The Nation Newspaper

Tag: anarchy

  • The siren song of anarchy

    The siren song of anarchy

    How does one love or hate a country? To this, every answer may likely spiral into a fog or eclipse in a vapour of hanging participles. The ripostes may spatter and splay like a treacherous sandstorm but it’s about time we braved its tumult. It’s about time we addressed our innate demons. Call it our therapy of healing or stratagem of entitlement to national trauma.

    Too many people drift through each day with a siege mentality – each individual treating the nation as a savage space, where ferocity is fostered and condoned.

    Inspired by the recent protests in Kenya, Nigerian youths are planning a similar demonstration in the coming weeks. This looming unrest has sent ripples of anxiety through the incumbent administration, spurring a fervent campaign to discredit and deter the youth from this course of action.

    What the government must embrace is a vision of governance steeped in pro-citizenry policies. President Bola Tinubu and his team must avoid pandering to the fancies of the political and business elite. The citizenry has become more vigilant and cynical, and any hint that his policies cater to the inordinate appetites of corporate magnates and oligarchs will not be forgiven.

    There is no gainsaying he achieved a milestone by facilitating the empowerment, through legal provisions, of Nigeria’s local councils with their statutory funding directly from the federation account. This has drawn applause from Nigerians irrespective of political and ethnic affiliations. 

    Thus, Tinubu must understand how his deeds or misdeeds resonate among the populace. It is insufficient to brush off dissent and harsh critiques as mere machinations of a disgruntled opposition. Instead, he must strive to earn the trust and goodwill of the people through a commitment to transparency, decisive, and exemplary performance. This is the best way to earn the respect of his critics and the goodwill of Nigerians.

    Indulging in superfluous luxuries for public officials, especially at a time when Nigerians grapple with widespread hunger, soaring inflation, and insecurity, would be a grave misstep. Recent statistics reveal a staggering food inflation rate of 40% and general inflation at 34.19%. These alarming figures underscore the grievances fueling the planned protests, a poignant reminder of the urgency for genuine, people-centred governance.

    Yet, while Nigerians flay Tinubu for the hardship triggered by his radical albeit progressive policies, we must acknowledge that he isn’t the architect of the prevalent economic distress. Together, we embarked on this Nigerian journey into savage nature, trading vistas of hope for caskets of greed. Together, we railroaded Nigeria to self-destruct. And collectively, we must salvage what’s left of it.

    But we mistake the path we must take as shown by our resort to rant and rave. We cannot speak angst to misgovernance while we nurse barbarism within us. The solution isn’t speaking rage to pain either but healing through its sting and living it out.

    President Tinubu’s economic policies have been heavily criticised by Nigerians in fits of anger and frustration. In response, he has assured that there is hope for the nation’s financial and economic prospects, citing efforts being made by the administration in all sectors. He has assured that though things appear harsh currently, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

    Read Also: IGP to policemen: be honest, transparent

    Speaking at a recent State House event, he said, “We might be going through difficult periods now, but when you look at the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and people manning the ship of this country, including Central Bank of Nigeria, they have collaborated and in the spirit of development and progress, we are glad that good effort is being made to retool, re-engineer the finances of the country and make growth our hallmark.”

    As we await the promised dividends of his administration’s policies, shall we desist from inflaming the polity? Already, the social space thrives as a repository of venom and virulent dissent, triggered by the soaring prices of food, goods and services. Against the backdrop of the crisis, the possibility of the citizenry’s resort to anarchy remains the most frightful imagery. Too many social actors intensely replicate our primitive experience. But they have done nothing but reenact the vast facets of evil that we groomed them to personify.

    It hardly matters whether we publicly denounce them, Nigeria would never be rid of them until we set our grief’s needlepoint astride the prick of pain.

    The youths must avoid being used as cannon fodder for violence by disgruntled losers at the 2023 polls, and those embittered by the latter’s loss. The election is over, and it is time to rebuild Nigeria, not ruin it.

    Nigerian youths must shun the manipulations of devious demagogues and channel their ingenuity, passion and resilience into more constructive actions, like building a new Nigeria.

    It is wiser to engage in dialogue and advocate for transparent governance, and accountability from Nigeria’s leadership.

    The youth must avoid being used to sabotage the appreciable measures of regrowth initiated by the incumbent administration. They must avoid being misled by selfish elements seeking to hijack the masses’ dissent and quicken its degeneration into more sinister forms.

    Nigerians couldn’t have forgotten so easily the #EndSARS 2020 protest, and how youths marched onto the streets purportedly to protest bad policing and leadership failure.

    We must remember #EndSARS for what it’s worth: its elegiac stanzas, propitious rage, and inauspicious demise. The tragedy caused by the protest is instructive; it bristles even as you read, with consequences of leadership insensibility and imprudence of youths cut to size—no thanks to hubris.

    The instigators of the planned protest do not give a hoot if it results in widespread anarchy and destruction; if they succeed at burning the country to rubble, they will retire to their investments and opulent sanctuaries abroad.

    The celebrities and pawns inciting protests over harsh living conditions do not truly care about the common man. It will be recalled that they all fled Lekki Tollgate, the venue of the #EndSARS protest in 2020, just before the shit hit the fan. They were all warned off the streets by their powerful parents and other privileged sources. Again, some of them have been contracted to spread inflammatory messages and destabilise the country.

    It is interesting that, like during #EndSARS, Lagos has been chosen as the venue for the planned protest. Citizens should instead direct their grievances to their respective state governors and protest in their home states. Many governors have received unprecedented billions of naira from the withdrawal of fuel subsidies. It’s about time they accounted for how they are using the funds.

    Lagos demonstrates progressive governance, better than any other state, thus its blooming as a melting pot of commerce. The state government must take urgent steps to protect the state from any form of internal and external aggression. Another ill-fated protest in Lagos could destabilise the country and deepen ethnic divisions across the country.

    The most effective protest the youth and citizens can engage in is a strategic and peaceful one via the ballot box. It is reckless to assume that power can be seized through anarchy as seen in the protests in Kenya and the ill-fated Arab Spring, which did little to address the protesters’ grievances.

    For all its symbolism and contrived grandeur, Nigerians must look beneath the blankets of rage to see the true nature of dissent, its toxic traceries of thought, action, and reaction.

    Notwithstanding, President Tinubu must respond humanely, with utmost caution and resolve, lest the pallid yarns of patriotism corrupt citizenship and endanger the country.

  • A looming anarchy

    A looming anarchy

    • By Mike Kebonkwu

    The judiciary has come under intense scrutiny in the court of public opinion with a very damning verdict.  It is indeed a period of judicial nadir as our learned men and women have been taken to the cleaners.  No one is sure if they will come out clean because the sober robes and wigs are soiled.  If we lose the judiciary, we lose the foundation of our country that is built on the rule of law.  This is the reason why what is happening in the judiciary should be more than a passing glance to the government and practitioners alike.  The destruction of the judicial system of a nation is an invitation to mere anarchy.  It is a matter of time before it catches up with everyone because those who are beneficiaries today will become victims tomorrow.  The ruling elite and political jobbers may choose to be wily and manipulative as they wish but they should not forget that the destruction of the rule of law and erosion of confidence in the judiciary is a death knell to the country. 

    There is a growing frustration, anger and disappointment by litigants and other critical stakeholders in the judicial system; most of them genuine and honest.  The entire system is excoriated and lampooned for brazen corruption and perversion of justice.  It will do the nation’s health a whole world of good if we do not destroy the judicial system on the altar of bad politics and elites’ greed and brigandage.  This is not in any way to sound an alarmist.  The best way to deal with a problem is to first identify the problem, face it squarely and deal with it from the source rather than to pretend that it does not exist by coating it with sweet fragrance.  We are confronted with a whole lot of problems and the institutions of state as presently constituted are struggling to cope without success in dealing with the problems. 

    Our problem now goes beyond insecurity that is eclipsing the entire landscape of the country without exception.  Kidnapping for ransom is still prevalent and in a large commercial scale and it is also scaling up with the approach of the end of year’s activities. Life has simply become unbearable for many Nigerians from the economic burden imposed by government policy of subsidy removal and the virtual collapse of the national currency, the Naira.  The sick and elderly are going through excruciating pains struggling to get their medications which have attracted over 200% hike in price.  We are now daily confronted with street urchins and all shades and manners of people in uniforms as task forces extorting money from already sapped Nigerians as if there is no government in place; no law, no order, nothing!   Whoever empowers these miscreants to harass ordinary citizens no one knows.  Sometimes, these groups operate hand in gloves with security agencies. 

    Only very few Nigerians can afford the basic necessities of life.  On top of it now is the spectre of institutional collapse of the sustaining political structures.  Government institutions, departments and ministries exist solely to pay salaries and wages to workers with little or no productivity; not to talk of ghost workers who also earn salaries in government establishments.  The bureaucracy of the state has not ceased to be the nest of graft and large scale corruption.  Now the judiciary has come under siege and its credibility and capacity to dispense justice have been completely eroded.  Citizens have every cause to worry over the controversies of inconsistent judgments emanating from our courts which have become very bizarre.  The judiciary has been reduced to trading platform for politicians and moneybags.  Attack on the electoral system and the judiciary is attack on the foundation of not just our democracy but the basis of our corporate existence.  The ravaging political locust and caterpillars do not care a hoot about the nation as long as they can funnel money to their offshore accounts to live in relative luxury abroad.

    With all the allegations of incompetence and corruption trailing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the expedient thing to do would have been to dissolve the body and inject it with fresh blood to give life to our electoral system and by extension our democracy.  The judiciary with its proverbial Nigerian factor can hardly clean the mess from the INEC. The judiciary itself also needs a major surgery and total overhaul.  It should start with the recruitment method which should look and scrutinize the competence and qualifications of those applying to the bench, not on filial consideration or political affiliation and partisanship, which it has currently become.  It is also the duty of every Nigerian to develop interest on how people are appointed to public offices and institutions.  It should reflect fairness to federal character, integrity and competence. We have to rise up as one and challenge awarding political office to undeserving elements and highest bidders in outright display of perfidy. 

    Read Also: SK: Between liberty and anarchy

    The report of the off election circle that just concluded in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States is quite disheartening and does not show a departure from the ugly past.  The government has to avoid by all means a situation where the people will resort to self-help by taking the laws into their hand.  The security agencies have not shown capacity of neutrality in providing protection for people to exercise their franchise and secure the votes of the electorate.  The crops of politicians we have now by their conducts are the real threat to our democracy.  The citizens can no longer afford to watch the politicians turn our country into a theatre of absurdity.  The rapacious and frightening rape on our democracy and the judiciary must not be allowed to continue. Public office holders should be held accountable to their acts and omissions in their lines of duty.  

    If the purpose of election and appointment to public office is for public good, then only fit and proper people who demonstrate accountability and respect for rule of law and due process should aspire to public office.  Whenever they are found wanting, they should be held accountable also through the due process of law.  It therefore requires the strengthening of our institutions and the judiciary to act with integrity and impartiality. The people can only have implicit confidence in our institutions and public office holders when credible, public spirited fellows are made to occupy high offices.

    It should no longer be acceptable that the government cannot secure citizens in their homes, our children in the institutions of learning, from nursery to tertiary institutions without exception.  School children abducted by bandits and insurgents from their school dormitories are still languishing in captivity for upward of nine years, assuming some of them are still alive leaving the parents agonizing.  People are kidnapped from their homes and on the road and government agencies help to negotiate and take ransoms to the criminals.  Indeed Nigerians are suffocating under the yoke and failure of government and government institutions and public office holders who literarily mock the ordinary citizens by flaunting wealth and power in the face of traumatized Nigerians. 

    In the midst of the strangulating economic hardship, members of the National Assembly have awarded themselves N160m Land Cruiser as palliative.  In the midst of grinding poverty, National Assembly members are awarding themselves sundry allowances in millions of Naira when an ordinary Nigerian cannot afford to put food on his table. Things just have to change to avert the looming anarchy whose consequences might be unpredictable.  Let us not pretend and ignore or dismiss this warning as another ranting of an alarmist. We should endeavour to build capacity to save the Nigeria project rather dissipate energies in the wrong direction and invest in wrong projects.  We cannot just continue like this.  There is no consensus on the prospect of our corporate existence as every ethnic nationality has one grudge or the other.  Nigeria is in such a dire state; breaking up does not appear to offer the way out though.  We just have to come together and agree to work to avert the looming anarchy.

    • Kebonkwu Esq is an Abuja-based attorney.
  • ACF leaders warn against anarchy, disintegration

    ACF leaders warn against anarchy, disintegration

    North’s leaders mainly under the auspices of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday warned that the country risked anarchy and disintegration under the drift is arrested.

    They spoke during a conference: “The North and The Challenge of Leadership” organised by Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation and Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP).

    The conference was organised to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of the northern political leaders – sir Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa – during the January 15 1966 coup de ’tat.

    The ACF chairman Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie lamented that corrupt practices had become endemic and nepotism had become a common-place in most appointments, provision of quality education, potable water, efficient health services and power supply had been relegated to the background.

    Coomassie said the era of Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa was a golden period for Nigeria and the Northern region as they laid foundation and chartered the course of the most unprecedented, purposeful and progressive development ever witnessed in the north, despite that they were not degree holders, but only teaching qualifications obtained from the then Katsina College.

    He said: “Northern progress and Northern unity were uttermost in their thought processes while administering this large expanse of territory which was more than half of Nigeria. They ensured even development, justice and fair play for all the citizens. It was a period devoid of religious and ethnic bigotry where people from the numerous ethnic nationalities or creeds, held each other in mutual respect.

    “Corrupt practices by both politicians were very minimal. Things like inflation of contracts or favouritism in the award of contracts were virtually non-existent. In short, the Northern Nigeria before January 15th 1966 was a territory that was characterised by visionary leadership and tireless dedication to duty to the community. Leaders were known for their integrity, their sincerity and their humility”, he said.

    “State governors today are busy building billion naira airports, government houses and other white elephant projects while their people live in wanton poverty and squalor. Youths go through education sector and graduate with no jobs available or means to start something on their own. This deplorable situation has made them vulnerable as tools of the political class to use to foment political violence or foot soldiers of ethnic or religious bigots and extremists to destroy the peace and serenity the north has been known for.

    “Clearly, we have a problem of good governance. But, is the problem the result of faulty choices of candidates to hold political office or is it as a result of other sinister motives. It is my hope that this conference will provide answers. If it is the result of poor selection processes, how can we rectify them? If the actions are as a result of other sinister motives, then, we must identify them and proffer solutions.

    “Unless we approach this problem with the seriousness it deserves, we may be heading towards anarchy and eventual disintegration.” Coomassie stated.

    On the herdsmen attacks, Coomassie said governors, as well as land grabbers were responsible for spate of killings caused by herdsmen and farmers’ clashes.

    He said if the crisis was not properly managed, it is capable of plunging Nigeria into a conflicts that has never been seen.

    Spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) Prof. Ango Abdullahi faulted the political leadership and the political system in the country.

    Abdullahi said it was wrong for Nigeria to have jettisoned the parliamentary system of government to adopt the presidential system.

    “This Presidential system is too expensive for our democracy. Recently, someone did an analysis that, only the legitimate earning on the National Assembly members per annum can employ and pay 80 per cent of our unemployed youths, if the youths are to be paid N90,000 monthly.

    “But the problem is that, the beneficiaries of the system will always rise and defend whatever argument you bring up against presidential system of government. But, if care is not taken, thousands of unemployed youths turned out from our universities will one day revolt against the system”, he said.

    Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau said voter education is the way out.

    He said the governors and the President cannot be held accountable until Nigerians ensure the quality of legislators they elect into offices. He said the status quo of lack of good governance cannot change with a kind of attitude where people don’t care about who their legislators are.

  • ‘Mindless killings, anarchy must be defeated’

    ‘Mindless killings, anarchy must be defeated’

    The threats that confront us as a nation and as a planet have evolved and continue to evolve. Forty years ago, a speech like this would have been situated firmly within the context of the Cold War, with its well-defined ideologies, and distinct warring parties.

    Today, we speak of non-state actors and of asymmetric warfare, and are confronted by enemies whose identities are as nebulous as their motivations.

    It feels like yesterday when the earliest high-profile Boko Haram suicide bombings happened in Nigeria. It was a surreal moment, something that no one associated with Nigeria. It was not uncommon, at that time, to hear people argue that the perpetrators had to have been of foreign origin, as it was not in the nature or personality of Nigerians to be suicide bombers.

    This was only about six years ago. Since then, we have grown accustomed to suicide bombings and by Nigerians no less. The targets evolved rapidly, from symbols of authority like the Police Headquarters and the United Nations (UN) Building in Abuja, to encompass soft targets – bus stations, religious houses and markets. And again very quickly, we started to see a trend of female suicide bombers.

    It is worthy of note that until about 2013, the phenomenon of female suicide bombers was virtually unknown in the Boko Haram insurgency. A short four years later, it is one of the defining elements of the insurgency – young girls, some not even teenagers yet, laden with explosives and sent off as harbingers of death and destruction.

    This swift evolution in suicide bombings is a perfect illustration of the nature of the threats that nations face today – unpredictable, asymmetric, constantly adapting to changing conditions, driven by a compulsive need to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort.

    This is therefore the question we ought to be asking ourselves: Are our Armed Forces evolving with a similar speed and urgency, are they adapting with a similar nimbleness? How do we evolve rules of engagement in asymmetric warfare situations? Should we be redefining the borders of the Geneva Convention in the light of military engagements with armed militant combatants? Can we observe the same human rights rules where suicide bombers and persons determined to die and take with them as many innocent lives as possible are the enemy we must confront? What are the borders of the right to privacy and freedom of expression on the internet? What is the responsibility of nations of the world in policing the internet which has become a virtual training ground for much good and as much evil?

    Some of the early analyses of yesterday’s bombing in a London tube (on Friday) suggest that tutorials for making the explosive devices used are available on the internet. How can the military get ahead of the curve on communications in the age of the fast, cheap and available communication for all? We must also answer the question of how to defeat the ideologies that promote mindless killings and anarchy.

    But just as important as these issues around conflict are the issues around how the military can in the process of innovating or thinking through the use of science and technology to add real value to the society and nation it has sworn to defend.

    Let me speak briefly about the relationship between the military and scientific innovation, and how both have historically shaped and influenced each other.

    Centuries ago, inventions like the wheel, and gunpowder, forever changed the nature of war. National armies wasted little time taking advantage of these innovations in the endless battle to gain an edge over existing and emerging enemies.

    In a similar manner, the military has also spearheaded technology and practices that civilians have latched on to, to alter human civilisation as we know it. The one that comes to mind most readily is the Internet, originating from the 1960s Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) of the United States Department of Defence.

    Five decades on, the Internet has turned out to be perhaps the most definitive invention in the history of mankind, creating unprecedented social, economic and political opportunity. The American military has also been credited with the invention of  Global Positioning System (GPS) now so common that every smartphone and cars use it to ascertain location.

    But this network of satellites was originally set up by the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1970s. President Ronald Reagan ordered GPS to be made available to civilians once it was completed, while President Bill Clinton later declared that the highest quality GPS signal should be available as well.

    How about RADAR? (an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging), this system uses radio waves to find speed, altitude, range, and direction of moving objects such as planes, ground vehicles, missiles, etc. Radar was developed before World War II for military purposes.

    Today, it is used for a variety of purposes, both military and civilian, including air traffic control and weather forecasting. Inadvertently, it was discovered that microwaves transmitted from radar equipment during WWII could also cook food, which led to the post-war creation of the microwave oven.

    The use of Unmanned Aerial devices or drones today for surveillance, photography (and in Rwanda), the delivery of blood to rural medical facilities originated from the development of the devices by the military in the early 20th Century.

    The world I have just described is the one that today’s cadets are graduating into. Placed side-by-side with this contemporary context, the Cold War era into which your predecessors – today’s generals and commanding officers – graduated, almost feels like a model of orderliness and predictability.

    At this point, let me say that I am pleased to note that the NDA has been positioning itself as a hub for innovation. I am already aware of inventions such as an Automated Pop-Up Target System, a Multi-Purpose Combat Mobile Robot, and a Perimeter Surveillance Robot, which the NDA has showcased at various science and technology exhibitions in the recent past. This is laudable and I urge you to sustain the culture.

    I would also like to urge you to collaborate more extensively with the private sector, for research and innovation. All around the country, technology hubs are springing up that are attracting our Nigeria’s brightest talent and breaking new technological ground. I am convinced that the military should make its presence felt in this area.

  • ‘Bello’s removal won’t cause anarchy’

    ‘Bello’s removal won’t cause anarchy’

    The Audu/Faleke Political Organisation has raised the alarm over alleged moves by the Yahaya Bello administration to get the leadership of the Department of State Services (DSS) to write a security report to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, about an impending anarchy in Kogi State should Bello lose at the Supreme Court.

    A statement by the Director, Media and Publicity, Duro Meseko, said the organisation decided to draw attention of the authorities to the letter and not treat it as a mere rumour.

    His words: “The attention of the Audu/Faleke Political Organisation has been drawn to rumours making the rounds of moves by Alhaji Yahaya Bello and some of his senior officials to convince the leadership of the Department of State Services (DSS) to write a security report advising the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) on the implications of Bello’s removal from office.

    “According to reports, the DSS is to say there would be anarchy in the state should the governor be removed from office. We wish to state that as a responsible organisation, we would not subscribe to mere allegations and rumours, but we decided to take this seriously because of its implications on the wider interest of Kogites and Nigerians. “As they say, there is no smoke without fire, we hereby state: that it is completely untrue for anyone to say there would be anarchy in Kogi should Yahaya Bello be removed from office. Rather, there would be spontaneous jubilation by citizens who have gone through untold hardship since Bello assumed office; that Bello’s removal would restore peace to Kogi instead of anarchy, as exemplified by the episode at the mosque where he was stoned by irate youths and women who continually chorused “Bello must go”.

    That Bello’s removal from office would elicit a new lease of life for workers and pensioners, who are owed salaries and allowances running to eight months; That Bello’s removal from office would end the era of kleptocracy that has become the hallmark of his administration as evidenced by the avalanche of petitions against him.

    “We call on the leadership of the DSS to shun such requests as the people are completely tired of Bello and his team, and are waiting for the news of a new administration to wipe away their tears.”

  • State Police an invitation to anarchy, says Mbu

    State Police an invitation to anarchy, says Mbu

    Former Commandant, Police Staff College  (PSC), Jos, Plateau State, Assistant Inspector General of Police  (AIG) Joseph Mbu (rtd) has described the call for state police as an invitation to anarchy.

    Mbu spoke at Effraya in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River  State  at the weekend at a reception held in his honour by the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC).

    According to the retired police chief, it was safer for only the Federal Government to be in control of the police than to have 38 ‘authoritarian people’ – 36 states, FCT and the Presidency.

    Mbu lamented that the police job was being hijacked by different people, urging those in authority to be aggressive in reclaiming the agency’s glory.

    He said: “The police job is being hijacked now by every Tom, Dick and Harry. Those in authority should know what to do, be aggressive about it and restore the glory of the police.

    “State police is an invitation to anarchy. It is impossible. I say so because I have been best opportuned to serve as Commissioner of Police (CP) in five states and AIG of two zones. It is better for us to have only one person who is authoritarian than to have 38. There will be anarchy.

    “It is better for the Federal Government to remain in control of the police. Then, the allocation that is given to the Governors as security vote should not be looked at as though it is their right. That money is supposed to be utilised effectively by assisting the police and other security agencies in their respective states.”

    “If such money get to the local government, the chairmen must use it to support the police. A situation where a local government chairman does not even know the DPO of his place cannot go well. Even at the state level where Governors send their SA on Security to be meeting or discussing with the Commissioner is very wrong. The Governors and the CPs must work together for better security. That is what they should do instead of canvassing splinter groups.”

    Advising young officers to shun bribery, indiscipline, Mbu said that they should embrace God and remain committed to doing good.

    “As a human being you must be determined and committed to doing the right thing. You have to do your job with passion and when you do that, God will bless you. If you want to be a courageous policeman, you must be upright.

    “Young officers have heard or read about me and so if they want to be like me, they must shun corruption and indicipline. You cannot take money and fight crime.

    “Once you take money, you are compromised. But if you remain firm and shun corruption, God has a way of compensating you. God has compensated me and I am very happy with that.

    “I decided to join the police after my NYSC. I was serving in Jos, then, they have not established the academy. I saw them and liked their uniform and that was how I went in.  I have no regrets. If given the opportunity to serve again, I will still do the things I did,” said Mbu.

  • Re: Bauchi: Democracy or anarchy?

    Some political agitators in Bauchi State represented by Ahmed Yerima, currently a member in the National Assembly from Misau/Dambam federal constituency, have in recent times resorted to negative publicity about the governor of the state in print and electronic media. I intended to turn a blind eye as well as deaf ears to such mischief as mere propaganda that could equally be ignored by the public, but the intensification of the campaigns, which from the looks of things are beginning to create wrong impressions about the governor, made me change my position.

    It is a common knowledge that the group in question has an overriding ambition to produce the next Bauchi State governor from within its fold. It is not wrong for any eligible aspirant to vie for that seat whether in the ruling party or any opposition party, but what is worrisome and crude is how the group is bent on damaging the reputation of the governor to have its ambition actualized. They see Barrister Mohammed AbdullahiAbubakar as the only impediment that will hamper their plans against 2019 if he goes for a second term. The initial scheme, which at last they realized could not work, was that Mohammed Abubakar would not seek reelection at the termination of his first tenure, failing to understand that this propaganda would not change the views of the electorate about the governor, in as much as the needed development would be adequately provided.

    The Yerima group insidiously hatches one evil plan after the other to make sure the good image of the governor is dented so that getting him unseated in 2019 will be easier. They spread, through their agents on social media, all sorts of malicious rumours and unfounded speculations in order to overheat the polity. The recent of such acts was an article authored by same Yerima, published in The Nation.  Though from the title of the write-up, Yerima was confused to use the word ‘anarchy’ where it didn’t fit, being that the state is well governed with all organs and instruments of power perfectly functional, it was clear that he was trying to falsely blame the government of Barrister Abubakar for not carrying all along. This is untrue. This government is all inclusive, because it involves all strata of the political class and even community, business and religious leaders in most of the decisions it takes. It is only members of the Yerima group, who I can best describe as enemies from within that turned out to be pariahs who for their selfish motives decided to break away, and even in this regard the governor did all he could to extend his hand of friendship and fraternity to individual members of this group in order to allow peace and unity to reign in his government, but it was met with rebuff, because the well-being of the state is not the primary objective of these people.

    I am yet to fathom what Yerima means by ‘‘wanton lack of adherence to norms and international best practices against democratic values’’.

    Yerima has a wrong perception of what politics is all about for dissenting to the idea of hosting Ahmed AdamuMu’azu and Bala Mohammed as citizens of Bauchi State to a dinner in Saudi Arabia. A liberal political affiliation does not prohibit interaction on personal level between members of different political parties. Politics is all about interests, which could be positive or negative. Both the former PDP national chairman and FCT minister have been good friends of the governor for as long as before the PDP and APC came to exist. What is wrong if they met with the governor in the holy land, ate and exchanged pleasantries where politics was thrown aside to unite with God? In whatever way we look at it, the two men are senior citizens of Bauchi State and must, therefore, be treated as such, regardless of what political party they belong to. What if they decide now to come over to the APC as many of their calibre did? This is never an excuse to portray Governor Mohammed AbdullahiAbubakar as being double-faced. After all, in what way did Mu’azu destroy Bauchi State when compared to the succeeding regime in which Yerima himself served and benefitted immensely? Is he part of the destruction? He should allow Mohammed Abubakar to rebuild.

    Yerima and his sponsors take advantage and capitalize on the present economic downturn, a reality that affects not only Nigeria but the world at large, to incite the polity against the government, especially the working class. Inability to pay salaries has become a national phenomenon which doesn’t exempt Bauchi State, and if we keep sentiments aside and assess the situation in the state, we would find  out that much has been done to address the situation, and I can say that 80 percent of the problem is solved.

    Let us consider other states with similar problems which are over 20 in number. Many of them with lesser workforce than Bauchi State could not pay salaries for as long as seven months and even above. Some threaten to pay half salaries if the situation doesn’t improve, and with the growing activities of Niger Delta Avengers, there is no sign of any improvement in the near future. Yet Governor Abubakar did all he could to settle the accumulated salaries to the barest minimum, but the gesture is not being appreciated. Even governors of the Niger Delta who collect higher grants than the rest of the states are paralyzed to pay salaries. We should also take into consideration that Governor Abubakar has come with clean intention and determination to lift the standard of the state higher from where he met it. I heard him mention on many occasions, before and after assuming office that Bauchi State was retarded in terms of development as compared to younger states created much later than Bauchi. He laments the deplorable state of all sectors and other social services including education which was allocated 20 percent of this year’s budget in order to save the sector from total collapse.

    All these need huge amount of money to be executed, and in this regard the governor must balance between the interests of the electorate and the civil servants for the dividends of democracy to reach where they are supposed to. Therefore while salaries are being paid, infrastructural provision is equally foremost.

    We all know that the beauty of democracy is the right it gives to all individuals to vote and be voted for. In line this, Ahmed Yerima or any other member of his clique has the right to vie for the gubernatorial seat of Bauchi State provided such a person fulfils the constitutional requirements in that regards. What is unworthy is vilifying the government with no justification, and especially the defamatory remarks about the personality of His Excellency. If they have anything to offer the state, let them express it in the right way and allow our governor to work for us. No matter their urgency and desperation, they have to wait for the incumbency to come to its stipulated end, and it is then they can assess and say whether this government lives up to expectation or not.

     

    • Nata’ala writes from Bauchi.

  • Bauchi: Democracy or anarchy?

    In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible
    – George Orwell.

    The tide of turbulent waves is ebbing in Bauchi State, but how it plays out remains to be seen by serious political watchers and strategists. Since the inception of the overwhelming concept of change, vis-à-vis the momentum of President Buhari’s emergence and the beneficiaries of that “rolling stone gathers no moss” experience in the Nigerian political firmament, many political players will find out that our leader (PMB) who belongs to everybody and belongs at the same time to no one paradoxically, means business.

    In a clear departure from what obtained as a norm in times past, and the difficulties facing the people of Nigeria, I will want to intimate all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of the facts and possibility of some turncoats or merchants of double standards are among APC fold. If care and repositioning is not done now, we will have ourselves to blame come 2019. The experience learnt by the PDP should not be lost on all of us which will be taking collective amnesia too far.

    The crux of the matter lies in the fact that a very resourceful state, with enormous contributions in human and material capital to the Nigerian state, is at the verge of going down on its knees, due to lack of prudence, dislike for mankind and wanton lack of adherence to norms and international best practices against democratic values.

    A discerning mind may want to know to what I owe this mind-set. It is only based on the miscarriage of justice, fairness and equity in Bauchi State.

    The intrigues and political philandering displayed in Bauchi State can at best be synonymous with anarchy, where all rules of governance are relegated to the background and self-serving interests are brought to the fore. The inherited PDP Caretaker Local Government Chairmen can only work against this new administration’s policy of zero tolerance to corruption and its appurtenances. This will be an antithesis to the belief’s and tenets of President Buhari’s government.

    The most amazing thing that happened in the last few days of the fasting period is Governor Mohammed Abubakar’s extension of his goodwill to some of the PDP primary stakeholders like AhmaduMu’azu, former PDP National Chairman and Bala Mohammed, former Minister of FCT, in Saudi Arabia.

    It’s okay to have friends across political divides but not friends that destroyed the system which we are trying very hard to revamp. The APC government in Bauchi has now become a laughing stock in the Social Media and other forums. It is not only political misconduct but lack of wisdom, tact and organizational skills. If he is a man of honour, which he is trying to claim, he should resign honourably. If he refused to do so the people will vote him out in 2019, as they did his former governors PDP friends. What he has in common with his cronies is common interest and not PDP or APC ideologies. The common man in Bauchi is now aware of this common interest among cronies, exchanging the mantle of leadership among themselves and will no longer allow it to continue.

    My conviction lies in the fact that I have severally brought these issues to the front burner and waiting for it to be distilled and served to patriotic citizens of Bauchi State. In the way they can appreciate it and play their own part as the owners of the state politically. In one of my earlier discourse I highlighted the Republican nature of the average Bauchi man, and I dropped the blame for outsourcing leadership at the doorsteps of the political elites.

    Imagine a state where there is no interaction between the key stakeholders in the state leadership of the party, the governor, the National Assembly members and the grassroots. Imagine this scenario and add the untold hardship permeating all sectors of the state. Mix it with the fact that you will get persecuted through queries and outright dismissal, for stating the obvious misconduct of governance in the state and proffering solutions to make a way forward.

    Every man is guilty of all the good that he did not do – Voltaire. Silence in this case would be misconstrued by the folks in the state to mean complicity in this ubiquitous rape of democracy. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”, added Edmund Burke. As things stand now,Governor Abubakaris caught in a state of doublethink, according to George Orwell; Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. The high sentiments always win in the end; the leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic. He also posited that; War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.

    One of the pomposities and lack of vision of Governor Abubakarwas exposed through his release of 146 prisoners in the state. The irony remains in the fact that he is sending them back to the same place they left, with no support for their parents who are salary and pension earners. They will surely miss the meals provided by the federal government in the prisons. What happens after that? Will he give them employment to remove the possibility of returning to crime? His use of thugs as his personal security is an offshoot of the existence of such elements that are ready to do anything to get out of poverty and unemployment.

    The Statutory allocation for Local Governments is about N2.5 billion, an average of N120 million per LG and about N3 billion for the state every month, over 5 billion in total. Bauchi Local Government, with the highest allocation, got N170 million in January and shared in February; Bogoro and Dass Local Governments got N76 million each, in the same period which was the lowest, but what is on ground is not commensurate to these statutory provisions.

    The dysfunction of hospitals, water supply and the non-payment of salaries and pensions is certainly breeding discontentment among the people. Hon. Ibrahim Baba from Katagum Federal Constituency, singlehandedly spent over N10 million cleaning waste in his constituency and its immediate environs to improve sanitation and good health. All these are despite the bailout funds of N10 billion and another N4 billion borrowed without approval by the state House of Assembly (N14 billion in total), ostensibly to pay salaries and pensions.

    This is the time for the anti-graft agencies to come all out and do something about the fiscal irresponsibility in Bauchi State.

    My best wishes still goes to the good people of my constituency, Bauchi State and the country at large, who have sacrificed a lot for democracy.

     

    • Hon. Yerima is a member of the House of Representatives.

  • Rivers: Taming the tide of anarchy

    SIR:  ‘A people who would build a nation in which strong democratic institutions are firmly established must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.’ – Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar pro-democracy activist.

    The regretful narrative of election violence reminds me of Robert Kaplan’s classic – The coming of Anarchy. In the book, he painted a picture of how episodic experiment in democracy, scarcity, crime, overpopulation, ethnicity, and indeed tyranny are rapidly destroying the social fabric of our planet.

    Strictly speaking, politics in Rivers has become a red rag to a bull evoking not merely violent response, but the one that throws evenhandedness and goodness to the winds. Politics and electioneering is wearing objectionable character and indeed has unfortunately become petty, unjust, and envious with the unforgiving, control-freak masquerading as leaders with hidden self-serving agenda with no gaze at judiciousness for the people they seek to serve or govern, in charge.

    The infusion of money and power into political contest has made savagery a weapon of economic and state control. Therefore, it is no coincidence that one of the worst forms of political savagery and thuggery is taking firm root in Rivers. Also, the shadows of military and authoritarian overhangs over the democratisation process have become a humdrum in the affairs of men who want to cling to power at all cost at the centre and  the state level and this must be addressed as a matter of urgency to checkmate the banality of violence in future elections.

    The culture of impunity and banditry playing out in the politics process of Rivers are nothing but a reflection of people that are in dire need of psycho – social healing and to very large extent social maladjustment test to ascertain the suitability or otherwise of the leaders for public office at the state and centre.

    All things considered, elections in Rivers State reflect resistance on the part of the APC and PDP to inclusive or transparent political processes. Election administrators, political parties, and candidates in the legislative spaces also display a disturbing lack of interest in strategic planning, often treating elections merely as one-day events rather than lengthy political processes that are critical to Rivers State’s peace. The challenge lies in persuading the so-called political elites within and outside the state to embrace their people’s aspirations and to maintain the momentum of democratic progress in order to forestall the coming of anarchy. Let peace reign in River State.

    • Samuel Akpobome Orovwuje,

    Lagos.

  • Police kill suspected cultist, arrest another

    A suspected cultist identified as Anarchy was on Tuesday killed by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command.

    Anarchy was gunned during a shoot out between the cult group and the police at the Bariga area of the state.

    The deceased, who was said to have been on the police wanted list for a long time, allegedly led his gang members to Bariga for a cult war, but were intercepted by policemen.

    The Nation gathered that the cult group opened fire on the policemen who retaliated and in the process, Anarchy sustained gunshots injury.

    Confirming the development, the state’s Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, said Anarchy died while he was being rushed to the hospital.

    He said: “The police got a distress call from Bariga about rival cult groups engaging in superiority battle.

    “Some of the cult members were led by Anarchy, a notorious cultist who has been declared wanted and has since gone into hiding.

    “The cultists engaged the police in a shootout, but one of them was arrested.

    “However, Anarchy suffered gunshots injury and passed on before he got to the hospital.”