our quotas to the development of Nigeria and making her great again.

    To those who have turned corruption to their surnames and have continuously enriched themselves to the detriment of the country’s progress; this is also the time to desist from fraudulent practices so that the common-wealth will be used for the common-good of the people.

    If all the above mentioned areas are addressed, it will be a matter of little time when the country will start experiencing rapid development. It is a known fact that habits or are difficult to change but if we accept the popular saying that ‘the only permanent thing in life is change’, then we should be prepared to change for the better.

    Oise-Oghaede writes from Lagos.

  • Rumour mill and the NYSC fee

    Nigerians are a funny lot. Oh, do I even say we are funny? I think we are simply unique. We always claim we are enlightened, yet we don’t seem to put that into use when dealing with certain social and political issues. Is there any country where rumour mongering thrives the way it does in Nigeria? I seriously doubt. At times, when you see an educated person discussing an issue that he does not have facts and figures on, simply ask him a simple question: have you tried to find out the true position of things? He is likely to shrug his shoulders and tell you that everyone, including himself, is discussing it.

    For many, this is likely to be the case with the ‘raging’ controversy surrounding the decision by the management of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to ask prospective corps members to buy a scratch card with which to download their call-up letters online. NYSC, acording to the rumour mill,  asked them to pay N4000 before they could collect their call-up letters; in other words,  pay N4000 to serve their country. At least, that is the version of the story that the rumour mill was feeding members of the public. Do I say that your truly was also sucked in by the story? Yeah, I was. But I just decided to go a step further. Why should a body like the NYSC charge prospective corps members such amount of money all because they wanted to get their call-up letters? But wait a minute, do most Nigerians double-check before going to town over an issue?

    These are the things I was able to find out concerning the call-up letter imbroglio. The most significant is that NYSC gave options – in fact, two options. A prospective corps member can buy scratch card and go online and do all the things he or she needs to do so that he or she already has his or her table ready before getting to the camp. This option includes doing registration online (which usually takes at least 36 hours in the camp upon reporting) and then downloading the call-up letter and even the biometrics would have been done online. The other option is that the prospective corps member goes to her school where he or she has just finished, and then picks up his or her call-up letter by hand and then proceeds to the state where he or she has been posted to. If I am not making a mistake here, I think this is very straightforward and the choice, if again I am correct, is that of the prospective corps member: you can either raise the N4000 and then proceed to the cyber café beside your house and do everything online or go to your school and pick up your call-up letter and proceed to your orientation camp.

    Does the NYSC have some fault here? Yes, it surely does. And that fault stems from the fact that not enough information and communication were provided as far as this novel idea is concerned. People resist change and that is natural. But that change becomes doubly challenging when it comes with parting with your hard-earned money. Clearly, the idea of asking people to pay to collect their call-up letters will surely raise eyebrows, mainly because it represents a departure from the norm. Most of us who did that mandatory one-year national youth service are aware that we just went to the universities and polytechnics where we finished and picked up our call-up letters. And may I also say that it was easier then. No insecurity like this and one could sleep even by the roadside, if stranded, with both eyes closed. If you were to fear anything, perhaps it had to be natural elements.

    However, I think we need to look at the issue from what we call opportunity cost and alternative foregone in elementary economics. If convenience and safety are the names of the game, which option will someone who finished from, say the University of Benin, but who resides in Lagos, pick? Brave the elements, square up with the inherent dangers and hit the Benin-Ore expressway to go and pick his or her call up letter or just raise N4000 and buy the scratch card? In fact, if this option of a scratch card was available when I was to go for my orientation camp at the Black Gold Orientation Camp, Kaduna, some 18 years ago, I would have grabbed it with both hands. I finished from the then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti and I came to Lagos immediately after finishing with my clearance. When the NYSC call-up letter came, I had to hit the road to Ado-Ekiti where I picked up the letter. I then came back to Lagos again before proceeding to Kaduna. You can imagine the stress!

    I have deliberately brought up these options and my own personal experience to let Nigerians know that at times, we do not look at the larger picture when we are passing judgment. This is by no means a case of trying to help NYSC plead its case. I want to believe the body has enough hands in its public affairs department to tackle the issue. But this write-up aims to deal with two issues simultaneously. And those issues are the fact that Nigerians should always get their facts right before condemning any policy by any government agency. Can government be trusted in this part of the world? I seriously doubt that. In fact, going by the unsavoury experience of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment fiasco, every Nigerian has all the reasons in the world to be circumspect when asked by government agency to pay for any service.

    In this regard, I can understand the indifference. But indifference is again quite different from deliberately consuming misinformation when technology has made life less miserable for us when it comes to information gathering and verification. It is high time we collectively dried up the oil that keeps the rumour mill running in our society. Again, I am not deluding myself that the handlers of the rumour mill would not have another issue to feast on tomorrow whenever they consider the NYSC N4000 controversy too stale to keep on the front burner. They will surely have. And in most cases, it has to do with one government decision or the other. That is the nature of the society we live in. But we can change it.

    And in ending this, I still go back to the main issue: the NYSC N4000 call-up letter ‘fee’. As earlier stated, the issue here is that of commonsense: will you spend N4000 and get your call-up letter within the confines of your sitting room (if you have internet connection in your house) or go to your university and pick it? It is a choice that is purely that of the person involved. The key issue here, as I have found out, is that NYSC is not forcing any prospective NYSC member to buy into that option and that is the main reason why the controversy surrounding the issue is needless.

     

    • Adefeso writes from Lagos

  • The big sell: Jonathan versus Buhari

    With President Goodluck Jonathan’s endorsement for a second term by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria is shaping up to be a marketing contest. It promises to be a time when creative framing of the contest will be decisive.  And  with barely five months to the February 14, 2015 presidential election, it is apt to do a comparative analysis of how  sellable are the two front runners, in the race – incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress ( APC).

    President Jonathan has two major advantages over any other opponent – name recognition and the power of incumbency which affords him the leverage to create dramatic events and make policy decisions which can advance his chances at the polls. If, for instance, he musters the courage to further reduce fuel price, induce accelerated trial and eventual jailing of fuel subsidy scammers, sack police commissioners in states where kidnapping has become thriving business, and get the army to take the fight to the Boko Haram insurgents, he can fairly blunt his perception as a fumbling, ‘clueless’ anti-people leader who gives no damn about the suffering of the masses. It can also begin to indicate that he has not been in consort with, or a patron saint of, the corrupt oligarchy. The poser is: Can he?

    Of course, no leader at the level of the Presidency will not have ‘achievements’ to celebrate. The task for Jonathan’s marketing agents – and we have a plethora of them with the rambunctious Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) taking the cake – is itemizing those populist programmes and projects which have transformed the peoples’ lives. Statistics don’t sell with the masses; what are those Jonathan policy measures which touch lives of citizens, directly. What are the tangibles?

    However, one achievement President Jonathan can rightly boast of is being a democrat, allowing the people’s will to prevail in elections, by citing the governorship elections  in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti states  and most recently Osun, the so-called militarisation of the process in the last two states notwithstanding. Also, there is, to some extent, the perception of President Jonathan as being tolerant of criticisms going by the stridency of some of his critics, which occasionally degenerate to name calling, with some columnists tagging him as ‘clueless’ and a serpent.

    Our president says he is not a Pharaoh or a General and projects as your regular, unpretentious village boy. Let no one be deceived. It is becoming obvious that behind his manufactured humble mien lurk a strong willed streak and a cunning which neutralize opposition without being seen as a demolishing Leviathan, a bulldozer. You remember that General turned-farmer, who became a two-term president and brashly showed us he was a Power Hurricane?  The Otueke village boy has quietly humbled him without a fuss.  Just as he has neutralized those vociferous Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) grandstanders most of whom are yesterday’s men seeking relevance in today’s politics. The saturation campaign of Jonathan’s foot soldiers, nationwide, has had the effect of intimidating potential challengers in his party, the PDP, thus leading to his unanimous adoption as party presidential candidate. The continuing saturation awareness campaign strategy is also intended to numb the people to feel there is no effective, alternative choice in the opposition to his candidacy. Those not sold on Candidate Jonathan may choose not to vote, but then even a 30 percent voter turnout does not invalidate the election.  It is a situation where voter apathy may work to Jonathan’s advantage. After all, is democracy not turning into a rule of the minority?

    Now to General Muhammadu Buhari. How do we place this General in terms of electoral permutation and marketing?

    Buhari, in terms of name recognition, personal integrity and consistency is the most sellable candidate for the APC.  But a Buhari presidential bid suffers two major setbacks – that of limited time to project him as well as frame the campaign issues and an apparent funding limitation. The procrastination of his party, the APC, in projecting him as the putative candidate, has not helped matters, thus allowing all kinds of political opportunists to jostle for the party’s presidential ticket under a nebulous internal democracy mantra.  It is turning out a chaotic terrain, especially with some party leaders and APC sympathetic columnists articulating weird presidential ticket permutations, including that of a Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, a PDP stalwart, as the party’s presidential candidate, if he defects. It does not get more desperate and befuddled!

    There is also an unexplainable lethargy in APC awareness campaign nationwide. As noted by Tatalo Alamu in his Snooper column in The Nation of Sunday of August 31, “like an overweight sprinter, the APC has been slow to get off the starting block”.  It is rather ludicrous seeing APC’s spokesmen whining that Jonathan’s foot soldiers shouldn’t be on the campaign trail. Who is stopping APC following suit?  It would appear the Buhari strategists suffer the same lethargy, like the party, in getting a Buhari saturation awareness campaign off the block. It ignores two realities – that a presidential election is a marathon, not a 100 meters dash and that at presidential election level, the candidate, not the party, is the focal point. That is why it is now more of selling the candidate, his persona, his credibility.

    The main advantage and attraction of a Buhari candidacy, and putative Presidency, is his perception as an incorruptible person who can be trusted to confront the cancer of corruption that is ravaging the country, head on. It is the one issue which, properly articulated, and coupled with that of insecurity, can determine the presidential election outcome in Buhari’s favour. This is where framing the election issue becomes crucial. Two American presidential elections were determined, basically, on just one issue each – weak  leadership  in the Carter- Reagan  1980 election, and insecurity/crime in the Bush versus Dukakis election in 1988. I covered both election campaigns, live. The Chibok girls’ abduction by Boko Haram insurgents is a scene reminiscent of Iranian militants holding Americans hostage at the U.S Embassy in Teheran in 1979 for several months up to Election Day in November 1980 which projected President Jimmy Carter to the American people as a weak leader who cannot assert American power to free the hostages. Then Governor Ronald Reagan, who had vowed to confront the Iranians with the American might, whatever it takes, won the election in a landslide, Carter winning only in two of the 50 states – his native Georgia and Minnesota, the state of his running mate, Walter Mondale.

    In the 1988 electoral battle between Vice President George H.W. Bush (Republican) and the Governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis (Democrat), the Bush campaign turned the table on front runner Dukakis by projecting him as soft on crime and liberal with criminals, exemplifying this with Dukakis’ granting of parole to a jailed rapist, Willie Horton, in Massachusetts only for the convict to go to Maryland state to commit another rape. Although Dukakis engineered economic renewal of Massachusetts state, and promised similar economic miracle nationwide, the Bush campaign framed the election as a security/crime issue and vigorously projected a crime-ridden America under a Dukakis Presidency which persuaded the American people to vote for security, thus ending the presidential hopes of Dukakis. It was a classic example of campaign issue framing.

    Both candidates Jonathan and Buhari carry some baggage.  Given Nigeria’s state of insecurity and rampant corruption, which are generally seen to have worsened under Jonathan’s watch, President Jonathan’s re-election becomes a hard sell to the Nigerian electorate, while the perception of Buhari, in some quarters, as a religious fanatic and northern irredentist are burdens he would need to discharge. Buhari also suffers the additional disadvantage of limited campaign penetration, which can, however, be mitigated if creative campaigning is applied in the time available.  Ultimately, two factors will be decisive in the 2015 presidential election– voter turnout and perception management.  In the 2011 presidential election, 38.2 million people voted as against 66.8 million registered voters, representing about 55 percent voter turnout.  The party that can mobilise more of its supporters to cast their ballots will be at an advantage. On perception management, a projection of President Jonathan as a seemingly ‘harmless’ person who flows with the tide may attract a ‘let him be’ vote for a second term from an indulgent electorate while a vigorous marketing of Buhari as a selfless patriot, the liberator from the bondage of corruption and insecurity could persuade the voters to cast their ballots for the ascetic General. It is a potential cliff hanger. However, given the imponderables of politics, anything can happen, between now and the February 14, 2015 vote, to change the calculations.

     

    • Dr. Olawunmi, teaches Mass Communication at Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State.

  • Comment

    For Olatunji Dare

     

    95per cent of Nigeria’s politicians are Animals in Human Skin. Its time we flush them out of the assemblies, replace them with Patriots who will take sitting Allowances for true service  to the Nation. From Babtunde Akanbi, IIorin South.Kwara State.

    Sir, the departure of Chief Tom Ikimi from any political party in Nigeria is a  good omen. Aside from being a silent-screen ideological conman, 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.

    Dear Mr 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 recognised 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

    Good write up on ANNALS OF CAREERISM.They taught Nigerians did not see them.Thank you. From Hon. Doyin Johnson, Lagos

    This is a good account of the Edo High Chief. He is truly an AGIP (any govt in power). His co travellers are many. People like Anenih, Gana, Mantu, Ojo Madueke, Arthur Eze, Bode George, Babatope and many more. They have a price not pride. They are undignified and have no reputation. They are the Generals of Stomach Infrastructure. Anonymous

    Chief Tom Ikimi’s utterances against Asiwaju Tinubu over the APC chairmanship position is very unfortunate, and an indication that he has hidden agenda over 2015 general election against APC.APC can move on without him period.To be leader is not compulsory neither birthright to some people.God made leaders not by force.l believe Asiwaju Tinubu works on antecedent of the man,not by his capacity as leader of APC.he want APC to be strong as opposition. From Gordon Chika Nnorom

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Re-The character of education.I enjoyed your recap of W.E.B. Du Bois I learnt in 1979-80 under Personalities in West African History.I particularly enjoyed what Galileo meant and his uncompleted works. At the point of death, he caved in, gave up to the lies of the World: he was  not manly again! It is a lesson because what would have become a monumental symbol of life achievement was lost. I hope, all, would learn to tell the truth,be bold for the sake of eternity.May God help and make our leaders be courageous to own up to truth. From Lanre Oseni.

    That piece on “The character of education” says it all. It is the naked truth that we, the so called educated elite have turned our education,the veritable weapon for fighting poverty,ignorance and underdevelopment to enslave our country in disunity and abject want.Shame on us! From Ladan Babakodong

    I appreciate your write up as it concern ‘the character of education’,but next time communicate the meaning clearly, so that even the lay man can get what you mean. From Martins Sunday, Cross river.

    Sir, I will like to air my view on your article entitled”The character of education” Government should focuss more attention on the provision of of basic infrastructure like power ( energy/electricity) water, roads, etc to create an enabling( conducive) environment to grow the economy.From Tayo Aluko, Governor’s Office, Ado Ekiti.

    Hello Sir, I read your article about the character of education on The Nation and your conclusion is a compendious description of what education has turned to in Nigeria. May God help us. Anonymous

    This is my first time of,ever making a comment. Every word written in between the lines of this paragraph is perfectly the truth. Am a 16yrs old girl living in an Island  Abonnema  of Akuku – Toru  LGA all in Rivers State I’ve taken a look at the community that surround me and have come to the conclusion that it is not something to write home about. Abonnema is a community that has the background of so many rich and famous men written on pages ,and if u work round the town you will have a satisfying view of beautiful houses and mansions, a vivid evidence of their wealth. Abonnema has two Secondary Schools, but no library instead of sponsoring the building of beneficial  properties like libraries and recreational centers they go about squandering their money building mighty houses in different compounds and sub that they call ‘Ipku wari’ which they locked up with large padlocks. Are we aiming for a good country. Anonymous.

     

    For  Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: Presidential counterfeit. What, to me is paramount is the directive Mr President gave for the removal of the nauseating billboards. Many times, the so-called aides to Mr President and Messrs Governors rule the country and some weak states, respectively, through lies, deceit, and self-interest opinions not to grow our society but for their own pecuniary gains only. The president deserves commendation whenever he ‘listens’ and also deserves your ‘criticism whenever he falters. Commendation or criticism must however be objective rather than being politically motivated. From Lanre Oseni.

    Tunji, please go to the warfront and yak as much as you want. No one is amused with your yellow livered ‘yakking’. From Elder Ike.

    It is very unfortunate that we have a president who does not believe the people he is leading but wants them to believe him. He ignored his fellow Nigerian men and women to visit the Chibok girls’ parents but chose to listen to a 17-year-old from Pakistan. Again, the president reduced the image of his country by saying that he was not aware of the #BringBackGoodluck2015 posters until Washington Post editorial kicked against it. Our honour has been taken away by a president who cannot differentiate politics from governance. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

    There must be a rationale for the #BringBackGoodluck2015 posters because those billboards and posters were someone’s doing, to know Nigerians’ reaction over them before they spread #BringBackJonathan2015 nationwide. It is good that the president has ordered the removal of the billboards. President Jonathan’s second term is certain, if there is performance; after all, we want continuity. If a leader is doing well, eyes will see before hands will cast votes. All groups should take it easy. We all know that everybody is looking for ‘stomach infrastructure’ from the top; let them allow the president to concentrate. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State.

    Good day, TJ. I read your article of Sept 14 titled the “Presidential counterfeit”. It was a good one. May God bless you. Anonymous.

    Tunji, people at the helm of affairs think that Nigerians are fools just because people would gullibly bath with salt water to prevent Ebola … The rationalisation of dismantling of puny banners after days of public display! Look, Abati, Omeri and Okupe, we know what you people think we don’t know. From Ben.

    My brother, yes, we are indeed being made to travel the same road again which you said bores your like. It may seem so, but please, don’t be, for that is what they want. Be like the preacher who kept preaching the same message each Sunday and when asked why, he said his congregation was yet to change and until they did, he would not change his message. Like you said, if not for the discerning like you and a host of others in this country who speak out, most of us would have been turned into morons, substituting truth for falsehood for truth and bad for good. Keep up this good work. God bless. From Naman Ishaya, Kafanchan.