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Tag: change

  • On resistance to change

    On resistance to change

    “Convincing them to accept a better way of doing things was a mountainous challenge. You know the initial reaction to anything new is resistance. To convince civil servants to accept our reforms was a big challenge.”

    Folashade Yemi-Esan, speaking at the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation in Abuja on September 27, 2024

    “I think the biggest challenge we have when we are driving reforms is the mindset and the resistance to change. Once you are used to a certain method, a certain way of doing things, a new method comes in and we are not ready to even give that new method an opportunity.”

    — Folashade Yemi-Esan, speaking at a programme in Abuja for the Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn (PERL), a public-sector accountability and governance programme funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK. on October 7, 2024

    Within the past two weeks, the former Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, CFR, has been making the rounds, speaking about what she described as “my biggest challenge in service,” namely, resistance to change. It must be assumed from her speech that it was a problem she noticed throughout her service but which she particularly encountered while driving reforms as Head of Service.

    Reforms come to the civil service from two major sources: (a) from outside the service, often from the executive and other political officeholders and (b) from within the service, often initiated by the Head of Service or Department Heads, such as Permanent Secretaries or Directors. In most cases, government policies are the major drivers of reform. In some cases, the government may be motivated by external forces, including lender agencies, such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, or by protests rejecting certain policies or the economic situation of the country.

    Resistance to change is a universal human trait, as Mrs. Yemi-Esan herself acknowledged. The critical issue is what to do to lessen or even eliminate resistance to change in the face of major reforms. This is particularly critical for the present administration, which introduced major economic reforms from which citizens, including civil servants themselves, have not recovered. Mrs Yemi-Esan had her job cut out for her as the Head of Service during the first year of the administration she served before she retired.

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    It is unclear from her speeches above what she did or did not do in implementing the new policies and how she solved the challenges she encountered in the process. Nevertheless, it is worth discussing some major strategies for avoiding resistance to change by civil servants and for managing it should it occur.

    Numerous factors drive resistance to reforms, including leadership style, communication effectiveness, involvement of civil servants in the implementation process, and implementation procedures,

    Resistance is typically the first response if the leader is viewed as a distant operator or a bully, rather than a facilitator, who protests and promotes the interests of subordinates. Similarly, resistance often greets a leader, who rams reform down the throat of subordinates, rather than take pains to explain the reasons for reform and ensure their participation even before starting the implementation. The more subordinates buy into the reasons for change, the easier it is to enlist their participation.

    Besides, communication is key to ensuring subordinates’ participation and effective implementation of reforms. “Do it this way” is different from “How about trying this other way?” Does the leader incorporate subordinates in the implementation discussions? If a committee was set up, how broad is the membership across the service in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion, rank, region or state?

    It is important to bear in mind that getting things done in today’s civil service is different from getting things done in corporate establishments. Reforms in corporations and the directives for their implementation are usually top-down, while similar processes in the civil service require across the board participation. This is due in part to differences in tenure procedure, unionisation, and the general conception of government job as one not worth maximum effort. So, why should one kill oneself doing it? This is a deep-seated attitude to work in the civil service that requires serious attention. A facilitating leader must be ready to provide incentives, show the benefits of effective participation in the process, while also alluding to the consequences of non-participation. They should be prevented from forming a clique or widening their influence.

    There are always dissenters and trouble mongers in the service. A good leader seeks ways to convert them by listening and appealing to them and offering alternative ways of taking part in the process.

    Given what we know of today’s civil service, reforms that will block their chances of greasing their palms may be resisted or poorly implemented. Such reforms include digitization of records and tightening of evaluation and accountability procedures. That’s why they sometimes created cumbersome rules and regulations, which seek to increase their allowances or otherwise make it easier for them to benefit from government policies

    Another factor behind civil service resistance is partisanship. Civil servants are supposed to be politically neutral. However, it is well known that they belong to various political parties, without necessarily obtaining party cards. Some civil servants are known to resist or thwart reforms introduced by political leaders who do not belong to their unspoken party. I came across one such Permanent Secretary in Osun state as a consultant to the state government. For every government policy relating to his ministry, he had a counter proposal, which led him to delay the implantation of a specific government approved policy.

    The confession of the former Head of Service about resistance to change in the civil service has implications for the present administration. How cooperative has the civil service been in implementing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies and evaluation procedures? Given the technological advancement of the administration’s record keeping practices, how computer literate are federal civil servants? Were they briefed about the reasons for the ongoing reforms and about the implementation processes? Have there been workshops for capacity building for various cadres of civil servants since the start of the present administration?

  • Music and social change (III)

    One genre of music that impacted my generation and acted as a catalyst for understanding poverty and social justice is reggae music. It originated from Jamaican as ska, metamorphoses into roots reggae, rocksteady, dancehall and lovers rock when it berthed in Britain following the influx of large West Indian community into Britain in the 1970s. In its various journeys, reggae never lost focus in its undertone of fighting for social justice and inequality. We had our fair share of the impact of reggae in the 80s and 90s following the emergence of artistes like the late Ras Kimono, Orits Williki, the Mandators, Blacky and a host of others.

    It therefore didn’t come as a surprise to me when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added reggae music to its World Heritage list in November 2018. Because of its uniqueness, UNESCO declared Reggae music a cultural treasure worth protecting.

    The popular genre, which developed in the late 50s from the streets of Jamaica, was added to the UN’s collection of cultural treasures due to its “intangible cultural heritage.” Reggae music’s “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual,” UNESCO noted

    When reggae emerged in the late 1950s, it came as a cultural shock therapy, not only to Jamaica where it originated, but the whole world. Reggae has influenced societies throughout the world, contributing to the development of new counterculture movements, particularly in Europe, in the USA and Africa.

    Indeed, by the end of the 1960s, it participated in the birth of the skinhead movement in the UK. In the 1970s, it impacted on Western punk rock/ pop cultures and inspired the first rappers in the USA. Finally, since the late 1970s onwards, it has also influenced singers originating from Africa, Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Ras Kimono, Orits Williki, Blacky and Lucky Dube being perfect examples.

    Reggae music’s militant and spiritual lyrics as well as the rebellious appearance of its singers, among others, have influenced musical genres, cultures and societies throughout the world, contributing to the development of new counterculture movements.

    The song and lyrics of many Jamaican songs within reggae, ska, and rocksteady, portray ideas of social reform, political change, protesting against the dominant social and political order. Reggae in particular promoted peace, love, anti-poverty struggles, Black Nationalism and social injustice. Jamaican music has inspired people to rise up against the oppression of their own countries. Reggae in particular inspired people and freedom fighters in both South Africa and Zimbabwe to take up arms and retaliate against the oppression of the systems they were ruled under. Songs by famous Reggae artists like Bob Marley and his song ‘Jammin’, along with ska songs like ‘Freedom Song’ spread the ideas of change and unity and discourage violence and corruption.

    The Jamaican population is primarily of African descent, thus it is instructive to note that reggae has its roots in ancient African musical forms and since its appearance reggae singers have constantly paid tribute to the motherland Africa. Not surprisingly, reggae has had a strong impact on the African continent. Actually, it is the charismatic and powerful Bob Marley who first hit the continent by the end of the 1970s with tunes like “Africa Unite” (1979) or “Zimbabwe” (1979). He rapidly became a symbol for African youth and many started identifying with Jamaicans and the Rasta culture.

    Indeed, it was easy for young Africans to compare themselves with Jamaicans for they were both black people living in harsh conditions – for instance, Jamaican ghettos are rather similar to African ones -, and above all they were both oppressed by white people from a political, economic and social perspective. Consequently, numerous Africans started playing reggae and eminent artists earlier mentioned emerged.

    Prior to the official abolition of apartheid in South Africa in 1991, it best symbolises a classic case of racial and social injustices. In this extremely tense socio-political climate, voices emerged to denounce such evils: Lucky Dube, Alpha Blondy and Tiken Jah Fakoly’s. Throughout his successful career which started in 1980, Lucky Dube never stopped denouncing discrimination, segregation and exclusion, which black South Africans were the victims of. He also advocated unity among people. Among his most representative albums, one must mention Slave, Prisoner and Victims. Lucky Dube was unfortunately killed in October 2007.

    Like most African countries, Cote d’Ivoire’s history has been associated with colonialism, neo-colonialism, tribalism, political manoeuvres, tyrannies, corruption, and the plundering of natural resources by the former colonial power. So, like Jamaica, Cote d’Ivoire has been a favorable place for the explosion and development of reggae which has become the principal medium to point the finger at the scourges previously mentioned. Such plagues are denounced by Alpha Blondy and Tiken Jah Fakoly who are the indisputable ambassadors of reggae in Cote d’Ivoire and the genuine arrowheads of reggae in Africa.

    In Nigeria, Ras Kimono, Orits Williki and the Mandators equally sang about social injustice. They sang about unemployment and political tension among other social issues. Thus, the importance of reggae music in the worldwide cultural universe is quite phenomenal. It gave Africans and peoples of African descent around the world a sense of identity and a call to action.

    It is also essential to mention the influence of reggae in Latin America, especially in Brazil with the development of samba-reggae since the early 1980s as well as in Puerto Rico, Panama and Costa Rica with the success of reggaeton since the early 2000s. It is also crucial to emphasise the Pacific region. As Jennifer Raoult mentioned in her article “The Reggae Scene of New Zealand” (“La scène reggae de Nouvelle-Zélande”), reggae and Rastafari are extremely popular in New Zealand as well as in New Caledonia and Australia, especially among the native people.

    Indeed, like Jamaicans and Africans, Maori, Aborigines and Kanaks have experienced colonialism, enslavement, genocides and denial of their traditions and religious beliefs. So, many of them have been recognising themselves through reggae songs’ lyrics and the Rastafari movement, which in a way helps them to recover their rights and dignity.

    Reggae is also popular in Asia too. Bob Marley’s concerts in Japan, New Zealand and Australia in April 1979 are credited with being the genesis of reggae music and Rasta culture in these regions of the world.

    The impact of reggae and Rastafari on the worldwide cultural universe is colossal. It is not an overstatement to say that almost the whole world have been culturally influenced by reggae music and its Rastafarian message. How can we explain such a ‘scattering’? It would seem that Jamaican large migrations as well as Bob Marley’s huge success have played a major role in spreading these fundamental elements of Jamaican culture throughout the world. Besides, foreigners appear to be captivated by reggae music because of its militant, rebellious and spiritual message as well as its positive and universal message dealing with the concept of unity.

    Rasta symbols such as dreadlocks, Ethiopian colours, or military clothing also play an important part in charming foreign audience. Like rock, punk or hippie movements, reggae and Rastafari have influenced societies from a musical, cultural and political point of view. For that reason, they really cannot be ignored.

    Various cultural aspects have a very powerful effect on society. Some can spur great changes and spark many revolutionary movements. In this case, I agree that Jamaican music is a strong catalyst for social change. Jamaican music’s roots and strong influence began during the period in Jamaica when the economy was in a decline in the aftermath of British colonial rule. With the different forms of Jamaican music, they have not only entertained the masses, but the lyrics have both spread new ideas and created new movements focusing on social change.

  • 2019 budget and the mirage called change

    In January, 2016, this writer didn’t have the privilege to dissect President Muhammadu Buhari’s New Year message chiefly because there was an urgent need to address the humongous appropriations contained in the Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly at that time. Besides, the Christmas had been ‘celebrated’ with mournful solemnity by most families and it was important that one drew the attention of government to the puzzling financial allocations in its budgetary documents at a period when it was asking the people to tighten up their belts for an economic recession. Yes, Buhari did promise the citizenry better days in his first speech on New Year’s day as a democratically-elected President but there was simply nothing in the administration’ first national budget proposal to convince one that those in the seat of power would conform to the President’s famed ascetic lifestyle. Instead, what confronted us as a people was the fact that, even with its new ‘Change’ mantra, the administration would still have to pander to the questionable inputs and official frivolities that have been recurring decimals in our appropriation policy over the years. In that budget, billions of Naira was marked down as expenses on things worth not being repeated here. Those who wish to refresh their memory may wish to go through a piece published on this page on January 2, 2016 titled “Of Pain, Gain and Change.”

    Interestingly, as I settle down to put my thoughts together on this week’s piece this January 2, 2019, the first news item that popped up on my news flash was on the details of the 2019 budget. You see, when the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, tore into shred, the N8.83trn 2019 budget, describing it as “hopeless and deceptive” based on the benchmark which he said was higher than the current price of barrel of oil in the international market, you would have thought the man was knocking the truth on the head without a tint of treacherous politicking which Saraki and his ilk are known for. But that would be too simplistic a bait to swallow when available facts indicate that the National Assembly, with its adversarial role in the last three and a half years, has continued to stick to its tradition of farming billions of Naira to its own nest. It is, therefore, not surprising that, once again, the National Assembly is poised to get a one-off allocation of N125bn in the 2019 projections without a breakdown of what the money would be used for. Ask its leadership what it did with the allocations of the previous years and you are likely to get the standard response that whatever was allocated to the legislature was a mere insignificant percentage considering the entire budget figures. Perhaps, that also justifies why legislatives aides hardly get paid on time regardless of the huge sums paid to lawmakers monthly, outside the official allocations, to maintain offices that are often under lock and key as they go on recess at every drop of a pin!

    In as much as no one expects a legislature that is sold to its own shenanigans to be taken seriously, it is imperative for the President to always take a second look at the allocations to The Presidency before forwarding same to the National Assembly while ministers should be mandated to do same with Ministries, Departments and Agencies. As regards The Presidency, certain things just shouldn’t be allowed to creep into the list especially in an administration that promises change. For example, why, for the life of me, allocate almost N800m for the “mandatory upgrade and installation of live TV and internet service” on one of the presidential jets when it could have been converted to commercial use since it has such features? Who are the important personalities flying these jets anyway? If Buhari had sold off most of these jets in the presidential fleet as he threatened to do during the 2015 political campaigns, the government wouldn’t have been burdened with the responsibility of requesting for various sums of huge allocation to carry out a ‘compliance mandatory upgrade and installation of internet service on a second presidential aircraft (N50m)” and another upgrades on “other presidential air fleet” worth N650m. It is not just about how these characters bandy figures around and leave poor Nigerians aghast but also about probity and accountability which they promised with so much gusto four years ago. When the executive says that, in 2019 alone, it plans to spend N4.3bn on “annual maintenance of mechanical/electrical installations in Aso Rock outside the millions of naira that would go into foodstuffs/catering materials and refreshments, you cannot help but wonder if the leadership is not bent on eating the rest of the populace into poverty.

    Yearly, we criticise the National Assembly for spending billions on the purchase of cars for its members and bureaucracy.  But has anyone bothered to take an inventory of vehicle purchase by The Presidency? It has become a ritual that defies logic and common sense. If there is anything this administration has wittingly or unwittingly consigned to the dustbin of history, it is the monetization policy of the President Olusegun Obasanjo era. Today, it is not uncommon to see top government officials riding in convoys in Abuja. The other day at the Federal Secretariat, yours truly bumped into the convoy of the Head of Service of the Federation and wondered who could be after the life of such ‘poor’ public servant that she has to move under heavy security presence. I marvel at the array of cars on display in that convoy. Even some serving ministers can’t boast of such lifestyle. Anyway, someone muttered that some privileged directors do have escorts too. And that’s probably why the State House plans to spend a whopping N607m in 2019 for the “phased replacement of vehicles, spares and tyres” in its operational fleet while another N53m would go into the purchase of tyres for bullet proof vehicles, plain Toyota cars, CVU vehicles, Land Cruiser and Prado jeeps, ambulances and other utility operational vehicles. This, I must stress, is outside the N456m that would be spent on acquiring security and operational vehicles by the Office of the Chief Security Officer to the President. Phew!

    Sometimes, you just wonder when things would begin to change for the better as Buhari promised us in 2016. The answer seems far off. Do we assume that the President is unaware of the saying that the devil is in the details? Shouldn’t it concern all of us that too many loose words are being used to justify the allocation of scarce resources? Why is The Presidency vague on the number, type, models and brands of the ‘operational vehicles’ that would be purchased, serviced, sold or phased out? What, if I may ask, is so special about a detention facility that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission would be spending over N2bn to complete the one in Gombe State; another N3.1bn to expand the one in Port Harcourt; and over N2.6bn for the Maiduguri detention camp? Well, as it is, this country must be brimming with corrupt elements that we not construct more detention facilities than factories!

    The question is: what rigours go into budgeting especially allocations to key government agencies? It appears the officials simply apply the cut and paste rule in which minor adjustments are carried out on past documents and then submitted as fresh budgetary projections. Nothing else could justify the needless repetitions of items on the bill every year. For the avoidance of doubt, it was the malaise that plagued the Peoples Democratic Party-led government for 16 years until it was booted out. I hasten to say that I am yet to see any significant difference in approach as cases of padding and actual tampering of figures with the connivance of the legislature persist. With the exclusive snippets published by this paper in the last few days, it is difficult not to believe the joke out there that no serious brainwork goes into what has become a routine by those who handle the annual ritual. That the cut and paste theorist could be right is a scary possibility. But what is scarier is the fact that the nation will continue to be progressively moving in circles if it doesn’t free itself from the shackles of allocating resources to white elephants. Perhaps, that is the perspective from which one can understand Saraki’s blurred vision of hopelessness and deception in the 2019 Appropriation Bill even if he wouldn’t acknowledge that it is the same old story where he superintends as leader.

    In 2016, I had admonished the President to, among other things, “re-jig the Presidency’s appropriations to reflect the pain he claims to feel for the suffering masses.” I said it was a tall order then knowing the way the bureaucracy works. Three years after, I’m sorry to say that profligate budgeting appears to be having a swell time – meaning there is no change in a promised era of change! And that’s a pity.

     

  • Political parties, discipline and change 

    It  is interesting  indeed  that the President  of the Nigerian  senate  and some senators  have reportedly  attended in  the  US,  the  inauguration of  the   Strategy  for Africa session of the American  government. It  is a commendable  step in that it shows that  outside Aso  Rock  housing the  executive arm of government in Nigeria, the legislature too is very much interested  in Nigeria’s relations  with the leading democracy  in the world led  at this momentous  period  by  the leading catalyst  for disruptive  change in the world, US President  Donald Trump.

    Britain    also  weathered     the momentum  of change  this week as  the  British  PM  Theresa May  survived a No  Confidence  vote  of her party, the  Conservative  Party after  she had   wisely   postponed,  at the last  minute,  the  promised vote on Brexit  which she would predictably  have lost roundly  thereby   effectively  removing her  from office as PM . In   Germany  too  the wind    of  change  has literally  blown Chancellor Angela Merkel   aside  as she  has  been replaced  as her Party  leader by  another  lady who  is more  conservative  than  her  at least on the issue  of   same sex marriage  which  the new leader  has  outspokenly   said, on record, should be between a man  and a woman.

    Anyway,   it   is becoming apparent  in world  politics   today  that political  parties have  become  more dynamic in reacting to  socio political  changes  than ever  before. Since  Donald  Trump  emerged  as a political  neophyte  in the 2016  US presidential  elections in spite of   a   lack   of  support of  the  political  party leadership   of his  Republican  Party,   the  world  has not been  the same again . But  since Trump  got  to the White  House  his party  has  rallied  round  him.  Indeed  both           faith   and   party   loyalty      for him have  been    tested  especially  at the Senate  not  the least  by  the rancorous  Judge Kavernaugh Supreme  court  confirmation  hearings,    where the  Republican  Party  displayed  solid  party  solidarity and unflinching party  discipline  to  get  a narrow political  verdict  that reflected Republican  values  and virtues . It  is in that  light that  one can look at    the  visit  of  the Nigerian senators to the US to  watch  the launch of the US Africa  Strategy,  especially  with  the kind  of  bag  and baggage   the Nigerian  senators carried to the US in  terms  of party  discipline  and political  changes  taking place  in the Nigerian  political  establishment  and environment.

    Let  me confess  that  I have always thought  that  the problems of the Nigerian  political  system  stemmed   from our  abandonment of   parliamentary  system  of  government  handed down  to  us  by  Britain, our colonial  master  and the adoption of the  expensive  Presidential  system of  governance  under  a  military  government. The  debate  on Brexit in the British  Parliament that  I  watched  this  week  has certainly  changed all that. While  I was impressed  by  the quality of argument  for  a hard, soft,  bitter  or  no deal  Brexit   I was appalled     by  the  way  and  manner  that the  opposition MPs  and  the dissident Tories attacked  the deal  on the  floor of the House leading to an  MP  seizing  the mace on one occasion  before   it was  returned by another MP. Of  course  the Speaker  was helpless  and speechless momentarily,  before thanking the MP who  brought the mace back  and reprimanding the  naughty   MP.  Even  the venom in the Opposition leader  Jeremy  Corbyn’s speeches at  the debate showed  a fierce opposition to  the PM’s Brexit  Deal  that  was almost  a personal  attack.  British   Parliamentary   democracy   as    I was  taught  is    based  on the majority  having its way  while  the while   the minority    must    have  its say. The   Labor  Party  at  that  debate  was   not  only contented    with  having   its  say ,   expected   of the opposition   or minority, the  party   leader   wanted to bring down  the PM on the   Brexit   Parliamentary  debate     He  confirmed  his   anarchistic    disposition  by  calling the postponement of the vote  on Brexit   as  unacceptable  as  if  it  was illegal  when  it  was just  a survival  political   strategy   cleverly   executed  by the   embattled  PM.

    However the  only  silver  lining in the Brexit   debate  in  Parliament was  the persistence  and doggedness  of the British  PM in sticking to her guns  throughout  and not  losing composure  inspite of  taunts and provocative  jabs  at  her Brexit  deal  even  from   her  party  . On  that account  she  can  be tagged the’ Iron Lady ‘  like Margaret Thatcher  was once  admirably  described  and as  the German  Chancellor Angela  Merkel  was called  before  she allowed a floodgate of over a million migrants fleeing  war in the  Middle  East  into Germany in 2015. This  earned  Angela  Merkel  the eternal  enmity  of  both  conservatives in   her Christian  party  and opposition and coalition   partners  alike.  Even  though  Theresa  May  survived  the No  Confidence  vote  she  has offered not to present herself  for  any leadership role of her  party  in the next  election. But  she has shown  clearly   that  even  when party  discipline breaks  down,  a leader  must  be firm  and rally  the party  around  the decision  of  the electorate  thereby    guaranteeing  the integrity  of the electoral  process and democracy . Which  really  was   why  she has stood  so  firmly  and boldly against another    referendum  after  the British  people  have voted  to leave the EU  . In  the end  I think  history  and indeed  posterity  will  not  judge  her  very  harshly  as her opponents have  breezily   and   so  contemptuously  alleged.

    On  the visit  of the  Nigerian  Senate  President  to the US  it  is apparent  that the visit is a  window  dressing to  show  the US that  the Nigerian  senate  is up  and doing in terms of its legislative responsibilities  and  law  making. But  the senate  should be doing more  to promote a politics of principle  that  value  party  discipline  more  than habitual  defections which is the vogue nowadays.  That  is why  as at last  count it   was   difficult, according to observers  to know which  has  a majority  between  the two    leading parties in the  Nigerian  senate.  More awkwardly   the US embassy  in  Lagos    may  be asked  by  the State Department in Washington  to  confirm  the present parties  of  the visiting   senators  and  to  ensure  that  defections  did  not take place enroute  to  the Africa  Strategy  launch  of the Trump  Administration.  One   thing is very  clear   however   on the American  Africa Strategy. This   is that   US President   Donald  Trump    will  not interfere in African  affairs  like his predecessors.  This  is because     he said  at  the UN  General  Assembly  this year that if other  nations including  African  nations  put their nations first  like his America First  policy  then  there  would  be no  need to go cap in hand  begging for aid  from other  nations.  Which  is another way  of a developing nations to put their  houses in order in terms of  leadership,  morals and accountability. More  importantly   US Africa Strategy  under Trump  will  definitely  not  ask other  nations  especially  African nations like Nigeria who  have anti  gay  laws  to repeal  such laws if they want American economic aid,  like the  Obama  Administration  did,   ever   so  disrespectfully, during his  tenure.  Once  again  long live the  Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Change, leadership  and technology

    I write today  on a topic that I regard as an abomination   and I do  so  with great discomfort.  I  am discussing today the  issue  of the cloning of the Nigerian  president with a high  sense of duty and responsibility.  Really  I   wanted to steer  clear of a topic  that I    felt  had cast aspersion on both the office  and person  of our President.  When  however I read that  the President had responded  that he is himself  and that the  rumours  were ignorant rumours  I  felt  I  should come out of  the cocoon of affront   and disrespect  of our president that  I have,  on  my own, woven around the  topic.

    Let  me state  that I found  the president’s  response on his existence, measured,  matured  and extremely  tolerant.  He  even went as far as saying that he knew  some people hoped he was dead while he  was    sick  and were soliciting the Vice  President  for   his position when  he succeeds  the ailing then  and still living    President.  Surely  our president is not dead and is not  a clone but  a lot has  changed  in him and that is what  we shall  discuss  today in the context  of our topic   here.  We  shall    muse  at how technology  especially   the likes  of  cloning, artificial  intelligence, robotics  and the internet,  especially.  Facebook and WhatsApp    have changed  our  way   of  life  generally  as  well  as our  perception of our leaders in a very  comparative manner  in the global  village we live in ,  powered  by  Information Technology  in   this   digital world.

    Aside from  the high gullibility that  followed  the President’s cloning  ignorant  rumours ,  the fake news gained audience in places  that  you   would expect  to dismiss  such  distasteful  news   as  fit for  the trash  can. Intellectuals, high  professionals  and even  religious leaders  were conspiratorially  sending sms and messages on social media on something they will  not wish to happen to their kinsmen  and loved ones and they were enjoying  it. That  is the crux  of the matter here. Social  Media  in Nigeria seems  to have created  a class  of otherwise jobless and idle  Nigerians who    have   sunk lower in morals and low esteem of those they think  are socially  and politically  above  them.   They  peddle   unconfirmed    and uncorroborated    news    in   such   a breezy    and speculative manner.  Over time   given   their   obsession   with  social  media  which  has been  branded  medically   as the digital  disease    they  have concomitantly  developed  a  brutal   psyche    with no  compunction  at  all  on any  news, or issues, no  matter   how   slanderous and  libelous,  that  they  send  out to  their accomplices  and rumour  pedlars  on the internet.   Such  then  was the speed  at  which the  unfortunate  clone story  travelled   until  the steady  and gracious   response  of the President  which I  honestly  commend.  Yet  how  I wished  the President  had  said  he wished  them  heartily  what  they  so earnestly  wished  or  said  had happened to  him. Also   I   wished  this  cloning  rumour  had  happened  when  this same   President  was our  military  Head  of State, 30  years  before  he was elected President in  2015.  Very  safely, I leave  that to your  imagination.

    Let  us look  at  two  events  this week  where technology   brought  the role of world leaders to our  doorsteps  or  living room literally.   The  two  events   were  the Brexit  Debate  in the British  Parliament   and  the   state  burial  of the 41st US President George W H  Bush.  The  two  events symbolized  change  and  are  clear  lessons  on leadership style and the globally  pervasive  nature of  technology. They  were  watched  all over  the world   live and real  time as they say in TV Production.

    The  Brexit  Debate   to approve or disapprove the British  PM’s  draft  Brexit  Deal  which she said is the best  deal  possible  and with which  the EU agrees,  is  not likely  to be approved  by the British  Parliament  which  instead  voted to accuse  the cabinet of contempt  of  Parliament in not making available full  legal  advice  given  the cabinet  by the Attorney  General.  Indeed  Brexit  is all about change and fear and mistrust of   change.  The  Brexit  Referendum  sailed  through  by a slim  majority  then  the British  people  woke  up  from their slumber  and developed  cold  feet  on leaving the EU.  The British PM, Theresa May  thinks   it is a matter of state integrity  to stick by the result of the  referendum  but  she is digging her own political grave with  that  view  point, which  unfortunately   is her  political   survival  strategy.  The  odds  are that she will lose  the debates and the final  vote on December 11 and will  be swept  into  limbo  by the  Brexit   change  she has attempted to manage  so  brilliantly  but so  hopelessly.

    The  other  issue was  the state  funeral  of the US  President George Bush  at  which  his son the 43rd US President  of the same name gave a moving  and historical oration that  moved  the whole  world.  Of  significant   historical   importance  is the fact both  the 41st  and 43rd US presidents, a father  and his son  took the US  to   the  two  Gulf   Wars  of our   time   and  the consequences  of  the change  wrought  by their leadership  continue  to shape our world   for good   or bad till  today.

    However  the  event that I want to comment on was the service at  the National  Cathedral  at which former  living Presidents Jimi  Carter, Bill Clinton , and Barak  Obama  and their wives  were present   and  chatted with each  other.  The  entrance of present President Donald  Trump  in the church   was a moment of tension as he greeted the Obamas  but ignored  the Clintons . Which  showed   that   political  animosities  die  hard and cannot be hidden  even  at state  funerals.  The  reason  for Trump’s  cold shoulder   for the Clintons  was  the manner  of the emergence   of  Donald  Trump   himself  on American   political  arena   and  the defeat  of  Hillary Clinton in the 2016  presidential election.   Donald  Trump in  particular  has  been made different from the other  previous  US presidents because  of a technology  that has made him  more communicable  in a speedier and more spontaneous,    if    nastier  way,   than any  of his  predecessors . That  technology  is tweeter which  he has used so powerfully  to take on all  comers  who  have dared  to  criticize him or    especially  doubt  the legitimacy  of his 2016  presidential  election ,    now  being   bitterly  tainted  with allegations   of collusion with  Russia which  he resolutely  disputes.  His  election  too was a  charge   and  change against  ‘political  correctness’ and that  together  with twitter  have    invariably   turned  him into  the most  influential American    leader in the modern  world as we know  it  today.  Such  is the power  of both change  and technology  in the digital  village that has  brought  us all  on stage  to watch global  leaders  in  action   literally  on a 24  by 7 basis .  Once  again  long  live the  Federal  Republic  of Nigeria.

  • Osun: Between continuity and change

    It is less than one week to the September 22 Osun governorship election and expectations have understandably reached fever
    pitch as the leading parties jostle for political advantage.

    At the last count, 48 political parties have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in the crucial election, which, like the Ekiti poll, may be a forerunner to the possibilities inherent in the 2019 general elections.

    Many political observers are unequivocal that the Osun election will be a three-horse race among the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Gboyega Oyetola; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, Senator Ademola Adeleke; and serial governorship aspirant, Senator Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    If the crisis that trailed the party primaries are anything to go by, it will be foolhardy to underestimate the portents posed by a ‘third force’ represented by the duo of Moshood Adeoti of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Fatai Akinbade of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    The outcome of the crisis-ridden primaries of many of the leading parties and their policy direction as well as the outlook and persons of the flag bearers may yet determine where the pendulum will swing.

    Oyetola, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, is readily the man to beat given his proven track record in the private sector, the critical incumbency factor, coupled with his personality which saw him winning the direct primary with 127,017.

    With his Ileri Oluwa (God’s Promise) campaign slogan, this Iragbiji-born politician will be riding on the crest-wave of continuity epitomised by Aregbesola’s massive infrastructural development of the state in almost eight years of his administration.

    As perhaps the most influential official of the administration, the self-effacing Oyetola has been credited with the enunciation and execution of many of the state government’s flagship projects.

    Instructively, his academic and professional background has suitably positioned him for this arduous task of sustaining the legacies of the Aregbesola years.

    He bagged a Bachelor in Insurance in 1978 from the University of Lagos and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1990 from the same institution. In 1980, he joined Leadway Assurance Company Limited as Area Manager.

    In 1987, he left for Crusader Insurance Company Limited as Underwriting Manager and in 1990, moved to Alliance and General Insurance as Technical Controller.

    The insurance expert was to establish Silvertrust Insurance Brokers Limited in 1991, serving as its Managing Director from 1991 until he emerged Chief of Staff in 2011.

    Oyetola is seen as the totem figure for continuity in the development stride of Osun and many believe that a change in government may reverse the gains of the administration.

    Having been a member of the ‘kitchen cabinet’ of the Aregbesola administration these years, the policy thrust of his administration, if he emerges victorious, is certainly not in doubt. This much, he highlighted while unveiling his agenda for the people of the state.

    But in spite of the many factors in his favour, Oyetola would have to contend with some of the dissembling challenges facing the outgoing administration such as the huge pension bill, the arrears of salaries owed civil servants and the quite emotive campaign in favour of the governorship slot being zoned to the West Senatorial District.

    Significantly, the mammoth crowd that held Osogbo prostrate during Thursday’s mega rally of the APC flag bearer may well be an indication that Oyetola remains the candidate to beat at the poll.

    The workaholic Oyetola is not giving anything to chances. A first-time visitor to Osogbo, the Osun State capital, is likely to conclude that only APC is contesting in the gubernatorial race, with designer billboards of Gboyega appearing in almost every nook and cranny. Every street has miniature billboards with catchy phrases of promises of Ileri Oluwa, complemented by a burst of posters.

    The ‘dancing’ Senator Ademola Adeleke will predictably be exorcising the ghost of his elder brother, Adeleke, to sway the electorate votes in his favour.

    Isiaka, a flamboyant politician and former governor of Osun, died on April 23, 2017, in controversial circumstances which curried political advantage for the younger Adeleke who was to win the subsequent Osun West Senatorial bye-election by a landslide.

    Adeleke has promised not to loot if he emerges governor, saying he is already a blessed and comfortable man seeking the position only to benefit the masses.

    “I’m contesting because of the people. Our people are suffering and we need to liberate them.

    “If I become governor, I cannot steal money that belongs to people. I have achieved everything that I could need money for in life.

    “I have built houses, I have cars; I have everything. So, what would I do with stolen money? So, I won’t steal as a governor. I only want to serve,” he says.

    Pretty little is known about the educational and professional background of the PDP flag bearer although he will be contesting under the shadows of the controversy surrounding his secondary school certificate and the disclaimer by an American university on his status as a student of the institution.

    But other than the legacy of a political family bequeathed to him by Providence, the senator from Ede appears to be a political neophyte given his last outing in the PDP primaries in which he defeated his closest rival, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, by seven contentious votes in spite of the massive war chest deployed by his billionaire elder brother, Deji.

    Adeleke scored 1,569 votes during the governorship primary in Osogbo to defeat Ogunbiyi, who scored 1,562.

    Although dissatisfied with the outcome of the primary and the certificate fraud litigation against the candidacy of Adeleke, Ogunbiyi, a grassroots political warhorse, has insisted he will remain in the party.

    In spite of the seeming farcical resolution of the dispute between the duo in Abuja by Senate President Bukola Saraki last week, observers say the continuous silence of Ogunbiyi may be ominous for the PDP standard bearer.

    Sen. Iyiola Omisore has become the archetype aspirant in the governorship race of Osun and he will be flying the flag of the SDP in this latest exercise after a bitter primary election.

    Many will recall that the party held two parallel primaries that produced Omisore and Munirudeen Atanda, with the National Chairman of the party, Chief Olu Falae, backing the Ife-born former Deputy Governor in the Chief Bisi Akande administration.

    In spite of the initial hiccups to his aspiration, Omisore, the incurable optimist, believes the election is his for grabs, hinging this on the ill-feelings over unpaid wages and pensions.

    “If I become the governor of Osun State, the salary and wages of the workers will be paid promptly and there was a testimony to this when I was the deputy governor.

    “I will treat workers with dignity and respect. I will focus on building major infrastructure in the state, such as roads,” he said.

    Although credited with a deep pocket and some level of acceptability in his Osun East Senatorial District, Omisore is throwing his hat in the ring with too much political baggage which saw his exit from the PDP, the platform on which he was soundly defeated in the 2014 governorship election in the state by Aregbesola.

    Can other fringe candidates swing the votes? Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, the former Secretary to the State Government and the standard bearer of the ADP is another veteran politician with a track record of grassroots mobilisation.

    The 63-year-old politician, who hails from Iwo in Iwo Local Government area of the Osun West Senatorial District, was the pioneer Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Osun.

    Analysts say Adeoti, who left the APC following the outcome of the party’s direct primary which produced Oyetola as flag bearer, should not be wished away in the political calculus of the state.

    With the growing popularity of the ADC in the South West Zone of the country, observers also say Fatai Akinbade, a former Secretary to the State Government in the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration, remains a candidate to watch in the unfolding dynamics that may determine the outcome of this electoral exercise.

    Formidable as the credentials of the candidates are, the critical factors of vote buying, the safety of election materials and security at polling units may ultimately decide where the pendulum swings.

    Already, INEC, worried about the incidence of vote buying during the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti, had read the riot act to all stakeholders. The commission says it is working on secret balloting to curb vote-buying in the September 22 election.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, says the current trend of inducing voters with money popularly known as ‘see and buy’ in the local parlance is worrisome.

    All told, with the APC campaign apparatus solidly and visibly laid across the state, and with a formidable team of foot soldiers daily criss-crossing the entire Osun, from door to door, community to community, city to city, appealing and canvassing for votes, Gboyega, as he is fondly called, remains the man to beat.

  • Interrogating ‘Change’: ‘Genital test’ revisited

    Talk is cheap, according to a common wisecrack.

    At a time hierarchs of the ruling All Progressives Party would probably be seen scratching their heads in search of answers whenever asked to furnish tangible dividends of the “Change” extravagantly promised in 2015, how soul-lifting that there remain folks truly committed to filling the void.

    Through personal examples, these exemplars – consisting mostly non-state actors – have continued to raise hope while Abuja power-mongers only seem obsessed with sowing doubts.

    True, only dreamers would expect the procession of broom-wielding zealots currently stomping the national landscape to literally move mountain by laundering off, within the twinkling of an eye, the offscouring that took ages to accumulate in the proverbial Augean stable.

    But, if the mammon of big things cannot be subdued yet by those who had made a fetish of the “change” mantra, many, at least, expect measurable – if not demonstrable – change in soft issues like the family sector. If only to foster peaceful coexistence in communities and bolster the happiness index of the nation at large.

    So, it then becomes easier to understand why public acclaim now seems showered in the direction hitherto completely overlooked. From the temples of Redeemed Church scattered across the land, to the trough of Benue, deep down to the creeks of Bayelsa, it has indeed been a deluge of innovations with a depth that bears testimony to sheer creativity and uncommon sagacity.

    Consider, for instance, how distorted the marriage institution would still have been – and the inherent mortal danger to national stability – without the bouquet of far-reaching reforms recently unleashed by the Redeemed Church. In view of pervasive and persistent reports of marital unions coming under distress on account of circumstances that seem more man-made than divine, the church elders chose not to lament or wring their hands in cowardly surrender.

    Taking the bull by the horns, the Redeemed Church under Daddy G.O., the impeccable Enoch Adeboye, has since decreed a regime of comprehensive clinical examination otherwise called “genital test”. Others in the soul-winning industry may shy away from such sensitive – if not sensuous – subject; not the Redeemed Church irrevocably committed to domesticating values whose historical parallels could only be “glasnot” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring) in Gorbachev’s Russia.

    In an epistle worded without ambiguity that might be exploited by mischief-makers, the church declared that the new policy followed a studious observation of recurring cases of marital conflicts among the faithful resulting from “falsehood, especially in the case of undeclared or unconfessed reproductive/genital status”.

    Apparently, in a desperation to hook their unsuspecting loved ones, many would hide biological secrets with the same cunning that Republican candidate Donald Trump concealed his dodgy tax records before the US polls of November 2016. Or sex up their physiological endowments the way our lawmakers pad national budgets, until the wedding night when the dark truth finally unravels.

    So, before intending couples approach the altar for blessing thenceforth, a clean bill of health is required to be presented before hand, expressly certifying that relevant organs in the reproductive system of both the male and the female are in serviceable condition.

    In what suggests more emphasis on the male folk or not minding possible accusation of gender bias, the presiding physicians are enjoined to pay particular attention to the testicles, epididymis, spermatic cord, and vas deferens (the three tubes connecting the various parts of the male reproductive system). Not forgetting the rectum/anal area and the prostate gland.

    To foreclose quacks or “arrangee” certification, the church insists that only clearance originating from recognized government hospitals would be accepted.

    Even as the “genital test” initiative continues to attract more plaudits than knocks from across the land as a means to stanching the spreading epidemic of failed marriages, there are however indications that the Church, mindful of growing objection to cosmetics-enabled dubiety by the female folk, might consider extending the new rule of engagement to also include a possible cap on the application of chemicals and powder, often deployed to cement layers of deceit.

    As could be guessed, the complainants are the men folk lamenting that the cocktail of magic powder and some other chemical agents are now willfully used in a manner that dramatically alters the facial appearance of the female gender with a malicious intent to deceive the opposite sex. A grave allegation capable of unsettling the bourgeoning industry of make-up artists, no doubt.

    Meanwhile, even while the church’s response to this latest observation is still being awaited in terms of scope and scale, authorities in Bayelsa State have chosen to blaze an entirely different trail in the family sector.

    To walk the talk on improved maternal healthcare as inelienable human right, kind-hearted Governor Seriake Dickson came up with a revolutionary idea of paying intending mothers a monthly stipend. He is obviously taking this step to ensure that indigence is no longer an excuse for the pregnant women not to attend ante-natal clinic, thus positioning his state as the first to achieve success in the much-trumpeted SDGs (sustainable development goals) by the United Nations as far as safe motherhood and zero infant mortality rate is concerned.

    To political adversaries likely to insinuate conflict of interest, note that the welfare policy took off months after the governor’s wife was delivered of a beautiful set of quadruplet and had taken off successfully long before the amiable governor lost his loving mother last month.

    But, alas, the devil is in implementation. However well-intentioned a policy may be, there is no silver bullet yet to completely stave-off abuse.

    Apparently, local folks – including those from neighboring states in the Niger Delta – have chosen to read an entirely different meaning to the new policy. Latest surveys indicate that the introduction of monthly financial grant to pregnant women may be triggering a baby boom of sorts in that province with some randy men now conveniently assuming that all fatherhood entails is no more than the pleasure of just getting someone’s daughter inseminated and then outsourcing the responsibilities to government.

    In fact, fears are already being expressed in official circles that a policy otherwise conceived with the noblest of intentions might end up only boosting sex tourism in the long run.

    In Benue, it is however a tale of communal self-help. Apparently heeding the loud cries of prospective grooms and other men of marriageable age, the wise men and women of Tivland have unveiled a game-changer. And a what an opportunity to kill the proverbial two birds with a stone. Coming weeks after their governor, Samuel Ortom, decamped to opposition PDP over disputed “red card”, his kinsmen in Benue would seem to have also found a perfect platform to demonstrate, by personal example, what they probably expected of those who found themselves a career by crowing “change”.

    What better way to start than the acclaimed most crucial building block of society – marriage.

    So, without ambiguity or equivocation, the Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) has announced sweeping reforms certain to not only sanitize the institution of marriage but also remove the climate of fear for prospective grooms in these austere times.

    By fiat, it has fixed a ceiling of N100,000 as total expenditure permissible for nuptials within the jurisdiction of Tivland in Benue. This covers dowry and sundry expenses.

    Doubtless, this particular clause is a response to pervasive lamentations that the prohibitive demands by parents and relations of the bride only amount to having the dice loaded unbearably against the prospective groom.

    By the time such shylocks name their prices and unscroll additional list of requests, you would think it is one big capital project. If nothing at all, the new cap on expenditure will certainly result in two outcomes in the times ahead: men savouring the freedom to hook ladies of their choice without stress and reduction in elopement by “rebel” love-birds on account of high bride price.

    Moreover, these cultural reforms by the Tivs do not just target financial immodesty, but also the emerging vice of paedophile. While understandably maintaining very creative silence on virginity, it however insists that any Tiv girl to be given out in marriage must be 18 years and above – far above the statutory 16 that is the age of consent.

    Breach shall attract a wide range of sanctions including – but certainly not limited to – boycott by traditional rulers/elders and denial of registration.

    Apparently coming to full knowledge after what must have been a scientific inquiry, TATC frowned at growing erosion of Tiv cultural values by needless ostentation and conspicuous consumption: “The practice of holding festivities in the bride’s house, popularly known as traditional marriage, involving cutting of cake, dances, parties, should be discontinued as it is alien to the Tiv way of life. Celebration of a new wife is done by the Tiv people only in the husband’s house.

    “Love should be the primary issue between the families concerned in marriage discussion, not money. Therefore, total expenses on marriage, including dowry or bride price and all sundry issues, which at the moment varies from one community or family to another, should not exceed N100,000 in Tivland.”

    To ensure strict compliance, TATC has, therefore, conscripted elders of families involved as enforcers, forbidding the current practice of bringing friends and well-wishers to such consecrating rituals, describing it as alien to Tiv culture.

    No better way to bring “change” to bear directly in people’s lives.

  • Change, disbelief and responsibility

    My  starting  thoughts today  hover  around the  space   of   global  diplomacy  now taken  over in recent  times  and   most   unapologetically  too  by the US President  Donald  Trump  who  thought he made history with his  Helsinki   meeting this week  with Russian President Vladmir  Putin, only  to be ripped to pieces  domestically by friends  and foes alike   as kowtowing  shamelessly  to America’s traditional  and Clod War adversary  Russia.  But was Trump  that wrong, silly  or wrong headed? That  is the crux  of our discussion to day.  Domestically  too    for  us,  we look at  the  growing aggression of the so called Fulani  herdsmen as well  and  the unending   but  bloody Boko  Haram terrorism  in the face of claims of   their  annihilation by our military and wonder  very  loudly  whether  government  has   lived up to its responsibility   in arresting   these  violent changes that have altered the   Nigerian political  and socio  cultural landscape  so massively as if they  are   mostly,  out  of  control.

    We  look  at the  purported  Trump  Helsinki mishap   as well  as the Nigerian government’s handling of  the twin  menace  of herdsmen invincibility  and Boko Haram  terrorism   with some basic principles of Change Management  and political  philosophy  at the back  of our  mind.

    Starting with  the so called Trump blunder  at  Helsinki it would appear  that his detractors took  threw   caution  to the wind in appreciating   a well  known dictum of international   relations and diplomacy  that in both   endeavours,   there  are    no   permanent  friends or foes  but permanent  interests. Contemporary   history  provides  a solid  example of this.  The  Allies  of the Second  World War collaborated  to defeat Hitler  and then spilt  at  Berlin  creating  four  sectors   called  the French,  British and American  sector  -called Check Point Charley  –  and East  Berlin owned  by the Soviet Union,  an  ally  till then until  the collapse  of Hitler’s brilliant  war  machine. This was the beginning of the Cold War  that  ended  with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989  and the  fall  of the Soviet  Union in 1991.  The  Soviet  Union dissolved into 15 sovereign Republics  and the Soviet Premier then Mikhail Goberchev got  a  Nobel Prize for  Peace  for presiding over the liquidation of the Soviet Empire, the US implacable  enemy. Barak  Obama, lusting   nowadays  for women leaders globally at Mandela’s Centenary in S  Africa, got a Nobel Prize  for  doing nothing other than setting the Arab world ablaze   with   his Cairo  Speech  at  the beginning of his presidency   and creating unwittingly  ISIS   which  bred the millions of   war refugees  mostly Muslims    fleeing  wars    and     arriving   in droves   at the gates   of the EU.  For  which  Donald Trump  holds Germany’s Chancellor  Angela Merkel  mostly  responsible for allowing 1m refugees into Europe  in  one year into  Europe.

    However   in   contrast  to what  Trump’s opponents  accuse him of, including most  ridiculously,  treason, this most vilified US president has done more for world peace than either Gorbachev  or Obama . He has  made  peace with N Korea and now he has made peace with Russia  and some of his country  men are  calling for his head . I  have called  for a Nobel Prize for the US president over the overtures to N Korea  to withdraw  from the nuclear brink of destroying the world. I repeat that  call  for him to be given  the Nobel Prize  for his Helsinki gesture in bringing in Russia   from  the cold  and   promoting the prospects of world peace.

    As  for  Donald Trump he needs to learn a basic lesson that   Change  cannot be  managed  because it   simply   follows its own path. It  is not a  Deal  which  he claims he knows too   well  .Change Management is  an  oxymoron like Trump  himself is the devil incarnate to his opponents and detractors.  Even Trump  himself  can  be destroyed by  the forces of change he has unleashed on global climate, trade and his America First  rhetoric. But  definitely  Trump  is an agent of Change, the most  effective of our time and his achievements must  be acknowledged as I do,   albeit  most grudgingly. He  has ‘brought  a  New  World  into existence to redress the balance of the old’ like  Lord  Palmerstone  once claimed in England  at  the beginning of that   nation  overseas adventures in piracy and exploration that   the   British  and Europe  later called Colonialism,  the initiator   and    historical   instigator  of the present  global  migration  crisis.

    With  regard  to Nigeria,  both  the herdsmen killings and Boko  Haram are violent changes  thrust  upon our political  system  which  are avoidable  because  they  are  not natural  disasters   like  hurricanes  and  tsunamis which  follow their chosen  deadly  paths of destruction. These two  blights on our socioeconomic environment are products of our political ineptitude, lack of knowledge of our physical   geography,   poor leadership  and corruption. We  have ignored the Sahel  and its creeping advance  that  has  made inhabitants of  our Northern part to  flee  southwards  but  have never  stopped to find ways to  scientifically  and strategically  check  the deadly  advance of the Sahel  southwards. Yet  our   political leadership,  politically  especially  has  always or  mostly  been  from  the North  since Independence.  Just  like  the   people    of  the  oil rich  Niger   Delta  have  always  voted for  the victorious  party  at the center  at   all   our    elections   but  still  have   nothing to show  for the huge oil  wealth  of Nigeria domiciled  on its territory.   In a way we have been architects of our own misfortune  historically  in the emergence  of these daylight killings threatening our collective security  and safety. But  it is still    the duty of government  to counter  by force those  who  challenge its authority   as  the sovereign  power on Nigeria’s  territorial  borders  and guarantor  of   the safety of our lives and property as   law  abiding Nigerian  citizens. Any  other  approach  than this can  only fuel  the aggression  of  those doing the killings and make victims  and potential  victims feel  insecure and angry  and no  government  no  matter  how popularly  elected  can  last  long in the good  books  of  even its electors  on that score. A word is enough for the wise. Once again long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • ‘Change in grazing patterns will end clashes’

    Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh has said the Federal Government’s efforts to change the grazing patterns of herdsmen will end farmers/herdsmen clashes.

    The minister told reporters yesterday in Gombe that the government would build dams and provide grasses for herdsmen to end the clashes, produce healthier cattle and guarantee better milk production.

    He said: “We are changing the pattern of cattle rearing to meet best global standards and address the farmers/herdsmen clashes.

    “What the herdsmen do now is what they are used to. To them, the arrangement is cheaper because it is easier to move the cows around. Apart from the fact that the old method is the major cause of the clashes we now experience, it is also a threat to the herdsmne.

    “It exposes them to snake bites, hyena attacks, as well as typhoid and malaria infections. They also suffer from the activities of cattle rustlers.

    “So, the new grazing arrangement will lead to a win-win situation for all. We are saying it is time to change that pattern of pasturising. So, we are reopening the old grazing reserves to meet the standards anywhere in the world.

    “The ministry is working and we will soon get approval from President Muhammadu Buhari to build artificial lakes, dams and get grass so that work can start quickly.

    “We have tested this in Kano and the herdsmen there are looking healthier and happier as they need not roam the bushes again.”

     

  • What a change!

    Nearly everyone wants to be different. Tall people want to be shorter, short people want to be taller. Fat people want to be slim, slim people think they are too skinny. ‘Black’ people want less intensity of sunlight in order to lighten their skins whereas the white skinned hunger for more sunlight to tan theirs. Rich people wish they had more freedom from the responsibilities  of wealth while People struggling to make ends meet would change places in a minute! Students want to get out of school. Many non- students say those were the best days of their lives and wish they could get back in. Is there any one satisfied with who he is and where he’s at in life? It doesn’t seem so, does it? Years back I needed to change but that understanding was far from me  that…I now relive in memory.

    At age 16, I gained admission into a federal university however I rejected the offer to settle for my second choice( course of study). My first choice was Estate Management unfortunately my JAMB score was less than the Cut off mark set by the university of my choice. I felt ..more like a failure. I did all I could to convince my parents to allow me travel out of the country to pursue my dream course of study, all efforts fell on deaf ears as they insisted I must complete my first degree here in Nigeria and then have the liberty to ‘fly out’ afterwards. “This verdict was totally unreasonable..” I thought, so I devised strategies to compel them to change their stance..hmm..my aunt came to mind, she will be very useful in persuading my parents to change their minds. Off I ran to her house armed with my script..this I acted perfectly well, to my amazement, my aunt fell over heels in love with my idea of travelling out of the country. “What’s the point staying in the country to re-sit JAMB when you can as well travel out and gain international exposure.. yes keh…’’ She signed. In fact I felt like licking up her feet with my hair to appreciate her firm support.

    My joy knew no bounds now that I’ve found an advocate ‘at no cost’..according to the script I would ‘scope’ her mind and take advantage of her ‘simplicity ’to the point that she will be ‘my voice’ even in my absence. It  went well as planned. Unknown to me, my aunt came to meet my parents at home the following day and opened up the case..she chanted my praise and persuaded my parents to entrust her with the task ..she will take care of all the travelling expenses and I could even stay at her apartment located very close to my choice (foreign) university. Right from childhood my parents always believed I am a replica of my aunt.. ’Courageous and highly intelligent’ a woman of rare beauty and a highly successful school administrator. My parents proudly consented to my aunts’ request with alacrity. I was overwhelmed with joy when my vivacious aunt called me and broke the good news to me..Yes! my plans worked…I made sure I gave her a treat..washed her toilet for one week, and did her laundry without asking for any bribe.

    The ‘travel palaver’ started..One thing I never told my aunt was that studying abroad was not my genuine reason for desiring to leave the country..I wanted independence especially from my parents. I built castles in the air..window shopping..idle chatting…instead of re-applying for the next JAMB exam, I focused on travelling abroad..gallivanting around processing the documents and papers and just when I thought I had it all figured out..unfortunately for me the unexpected happened…my aunt passed on! I cried uncontrollably not just because I would miss her endearing personality, but much more her support for my unreasonable desire to travel out to study abroad..hmm.. who will I turn to? ..this was obviously an unanswered question. Alas!..my visa application was rejected on the basis of insufficient  funds..haa..what a shame! l left the embassy befuddled..what will I tell my friends? I had snubbed them just because I felt I would no longer need them when I leave the shores of ‘Naija’. To make matters worse, the deadline to apply for the next JAMB had passed..no chance to re-sit and no chance to travel out.. I lost my chances..well I paid greatly for my foolishness..I needed a change of mindset. Travelling out was not the issue..the crux of the matter was that I did not set my priorities right. Now I’m wiser and better informed. In this new season of the year..please set your priorities straight..remember a right attitude wins always!