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  • Kayode Eso: A colossus departs

    Kayode Eso: A colossus departs

    As Shakespear stated in his famous play Julius Caeser, through the character of Calpurnia, Caeser’s wife:

    “When beggars die there are no comets seen. The Heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes

    In the same play, the character Cassius says this about Caeser:

    “Why man, he does bestrode the narrow world like a colossus”

    Shakespear might very well have had the Hon. Justice Kayode Eso in mind when he wrote Julius Caeser; FOR Eso bestrode the legal world like a Colossus.

    There are two occasions in which I was truly shocked by the announcement of the passing away of a person. The first was that of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in May 1987 and the second was the more recent one of Justice Kayode Eso. In each case, I was shocked, taken aback; and went into a state of denial for a short period. In the case of Chief Awolowo, when the reality of what had happened finally sank in, I realized that subconsciously I did not associate Chief Awolowo with the possibility of death. Thus, he had so overcome and subdued the physical (mortal) aspect of his being by the spiritual, that over the years, I began to regard him more as a spirit, than a mortal man. As we know, the spiritual does not die.

    In the case of Justice Kayode Eso, it was not so much the supremacy of his spirit, as much as his unyielding commitment to certain values which have become quaint in Nigerian public life; courage, integrity, honour, honesty, transparency, bluntness and not suffering fools gladly. The two men lived by the same code of conduct. But where Awo was an ascetic, a teetotaler, vegetarian; in a sense depriving his physical body of basic pleasures, Eso eat well, drank good wines moderately, and showed up at social events organized by Law organizations. But the belief systems and code of conduct of the two titans was the same. And so I went through that syndrome of unbelief when a journalist called me to confirm whether Eso had passed on. I screamed, “hell NO!” and started calling his mobile phone, without getting any response. Even when confirmation came later, I was dazed. The man was larger than life.

    Everyone has heard of the Wole Soyinka trial in December 1965. As the Judge, Eso faced serious threats and intimidation. The fearsome Deputy Premier of the West, Chief Fani-Kayode, invited Justice Eso to his house and directed him to convict Soyinka. Eso assured him that Soyinka would be convicted, if found guilty on the evidence. He then asked the feared Deputy Premier to be allowed to leave because he had informed his wife that if he was not back home within an hour, the lady should call the police. The shocked Chief Fani-Kayode allowed Eso to depart in peace.

    When Soyinka was acquitted ad discharged by Eso, then the youngest and most junior Judge on the Western Region Bench, he was immediately exiled by posting to Akure, the then judicial boundary station of the West. Very wisely, he never spent the night in Akure. He drove to his Court at Akure by car every morning and drove back to Ibadan every evening, until he was posted back to Ibadan, sometime after the Military Coup in January 1966.

    In 1967, Eso was appointed a Judge of the Western State Court of Appeal, which had just been established. During his nine (9) year tenure as Justice of Appeal, he acted on many occasions as the President of that Court and became the substantive President from 1975 to 1976. In June 1976, Eso was appointed the first Chief Judge of Oyo State after western Nigeria had been split into 3 States. It was from that Office that he was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1978.

    Suddenly, something extra-ordinary and unprecedented started happening at the Supreme Court. By same strange arrangement of fate or divine intervention, he had sitting with him on the Supreme Court, judicial soul mates, with whom he completely transformed the administration of justice in this country within a few years, before our very eyes. Was this the U.S. Supreme Court under Earl Warren or Justice Marshall? No. This was our own Supreme Court, garlanded and adorned by legal stars; outstanding Jurists, who brought illumination, hope, courage, erudition, learning, philosophy, distinction and activism into our humdrum judicial system. Obaseki, Oputa, Nnamani, Aniagolu, Mohammed Bello, Idigbe, Karibi-Whyte, Kayode Eso; all sitting on the Bench of one Court? It was an unimaginable stroke of fortune. I doubt that this will ever happen again. Now Justice was to be the watch word of the Court. The Court’s activism and creativity ensured that every complaint was resolved in accordance with the justice of the case and that where the law did not provide a relief, the Supreme Court would create that relief and apply it.By national acclaim it was agreed that this was the golden age of the Supreme Court, and indeed of the judiciary in Nigeria.

    In Engineering Enterprise Contractor of Nigeria v. Attorney-General of Kaduna State [1987] 1 NSCC 601 at 613, Eso, JSC, articulated the guiding philosophy of the golden age Supreme Court in these words.

    “One stream that permeates all these decisions and I hold the view that this is a good sign for the administration of justice in this country, is the clear, unadulterated water filled with great concern for the justice of the case. The signs are now clear that the time has arrived that the concern for justice must be the overriding force and actions of the court. I am not saying that ex debito Justiciae by itself is a cause of action. It is to be the basis for the operation of the court, whether in the interpretative jurisdiction or basic attitude towards the examination of a case.”

    A brief summary of some of the decisions by which Eso and some of his colleagues transformed the spirit of the law in this country, taking us to legal Olympian heights of justice in the process, is called for at this stage.

    In Stitch v. Attorney-General of the Federation [1986] 5 NWLR (Pt. 46), 1007, Mrs. Chinyere Stitch imported a Mercedes Benz 280 into Nigeria early in April 1982. She immediately applied for an import licence and paid the duty on the car which was 331/3%. The malicious officials in the Ministry of Commerce refused to issue the licence knowing that the duty was about to be increased to 500%. She was now asked to pay the new rate of duty. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal held that she had to pay the new duty. But the Supreme Court held that the Minister’s discretionary power to issue or refuse to grant import licence was clearly within the reviewable jurisdiction of the Courts. Whether the Minister failed to exercise his discretionary power or abused it, whether he gave reasons or did not give reasons for his action, it was a principle established by the Courts that once a prima facie case of misuse of power had been established, it would be open to the Courts that the Minister acted unlawfully even if he declined to supply a justification at all. Mrs. Stitch was therefore only obliged to pay at the original rate of 331/3%.

  • Madueke: A minister and her traducers

    Madueke: A minister and her traducers

    Arguably, she is the most popular minister of the republic. And this has nothing to do with the fact that she is no doubt a delectable beauty but simply because she ‘mans’ the most strategic ministry in the country and that is the ministry of petroleum resources. This has put Diezani Alison-Madueke in the eye of the storm so to say. From barrage of attacks from those who feel her ministry riles with corruption to those who feel she is occupying that position simply because she is close to the president and not because of any spectacular qualification. In fact, the recent brouhaha over the Nuhu Ribadu Report on the management of the petroleum subsidy funds has further incensed traducers of the minister who believe that she was part of the conspiracy to rubbish the report even before it was submitted to the president.

    Beyond questions on her official conduct are other questions that bother on her integrity both as a public officer and a mother and a wife. Recently, Sahara Reporters, an on-line news medium reported that the minister paid for two rooms in two separate high cost hotels in New York City, USA, during the recently concluded United Nations General Assembly. This, according to the report, was apart from other costly indulgences the minister and her aides engaged in during the trip. In fact, the report said the petroleum minister traveled from London to New York in a private jet.

    While the public often swallows reports like this hook, line and sinker, the question is if the petroleum minister is such a reckless and indecent public officer who acts and behaves irrespective of what the public feels or the limitations of her office. Has it been all doom and gloom for the petroleum ministry since she assumed office having been redeployed from the ministry of mines and steel? Has there been no any remarkable achievement in the ministry since Diezani became the minister?

    An Operator’s Testimony

    Perhaps, one of those who are in the best position to answer these questions is Leemon Agbonjagwe Ikpea, who is the chairman of Lee Engineering Limited, one of the leading lights in oil service business in the country. He said he could not fathom the incessant criticisms the petroleum minister is subjected to all the time, considering her support for indigenous players in the oil and gas industry. He explained that he had never met the minister prior to their encounter when she came to inspect one of the projects his company was handling. I saw a totally different person from what the media have been painting her to be. I think she is a gift to this country and to Africa. She would not allow anybody to oppress Nigerian companies and she has encouraged the growth of Nigerian companies. With this encouragement we have been able to employ a lot of people and also give a lot of people scholarships. We have about 800 workers now. Because of her efforts and the efforts of the federal government, Nigerian companies are no more beggars of foreign companies.”

    The PIB Bill

    One of the things that have given players like Leemon Ikpea some leeway in the oil and gas industry is the Petroleum Industry Bill, otherwise known as the PIB. The bill is as controversial as the oil and gas industry itself. Successive governments have always found it difficult to handle and the reason for this is not far-fetched. The bill, if signed into law, will give greater control of the oil and gas industry to Nigerians. Certain aspects of the industry will be exclusive preserve of Nigerians and will also take some influence away from foreigners who have dominated the industry for decades. Quite as expected, the foreign oil companies have not found many provisions of the Bill funny. And they have been acting accordingly, albeit clandestinely. Impeccable sources close to the corridors of power insist these foreign interests have been doing all humanly possible to see that the bill does not see the light of day. Analysts believe the barrage of attacks on the person of the petroleum minister could be traceable to this. The reason being that the minister has been one of the major supporters of the bill. And a new final draft of the bill has now been sent to the National Assembly for consideration and approval. She is known to be a strong supporter of the bill and beyond that, some excesses of foreign oil companies are being curtailed from time to time.

    “I won’t be surprised if the minister is paying the price of standing her ground that Nigerians should have greater say in the way the oil and gas industry is being controlled,” an oil and gas expert stated in Lagos during the week. “For once, this woman has insisted on transparency in the way the foreigners conduct their businesses and above all, the Petroleum Industry Bill, which is staunchingly being pushed pushing to be passed could never be in the interest of the foreigners. I would be surprised if they are behind these incessant media attacks. There was a time they said she bought a house in Vienna, Austria worth hundreds of millions of naira. This has been proved to be a pack of lies.”

    Highlight of the infrastructure achievements

    130km x 24inch Oben-Geregu completed and commissioned. Open gas access to the Geregu IPP, Dangote’s Obajana Cement and to the northern corridor.Also completed and commissioned is the 50km Ikpe Annang – Calabar pipeline opening up the Calabar axis to gas. With this pipeline the UNICEM cement plant and other industrial facilities in Calabar now have access to gas. The following three pipelines are also very close to completion; 104km x 24inch Escravos-Warri pipeline doubling capacity to 600mmcf/d and providing immediate access to 80mmcf/d of gas 24kmX24inch Itoki-Olorunshogo gas pipeline, providing a permanent solution to the challenge of gas supply to Olorunshogo power plants 30kmX24inch Imo River to Alaoji gas pipeline, providing a permanent supply source to Alaoji power plant.

    Other ongoing pipeline projects include the 350kmX30inch Oben-Lagos pipeline doubling the capacity to 2bcf/d and creating a major expansion of supply to the Western Axis by end of the year and

    The 60km Ubefan-Imo River pipeline reinforcing gas supply to the East by end of July 2012 Perhaps one of the most important infrastructure achievement is the recent award of the Obiafo/Obrikom-Oben East West gas pipeline contract, providing the much needed bridge between the high gas reserves in the East and the High demand in the west. The pipeline is due to be completed within 24 months. More importantly, one of the key strategies of government to create an enabling environment for private sector investment in gas infrastructure development. In this regard, good progress is being made towards a bankable framework for PPP initiative to fund other pipeline projects such as the Calabar-Ajaokuta and Ajaokuta-Kano pipelines. This PPP arrangement is expected to facilitate access to over $2bn and essentially enable the conclusion of the gas infrastructure backbone development. It is expected that this commercial framework will be concluded by the end of the year, creating a basis for private investors to invest in gas infrastructure Realizing. Nigeria’s aspiration for economic growth as a nation requires a robust gas infrastructure. The foregoing shows clearly the steady progress towards achieving this objective

    More For Localy

    If there is another area where Diezani Alison-Madueke has been pushing her weight, it the area of bidding for oil blocks. Apart from the transparency that has been brought into it, the minister is said to have insisted that more opportunities be given to indigenous oil and gas companies to participate in the bidding process and take their chances in the same process. Gradually, more and more Nigerians are getting into the capital intensive upstream sector of the petroleum industry.

    Perhaps, one area where the minister has shown her love for her country is being able to persuade indigenous oil companies to try and buy into government’s drive to utilise the nation’s abundant gas reserves to generate electricity. In this regard, quite a few of them have signified their interest in the sector and have held productive meetings with top government officials in this regard.

    She might be the most controversial minister but she could also have been passed as one of the most productive ones. Only if her traducers could see that to every coin, there are always two sides, and the two sides don’t always look the same. Alison-Madueke should be encouraged in her bold quest to reform the petroleum sector rather than raining abuses at her on a daily basis.

  • What is Senator Ayade up to?

    What is Senator Ayade up to?

    One ritual in governance especially at the federal level that never ceases to fascinate me is the yearly defense of budget by ministries, departments and agencies. A lot of efforts go into the process as the relevant agencies storm the National Assembly with loads of documents, determined to impress the relevant committees of Parliament to approve their budgets. Recall what happened to former Education Minister, Professor Fabian Osuji and you will realize that there is a lot that go into budget defense than meets the eye. Some agencies approach it with a desperation that is unhealthy while some of the law makers could also be unnecessarily hawkish; holding the agencies to unreasonable standards. If those standards are always in the nation’s interest, this piece would have been unnecessary.

    One scenario in the on-going defense of budgets by the agencies clearly indicates that the exercise sometimes degenerates into an ambush, where ‘recalcitrant’ MDAs are subjected to public ridicule by law makers. That was my honest conclusion after reading the report of what transpired on Thursday, November 22, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission defended its Budget before the Senate Committee on Drugs , Narcotics and Anti-Corruption. Needless issue was made out of the agency’s vote for transportation in its 2013 estimate.

    A member of the committee, Senator Benedict Ayade made headline news for reportedly questioning the over N357m earmarked by the agency for local travels and transportation; another N100m for international travels; N73m for local training and another N130m for international training.

    The same member also frowned at the provision of N135m for satellite and broadband charges by the anti- graft agency.

    Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong with a law maker holding an agency to account for its expenditure if the motive is to improve accountability and transparency. But in this instance the motive is suspect. I am told that as soon as Ayade asked his questions, he got up to leave. He was only prevailed upon by the Committee Chairman, Senate Victor Lar to listen to the response by the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde. Such contemptuous demeanor didn’t show a lawmaker who was prepared to add value to the budget making process. On the contrary, he comes across as a legislator who had taken a stand and was not prepared to listen to superior argument.

    But returning to the issues raised by Ayade, I can’t see what is outrageous in N357m for local travel in a year by an agency that is saddled with the huge responsibility of fighting corruption and financial crimes. My guess is, it is either Ayade is completely out of tune with the work of the EFCC in which case he has no business being on that Committee or his aim is to grand stand for populist end. Otherwise, any member of the Committee should be conversant with the standard operating procedures of the agency. And from the explanation offered by Lamorde, investigation is conducted in teams in which case, a single case may be investigated by no less than a team of five officers, comprising two operatives, two back up security staff and a driver. The team will need fuel for travel and allowances for accommodation and feeding. He also explained that it is not possible to determine how long it will take a team to crack a case. The number of days spent is determined by what the operatives find on the field. And a single matter may require repeated travels, criss-crossing the length and breadth of Nigeria in the course of investigation.

    What is clear here is that fighting corruption and economic crime is not cheap and Nigeria must be prepared to fund the EFCC if we are truly serious about the anti-graft campaign. Not only must we ensure that the agency is mobile; its officers should be well motivated to resist the temptation of being compromised. They also must be trained and retrained as financial crimes in this age are technology-driven. The investigators must be ahead of the fraudsters in the use of technology if we are to keep pace with the rest of the world in tackling organized crime.

    All over the world, nations who truly believe in getting result in law enforcement fund their agencies. For instance it cost the British tax payers a hefty N3.6billion to investigate and prosecute James Ibori. That is just a single case, which has no relevance to the British people beyond the fact that the money was laundered using their institutions.

    So what is Ayade talking about? What does Ayade himself collect as allowance from the National Assembly in a year? If his N17million yearly allowance plus N140million quarterly allocation are not outrageous, I wonder what is. Has the senator justified such huge earnings? How many bills have Ayade to his name? What is even his contribution at plenary, where he often jumps up to repeat the contributions made by other senators.

    The height of his mischief was comparing the EFCC IT infrastructure and expenses with that of his unidentified hotel. Even if it were Transcorp Hilton, it still cannot compare with the demands of a law enforcement agency. Given the specialized nature of the offences which it investigates, it is open secret that EFCC operations are largely IT based. The IT infrastructure that such an agency will require and the concomitant expenses cannot be comparable to Ayade’s Hotel.

    Apart from its headquarters and other offices in Wuse, EFCC, I am told, maintains several offices in Maitama, Garki and a training institute in Karu. The IT infrastructure at the EFCC Academy in Karu, I understand, dwarfs those of leading universities in Nigeria. And all these offices are linked to the zonal offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Gombe, and Kano.

    From the foregoing, it is evident Ayade’s motive was to mislead the National Assembly and Nigerians about EFCC expenditure pattern. His motivation is certainly not in the national interest. This is more so as it is alleged that he has a pending case before the commission, in which case the attack might have been a convenient defence strategy.

    Whatever moral baggage that propels Ayade, he must be told that what set the EFCC part from other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria is its response rate and the fact that they carry out their investigation at no cost to the complainant. Apparently Ayade will be glad to see the EFCC degenerate to the level of asking for mobilization from complainants before doing a case. But that is not the vision of the founding fathers and the generality of Nigerians who are enamoured of the activities of the agency.

    Ayade has not shown competence or full grasp of the responsibility of the Committee. His overriding objective was a cheap play to the gallery. He betrayed his motive when he prefaced his questions with a comment that the Commission will not be portrayed positively by the media if he were to publish its budgetary provisions. That was the agenda! Unfortunately, a less discerning section of the media fell for it by amplifying warped notions and misinforming their readers. I expect the media to be very circumspect in the reportage of issues at budget defense. Any farsighted reporter would have been curious about why Ayade was making issues out of EFCC transportation vote but was silent on the miserly N100m vote for prosecution. Prosecution is at the heart of the anti-graft campaign yet Ayade by his silence was comfortable that the EFCC may not even afford the legal fees to prosecute its cases in 2013. What a shame!

    Legislative rascality as demonstrated by Ayade must be condemned by all public spirited Nigerians. Oversight responsibilities are very serious business of the National Assembly and no law maker should be allowed to abuse it to tarnish the image of the institution.

     

    •Abubakar, a journalist, lives in Abuja.

  • Class Wars of 2012

    ON Election Day, The Boston Globe reported, Logan International Airport in Boston was running short of parking spaces. Not for cars — for private jets. Big donors were flooding into the city to attend Mitt Romney’s victory party.

    They were, it turned out, misinformed about political reality. But the disappointed plutocrats weren’t wrong about who was on their side. This was very much an election pitting the interests of the very rich against those of the middle class and the poor.

    And the Obama campaign won largely by disregarding the warnings of squeamish “centrists” and embracing that reality, stressing the class-war aspect of the confrontation. This ensured not only that President Obama won by huge margins among lower-income voters, but that those voters turned out in large numbers, sealing his victory.

    The important thing to understand now is that while the election is over, the class war isn’t. The same people who bet big on Mr. Romney, and lost, are now trying to win by stealth — in the name of fiscal responsibility — the ground they failed to gain in an open election.

    Before I get there, a word about the actual vote. Obviously, narrow economic self-interest doesn’t explain everything about how individuals, or even broad demographic groups, cast their ballots. Asian-Americans are a relatively affluent group, yet they went for President Obama by 3 to 1. Whites in Mississippi, on the other hand, aren’t especially well off, yet Mr. Obama received only 10 percent of their votes.

    These anomalies, however, weren’t enough to change the overall pattern. Meanwhile, Democrats seem to have neutralized the traditional G.O.P. advantage on social issues, so that the election really was a referendum on economic policy. And what voters said, clearly, was no to tax cuts for the rich, no to benefit cuts for the middle class and the poor. So what’s a top-down class warrior to do?

    The answer, as I have already suggested, is to rely on stealth — to smuggle in plutocrat-friendly policies under the pretense that they’re just sensible responses to the budget deficit.

    Consider, as a prime example, the push to raise the retirement age, the age of eligibility for Medicare, or both. This is only reasonable, we’re told — after all, life expectancy has risen, so shouldn’t we all retire later? In reality, however, it would be a hugely regressive policy change, imposing severe burdens on lower- and middle-income Americans while barely affecting the wealthy. Why? First of all, the increase in life expectancy is concentrated among the affluent; why should janitors have to retire later because lawyers are living longer? Second, both Social Security and Medicare are much more important, relative to income, to less-affluent Americans, so delaying their availability would be a far more severe hit to ordinary families than to the top 1 percent.

    Or take a subtler example, the insistence that any revenue increases should come from limiting deductions rather than from higher tax rates. The key thing to realize here is that the math just doesn’t work; there is, in fact, no way limits on deductions can raise as much revenue from the wealthy as you can get simply by letting the relevant parts of the Bush-era tax cuts expire. So any proposal to avoid a rate increase is, whatever its proponents may say, a proposal that we let the 1 percent off the hook and shift the burden, one way or another, to the middle class or the poor.

    The point is that the class war is still on, this time with an added dose of deception. And this, in turn, means that you need to look very closely at any proposals coming from the usual suspects, even — or rather especially — if the proposal is being represented as a bipartisan, common-sense solution. In particular, whenever some deficit-scold group talks about “shared sacrifice,” you need to ask, sacrifice relative to what?

    As regular readers may know, I’m not a fan of the Bowles-Simpson report on deficit reduction that laid out a poorly designed plan that for some reason has achieved near-sacred status among the Beltway elite. Still, at least you can say this for Bowles-Simpson: When it talked about shared sacrifice, it started from a “baseline” that already assumed the end of the high-end Bush tax cuts. At this point, however, just about all the deficit scolds seem to want us to count the expiration of those cuts — which were sold on false pretenses, and were never affordable — as some kind of big giveback by the rich. It isn’t.

    So keep your eyes open as the fiscal game of chicken continues. It’s an uncomfortable but real truth that we are not all in this together; America’s top-down class warriors lost big in the election, but now they’re trying to use the pretense of concern about the deficit to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Let’s not let them pull it off.

     

    •Culled from New York Times

     

  • As Danfodio varsity honours Tambuwal

    As Danfodio varsity honours Tambuwal

    Today, in the caliphate city of Sokoto, Nigeria’s Number Four citizen and the Speaker of the House of Rep-resentatives, Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, will be conferred with a honourary doctorate degree by one of the country’s premier institutions of higher learning, the Uthman Danfodio University, Sokoto (UDUS).

    For many Nigerians, the emergence, ability and Tambuwal’s foresight in managing the affairs of the lower chamber of the National Assembly have given much hope for optimism. The reason for this is not far-fetched.

    As the leader of a vanguard of new breed politicians determined to halt the drift and make the system work, Tambuwal’s contribution towards national development and integration is gradually boosting confidence of the people not only in their leaders but in the polity as a whole. The little he has done as Speaker in the last one and half years has increased transparency in governance and made for a better economic management of affairs in Nigeria.

    I am sure the authorities of the Uthman Danfodio University are not oblivious of the effort put by the seventh session of the National Assembly to halt the falling standard of education in the country. Tambuwal, himself an alumnus of the institution, recently told a gathering of his former school mates that allowing the present state of things in the education sector to continue would lead to catastrophic consequences. He said any country that desires to achieve its maximum potential must take the education of its citizenry seriously.

    In the same vein, speaking when he inspected the construction of school infrastructure at the Nigeria-Gambia International School in Banjul, The Gambia last July, Tambuwal made it clear that the future of Nigeria is closely tied to how it handles the education sector. He said while Nigerians have excelled in schools abroad, only a small fraction perform to acceptable standards at home, a situation he said must be changed.

    Not only does the Speaker mouth his concerns at what is happening in our schools, he has taken practical steps to make his mark where necessary. Apart from building school infrastructure from his earnings in some schools in the country, Tambuwal recently gave scholarships to about 20 young girls of an Abuja-based girl-child education foundation to enable them realize their future dreams of having qualitative education.

    Realising the importance of Information and Communication Technology as a tool for socio-political emancipation, the Speaker made it a point of duty to encourage all legislators in Nigeria acquire computer education in order to enhance their lawmaking capabilities. For those in the House of Representatives, becoming computer literate is a mandatory requirement preparatory to the full implementation of the e-parliament component of the House Legislative Agenda. The electronic parliament blueprint seeks to elevate the National Assembly operations to international best practices and ensure public access to parliamentary information and process.

    It is not just in his contribution to the education sector that the UDUS authorities found Tambuwal a worthy recipient of their honourary degree. In words and deeds, the Speaker has proved himself adept at providing quality leadership needed to make the necessary impact in the polity.

    Of particular reference here was his speech to the extra ordinary session of the House of Representatives in the wake of the bribery allegation against members of the ad hoc committee that investigated the management of subsidy funds in the country. On that memorable Friday, Tambuwal gave a doughty and inspiring speech, one that matched the occasion and rose to a high level of succinctness and elegance comparable to any speech anywhere.

    He proved that when the time and place are right, a leader is often judged not by the rightness or wrongness of what he had to say, but by the dashing jauntiness of his words, the sweet cadence of his expressions and how effectively the words persuade the heart rather than the head.

    As we’ve seen times without number, Tambuwal has demonstrated courage, intelligence and goodwill towards the Nigerian masses through his actions and commitment regarding issues that affect them. This is no surprise considering his apparent willingness not to be encumbered by the political exigencies that had stunted our progress in the past. For him, what matters is the nation’s interest.

    The exemplary conduct of Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives signifies the end of an era of self-representation, when lawmakers took decisions that were at variance with the wishes of their constituents. Thanks to Tambuwal’s leadership credentials, the present House has proved to be what a parliament should be: focused, vibrant, independent and one that gauges the pulse of the nation and works in tandem with the needs of the people.

    As he steps out today among his kinsmen in Sokoto to receive his doctorate degree, we can only say congratulations and more grease to your elbow, Mr. Speaker.

    •Imam is the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Speaker Tambuwal

     

     

  • Saraki: Tribute to a grandmaster

    Saraki: Tribute to a grandmaster

    The crowd: O nbe lemi awa, o nbe lemi awa; oro Saraki, o nbe lemi awa ( Any issue concerning Saraki is at the centre of our hearts)

    Saraki: O nbe lemi emi, o nbe lemi emi; oro Kwara, o nbe lemi emi (Matters concerning Kwara State is always dear to my heart).

    As a young boy in primary school, I started hearing the name of Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki since 1977. There were many Ilorin people living in my area then in Ikereku, Abeokuta. Many of their men were trading in hides and skin while their wives and daughters were engaged in selling fried groundnuts and local pop corn. With the Obasanjo government then unfolding its transition to civil rule programme, I was always interested in discussions about politics. The way I knew so much about our nation’s political developments since pre-independence era, including having the pictures of all political actors and the military men directing the affairs of the country at that time, I started taking interest about the men and women who were getting ready to take over from the military.

    The Ilorin people in our area were always talking glowingly about Dr. Saraki and his philanthropy. There were so many tales about him which later became myths and reflected how the people have deified him. However, I remember that the Ilorin people in Abeokuta were fond of praising Saraki for bringing pipe borne water to their town.

    Some years later, when I became a political reporter assigned to cover the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in which Baba Oloye, as Dr Saraki was fondly called by his admirers, was one of the pillars. I tried to read as many literatures as I could get about the kingmaker of Kwara State and his immediate constituency. When the Babangida administration was preparing to conduct the governorship elections in December in 1991, he was one of the kingmakers who were arrested and locked away to prevent them from influencing the results. Yet, his candidate, Alhaji Shaaba Lafiaji won resoundingly. Lafiaji then became the third elected governor Oloye installed. Remember, he played a key role in the emergence of Chief Cornelius Adebayo of the UPN as the governor in 1983. He had in 1979 installed Alhaji Adamu Atta of the NPN as the first elected governor of old Kwara State which extended to today’s Kogi State.

    Till 1996, Dr Saraki was just one of the politicians I was reporting their activities as a reporter. I had interviewed him with my colleagues on different occasions. However, we became very close around 1997 through his son, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, former governor of Kwara State. Then not involved in politics, the younger Saraki would, from time to time, gather a few political editors for discussions. I was then in charge of the political desk in THISDAY which remains even till today the most influential newspaper in the coverage of political issues. Later, he became so close to me that anytime he came into Lagos, Baba Oloye would always tell his receptionist to call me, first on the newsroom landline, before the advent of GSM. And there was a routine to the call. Once I picked up the phone, his receptionist would simply say ‘Good morning, hold on for Dr Saraki’. Then his gentle, smooth voice will come on with the Lagos accent: ‘Se alaafia ni? Iyawo e ati awon omo nko’ (Hope you are fine? How about your wife and children? ). A complete family man, he would always ask after your family and he had told me how his best and most cherished possession was his immediate family. He was always happy that his children did not give him any problem.

    He was the only political source that I had who I rarely called, except on agreement. The unspoken rule between us was that he would call and requested for a meeting when he wanted. If he gave me an appointment, he would have worked it out such that I would be ushered into his presence within minutes of my arrival. He had one of the richest libraries among Nigerian politicians, stocked with books on politics. Each time we sat inside his expansive study in his Ikoyi home, there were always addition of newly published books. Also, there were signs that the books were not just there for fancy. When I saw any of the books on the table, I would engage him in discussion about it or the author and he always would have some intelligent things to say.

    In most of our meetings, he would discuss politics at the national level or in Kwara State with me. I got so many insights about issues from him, such that my stories on Kwara politics were so authoritative that many confused me to be an indigene of Kwara State. Another topic the late Saraki liked discussing was the Second Republic National Assembly. I usually liked to get him to compare what happened then and now. He would talk about his good relationship with UPN leaders like Senators Jonathan Odebiyi, Abraham Adesanya and others. It was obvious the NPN caucus in the Senate was deploying him as a bridge builder to reach out to senators from other parties when a difficult decision was about to be taken in the chambers.

    He was a man who believed in the supremacy of the political party. He believed in the axiom that the party is the father of the government, and on many occasions, he told me that the indiscipline in the nation’s politics was as a result of the fact that the party had been relegated to the background in the scheme of things. He would talk about how former President Shehu Shagari would never take any major policy decision without sounding out the views of the NPN caucus consisting of the President, Vice President, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, leaders of the National Assembly and the four topmost party leaders. The caucus met every week and as Senate leader, Saraki was a member. The caucus helped to create synergy between various arms of government and the ruling party.

    Perhaps, aside his children, the only other set of people that the late Saraki was passionate about are his supporters in Kwara State. One day, while I was discussing with him, he got a phone call and he was agitated and angry like I had never seen him do before. From what he explained to me later, some of his supporters were worried that he had not been to Ilorin for some weeks and they had organised a delegation to travel in buses to come and see him in Lagos. They said they were not too happy that he had only been sending gifts to them. The man explained to me that anytime the supporters came to Lagos, he would not rest until he got information that they were all back home safely. He did not fancy their travelling by road for hours to come and see him.

    Then, he invited me to accompany him to Ilorin the next weekend when he would go and see his people. That must be in 2001. That day in Ilorin, it was the biggest and most enthusiastic political crowd I had ever seen, either on TV or in real life. As our eight-sitter plane touched down, the crowd surged forward. From the airport to the town, there was a sea of heads. As the long convoy drove to town, I observed people, young and old, male and female, jumping out of their houses to hail the Oloye. By that time, the disagreement between him and the late Muhammed Lawal was already on. The then governor had to leave town on hearing that Saraki was coming home. For anybody who did not belong to the Saraki camp, the support was too overwhelming. One of my colleagues on that trip described the ecstatic reaction of the crowd as similar to the feeling conveyed in the biblical story of the woman with the issue of blood who was desperate to touch the tip of Jesus’ cloth, believing that she would get healed by that gesture.

    Saraki was an enigma. His era in Kwara politics was a phenomenon. It may not happen again that one politician will dominate the politics of a state for that long, almost 35 years. He perhaps would be the only man for a long time whose immediate family produced three senators of the Federal Republic. Only the Kennedys did that in the US with Jack, Bob and Ted (three brothers). He was a great man who related perfectly well with both the rich and the poor. In fact, he built his constituency around the latter. The people were sure that with or without politics, Saraki was with them. The man lived a great and successful life in all ramifications. My only regret in my association with him is that I never got to write his biography as we discussed. I carried the proposal in my bag and we never got to really discuss the project until, first, some armed robbers took the bag away from my house and now, the man is gone with no single book detailing his life, politics and philosophy. Yet, if there is a Nigerian politician whose politics should be studied by students of political science and others who aspired to excel in the political field, it is the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, Wazirin Ilorin. His Khalifa, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, now has the challenge to commission the biography or endow a professorial chair in the University of Ilorin for the study of the life and times of his father. May Allah accept the late Saraki into the company of the righteous ones who dwell in Aljannah Firdaus. Amin.

     

    •Olaniyonu is Ogun State Commissioner for Information

  • Of Nigerian pastors and private jets

    Of Nigerian pastors and private jets

    The news media and the social internet sites like Facebook, Twitter and several Nigerian online portals have been abuzz since Saturday, November 10, after reports that Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), had joined the rarefied ranks of Nigerian pastors who owned private jets. It was Pastor Ayo’s birthday and he was also celebrating his 40th anniversary as an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, some wealthy members of the church where he serves as the Senior Pastor, Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, contributed money and bought an airplane as a gift for him. The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was among the several local and international dignitaries who were in Warri to rejoice with Pastor Ayo on the august occasion.

    Expectedly, criticisms have trailed the development. Pastor-bashing is now commonplace in Nigeria, especially on social media like Facebook, even by some who claim to be “Christians” but have no understanding whatsoever of the Bible and have no respect for spiritual authority.

    Not unexpectedly, even the latter-day “social critic”, good governance “crusader” and President Jonathan-basher, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, joined the bandwagon not wanting to miss an opportunity to politicise the matter. He tweeted “@afo4u: @elrufai And the church members are wallowing in abject poverty”…irony of life, but it is CAN, PDP branch…so anything is possible.

    And, in response to El Rufai’s malicious tweet which went viral on the internet, some have even alleged that it was the Presidency that actually bought the private jet for Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor!

    The statement by Nasir El Rufai, a chieftain of the Congress of Progressive Change, who has been critical of the Joint Task Force for its response to Boko Haram activities in the north, underscores the manifest mischief of some who have been attacking Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor using the airplane gift as their excuse.

    This is not surprising. Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s election as the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria in 2010 was historic. It was the first time that someone from the pentecostal fold would become the President of CAN. His emergence as CAN’s leader also happened at a time when the terrorist jihadist group, Boko Haram, began escalating its murderous activities in the northern part of Nigeria. And in January, 2011, just months after Pastor Ayo’s elevation as CAN’s President, the Central Bank of Nigeria under the leadership of its Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, introduced its Malaysia-style Islamic banking which Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja recently declared to be unconstitutional and illegal. It became incumbent on Pastor Ayo to articulate and voice out the stance of the Nigerian church on these two issues. And his passion and conviction in dealing with these issues have come to define public perception about him.

    For many Christians, particularly in northern Nigeria, Pastor Ayo’s leadership of CAN could not have been more timely. Not one to be intimidated into silence, Pastor Ayo’s forceful statements on national issues cannot be ignored. For those who would have preferred him to be subservient and kow-tow to the reactionary elements who, though not even of the Christian faith, had successfully influenced the actions of some of the past leaders of CAN, Pastor Ayo was soon accused of “heating up the polity” even when it was clear to all that he was merely responding to the actions of those who were actually causing division, strife and the death of thousands of innocent and hapless Nigerians. For a man known for his utmost commitment to God and the establishment of His Kingdom, hypocritical posturing and pandering to the gallery for photo opportunities to be hailed as a politically correct “pacifist” while thousands of his Christian brothers and sisters are plunged into utter misery and rendered widows, widowers or orphans was not an option. Loquacious Mallam Nasir El Rufai merely gave voice to his constituents who have been frustrated by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s uncompromising and principled stance on the on-going war against the church and Christians in Nigeria. As far as I know, the Nigerian pastors that currently have private jets are Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor Adejare Adeboye, Pastor Chris Oyakhilomen and, of course, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor who was given one just last Saturday by members of his congregation as he celebrated 40 years of ministry.

    These men have to travel very frequently around the world ministering. Redeemed Christian Church of God has thousands of branches and millions of members on all continents of the world. Winners’ Chapel and Christ Embassy equally have many international branches and hundreds of thousands of members. Pastor Adeboye, Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Oyakhilomen travel thousands of kilometres monthly doing God’s work and have to be in places not well-served by commercial flights. On his part, Pastor Oritsejafor travels every other day within and outside Nigeria as the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria. I know him personally and can confirm that he hardly spends a full week at home in Warri because of his very busy ministry itinerary.

    The Pope rarely travels more than thrice internationally in a year. Yet the Pope has a private jet. Why has nobody complained about that?

    Very few know about the social and philanthropic work which these men of God and thousands of others are doing. In reality, the church is doing more than any government, international agency or Non-Governmental Organisation to fight poverty, illiteracy and diseases in Nigeria today. The church in Nigeria is much more effective than the government at all levels. It is not just in the habit of churches and Christian ministers to be boasting about their poverty-alleviation programmes and charity work like companies and many non-faith based NGOs love to do for public commendation and approval. They leave God, the Rewarder, to judge what they do in the “closet” and reward their good work both here on earth and in the hereafter.

    That there are some pastors who are fleecing the sheep and whose god is their bellies does not mean all wealthy pastors are scammers. Many of them are entrepreneurial and do not even get remuneration from their churches. In fact, they are often the biggest donors/givers in their church.

    Prosperity is scriptural. The worship of Mammon (money) is not. Let us not be like those “Christians” of whom Kenneth Hagin Sr. wrote in one of his books that they prayed: “Lord, please keep our pastor humble. We will keep him poor”!

    What was Jesus’ experience with matters like this? Let’s see John 12:1-16:

    1. Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

    2. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

    3. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

    4. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,

    5. “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

    6. He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

    7. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

    8. You will always have the poor among you but you will not always have me.”

    9. Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

    10. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,

    11. for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

    12. The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

    13. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!”

    14. Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

    15. “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

    16. At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

    If Jesus were alive today and a Nigerian, religiously-minded “Christians” would abuse and condemn him for not agreeing to Judas Iscariot’s suggestion that the expensive perfume be sold and “given to the poor”. Some people like to point to the fact that Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. But, they conveniently ignore the verses in the same chapter of the Bible (John 12 above) where we are told Mary poured perfume worth One Year’s Wage. That is about N216,000 today if we use the minimum wage of N18,000 per month. Designer perfumes sell for no more than N20,000 for a 100ml bottle of a high-end eau de parfum!!

    The point is: “Moderation” is subjective. For example, if a person has a net-worth of say N1Billion, why would you begrudge him for having a car that costs even N50Million? Or why complain if he owns an airplane that costs $5million if he thinks his business and lifestyle demand that he owns a jet? And who says that means he cannot or does not give generously to the poor?

    What then would be said about very wealthy people in the Bible whom God blessed exceedingly like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David and Solomon, for example? And they were men of God: prophets and teachers. David wrote a lot of Psalms and Solomon wrote much contained in the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Solomon was so lavish in his lifestyle that the Queen of Sheba heard of his opulence and travelled all the way to Israel to see for herself.

    1st Kings 10:

    1. When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.

    2.  Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.

    3. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.

    4. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built,

    5. the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

    6. She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.

    7. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

    9. Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”

    10. And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

    11. (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones.

    12. The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

    13. King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

    14. The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,

    15. not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

    16. King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[ of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[g] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

    18. Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.

    19. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.

    20. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.

    21. All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.

    22. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

    23. King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

    25. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

    26. Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

    27. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

    28. Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Ku—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price.

    29. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

    So, how does one explain King Solomon’s immense wealth (which God Himself gave to him) and his obscenely opulent and exotic lifestyle? In fact, Jesus even endorsed King Solomon when He said: “A greater than Solomon is here” in reference to Himself. And, today, those of us who are truly Christ’s can even exceed Solomon’s wealth if we would be Kingdom-focused and walk with God in complete obedience and holiness. Personally, I am looking forward to being a billionaire and being used by God to advance the Gospel of Christ in these Last Days. Like God said in Zechariah 1:17, it is by prosperity that His cities (His Kingdom) shall be spread abroad.

    Let us honour our men of God who are celebrated worldwide. If there is any veritable case of fraud or embezzlement against any clergyman, let the law take its course. To generalise that all wealthy pastors are thieves and assume that they must be exploiting their church members is twisted, unjust and wicked.

     

  • Readers’ comments

    Readers’ comments

    Communication among humans is a two-way track. It may be oral or written. If it is oral, there must be a listener (or listeners) while the speech is on. If it is written, a reader (or readers) must have read the written thoughts of the writer before reacting. This logical process is generally recognised as the etiquette of communication. A one-way communication is either a sign of despotism or no communication at all. And such can only at best create a situation for soliloquy or monologue.

    As a participatory column the only means of confirming that ‘The Message’ is globally read is to get reactions from its readers which may be randomly published in this column. For each weekly outing of ‘The Message’ there are scores of reactions from various sectors of the society home and abroad. Such reactions are a proof that preaching is like mud bitten with a stick. When it splashes to all directions, not even the preacher will be spared. Below is a cluster of examples especially in respect of last Friday’s article in this column.

    The contents of last week’s article in ‘The Message’ about Hijrah holiday (as constitutionally declared by Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola) was precipitated by the obvious mediocrity displayed in the editorial comment of a self acclaimed ‘most widely read newspaper in Nigeria’ based in the Southwest of the country. It will be recalled that the points marshalled to counter that editorial in this column were meant to put the falsehood arrogantly exhibited in the said editorial to shame while letting Nigerians know that some elements in our local media are like rolling stones that gather no substance.

    A newspaper is worth the quality of its editorial. If the editorial of a supposed foremost newspaper in Nigeria could be what was published in that paper on November 20, 2012, one can then imagine the real weight of such a paper and that of the forces behind it in concrete terms. In the intellectual realm, monopoly of knowledge is surely an anathema to which only an ignoramus can condescend. Journalism is a major segment of that realm. It is only a nonentity that will rubbish intellectualism in that realm by not conceding facts to where or who facts belong. Professional charlatans are known not only by their naivety but also by their insistence on ignorance even where and when knowledge has been evidently established. This was the case with the pedestrian editorial written to draw the public into unwarranted controversy.

    Religion, as we all know is perhaps the most volatile issue to handle in the media. That is why a renowned poet came up with the following relevant stanza:

    “There are good men in every land; the tree of life has many branches and roots; let not the topmost twig presume to think that it alone has sprung from the mother earth; we did not choose our races by ourselves; Jews, Muslims, Christians, all alike are men; let me hope I have found in you a man”.

    It may be necessary here to recall the genesis of the ongoing media campaign by a fanatical newspaper against Osun State Governor if only as a reminder. In his holiday declaration speech, Governor Aregbesola stated inter alia thus:

    “When we gathered here last year, the Muslim Community requested for three things: that the Islamic lunar year should be officially recognized. We did not give immediate response to this request. We only said if God so permits, we would assist Muslims in the state to celebrate the New Lunar Year. We are grateful to God that He grants us the opportunity to make it. This is beyond human capacity. I am glad that as a Muslim, God used me to make this day.

    There is a difference between how days are counted in Islam as against the way it is done outside Islam. A fresh day commences after sunset. A day ends after Maghreb (early evening) prayers. Many Muslims do not know this. In Islam, a fresh day commences after sunset. The scholars will explain this further….

    “So, we have been having this celebration for Muslims to also know that they have their own way of taking counts of periods of day, days of the month and months of the year.

    I therefore rejoice with Muslims of the world. We thank God for granting us the opportunity to witness this new lunar year. May God make it a blessed year for us all. Amin!….

    It is pertinent to state that whatever affects the eyes, gets to the nose. The turmoil currently being recorded in the northern parts of the country is affecting both ends of the North and other parts of the country. Those who take eggs to the North for commerce now feel the effect. They have nowhere to take them to; just as those who buy goods from there no longer have that opportunity. These are the consequences of instability. That is why we need to pray that God grants us peace, stability and tranquility. We should pray that He gives us the grace to live in harmony.

    The world has changed from the trend of brazen and crude imposition; hence we need to ask God to grant us the grace to relate with one another peacefully.

    Let us ask ourselves; what does Islam require of us? Does Islam preach hooliganism or violence? The little knowledge I have concerning the religion is not as much as many of the scholars here today. However, the little I know of the religion tells me that a high sense of decency is required of every Muslim. Islam preaches such virtues as due respect for all creations, humility, tolerance and obedience to God and all properly constituted authorities. This must be practiced by whoever professes the faith. Allah states in (Quran, Chapter 3 verse 110) that Muslims are the group he created to enjoin goodness among people and forbid evil. If this is what Allah says of us; should any Muslim be nefarious? A Muslim that engages in bad act contravenes God’s injunction….

    As a demonstration of the impact of this celebration, I enjoin all Muslims of the world; starting from those in Osun, to move away from vices. Let us move away from hypocrisy and other bad lifestyles. Let us be good examples in every sense. It is best that we stand out as good examples for people around us always. A school established by a Muslim should be the best in terms of administration, dissemination of knowledge, and character building. Also in commerce, a Muslim trader should be a best exemplar of his trade; so that people would say if you want to have good bargain, go and get it from ‘“Iya Sikirah”’. In addition, as civil servants, Muslims should take the lead in diligence at work. Every Muslim should be a good exemplar.

    “…..Every Muslim here today and those that would be listening to me elsewhere should be reminded that this year’s celebration is a re- awakening. For us to admit that we are really celebrating, we should get back to our various homes and say to ourselves “I relinquish my bad ways no matter how little. I want to be God’s representative on earth in good deed”. May God make it easy and possible for us to accomplish. Amin. Secondly, do not relent in supplicating to God. Our state requires prayer; just as we personally do. Every living soul requires supplications to God.

    I would like to urge us all according to what God says in Suratul-An Nissai (Quran Chapter 4). He enjoins that we be fair to everybody; not to Muslims alone, even if it is against our interest. We get this injunction in Nisaa (chapter 4 verse 135), yes. He says we should do justice even if it hurts our parents, our loved ones, self etc….I would not go further than this. As we are happy and celebrating our New Year now; we should take cognizance that there are some others who desire to have their own festivals that government has not so far given recognition. If we do so don’t be hurt. We would only be following God’s injunction to be just….”

    Despite this self-explanatory address by the Governor, the zealot newspaper in question ignorantly but arrogantly engineered a media brouhaha over the issue with the aim of causing religious hostility among the people who have all along lived together in harmony. It was in reaction to that unwarranted fanatical provocation that ‘The Message’, as usual, came out to put the records straight in this column last Friday.

    Even the Osun State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) issued a statement rejecting any alleged religious hostility in the State. According to him, “the celebration of Hijrah in the state does not disturb us as Christians and we don’t have anything against it. There was no Christian that calls to show any displeasure to it or complaint from any quarters because we believe that it is promoting Islam. I as the Chairman of CAN in the state I sent congratulatory message to Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe and Governor Rauf Aregbesola on the celebration to wish them well”. Aladeseye who admonished all to tolerate one another, maintained that the nation could only develop where there was peace and stability emphasising that there was peace in the state and calling on residents of the state to give the current administration maximum support to succeed.

    He also disclosed that most religious issues were resolved at National Religious Council (NAREC) meeting in the state adding that the controversy surrounding the use of hijab in public schools had been resolved amicably at the meeting. According to him, “Governor Rauf advised us to go and resolve the matter at the NAREC meeting where agreement was reached that it should not be enforced at the Christian Public Schools across the state and one year after, there has been evidence that the matter had been put to rest.

    In its own comment on this issue, the Muslim Association of Nigeria congratulated the Governor and good people of Osun “for this unique performance in recognizing the yearnings of the Muslim Community and their right with a declaration of Hijrah holiday. To us this will foster unity among various religious groups in the state and usher in peace and economic development. This is a state to watch for good things in years to come in Nigeria. Alhaji Yusuf Sulaiman, President of MAN.

    Also in a lengthy comment digging deep into the archive of Islam in Nigeria, a veteran journalist and former, manager of programmes, North Africa and Overseas service in Voice of Nigeria (VON) who was also the National Missioner, Muslim Association of Nigeria (MAN), Sheikh Najmudden Binuyo stated in part as follows:

    “The people of Osun, especially Christians in the state, who are well aware that the Governor has good intentions, are certainly not complaining. The state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Evangelist Abraham Aladeseye confirmed this during a chat with journalists on the matter. The venerable man of God stated that Christians in the state are not against the declaration of the Hijrah holiday. “I even sent congratulatory messages to Governor Aregbesola and the chairman of the League of Imams and Alfas. We Christians don’t have anything against it,” he said. So, why is this particular newspaper crying more than the bereaved?

    On its own, the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) views with serious concern controversial editorial of Tuesday, November 20, 2012 (p.18) in a Southwest based newspaper. But we were not surprised that the newspaper in question viewed the decision Governor Aregbesola on declaration of holiday for Muharram 1 (Islamic New Year) as “odd and totally uncalled for”. The newspaper proceeded from a perverted logic when it asserted that “many predominantly Muslim states do not even have public holidays for hejira” (sic).

    For avoidance of doubt, Hijrah is remarkably significant to Islam both in form and in content as it represents for Muslims an epoch-making event that culminated in the rapid growth of Islam from Madinah. Hijrah, in fact, exemplifies the basis of the mutual understanding between the Muslim global community and the people of other beliefs, especially the Christians and the Jews.

    It (Hijrah) symbolises for Muslims, movement from dehumanising oppression to liberty, escape from danger to security, exodus from ignorance to knowledge, abstinence from corruption, adoption of accountability, eradication of infanticide and disentanglement of women from the bestiality of the ignorant past (Jahiliyyah) as well as general transformation of humanity from all traits of evil to the illuminating light of Islam. These and many others which are hardly found in other religions are the causes of envy that might have led a section of Nigerian media to grow so wild.

    Nevertheless, despite any unwarranted provocation, we, as Muslims in the Southwest, will continue to discuss our differences, in good faith as we have always done, to avoid any recourse to actions that may threaten our peaceful co-existence, as brothers and sisters, in a just and united Nigeria. By Mustapha Balogun

    Chairman, NACOMYO, Southern Zone

     

  • APGA leadership and judicial activism

    APGA leadership and judicial activism

    It is said that the Court is the temple of justice. The ministers in this sacred temple are expected to live above suspicion. The credibility of a Court and its rulings is a function of the integrity of the presiding Judge. In the words of Franz kafka in The Trial; “Justice must stand still, or else the scales will waver and a just verdict will become impossible”.

    Justice can only stand still and the scales firm if Judges are not bias in handling cases.

    How justice is dispensed will determine the level of confidence the common man will have in the presiding judge in particular and the judiciary in general. The law should not be seen as a cobweb where the small flies (masses) are caught while the great (politically exposed people in government) break through and influence the course of justice with impunity.

    Most Nigerians still have confidence in the judiciary and administration of justice in Nigeria. The judiciary played a major role in stabilizing our nascent democracy through its landmark judgments. Many see it as an impartial arbiter and bulwark against injustices, it ought to be so. Anthony Aniagolu, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court admonished Judges while celebrating his 85th birthday on 25th October, 2007. He declared:

    “Of all the professions, you are the one that most directly represents God on earth, because God is justice and so by delivering justice on people you are sitting on his throne. For this reason you will be judged harsher than any other profession, so you must be careful how you deliver justice…Yours is the only profession directly created by God when he asked for twelve judges to be appointed for the twelve tribes of Israel. He did not ask for teachers, doctors or engineers to be appointed, but judges who will help him administer justice on earth. You must deliver justice as if it were God himself that is sitting on the bench. Justice must be your focus and the rule of law your guide”.

    It is obvious that some judges are not aware of the sanctity of their chosen profession or decided to ignore. Justice Olufuntola Oyelola Adekeye of the Supreme Court who retired recently alerted a bewildered nation of the enormous financial inducements politicians offer Justices of the apex court during proceedings on election petitions to deliver judgment in their favour.

    The Justice Kayode Esho Panel on Judiciary set up by General Sani Abacha on 29th December 1993, indicted 47 Judges in the country for corruption, incompetence, misuse of ex-part orders and abuse of office.

    Esho urged Abacha to act on the report if the Judiciary must be saved the shame and utter destruction. Various administrations have failed to act on the report despite pressure from eminent Jurists including Justice Akinola Aguda (retired), former Chief Justice of Botswana and late Chief Rotimi Williams demanded the release of the report.

    In the current dispensation, many Justices have been granting indiscriminate ex-parte orders that have paralyzed organizations, political parties and confused INEC on election issues despite cautions by past Chief Justice of Nigeria that Judges should desist from doing so. The fact that some high court Justices take pleasure in granting ex-parte orders and even extending them beyond the period approved by law even when there are no applications for such extension as was granted in the case of the All Progressives Grand Alliance involving Ichie Okuli Jude Ejike V. Victor Umeh (Suit No. E/270/2012).

    Victor Umeh’s opponents in the party decided to use one Okuli said to be a former member of APGA in Udi LGA of Enugu State to challenge the tenure of the Enugu State Chapter chairman of the party at an Enugu State High Court but lost. The court dismissed the suit as being a political matter which is not justiceable based on Supreme Court judgment in the case of Onuoha V. Okafor where the apex court decided that the court cannot dabble into political issues. The Judge advised Okuli to join another political party if he is not comfortable with APGA. The ruling subsists till today. In the present case Okuli re-circled the same case against Chief Victor Umeh, National Chairman of APGA.

    This time he sought and procured an ex-parte order restraining Umeh from convening a national, state and local government executive meeting of the party even though APGA is not joined in the suit.

    Umeh’s lawyer Patrick Ikwueto (SAN) filed a preliminary objection. The judge restated the ex-parte order restraining Umeh to 17th September 2012, when he would rule on the objection. The APGA boss frowned at it saying nobody requested for such a long extension of ex parte order. It is obvious that an ex parte order lasts for a maximum of 14 days. In this case it was extended to 48 days. The Chief Judge’s unilateral and unsolicited action grounded the party activities to the pleasure of the plaintiff and his sponsors. Ironically, the presiding judge said if the court cannot contribute to the development of the law, it cannot help in destroying it.

    A bewildered Umeh rushed to the Court of Appeal Enugu Division to vacate it describing it as a travesty of justice and asked the judge to withdraw from the case in the interest of justice. Umeh was stunned and suspected that the judge was acting a script by his opponents who had boasted that he must be removed at all cost. He reported the judge to the National Judicial council. The council queried him immediately. The nation eagerly awaits NJC’s decision.

    In what looked like a retaliation Justice Umezulike vacated the long ex-parte order and replaced it with an order of perpetual injunction that restrained Umeh from parading himself as National Chairman of APGA and adjourned for judgment. The Judge also refused to hear the motion praying the court that he should withdraw from the matter and re-assign same to a neutral judge.

    It is a common practice in all democracies for a judicial officer to withdraw from a matter if a litigant has no confidence in him to adjudicate on his case. That is the essence of fair hearing and faith in the judicial process.

    The Daily Sun newspaper of November 6, 2012 reported a similar matter where a petition was sent to the President of National Industrial Court demanding that Justice Moren Esowe should withdraw from a case instituted by Ambassador D. C. B. Nwanna against the Director General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ezekiel Oladeji to prematurely retire him from service. The Judge was accused of manifest bias in favour of the claimant. She honourably withdrew from the case without shaking the foundations of the Judiciary and the nation.

    Perhaps if the Federal Government in collaboration with the National Judicial Council had sanctioned the 47 Judges indicted by the Esho Panel on Judiciary in 1994, the corruption and abuse of office in the Judiciary would have been eliminated.

    Although INEC in its letter dated 26th July 2012, recognized Chief Victor Umeh as the APGA National Chairman, one is at a loss why the Enugu Chief Judge would paralyze the activities of a party with two Governors; Federal and State legislators and numerous Local Government Councils’ Chairmen and Councillors.

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Maryam Alooma Muktar is very competent, decisive and pragmatic in the way she has piloted the affairs of the judiciary so far. Nigerians are of the view that she will halt the slide and drift in the temple of justice and restore hope in the common man that justice will be done even if the skies fall. The NJC should intervene in the APGA/Enugu Chief Judge matter immediately with a view to preventing a miscarriage of justice. The era of judicial impunity and recklessness in this matter and others must be stopped.

    • James Attamah is a public affairs analyst based in Lagos

  • Jonathan’s government and anti-corruption crusade

    Jonathan’s government and anti-corruption crusade

    Fighting the hydra-headed monster called corruption, which is seriously afflicting the Nigerian economy should never be a lone effort. This is the crucial reason why the Goodluck Jonathan Administration certainly requires the support of all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians to fight corruption, towards heralding a new beginning in the scheme of things in the country.

    It is an established fact that one of the fundamental factors working against the attainment of marked socio-economic, cultural, educational and political developments in the major facets of the country’s economy over time is the pervasive unalloyed corruption. And, for President Jonathan’s Administration to tackle this monster headlong, the support of all and sundry is definitely required.

    Nevertheless, one may ask what essentially constitutes corrupt tendencies or practices in human affairs. According to Transparency International (TI), corruption is defined as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority.”

    Thus, in any human society, corruption erupts when elected representatives make decisions that are influenced by vested interests rather than developmental societal values. Therefore, in an attempt to demonstrate his administration’s seriousness in tackling corruption in Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan urged the National Assembly (NASS) to accelerate its delivery of two key executive-sponsored legislations, namely: the anti-corruption bill and the anti-terrorism bill, expected to assist his administration in dealing with burning critical national issues, including identified  deficiencies in the battle against corruption, money laundering and illegal funding of terrorist activities.

    Jonathan had said in a correspondence to the 6th Session of the House of Representatives at the time: “Given this administration’s commitment to combating corruption and terror and boosting the country’s economic development, a blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will no doubt seriously hamper these laudable efforts.” The current Administration has continued demonstrate that it means business in fighting corruption tooth and nail in this regard.

    Recall that the President had also hinged his Administration’s determined efforts at pushing for the National Assembly’s passage of the anti-corruption and anti-terrorism bills into Acts on possible blacklisting by the FATF and possible stifling economic consequences for Nigerians.

    In walking his talk with regards to dealing decisively with any indicted individual or institution found to be corrupt, President Jonathan has vowed that his administration will not shield any corrupt person from investigation or prosecution by the anti-graft agencies, including Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

    With the required measure of independence to execute its mandate effectively, the EFCC while still beaming its search light to discover more, has been able to recover several billions of dollars corruptly stashed away in foreign lands by some former political leaders including governors and other public officials.

    The president, again, re-assured the nation and international community at the opening of the 8th National Seminar on Economic Crimes held at the Training and Research Institute of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abuja.  With a change of leadership in the agency for improved delivery, the government, indeed, has continued to support and encourage the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies to confront corruption more decisively, while charging them to spare no culprit, regardless of status or position.

    No doubt, landmark legal battles involving certain prominent Nigerians as Cecilia Ibru, ex-Managing Director/CEO, Oceanic Bank International; Erastus Akingbola, former CEO, Intercontinental Bank, among others in the Banking sector who have stood trial for their roles in the near collapse of their organisations. The legal prosecution and eventual imprisonment of Chief Olabode George, a former People’s Democratic Party’s Vice-Chairman, South West, for his role in the mismanagement of Nigerian Ports Authority’s finances as the Chairman remain green in memories of Nigerians till date.

    Likewise, a former Minister for Interior and owner of Integrated Oil and Gas Limited, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho (rtd), was summarily dismissed from the President Jonathan’s cabinet for alleged official corruption. As regards the thorny issue of the indicted fuel subsidy companies and suspects, following the report of the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payments Committee, it is no longer news that the current administration has allowed the EFCC to commence the prosecution of no less than 25 oil marketing firms and their Directors.

    Some of the companies reportedly, had claimed payments for consignments brought in by ships which investigations revealed were either non-existent, or were somewhere else in the world. While some have been ordered to refund various sums of money unjustly benefited from the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF), the continued trial of these suspects is, of course, commendable. In other words, justice is being allowed to take its full course in the matter. This is especially laudable.

    This administration actually is not “soft on corruption” as is being suggested in certain quarters. The Government is merely being methodical in its approach to tackling the corruption monster by allowing the anti-corruption agencies and courts of competent jurisdiction to do their jobs effectively without fear or favour. Therefore, for the current Administration to remain fully committed to fighting the war against corruption, the need for Nigerians from all walks of life to consciously support the efforts cannot be over-emphasized. Arm-chair criticisms without active involvement in the prosecution of the war against the common enemy called corruption will not bring about any enduring change in the nation’s system.

    It should be noted that a diligent fight against corruption, in the interest of national peace, stability, progress and development, can guarantee an atmosphere for the effective implementation of the Jonathan’s administration’s Transformation Agenda and for the much-expected paradigm shift in key sectors of Nigeria’s economy.

     

    • Aliyu Mohammed is a Kaduna-based lawyer and public affairs commentator.